Friday 2nd, January 2009, 22:30.

New Jersey,

Gotham City,

East End.

Gotham City.

A place that many believed to be beyond the borders of a utopia and beyond the hope of ever becoming one. A clear reminder of the indescribable gap between the American dream and what reality was truly like. Gotham City stood as the definition of crime and corruption with danger around every corner. A place that made orphans out of its future generations, and fed them into the constant cycle that gripped all of its inhabitants.

Amusedly, this dystopian city was contrasted by a seeming utopia.

Metropolis.

The City of Tomorrow.

A city that stood as a clear contrast to Gotham, one whose protector contrasted with Gotham's own.

He was held as a symbol of hope.

As strong as a thousand men and the most powerful of heroes. He who stood at the pinnacle of heroism, worshipped as a God by many, one whose symbol was known and revered by all and feared by those who were in the shadows. Yet also one who held the respect and admiration of the innocent, one who came to their aid with strength and speed that reflected his divinity. A hero who put people at ease with a smile on his face and the gentleness with which he treated them.

A contrast to the brutal and vicious methods of Gotham's protector, one whose actions were reflective of the city in which he resided.

The police took bribes from the various crime families and so the city stayed as a haven for those wanting to live a life of crime, a living hell on earth to the people of Gotham. That changed, however, when arriving soundlessly in the dark of night came a new form of justice-seeking to punish all those who would poison his beloved city. A man, a myth, a legend. Appearing as if he were a bat the prowled the streets of Gotham seeking his next victim. Victims that extorted the innocent and committed crimes not because they needed to, but because they wanted to.

In the span of a few months since his emergence, the crime bosses that once ruled Gotham had their influence vastly reduced as the people of Gotham were finally given a symbol of hope to believe in. Everyone called him a lie, a false messiah, some a hero, others a vigilante. They all thought that he could not save them, could not bring them true salvation from the corruption of their city.

But there was no denying that Batman was Gotham's silent protector, maybe even the hero they had all longed for.

Yet the bitter reality still stood despite his best efforts, Gotham still stood as the symbol of crime and corruption, still the dystopia it had been for so long. It was an aspect of the city that had been so deeply ingrained into the very fabric of its being that the question was raised if there was no crime, would it still be Gotham? The city's criminal element having seemingly licked their wounds had grown smarter and more dangerous the longer and harder Batman fought against them. But again, the question was raised, what good was fighting the symptoms, when the host was still infected?

It could be said that for that reason alone, most rarely ventured forth into the most unsavoury underbelly of the decayed city. Said to be all but certain death after the night sets in, hiding their sin from view. But could that be true or had they, in their conformity, created their own demons? After all, why struggle for an unknown outcome that may never come when they could live a relatively safe yet monotonous life? The crime around them grew while they kept their head down and continued, pretending it didn't exist.

That may be the case for most, however, Barbara Gordon, niece, and foster daughter to the current Commissioner James Gordon was not one of those people. Walking down the street with grace like a gazelle, nimble yet hiding a surprising amount of strength. She was a beautiful young woman with bright red hair, enchanting green eyes, and a figure that while still developing, drew the gaze of many men. Each of them made any sound possible to gain her attention.

Still, Barbara ignored the unwanted gestures. Long ago she had found the comments, whistling, leers, car horns and vulgar gestures that came her way uncomfortable and worrying, especially with how young she had been. Now, with all she had been through, seen and done, she viewed them as far beneath her, unwilling to even dignify the actions with her acknowledgement. Many viewed it as simple arrogance on her part and many would agree. She was beautiful, but there was only one person's attention she wanted upon her.

However, she did speed up a little at the sight of a familiar apartment building, paying no mind to the men that were still fruitlessly trying to gain her attention. Nothing could keep her from coming, not the long commute, the grimy rundown building, nor all the numerous men and women doing drugs and various other chemical substances. Each of them tried to reach a high that would make them forget the cruel reality of the world they live in. She moved past them all on the way up, never discouraged with a faint smile on her lovely lips that seemed to grow the higher she got.

