Edward watched Elizabeth do her deal with Falcone a strange burning inside his stomach. He could have easily ordered Falcone to find Cuvier for her then she wouldn't have to lower herself to helping mob bosses. She deserved to be in cahoots with higher class of criminal.

"When find something out call me here," Elizabeth put a paper down on the table, "don't worry non-traceable."

"And when can we expect Maroni to see a decline?"

"After the first phone call." Elizabeth stood with her bag and new briefcase of money. "Goodnight, Mr. Falcone. I have other business to attend to." She turned and left.

"Wow she's something," Falcone said as soon as she was out of earshot. "What do you think Riddler? Riddler?" But Edward was gone trailing after Elizabeth.

"Hmm. Ah well, how about another drink Sugar?"

Elizabeth was already a block from the club by the time Edward caught up to her. "Elizabeth, I'm wounded you didn't say goodbye to me."

She stopped and Edward saw that she was shaking.

"Leave me alone, Edward." She said her voice higher pitched than it usually was.

"What's wrong?" He asked closing the gap between them so he was only a few inches from her.

"You're the genius, can't you figure it out?"

"I'd prefer you just tell me but if you want…let's see you just fought and won against several dangerous men, then you made a deal with a mob boss so you are coming down from your adrenaline high. Also during the fight you temporarily went into a psychotic break. That and previous information on you character that I've gathered and read: you are suffering from your entire world and ideals crashing around your head."

While he spoke Elizabeth had stopped shaking and now her eyes were down cast looking at their shoes. "You've got me figured out pretty well, Edward."

"But not completely, if you want to know, the fact that you chose this course of actions did surprise me."

"Really?"

"Yes I thought you'd—" Edward stopped and Elizabeth stiffened as two men burst out the club door, big, beefy and nursing injuries.

"WOLF!" One of them roared when they spotted Elizabeth. "That money is ours!"

"I won fair and square! And I can easily beat you two again!"

"Oh really? Boys!" No less than four more men came out of the building all looking in a lot better condition than the fighters.

"Fuck. Run!" Edward and Elizabeth bolted. They ran twisting and turning through the alley but somehow the Brawn Brothers and their gang were still on their tail. Soon they were out of the Narrows and entering a part of Gotham Elizabeth was quite familiar with. 'The park! Perfect!'

"This way," she said grabbing Edward's hand and pulling them down a darker path. Elizabeth was guiding Edward in the dark and they started to gain distance with the men fumbling around tripping over roots. Another turn and they were going down Lover's Lane several couples were showing their love to each other throughout the trail.

"Here!" Elizabeth threw Edward into a small grotto. "Take off your Riddler stuff."

"What?"

"Now quickly! Before they catch up!" Edward did as he was told removing his jacket, hat, gloves, mask and tie. He was left in his black pants, shoes and dress shirt. While Edward stripped Elizabeth vaulted up into the trees and pulled a plastic bag from a hole. She hopped back down and pulled on the wig and dress clothes inside. The Brawn Brothers and their gang wouldn't recognize them. Elizabeth grabbed Edward's Riddler clothes and threw them over the bush, out of sight.

"Now what?" Edward asked as they heard the men get closer thundering down the path.

"Now we act!" Elizabeth seized Edward's collar and pulled both of them against a tree. Then just as Edward realized her plan she grabbed his head and dragged his head down crashing their lips together. It wasn't a pleasant kiss at all anyone looking on would have thought it a drunken slobber but as they both got into the act it improved. One of Edward's hands rode down her leg gripping her thigh and pulling her leg up so he could press closer in. His other hand slid up her shirt resting on her side. Elizabeth's hands were placed in less provocative positions: one the back of his neck and the other one his chest.

The seconds seemed to drag by as they waited for their pursuers to pass them. Finally they did and they didn't notice their would-be victims pretending to make-out in the outcropping. Edward and Elizabeth kept up the act until the sound of their running feet was gone. Then they pulled their mouths apart staring at each other, though they didn't remove their hands.

"I think they're gone," Elizabeth said breathlessly.

"Yeah," Edward said not moving.

"They might double back." Elizabeth tried to pull her gaze away from Edward's but found she couldn't.

"They could." Elizabeth's eyes were hypnotic in the moonlight, Edward could feel himself being drawn in. "And they we'd have to do this again." He bent down and captured Elizabeth's lips. There was a second's pause as Elizabeth's brain computed what was happening but then instinct took over and she was kissing Edward back. Their lips moved together as one and their bodies melted into each other. Edward's tongue ran along Elizabeth lips demanding entrance. Elizabeth happily granted it.

Fissions of heat curled inside Elizabeth stomach as Edward's tongue roamed her mouth. She flicked her own tongue and Edward tightened his hold on her. They both moaned. Elizabeth's chest arched away from the tree her breasts pressing against Edward chest. The hand on her stomach travelled up to her now revealed back.

