Author's Note- Hey guys here's the next chapter, enjoy.
Disclaimer- I do not own Gotham.
Chapter 13- A Night On The Town
Jim walked around the living room with a small smile on his face as he carried Barbara Lee in his arms. Barbara Lee looked back up at him with a smile on her own face. As he walked he made a funny face that caused her to babble, and laugh. Jim's smile widened at the sound as his heart filled with joy.
"Somebody's happy this morning", a voice said. Jim looked up, and saw Barbara looking at them as she stood near the entrance of the bedroom. There was a smile on her face as she watched them.
Jim smiled back at her, "Yeah, when I went to check on her this morning she wasn't even crying. She woke up, and just stared at me", he said. Barbara walked over, and took Barbara Lee from him. Barbara looked at her, "How's mommy's favorite little girl doing this morning?" She asked as she cooed. Barbara Lee stared at her then she started babbling.
Jim looked at Barbara Lee. "I think that means good", he said. Barbara smiled at him, "Did you change her diaper?" She asked. Jim continued looking at Barbara Lee. "Yeah, and I fed her too. Is that ok?" He asked as he shifted his gaze towards her. Barbara nodded, "Yeah, it makes my morning a whole lot easier", she said.
"Glad to hear that I helped", he said. The two smiled at each other. It'd been a week since she'd had his car repaired, and since then things between them had continued to go smoothly. They'd continued talking, taking care of Barbara Lee, and doing whatever they could to get along. It was nice, and they both wanted it to continue.
Barbara continued bouncing Barbara Lee in her arms. She smiled at her, and made a funny face before she looked back at Jim. "So, I was wondering, could you do me a favor?" She asked. "Sure", he said as he smiled.
"Well I know it's last minute but I have an event that I have to go to. A formal event, black, and white tie. You wouldn't like it", she said. Jim smiled at her, "Not really", he joked. Barbara smiled back at him, "Anyways I was wondering if you could watch Barbara Lee on your own. Stacy has a class tonight, and like I said I have to go to this event. So, can you do it?" She asked. "Yes", he said quickly without thinking about it.
Barbara gave him a skeptical look, "Are you sure? I don't wanna just drop her on you", she said. Jim looked at her as he smiled, "Barbara, she's my daughter. I'm more than happy to take care of her on my own", he said. He saw no harm in what she was doing. In fact he'd take care of her for a whole month on his own if he had to.
Barbara smiled at him, "Okay", she said. Jim's smile widened before he looked back at Barbara Lee who stared back at him. "It looks like it's just you, and me tonight sweetie", he said before he kissed her forehead. Barbara smiled at them before she turned her attention to her daughter. She tickled her chin which caused the baby to laugh.
Barbara looked at her, "I think I'm gonna take her to the park later", she said after a while. Jim continued to look at Barbara Lee. "When?" He asked casually. Barbara thought about it, "This afternoon, I'll come home early, and take her", she explained. Jim looked at Barbara before he smiled. "Maybe I'll join you guys on my lunch break", he said. Barbara smiled back at him, "We'd like that", she said.
Jim smiled, "Okay", he said quietly before they looked at their daughter. Barbara smiled at her, "Alright sweetie, daddy has to get to work", she said as she rubbed their noses together. "But he'll see you later", he added.
Barbara Lee smiled back at her parents as she giggled. Jim took her from her mother, and held her for a few seconds before heading her back to Barbara. Afterwards he kissed her forehead before he pulled away then he turned his attention back to Barbara, and without realizing it he started to lean towards her.
Barbara slightly backed away, "What are you doing?" She asked. Jim immediately stopped, and pulled away when he saw what was happening. A look of embarrassment crossed his face as he blushed. Jim cleared his throat as he shifted his gaze towards the floor, "Sorry, I-I don't know why I did that", he said. Barbara tried not to look at him, "It's...ok, no big deal. So we'll still see you at the park later?" She asked. Jim still had his gaze shifted towards the floor, "Yeah-Yeah", he said. Barbara still wasn't looking at him, "Okay", she said quietly. Jim's eyes were still shifted towards the floor as he cleared his voice again, "Right", he said in the same tone as her.
