Ok, this is kind of a filler, but fear not! The next chapter is jam packed with lots of angst, drama, and action, and our favorite red head makes his first appearance ;)
"She says this is the man who shot your parents."
It was a sunny day in Gotham, the cool smog lifting only slightly to allow the rays into the manor. Cas, Alfred, Bruce, and Jim were all in the study; the first two standing, while Jim and Bruce sat on the couch, going over an eye-witness sketch.
Jim had stopped by to drop off the witness, a young girl around Bruce's age, and told them the issue. She was a murder witness, which put her in immediate danger. She was also a homeless child, one who, Cas could easily see, Jim had let get under his skin. He wouldn't let anything happen to her, she was just a kid. So, for the remainder of the investigation, she'd be staying at the manor.
Personally, the blonde thought it was a great idea. Bruce hardly ever got interaction with other children outside of the school incident, and maybe getting to see how other, non-rich children lived would be very good for the boy.
Alfred, however, didn't seem to agree.
"I don't recognize him." The young Wayne was saying, shaking his head, "I didn't see him without the mask, and I've never met him." He looked over at Jim, face pinched with sadness and anxiety. "Do you believe her? When she says she saw who killed my parents?"
Jim nodded, his face determined. "Yeah, I do."
"So, she saw…everything?"
Jim couldn't really answer that, and he only nodded sadly. Alfred interjected, looking irritated.
"And you want her to live here with us, do you? A common street criminal?"
"Alfred." Cas's tone was sharp and disbelieving, but the butler ignored her, continuing to look at her brother expectantly. Jim shrugged.
"She's hardly older than Bruce; she's just a kid who's seen too much. This is for her safety, the G.C.P.D is full of moles-"
"Right, and how long would you have us put her up, then?"
Her older brother started to open his mouth, then shook his head. "I don't know."
"Well, the answer is no, then." The older man stated firmly, "Her being here will put Master Bruce in great danger-"
"Alfred!"
Bruce's voice broke through their arguing, his brown eyes set with that familiar look Cassie knew all too well. He'd made up his mind, the girl would be staying.
"She's the witness to a murder, Master Bruce, you do understand that, don't you?"
"She's also the best chance we have at finding whoever killed my parents, isn't she?" Bruce shot back, turning to Jim near the end of his sentence. Jim nodded.
"Yes, she is."
Bruce nodded, still gingerly holding the sketch. "Then she can stay."
He set the paper down, rising to his feet, and turned so he was standing in front of his guardian, eyes pinched together, jaw set.
"I've made my decision."
And then he walked away; Cas could only guess to go find Selina Kyle and speak to her. She sighed and rubbed her neck as Jim stood, shooting Alfred an apologetic glance.
"Look, I'm sorry, ok? If this follows through, she'll have to testify, go before a judge." He shook his head, "Witnesses back out all the time, the ones that stick around do so because they care about the victims."
"And when will that be?"
"I'm doing everything I can; Montoya, Allen, and myself are going to meet with an ADA this afternoon, one that they trust." He motioned to his sister, who nodded, but Alfred looked doubtful.
"A trustworthy lawyer? In Gotham?"
It was later the next day, and Cas was swearing as she pulled up to Wayne Manor. She was almost thirty minutes late, her damn alarm hadn't gone off for whatever reason. Probably needed a new one, since it was such a hunk of junk. Plus, since Jim was now back to staying in the apartment they shared, he had a tendency to take up all the hot water. It had been annoying when she was younger, and it was still very much annoying now.
So, with her shirt still hanging halfway off her shoulder, she bounded up the steps, converse slapping against the concrete as she entered the home. The side entrance she always used squeaked loudly, but that's why she used it; it could be heard throughout almost the entire first floor, usually signaling her arrival. However, no calls from Alfred or Bruce alerted her that they'd heard the door.
"Hello?" She called out, running a hand through her hair and walking further down the hallway. "Bruce? Alfred?"
"Who are you?"
The young voice had her turning, muscles tensed, but relaxed upon seeing who it was. A young girl, no older than Bruce. Two bright, green eyes were sizing her up, her short hair wild with curls. She looked tired, and that was when Cas guessed who she was speaking to.
"Selina, right?" The blonde inquired, setting her bag on the table and shrugging out of her jacket. "My brother told me you'd be staying here. I'm Cassie, Bruce's nanny."
"Wait," Selina's eyes widened, "you're Gordon's kid sister, aren't you? Cassandra?"
Cas grimaced. "Yeah, that's my full name. Do me a favor, though, don't use it. It's just Cas."
