A/N: and out of hiding I come, but only temporarily. Yes, I still exist, but only because Valentine's day is in a few days and I hated my original holiday oneshot. So here's a better version. Okay, back into my hole I go. Enjoy!
Jazz squeezes her toes for the third time to bring feeling back into them after her heels cut off the circulation. She looks down both directions of the sidewalk looking for her boyfriend's familiar face. They had decided to meet at the movie theater before their Valentine's Day dinner reservation made at the new French restaurant a few blocks away. It was all Henry's idea, and she's trying not to resent him for suggesting she dress up a little, which is the only reason why her feet are slowly dying in the shoes she borrowed from Max. She looks down at her watch again, hating herself for being twenty minutes early. Henry's shift should be ending in a few minutes and it would take him another ten to get to the theater.
She sighs as she starts regretting her choice to forgo a pair of flats for the peep-toe pumps that looked amazing in a closet but less so on her feet. She pulls her long coat tighter around her to keep the February chill out, but before she could look down at her watch yet again, the sound of a crash coming from the alley catches her attention. She whips her head in the direction and makes her way over when another loud bang reaches her ears. Arriving to the mouth of the alley, she peers in to find the side door to the neighboring building slowly swinging shut and a body unconscious on the ground in front of it. Frowning, she carefully approaches, freezing when the door suddenly flies open again and slams against the wall as a man dressed in black stumbles out. He trips over the unconscious man, bracing himself against the wall of the opposite building before regaining his footing and spinning to face the mouth of the alley.
He stops for a moment when he sees Jazz there before a third man is thrown out of the closing door, ramming into him. They both fall on top of the already unconscious man as Batman casually steps out of the doorway. He turns his head when he notices Jazz still standing by the alley's opening, acknowledging her presence before the groans from the two men grab his attention. But as he lifts up one of the burglars by the collar of his shirt, the second one takes the chance to scramble to his feet and sprint for the exit. What he doesn't expect as he runs past Jazz, though, is for her to kick his knee out before wrapping her arm around his neck in a chokehold. Despite his surprise, he manages to find his footing and backs up to slam Jazz, who still has him in her grip, against the wall. She grunts but she doesn't let go.
"I got it," she grumbles when she sees Batman is ready to let go of his suspect to help.
She tightens her hold around his neck and waits for him to pass out a moment later before she lets him drop. She sighs as she kicks him to the side and steps over him as Batman incapacitates the burglar in his grip with a calculated elbow to the temple. He throws him to the ground as he turns to Jazz.
"You look nice," he says, running eyes over her knee-length, pink and orange floral print dress.
"Did he get anything on me?" She asks, trying to take a glimpse of her back to make sure she didn't get dirty from the scuffle.
He approaches her and places a hand on her shoulder to spin her around. "You're good," he says, dusting off the back of her beige coat for good measure.
"Thanks," she says, turning back to him. "I didn't think you were working tonight."
"Why not?" He asks, bending down to bind the burglars' hands with plastic cuffs.
"It's Valentine's Day."
"So?" He asks, raising a brow at her. "It's just another ordinary day to me."
"I take it you're not a romantic, are you?"
"Neither are you," he counters, rising and leaning a shoulder against the wall, his arms crossing over his chest. "Why are you all dressed up?"
"Uh, Valentine's Day," she repeats, raising a brow at him. "Henry finally managed to get a night off."
"Good for him," he replies in a colorless tone.
"Jeez, you're a grumpy gus," she frowns at him. "Who shattered your heart into a million pieces?"
The question however, makes him straighten up and turn to head out the other end of the alley, leaving behind a tracker police use to find the gifts Batman leaves for them. Jazz watches his back recede into the shadows, not sure what exactly set him off.
"Hey, there you are," a voice suddenly says, bringing her to spin and find Henry standing in the mouth of the alley. However, the pearly smile framed by his blond goatee slowly fades when his blue eyes take in the scene surrounding his girlfriend. "Uh, I think you need a new hobby," he quips, stepping towards her.
"This wasn't me," she replies before her eyes drop down to one of the unconscious men. "Except that. I did that," she says pointing at him.
An amused smile stretches his lips before he extends a hand for her to take. "Shall we?"
She smiles with him as she interlaces her fingers with his before letting him lead her out of the alley.
The couple emerges from the movie theater two hours later, giggling and talking much like the other couples surrounding them on the sidewalk. Jazz threads her arm through Henry's inviting arm as they make their way towards the restaurant. With it being the day for lovers, the restaurant is filled with candle lit tables, roses and flirting couples. The hostess leads them to their reserved table by the window, where Henry helps Jazz remove her coat before pulling the chair out for her and taking a seat himself.
