When Laura heard footsteps, she quickly jumped up and ran to the bathroom. Her face was tearstained and she didn't want anyone to notice. "Laura?" It was Bruce.

"Bathroom, babe! I'll be right back."

"Ok. You were gone a while. Just wanted to check on you."

"Thanks. I'm good. I'll be right out." She turned and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked horrible. Grabbing a wash cloth she turned on the faucet to warm water and wet the rag. Then she slowly dragged it over the contours of her face. When she was sure that all the evidence was gone, she went back to Bruce's room. "Sorry, an old friend called. We were catching up."

"It's alright. So," he said, plopping on the bed, "what's your plans for tomorrow?"

"Work. You?"

"If you can call what I do work…then, yeah. That." He grinned up at her. She half-heartedly smiled back. "Is something bothering you?"

"I'm just tired. They've been running me everywhere looking for Harvey. Well, Two-Face, now, isn't it? But either way…" she faded off.

He pat his knee and she sat down. Wrapping his arms around her, he said, "How are you feeling about all this? Are you hurt, saddened…what?"

She sighed. "I'm very hurt. He was Rachel's fiancé. She was so in love with him…she would've done anything for him. She died for him."

"This world is a mix of good and bad people. The painful truth is, the good are very much outnumbered by the bad. Harvey was a good person that got thrown into bad situations and he chose to deal with them the wrong way. It was no one's fault but his."

"Not even Joker's?" she asked quietly.

"By extension, yes. But, Harvey could've chosen not to follow him. Joker just added water to the seed of hatred that was already planted in Harvey's heart. I don't really blame him. You do, I assume."

"More or less. I blame him for a lot of things," she added almost inaudibly.

"What's that?"

"Never mind. Can I crash here tonight?"

"Of course! When have you ever not been allowed to crash here?" He tapped her nose with his index finger before scooting her to the bed and getting up. "I'm gonna get ready for bed. Be back."

"Kay. Me too." She watched him go before getting her pajamas out of Bruce's closet. They had a routine for bedtime. He would go do his stuff in the bathroom and she would get dressed in the bedroom. When they were done, they would walk towards the place they hadn't been yet, and they always passed each other on the way there. It surprised them that they were coordinated so well without even trying. Laura got her turn in the bathroom and then she headed back to the bedroom. Bruce was already under the covers and halfway asleep. Laura just watched him, a loving smile on her face. He was so cute when he was asleep. "Where would I be without you?" she whispered. Then she climbed in beside him, taking his arm and placing it around her.

The mornings at Bruce's were always more hectic than nights. They were both rushing around the pent house, shoving food in with one hand, brushing hair with the other. They both ended up in the bathroom trying to brush their teeth at the same time. These chaotic moments always left room for laughs, but this morning, Laura wasn't in the mood. The Joker could pull anything today and she would have to cover it up. But how? It tore at her conscience that she was doing this, but Bruce's life was at stake and she would do anything to keep him safe.

She pulled into her designated parking spot at M.C.U. and walked into the building. "Morning, Laura!" Gordon yelled cheerily from his office. He had chosen to stay in that building instead of moving to city hall where the previous Commissioner had been stationed.

"Gordon." she replied with a nod.

"Hey, you want a case?"

Her countenance brightened. "You bet!"

He walked out with a file in his hand. "Take a look at this. Guy found dead in the Narrows. Does this seem familiar to you?"

Laura looked at the picture provided. The corpse's face was carved into a vicious smile. Her heart rate leapt up and her words stuck in her throat. She finally choked out, "Yeah, that seems slightly familiar."

"I thought so."

Laura remembered the Joker's analogy from the night he was caught. An unstoppable force. "Shall we go inspect the scene?"

They rode out to the Narrows and got out. Laura cringed. It was the Joker alright. HA's were sloppily painted on all the freight crates surrounding the area. She walked to where the body still lay. A medical guy was inspecting him. "Cause of death?" she asked.

"Here." He pointed to a hole in the man's chest. "Knife wound straight to the heart."

"Time?"

"Approximately 10:30 last night."

"Do we have an ID for him?"

"Uh, yes." He pulled out a notepad and checked the name. "Dakota Napier. Nobody really significant. A few small charges for drugs. One assault."

"Thanks." Laura walked back towards Gordon who was asking the person who found the body a few questions. He left the man alone and met her halfway.

"Anything that would explain why the Joker did this?"

"You're jumping to conclusions, boss. This could easily be a copycat. Isn't the Joker in Arkham?"

"According to our files he is, but that doesn't clear up my fears. This town is still corrupt, Laura. He could easily have bought people off. Maybe killed a few. I'm not going to throw out the theory."

"Guess that's good cop work. I don't like to think about it though."

"Neither do I. But, we'll keep our eyes open. He's not great at hiding."

'I know,' she thought. 'That's why I'm stuck in this situation.'

