Wisps of hair got into Alex's eyes as she put a stack of broken wooden pieces into the giant bin. After taking off her work gloves, Alex brushed her hair out of her eyes and sat on the staircase. The plumber and the electrician had already restored the utilities to the house, and Alex now just needed to clear the area. Next she would have to think about buying new furniture.

While the thought of spending that much money did make her nervous, she had more than enough money now that most of Elizabeth's assets had been seized and added to her bank account. Plus there was no way to restore Elizabeth's old room on her own anyway, so she'd also have to look into that.

Alex sighed and wiped her face. It was just another thing to add to her ever-growing list. Her appointment with Elizabeth's father's lawyers was tomorrow, so at least she'd finally be able to see what was in that envelope. In order to make sure that there were no complaints, she'd left it enclosed with the wax seal.

"You could just hire someone to do this for you," Victor said before sitting next to her on the stairs and taking a bite out of a bagel.

"I could, but… I don't know. It feels a bit therapeutic to toss out the old and plan for the new," Alex answered and looked around. "Plus Pam's hearing is next week. I want at least a couple of rooms to be ready by then."

"Which would be easier if you hired some people," Victor replied in a singsong voice.

Alex sighed and looked around the foyer. "I think… you might be right about that."

She hadn't even touched Elizabeth's old room. Going inside of that room gave her the chills. Alex had often wondered if Elizabeth was still somewhere in her body. Maybe she was just sleeping while Alex had control. Would there be a day when Alex would disappear and Elizabeth would return? However, despite Alex's many attempts to meditate or even just calling out Elizabeth's name in her mind, there was no reply. There were days when she felt incredibly guilty about living Elizabeth's life, but as far as Alex knew, she was alone.

"Looks like your penguin is back," Victor said cheerfully as he looked out the window.

A car door slammed shut outside, and Alex got up to continue cleaning up the room. The door opened to reveal Oswald followed by a group of men in hard hats. Alex and Victor shared a confused look.

"Don Falcone heard about the state of the manor and sent some… helpers," Oswald explained, gesturing to the men.

Alex looked at the men in confusion for a moment. With a sigh, she decided that it would be easier to just let them help than to try to refuse Falcone's offer. She directed the men on the areas that needed clearing of the broken furniture and debris. As the men set off to work, she turned back to Victor and Oswald with a sigh.

"Did I do something wrong? I thought that you could use the help," Oswald explained.

"Miss Stubborn here wanted to do some of it on her own," Victor interjected before Alex could say anything.

"No, Oswald. You didn't do anything wrong. It's just…" Alex trailed off as she saw an expensive black car parking in her driveway.

"Zho's dat?" Victor asked after stuffing the rest of his bagel in his mouth.

Oswald opened the door as Bruce Wayne stepped out of the car. Alex relaxed a little. Better the devil that you know.

Oswald gave Bruce a fake smile and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Wayne, but we're quite busy. I can schedule you a meeting for next Tuesday."

Oswald had been incredibly chipper when he'd heard that she probably wouldn't be working for Bruce anymore. No doubt Oswald was just trying to help her out, but Alex knew that as much fun as it was to see Bruce put on the spot she needed him.

"It's okay," Alex said, putting her hand on Oswald's shoulder. "I'll just talk with him outside for a little while. Please supervise the workers for me, okay?"

Oswald bristled, but her pleading eyes seemed to work as he reluctantly agreed. Victor made sure that Bruce knew that he'd be watching as Alex quickly closed the door behind her. After an awkward silence, Alex led the way toward the back of the house. The air between them was stiff as they talked about the weather.

Finally unable to take the awkwardness, Alex asked, "So… why are you here?"

Bruce let out a surprised chuckle and replied, "Straight to the point… I believe that we didn't exactly leave things on the best foot."

"No, but I have no intention of telling you how I knew about… you know."

Bruce sighed and said, "Which while frustrating… I can accept for now."

Alex raised an eyebrow in surprise and asked, "Are you okay? Are you sure that you aren't a clone here to destroy me?"

"Pretty sure," Bruce replied with a smirk. "You haven't told anyone… even when you were angry with me. That counts for something. While I can't say that I completely trust you, I can say that it's enough for the moment."

"So you want me to be your inside man at the asylum?" Alex asked.

"While I do still believe that Dr. Crane is incredibly dangerous and you should limit contact with him… If you're going to see him anyway, I might as well make use of your interactions."

Alex stopped and looked into the distance. This was what she had wanted, but why did she feel so hesitant? Was it because his change of heart was so sudden?

"Alfred was the one who made me see reason. I don't like putting other people in harm's way. It's why I do what I do alone, but… I can't do everything alone. I want to give this a chance."

That would explain it. There were few people Bruce loved and trusted as much as Alfred. If he had put in a good word for Alex, then it made sense why Bruce would change his mind so quickly. The mausoleum in the distance caught her attention.