"This is really nice," Jazz says, looking around. Her smile though, fails to hide how awkward she feels in such an upscale place.
"If it makes you feel any better, I only brought you here because of the food," Henry says, picking up on her discomfort.
"That obvious?" She asks, looking over at him.
"No; I just know you," he replies, making her smile.
Seemingly from nowhere, a waiter glides over to their table and takes their drink order before drifting away again.
"How'd you find out about this place?" She asks, taking the hand Henry extended to her over the table.
"My attending told me about it. He wouldn't stop talking about the dessert menu."
"That's how you knew you had to bring me," she deduces before smiling. "You do know me."
"What can I say," he playfully shrugs just as the waiter returns with their drinks.
However, before Henry can bring his glass of wine up to his lips, his phone buzzes to life, making him cringe. He turns eyes down to the phone to see the hospital number displayed and gives Jazz an apologetic look.
"Answer it," she says, giving him an understanding smile.
With a sigh he picks it up and holds it to his ear. "Yes?... My shift ended a couple hours ago… If I say yes, am I off the hook?" He groans as he rolls his eyes. "No, I haven't had a drink yet. You couldn't wait a few minutes before you called?... You sure no one else can cover for me?... Fine, I'll be there as soon as I can." Hanging up, he looks at his girlfriend, who's trying not to let her disappointment show. "I'm sorry, babe."
"Hey, I'm the one who wanted to go out with a doctor; it's what I get for showing off," she playfully quips, so he wouldn't feel guilty for canceling.
"You know I love you, right?" He asks, his eyes filling with affection.
"I think so," she smiles.
After paying for their untouched drinks and making their way out, Henry pulls Jazz towards him, cupping her cheek as he bends down to plant a kiss on her lips. When they part, he rests his forehead against hers, trying to make the moment last for as long as possible.
"I should have lied," he starts.
"And risk your ethics? That's not the Whitman way," she quips, making him smile.
"You're worth it, though," he replies, before kissing her again. "I'll make it up to you," he adds once he pulls away.
"Forget it. I've bailed on you so many times that I'm the one who still owes you."
"I'll scratch last Thursday off your tab then," he jokes before kissing her one last time. "I can call you a cab," he offers.
"No, I can walk home."
"I don't want you to."
"I'll be fine."
"Yeah, I know," he says, remembering the unconscious men surrounding her earlier that evening. "Still can't get used to the idea my girlfriend can take care of herself."
"You should go; you're going to be late."
"I'll see you when I see you," he sighs, kissing the top of her head before reluctantly letting go of her and turning to head down the sidewalk.
She watches him until he disappears from view before she sighs and turns to head in the other direction. However, she can't seem to muster the motivation to head to her apartment yet. She looks around again, suddenly finding the couples that pass her by irritating despite the fact she was just like them a few minutes ago. As her eyes roam, they stop when they land on a cluster of lights shining from between two buildings. Drawn by the sight, she realizes they're originating from the boardwalk a few miles away. Deciding to make something of her night off, she crosses the street and goes through alleys and side streets to reach the bustling boardwalk by the beach.
Though there are far more couples here, it's easier to ignore them when she sees the lights belong to an enormous fair set up on one of the piers. Curious, she makes her way in, her amused eyes taking in the rides, games and food stations set up all around her before stopping on the giant Ferris wheel at the end of the pier. She concludes the best and most reliable person to be on a date with on Valentine's Day is, once again herself; and with that, she buys herself a giant puff of cotton candy before perusing the various stands.
She reaches the end of the pier and gets on the Ferris wheel, sitting back to relax as the wheel slowly spins around. Once she reaches the top, the sight of Gotham glittering in front of her brings her to pull out her phone and take a few pictures, something to remember the almost ruined evening by. Tucking her phone back in her pocket, she takes in the rest of the view, seeing the dark beach on either side empty yet welcoming. She gets off the Ferris wheel with a new destination in mind: the shores below. With her shrinking cotton candy puff in hand, she makes her way down the boardwalk, reaching the beach entry only to learn the gate blocking it is the reason why the beach is deserted. However, after looking around to make sure security officers aren't in sight, she ignores the "Closed" sign and climbs over the waist high metal gate.
