Once again, thank you all for your tremendous support and dedication as readers! I have no idea why, but this was one of my favorite chapters to write. Enjoy!

The sky seemed uncharacteristically bright against the gray Gotham skyline. Steam wafted gently over Bree's lips as she blew a cool breath onto her cup of coffee. She ran a tired hand through her hair as she glanced back at her jeans and blouse draped over the rumpled sheets of her bed. The days seemed to be growing shorter and her time at the left at the precinct ever-dwindling.

I'll need to be looking for a real job.

She mused with a deep mental sigh.

The precinct never exactly posed the perfect work environment, but she couldn't help but fall in love with it in its own little way. However, it had seemed a little different without Detective Gordon, not that she ever really interacted with him. Drama just seemed to follow that detective around, and with it, a little entertainment. It was quiet; at least as quiet as a police precinct could be in one of America's biggest cities.

She tried not to linger on the thought too long as she turned away from the window and began readying for another day at work.

The sun glistened through the high windows and reflected sharply off the marble flooring as she arrived and made her way to her usual station. However, as she climbed the first small set of stairs she slowed to a halt outside Captain Essen's door. Peering through the window, she spotted the Captain hunched over her desk, pen scribbling fiercely across some unfortunate document.

Bree swallowed as she shuffled closer to the door and gave a tentative knock on the neatly glazed wood. A moment of silence passed before a tired voice rang out.

"Come in."

She pulled the door open and stepped inside, suddenly feeling an odd sense of déjà vu from her first day at the precinct.

"Hi, Captain Essen, could I possibly have a quick word with you?" Bree said, trying to keep her face amiable. Essen's brows rose slightly as she placed her pen down on the desk and clasped her hands together.

"By all means, you're already here. Please, take a seat," she said with a quick gesture to the chair in front of her desk, "Try to make it quick though."

"Yes, of course," Bree nodded, clutching her bag in front of her as she sat down. She looked down for a moment and took a deep breath before lifting her gaze.

"Well, you see, ma'am, my internship here is ending very soon…..and I've grown to quite like it here. So, I was wondering if there were any part-time positions available."

Essen regarded her silently a moment, seemingly sizing her up. Possibly, just wondering who in their right mind would grow to like remedial paperwork and coffee-fetching.

"You will have to file an official application."

"Yes, I understand."

"It will most likely be another small job like the one you have, starting out."

"That is completely fine."

Essen looked her over once more before relenting.

"Alright, I'll think about it. Now do me a favor and take these files down to the Annex," she said evenly, handing her a small stack. Bree couldn't fight back a smile as she took them.

"Definitely, will do. Thank you for your time, Captain!"

"Oh, don't thank me yet," she said with a dry chuckle as she shook her head and looked back down at her work.

That's a good sign coming from Essen. Bree mused as she practically skipped back down the stairs. She nearly forgot that she hadn't even been by her desk to drop off her stuff yet, but she shrugged and kept walking with an idle hum.

The hallways seemed darker and more winding than usual as she shuffled down to the Annex. She finally reached the door and nudged it open with her shoulder and free hand. Ms. Kringle's head snapped up as Bree walked inside. She flashed Kristen a smile.

"Hey, I've got some files for you from Captain Essen."

Kristen rose and took them from her hands with small smile in return.

"Thank you, miss….."

"Taylor, BriannaTaylor, but just call me Bree," she waved in dismissal, "I believe we met briefly before, but…"

"Ah, yes! You were with Mr. Nygma in his file escapades…."

"Yeah….sorry about that mess."

"It's fine," she remarked rather sharply. Bree nodded and her eyes drifted down to Kristen's desk, noting a lone cupcake sitting apart from the rest of the paperwork.

"Did someone leave you a present?" Bree laughed with a nod towards the sweet. She narrowed her eyes, leaning a little closer. "Is that a….bullet?"

Kringle's expression fell into a frown as she looked down at the treat in distaste.

"I believe that was from your little friend."

"Who, Edward?" Bree blinked, her grin faltering. Kristen nodded.

"Oh…..well. I'm sure he has his reasons."

Kristen huffed quickly, turning and placing the files on a cabinet behind her.

"He is a strange man. I'm planning on giving it back to him later, but I just have far too much work to do."

"Well, much luck to you there….have a good day," Bree said softly as she turned to take her leave. She tried to fight back her disappointment that Edward seemed to be back to his exploits with Kristen. Maybe he wasn't flirting with her anyway….

Who am I kidding, of course he's flirting with her.

She thought glumly, a frown resting on her lips.

Conceal, don't feel, Bree. Conceal, don't feel.

She couldn't help laughing at the absurdity of the thought, readying herself for the mental image of GCPD with a musical number. She shook her head as she made her way up to her work station.