The girl nodded, then gestured to herself. "Well, everyone calls me Cat."
Cas stuck her hand out, and though she could tell the girl was surprised, she returned the handshake. "Nice to meet you, Cat. How are Alfred and Bruce treating you?"
"Well…" the tween trailed off, smirking a little. "I don't think the butler likes me too much."
A snicker bubbled past Cassie's lips, and she nodded, pulling a book out of her bag. "Yeah, don't worry. He'll come around, he's just very paranoid."
"Who's paranoid?"
Both girl's eyes widened at the sight of Alfred, standing in the doorway off to their right. Cassie shrugged, smiling innocently.
"No one. Anyway, I think I'll go check in on Bruce, now." She slapped Alfred's bicep lightly, in a friendly greeting, before heading down the hallway.
The day went on as usual; Cassie helped Bruce with the curriculum he was developing and compiled a reading list for him to go through in his spare time. It was mostly classics; To Kill a Mockingbird, The Count of Monte Cristo: Abridged, the Invisible Man, and her personal favorite, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone.
Selina wandered, mostly. It was obvious the young girl had never seen such a large house; not that Cas could blame her, she reacted the same way when she first started working there. But she could easily sense two things from the men in the house: Bruce had a massive crush, and Alfred downright hated her.
No amount of lecturing or hissing at him to shut up was doing anything, so all she could do was mediate and pray that the butler saw the good the girl was doing for Bruce. It was tough, but she simply tried to ensure everything played out peacefully. As she was walking through the halls, her phone rang, and she raised it to her ear in surprise.
"Harvey?"
"Hey, Cas, I'm just checking in. You doin' alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fortressed inside the manor, so…" she trailed off, then shook her head slightly, "Um, anyway, is there anything you need?"
"Well, it's more like what I thought you would need." There was a pause. "Did Jim tell you Barbara had left?"
Cas sighed, closing her eyes. "Yeah, he did. He moved back into our shared apartment, so that was the biggest red flag to me. I thought she'd be back by now, but nothing."
"I tried to get him not to worry about it, but I don't think it did any good. He seems…on edge. Any chance you could come down here at the end of your shift? I think I could use your input."
Cas snorted. "Did you just willingly ask me to come down to the station?"
"Yep."
"And you realize you're purposefully asking for two Gordon's under the same roof?"
"Trust me, kid, I know what I'm getting myself into. But I need to make sure that brother of yours is right in the head, or he's going to get me killed."
"Mm-hm." She agreed tauntingly, then chuckled. "Ok, Harvey, I'll be over there as soon as I'm done here, ok?"
"See you then, blondie."
She started down the hall, wanting to check on the kids, when their voices stopped her. It wasn't that they were talking, it was that they were speaking in such…soft tones. There was no shouting or threatening, simply talking. Slowing down, the younger Gordon stopped just outside the door, listening to them.
"My mom does magic tricks." Selina was saying, and Cas was reminded of when Bruce had told her regretfully of how the girl had reacted when asked about her family. It was an honest mistake, but she could tell by the girl's response that she was not, in fact, an orphan.
She'd been abandoned.
"Really?" Bruce.
"Yeah; she sings and dances and does magic tricks," the street kid began to list off, "gets paid, like, millions. But that's just a cover. Really, she's just a secret agent for the government. And, when she's done with her mission, she's coming back for me."
Cas felt her lips pull down into a frown, and she sighed quietly before turning on her heel and slipping away.
The kids would flip if they caught her eavesdropping.
The police station was busy the next time she got in there; but she spotted Jim, Harvey, and Ed right away. Bounding up the steps, all three men turned to look at her just in time for her to see Ed holding a large, heavy chunk of metal with a hole piercing clean through it. She cocked an eyebrow, then looked at all of them.
"So, what did I miss?"
"Cas, what are you doing here?" Her older brother asked tiredly, and she shrugged, walking to stand next to Ed.
"What, a girl can't miss her friends and her big brother?" She asked, nudging Ed's arm with her shoulder. The spectacled man laughed nervously with her, but Cas missed the glare Jim shot his way before turning back to her.
"This is dangerous stuff-"
"And Zsasz wasn't dangerous?" She asked, unable to hold the bite in her tone. He flinched, and she bit her lip, wanting to take it back. "Look, I'm just here to make sure you're alright. I mean, I am letting you know before I show up on scene, like I originally promised."
Jim rolled his eyes, then turned back to Nygma. "You were saying, Ed?"
"Ah, yes," the analyst shook his head, then continued, "this is a very specific type of explosive. It's highly volatile, and very difficult to manufacture. It's for one use, and one use only: to penetrate iron."
