Smiling and Dancing (OPEN)

[Jenna Wright]

Having been kicked out of a club with her cousin because of what he was doing, and because she may have been a little bit high, Jenna was trotting down the road, her black boots clicking as she walked. Her hair moved slightly in the wind, though it wasn't able to move much because it was in a very high ponytail. Jenna was giggling as she walked, her hands trying to pull up one of her fishnet stockings a little more. Despite it being February, Jenna wasn't cold in what she was wearing. She was actually quite warm. That may have been the effects of whatever her cousin had given her about ten minutes ago, though... Or maybe because she'd just been in a club...

Whatever the reason was, the cold air wasn't bothering her. She giggled a little more and, with her arms above her head, Jenna began twirling down the street while looking down at the pavement. Her boots weren't legally hers, but she didn't care. It had been at least two weeks since she'd stolen them and as far as she was concerned, they were hers. It wasn't like anyone had caught her, either... Well, someone might have seen her but they hadn't actually caught her. She should have been more careful tonight, though. There were probably going to be police everywhere and it wasn't like she was being quiet... Oh well, at least it would be someone to talk to...

Giggling as little more, Jenna tripped and stumbled, though didn't fall over but rather, managed to stumble almost into a wall. Giggling more, Jenna stopped for a moment while leaning on the wall and bit her bottom lip while grinning. She felt excited... And very awake despite the fact that it had to be around midnight... That was the reason for the giggling, actually, her excitement. Her gaze went up and down the street, looking for her cousin. She didn't have a clue where he was, but then again she rarely did when they went out. He often went off and left her to make her own way home. It was a surprise neither of them had been arrested so far this year. Granted, it was only February, but still...

Giving a small sigh, Jenna looked at the ground before pushing off of the wall. She wanted to dance down the street. She wanted to spin and twirl and hopefully not fall over. She gave a small laugh and skipped a little before she went back to spinning, though with a little more show about it. Her arms were out at her sides and small jumps came with each spin. This probably wasn't a good idea given that she was in high heeled boots, but it didn't bother Jenna. She would have a damn good time, to hell with being careful! Here's hoping she didn't get into trouble because of it, though...

((Notes: Outfit.))

[Jim Gordon]

Weeks had crept slowly by since John Blake's untimely death and Amelia's sudden and unexpected return to Gotham. She'd only talked to Jim once in her time back in the city, but she seemed happier, still not herself but happier. Commissioner Jim Gordon had been glad in the sudden change in her, he wondered what had happened but chose not to ask. Just as long as she was happy was fine with him.

However, his happiness was short lived for not too long after Amelia's return, his own daughter had gone missing. One day she was there and the next she was just gone. He had the whole team out looking for her. They should have found her. However, they'd had no such luck. He was out searching when he came upon a familiar face.

He sighed. Jenna Wright, prostitute and a frequent visitor to Gotham Police Station. He rubbed his eyes and flipped on the sirens, shaking his head in despair as he watched her dancing down the road. She's going to end up getting herself killed, he thought despairingly as he pulled his cruiser over, slipping out, a gun in the holster at his belt along with handcuffs. He hoped she would would come quietly.

"Miss Wright," he called, walking slowly towards her in a nonthreatening manner, "little late for a walk isn't it?" He wasn't going to revert to violence or harshness unless there was no other way to go.

[Jenna Wright]

Jenna was quite happy with dancing, though when she heard the sirens then she may have started giggling again. Try to act normal. Act normal. No! Don't act normal! Dance! Jenna was laughing at her thoughts while continuing to dance, though now to the tune that she could remember. When she heard her name, though, Jenna stopped spinning to look for whoever had said it with a grin on her face. Oh, right, the police.

Giggling, Jenna heard the question and grinned a little more.

"Well I was in a club but we got kicked out... Me and my cousin I mean. We were in a club and he turned into a little shit and we both got kicked out!" She told him, grin remaining on her features. "And I wasn't even doing anything! I mean..." She paused for a moment to remember what had been going on. "I may have been a little loud but it's a club, right?" She looked at him for confirmation of that being what you were supposed to do at a club and she laughed a little. "It's so stupid. They were like 'you're high' and I'm so not! I mean... Do I look high to you?" She asked, grinning still. Yes, she probably did look high to him. She hadn't actually registered that she might look high to him, though...

