Now That You're Gone (OPEN)

[DYLAN CARRERO]

It had been weeks since the last Joker murder. She'd heard about it, just like everyone else. The news had blown it out of proportion, claimed it would be another spree of the Clown Prince of Crime's, but then he'd disappeared again. At first, Dylan hadn't be sure whether she was happy about it or not. On the one hand, him not being around meant that there would likely be less deaths, but on the other, he might do something big if he were to return to the lime-light of Gotham as far as criminals were concerned. After the first week, Dylan had decided on her feelings about the whole thing: Relieved. She hated clowns, especially that one...

So it shouldn't have surprised anyone who knew her feelings about Joker's most recent disappearance that she'd ended up out and about during one night when she wasn't on duty. She was still in training and probably should have been in bed, but instead she'd come out with Jenna. Her friend had gone home, or had gone to do her job, and Dylan had remained in the club they'd been in. The now pink haired officer-in-training practically skipped out of the club at one in the morning with the aim of going home... Or to another club. She hadn't quite made a decision on that yet.

And so she was walking down one street, a little bit tipsy but otherwise completely fine, with a grin on her face. It was September and quite cold compared to the day before, but it didn't seem to effect her though it may have been a good idea for her to have grabbed a coat of some kind before she'd left, when she was sober. Too late now, anyway, and so she brushed the thought away before beginning to jump down the road. This didn't last long as she got too much momentum and ended up stumbling to try and get her balance back. Well... Here's hoping Gordon didn't turn up. She glanced around with wide eyes before deciding that the Commissioner was probably busy elsewhere and so she likely didn't have to worry...

Hopefully, she didn't have to worry. It might be awkward if he turned up to arrest her for being drunk and disorderly - though she was being neither of those things from what she knew - and found himself facing one of the future police officers of Gotham City. Definitely could be an awkward situation, though it seemed as though it wouldn't happen and so Dylan was happy.

[Jim Gordon]

It was late, one in the morning. Amelia had offered to take the shift, but he had told her to go home and get some rest, she had looked exhausted. He was exhausted too. But it wouldn't be long until he was done with his patrol and he would be able to go home. His daughter was probably there, she hadn't called him to tell him she was going to Richard's house. She was probably sleeping, at least he hoped she was. There was no need for her to be awake at such an hour. And there was no crime that night, it was a quiet night, so there was no need for her to lurk about as Batgirl - a nightly act that James Gordon didn't approve.

His mind went to the recent Joker strike. The press had dramatized it, inducing panic by speaking out that the Joker would strike again at any moment. No one had known what was going to happen, but it was a shock to Jim when the clown did not strike again, instead vanished into the darkness once again, only the murmur of his insane cackle filling the air - the memory of his last strike still lingering in the chilled September breeze.

It was when he was turning towards home when he spotted a familiar figure. Was she drunk? Perhaps just a little. He shook his head just slightly, a faint smirk on his lips. He turned down the street, pulling to a stop and rolling down the window. "Little bit cold for a walk, don't you think?" He asked, arching a brow, "little early as well."

Briefly he wondered where she'd come from, looking back towards the way she'd come. The club. Obviously. He should have thought of that instantly. He glanced back towards the officer in training and offered a faint smile. "Need a ride?" He questioned, gesturing to the emptiness of the passenger's chair inside the warmth of the commissioner's cruiser.

[DYLAN CARRERO]

Dylan was still grinning at the car pulled up, not thinking anything of it. She didn't look at it, either. Perhaps she should have, but she wasn't exactly thinking properly... Not that she usually did. Growing up with mob wives as her mother and aunt gave her a sense of possibly false security in the knowledge that she could fight. At the voice, though, she could feel herself getting a little annoyed as she didn't realise who it was in the car. She pursed her lips, stopping as she did so, and was about to ask what business it was of the driver's when she looked and saw the commissioner. Her expression fell from 'what the fuck is it to you?' and she mouthed 'oh shit' to herself rather obviously.

Her grin returned as pleasantly as she could manage it, though she could feel the slight grimace in there too. Her grin shrunk into a smile now as he asked her a question of whether she needed a ride home. Accept a ride with the commissioner of the GCPD - and thus her boss - or walk it and hope to whoever that she didn't get beaten up... Well, it was obvious what she was going to go for, really.

