Friday, 8:55 am

Penelope took one last look at her appearance in the mirror of the women's bathroom in City Hall. Her dark hair was pinned back as it always was, her suit jacket and blouse immaculate. Instead of her usual dress slacks, she wore a black pencil skirt to match her suit jacket. She couldn't remember the last time she'd worn a skirt. Her interview for Arkham Asylum perhaps? That had been a lifetime ago. The only make up she wore today was her dark mascara. She would be nothing less than professional today. She couldn't afford to be otherwise. What she would say could not just impact the rest of the proceedings, but beyond. Bolton had told her Monday that the Commission was essentially counting on her to be the nail in the coffin for GCPD. She wouldn't let that happen. She couldn't let that happen. If she came down too harshly against the Commission, however, she could lose her access to Sharp and her best chance at finding out his plans with Strange. She sighed. The best way was to bring this to an end as quickly as possible.

The sound of the door opening distracted her from her thoughts. She looked out of the corner of her eye and smiled a bit. "Good morning, Joan."

Joan leaned against the door of the restroom with her arms folded. "How are you feeling?"

Penelope took a step back from the mirror. "Ready," she said. She reached up to brush her bangs to the side of her forehead. "What's it like out there?"

"Same as its been the last few days. The building's packed. I'll be sitting in the front row with the rest of the GCPD officers." Joan took a step forward and placed a hand on Penelope's shoulder. "Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"It's a bit late to drop out now Joan," Penelope answered. "Besides, I'm not going to stand back and let what happened to me be used as a weapon against Gordon. I've been used before. Never again."

Joan nodded. "Good." Then her face grew solemn. "Penelope, you mentioned that you had something in mind for how to handle Ward. Would you care to tell me what that is?"

Penelope sighed. "Joan...I'm hoping I won't have to, but-"

Joan shook her head and brought her hand up to her brow. "Oh God, I knew it." She brought her hand down and looked at her, concern in her eyes. "And there's no way I can talk you out of this? Penelope, don't throw away your career-"

"We both know I shouldn't still have my career Joan," Penelope interrupted. "As far as I'm concerned, I've been living on borrowed time." She looked down at the watch on her wrist. 8:59. "Time to go." She walked past Joan, trying to ignore the sad look on her mentor's face and out the bathroom door. She felt the butterflies in her stomach with every step she took towards the chamber. The futures of countless people could be decided by how she conducted herself today. Bullock, Renee, Gordon, Aaron, Edward. The butterflies disappeared with every step and were replaced with a sense of purpose. Slayer of regret, old and new, sought by many, found by few. Perhaps today would be the day she would begin to find it.

Joan trailed behind her, but instead of determination she only felt fear. Fear for her friend, of what she may do to herself. She took a quick look in the gallery as she followed Penelope in. She couldn't spot Edward. She didn't know whether she should feel relieved, or disappointed.

9:00 AM

How long had it been since he'd been in City Hall? Years, Edward thought. What had been the exact circumstances behind the visit? He couldn't remember and he didn't care to at the moment. He raised an eyebrow at the crowd inside the main chamber. Police officers near the front, reporters, civil servants, and various on-lookers filling out the rest of the benches. The only available spot remaining was near the back of the chamber. Edward scowled. That wouldn't give him much of a vantage point.

"This place is a mob scene," Nina said to his right, looking over the room and shaking her head. "You sure you want to do this, Eddie?"

"Absolutely," Edward said. "After all, what's a big City Hall to do without yours truly in attendance?"

To his left, Deirdre scoffed. "Right. That's why you're in casual clothes."

Edward looked down at his attire. "This is a bit fancier than casual, thank you very much. I'm not here to draw attention to myself for once." Not unless it was absolutely necessary. He gestured to the empty spot on the benches. "Well, ladies? Shall we?" The three took their seats just as the members of the Commission took their seats at the head of the chamber. Edward recognized them all. Greene and Roberts were moronic City council members. Ward the warden of Blackgate and a close personal associate of Sharp's if Edward's sources were correct. Lyle Bolton...well, he needed no introduction. What was he even doing there? Intimidation, probably. Ward cleared his throat and the din in the chamber grew silent.

