Bullets and Brainpower

The Balloonman III

Let me tell you one thing. If you told me two months ago that I would soon be the daughter of a cop with two jobs and the greatest boyfriend in the world, I probably would've punched you in the face. Now, as I walk down the streets of the theatre district hand-in-hand with Jerome, I feel like I'm walking on air. He just makes everything seem so easy.

"Anywhere else you wanna show me?" Jerome asks. I think about it and shake my head. He nods. "Well...that doesn't mean we have to go back now, does it?" I smirk.

"Not technically," I say. "Why?" He smiles and holds out his hand.

"Come on," he whispers. I grin and take his hand, and he pulls me down the street as we laugh.

"Where are we going, J?" I ask between laughs.

"You'll see!" He continues to pull me through the city until we get close to the middle of the city. He stops and looks around. "This way." He pulls me toward a small, narrow alleyway and we duck between the buildings. He turns to face me. "Close your eyes." I narrow my eyes, and he laughs. "Come on. Do you trust me?" I smirk and nod, closing my eyes. I feel him place his hands on my waist, guiding me forward.

"I'm not sure how I feel about this situation," I say. He laughs.

"I thought you trusted me," he says.

"I do. I'm just not sure how I feel about our current position." He laughs again.

"I don't think you need to worry about that." He continues guiding me for a while (making sure I don't die on stairs) and eventually, his hands leave my waist. "Okay. Open." I open my eyes and gasp. (*le gasp!*) We're on top of an insanely tall building, I'm not even sure which one, and in front of me is a perfect view of Gotham.

"Jerome," I say quietly. "Oh...my god. This is gorgeous!" I walk closer to the edge of the building, in awe of the city.

"Not nearly as gorgeous as you," he says. I look back at him, my cheeks heating up. He just smiles, and I grin, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"Thank you," I mutter. He chuckles and kisses the side of my head, and in that moment, I once again feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

~~~

The next morning, I wake up and as I get ready for school, I hear soft voices coming from Jim and Barbara's room. I quietly make my way to their door and push it open. They don't notice me standing there.

"You hardly slept last night," Barbara tells Jim. He shakes his head.

"Just work," he replies.

"This Balloonman thing?" she asks. He looks up at her. "That's what the paper's calling him." He nods. "And it says he killed a cop." I frown.

"You're not in danger, are you?" I ask. They look over at me, and Jim stands up, walking over to me. He wraps me in a hug and shakes his head.

"You don't have to worry about me," he says. I sigh.

"What is bothering you then?" I ask. He looks down at me, frowning. I roll my eyes. "I lived on the streets. I'm good at reading people." He sighs and sits back down on the bed. I sit cross-legged next to him.

"Yesterday, the first victim, Ronald Danzer, was a con man," he says. "Nobody cared. Now that a cop's been targeted, the investigation will get all the support it needs. It's not right. Everyone has to matter or nobody matters. Otherwise people lose faith. That's when you get vigilantes." Barbara shakes her head.

"But that isn't your fault," she says. "I mean, if anything, you're giving people faith." He sighs.

"Am I?" he asks. "How?" I frown.

"Your first case, you caught the Wayne killer." Barbara nods.

"Do you have any idea what that meant for the city?" she asks. "You're a hero." Jim sighs and stands up.

"I gotta go," he says. He places a hand on top of my head, making me look up at him. "And you gotta get to school. Want me to drop you off?" I shake my head.

"I've got time," I tell him. "I'll walk." I swear school is the biggest waste of time I've ever seen. I mean, I'm fifteen and am already getting paid more than the teachers telling me how to live my life! Like I need any help knowing what to do at this point.

~~~

"Gordon!" I hear. I groan and don't turn around. "Hey, Gordon! Cassie!" I furrow and turn to look at him as he runs up behind me.

"What do you want, Tony?" I ask. He stops in front of me, catching his breath quickly.

"Do I have to have a reason?" he asks. I frown, rolling my eyes.

"Most people don't, but you? Yes." He sighs.

"Look, I don't wanna fight. Not this time." I scoff.

"Yeah, right."

"I'm serious!" He shuts his eyes. "I'm trying to be a civil human being right now, and you're making it really hard." He looks at me, sighing. "Which I guess I deserve." I open my mouth to respond, then frown.

"Wait...what?" I ask. He nods.

"I'm trying to actually be nice. And I know you have no reason to do the same to me. I don't deserve it." I sigh.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why are you being nice to me now? I was a jerk to you." He chuckles.

"Because I was an *sshole. I flirted with you, fought you regularly, and made fun of your boyfriend." His face goes red. "Though the flirting thing was genuine." I furrow my brows.

"What?" He looks down and nods.

"I thought you were cute. I guess flirting was my go-to." He looks up at me. "Then you told me you had a boyfriend, and...I guess I didn't wanna believe it. So I pretended I hated you both. I don't know. Maybe I didn't want to believe that I was crushed." My gaze softens.

"You liked me?" I ask. His face flushes red, and he nods.

"I did," he says. "And then I saw you with Jerome, and...I guess I realized I never had a chance. It took me a while to figure things out, and then I slapped myself for ever acting that way." He chuckles nervously. "That's not exactly the best way to get someone to like you." I shake my head. "I guess what I'm trying to say is I was jealous. And I'm sorry for ever acting like that. And I know I said and did some unforgivable things, but I'd really like to try and make up for it." I sigh, thinking about it.

"Okay," I say. "I give you one chance. But if you screw up even once, that's it." He nods, smiling slightly and extending a hand.

"So," he says, "friends?" I sigh and grab his hands, a smirk making its way to my face.

"Friends."

I do not own Gotham or its characters. I do however own Cassidy Alexandra, Ice, Gracelyn Ventura, and their plot, so don't steal. It's not nice.