The second's dragged by Elizabeth wasn't sure how long it had been or why they had begun this in the first place. All she knew is it felt good. She moved her arms to bring Edward in closer when a sharp pain shot down from her shoulder. Gasping in pain she broke the kiss.

"Your injury," Edward said pulling back from her. "We should get going."

"Yeah." Elizabeth agreed. She pulled off her clothes and wig putting them back in the plastic in case she had to use them again. Who would have thought she'd use them for something like this. While she was replacing the bag in the tree Edward rescued his costume from the bushes and put it on.

Elizabeth look at Edward put on his jacket. His shoulders were wide his hips narrow, he was a handsome specimen. She shook her head; she shouldn't be looking at him that way. Despite her recent foray into crime she was only doing it to seek justice Edward was a real criminal. Albeit one she was highly attracted to. A warm shiver ran through her body as she remember how good it felt having his body pressed up against hers, it'd been so long since had done anything like that she had forgotten how amazing it could feel.

"Ready?" Edward asked his eyes sweeping over Elizabeth body hungrily causing her shiver again; and hope he hadn't seen it.

"To leave yes? With you no. I don't want you anywhere near my apartment."

"Why? I'm not going to harm you Elizabeth," he moved closer to her. Elizabeth could feel the heat radiating off his body. Her mind flashed with the memory of how hot his kiss had been.

"No, it's just that I don't want Batman to see you. He saw Jonathan by my apartment the other day. I think he's keeping an eye on me."

"Your concern touches me. At least allow me to escort you part of the way." Edward extended his arm. Elizabeth looked at the arm then at Edward's face. He had one of his famous cocky grins in place, one of the ones Elizabeth just couldn't say no to.

"Fine." She picked up her bag and new brief case and took Edward's arm. "But you leave when I say so."

"Very well. As the lady commands." Elizabeth rolled her eyes at his antics. How could he act so suave after what had just happened to them?

They walked in silence for several blocks. The city was quiet apart from the click of Edward's cane on the pavement and the odd hooting owl. It was nearing half past one so the partiers should have been heading home but no one passed them as they walked around the park to Elizabeth neighborhood.

"I think you should go now it's not much fur—" Elizabeth blanched and pulled Edward into the alley next to them and behind a trash bin.

"What is it?" He asked but Elizabeth elbowed him in the stomach and pointed. Out on the street a green car was driving past. She thought it might have been the Bat-mobile or a cop but it wasn't.

"Phew, false alarm." Elizabeth stood and brushed the dirt off her knees.

"Jumpy much? Maybe I should escort you the rest of the way." Elizabeth looked around. In the sky high above Gotham the Bat-signal shone against the clouds. Batman would be heading towards Commissioner Gordon, not watching her.

"Well if you insist." It was only a couple more minutes to her apartment and it couldn't hurt to have company on the way. Edward smiled and extended his arm again and Elizabeth took it again. Anyone watching would have thought it a strange sight: the classy Riddler holding arms with a silver haired girl in gym clothes. The Riddler holding arms with anyone was a strange sight he wasn't really known for his interpersonal relationships. Sure he'd flirt with women in that cocky way that made you want to slap him but this almost sweet gesture wasn't in his MO.

Soon they arrived at the building and Elizabeth let them both inside. They climbed the stairs slowly the night's events had drained Elizabeth's strength and she was starting to feel it. Finally they were outside Elizabeth's door.

"Thanks for walking with me, I guess I'll see you around," Elizabeth said pulling out her keys.

"So you want to see me again?" Edward asked leaning against the door so she couldn't open it without causing him to fall.

"Well I'm sure we'll end up bumping into each other or you'll just end up in my apartment again sometime being a creeper." Edward looked offended at being called a creeper.

"I'm no—" Suddenly the locked clicked and the door swung open. Edward fell inward with the door. There was a gasp of shock from inside her apartment as Edward nearly toppled into someone in her apartment.

Elizabeth blinked staring at her sister and cursing herself for her stupidity. With all the excitement tonight she had forgotten that Victoria was staying over. That Victoria was sleeping on the couch and could hear everything outside the door. Then with another burst of self-hatred Elizabeth realized that she wasn't wearing her wig, the wig which was sitting in her bag for when she came home. But Victoria wasn't looking at her, she was gaping at Edward on the ground. Her chest rose with a great intake of breath as her body prepared to scream. Elizabeth leapt forward clamping a hand over her sister's mouth and dragging her backward into the apartment.

Edward got up confused on how he'd fallen. Then he saw Elizabeth covering the mouth another woman.

"Shut the door," Elizabeth hissed at him. Edward did as she said and looked back her waiting for an explanation. Elizabeth was talking softly to the other woman telling her not to scream or panic, that she'd explain everything. Slowly she released the woman's mouth.

"Elizabeth?" the other woman said nervously, "that's the Rid-Riddler, w-wha-what is going on?"

"Well…this is going to take a while, just sit down for now." Victoria nodded slowly and sat down shaking on the couch.

"Maybe I should go?" Edward whispered to Elizabeth.

