Author's Note- Hey guys here's the next chapter, enjoy.
Disclaimer- I do not own Gotham.
Chapter 12- Keys
Jim's eyes snapped open at the sound of Barbara Lee's crying. He looked over at the clock that was on his night stand. It was 8:00am, and he knew he had to be at work soon.
Jim groaned as he stretched out his arms, and legs. While he would've loved to have at least slept for another 30 minutes his daughter couldn't wait. Barbara looked at him as he was about to get out of bed, "I'll get her", she said. Jim stopped, and looked at her. "You sure?" He asked. Barbara nodded, "Yeah, go back to sleep", she said. Jim didn't say a word, instead he laid back down, and went back to sleep.
An hour later Jim left the penthouse, and headed straight to his car. He got in the driver's side, and started the engine. However as he drove out of the parking lot he heard something rattling. Confused, he stopped the car, and got out. He inspected the vehicle, and was shocked when he saw the bottom of the front passenger's (the side that Barbara had damaged) door hanging loose.
Still shocked, he foolishly tried to fix it but to no avail. Jim ran his fingers through his hair in panic, "Damnit", he breathed. He took a deep breath as he continued to run his fingers through his hair afterwards he took another look at the side of his car. How did this happen? Jim knew the damage was bad but he didn't think it was this bad. He didn't think that the door would fall, well almost start to fall off. After all it'd been a little over a month since Barbara had beat the side of his car with a tire iron, and Jim had been careful not to bother it. So, seeing one of the doors start to fall off was a shock.
The only conclusion that he could come up with as to why his car door was coming loose was probably because it was already loose to begin with, and driving over something like a pothole must've loosened it up even more. Thus causing it to break off, and if he'd continued driving then it would've probably have broken off. Thankfully that didn't happen.
Jim sucked in a breath of air, "Damnit", he said as he breathed out. He sighed in frustration before he got back in his car. Afterwards he carefully ( so he wouldn't damage his door even more) pulled back into the parking lot then he got out, and headed back towards the building.
Barbara was in the living room, gently bouncing Barbara Lee in her arms, when she heard the front door open. She looked up, and saw Jim walk through the doorway. "I didn't expect you home so soon", Barbara said.
Jim looked at her, "I'm not staying", he said. Barbara watched as he walked past her, "So, what happened?" She asked. "One of my car doors is falling off", he answered.
A look of concern crossed Barbara's face. "Is it the side that's damaged?" She asked even though she knew the answer. Jim stopped, and sighed before he looked at her. "Yeah", he said. A few weeks ago he would've replied with a snide remark but given the fact that the two had agreed to get along for the sake of their daughter he knew doing such a thing would erase any progress that they'd made over the last week.
"I'm sorry", she said. "So, am I", he said under his breath as he looked away. He headed towards the bedroom. Barbara watched him go, "What are you gonna do?" She asked. Him heading towards the bedroom made her think he was going to stay home, and call in sick. Jim walked back into the living room, "I'm gonna call a cab", he said as he looked at her.
Barbara looked at him as she grabbed her keys that were laying on the counter, "No, here take my car", she said as she tossed them to him. Jim caught them midway in the air. He looked at them before looking back at her. "You sure?" He asked. Barbara nodded, "Yeah", she said.
"But how will you get to work?" He asked. Barbara bounced Barbara Lee in her arms before she stared at him. "Jim, I own half of Gotham now. I can work from home if I want to. So, take my car until yours is fixed, and I can find another way to work if need be,'' Barbara said.
Jim raised his eyebrow at her, "You sure?" He asked again. Barbara smiled at him, "Yes Jim, now go before you're late. I don't wanna hear your mouth if that happens", she said. Her tone had a mix of annoyance, and teasing to it.
Jim couldn't help but smile as he looked at the keys before a look of horror appeared on his face. He quickly threw the keys back on the counter. "The car's not gonna blow up is it?" He asked as he slightly jumped back. Barbara stared at him, "No, trust me Jim if I was gonna kill you then I wouldn't blow you up. I'd shoot you", she teased as she smirked at him.
Jim looked at her then a small smile appeared on his face when he saw that she was joking. "I'll see you later, and thanks for letting me use your car", he said. "You're welcome", she said.
