"This is the way it has to be, Harvey. Vernon Fields understood this."

"Vernon Fields is not the District Attorney anymore, I am. And I do things differently."

"Then you're going to lose both cases. I'm giving you the chance to put a drug dealer behind bars. That's what you keep saying you want, all criminals off the streets."

"Exactly, I want all of them off the streets. I am not dropping the charges against a murderer."

"An alleged murderer. You don't have the evidence."

"I've got more than you think, Ray."

"If that were true, you would have ended the conversation ten minutes ago." Ray Lambert leaned back, looking right at home in Harvey's office. He was the best defense attorney in the city and the biggest thorn in Harvey's side, as he was regularly on call for Gotham's best-connected criminals.

"Take it or leave it, Harvey. Drop the charges against Zucco, and Skeevers will plead guilty. Otherwise, they both walk."

Harvey glared at him, his fist clenched tightly beneath the desk. "No deal."

"Alright then." Lambert stood, buttoning his jacket. "You're going to have to open your eyes sooner or later, Dent. Otherwise, you won't just be the youngest and most naïve District Attorney in Gotham's history, but also the least successful."

"Get out." Harvey glared at Lambert's back as he left the office. Once the door was shut, he slammed his fist on his desk, grunting from the pain.

There had to be a way to do this job right. Tony Zucco had killed four men in a real estate deal gone bad, but he had a long history of working with both Falcone and Maroni. As soon as Ray Lambert showed up, Harvey knew he was in for a fight. But he was not about to give up the chance to get Zucco behind bars just to score an easy win against a drug dealer, who would get a reduced sentence for pleading guilty anyway.

And if so many of Gotham's judges weren't on the take, he would have a decent chance of getting both of them locked up.

There was a knock on his door. "Come in," he said, rubbing his hand.

The door opened, and Janice Porter walked in. "I take it from the smug look on Lambert's face that your meeting went well."

Harvey scoffed at her sarcasm. He wasn't very popular among the other prosecutors in the office, who had been here for longer and believed that he had jumped the line, so to speak. Janice, who was only two years older than him, was one of the kinder ones, but she didn't seem to be in a kind mood at the moment.

"What was the deal, Skeevers for Zucco?"

"Yeah."

"You should have taken it. One more dealer off the streets."

"And let a murderer walk free?"

"You should take the wins when they come, Harvey. We don't get many of them."

Harvey frowned. "That wouldn't have been a win in my book."

Janice sighed. "Fine. Did you see the news this morning?"

"Do I want to know?"

"The Catwoman and the Batman got into a fight with each other on the roof of the museum. She knocked him through the skylight."

Harvey stared at her. "Was anyone hurt?"

"No. He fell thirty feet and hit the ground hard and then just flew right back up to the roof. That must be some armor he's got."

"Do we know what they each were doing there?"

"The alarm had gone off on the upper floor several minutes earlier. Police were already en route. My guess is they both showed up to try to catch the criminals, and wound up catching each other instead."

"This is good news."

"And why is that?"

"Because it emphasizes how violent they are. They don't just beat up bad guys, they beat up each other, too. This will make the city turn on them."

"They'll turn on the Batman, perhaps. Women will assume that he was the aggressor."

"Do you assume that?"

"I don't assume anything."

"I want to meet with Mayor Hill and Commissioner Loeb. If this doesn't convince them to put together a taskforce to catch the vigilantes, I don't know what will."

"You know, some women would find your naïve optimism admirable."

"Then it's a good thing my wife is one of them. Is there anything else, Janice."

"No, Harvey." She took a few steps towards the exit, then turned back to him. "You do know that most of the criminals we've prosecuted in the past month were caught by one or the other of them."

"Yeah, that's why they're always covered in bruises and scars."

Janice grimaced and left, shutting the door, and Harvey picked up his phone to call the Mayor's office.

Gillian Loeb looked like a high school principal. In fact, considering he was overseeing Gotham police, sometimes he had to act like a high school principal.

But Harvey knew how crooked he was.

They stared each other down as they sat in front of the Mayor's desk, while Hill paced behind it.