The first few hours of her shift passed in relative normalcy. That is, normal aside from Detective Gordon seeming to be back in action, poised to capture the newest threat to Gotham, the Electro-cutioner.

Catchy, indeed.

She stood from her desk with a tall stretch and snatched up the pile of completed papers. She hummed idly as she rounded the banister and made her way down the stairs. As she reached the main floor, a familiar face caught her eye. Edward met her eyes with a weak smile before looking away. She frowned, hurrying down the stairs to where he stood.

"Hey, Ed. What's wrong?"

He blinked a few times, only just seeming to notice her appearance in front of him.

"Wh-what? Oh….nothing…..it's just," his gaze drifted down to the cupcake resting atop the files in his arms. Bree arched a brow at him, eyeing the cupcake incredulously.

"It's not menacing…" he muttered, barely audibly. Bree raised a hand.

"Wait, what's not menacing?"

"My riddle…"

"You lost me Ed…"

He continued to look down at the small sweet.

"The cupcake? That's your riddle?" she pressed. He looked back up, meeting her eyes with a small nod.

"I gave it to miss Kringle, it was supposed to be a sweet gesture….but….she said it was weird, menacing, and inedible."

Bree bit her lip, trying to fight back the laugh ebbing in her throat.

No, that would be insensitive!

She simply shrugged instead, eying the live bullet sticking out from the icing.

"It…..could possibly be misinterpreted as a threat."

Ed's eyes widened as he shook his head.

"No! It wasn't a threat, was just supposed to be a riddle!"

Bree shot him a weary look as he pressed his lips into a tight line.

"I….just was trying to have an excuse to talk to her," he said softly with a note of dejection.

"Maybe she's just not worth your time, like I told you earlier…" she muttered.

"Sorry, what was that?"

"Nothing," she remarked glumly, "So, what is that supposed to mean anyway?" she pointed to the cupcake.

"Sweet and deadly?" she offered with a soft laugh. Edward's expression brightened.

"Close! Think more into the meaning of it—the cupcake is sweet, the bullet is deadly; A beautiful woman is a dangerous thing…"

Her heart skipped a beat and she felt her stomach tighten.

Is that how he really views Kristen? Yeah, she's pretty, but I wouldn't say dangerous.

"Oh….that's sweet," she said flatly, hiding the harsh note slipping into her tone.

"Say, are there any other bullets hidden in there?"

"No, only that one."

"Good, cause I'm starving," she said with a devious smile, snatching the cupcake off his stack of files. "And besides, I wouldn't exactly call her the dangerous type anyway."

Edward smirked, chuckling softly as he pushed up his glasses.

"Sweet and deadly….no, that sounds a bit more like you," he said with a giggle.

"Damn straight," she retorted dryly. Bree pulled back two fingers and pointed at him, gesturing a shooting motion.

"Bang, bang…."

A few hours later Bree's ears piqued at the sound of an unfamiliar, loud voice. She intended to drop off some finished paperwork by Officer Ramirez's desk on the main floor, but she slowed to a stop as she looked over at the small group of laughing cops, one of them blocking the way to the desk she needed to place the paperwork on. She tilted her head and noted they seemed to be circled around a larger Italian man. She stepped behind the officer blocking her way, and cleared her throat. The gray-haired man turned his head slightly towards her with a frown. She offered a half-hearted smile.

"I just need to drop this on that desk," she offered, waving the papers. He chuckled and stepped aside. Her eyes widened and she raised her brow as she saw that a lanky, dark haired man seemed to be unconscious on the desk she needed to reach.

"Thanks," she muttered, stepping aside and attempting to slide the papers under the man's leg and onto the desk. Suddenly, she noticed the group circled up seemed to have fallen silent, and she looked up to see all eyes glued on her, grinning and chuckling softly. The large man in the middle smiled and began laughing, and soon the small group followed. Bree blinked, a flush growing on her cheeks.

"Now that's dedication to work right there, my friends!" the loud Italian man laughed, nodding at Bree and sending a glance at the unconscious man on the desk.

"Say, what's your job here, little one?"

"Intern, sir."

"Oh, wonderful! Then do me a favor and grab me an espresso, would you?"

Bree gaped a moment before nodding her head.

"Ah….yes sir!" she said, still slightly flustered as she scurried off.

She barely looked up as she passed the small staircase towards the coffee pot. A light tug on her arm snapped her gaze upward. She blinked, meeting the eyes of Detective Bullock.

"Be careful, kid. That's Don Maroni. Try not to get too….curious over there, okay? That's some bad business," he said in a low voice, taking a quick glance around. Bree opened her mouth to comment, but decided against it and simply nodded. He eyed her warily before giving a pat on the shoulder as he pushed back. She didn't move for a moment, processing Bullock's words as she looked back at the still circled group of cops around the larger man.