Pulling out a small key, she unlocked the door and entered the apartment making sure to place her bag on the kitchen countertop and taking a moment to look around. It was bare and if it wasn't for the dirty dishes in the sink. Burgers she would guess however faint it might be the smell still clung to the room. She could even see a few 'adult' magazines - some featuring cosplays of certain heroines and villainesses - as well as several young childish comics about ninjas. But despite that, it would be difficult to believe someone lived in this rundown and grimy apartment if that wasn't for the recent mess in the kitchen.

Her eyes did stall slightly as they looked at the few pictures on the walls, they were wonky and looked to be on the verge of falling off, the wall itself damp in some areas and rotting in others. Most were of her and her childhood friend, Esau and even a few of her uncle and foster father, James as they grew up however, there were two that caught her attention the most.

They were the smallest of the pictures, but they were by far the most important to her and Esau, situated right in the centre of the wall. Her parents had died when she was young, only five and while she didn't remember them very well, she did miss them. Over the years she had lived in Gotham, James had gone from being her uncle to becoming her father, but part of her had always wanted to know what it was like to have a mother, especially after her aunt, Barbara left taking her cousin, James with her.

But she did, for a time.

Esau had been her childhood friend and his parents Bill and Joan had always treated her kindly. While he might have seemed a bit wimpy and girly at first glance, Bill was like the kind and fun uncle. Joan on the other hand had not only been a doting mother to both her and Esau, but she had also been a cool older sister that she had looked up to, beautiful and strong with a penchant for pranks that Esau had inherited.

Their deaths had been difficult to bear; for everyone.

Even now she would think of them in fondness, the impact they left still ringing strong, be it good or bad.

Moving forwards, Barbara twisted the pictures, one of Bill and Joan at their wedding, both smiling happily in a small chapel and the other of a tired but smiling Joan, Bill and a sleeping baby Esau. It always brought a smile to her, he looked so adorable as a baby, especially when she thought back to the numerous photos of him being dressed up in various little outfits, Joan had not been above pranking her newborn son. Though she was no longer with them, Barbara knew what Joan would say to her, that she had been playing the long con.

Turning to the wall beside it, she took a deep breath having noticed the bloody handprint on the wall near the bedroom door. Her chest tightened up the more she looked at it, even now she wasn't able to properly deal with him getting hurt, nor was she truly able to confront him over it.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open and saw her childhood friend trying and failing to patch up the cut on his side.

Esau was the same age as her, sixteen with shaggy blonde hair and the brightest shade of blue eyes she had ever seen. His face was slightly plump in the cheeks and while he was certainly in good shape, the clearly defined muscles serving as proof, there were still hints of baby fat here and there. Not that she thought it detracted from him as he was in far better shape than most guys their age.

Shaking her head before her thoughts reached deeper hidden feelings, Barbara moved forward, convincing herself that she was unaffected by the handsome and half-naked teen in front of her. "It's honestly amazing that despite how many times you injure yourself, you're still hopeless when it comes to applying first aid." She said as she took the cloth filled with disinfectant and threw it into the bin, but not after shaking it in his face irritably as to prove a point. "Too much disinfectant, idiot."

"My bad." The blonde chuckled as they moved towards his unmade, single bed and sat down upon it as Barbara applied the correct amount of disinfectant and began dabbing his wounds. "Ow." He flinched away as he felt his wounds sting.

"Hush, you big baby." Barbara scolded him, a small frown of concentration on her face.

"It stings." The blonde protested. "You'd think that after the number of times I've injured myself that I'd be used to it by now," Barbara said nothing as she meticulously applied a sterile plaster over the cut, but her frown deepened. She knew full well what he had been doing despite the various lies he had told her about what he did.

