Waiting for the final bell to ring was like watching a freshly painted wall dry. Holly couldn't stop staring at the clock as she was in her final class. Ten more minutes... then nine, then eight. Her eyes were glued to that second arm as it slowly swung around. She tried to think about something else, anything else. Earlier at the stables, Cara had joined them after serving her detention, and while Cara was a bit skeptical to go along with the plan, she agreed to keep an eye out while Natasha and Holly got the footage.

Finally, after what felt like forever, the bell rang, and Holly quickly gathered her things and shot out of that classroom like a bullet and down the hall to the usually quiet girl's bathroom. Holly set down her bag and joined Cara and Natasha on the floor, waiting for the office to clear for the meeting. "Hey, shouldn't Florence be here to pick you up soon?" Holly couldn't help but ask as she turned to Cara. "Nah, I lied and told her they wanted me to serve an after-school detention as well," She explained. "But isn't that strange? Two detentions in one day?" Holly squinted in confusion.

"I'll come up with an excuse later. Probably something about reducing my punishment early," Cara shrugged. "Can we focus, please? The sooner we get the footage, the better," Natasha looked very anxious. "You okay, Nat?" Holly asked, noticing the beads of sweat running down her forehead. "I just... I'm scared," Natasha admitted. "What if this whole plan backfires? What if you get in more trouble because of me?" Her eyes widened, her delicate breathing grew heavier, and she started panting like an out-of-breath dog.

Holly and Cara looked at each other with widened eyes. Natasha's panic attack was growing more and more severe by the millisecond. "Hey, it's going to be okay," Holly placed a hand on one of Natasha's shoulders while Cara placed a hand on the other. "I'll admit, we're playing a dangerous game doing this, but if we want to set the record straight, we have to get that footage," Holly's voice grew gentle. "B-but if we don't? I mess up everything I touch! I got you disqualified, I got Cara put in detention, and-and," Natasha buried her head in her hands. 

"You didn't do any of that, Nat. That's your anxiety talking, not you. The Nat I know doesn't cause trouble. She helps people when they need her the most," Cara comforted her. "You're our only hope, Nat. We can't do this without you," With a shaking breath, Natasha slowly looked up at her two friends, seeing the genuine friendship and care in their eyes. Cara was right. She was their key to getting into the announcement room. This was a team effort, and they all had a part to play. Natasha wiped her tears with her blazer sleeve, and with a smile she looked at her watch. The staff meeting was about to begin. 

"Let's get that footage,"

The girls followed each other closely as they slowly walked towards the office. Natasha slowly peeked through the glass, and sure enough, the office was dead silent. "They're gone," She nodded as she tried the office door, and to their relief, someone forgot to lock it. "Remember, stay quiet," Natasha reminded. As the office door quietly shut behind them, they could hear the staff talking in the conference room. What they were talking about, none of the girls knew nor had the time to linger and find out. Probably their weekly curriculum or something. Holly thought to herself.

Natasha reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out a single gold key. "How do you still have the key?" Cara whispered. "They never asked for it back," Natasha answered, quietly pushing the door open. As Cara kept a lookout from the door's window, Natasha and Holly hurried to the monitor. Who doesn't have a password on their computer? That's just irresponsible. Holly shook her head. Clearly, some of the office staff were not the brightest. The security files were endless, hundreds, maybe even thousands of folders from the school years prior. Holly pressed the search bar and typed in the date of the fateful lunch, and just as they were about to lose hope, they finally found it.

"There!" Natasha pointed. Holly sped up the footage just a smidge, and sure enough, there they were in front of the camera, capturing their conversation and Natasha's admission. No signs of bullying, just as they expected. "Girls! Someone's coming!" Cara hissed. Natasha and Holly took cover by the door, and Cara ducked down as well as they heard footsteps approaching. Holly covered her mouth to mask her anxious breathing as the footsteps walked down to the opposite end of the office. A door closed, and moments later, they could hear the sounds of a toilet flushing.

They held back their breaths of relief as the footsteps again passed them back to the conference room, and as Cara poked her head back to the window, she ushered Natasha and Holly to hurry up and get the copy. Holly reached into one of the cabinets, and at the very bottom, they could see unopened USB drives. She quickly tore the packaging open and handed it to Natasha, and with a few presses of buttons and the clicks of links, the footage saved to the USB. But as it slowly but surely loaded onto the stick, Holly's gut was telling her something. She clicked back to the camera footage and squinted, trying to make out the students sitting behind them, pointing and gossiping.