"Like a vault in a bank?" Jim guessed, but both Ed and Cassie shook their heads.
"Nah, those are all steel now." She dismissed, and Ed nodded, beginning to shift with the weight of the metal in his hands.
"She's right; no one makes anything out of iron anymore, not for a hundred years."
Suddenly, Harvey's eyes widened, and he turned to Jim. "The Gotham Armory."
Jim's face went slack, then his eyes narrowed. "Yeah, yeah that's right, they have those iron vaults they used to keep the gunpowder in."
"Didn't a 'private' investment group buy it out like, a few years ago?" Cassie brought up, seeing the two detective's minds headed the same place hers was. Harvey nodded.
"Yep."
"And I'll bet ten-to-one on Falcone." Jim chimed in, before both men grabbed their coats. Cas started to leave with them, then turned back to Ed, smiling gratefully at him.
"Thank you for always helping him, Ed," she told him sincerely, patting his shoulder, "you're great at what you do." She flashed one more smile before jogging after them, not noticing the forensic analyst staring after her as he struggled not to drop the iron on his foot.
As they pulled up on scene, Jim made sure his sister was carrying her gun before they walked out, weapons drawn. Her heart was pounding in her ears, but Cassie's fingers were steady on her weapon, and she knew that was what mattered.
Weapons drawn, the three rounded the corner, pointed directly at the group of men loading large groups of cash, boxed up in plastic wrap, into an armored truck. It was millions of dollars, easily, but Cassie's eyes fell on the young man, not too much older than her, that was dressed in a Blackgate jumpsuit and looking like he was about to have a heart attack, hands shaking.
"You're surrounded!" Harvey yelled out, announcing their arrival. As if to prove their point, four police cars came roaring up to the scene, sirens blaring and effectively blocking off the convicts escape route. "There's no way out!"
"Drop your weapons!" Jim warned, but no on listened. One pointed his shot gun directly at Cas, and while she didn't flinch, she saw Jim shift out of the corner of her eye. "Hargrove!"
The young man turned around, his hands still up.
"Ian Hargrove, your brother and his family are safe. We have them in protective custody." At her brother's reassurance, the boy's face dropped into one of relief, then tensed against as he looked around him. Slowly, he began to inch towards the trio. Jim walked forward to meet them, but the group of thieves weren't giving up so easily.
"If he runs, shoot him!" One of them yelled in a thick Russian accent, and Cassie pulled the hammer of her gun back.
"Don't shoot! Drop your weapons!" She yelled, but the men were getting antsy, and it was clear someone was just about to pop off a shot when they heard it.
Was that The Final Countdown?
In cellphone jingle form, the song began to pierce the air, and right as Cas realized what was happening, the world seemed to still. Everything moved like syrup, like someone was playing a video in slow motion, and Jim's eyes widened.
"Get away from the truck!" He bellowed, and Harvey grabbed onto her just in time.
The explosion threw them backwards, and her back met the gravel beneath her with roughly, making her groan. Harvey was half on top of her, an arm around her shoulders, and Jim was laying over Hargrove. The group pulled themselves up, looking at the money that was floating back down. Or, what was left of it.
Most of the bills were aflame, and just for a second, it looked like it was raining fire.
Well, at least I'm not injured this time, Cas thought wryly. She was sitting on Jim's desk, texting an update to Alfred and checking in on the kids as Jim was talking to the desk sergeant. As she finished, she felt exhaustion tugging at her eyelids.
A coffee sounded wonderful.
The coffee pot was in the breakroom, which was blessedly empty. Just the smell of the hot, black drink was waking her up, and she grabbed a mug, reaching for the carafe.
But a large hand landed on top of hers, and she pulled back in surprise, eyes traveling up a tall, dark-haired figure.
"Oh, I'm sorry," the man chuckled, stepping back, "here, you go ahead."
"Thanks." She told him lightly grabbing onto the pot. She cocked her head at him as she finished, "So, I don't recognize you, do you work here?"
It would appear she caught him spacing out, because his face blanked, and then his eyes widened and he shook his head, stumbling over his words a little. "Oh, um, no, no. I'm an assistant DA, I just came to talk to Detective Gordon about some things involving the case we're pursuing."
Her mind clicked and she stopped, pointing at him and smiling a little. "That's right! Jim told me about you; said you were the one lawyer that Montoya and Allen trust."
"Oh, you know Detective Gordon?" He inquired, looking kind of surprised, and she nodded.
"Yeah, he's my brother." She let go of her mug with one hand, sticking it out. "I'm Cassandra."
