Title: Job Offer
Author: Gaeriel Mallory
Rating: K+
Fandoms: BtVS/Batman (comics)
Continuity: Set sometime after the Officer Down storyline.
Distribution: Twisting the Hellmouth, The Haven
Disclaimer: All characters are the property of Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy, Inc. or DC Comics and Warner Brothers.
Note: Written in response to TTH's Fic-for-all #1810 – Buffy/Jim Gordon

Jim Gordon was taking his daily walk to help stay in shape. His doctor had recommended it as part of his recovery when he was shot and after he had retired from his post of Police Commissioner, he kept it up. It made the day pass quicker.

His cane beat against the pavement and he studied the rooftops. He was currently in downtown Gotham on his way to visit Barbara. He had purposefully gotten off the bus five blocks away from the Clocktower in order to get his exercise – imagine, his needing to exercise! – and shuffled along, another face in a crowd of many.

Ahead of him, he noted a blond woman standing against a store window, studying a map. She frowned and looked up at the street signs and sighed. Stuffing the map into her bag, she walked down the sidewalk, in the same direction that Jim was headed. His eyes narrowed as he noticed two men converge on either side of her and push her into an alleyway.

Even retired, the old cop instincts were still good. He ran, cane and old gunshot injury bedamned. Of course, his body didn't agree and he half-collapsed against the wall of the alley. "Stop!" he gasped, trying to catch his breath. "Leave her—"

The scene he saw was not the one he expected. An intended mugging, rape, or murder: yes. Not the young woman who couldn't have been much bigger than five foot three beating the crap out of her two would-be attackers. He winced as the head of one collided with the brick of the wall with a sharp crack. She spun around and the heel of her boot connected with the groin of the other. As he crumpled to the ground, she rammed an elbow down into his face and blood spurted from his nose. His eyes rolled into his head and he fell gracelessly onto the dirty concrete.

She looked up at Jim standing at the mouth of the alley and smirked. "Thanks but I had it covered."

"I can see that." He straightened up and gripped his cane tighter. "I don't think I need to give you the lecture about how this isn't the safest city for a young woman to go wandering alone in."

She laughed. "No. But since you're here, can you tell me where the Clocktower is? I've been turned around all day."

"Funny coincidence. I'm heading there myself. My daughter lives there."

"I'm meeting a consultant for my work."

Her name was Buffy, of all things. She had a cell phone in her bag so he called the station and had a car come pick up the two men lying in the alleyway. One of the officers who showed up whistled when he saw the scene. "Remind me never to piss you off, lady."

It's funny how little time had passed since his retirement, and yet still so much. He once knew every officer in the GCPD by name and rank. Both officers were unknown to him, if not the other way around. He chuckled at the hero worship in their eyes when they spoke to him.

Perps arrested and statements given, Jim and Buffy continued on their way. She seemed intelligent, though she had an odd way of speaking sometimes. She told him that she worked for a private security firm with offices located worldwide. He told her a little bit about his life as a police officer and eventually the Commissioner.

Eventually, the inevitable came up. "So what was it like working with a vigilante?"

He shook his head. Everyone was fascinated by the Batman. He drew tourists to the city when by rights, any sane person would have stayed far away from a town with a reputation for costumed psychos, murders, and thieves. "It was an experience," he told her. "I don't get a lot of respect outside of Gotham because I relied so much on him, but cleaning up this city would have been impossible without him and his partners."

"You used unorthodox methods to get results. I gotta admire that. What did your people have to say about it?"

"Oh, they each had their own opinions. I can't say that not a few of them held an intense dislike for Batman. But they tolerated him because I made it clear about Batman's place in the city."

"I'm sure they respected you too. You're a legend."

So she too had seen the awe in the two officer's faces. They arrived at the Clocktower and Jim pressed the button to call up to Barbara's apartment. She buzzed them in. In the elevator, Jim turned to Buffy. "What floor?"

She looked at a piece of paper she took from her pocket. "The top, please."

When he didn't move, she frowned at him in puzzlement and pushed the button herself. The elevator began to move upward.

He asked, "Just who are you here to see anyway?"

"I wasn't given a name, just the address. It's the way things work in my business."

Yes. He had a sinking suspicion just what business it was, too. And he had always known, or at least guessed, what Barbara did herself. Research librarian, his ass.

Barbara met them at the door, her eyes wary behind her glasses. "Dad," she greeted him. "This is a surprise."

"I'm sure," Jim answered dryly. "I ran into this young lady on the way over. Her name's Buffy."

Buffy and Barbara shook hands. The blonde didn't blink at the wheelchair; point for her. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you," Buffy said. "Willow was raving about you. I really hope that you can help us upgrade our systems."

"I spoke with your boss, Rupert Giles, on the phone. He mentioned some specifics about your company. That you need the best encryption software I can design."

Jim rolled his eyes and excused himself to the kitchen. Let the two talk shop and think that he wasn't the wiser. He took his time, finding a pitcher of iced tea in the fridge. He poured three glasses and rummaged around in the cupboards until he found a package of cookies. He arranged those on a tray, grabbed some napkins, and walked back into the living room, making sure to thump his cane loudly on the hardwood floor.

The two looked up. Buffy smiled and got up to get the tray from him. "It was really lucky that I ran into you today, Jim. I had originally only hoped to hire Barbara but she mentioned that you've become ... bored with retired life."

Jim sank down into a plush chair and looked at Buffy. "Spit it out."

"How would you like a job teaching young minds about you know best?"

"Is there much call in international security for a retired cop?"

"You'd be surprised who and what we can use." Buffy smiled cheerily. "I can give you the specifics later but if you're interested, you can come visit our main headquarters in London. Free, all-expense paid trip to England – and no obligation to sign on with us."

Barbara looked back and forth between the two. "They're on the up and up, dad. I researched them myself. If you do decide to go, it will be definitely be an experience, though very different than what you're used to."

"Not that different, if half the stories I've heard about Gotham City are true." Buffy stared at him. "What do you say?"

He looked at his daughter and she stared back calmly at him, letting him make up his own mind. He turned towards Buffy and noticed that her eyes were older than her face, and touched with sadness and pain, and also hardness. What kind of life would make someone who couldn't be more than twenty-five have eyes like that? Did he even want to find out? "I'll come to London," he said finally, "but with the understanding that this is not a yes and that I can return home whenever I like."

Buffy grinned. "Of course. Though I do think you'd fit really well. You'd make a great Watcher."

He blinked. "What's a Watcher?"

--fin--