You wanna know what I think?

Chapter 9

A/N: Really, really long chapter... sorry... fingers ran away with me. At 12, 588 word count this is the longest chapter yet, I just couldn't see a place to split it. I just hope you enjoy it...

Thanks to the brilliant Ripley10 :)

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Jane stared at the mess of burned black remains of her former home. She blew her fringe out of her eyes and stuck her hands on her hips.

"It'll have to be demolished," came the sad voice of her landlord. She turned and eyed the man carefully, but his whole demeanor was depressed. He looked and sounded broken.

"Were you insured?" she asked him quietly.

"Oh yeah," he replied. "But that's not really the point, is it?"

"No, no it's not," she answered him and looked back where the firemen were still climbing over the remains. Her landlord shuffled away despondently, shaking his head.

"Jane!" She turned and saw Ron coming towards her with another man she recognized as Commissioner Gordon.

"I could have picked you up, you know," Ron said with a weary smile.

"I'm know, thank you. I'm sorry I worried you all last night. I'm really not used to people needing to know where I am," she said quietly and smiled at Gordon who had his hands on his hips.

"Jane, this is Commissioner Gordon," Ron said and Gordon stuck out a hand to her. She shook it and was pleased by his firm handshake. Jane believed you could tell a lot about a person from their handshake, weak handshake, weak person, etc.

"Pleased to meet you," she said politely and turned back to look at the building. "Be honest, Ron, was this Crane?" she asked, indicating the mess with one hand.

"We don't know what caused it," Gordon answered for him. "It's going to take the team a long time to sift through the evidence, although they can give us an idea by looking how the fire progressed, the burn patterns, etc. But there is no reason to think it was Crane."

"What are you going to do now?" Ron asked her and she shrugged.

"I have to go up to Arkham and find out what's going on with my job. I've heard nothing concrete and if there was any correspondence, then it's gone now."

"Where's your new place?" Ron asked and Jane hesitated long enough for both of them to realize she didn't want them to know.

"Southside," she said and Gordon looked at Ron with a raised eyebrow.

"Southside takes in three districts," Gordon said softly. "Where abouts in Southside?"

Jane felt cornered and a little annoyed. She didn't want them camped outside her front door every hour of the day and she wasn't about to say why.

"Listen, it's nothing personal, but I'd rather not say. I'm quite safe there, honestly."

"Jane, if Crane wants to find you, he'll find you. It's safer for you if we know where you are. And you have to think about the very real possibility that the Joker will remember you. You were at the bank he raided and he saw you, didn't he?" Gordon's tone was kind, but firm.

Jane flushed furiously and mentally kicked herself for being unable to control herself.

"How did you know I was there?" she asked him.

"The bank teller," Gordon replied. "Jane, if he's been in contact with you, we can keep you safe, all you need to do is step forward and tell us. I know that your faith in us is a little shaky, but we will help you if you let us."