"Good morning," the Warden spoke in a pompous tone that jogged Edward's memories. "Over the course of the last few days, we have heard from both members of GCPD and Arkham Asylum regarding the actions of Victor Goodman. Today we will be hearing from one of the victims of the unfortunate events last December. Dr. Penelope Young, please take the stand."

Edward watched a figure get up from her seat on the front bench and instantly recognized Penelope. He couldn't see her face as she made her way to the desk set up in front of the members of the commission. He wasn't the only person watching her, he realized. Even from the distance, he could see Bolton eyeing her as she sat down. His fist clenched and he cursed himself for not getting here sooner. If Bolton tried anything, he'd be too far away to do anything about it.

"Your name for the record, please?" Ward spoke.

"Dr. Penelope Young," Penelope answered and her voice was as cold and professional as Edward remembered. It suddenly occurred to him that it had been almost a whole week since he'd heard her voice. Why hadn't he called her? "I'm a psychiatrist currently in private practice. I also consult with the GCPD on cases when appropriate. I was also formerly director of research at Arkham Asylum."

Ward nodded. "Very well. Dr. Young, please describe the events that unfolded on the night in question in GCPD headquarters."

"Of course," Penelope said. "When Victor Goodman was arrested, I was called in to interview him and to make a determination about his psychological state. As Detective Montoya said in her testimony, this was standard practice for me..."

Edward wished he'd been here to hear what exactly Montoya and the other officers had said. Ah well. He leaned forward to listen to her further testimony, folding his hands under his chin.

"...As I conducted the interview, I became aware of how strongly Goodman felt about his situation, and that he blamed Edward Nigma for it. He stated that his goal was to get revenge by humiliating and ultimately killing Mr. Nigma. He also stated that he'd intended to be brought to GCPD in service to this goal. At that point, I was distracted by a noise outside the interrogation room. I took my eyes off of Goodman for a moment and he used that opportunity to grab me and drag me out of the interrogation room."

"That wasn't your fault, Dr. Young," Bolton said in a patronizing tone that sounded positively sweet. It made Edward's skin crawl, so he couldn't imagine what it must be doing to Penelope. "The GCPD officers should have known better than to leave you in that situation."

If Penelope was offended by Bolton's condescension, and Edward knew her well enough to know she would be, she didn't show it in her tone, for she continued on as professional as always. "With all due respect, Mr. Bolton, as I said, it was standard procedure for my interviews in the past. I share as much blame as anyone else."

Edward frowned a bit. No, she didn't.

"Continuing on, Goodman dragged me down to the bullpen in GCPD. The events there happened just as Officer Cash and Detective Bullock described them. After the explosion, Goodman dragged me to the rear parking lot where his accomplice was waiting in a car. He bound my hands behind me and threw me in the trunk of the car and took me to what I assumed was his hideout. He opened the trunk of the car long enough to take my GCPD ID badge from me before he and his accomplice left. They returned after a few minutes, I think."

She was recounting her experience as casually as if she was ordering lunch. Edward had to hand it to her, she wasn't one who rattled easily. Greene and Roberts looked like they almost didn't know what to make of her, while Ward's face remained neutral. At least, as far as Edward could tell. He craned his head around to see if he could find any available empty seating closer to the front of the chamber. He thought he saw Bruce Wayne sitting a few rows ahead and paused. What was he doing here? He shook his head and leaned back in his seat. It seemed that this was as close as he would get.

Penelope continued to speak. "...I was then taken to a warehouse alongside the river. I was taken into an office, gagged and tied to a chair. Goodman and Carson set up in front of a security monitor. I gathered that they had been there before to set up cameras. We were there for a few hours until Mr. Nigma showed up."

Edward caught Bolton leaning forward. "Wait. Goodman kidnapped you to use you as bait against Nigma? Why?"

Edward sucked in a quick breath. That idiot. Why would he bring that up in front of a room full of reporters?

"You would need to either ask Mr. Nigma or Goodman himself that question, Mr. Bolton. May I continue?"

"Of course," Ward said.

"Thank you. Goodman had rigged the warehouse to be full of traps. From the office, we watched as Mr. Nigma made his way through the warehouse until he came to the final room. Goodman had rigged a bomb to go off no matter what Mr. Nigma did. I was able to get my gag off to warn him, but the room exploded."