Shit. She thought with a hard swallow.

This better be a damn fine cup of coffee.

As she wandered over to the community coffee station, she noticed a rather distressed looking Edward pacing outside the staircase that she knew led to the file annex.

"Ed?" she called out. His head snapped up, seemingly dragged from deep thought.

"Oh, Bree! I have a problem," he stopped his pacing with a frown. She raised a questioning brow. He continued.

"I should explain my riddle to Kristen, shouldn't I?"

"Well, yes, that would probably be ideal."

"It's just-every time I try to speak with her I get nervous and forget what I want to say."

"Just, relax. Don't try too hard and you'll be fine," she gave a light shrug, "When you're not trying to be someone you're not, you can actually be kind of smooth," she patted his shoulder and gave a reassuring smile.

He opened his mouth to speak but closed it again, blinking in surprise at her words. His cheeks took on a slight flush.

"A-are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Oh, alright then," he straightened his posture and adjusted his glasses. "I'll go talk to her!"

Bree's smile faltered somewhat when she thought of the glasses-wearing annex worker, but she tried to not let it show. Not that Ed would likely notice…

"Knock'em dead…" she muttered, although he had already darted off down the stairs. She looked back at the coffee machine with a sigh, grabbing the Styrofoam cups with a bit more force than necessary.

She hurried back to where Maroni and a few of (who she presumed must be) his men. The cops around him had disbursed, but the unconscious man on the table seemed to be twitching awake. When she approached, eyes flickered back up towards her. The gazes put her on edge, but she simply set the coffee's down. Maroni looked up at her with a smile and a nod.

"Thanks, sweetheart."

She forced a smile and turned to take her leave.

God, I hate the name sweetheart.

Her thoughts dissipated as an arm shot out, catching her sleeve. She looked abruptly at the source and realized it was the dark haired man laying atop the desk.

"P-please. I need a phone!" the rather frazzled man sputtered, his bright blue eyes frantically searching her face as he sat up. She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Maroni's voice cut her off.

"That won't be necessary."

Both Bree and the dark haired man looked up at Maroni. Her eyes briefly flickered back to the man on the desk as he finally released her sleeve. Maroni looked back at her once more.

"Hey, miss intern, would you mind grabbing the food delivery out back for us? I bet Penguin here is famished. I know I am!" he laughed and the men around him joined. Bree nodded reluctantly with another smile, not looking to get on the bad side of any mob bosses any time soon. She glanced back at the man on the desk Maroni had called Penguin and their eyes met for the briefest moment. Her breath caught at the iciness in his gaze and quickly broke away.

She frowned as she walked off again.

Am I a waitress now?

She idly thought, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. There still was a lot of paper work to do, but she pushed it to the back of her mind as she reached the lower stairwell.

Her hands brushed the rail as she turned the corner into a dimly lit hall. No one ever really used the back access way aside from drop offs and the occasional brave delivery car, so the hall seemed bizarrely empty as opposed to the rest of the precinct.

Suddenly a jarring noise ripped through the building and she came to an abrupt stop as the lights flashed, sparks flying. Her eyes went wide as the fluorescents above sparked angrily before fizzling out, leaving the hall in darkness.

"What the hell…" she gasped, blinking furiously in an attempt to adjust her eyes to the sudden blackness of the hallway. Her heart pounded as she extended her arms, swatting the space around her as she tried to find the wall. Her breath caught and she froze at the sound of footsteps.

Ssssszzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

A spark of electricity illuminated the hall in front of her, jumping between two coils. A figure stood, clutching the sparking rod with gloved hands. The crisp light cast sporadic shadows on the man's bearded face, his glasses glinting menacingly in the sparks. He seemed to have some sort of large machine strapped to his back, but Bree's attention snapped back to his face as a grim smile stretched across his features. A looming man stood behind him, silent, but imposing.

"Hello there. Do be a dear and point me to main hall?" the man rasped in a voice with an oddly metallic edge.

Wordlessly, she points behind her, wide-eyed.

"Up the stairs…."

The man's smile widened. He gave what may have been a half-bow.

"Thank you, darling," he said, taking a step forward, the other man right on his heels. Bree pressed herself closer to the wall, her jaw clenching at his term of endearment.

"I'm not your darling," she said softly, but sharply. She hadn't meant to say it aloud, but the words were out before she could stop them.

The man paused, his head cocking slightly to the side with something akin to amusement sparkling in his eyes. He smiled once more, his eyes trailing down her form to her heavily scuffed Doc Martins. He clicked his tongue.

"Love your shoes."

