Genre – Friendship/Drama, sort of.

Rating – K

A/N – I felt like writing the characters, mostly to see if I could and also to see if I'd be interested in writing more from them. Maybe in a shippy sense. Also shit title is shit and creatively redundant.

Disclaimer – I own nothing! This is all for fun, no profit was made.

New Beginnings

Sometimes Dinah thought that there was no such thing as a cloudless night in Gotham City. Even when meteorologists insisted that the sun was high and bright, and the sky was clear, there was still a dark cloud swirling above Gotham. When feeling whimsical, which wasn't often, Dinah entertained the notion that the clouds were the accumulation of all the dark and terrible things that Gotham had to offer.

Ev had another way of putting it – in Gotham, the shit rises to the top.

On nights like this, Dinah wished she could see the sky; nights where it felt as though anything that could go wrong and had done; nights where she had made mistake after mistake after fucking mistake. If she could see the sky, the moon and the stars and the inky black depths behind them, then perhaps it would make Dinah feel like Gotham didn't suck up everything that was good and natural about the world, twist it, and spew it back out.

"Well that was certainly an interesting night." Ev flumped down next to Dinah, her face flushed and her eyes bright.

Dinah looked to Ev. They were both sat on the rough surface of a roof, towering high above the streets of Gotham. It was a cold night, and it felt colder up here on the roof.

Tonight was the first Dinah had seen of her friend in over a year. They had both gone their separate ways so long ago, and so much had happened since then; like winding up on several government most wanted lists and one dead husband. Too much really.

Ev's smile didn't waver but she did lose the slight maniacal gleam in her eyes. "I'd say penny for your thoughts, but I don't have a penny."

"Not too sure I have any thoughts to give," Dinah replied.

Ev stared at her a moment, her eyes wide, and then she cracked up laughing. Dinah couldn't help it, she started laughing too. They both laughed until they were breathless and tears streamed down Dinah's face.

Eventually Ev managed to stop laughing and gulp down some much needed air. "C'mon babe," she said, giving Dinah a playful shove before standing up. "Let's get out of here."

Dinah frowned and let Ev pull her to her feet. "Where we going?"

"No idea. Anywhere but here."

Dinah wasn't sure if Ev meant anywhere but the rooftop or if she meant Gotham city. "What about..?"

"Fuck 'em." Ev grinned at her. "If they see us, we can take 'em. Sides, there's stuff we need to discuss and I have no intention of talkin' about this," she gestured between them, "without a stiff drink in hand."

Dinah's instincts told her that laying low was a much better than idea than going on whatever little excursion Ev probably had in mind, but the prospect of a drink sounded too good to turn down.

/\/\/\

They wound up in a dingy little bar in the east side of Gotham. It was small, with a low ceiling, and packed tight with grubby drunks. It was also incredibly dirty. Just the kind of place Ev loved.

Dinah cradled a bottle of warm beer in her hands. She would have gone with whisky like Ev had done but she didn't trust that the glasses were clean. Ev didn't care; claimed that the whisky killed whatever germs the glass had accumulated from the filthy clientele.

"So," Ev began after taking a mouthful of her drink. She was sat opposite Dinah, a stained and rickety table between them. If Ev's chair was anything like Dinah's then it wobbled so much that it was defying the laws of physics by staying upright.

"So," Dinah agreed. She felt exposed, like everyone here knew who she was and had already called the cops on her.

Ev smirked and downed her whisky, and then poured herself another healthy measure. She had bought the bottle, not wanting to waste time having to go back to the bar for refills. "Ready to talk?"

Dinah wiped her thumb around the lip of the bottle neck and took a swig. Unsurprisingly the beer tasted foul. It reminded her of the taste of some home brewed beer she and Ev had once tried to make themselves; thick and yeasty, closer in consistency to gone-off bread than liquid. "Yeah," she said, "talking sounds good."

"Alright." Ev leaned back in her seat and smiled. "Then let's talk. You look good."

Dinah frowned. "Thanks."

"Kinda tired though, little on the pale side too."

"You want to talk about something useful?"

"Thought I was," Ev said innocently, something that in all the years Dinah had known her, she had never been. She smiled. "C'mon Dinah, I haven't seen you in months and all you want to talk is shop."

Dinah sighed and ran her fingers though her hair. She felt on edge and had to remind herself that no one here knew who she was or cared about what she might or might not have done. She forced herself to relax and offered a tremulous smile. "You're right. Sorry."

"No apology necessary."

"I don't know about that," Dinah said. "First time I see you in months and you get us both in trouble."

"You want an apology for that? You're not going to get one." Ev smirked confidently, challengingly. "Those guys got what they deserved and you know it."

