5
GREEN LIGHT

Dick Grayson rolled over in his king sized bed and reached his arm out to put around Barbara, only to find she had already gotten up. He heard the shower running and decided to do some quick breathing exercises while waiting for her to finish. He yawned, stretched, sat up, and checked his Tag watch on the nightstand next to the bed. It was nearly one pm, which was about the standard time he, Bruce, or Barbara would wake up after a night out in uniform.

Dick walked to his closet and grabbed running shorts and a t-shirt. He walked to the center of the enormous bedroom and sat down cross legged on the floor. He put his hands casually on his knees and began breathing in and out at a slow and steady pace. Dick mentally assessed his body, trying to notice any injuries or anomalies. The entire Team started every day this way. They also meditated before going out in uniform. The mental preparation was as important as the physical. After ten minutes he finished and began doing his morning pushups and pull ups. Before his first set was done Barbara came out of the bathroom wearing only a towel.

"Morning," she said as she walked over and bent down to kiss his cheek.

"Morning," he grunted as he continued to do pushups.

"I'm surprised you didn't try to join me in the shower," she said as she walked towards the closet. Barbara had almost as much clothes at the penthouse as she did at her own home. As independent as she was, Barbara still hadn't moved away from home at twenty-two years old. Six years ago her mother had left her father and taken their son with them. Gotham had proven to be too much for the Gordon marriage. Jim Gordon had been devastated and Barbara simply didn't want him to leave him alone in the house that had once held a complete family. Still, she spent a fair number of nights at the penthouse, which also helped hide her other life as Batgirl from her father.

Dick smiled and walked to his pull up bar in the corner. "Just woke up," he said. He began doing his first set of pull ups. "Of course I can always use your help on cardio."

"Ah, no. Just took a shower." Barbara started going through top after top, looking for the right one.

"I meant go for a run?" he smirked.

"Uh, no you didn't," she laughed. "I know that trick."

"You know me well. I do actually want to hit the park for a run before breakfast. Come with me. You can shower again."

"Sweetheart, breakfast for us is after lunch for everyone else. I have to go grocery shopping for Dad and me and then make dinner. It's Sunday." She frowned, not finding something she liked yet.

"Gordon family dinner night. I forgot because of the hospital thing tonight. Pick you up at seven thirty?" Dick finished his first set of twenty pull ups and dropped down.

"Yeah, we should be done by then. When is this thing over?"

"Bruce said around ten or so. We schmooze for an hour, Bruce makes a speech, Leslie introduces Tom Elliot, Tom says thank you, Bruce makes an ass of himself." He started to do a set of sit ups in between. Dick had a good sweat going now.

"How about you eat with us? You haven't come over in awhile. Might as well get used to family dinners if you're going to become part of the family." Barbara found an outfit she liked and laid it on the bed.

"Speaking of, have you figured out how you're going to tell him yet?"

"Working on it. Be patient," she replied.

Dick sighed. "Ugh, I spent a lot of money on that ring. Be nice if you could actually wear it." He stood up again do pull-ups but Barbara came up to him.

Barbara wrapped her arms around her fiancee. "Aw, are you excited to be engaged?" She kissed him again. Slower this time.

Dick kissed her back and wrapped his arms around her waist. He kissed her a little more intensely now. "Actually..." he said in between kisses "I am... excited by a couple things right now."

Barbara giggled. "I can tell." She grabbed his hand an started pulling him towards the bed.

"What happened to already taking a shower?" He reached up and took off his shirt.

"I saw you doing pushups." Barbara took off her towel. "Dinner tonight?"

"I'm there."

Barbara put her arms around his waist and pulled him onto the bed.

"God dammit!" Jim Gordon yelled. "Son of a bitch!"

Harvey Bullock started laughing. "Jim, you've hit more sand in your life than a fuckin' camel." He and Jim started walking towards the sand trap Gordon had just hit his golf ball into. This was their Sunday golf game, something each man looked forward to all week. They weren't Commissioner Gordon and Detective Bullock right now. They were just Jim and Harv, a couple of buddies playing a round of golf.

"Just hand me a damn beer," Gordon said. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it while Harvey grabbed a couple beers from their travel cooler. Jim gave Harvey the lit cigarette and took the bottle of Bud Light. Gordon took out another smoke and lit it for himself.