"Wait... is that?" Holly pointed to the screen. Across the cafeteria, one table away from theirs, Holly could make out the faint faces of the group who had warned her about Natasha. Evie, Jordan, Jasmine, and the two other boys. While she couldn't be sure she was seeing it, she could've sworn she saw the malicious looks on their faces. The kind of look that only a cartoonish villain would give. "Holly, what is it?" Natasha asked, touching her shoulder. "I-I think I know who framed me," She whispered. Her hand clenched into a fist. Of course they did! They wanted to see drama at the art contest, and when their attempt didn't work, they had to create the drama themselves! Those bastards!

A ding from the computer pulled her out of her anger, and she looked up to the corner of the screen, reading that the download was completed. She pulled the USB out of the tower, and without another word, they crept out of the office. And while a wave of relief washed over them, Holly was determined to make those gossipers eat their hearts out when the competition came around. And with the footage now on her side, it was all but inevitable.

~~~~~~~~~~

As Jim and Lee walked out of the restaurant into the snowy Gotham night, their combined laughter filled the night air as they crossed the street and hailed a taxi. "Thank you, that was wonderful," Lee smiled. "And no cases, we didn't mention work once," Jim added. "There's hope for us yet," Lee chuckled. "Yeah. So, what is this, our third date?" Jim questioned. Lee nodded, confirming it was their third date. "Three dates, and I still haven't been to your apartment," Jim commented with a slight smirk. "What particular room of my apartment are you interested in?" Lee inquired. "I don't know," Jim admitted. "How's the kitchen?" "Small," Lee answered. 

"Living room?"

"Dark," 

"How's the bedroom?"

"The bedroom I'd think you'd like,"

"Taxi!" Jim called out again. This time, a taxi pulled up to the side of the road, waiting for them to get in. "But not tonight," Lee stated. "No?" Jim looked confused. "I have to get a good night's sleep. I start a new job in the morning," Lee explained. "A new job? Congratulations. Since when?" Jim asked. "I heard this morning. I didn't wanna spoil dinner with a discussion about it," Jim asked her how would her talking about her new job spoil dinner, but Lee's smile grew wider as she informed him that she would be coming to work with him at the GCPD as the newest medical examiner.

"You're kidding. Wow, that's great," Jim smiled. While he was happy that his new girlfriend was going to be in the same workplace as him, a part of him knew she was going to face the brutality of the precinct, but he hoped she'd deal with it on a lesser scale than him. "Is it?" Lee asked, noticing the worried look in his eyes. "Of course. I mean, I was the one that suggested you work there," Jim assured. "Yes, but now it's real," Lee said. "So good," Jim said. "We'll see, won't we?" Lee teased as she opened the taxi door. But just as she was about to get in, Jim cupped her cheek and pressed a gentle goodnight kiss to her lips.

As he watched Lee ride off into the night, Jim returned to his car and drove back to the hotel room he had booked recently. It was just a temporary arrangement, but it was starting to become a second home. As the elevator dinged and the doors opened into the hallway, Jim thought Holly was asleep, given it was almost midnight, but as he walked back into the hotel room, he saw her sitting on one of the two beds, nose-deep in her homework. "You know you should be heading to bed soon, right?" Jim asked as the door clicked lock behind him. "I have a big math test tomorrow," Holly said, setting down her math textbook. "So, how was your date with Lee?"

"It was good. We didn't mention work until we were waiting for a taxi," Jim answered. "Well, that's great to hear," Holly looked up with a tiny smile. Jim hung his jacket on the nearby coat rack before sitting on the opposite bed. "So, when are you thinking about introducing me to her?" Holly asked. "Pretty soon," Jim answered. "I'm not sure when, though," "Well, how about you both come to my art show this Saturday? If you're not too busy, that is," Holly suggested. "I figured it might be a good way for her to get to know me better,"

"I like that idea!" Jim nodded in agreement. "No matter what, we'll be there," A tiny smile spread on Holly's face as she stood up and embraced him. But as she wrapped her arms around him, Holly could feel the anxiety and fear radiating off him. "Are you okay? You seem kinda..." Holly trailed off, unable to form the right word. "If I'm being honest, I'm nervous," Jim admitted. "Nervous about what?" Holly inquired. "Lee just became our new medical examiner, and with the way things are at the precinct, I can't help but worry about how they're going to treat her,"

"Well, considering she's worked with mentally unstable patients and the barking of orders from other doctors, I'd say she's a pretty tough cookie. If she can handle them, she can handle anything," Holly reasoned. "Maybe you're right, Hols," He slowly nodded. It was no secret they both dealt with some tough shit and if there was any plus side, at least they'd be in the same work environment, so they could have each other's backs if either of them needed it. 

Of course, the moment as dawn broke across Gotham, another dead body had been found. By the time he reached the midtown apartment building and walked into the taped-off crime scene, he found Harvey leaning against a bookshelf waiting for him. "What do we got this time?" Jim asked. "Gennaro Marx, single, 63. High-school English teacher. Same exact surgical incisions as our last victim. What are the odds he's got no adrenal glands?" Harvey answered, leading Jim to the dining room table, where their victim splayed out across it. "So, what do you think he's doing with them?" Jim questioned.

While Harvey didn't say it out loud, he could see the disturbing image as clear as day. He recalled the night he attended the support group meeting, how mentally disturbed, and how desperate Crane was to put an end to the illness he feared would plague his son. The thought alone made Harvey's stomach churn, but clearly, Crane's motive for stealing the adrenal glands was to conquer his own fears, a sick and twisted form of therapy.