A smile that seemed a tad relieved passed onto his face, and he grabbed her hand, shaking it firmly. "Well, it's wonderful to meet another member of the Gordon family. Are you in the force, too?"
"Me? Oh no," she denied, shaking her head, "I'm actually an EMT, but right now I'm just taking a break and working as a nanny."
"Well, that's a shame," he said smoothly, smiling, "I think the force could use more intelligent women."
Her lips parted slightly, and her ears grew hot. Unsure of what to say, she chuckled breathily. "Wow, that was, um…"
"A little too much?" He asked, looking sheepish, and she giggled louder this time, nodding.
"Yeah, a little. But that's the first time someone has called me 'intelligent' before pointing out my looks, so," she bit her lip, shrugging, "I think it was still good."
He matched her smile, and the two sat there for a second, both grinning like morons, before a voice interrupted them.
"Cassie?"
She nearly dropped her mug in surprise, turning to see Jim and Harvey in the doorway. Harvey looked like he was barely holding back laughter, but her older brother did not look pleased at all. His eyes narrowed in the lawyer's direction, then turned back to her.
"Bullock and I need to talk to you." He told her, nodding at the door. Irritation flared in her gut, and she shot him a glare before smiling at Dent and setting her mug down. Strolling out of the room, she purposefully bumped her shoulder into Jim's, hearing him exhale in annoyance, before the two detectives followed her back towards their desks. The eldest Gordon glared at Dent on his way out, but as the ADA exited the building, Cas caught his eyes from behind her brother and smiled, waving a little before disappearing up the steps.
It was a quiet morning.
It was also Saturday, meaning no school for Bruce. Cas had seen him and Selina bolting up the steps, whispering excitedly, so she was positive they were wreaking havoc somewhere. Oh, well, if they weren't breaking anything, she wasn't going to stop them. Kids need to explore, it's good for their health.
The blonde had just finished her book and was heading to the library to get a new one when she heard Alfred.
He was shouting.
"Run! Run!" The loud, harsh command shook her to her core, and her blood ran cold as she began running towards the sound. She hadn't even made it to the end of the hallway when his voice sounded again, this time a little out of breath.
"Cassie! They're in the house! Four of them!"
The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, and she began to turn around just in time for a man, four inches taller and at least eighty pounds heavier, coming through a door about fifteen feet in front of her, dressed completely in black and hands gloved. Without bothering to wait for him to catch onto her, she turned on her heel and took off, bare feet pounding against the carpets in the hallway as she ran. She heard his heavy boots thudding against the floor as he chased her, and she hooked a left, ducking into the kitchen.
Panting, she looked around, ready to run through the entrance to the backyard, but it was too late. The thug busted through the door, a heavy hand clamping down on her shoulder. Following the momentum, she dropped her shoulder towards the floor and reached back, grabbing his hand and turning to deliver a hard kick to his knee. He was faster than she anticipated, though, and dodged, pulling out a gun. Her senses and reflexes kicked into high gear like someone had just cranked up a dial at the sight of it, and she grabbed the muzzle with her left hand, shoving it away as her right came up and smashed into his wrist, forcing it away from the handle. She tried to point it, but he was too close, and kicked, the toe of his boot hitting her hand and knocking it across the floor.
A flurry of punches and kicks came at her, forcing her back, and she knew that even if she was dodging and catching the hits, she wasn't too far from being backed into the table. Switching tactics, she reeled back and lifted her leg, planting her foot on a chair nearby and jumping. Her fingers wrapped around the chandelier, and she swung forward, shoving both feet into the man's chest.
It did the trick; he was knocked back against the wall. Turning, she ran towards the gun, but he wasn't as far as she thought. A hand grabbed at her hair, twisting the tangled curls around his fist, and she shouted in pain, grabbing back at his wrist and trying to alleviate the pressure on her head. He pulled, harder and harder, and that was when the sun glinted off of something out of the corner of her eye.
Alfred had been cleaning the knife drawer.
Bingo.
Reaching back, she used the same move she'd done with Zsasz. Lock a thumbless grip around the wrist, down, twist, pull towards you. The assassin grunted in pain, but she wasn't done. Instead of completing the dislocation, she shoved his hand down, right onto the table, and snatched up the carving knife that was within arm's reach. And before he could pull away, she slammed the blade straight through his palm and into the wood.
His scream was incredibly loud, dripping with pain, and he cursed her several times, but Cas wasn't done yet. Turning, her fingers wrapped around the meat cleaver and she swung, busting the heavy tool over the back of the man's head. It connected with a loud crack! and he stilled, splayed across the table with his hand pinned to it.
