Penelope had finished her purchase and exited the men's boutique on the second level of Jezebel Center when she realized that she had lost sight of Ellen, for the third time in an hour. "Ellen!" she called out, looking for her bright red hair in the sea of people swarming about the center. "Ellen! Where did you go this time?"

In the din of shoppers, she could just make out Ellen's high pitched shout. "Over here, Doc! Check this out!" Penelope sighed, then followed the sound of Ellen's voice to a kitschy looking toy shop three storefronts down from the boutique. Ellen was standing at a table in front of the store, looking over a collection of dolls and action figures with a grin on her face. She looked up as Penelope approached and picked a doll up. "Look Doc! It's the Old Man!" Ellen held up the doll to Penelope's face. It was indeed a figure of Edward. A crude plastic doll, with a green body, emulating an old spandex costume of his she supposed, and a question mark cane fused to its hand. The face had a smirk on it that was instantly recognizable to Penelope, and a domino mask painted on. "It's got a button on the back too!" Ellen added. She pressed the doll, and a tinny, high-pitched 'Riddle me This!' came out of the doll's mouth. "It's only $5.00! I'm totally gonna get it for Dad!"

"I'm sure he'll enjoy it," Penelope said dryly. "In the meantime, could you at least tell me if you're going to go off wandering somewhere so I don't have to look for you every ten minutes?"

Ellen's smile gave way to a huff and an eye roll. "Oh my Goood," she groaned. "I'm fifteen, not five! You don't have to keep an eye on me! Geez!"'

Penelope huffed as well. This was why she'd never done any babysitting when she was younger. Her gaze went to the other dolls and figures on display on the table. They were mostly of the Rogues. She could spot about half a dozen Tetch's, a stray Isley, three of Fries, four of Professor Crane...He would have considered them a mockery, she thought. For as much mayhem and misery they caused, the Rogues, to a certain degree, were viewed with as much mythic status as Batman himself was in Gotham City. Penelope likened it to how the bank robbers and gangsters of the 1920s and '30s were romanticized by many members of the public. Her eyes wandered to a purple figure in the set and her heart froze in her chest. The green hair, the white face, the painted grin, red like blood, her blood.

"Doc?"

She startled and turned back towards Ellen. The girl was looking at her, her green eyes, Edward's eyes, wide and concerned. "You ok?"

Not here. Not in front of her. Get it together. Breathe. "Yes," Penelope answered, tearing her eyes away from the Joker figure. "I'm quite fine. Have you had lunch yet?"

Ellen cocked her head a bit as if she didn't believe what Penelope had said. Much to her relief, the girl merely shook her head. "No, I'm starving." Then she glanced back to the Joker doll and scowled at him. "Fuck that clown." She knocked the figure over and walked past Penelope towards the escalator that led down to the open-air food court. Penelope briskly walked to catch up to her.

"Ellen!" Penelope said when she'd caught up to her. "Language!" Ellen stopped mid-step and began to laugh out loud. "What's so funny?" Penelope asked.

"Nothing," Ellen answered, still giggling a bit. "You just sound like Dad." Then she continued down the escalator, followed closely by a confused Penelope.

After another hectic fifteen minutes of navigating the mob in the food court, Penelope and Ellen managed to find an unoccupied bench located underneath a small tree, near the leftmost exit of the courtyard. Penelope let Ellen take the side with the most shade and watched her as she began to root through her knapsack. "You don't happen to have any sunscreen in there, do you?" It wasn't an overly hot day by Gotham standards, but the sun was bright and bearing down on them.

"I'm a ginger Doc," Ellen replied, pulling a small tube out of the knapsack and setting it next to her food tray. She put the sack down and picked up the tube with her left hand, popped open the top, and squirted a liberal amount of sunscreen on the tips of her right fingers. She put the tube back down and rubbed the lotion over her nose and cheeks. "I always carry some on me when it's sunny." She pouted a bit before she began to dig into her Chinese food. "I'm gonna be covered in freckles again this summer, I know it. Dad's lucky he doesn't get any."

"He might have when he was younger," Penelope pointed out, taking a few bites from her salad. "They tend to fade as you get older. Or you might have gotten them from your mother's side."

"Nah," Ellen said, shaking her head. "Only thing I got from Mom was my face," she pointed at her button nose and her round cheeks as if to contrast them with her father's more angular features, "And being short."

