Bruce crashed down the stairs, his head connecting painfully with the floor. Blindly he groped for the rifle, swinging it out just in time to bash the jaws of the Rottweiler leaping down onto him.

He staggered to his feet and escaped into the next hallway, slamming the door shut. He took a moment to catch his breath.

Without any of his powerful advantages, his only weapons were fear and stealth. A quick trip to the basement and he'd cut off all electricity for the mobsters (oh the cute tricks he'd learned when he'd hobnobbed with criminals). But while the complete darkness impeded the mobsters' abilities to track him, it did very little against the dogs they had unleashed.

His vision was spotty, and he was pretty sure his balance was slipping. Either that or these were the most poorly designed hallways he'd ever walked down.

Bruce hated it, but he'd done his part. He'd taken down six, armed Gordon, and called for backup. He needed to take care of himself now.

SWAT just better get here fast.

Dent stayed in the shadows, careful to keep his gun pointed down and away from his body.

He didn't know how the Batman had managed to pull this one off, but they weren't out of the woods yet.

So far no one – good or bad – had come. They'd heard machine-gun fire once or twice but now it had gone back to being quiet. The quiet was scaring him more than anything else had during this whole situation. He didn't know what it meant: if the Batman had taken out the criminals – or if the criminals had gotten him.

He still remembered the figure crashing against the window in the mayor's office and the gut-wrenching fear and rage he'd felt when he'd thought it was really him. He'd rushed forward even as the mayor leaped away. The elation, the triumph of a moment ago – a moment only made possible by the Batman's ability to bring him the impossible - soured as he stood, staring at the corpse, at the enemy's answering volley.

It hadn't been the Batman then.

It could be now.

Harvey's head snapped up as he heard noises above. Gunfire sounded again – and then answering gunfire. Lots of it.

Harvey sagged in relief when the door burst open and SWAT swarmed down the stairs.

"I want this building secured now!"

Harvey watched with more than a little amusement as Gordon took charge. Gone was the soft-spoken, mild-mannered man he usually encountered. In his place was the coldly furious lieutenant of the Major Crimes Unit.

"Mr. Dent." Harvey turned; through the bobbing flashlights he could see a member of the SWAT team approaching him. "We'll take your weapon sir."

Oh. He'd forgotten he still had it. Gingerly he handed it over to the man, asking and receiving an extra flashlight in exchange.

Now armed with light he made his way over to Gordon, who was striding through the torrent of cops, throwing out orders to everyone he came across.

"They find Wayne yet?"

The detective was too distracted to even look at him. "Not yet." He shined his flashlight on a cop. "Why don't we have lights in here yet?"

"Are we going to go look for him?"

Gordon finally glanced at him. "We're not."

Ramirez ran up to them. "Here you are sir." She handed Gordon his pistol. Smith & Wesson Harvey noted - about as American as you could get.

Harvey frowned at the detective's answer. "Gordon I've seen more of this place than you have, I can help."

"It's not even secured up there yet." Gordon had joined a small group of SWAT who were starting their ascent up the stairs.

"Gordon –"

"Detective, if Mr. Dent tries to follow us arrest him on interfering with a police investigation."

"Funny Gordon." As Gordon ran up the stairs Harvey called after him, "But who's going to prosecute me, me or my girlfriend?"

Harvey kept himself busy, instantly taking charge of the detectives and helping them organize the chaos. He walked into the middle of the hostage huddle. The trust fund brigade was getting restless, and Harvey could practically feel the upper class rediscovering their power and bite. He felt the nerves from the party return.

"We're almost out of here, but I need you to be patient for a little while longer. And I know we've all been through a lot, but please do not discuss what happened with each other or anyone else. Wait until your official statement. We don't want to give their lawyers any opening."

The rich men decided to sink their teeth into Harvey, and for the next few minutes Harvey tried his best to respond to their impatient demands and abusive threats, while still keeping a lid on his temper. Really, was this how he had sounded to Gordon?

Eventually word came that the building was secured, and the hostages were ushered out into the waiting arms of paramedics and ambulances.

Harvey jostled his way out of the crowd, and stalked over to the police cars. He grabbed the arm of a passing patrolman. "Where's Gordon?"

The man turned and gestured to one of the ambulances. Stomach tightening Harvey hurried his steps.

But it turned out Gordon was perfectly fine. He was standing by the back of the ambulance, just shooting the breeze with one of his officers.

His momentary fear turned to irritation. "Is this how you do a search Gordon?"

Gordon looked up, noticing Dent for the first time. He didn't respond to the slight note of contempt in Dent's voice. "No," he answered simply, "it's not."

And then Gordon shifted, and Harvey finally saw the battered looking Wayne sitting on the ambulance's bumper, holding an ice pack to the back of his head.

Relieved and feeling more than a little guilty, Dent rushed to his side. "You all right Wayne?"