Jim began heading towards the front door. "Jim", Barbara called out. Jim stopped, and turned around. "Yeah?" He asked as he looked at her. Barbara stared at him for a few seconds, "Nothing", she said after a while. Jim stared at her for a second longer before he headed out the door.
Later that afternoon Jim headed into the bar. He'd gotten a call from Harvey saying that they needed to meet up. The call had been urgent, and Jim could tell based on the tone in Harvey's voice that something had happened.
Jim walked over to the counter where Harvey was sitting, and saw him slumped over in front of a mug filled with beer that looked like it hadn't been touched. A look of concern appeared on Jim's face as he sat down. "Hey, what's going on?" Jim asked softly as he looked at him. Harvey looked at the counter, "It's my CI, he's dead", he said.
Jim's eyes widened at the news, "What? Are you sure?" He asked in shock. Harvey slowly looked at him, "Yeah, a call came in from the mainland saying that a dead body, badly decomposed, had been pulled from the river. He had his wallet on him, and that had his driver's license in it. It was pretty messed from being in the water but they made out the name Gotham on it, and they called the precinct to see if we had any missing person cases open. When I informed them about my CI they'd asked for his dental records, and they were a match to the body", he explained.
Jim was at a loss for words. He opened his mouth to say something but he couldn't form any words. So, he just looked at the counter in silence.
"Do they know how long he's been dead?" Jim asked after a while. Harvey looked at him, "When I asked they said for about a week. A week; I hadn't talked to him for a while. I had thought that something had already happened to him but it turns out he was still alive. I could've done something but I didn't, I didn't do anything. If I had then he would still be alive. But I didn't. This is all my fault", he said.
Jim looked at him in sadness, "Harvey, you can't blame yourself", he said. Harvey shook his head, "No Jim, he was still alive. If I had done something a week ago, or sooner than that then he would still be alive", he argued.
Jim glared at him, "Harvey, listen to me. This isn't your fault, understand? This is all on me. I'm the Commissioner so I'm the one that should've pulled him out. The moment he didn't show up for one of your meetings is when I should've found a way to get somebody to go in, and get him. So, don't blame yourself", he said.
Harvey looked at the counter in silence before he looked back at his friend, "He was so young with his whole life ahead of him. But I basically took that from him", he said. "Harvey…", Jim started to say but he was interrupted. "He was still just a kid if you think about it", Harvey said quietly.
"He was a grown man Harvey, and he wanted to do this", Jim said. Harvey didn't listen to him, "I still shouldn't have put him in that situation", he said softly. "But you didn't", Jim said.
"But it was my idea, my plan", Harvey said as he banged one of his fists on the counter. "But I'm the one who okayed it. It may have been your plan Harvey but I could've turned it down, and I didn't. So, stop taking all of the blame. In fact don't take any of it. This is my fault. I'm taking responsibility for this, and I'll take any consequences if they come our way", Jim said.
Harvey didn't say anything instead he looked back at the counter in silence. Jim stared at him, he knew that no matter what he said Harvey was gonna blame himself. So, there was no use in arguing with him.
Jim stayed where he was sitting. He looked at the counter, and Harvey a few times before he got up. Without a word he headed towards the exit. As he did so he thought about the CI, and about how his life had been cut short.
A look of sadness soon covered Jim's face as he continued to think about the young man. Like he'd told Harvey he should've gotten somebody to go in, and get the CI. After all that was his job, and it was his call. But it was a call he didn't make. He'd been careless, and as a result somebody had lost their life. So, no, Harvey wasn't at fault Jim was. He was the one that needed to take all of the blame, and he was the one who would.
After a few hours of driving around Jim finally walked through the doorway of the penthouse. He looked up, and saw Barbara in the living room holding Barbara Lee. Barbara looked at him, "Hey, we waited for you at the park but you didn't show. Where were you?" She asked. Jim didn't say anything instead he just looked at her, and Barbara saw that he had a look of sadness. Jim cleared his throat, "I lost track of time, sorry", he said quietly.
Barbara didn't need Jim to tell her that something bad had happened. She could tell that something was wrong just by looking at his face. So, instead of saying anything else she simply took Barbara Lee to the nursery. When she returned to the living room she found Jim standing in the same spot as before, with the same sad look on his face.
