Picking up the pieces...
[follows the events here and subsequently here. Both the Gordon and Rachel referenced here are non-muse specific "NPC" versions. knowthenbreak used with permission.]
Harvey didn't so much as blink when he walked around where maintenance workers were repairing the broken glass doors that normally served as the entrance to the building where the District Attorney's Office was housed. He used the revolving door instead, like everyone else.
"What happened there?" he asked another attorney who'd also just walked into the building's lobby.
"Heard it was vandals," the other guy shrugged.
The D.A. shook his head. “In this city, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”
When he got up to his office, Rachel was standing outside the door, arms crossed.
“Harvey!” Her face was a mix of fear and relief. “What-where’ve you been?”
“I---” He paused, regarding her a moment. “I’ll explain it later. I’ve got work to do.”
“You said you’d explain when you got here.” Her tone wasn’t accusatory but almost disappointed.
Feeling slightly bad, but also impatient to put the whole thing behind him, Harvey placed a hand on her arm. “It was just a mix-up. I told Gordon I’d meet with him last night…but Nadine and I were working late on the Grayson thing. When I didn’t show…and he obviously couldn’t reach me by cell phone since that still hasn’t arrived in the mail…he must have thought something happened.”
It was a lame story, but it was all he could think of on little sleep and still feeling sore from the fight he’d apparently put up the night before.
“So you were here when the building was vandalized?” Rachel asked. She thought she’d overheard Gordon saying something about it being done late the night before, rather than sometime this morning.
He shook his head absently, trying to line up what had actually happened the night before with the lie he knew he needed to think of. “We were already at the apartment,” he mistakenly said aloud.
“We?” Rachel looked slightly taken aback. Before Harvey could reply, she said, as if just remembering, “Jim’s in your office. He’s been waiting.”
“Great.” Hurriedly, Harvey stepped past her to open his office door. He went in, closing the door in a way that wasn’t meant to be definitive, but was anyway, as he firmly shut it.
“I really hope that cell phone of yours arrives soon,” were Jim Gordon’s first words to him. “Getting a hold of you is a bitch.”
“You gonna give me the third degree, too?” Harvey tugged slightly at his tie as he went to his desk.
“No,” Gordon said. “I saw the video tape.”
Harvey froze and looked up and across his desk.
“Well, I was told about it, anyway.” Gordon almost seemed to enjoy carefully dispensing information.
“Told?” Harvey frowned.
“By one of my detectives,” Gordon said. “He was the only one who actually saw it, thank God. He…disposed of it. As far as anyone is concerned, the incident never happened and the tape, unfortunately, was never set correctly last night, so we were unable to get a picture of those…vandals.”
Harvey nodded. “Your detective - who was it? Do you trust him?”
“I trust him completely,” Gordon said. “One of the only ones I can say that about. You’re lucky he was there and not someone else, frankly.”
“Who was it?” Harvey asked again.
“Does it matter?” Gordon raised a brow at him.
“It does to me,” the lawyer said, his gaze unrelenting.
The lieutenant looked at him with slight worry. “You’re not gonna go harass him, are you?”
“I’m just…curious,” Harvey explained.
Gordon shook his head. “Did the Batman get you the antidote for the fear gas?”
Harvey didn’t immediately notice that Gordon never answered his question. “How’d you know it was…”
Jim stood up, giving him a look. “I’ve dealt with Jonathan Crane before. That, and the fact that you told me just last week that he told Ms. Lewis and yourself that he’s planning something. How did he administer it?”
“He sent a bum to run into me.” The district attorney looked uncomfortable. “And yes, the Batman gave me the antidote. I was able to sleep most of it off…”
“Where exactly was that?” Gordon asked. “We tried Rachel’s, we tried your own apartment. We didn’t have the address of Ms. Lewis’s new place…”
“Nadine had the Batman take me to her apartment,” Harvey said. “I guess she didn’t realize no one had her address…she was…shaken up.” He scratched the back of his neck uneasily.
“Must’ve been a little awkward,” Jim remarked.
“No, not really,” Harvey didn’t like where this was headed. “Is there anything else you need?”
“No. Just be sure to let us know if you or any of your staff hear from Crane again,” Gordon said. “And try not to bump into any more bums.”
“Thanks.” Harvey was not amused.
“Oh, and Harvey?” Jim paused when he reached the door, glancing back.
