DC: The Brave and the Bawdy

Gotham Nights: Ghosted

"Otisburg is clear," said Batgirl into her earpiece.

A single beep sounded in Batgirl's ear, confirming that Bruce had received her transmission.

Batgirl lifted her foot from the ground and turned the throttle on the handle. The batcycle zoomed off out of the alley and into the street among the cold air and dead leaves. As Batgirl continued her Halloween patrol of Gotham City, her mind filled with melancholy thoughts.

It was around Halloween the year before when Barbara Gordon had first become Batgirl. Indeed, she had initially designed her costume for a costume party. It had just so happened that Robin, Dick Grayson, was acting undercover at that same party and within a day or two the Boy Wonder had gotten Batman to agree to take Batgirl on as another sidekick. Barbara had been charmed by Dick and the two found a great deal of love and support from one another in the romantic relationship that followed.

Then, a few days ago, Barbara had ended that relationship. It hadn't been an easy decision, but once Dick had moved on from Gotham to start his own team in Jump City, it started to become clear that the two young heroes had very different paths ahead of them. It was Barbara's choice, but that didn't mean she wanted it. She firmly believed it had been for the best, but it still hurt. Her mind was still filled with the reminders of the relationship she had lost. This patrol route, this bike, the whole city reminded her of him. Even the codename "Batgirl" had been his idea. The thoughts seemed inescapable.

Batgirl slid the batcycle to a stop as she heard noise in the nearby alley, turning her bike so as to be facing the noise as she slid to a stop. In the dark alley she saw the figure of a curvy woman standing over two beaten men. She took note of Batgirl and walked into view, whereupon Batgirl quickly saw that the woman was none other than Black Canary.

"Lovely night, isn't it?" she smiled, adjusting her leather jacket, "I've always wanted to be in Gotham for Halloween."

"Black Canary," realized Batgirl.

The leather clad vigilante made her way over to Batgirl on her bike, crunching through the piles of brittle leaves with her boots.

"Is that the batcycle?" asked Black Canary, placing a hand on the motorbike, "Wow, Batman really spares no expense."

"Do you ride?" asked Batgirl.

Black Canary scoffed.

"Do I ride?" she repeated back, "Here, move over."

Batgirl grunted as Black Canary placed a hand on her chest and forcefully pushed her farther back on the seat. Black Canary then quickly mounted the bike, forcing herself between Batgirl and the handlebars. Batgirl let out another grunt as Black Canary's butt finished forcing Batgirl farther back on the seat, where she instinctively grabbed the sides of the seat for balance.

"If I were you," said Black Canary over her shoulder, "I'd hold on a little tighter than that."

Batgirl didn't respond for a moment, but when the engines revved to life she found herself quickly throwing both arms around Black Canary's torso and hugging her tight as they sped off. Batgirl ducked her head under Black Canary's blonde hair waving in the wind. She did her best to keep her cool and not think about how incredibly beautiful the woman she was clinging onto was.

After a few minutes, Batgirl's anxiety wore off and she was able to focus more on her surroundings. She readjusted her grip on Black Canary to rest her body more comfortably. She wasn't sure where this night was going, but far be it from her to argue with one of the world's most famous superheroes.

"Hey, full disclosure," said Black Canary, just loud enough that Batgirl could hear it over the engine, "I heard about you and the old Boy Wonder breaking up."