Jonathan Crane did not expect Batman to find him after he took that unfortunate swim in the Asylum's sewers.

He had gotten away from that mindless animal Croc with a well-placed needle jab to the mouth, causing Croc to drop him.. And he didn't stick around to wait for the creature to come back and finish the job. He found his way out through the derelict sewer system into the bay and swam for Gotham City, cursing the Dark Knight with all his being.

His first plan was to find one of his hideouts and regroup from there. He'd find his some of his henchmen loafing around, no doubt waiting for his return and then he would go back to work and make Batman pay for what he'd done (humiliating him, fighting against his fear toxin, and almost feeding him that beast.)

And for a while, it went smoothly. He pulled off some thefts from pharmaceutical companies in order to stock up on his toxin before the Batman caught up to him. And with the some blows to Jonathan's skull and ribs, he was knocked out and on his way back to Arkham Asylum.

Jonathan lounged against the wall in his cell. He was patient. All Batman did was stew his hatred of the caped crusader. He would bring the Batman to his knees in fear. And then Gotham would fall to fear.

But first, he had to get out of the asylum.

For a bit, he considered to following Nygma's idea and slip quietly out during shift change but one) he didn't want Nygma to think he was copying him and two) the number of guards doubled in order to ensure no more breakouts.

So he came up with a Plan B.

Footsteps sounded in the distance and the guard rounded the corner. Jonathan watched him carefully until he disappeared from sight. Now.

He stood up and carefully slipped through his cell bars (he was thin enough to do so and no one had the thought to move him to a cell with an actual door.) He had ten minutes to get back into his cell before the next guard strolled by.

He had to get into the Penitentiary. That was no small task.

He moved quickly and into one of the broken vents. He'd gone this way many times. Normally, he would take a left down under the elevator to his hidden lair but this time he went right, into Arkham West.

He ducked down into a nearby shrubbery and scanned for the guards. Good, they were looking the other way. He dashed for the stairs.

Navigating the Penitentiary was easy. After all, this had been his asylum at one point. Sharp had done nothing to change it after his arrest. He dodged guard after guard until he found his way to one very special room.

Jonathan smirked. "Hello Ivy."

-x-

Lilli nervously chewed on her thumbnail as she listened to the hold music. She never remembered being put on hold before when she called the hospital. How many people were asking for jobs at Gotham General?

Then the phone picked up, "Dr. Brewer."

"Dr. Brewer, hi. It's Lilli Collins."

"Lilli! It's nice to hear from you. But I doubt it's for catching up. You're looking to see if you can get your old job back."

Just like Dr. Brewer: straight to the point. "I'm inquiring about positions available at Gotham General. I understand you're understaffed," Lilli explained.

"Understaffed is an understatement. But with budget cuts, there's not much wiggle room. I'm sorry Lilli, you'd know I'd hire you back in a heartbeat but you'll have to jump through the hoops like everybody else. I'll set up an interview for you and put a recommendation through. But that's all I can do."

"I'll take it." Lilli said. She didn't mind. Dr. Brewer was a greatly respected doctor at Gotham General. She'd have an edge.

"Send in your resume to Human Resources and they'll be in touch. I'll work on a recommendation letter. Good luck."

"Thank you." She hung up, feeling cheered. Her resume would be in the works by tomorrow and she'd most likely have another job before Arkham closed.

There was a knock on her door and Lilli's heart skipped a beat. It's not him. She told herself. He wouldn't knock; he'd walk straight in like last time, surprising her. But it didn't stop her from cautiously making her way over to the door and checking the peep hole. It was Jeff.

She sighed in relief and opened it. "Hi."

"Hey." He held out a bouquet of flowers. "You look great."

"Thank you." He told her to dress nice and so she defaulted to the little, strapless black dress that made her look a couple years younger and a pair of red high heels. She even took the time to straighten her hair and put it up in a classy bun.

She took the bouquet. A grin slipped out when she noticed what they were: large, pink stargazer lilies. "Lilies. Because my name's Lilli. Clever."

Jeff tried to look sheepish but kept on smiling. "Confession time," he said, "I took Annabelle with me to the flower shop and I was dead set on getting you roses but she insisted that I get you lilies because your name was Lilli. And she wouldn't have it any other way."

