"Pleasure to see you awake, Dee," Dr. Matthiessen said as she was brought in.

Dee said nothing as she fidgeted with the cuffs and shackles she wore. She hated them and wanted them off more than anything. They made her feel like an animal in a circus. Right now she wanted them off and to be allowed to go back to sleep. She had been having the most wonderful dreams that Eddie had come to visit her in her cell. He had kissed her forehead and stroked her hair. The look on his face had been sad, almost regretful, and she longed to make him smile.

"Where's Eddie?" she growled.

"This is pleasant. No comments on food today?"

"Where's Eddie?" she repeated.

Two days of sedation had gotten him a curious reaction with her. A nurse had fed her, and Dee ate mechanically when food was put to her lips. The depth the sedative had taken with her was also curious. He supposed it had to do with her hypoglycemia.

"Edward is enjoying some time in solitary. He decided to take an unauthorized walk out of his cell the other night."

"Is he ok?"

"Dee," he said in what he thought to be a soothing voice, "you've got to understand that a man like Edward isn't the type a girl like you should be influenced by. He's a dangerous and egotistical man."

She sneered. "So someone like you would be better? What do you know, anyway? You sit here and ask the same questions every day, hoping for some nugget that you can write about. Something you can dig at, thinking we can be cured. But I ask you this: Who are you to decide we need curing? That we even want to be cured? Or that we're sick with something that needs curing for that matter? What if it's you who is the sick one?" she asked pinning him with a glare.

It took the doctor a moment to collect himself after his patient's tirade. Finally he sat back and crossed his legs, smiling at her the way a hungry jackal would smile at a rabbit.

"Very well. Let me ask you some questions. What do you plan on doing when Edward either dumps you, or you leave him? When you get older, do you plan on keeping this up? And do you really want to be in and out of this place for what's left of your life?"

He wasn't expecting the grin that spread across the girl's face, lighting her green eyes up. The long locks of red hair seemed to writhe like Medusa's snakes as she spoke.

"This," she hissed softly, forcing him to strain to hear her, "is exactly why the villains are and always will be better than the heroes. We know how to have fun and make the most of what time we have in this life."

This was not what was supposed to happen! She was supposed to break down! Cry! Sob! But not this! The predatory look she gave him now made him uneasy. Angry, he had her taken back to her cell, no meals for the rest of the day. He had been planning on letting her go to the rec room, but now she had just lost that possibility.

For the next week Dee was isolated to her cell. Even her sessions were held in her cell. She was restricted from having any books from the cart, or other forms of time passers. Most days she was only given two meals in Dr. Matthiessen's attempt to break the silence she had sunk into. By the end of the week she was faint with hunger, still refusing to talk. Though he often told her if she answered a few of his questions she would get food, Dee remained tight lipped. Often the doctor would spend the session watching her as he ate a candy bar or a sandwich in front of her.

When this proved fruitless, Dr. Matthiessen decided to let her go into the rec room to see what the other inmates would do. The introduction of a new inmate always excited him. He equated it to the release of a new animal into an existing zoo exhibit. He sat in the observation room and watched as the door opened to let her in.

It was like a scene from an old western movie where the main villain enters the saloon for the first time. The rec room went silent and all eyes turned to watch as the inmate that had been whispered about for the last two weeks entered. At first Dee stood there, nervous to have all these eyes on her. As she looked around, she sucked in a breath and stood straighter. With a look of determination, she stepped away from the guard and headed to a bookshelf. Hushed whispers started up as she browsed the offerings.

"Enough! Yes, she came here with him, ok? Try saying hello to her and make her feel welcome!" a familiar voice said.

Resting her hand on a shelf, Dee turned around to find herself facing Poison Ivy.

"I was wondering when they'd let you in here," she said.

"Yeah? Apparently they look down upon you if you try to kill you doctor. Psychotic bastard," Dee grumbled.

"They're still watching."

"I know. Everyone in here has nothing to do, other than watch." She sighed and leaned against the shelf. "You haven't seen Eddie, have you?"

"Not since he got thrown in solitary."

"Dr. Matthiessen mentioned that. Why was he out of his cell?"

"You weren't told?"

Dee shook her head.

"You really don't know, do you?" When Dee shook her head again, Pam continued. "He got in trouble because he snuck out of his cell at two in the morning to bring you a sandwich!"

"He... But... The idiot!" she growled.

Pam smiled.

"Listen, I don't care who knows it, ok? I like Eddie a lot. But why would he do something like that for me? I'm not worth it! He shouldn't get himself in trouble for someone like me!"

Dee threw her hands up in frustration. The gesture was appreciated, but why would he risk what little freedom he had to do a thing like that? Spinning, she faced Pam who now leaned against the shelves, amused.

Hand on hip, Dee raised a finger, as if scolding Ivy. "The man's brilliant, no doubt about that, but he isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer sometimes. Why? It makes no sense! He could have used the chance to bust out of here instead of wasting his time doing something for me!"

"I thought you might appreciate it since our doctor is a moronic simpleton."