She threw her hands up as though she couldn't understand this whole thing.

"And I don't have a clue where the fuck I'm going but who gives a shit?" She asked, throwing her hands up again and letting them flop back against her thighs before she starting laughing again. She wanted to carry on spinning, but she wanted to have a conversation with the seemingly kind man who'd stopped. Wait, wasn't he the commissioner of the police? Oh...

"But y'know, walkin' ain't a crime so it's all good, right? Right!" She half-rambled, not really knowing what she was saying as she started to half-stumble off, still looking at him before she looked at the ground. It might help to know what she was walking on. "Fuckin' little shit. I'm gonna kick his ass when he gets home..." She said to herself before she tripped over her foot and landed on the pavement. She giggled and stood up. "Not drunk! I'm not drunk!" She called out while laughing. Subtle.

[Jim Gordon]

Gordon didn't need this right now. He was dead tired, he'd been up until two in the morning, maybe later, for the last few weeks looking for his daughter. He wasn't giving up that he would find her because she couldn't have just vanished into thin air. But he didn't need to be dealing with Jenna Wright at the moment. He needed to be out searching not arresting her.

He sighed, shaking his head and rubbing his eyes.

Jim sighed, closing his eyes and fighting back a yawn. The dark circles beneath his eyes had nearly doubled since yesterday, his body screamed out for the sleep it needed, but he wouldn't give it to himself. He wasn't going to rest until she was found. He didn't even care that he even after three cups of coffee in the morning he would still be dead tired.

He frowned at her. "Miss Wright, it is rather obvious that you are, in fact, high." Seemed to Jim that he'd be arresting not only Jenna but her cousin as well. Wonderful.

Jim regarded her rather sadly. It always saddened him to see ones like Jenna reduced to what she was now. "I'm going to have to ask you to come with me." He said, gently, exhaustion evident in his voice. She didn't need to get hurt, he knew that, that very well could happen in a place like Gotham. He couldn't just leave her wondering the streets, despite the fact she'd probably eventually get to her home.

He shook his head once more at her. "Jenna," he said sadly, "just come with me and maybe we can help you out, okay?" He didn't want to have to cuff her or do anything that could end in her harming herself, he just wanted to get this over with and get her back to the station.

[Jenna Wright]

Jenna heard his words and shook her head. She really wanted him to believe her. She didn't want to go to the station. She liked being outside! It was cool - well, cold - and she was free... But he wanted to take her to the station. She didn't like the station. It was okay, and there was a cute police officer there, but there were the weirdos there, too. The ones that not even she would go near, and it wasn't like she had high standards... But when she wouldn't even go near them then they were bad. They had to be...

As he told her that he was going to have to ask her to come with him, Jenna shook her head again, though hadn't stopped what she was doing at that point. She didn't have a reason to, really... She was having a conversation with the commissioner, so what? She didn't stop what she was doing just for the commissioner! That was a silly thing for anyone at all to think...

He spoke again and Jenna looked at him with wide eyes, the grin having disappeared now. Help her? She was fine! She really didn't want to go to the station.

"I'm not doin' anythin' wrong." She told him, a hint of a whine to her voice. "I'm not doin' anythin'..." She mumbled, looking at the ground instead of at him. "And I don't need helpin'. C'mon, Commissioner, let me off... Just this once?" She requested, trying for the innocent expression, just as she had many times before. "You could... Go home? Or... I don't actually know but... Please?" Yeah, that was as likely to happen as Jenna becoming president was.

She grinned at him before the grin disappeared again.

"I might be a little... Tiny bit high..." She admitted, mumbling again before giggling. Yeah, she was going to go to the station anyway. She might as well tell him the truth. "Not in possession, though." She told him almost proudly, still grinning as she moved back over to him. "And I don't know where my cousin is. He's completely innocent... Except of bein' an asshole but he was born like that." She stated matter-of-factly while standing near him. She had no idea what to do now... Was he going to put handcuffs on her or let her hands be free. Normally everyone put handcuffs on her and she really didn't like them. They were weird...