Before heading any further down, she takes off her shoes, her eyes rolling with relief as she stretches her toes. Picking up the green shoes, she makes her way down to the shoreline, the sound of the crashing waves drowning the bustle of the crowd on the pier. Her smile grows the closer she gets to the sea. A small gasp escapes her when the cold water washes over her feet, but it doesn't wipe away her smile. She looks up to find the almost full moon already halfway up, spilling it's silver light onto the ocean before her. Feeling serene, she starts walking up the sandy beach, relishing the sensation of wet sand sifting underneath her feet. The farther away she gets from the busy pier, the more tranquil she feels.
She leaves the lively and bright pier behind, the dark one some distance in front of her looking just as abandoned as the beach, but it's something she's glad for. She doesn't mind being alone right now, the crashing waves having a meditating effect on her. She stops halfway between the two piers, facing the ocean once more and closing her eyes as the breeze tousles the long, raven bangs shading them.
What she never notices is Batman leaning against the banister on the darkened pier, his white lenses focused on her. He had been in the area finishing up his rounds before deciding to take a walk down the abandoned pier to get away from the celebrating couples and watch the moonrise in peace. He had been there only a few minutes before Jazz's bright dress caught his attention. As he watched her stroll down the beach, her eyes downcast in thought, he wondered what could have happened that resulted in her being alone tonight. But rather than approach her, he maintains his vigil, curious to see where she will go next.
He smiles a little when she digs her feet into the sand as another wave washes over them. She pulls another piece of cotton candy from her ball, and savors it, licking the cavity-inducing treat from her fingers. It's been a long time since she's felt so carefree, forgetting her past's disappointments, the pressures the role of Batgirl places on her, and her obligations as a twenty-two year old college student.
She looks out to the sea, remembering just how much she loves the salty smell of the incoming breeze. With her attention focused on the dancing waves, she never senses another being approach her until a tap on her shoulder startles her into turning around. Her wide eyes relax when she recognizes Batman staring back at her.
"Hey," she greets, turning back to the water as he steps forward to stand next to her.
"Where's your date?" He asks, holding hands behind his back and keeping eyes on the horizon ahead of them.
"Surgery. He was the only one dumb enough to stay sober tonight," she replies, her toes scrunching the sand between them.
"Did you at least get some time together?"
She nods. "Got through an entire movie this time, which is good enough I guess. Besides, who needs more than two hours a week with their boyfriend anyway?" She quips, but he picks up on the subtle sadness in her tone. "What are you doing here?" She asks, changing the subject.
"Was in the neighborhood," he replies with a shrug. "I can walk you home," he offers, turning away and taking a few steps towards the city.
"I'm not ready to go back yet," she replies instead, her tone bringing him to stop and study her.
The sorrow etched on her brow draws him back to her side again, his eyes turning out to the sea and hands still clasped behind his back in patient wait. She offers him what's left of her pink cotton candy, which he accepts by removing his glove and pinching off a fluff. They stand side by side in silence, licking cotton candy off of their fingertips while watching the waves crash in front of them.
"Henry was supposed to be my first Valentine," Jazz suddenly confesses, bringing Terry to look over at her. He remains silent, but it doesn't keep her from continuing. "I never cared much for Valentine's day, you know. I always spent it with a bad movie and good chocolate. Kept the sting of rejection away since I never put myself in a position to be rejected."
"Is that what you told yourself every year when no one asked you out?"
The comment earns him a glare. "I get you're grumpy, but you don't have to be a prick."
He smirks at that as he turns eyes back to the horizon. "I'm not being a prick," he replies.
"Could've fooled me," she says, her angry eyes turning to the water as well.
"What I meant," he continues without turning back to her, "is being alone such a bad thing?" The question brings her to look at him more curiously than angry. "Sometimes it's better to be alone than with the wrong person for the wrong reason, and there's no worse reason than just wanting a date for Valentine's day."
"You speaking from experience?" She asks, but her question goes unanswered. Terry maintains his stoic gaze, his thoughts never making their way to his lips, so she sighs as her gray eyes turns back to the sea. "Wanting to conform is an ingrained part of being human; as much as I hate to admit it, the truth is this was just one of those things that I secretly wished I could experience like everyone else."
"That's idiotic," he replies.
"You have no intentions of holding back tonight, do you?" She remarks, finding his repeated harshness tonight uncharacteristic.
He throws her an indifferent glance before turning eyes ahead again. "You shouldn't conform; you're worth more than that. A lot more. Tell anyone who makes you feel inadequate to shove it."