Dee's hands flew to her mouth and her eyes went wide as she gasped. Trembling, she slowly turned to find Edward standing behind her. He looked down at her, hands in his pockets and a hurt look on his face. Lowering her hands, Dee's face quickly mirrored Eddie's. She wanted to throw herself into his arms and kiss him. Fear that he would push her away, and the possibility that the doctor might be right, prevented her from doing anything.

Eddie couldn't believe what he was hearing Dee say. When he had entered the room, voices had dropped to a whisper as he saw Dee and made a beeline for her. Pam had seen him, remaining silent as his gesture. The grin on his face at finding Dee in the recreation room almost split his face in two. But when he heard her comment about not being the sharpest knife, his confidence faltered. To hear her talk about him wasting his time when he went to see her almost made him back peddle and ask to be taken back to his cell. His voice involuntarily announcing his presence stopped him.

"Eddie," she finally said softly. "I..."

"If you'll excuse me," Poison Ivy said, tucking a well-worn garden book under her arm. She smiled and walked away.

"It's ok. I understand. I'm not worth your time..."

"Shut up, you stupid man!" she hissed quietly. "It's the other way around! You're smart, funny, good looking, kind, and even if you don't want people here to know, you have a rare romantic and gentlemanly side."

Did she say...? She called me stupid! "This isn't the best place for a conversation."

"No, it isn't," she agreed. Dee felt ashamed for her outburst. "I'm sorry I called you stupid. You're not, y'know. You're probably the smartest man I've ever met."

He swallowed slowly, a sweat breaking out on his forehead. It took every ounce of effort not to sweep her into a kiss and hold her. His pulse pounded in his head. The rush of his blood through his veins roared in his ears. When she placed a hand on his arm, his knees nearly buckled.

"Do you have any money on you, Eddie?"

One of her boots stomped his heart to a smear. He blinked and looked at her staring up at him. "Money?"

"Yeah. Specifically pocket change. Any loose coins?"

"No. The only one with any money on him is Two Face, but that's his 'Coin of Justice' so he's allowed to have it." Money. She wanted his money.

Her eyes dropped and she nodded. By her body language, he knew she would have been playing with or plucking at his tie if he were wearing one. Instead she dropped her hands to her side, wiggling her fingers.

"There's nothing to buy here. Why do you need money right now?"

"It isn't for now. I don't want to buy anything."

"Did you make a bet with someone and lose? How much do you need? You have your share..."

"I don't owe anyone anything! I just want a nickel. One damn nickel!" Her stomach chose that moment to gurgle, and she was reminded of the fruit salad the guard had eaten for her before he took her to her session.

"I brought this for you," said Eddie, reaching into his breast pocket and pulling out an apple.

"I can't eat your food, Eddie!"

"With the guards eating your snacks and that fool continuously taking away your meals, you had better! Take the damn apple and put your pride away! You know you need it."

"Yes, Eddie," she said taking the fruit from his hand. She stroked the dark red skin for a second. "How do you know all of that?"

"Asylum grapevine. Sit in this room long enough and you'll hear everything that's going on here. It's how I knew you were still here and that you'd been assigned to the same asshole doctor I have."

"Dinnertime!" a guard announced over the loud speaker.

"Do we have to go back to our cells now?" Dee asked after taking another bite of the apple. She never cared much for the fruit plain, but it was obvious Edward meant for her to eat it. Obediently she did, her empty stomach thanking her.

"No. We just get herded into the mess hall."

~ ~ ~

Dr. Matthiessen watched the whole exchange from the observation room. He was surprised that Pamela Isley had immediately gone up to the woman. Disappointment set in when he realized that the two already knew each other. His pleasure returned, spiking to giddiness when Edward entered Pam and Dee's conversation just as the girl implied that the Riddler was an idiot wasting his time. The sad look on Nigma's face delighted Matthiessen.

Nothing like having that man taken down a few pegs! he chuckled to himself.

The next moment when Dee had dropped her voice too far to be heard, he began to panic. Nigma was smiling again! Oh wait. She had said something else and now he looked as if he'd been drenched in ice water. Absently he wondered if he needed to do much more than poke at Dee's displeasure of Edward. He scribbled notes furiously when their voices were heard discussing money.

"Yes, Eddie," she said with a tone of meekness.

"Wait! What did I just miss?" Matthiessen asked, looking up from his notes.

"He just made her take an apple he brought her."

Another frown. They were showing signs of actually caring about each other. When Nigma had tried to visit her, he at first thought it was to harm her. Finding the little sandwich on him had been a surprise. Matthiessen had the lab analyze it to see if he had poisoned it. The disappointment he felt when the test came back negative now returned. Nigma was not supposed to act like this! A woman was not supposed to treat him this way!

"Check him for extra food after dinner."

Dee Lemma was not going to ruin the chance of him, Dr. Gregory Matthiessen, from curing one of Gotham's most notorious criminals! He was positive that the key to curing lay in the well of self-doubt. As the inmates were shuffled to the mess hall, he scribbled more notes to dig into Dee's doubts. And if he couldn't get to them, he would plant and nurture seeds of doubt.
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