Barbara gave him a sympathetic look, "Okay, what happened?" She asked. A few seconds past before he said anything. "Well, you know how we've been trying to take down Oswald?" He asked. Barbara nodded, she remembered Jim mentioning it to her a few weeks ago. He didn't explain much, instead he just said that things in Gotham were getting bad so he, and Harvey had formed a plan to take down Oswald using a CI. "Yeah", she said.
Jim looked at her in sadness, "Well he's dead", he stated. After he said that he walked over to the couch, and sat down then he placed his face in his hands. Barbara walked over to him. She placed one of her hands on his shoulder. "I'm sorry", she said softly as she sat down next to him.
"He was so young", Jim said as he lifted his face from his hands. Barbara looked at him, "I get it", she said quietly. Jim didn't say anything else instead he shifted his gaze towards the floor in sadness. As he sat Barbara stayed next to him, and rubbed his back.
For the next few hours Jim had continued sitting on the couch. He didn't say anything, and he didn't move. The only thing he did was look at the floor, and think of the young CI who'd lost his life.
Barbara Lee's crying was the thing that'd finally snapped him out of his thoughts. His head shot up at the sound. He looked behind him, and saw Barbara holding Barbara Lee.
Jim got up, and walked over to them. "Can I?" He asked. Barbara smiled at him, "You don't have to ask", she said as she handed their daughter over to him.
Jim took her, and immediately smiled at her as she stopped crying. "Hey sweetie, sorry I missed you, and your mommy at the park earlier", he said. Barbara continued to smile at him, "That's ok, I don't think she minds, she knows you have a job to do", she said as she touched the top of their daughter's head.
Jim smiled at her before smiling back at Barbara Lee who he started to gently bounce in his arms. Barbara looked at them for seconds before she walked into the bedroom to get ready for the gala that would be starting soon. Twenty minutes later she walked back out to the living room, dressed in a formal gown, and saw Jim still holding Barbara Lee.
"Is she asleep?" Barbara asked. Jim looked at Barbara with a smile. "No", he said.
Barbara walked over to them, "How are you feeling?" She asked. "I'm doing ok", he said softly. Barbara nodded, "Good", she said before she looked at their daughter.
Jim looked at the gown that Barbara was wearing. "You look great", he said casually. Barbara looked back at him, "Thanks", she said.
Jim looked back at Barbara Lee, and even though he was smiling Barbara could see that there was still sadness in his eyes. She knew the face that he was wearing was a façade. He was still sad, he just wasn't showing it. Which made sense for Jim considering it was just like him to act like he was ok but hide how he was really feeling.
Jim shifted his gaze towards her, "Shouldn't you be leaving?" He asked with a small smile. Barbara stared at him with her own smile, "Yeah", she said. Jim looked at Barbara Lee as he gently lifted up her head to face her mother. "Say bye bye mommy", he cooed. Barbara Lee made a cooing sound as she looked at Barbara.
Barbara smiled at the site then an idea popped into her head. "Come on", she said all of sudden. Jim gave her a look of confusion, "What?" He asked. "I said come on", Barbara repeated.
"Where?" He asked in confusion. Barbara rolled her eyes before she looked at him, "Where do you think? To the gala. I want you...No you are coming with me", she demanded with a smile.
Jim stared at her in disbelief, "I don't wanna go", he protested. Barbara smirked, "Yeah but you don't wanna sit here, and think about what happened either", she said. Jim shifted his gaze towards the floor, "No, I don't", he agreed.
Barbara continued to smirk at him, "Well then come with me", she said. Jim still had his gaze shifted towards the floor, "I don't know", he said in an unsure voice. Barbara walked towards him, "It won't be so bad, and if it is then we can leave", she said.
Jim thought about it some, spending the night hanging around a bunch of Gotham elites who were full of themselves seemed almost like torture. But as he thought about it he realized that he would rather spend the night hanging around them than think about the news that he'd received. Jim looked at her, "Okay", he said. Barbara looked back at him, "Alright then, I'll call Selina to watch Barbara Lee", she said as she pulled out her cell phone.
