Disclaimer: I do not own nor am I in any way affiliated with the Batman universe. Things you recognize belong to Nolan, etc, Kane, etc, DC comics, etc., Warner Bros., etc. I only claim Sally, Aunt Anna and the plot.

NxS: Yay for Sally, Hayley, and Jonathan :)! And Aunt Anna a'course, ;)! Onwards!

Chapter Eight

Sally smiled as she woke up; she could smell Aunt Anna's cooking. Sally rushed through her morning routine at record speed. Aunt Anna laughed when Sally finally entered the kitchen.

"Morning, dear." Aunt Anna said with a smile as she placed a plate of warm food in front of Sally.

"Morning, lovely lady." Sally said happily before digging into her food. Aunt Anna chuckled and continued drinking her coffee. It was rare for Aunt Anna to have enough time to cook breakfast and Sally was always thrilled when she did. Aunt Anna was an excellent cook.

"You look especially pretty today, Doll." Aunt Anna said after a few moments. Sally blushed and rolled her eyes. Aunt Anna always tried to sneak in a compliment or two for Sally everyday. Sally was sure that Aunt Anna was probably the only person to think so; she hadn't even gotten properly dressed yet and her hair was being annoying today. (Aunt Anna had a very long talk with Sally about what true beauty was after Sally had had her 'accident')

"Oh, crud! I'm going to be late!" Sally exclaimed after seeing the time. She quickly rushed off to get dressed and to force her hair to look presentable. Aunt Anna's warm laughter followed her down the hall. Sally quickly pulled on the cleanest (and most wrinkle free) black dress pants she could find and quickly put on a modest blue button up blouse. Looking at her reflection in the mirror she sighed and managed to put her hair in a twist before hunting down her black flats (running in heels was no fun). Sally grabbed her purse and rushed out of the apartment.

"Later, Auntie!" she called over her shoulder as she left. Sally sighed to herself as she navigated the cluttered sidewalk. She glanced at her watch and frowned in frustration; she was going to have to take the subway. Sally managed to quickly move through the crowd and slipped through the doors just in time. It was when she took her seat that she realized some one was watching her. She was used to being stared at but this time felt different. It almost felt like... (Sally subconsciously reached into her purse and squeezed Ichabod.)

She didn't see him until she got off of the subway. He smiled his wicked smile that ignited a fire in her veins. It felt like they were standing on the edge of something and all it would take would be one little push and then... A swarm of people walked between them (rushing to catch the subway) and Sally took the opportunity to high tail it to work. She wasn't sure she was ready for whatever was going on. She shoved her shaking hands in her pockets as she made her way towards the gates of Arkham.

Nobody noticed her come in five minutes late. Sally left Ichabod safely hidden in her purse as she took a seat at her desk. She took several minutes to compose herself before checking the 'in' tray and finding file requests waiting for her. Sally let her mind wander as she went about doing her job and Hayley's words from the day before floated to the surface (I think he likes you) causing Sally to blush. She smiled to herself as she began delivering the file copies.

It was easier to locate the staff members today (there had been an early meeting and many of them were lingering in the staff lounge, gossiping). After she had finished delivering files, Sally went back to her office and decided to set it up for when Hayley would arrive. Sally pulled a spare chair over to the front of her desk and then decided to make file copies of her file copies for Hayley. She managed to find things to re-organize until it was time for her lunch break.

Sally hummed to herself quietly as she rode the elevator back up. Sally felt only the teeniest bit guilty that Hayley was skipping school; she was far more excited to be meeting her new friend for lunch. She was bursting to talk to Hayley about that morning and Ichabod and just, everything really.

Hayley sighed after hanging up the phone. She hated calling in 'sick' from school. (Hayley had never really been sick before, she had a very strong immune system) She never understood why the secretary never seemed suspicious that Hayley called herself in sick.

"Shouldn't that sort of thing set off a red flag or something?" she wondered.

Despite the warm weather Hayley dressed in long sleeves and jeans. Her red cropped sweater went nicely with her black tank top, if she did say so herself. She decided on her black jeans and a red belt. Hayley pulled her hair into two little pigtails before grabbing her purse and slipping into her chucks. She left a little earlier than necessary and walked to the cafe.