[Jim Gordon]

Jim sighed when she shook his head. He didn't snap at her like some of the others on his team would have, instead he just regarded her sadly. He didn't need her stubbornness, he just wanted to get her into the cruiser and back to the station so he could resume his search. He knew that his search was taking every thing out of him, but he needed to find his daughter. She was everything he had considering Amelia hadn't talked to him much on her return to Gotham, her mind was elsewhere. Where, he wasn't quite sure.

He tiredly ran a hand across his face, removing his glasses for a moment, and back through his hair. He returned the dark lenses back onto his face to prevent those mere moments of partial blurriness. "Jenna, come on. Gotham isn't the safest place to roam at such a late hour anyhow." He hoped that words such of those would get to her.

He didn't blame for her next words, no one wanted to go to the station. He sighed though, watching her from behind his dark rimmed glasses.

It was easy to pick out the whine in her voice, he'd heard it a few times from his own children. "I can't let you go wandering around the streets at this hour." He replied, glancing down at his watch for a moment. It was after midnight, his teams had retired for the night. "[col0r=brown]I think you do,

[/color]" he said gently in response to her proclamation that she didn't need help. "You know that look isn't going to help you here, Jenna. You've tried it before and every time it hasn't done you any good." He sighed, frowning. If only he could just go home. If only he could.

Jim tried to think optimistically, at least she was being honest, lying never got anyone anywhere when it was a cop they were lying too. However, he hadn't needed her to tell him that she was high, it was quite obvious. He was pretty sure Amelia would have said something smart such as "oh really? I didn't notice", he missed having her on the team. "Did you cousin do anything?" he asked, looking over at her. He backed away and opened the back of the cruiser. "As long as you promise not to try and do anything, you can go without the cuffs. [/blockquote]

[Jenna Wright]

At his question of whether or not Jenna's cousin had done anything - having given no more reactions to his other words - Jenna shook her head. She wasn't going to grass on her cousin! That was ridiculous. Granted, she'd grassed on every dealer she'd ever gotten her shit from, but this was different. He was family. She may not have had a very good relationship with her close family, and she may not even have a good relationship with her cousin, but she still wouldn't tell people if they'd done something illegal. Rule one of Jenna: say nothing without a lawyer... Rule two of Jenna: don't bother with lawyers.

"He didn't do nothin'." She told him, watching him as he backed away and opened the door. No handcuffs? No handcuffs! Yes! She could have kissed him at that moment. Actually, why didn't she? Jenna grinned, giggling a little as she skipped towards him before moving to kiss him on the cheek gently. She continued to grin as she nodded at his words. Try and do anything? What would she do? Kick the back of his seat? "Aw, commissioner, didn't know you had a soft side." She joked, giggling a little more as she got into the car and giggled a little more.

"D'you treat everyone like this, or am I special? 'Cause my cousin was like 'when they arrest you-' because he seemed to think I'd get arrested sooner than this. '-you're gonna be treated like shit.'" She told him, her voice going lower for her imitation of her cousin, which included a frown. "But you're bein' really nice... Not like those other ones. There's that old fuck, what was his name?" She looked thoughtful for a moment before shrugging. "I can't remember, but his hands need fuckin' leashes. That bastard goes near me again, and I'm drop kickin' his face." She rambled, frowning softly while not noticing whether the door was shut or whether Jim was even listening - if he could hear her.

Jenna got comfortable in the seat as one hand began playing with her hair. She glanced around and gave a hint of a sigh.

"Am I even gettin' arrested? This doesn't feel like an arrest. I mean, I love not havin' handcuffs, 'cause that shit's uncomfortable," Jenna began, quite happy to just ramble endlessly. "but it doesn't feel like an arrest. It feels like what happens when you're drunk as fuck. You don't get arrested, you just get taken to the station and when you sober up, you get let out into the wilds of the city." She stated, pulling a face as she said 'wilds of the city'. Her hand fell from her hair and she slumped in her seat before she sat back up and began bouncing. "You know, I think that jackass gave me speed. This shit's gonna keep me goin' for hours." She said, groaning out the word 'hours' as she threw her head back and slumped again. She began giggling and covered her face with her hands while laughing in the back of the car at something that not even Jenna could figure out what. Maybe she was just laughing at the fact that she had no idea what she was laughing at. That was likely...