Penelope hummed a bit. Ellen looked like she was about to say more when a small family happened to walk past their bench. A young man and woman holding the hands of a little girl between them. Penelope was content to ignore them, but she caught the wistful look Ellen had on her face as her gaze followed the family on their way out of the food court. Something so insignificant to Penelope in how mundane it was, suddenly became of great interest to her as she realized a basic truth about Ellen. For all of her bravado, she was a very young girl who until very recently didn't have a father and no longer had a mother. Penelope didn't want to condescend to the girl by feeling pity for her, but she couldn't deny feeling an amount of sympathy for her. "What was she like?"

"What was who like?" Ellen asked, still distracted.

Penelope wet her lip and hoped she wasn't about to kick a hornet's nest. "Your mother."

Ellen turned her head sharply. To Penelope's relief, she wasn't angry, just surprised. Ellen swallowed. "Why do you wanna know?"

"I'm just curious," Penelope answered truthfully. "I don't mean to pry."

"No, it's fine, I just wasn't expecting it." Ellen sighed. "She was nice," she said at last. "She was really friendly. She knew all our neighbors and my friends and their parents. Whenever anyone needed anything, she'd be there to help them." Ellen took a fond look at her knapsack. "She was the one who taught me how to sketch, too. She used to take me out to parks on the weekends with our sketchbooks so we could sit on benches and draw people as they walked by. I've still got a lot of the drawings we made hung up in my apartment." Ellen's grip on her knapsack tightened a bit. "Sorry," she said in a shaky voice. "It's been a long time since anyone's asked me about Mom."

Losing her father as an adult had been difficult, but at least she'd had support. Penelope frowned a bit. "Your father doesn't talk to you about her?"

"He doesn't remember her," Ellen sighed. "He tried to ask Gramma about her once or twice, but she flipped out on him. She doesn't like to talk about her much, especially what she was like before I was born."

"I'm sorry," Penelope said, sincerely. As much as her own mother could irritate her at times, at least she still had her.

Ellen shrugged and seemed to bounce back to form. She didn't seem to like to appear vulnerable, another thing she'd picked up from Edward. "It's fine, it's whatever, you know?" She reached a hand to wipe at her eyes a bit. "Can I ask you something? And I promise it's not about Strange."

"Alright," Penelope answered.

"Okay," Ellen took a breath. "You and my Dad are friends, right?"

"Of course."

Ellen brought her hands back to the table, playing with her chow mein as she seemed to consider something. "You were the doctor he saved at the memorial, right? And he saved you from that Tut guy? And you look out for him a lot, right?"

Where on Earth was Ellen going with this? "...Yes, I suppose I do."

Ellen's face blushed as bright as her hair. "You and my Dad aren't...you're not...dating, are you?"

Penelope blinked once. Twice. Then she took a long sip from her bottle of water before she answered. "Absolutely not," she said with finality. "Your father and I are friends. Nothing more."

Ellen let out a breath. "Okay, I didn't think you were, I mean, I'd be fine if you were I guess, but I know Dad's still kind of hung up on Jonathan, but I just wanted to make sure, you know?" Ellen let out a nervous laugh. "Can we pretend I didn't ask that?"

"Absolutely," Penelope said. Externally, she was showing no emotion, but internally she was more embarrassed than she'd been in years. She would have almost preferred Ellen asked about Strange again.

Ellen relaxed. "Good. What time is it?"

Penelope looked down at her watch. "1:30. Do you still want to bake that cake?"

"Yeah, I'll be done in a second. There's this market near the Old Man's apartment that we go to sometimes when I visit, I want to stop there and get the stuff..."

Penelope listened to Ellen lay out her plan and wondered what Edward was up to at that moment. Hopefully, he was having fun.

Edward sat in the plush chair, his arms crossed across his chest, and gave each of his companions at the table a withering glare. "I hate you all. I hate you all so much right now."

"Aw, lighten up, Mistah E!" Harley said to his left, leaning over to adjust the paper crown she'd put on his head when he'd been forced to sit down. "It's your birthday! You're supposed to have fun on your birthday!"

"And just what do I have to celebrate?" he bit out, shooing her hands away. "Another year closer to the grave?"

"Oh nonsense," Oswald scolded from across the table, taking a sip of champagne out of his flute. "You're only thirty-seven, Edward. I have bottles of vintage wine that are older than you. And aging more gracefully, I imagine."

Edward huffed. "I've told you all I don't know how many times, I don't like celebrating my birthdays!"

