Prince of Darkness ~ Gotham

~ Chapter Thirty Five: The Manhunt ~

"Barbara? Holly?" Jim called as he entered the apartment, noticing the lights were still on at this time of night. But as Jim walked into the apartment, he saw the three empty bowls sitting on the counter with dirty spoons inside. "Hols, you here?" Jim called out again, this time hearing the bedroom door open. "Hey Dad, sorry I had my headphones on," Holly set them down before embracing him warmly. "Still nothing from your mom?" Jim asked. "Nope. No calls, no nothing," Holly gave the usual report, which always made Jim's face fall.

"You hungry? There's some leftover chili, I can heat it up," Holly asked as he went to sit in the living room. "Yeah, chili sounds good," Jim nodded as Holly picked up the dirty dishes and walked into the kitchen to heat up his dinner. "Did you have Cara over again?" Jim inquired. Holly shook her head and turned off the sink. She couldn't keep Selina and Ivy's presence a secret from him. He'd find out eventually, depending on how long the girls decided to stay.

As she returned to the living room with his piping hot bowl, she explained to him everything, and while Jim did raise a brow at the fact Selina managed to climb seven stories up the side of the building to make herself at home, he was impressed by Holly's act of kindness. "I hope you're not mad," Holly muttered. "Why would I be mad?" Jim questioned. "I know Gotham's not as safe as the suburbs, but I just couldn't throw them back out onto the street, especially with Ivy battling a cold,"

Jim placed a hand on her shoulder, telling her it was fine, but reminded her again that not everybody in Gotham is trustworthy. "This is fine. But if you invited some grown man in here, that'd be a different story," he said. "Trust me, I wouldn't," Holly assured. "I know, you're a smart kid," Jim nodded. Holly propped herself up on the couch as they turned on the TV and put on a random show, not really paying attention to it. "So, how has work been? You didn't tell me," Holly asked, breaking the silence. "Well, I met someone," Jim spoke slowly. He wouldn't admit it, but he was cautious on telling Holly about Lee, for fear that she'd take it the wrong way. "Her name is Lee,"

"How is she? Nice?" Holly questioned. "Yeah, she's really nice," For a while, Jim talked more and more about Lee and the torturous electrical shock therapy that some of the patients were subjected to. While Holly's interest was piqued by the electrical case, her thoughts kept returning to Lee. And by the way her dad was talking about her, Holly had a gut feeling just by their brief encounters, her father's eyes were starting to wander elsewhere. And while Holly would admit that it would be hard for a while to hear her dad talking about another woman, she couldn't judge Lee right away without knowing her. "That reminds me. I need to give you this," Jim reached to the side of his belt and pulled off a keychain, and two black objects hung from them.

"What's this?" Holly asked, taking the keychain into her hands. "The suspects behind this broke out tonight. And just in case something happens, I want you to be prepared. It comes with pepper spray and a taser. You remember how to use it, right?" Jim asked as Holly unclipped the spray. "Yeah, get 'em right in the eyes," Holly remembered. "Just be careful not to shock yourself with the taser. I've made that mistake once or twice," Jim warned. Holly nodded, telling him she'd keep that in mind before setting the keychain on the coffee table.

"Since those two guys broke out, do you think the GCPD's gonna call and ask for your help?" She asked. "I would hope so. They're going to need all the help they can get,"

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