A brighter future

For once, it is Christmas in Gotham city. The fact that it is February doesn't matter; it is still snowing so that counts. Not that Jim cares; he is happy. The Todd kid has just been adopted by Bruce Wayne, which means two lost boys just found themselves a family.

sosososo

The first time Jim met Jason, the kid had been arrested for thievery. He was 11 and had been in the streets for little less than a year. Jim had seen him ask to the fellow officer who had arrested him if he could use the bathroom.

Jim had to suppress a smile when the rookie who'd agree to let him go found out that the kid was still small enough to slip out of the bathroom window.

sosososo

The second time, Jason was 12, pretending to be 14, and a little hardass who'd manage to provoke one of the cops into punching him. A bruise was flowering on his cheek. Yeah. Back then, that was still the good old GCPD ways.

The arresting officer put him into an interrogation room and left for 5 minutes to get himself a coffee. After all, the only way out was a room full of cops and the door was closed. He wasn't a rookie: it was at the 10th floor.

When he came back, the room was empty. They all scattered down the building, afraid to find the kid's corpse on the ground.

They only understood later. Jason hadn't jumped. He had climbed to the roof, waited for the building to be clear then left quietly by the stairs.

sosososo

The third and last time, Jim doesn't like to remember, because "Jay" was then 13 and had been arrested for prostitution. They didn't know what to do with him: he wouldn't talk, except to propose to cops and make smartass comments on their sexual lives.

Jim just hoped none of them had actually accepted.

When the room was found empty, again, they'd search the building both up and down. Jim let them, staying at his desk and just waiting for the kid to get out. Jay did: he had still been in the interrogation room, carefully hidden.

Jay froze when he spotted him. Then walked to him with languid movements, smiled, and asked: "Mind if I get one of those cigarettes?"

"Suit yourself."

The kid smirked, took one and lit it. He obviously had smoked before because he didn't even cough once.

"They'll continue to run around for a few minutes", Jim said, "but they'll come back eventually."

"Right, I should go."

Jay started to walk away, then Jim added, casually: "There's a quiet dinner at the cross of Fisher and Rost. I know for a fact that they do the best roast beef in the city, for an affordable price."

The kid gave no sign to have heard him. He just resumed walking and got the hell out of the GCPD building.

But next time Jim went to Billies', he paid for two plates while eating only one.

sosososo

Now, all this is done though, and Jim is glad. The kid had now a home; a place where he'll be safe.

Finally, Jim can stop worrying about finding Jason's beaten body in an alley.