[Jim Gordon]

Jim watched her. She hadn't done anything really wrong and it wasn't like she had any weapons, what could she do? He didn't see the point in handcuffs, they were just unnecessary. He was surprised when she placed a kiss gently on his cheek and shut her door after she got in, turning away. The gesture had very much reminded him of his daughter, the thought made his eyes sting. He made no reply to her statement about him having a 'soft side', instead he crossed around to the driver's side, slipping into the cruiser and shutting the door.

His eyes glanced back at her in the mirror, "There's no point in using the cuffs," he said shortly, sticking the keys into the ignition and allowing the white vehicle to purr to life. She was still talking, he wasn't really listening. However, a small smirk twitched the corners of his mouth when she spoke about one of the men in the Precinct, Officer Hadley Jones. Jim faintly remembered Harley complaining about him before too - the thought of the spunky blonde caused the brief twitch of a smile to turn downwards into a frown again - and the Commissioner made a mental note to have a talk with the other officer, at least see if he could do anything about Jones's "wandering hands".

Jim glanced back. "Seat belt," he ordered firmly. No one was going to die tonight and certainty not with the Commissioner behind the wheel.

The old Commissioner gave a faint sigh, driving from where he'd pulled over to, and back onto the vacant street. He looked back at her again. "You'll stay at the station until you're grounded," he told her, returning his brown eyed gaze to the road. "After that...you'll be released." He didn't say anything much other then that, just listened to her rambling in the background and kept his eyes peeled for any sign of his daughter. Even with Jenna in the car he wasn't going to give up hope of finding her. When she spoke "Who gave it to you?" He didn't look at her, he kept his eyes on the road. He rolled his eyes slightly as she began to laugh, sighing slightly. He didn't comment on it, it would do no use.

[Jenna Wright]

Jenna didn't notice any of his reactions as she was too busy rambling about... Who knew what to pay any attention to what he was doing. She did notice how quiet he was being and, despite the fact that she really didn't want to, Jenna was wondering why. The thoughts of why were easily pushed away by other thoughts of whatever she was going to ramble about next, and so she didn't actually ask any questions at all regarding his lack of conversing. This may have come across as Jenna being unobservant, but it was actually just her being distracted. Every time she finished rambling about one subject, though, the thought was back until her next one.

She did notice how he told her that there was no point in using cuffs, and tilted her head slightly, curious as to why he was being short. Once again, she didn't ask questions. That was how life had been with her mother, too, don't ask questions other than ones you actually needed to know the answer to. Of course, Jenna had rarely paid that particular preference any attention but it had been there, keeping her siblings quiet and dulling their curiosity, she'd always assumed.

Saluting casually at his order, Jenna did as she was told and grinned like a small child who was expecting praise as she heard the click that told her it was in place properly. She hadn't bothered to look at what she was doing, so the click was the only way she knew she'd done it properly. Why look at what she was doing when there was Gotham city to look at out of the car windows? The city seemed beautiful right now... Or she was just really high... Both of those were equally as likely, truth be told.

Nodding along with what he was telling her about her staying at the station, Jenna continued to ramble about whatever thoughts were racing through her mind. It took Jenna a moment, after she stopped laughing, to register his question. When she did so, she shook her head with pursed lips, her previously highly amused brain now settling into seriousness as she wondered where her cousin was now.

