Not only was desperation coursing through Jim's body, but rage soon was added to the toxic concoction as he sped toward Dent's office. How could he be so irresponsible?! I told him no names! His heart beat faster than a drum as he sped through the city. The thought of Holly being harmed was imprinted in his brain, and it wasn't going away so easily. As he reached the office, Jim stormed down the hallway, found Dent's office, and slammed the door just as he finished a phone call. "Lovecraft isn't at home. Housekeeper hasn't seen him since yesterday," Jim said, trying to calm his anger.

"Allen says he didn't come into his office. He and Montoya are watching it," Dent explained, trying to avoid the topic of the witness leak. Though Dent didn't say it out loud, just by the look on the detective's face, he knew he messed up big time. "How did the killers know where to find my witness?" Jim growled. "Let's keep calm here. It's a win. We've made Lovecraft panic. This is a panic move," Dent spoke calmly, putting his hands up. "A win?! There's three children out there with professional assassins coming after them! My daughter is with them! Bruce, Holly, and Selina could end up dead!" Jim's voice rose in anger.

"We're gonna get Lovecraft to call them off," Dent vowed. "How did they know? I never told you her name, let alone where she was hiding, so you couldn't have..." Jim paced around the office. "I should say not," Dent shook his head. "And you never mentioned my name to anyone, right?" Jim questioned. "No, we agreed. I didn't mention any names out loud," Dent answered. "No names out loud? What about whispering?" Jim stepped closer. "Don't hold out on me. I'll know," Dent sighed, realizing it was no use hiding it anymore, and explained that for deep background, Dent leaked Jim's name to a couple of select sources.

Jim shook his head in disbelief. To think he could put his trust in Dent, this only proved you couldn't trust anyone in Gotham. Some people, no matter how well they might be at their job, had a dark way of completing it. And in this case, it was putting people's lives at risk. "I had to, for credibility! You're the Wayne murders cop!" Dent insisted, reading Jim's mind. "Damn it! That's how they got to her. I'm surprised it took them this long to find her. This is on you, Dent!" Jim glared. 

"Whoa. I'll stipulate mea culpa. Kick my ass, be my guest. But let's find Lovecraft first and get him to call off the killers," Dent reasoned. For a moment, Jim allowed his anger to subside, but the hunt for the assassins and the children was far from over. "He's not at home, he's not at his office. He could've left Gotham. Someone could be hiding him," Jim explained as Dent opened a file cabinet and pulled one out, flipping through it.

"Lovecraft has a couple of condos that he keeps under his mistress's name. One up in Stevensburgh and one uptown," the lawyer mentioned. "I'll take the one uptown," Jim nodded. "Dent, if anything happens to my daughter or these kids..." Jim trailed off. With the rare threatening tone of his voice, Dent got the message loud and clear before Jim walked out, the ball of anger still burning like a damn inferno.

~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, Alfred and Harvey stood across the interrogation table, face to face with someone they hadn't seen since the child snatching case. "We know you ran with a girl called "Cat" She's in serious danger," Harvey leaned in closer. "Who isn't, right? Crazy world," Mackie shrugged, as the sense of danger was all too normal for him. Then again, it was normalized to every kid living on the streets.

Alfred reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, sliding a bill across the counter towards the teenage boy. "How much? There's $100," the butler bribed. Mackie was quick to cave in. "All right, listen. I don't know where Cat lives, all right? She's private about stuff like that. But I heard that she got a new fence, cause her old one got popped," Mackie explained. "Who's the fence?" Harvey questioned.

"I don't know," Mackie answered. "But I know who would know," "Oh yeah? Who's that?!" Harvey snarled. Alfred reached into his wallet, upping the cash bribe, despite Harvey telling him to save it, claiming he could beat the truth out of Mackie with a roll of quarters. "Yo, ask Fish Mooney! She runs all the fences," Mackie blabbed, grabbing the two 100s before Harvey could snatch them away. Finally, with a satisfactory answer, the two men let him go as they walked out of the precinct to the theatre district, hoping Fish would provide them with the truth.

When they arrived at Fish's Club, hardly anybody was there, just a few of Fish's employees getting set up for the upcoming busy nightly hours. "Hello, gentlemen!" Harvey called out as he saw Butch glaring at them, clearly not in the best of moods. "Busy day, Harvey. Come back next year," Butch called back as the butler and detective approached him. "Hand to God, Butch, I'll be quicker than a sailor on shore leave," Harvey reached into his coat pocket and showed him Selina's photo. "Thief we're tracking down. Look familiar? Goes by 'Cat',"

"Nope," Butch denied. "Maybe Fish knows her?" Harvey suggested. "Fish knows everybody, and Fish is busy right now. So you need to leave," Butch insisted. But Harvey continued, mentioning that Selina worked with one of their fences, one of the newer guys. But Butch had no idea what the detective meant, asking him what a fence was. "Come on, Butch. Be nice. This is important. Where's Fish?" Harvey asked. Butch reminded him again that Fish was busy, but neither Harvey nor Alfred were going to take that response and leave. And if Butch wasn't going to do the easy thing and cooperate. Alfred assumed they'd have to do it the hard way.