Panting, she darted forward and grabbed the gun, checking to see that she had sixteen rounds left and one in the chamber before charging it and taking off into the hallway.
Thuds and shouts of pain directed her towards one of the sitting rooms near the back of the house, and she sped down the hall, button-hooking corners as she did. No one appeared to be hiding, but she didn't relax until a shot sounded, making her jump. She ran into the room just in time to see Alfred, in a kneeling position, lowering the gun from where he'd fired a shot through the French door.
"Alfred! What-?!"
"Hurry, they're after Bruce and Selina!" Without waiting to see if she came after him, the butler took off, and she followed, blue eyes scanning the area for the two young children.
They rounded the corner outside, however, to see their fading figures. Followed closely by a pack of people dressed in the same dark clothing as her own attacker. Raising her gun, she fired twice, cursing when the intruders ducked the bullets missed. One turned, raising his own weapon, and she heard Alfred cry "Cas!" Before she was suddenly shoved to the side, hearing the man shout in pain.
He'd shoved her out of the way.
Now bleeding from his shoulder, he ducked in cover, and Cassie did the same, trying to fire off more shots. The assassins laid down heavy cover-fire, though, and soon, they were too far away. The blonde jumped to her feet, running forward, hearing Alfred thundering after her. Finally, the stopped at the edge of the property.
There was no one around them. No kids, no assassins, no gunfire, no shouting.
They were gone.
Cas's hand came off her gun, and she ran it through her hair in panic as she realized what had happened, horror welling up inside her. Alfred turned in another circle, grey eyes wild with panic, and shouted.
"BRUCE!"
By the time the cop had finished questioning her, Cassandra had found her jacket and boots, hurriedly slipping them on. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that Harvey, Jim, and Alfred were all done talking and going to try and leave her there.
And she was right; as she threw open the door, she saw the three men staring to walk out the door without her.
"Hey!" She cried, running down the stairs towards them, "Hey, stop!"
"No, Cas-" Jim started, raising a hand, but she cut him off.
"Don't tell me 'no', Jim; you're going to look for Bruce, and I'm coming with you." She told them firmly. Her older brother shook his head, and Harvey started to open his mouth, but she didn't bother listening. Brushing past them, she opened the front door and turned back.
"So, are we going, or what?"
As it would turn out, Harvey knew a kid that knew Cat; ran with her on the street sometimes. His name was Mackey, and it was the same kid that got thrown through a window by the child snatcher a few months back. The teen seemed to think that Cat was in trouble, though, and his lips were sealed.
Cassie watched from her spot near the door as Harvey interrogated the boy, Alfred standing not too far away, leaned up against the wall, grey eyes narrowed.
"Come on, Mackey, I know you used to run with a girl called Cat." Harvey pushed harder at the kid, hands braced on the table in front of him where Macey was sitting. "She's in serious danger, Mackey."
The kid scoffed. "Who isn't, right? Crazy world."
"How much?"
Alfred's voice pulled her from her concentration, and she looked over to him, eyes widening, as he stepped towards the teen and opened his wallet.
"How much?"
Harvey and Mackey looked equally shocked, and the younger boy shot the detective a look, as if to ask is this actually happening right now?
"There's one hundred." The butler stated softly, placing a bill on the table.
Mackey looked conflicted for a few more seconds, but eventually, he sighed. "Look, I-I don't know where Cat lives; she's private about stuff like that. But," he paused, "I know she got a new fence because her old one got popped. He'd know where to find her."
"Who's the fence?" Cassie spoke up, but Mackey only shrugged.
"I don't know." He bit his lip, then looked up at Harvey. "But I do know who would."
"Oh yeah?" Harvey spoke up, voice raising. "Who's that?"
At the harsh note in the detective's voice, Mackey scoffed and rolled his eyes, sitting back. Seeing his opportunity, Alfred pulled out another one-hundred-dollar bill and laid it on top of the other. Harvey growled.
"Damn it, Alfred, save your cheese, I'll beat the truth out of this kid with a roll of quarters!"
"Look, ask Fish Mooney!" Mackey finally snapped, and all three adult heads turned to him, surprised. "She runs all the fences!"
Satisfied with his answer, Harvey straightened and walked towards the door, beckoning Cas to follow him. As she did, Alfred turned towards her, and she cocked her head, eyebrows raised.
The butler just shrugged, smirking.
"You sure you want to come in with us, Cas?" Harvey asked the blonde, eyes narrowed as they approached the front door to Mooney's club. "Fish probably won't be too happy to see you anytime soon."
