After seeing The Dark Knight last night (HOLY GOD!! Heath Ledger as the Joker! Two-Face! The Joker! Rachel! The Joker! Rachel falling out window! I think one of my friend's thinks I'm going to turn into the Joker, I was cackling so much!) this idea jumped into my head this morning and refused to let go. It's slightly over a triple-drabble, because it refused to resign itself to drabble status.
The OC mentioned in this is basically just a vehicle to have Batman come talk to Gordon. So she isn't important.
Fair warning, is slash! Well, unrequited, only half-admitted Gordon/Batman. And it's my brain's fault. It wouldn't let it go.
Excuses to Talk
Commissioner Gordon could more or less feel Batman crouching in the shadows behind him, watching him think. Gordon had been able to sort of "sense" him since they'd lost Harvey Dent to Two-Face. He spoke before the Dark Knight did, knowing what he was going to ask.
"Her name is Detective Meredith Meridian." He was referring to the new head of the Batman Task Force, which had been created after Batman become Public Enemy Number One. It was solely responsible for catching the vigilante. Gordon had been in charge until Meridian had arrived. "She's a transfer from D.C."
"Do you trust her?" Batman's gravely voice used to sound painful. Then the tone his head heard in it changed, became something completely different. Something that haunted him. Now he ignores his body's reaction to it. Or, at least, tries to.
"She's the only person in Gotham I trust as much as I trust you." Only nearly as much as you trust him, Gordon's mind tells him. He ignores it, too. Then he thinks that maybe he was too specific. Maybe he should've mentioned his wife. Help him cover his ass.
"Why?" Too late.
"When she took the job, she went to Arkham and met The Joker and Crane. She knows the whole truth about Dent," He'd had to tell someone. He was going insane with guilt and anger that Batman couldn't be recognized at the hero he was, and he had to stop the new head of the BTF from killing Batman. "She knows I know you. She'll make the unit look good without killing you." She was also the only person on the force who refused to see Gordon's "former" relationship with Batman was just that of a cop to a vigilante he shouldn't be dealing with at all. Gordon turned to look at Batman, and he was gone.
Gordon sighed. One of these days, he'd figure out how Batman did that. And maybe he'd follow him.