"I think it's too soon," the Mayor said. "We don't know anything about the Batman yet. We don't know if the public will respond to him as well as they've responded to the Catwoman."

"He just attacked her."

"We don't know that," said Loeb. "All we know is that she knocked him through the skylight."

"Exactly. They're both violent."

"I don't condone their methods, but we can't argue with their results."

"And of course your acceptance of them has nothing at all to do with the fact that in over a year of catching criminals, the Catwoman has never once gone near any of Falcone's operations." Harvey looked pointedly at Hill. "Or Maroni's."

"Don't be naïve, Dent," Loeb said levelly.

That was the third time today that Harvey had been called naïve. He was getting fed up with it. "All I'm suggesting is a taskforce. The Batman uses technology that's much more advanced than what the GCPD has. Just get a taskforce to figure out what it would take to capture him. If you insist, they can hold off on taking action until we see how the public reacts to him."

"I do insist," said Hill. "Your taskforce idea is fine, so long as they operate discreetly. But if the Batman gets as popular as the Catwoman is, and the news about this taskforce gets out, you're taking the fall for it."

"Fine," Harvey muttered.

"You're friends with James Gordon," said Loeb. "He wants to be a white knight, just like you do. Take the idea to him, and see who else he recommends for the taskforce. But I have to approve all participation."

"Fine," Harvey repeated.

"Then get out of here, both of you," said Hill. "If it leaks that I'm meeting with the two of you for so long, people will want to know what's going on."

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Mayor." Loeb stood and nodded curtly at Harvey, then left the room.

"Thank you, Mr. Mayor," said Harvey, rising.

"I mean it, Dent. If this gets out, it's on your head."

Harvey nodded and left. He didn't let any irritation show until he was back in his own office.

"Screw them," he muttered, picking up his phone again. The popularity of the vigilantes was a headache, and he wasn't going to miss this opportunity. He dialed a number that he'd received the same day he convinced the Mayor to appoint him D.A.

"Vale."

"Hi, Vicki, it's Harvey Dent. How are you?"

"Harvey? I'm well. To what do I owe the honor, Mr. District Attorney?"

"I was wondering if you were free to meet me tonight."

"Really? Does your wife know that you're wondering such things?"

"She will. I need to discuss some things with you, off the record, and we can't be seen."

"Ooh lala. You know the way to a girl's heart, Mr. Dent. I'll give you my address. I assume I can trust you not to hunt me down in the middle of the night."

Her apartment was the same size as Essen's, but the décor was much more vibrant. Vale liked warm, bright colors, and they suited her playful personality.

"So what's the big secret, Harvey?" she asked as she joined him on her couch after handing him a glass of Pinot Grigio.

"There isn't one, it's just a secret that I'm discussing it with you."

"Well, that's less exciting. Then I'm guessing this is about the little lovers' quarrel between the Batman and the Catwoman?"

"Lovers' quarrel?"

"The story practically writes itself, doesn't it? Gotham's masked vigilantes, crimefighters by night, feuding lovers by day."

"Sounds creative," Harvey said dryly. "Won't that make them more popular, though?"

"I take it that isn't your objective."

"Quite the opposite, actually."

Vicki sipped her wine. "So you're sticking with your line about the vigilantes being as violent as the criminals they apprehend?"

"It's the truth, Vicki. And casting them in some Shakespearean drama is not going to help the public realize the problem. We can't keep telling the children of Gotham that violence is okay."

"And you think that's what I'm doing?"

"Am I wrong?"

"I haven't said once that what the vigilantes are doing is okay, Harvey. And if I'm calling it a simple lovers' quarrel when she knocked him through the skylight over the museum, it certainly highlights their violent tendencies, doesn't it?"

Harvey studied her. "I suppose you have a point."

"I'm not against you, Harvey. And if the Batman does something that sinks his popularity, keeping the Catwoman linked to him will drag her beneath the surface as well."

Harvey quirked a brow. "Either that, or she'll keep him afloat."

"Time will tell." She took a longer sip of wine. "I do wonder what a man who dresses like a giant bat is like as a lover. Do you think he's as violent in all his nocturnal activities?"