Lilli laughed. "That is really cute. I love them. Be sure to tell her that."

"Will do."

"Let me put these in water and we can be on our way." She went back into her kitchen and deposited them into a vase. "Ready?"

"Of course." He offered his arm to her and she took it.

-x-

The restaurant turned out to be Acquerello, one of the best Italian restaurants in the city. "I thought it was near impossible to get a reservation here," Lilli said in amazement as Jeff helped her out of the car.

"The manager is an old college friend of mine. I called in a favor," Jeff said, sounding proud.

"Hardy. Table for two," Jeff said to the host as they entered. The host led them to a small table on the second floor, overlooking the ground floor.

"Very nice." Lilli smiled as Jeff helped her into her chair.

It was a gorgeous restaurant: elegantly designed like an Italian rotunda, the floors and columns were built out of marble, candles were strewn about along with low-light chandeliers, and there was a small pool in the middle of the room. It was lovely.

"Good evening." A man approached them and set menus down. "I am Jack and I'll be taking care of you this evening. Can I start you off with drinks or do you want a moment with the wine list?"

"Uh, well," Jeff looked at her, "I'm not much of a wine drinker."

"Let me," Lilli said smoothly and took the list. She scanned it quickly. "We'll have a bottle of the Saracco Moscato d'Asti, thank you."

"Excellent choice," He said. "I'll be back in a moment with your wine."

"Thank god," Jeff said when Jack left. "I didn't know what to pick."

"You strike me as the kind who would be prefer a beer over wine but I think you'd like moscato," Lilli said.

He grinned guiltily at her. "Any prospects on jobs yet?" He asked.

"I called my old boss today," she admitted. "She couldn't do much because of budget cuts but she said to send in my resume and she'd give me a recommendation. So that gives me a foot in the door. What about you?"

"I've sent some stuff into Gotham General and a few private practices but I haven't heard anything yet." He shrugged. "But it's only been a week since Sharp announced his plans."

"I can't believe he sprung this thing on us without warning. How many people live in the northern part of Gotham? The Gotham Bank is there, the subway, the church, even the courthouse. Where is all that going to go?"

"I don't know. But it's going to be hell emptying out that place. But the way I look at it: it'll keep the criminals away from innocent people."

"At what cost?" Lilli countered. "What's to stop them from getting out like they always do?"

"That I don't know."

Their conversation came to a stop as Jack returned with their wine. "The moscato." He opened the bottle and poured two glasses. "Are we ready to order?"

"Yeah, thank you. I'll have the chicken parmesan," Jeff said.

"And I will have the beef manicotti," Lilli ordered.

"Excellent. I will go put those orders in." Jack smiled and swept away.

Jeff picked up his wine glass and took a sip. "Sweet," he commented.

"Moscato can be a nice, light wine if you find the right kind." Lilli said as she took a drink. And this one was a good moscato.

"Good choice, Lilli." He praised and they clinked glasses.

"So," he said after they set their glasses down, "have you lived in Gotham all your life?"

"Yep. Born and raised here in Gotham," Lilli said. "You?"

"I moved here about four years ago when the Asylum offered me a job. The pay was good and I got Annabelle away from her mom. She didn't like moving away from her friends though. Wouldn't talk to me for a month. At least, not until I found a dance class for her."

"I imagine moving away from all you know at a young age can be hard. So where did you live before this?"

"San Francisco." Lilli gave him an incredulous look and he laughed. "I know. I abandoned warm California for ridiculously cold east coast winters."

"I would've stayed in California," She remarked. "I'd love to live somewhere where you rarely see snow."

"Annabelle was enamored with it the first time it snowed here. I don't think she'll forgive me ever again if we move. And besides," he reached across the table and took her hand, "if we hadn't moved here, I never would've met you."

"If I hadn't taken the job at Arkham," she corrected, "you never would've met me."

"I'm glad you did." They clinked glasses and drank some more.

-x-

Dinner was wonderful. The food was great and Jeff allowed her to finish most of the moscato (which might've been a mistake on Lilli's part but the wine was too good to pass up.)

"That was excellent," Lilli sighed in content as Jeff escorted her back to the car. She leaned against him, enjoying his warmth.

"I'm glad you liked it," Jeff replied and helped her into the car. He entered the driver's seat and turned to her. "But if you don't mind, I want to make another stop before taking you home."

