Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by DC Comics, various publishers, and Warner Bros., Inc. Any other owners, licensees, or those legally attached to the Batman name, image, etc. of whom the author is unaware are included in this disclaimer although not mentioned by name. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Chapter 2 – Fallout

Barbara awoke to a dark room and the feel of her husband's embrace. His breath was warm on her forehead and the edges of his moustache tickled her where his lips rested against her skin. Carefully, Barbara shifted slightly and lifted her head to see the digital reading on the alarm clock on Jim's bedside table. Three o'clock; she groaned inwardly.

"What's wrong?" Jim's sleep-roughened voice asked, his arms tightening further around her.

"Nothing," she replied, instantly. "Go back to sleep."

He opened his eyes and blinked myopically. "That's never good," he murmured with a small smile. He removed one arm long enough to turn toward his night stand and grab for his glasses. Once Jim could see clearly, he propped his head up on his hand and gazed down at his wife. "We've been together long enough that I know when something's wrong. You weren't really asleep earlier." It wasn't a question.

Barbara looked at him steadily. "No; I heard you."

"And…"

"And, it's the second time in ten days that you've apologized to me for something that endangered our family; something you realized after the fact that you could have 'handled better'," Barbara's voice was more sad than angry; more regretful than bitter.

"When you pulled Jimmy up and brought him to me, I thought you'd stay with us – or bring us somewhere you knew was safe. Instead, you left to check on the Batman. He was your priority." She paused then added quietly, "We should have been."

Jim closed his eyes briefly. The Batman protected them all – including his family. How could he not have checked on him after he dropped from the side of the building? He posed the question. "Dent acted alone; you all were safe. I wouldn't have left you there if I didn't know that. How could I not have checked on him, Barbara? He'd just saved our son…"

Barbara sighed. "I know, Jim; I do. He saved Jimmy. He saves Gotham on a regular basis. Did it ever occur to you, however, that he also attracts the criminal element he needs to save us all from?"

"That's not entirely fair, you know," Jim admonished softly. "Gotham had become overrun with criminals before Batman showed up."

"Maybe; but they weren't necessarily coming after you – or us. I can't believe I ever thought the Falcone crime family was the worst it could get," Barbara responded.

"Never tempt 'worse', Barbara," Jim said reaching over and brushing a lock of hair away from her eyes. "It will come in your door carrying with it more than you feared."

"I've already been confronted with my worst fear," she whispered in response. "Twice. Once when Gerry knocked on our front door and again tonight when Dent held a gun to our son's head. I didn't tempt anything and they still happened."

Jim leaned down and captured Barbara's lips with his own, tunneling his fingers through her hair gently. When she didn't respond, he broke the kiss and looked into her eyes. "You're so angry you can't kiss me?" he asked softly.

"I'm not angry," Barbara whispered back, lifting her hand and brushing the backs of her fingers over his cheek then, "Do you still love me?"

Jim's brow furrowed and he turned his head quickly and kissed her fingers before she could withdraw them. "Of course I love you. How can you ask me?"

She shrugged and tears formed in her eyes as he watched her. "When we were first married, I felt like you would do anything to be with me. When we were still in Chicago, you treated me like I was important to you; like I mattered."

"You did; you do," Jim tried, but it was as if he hadn't spoken.

"But then we moved here and the kids were born and you started spending more time at the office than you spent at home," Barbara stopped, vaguely wiping at her eyes. "And now, you're so seldom here."

Jim sighed. "Barb, you know what it meant – to both of us – when I was hired here. It meant a fresh start without all the innuendo and lies hanging over us. They took a chance on me when few would have done it." He paused, leaning down and kissing her gently. "And you believed in me enough to put the past behind us and start again. You're not doubting me, are you?"

Barbara shook her head. "No, not like that. I trust you."

Jim felt his throat constrict. "And I will never betray that trust; I love you, Barb. There's no one but you. You know that, don't you?"