"Yeah, well, Fish is going to have to learn to put up with it. We need to find those kids." She shot down, straightening her shoulders. Both men hesitated, but nodded and continued inside.
Full disclosure: Cassie was scared. She'd be lucky if Fish didn't shoot her on sight, to be completely honest. But she also meant what she'd said; they really needed to find those kids before the assassins, or any other twisted adult, got to them while they were on the streets. And if the crime boss was their best bet, then so be it.
The club was empty, seeing as it was the middle of the day, and several dancers were on their way off the stage when the trio walked in. The girls shot flirty greetings towards Alfred and Harvey, and two actually looked Cas up and down with seductive smiles, but they didn't interact any further. Especially once Butch stepped forward.
"Busy day, Harvey." He told the detective flatly, "Come back next year." He nodded at Cas, smirking just a little. "How's it goin', lil Gordon?"
"Hand to God, Butch, I'll be quicker than a sailor on shore leave." He held up the picture of Selina, "Thief we're tracking down. Look familiar? Goes by Cat."
"Nope." Butch responded, not even bothering to look at the picture. Cassie rolled her eyes, shifting in annoyance as Harvey continued.
"Apparently, Fish knows her."
"Yeah, Fish knows everybody. But Fish is busy."
"She works with one of your fences, a new guy."
Butch's eyes narrowed in mock confusion, "What's a fence?"
"Don't bullshit us, Butch, she's just a kid." Cassie couldn't bite back the snarl in her voice, and the hitman turned to her, looking her figure up and down.
"Normally, this is where I'd start commenting on how cute you look when you're angry, but I'm a little tired, hot stuff, so why don't you take your little group here and skedaddle?"
"Butch, this is important." Harvey ground out, fingers tightening on the picture and shoulders tensing. "Let us talk to Fish."
"I told you, she's busy."
"I once knew a fella called 'Butch'." Alfred interjected, and the three turned towards him in surprise. "Yeah, he was a Whitechapel lad." He stepped forward, a sardonic smirk stretching onto his lips. "We called him 'Butch', you see, cause he wasn't."
Cas had no idea what half of the words coming out of Alfred's mouth meant. But that didn't stop her from fighting to hold back her smile at Butch's annoyed glance, watching as he eyes narrowed and irritation grew as Alfred carried on.
"It was a windup. It was a joke name, cause the truth is, he was a horrible little toe rag." The butler continued, and Butch interrupted, laughing tensely.
"Wait, wait; are you- are you threatening me? Is he threatening me?" He turned to Harvey and Cassandra, who shrugged. Continuing to laugh, he stepped closer to Alfred, clearly underestimating the older man. "Yeah? Cause you-"
He didn't even get to finish his sentence. Alfred slammed his foot into the back of Butch's knee, sending him to floor, and snatched a knife from his sleeve so fast that Cassie almost didn't even see it. Holding the tip to his throat, he growled lowly.
"Now, where is this Fish?"
"Right here."
The group looked up to see the Queen herself standing on the staircase, clad in her usual gold attire. Her gaze darkened upon seeing Cassie, but she continued down the steps as the two men got off the floor, glaring at each other. "What do you want, Harvey? And why did you think it would be a good idea to bring her with you?"
"Nice to see you, too, Fish." Cas spat back, jaw clenched. Sensing the rising tension, Harvey stepped between the women, chuckling nervously.
"Ah, she's just along for the ride. Hey, we're looking for this girl." He handed Fish the picture. "Street thief, goes by Cat; she works with one of your fences."
Fish shrugged. "Looks familiar. What's the urgency?"
"Professional killers are looking for her."
The woman's eyebrows raised, albeit not looking all that surprised. "Professionals, hmm? This wouldn't be the Lovecraft witness, would it?"
Cas's heart dropped, and she sighed. "How the hell did you know?"
"Street's talk, honey." The older woman admonished before turning back to Harvey. "Using her to scare Lovecraft; she saw the Wayne's killer, supposedly."
"Yeah."
Fish hummed again, reaching up to adjust the detective's coat. "And you're here because you want me to help you find her, don't you?"
"Yes."
Fish shook her head, grinning. "Oh, Harvey," she chuckled loudly, "why would I help you two," she motioned to him and Cassandra, "of all people?"
The younger girl nearly spat out that she could find it in her withered, dead heart to help some fucking children, but before she could even open her mouth, Alfred beat her to punch.
"She has Bruce Wayne with her, miss."
That got Fish's attention. She turned to Alfred, eyebrows going up to her hairline. "Really?"
