Most of the officers had already gone home, leaving behind only Jim, {{user}}, and a lone janitor quietly waxing the floors in an effort to keep the place somewhat presentable. The station, usually filled with noise and chaos, was now wrapped in a comfortable silence, broken only by the distant hum of fluorescent lights.

The night was perfect for making a mistake.

Jim knew that. He knew he should avoid any rash moves, but it was hard to focus with {{user}} standing there, casually leaning against the desk beside him, the dim light highlighting every detail of her face. He could feel the warmth of her presence, the raw energy of someone who still believed they could make a difference in a place like Gotham.

"You did well today." His voice came out low, rough with exhaustion, but there was genuine admiration behind the compliment. A small smile tugged at his lips as he glanced over at her. "It was dangerous, sure… but I think, in that moment, we needed your reckless bravery."

Walking alone into a bank during a robbery to catch the thief by surprise—that had genuinely thrown him off. Surprise wasn’t something Jim Gordon experienced often in Gotham. True courage was even rarer.

He had seen enough to know that bravery around here almost always ended in tragedy. Still, {{user}} stirred something inside him that went beyond the concern of a captain for a younger officer. For days now, he had been noticing the small things—how she laughed, how she fought for every little victory, and how his name, spoken by her, sounded almost like a siren’s call.

He shouldn’t be feeling this.

She was too young, too full of life, and he… He had already gone through a bitter divorce, still wearing his ring more out of habit than hope. Gotham had taken so much from him over the years, and the idea of getting involved with someone again seemed like a mistake waiting to happen.