"Thanks, Jim." Harvey said as he took a drag. They opened their bottles and took a drink. "Cheers to the greatest game ever."

"Amen. Harvey, you are the sloppiest SOB I know. Yet somehow you are one of the best golfers I've ever seen and an even better cop. It pisses me off!" Both men laughed.

"You're a badass cop. The best I've ever known. But there's a difference between you and me."

"And what's that?" Gordon took a drag off his cigarette as they kept walking.

"Jim, you attack problems like a hurricane. You hate being a cop. You do it out of a sense of duty because you think it's what you're supposed to do. You hate the hours, being commissioner, hate all the bullshit that comes with it. You do the same thing here on the course. You hit that ball because you're supposed to. Your sense of duty is what drives you." Harvey tossed his cigarette down and crushed it under his heel.

"And what drives you, Harvey?" Gordon did the same with his cigarette.

"I just do what I love and don't give a flying fuck about the rest. I learned that after my boy died. I love beer. I love smoking. But the two things I love most in this world are being a cop and golf. I'm good because I love 'em. No better reason than that."

Gordon raised his beer to the sky "Here's to little Jackie for teaching you something. He was a cute little boy."

Harvey raised his own beer. "Yeah, he was," Harvey said as he took a drink. "Fuck leukemia."

"Fuck leukemia," Gordon repeated. Gordon's cell phone began to ring, interrupting the somber moment. He looked at the screen to see who it was. "Hang on, Harv it's Babs. Hey sweetheart, what's up? Yeah, that's fine I'd love to have him over. You okay? You sound out of breath. Okay, then. Alright, I'll see you soon." Gordon hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket.

"What's up?" Harvey asked.

"Eh, she just got done running. Wanted to know if her boyfriend could come over for dinner."

"Goin' on two years with them, right?"

"Two and a half, actually."

"Not a bad catch, Jim. Son of a billionaire."

"It's the father I'm more worried about. Nice guy and all, really. But Bruce Wayne is an idiot."

"That he is. Hey, I have an idea." Harvey said as they approached Gordon's ball.

"What's that?"

"You beat me on this hole and I give up a month of vacation days."

"Fuck you, Harvey."

A hundred yards away, two men sat in an old Nissan Maxima watching Bullock and Gordon. They had been following Gordon for three weeks straight now, learning his routine and habits. Gordon bought a pack of cigarettes every other day from the bodega next to One Gotham Plaza. Gordon smoked on the porch of his brownstone every night he was at home. Gordon played golf every Sunday. And most importantly, Gordon apparently had dinner at home with his daughter on Sunday nights.

"Pass me a Coke, man." Rick said to his surveillance partner.

"All we got is Pepsi," Billy replied.

"Whatever, man. Just hand me a soda." Rick took the can from Billy, opened it, and took a drink. "Damn man, I am tired of this. Tired of sandwiches and Cheetos all day. Stakeout food sucks."

"Feels like we're back on the job, huh?" Billy asked.

"Yeah, man. 'Cept this time cops ain't on our side. Look at him, livin the life while we can't even get a fuckin' decent job. You know what pisses me off the most? He rats on us for being dirty while he works with the Bat. If that ain't some mother fuckin' hypocrisy..."

"Heh, no shit. 'Bout to come back on him though. Dude's gonna regret what he did to us for the rest of his life."

"Yeah, he is," Rick smirked. "Joker is one sick fuck. Why the fuck is he so specific about what he wants to do?"

"Beats me. Guy knows what he wants though. Don't deviate from that."

"What're you gonna do with your pay?"

"Gettin' the hell out of the States first. Find some cheap livin down south, ride out my cash. You?"

Rick finished his soda and tossed into the back seat. "A hundred in a safety deposit box for my little girl, and a hut on an island."

"Nice, we can be neighbors."

"Dude, I saw you enough in Blackgate. I hope I never see your ugly ass again after this."

Billy smiled. "Fair enough." His began to ring. Billy took it out, saw it was Flass, and answered it. "Yo, what's up?"

"Hey man, she just gave the green light. Get back here get prepped. We're a go for tonight," Flass said on the other end.

"Copy that. On our way." Billy hung up. He turned to Rick. "You ready for some action?"

"About fuckin' time," Rick said. "Been gettin' blue balls every time I look at Gordon's daughter." Rick smiled sadistically. "That bitch is hot."