Typical Ev. A part of Dinah was glad to see that Ev hadn't changed all that much; still spontaneous, still seemingly a little out of control and still read y to raise hell whenever the opportunity arose, and usually Ev made the opportunity. It was a comforting thought, especially since a part of Dinah felt as though she had changed. She wondered if Ev had noticed that she had changed.

They had agreed to meet at a bar in Gotham, a different one to this bar, a one known for bikers and that catered to a particularly rough clientele, and while they were there they had, not that unusual for the place, witnessed a man being attacked. Without even knowing why the man was being set upon by a group of apparent thugs, Ev had decided to make it her business. Dinah was all for stopping the attack, but Ev had taken it a step further and before Dinah had time to react the whole bar was brawling. It had been violent and messy. And admittedly it had also been great stress relief.

And although Ev's actions tonight had seemed reckless (they were), Dinah also knew that she was methodical, a great tactician, loyal and just plain brilliant. It was exactly why she had got back in touch with her; she was perfect for what Dinah had in mind.

Okay, also because she had missed her.

"And don't pretend like you didn't have fun," Ev added with a waggle of her finger. Ev's grin had sliced up one side of her face and showed her teeth, a sharp canine gleamed in the dim light of the bar.

Dinah couldn't deny that she hadn't had fun. She always got a rush from a good fight, and more than a rush from being around Ev. She sipped at her warm, foul-tasting beer and decided to move the subject on, adopting a serious tone that Ev would probably find funny. Or cute. Probably both.

"Ev, you got my message.?"

"Obviously," Ev said rolling her eyes. "Wouldn't be here otherwise, would I?"

"I'm... I want to put together a team."

"Figured as much. What kind of team you thinking about?"

"Covert," Dinah replied. "Strictly under the radar. We'd have to be given our histories."

Ev chuckled at that. "Okay. Who else is gonna be on this team."

"Babs," Dinah said immediately.

Ev didn't quite scowl but it was close. "Barbara Gordon? Seriously?" She snorted. "I guess she'd be good tech support."

Dinah shook her head and then paused, her denial dying on her lips. "Well, she probably would be good tech support." Better than good, she'd be damn close to the best they could get without knocking on Batman's door and begging to be part of Batman Incorporated. "But that's not what I want from her. I want her in the field."

"Out of the question," Ev said quickly. "She'd be a liability." Dinah opened her mouth to argue her case but Ev cut her off. "I know, she's back on her feet – hurray! But she'll still be a liability."

"How?"

"Still recovering. She'll be out of shape, slower, more awkward – hell!" Ev threw up her hands, "she might need to completely retrain."

"Having a Bat on the team would really help us out."

"If you want the Batman's approval then I know a website you can order Bat logo stickers from. Slap one of those on your delightful ass and everyone will know which side you're fighting on."

"It's not about wanting his approval," Dinah said, feeling annoyed. She didn't want or need anyone's approval, and it sort of stung that Ev would suggest, even as a joke, that she did. "The Bats command a certain amount of respect – "

"Fear."

"Respect," Dinah reiterated, gritting her teeth and putting force into the word.

"Po-tay-to, po-tah-to," Ev said with a shrug. She sipped her whisky and then scrunched her face up. "This is cheap ass whisky."

Dinah ignored Ev's last comment. "Having Babs on the team would keep Batman off of our backs."

"You hope."

"Besides, rusty or not, she's good and we've worked with her before."

Ev let out a long sigh, her finger tapping against the side of the tumbler in her hand. Dinah knew that she was thinking, going over the pros and cons of having Batgirl on the team. It wasn't just the professional side that Ev would be considering, she would also be thinking of the personal side of things. While Ev and Barbara had worked together in the past, efficiently no less, they didn't particularly like one another.

Sometimes Dinah wondered how much of that was her own fault.

"Can we ask Batwoman instead?" Ev asked with a wicked grin.

"Doesn't seem like the type that plays nicely on a team."

"Looks better in a skin-tight outfit though."

Dinah snorted. "Yes, and that's going to be the deciding factor for other team members."

"Only reason I'm teaming up with you," Ev quipped.

Dinah gave her a flat stare. "Thanks. You're a real charmer."

"Why you love me."

"Why I put up with you more like," Dinah muttered. She finished her beer and grimaced. She wasn't sure it was worth getting another. She didn't have all that much money to waste on disgusting beer. At least Ev seemed to be enjoying her cheap whisky. "About Barbara..."

"Ask her," Ev said with a one shoulder shrug. "I honestly think she'll turn you down. Hell, given how things went down last time we all spoke she might just urn you in. Way I hear it Black Canary is considered a super-criminal these days."

Dinah tried not to let that effect her, but something must have shown in her expression or body language because sympathy and regret flashed across Ev's face. She didn't offer an apology though; something that Dinah was grateful for. Ev knew her well enough to drop a subject. And it wasn't as though Ev was wrong. Dinah had seen the news reports, she had gone from super-hero to super-villain, only without the maniacal twist.

