6. Someday I will July 20

Jenny left her apartment, then walked down the rickety metal stairs. It seemed more like a fire escape than an actual entrance. She somehow managed to get up and down them even in high heels. She lived on the third floor, so getting down was quite a task. There were, as usual, no other lights on until she reached the ground floor. Her friend lived there. He was a thug, but had always been nice to her. He'd been a friend of her brother. Her real brother, not her sister's husband. But he'd vanished years ago. Probably to the bottom of the river, she thought bitterly.

Her friend, who's name was Eddie, was not home. He left his lights on all the time. He was actually her boss, so he was probably at work. He was the cook. Since Jenny knew very little about cooking, there had been quite a few times that she had eaten at Eddie's apartment. His wife was a pretty little thing, thought not the most brilliant. She also worked at the diner on occasion, so she probably wasn't at home, either. Jenny was alone, which made her a little nervous. But she pushed the feeling away as she walked to the metro station.

It wasn't long before she had ridden to her stop. She had left the Narrows behind, but wasn't in the best part of town. But that couldn't be helped. As soon as she reached the diner, she knew she'd be safe. She walked hastily there, careful not to look anyone in the eye. It was an old habit. She didn't want people to be able to recognize her later, even if she wasn't doing anything illegal at the moment. Best to remain anonymous.

Once inside the diner, she allowed herself to relax. She greeted her friends, including Lisa, who was looking at her a little oddly. She clearly hadn't forgotten this afternoon's conversation. But both of them set to work immediately. Whatever needed to be said could wait until it was time for a break.

It was nearly one in the morning before Jenny had time to take a break. "Busy tonight," she mumbled to herself. But it was nice to sit down for a while. There weren't any customers at the moment, anyway.

"Hey," Lisa said, sitting down across from her.

"Hey yourself," Jenny replied amiably.

"Can I talk to you?" Lisa asked, looking around. No one else was near them. They were in the kitchen, cleaning up and getting ready for the breakfast rush. Which was usually slow, but it was best to be prepared.

"I don't see why not," Jenny replied.

"Why do you do it?" Lisa asked quietly.

"Do what?" Jenny asked innocently.

"Work against everyone all the time. Wouldn't it be best to just turn him in to the police?" she pleaded.

"Easiest, yes. Best, no. Lisa, I've been watching this guy for years. He has great potential. I'm not going to just throw that away to the highest bidder. I want to know where he can be used the best," she said calmly.

Lisa shook her head. "I don't understand you," she said.

"Yes, you do. You do the same thing with dating. You try as many guys as you can, weighing your options. You weigh their wealth against their personality," Jenny replied. "You're brilliant at it. I do the same thing, just without using myself as the bargaining chip," she explained.

"But using yourself is usually safer," Lisa cautioned. "Your bargaining chip can't fight back if it's you."

"Very eloquent," Jenny said softly. "Yes, I suppose that's true. But I don't want to sell myself. You've known me for years, Lisa. You know how I am," she said tiredly.

"I do know how you are. And I know you don't want to share anything with anyone." Jenny opened her mouth to protest, but Lisa cut her off. "You don't! You just want to be alone all the time. I know you're upset about your brother and your parents, but you can't do anything about it."

"I'm not trying to."

Lisa sighed. "Okay, fine."

They sat in silence for a few minutes. "So, tell me about him," Lisa asked, winking.

"Oh, come on," Jenny said, laughing. "He's insane. Not to mention my prisoner. I can hardly afford to start thinking of him that way," she explained, shaking her head.

Lisa smiled. "That's good. I was a little worried about you… So, what will you do with him?"

"I'm not sure yet. Gordon told me the reward, which is quite nice. But I'll wait for Ra's to think of whether he wants him or not, and what his price will be. I called the batman," she added, smiling at Lisa's shocked look.

"You what? You just go from psychopath to madman," Lisa said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"And you would do the same thing if their bank account was large enough," Jenny teased.

Lisa laughed. "Well, I'm considerably more marketable to them than an insane psychiatrist," she pointed out.

Jenny smiled. "That's true." Lisa was tall, blond, and beautiful by most standards. Jenny was about six inches shorter, and considered pretty on occasion. But this difference had never caused them to drift apart. Both took complete advantage of what they were given, and they got along well because of it.

"Speaking of which, how's Bruce?"

"I haven't seen him," Lisa replied, looking a little worried. "He's been busy, I guess. Rebuilding his house and all. He hasn't gone to any parties since his birthday," she added.

"Lisa, that was only two days ago. How many parties could there possibly have been?" Jenny demanded, shaking her head.

Lisa laughed. "Why, only two. There'd probably be more if people thought he'd come," she added.

"I don't know how you do it. Staying up all the time at parties, and working the rest of the time. I barely see you anymore," she added, shaking her head in mock disappointment.

Lisa smiled. "I know, I've been a bad, bad girl. But I don't know how you do it either. How will you sleep tonight? Maybe you should just tie him to a chair or something," she suggested.

Jenny laughed lightly. "While it would certainly put his straight jacket to good use, I think I'll just stick with locking my door and hoping for the best," she replied.

"Good plan. Well, you have me on speed dial if you need me. And Eddie will just be two floors below you. Don't hesitate to get either of us," Lisa said.

"I won't. I'm sure Eddie won't mind you volunteering him," Jenny added.

"He volunteers us," Lisa pointed out.

"Very true. Well, my shift's over. I'm out of here. See you tomorrow," she added, rising.

"Have a nice night," Lisa said, waving.

Shaking her head and smiling, Jenny left the diner. She wiped the smile off her face immediately and walked to the station, head down. Her ride home was uneventful, and she mounted the stairs once more. She paused to watch the sun rise on her balcony.

"Well," she said thoughtfully. "Another night over. How much longer will I work there?" she asked herself. "It's really not enough money to be worth the danger." She glanced at her apartment. "And I really should get a good enough job to move from here." She looked up into the sky. "Maybe this business venture will help that. Someday, I'm getting out of here. And getting a real job," she promised herself.

Then, she let herself in and walked silently to her room. She could make out Crane on the couch, presumably sleeping. She was careful not to wake him, since she was in no mood for confrontation right now. And the memory of him grabbing her wrist was a little scary. He has a surprisingly strong grip for one so slender. She walked a little closer, frowning at him. He looked completely different when he was asleep, she thought. Less threatening. Perhaps it was because his cold blue eyes were closed. When he was awake, she could see ruthless calculations behind those eyes. Now, he looked almost sane. Almost, she reminded herself.

She shrugged, then moved carefully across the tile to her room. She opened the door, and slipped in gratefully. After locking up, she sat down on her bed, and set about clearing off the various articles. "Time to sleep," she whispered. She changed, and crawled into bed. "I've got to get a better job. Or at least one that has different hours," she whispered as she began to doze off.