Jim couldn't help but chuckle as he watched Barbara call Selina. He gave his head a little shake as he wondered how she managed to talk him into going. A little while later Selina arrived. Jim, and Barbara kissed Barbara Lee's forehead then they headed out.
They arrived at their destination a while later. Jim, and Barbara walked into the room where a bunch of Gotham's most elite were. He couldn't help but look around the room as he watched them smile, sip wine, and make small talk. Yeah, he was gonna hate every minute of being there.
He felt Barbara nudge his shoulder. Jim looked at her as she smiled at him. "Relax just follow my lead, and you'll make it through tonight", she said quietly. "Doubtful", he said with a small smile.
Barbara smiled at him, "Come on, if you can manage to survive being in Gotham when it was cut from the mainland, and everything that had happened in that time frame then you can survive this", she said as she walked away. Jim watched her go, "True", he said as he followed after her.
Jim caught up to Barbara. "What do I do?" He asked quietly as they walked. Barbara chuckled, "When someone talks to you just smile, and nod your head. Pretend like you're listening to whatever it is they're saying, and that you care", she said with a smile.
Jim smiled too, "I think I can do that", he said. "Although the best way to avoid having to do any of that is to stay out of site, and out of mind", she said. "I don't think that's possible", he said in her ear. He didn't think he could easily blend into the crowd. Somebody was bound to recognize him as the Commissioner, and would mostly likely want to make conversation.
"Well then stay as close to me as possible, and I'll do all of the talking", she said in his ear. "Will do", he said. They smiled at each other then Barbara led him over to a group of people.
The evening was going by pretty smoothly. Jim stayed by Barbara's side for most of the night, and he let her do all of the talking. Which was easy considering the fact that everybody wanted to talk to her anyways. After all she now owned half of Gotham. So, it made sense that everybody would want to talk to her.
As Jim watched Barbara talking to some Gotham elites he couldn't help but be impressed. They respected her, not feared, respected. It was like her past as a criminal didn't matter to them.
Jim smiled as he watched in amazement. Barbara had really turned it all around. Once one of Gotham's most feared criminals was now a respected business woman. One who was helping to rebuild the city too.
Jim continued to look on. She had really had done it, and only in a matter of months too. It really was amazing.
After a while Jim snuck away from the group, and headed towards the door. Not to leave but just to get away. He needed a break from smiling, nodding his head, and overall pretending like he cared about whatever it was that they were talking about.
As he stood near the door an older woman approached him. "Commissioner Gordon, long time no see", the woman said. Jim looked over at the woman, and saw that it was Mrs. Davenport. "Mrs. Davenport, it's nice to see you again", Jim greeted. Mrs. Davenport smiled at him, "You too, and to be honest I didn't expect to see you tonight", she said.
"Well I wasn't planning on coming but my wife convinced me to come", he said. Mrs. Davenport's smile widened, "Where is she at?" She asked. Jim pointed over at Barbara who was still talking to a group of people. "Over there", he said.
Mrs. Davenport looked over at Barbara before looking back at Jim. "How have you two been?" She asked. "Good", Jim answered. "Good to hear, and how's your daughter?" She asked. A huge smile appeared on Jim's face when she asked the question. "She's doing great, and she's gotten so big", he said with a chuckle.
Mrs. Davenport looked at him, "Well babies will do that. So, you, and your wife enjoy the time that you have with her because before you know it she'll be all grown up", she said. "We will", he said.
Mrs. Davenport turned her head to look back over at Barbara again. "Now have you two thought about having another one?" She asked when she faced him again. A look of shock crossed Jim's face as he blushed. "What? No...we...we haven't", he said as he coughed a little.
Mrs. Davenport giggled at his response, "Well you should'', she said. Jim shifted his gaze towards the floor, "We...We're...It's not something either of us want", he said before he looked at her again. "Are you sure?" She asked. Jim nodded, "Yeah", he said quietly.
"Well me, and my husband weren't planning on having another one after our first child either. But things change, and before we knew it we had three kids", she said. "Well trust me, Barbara Lee is going to be the only child me, and Barbara have", he said. "Me, and my husband thought the same thing too. But like I said before things changed, and who knows? Things might change between you two too", Mrs. Davenport said.