She made it there before Sally and snagged the table by the window. Hayley waved Sally over and hugged her new (only) friend. Sally chuckled and hugged Hayley back.

"Hey there, pal." Hayley said with a smile as they sat down.

"Hey there, yourself." Sally replied with an eye roll (but grinned in spite of herself). They ate in silence for a while.

"So, have you ever read the Joker's file?" Hayley asked casually and then giggled at Sally's startled expression.

"Yes." Sally admitted, leaning forward (Hayley unconsciously mimicked the movement). "Jonathan left me some notes on his file that I think are far more insightful (not to mention interesting) than the idiots who put the file together."

"Wow." Hayley whispered and hoped Sally would let her read the file. (she vaguely noted in the back of her mind that Sally had called Crane, 'Jonathan')

"Technically I'm not supposed to make copies for myself, but what the higher ups don't know won't hurt 'em." Sally joked with a wink. Hayley found herself giggling again. (When was the last time she'd giggled this much...?)

"Do you get to see him often?" Hayley asked after they had nearly finished their food.

"Not really. I only go into the Maximum Security Wing when I'm delivering a file to someone in there." Sally replied with a shrug. "I was in there the day of your field trip to hide from your tour. I was very unhappy to be forced to be around you guys." She added as an afterthought. Hayley nodded to herself and finished up the last of her food. Sally looked out of the window towards the school. Hayley frowned at Sally's scrutiny of the high school.

"What's up?" Hayley asked after a few moments.

"Do you think the Joker went to Gotham High?" Sally asked curiously, finally tearing her eyes away from the school. The question caught Hayley entirely by surprise and she frowned. She'd never really wondered all that much about who the Joker had been before he was the Joker; she had simply figured he had always been that way and wondered for the first time if maybe he had been someone else entirely. Sally tilted her head, inquiringly, and Hayley shrugged. The bell startled them again.

"Time to go to work." Sally said with a grin that Hayley found infectious.

"If you say so, Doll." Hayley drawled and noticed Sally's face brighten at the nickname.

"Indeed I do, dah-ling." Sally replied exaggeratedly, causing Hayley to giggle again. (it was nice to feel like a teenage girl for once)

The walk to Arkham was quick and Hayley watched Sally have a whispered conversation with the guard at the gate. He let them pass after staring intently at Hayley.

"What'd you say to him?" Hayley asked curiously as they began the trek up the walkway.

"A few half truths and a reminder that he owes me." Sally said mischievously and Hayley would have continued the converstation but Sally motioned for silence. They quietly entered and took the stairs down to the basement. Hayley briefly examined the surrounding offices before following Sally into hers.

Sally closed the door behind them and motioned to a chair in front of her desk for Hayley to sit at. Hayley nearly squealed when she saw the Joker's file on the desk in front of her. Sally chuckled before taking her own seat behind the desk. They settled into reading their own files and Hayley found herself giggling. Crane was very amusing.

Sally was quite proud of herself for not showing any signs that she was sort of freaking out. She had meant to talk to Sally about Jonathan at lunch but couldn't bring herself to talk about him. She had felt his eyes on them while they had lunch. Sally wasn't sure if she was more worried that the Scarecrow seemed to be stalking her or that he was so close to Arkham. Her eyes looked at the file in front of her unseeing as she got lost in thought (and worry) about him.

Hayley's giggle nearly gave Sally a heart attack. Sally took a quite deep breath and mentally told herself to get a grip. Hayley reached up to adjust on of her pigtails and Sally smiled sadly to herself. (Sammy had blond hair just like Hayley's and she still missed him and daddy and-)

"You alright, Doll?" Hayley asked with a concerned expression on her face.

"Just, remembering... people." Sally replied before looking back at the file in her hands. Hayley continued to look at her worriedly before letting the subject drop. Sally was both glad and disappointed that Hayley didn't press for more information and glanced up at her. Hayley had been adjusting the sleeve of her sweater (which Sally thought was sort of odd, it was a little warm for sweaters....) and caught sight of bruises that definitely weren't from gymnastics. Sally frowned and tried to think of a diplomatic way to bring it up.