Edward thought he heard just the smallest waver in her voice at that. It occurred to him that she'd almost seen him die twice in the last two months. He fidgeted with the cufflinks on his shirt. He owed her dinner at least.

"But Nigma survived?" Roberts asked.

"Yes," Penelope answered. "He appeared in the office, just as Goodman was about to murder me. After a scuffle, he subdued Goodman and freed me. GCPD SWAT teams had shown up by that point and Goodman and Carson were taken off to Blackgate. Was there anything else you'd like me to recount?"

"No, no," Ward said, holding a hand up. "Thank you very much. Would you like to take a break?"

"No," Penelope answered. Edward wasn't surprised. She wasn't one to accept special treatment. "I'm quite alright."

"Very well," Ward answered. "Before we begin, I would like to offer my sincerest apologies for what happened to you, Dr. Young. I'd also like to thank you for being courageous enough to come before us today. Now, we'd like to ask you a few questions."

The insincerity and condescension in Ward's tone made Edward want to retch. He leaned forward again, eager to hear just what Penelope had to say. He had no idea that he'd been spotted.

Bruce had taken a seat near the back of the chamber, just as he had the last few days. Dr. Leland wasn't next to him, having decided to sit up in the front rows with the GCPD officers. Bruce had listened to Dr. Young's recounting of the incident with interest. She'd seemed truthful, but he had a distinct feeling that she was holding certain things back. He glanced a few rows ahead and was dismayed to see Ryder scribbling notes when Dr. Young recounted how Nigma had come to her rescue. He made a mental note to intercept him after she gave her testimony. She didn't need to be made the target of tabloid gossip.

He sat back onto the bench and did another quick scan of the room. So far, nothing had happened and he'd like to keep it that way. He had Dick and Tim on stand-by in case something happened, but it looked like there was no need for them-

His eyes went over a row near the back and froze. Sitting on a bench was a man flanked by two women, one with short black hair and the other with long blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. The man was in casual dress clothes, but Bruce recognized those eyes anywhere.

Edward was here. He hadn't noticed Bruce staring at him, being entirely focused on the testimony going on in front of them. What was he doing here? Had he come just to hear Dr. Young speak?

Or was there something else he had planned?

Bruce turned around before Edward noticed him and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. He quickly texted a number. ARE YOU NEAR CITY HALL?

He only waited a minute before he received a response. I CAN BE. WHAT'S GOING ON, HANDSOME?

A MUTUAL FRIEND OF OURS IS HERE. I NEED YOU TO RUN INTERFERENCE.

Bruce waited about a minute before a response came. I'LL BE THERE IN FIVE MINUTES. WHERE IS HE?

NEAR THE BACK. DAMFINO AND VANCE ARE WITH HIM. BEHAVE YOURSELF.

ALWAYS DO. I'M ON MY WAY.

Bruce put his phone back in his pocket and began to pay attention to Dr. Young's testimony again. Did she know Edward was here? Impossible to say. All he could do was sit back and hope that he wouldn't cause a scene. That was the last thing any of them needed.

Penelope hadn't believed Ward for a moment when he'd apologized to her and it had taken all that she had to not respond to his patronizing of her. She would not lose her temper. Not here. Not now. Greene, Roberts and Ward cooly considered her as they prepared their questions. She felt almost like she had when she'd been presenting her thesis years ago. Only there was much more at stake this time. Bolton hadn't taken his eyes off of her from the moment she'd sat down, eyeing her like a piece of meat. She ignored him.

"Dr. Young," Greene spoke first. "Given what you experienced, who would you blame for what occurred in December?"

Well, that didn't take long. Penelope folded her hands and pretended to consider the question. "Well," she said. "Victor Goodman and Leigh Carson, of course. They were the ones who abducted me."

Greene's face turned a bit red and Penelope had to suppress a smirk. You didn't think it'd be that easy, did you? "Of course," she said in that fake chipper tone. "But, don't you think that certain things should have been done differently?"

"Of course I do," she answered and Greene's face resumed its normal appearance. "I should perhaps have exercised more caution around Goodman."