"I'll leave that speculation to you."

"Oh come on, don't tell me you haven't wondered what the cat looks like beneath her fur."

"I admit, I've envisioned her in handcuffs in the courtroom plenty of times."

"Handcuffs, hm?"

"And an orange jumpsuit."

"That part might be counterproductive."

He shook his head and drained the glass of wine. "I should be getting back to Marie. I look forward to reading your article."

The taskforce started off being just Jim and Essen. Loeb didn't approve Flass joining in, and Harvey had a suspicion as to why, but he didn't want to entertain it just yet.

When he learned that both the Batman and the Catwoman had intervened at one of Falcone's warehouses, he went straight to Loeb, but the Commissioner continued to insist on discretion.

"Why?" Harvey demanded. "If the vigilantes are going after Falcone, surely he also wants them off the streets."

"Well I certainly can't claim to know what Falcone is thinking," said Loeb, looking at Harvey as though he were an unruly teenager, "but I may have heard that he instructed his men not to retaliate against the vigilantes."

"But why?"

"I don't know, Dent, but you're not being let off your leash just yet, so be a good little dog and stop yapping."

Harvey bristled, and stormed out of the office. What was Falcone playing at? Why wouldn't he want the vigilantes gone if they were coming after him?

"This is the first time the Catwoman has intervened against Falcone," Essen pointed out that evening. "And the thugs said that she only showed up when they had the Batman pinned down."

"So the Catwoman came to his rescue, then."

"We thought that the Catwoman left Falcone alone because she was more concerned with violence against women, rather than anything he's involved in. But if he's willing to forgive her intervention, maybe there's a connection between them."

Harvey and Jim both looked at her. "Then that's something else to prosecute her for," Harvey mused.

"There isn't any evidence to back it up," said Jim.

Essen cocked her head at him. "You sound skeptical."

"The Catwoman has been operating for nearly a year and a half now, and this is the first time we've seen anything to suggest that she's connected to Falcone."

"Fine, we won't jump to any conclusions about that," said Harvey. "What about the Batman?"

"He's still new. Maybe Falcone is waiting to see if he'll do anything else."

"Or the Catwoman is protecting him," said Essen. "Maybe Vicki Vale was onto something."

"The lovers' quarrel?" Jim asked skeptically.

"It could be."

He felt a pang of guilt as he knocked on the door, and told himself that he was here purely for professional reasons.

Sofia opened the door. "Harvey, this is a nice surprise."

He stared. She was wearing only a black tank top and shorts. "Hi."

"Come in. I'm sorry for the attire, I wasn't expecting any guests." She quickly retreated across her living room and out of sight, and reappeared several seconds later in a green robe that matched her eyes. "What brings you here?"

"Were you packing?" he gestured to the open suitcase beside the couch.

"Yes, I'm travelling to Europe next week. Family reunion."

"Family?" He examined her face. "You're... Italian?"

"Good eye. But what are you doing here, Harvey?"

He swallowed, having temporarily forgotten the reason for this unsolicited visit. "I need to ask you something. I don't care what your connection to the Falcones is, I just want to know why he isn't doing anything about the vigilantes."

"I have no idea." She sat on her couch, and he joined her. "The attack at the warehouse was the first time that the Catwoman has made any move against him, and she's been around for a while now. Maybe he's willing to overlook the incident so long as the vigilantes keep crippling potential rivals."

Harvey studied her face. She looked a little vexed about the whole thing. "I take it your feelings about the Batman are the same as how you feel about the Catwoman?"

She met his gaze. "I haven't decided yet." He must have let more of his frustration show than he meant to, because her expression turned amused. "Sorry to disappoint you."

"Can I ask why? He's just as violent as she is, if not more."

She shrugged. "There's a certain allure to him, though."

Harvey felt a twinge of jealousy, and another pang of guilt for it.

She leaned towards him, her robe falling open over the tank top. "There's definite appeal in a man who fights for his beliefs, no matter what it takes."

Her sudden proximity pulled him in, but he resisted. "There's a big difference between prosecuting criminals and beating them up."

"You aren't wrong."