Jim gave Barbara Lee a kiss on her forehead as he grabbed the keys off the counter. He tossed them in the air before catching them midway with a smile on his face. Jim looked at Barbara. "Thanks again", he said with a smile still plastered on his face then he headed out the door for the second time that morning.
Barbara couldn't help but smile as she gently shook her head in amusement. Ever since their talk a little over a week ago; her, and Jim had actually been getting along. No fights, no petty arguments, or threats. Just two people who lived in the same house while co-parenting their daughter, and while that had been something that Barbara had wanted a part of her still couldn't help but think that things would fall apart. But so far that hasn't happened, and she was pretty grateful for that.
Barbara Lee babbled as she looked around the room. Barbara smiled as she looked at her. Over the last week she'd noticed a change in her daughter, she seemed happier, and Barbara couldn't help but think that it was because she no longer sensed the tension between her parents. If that was possible then that made Barbara even more grateful that her, and Jim were starting to get along. Not only that but it made her determined to keep it that way. For Barbara Lee's sake that is.
Barbara Lee continued to babble as she stared at the ceiling. Barbara's smile grew as she continued bouncing her in her arms. "Yeah, I know. I surprise myself too sometimes. But mommy can be nice, even to your daddy", Barbara said before she rubbed their foreheads together.
That afternoon Jim, and Harvey were walking along the docks. They walked over to the edge of the pier. Jim looked out across the river, "How's your CI doing?" He asked. Harvey looked out across the river too, "As good as any guy in his situation could be", he answered. His CI had been undercover for a while now, and had slowly been working his way up in Penguin's organization. He was trying to get as close to Penguin as he could so that he could finally get the thing that would nail him.
Jim nodded, "Has he found out anything new?" He asked as he looked at his friend. Harvey looked at Jim as he nodded. "Yeah, a lot actually", Harvey said.
Jim raised one of his eyebrows, "Like?" He asked. "Racketeering, money laundering, illegal arms dealing, and that's just the start of it. Jim, if we move in now then we would have enough to put away most of Penguin's lower level guys. Half his operation would be in prison", Harvey said as his voice rose in excitement.
"What about Oswald himself?" Jim asked. Harvey rubbed the back of his head, "Not him...not yet. But my guy's working on it. Like I said he's found out a lot", he said. "But he hasn't found anything that can be directly connected to Oswald?" Jim asked. Harvey shook his head, "No, not really. At least nothing that can be proven without a shadow of doubt", he said.
Jim sighed as he looked back out at the river, "Great", he breathed out in sarcasm. He knew that if they put away most of Oswald's men then that would cause a huge dent in his empire. But Jim also knew that it would mean nothing because Oswald would only be out of power for a few months, if that, and as soon as he got more men then he would be back at it. So, they needed to get something, something big, that would put him away for good.
Harvey looked at him, "We'll get him partner", he said. "I know", Jim said quietly. He really wanted to get Oswald off the street along with Tony Zucco before an all out mob war could break out.
Jim looked at him, "How close is he to Oswald? Has he made contact?" He asked. "He's met him a few times. Right now he's what you would call an enforcer. But he's trying to become Penguin's bodyguard so that he can catch him in some kind of act", Harvey told him.
"When are you gonna see him again?" Jim asked. "Soon, we have a meeting in a few days so I'll see if he has any new information that we can use", Harvey said. Jim nodded his head a little, "Good", he said.
Harvey smiled, "I'm telling you working to take down Penguin is a lot easier now that I'm not being investigated anymore", he said. Jim smiled too, "Tell me about it", he said as turned around then walked away. "Are you ever gonna tell me how that came about? Getting Barbara to stop the investigation?" Harvey asked as he watched him go. After Harvey had been told that he was no longer being investigated he'd asked Jim, to see if he'd known why Barbara had stopped it, and Jim didn't go into any details. He'd just said that it'd been taken care of. Jim stopped walking, "Me, and Barbara called a truce", he said as he turned around.