Judging from the frown on her face, that hadn't been the answer Greene wanted. "Forgive me, Dr. Young, but it was Detective Montoya's responsibility to stay with you in interrogation."

"And she would have if I'd asked her to." Penelope leaned back in her chair. "As she stated earlier this week, I had conducted several interviews like this for GCPD in the past. I tend to get better results from suspects without police presence hovering around. I'm willing to admit that I'd become a bit complacent. I thought at the time that I could handle Goodman."

"But you couldn't," Greene said and Penelope could hear the edge in her voice. "And regardless of what you thought, Montoya should have stayed with you."

Time to play a sympathy card. Penelope reached for a tissue. "I should have known better," she said softly and reached up as if she was dabbing at her eyes. "Maybe the police officers would still be alive-"

"No one's blaming you at all, Dr. Young!" Bolton interjected. He glared at Greene and the woman's face turned a bit pale. "You're the biggest victim in this whole mess, right?"

Greene stammered a bit. "I apologize if I seemed a bit harsh, Dr."

Behind her tissue, Penelope smirked a bit. Bolton had played right into her hands. She put the tissue down. "Not at all," she said. Time to be gracious and unthreatening. "I know we're all here to determine how to prevent this kind of incident from happening in the future."

"Quite," Ward said, becoming uncomfortable by this turn of events. "Moving on, Dr. What do you think caused the incident to unfold in GCPD the way that it did?"

Penelope began to feel her heartbeat just a bit faster. She had a very tricky balancing act to pull off and she wasn't sure if she could do it. She had to. "Do you mean what happened in GCPD after I was abducted, or the way the case was conducted in general?"

"Both," Ward answered.

Penelope took a breath. "Well," she said. "I can't speak as to what happened in GCPD after the explosion. I was tied up in a car trunk at the time." Someone in the row behind her actually had the audacity to laugh at that.

"Quiet in the chamber!" Ward scolded. "Surely though, Dr. Young, you must have your own thoughts."

"I do," she said. "I most certainly do. But I don't think this is the appropriate forum to voice them."

She could hear low murmuring behind her and Ward actually looked stunned. "I beg your pardon?"

Penelope felt her confidence boost a bit. She could do this. "Forgive me, but in what capacity was I called before the commission? I am not an official member of the GCPD, so I can't give a full account of the department's procedures. I'm no longer an employee of Arkham Asylum, and I wasn't at the time of Goodman's incarceration, so I can't comment about his treatment there or how Arkham currently treats inmates. Anything I have to say regarding Goodman and the case itself is, of course, going to be tainted by my own experience. I cannot and I should not attempt to give an unbiased opinion on how GCPD conducted this case."

The murmuring behind her grew a bit louder and now Ward and Greene looked angry. Even Bolton looked like he didn't know what to think of her. It was a good start, but they weren't finished with her yet.

"So," Greene said and the snotty tone in her voice was back in full force. "You really have nothing to say about how GCPD handled Goodman? Really? Even though they almost got you killed?"

"Goodman was the one who almost got me killed," Penelope pointed out. "As many mistakes as I think we can all agree members of GCPD and other officials made, we can't forget that Goodman is the person most responsible for what happened."

Greene scowled. Before she could say anything though, Bolton interrupted. "There's one thing that's been bothering me, Dr. Young," he said. "It seems that the reason Goodman kidnapped you was to get at Nigma. Why did he think that would work?"

Penelope bit back a curse. Bolton was a wild card that could work in her favor, but could also torpedo everything. "As I said earlier," she said in a measured tone. "You would need to ask Goodman himself that."

"He got himself arrested just to get to you," Bolton continued. It seemed she and Edward had underestimated his ability to think. "That's what Cash said Nigma said." Bolton's face reddened and his dark eyes glared at her. It seemed he'd abandoned the charade of being her champion now that he suspected she wasn't available to him again. "There something going on between you two that you'd like to share with us?"

Behind her, the murmurs grew louder still. Penelope thought she heard the sound of a bench moving near the back, but she didn't look behind her. She was almost too outraged to speak. Ward luckily spoke for her as he got up out of his seat. "Quiet in the chamber!" He shouted. Then he turned at Bolton and pointed a finger at him. "That is not an appropriate line of questioning, Bolton!"