He leaned away from her. "I should let you get back to your packing."

"I'm not in any hurry. Would you like something to drink, at least?"

"No, thank you." He stood, and she did the same, still very close to him. "Have a good trip."

"Thanks, Harvey." Leaning up, she kissed his cheek, and he quickly left the apartment, his cheek tingling and his ring feeling unusually heavy on his finger.

"The East End was a mess this morning." Jim leaned heavily over his bottle of Sam Adams. "Apparently Batman and Catwoman went through it together last night."

"So they are teaming up," said Essen.

"I'm guessing there weren't any police around," Harvey muttered. He knew how things worked in the East End by now.

"In the East End on Halloween, with the Falcones out of town? Definitely not," said Jim.

"The Falcones are out of town?"

"Yeah, they're away in Italy. It's Mrs. Falcone's birthday."

Harvey swallowed, staring down at his own beer.

"Family Reunion."

"Alright there, Harvey?" Essen asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

The next day, he accessed the D.A. files on the Falcones, something he should have done on his first day on the job. He soon found what he was looking for, although the information was a few years out of date.

Closest family members:

Luisa Falcone - Spouse
Age: 53
Residence: Rome, Italy
Notes: Responsible for payments to allies in Carabinieri and Polizia.

Mario Falcone - Son
Age: 29
Residence: Rome, Italy
Notes: Oversees exportation of narcotics to Gotham.

Alberto Falcone - Son
Age: 26
Residence: Gotham
Notes: Introverted and Meek. Considered unlikely to take a major role in any criminal activity.

Sofia Falcone - Daughter
Age: 24
Residence: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Notes: Graduate student at Harvard Business School.

Carla Falcone Viti - Sister
Age: 58
Residence: Chicago, Illinois
Notes: Widow of Felice Viti, runs Viti family following husband's death. Proficient extortionist.

Jonathan Viti - Nephew
Age: 31
Residence: Chicago, Illinois
Notes:

Lucia Viti - Niece
Age: 27
Residence: Chicago, Illinois
Notes:

Harvey stared at the entry on Sofia. How could he not have seen it?

And what was he going to do about it?

He resolved not to see her again, and that resolve held until the Christmas Gala. There, he instead tried to keep an eye out for her, determined to keep his distance in case she attempted any further seduction.

He didn't spot her at first, so he kept an eye on her father instead. He watched with interest as Falcone spoke with 'Samantha Kane,' looking like he was chastising her for something. And then his attention, like everyone else's, was drawn by the sudden appearance of Bruce Wayne.

While everyone else at the party crowded around the returned Prince of Gotham, Harvey went over to 'Kane.' "Good evening, Miss Kane."

Immediately, her sly smile from last year's conversation returned to her face. "Hi, Harvey."

"It's good to see you."

"Likewise. Congratulations on your appointment."

"Thank you." He flashed her a brief smile before getting to business. "I noticed that you seemed to be having an engaging discussion with Mr. Falcone earlier, before Bruce Wayne appeared."

She looked unmistakably nervous at that. "He was asking about the catering."

"Yes, that's what it clearly looked like." Harvey let his tone and expression convey clearly that he didn't believe her lie.

"It's part of my job," she persisted. "Lots of guests get curious about the events we serve."

"That's funny. To me, it looked like he was chastising you for something, and you looked scared." How was she involved?

She got upset at that. "You misread the—"

He didn't let her continue to pursue the lie. "Listen, Miss Kane, I think it's time that we met in a more formal setting, and without false—"

"Mr. Dent!" His head spun around, and he was surprised to see that it was none other than Bruce Wayne who had called his name. "Harvey Dent! I understand that you're the new District Attorney, and the youngest one in the history of Gotham. Congratulations! I've been looking forward to meeting you." He picked up Harvey's hand before Harvey could do anything, and gave it a very firm shake.

"Likewise, Mr. Wayne. It's an honor."

Mr. Wayne quickly turned to the catering girl. "I apologize for interrupting your conversation, Miss... Kane, was it?"

"Yes, Sir, Samantha Kane. It's a great honor to meet you, Mr. Wayne." Her smiling façade was back as she gave the man her false name.