“Yeah?”
“Be careful. Don’t forget, curiosity killed the cat.”
Harvey didn't so much as blink when he walked around where maintenance workers were repairing the broken glass doors that normally served as the entrance to the building where the District Attorney's Office was housed. He used the revolving door instead, like everyone else.
"What happened there?" he asked another attorney who'd also just walked into the building's lobby.
"Heard it was vandals," the other guy shrugged.
The D.A. shook his head. “In this city, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”
When he got up to his office, Rachel was standing outside the door, arms crossed.
“Harvey!” Her face was a mix of fear and relief. “What-where’ve you been?”
“I---” He paused, regarding her a moment. “I’ll explain it later. I’ve got work to do.”
“You said you’d explain when you got here.” Her tone wasn’t accusatory but almost disappointed.
Feeling slightly bad, but also impatient to put the whole thing behind him, Harvey placed a hand on her arm. “It was just a mix-up. I told Gordon I’d meet with him last night…but Nadine and I were working late on the Grayson thing. When I didn’t show…and he obviously couldn’t reach me by cell phone since that still hasn’t arrived in the mail…he must have thought something happened.”
It was a lame story, but it was all he could think of on little sleep and still feeling sore from the fight he’d apparently put up the night before.
“So you were here when the building was vandalized?” Rachel asked. She thought she’d overheard Gordon saying something about it being done late the night before, rather than sometime this morning.
He shook his head absently, trying to line up what had actually happened the night before with the lie he knew he needed to think of. “We were already at the apartment,” he mistakenly said aloud.
“We?” Rachel looked slightly taken aback. Before Harvey could reply, she said, as if just remembering, “Jim’s in your office. He’s been waiting.”
“Great.” Hurriedly, Harvey stepped past her to open his office door. He went in, closing the door in a way that wasn’t meant to be definitive, but was anyway, as he firmly shut it.
“I really hope that cell phone of yours arrives soon,” were Jim Gordon’s first words to him. “Getting a hold of you is a bitch.”
“You gonna give me the third degree, too?” Harvey tugged slightly at his tie as he went to his desk.
“No,” Gordon said. “I saw the video tape.”
Harvey froze and looked up and across his desk.
“Well, I was told about it, anyway.” Gordon almost seemed to enjoy carefully dispensing information.
“Told?” Harvey frowned.
“By one of my detectives,” Gordon said. “He was the only one who actually saw it, thank God. He…disposed of it. As far as anyone is concerned, the incident never happened and the tape, unfortunately, was never set correctly last night, so we were unable to get a picture of those…vandals.”
Harvey nodded. “Your detective - who was it? Do you trust him?”
“I trust him completely,” Gordon said. “One of the only ones I can say that about. You’re lucky he was there and not someone else, frankly.”
“Who was it?” Harvey asked again.
“Does it matter?” Gordon raised a brow at him.
“It does to me,” the lawyer said, his gaze unrelenting.
The lieutenant looked at him with slight worry. “You’re not gonna go harass him, are you?”
“I’m just…curious,” Harvey explained.
Gordon shook his head. “Did the Batman get you the antidote for the fear gas?”
Harvey didn’t immediately notice that Gordon never answered his question. “How’d you know it was…”
Jim stood up, giving him a look. “I’ve dealt with Jonathan Crane before. That, and the fact that you told me just last week that he told Ms. Lewis and yourself that he’s planning something. How did he administer it?”
“He sent a bum to run into me.” The district attorney looked uncomfortable. “And yes, the Batman gave me the antidote. I was able to sleep most of it off…”
“Where exactly was that?” Gordon asked. “We tried Rachel’s, we tried your own apartment. We didn’t have the address of Ms. Lewis’s new place…”
“Nadine had the Batman take me to her apartment,” Harvey said. “I guess she didn’t realize no one had her address…she was…shaken up.” He scratched the back of his neck uneasily.
“Must’ve been a little awkward,” Jim remarked.
“No, not really,” Harvey didn’t like where this was headed. “Is there anything else you need?”
“No. Just be sure to let us know if you or any of your staff hear from Crane again,” Gordon said. “And try not to bump into any more bums.”
“Thanks.” Harvey was not amused.
“Oh, and Harvey?” Jim paused when he reached the door, glancing back.
“Yeah?”
“Be careful. Don’t forget, curiosity killed the cat.”