A/N: Again, sorry, it took so long. The next two chapters should be out soon, but after that I can't guarantee how soon the next ones will be out. But, for people who are fans of "A Series of Unfortunate Events," I'm aiming to have the first chapter of the sequel out by the twentieth. Also, the first part goes back to the Batman and Mary in present day, and the rest is Mary's experiences in Arkham City. Oh, and I got a Tumblr! So if you have one, follow me, my username is misssingingintherain. Anyway, please review and enjoy!

The Medical Team

Mary and the Batman landed outside the church. "You should be safe here until I can get you out of Arkham City," Batman said as Mary dusted herself off, one arm wrapped around her book. She smiled and nodded, hair windswept from her flight through Arkham City.

"Thank you. For everything," Mary replied and the Batman nodded, opening the door for her. The Batman then pounded on the second door, which was covered by security shutters, and shouted, "Open up!" The metal barrier quickly slid up and the Dark Knight opened the door.

"Thank god it's you Batman," Eddie Burlow said as the Batman entered Mary following right behind him. Eddie Burlow dropped his gun when he saw her.

"Mary?" he asked and Mary's smile widened even more as the security guard hugged her and spun her around.

"Mr. Burlow, you are alright!" She exclaimed. She looked around the church, searching for something or someone else. "Where is everyone? Where is Stacy?" Burlow's smile faded.

"The Riddler got them. I don't know where Stacy is." Mary's smile slipped off her face and her shoulders drooped.

"Stacy Baker?" the Batman interjected and the little blonde girl nodded. "I know where she is. I'll try and get her back." A smile tugged at her lips but slipped off again in realization.

"Are the others…" Mary faltered but the Batman knew what she was asking.

"Not yet and they aren't going to."

"And you will get them back?" The Batman nodded.

"I will."

Mary skipped around the Wonder Tower Foundations, happy to be spending time in a place that wasn't her cell, the Security Control Center, or the Library. The Professor had been keeping a closer eye on her ever since his accusation of her spilling his secrets, but she was able to keep herself acting as though nothing was wrong, even though her gut clenched when she thought about the political prisoners. Running her hand across the railing of the walkway, a thought struck her. She climbed onto the railing and stood, smiling slightly as she began to walk on the thin surface. Just like the Batman. She remembered doing something like this with the boy from her dreams. It was one of the few times she could remember feeling brave.

"Mary! Mary, get down from there this instant before you–" Strange was cut off by Mary screaming as she lost her balance and fell from the railing to the ground below. "Oh for god's sake!" Strange seethed. "Guards! Get her!" A guard quickly jumped down and began examining Mary's unconscious form.

"Professor Strange, she's bleeding an awful lot." Strange growled angrily.

"Get one of the helicopters ready. Immediately!" The guard nodded and picked Mary up with ease. Within minutes, Strange burst through the doors of the Medical.

"Professor Strange! What exactly are you doing here?" a heavily armed African American security guard with a hook exclaimed.

"This girl needs medical assistance," Strange said, motioning to Mary. A blonde doctor promptly jumped up, had the TYGER guard place Mary on a bed, and began examining her and bandaging her injuries.

"Who is she?" the guard known as Aaron Cash inquired.

"She's my… ward," Strange stated and both Aaron Cash and the blonde doctor, Stacy Baker, looked at him in disbelief.

"Your ward?" Baker repeated, slight jersey accent accentuating her words.

"She was an inmate at the Asylum and had no family, so I decided to take her in. Now, are you going to waste precious time interrogating me when you could be helping her?" Strange seethed. Baker nodded and continued her analysis of Mary's injuries.

"She took quite a tumble. She'll have to spend the night, maybe a few more days."

"Days!" Strange shouted and the blonde doctor raised an eyebrow at him.

"Is there a problem with that Professor?" The Professor took a deep breath and shook his head stiffly.

"No. Just report her progress to me. I'll come collect her when she's ready." Turning on his heel, he stormed out of the facility and back to his tower.