Jim noticed how her gaze shifted to Barbara again. "I…", he said before she interrupted him. "You two remind so much of me, and my husband when we were younger. I saw it that night when we were all having dinner. The way you smiled at her. I thought to myself; that's exactly how my husband smiles at me", she said.
Jim looked at her, "I can assure you that we are nothing like you, and your husband", he said. "No, there are differences, obviously. But I could see how happy you two were", she said. Jim sighed, "To be honest we weren't really all that happy that night", he said.
"You weren't?" She asked. "No, we weren't", he said quietly. Mrs. Davenport looked at him for a while before she shrugged, "It happens, couples fight, they have bad days, even bad weeks. There are times when they're happily married, and there are times when they wanna walk out on each other. You don't think that there are days when I've wanted to walk out on Marv?" She asked. Jim stared at her, "N-No", he said.
A small smile appeared on Mrs. Davenport's face as she nodded. "There are, he makes me so mad sometimes but I love him, and he loves me. No marriage is perfect. If somebody tells you that they never argue with their spouse then they're either lying, or something is very wrong. It's not a real marriage unless there's a little bit of fighting", she said.
"Yeah but…", he said before he was interrupted. Mrs. Davenport held up her hand, "But nothing, there's nothing wrong with fighting. I assume you two got past whatever it is that you were fighting about?" She asked. Jim averted his eyes to the floor, "Y-Yeah", he said.
"Well then, there you go. Me, and my husband are the same way. We fight but we make up. The best couples do. A lot of the ones who fight don't, and as a result they break up. But you two aren't like that. No, you two are gonna make it", she said.
Jim didn't say anything. Instead he watched as she walked away, and as she did he couldn't help but think about everything that she'd said to him. Like how him, and Barbara were gonna make it.
He'd wanted so badly to tell her the truth about his marriage. Not so that she could think any differently of Barbara but so that she could know that he only married her to keep his daughter. That she shouldn't compare her, and her husband's marriage to his with Barbara. Due to the fact that unlike his, hers was based on love, and not blackmail.
As Jim stood there, and thought about the conversation he felt someone tugging on his arm. He snapped out of his thoughts, and looked to his side where he saw Barbara. "Come on", Barbara said.
"What?" Jim asked. He was confused on why she was wanting to leave. A smile appeared on her face. "I said come on, I can tell you're bored, and to be truthful so am I. You don't wanna stay, and neither do I. So, let's go", she said.
Jim blinked at her, "Are you sure? He asked. He didn't wanna leave if she wasn't ready. Barbara looked at him, "Yes Jim, so come on", she said as she continued to tug on his arm. Jim looked at her as she tried to pull him towards the door that led outside the building. "Okay", he said before she managed to get him outside.
A few minutes later they were outside, and they were actually laughing. Laughing of all things. Joking around, and making fun of all the other guests. It was something that Jim didn't expect to happen, at all. Not just for that night but since marrying Barbara he didn't think that they would be able to joke around with each other let alone get along. But yet here they were getting along, and joking around.
Barbara looked at him as they continued walking. "So, do you wanna go home?" She asked with a smile. Jim didn't look at her as he thought about it. He wasn't ready to go home, not yet because he was actually having fun. Jim smiled a little, "No", he said after a few seconds.
"So, where do you wanna go? Do you wanna go back to the gala?" She asked. "No, please no", he said quickly as he looked at her. He wasn't ready to go home but he didn't wanna go back to the gala. He didn't think he could take another minute of standing around smiling, and listening to boring conversions about who knows what.
Barbara smirked, "That's what I thought", she said. "So then, where are you taking me?" He asked. Barbara's smirk widened as she looked at him, "You want me to decide?" She asked. Jim shrugged as he looked away from her, "Sure", he said nonchalantly. Barbara continued to look at him, "Okay, follow me", she said as she walked ahead of him. Jim smiled as he followed after her.
Jim, and Barbara arrived at a construction site. Jim looked at the site, and noticed that there was already a foundation built. "Is this supposed to be one of your buildings?" He asked. Barbara smiled at him, "Yeah", she said.
