Slamming her laptop shut, Bree groaned, her head falling dejectedly onto the kitchen counter in her flat.

Done. She thought with a sigh, pushing herself up off the counter after another moment.

The whole ordeal took much more time than she had anticipated. Of course, that hadn't stopped her from waiting till the last possible moment to work on it. She had eaten through the better part of her off days at the precinct, and still had only just finished it. Still, it was nice to give an interlude to her thesis work and go to see the latest buzz at the precinct was. She swung open the refrigerator door, snatching the eggs and cheese.

Nothing like a good omelet and tea to soothe the nerves. She mused, humming lightly as she plopped them on the counter and rummaged through her cabinet for the pans. She froze as she heard her phone buzz, causing her heart to leap. She cursed quietly, urging herself not to leap at it. Biting her lip, she tried to calmly walk around the counter towards the phone. It was probably Jessica, or perhaps her mother anyway…

She had called Harvey days before and left a message. She hadn't heard anything sense and assumed he wasn't actually interested….but she also was never really the one to make the first call. In fact, she hadn't really talked to many guys in a date scenario, so really she wasn't quite sure how it was done. It took a burst of courage to press call and leave that message, but she had marginally regretted it sense. She hated not knowing.

With a deep breath, she picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, is this Brianna?"

Her stomach dropped.

"Ah, yes, yes it is!" she said, brandishing her spatula in her free hand. She heard a light chuckle over the line.

"Well hey, this is Harvey. Sorry I missed your call. I've been meaning to get back to you, but things have been a bit crazy in city hall lately…" he trailed off.

"Oh, yeah, that's fine," she said dismissively, "You work in city hall?"

"Yeah, I'd love to show you around some time," he said with a good natured chuckle, "I have an office and everything."

Bree smiled.

"If you insist," she laughed.

"So….what do you say we get together tomorrow afternoon? Coffee? I know you at least like that," he added. Bree chewed on her lip briefly

"Yeah, that would be great!" she said after a moment, "I'll call you after I get off work."

"Great! See you then."

She stared at her phone for a good thirty seconds before she snapped it shut, shaking her head.

"Come on….get your shit together, Bree…" she muttered to herself, turning on the stove and reaching for the eggs.

/

"Feed me and I live, give me a drink and I die. What am I?"

"Why do I feel like now you're going easy on me?" Bree said, narrowing her eyes slightly in mock-suspicion.

"Well, that is certainly not the answer, I can tell you that," Edward quipped, locking his hands behind his back, "Or I can give you a harder one, if you like?"

Bree quickly shook her head.

"No, no, no….I'm not complaining, just observing…..I'd say…it's fire?"

"Correct!" he beamed, leaning his lanky form over her desk.

"What case are you working on his time?"

Bree looked down to her desk and sighed, eyeing the papers with distain.

"None…unfortunately. Some lazy cops didn't file their paperwork so I'm going back and reorganizing it," she said before furrowing her brows. "Just out of curiosity, how do you always have time to come and talk to me for so long every day?"

"Oh, my actual work, I finish quite fast. Everything else is in fact extraneous additions I give myself to stay busy!" he said with a wide grin. Just then, a man with short cut hair and a standard suit passed by and Ed nearly jumped.

"Detective Gordon! Detective Gordon!" he called out after the man. However, the man seemed rather focused, his face stern as he walked down the stairs. Bree furrowed her brows as Edward turned back towards her with a frown.

"Normally I don't indulge myself in nagging gut feelings….but I can't help but think that Detective Gordon is in a spot of trouble…" Edward trailed off.

"What makes you say that….?" Bree said, catching his gaze uneasily.

"Well….after you left yesterday, a man known as Oswald Cobblepot appeared at the precinct. Apparently Montoya and Allan from the MCU thought Gordon killed that man…..that is…until he showed up."

"That's ridiculous!" she said, folding her arms. She glanced down the stairs at Gordon, who seemed to be discussing something with Captain Essen.

"I know….he's probably one of the few good cops in this room," Ed conceded, looming over her shoulder as she stood and moved to the railing.

"I wonder wh—"

"Hello everyone…my name is Victor Zsasz. I'm sent here personally by Don Carmine Falcone himself on a matter of deep concern for him. I am here for Jim Gordon and no one else….thank you. Hey, Jim! Jiiiiiiiiim."

Bree's wide eyes met Edward's for the briefest moment before spinning around and looking down the stairs at the man standing on an officer's desk…

In the corner of her eye, she saw Edward begin to move. She shot her arm out, catching him by the sleeve.