Barbara nodded, threading her fingers through his hair and gently urging him forward. She kissed him tenderly. "I do know," she responded after she had broken the kiss. "I just hate that you're never here. You're missing so much of the kids' lives, too. That's time you can't get back, you know."

Jim nodded, sadly. "I know that. But I want to have a long future with you and the kids – longer than Jimmy's next soccer game or the dance recital Maggie has next week. The long hours are my attempt at having that future. If we can lock up lunatics like this Joker guy – and the Falcone gang, we'll be closer to it."

Barbara shook her head. "Criminals in Gotham are like sharks' teeth," she said. At Jim's confused look, she added, "There are so many of them that they come in layers – rows, if you want. When one falls out of line, another just moves in to take its place. I'm afraid that this is what will happen. More and more of these fiends will head to Gotham to take on the Batman. And you and he will work together to bring them down; and the stories will grow and spread. And after all of this and all of the sacrifice, there will be no end to it. And the next knock on the door will be the real one. And we will have never had the time together that we've promised each other."

Jim gathered her into his arms and held her tightly. "Sweetheart," he murmured. "First of all, you can't assume the future. You'll drive yourself crazy trying to guess what it holds. What I do know is that the future I want isn't going to happen by itself and I'm doing the only thing I know of to make sure we have it. It doesn't mean I like it." Jim leaned back so he could see Barbara's face. "And now, now that we have to consider the Batman responsible for the mayhem Harvey Dent wreaked on the city, he will be the focus of the department and we will have to appear to treat him as any other criminal we track and capture. He'll help us as he can, but for the most part, we will again be working alone. Will it attract more criminals? Possibly. Will I have to keep working these hours? Probably. But I'll keep doing it because it's my job and because someday I might not have to miss as much time as I do now." Jim took a deep breath. "I'm not doing this because I don't want to be with you, you know. You keep me grounded; you're what's real in my life – you and the kids. That's why I can't stop fighting, Barb; it's why I won't stop."

Barbara said nothing for several moments, contenting herself with simply looking at his face – open, vulnerable, as it had been when he was pleading Dent to spare Jimmy's life. "I love you," she said finally, her voice quiet but firm.

Jim searched her eyes then cleared his throat softly. "I'm relieved to hear you say that to me. I'd begun to think that maybe you'd had enough." He leaned down and kissed her. "And that would have been a very bad thing for me, because I love you, too – very much."

Barbara smiled as she reached up and removed her husband's glasses. "Show me," she whispered and received a slow smile from Jim in return. "With pleasure," he murmured as he moved over her.

XXXXXXXX

A few hours later, it was the weak dawn sunlight slicing through the gap in their curtains that awakened Jim. Barbara was wrapped around him, face buried in the side of his neck and sleeping soundly. Jim smiled, running his hand down the smooth skin of her back and remembering how sweet their lovemaking had been. He had meant it when he told her that he loved her and that he'd never betray her trust. It was the truth; he'd learned that lesson the hard way. He turned his head and dropped a soft kiss on the top of her head. Barbara murmured something unintelligible and turned over. Smiling, Jim rose quietly and walked across the room to the bathroom. Twenty minutes later, he emerged, having showered and shaved; with a towel tied around his waist, he headed for the dresser to pull out some clothing.

"Good morning, Commissioner," Barbara said quietly, a smile in her voice as she continued; "I believe you're out of uniform."

Jim turned to find her watching him. "Well, there would be a good reason for that. I'm not on duty at the moment – and I haven't actually worn a uniform for quite some time, have I?"

Barbara smiled. "A small point given the situation."

Jim laughed softly, enjoying the moment – one that had, regrettably, become far too rare for them. Tension; that had become the overriding emotion in their marriage over the past months. Jim prayed that it did not reassert itself.

"So, what has dragged you from bed so early on a Saturday morning?" Barbara asked, propping her head on her hand as she watched her husband dress in jeans and a GCPD sweatshirt.