He stepped forward, face softer than either Harvey or Cas had ever seen. "Yes, miss. I'm Alfred Pennyworth, the boy's legal guardian. Pleased to meet you." His voice was so much more…gentle than Cassie had ever heard before. It was only then that she saw the look on Fish's face, and her jaw dropped.
Holy shit, Alfred…
"We really need your help."
"Well, you see, Alfred, I would love to help you, but it would infringe upon my personal interests. And why would I do that?"
Alfred stepped forward again, now very much in the woman's space, and looked down straight into her eyes. "You have a very eloquent gaze, if I may say so, Miss Mooney. And I can see that you're not a woman that would let petty self-interest outweigh…honor…and compassion."
Cas had to physically bite her lip to keep from laughing out loud. The butler was playing Fish Mooney like a fiddle, and shockingly enough, the woman was falling for it. If the blonde was being completely honest, she didn't even know the butler could be that charming before; he was always so hard-headed.
Fish paused, looking the butler up and down, before her own seductive look slithered onto her face.
"I'll make some calls." She turned to walk away, then looked back, holding up a finger. "But remember this kindness.
Both Harvey and Cas looked back at Alfred as she walked away, one with raised eyebrows and the other struggling to hold in her snickers.
So, as it would turn out, Fish did know where the fence was.
And since this was Gotham, what was the trio greeted with when they got there?
If you guessed 'gunfire', then go ahead and give yourself a pat on the back.
Cas shrieked in surprise as a bullet pierced the backseat window. Flinging herself onto the upholstery, she reached for the doorhandle and wiggled out as Alfred jumped from the car and ran forward, ducking in cover behind a stack of crates.
"Alfred, wait!" Cassie shouted, pulling out her own weapon. But she only had ten shots, and as the butler lunged forward, bobbing and weaving through the gunfire, she used up almost all of it while attempting to push the assassins back. After she hit one in the chest, her gun clicked. Swearing, she turned to Harvey.
"Cas, don't-!"
"I have to, Harvey! He's by himself, there's at least four of them!" And before the older man could grab her, she jumped up and ran for all she was worth into the warehouse.
Jim pulled up to the warehouse, tires squealing, and saw the commotion. His heart jumped when he remembered his younger sister was in there, and he ran forward, firing several rounds as he ducked behind the car with his partner. "Where are Alfred and Cassie?!"
"They both ran in! Alfred went first, and then Cas went after him!" Panting, Bullock shook his head. "I'm so sorry, Jim, I tried to stop her, but she was too fast!"
Jim's eyes raised in horror to the warehouse, hearing the sound of gunfire and angry shouts. His baby sister was in there.
By the time Cas got into the warehouse, she'd lost sight of Alfred. But she'd found something else.
Or someone else. Four of them.
The blonde skidded to a stop as four men stepped out, taller and wider than she. They had formed a square around her, no way out. Deep, lapis lazuli eyes turned and roamed over the threat as she slowly bent down, fingers curling around a busted, bent pipe lying at her feet.
"So," she proclaimed loudly as she straightened, "You guys come here often?"
That seemed to be a cue for the first two; they lunged at her with knives, and Cas jumped back, the blade slicing through the front of her shirt. She weaved to the right, narrowly missing the second blade and slammed her foot into the thug's knee, hearing him cry out in pain as she turned and whacked the pipe over the other thug's head. He dropped, groaning, but she knew he wouldn't be down for long as the other two ran towards her. Raising the pipe, she blocked one's knife, stopping the man's hand midair, as the other moved to punch her right in the head. Thinking fast, she jumped to the side, ramming her knee into the ribs of the one holding the knife and snatching the weapon from his hands before flinging it towards the other thug.
Her aim wasn't deadly, but it was good enough. The man screamed as it buried into his shoulder, and Cas turned to give one final smack to the one getting off the ground before taking off. No way could she last too long with four of them, she'd be dead before things really started getting interesting.
Her boots smacked loudly against the concrete as she rounded the corner, yelping as she ran smack dab into another body and moving to crack their skull with her weapon.
"Woah, woah, Cassie, it's me!"
She stopped her assault when she realized it was Harvey she'd run into, who was staring at her in shock and some relief. Releasing air she didn't know she was holding, Cas dropped the pipe and shook her head.
"Did you find any?"
"Yeah, Jim and I managed to get a few," the older man assured her, eyes carefully looking around. "You?"
"Yeah, I knocked out a couple back there." She told him as they started walking forward, Harvey's gun always in front of him. "One might still be conscious, but maybe he-"
"Down!"