"I once knew a fella called Butch," The butler spoke up. "Yeah, he was a Whitechapel lad. Now, we called him "Butch" you see, because he wasn't. It was a wind-up. It was like a joke name. In fact, he was a horrible little toe rag," He spoke passive-aggressively. "What? I can't tell. Are... Are you, Are you threatening me? Is he threatening me?" Butch turned to Harvey for an answer. Without warning and a quick swipe at the leg, Butch lost his balance and fell as Alfred held a knife to the bodyguard's throat.

"Now... where is this Fish?" Alfred's voice sent shivers down Butch's spine. "Right here," A foreign voice entered the room. Both men looked up to see Fish standing on the staircase before walking toward them. "So, what's the fuss?" "They're just fooling around. We're looking for this girl, a street thief, goes by 'Cat', works with one of your fences," Harvey responded as Alfred put the knife away and helped Butch back to his feet. "Looks familiar. What's the urgency?" Fish inquired.

"Professional killers are looking for her," Harvey told her. Fish raised a brow, asking if Selina was the Lovecraft witness. "How do you know?" Harvey questioned. "Streets talk," Fish answered bluntly. "Using her to scare Lovecraft. She saw the Waynes' killer, supposedly. "And you're here because you want me to help you find her, don't you?" Fish assumed. "Yes," Harvey nodded.

But Fish chuckled without a hint of humor in her voice, asking why would she help them find Selina of all people in Gotham. "Because she has Bruce Wayne with her, miss," Alfred answered. "I'm Alfred Pennyworth, the boy's legal guardian. Very pleased to meet you," "Likewise," Fish responded. "Ms. Mooney, we need your help," Alfred requested. "Well, you see Alfred, I would love to help you, but it would infringe upon my personal interests. And why would I do that?" Fish raised a brow.