Harvey watched as he walked away again, "Well can you tell me how that happened?" He asked as he flung out his arms in frustration. Jim stopped walking, and once again faced his friend. "We both came to the conclusion that neither of us was walking away without full custody of Barbara Lee. So, naturally we realized that we were stuck together until she was an adult. We figured that if we're gonna stay together until then, then we had to find some way to get along. So, we each said ten nice things about the other, and we agreed to remember those things in case one of us got upset with the other", Jim explained.
Harvey gave him a dumbfounded look, "How did you do that?" He asked in disbelief. It was hard to imagine either Jim, or Barbara saying anything nice about the other. Unless it was laced in insults. Jim shifted his gaze towards the ground, "It wasn't easy but we did it", he said with a sigh.
"So, how are things between you guys now?" Harvey asked. Jim shifted his gaze back towards him, "Pretty good actually. We've been getting along, taking care of Barbara Lee, and when I couldn't use my car this morning she let me use hers", Jim explained.
Harvey's eyes widened, "Wait, she let you use her car? But you're still alive", he said in disbelief. Jim looked at him as a smile crossed his face, "I know but for some reason I trust her. I don't know why but I don't think she really wants to hurt me", he said. He really didn't. Despite Barbara's earlier mistreatment of him, Jim didn't think that she truly wanted to physically hurt him. Let alone kill him.
Harvey rubbed the back of his neck as he looked at the ground. He didn't know what to make of this new development. Harvey groaned, "I don't man are you sure that you can trust her?" He asked as he finally looked at his friend. Jim grinned at him, "Yeah, I do", he said.
"Just be careful", Harvey said. He didn't want Jim to get stabbed in the back. Both literally, or figuratively. Jim continued to grin, "I will", he said. Harvey grinned back at him then the two headed away from the docks.
As the weeks past Jim continued to take Barbara's car to, and from work. They'd continued getting along, and had even been making conversation. Something that neither of them thought they would be doing since getting married.
Jim woke up one morning then he showered, and got dressed. Afterwards he headed out to the living room where he saw Barbara holding Barbara Lee. She looked at him with a smile.
Jim gave her a look of confusion, "What's going on?" He asked. Barbara continued to smile at him, "I have a surprise for you", she said. Jim raised an eyebrow, "A surprise?" He asked in confusion. Barbara smiled as she nodded, "Yeah, follow me", she said.
Jim watched her walk out the doorway. At first he was hesitant to follow her because he didn't know what she had planned. But since she took the baby he figured she wasn't planning to do anything bad to him. After all she had no reason to. They'd been getting along so there was no reason to do anything to him.
Not wanting to waste another moment Jim followed her. They headed out of the building to the parking lot. "Are you gonna tell me what's going on?" He asked in annoyance. Barbara turned her head to look at him as she continued to walk, "I told you it's a surprise", she said before she faced forward again. Jim sighed in defeat as he continued to follow her.
They walked past a few cars in the lot until they stopped. Barbara faced him. It was clear something was behind her but Jim couldn't see what it was.
Jim glared at her, "Now are you gonna tell me?" He asked. The tone in his voice was still full of annoyance. Barbara smirked as she stood in front of him, "Just look", she said as stepped out of the way.
As soon as she did Jim saw it; his car. At least he thought it was his car. It was the same model but he still couldn't tell because it looked so different. Brand new to be exact.
It was shiny, like it'd been polished a million times over. It looked like it'd gotten a paint job done because there were no scratches. The inside had been cleaned. But most importantly there was no damage on the passenger's side. It was completely dent free.
Jim's mouth fell open at the sight of it, "Is-Is that my car?" He asked in disbelief. He wanted to be sure that it was, and not a new one. Although he wouldn't complain if it was a new one due to how nice it looked. Barbara smiled at him, "Yeah", she said.
Jim couldn't help but laugh as he hurried over to the car. He stared at it in disbelief for a few seconds before he looked back at her. "I don't believe it...It can't be...It looks so brand new", he said in excitement. A huge smile was on his face.
Barbara smiled back at him, "Well I was gonna get you a new one but then I found somebody who said that they could fix it. The guy charged me a fortune but I figured since I'm the one who destroyed your car to begin with then I should at least pay for it. No matter the cost", she told him.
Jim took a quick look at his car again before he looked back at Barbara. "Thank you", he said. His voice was full of gratitude.