When he was younger, he had been sent to juvenile prison several times for stealing. He had stopped thankfully, only for Barbara to soon learn that he had started doing something far more dangerous, street fighting. He had not admitted it and it had not been until she started her 'extracurricular' activities that she discovered just what Esauwas doing when not in school. But the discovery had both shocked and horrified her, it had been far worse than she could have imagined.

After all, the street fights were dangerous simply because there were no rules, except for no weapons.

Even killing was allowed.

After all, once a fighter had undergone the mandatory checks, any weapon that had slipped past the judge's notice was...nonexistent. There were several times that knives had been pulled out and Esau had the scars to prove it, she had seen them personally. When it came down to it, nothing mattered so long as they won, though who truly won was another story. When it came down to it, Barbara knew that it was only those who pulled the strings that came out on top, they made sure to find value in fighters even when they could no longer fight.

What were a few missing organs when their families needed to eat?

Each fighter that was desperate enough to come to them, fell deeper and deeper into the hole, with no way to get out. Of course, that was only known because of who she truly was, their secrets only coming to light under the cover of darkness where no one could see.

Pulling away, she gave his upper body a once over for any more injuries, running her hand down a particularly nasty scar over his chest as she did so, spending a few moments longer than necessary to feel him up. "It's getting so difficult to tell the old cuts and bruises from the new ones," Barbara whispered, concern evident in her voice. "Why do you do this to yourself, Esau? You know my dad offered you our home, you can come live with us."

Esau simply smiled sadly and took her hand in his. "I can look after myself, besides, I like it here." Barbara just stared at him, not convinced in the slightest by his words and even if she were, she wouldn't want him to stay here alone, wanting him to be with her, however that ended up being.

"That'd be almost believable if it wasn't for the fact you've told me on numerous occasions that you hate it here and how you want to travel the world." She said, pulling away as the two moved into the main room, with Esau going straight to the couch to watch TV while Barbara poured him a drink of water. "Here."

Esau's hand shot up and caught the bottle of pills she threw at him before they hit his head. "What are these?" He asked while looking at the information printed on the side.

"You say you can look after yourself, but you're constantly working different jobs to try and pay rent, but for some reason always go to those street fights and come back looking like you've been put through a meat grinder." She moved forward and sat down beside him, giving him the glass of water. "They're painkillers. Things I've been telling you to buy, but you never do. So, go on, take them."

"I'll do it." Esau went to put the bottle down, but Barbara stopped him before he could. She made sure that with one hand she held the glass of water steady out towards him, while the other pushed his hand holding the bottle back towards him.

"I want to see you take the prescribed amount and you will take them." Esau's eyes narrowed and Barbara did the same.

"Tch." Clicking his teeth in annoyance, Esau opened the bottle and downed two pills, making sure to take a large gulp of water to assist in swallowing the pills. "Happy?"

Barbara smirked and rested her head on the back of the sofa. "Very." The two sat in comfortable silence as they listened to the sound of the TV playing. Neither said anything as Barbara looked up at the ceiling, her thoughts unknown to him, while Esau found himself staring at Barbara. Yet again unable to keep his eyes off her.

She had always been his first friend. Ever since they were kids, they had been the best of friends. Even after his parents died and had been moved to an orphanage, – one he kept on running from, including every foster home he was taken to – before eventually going out and living on his own, she had always been his best and only friend. The one constant in his life, the one person if he were being honest, he couldn't do without.

True, they were an odd pair if he thought about it, from two different worlds.

Barbara, even when they were young, had always been kind and innocent. Always seeing the good in people and willing to befriend everyone. He had been much the same way until his parents died and after that, he locked himself away, but never from Barbara. She could be just as stubborn as him and she wasn't willing to leave him alone, even when he acted like an asshole to her for a little while. But Barbara stuck by him, able to see that Esau was in pain and alone.