"Eddie, come on," Selina said in the seat to his right. She put her hand on his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. "Try to have some fun. Wouldn't you rather be out here with us than sitting in your apartment tinkering with your cane all day?"

Edward's lower lip jutted out into a pout. "Don't ask questions you don't want answers to, Selina."

"I know!" Harley said with a clap of her hands. "Ozzie, let's get some of your waiters to sing Eddie 'Happy Birthday!'"

Edward flushed. "No, Oswald, let's absolutely not-"

"Splendid idea, Harley!" Oswald said with a too smug grin on his face. He snapped his fingers and instantly, a waiter appeared. "Tony, get some of the boys together and sing Edward a song!"

The waiter gave a low bow. "Right away, Mr. Cobblepot! Marco! Alejandro! Bob! Come over here!" Three other waiters appeared and stood in a line, much like a barbershop quartet. The fanciest barbershop quartet to ever exist. The first waiter cleared his throat, and the four began to sing as one. "Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you,"

Edward was glad that given the time of day, he, Oswald, Selina, and Harley were the only people in the lounge apart from the waitstaff, but that didn't stop him from sinking into his chair out of sheer embarrassment. "I hate you all," he repeated. "So much right now."

It's fascinating to observe how even though they had no contact in her formative years, Ellen shares so many personality traits with Edward. There is something to be said for personality having a genetic component as well as an environmental one. They share a certain forwardness, aggressiveness, though Ellen's is perhaps amplified by being brought up in a major urban city. They also share a compulsiveness to a certain degree, though Ellen's is much less pronounced. I have noted though, that for all of their similarities, there are some key differences as well. Where Edward is methodical and calculating by nature, save when his temper is provoked, Ellen is emotional and impulsive, choosing to act first and ask questions later, as her behavior regarding Bolton attests to. I'm not entirely sure if this impulsiveness is an inherent part of her personality or rather a consequence of her age, but hopefully, it's something that she will grow out of. It concerns me. Ellen is also, in a way, more emotionally developed than Edward is. She is friendlier and more empathetic at the very least. She has a natural protective instinct towards others, even myself though we barely know each other. This combined with her aforementioned impulsiveness no doubt is what interests her in a career as a costumed hero, though hopefully, Edward will keep her far away from that. It's no life for a child. Frankly, I've never been able to reconcile Batman's desire to protect as many people as he possibly can with his tendency to recruit children into his crusade-The sound of banging pots and pans made Penelope look up from her journal towards Edward's kitchen. "Ellen?" she called out. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Doc," Ellen replied. "Just trying to find the right cake pan. I can't figure out how Dad organizes his kitchen."

Penelope settled back against Edward's sofa. As soon as they'd arrived, Ellen had taken her bag of baking ingredients and gone straight to the kitchen, all but ordering Penelope to stay in the living room. Penelope had agreed since Ellen had her heart set on baking the cake but kept her ears open just in case. "Did you try looking through alphabetically?"

"That was the first thing I did, but that didn't work! He's got the muffin tins in with his pressure cooker! I didn't know he even had a pressure cooker!"

Like many other things, it seemed Edward's organizational system was a puzzle only he knew how to unlock. "Well, just don't rearrange anything in there too much. You know how your father is."

Ellen just let out a short bark of laughter. "Uh, yeah, Doc. I know." Penelope heard the sound of a mixer being turned on, then went back to her journal. Try as I may, I still have a bit of trouble seeing Edward as a paternal figure. Not having children myself, I'm certainly not qualified to judge his parenting. In any case, it is evident in the instances I've spoken with him about Ellen that he truly does love her, even if he admits to not knowing how to be a parent. Penelope paused and brought the top of her pen to her lip before she wrote again. I must confess, my motivation to reach out to Edward last year wasn't strictly because of Strange. I also wanted the opportunity to finally understand the man. Once I think I have him fully figured out however, a new variable appears and forces me to reconsider him all over again. He certainly does live up to his name of E. Nigma-

"What are you doing?"

Penelope looked up to see Ellen standing by the couch, wearing a 'Kiss the Genius' apron that no doubt belonged to her father and was covered with flour. She gave her a curious look. "Is that a journal?" she asked.

"Yes," Penelope said, putting it and her pen down on the coffee table. "I write frequently. It helps me organize my thoughts." It was therapeutic as well, but Ellen didn't need to know that.

