The next day, Laura sighed when her cell rang and Gordon was on the ID. "Yeah?"

"Laura, I'd like you to come with me to see Harvey."

"Can't you do anything yourself, Gordon?" He didn't respond. She closed her eyes and breathed calmly a moment. "I'm sorry. I meant no disrespect. It's just…"

"Rachel's death. I know."

Without saying anything, she shook her head. That wasn't it. Sure it was one of the most painful things she had ever felt in her life, but that wasn't why she was snappy. It was the other person her mind was wrapped around. And he wouldn't get the hell out of it. "I'll meet you at the hospital." She flipped her phone shut.

Bruce stuck his head in the room. "Going somewhere?"

"The hospital. Gordon wants me to go with him to talk to Harvey."

"Hmm, you want me to go?"

"I'd love for you to go, but guess what. Gordon didn't ask for you." She smiled. "Nothing personal, of course." He sniggered.

Alfred called, "Master Wayne! I think you need to see this!" Bruce looked over his shoulder at the TV. Laura looked around him.

"Who is that?" she asked.

Bruce's jaw was working. "He's a guy from my company. Come on." They walked out, hand in hand, to the living room.

On the TV, Mike Engel was talking about the man to the left. "He's a credible source. An A and E lawyer from a prestigious consultancy. He says he's waited as long as he can for Batman to do the right thing, now he's taking matters into his own hands. We'll be live at 5 with the true identity of Batman."

Laura looked at Bruce, expecting a reaction. Nothing. "Bruce?"

"You're gonna be late."

"Bruce, don't do this. Don't block me out. Let me help you."

"I'm fine. We'll get through this. Now, go." She put her arms around his waist and squeezed as hard as she could.

"I love you."

He squeezed back. "I love you, too." She ran out.

Later-ish

"Laura!"

"Hey, boss. Listen, about earlier…"

"No need. I understand. We don't have much time. Let's go." They went up to Dent's room and walked in. He had the left side of his face against his pillow. Laura didn't like the look on the visible half. Gordon walked up to the side of the bed. "I'm sorry about Rachel." He didn't answer. "The doctor says that you're in agonizing pain, but you won't accept medication. That you're refusing skin grafts."

"Gordon," he said, "what was that name you all had for me when I was at IA?"

"Harvey, I can't…"

"SAY IT!!!" he yelled. Laura jumped about 4 inches in the air.

Gordon flinched and muttered, "Two-face. Harvey Two-face."

Dent turned his head to look at them. The left side was nothing but burnt skin, muscle, bone, and cartilage. His molars were visible because his cheek was gone. "Why should I hide who I am?" he hissed.

Laura stared, mouth agape, in horror. He smirked at her with the good side of his face. Gordon said quietly, "I…I know you tried to warn me. I'm sorry. Wuertz picked you up- was he working for them?" No response. "Do you know who picked up Rachel?" Nothing. "Harvey, I need to know which of my men I can trust."

"Why would you listen to me now?" he demanded coldly.

"I'm sorry, Harvey."

"No, you're not. Not yet," he threatened.

Gordon pursed his lips and left. Laura remained where she was. "Harvey, don't be like this. We need to know who the traitors are."

"You didn't listen to me anymore than he did. Now Rachel's gone. I loved her. I loved her with my whole heart. You know, she said yes while we were in those rooms. She was going to marry me."

Laura got mad. "Well, guess what, Dent! I loved her too. She was my SISTER! Much closer bond than fiancé. So don't you go blaming me!" She stalked out. Gordon had gone on to his car, but there was another man standing outside the door. Salvatore Maroni.

He said, "This craziness is too much."

"Well, you should've thought about that before you let the clown out of the box," she responded.

"You want him? I can tell you where he is going to be this afternoon."

She took a double-take. "You're gonna help me?" He nodded. "There's a first for everything," she said, shrugging. He gave her the address. "Look, if you're lying, I'm gonna find you and rip your little lying tongue out, understand?" He merely smiled and walked away.

Laura ran out the doors to tell Gordon, but he was already gone. She scoffed exasperatedly, then got into her car and drove to M.C.U. Gordon was in his office. "You couldn't have waited a few minutes?" Gordon looked up at her, his expression saying, 'is there a reason you're in here?' "I ran into Maroni on the way out of the hospital. I've got the location of the Joker at 4 this afternoon." She filled him in and he called all cops on duty out.

He was saying, "I want Lau alive. The Joker…either way." Laura noticed the TV. Engel was there, taking callers for that lawyer. She wandered over to listen.

Caller one said, "I want to know how much they are paying you to say who Batman is."

"That's not why I'm doing this at all," the man answered. It appeared his name was Reese since it was running on the bottom of the screen.

The next person asked, "Harvey Dent didn't want to give in to this madman. Do you think you know better than him?"

"Well, if we could talk to Dent today, I think he might feel differently."

Engel cut in, "And we wish him a speedy recovery, because god knows, we need him now."

