Notes: Thank you to everyone who has been interested in this fic! It was interesting, to finally come back after six years and write the sequel I'd always meant to. And now I've ended up with an idea for another story. There are some teasers here as to some of what it will be about.

Epilogue

They were standing on the sidewalk, looking up as they watched two Riddlemen adjusting the new sign.

"It's straight now," the Riddler said after a moment. "Go ahead and come down."

The Riddlemen obediently complied, and came to study it as the others were doing.

Edward Nygma

Consultant and Troubleshooter

"It looks good," Yin said with a smile.

"Just make sure it doesn't hang at an angle again," Batman grunted. "It makes too much noise then."

"And it looked sloppy besides," the Riddler supplied. "Don't worry; I plan to keep it just the way it is right now."

"Good," Yin said.

"By the way, since Denise is obviously not going to pay me, who do I see about at least collecting my consultation fee from the police?" the Riddler wondered.

Yin looked amused. "Write up a bill and we'll present it to the commissioner," she said. "But I'm warning you, Riddler, don't try to sneak in any hidden fees for weird, miscellaneous items."

"I assure you, Detective, I won't," the Riddler replied.

"Well, right now I need to get back on duty." Yin frowned. "You know, there's been some strange reports lately about things being wrong in Arkham."

"There are always things wrong in Arkham," the Riddler replied. "I could tell you some horror stories."

Yin paused. "You probably could. And I might need to pick your brain about them."

"What kinds of reports are coming in?" Batman asked.

"Prisoners being mistreated . . . experimented on, even." Yin shook her head. "It's really upsetting and appalling to think about."

"A lot of mental institutions are subject to disturbing incidents behind closed doors," the Riddler said.

"And a lot of others are aboveboard," Batman said. "Arkham's always had an iffy reputation, but I had hoped it was getting better now that Hugo Strange was out."

"I've never liked Dr. Portman as head psychiatrist either, as you know," the Riddler said. "She's very likely involved with whatever's going on there now."

"If you have any specific information about her, I'll want it," Yin said.

"Of course, Yinsey," the Riddler answered. "We'll talk about it in the office. Later, I suppose, if you have to be going."

"I could spare a few more minutes," Yin said.

"I'd like to hear this too," Batman said.

"Very well." The Riddler started to move towards the door.

"Edward?"

Everyone turned. Julie was coming towards the Riddler, hesitant and downcast and remorseful.

"Julie." The Riddler turned to face her, surprised by her sudden appearance on the scene. "I wasn't expecting to see you again."

"I know." She sighed. "I wanted to thank you for leaving Denise alive."

"It just didn't become necessary to kill her," the Riddler grunted. "We were able to wrestle her into submission."

"At least until she saw you were alive when you came back from Wayne Industries," Yin quipped. "I thought she was going to throw herself at you and try to claw you with her bare hands."

"She probably would have, if those officers hadn't restrained her," the Riddler replied. "And speaking of that, did she ever confess to killing Amy Sands and why?"

"Yes." Julie looked down. "She did that, and shot at that Crossword psycho, and set the bomb to kill you. She said the Amy person was blackmailing her about her deception. So she tricked Amy into going to the theatre for an early rehearsal and then killed her. She also dropped some sandbag from the rafters, aiming at Detective Yin."

"Just like we thought. Well, she obviously isn't all there in the head," Yin said. "She's probably going to be sentenced to Arkham instead of prison."

"I just hope they'll be able to help her," Julie sighed.

The Riddler really doubted it, but he kept quiet. Instead he said, "I still don't understand how she managed to pull off the deception without everyone in the theatre company being aware of it."

"There is one way," Batman said. "If there really was a Catherine Mitchell and Denise killed her and took her place."

Julie looked sickened. "She hasn't said anything like that happened," she said. "I guess someone will have to ask."

"I did finally find someone with a completely different name who lived in one of the bad Gotham neighborhoods," Batman said. "She was a dancer who took the name Catherine Mitchell when she joined the chorus line of a small theatre company in town. Her trail stops around the time Denise went to Nygma for help."

"Well, that's not encouraging," Yin frowned.

"And of course she was lying about someone being in her hotel room the first time I met her," Batman said. "She left the balcony door open herself and was just waiting for me to arrive. Then she pretended to think I was the 'killer' and threw a vase at me."

Julie shook her head. "I just don't know what happened to Denise," she fretted. "I mean, she was always protective, but I had no idea she was so unstable."

"Sometimes it doesn't really manifest itself for years," Batman said. "Maybe it was your being shot that pushed her over the edge."

"It seems like it, since that was what she was so upset about," Julie sighed.

"By the way, Crossword is awake," Yin said, looking to the Riddler. "He was supposed to be kind of a henchman for Denise, her way of mocking you and your Riddlemen, but when he found out all the details of what she was going to do, he didn't want to go along with it. He also didn't want to go to the police and get arrested for being involved, at least at the beginning. That was when he decided to emulate you and start leaving all those clues everywhere."

