Cassidy sat in her rented SUV, rubbing the night's sleep off her face as she read through her grandfather's newspapers. At least she didn't have to share her dad's car again, anyway.

'BATMAN FOILS POISON PLOT- MADMAN APPREHENDED'

She kept going back to that one, but in truth, any of them were interchangeable. Most included Batman, then a mention of his 'Rogues Gallery'. Joker especially. The two of them were never far away from each other, not even in printed form.

She tried keeping her gaze on the papers, rather than the family photo tucked on her dashboard. Anything to stop her thinking of-

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Cassidy jumped out of her skin as Hugo knocked on the car window, growing impatient as the sun began to rise.

What now?

"There you are" Hugo uttered. "I must ask you to come inside. There is something I need to discuss with you urgently"

"Oh! Uh..."

Before Cassidy could say a word, he was already storming away.

///

"A member of staff kindly brought this to my attention..." Hugo said, pointing to Cassidy's office.

Her jaw dropped.

Everything was trashed.

Lights on, the chain locks on her door hanging by a thread, and all paperwork thrown by the dirty old fireplace.

Photos were face down on the floor, the frames smashed to pieces.

Elizabeth Arkham's painting was the only one still hanging. The disturbing thing was...

... It was upside down.

"... Care to explain yourself?" Hugo ordered, folding his arms.

Cassidy could hardly speak.

"W-wh-"

"According to the report, your office was wide open, the lights were on, and... As you can see... Left in an atrocious state"

"I-I-I turned the lights off yesterday! It- It wasn't like this! I mean I-I wouldn't-"

"Cassidy" Hugo scowled "May I remind you, that we have granted you a trial period at Arkham to respect the wishes of your grandfather. However, the board of directors have already voiced their concerns..."

Hugo took a step toward her, and she froze dead.

"Your inexperience, not to mention your contact with the inmates, has caused quite enough problems as it is" Hugo continued, adding further injury. "If we decide you are abusing your position, then I'm afraid we will have to rethink your future with us. Is that clear?"

Cassidy nodded, keeping her head low.

"Good. See that this gets cleaned up"

Hugo walked off without another word, leaving Cassidy alone.

///

"Good job. You're improving a lot" Aaron began "Keep this up and you'll be able to throw me down soon"

"Uh-huh," Cassidy murmured as he helped her up off the gravel. Again.

Self-defense training had gotten embarrassing. Whatever move Cassidy made, no matter how fast her strikes to the elbow, or the weak points she learned, she always seemed to fall back on the floor. Always.

"Hey, is something wrong? You've been really quiet..."

'Oh, y'know, it's just that someone broke into my office and trashed everything to make me look bad- but otherwise, I'm fine!'

Yeah... Right.

There was no way he would believe her if she told him. No way.

Cassidy shook her head.

"I'm just tired" She lied.

She wasn't about to tell him about Hugo's big lecture, either. It'd be another kick in the teeth.

"Ok- maybe we went overboard on the last technique, huh..." Aaron laughed, trying to lighten the mood. "How 'bout we take a break? Come back in 20?"

Cassidy nodded weakly and began to leave, when unexpectedly, Aaron put his hand on her shoulder.

"Cass..."

He looked at her with an earnest expression.

"I mean it- if anything's bothering you, just tell someone. I'm not sayin' you have to, but..." Aaron paused "... I'm always here if you need me, ok?"

Cassidy mustered up the only smile she could give- making her way out of the exercise yard.

///

20 minutes.

Cassidy resigned herself to spending that time alone in the cafeteria. Her head stayed low, afraid-

"Miss Cassidy!" Jervis called out with a wave. "Would you like to join us?"

She went over, sheepish at first. Jervis, Scarface, and Arnold- all sat staring at her like a high school clique. Never did she think she would be a part of it.

Jervis always brought tea, which he had trouble adjusting to. But to have people to sit with, a simple thing...

It put her at ease.

Days passed, and soon she found herself a regular part of their gang- the four of them. It was more than she ever had, and though she usually didn't speak much, she was happy to be included.

///

The same couldn't be said for Arkham's staff.

Cassidy wanted to be friends with them, or at the very least get along better, but apart from Aaron, everyone was too busy. Joan was a work in progress, at best. She was always in a rush to someplace, and Cassidy tried to wave her down, but wasn't seen, or worse, ignored.

Usually, a crowd of doctors surrounded the Staff Room, eating during their lunch break, and no one ever noticed Cassidy at the door. She left, always. Alone.

Having her lunch outside Joker's cell was a better use of her time, not that he was ever allowed outside to eat, anyway.

"What did the cannibal get when he was late for dinner?" Joker chuckled "The cold shoulder!"

More and more, Cassidy spent her time with him. It wasn't a surprise to anyone. Joker could always be counted on to make her laugh.

Not that she was sure it was a good thing, but she didn't care.

///

Arkham Asylum.

How long had Cassidy been there? Weeks? Months? They all blended into one.

The same routine: going through security checks and reviewing the inmate schedules and activities. All part of the administrative work.

She tried taking it seriously. But it felt like she was just ticking boxes on a clipboard.

Besides, getting to know the inmates was more productive.

She didn't expect that any of them would have taken to her at all, but having people who wanted to spend their time around her was a blessing. One that she didn't intend to waste.

She learned about them. How Arnold spent hours in the workshop, sewing Scarface's suit until it was as good as new. How Jervis treated the gardens like a wonderland, the gentle way he spoke to the butterflies and insects that brushed against his fingers.

So many things overlooked by the inmate files, which only involved the bad, the outbursts, and incidents.

There would be nothing included about the times they were peaceful. The times they shared together in the Common Room, having tea parties with Jervis. Even Scarface joined, despite believing the concept of tea parties was ridiculous.

No doubt. If she had to choose to spend her time with the inmates or the staff- then she already knew what her answer would be.

A/N: If you were a Batman villain, what would your name be?