"I like the way our names rhyme, especially coming from your lips." Mr. Wayne accompanied the line with a flirtatious smile, then turned back to Harvey. "I've read a couple of your speeches, Mr. Dent. I admire your dedication to prosecuting all criminals, no matter their status."

"Thank you, Mr. Wayne."

"And that includes the vigilantes."

Harvey was gratified to hear him say so. "Of course. Assault and battery are crimes, regardless of whether they're perpetrated against the innocent or the guilty. The vigilantes should be prosecuted in the same fashion as the criminals they detain. And they will be unmasked and prosecuted, if I have anything to say about it."

"I am in complete agreement. In fact, I'm considering making a sizable donation to the GCPD so that they can better equip themselves to catch the vigilantes."

Harvey was delighted by the news.

"Excuse me." Marie appeared by his side, looking rather flirtatiously at Mr. Wayne. "Would you care to introduce me, Harvey?"

"Of course." Harvey kept his voice level. Every woman in the room was looking at Mr. Wayne with some amount of excess. "Mr. Wayne, this is my wife, Marie."

"It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Wayne," Marie said with exaggerated delight. Harvey wondered if this was her revenge for the way he had looked at Sofia at the last two galas.

"Likewise, Mrs. Dent. You're a very lucky man, Harvey."

"I'm quite aware of that." He gave her a smile.

"But it's still good to remind him sometimes," she said dryly, confirming his suspicion that this was at least partially revenge. "You spent a long time away, Mr. Wayne. Where did you travel to?"

"A little bit of everywhere, really. I love getting to know new cultures. There's so much to learn in far-off places, from people who are very different from ourselves. Do you travel a lot?"

"Oh, just a little bit. We visited France and Spain for our honeymoon, and I have some family in Italy." She leaned into Harvey as she looked at him. "We should introduce him to our friends, love. I'm sure the detectives would love to meet him."

Harvey was surprised by the sudden shift in her attitude towards him, and wondered what game she was playing now. "Certainly." He looked at Mr. Wayne. "If you don't mind us monopolizing your time a little longer, Mr. Wayne."

"Not at all. And you can call me Bruce. Lead on."

Harvey let Marie take the lead over to where their friends were.

Barbara hadn't come, as she was nearly eight months pregnant now and had no interest in staying on her feet for a few hours. But when Jim offered to stay home with her, she insisted that he go and have fun. So Jim now stood with the other two detectives, watching with wide eyes as Harvey and Marie approached with Bruce Wayne following.

"Bruce, these are Detectives Jim Gordon, Sarah Essen, and Arnold Flass of the GCPD."

"It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Wayne." Jim shook his hand, and Essen and Flass followed suit. Essen didn't get flirty with him like all the other women had, and Harvey supposed that he was a little too young for her.

"I was just telling Harvey here, I'm considering making a donation to the GCPD for you to update your equipment."

"That would be much appreciated, Sir," said Jim.

Mr. Wayne spoke to the detectives for a little while, but then pulled Harvey aside, much to Harvey's surprise. "Forgive me for being ignorant, Harvey, I've only just gotten back to Gotham. Last time I was here, the GCPD had a bit of a reputation for corruption. If I'm going to be contributing to their efforts, I want to be sure that the cops I'm helping are the good ones."

"Jim can be trusted," Harvey assured him. "So can Sarah. They're both committed officers, with no connections to organized crime."

"But not Detective Flass?"

Harvey sighed. Flass had been a friend, but Harvey's suspicions about him had been growing ever since Loeb kept him out of the taskforce. "Just between you and me, I have suspicions about him. No evidence of anything, though."

Mr. Wayne nodded. "Thank you for letting me know."

"Mr. Wayne." Both turned, and Harvey was stunned to see Sofia standing there, as beautiful as ever. "I apologize for interrupting, but I didn't want to miss my opportunity to meet you. I'm Sofia."

"Hi," said Mr. Wayne. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sofia." He sounded a little breathless, and Harvey couldn't blame him. The woman was stunning.

She turned her smile to Harvey. "How are you, Harvey? I haven't seen you in a while."