They had just rounded the corner as she was speaking, and right as Cassie's eyes fell on the familiar, comforting face of her older brother, Jim raised his gun, eyes narrowing as the shout left his lips.
Both she and Harvey dropped just in time for a shot to pop loudly through the air, sailing over their heads. They heard a pained grunt and then a loud crash, and both raised up slowly just in time to see a thug slowly slide down a pile of boxes he'd fallen on and hit the floor, the pistol in his hand clattering loudly to the ground.
Bruce was safe, and according to him, so was Selina. Cassie nearly passed out in relief when she saw the boy and Alfred, both alive and unharmed, as Jim and Harvey were finishing cuffing the remaining thugs. But unfortunately, it wasn't a happy ending.
Lovecraft, the one who Dent had been hoping to prosecute and was so sure was behind the murder of the Wayne's, had been killed by the same assassins with Jim's gun. The news alone was enough to make Cas's heart stop, and unfortunately, it was almost worst than she originally feared.
"Arkham?" She asked incredulously, arms folded over her chest as she watched her big brother pack up his desk. Harvey was standing near them, looking just as shocked and furious.
"A security guard for nutjobs?" The detective pitched in. Jim merely shrugged off their comments as he finished loading some things into his box, like a picture of the two of them, both smiling at the camera with their arms around each other.
"Criminal nutjobs." He corrected dryly, and Cas rolled her eyes as Harvey spoke up again.
"And you're just going to take it?"
"It's that or quit."
"So, quit!"
Jim shook his head at his partners insistence, jaw setting. "That's what they want me to do." He said calmly, and Cas ran a hand through her hair, shock still bubbling in her chest.
"What the hell is happening here?!" She cried, "J, what are you doing? You're just going to lay down and let Mayor James walk all over you?"
"I've only got two options, Cassie-" Jim started in on his sister, but she wasn't finished.
"No, you don't! You always have another choice, Jim, you're the one who taught me that!"
"It isn't worth the risk, Cassandra!"
His tone was hard, harder than she had heard in a long time, and she stopped speaking, mouth setting in a firm line. Harvey looked between the two siblings somewhat nervously as the tension thickened, but then Jim sighed, face softening.
"I'm sorry, Cas. Look," he approached his sister, taking her hands, "I want you to know I'm proud of you. I saw those thugs." He told her, raising an eyebrow.
Cas smirked a little and gave an innocent shrug. "Maybe they shouldn't try to pick on an innocent young girl next time."
A smile came over Jim's face at his sister's antics, and he returned to gathering his stuff, glad things had simmered down a little, when both Cas and Harvey looked at someone behind him.
"Detective Gordon." Ed Nygma stuttered out, looking somewhat afraid to make direct eye contact. "I've heard you've been thrown out in disgrace, is this true?"
"Yeah, it is." The eldest Gordon confirmed, nodding. The frown on the forensics analysts face deepened.
"I'm gonna write a letter to the boss." He told the detective firmly, then the look of uncertainty returned. "Um, which boss should I write to?"
"Forget it, Ed." Jim denied, shrugging. "That's the breaks, huh? You take care."
He stepped forward to shake the man's hand, and Ed shook it hesitantly before lunging forward and wrapping Jim in an awkward hug. Cassie couldn't help but smile as she watched, mouthing thank you to her friend as the two released. Finally, the taller man scurried off, offering a small smile to Cas before leaving.
"Maybe you could take him with you." Harvey suggested after a beat of silence, and Cassie rolled her eyes, smacking him on the arm.
"Shut up, he's a sweetheart." She scolded lightly, and Jim nodded, chuckling.
"You know, you'd miss him if he was gone." He reminded his now-ex partner, but Harvey shook his head.
"No, I wouldn't."
Jim finally slid on his coat, picking up the large box of personal belongings. His partner watched regretfully, already missing the presence of the younger man.
"Let me buy you a drink sometime." He told him, and Jim nodded, sticking out his hand.
"Soon."
Once they were done, Harvey turned to Cas.
"And you be careful out there, baby Gordon. I'm not there to help you brother keep you out of trouble anymore."
The blonde rolled her eyes again but couldn't stop the smile that brightened her face. She leaned forward, wrapping her arms around the older man. He tensed at the affection, but she didn't release.
"Thank you for helping him, Harvey." She whispered sincerely, and at the sound of her voice, growing thicker with emotion, he relaxed and wrapped his own arms around her, returning the embrace. The two finally separated, and both siblings offered him one more grateful smile before they walked, side by side, shoulders back, out the front door.