"Oh I'm doing great."

Harvey pulled Wayne's hand away, so he could get a better look. "What happened?" he demanded then backtracked. "Wait – don't tell me. Wait until your official statement."

Gordon spoke up. "You can let him talk. You're not going to be able to prosecute this anyway."

"What?"

Gordon looked at him like it was obvious. "You were a hostage, you're now a witness. You can't also be the prosecutor."

Harvey bit back a curse. He knew that, but it wasn't fair; he wanted to be the one to nail these scumbags to the wall.

"Don't be greedy Harvey," Bruce said. "You're already prosecuting five hundred others. Let someone else have their turn," he admonished, patting him on the leg.

Harvey muttered under his breath and shoved Bruce's hand away, but the reminder of the case he did have softened the blow.

Meanwhile Gordon had dismissed the other detective, and suddenly it was just the three of them again.

"So what happened?" Harvey asked, unconsciously lowering his voice.

Bruce fiddled with the ice pack, a flush creeping across his face. "Well there was really no point in me going out. Before we were even halfway there, your Batman swoops in and takes them out. I have to say I'm a little annoyed."

"And how did you reopen your head?" Gordon inquired.

The red deepened. "I sort of…the Batman's a scary guy, and he came out of nowhere."

Harvey could see where this was going.

Bruce seemed too embarrassed to look either of them in the eye. "Basically I panicked and then tripped myself down the stairs. I think the Batman actually laughed at me. Then he threw me in a closet and told me to stay there until the police came." A grimace. "Fifty bucks says that's tomorrow's headline."

"What is?" Harvey asked.

"'Wayne comes out of the closet.'"

Harvey laughed, and Gordon fought his own smile. Bruce mock glared at both of them.

Gordon turned serious. "It was a brave thing you did Mr. Wayne."

Bruce looked a little irritated. "But that's just it. I didn't do anything."

"Well you tried and that's what counts." Gordon was firm, and Harvey nodded his agreement.

"Bruce!" The shout startled them all, ripping them out of their private little world.

Instantly Wayne straightened. Three figures raced in and surrounded the billionaire. It was three of the hostages from the lesser group (Harvey reminded himself to not use that term when giving his own statement).

"Can you believe this?" one of them asked.

"Hey I told you it would be a fun party," Bruce laughed.

"I'll say," another grinned. "All the babes were with us."

"You should've been with us. You wouldn't believe what…" melodramatically the man dropped his voice to a whisper, and Bruce leaned forward eagerly.

The four of them formed a tight circle, shunting Gordon and Dent to the outside. Harvey could only watch as Wayne transformed before his eyes. There was no trace of the man he had gotten to know. The callous playboy was back, reveling in the adventure and already trading gossip about the other guests with his buddies (who didn't seem to understand the concept of 'just say no').

Gordon looked just as uncomfortable and awkward as Harvey felt. And when one of the millionaires made a disparaging remark about the police and Bruce agreed and launched into a crude joke, Gordon quietly made his excuses to Harvey and left to continue police business.

Harvey watched him leave, bristling on his behalf. He missed how Bruce's eyes followed the lieutenant as well.

Harvey worked tirelessly into the night. Arriving at the station he received a desperate hug and kiss from Rachel, and then she launched right into what needed to be done (oh how he loved her). He got his statement taken, and then he threw himself into the interviewing and deal making.

Unlike with Lau he didn't stay behind the glass for this one. Some tried to stick it out, but others were quick to do anything for a lighter sentence. While the deals meant that these guys wouldn't be getting the death penalty, Harvey was content to save that for when they caught the leader (who apparently along with a couple of others immediately went to ground when the Batman swooped down).

It was approaching midnight, a full day after the nightmare had begun. As the criminal he'd just finished with was escorted back to a holding cell, Harvey sighed, exhausted.

"You need to get some rest Harvey," Gordon advised with a sympathetic smile. "Or at least take a break."

Harvey was tired, but he wasn't about to go home. "I'll get some coffee. Don't start the next one without me."

Gordon nodded and turned away as another detective vied for his attention. Harvey had a feeling the mobsters would be out of this station before Gordon.

Harvey retreated to the small break room hidden in the back, hoping for some peace and quiet. Who was he kidding? He really did need a break. He groaned when he saw someone in there already. But then his tired eyes finally focused enough to see who it was. Bruce Wayne. What was he doing here at this time of night?

Harvey hesitated but then walked in. Bruce jerked at the door opening, immediately straightening up from his slumped posture. He lounged back into the chair when he saw who it was.

For his part Harvey carefully ignored the billionaire, just made his way to the counter and poured himself a cup of coffee.

Bruce tapped his fingers against his own glass, watching him with a small smirk on his lips, like he knew why Dent was mad at him and thought it was amusing.

"So how's the lawyering going?"