"One thing I don't understand is about Gorman's building," the Riddler said. "Denise set the bomb, but we received a puzzle piece from the Puzzlemaster about it. Was that because he knew Denise was going to put a bomb there and he was trying to let us know so we could find it before it went off?"

"That's right," Yin nodded.

"And did he reveal the piece we never figured out?" the Riddler wondered. "The first one?"

"It was supposed to read Catherine is a Killer," Yin reported.

"But that was for occupation," the Riddler frowned. "She wasn't an occupational killer."

"I know, and he knows, but he put that word in hoping it would eventually steer us to the right path," Yin said. "Instead we were thinking of singers and dancers. I doubt we ever would have hit on what he was thinking."

"Oh well." The Riddler looked to Julie. "Have you talked with Gorman any further?"

Julie nodded. "He told me he knew you hadn't planted the bomb in his office, but he acted out and made a scene accusing you of it just to try to make you look bad. And he still wants to sue Denise for blowing up his office, even knowing about her mental state."

"It would never hold up in court," Batman said. "Denise isn't competent to stand trial."

"He's still hoping to find a way to make her pay for repairs," Julie said.

"And what about that certain offer he made to you?" the Riddler asked. "Have you talked any more about that?"

"Some." Julie hesitated. "I really don't like that he kept pushing for me to just let Denise kill you."

"Is that why you lied and told me the wrong location where she was waiting?"

"Yes. But it still doesn't mean that I won't marry Gorman, if he'll still have me." Julie looked up at him. "Try to understand, Edward. It would give me so many more opportunities for success."

His lip curled. "And that's all you've ever truly cared about. I know, Julie, all too well. Do whatever you want, but realize that if you try to go ahead and market that second idea of mine, I won't sit back and watch."

"I know. I don't know what I'm going to do about that," Julie said. "Maybe I'll try to convince Gorman not to do it and that if nothing else, we could hopefully escape a big lawsuit. Or whatever you might try to throw at us."

"I'm sure he knows as well as you do that I can and will make a great deal of trouble," the Riddler said. "I could go public with how you stole my Bio Disc idea, now that I have a bit of credibility in town. I could ruin you both over that."

Julie flinched. "Yes, you could, and you'd probably be justified in doing it. But when you feel like that, I'm all the more grateful that you saved my life, both with Chessmaster and with Denise. Who knows what would've happened if I'd been on that roof."

She hesitated again. She wouldn't say how she had started coming out of the chloroform hearing the explosion at Wayne Industries on television and feeling sickened, certain that Edward had perished. The Riddlemen who had been staying with her had felt likewise, and they had remained saddened and downcast until they had learned that their boss was alive.

At least, Julie decided, she wouldn't have it on her conscience that she had just stood by and let Denise go ahead, as she had initially planned to do.

"I do wonder what you would have thought, had you been there and witnessed my being flung off of the roof," the Riddler said. "But it's just as well you weren't and didn't."

Julie nodded. "Anyway, that's what I came to say." She started to turn to leave. "Goodbye, Edward."

"Goodbye." Perhaps for good this time. He gripped his cane, watching her go, and then turned away as well. "Where were we? Ah yes, Arkham." He opened the door and stepped into his office.

Batman and Yin followed. "Riddler . . ." Yin said slowly. "Are you sure you're alright?"

He looked back to her. "I know Julie will never love me. I really don't want to even try to have anything to do with her anymore, unless it is a lawsuit. And I'm coming to terms with the idea that she's probably going to be Mrs. Charles Gorman. Yes, Detective, I'm alright."

Yin smiled quietly, encouraged. "I hope so."

"With friends like cops and bats . . ." The Riddler smirked. "I don't think I've ever been more alright."

"Friends?" Yin repeated, while Batman raised an eyebrow. They looked at each other, considered the concept, and nodded. In the past, it would have seemed preposterous to all of them, including to the Riddler. But after everything they had been through, it didn't seem such a bizarre and foreign concept. "You're right; we are friends." Yin smiled again.

"And you, Batman?" the Riddler asked.

"We're not enemies," Batman replied.

"Well," Yin said, "that's a start."

xxxx

"Fascinating. Truly fascinating." The blonde woman switched off the television and leaned back, studying the now-blank screen. "I've long wondered what sort of path Mr. Nygma would choose for himself and whether he would arrive at the same knowledge I did, that his Riddler persona doesn't have to be a criminal. Of course, he still isn't entirely keeping to the law, with his thinly-veiled private detective business, but that makes him all the more intriguing than ever."

Seated in the chair on the opposite side of her desk, a slender, dark-haired man crossed his legs and smiled. "I wish I'd had the chance to perform an experiment or two on him while he was here."

"The results of your experiments are eye-opening indeed." She laced her fingers. "I certainly hope you intend to continue them. And working with me."

"My dear Dr. Portman, I've only begun to experiment," he grinned. "My next step is to take it outside the walls of Arkham Asylum. Let's find out how the citizens of Gotham will react. Maybe even the Riddler."

"Yes!" Dr. Portman's eyes gleamed. "Arkham is only the beginning. Let's see what happens when all of Gotham descends into fear and madness, one person at a time."

Their twin cackles echoed off the brick walls.