"Yeah well I only did it so you would stop using my car", she said. "Thank you", Jim repeated. Even though she tried to brush it off as no big deal it was a big deal to him. It was the nicest thing she'd done for him (beside letting him use her car) since getting married. She needed to know that he appreciated it.
Barbara sighed in defeat as she smiled, "You're welcome, now you better get to work before you're late", she said. Jim nodded, "Right", he agreed with a smile. Barbara tossed him his keys which he caught mid air.
Jim was about to get in his car before he stopped then he quickly turned around, and hurried towards Barbara. He kissed Barbara Lee's forehead, and without thinking he hugged Barbara. She looked at him in shock but before she could say anything Jim got in his car, and took off.
That afternoon Harvey was at the bar sitting at the counter when Jim walked in. He had a huge smile on his face, and there was bounce in his step as he walked towards him. "Hey", Jim said when he reached the counter. Harvey looked at him, "Hey", he said.
Jim sat down, and immediately dug into the chips that were in front of Harvey. "So, what's new with your CI?" Jim asked as he looked at him. Harvey gave him a look of concern, "That's what I've been wanting to talk with you all day about", he said.
Jim saw his look of concern, "What's wrong?" He asked. Harvey sighed, "I haven't heard from him in weeks", he said. Jim raised an eyebrow, "When was the last time that you talked to him face to face?" He asked. Harvey thought back, "It's been a while", he said.
"What happened the last time you spoke to him?" Jim asked. "I punched him", Harvey said nonchalantly. Jim's eyes widened, "Why?" He asked. Harvey groaned, "We'd met up in our usual meet up place, and some of Penguin's other goons saw us. So, we had to act fast. He started talking all tough to save face. You know, telling me to back off, and stuff like that then I punched him", he explained.
"Did they buy it?" Jim asked. He was referring to Penguin's goons. Harvey looked at the counter as he nodded, "Yeah, he ran off with them, and like I said I haven't heard from him since", he said.
Jim thought about it before he shrugged, "I wouldn't worry. He's probably just deep undercover", he said then he went back to eating the chips. Harvey looked at him, "You don't understand. At the end of every meet up we plan another one, and he missed it. I called his burner phone that he uses to contact me but I got nothing", he said.
Jim shifted his gaze towards him, "I'm sure he's okay", he said. "I can't help but think that he isn't", Harvey said. "Well is there anything that he said during your last meeting that would make you think differently?" Jim asked. "No, not really. He just said that he was getting close", Harvey said.
"Close?" Jim asked. Harvey looked at him as he nodded, "Yeah, he said that he was starting to get closer to Penguin, and that Penguin was starting to trust him more. He even said he was starting to become his favorite", he said.
Jim smiled at him, "Well there you go, that's probably why he went radio silent. Now that he's Penguin's friend he probably doesn't wanna risk getting caught talking to you so he cut off communication for a while. I'm sure he'll get in touch with you when he has something on Oswald, or when he feels it's safe to start talking to you again", he said.
Harvey gave him a look of disbelief, "How can you be so chill about this?" He asked. Jim shrugged, "I just don't see the point in worrying", he said as he smiled. Harvey looked at the smile that was on his face, "What are you so happy about?" He asked. Jim's smile grew, "I got my car fixed", he told him.
"Really?" Harvey asked. Jim nodded, "Yeah", he said happily. Harvey thought back to when Jim had shown him the damage. From the way it looked Harvey didn't think that it could be repaired.
"I'm surprised", Harvey said. "So am I but Barbara had managed to find somebody to repair it, and they did a great job", Jim said happily. Harvey's eyes widened, "Wait? Barbara got your car fixed for you?" He asked. Jim nodded as he smiled, "Yeah, and she paid for it too", he said.
Harvey stared at him in disbelief, "Barbara? As in your wife Barbara? The one who is responsible for your car needing to be repaired in the first place? The one who had me investigated? The one who has made you miserable for I don't know how long, that Barbara?" He asked. Jim nodded, "Yeah", he said happily.
Harvey started to lean back before he remembered that he was sitting on a stool. He quickly readjusted himself before he pinched the bridge of his nose. "What is she up to?" Harvey asked. He was mostly asking himself but the question was directed towards Jim too. Jim shook his head a little, "I don't think she's up to anything", he said.