"Sure. I mean, I was heading that way anyway." She answered, grin coming back as convincingly as the slightly tipsy young English woman could manage, before opening and getting into the nearest door that wasn't the driver's. "Wait, you know where I live?" Slightly stalkerish, in Dylan's mind... But then this was basically her boss so it was likely he'd know or be able to guess... Or would just drop her off at the end of the road...

Seat belt!

The thought crashed any others sharply as she moved to follow her thought. She wasn't high, and thus wasn't forgetting everything she should possibly do, unlike Jenna. Wait a second, hadn't he picked Jenna up before on the street. From what Dylan could remember, that was the first time they'd met...

"This seems like a habit, Commissioner." She commented as the seat belt clicked. Her gaze turned from the seat belt to Jim - or whatever he could see of him depending on where she was sitting. "First Jenna, now me." She expanded vaguely, her voice somewhat teasing. "I'd laugh if it was Amelia next." She looked out of the window as her grin grew with amusement at the very idea of Amelia being out this late without being on duty. That would be the day...

((NOTES: I HAVE FINALLY GIVEN HER THAT MEMORY!))

[Jim Gordon]

He smirked a bit at her first reaction, her lips mouthing the words 'oh' and 'shit' quite obviously before going around to get into the other seat. He waited until the car door was shut to get the car into drive but didn't exactly go anywhere yet.

Instead he answered, with a smirk, "It's in your file." As she clicked in her seat belt he drove forward, taking a turn and going down the street, stopping at a light. It was only than that he looked at her once again, her comment causing him to chuckle.

"What seems like a habit," he said, going forward when the light changed, "is finding one of you wandering around in the middle of the morning." He smirked, chuckling a little more as he began to navigate through the streets towards the home of Dylan Carrero.

He laughed faintly at the thought of seeing Amelia out at one in the morning without being on duty. Somehow he didn't exactly see it happening. He smirked. "Good look getting her out this early when she's off duty." If he had to fathom a guess, he would say Amelia was probably still awake, as she had seemed to be haunted more often than not by nightmares and often reported that she woke in the middle of the night and refused to go back to sleep.

He shook his head a bit.

(Notes: I had an urge to make him go through the red light but I was like 'no... he wouldn't' ... so I didn't go there. xD)

[DYLAN CARRERO]

File. Of course. How didn't she think of that? Oh, right, because she was tipsy... And because she was Dylan. She couldn't help a slight, amused smile at her own thoughts of being tipsy and nodded along with his answer. Her smile grew somewhat as he spoke again in reply to her comment about this becoming a habit for him. She snorted loudly while nodding and glanced at him momentarily before looking ahead once more.

"We have bad habits of going out when could be sleeping." She admitted with a casual shrug before looking at him out of the corner of her eye with a raised eyebrow somewhat sneakily. "Sorry dad." She tried, smile fading into existence with amusement, which was obvious. If he didn't like being called 'dad', though, she could always try calling him 'mum'. The idea of him with long hair and in a dress like her mum used to wear caused Dylan to begin laughing silently, to such a point whereas she had to look away and cover her mouth subtly to try stopping herself, hoping that he didn't notice her silent laughter.

He spoke again after she said about Amelia and Dylan began grinning, her laughter having died a second before. That sounded like a challenge to her. Was it a challenge? Well, she was more than happy to take it as a challenge. She was pretty sure she could manage it, and she used to take things as challenges when her brother used to say something similar to what Gordon had. While she probably should have, Dylan wasn't going to treat Gordon any different to anyone else while she wasn't on duty. He was her boss, but he was also another human being... And he was hopefully aware of how childish and immature she could be. If not, he'd learn.

"Challenge accepted." She said, grin not fading as she looked out of the window. "Bet I can do it before the end of the week." She added, looking to him again though now with a hint of a smirk curving her grin. She probably shouldn't have said anything about it, but heck, she'd try it. Why wouldn't she? Though maybe she shouldn't have agreed to it aloud... Well, could be fun to attempt, anyway.