"Ed…." She said quietly, pulling him back to where he stood. Her eyes remained locked on Zsasz's figure and the two women she presumed to be his assistants who stood behind him.

The entire precinct was deadly silent as Jim Gordon stepped out from Captain Essen's office and faced off with the stranger.

"Hi Jim…" the bald man in black waved with a dark smile, "Relax…I'm supposed to take you in alive. Don Falcone wants to talk…"

"Tell Falcone we'll talk…but not today," Gordon replied brusquely.

"Don't…be that way…" the man in black's jaw clenched and he flexed his hands. "Alive is a very broad category. A man with no hands is still alive."

"Go ahead, try something. There are at least a dozen cops in here," Jim Gordon's voice boomed out over the silence.

"Everybody out," the man in black said evenly, not turning away from Gordon. Only a few people shifted and Bree stepped back slightly from the railing.

"Please?" the man growled in a sudden shout, causing the room to clear quickly. The officers shuffled to the nearest exit. Bree's brows furrowed.

"I can't believe it…" she whispered under her breath.

Gordon's face remained that of sheer determination. Bree saw him mutter something to Captain Essen, and after hesitating a moment, she left his side as well. The tension was palpable as the men stared at each other. Bree slowly stepped back, towards the frozen Ed behind her.

She gasped as the first shot shattered the silence and echoed through the precinct.

"Get down!" she shouted, pushing Edward away from the railing and tackling him to the ground. Edward's eyes were wide with shock as they lay on the floor next to her desk, Bree still atop him.

"Rule one…get low," she said quietly, her head dropping onto Edward's chest as more shots echoed through the large hall.

"We need to help him!" Edward whispered desperately, attempting to sit up.

"No! You can help later, but you won't be much help if you get shot!" she retorted, shoving him back to the ground.

"Okay…yikes, no need to be so forceful."

"Oh, shut it. We're in the middle of a goddamn shootout."

There was the clattering of doors, then the sound of gunshots more distant than before. Then an eerie calm engulfed the precinct.

Bree realized she had been holding her breath and exhaled shakily. She realized her head still rested atop Edward's chest and her body was practically sprawled over him. With her ear pressed against his chest, she felt the light pitter-patter of his heart before she tentatively sat up, scanning the room.

No one remained.

"They're gone…" she breathed. Her eyes flickered around once more as she climbed off of Edward.

"Sorry about that," she muttered as she scrambled to her feet and turned back to him with her hand extended. He seemed slightly flustered, through from the events or scenario she couldn't tell.

He took her hand and sprang up from the ground. She saw his jaw clench as he looked over the railing. Papers were strewn about, and an assortment of brass casings and shattered glass decorated the floor. The scene seemed unsettlingly surreal, and gave the precinct a ghost-town like quality.

"W-we should try to find the Captain…or someone," she heard Edward speak from behind her as she couldn't face the scene any longer and turned to her desk. She nodded silently, spinning back towards him with her arms folded across her chest.

"Let's go…"

They moved down the staircase, beginning to see movement from behind doors. Somber faces peered through windows, checking to see if the visitors had left.

Cowards.

Bree thought brusquely, her lips pressed together with distaste. However, soon after she felt a tug of regret.

They were just trying to save their own skins…I didn't jump in to save him either…

She mused, kicking a casing on the floor as they reached the main level. Broken glass crunched under her boots.

But I'm not an officer. I haven't sworn any oaths to protect my own.

The internal debate raged on within her, split between a slight level of sympathy and a higher level of disappointment in the officers she had held in high regard.

"Captain!" Edward's voice rang out in the silent precinct, pulling Bree out of her reverie. Bree raised her gaze to find Captain Essen wandering towards them, her arms folded tightly across her chest. A deep frown fell upon her features, making her seem much older, and wearier than any other time she had seen her. She nodded toward them, slowing to a stop.

"Captain…" Bree said softly. Essen's eyes rested on her.

"I think you should go home, Ms. Taylor. You've seen enough for today," Captain Essen said tiredly. Bree's eyes flickered downcast as she nodded silently. The Captain looked up, past her.

"Ed…you can go too. I think we have enough mess to keep up with," she said with a sigh, walking past them.

Bree looked back up, her eyes widening slightly, and then glanced at Edward. He fidgeted in his spot, his arms hanging stiffly by his sides as he furrowed his eyebrows.

She exhaled unevenly. She moved back up the stairs to her workspace and grabbed her belongings and coat. When she arrived back at the front of the precinct she found that Edward seemed to be waiting for her.

"Okay….well I guess I'll see you tomorrow then," she said to him with a soft smile, turning toward the front door.

