The next morning, Gerard arrived at the station and found Helen cleaning off her desk, obviously preparing for work. He brushed past her, and went to Comissioner James "Jim" Gordon's office, closing the door behind him.

"I don't need a partner, Jim." Gerard made certain his voice was kept low so Helen couldn't hear him.

"It's not my call, Gerard. It's Mayor Garcia's."

"Garcia? What say does he have in what we do?" Gerard took a seat, eager to listen to what James had to say.

"Two weeks ago, he made this speech about how we're doubling our efforts to protect the streets from scum like the Joker."

"We are. We've got everyone putting in extra hours, cars patrolling the streets at two in the morning, eyes and ears all over the place..."

James nodded. "I know we do, but Garcia caught wind that some of us were flying solo. He flipped and ordered that I'd partner everyone up as another percaution, or I'd kiss my position and badge goodbye."

Gerard sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Okay, I understand. So, is this a temporary deal?"

"For a couple of months, maybe three. This paranoia over The Joker is going to take awhile to go away."

Gerard stood to his feet. "I'm gonna go and see if Coleman needs any help."

As Gerard left the office, James smiled; now fully confident that Helen and Gerard would make an excellent team.

Gerard approached Helen, who was still cleaning her desk. Once she was finished, she turned to him and laid a hand on her hip.

"So, I take it that you're not happy with this idea either." Helen said.

Gerard arched his eyebrow, wondering if his new partner had some pyschic ability that he didn't know about.

"I've had to work with partners before, and I know it's not a day at the beach. You're gonna be a pain in my ass, and I'm gonna be a pain in yours, but one thing's for certain."

"What's that?" Gerard folded his arms.

"I know I've not been in Gotham long, not even two weeks, but I've already begun to care about all the innocents in this city, and I'm gonna make sure they're protected. If that requires having a different shadow for awhile, then I can handle it." Helen extended her hand to Gerard. "Partners?"

Gerard couldn't help but smile. Here he was worrying about babysitting the new kid, but now he knew that she had the spirit of a true cop.

"Partners." Gerard shook Helen's hand.