"Yes, no, oh I don't know. Just go sit down too. I need to think." Edward nodded and sat down on the chair across from Victoria. Elizabeth sighed; this was too much for one night. Rubbing the bridge of her nose Elizabeth went over to the sink and poured everyone a glass of water. Handing each glass off she sat down next to her sister on the other end of the couch.

"Okay first thing first. Edward this is my sister Victoria. Victoria this is Edward Nygma, the Riddler." If possible Victoria's face went even whiter and she took a long sip of water to calm herself down.

"Now Edward is a sort of friend of mine, I ran into him tonight when I was out and he escorted me back."

"But how…? What?" Victoria said her eyes still wide with fear. Elizabeth sighed again trying to think how best to explain everything that happened without scaring her sister. She started slowly confessing to Elizabeth how she had hid her accident from her family and how her body had changed. She then explained how she first met Edward and how he had sent her a graduation present. Then without trying to put in too much detail of what she did Elizabeth told her sister about her time spent in Arkham. At this her sister near about fainted.

"You see while I was in there Edward was nice to me, we got to know each other. Yes, he is a sociopath, no offense." Edward shrugged. "But he helped me a lot. I wasn't planning on seeing him again but he keeps popping up like an annoying wart."

"But why don't you just…" She trailed off her eyes darting over to Edward.

"Call the cops? I know it seems like I could but Gotham is a different sort of place than you're used to. If I were to call the cops, suspicion would fall on me, being a previous occupant of Arkham that I was conspiring with Edward. Arkham gives you a big mark on your record that you are not to be trusted; and because I was kept in the Rogue's Ward I'm labeled as having previous relations with Rogues, even more reason not to trust me."

"But Elizabeth he's…" She looked over at Edward again afraid to speak with him present.

"Edward, go in my room or something." Elizabeth commanded. Edward tipped his hat and ducked into Elizabeth's room. Outside he could hear Victoria's panicked questions that soon formed into tears. He then heard Elizabeth comforting her answering her questions as gently as possible. Edward snorted at Elizabeth's tender behavior, a complete contrast to the ferocity she had shown only hours earlier. But he supposed that was Elizabeth's behavior.

He looked around the room. Last time he was in here he had gone straight for the journal he hadn't investigated anything else. No time like the present. The first thing that caught his eye was a large trunk at the foot of Elizabeth's bed. It creaked when opened and inside…sheets and blankets. Not interesting in the least. Edward frowned, he had already searched her bookshelf when he was hiding here and it wouldn't be classy to go through her panty drawer. That left the closet.

It was a small in-wall closet right next to window. On the folding door Elizabeth had taped various clippings of animals and flowers to cover up the scars in the wood. Edward pulled the door open and jumped back as a few thing fell after being shoved in. A couple wigs in bags, Styrofoam heads for keeping the style in wigs, and, most surprising, a large wolf's skin. He'd have to ask Elizabeth about that one.

The clothes rack mainly contained proper business attire like the skirt and dress shirt Edward had first met Elizabeth in but at the very back were clubbing clothes. He smirked at the thought of Elizabeth wearing one of the slinky dresses. On the floor were a few pairs of shoes and a thick pair of winter boots. The overhead shelf proved to be much more interesting.

Edward pulled down a box. It was rather dirty and the label had fallen off. He sat down on the bed with the box and gently lifted the lid. Inside were pictures. The first couple must have been recent because Elizabeth didn't look much different, only happier. She was sitting in a café setting with a red haired woman around the same age both were smiling brightly at the camera. On the back Elizabeth had mark "Alyssa's 28th birthday". So this was the Alyssa Edward had read about in Elizabeth's journal.

Edward flipped through several years of photos until he had reached before her accident. He only knew this because her hair was a few shades lighter and wavier than her wigs now. It was funny the picture had been taken at a department Christmas party, a few days before the accident, but Elizabeth's eyes didn't have the same sparkle as a few months after at Easter. In fact, Edward would say she looked defeated and tired.

Flicking through the photos Edward saw the same defeated look in all the pictures of her. It wasn't until a few months after her Bachelor's graduation that the look disappeared. This was most definitely a piece of information he would store away for later. Edward continued his way back into Elizabeth's past, throughout her college years, back to her years at boarding school but then on her first day of the military boarding school Edward saw it again. That defeated look. And it was there for several years, right back until she was around 13 or so.

Then Edward realized he had reached the end of the photos. There were no photos before of before Elizabeth's 6th house (as according to the back). Edward closed the lid to the box slightly disappointed. There was about twelve years of Elizabeth's life missing and he wanted to see the rest. He was sliding the box back onto the shelf when he realized something. None of the photos had contained any men. Or more appropriately: not boyfriends. Something Elizabeth said in Arkham rang back to him "…it's the first flower I received from a guy, that's not my Dad."

Edward sat back on the bed. A new sort of smugness was filling him. He was the first. Lying down Edward turned his head and saw his rose sitting, dried, in a glass vase on her bedside table. Edward smiled to himself. He was the first.