"Actually—could I walk you home? Or back to your apartment, or wherever you're going…?" Edward began, stumbling over his words as he called out behind her. Bree paused, and pivoted back towards him with a quirked brow. Edward blinked a few times before looking down.

"…..Sorry, never mind. Forget I even asked—"

"—Yes."

` "Wait…did you mean—"

"Yes! Come on, genius, let's try to beat the rain," she quipped with a lopsided grin, glad to find something to distract from the somber atmosphere of the precinct. She looped her arm around his and tugged a bewildered Edward towards the door. She had decided there was something incredibly satisfying about surprising someone who always presumed to know so much. Perhaps that was why she enjoyed pushing his buttons to see what would bewilder him the most.

She released his arm as she pushed open the door into the brisk Gotham air.

"So, why the sudden need to walk me home?" Bree laughed, but it felt empty, like she was trying to completely forget what she had witnessed minutes before. It felt good to act normal, even if she knew she could never look at the cops in the precinct the same again.

Bree's eyes flickered to Ed as he walked silently, giving a light shrug.

"It's safe to say I spend the vast majority of my time at the precinct…I almost am not sure what to do with extra time off…" he confessed, looking ahead as she led the way. She smiled softly, thinking of the time they had spent together investigating and the realization that was likely a bigger deal to him than she had previously thought.

"Okay…but you aren't always at the precinct. What do you usually do with your time off?"

He looked down as he smiled, giggling softly.

"Well…crossword puzzles….video games. Oh, wow, I love video games," he added, his smile broadening as he waved one of his arms, the other one clutching his small brown notebook tightly to his chest. "I think each one presents a unique challenge."

Bree pursed her lips together, nodding.

"I usually play for the storylines…" she commented. He nearly skidded to a stop, his eyes shooting up to hers.

"You play?" he said excitedly.

She raised her eyebrows and gave a meek shrug.

"Marginally…I'm not super great at it, but it's fun."

They slowed to a halt by the bus stop.

Edward smiled giddily.

"It just takes practice….maybe we should get together some time and I could show you some pointers!"

Bree couldn't help but to laugh as they climbed onto the bus.

"Sure, that would be great."

They chattered amiably on the short ride across town. It wasn't long before they arrived on the doorstep to her complex. She found it amusing that they had already saved each other's lives and he hadn't ever even seen her flat.

"Hey….thanks for walking be back….I needed that," Bree confessed with a sigh, "It's been a stressful day for everyone."

Ed smiled, giving her a nod.

"It has been quite….unusual."

"Well, unusual seems to have become the new usual for Gotham," she chuckled, stepping forward and giving him a quick hug. "See ya!"

She disappeared through the door before he stuttered a reply.

/ / /

Bree plopped down onto her unmade bed with a groan. She laid there a moment, still in her work clothes, letting her hair sprawl out messily over the pillows. She stared blankly at the ceiling, reveling in the nothingness after such an exhausting day. She fought the urge to rub her temple as her head throbbed with unanswered questions. Her eyes fluttered closed with a sigh.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Her eyes shot open.

Harvey.

"Shit," she muttered, rolling over and fishing her phone from her pants pocket. She clicked the receive call button and her voice brightened several notes.

"Hey!" she chimed, sounding more cherry than she felt as she rubbed her forehead.

"Hey, Bree! We're still on for this afternoon, right?" Harvey's voice sounded through the phone.

"Oh, yeah, absolutely. I'm sorry, I meant to call you earlier, but it's been a really weird day," she said with a light chuckle as she sat up.

"No, that's fine. I'm just getting out of the office. Say we meet at Rochester park in twenty minutes or so?"

"Yeah, that would be great! I'll see you then," she said with a soft smile.

"Great!"

The line went dead and Bree limply dropped her hand onto her bed. She swung her legs off the side of her bed and blinked, trying to regain her composure at the sudden shift of gravity.

God, I need some coffee. She mused, moving across the large room of her flat to the kitchen side. It wasn't that she didn't want to see him….she just felt a little too exhausted to put up a good front for a guy she met once. Still, her stomach fluttered a little that

She didn't really go on many dates….actually she didn't really go out much at all. Recently, it seemed that she was so focused on making the right steps career-wise that she paid little attention to anything else. That is, aside from meeting up with people for an absurd amount of coffee, and occasionally bringing her medical school friends lunch.

Surely one date won't hurt. She thought, rolling her neck as she grabbed a glass of water. She gulped it down and hurried out the door.

/ / /

The sun peaked out behind the breaking overcast of the Gotham sky. It had warmed up significantly from earlier in the day, but Bree still hugged her coat tightly to herself as she arrived in the park. Her eyes flickered about, idly watching fellow park-dwellers and the occasional homeless person.