"No," Penelope said. "I'd like to answer that." She needed to nip this in the bud, fast. "I'm not sure if Bolton recalls, but last May at the Arkham Memorial, Mr. Nigma did protect me from Patrick Horner. That made the news. Goodman had been collecting newspaper articles about Mr. Nigma in the year leading up to this incident. It's probable that he read the articles about the Memorial incident and drew conclusions."

Ward nodded, satisfied by this explanation and sat back down. "Yes, that explains it, most likely." Bolton opened his mouth to say something else, but a glare from Ward silenced him. He leaned back in his chair and glared at Ward before looking down at the papers in front of him. Hopefully, this display would help convince the reporters in attendance that the Commission was too flawed to take seriously.

"I think we could use a short break. We'll reconvene in five minutes." Ward got out of his desk and gestured for Bolton to follow him out of the chamber which the man did, reluctantly.

Penelope let out a breath and checked her watch. 9:30. It felt like hours had gone by. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Joan and Aaron approaching. "Well, it certainly didn't take too long for Bolton to make a jackass of himself," the older woman murmured. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Joan," Penelope said, taking a sip of water out of the bottle on her desk. "I'm just remembering how much I hate speaking in front of people."

"You're doing great, Doc," Aaron said. "Those councilmembers don't know how to handle you!"

Penelope let out a small smile. Then she let her eyes drift over the people in the gallery. God, she was glad Edward wasn't here to hear Bolton's question. She didn't want to think about what his reaction would have been.

It had taken both Nina and Deirdre's hands on his shoulders to stop Edward from getting up out of his seat and denouncing Bolton when he'd made that lurid accusation. Even then, the sound of the wooden bench moving had drawn a few eyes in their direction, including Bruce Wayne's.

"Easy boss," Deirdre whispered. "You said you didn't come here to start shit today, remember?"

Edward took a deep breath, then leaned back. Where does a 500-pound gorilla sit? Anywhere it wants. Mr. Smith has four daughters and they each have a brother. How many children does he have? Slowly, his pulse returned to normal.

"OK, boss?" Nina whispered.

"No," Edward said. His eyes remained fixed on Bolton, who was now being dressed down by Ward. "I'll kill him. I'll wring his neck."

"I don't think your hands would fit around it, Eddie."

Edward and the girls looked up to see Selina standing before them. She gave the girls a cheeky wave. "Room for one more?"

Nina scowled, but scoot over to let Selina on the last empty spot on the bench.

"Selina?" Edward asked when he remembered how to speak. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question, Eddie." she scolded. "You shouldn't be here."

Edward shook his head dismissively. "I've been cooped up at home long enough. Time to get back on the case again."

"How exactly does sitting here and getting riled up by Bolton help with the case?"

Edward didn't answer that. Penelope had managed somehow, to defuse the situation and Ward was calling for a break. "You didn't come here for the case," Selina spoke again. "You came for her."

This seemed to snap Edward out of his trance and he looked back at Selina. She wasn't angry. Just curious.

"That true, boss?" Deirdre asked.

Edward sighed. "Leland told me Bolton approached her. What precisely should I do? Stand back and do nothing about that?"

Selina shook her head. "Eddie," she asked. "Do you think the Doc's an idiot?"

Edward almost didn't know how to respond to that. "What-no! I don't work with idiots!"

"Do you respect her?"

"Of course I-Where on Earth are you going with this, Lina?"

Selina held her hands up. "I'm just saying, I just saw her handle Bolton and the rest of the Commission without you having to get up and make a scene. From what I've seen, she can more than handle herself." She reached around Nina to gently touch him on the shoulder. "I get wanting to look after her, but the best thing you can do is to sit back and trust her to take care of this."

Edward raised a finger but found he couldn't form a counter-argument. He glanced back up to the front of the chamber. In the crowd of people, he could just see Penelope speaking with Dr. Leland and Cash. She looked confident. She was actually smiling a bit. If she felt threatened, she didn't show it. Slowly, Edward felt himself relax. Trust her. She trusted him. He needed to trust her now. Ward and Bolton came back in and the chamber quieted down. Penelope turned to face the Commission members with her head held high. Edward felt a smile on his face form for the first time since he'd entered. Go get them, partner.