"Who else?"

"Huh?" Dinah blinked in confusion. She had completely spaced out there.

Ev cocked her head to the side. "Too many late nights? Bet they weren't even fun late nights." She grinned at her. "Who else for the team?"

"Oh. Not sure. I haven't thought that far ahead."

Ev cackled. "See, now this is why I should do all the planning." She stood up and pulled on her jacket, flipping her pony-tail out from the back of it. "My uncle Earl always says know who you're working with. Come on." She nodded in the direction of the door. "I need to walk off the whisky."

/\/\/\

It was a cold night and Dinah wrapped her arms around herself in an effort to ward off the chill wind. Fuelled as she was on whisky, Ev didn't seem to notice the low temperature.

They walked in silence, something that Dinah was surprisingly glad for. Ev walked ahead, her hands stuffed in her jacket pockets and her head tilted back; staring up at the night sky. Dinah knew better though than to assume that Ev wasn't on guard, that she wasn't constantly aware of her surroundings.

The reason why Ev Crawford was top of Dinah's list for this team was for her tactical ability. Ev was a great strategist and an even better information broker. Dinah was no slouch at these things herself, but Ev was better. She had contacts who informed on her contacts who informed on Dinah's contacts, which were probably also Ev's contacts. It was a complicated information web that Dinah wasn't even going to attempt to try and decipher. Ev was also an excellent marksman and, depending on whom you asked, a pretty damn good get-away driver.

Dinah was the much better fighter though.

Dinah smiled at the thought and then sniggered at the mental pissing contest she was having with her friend. It was the truth though; Dinah had travelled a lot and trained with masters around the world. She had met few who were her equal in martial skill and even less who were her betters. It wasn't her meta ability that made her a deadly fighter; it was her hard work and her perseverance.

Ev stopped walking and spun round on her heel to face Dinah, her breath misting from between her lips.

"We keep the team small," she said. "Four, maybe five. We need another fighter. Gordon and me will have tech controlled, so we need some more brawn to go with your –"

"If you say beauty I'll scream. I mean it."

"Gorgeous brain," Ev finished grinning. "I'm just thinking of you, sweetie. Oh, and I'm a thinkin' that we should keep this strictly female."

"What? why?" Dinah demanded. That seemed like a slightly absurd suggestion.

"Good for business," Ev reasoned. "Who would you rather be saved by the sweaty muscled guy in spandex or the hot chick in leather? 'Cause I know who I'd rather be saved by."

"Batwoman?"

"Hell yeah!"

Dinah laughed, more from the ridiculous grin plastered up Ev's face than anything else. "You're just gonna keep suggesting her for the team until I cave, aren't you?"

Ev barked a laugh and said, "You know me so well." She frowned suddenly, her hand going into her jacket. She retrieved her cell phone and stared down at it, her brow furrowed.

Concerned, Dinah took a step towards Ev, but she held up her hand to signal Dinah to stop.

"What is it?" Dinah asked. From the look on Ev's face she deduced that it was something serious.

Ev's thumb brushed over the screen and she exhaled, her breath misting before her. "I gotta run, babe," she explained. If Ev had to bail then Dinah knew that it was definitely something very serious. Ev produced another cell phone and tossed it to Dinah. "It's encrypted. My number is already on it as well as an emergency contact. Use only this phone to get in touch with me. Don't give anyone the number. And don't give me that look."

Dinah was staring at Ev in annoyed disbelief. Did she really think that Dinah was stupid enough to hand out the numbers on the Phone? That was so insulting.

"What's going on Ev?"

"Been compromised. Look," she said, pocketing her phone, "I'm up for the team, it's a great idea. Speak to Red, see if she's up for it too. I'll be in touch."

Dinah stayed where she was, clutching her new phone in hand and watching Ev walk away. They both had their secrets, and Dinah knew better than to go digging into Ev's. She trusted Ev and that was all that mattered.

Once Ev was out of sight, she turned and walked back the way she'd come from. She kept her head down lest someone recognise her, but kept her ears sharp. Only idiots, usually soon to be dead idiots, dropped their guard in Gotham.

She was nearly back to the hovel she generously called her apartment and still hyper-alert, which probably accounted for why she nearly shit herself, when her phone went off, whistling – oh, Ev thought she was so damn funny – like a canary.

Dinah looked down at the screen and wasn't at all surprised to see a message from Starling.

"So I'm thinking The Birds. Thoughts? XXX"

Dinah grinned, and then she laughed. The Birds, eh? She thought it was definitely something she could like.

/\/\/\

Thanks for reading and please leave a review on your way out. How else will I know if you want more Black CanaryXStarling. Not that here was much here, mind...