"What's it gonna be?" He asked. Barbara continued to smile at him, "Don't you know?" She asked. Jim turned his head to look at her, "Not really", he said. There had been a lot of damage while Gotham had been cut off from the mainland, and even more so when the Government had bombed half the city. So, it was hard to tell what building used to be what.
Barbara tilted her head to side, "Jim, you don't recognize the location?" She asked. Jim looked around for a while until it finally hit him. Jim stared at her, "The Clock Tower'', he said quietly.
Barbara smiled at him, "Yeah", she said. Jim looked back at the site before he looked back at her, "So, what are you gonna build?" He asked. Barbara smirked, "The Clock Tower, again", she said.
Jim stared at her, "Really?" He asked. He'd assumed that it was gonna be a condo, or hotel since those were things that she was building anyway. Barbara shrugged, "Yeah, I mean it won't be the same as it was before it was destroyed but it'll be just as good. If not better", she replied.
"Why?" He asked. Barbara stared at him, "Why what?" She asked. "Why are you rebuilding it?" He asked. He couldn't figure out why she'd wanna rebuild it, and he needed to know. Barbara shrugged again before she took a quick glance at the reconstruction site then she looked back at Jim. "It was an important landmark, and I really wanna say I have the tallest building in Gotham", she said with a smile.
Jim smiled too, "Is that so?" He asked. "Yeah, Wayne Tower may get built first but it won't be the tallest building in Gotham once my company gets done rebuilding the Clock Tower", she explained. Jim smirked, "So, this about bragging rights?" He asked. "Yeah", she said.
Barbara looked back at the reconstruction site, and didn't say anything. Jim stared at her, and he could tell that she was in deep thought about something. "You wanna talk about it?" He asked. Barbara looked at him, "What?" She asked in confusion. "You looked like you were thinking about something, something important", he noted.
Barbara turned her head back to the reconstruction site, "I was just thinking about the past, our past", she said. Jim looked at her, "When I brought you here on a date?" He asked even though he knew the answer. Barbara smiled at him, "It'd crossed my mind", she said.
Jim smiled back at her, "So, that's why you're rebuilding it", he said. Barbara's smile turned into a smirk as she walked past him, "Not everything's about you", she said as she gently pushed him out of the way. Jim's smile turned into a frown, "No but I am the cause of a lot things", he said.
Barbara stopped walking, and looked back at him. She saw his frown, and sadness in his eyes. "You're still thinking about him?" She asked. Yeah", he said as he looked down.
"Here I thought taking you out would get your mind off of him", she said as she looked at him in sympathy. "It did, for a while", he said as he looked back at her. It was true, Jim hadn't thought about the CI, or his part in the young man's death when he was at the gala. So, in a way being out was a good distraction for him. Too bad it hadn't been permanent.
Barbara stared at him for a bit before she grabbed his arm. "Come on, I wanna take you somewhere else", she said. Jim followed her, "Now where are we going?" He asked as she pulled on his arm. Barbara turned her head, and smiled at him. "You'll see", she said. Jim didn't say anything else. Instead he just smiled, and followed her as she continued pulling on his arm.
Jim had no clue where Barbara was taking him. He couldn't think of anything in particular since it was late, and a lot of places were closed. So he'd been shocked when she'd pulled him on the subway.
Jim looked around in confusion. He saw a few people sitting down but other than that the subway cart was practically empty. Jim looked at Barbara in confusion. "Where are we going?" He asked. Barbara looked at him, "Nowhere, really", she said with a shrug.
Jim narrowed his eyes at her, "So, what are we doing here then?" He asked as the subway started to move. Barbara didn't sit down, instead she stayed near the doors. Jim stood next to her, and held the railing that was above his head so that he didn't fall. She looked around the subway cart. "Before Gotham was cut from the mainland, if I couldn't sleep then I would sometimes come on here, late at night", she explained before she looked at him.
Jim raised his eyebrow at her, "Why?" He asked in confusion. Barbara shrugged again, "To clear my head so that I could think, about my life, about the choices I made, or were about to make", she told him. "Did being on here help?" He asked. Barbara stared at him, "Sometimes, and if I couldn't think then I would play a game", she said.