"Samuel Dennis Galeson." Sally found herself saying without thinking it through. Hayley looked at her confused. "I called him Sammy." Sally continued on, placing the file in her hands on the desk. "He was my baby brother. He died when I was fifteen. Drunk driver." Sally explained and paused before continuing. "Your hair reminds me of him." She said softly, no longer able to look at Hayley. She hadn't even talked to Aunt Anna about Sammy...

"My Stepmother was killed by a drunk driver when I was thirteen." Hayley said quietly and Sally looked up at her. "Your hair reminds me of her." Hayley continued and Sally was out of her chair and hugging Hayley before she had even thought of moving. Sally still vaguely wondered about the bruises and decided it was mostly likely her father who gave her them. Sally squeezed Hayley a little tighter before letting go. They both pretended not to notice the serious atmosphere and went back to reading their files.

"Be right back." Sally said before going to deliver a couple of files. Sally wasn't sure if she should try to bring up the bruises at all and debated with herself before she returned to her office. She was still undecided when she got back and smiled at Hayley while closing the door.

"I don't have any siblings and Mom died back when I was about three." Hayley confessed as soon as Sally sat back down. "My father met my stepmom at an AA meeting back when I was six, they got married when I was eight. I loved her a lot. She was the only mother I had ever really known and her funeral had been the morning of the day the Scarecrow had the Narrows completely freaking out." Hayley admitted then looked at Sally like it was her turn to say something.

"I only had Sammy and my Daddy died of lung cancer when I was twelve. He smoked two packs a day for years and the disease ate him up from the inside. I watched him die and kept asking myself why he let himself get that bad and if it had been my fault." Sally blinked, completely surprised she had blurted all of that out. Hayley squeezed Sally's hand and Sally smiled feebly. "My mother was the drunk driver who killed Sammy." She admitted and looked away from Hayley.

"My father 'fell off of the wagon' big time after my stepmom had died. He barely makes it to work and back to the apartment. He's always off almost drowning in the bottom of a bottle in some dive or another and when he does show up at the apartment and I'm home, he... hits me." Hayley confessed and Sally vaguely wondered why they were having such an intense conversation in the first place. "I've started to defend myself and I'll be 18 next Tuesday. I plan on getting as far away from him as possible." Hayley finished and Sally hugged her again. (Sally squashed down the protective urge that demanded she go and tear that son of a bitch apart for daring to lay a finger on Hayley)

They pulled apart and began to read the files again. Sally asked Hayley if she'd read any good books lately and they managed to have a conversation that was a lot less intense. Sally wasn't sure why they both seemed to have needed to have had that conversation. It didn't matter all that much to her; it was nice to finally talk to someone about it all. They talked about various movies and TV shows that they liked (and very carefully avoided mentioning family). Sally decided to talk to Hayley about Jonathan on a different day.

Jonathan followed them home. Sally and Hayley (or so Sally called her) left Arkham after dark and walked all the way to where Hayley lived (just outside of the bridge leading to the Narrows). He silently followed them and made a few mental notes (Hayley seemed to be athletic, probably taking something like gymnastics). The goodbye between Sally and Hayley was a tad emotional and he realized they had had a very personal conversation. He silently cursed himself for not sneaking into Arkham and eavesdropping like he had wanted to.

Jonathan then found that he really wanted to have shared in that emotional connection they now shared. He wanted to be a part of their lives and that caused him to pause as he followed Sally home. He continued following her and contemplated the reasoning behind this new revelation. She turned her head around many times but he managed to stay out of sight.

Once she was inside of her building and out of sight he pulled out his notebook and jotted down a few notes. This was definitely an unexpected development.

NxS: Sally and Hayley are getting closer! *smile* And silly Jonathan, following them around...

Sally: I refuse to let Hayley stay with that monster. *glares*

Hayley: Aw, calm down, Doll. I'm turning 18 soon!

Jonathan: *still writing in notebook*

Aunt Anna: Don't forget to review dears *smile*