She furrowed her brow, glancing down. Suddenly, a sharp pain jolts into her neck. Her eyes snapped up for the briefest moment to see his arm withdraw a smaller handheld device. Her head pounds as her vision fades to black. Every limb suddenly feels heavier than it ever has. Distantly, she realizes her face is pressed against the cold marble flooring, and her body seems to have barely registered the impact. With a stiff exhale, her eyes drift shut.

Every muscle ached. Her fingers felt all tingly, her face and neck uncomfortable. She vaguely realized her face was pressed against something hard.

Wait….that's the floor.

Slowly, her eyes blinked open, not that it seemed to make a difference in the blackness of the hallway. Her palms found the ground and she pushed herself up to her knees with a painful groan.

"What happened?" she mused quietly, reaching up to scratch the back of her neck and her fingers brushing a sensitive patch of skin. She hissed, pulling her hand back. Suddenly, it came back to her.

That man….he shocked me!

She sat up, patting the ground around her until she found the wall. A hard knot found its way into her throat as he tried to steady her breathing. She felt light headed. Her arms wrapped tightly around her knees, heart pounding fiercely against her chest.

Calm down, Bree.

It was fine, right? Everyone in the precinct must be okay….right? She just happened to have been alone….in the dark….unconscious for an uncertain amount of time. She swallowed, patting herself down.

"Everything's still here…."she whispered, more to fill the deafening silence than anything. She paused to check her erratic breathing once more.

"It's fine," she said, clawing at the wall in an attempt to scramble to her feet, "This isn't scary at all," she lied.

She stumbled through the black hallway until she found the door handle to the stairwell. She squinted as her eyes adjusted to the light. When she stepped back into the main hall, the precinct seemed to be in disarray. She walked over to the nearest desk and tapped on the officer's shoulder.

"What exactly just happened?"

The man looked over his shoulder, clutching his head lightly.

"Haven't you heard? The precinct was attacked by that Grubler guy. Most of us were knocked out for the count during that power surge. Gordon got him though. It's a good thing you weren't in here, that guy seemed like trouble," the officer offered with a grim nod.

"Thanks….yeah, lucky me," she remarked dryly.

She felt oddly hollow as she climbed the stairs to her desk.

"Bree! There you are, I've been looking everywhere for you!"

Her eyes snapped up and spotted Edward's lanky figure, standing in the doorway of the forensics lab, clutching his little notebook to his chest.

She bolted to across the floor and nearly knocked Edward over with the force of her hug. It was over before he even had the chance to register what had happened.

"Ed! Are you alright?" she said as she quickly pulled away from the hug.

"Oh…yes. I'm alive and well from Grubler's attack, but there was something else I wanted to talk to you about," he said, backing up into the lab. Bree trailed in after him.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Well…a few things….for one, do you think I'm…..weird?" he asked quietly, his lips falling into a frown. She blinked, regarding him pensively for a moment.

"Ah….well, in a way, yes. But really, isn't everyone? Everyone is sort of a weirdo in their own way," she began. His eyes drifted down, clearly not the answer he had been hoping for.

"But the best people usually are," she added. He glanced back up, his brows lifting somewhat and his frown softening into a light smile.

"Well, that's good to hear because I may have happen to overhear Kristen telling Flass she thought I was weird….but that may be a good thing!" he quipped.

"Yeah….maybe," Bree's smile fell a fraction.

"Great! So, I was thinking about how she seems to like it better when I don't say any riddles to her. So what if I wrote her a poem? That's endearing, correct? Surely, she couldn't possibly find it menacing or weird at all and—"

"Edward!" she cut him off sharply.

Ed froze mid-sentence, his mouth closing abruptly as he stared at her in shock.

"Why—"

"I just spent over an hour unconscious and alone in a dark hallway after the guy who tried to kill everyone personally knocked me out, and all you can think about is your goddamned crush!" she snapped, "What happened to I don't want to lose you, huh?" she pushed him back, tears ebbing at the corners of her eyes. She wrapped her arms around herself as she bit her lip.

"Y-you're upset…" Edward said simply, his mouth slightly ajar and his hands up in an almost mock-surrender. Bree nodded.

"Yes, genius. I am a bit upset right now," she turned to leave and he caught her arm.

"I didn't mean to…" he trailed off. She spun back around and let out a heavy sigh.

"I know you didn't, Ed, but that doesn't change it. Shit happened today, you know that…..I just need to lie down or something," she grumbled, rubbing her forehead.

"I'll see you later…"

..

.

Wow, I definitely have a stressful week ahead. I have two papers to write and a few tests to study for, but here's a little something for you all. I'm currently yelling in frustration at my computer due to the month-long hiatus Gotham is about to plunge into. So yeah, I'm going to milk out the episodes we have. More Edward POV will be on the way soon! Both sides are really crucial, but I don't want to be repetitive in the telling of the events. Thank you all for reading and reviewing! Til next time folks.