Back at M.C.U. she easily got control of the fingerprints that were taken from the crime scene and the body itself. She took them into a lab in the building across the street and started to process them. The Joker's were on file now because of when he got caught and she didn't want anyone recognizing them. Running them through the files proved that the Joker was indeed the killer. So, how was she suppose to change it? Her phone rang. "Yeah?"

"Hello, dearie," Joker said. "Are you keeping my secret safe?"

"Yes. I am. But how am I suppose to do this? I'm not really a forensic. How do I hide the fact that your prints were all over the crime scene?"

"I don't know. It's not my job."

"Well, it's not mine either! That's my point! I'm not a CSI. I'm a cop. Just your everyday, ordinary cop."

"My everyday, ordinary cop?"

"STOP TRYING TO TWIST MY WORDS! Is there still people watching Bruce?"

"Of course. You haven't proven yourself yet. Will you meet me later?"

"Are you kidding? I've got major stuff to take care of thanks to you!"

"You have a lunch break."

"So what? I'll be spending it trying to find a way to lead my friends off on someone else."

"Please?"

"What the hell? You're asking nicely? Since when do you ask, anyway? You always demand and then threaten." She listened to his breathing for a moment. "Fine. Where?"

He laughed. "250 52nd Street. We need to talk about some things."

"You're such a…" He hung up. She sighed. What was wrong with her? She was meeting him. She was helping him get away with murder. But then her mind went to Bruce again. If this is what it took to save him, so be it.

When her lunch break came about, Laura nervously climbed into her car and drove the route to her destination. Her mind kept having flashbacks of when she was speeding this very same way, trying to save Harvey. But it hadn't been Harvey in this warehouse. Rachel… She was now in the trashed parking lot. She got out of her car and walked into the building tentatively. Slowly she ascended to the floor where Harvey had nearly killed Gordon's son. "Hello there."

She whipped around to stare at him. "How did you do that?"

"Oh, I've learned how to sneak over my miserable life," he answered. She hadn't seen him for a while so she took a minute to assess him. His face was still covered with makeup which didn't surprise her. He seemed to have gotten another suit like the one he had before getting locked up. He too was looking her over. "You look good," he said, nodding. "I left you in good hands. But, I'm back now, so you're under my care."

"I wasn't aware that I was under your care before."

"Who do you think kept you out of the Mob's clutches? They hated you. You were their next target after Batman. Speaking of which, how is he these days?"

"I wouldn't know. They made us destroy the Bat Signal. He's just a freelancer now." They were still standing 10 yards apart, but he started to close the gap. Her heart began to beat faster. 'Blast it!' she thought. 'Why are my emotions so freaking messed up??!' He was 2 feet away. 1 foot. 6 inches.

He reached up slowly and touched her cheek. "Poor little Laura. In love with a billionaire playboy, a masked vigilante, and a crazy clown."

"Who said I loved Batman?" she murmured, distracted by the feel of his fingers on her face. Then she snapped back to herself. "And who said I loved you?!"

"Don't try to hide it. I can see it. You're just lucky no one else can." His thumb began to trace her lips. "I missed you," he said in his deeper voice.

She began to tremble. "Damn it!" she cried. "Why are you so freaking charming?"

"I'm a man of many talents." He leaned down and she gasped when his lips met hers. He backed her up against a beam. She held to his jacket and pulled him closer. He broke off the kiss, but kept his face against hers. "If you don't love me, why are you acting like this?"

"Love isn't determined by this kind of stuff. It's an emotional feeling. Not physical. But physical is sometimes good too." She pulled him to her again absorbing the warmth of his body against hers. She hated how she was responding, if she was honest with herself. He moaned and lowered her to the ground. "Whoa, whoa. I'm not this interested," she gasped.

He pulled away. "Sorry," he muttered. An awkward silence followed. He sighed and lay down beside her. "What am I going to do with you?"

"I don't know. Just forget about me and go away, maybe?" she suggested.

He barked out a laugh. "Right. That'll be really successful."

Laura's mind was swimming. He acted like such a normal person sometimes. That was the only reason she believed that he truly loved her. "I have to go back to work…and cover your ass. How? Who knows."

He rolled over to look at her. "You'll figure it out. You've always been so good at puzzles."

"And you would know this how?"

"I'm not as much a stranger as you think. I was a Gothamite once."

She faced him. "Who are you?"

"Ah ta ta ta. You won't tell me what I want to know, so I won't be answering questions."

She glared. "Whatever. I have to go." She picked herself up and looked down at the Joker. "You have made my life hell. Just so you know how difficult this is. And I don't love you." She walked away while he quietly laughed behind her.

Back at M.C.U. Laura slaved away to make it look like one of the Mob guys who had been out on bail for the past few months had murdered Dakota Napier. It wasn't easy and she desperately hoped that the Joker was pleased…for Bruce's sake. There was something nagging at the back of her mind though. Who was the Joker under that makeup? Would this affair with him lead her to the answer?