The next caller came on the air. "I had a dream of a world without Batman. The mob ground out a little profit and the police tried to shut them down one block at a time. And it was SOOO boring."

"Gordon!" Laura cried, recognizing the Joker's voice. He came over to watch it with her.

The Joker continued, "I've had a change of heart. I don't want Mr. Reese spoiling everything, but why should I have all the fun? Let's give someone else a chance. If Coleman Reese isn't dead in 60 minutes, I blow up a hospital. Of course, you could always kill yourself, Mr. Reese. That would be the noble thing to do." The line went dead.

M.C.U. became a buzzing bee hive. Gordon yelled, "Call in every officer! Tell them to head to their nearest hospital and start evac and search! Call the transit authority, school boards, prisons- get every available bus down to a hospital! The priority is Gotham General! Wheel everybody out of there right now!" He turned and started pointing. "Laura, you, you, and you, you're coming with me."

One asked him, "Where are me going, sir?"

"To get Reese!" They all piled into a SUV and drove off towards the TV studio. They parked up front, but that proved to be a mistake.

They were escorting Reese down, reporters yelling, "Commissioner, do you really think an ordinary citizen would try to kill this man?" His question was answered when someone in the crowd outside the front door pulled a pistol and shot through the glass.

Gordon, holding Reese's head down ordered, "Get our cars around back!" They made a mad dash to the back doors, and, luckily, found the SUVs already there. Gordon shoved Reese in and climbed in behind him. Laura let the other guys in first. Then she glanced to the end of the alley and noticed a steel blue Lamborghini sitting at the end. Bruce. She nodded before climbing into the truck.

Reese whimpered, "They're trying to kill me."

Laura cried out, "Do you think?" He looked at her, fear in his eyes. She smirked. "Well, maybe Batman will save you." The truck flew off down the alley to the road. Bruce was nowhere in sight. Suddenly, her phone beeped, signaling that she had a text. Gordon's did so at the exact same time. They looked at each other before checking it. It read, 'Watch out! Cops with relatives in Gotham hospitals: Ramirez, Burke, Till, Erickson, Berg.' Laura realized she knew the name of every person in the vehicle except the man across from her, and she knew every person on that list except Berg. Gordon apparently was in the same situation.

"It's Berg, isn't it?"

"Commissioner," the nervous man replied.

"You alright, son?" He nodded.

When the van stopped at a red light, Laura took the moment to glance out the windows, searching for Bruce. Nothing. She looked back at Berg, noting how the barrel of his gun was pointing rather at Reese.

Gordon said, "I'm gonna need your weapon."

"What?" He looked at his two superior officers. "Why? Because my wife is in the hospital?"

"Yeah," Gordon sighed. "That'd be why."

The light turned green. "Mr. Reese?" Berg said quietly. He then tried to quickly maneuver his gun to shoot. Laura grabbed the barrel and pointed it at the ceiling of the van. Then a something impacted the van so hard that Laura nearly ended up in Reese's lap. Everyone stared out the window. A steel blue Lamborghini was sitting smashed up against the van, and a pick-up truck was smashed into it.

Gordon quickly got out, taking Berg's weapon with him. "Laura, stay in the vehicle with Reese for a minute." She waited. She could here the conversation Gordon was having with Bruce outside. "Mr. Wayne, right?" She assumed Bruce nodded. "That was a very brave thing you did." Men were escorting her and Reese out of the SUV.

"What? Trying to catch the light?"

"You mean, you weren't trying to protect the van?"

"Why? Who's in it?" He turned and looked at the van, meeting eyes with Laura. He got a very strange look on his face. Gordon looked up at her as well.

He grinned slightly. "I forgot. I was referring to Reese, but I do suppose…"

"I really was just trying to catch the light," Bruce said. Laura left Reese in the guard of another police officer and walked over to her boss. "Do you think I should go to the hospital or something?" he asked them both.

Laura tried very hard to suppress a grin while Gordon said, "You don't watch a whole lot of news, do you, Mr. Wayne?" He shrugged innocently. "Well, you go on home. I think you'll be ok. Laura, do you need to check on him?"

"Maybe for just a minute, sir."

"Well, make it a short minute."

She nodded as he walked away, then she knelt in front of Bruce. "Thanks. That truck would've hit on my side."

"I know. I saw you through the rear window."

"How come I didn't see you?"

"I have…well, had a very short car."

"Good point." She reached up and wiped away a small trickle of blood. "I…" There was a distant explosion. She stood up, fast. "Gordon! That was Gotham General!" He nodded and started talking into his phone. She turned back to Bruce. "I have to go. Can you get a ride home?"

He nodded. "Don't worry about me. Gotham needs you, today." She smiled and ran off.

When she and Gordon reached General, they were appalled. The hospital was nothing but rubble and flaming embers. Gordon grabbed some cop and said, "You must know how many were inside! Roll calls, something!"

"Sir, we're showing 50 people missing, but that building was clear. My guess is we missed one of the busses."

"Oh, yeah? Well, what's your guess about where Harvey Dent is?!"