"Ah," Ellen said, nodding. "Neat!" She smiled mischievously at Penelope. "Got anything juicy in there about the Old Man?"

"I'm not letting you read it," Penelope warned.

Ellen laughed and took a seat in Edward's armchair and pulled her knapsack up off the floor where she had deposited it. "I'll take that as a yes!" Ellen pulled out her sketchbook and set of colored pens and once again, began working on her sketch. "Cake should be done in about ninety minutes. I think."

"You think?" Penelope asked. "You don't know?"

Ellen shrugged. "I don't exactly have a recipe for it."

Oh dear. It looked like there was a distinct possibility that Edward would be eating raw cake batter on his birthday. Penelope bit back the remark she wanted to make and checked her watch. 3:30. Selina had said that Nina and Deirdre would be arriving at 4:30. That left another hour before Penelope would take her leave. She lowered her wrist to see that Ellen was squinting at her. "What?"

Ellen looked back to her sketchbook. "Just getting the shape of your nose right."

Penelope realized what Ellen was doing with a start. "Are you drawing me?"

"Yeah," Ellen shrugged.

"Were you drawing me in the car earlier?"

"Yeah. You're the last person I needed to get down for Dad's present." Ellen came over to the couch and handed Penelope her sketchbook. Penelope took the book from her and opened it to the beginning. This wasn't just a sketchbook of random doodles, she realized. The first picture was a rather detailed one of Edward, sitting at his desk in what Penelope presumed was his office with his legs propped up and his hat drawn down over his eyes. She turned the page and saw a picture of Edward in an action pose, wearing a spandex suit and flanked on both sides by Nina and Deirdre in their old henchwomen getup. She turned the page again and saw a picture of Edward and Selina, side by side. The next page was a detailed portrait of Professor Crane, in a suit and tie. The next page featured Edward and Ellen themselves, in a rather comical pose. That brought her to the current page, which had an incomplete figure that she now realized was herself. "Do you like them?" Ellen asked with a smile on her face.

"Yes," Penelope answered. She flipped through the completed pictures. "They're wonderful, Ellen."

Ellen hummed a bit in delight, then her smile became more nervous. "Do you think Dad will like them?"

"I'm sure of it," Penelope said, and she meant every word. "He'll love them."

Ellen's face lit up again and it made Penelope smile slightly. Ellen thrived on praise and validation, just like her father. "I wanted to get down everybody Dad knows, but I kind of ran out of time. Once I get you done though, I'll have all of his favorites at least."

Penelope flushed a bit. "I think Oswald Cobblepot has more of a claim as a favorite than I do. They've known each other longer."

Ellen scoffed. "Yeah, well, Dad's never saved Oswald Cobblepot." Ellen took her sketchbook back from Penelope and flopped back on the armchair, propping her legs over the side and putting a colored pencil back to paper. The two of them passed in silence for some time after that, Ellen sketching away, Penelope writing a few more notes and trying not to think too much about the implications of what Ellen had said. Edward was her friend, yes, but between Ellen's question about whether they were dating and her conviction that she was one of his favorite people...how many other people were getting the wrong idea? He was a former patient of hers, not to mention he was still in mourning over Professor Crane. She was certain that a romantic relationship was the last thing on his mind, as it was on hers. No, the idea of being anything more than friends with Edward Nigma was absurd.

"All done!" Ellen said in triumph, sitting back up and putting her sketchbook back in her knapsack. "I'm gonna go check on the cake!" She hopped off the chair and walked back into the kitchen.

"Let me know if you need any help," Penelope called after her.

"Like I said before, I got it!" Ellen shouted back. Penelope shook her head and went back to her journal. She was beginning to learn that like Edward, Ellen couldn't just accept help when she needed it. She had to ask for it. Perhaps by some miracle, the cake was baking perfectly-"Oh crap!"

Or not. Penelope put her journal back down on the coffee table. "What happened?"

Ellen didn't respond for a moment. Then she emerged from the kitchen rubbing her elbow with a sheepish look on her face. "Doc," she said in a little voice. "Could you help?"

Penelope got up from the couch. "Of course." She followed Ellen back into the kitchen and saw the cake pan resting on the kitchen counter. She took a closer look and realized that Ellen had gotten the measurements wrong, for the red cake was completely sunken in.

"It looks like a crater!" Ellen cried out. "Now what am I gonna do? I don't have enough stuff left to make another cake!" She sniffled a bit and angrily wiped her eyes. "My first birthday with Dad and I completely screwed it up!"

