There was something to be said for the company kept by Alyssa Connors. Half the people she considered family were criminals in one way or another. With the news about Barbara broken to her when she woke up in the hospital, she was now down to two decent and uncorrupted friends.

Well, three if you count Jim Gordon, which she did not.

"For the millionth time, when i got there her parents were already dead!"

"You were the one that shot the Oger, maybe you were covering for Barbara."

"I shot a freakin' serial killer, why am I the bad guy here?" she threw her arms in the air in frustration. "I don't even have time to argue with you, I'm late."

"For what?"

"None of your business. My personal life has nothing to do with you boyscout, so either get a warrant for my arrest or stay the hell outta my way."

Building up the pieces of a broken city was no easy task. Oswald had spent so long planning for this moment, Alyssa had wondered if he knew what to do past it.

She should have known better. Her Ozzy had grown from the meek little boy she had met in the alley. He took control of the room with ease, assuring everyone that he had plans to further the 'business', all they needed to do was listen to him. And – desperate for solid ground – the criminals of Gotham ate it up.

"Excellent." he smiled, then gestured to Alyssa. "I trust you all know Alyssa Connors. She'll be your number two. You are to treat her with the same respect you treat me."

"Sweet, I'm a queen." Alyssa grinned, making Oswald smile at her and squeeze her hand.

"Yes you are my dove. Anything you want in the world is your's. Its the least I can do for all you've done for me."

Being the queen of Gotham wasn't just a perk however, it also meant work. Alyssa had her own reputation that proved she knew how to succeed in the city, but it was a positive reputation, so the crime family was wary of her. Well, some were wary, some just thought her laughable.

Either way, she'd be a target, so Oswald wanted to make sure she could fight back.

"Ozzy's a worry wort, I was born and raised in this city; any idiot that attacks me has a death wish."

"Have you ever even fired a gun?" Victor Zsasz asked, following her into the shooting range. "At something further than point blank range?"

She scoffed. Glancing at the targets, she turned to the assassin and held out her hand. Victor raised a non-existent eyebrow, but handed her the firearm that was strapped to his hip.

In one swift, solid movement, Alyssa swung around and fired at the targets.

Bang! Bullseye.

Bang! Bullseye.

Bang! Bullseye.

"How'd you do that?" Victor asked, sounding mildly impressed.

She lowered the gun with a breath. "Old friend of mine, Floyd, ran a shooting range in Metropolis. Lets just say I had plenty of people to imagine on the target." she shoved the gun into his chest and walked out.

Victor watched her go and smiled slightly. "I knew I always liked her."

The warden of Arkham Asylum was Quincy Sharp. Quincy Sharp did not like Alyssa Connors.

She was too close with the inmates, fit in like she'd known them for years. To be fair, for some of them she had; she had been 'volunteering' since the asylum had re-opened.

Mr. Sharp did not believe in making the people under his care better. He believed that there was no point in trying; they had gone off the deep end and there was no getting them back. And he had a valid point: none of the inmates seemed to want to get better. They resisted therapy, taking their medications, they even started fights between one another.

No one could wrangle them. No one except Alyssa Connors.

When he had first met the girl, he had given her an hour tops and told a guard to keep a special eye on her. She had surprised them all by getting along with everyone like old friends. They spoke to her civilly, no threats or talk of their horrific deeds, just idle chit chat like they were at a dinner party. They actually seemed to care about the girl; when one of his former guards had tried to force himself on her a few years ago...well lets just say the man was unrecognizable when he left the building.

And then there was Valeska. Mr. Sharp would never admit it, but the boy scared him. It didn't make sense; other inmates had done worse than he had, but...there was something in his eyes...something...darker. Madder.

Whatever it was, it certainly didn't faze Alyssa. The boy latched onto her like velcro everytime she came to visit and she took it in stride.

No matter his personal opinion of either, it was fascinating to watch the two interact. The boy, who had taken to threatening everyone and laughing manically, became soft and caring around her. He clung to her hand like he genuinely thought she'd disappear if he let go, and he was always sure to ask when she'd be visiting again before she left.

If the other inmates cared about Alyssa, Jerome loved her. So much that Mr. Sharp wasn't sure if he'd fall off the deep end if she stopped visiting, or if she was an unhealthy obsession that he should stay away from.

This had actually sparked quite the debate among the doctors and staff – not that anyone's opinion mattered. They had tried to ban Alyssa from the asylum, twice, and it had only tripled Jerome's violent tendencies. And Alyssa didn't seem too happy about it either.

Still, two hours every other day where he did not have to worry about a fight breaking out or one of the inmates having an episode, he considered that a good thing.

"Who did that?" Jerome asked in a scratchy whisper, trailing his fingers over a bruise on Alyssa's cheek.

"One of Fish's goons."

"Thought that bitch was dead."

"Is now." Alyssa shrugged. "But she was around long enough to kidnap Selina and nearly kill me."

The calming effect induced by the brunette immediately vanished. Everyone withing hearing range stopped to look at her.

"Some one tried to kill you?" Arnold Dobkins frowned. He looked completely innocent, but there was a glint in his eyes that spelled danger.

"Did they hurt Selina?" Aaron Helzinger asked. He was very protective of Alyssa – his own mother being so overbearing, he was drawn to her nurturing nature. He also knew how much she cared for her daughter; she had cried the last time she told them about someone hurting the girl, and he had threatened Richard Sionis into having one of his men on the outside kill the person responsible.

"No, she's fine." Alyssa smiled slightly, unaware of what had occurred. "And so am I, just a little banged up as all. Harvey, tackled her before she could pull the trigger."

"Harvey Dent?" Jerome asked.

"Harvey Bullock."

"That old pasty guy you like to annoy at the GCPD?" his brows furrowed in confusion.

"Him. Apparently I've grown on him over the years." Alyssa shrugged, recalling exactly what had been said. 'What are you doing?!' 'Saving my kid!' My kid.That had been echoing in her head for a while now, but she didn't dare call the detective on it. Still...in all the times she had had to stick up for and protect her kids that she had no relation to, she had never been on the receiving end of that.

It felt...nice.

"You've grown on all of us 'Lyssa." Greenwood smirked at her.

She grimaced at the nickname she hadn't heard since Jamie was a kid. "Don't call me that."

"You needn't fear my queen!" Jarvis said excitedly. "We'll protect you!"

"Oh will you now?" Alyssa smiled in amusement.

"But of course! We are after all, your loyal servants." he bowed, then threw a fist into the air. "All hail the queen!"

Jerome chuckled and copied him. "All hail the queen!"

The other inmates followed suit, and soon the whole room was chanting.

"All hail the queen! All hail the queen! All hail the queen!"