Hours later, Mary awoke to a very unfamiliar sight. She was lying on a bed; but it was not her bed because her bed was far less comfortable than this one and the pillow had no grappling hook or backpack hidden inside. And she was in a room; but it was not her room because it was huge and echoed and architectural and interesting and reminded her of what she imagined the inside of a castle to look like. And there were people here; but they were not Professor Strange, or his TYGER guards, or even any criminals she'd encountered in Arkham City. In fact, they looked… nice. Needless to say, Mary was very confused indeed.

"Professor?" she muttered, trying to sit up in the bed she was laying on, but her body and head instantly protested to such an action, causing her to reel in pain and fall back down on her back. The blonde doctor rushed over and kneeled down next to Mary's bed.

"It's ok, it's ok. You're safe. I'm Stacy Baker. What's your name?" she asked softly.

"Mary," the twelve-year-old psychic murmured back.

"Mary?" She nodded. "It's nice to meet you Mary." The young girl smiled. "How exactly did you get these injuries?"

"Walked on a rail… Fell far… Hurt." Doctor Baker raised an eyebrow.

"Strange didn't give you these injuries?" Mary shook her head. "Has he ever hurt you?"

"No." The blonde doctor rolled up her patient's left sleeve, looked at the bruises around her wrist, and raised an eyebrow. Mary looked down at her lap again and admitted. "Only when… I misbehave." Stacy bit her lip as she thought for a minute before she turned her head back toward the other people in the facility.

"Cash! How long do you think we can keep the Professor at bay?" she shouted and the African American security guard with the hook turned to her.

"Maybe a week or two," he called back. "We won't be able to last if he comes knocking on the door with a dozen TYGER guards with him, but I think we can stall him if we make up medical reports." Stacy smiled and turned back to Mary.

"It's settled then. You're staying for as long as you we can keep you." And for the first time in what felt like forever, Mary felt safe.

Mary's fall had resulted in a near concussion and her right wrist being broken. Doctor Baker put a cast on the girl's wrist, which would have to remain on for around three weeks, possible more due to Mary's less than satisfactory health condition.

"Have you ever even been outside kid?" Doctor Baker inquired, looking over her patient's medical reports, which all concluded that she was slightly malnourished and had weak bones due to not enough sunlight and Vitamin D. Mary's face scrunched up in confusion.

"Outside?"

"Yeah. You know, playing, jumping around, climbing trees, having fun," Stacy Baker listed off. The young girl hesitated.

"I think so… once… before the cell… and the darkness." The doctor nodded.

"Well, considering where we are currently located I wouldn't suggest going outside right now. However, you need more physical activity too so I guess we'll have to find something for you to play in here." Mary perked up a bit at that and Stacy took notice. She set down her clipboard. "Ever played hide and go seek kid?" She shook her head. "Well, you go hide somewhere in the church and I'll look for you. When I find you, then we start the game again and you look for me." She nodded. "Ok." Stacy turned toward the wall and closed her eyes. "One, two, three," she counted off and Mary slid off of the patient bed and began looking for a place to hide. The gargoyles would be good, but the height presented a problem, so she opted for lower level options. Hiding under the patients beds was too visible, the confessional was a bit obvious, and the curtains were just too easy. Spotting a grate on the floor, Mary grinned. She opened it and climbed down into it, effectively hiding herself. A good while later, Stacy Baker peered down into the grate and smiled.

"Found you," Stacy said and Mary emerged, slightly dusty but gleeful nonetheless. "Your turn. Count to twenty and then come and find me." The young blonde girl nodded and began count, her mind wandering to wonder whom came up with "Hide and Seek" and why, making a note to herself to research it if ever presented with the opportunity. Realizing she'd gone far past twenty, she stopped counting and began to search the church for any place large enough for an adult. The desk in an alcove near the door drew her eye and she looked under it to find a scrunched up Doctor Baker.

"Found you!" she exclaimed and helped pull the doctor to her feet.

"You're pretty good at this kid," she commented and the girl beamed. Mary glanced at the desk and noticed a photo of a family.

"Who's family is this?" she asked.

"Mine," a voice behind her and the doctor said and they turned to see Aaron Cash observing them. Mary looked in his eyes before turning back to the picture.

"You miss them," she stated.

"Yeah," he muttered. Mary smiled sadly.

"You have a nice family," she said. "Happy and sweet. You are lucky to have them, and they are lucky to have you." Mary handed him back his photograph. "Promise me you'll love them. That you'll be there for them and help them and cherish them. Please?" she murmured and Cash looked at her. He nodded.