"I dunno. Some guy..." She gave a casual shrug. Like hell she was going to rat out her cousin. She may like Jim, but she didn't like him that much and she wasn't under arrest and therefore wasn't going to get anything out of telling him. "Started talkin' shit, though. Wait..." She paused before she laughed. "Sorry, wrong guy. That was another guy. S'why we got kicked out. Guy started talkin' shit about my cousin so he hit him..." She giggled and gave another shrug. "He deserved it. Shouldn't have been such an ass." She mumbled, pressing her forehead against the cool glass of the window and letting her gaze fade out until her eyes glazed over and she was seeing things but not really seeing them - not really noticing them. Lights passed through her somewhat blurry double vision as she kept her forehead against the glass. "But then again, I suppose you could get him for bodily harm or somethin', right? Well... If you find him, can you ask him to give me the damn rent? He's supposed to help pay and he don't. Never helps. He's such a little shit. I could fuckin' kill him sometimes..." She ranted before she blinked and glanced at Jim, her hand pressing against the window as she looked at him. "Forget I said that." She requested, grinning again. "It's not like I'd actually do it, anyway, I'd probably mug him or somethin' while at home. He needs to stop givin' his shit away, too, can't pay for anythin' while he's doin' that..." She said, shaking her head and looking out of the window again.

"You're not very talkative, y'know..." Jenna said softly, moving away from the window. "Whassup? Unless you don't wanna talk to me... But like, I'm not the worst person you've ever had the misfortune of talkin' to, right? I mean, at least I'm not like... Clown Boy or whatever his name is. I can never remember his name, y'know? It just escapes me... But at least I'm not him... Or like... Muscle Man. Oh god, what's his name?! Bane! That's it. A client of mine reckoned he'd seen him the other day. I doubt it, because they're all high as I am normally, but imagine if he had! Oh my god, that would be fuckin' hilarious..." She giggled, biting her bottom lip as she did so. "Would scare the shit outta him, too, 'cause he's a damn coward." She grinned, slumping in the seat as she looked out of the window, her eyes tracking each light as it moved past the window or - more accurately - as the car moved past the lights of Gotham City's streets.

((Notes: 818 words!))

[Jim Gordon]

Jim didn't pay much attention to her rambling, he was busy thinking about the road and his daughter. Was she alright? What was happening to her where she was? He sighed, continuing to drive and stopping at a red light, watching the small stream of cars meander through their green light. For moments after that little cluster the light remained red but no cars passed. He waited until his light flicked to green and he drove forward. He sighed again, running a hand quickly over his face before returning his eyes to the road.

As she kept rambling, he kept silent. He had nothing to comment on, he blocked out most of the rambling. Not that he was being rude, his mind was just other places. Surprisingly though, whenever he reached a red light or a stop sign he'd always stop despite his mind being anywhere but the road. He knew the streets of Gotham like the back of his hand. Of course he couldn't drive them blind, but he could navigate them quite well without paying much attention.

However, he did notice her salute and he couldn't help a small chuckle at that or her childish grin. If Gordon had been paying attention to the scenery around he might have agreed to how beautiful the city looked. But with his daughters whereabouts being the only thing that really mattered it slipped his mind despite his eyes flickering endlessly to the world outside the car, looking for that flash of red hair.

He noticed her nodding along and sudden change in demeanor after her ramble and her laugh had died of. Seriousness took root across her face and he glanced at her through the mirror. He didn't say anything, just waited for an answer to his previous question. Truth be told he wasn't expecting her to tell him.

When she said 'some guy', the Commissioner nodded slightly as if that gave him everything he needed to know. He listened to her as she started talking again. Anything to get his mind from where it was. He rolled his eyes slightly as she told him the guy deserved to be hit by her cousin. That was great. He watched her lean her head against the glass from the mirror and he sighed slightly. He remembered times, when Barbara was younger, when he was driving and he'd look back at his daughter and she'd be asleep, somewhat in that same position, head pressed against the glass, bobbing slightly in the movements of the car. He sighed. She began to rant and he glanced at her when she said she could kill him. He knew what that was like. Every now and then you wanted to kill someone you love. But you wouldn't. He knew she wouldn't. He nodded at her next words. "I know you wouldn't." He sighed once again, taking a turn.

Jim's lips twitched slightly. "Got a lot on my mind." He told her, taking a glance at her through the mirror. She began talking again, he had expected that. He was surprised at her 'whassup', he wasn't expecting her to actually ask him what was up, he had doubted she actually cared. He had thought she was just being observant. He sighed. "My daughter's missing," he told her, his own voice soft. What she had said was true. At least she wasn't the Joker or Bane. She was so much easier to deal then the two of them.