"Dr. Young," Ward said through gritted teeth. "Allow me to rephrase my question. Speaking as a psychiatric professional, how would you explain Goodman's rampage?"

Penelope took a sip of water before she answered, studying the faces of the Commission members as she did so. Ward and Bolton looked agitated. They'd probably gotten into some kind of exchange during the break. Greene looked irritated as well because she hadn't landed any blows on her. She couldn't really. Penelope wasn't just another officer. She was the 'victim' in this case. Penelope put down the water bottle and looked directly at Roberts. He was the only one who hadn't said anything. He looked a bit startled by the eye contact, but he didn't look away.

"In my opinion," Penelope said. "Victor Goodman allowed his resentment of Mr. Nigma to push him to commit these crimes. However, I also think that Goodman did not receive adequate mental health care beforehand."

Ward nodded. "So you believe that he shouldn't have been released from Arkham?"

Penelope leaned forward a bit so that what she said would be picked up clearly by the microphone. "No, that's not what I said."

Ward frowned again. "No? You don't think he would have been better off in Arkham?"

Penelope sighed. "No." She took a breath. "I feel that there is a misconception about what being released from Arkham actually means. It means that a patient has completed treatment in Arkham and can be safely released. It doesn't mean that they are cured of their mental illness. They still require support outside of Arkham. And that's something Goodman didn't receive."

"And just what kind of support should someone like Goodman have received?" Greene asked.

Penelope just barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Well, clearly, he needed regular psychiatric care."

"That would have been his responsibility to seek out treatment," Greene pointed out.

"Yes, it would have been, but one has to consider what his support system was. When Goodman was released, he was essentially abandoned to his own devices. His parole officer didn't keep up with him, none of his friends or family stood by him, and the one person he seems to have had a positive relationship with was the person who framed him for embezzlement and helped set off his initial attack in the first place." Penelope took another sip of water. "What happened last December was the result of years of systemic neglect not by any one person, but by multiple people. Instead of trying to assign blame for this one incident, what the City should do is examine its institutions and to try to enact meaningful reform."

"The City has put money into Social Services, Dr. Young," Greene said. "We've seen just how well that works."

Greene was walking right into her trap. "I'm fully aware of what the City has funded, Councilwoman," she said. "Just as I'm aware that you voted against enacting a program that would have provided job opportunities and counseling services to released parolees in Gotham some years back. Around the time Goodman was on parole?"

Another round of murmurs erupted in the chamber. Greene's face paled and Penelope allowed herself a cold smile. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Victor Goodman call you his Councilwoman as well?"

Greene's mouth opened, then shut again and Penelope moved in for the kill. "Is it that expanding social services doesn't work, or is it that you've never tried?"

Greene's face trembled just a bit before she broke eye contact and looked down at the sheets of paper in front of her. Penelope looked back towards Roberts and he quickly averted his eyes as well. Two down.

"What good would that have done?" Bolton asked. "Goodman was a psycho. He killed before. Why shouldn't he have just been left in Arkham to rot? We all would have been better off. Time after time, we keep giving these freaks chances and what do they do? They go out and cause more misery. Tell me, Doc. Would you have had to go through what you did last year if we just locked them up and threw away the key?"

There was a pause in the chamber as Penelope thought about what she would say. She sighed a bit. He wouldn't like it, but it was something that needed to be addressed. She was just glad he wasn't here to hear it. "No," she said at last. "I wouldn't have." She waited for Bolton to smirk before she added. "I would have been dead long before Goodman ever got near me." Bolton's eyes widened in surprise and she continued. "I am alive today because of Edward Nigma. If he had, as you put it, Mr. Bolton, been left in Arkham to rot, I would have been murdered at the memorial by Patrick Horner. I am alive because he was given the chance to reform and he took it. Every single person in Arkham deserves that same consideration."

"Well, you're hardly unbiased," Greene found it in her to say.

This woman just didn't learn, did she? "Well, of course not. I said so as much earlier. But you had to have known that before you called me." Greene's face reddened and she looked down at her papers again. Out of the corner of her eye, Penelope thought she could see Bullock and Montoya take some vindictive joy in her state.