~~~~~~~~~

"Do you have everything you need, Master Bruce?" Alfred asked as he watched the young Wayne pack the final essentials in his hiking backpack. "Yes," Bruce answered, zipping up one of the pockets. "I can still come with you if you want me to," Alfred offered. But no matter how many times Alfred offered to go with him that morning, Bruce kept declining, saying he could manage on his own. "I'll be fine, Alfred. You don't have to worry," Bruce assured. "Who said I was worried?" Alfred inquired. "I'll be back before dark," Bruce vowed. "I've been on this hike before, you know?"

"Not without your father," Alfred clarified, adjusting the straps and slightly tightening them. "He would've approved, you know. Carrying on the tradition like this," "My father and I stayed overnight. We woke up early to watch the sunrise. It's not the same," Bruce shook his head. Maybe one day he'd do the full hike on his own, but at that moment, the thought of completing it without his father was much too painful. And in the months since his parent's death, it was always the littlest of things he missed about them. How his father neatly lined up the books after putting one back on the shelf. The sound of his mother's humming as she worked on a new project idea for the company. Little reminders that both comforted and taunted him.

"Maybe next year then," Alfred spoke with a sympathetic smile before sending Bruce on his way. With only his tiny backpack and the cold morning air, Bruce walked down the trail past the gardens and into the fog-filled entrance of the woods.

~~~~~~~~~~

Back at the precinct, Jim and Harvey looked back on every single piece of evidence from their file. Harvey had their suspect's face, but the matter of tracking down his place of work or his address was not as easy as they thought it would be. "Anything yet?" Jim asked, looking up from his current folder. "Yearbook where the victim taught English," Harvey answered. "I'll tell you one thing. Girls didn't look like this when I was back in high school," "Easy," Jim warned. "I'm just saying," Harvey shrugged.

"Hi, Jim," A voice made both detectives look up from their work, and Jim stood up when he saw Lee smiling at him. "Lee. You remember Harvey, right?" Jim spoke. "Hi Lee," Harvey smiled, leaning back in his chair. Lee smiled in acknowledgment before turning back to Jim. "Lee's our new M.E," He told Harvey, his eyes widening as he took off his glasses. "You're joking!" Harvey gaped as Jim confirmed he was being serious. "Oh good, you've met!" Captain Essen said as she stepped out of her office. "Detective Gordon and I know each other," Lee explained. "Oh right, from Arkham?" Essen inquired. "Right, Arkham," Jim nodded, still in his lovestruck state.

"Welcome aboard," Harvey shook Lee's hand, still in his twisted angle. "Thank you," Lee smiled. "You can fill her in on your cases later. Dr. Thompkins, will you follow me? Lots to get you up to speed on," Essen led Lee back down the steps and towards the back of the precinct. When the two women were out of earshot, Harvey turned back to Jim with a more serious look. "You have no luck at all, do you, brother?" He whispered. "What do you mean?" Jim asked. "You find a fine lady like that, and she comes to work with you in the same building? It's a damn shame," Harvey answered.

"Why?" Jim looked confused. "Office romance always ends in tears. Tears!" Harvey warned. "It's not gonna be like that," Jim vowed. "Trust me, I know," Harvey returned to the yearbook, and as his eyes scanned the pages, his heart nearly jumped out of his chest. "There! Holy mother Mary!" He grabbed the book and rushed to Jim's desk. "You got him?" Jim followed Harvey's picture to one of the staff's pictures. "Staring right back at me," Harvey nodded. "That's him. That's him, that's the guy from the pool. His name is Gerald Crane. He's a biology teacher,"

"School doesn't let out for hours. Let's go,"