"You have a very eloquent gaze, if I may say so, Ms. Mooney. And I can see that you're not a woman that would let petty self-interest outweigh honor and compassion," Alfred answered. Fish pondered his words before sighing and telling them she'd make some calls. "But remember this kindness," She spoke before walking back to her office, Butch trailing right behind her.

~~~~~~~~~~

As early part-time workers started getting out of work or stopping to grab a bite to eat, it gave Holly, Bruce, and Selina the perfect time to blend in with the crowds. But even then, Holly still didn't feel safe. As they crossed the street to some of the run-down apartments, Bruce's eyes lit up when he saw a payphone between the two buildings. He eagerly rushed over to it and picked up the receiver, trying to dial Alfred, but it wasn't working.

"I don't carry coins, do either of you?" He looked at Holly and Selina. Holly dug through her pockets, but she couldn't find a single coin. The same went for Selina, or at least that's what she claimed anyway. "Why does Alfred matter so much to you, anyway? He's just your butler," Selina asked him. "He's my family. My only family..." Bruce reminded her. With a slight smile, Selina dug into her jacket and handed him the tiny dime before adjusting her hood. "Good luck, kids. See you around, maybe," Selina waved.

But before she could take even a step away from them, Holly grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Let me go!" Selina warned. "No, you're not just gonna abandon us!" Holly protested. "Look! Those bad guys were there for me. Not for either of you," Selina sighed. "You have nothing to worry about. Go home!" But Holly shook her head, stating that they had to stay together. "You said that those guys were after me," Bruce recalled. "I was just trying to freak you both out. I was playing with you," Selina claimed.

"That's not funny, Selina," Holly stated. "Look, you were right about me, Bruce. I'm not nice, not like you. You both got a nice way about you," Nice way about us? What does that even mean? Holly looked confused. "That's why I said that thing about you being the target, so, you know we could hang out a while longer," Selina explained. "Anyhow, it's been cool. I'm gonna disappear," Selina finally pulled her hand away from Holly, and as she was about to walk off again, Bruce stood in front, blocking her path.

"You can't do that! You have to come back home with me. When Detective Gordon finds the man who killed my parents, you have to testify," Bruce reminded her. "Did you really think that was ever going to happen? Grow up, B," Selina scoffed. Holly and Bruce watched as she ran and grabbed onto the fire escape before climbing to the next balcony. Impulsively, Bruce and Holly went after her, quickly climbing the ladder as they tried to catch up before she got too far. The tweens followed her up to the rooftop, and they both watched in surprise as Selina vaulted to the next building that was a reasonable distance away from them.

But rather than continuing to run, Selina stopped at the other end, crossing her arms in front of her as she thought they were going to give up the chase. Holly looked over the edge of the building, noticing the darkened and unforgiving alleyway below them. If there was another way to reach Selina, they would've done it. But there was only one way, and they had to time it just right. With a slight nod, Holly and Bruce backed up until they were back-to-back with the brick wall.

Realizing what they were planning on doing, Selina protested, telling them that they wouldn't make it. But Holly and Bruce blocked out her words, and after a deep breath, they booked it to the other side of the building, and as their feet touched the stone ledge, they threw themselves towards the other building. But contrary to Selina's words, they both made it to the other side, if not cutting it very close to falling off the edge. Selina grabbed them both and pulled them to safety, not wanting to admit she was impressed.

"Y'all are crazy," Selina looked shocked. "Please, don't run off again. I'm out of breath," Bruce panted. "Okay fine, you've earned it. You want to hang with me, that's cool, but my world, my rules. You do what I say," Selina caved in. Holly and Bruce nodded in agreement. And with a tiny smile, Selina led them off the roof back into the alleyways, and they turned into a darkened corridor. "Why can't I call Alfred or Detective Gordon to let them know I'm okay?" Bruce's voice echoed the further they walked into it. "Because we're disappearing, you got to be like smoke. Smoke doesn't make phone calls," Selina answered.

They walked down a few flights of stairs before Selina pulled back a clear curtain, and they were greeted with loud music and chatter from a couple dozen teenagers. "What is this place?" Holly asked. "The Flea. It's like the mall for street kids but without the crappy music. We'll be safe here till dark," Selina explained. Till Dark? 

Shortly after they arrived at The Flea, Selina helped them blend in better with the crowd. While Bruce walked to a few curtains to try on an outfit, Holly did the same as Selina handed her a stack of worn black and gray clothes. Holly slipped her old clothes into a white shopping bag before changing into a fashionably torn black jacket that almost looked like leather, a slightly stained white shirt underneath, and a pair of black jeans and combat boots.

"How does it look?" Holly asked as she stepped out of the stall. "You look badass, Hols!" Selina smiled. Bruce also stepped out of his stall, wearing a black jacket and gray hood with some black jeans. "Much better," Selina nodded in approval, handing some cash to the woman managing the clothing rack. And as they were about to leave, they bumped into someone Selina knew very well.

(Quick pause, I just want to say that these next few paragraphs are a little disturbing since the topic of suicide is mentioned, so if you're not comfortable reading about that, I'd advise you skip maybe three to four paragraphs. I'll leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟 whenever the triggering topic is over.)

"Ivy, what are you doing here? What have you been up to? I thought..." Selina trailed off as Ivy finished her sentence. "Yeah, juvie caught me. I got adopted upstate," She replied. "Didn't take?" Selina asked. "Good people. They wanted me to cut my hair and dress nice," As Ivy rolled her eyes, she saw Bruce staring at her and looked in his direction. "I know you, you're Mario Pepper's daughter," Bruce realized. "Yes. Who are you?" Ivy squinted. Instead of coming up with a fake alias, Bruce stupidly decided to tell her he was Bruce Wayne. And the moment he said that, Ivy's face shifted.

Holly internally panicked hearing Mario Pepper's name, recalling the GCPD thought Ivy's dad was the one responsible for the murders. All she could do was hope Ivy wouldn't take notice of her and move on. But unfortunately, that didn't happen. "And who are you?" Ivy asked her. "Emma Jones," Holly quickly made up a name and hoped Ivy would buy it. To Holly's luck, Ivy didn't pay her much mind after that, her cold gaze returning to Bruce. "Yes, you are. Billionaire Bruce Wayne," she spoke with venom.

"Stay cool now, Ivy," Selina warned her friend. "I am cool. Why are you telling me that? Why are you telling me what to do?" Ivy got defensive. "I'm not. I'm just saying I don't want you to get mad at him. He's a friend," Cat assured. "Why would I get mad at him? It's not his fault, is it? Did you kill my father? Did you make my mother cut her wrists?" Ivy snarled. Bruce quickly shook his head no, and Holly acted like she had no idea what was going on, even though she tried to sympathize with Ivy from a distance. If she found out Holly was really Jim Gordon's daughter, who knew what Ivy was capable of doing?

🌟🌟🌟🌟

"Somebody did. Somebody did, but not him. How are you doing? You both doing okay?" Ivy's gaze shifted back and forth to Bruce and Holly. "We're okay, and you?" Bruce replied. "I'm doing great, how do I look?" Ivy asked. "You look good," Holly smiled. "Have you seen Clyde the fence around?" Selina asked the redhead. "Yeah, he's working out of the Factory on the Narrows," Ivy responded. "Those two are cute, aren't they?" "Yes, they are. Uh, thanks, Ivy. Good to see you. Uh, we got to go run and see Clyde," Selina excused.

Discretely, she grabbed Holly and Bruce's hand, and they walked off as Ivy continued to eye them suspiciously the further they walked away. "Keep moving," Selina instructed. "She's just a little girl. Why are you so scared of her?" Holly whispered. "Because she's scary," Selina shuddered. "Don't look back..."