"What kind of game?" He asked. "Well if there were people on here with me then I would look at them, and I would try to guess their backstory, or I'd make one up in my head. If I couldn't do that then I would try to guess what they were thinking", she said as she looked around the subway cart. Jim looked around at the few passengers that were in the subway cart with them. "Show me", he said.
Barbara looked at him before she looked around at the few passengers that were scattered around the subway cart. Her eyes landed on a guy sitting alone in the back. He was a young man, maybe early twenties, and he was staring at a young woman who looked to be around the same age as him.
"There", she said as she gestured at the young man. Jim looked at him as he continued to hold the railing, "Okay, what's his story?" He asked. Barbara looked at the young man, "I think he's thinking about talking to that girl. But he hasn't yet because he doesn't want to come off as creepy, or he's probably afraid that she may have a boyfriend, and so he doesn't want to look like a fool", she explained.
Jim looked at the young man, and watched as he stayed in his seat. He had to admit he did think that Barbara was onto something. The young man was looking at the woman with interest but Jim could see the fear in his eyes. So, maybe Barbara was right, and the young man did want to talk to that woman but he was hesitant for one reason, or another.
Jim looked at him for a bit before his eyes wandered around. They landed on another young man, and young woman sitting together. Jim couldn't tell if they were a couple, or not.
"What about them?" He asked as he gestured at them. Barbara looked at them, and thought for a moment. They were smiling at each other, and giggling. It was obvious that they were comfortable with each other, and the guy was looking at the woman with so much love. The woman was looking at him with love too but not the romantic kind. "I think they're just friends but I think he wants more. However I think that she's happy with the way things already are between them", Barbara explained.
Jim didn't say anything at that explanation, instead he looked at the last two passengers that were on the cart. Again, a man, and a woman. They looked like they were a couple, slightly older than the last two but younger than him, and Barbara.
Jim gestured at them, "Them?" He asked. Barbara looked over at them. Unlike the last two they seemed like they were a couple but not a happy one.
Barbara continued looking at them. The guy was staring at what Barbara supposed was his girlfriend, or maybe wife, and he was frowning. The woman was not staring back at him, instead she was looking in the opposite direction. Almost like she wanted to avoid his gaze, and like him she too was frowning.
"I think that they're a couple but a couple that has been through a lot over the years, and are on the verge of breaking up. It's like even though they're together physically, emotionally they're not together. However I think that while she just wants to call it quits he wants to save the relationship. I think that he so badly wants to ask her if they could just start over, and try again. But he doesn't because he sees that she believes that it's too late to try", Barbara explained.
A look of sadness filled Jim's eyes as Barbara's words sunk in. If any of what she said was true then he felt sorry for them. He knew what it was like to try to fix something that was broken but no matter how determined he was to fix it he usually just made things worse, and people usually got hurt, or killed.
There was still sadness in Jim's eyes as he looked at Barbara. "What would you think about me if you didn't know me?" He asked quietly. Barbara frowned at him as she gently touched his cheek, "I'd think that you were a man who had the whole world on his shoulders. That you felt like you had to be the one to fix everything, and save everyone even though nobody asked you to. I'd think that you were a hero who didn't wanna be a hero anymore", she said softly.
Jim looked at her, it was true he didn't wanna be the hero anymore. At least not all the time. He just wanted somebody else to take most of the load off so that he could relax, and be happy.
He continued to stare at her before he took the hand that wasn't hanging onto the railing, and touched her cheek. She gave him a small smile when he'd done that, and he gave her one back. There was a silence between the two as they stared into each other's eyes.
After a while the subway came to a halt. Jim looked at her, "We should go", he said quietly. "Yeah", she agreed. They looked in each other's eyes for a few more seconds then they got off the subway.
Author's Note- Well I finally got this chapter done. Sorry it took so long. Anyway, did you enjoy it nonetheless? Are you happy that Jim, and Barbara are getting along? How did you enjoy their time together? You can tell me what you think in the review section, and thanks for reading. By the way I'm pretty sure Gotham has a subway, if not, well too bad. Anyways again thanks for reading.