"There's something I want to show you," Alex said and gestured for him to wait.

After running back to the house and grabbing the locket and the wind-up key, Alex ran back to where Bruce was waiting. She led him to the statue and turned the key. Bruce's eyes widened as the entrance to the secret study was revealed. Alex led him down and let him look around the hidden room.

"So… do the Arkham's win the award for most dramatic in Gotham?"

Bruce chuckled and replied, "Well, this is rather hard to beat… How'd you know that this was here?"

Alex explained the odd scavenger hunt that Elizabeth's father had left behind. Clues hidden in the very walls of the Arkham Manor. Bruce listened closely, enraptured by her adventure. When she got to the part where she revealed the videotape and sealed envelope, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"So you believe that he set all of that up because he didn't trust your brother?"

"Also because he was an eccentric millionaire with a lot of free time… But I think this room was created before his time. He probably just updated it; it would be difficult to remodel the mausoleum without causing potential damage."

Bruce nodded as he continued to take in the room. Alex closed the door behind her. Victor knew about this room, and she wouldn't put it past him to try to listen in on their conversation.

In a low voice, Alex said, "So… what do you think?"

"I think… I'm curious of what could be in that envelope."

"I haven't even opened it yet. I want to open it in front of lawyers and witnesses. That way Jeremy will have a harder time trying to convince people that I planted it."

"And you're sure it doesn't contain anything negative about you?"

"I don't know. It could, but I don't think he'd go through so much trouble to hide it if he was just going to side with Jeremy. Either way, I'll deal with the trouble as it comes."

Bruce nodded and took another look around. He touched one of the drawer's handles and asked, "Do you mind if I…?"

Catching his meaning, Alex put her hands up and replied, "Have at it."

Bruce opened each of the drawers, touching the bottom of the drawer and measuring it with his eyes. As he opened the bottom drawer, he noticed something and pulled out the bottom of the drawer by a string.

"Another hidden compartment," Bruce said and pulled out another mysterious envelope.

Bruce handed her the envelope which had the words "Open after the first" written on it in the same handwriting that she'd seen before. After looking at it for a moment, she sighed and put it back in the drawer. Bruce gave her a curious look.

"Just following orders… besides, my fragile heart can only take so much."

Bruce rolled his eyes a little but put the false bottom back into the drawer. As she watched Bruce analyzing the room, an idea came to her.

"Would you… would you mind being a witness when they open the envelope?"

Bruce's eyes widened, and he turned to look at her. His sudden attention made Alex lean on the wall. She looked away and tried to figure out a good way to explain her thought process to Bruce… in a way that he would appreciate.

"I think it's the only way that I can earn your trust right now… Secrets for secrets. Although… the meeting is tomorrow which is sorta short notice, so I understand if you can't," Alex said quickly and peeked back at him.

Bruce's gaze had relaxed, and he said with a gentle smile, "I think I would like that."

Alex perked back up and let him know where and what time. Bruce followed her up the stairs while listening intently. After they returned to the surface, Alex reset the statue and led him out of the mausoleum.

As they approached the house, they still walked in silence, but this was a much more comfortable silence. Alex was feeling hopeful about their arrangement. At least she would now have the Batman on speed-dial. After saying goodbye, Alex returned to the house with a spring in her step. Victor was waiting on the stairs when she returned. He pointed up toward one of the rooms.

"I think your penguin is about to have a nervous breakdown," Victor said with fake reproach.

"Of course," Alex whispered to herself and quickly jogged up to the room Victor had pointed to.

She opened the door to see Oswald pacing. After watching him for a moment, she stepped into the room and asked, "Is everything okay?"

Oswald turned so that he was facing away from her and replied, "I'm fine. It's just… I want what's best for you… as your friend. And that man…"

"Is a playboy? That's the nice word for it, right?"

Oswald turned around in surprise and Alex continued, "I know what he's like, Oswald. And that's exactly why I'm not dating him."

"Then why…?"

"We're using each other. That's what rich people with connections do. He needs someone to hide his… flings from the press. There are a lot of people who'd love to see me fail. It's good to have powerful people on your side."

"So… you don't like him?" Oswald asked with an odd hopefulness to his voice.

"I don't dislike him, but honestly he's a bit much," Alex reassured him with a smile.

"He is a bit of an odd one, isn't he?" Victor interrupted, peeking in the room behind the half-closed door.

Oswald rolled his eyes at Victor but otherwise seemed to be in a much better mood as he led Alex and Victor from room to room saying what could be fixed soon and what needed more time. There were a couple rooms that would be ready by the end of the day, but others, like Elizabeth's old room, would take much longer. Jeremy had created quite a mess. Alex paused to look out the windows and into the sunshine. With a contented sigh, she took some time to appreciate the warmth. It was too soon to tell for sure, but it looked like things were finally looking up.