"It's not ruined yet, Ellen," Penelope assured her. The cake itself was unsalvageable but she took a quick inventory of the remaining ingredients and did a few calculations. "We don't have enough for another cake, but we can make a few cupcakes."

Ellen looked up at her in surprise. "You bake?"

"No," Penelope answered honestly. "But baking is essentially chemistry, and I'm very good at that. I'll get the ingredients measured out for you if you throw out that cake and get the oven and muffin tins ready. Deal?"

Ellen smiled and nodded her head. "Deal."

A half hour later, and the cupcakes were baking away. Ellen was stacking the used dishes in the sink and washing them, while Penelope dried them out and put them back in what she hoped was the right spot. "So you're a shrink, but you're good at chemistry too?" Ellen asked.

"Yes," Penelope answered, wiping the last bowl with a paper towel before putting it back in its cupboard. "I double majored in Psychology and Biology at Gotham University. I took several chemistry classes as well."

Ellen let out a low whistle. "Wow. So you're hardcore into science, huh?"

"You could say that," Penelope said. "I've always been interested in science, ever since I was younger than you. My parents bought me my first chemistry set when I was...ten, I think?"

Ellen hummed. "Did you ever blow anything up with it?"

Penelope shook her head. "No, I never blew anything up." A smile came to Penelope's face as she recalled an incident from when she'd been just about Ellen's age. "I did get a little carried away once in our garage, however. I spilled some chemicals and burned a hole in my father's convertible."

Ellen snorted. "Oh, your Dad must have loved that."

"Once he and my mother made sure I was alright, I was grounded for a month," Penelope admitted. "And I had to get my first part-time job to help pay for the repairs to the car."

Ellen laughed, then turned her attention to the bowl that contained the cream cheese frosting she was using for the cupcakes. "What do you think? Should I use green dye or not?"

Penelope considered this. "Green dye with red velvet? I think it would look more like a Christmas cupcake."

"Yeah, you're right," Ellen agreed. "Maybe I can put the candles in a question mark or something."

"Or something. What made you decide on red velvet?"

"Selina said it's Dad's favorite flavor. He doesn't like sweet stuff, but he likes peppermint and red velvet." A knock came from the door and Ellen let out a small whoop. "Alright! Nina and Deirdre are here!" She ran to open the door and Penelope checked her watch. 4:30 on the dot. She sighed. She wiped her hands on a dish towel and stepped out towards the living room. Nina and Deirdre had entered the apartment and placed their bags on the kitchen table, and Nina had Ellen wrapped in a hug. Deirdre looked at Penelope and gave her a quick nod.

"Hey, Doc."

"Hello," Penelope greeted politely. She still wasn't quite sure where she stood with Edward's oldest friends. "Have you talked to Selina?"

"Yeah, she and the Boss will be here in an hour."

Penelope nodded. "Alright. Well, I'm going to get going."

Ellen pulled away from Nina's embrace to give her a confused look. "What? You're not staying for Dad's party?"

Penelope walked to the couch and picked up her bag. She pulled out the package she had for Edward and reluctantly placed it on the kitchen table along with the other bags. "Ellen, I don't want to intrude on your time with your father-"

"Doc," Deirdre said bluntly. "If you've got somewhere you need to be, or you just don't want to be here, fine. Whatever. But if you're leaving because you don't think you're allowed here, that's bullshit. You and the kid are the biggest reasons Ed is as okay as he is now. You've got every right to be here."

Penelope fidgeted with her hands a bit, then looked at Nina and Ellen. Nina was nodding in agreement with Deirdre, and Ellen just smiled at her. Three of the most important people in Edward's life and they accepted her in it. That meant more to her than she thought possible. "Alright," she said. "I'll stay."

"Good!" Ellen said. Then she tugged on Nina's hand. "You want to see the present I made for Dad?"

"Come on, Eddie," Selina cajoled. "Didn't you have any fun at the Iceberg Lounge."

Edward scoffed in Selina's passenger seat as she pulled up to his apartment parking lot. "Oh sure I did, when I wasn't forced to wear a cheap cardboard crown Harley got from Burger Boy!"

"Yeah, well she's been holding on to that for a while," Selina said without any shame. "But you got a free lunch out of it." She parked her car right next to Edward's and turned off the engine.

