What Will It Take, Victor Zsasz?

What if?

Cara got back to her apartment after a truely long day, without Jim or Harvey she was run ragged on the job.

All she needed was a hot shower and a coffee but she couldn't even focus on doing that. Victor, after having not contacted her for a few days was still not here. Each day she had hoped he would return to her, each day he was no where to be found.

Athough she was happy for him, to be excelling at his job under Penguins influence, she couldn't help the sadness that followed at the lack of comunication between them.

She wanted to go with him sometimes, just throw her life into the air for a moment, to be able to spend time with him. Maybe that is what they had been lacking, excitement.

Working for the GCPD stopped him from being able to show her things. He would get so excited sometimes, she could see the desperation he would have to show her or tell her what he had done. He couldn't. She wouldn't let him because if one of her cases, although non had yet, happened to link to him then she would have to arrest him.

She settled into the couch and turned on the Tv, listening to the news that gave nothing but more dullness to the ever grim City of Gotham.

The only thing they had to look forward to was the Wayne charity event. Even that seemed to be boring.

A group of psychotic lunatics had escaped Arkham, she thought it suspitious that only when a mysterious billionare had arrived had things began to go exceptionally wrong.

Theodore Galavan. Who knows where he came from, the city thought of him as some kind of saviour. Cara, she was concerned.

Just as her thoughts sucked her in further she heard the creak of her bedroom window, Victor waltzed into her living room with a massive smile.

"Hey." He grinned as he spoke, that cool tone making her heart warm.

"Hey." She responded lightly, still distant in her thoughts.

"Are you okay? You seem wierd.." Victor frowned as he spoke, Cara was usually very happy to see him. Maybe he had been a little too distracted the past few days, he hadn't seen her and clearly she was a little frustrated with him.

"Yeah, just... It's been hard at work, there is only myself and Alvarez. With the exscapee's we have been swamped." The tension in her voice clear.

"Well.. I have a suprise for you.." Victor noted she was glad for the distraction as she raised her eyebrows.

"Go on."

"Loeb is resigning in the morning, not before he reinstates Jim as detective." He found himself grinming widely as Cara's once slumped fom straightened.

"Thats.. Thats amazing! How did you.." the happiness now returning to her voice.

"Penguin and I had a little word with the old fella. I knew how much you wanted Jim back, so after Penguin decided Jim would be getting his job back, I may have made the request to get Loeb to quit afterwards. Then, he can't fire him again and I know your safer with someone.. less corrupt.. in charge." He explained carefully.

"What do you mean safer?" Cara asked a little confused.

"Loeb knew everything, everyones dirty laundry because that is how he stayed on top. I figured it wouldn't be long until he knew about us, I don't want you to lose your job or be blackmailed so I got rid of the problem. We are safe now." He emphasised the 'we' making Cara smile.

They still had no actual title, nothing official as once they said it, it would become real. All of it, the vunerablity, the crimes, Cara would be officially a corrupt cop. Victor would have his weaknesses out there for all to see.

So they didn't. The hid away from prying eyes and kept everything they had hidden.

"Sit with me?" Caras soft voice called to Victor as he so happily obliged.

"Do you ever wonder what we would have been if this wasn't Gotham?" Victor asked thoughtfully but suddenly enough to make Cara to jump.

"No, if this wasn't Gotham we probably wouldn't have met." She sighed into his chest as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"I do, sometimes. What if I were still a little rich boy on the front of magazines, what if you were a famous doctor. We could have made it anywhere else. You could have been someone, could have been great.. What if we had a house wih a big garden, a black gate at the front to let people know that we value our privacy. What if you were pregnant, we'd have twins on the way while our little two year old boy played by the apple tree out back; You'd sit by the fire with your feet up, I'd run around just trying to keep the house clean and the laundry at bay. How we could laugh freely, go where we wanted hand in hand. What if..." He paused with a sad thought. "We could never have any of that here." Victor had no idea where any of that had come from, true he had imagined plenty of times but never told her.

Cara sat up in awe, she moved gently and watched his face as he showed nothing but sorrow while still living in his day dreams.

"We could sit all day and dream of the 'What ifs'. If we could live out our lives as a fantasy, would there even be real hapiness? Live for the little moments, live for the times the world seems to close around you but there is  light, no matter how small, that comes to greet you. For the moments you spend in solitude, the moments hidden in the sanctuary you create with those you love. Live for the future you are creating, for that little boy who may one day come. Live right now, right here." Her whispered voice brought him back down to earth.

Victor wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her onto him. Her legs either side of his hips and thier foreheads softly connected.

"One day... one day we will have it all. I promise." He smiled as she leaned her head enough to kiss him.

She pulled back, only for a moment.

"I love you, Victor Zsasz." She smiled before kissing him again.

"I.. love.. you.. too." He got out inbetween kisses, her body language altering enough to tell him that his kisses weren't the only thing she had been missing.

"Bedroom?" He pulled back to ask her but her eyes already told him the answer.

"Bedroom." She confirmed, giggling as he lifted her effortlessly.