"I will." Mary smiled, glad that there would be at least one happy family together in Gotham.

The days passed far too quickly in Mary's opinion, for she hadn't felt this happy in years. The people at the Medical Center were kind and good, which was a refreshing change from all the psychotic criminals she'd come across since her imprisonment in Arkham Asylum. While Mary made sure to stay out of the doctors way while they were working, all the time they weren't helping inmates, she laughed, played, told stories, and sang songs with them, feeling like she had a family again for the first time in years. But alas, all good things end eventually, as she realized when Stacy Baker's braiding of her hair was interrupted by someone pounding on the door. Every doctor and security guard's head shot up, as Professor Hugo Strange's voice shouted, "Open up!" Stacy quickly untangled her fingers from Mary's hair, stood up, and began to move slowly toward the door.

"Mary go hide," she instructed. Mary frowned in confusion.

"What?"

"Go hide," Stacy repeated. "I'll take care of him."

"I'm comin' with you Doc. Just in case," Cash stated and the Doctor nodded.

"But–" Mary began but was stopped by a pleading look from Doctor Baker. Mary sighed and, reluctantly, hid inside the confessional. She heard the sound of a door opening and the Professor's voice soon followed.

"You've had plenty of time to tend to her wounds, she should be able to manage without extraneous supervision by this point," Strange said.

"Professor Strange, you have to understand, she's severely malnourished, and as a result, it takes her much longer to recover," Doctor Baker attempted to explain.

"It's been a week Doctor! You will let me see her now." There was a slight pause and Doctor Baker said something that made the world freeze. "No." Silence.

"What did you say?" Strange grit out.

"I said no. You can't see her."

"And why would that be?" Another pause.

"She had an awful lot of bruises when she came to us Professor, most of which were too old to come from her fall… and some of which looked an awful lot like they had come from a hand wrapped tightly around her neck and wrists. Also, when I asked her about them she seemed very nervous and kept trying to avoid talking about them… almost like she was worried she'd get more if she talked," Doctor Baker said in a matter of fact way.

"I don't know what you're implying, Doctor," Strange hissed.

"I'm not implying anything. However, I think the media would very interested in the treatment of your young ward."

"You'd have to get out of Arkham City alive before you could say a word."

"Is that a threat Professor?"

"Only is you force my hand, now do the smart thing and get out of my way."

"No." There was the sound of flesh hitting flesh and several of the Doctors shouted. Mary held a hand to keep herself from gasping. She never wanted anyone to get hurt because of her, much less someone who had been as kind to her as Doctor Baker.

"You insolent scum!" Cash shouted, but was cut off by a military like warning of "Stand down or you will be shot." Mary sighed. Of course the Professor would bring his TYGER guards along. Footsteps echoed throughout the church and Mary's heart beat quickened with ever footfall.

"Mary? Come out, come out, wherever you are," the Professor called and she shivered. "I'm not playing games with you child. Come out now and I won't hurt your new friends." Her heart screamed at her to give herself up before he hurt anyone else but her head was too scared to move her legs. Strange sighed. "Give them a warning shot."

BANG!

Several doctors screamed and jumped at the sound of the warning shot. Mary put her hands over her ears, trying to block out the sound. "The next shot will embed itself inside Doctor Baker's brain Miss Noble." Her blood turned so cold, she wondered if this was what it felt like to be Mr. Freeze. "I'll count to three. One." He would kill everyone in that room to get what he wanted. "Two." Could she live with the blood of innocent people on her hands? "Thr–"

"Wait!" Mary screamed and bolted out into the open area of the church. She faced Strange, attempting to ignore her pounding heart and the worried faces of the doctors and guards. "I will go. I will go with you… just leave them alone." Strange smiled sinisterly.

"Glad you see things my way child." He motioned toward the door and Mary began to drag her feet in that direction. Doctor Baker attempt to stop Mary but Strange grabbed her arm.

"Speak one word to anyone about my ward and I can guarantee that no one will ever find any trace of her," he threatened. Doctor Baker swallowed, looked down, and nodded in defeat. Strange smiled again and let her go, walking out the doors and heading back to his tower.