Harvey removed his hand from his face to look at his friend, "Seriously? You mean to tell me she just fixed your car out of nowhere, and you're not worried that she might be planning something?" He asked. Jim's smile grew, "Nope", he said as he got up from his stool.
Harvey stared at him, "Jim…", he said but he was cut off. "I'm not worried Harvey. I really think she feels bad for destroying it in the first place, and she just wanted to make things right. Which she did. So, I'm not gonna question it, and by the way I wouldn't worry about your CI. Like I said; I think he'll contact you when he has something Oswald, or when he feels it's safe", Jim said as he slapped him on the back.
Harvey was about to say something but he held his tough. Instead he watched Jim walk out of the building. Afterward he shook his head in defeat before he looked back at the counter.
Jim arrived home not long after leaving the bar. He stepped through the doorway, and was greeted with the sound of Barbara Lee crying. Barbara was in the living room trying to console her, "Hey", she said when she saw him. Jim stared at her, "Hey, how long has she been crying?" He asked. Barbara looked at Barbara Lee who was in her car seat. "About fifteen minutes now. We were coming home from the park when she started to cry", Barbara answered.
Jim began to walk towards them, "Is she ok? She doesn't have another ear infection, does she?" He asked as a look of concern crossed his face. Barbara continued to look at Barbara Lee who just cried in her car seat. "No, I think she's just fussy", Barbara said over the crying.
Jim walked in front of the car seat, and stared at his daughter as she cried. "What do you think she's crying about?" He asked. Barbara started rocking the car seat back, and forth. "Like I said she's just fussy. Sometimes babies cry for no reason. The only thing we can do is console them until they stop", she said.
"I know that. I just hate seeing her upset", he said as he looked at his daughter. Jim continued to stare at her as he shushed her before he picked up, and walked around the living room with her but she wouldn't stop crying. After a while he brought her back to her car seat, and sat her in it. Barbara stared at Barbara Lee. "Nothing", Barbara said.
Jim sighed as he rubbed his face with both of his hands. Barbara was looking at him when she spotted his keys then an idea popped into her head. "Your keys", she said. Jim looked at her, "What?" He asked in confusion. "Your keys", she repeated.
Jim pulled out his car keys, and looked at them before looking back at Barbara in confusion. "What about them?" He asked. "Jiggle them, and see if that works", she said.
Jim raised an eyebrow at her, "Why would that work?" He asked. Barbara gave him a little smile, "Well babies like keys so maybe if you jiggle them in front of her she'll stop crying", she said. Jim stared at her, "You sure about that?" He asked. Barbara nodded, "I'm am; just give it a try. It might work. After all, it's a lot better than the alternative of her crying for the rest of the afternoon, and possibly all night. Do you want that? Her crying all night, and having to calm her down while not getting any sleep?" She asked. Jim shook his head, "No", he said. Barbara was still smiling at him, "Well then do it", she said.
Jim sighed before he took his keys then he started jiggling them in front of Barbara Lee's face. Barbara Lee continued to cry for a few seconds before she stopped, and stared at the shiny object that was in her face. A smile appeared on Jim's face. "It worked, she stopped crying", he said as he continued jiggling the keys.
"I know, I can't believe that I didn't think of this sooner", Barbara said as her own smile widened. Jim smiled at her, "I'm just glad you thought of it", he said. Barbara smirked at him before she looked at their daughter.
Barbara Lee seemed completely mesmerized by father's keys. She babbled as she continued to stare at them before she started to laugh. Jim laughed too, and so did Barbara. "I guess we now know what to do whenever we can't get her to stop crying", Barbara said.
"Yeah, we do", he said softly as he stared at their daughter. Barbara smirked as she looked at them, "I'm a genius", she said. Jim didn't say anything instead he just chuckled at her statement. The two then smiled at each other before they turned their attention back to Barbara Lee, who was still laughing, as Jim continued jiggling the keys in front of her face.
Author's Note- There's another nice chapter for you. I'm glad I wrote it. By the way the plot with Harvey's CI leads into something bigger, it's not just some side plot. Trust me, I have a plan for it. So, you can tell me what you think in the comments, and thanks for reading.