Jim walked over to her side of the bed and sat on the edge as he slipped into his socks and a pair of loafers. "Well, there's this young man who's about … oh, this high," he held his hand up, palm down, at the point where the top of Jimmy's head would reach. "And he asked me if we could do something today – just the two of us. I promised him blueberry pancakes at the Gotham Diner."

Barbara felt her eyes fill, even as she smiled. "'Just the two of you', huh? No room for 'the girls'?"

Jim's blue eyes crinkled at the corners. "It's like you were there; that's what I asked him." He chuckled softly. "He informed me that we could do this and come back and do something with you and Maggie later on." Jim turned and grabbed Barbara's free hand. "These are the moments I'm fighting for, you know. This is what I was talking about last night."

Barbara squeezed his fingers gently. "I know. Go. I'm sure your son is already up and dressed and waiting for you. Maggie and I will struggle along without you for awhile."

"Barb, I might have to check in at the office later on. With everything that happened last night, I'm sure the mayor will want to huddle about what we're going to say to the general public," Jim looked at her. "I'm sorry, but…"

Barbara let go of his hand and pressed her fingers against his lips. "Shh, it's ok. I get it. We'll be fine. I'd have been shocked if you had stayed away from the precinct all day. Maybe you can make it home for dinner with us, yes?"

Jim smiled and kissed the tips of her fingers. "Depends," he murmured against them.

Barbara raised one eyebrow and dropped her hand to his knee which she squeezed lightly, making him chuckle. "And what might it depend on, Commissioner?"

Jim rose and took a step back from the bed before answering. "The menu. If you make that chicken casserole you made the other night, I might have to grab a sandwich at the office…" and he made a break for the door, barely closing it behind him before his pillow hit the wood. He started down the hallway then smiled as a thought hit him. He retraced his steps to their now closed bedroom door. Turning the knob and opening the door a crack, he spoke loudly enough for her to hear him,

"Missed me," and with that, he turned and hurried down to Jimmy's room.

XXXXXXXX

Opening the door to his son's room, Jim poked his head in to find the boy exactly as Barbara had predicted: sitting on the edge of his bed, dressed and waiting.

"Ready?" he said and received a nod and a brilliant smile from his son in return.

"Let's go," Jimmy said, happily, grabbing his jacket from the coat stand in the corner and joining his father in the hallway. The two made their way out the front door, Jim pausing the make sure the lock slid back into place before making his way to the car. Once they'd both buckled into their seats and were on their way, Jimmy spoke.

"Did Mommy wake up when you left?" he wanted to know.

Jim smiled and nodded. "Yup, she did. Wanted to know why I was getting up so early on a Saturday."

Jimmy looked out the window at the passing scenery. "She probably thought you were going to work, right?" His face was wistful.

Jim looked in the rearview mirror at the small boy and his heart tightened. "Well, I'm not sure. She was pretty happy we were going out to breakfast, even though she and Maggie weren't invited."

Jimmy smiled. "Did she mind?"

"Oh, I don't think so," Jim replied. "I told her it was all your idea, though." He watched as Jimmy's eyebrows rose and his eyes grew wide. "Hey, what could I do? I didn't want her mad at me!"

"Daddy!" Jimmy laughed.

"Good thing she wasn't mad, huh?" Jim smiled.

A few moments later, Jim pulled into a spot near the diner and he and Jimmy made their way to a booth at the far end of the small eatery. As they slid into the booth's cracked leather seats and pulled menus from between the napkin holder and the sugar dispenser, Jim felt a greater sense of contentment than he'd allowed himself to feel for quite some time. He was here, with his son – for something as simple as blueberry pancakes early on a Saturday morning. It might all go to hell tomorrow, but for now, he knew this was exactly where he was supposed to be.

"Commissioner," the gray haired waitress greeted Jim; her familiarity the byproduct of the many late night, informal strategy sessions he and his team had held in this diner, over bottomless cups of strong coffee. "And who is this handsome young man?" she asked, smiling.