Edward unbuckled himself and opened the passenger door. "There is that, I suppose." He barely waited for Selina to exit the car before he continued. "I know what you were really up to. The whole spectacle at the Iceberg Lounge was a way to keep me out of my apartment. Nina and Deirdre are there, aren't they?"

Selina smirked. "Clever boy. So are Ellen and the Doc, so try to be nicer than you were with Ozzie and Harley."

Edward paused. Ellen he had expected, but, "How on Earth did you convince Penelope to take part in this?"

Selina shrugged and continued walking towards his building. "All I did was tell her it was your Birthday. She didn't really need any convincing to get you something." She turned to Edward and gave him a little smile. "I know you don't like celebrating your birthdays much, Eddie, but aren't you glad you have so many people in your life that do? Isn't that better than being alone in your apartment waiting for the next case?"

Edward jammed his Hansen into his pockets and looked down at his feet, mulling over Selina's words. Last year, he'd barely noticed that his birthday had gone by. He'd been working a murder case at the time. Oswald had given him a call, but that was it. He and Selina hadn't been on speaking terms. He'd been doing a poor job at keeping in touch with Nina and Deirdre. He and Penelope hadn't had a relationship. He didn't even know Ellen existed yet. Being alone had been easier, kept things less complicated, but had he been happier? Edward sighed. No, he hadn't. "Very well," he said at last. "For my daughter's sake, I'll act as if I'm perfectly delighted to walk into bedlam in my apartment."

Selina mock clapped. "Very good, Eddie. Who knows, maybe you'll actually let yourself have some fun."

"No promises," Edward retorted as the pair made their way into his building and up the stairs. They were down the hall just a few dots down when he picked up on Ellen's excited voice.

"Alright, let's frost this fucker!"

"Ellen, language." Edward stifled a laugh. That was Penelope, strict and proper as ever. "Is it cool enough?"

"It's fine, Doc," Deirdre's cool voice added. "Boss is gonna eat it soon anyway."

"Speaking of," Nina chimed in. "He and Kyle should be here any second."

Edward and Selina were at his door now. Selina looked at him and arched an eyebrow. "I think that's our cue. Want to do the honors?"

Edward let out a dramatic sigh. "If I must." He turned on the handle and opened the door.

The four women were clustered around his dining room table, Ellen and Penelope on one side, Nina and Deirdre on the other. In the center was a plate of cupcakes, surrounded by what Edward assumed were his presents. The four looked up as he and Selina entered, and Ellen's grin threatened to split her face. She rushed towards him with her arms out. "Happy Birthday, Dad!" She launched herself at him and Edward caught her in his arms, returning her hug.

Edward had to chuckle a bit at his daughter's enthusiasm. "Thank you, sweetheart." Nina and Deirdre approached him next, Deirdre patting him on the shoulder and Nina kissing him on the cheek. Only Penelope hung back by the table, regarding him with what he thought was a fond expression. "What?" He asked her. "No hug for me?"

Penelope scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Don't push your luck." Then she smiled slightly at him. "Happy birthday, Edward."

Edward grinned back. "Thank you."

Ellen pulled on his hand and tugged him towards the dining room table. "Come on Dad! I made you red velvet cupcakes!"

"Did you?" Edward smiled at his daughter. "Did anyone ever have a better daughter?"

"Nope," Ellen answered. "Open your presents!"

Edward and Ellen were joined by Penelope, Selina, Nina, and Deirdre at the table. Nina picked a box and slid it over to Edward. "This is from me and Deirdre."

Edward unwrapped the box and pulled out a hardcover copy of Cat's Cradle. He'd had a copy, once, but it had disappeared along with his other personal effects from Arkham after he'd been put in a coma. "Thanks, girls."

Selina waved him off. "I already got you your present," she said. She nudged Penelope, who was sitting next to her on Edward's left. Penelope fidgeted with the small box she had in her hands. "Go on, Doc," Selina teased. "He won't bite."

"Lina," Edward scolded.

"It's alright," Penelope said. She handed Edward the box. "Here. It's not much, but-"

"You didn't have to get me anything at all, you know," Edward said. He opened the box and saw a pair of cufflinks inside. They were gold studs, simpler than the ornate question marked shaped ones he'd sported for the better part of two years now, but he could tell they were good quality. He looked up from them to Penelope. "This didn't set you back too much, I hope?"

