Three weeks. It's been three weeks since anything big has happened in Gotham. Three weeks of being bored out of my mind.

Three weeks ago, the Joker was captured and put in Arkham Asylum along with Harley Quinn. Since then, there's been no activity on the streets. Just small stuff. Armed robbery, drive by shootings, muggings, murders committed by gangs and the non-criminally insane. Normal stuff… for Gotham anyway.

My earpiece goes off. I flinch in surprise. "Geez Oracle, try not to scare me." I can hear Barbara laugh on the other side of the line. She's usually quite serious, but recently she's been more playful.

"I didn't know you could get scared. I just want to know how it's going out there. I've got nothing on the monitors."

"Same here."

"It's been like this for weeks. It's like the Joker told everyone to wait until he got out."

"I think they realized when the Joker is running about Batman is too occupied with him to bother with them."

"That's why he has you and everyone else."

"I guess. I just hope nothing-" An explosion five blocks away rattles the building where I'm perched. From the location, it might be the First National Bank of Gotham. "Looks like it won't be a quiet night, after all."

XXX

"The Mad Hatter broke out of Arkham." The plastic of my coffee's to-go cup is touching my lips and I'm mid-sip when she says it. I stop and set it down on the table with a muted clink.

"When?"

"Last night. We're not sure how but we are confident it has to do with his old group."

"I thought the Tweedles and the others were in custody?"

"They escaped before being locked up." Captain Maggie Sawyer talks about criminals like other people talk about the weather. I want to ask her more questions, but her cell beeps with a text. "I've got to go, Kate. I'll see you later."

I get up to say goodbye, but she's gone before I can even slide back my chair. I sigh and lean back in it. Maggie and I have been at odds for a while. Her work and my crime fighting have put a strain on our friendship, amongst other things. I look around the café and see a familiar face. I smile and get up to go talk to her. When I'm halfway to her table, a guy moves from his seat and I notice she isn't alone. Some brunette in glasses is sitting with her. They look chummy, too.

Barbara finally sees me and waves. The brunette looks up from her coffee. Her brow crinkles for a moment and her head tilts when she sees me. "Hi, Kate. Fancy meeting you here."

"Hi, Barbara. I was enjoying some coffee when I noticed you."

"Do you normally drink two coffees at the same time?" Barbara's friend says this to me while fiddling with her coffee, which had two containers of cream and three packs of sugar added to it since I came to the table. I look down and realize not only did I grab my coffee but Maggie's too.

"What? Oh, no. I was having coffee with a friend, but she had to leave."

"Well, would like to join us?" asks Barbara.

"No, I was about to leave anyway when I saw you."

"Eh-hem. Babs, aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" says the brunette. I watch her as she looks up at me and takes a sip of her sugar and cream-saturated coffee.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Kate Kane, meet Linda Lee-Danvers, an old friend of mine."

"Old? We hardly qualify as being old Babs." Barbara makes a face at Linda, who just rolls her eyes.

"I meant we've been friends for a long time."

"How did you two meet?" I ask.

"At college. I was starting my masters when Linda was a freshman at Metropolis University." I look at Linda. She did look younger than Barbara, but just a tad.

"Metropolis University, that's a hard college to get into."

Linda gives a smug smile. "It helps to be smart and have family in Metropolis."

"Linda's cousin lives there," Barbara clarifies. "He actually works for the Daily Planet, like Linda."

Now this impresses me. "You work for the Daily Planet?"

The smugness from a second ago is gone and she shrugs before she leans back in her seat. "It's not as big a deal as you think. Barb just likes to boast about it."

"I wouldn't have to if you did it yourself." Linda rolls her eyes from behind her thick black glasses.

While standing there, I get a good look at her. Her curly, brown hair is long and pretty, but it would look better if it wasn't up in a hair-tie. Her eyes are hidden behind black, thick-rimmed glasses that keep sliding down her nose. Even with her dorky glasses, it doesn't hide the fact her skin is flawless. And even though she is sitting I can tell that she's tall. I don't get why someone who might have a chance to be gorgeous would hide herself behind such a geeky look. But it has nothing to do with me and I mentally shrug it off and forget about it.

"You know Kate, Barbara and I did meet at college, but it wasn't at the library or in a class." I pop out of my thoughts and pay attention to what Linda is saying. "Barb and I actually met at a fundraising gala. My cousin and his partner were covering the gala for the Daily Planet. His partner thought it would be nice for me to come, so she gave me a press badge and snuck me in. Barbara was there because she was covering the event for one of her classes. We ended up talking about some stupid sculpture and became instant friends. We've been practically inseparable ever since." Barbara and Linda smile at each other.

I'm about to tell Barbara I need to go but Linda beats me to it. "I'm sorry Babs, it's the office." She holds her cellphone up. "I've got to go. We'll continue our conversation tonight at dinner." Linda stands and puts her hand out to shake mine. I'm knew she was tall, but I'm taken back by how much I need to tilt my head to properly look her in the eyes. Linda is at least a good two or three inches taller than me, even with her slight slouch. I grab her hand in mine and shake. Her hand is warm, almost hot. "Nice to meet you, Miss Kane. I hope we meet again. See ya, Babs." Linda takes her bag off her chair and slings it over her shoulder. She stumbles a little to the right from the weight of it. "See ya."

I watch Linda Lee-Danvers walk out the door and head down the sidewalk while pulling out her cell and calling whoever messaged her. "So, Kate," I look down at Barbara, "what do you think of Linda?" I look outside at the passing cars and people walking to and from places.

"She's nice… if you like brunettes."

To this day, that last line is still one of my favorites. Maybe because it kicked off six years of me getting back into the swing of writing fiction. Also, the Maggie I'm writing is the one you've seen in the comics and on Superman: The Animated Series; she's tall and blonde.