Jim returned her smile. "Good morning, Frances. This is my son, Jimmy," he introduced.

Jimmy smiled and extended his hand. "Hello."

Frances shook his hand. "Glad to meet you," she said warmly. "Your father has come in here many times with his officers. It's nice to see him here with a member of the family."

She looked back at Jim. "I'll bring the coffee pot, Commissioner. Are you ready to order?"

Jim nodded. "We'll have the blueberry pancakes and a glass of milk for my boy, thanks."

Jim took the menu from Jimmy and put them both back where he had found them. He glanced over at the boy. "You remember last night when I came into your room and we talked for a few minutes?"

Jimmy nodded. "It was pretty late," he said.

"Yes, it was. You asked me if I was going to go back to work, do you remember that?"

Again, the boy nodded. "You had to go back to work last week, remember? When you came back after you saved Batman."

"Yes, I did," Jim agreed. "Jimmy, I don't like spending time away from you – or Mommy or Maggie. There's nowhere I'd rather be than with you guys."

Jimmy looked puzzled. "I know, Daddy. You have to work, though. You keep us safe."

Jim nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Fortunately, Frances brought their breakfast at that moment.

"Thanks," Jim murmured as the older woman set their plates in front of them.

"Enjoy your breakfast," she said, putting the bill on the table next to Jim's plate. "Let me know if you need anything."

They ate silently for a while then Jimmy leaned toward his father and whispered, "We don't really think Batman is a bad guy, right, Daddy?"

Jim set his coffee cup back in its saucer. "No, son; we don't think that way because he's not a bad guy. He's allowing the city to remember Mr. Dent before the Joker hurt him."

"Why?" Jimmy pushed another bite of pancake through a puddle of syrup before bringing the fork to his mouth.

"Well, Mr. Dent was a good man who believed that all the criminals who lived in Gotham needed to be brought to justice. In fact, he worked very hard to make sure that happened. The city believed in him and because they believed in Mr. Dent, people began to have hope. They began to believe that it was possible to have a safer city. If they knew what Mr. Dent did yesterday, they might lose that hope. If they didn't continue to believe that Gotham could be safer someday, they'd stop working to make it happen," Jim explained. "Do you understand?"

Jimmy nodded. "But isn't it just as bad for people to stop believing in Batman?"

Jim raised his eyebrows and smiled. "Well, we think so, don't we? But, Batman is kind of mysterious and people don't really know what to think of him. Mr. Dent was the District Attorney, so people knew what his role was. He also didn't wear a mask; that sort of thing makes people nervous, I guess."

Jimmy shuddered. "I wish Mr. Dent had worn a mask last night," he said quietly.

Jim reached over and put his hand on his son's arm. "I'm so sorry that you went through that last night," he said sincerely. "I would have given anything to protect you from that."

"I know that," Jimmy said. "But it was still ok in the end; except for Batman."

Jim sighed. "Well, maybe that will turn out ok in the end, too." He looked over at his son's plate and saw that he'd polished off every morsel of his pancakes. "Did you have enough to eat?"

Jimmy smiled and nodded. "They're my favorite."

"Mine, too. Finish up your milk and we'll head home," Jim told him.

"Are you going to the office today, Daddy?"

"For a little while. After last night, there are going to be things to take care of," he responded. "But I'll come home as soon as I can; and definitely for dinner."

Jimmy put his glass down and smiled. Jim shook his head and tossed him a napkin. "You look like one of those milk commercials with that moustache," he said, smiling at his son.

Jimmy giggled and wiped his mouth. "I'm ready to go."

Jim left some bills on top of the invoice and slid out of the booth. As they left, he caught Frances' eye and waved. "Thanks," he called out, gesturing back at the table they'd just left.

As they pulled out into the street, Jim's cell phone rang. The Mayor. Jim sighed. At least he'd gotten breakfast with Jimmy before reality came crashing down. He raised the device to his ear. "Gordon," he said and braced himself for the summons he was sure would follow.