Bolton clenched his fists, but a sharp look from Ward prevented him from saying anything more. Three down. "I speak from personal experience when I say that the denizens of Arkham can be a nightmare to deal with. They have committed terrible crimes, hurt countless people," Don't think about the Joker. Stay focused. "But they are not monsters. They are still people. It sometimes can be easy to lose sight of that fact, but it is important not to. Because if you lose sight of their humanity-" she looked straight into Ward's eyes as she spoke and her voice dropped a few degrees. "It can lead you to justify committing terrible crimes yourself."

Ward's black eyes, so narrow and focused usually, widened slightly and Penelope knew she had him. "Thank you, Dr. Young," Ward said. He swallowed quickly. He was nervous. "I think those are all the questions we have for now. Thank you again for your testimony. We will take a short recess before calling our next witness."

Penelope felt a small thrill as award and the rest of the commission members got out of their seats and walked out of the side doors. Had she done enough? Only one way to find out. Without waiting for Joan or Aaron to approach her, she got out of her seat and followed the members out of the doors.

Greene and Roberts were engaged in a heated discussion outside of the small meeting room just outside the chamber. Neither of them spoke to Penelope as she approached. Roberts couldn't even make eye contact. Bolton came out of the office, his face red, when he saw her, he stopped.

"I don't get you, Doc," he said. "You never used to be such a bleeding heart at the asylum. What changed?"

"I did," she said, her tone hard. "I've had a lot of time to think the past two years, Bolton. You should too, if you're capable of it."

Bolton scoffed. "I think I liked you better at Arkham."

"You're about the only one," she answered.

Bolton shrugged and walked off. Just as he did, the office door opened and award appeared.

"Warden," Penelope greeted.

Instantly, his posture stiffened. "Dr. Young. May I have a word?"

"Absolutely."

She walked into the office. No sooner did Ward shut the door did he turn on her.

"What exactly, were you implying at the end of your testimony?"

"Implying?" Penelope repeated. "Nothing. I was stating a fact. And that fact is that you have a lot to answer for, Ward."

Ward's face reddened. "It was your idea," he seethed. "Your experiment."

"You went along with it. You couldn't wait to hand Bane over to us. And now you have the gall to condemn other people for their mistakes. I left Arkham, Ward. I can't help but notice that you haven't resigned, or faced any kind of consequences for what you did."

Ward's eyes narrowed. "Blackmailing me won't work, Young. I'll take you down with me."

Penelope's heart pounded in her ears, but she kept onwards. "I've already lost everything once, Ward. I can lose it again. Can you?" Ward hesistated and took a step forward. "We both know the Mayor would survive this scandal. But do you really think he'd hesitate to throw you under the bus if it makes things easier for him? Are you ready to be crucified in the media? Resign? Lose your pension? Have everything you've worked for in your life taken away from you?" She gestured towards the doorway. "Jack Ryder's right outside. Let's go out into the sunlight together."

She was close enough that she could see the sweat begin to appear on his forehead. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a handkerchief to dab at his face. He swallowed thickly. "What do you want?"

She had him. "I know that your goal is to bring down Jim Gordon. We both know the only reason that this city is as functional as it is is because of that man. Leave him alone."

Ward's eyes narrowed. "You've made a very dangerous enemy today, Penelope."

Did he mean himself or Hugo Strange? "So have you, Ward. Now if you don't mind, I have work to do." She walked past him, ignoring his glare and re-entered the main chamber. She walked to the side doors where she could see Joan, Aaron, and Montoya waiting for her. She felt her heart lift up and she almost let a nervous laugh out. She'd done something. She just hoped it would be enough.

As soon as the people on stage had left, Selina let out a chuckle. Nicely played Doc.

"I gotta hand it to her," Nina said. "That woman's got a set on her."

"No kidding," Selina agreed. "She almost tased me the first time I met her." She laughed a bit. "And to think, you were worried about her, huh Eddie?"

When Eddie didn't respond, Selina glanced his way. He wasn't leaning forward, an almost enraptured look on his face. Nina poked him. "Eddie? Earth to Eddie! Come in boss!"

Edward got up out of his seat in one movement. "Me worried? Hardly. Like as I said, I merely wanted to get out for a bit." He looked back at Nina and Deirdre. "Alright with entertaining yourselves for a few hours, girls? I have an errand to run."

