Crane had just finished making another batch of his current fear gas formula when Nigma entered his apartment. Ignoring the man as he entered twirling his question mark cane, Crane capped the last canister he was working on. Nigma tapped his cane on the floor, trying to get Crane's attention.

"What do you want?" Crane asked, gently putting the canister in his hand down on the table.

"I've figured out a new scheme, but I need some help getting intel on a charity ball the Wayne Foundation is holding at the Zoo," Nigma stated as he walked around Crane's lab table analyzing the contents of the table. "I thought our little neighbor would be perfect for the job."

"So go ask her," he told him, as he stood up and wiped his hands on a towel.

"I would except she likes you better," Nigma informed him as he tapped Crane on the chest with his the tip of his question mark cane. "She would be much more accommodating to the plan if you asked her instead of me."

"No," he replied, and walked towards the door ready to kick Nigma out. He hadn't talk to Sid in over a week since he left her apartment the day they broke out of Arkham. Unsure of the reception he would get from her, Crane had decided to just stay away and focus on his fear gas.

"Come now," Nigma said twirling his cane as he followed Crane. "Haven't you been dying for a chance to go speak to her?"

"No," he said again and yanked the door opened; hoping Nigma would get the hint. Hating the fact Nigma even suspected he wanted to see Sid again bothered him. Nigma was not allowed to scrutinize him.

"You want this little plan of ours to go off without a hitch," he told him as he stopped before the door and leaned on his cane. "We need her help."

"Do we really or are you looking for another chance to raid her apartment?" Crane inquired, he couldn't believe he was even considering going back to Sid's apartment.

"A little of both," he replied handing Crane a manila envelope. "The target I need the information on is in there."

"You'll assume I'll do it then," he retorted as he swiped the envelope out of his hand and peeked in side. "Nigma."

"Consider this another test for our new friend," he told him as he saunters out of the apartment.

"Unbelievable," Crane muttered before grabbing his coat and heading out of the apartment.

Crane was acting like Nigma's errand boy and he was furious about it. Though Nigma was right Crane was looking for a reason to see her again, but this was just ridiculous. Entering the apartment building Crane found Deka behind the desk.

"She's not here," she told him, her accent seemed thinker and Crane noticed the bottle of Vodka next to her.

"Where is she?" he asked standing in the middle of the lobby. His question was answered when a woman bundled up in a black hoodie and suede coat walking a beagle.

"Crane, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit," she asked as she pulled back her hood and removed her ear buds.

"Nigma has another scheme and wants your help," he told her as she unhooked the dog from her leash and the dog started to trudge upstairs.

"So he sent you instead of coming himself," she laughed as four men with face paint on walked in.

"You have some of Joker's crew living here?" he asked as he watched them disappeared up the stairs.

"I don't care who they work for as long as they pay the rent and don't cause any trouble within the building," she said as she took off the suede coat and handed it to Deka. "Thanks you were right it was colder than I thought out there."

"You should leave the apartment more," Deka said as she took the coat and disappeared into the office for a moment before quickly returning.

"Shall we go upstairs and talk about what Nigma wants this time?" she suggested as she headed towards the stairs.

"Vertrauen Sie nicht, dass Blutige Ziege!" Deka screeched from behind the desk as Sid lead Crane upstairs.

"Beruhigen," Sid shouted back at her before rushing upstairs.

"What did she say?" Crane asked as she opened the stairway door to let the dog in.

"Oh just not to trust the bloody goat," she said nonchalantly opening the apartment door. "I told her to calm down she is overly suspicious of people, so don't take it personally"

"She called me a goat?" he gaped as he entered her apartment and she hung up her hoodie and scarf in the closet.

"Eh it's her go to insult, feel lucky she usually calls me a bitch or whore," she informed him as she headed towards the living room. "Just ignore her, I usually do."

"Why do you put up with her?" he asked as they sat down on the couch.

"Easy," she replied as she got comfortable on the couch. "Because if I had a different handler I would have been packed up and out of here as soon as I got out of Arkham and in some other dumbass town starting all over. It's easy to do what you want when your handler is drunk or high all the time. Other handlers are so much stricter. As you probably can tell I don't like being told what to do. Speaking of which what is it Nigma wants me to do?"

"It's all in the envelope," he stated then handed her the envelope Nigma had given him. He let her look over the photos and note in the envelope as he sat there and stared at her. She was in jeans and a black t-shirt, just regular street clothes, she should look harmless, but he knew otherwise. What was it about this girl that made him want to come back to this apartment?

"Seriously he wants me to spy on Barbra Gordon," she laughed as she held a candid snapshot of Barbra and Dick Grayson in a park. "Well he is in luck I have a source that is close to her. However his plan for the charity ball has a flaw."

"What flaw was that?" he asked as she reread the hand written note from Nigma.

"Well goons are worse than teenage girls with the gossip," she replied as she shoved everything back into the envelope and turned to face him. "The Joker goons were just bragging about how they were going to trash this little party the other day. Unless Nigma has an idea to team up with Joker, which he's nuts if he does, this is going to be awkward."

"I'll talk to him about it," he replied as she tossed the envelope onto the table next to the couch. His job was done he knew he should leave, but he found himself still talking. "How's the wound."

"Better, thanks," she responded, patting the spot where she had been cut. "It's healing nicely and I won't have as bad of a scar if I had patched it myself."

"Where is the kid?" he asked just noticing the absent of her normal attachment.

"Trying to be a genius and gain early acceptance into the sixth grade," she informed him. "He's a genius like his father and is trying to finish school as soon as he can."

"Are you ever going to tell me who the father is?" he inquired, and she just laughed and shook her head. Smiling at her, he knew he should have known the answer to that question. Standing up abruptly, he decided it was time to leave; he was getting too comfortable again. "I should go."

"You don't need to be a stranger around here," she told him throwing him off guard. "Nigma doesn't need to send you, Crane. You can make a social call on your own."

"Who says I want to," he retorted then stormed out.

Fuming on the way back to his apartment, he couldn't believe her presumptuousness in thinking he just wanted to visit. Of course he did, but he wasn't going to admit that to anyone. Now here she was just inviting him to come over and visit then he stormed out like a child. Sid was effecting him and he did not like it one bit.

Thank you to my two reviewers Booklover1498 and Chronic Sandman. And per your request Chronic Joker just may show up next chapter.