"Bree!"

Suddenly, she felt a light touch on her shoulder. Instinctually, she spun around, her hand latching onto the offending wrist. She looked up, her eyes meeting a wide-eyed Harvey's.

"Oh!" she said dumbly, her face flushing slightly as she realized she had his arm in a vice-grip.

"Whoa, easy there," he said with a good natured laugh. His large eyes sparkled with amusement as she slowly released his wrist. He smiled. "Glad to see you could make it."

"Yeah…sorry about that…you know, you can never be too careful in Gotham," she said, clearing her throat as she shoved her hands back into her pockets.

"Well then, I pity the mugger who has to go toe to toe with you," he said, a playful smirk on his lips.

She returned his smile with an uneasy laugh.

At least I didn't punch him or something. That would make for an awkward date.

"What do you say we grab that coffee we talked about?"

"That would be wonderful."

/ / /

Conversation flowed freely as they sat in a small booth by the window. Harvey had a sort of natural charisma that created seamless transitions from one topic to the next. Bree had to admit, it was rather refreshing to not have to work so hard for conversation. And yet….she couldn't help but to feel as if it was almost too easy for him. There seemed to be a lingering note in the back of her mind; the persisting question of how much of his front was him and how much was just that, a front.

However, she didn't ponder it too deeply as she laughed at another one of his jokes.

"So, what about this crazy day at work you keep mentioning?" he asked lightly, taking another long sip of his coffee. She bit back a sigh, her smile slowly drooping.

"Yeah….I don't know if I mentioned it earlier, but I work down at GCPD."

Harvey raised his eyebrows, setting his drink back down.

"I'm just an intern," she waved dismissively, "but I don't know if you heard about the little fiasco this afternoon…"

"You know…I actually think I may have. A man came in for James Gordon, didn't he?"

"That's right…it was a little overwhelming. I had never seen a live shootout before, and I was on the ground of the second floor," she said with a sigh. It was only half a lie. Harvey's eyes widened a fraction.

"Well, I'm glad you're okay."

Bree smiled lightly, reaching for her cup.

"I really shouldn't be surprised though. Things like that are always possibilities in law enforcement, especially in this city," she said with a shrug. "So, you work down at city hall? What do you do, run errands, grab coffee?" she took a sip from her cup.

"I'm a city councilman."

She nearly spit out her coffee.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry," she sputtered, setting down her cup and reaching for the napkins, "Wow, I'm an idiot, I didn't mean it like that. I just assumed because you're so young—"

Harvey put up a single finger, a smirk playing on his lips.

"Don't worry about it. I know what you meant," he said reassuringly.

She groaned quietly and let her head fall on her hand propped up on the table, her hair falling messily into her face. He laughed as she peered up at him through her fingers.

After a moment, she sat back up, snatching back up her cup with eyes narrowed slightly, trying to keep a straight face as she made eye contact with him and drained the rest of her coffee. He raised his eyebrows challengingly. She plopped the empty cup back onto the wooden table with a light plunck. They stared at each other a moment before she gave up and cracked a smile, looking down at her lap.

"I should probably head back soon…" she mused as she glanced out the window at the now dark sky. When she looked back, Harvey was grabbing his coat.

They moved outside, the stinging chill hitting her cheeks once more. She turned to face Harvey.

"Well, hey…I had a good time. I hope I didn't totally bore you with my less than exciting antics. It's been a pleasure," she said with a lopsided grin.

"Absolutely not," he quipped, taking hold of her hand with a light squeeze, "The pleasure was mine," he added, smiling softly. He leaned down, giving her a light kiss on the cheek. He released her hand, his fingers brushing against hers as it slid back to his side. Bree didn't know what else to do, so she nodded silently. She couldn't fully blame her slight flush on the cold.

"See you around," she said with a smile as she started to back away. She turned her back to him, making her way back to her flat.

"I'll give you a call!" he shot back at her. She didn't even turn around, but smiled softly to herself.

"At least you didn't accidently hit him in the face…" she muttered to herself, shaking her head softly as she trekked down the block. She shoved her hands in her pockets and watched the wisps of her breath trail out into the brisk air like small ghosts against the breeze.

You are all fantastic and beautiful. Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews, and It's been crazy with finals and such, but I hoped you liked this nice long one!

Also, I have an 8tracks playlist for this story up. My username there is

Ofmonstersandmagpies

Feel free to PM me if you want the full list without having to go through the whole playlist, and it's also up on the Bree blog.