The realization hit her like a brick wall as she sat in the passenger seat of the car, the Riddler driving her back into Chinatown. She looked over at him silently, looking at his profile, her breathing becoming heightened.

"What?" he finally said.

"You got new sunglasses."

The statement threw him off. "Excuse me?" It wasn't normal for him to be the confused one. He didn't like it. He turned down the quiet alley she indicated.

"You still cheat, don't you? Only it's against a smarter opponent. Did anyone else know you were cheating them with that puzzle?"

Suddenly, the Riddler slammed on the brakes and the car skidded to a stop. "You're the girl..."

"And you're the barker," she said, sounding calmer than she felt. She knew she had to be flushed bright red. Here she was, sitting next to the man she had daydreamed about for so long. In her stomach, some butterflies were having the party of the century. The grasp on her sanity, which she had managed to keep such a careful control on, slipped a little further.

"What the...? How do you do that?" he asked, the whites of his eyes showing as he looked at her.

"Do what?" she asked. Then she looked down at herself. It had become a response when she was completely embarrassed, and now it happened in front of him. There, in the front of his car, inches away from him, she had gone and half shifted.

Tentatively he reached out and stroked the fur on her arm, causing her to tremble. Up until a minute ago, she wouldn't have given much of a reaction. But here he was, her carnival barker, now a famous criminal. Controlling herself, she shifted back, despite the bright flush of her skin. The backs of his fingers felt cool on her warm skin as he now touched her neck. He leaned a little closer to her, his fingers curling at the nape of her neck.

Kiss me, kiss me, kiss me! she screamed in her mind. Instead she sat there, somewhat stiff, unknowing what to do. Never before had she been this close to a man she actually wanted something from.

A tap at the driver's side window broke the spell in the car and the Riddler turned and looked out the window to find a Chinese man, dressed in black, glaring at him. Quickly looking in his mirrors, he checked for another car in the alley.

"Am I blocking something?" he asked, rolling the window down.

{Cheng! Cheng, go get Jiaoshu and Manchu together! I have something you all have to hear,} Dee said, leaning over the Riddler, her hand on his lap as she delivered her message. {I will be there in a minute.}

The man nodded and rushed off. Only then did Dee realize the soft, warm breeze on her neck was the Riddler's breath. As if she had been shocked, she jumped back in her seat and pointed a finger to where he could park. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to just walk over you like that."

He said nothing, but grinned at the closeness he had just been allowed. Putting the car back in gear, he pulled into the spot she had pointed to. When he got out, Chinese men, all dressed in black, surrounded him. Dee said nothing as the men grabbed the question marked man by the arms and hurried him into Jiaoshu's.

{Treat him well. He saved me last night,} she told them. In a way he had. She hadn't seen Feng after the explosion. That just meant the girl wasn't dead and was still out there.

{Yes, Xiaohu,} said the one who was leading the group.

The Riddler looked over his shoulder at her, as he was lead away. "Where are they taking me?" he demanded. She had become someone else the second she had stepped out of the car.

"You'll be safe. Don't worry." Hurrying away, Dee slipped into Jiaoshu's meeting room.

Jiaoshu was waiting for her there. While they waited for Cheng and Manchu to arrive, Li Mei brought in a tray and some food. Dee ate quickly, finishing as the two men came in. It didn't take her long to recount the events of the night from where she had told them to abort the mission. There were gasps of shock as she told them about the Scarlet Monkey tattoo she had seen on Feng's arm.

{Are you certain of this?} Jiaoshu asked.

{She told me she had joined them in secret because they appreciated her talents. Jiaoshu, she admitted to being a Scarlet Monkey! I wouldn't lie about something like that.} Dee knew something about the connection with the deaths of both Jiaoshu and Manchu's family and the Scarlet Monkeys. As it was, Manchu was staring in stunned anger at the tabletop, fists clenched.

{Please continue. But we will have to discuss this with the Elders.}

Dee told them the rest of her story, including the Riddler's offer. She explained that she felt it would be safest if she could get out of the museum with him. Feng, if she wasn't badly hurt, would be looking for Dee to head straight back to Jiaoshu's alone. The three men agreed. Jiaoshu dismissed them all so that he could gather the Elders and they could be told about this.

~ ~ ~

The Riddler found himself sitting in the kitchen with a few of the black clad guards and being served tea and some of the best Chinese food he had ever had. He gratefully accepted each item, even though he had no idea what half of the things were. When he asked what had happened to Dee, he was greeted with stony stares from his guards. Wisely, he let the subject drop. The lady that served him asked him questions about why he did what he did, only to interrupt with a comment on how Dee was also fond of puzzles before setting another plate of something tasty in front of him.

~ ~ ~

"I'm so happy to see you back in one piece!" Manchu said when they stood outside of the meeting room.

"I need Li Mei."

"She's in the kitchen. What's wrong?"

Dee was heading for the kitchen before she could answer. She opened her mouth to call out Li Mei's name and flushed when she saw the Riddler staring at her from his place at the table. He had a mouthful of steam pork bun, which he stopped chewing in order to smile at her around the mouthful.

{What is it?} Li Mei asked when Dee still had not spoken.

Pulling back the fabric that was caked with dried blood, Dee bared her wound. Li Mei gasped at the sight of it, being a sickly purple and black. She slapped the Riddler on the back of the head as she hurried to collect hot water and some medical herbs. The man was stunned that anyone would treat him that way. He opened his mouth to say something, but was quickly silenced by Manchu who stood behind Dee.

{Take her up to her room, Manchu. I'll be there in a minute.} Li Mei then turned to the Riddler. "You! You leave her like that all night! Stupid man!"

Dee had little time to react before Manchu swept her into his arms, pressing his lips to her forehead and muttering a curse to Feng.

"I beg your pardon!" the Riddler said, having had quite enough of this. Four sober-looking Chinese men confronted him when he stood. Though all were shorter than he was, they all had dangerous airs to them.

"Mr. Nigma," a calm, masculine voice said. "You will come with me now."

The four men bowed at the old man standing in the doorway. Li Mei muttered something as she swept out of the kitchen. Jiaoshu gestured for the Riddler to follow. Looking at the other men in the room, the Riddler boldly took the last mouthful of tea from his cup before straightening his jacket and following behind the old man.
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