She can't help but grin at the unexpected compliment before bringing bashful eyes down to her feet. "I'll try to remember that," she replies, looking back out at the moon.
A still moment passes between them, the cold water rushing over their feet, Jazz's bare ones being the only pair that get wet. They find the repetitive sound of waves crashing somehow soothing, the pull of the receding water welcoming even, and allow it to go uninterrupted for quite some time before Terry breaks it.
"Her name is Dana," he says, his voice just loud enough to be heard over the waves. Jazz turns eyes back up to him, remembering her comment earlier that night that caused him to walk away. "She was the first person I ever trusted," he pauses before quietly adding, "First person I ever loved."
Though it goes unsaid, Jazz knows how heavy those words weigh. Trust isn't something Terry grants so easily, especially after being burned so many times in the past. And love, that's a word she's never heard him use before. A person has to be pretty special to earn the privilege of being trusted and loved by him. It's clear Dana wasn't just an important person in his life; she must have represented an entire part of him.
"She left me," he finishes, never elaborating further than that, but not needing to either.
Jazz finds herself empathizing with his pain. The day he lost Dana must have felt like an arm being ripped from its socket. He never thought it could happen, not for good at least. But it did. And the hole it left, the grief it caused, never healed. Jazz finally understands the source of his unusual bitterness. She turns her eyes back to the moon, both of them somehow finding comfort in its reliable and unwavering presence.
"It never goes away, does it?" She finally asks, bringing Terry to look at her. "The pain from your expectations falling through," she elaborates, exposing her vulnerabilities. "No matter how low you set the bar, no matter how hard you try to be indifferent and just accept things as they come, life still finds a way to disappoint you and it never stops hurting. Almost makes you want to give up."
The silence that passes between them is his way of agreeing. Both heartbroken, one by lost love and the other by the unfairness of life, they stand side by side, finding comfort in the realization neither one is alone in their pain.
"Good thing almost doesn't count," Terry adds, his simple words renewing hope and reason to keep pushing forward.
"Yeah," she smiles. "I'm ready to go if you are," she says, taking a few steps back until she reaches dry sand. With a nod, he pulls his glove back on and leads the way towards the city.
As promised, he escorts her back home before returning to his duty to finish the night's patrol. Alone in her apartment save for her cat, she sighs as she changes out of the dress that took her hours to settle on and loosens her hair from the updo she vows to never try again. Once dressed in her oversized pajamas and the make-up wiped off of her face, she sighs with content as she crawls into her bed, dragging the cat with her so she won't feel the pang of loneliness as much. But no matter how hard she tries, sleep continues to evade her. Her grey tabby having grown sick of her restlessness escaped her embrace an hour ago, and she turns over for the eighteenth time before she groans and reaches for her phone to check on Henry. He has yet to reply to the text she had sent hours ago, meaning he hasn't left surgery yet. As she debates whether catching up on homework will help induce some drowsiness, her phone suddenly buzzes with a message.
Snapping it up, she realizes it isn't from her boyfriend but from Terry reading: 'You still up?'
She types in 'Yeah, why?'
His reply however, is the form of three soft knocks at her door, prompting her to rise out of bed. Shuffling to the front door, she opens it to reveal Terry on the other side, a shoulder leaning against the doorjamb and lopsided smile drawing his lips. She raises a questioning brow at him, and his response is to hold up a DVD copy of the movie Exam for her to see.
"It's time you start watching good movies instead," he explains, reminding her of her yearly tradition.
"I don't know," she smiles, stepping aside to let him in. "Old habits die hard."
"Trust me, this'll kill it," he replies, straightening up and moving past her.
She closes the door behind him and follows him to her living room where she watches him shrug out of his jacket and crouch down to place the disc into the player under her TV set. Grateful to no longer be alone, she doesn't ask what prompted him to come, but instead prepares a fresh pot of coffee. When she returns with two steaming mugs, she finds Terry already seated at one end of the couch and a chocolate bar occupying her space on the other end.
"What's that?" She asks, nodding at the candy and handing him a mug.
"It's part of your ritual, right?" He asks, taking a sip of his coffee.
"Yeah," she smiles, setting her mug down to pick up the treat.
Taking a seat on the other end of the couch, she draws her knees up and enthusiastically unwraps the bar. She breaks off a piece, handing it over to Terry as he presses the play button.
"Happy ordinary day, Ter," she wishes, watching him smile from the corner of her eye.
"Happy ordinary day," he replies, taking a bite of the treat, thereby saving her evening and starting a better annual tradition.
END