"I'll leave you two to catch up," said Mr. Wayne, looking at Sofia again before hurrying away like a shy teenager.

Harvey studied Sofia, noting the ways that she resembled her father. How hadn't he seen them? "We need to talk."

She quirked a brow, and followed him to the end of the reception room. He looked around quickly and then opened the door into the hallway.

"Well, this is rather forward of you," she remarked, leaning against the wall and gazing at him. "It feels a bit like we're teenagers sneaking out of the prom."

Harvey wasn't interested in entertaining her flirtations right now. "You're Falcone's daughter."

"Finally." She smiled at him. "It took you long enough."

"You should have told me."

"I wanted to let this build naturally. If you knew who I was immediately, you would have jumped to conclusions about me."

"Oh really?"

She stepped close to him, her breath hot against his chin. "I'm not like my father, Harvey."

"Are you sure about that, 'Helen Troy?'"

"I gave you my reasoning for that."

"You wanted to let this thing build naturally?"

"Yes."

"So this thing was there before you even introduced yourself?"

"It was there from the moment I laid eyes on you." She raised her hand up to his shoulder. "And I know that you felt it, too. You've been feeling it this whole time."

"I didn't know who you really are."

"So what? What does this change?"

"Your father is the biggest criminal in Gotham."

"I told you, I'm not like him."

"You gave me the information on Maroni."

"Maroni is dangerous. My father lets him get away with far too much. As I told you, the sooner he is behind bars, the safer Gotham will be."

"And you and your brothers will be free to run Gotham when your father is gone."

She gave a little laugh at that. "I promise that you don't have to worry at all about my brothers. Or about me."

"I can't just take your word for it, Sofia."

Her face fell. "This is exactly why I didn't tell you my name."

He looked away from her. "I should go back inside."

"Wait, Harvey." She took his hand. "Please, don't deny what we have between us." She brought her face close to his. "It doesn't matter what my name is, or yours. This thing is real. Don't deny it."

He stared into her eyes, seeing the emotions there. For a few seconds, he was caught in her gravity, slowly drifting closer. But as her hand tightened in his, his ring was pressed into his skin, and he caught himself, pulling away. "I can't."

"What if we let fate decide?" With her free hand, she pulled a peace dollar from the pocket of her dress, and showed him the profile of Lady Liberty. "Heads, we give ourselves a chance to explore these feelings. Tails, you go back inside to Marie, and I leave you alone."

Harvey stared at the coin. This felt like an absurdity, but there was also an undeniable appeal to leaving this to chance. It was so difficult to pull away from her, but also so difficult to betray Marie. And here was an opportunity to spare himself from having to choose one course or the other? Why not let fate decide? "Alright."

She smiled and flipped the coin into the air. He watched it spin, and notice something wrong. Catching the coin before it hit her open palm, he turned it over in his hand. Both sides showed Lady Liberty. "It's a two-sided coin."

She gave a little shrug. "Sometimes you have to make your own luck."

"Sofia..." He sighed, but her latest attempt at deception made this easier. "I can't do this. I have to go back in there, back to Marie."

"Fine."

"Here." He offered her the coin back, but she closed his hand around it.

"Keep it. You're going to need all the luck you can get, Harvey." Leaning up, she kissed his cheek for the second time. "Good night."

She turned and made for the exit. He watched her go, then went back inside to the party. Tucking the coin in his pocket, he sought out Marie.

"Where were you?" she asked when he found her.

"I had to talk a little business." He kissed the side of her head.

She showed him her skepticism, but didn't say anything about it until they arrived home that night. "So, who were you talking business with? She had a nice perfume."

He sighed, sitting heavily on the couch.

"Helen Troy?"

"Nothing happened. She tried, but I couldn't." He looked at her earnestly. "I can't betray you, Marie. I love you." He forcefully pushed aside any reminder that for a few seconds, he was willing to leave the decision to a coinflip.

Her gaze softened a little, and she approached. Sitting on his lap, she leaned in and kissed him. "I love you too."

He pulled her close, continuing to kiss her, and forced himself to hope that he would never see Sofia Falcone again.