"Where?" She asked.

Jeff turned on the car. "It's a surprise," he said mysteriously.

"Oh?" She lifted an eyebrow. "What if I don't like surprises?"

"Do you?"

"Maybe," she teased.

"Well then," he said and pulled out of the lot. "I'm taking you to meet someone."

He drove them out of the city and into the suburbs. Had Lilli drunk less wine at dinner she probably would have guessed where they were going but she didn't. Not until he pulled into a driveway of a small house.

"It's cute," Lilli cooed as she got out. Okay, now she was a little tipsy. She nearly stumbled on her heels but Jeff caught her arm at the last second. "I think I had a little too much wine," she admitted.

Jeff laughed. "I'll get you some water inside."

They entered the house. Instantly, Lilli was bathed in warmth from the heat and the house itself. The entryway was a nice beige color, accented by coat hooks and a key bowl.

"You can take your shoes off," Jeff said and Lilli gladly did so.

The entryway opened up into a living room, with a kitchen off to her left. There were some photo on the wall but there were many pictures and paintings drawn by a small child tacked up everywhere. Lilli examined one: it was of a small girl wearing a ballerina's outfit, smiling widely. Up top she read: To Daddy. From Annabelle.

So cute, Lilli thought.

Jeff walked up next to her and handed her a glass of water. "Annabelle drew that for me a couple months ago. If she doesn't become a dancer, I'm sure she'll be an artist," he joked. "Half of her room is covered in her drawings."

Lilli smiled, she could hear the pride in his voice as he talked about his daughter. He really loves her.

"Mr. Hardy, you're back already?" A girl appeared from a hallway. She young, probably in her late teens dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, wearing glasses, and had half her head shaved.

"Hey Emma," Jeff greeted.

The girl now know as Emma looked over Lilli briefly before addressing Jeff. "It's almost Annabelle's bed time, she's dressed in her pajamas and her teeth are brushed. All she needs is her bed time story."

"Excellent," Jeff said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He handed Emma a couple twenty dollar bills. "Thanks again."

"No problem," Emma said cheerfully. "I love watching Annabelle. She puts on dance shows for me," Emma flashed a grin Lilli's way. "She's such a sweetheart."

Jeff turned to Lilli as Emma put her coat and shoes on and left. "Emma lives a couple houses down from us. She babysits Annabelle when I can't get home from work on time."

"That's nice of her," Lilli said. Indeed, Emma seemed like a nice young girl.

"Daddy!" A small voice squealed.

A tiny girl dressed in pink My Little Pony pajamas jumped into Jeff's arms. Jeff picked the girl up and kissed her forehead. "Hey Snow Pea. You're still up?"

"I need a bedtime story," the girl pouted.

"Okay but first, I want to introduce you to someone." Jeff motioned to where Lilli stood and the girl turned to look at her.

Instantly Lilli noticed that the girl looked just like Jeff: same blonde hair and blue eyes. But her face was more round whereas Jeff's was square. And her nose was like a button as opposed to Jeff's long one.

"Annabelle, this is Lilli," Jeff introduced them. "Lilli, this is my daughter Annabelle."

Annabelle waved at Lillie but she clung tighter to Jeff like she was too shy to introduce herself and buried her face in his shoulder.

"Hey Annabelle," Lilli said softly as she approached, Annabelle peeked out at her. "I absolutely love the flowers you picked out for me today. They were the most beautiful flowers I ever saw."

Annabelle brightened at those words. "Really?" She asked excitedly. "I picked them out myself," she added proudly.

"And you did an amazing job," Lilli smiled.

Annabelle wrapped her arms around Jeff's neck and snuggled into him. "I want my bedtime story."

"Okay," Jeff said. He gave Lilli and apologetic look and walked down the hall. Lilli followed them.

He led them into a bedroom painted purple. The walls were adorned with posters of Barbie, My Little Pony, ballerinas, and Annabelle's drawings. The first three subjects were also toys that were scattered around the room. Books were piled onto a small, white bookshelf. And pushed against the middle of the room there was a pink and purple bed with a princess canopy.

Jeff set Annabelle down and she ran over to her bookshelf and pulled a book out. "This one!" She announced loudly.

