Disclaimer: Characters belong to DC comics. I am not for profit.


Bridgit Pike needed a place to spend the night, but she didn't want to pay for her lodging with sex. She was good at stealing, but not as good as Selina, and for someone her age, the streets left few options. It had been days since she had seen Ivy or Selina on the streets, rumors said they had been adopted by Gordon. Something stupid, because whoever knew Ivy, knew that she detested Gordon, although she believed Selina, because no matter how much she denied it, Bridgit knew that Selina had become attached to the policeman. Tracking them down hadn't been an easy decision, but she had no choice. Everyone knew where Gordon lived, but no one dared take a hit on his house, knowing that it would be considered personal and Gordon would go after the culprit. The hardest thing for Bridgit when she got there was deciding to call. She had been in this situation before. In foster homes it was frowned upon to bring in children from the street and depending on how the foster parent was, that would be the punishment. She knew that Selina would have to trust Gordon or she would never be in this house, not even against her will. Selina was like a cat, a quick escape artist. Still, Bridgit didn't want to get her in trouble. Most likely she would not be welcomed or Gordon would warn her not to return to her house or send her to one of the overcrowded reception centers.

That was two days ago.

Surprisingly, Gordon had let her stay. Bridgit had been suspicious at first, but seeing Ivy and Selina calm and healthy reassured her on the spot. They were much better since the last time she had seen them. Selina teased Gordon and Ivy seemed to tolerate him.

"Could I spend the night here?" Bridgit asked that first day.

-Of course, stay as long as you want.-Gordon replied.-Selina's friends are welcome in this house.

Bridgit had made an effort to behave as she should. She applied some of the rules that made her memorize when she was younger, one of many of the shelters she attended: ask permission for everything, don't break anything, don't bring company, the less attention you call, the better.

But her friends behaved naturally and spontaneously and from time to time, Bridgit showed her true character and behavior, but she quickly hid it again, surreptitiously watching Gordon in case she had done something wrong. To her surprise, Gordon didn't seem to mind that her pretend paper fell off from time to time. In that house She ate and slept very well. Bridgit couldn't remember the last time she was able to eat and sleep without worrying about payment. She never liked owing anyone anything, so when Gordon offered her something to eat, Bridgit wanted to know in advance what Gordon wanted as payment. Gordon didn't understand her offer, it was Selina who had to intervene quickly to explain that it was free and from the look on Selina's face, Bridgit knew that she also hoped that Gordon would never understand the seriousness of Bridgit's offer. She didn't like it when she was called a prostitute, although Bridgit knew that if she didn't change her life soon, she would become one of them. Street girls were rarely able to change their lives, almost all of them ended up becoming prostitutes.

She'd had to sleep on the couch the first two nights, then Gordon insisted on buying them bunk beds, saying they might not need it, but the children he was thinking of adopting would. Bridgit felt weak, she didn't want to leave, at least not so soon. It was the first time that she felt safe in a house.

"Which one do you like?" Gordon asked. The vendor looked at them impatiently.

Ivy and Bridgit looked at each other. Bridgit let Ivy choose the bunk she liked best, she was content with having a place to sleep and Ivy was going to choose a comfortable bunk for both of them. Selina had decided to keep Gordon's old bed, it was comfortable, no one could deny it, but Bridgit knew Selina was doing it so Gordon wouldn't spend so much money on them. Bridgit was happy to sleep on the couch, not wanting Gordon to invest in her for the long term, as if he expected her to stay. That Bridgit wanted to spend a couple of days in that house did not mean that she was going to stay forever. Her opportunity to be adopted had vanished years ago, but the peculiar dedication that the policeman dedicated to them, made the old insecurities and hopes return, despite having been discarded for years. Bridgit was very observant and when analyzing the behavior of her friends, she could affirm without fear of being wrong, that they also felt that way.

Bridgit liked the familiarity with which Selina and Gordon talked, on movie nights, that Gordon put up with Ivy's tantrums, who was still suspicious, but she was beginning to tolerate him more and more. It was like being part of a family again. A family that treats you with respect, not like the adoptive brothers she had and from whom she had had to run away. Many of her mates from street had already seen her in Gordon's company and soon her brothers would go looking for her. Bridgit wasn't worried, because she had Selina by her side and it would take an idiot to attack her in a cop's house. It was her moments of solitude that worried her the most. When her insecurities invaded her and she couldn't defend herself against it. There were days she wished Selina, Ivy and Gordon were a family and she could be a part of them. It may sound strange to hear, but Gordon didn't need to use yelling to command respect, and it gave her more freedom than many of her other foster parents. Perhaps with each day she spent in that house, she exceeded her welcome. Maybe she should get out before he kicked her out, but the safety of home was easy to get used to. If Ivy or Selina decided to leave, Bridgit would follow, but in the meantime, until Gordon ordered or suggested, she would stay with them. She just had to keep her fascination with fire a secret, it was the main reason the other families had sent her back to the orphanage over and over again. Gordon could forgive a lot of bad manners, but she doubted he could forgive that and she loved her lighter, she didn't want him to confiscate it.