Deidre waved him off. "Say hi for us, Boss."

Eddie practically dashed out the rear doors. Selina didn't need to be a genius to know where he was going. She shook her head. Then she looked a few rows ahead and caught Bruce's gaze. She excused herself and walked over to him.

"Crisis averted," she murmured.

"For now," Bruce replied.

Selina's face fell a bit. "Bruce, I get that you're never going to completely trust Eddie, but when are you going to stop assuming the worst?"

Bruce sighed. "I don't want to, Selina, believe me, but him and Dr. Young together..." he shook his head. "That's potentially very dangerous."

Friday, 12:30 pm

Penelope had stopped by her apartment long enough to change back into her favored slacks and flat shoes before she went to her office. She'd just managed to get out the side doors of City Hall before Ryder could find her and ask for an exclusive. Frankly, after the morning she'd had, she was looking forward to a quiet afternoon of paperwork.

She came up to the familiar door of her office to find that it was ajar. She creased her forehead. Who on Earth-then she remembered that it was Friday. Could it be-

She opened the door and sure enough, sitting on her desk with his legs crossed, reading a copy of the morning paper was Edward . He looked up when he heard her enter and he smiled wide. She hadn't seen him like this since before he'd gone after Croc. "Good afternoon, Dr. Young!"

There were many things she wanted to say to the man at that point in time. But all she said was, "I have two nice chairs and a couch in this office. Why you always insist on sitting on my desk is beyond me."

Edward chuckled a bit. "Oh, I missed you too. As a matter of fact, I do have a purpose to it. I think it lends to my aesthetic as a private detective."

Penelope placed a hand on her hip and gave him a wry look. "No offense, but sitting like that you come across more like Lauren Bacall than Humphrey Bogart."

Edward genuinely laughed at that. "My God, she can make a joke! Between making jokes about film noir and shutting down pompous city officials, is there truly nothing you can't do?"

Penelope froze midway between removing her coat. "You-you were there this morning?"

"Indeed I was. And what an enjoyable morning it was! Better than the nonsense on cable at least."

Penelope stopped to fully consider the man. "Have you been coming to the hearings the whole time?"

"Not the whole time," he admitted. He put down the newspaper and rubbed the back of his neck. "Dr. Leland told me you were testifying this morning. I was bored."

"I see," she said. She looked down at her feet for a moment before she looked back at him. "This is a ridiculous question, but...you didn't come to check up on me, did you?"

"No," he said. "Well...yes and no. I have every confidence in your abilities, but Dr. Leland did tell me that Bolton spoke to you. I...might have been a bit concerned." He laughed a bit nervously. "Don't take this the wrong way, but it would be a shame if I had to find a new investigative partner. I think I've started to become a bit fond of you."

For a long moment, she didn't know what to say. "Edward-"

He hopped off the desk in one fluid movement. "Besides, where else am I going to find someone who can almost match me in the public displays of intelligence department?"

Well, that didn't last long. "I'm sure you'd manage," She drawled. She took a closer look at the man as he approached her. He still had a bandage on his forehead, but he looked much better than he did when she'd last seen him. He seemed much more like himself again. It suddenly occurred to her that she had genuinely missed him this past week.

"And I mean it too," he said. "You handled them today expertly. I couldn't have done a better job myself!" He paused for a moment. "Well, no, I could have, but I am me, after all."

Penelope scoffed. "You haven't changed a bit, have you? You are still the most aggravating man I've ever met."

"Always," he sassed. "And is that anyway to speak to the man who's about to buy you lunch?"

Penelope was about to say that she had work to catch up on, but she stopped herself. She was genuinely happy to see him. "I can spare some time."

"Good!" Edward said. "We've got quite a bit to catch up on! I introduced Ellen to Nina and Deirdre the other night."

"And how did that go?"

"They're turning her against me. I expect to hear that she's run off to Central City before the week is out." He stopped at the doorway and gestured. "After you."

Before she went out the door, she looked up and smiled at him. "You do look a lot better, Edward. How are you feeling?"

He sighed a bit. "Better, thank you. I'll be alright, Penelope, I promise."

"Good."