Dangers in the Dark

Help from Unexpected Places 7.2

Never had I been so anxious to get on a bus than I was now. We were leaving Gotham and going to go to a whole new state for a while. I hadn't been given enough time to tell Tanya and Bruce that I was leaving so I would have to do it on the road. Not ideal, but necessary.

"Westbound interstate express departs in five minutes, Bay 12," a voice spoke over the intercom. We were now at the bus station, ready to leave.

As we were about to go out to the bus, dad stopped us in our tracks.

"Barbara. Holly," dad began.

"What?" Barbara asked.

"Listen," dad said, and we both knew what he was going to say,

"No, no, no," Barbara shook her head.

"Just a couple of days and I'll join you both," dad said. "There are things I need to do."

"Fine. Then if you stay, we stay. Okay? Because I love you, Jim. We cannot leave you," Barbara told him firmly.

"I love you too. Both of you. That's why I need you to leave," dad informed us. "If I know you're safe, there is nothing they can do to me. I'll make things right. And then I'll come join you."

"And what if you don't?" I whispered, regretting the thought as soon as I spoke it.

"Don't come back," dad replied sadly. "Don't come back to Gotham."

"No, Jim," Barbara begged him.

Dad then looked over at me, sadness shining in his eyes.

"You listen to Barbara. Do everything she tells you to and stay with her, okay?" dad requested, and I couldn't help but nod. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," I said, wrapping my arms around him.

I didn't want to leave Gotham, this was where my friends were, my family and my life that I was building. But I knew that dad was right, we were his weakness so by staying here, he was in even more danger than he already was.

He stayed right up until the moment that we were on the bus. He stayed even as it began driving away. He stayed long enough for me to wave goodbye.

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Third Person POV

After he had watched Holly and Barbara leave on the bus, Jim returned to work as if there was nothing wrong. Sure half of the mobs and gangsters in the city were out for him, but that wasn't gonna stop him from having a productive day at the precinct. Today, was going to be fine. All he had to do was blend in.

That was gonna be easier said than done.

As soon as he entered the precinct, conversations fell silent and all eyes were on him. A couple of people spoke their thoughts into the silence, not bothering keeping their voices down. And to be honest, most of them were just pointing out the obvious. "Gordon's here." "He's nuts." "What's he doing?" "You believe this guy?"

Only one person in the entire room was not staring at him, Alvarez. Jim walked over to Alvarez's desk and stood by his chair, glancing around at everyone before clearing his throat and waiting for the cop to look up at him.

"Hey, Alvarez. You got any of those blank warrants that Judge Bam Bam signed?" Jim asked, trying to avoid all the stairs from the others.

"Uh... yeah," Alvarez nodded hesitantly, leaning down to his bottom drawer, and handing over a couple of warrants.

Jim took them from him, nodding his head in appreciation and did a sort of walk of shame back to his desk. It was gonna be a long day.

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