"No. I mean, I know they probably aren't as fancy as what you're used to. I have the receipt if you want to get them exchanged-"

"That won't be necessary," Edward declared, removing his cufflinks as he spoke. He pulled out the new ones and put them in his sleeves., depositing the old ones on the ding room table. When he finished, he flashed Penelope a grin. "There's something to be said for being understated. Thank you. I'll have to return the favor when your birthday rolls around."

Penelope bit her lower lip. "That's really not necessary, Edward."

He chuckled a bit. "Oh no, you don't. Just tell me when your birthday is and-" Edward realized something. "I already missed it, didn't I? When is your birthday?"

Penelope hesitated for a moment. "January 19th."

"Oh, you're a Capricorn," Ellen piped up. "That explains a lot."

Edward gaped at Penelope, mortified. "January 19th!? Why didn't you tell me?"

Penelope just shrugged. "I don't really like celebrating my birthday much either, Edward. And to be fair, you had saved me less than a month earlier."

"That's hardly a birthday present and you know it," Edward chided, pointing at her. "I'll make it up to you, I can promise you that."

Penelope sighed and shook her head. "There's no talking you out of this, is there?"

Edward grinned again. "Not a chance." Edward was so wrapped up in his conversation with her that he didn't notice the smirk that came across Selina's face or the look that passed between Nina and Deirdre. He did, however, feel Ellen, sitting next to him on his right, patting his arm.

"Dad," she coaxed. "Here's my present!"

Edward tore his attention from Penelope to look at Ellen. She held out her sketchbook. He took it from her and opened it and his eyes almost bugged out at the drawings contained inside. "Oh my, Ellen!" he said. He flipped through the pages of himself and the girls, himself and Selina. "These are fantastic! You-" he paused when he saw the portrait of Jonathan. Even though Ellen had never met him, and had seen only a handful of old photos he and Penelope had uncovered, she seemed to have the essence of Jonathan captured, from his gaunt frame, the ill-fitted suit, and the intense blue stare that he had, the gaze that Edward remembered the most. A droplet fell onto the page, just an inch shy of Jonathan's figure, and Edward realized that it was a tear.

"Dad?"

He looked up from the sketch into Ellen's concerned face. She probably thought that the gift had upset him. He quickly put the sketchbook on the table and wrapped her in a tight hug. "Thank you, sweetheart," he said, and he felt Ellen return the hug.

Ellen pulled away with a mischievous smirk. "I got you something else, too! I picked it up when I was out with Doc today!"

"Penelope has a name, you know," Edward lightly scolded.

"I really don't mind," Penelope said in Ellen's defense.

Ellen ignored them both and pulled a hideous plastic doll out of her knapsack. "Behold!" she said, handing it over to Edward. "Your son!"

Edward squinted at the doll, then removed his glasses to get a better look. He realized that it was an action figure of himself. "Oh good Lord, I was hoping you'd never find these. Ellen, this is a ripoff of me, not my son!"

Ellen made a mock pout. "Aw, Dad! You're hurting Eddie Jr's feelings!"

"Ellen, in the first place, this is a cheap plastic doll. It has no feelings. Secondly, on the almost zero chance I have a son, I would not name him 'Eddie Jr.' I'm not that vain." He took another look at the doll and scowled. "I really need to trademark my image. Oswald did and he never has to worry about these ugly things."

"Eddie," Nina said. "Don't talk about Eddie Jr. like that!"

"Oh, not you too, Nina!"

"We'll take him if you won't. Eddie Jr. deserves better than a dead beat dad!"

"Deirdre!"

Penelope watched as an argument broke out between Edward and his friends, with Ellen chiming in every now and then. She shook her head. This really wasn't what she had expected this morning. Across the table, Selina caught her eye and flashed her a smirk. Penelope found it in her to return the smile, slightly. It wasn't what she expected, but she didn't regret a moment.

At 9:30 pm, after cupcakes, many discussions and another round of arguing over the custody of Eddie Jr., Penelope finally got up from her spot next to Edward on the sofa. "I should get going," she said. "I have an appointment with a patient first thing, tomorrow."

Edward got up to join her. "I should get Ellen back to her Grandmother's before the woman pitches another fit. We'll walk you to your car." He looked to where Ellen still sat at the kitchen table with Nina and Deirdre and gave her a short nod. "Let's go. Get your stuff."

Ellen pouted but did as she was told. "Aww. I hate curfew."

"So you've told me," Edward said. "I'll be back in about a half hour if the rest of you want to stay."