[Jenna Wright]

Jenna smiled as he said that he knew she wouldn't kill her cousin. It was pretty tempting sometimes, but they were family. Ha, like that had meant a lot to Jenna's mum... She barely registered the thought as she rambled and stated that Jim wasn't talkative. At the response, she carried on talking. Just because he'd replied to her, didn't mean she was going to shut up. The opposite, actually... Jenna was, in a way, a lot like a cat. If a cat meowed and a human replied to it then it would keep meowing.

His answer to her question made Jenna pause for a moment. Oh crap. Wait, who was his daughter? Oh, what did it matter? It was his daughter. That may not have mattered much when it came to Jenna and her mother, but Jim didn't deserve this. Even if he was technically arresting her, she couldn't help feeling a little bad, though she was also bouncing in her seat again which probably didn't make her look particularly like she was feeling bad about the fact that his daughter had gone missing. Well, that explained a lot, anyway...

"She'll be okay. Grew up in Gotham, right?" She asked, frowning a little in questioning before grinning. "Tough to keep a Gothamite down. Gotta keep goin', and she totally will. Got you as a father. Ain't no one gonna stop when your dad's commissioner. She continued, though shrugged when she finished speaking. Her gaze turned to the streets again, her eyes flicking over the lights outside the car. She had no idea whether what she'd said was going to help at all, though thought it might. Always helped to know your family were fighters. Even helped Jenna, sometimes...

Her gaze turned to look at him in the mirror and she twitched her nose.

"You got that expression.." She stated, her voice soft. "Ma used to wear it when my brother and sister were out for too long. When she gets home, you won't yell at her. You never would, but this is different. You won't yell 'cause you'll be relieved. She's lucky, y'know? My ma used to yell at me if I were out too late. Threaten to throw me out, too. Did eventually. You wouldn't, though. You won't yell and you won't threaten her. You'll just be glad she's back. Ma did too. Always with them. Not surprised. They were the good kids, just like her right? Good kid. Proper good kid, not just faking it, neither. Wants you to be proud. Always did. Sis wanted ma to be proud, too... Dunno if it ever happened..." She trailed off, eyes back on the scene outside. The pavement. The lampposts. The lights that shone like mini-suns. The people stumbling. The people wandering. All being passed as she watched them with glassy eyes.

Slumping as she did so, Jenna began looking around the back of the car. She was curious what was back here and had never been able to look before, what with having always been in handcuffs... Wriggling enough in her seat to be able to move a bit futher while still having the seat belt on, she began properly looking around her, not noticing if Jim had realised or not and not knowing where they were. She didn't care, in all honesty. She was curious and her attention span was easy to waver from conversation to actually doing something...

[Jim Gordon]

Jim nodded at the question. Of course she'll be okay, she's strong, a voice spoke into his head. But that didn't stop him from worrying. He couldn't help but silently agree with her words about it being tough to take a Gothamite down. He glanced back at her for a moment at her next words, before returning his brown eyes to the road. He didn't comment on what she'd said, but he caught her eyes in the mirror when she looked at him.

He actually had to strain a little to hear her voice, since she was speaking softly and his hearing wasn't too well as of late. But she was right. He wasn't going to yell at Barbara when she came home. He'd hug her close and make her swear never to do that again and make her explain everything that had happened to her. He felt a twinge of sympathy for her and looked at her through the mirror. He was proud of his daughter, very much so. He couldn't imagine a parent not being proud of something their child had done. He gave her a somewhat sympathetic look through the mirror, not knowing if she saw it or not.

He caught her looking around the back of the car. He could imagine she never had the chance to do so before considering she'd probably been cuffed. He probably should have, but what was she going to do? He didn't see the point in cuffing her, seeing as she wasn't a criminal wanted for murder. She was just a girl, who seemed not too much older than his own daughter.

(Note- Very amused by the fact that while listening to this on Pandora this song was just like "I know you're somewhere out there/ somewhere far away" and then a little later it said "you're all I have")