Chapter 1 : Recruited

I remember the day James Gordon walked into the Academy.

Everyone knew who he was, or remembered him, and though his photograph was on the wall of fame in the entrance, I had never expected that in person he would seem just like his picture; stern, rigid and serious.
I was lucky that Luke hadn't noticed him, and that he was spotting me on the weights because if he hadn't been there I'd have been crushed by a bench press that was almost my own body weight. His hands guided the dumbbells back onto the stand before grinning down at me. God he was beautiful.
"Had enough?" he challenged.
I shook my head with a breathless laugh, I one hundred percent had had enough, but I was never going to admit that to him.
"Look," I said, slowly pushing myself up to sit, and nodding across to where Gus was shaking the hand of the new Captain, and then Gordon.
Luke's eyes followed my nod and he straightened his back a little, nudging me on the shoulder he shot me a look of urgency.
"You spot me now," he said, giving me a shove to make me move off the bench that was a little harder than necessary.
As I stood up, he chuckled, and with a glance over his shoulder gave my backside a cheeky smack before he took my place on the bench. A small eye roll was all it took for him to get into focus, and I stood behind his head, desperately trying not to watch his body as it tensed.
"Showing off isn't going to help you," I said with a grin, holding out my hands in case he slipped, but he wouldn't, he never did. The fact that he lifted the dumbbells with such ease just served as a reminder that he could lift my body weight without breaking a sweat- it was undeniably attractive.
"Shut up Scottie," he hissed back, "add some more will you?"

While Luke bench-pressed weights like his life depended on it, I half-watched Captain Barnes and James Gordon head to the ring to watch Josie. A small smile flitted across my lips, if they were looking to be entertained, seeing Josie K.O the knuckle head she was practicing with today would be a great show.
"What are they doing?" asked Luke, his teeth gritted together as he went for another lift, holding it for as long as he could before he let it crash to a rest on the bar.
"They're going to see Josie Mac," I said, before reaching down and pinching his sweaty cheek, "my turn."
Luke chuckled throatily again as he reached for his towel and wiped his face, he stood slowly and glanced over once, trying not to appear too interested in Gotham Police Department's leading men.
I lay down on the bench again and he changed the weights, and I focused on his face for information while I began to lift.
I could tell the exact moment when Josie landed the winning hit, Luke couldn't help but show any emotion he felt all over his face, and then it changed. He looked down at me, suddenly paying attention to how much weight I was carrying and my technique. The urgency in his eyes made me panic, but not nearly as much as Gus Freeman's voice which called my name.
"Zadie Scott!" he called, and for the second time I was thankful to have Luke guide the weight back to the resting bar, "get over here."
I blinked up at my boyfriend and he nodded, only slightly, only so I could see, and offered me his hand to pull me up. For some reason I didn't take it, I just grabbed the towel from the floor and wiped my face and hands, padding over to Gus.

They sat me down at a table, Barnes and Gordon, and scrutinised me. I just stared back, I was used to being underestimated, whether it was for my size or for my strength, or for my intelligence.
"Zadie Scott-" Barnes began.
"Call me Scottie, please," I replied.
Gordon blinked at me, and I continued to stare back.
"Scottie…" Barnes continued, "You flew through high school- finished a year early, you had a college sponsorship, why are you here?"
Then it was my turn to blink, "My mother was murdered in this city," I said without emotion: it was rare for me to get distressed about it anymore. "My father was a dirt-bag who owed the wrong sort of people money," I added, "when he skipped town the debt transferred to my mother, who didn't have the means to pay it."
I ran a hand through my hair, the story had been well publicised at the time, perhaps if the Capitain thought hard he would remember the news articles about the woman found crammed into the oven of her own bakery.
"I ran around on the streets until a police officer caught up with me and put me into the foster system," I finished, "and I fought so that one day I could maybe do the same, or even better, make sure that nothing like that happens in the first place."
Gordon nodded once, and I was dismissed.

I had later learned that when asked the same question, Luke had replied almost the same answer. That he wanted to make sure that what happened to his father never happened again.

They brought me back in, to Luke's interview- if you would call it that- an interrogation maybe. I didn't look at him as I sat down.
"We are considering you both for a new unit in the Gotham City Police Department," Barnes said, and I continued to stare into his eyes, only breaking focus to assess James Gordon's reactions, "we have learned that you have been dating almost the entire time you have been at this academy, and we want to know if it would be a problem for you two to work together…"
"Negative sir," I replied quickly, knowing that if I wanted my opinion to be heard, I would have to get it in fast. Growing up with several foster brothers, and then all the lads at the academy, it was a case of getting in the first punch and making it a good one. "I'm sure you have our field status reports, we work together on almost every case file, we're a good team…"
"A great team," Luke added, before glancing across at me. I still daren't look him in the eye.
"What we mean," Gordon stated, pressing his hands together and leaning over the table, "Is that if you two break up are we going to be dealing with two heartbroken kids who let it affect their job."
"With all due respect, sir," I said, narrowing my eyes a little, "doesn't your girlfriend work at the GCPD?"
Gordon narrowed his own eyes back at me, and I felt a little kick from Luke under the table. His narrowed eyes slowly turned into a smirk, and he gave a shrug of one shoulder to Captain Barnes.
"We had always planned to go and work at the same precinct," Luke finally spoke up, "it would be an honour to come and serve under you at Gotham City, but with respect…" he paused, and I willed him to keep it together, "we come as a pair or not at all."

"Garrett. Pinkney. Josie. Martinez. Scottie," Gordon called and each of us stepped forward in full uniform.
Barnes then stepped forward, "You swear to honour that badge with your life?"
"Yes sir!" we sang in reply.
"Congratulations, you are now unit Alpha of the GCPD Strike Force under the command of Detective James Gordon, you will answer only to him and him only to me, dismissed."
We turned, and marched out, and just like that, we were recruited.