"We'll be here," Nina answered. "Nice seeing you again, Doc."

"You as well," Penelope answered. She, Edward, and Ellen walked out the front door, Edward closing the door behind him. As soon as they had, Selina got up from the armchair to cross over to the window that overlooked the parking lot. In two minutes, Ellen came dashing out into the parking lot, heading directly towards Eddie's car. Eddie himself and the Doc came out behind her, walking slowly, clearly in conversation with each other. Selina watched as Eddie accompanied Doc to her car, stopping just in front of it. The two of them were only inches apart and not paying attention to anything or anyone but each other. Selina smirked. "Well. This is going better than I planned."

"Planned?" Nina asked. She and Deirdre had come to up see what she was looking at. Deirdre looked indifferent, but Nina fixed Selina with a look. "What are you up to, Kyle? Are you trying to start something between Eddie and the Doc?"

"I haven't started a thing, Nina," Selina defended. She turned her attention back to the two figures by the car. "But if there's something there, what harm is there in helping it out a bit?"

Nina and Deirdre exchanged a long look with each other. Then Nina sighed. "You really think this is a good idea, Selina? Eddie doesn't exactly have a good track record with romance." Her dark brown eyes narrowed a bit. "You're proof of that."

Selina rolled her eyes. "I know, I know. Look, I'm not what Eddie needs in a partner. Crane's gone, and frankly, I don't want Eddie to spend the rest of his life pining away for him." Selina watched as Ellen came up to join Eddie and the Doc, and she could just make out her saying something about her grandmother and a shotgun. The Doc took the opportunity to unlock her car, only to look surprised when Eddie opened it for her. "I think they could be good for each other," Selina said. "Eddie needs someone to bring him down to Earth but to also engage him. Someone who encourages him to be better, but also won't roll over and take his crap. I don't know her that well, but I think she's kind of like Crane. She needs someone to get her out of her shell. Someone who can actually remind her to live every once in a while." The Doc got in her car and gave the father and daughter a small wave. before she pulled out. The pair waved back, and Ellen started back towards Eddie's car. Eddie stood where he was, and Selina knew he was watching Doc drive off. She could just make out his smile in the lights of the parking lot.

"I don't have anything against the Doc," Deirdre said at last. "But Ed's had his heart broken twice. I don't think he can survive it happening a third time." She walked back to the dining room table, pulling a cigarette out of her pocket. "We're better off just leaving it alone."

Selina didn't answer. She knew she wasn't wrong about this. Her intuition was second to none.

Monday, June 5th, 2007

4:30 pm

Penelope's work day had been uneventful. Just a handful of patients and paperwork. Wayne and Bryant would be in their meeting with Sharpe now and would call Joan as soon as it was over. Now that her last patient of the day was gone, Penelope decided to pass the time by writing in her journal again. What she wrote about though, was hardly relevant to Wayne, Bryant, or Sharp.

...In my time with Edward, his friends, and Ellen last night, I came to a conclusion. Try as I may, I don't believe I'm ever going to fully figure out Edward Nigma. It feels that every time I'm with him, I discover a new facet of his personality. Or perhaps, I see what I couldn't before. He has, indirectly, forced me to reconsider a lot of what I felt to be true back when I worked in Arkham Asylum. Two years ago, the thought of that would have irritated me, but now, I accept it.

A knock at her office door snapped Penelope out of her musings. "Yes?" she called out.

"Delivery for a Dr. Young?"

Penelope furrowed her brow. A delivery? From who? She got up from her desk and walked to her door, opening it. A young man was outside, holding in his hands the most exquisite bouquet of white and light red carnations that she'd ever seen. She looked bug-eyed at them for a long moment. "For me?" she asked. "Who sent them?" She hoped it wasn't a patient.

"A Mr. Arthur Wynne," the delivery man said. He handed her the bouquet and a card. "Have a nice day." He left, and Penelope shut the door behind him. She walked back over to her desk, staring at the flowers and pondering. Arthur Wynne? That wasn't a patient of hers or anyone she knew, but why did it sound familiar...wait. Arthur Wynne was the inventor of the crossword puzzle, and an alias of, "Edward," she muttered. She took a look at the card recognized his distinctive scrawl.

For all you've done for me and mine. Happy belated Birthday.

E. Nigma

Penelope shook her head. That impossible man. She ran a finger around the petals of a white carnation and smiled. In the privacy of her office, she didn't care that she was blushing.