Harvey put the pot down with more force than necessary, but he held his temper. "We're just chugging away, almost got them all done. What are you doing here?"

"I have to give my statement."

Harvey looked at his watch. "Now? You know we're saving a lot of you for tomorrow." Despite his anger he found himself joining Wayne at his table.

A small smile. "I know. It's very kind of you." Polite and distant. Like they hadn't just spent an entire day consoling and conspiring their way out of a hostage situation.

Harvey waited but Bruce didn't say anything more. "So why don't you go home and we'll call you in the morning."

Another bland smile, but a haunted look appeared in his eyes. "I'm good here."

And then it Harvey, and he kicked himself for his idiocy; Bruce's penthouse was still a crime scene.

Two cops entered the break room just then, giving them a surprised look. Bruce flashed them a smile, one of his patented playboy false ones. And Harvey wondered when he had started labeling Wayne's facial expressions.

He took a sip of his own drink. "Did you get to see Alfred?" Harvey had seen the reports on the crime scene, and Alfred had been one of the ones taken to the hospital. He hadn't been ones of the ones listed as critical though.

Bruce nodded. "Yeah, he's going to be fine. Doctors say he just bruised his…upper mitochondria? I don't know, I really couldn't understand them." Once again he had pulled out the dumber-than-molasses playboy routine. Harvey glared at him not appreciating it, and Wayne after a moment continued, serious. "He's sedated right now, so I decided to get my part done here."

In the middle of the night. "Does anyone even know you're here?"

"I'm waiting on Commissioner Loeb; he wants to be there for my statement."

Harvey wanted to be there too, if just to see how Bruce would act. Would he be the airhead he seemed to love pretending to be?

Bruce's attention had shifted to the cops' muted conversation in the other corner. Interest piqued, Harvey turned slightly.

"The hospital just released a statement. Another one of the criticals snuffed it."

A quiet curse from the other. "That makes four dead."

Harvey knew what they were talking about; he'd seen the report about the dead and injured the police had found at the penthouse. Three dead, four critical, and this news just switched the numbers. He turned back.

Bruce's face was shuttered, pained. If Harvey weren't already aware, this would have convinced him that the billionaire was capable of feeling.

The first cop whispered the next, but it was audible to both of them. "Wayne's going to be paying billions in lawsuits."

Harvey was on his feet, headed toward the cops. He held out a hand. "Henderson right?"

The older man nodded, warily shaking Dent's hand. Harvey turned to the woman. "And I don't believe I've met you Officer…?"

"Cabrera."

Harvey shook her hand, smiling. "Cabrera, yes. I've heard great things about you two. You've made quite a few impressive drug busts." The cops slowly smiled back.

Dent's disappeared. "But if you don't get back out on the streets in the next ten seconds, I'll make sure IA slaps each of you with a month's unpaid leave."

"What for?" Henderson bristled.

Harvey shrugged. "We'll start with harassing a civilian and unprofessional conduct. After that I'll look into every report you've ever filed. A month?" he scoffed. "I might even be able to get your badges."

The cops scowled, but muttering –loudly- under their breaths they left.

"They didn't look happy," Wayne commented, his lips twitching. "And what was that name they called you?"

"Well, working in Internal Affairs doesn't make you popular with the cops." He smirked and Bruce grinned back, the grief leaving his eyes for a moment.

Harvey changed the subject. "Look Wayne, Loeb's going to be hours. Why don't you go stay at a hotel for the night?" He wanted Wayne to go and forget about all this.

Bruce shook his head. "I'm fine with waiting."

"Or can't you stay with one of your friends?" Harvey asked hesitantly. He wasn't sure if any one of those friends would have had the decency to offer.

"That's an idea. I'll probably do that," Bruce agreed, not even bothering to make it seem genuine. Harvey could understand; he wouldn't want to stay with those guys either.

Silence descended. Harvey fiddled, his coffee finished. Bruce noticed. "Don't let me keep you. I'm sure you've got a lot to do."

It was true. He needed to get going. But he couldn't bring himself to leave Wayne all alone. He seemed…lonely.

Abruptly he came to a decision. "Come on."

Bruce looked up in surprise but followed obediently. "Where are we going?"

"To get some fresh air."

Bruce shook his head. "Harvey the press is a nightmare out front. I just…don't want to deal with it right now." It was a rare moment of honesty.

"Don't worry we're not going out there."

"Then where are we going?"

They reached the stairs. "The roof."

Harvey was halfway up the second flight before he realized Wayne was still standing at the bottom. "Come on."

Bruce shook his head. "I don't feel like going up."

"Why not?"

"I'm not that crazy about heights."

"You live in a penthouse Wayne."

Bruce didn't have an answer to that.

"Come on," Harvey cajoled impatiently, and out of excuses Bruce slowly followed him up to the roof.