Jeff picked her up again, swinging her as he did so and Annabelle squealed in delight. "Okay, that one." Jeff took the book from her and opened up the canopy and held the covers up so she could crawl under them. He tucked her in before settling next to her.

"Lilli, come sit next to me!" Annabelle cried.

Lilli looked a Jeff questioningly and he smiled and nodded. She made her way over to the bed and found her way into the canopy and sat down on Annabelle's other side.

"Okay." Jeff opened up the book and started to read, "Princess Penelope and the Terrible—"

"Wait!" Annabelle cried and snatched the book from his hands. "You have the wear the magic story-telling crown!"

"The what?" Lilli asked blankly.

And to her genuine surprise, Jeff flushed red. "I think we can go one night without it, Snow Pea," he said nervously.

"No." Annabelle pouted and crossed her arms. "You have to wear it."

Jeff sighed in defeat. He rolled over and reached for something on the floor. When he turned back to them, he was wearing a plastic pink and purple tiara on his head. His face was bright red.

Lilli tried to choke down her laughter but a tiny squeak came out. She attempted to disguise it as a cough but by the way Jeff glared at her, he wasn't fooled.

"Let's do this again," Jeff said as Annabelle handed him the book back with a grin. "Princess Penelope and the Terrible, Hungry Dragon..."

The book was quite lovely. A princess saving her kingdom by feeding the dragon ice cream so he couldn't set fire to anything because the ice cream melted his fire breath. And it was even better because Annabelle made Jeff do voices and Lilli would commit Jeff's high-pitched princess voice to memory forever.

Jeff closed the book and placed it on the bookshelf. "Goodnight Snow Pea," he said and kissed her on the forehead.

"Goodnight," Annabelle sleepily murmured back to him. "I love you."

"I love you more," Jeff said. He turned off the ballerina lamp next to her bed but he plugged something else into the wall. The top of Annabelle's canopy lit up dimly. Lilli looked up to see that small, white Christmas lights had been threaded along the top. They were Annabelle's nightlight, she realized.

"C'mon," Jeff said to Lilli. He and Lilli left the room and he closed the door behind the quietly.

"Well that was mortifying," Jeff said when he faced Lilli again. His face had returned to it's normal color with exception of his ears.

Lilli grinned broadly. "I thought it was cute."

"I'll take that as a good thing," Jeff said as they walked back into the living room. "Annabelle's wanted to meet you for a while now. I hope you didn't think I was too forward by bringing you here."

"Not at all," Lilli said as she admired another picture drawn by Annabelle (her as a princess.) "She's a very sweet girl."

"You should see her during the day." Jeff came up from behind her and wrapped his arms around her. His chin rested on her shoulder. "She's unstoppable."

"She seems like it. Headstrong and has her dad wrapped around her finger." Lilli swayed in Jeff's embrace.

"Oh yeah," Jeff agreed and his chest rumbled in laughter. "She definitely does."

"And I thought I couldn't expect any surprises from you," Lilli said softly.

"You've seen me in a tiara," he reminded her.

"I know," Lilli giggled. "And I will treasure this memory forever."

"You're terrible," Jeff complained to her and nuzzled her neck. Lilli laughed outright and spun around.

And the next moment, they were kissing.

Jeff was warm and sweet, he allowed her to decide where to go. He didn't pressure her, he didn't make any untoward moves. His hands rested on her shoulders, not going any lower.

They broke apart. Lilli met Jeff's eyes and he looked at her hazily. "Stay with me tonight, please?" He asked, his voice low.

For once her in her life, she didn't think about Edward Nygma out there, stalking her. She didn't think about her job in jeopardy. She just thought about Jeff and how safe she felt in his home—his arms. Her face flushed and a fire ignited in her lower body.

"Yes," Lilli breathed out and they kissed again.

-x-

And that wraps up chapter nine. I was unsure of what direction I wanted to take in this chapter but I figured it out. It was fun to write this one.

But Arkham City looms close. There's not much time before Lilli's life is shaken even further. And what is Crane planning? And what will the Riddler do when he finds out about Jeff? Stayed tuned to find out!

Also, if any of you liked Arkham Origins, I have a BrucexOC story going on if you'd like to check it out!

Reviews, favorites, and follows are love. See you in chapter ten!