Even now, in Gotham Academy – a school he only just managed to get into because of a sports scholarship – Barbara was one of the most beautiful and popular girls around. Guys and girls lined up to be her friend and in the case of the former, more than friends. Yet somehow, Barbara still wanted to be his friend, an orphan from Gotham's slums and Gotham Academy's very own delinquent.

Still, it didn't change the fact that she wasn't wrong, he was struggling. Money wasn't exactly easy to come by, especially around these parts, not without resorting to crime. Outside of the slums, it was even harder to find jobs because of the slum's notoriously high crime rate, even with Batman interfering. The reputation of the East End and the people within it led to a preconceived view of them that made it difficult to get a job, let alone hold onto it for very long. Every few weeks he would be fired on some half-assed excuse by his bosses, and he would have to find a new job to ensure he could pay rent, and make sure that he had food. Not to mention trying to pay off his parent's debt, which only seemed to be growing as he was constantly behind on payments.

Every single time he resorted to Gotham's Underground Fighting ring. A barely legal institution that had on many occasions been shut down by Batman but would constantly appear a few months down the line due to Batman's attention being drawn to the chaos caused by Gotham's many supervillains.

He had been awful at it in the beginning, usually going in to fight men twice his age with biceps the size of his head and every time he would be beaten within an inch of his life. But with every fight, he got better and better. He could react almost instantly to people's wild and untrained attacks and respond with brutal punches to carefully targeted weak points. None of it was easy for him, nor did he learn quickly, but he worked hard and the pain was an excellent motivator to get better.

Was he a master fighter after all this time? Hardly.

He simply knew how to use the basics with great efficiency. Most of his opponents fell into one of two categories, they were either all muscle or no skill, believing that just because they were buff they could beat everyone. Or guys who had taken maybe one or two lessons and suddenly thought they were Bruce Lee. To call him a master would be like saying, he hasn't thought of Barbara in a Batgirl costume re-enacting some of his more male-driven fantasies.

Without meaning to, Esau snorted in amusement at that thought.

Yep, he wasn't a master, but he sure as hell wouldn't go down without putting up a fight.

"What?" Barbara asked, her head turning to look at him and Esau simply raised a brow in questioning. "You've been looking at me this entire time and you just snorted. Cute sound by the way."

"Welllll..." Esau scratched his cheek, which was stained slightly red with a blush. "You're kind of distracting." Barbara sat up and stared at him, this time it was her that had one brow raised in questioning, though he was thankful to note that there was a small dusting of pink on her cheeks. "I-I mean, that well...you're distracting, in, in a g-good way..." He trailed off with an embarrassed chuckle while scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, an act that made Barbara smile at the familiar and adorable nervous tick.

"Distracting in a good way?" Barbara questioned with her smile widening as the blush on her cheeks darkened. Thankfully, she had turned away so he couldn't see, or she'd be even more embarrassed.

"Yup," Esau said as he leaned back on the sofa, turning to look out the window. It was then he noticed the time on the wall. "Eleven o'clock. Is your dad picking you up?"

Barbara shook her head. "No, I'm staying over at a friend's house tonight. We and a few others have been talking about having a sleepover for a while now and her mum will be here in a few minutes."

"Oh." Esau hid the disappointment he felt at her leaving so soon after her arrival, though he was a little confused as to why someone from Gotham Heights would come to the East End, that was unusual. "Have fun I guess." Barbara smiled, likewise hiding the sadness she felt, hating having to lie to him about what she was doing. But she couldn't tell him that she was going out and fighting crime as Batgirl, he'd act like Jim if he found out and would freak out. Esau had always been protective of her, trying to hide her from the harsh truth of the world and on numerous occasions had gotten into fights both in and out of school due to guys not understanding the meaning of 'no.'

It was equal parts flattering and frustrating because at times she felt like Esau didn't trust her to protect herself. Yet at the same time she understood why he did it, as far as he was aware, she couldn't protect herself. He didn't know that she had any form of defence training besides that one time he taught her to punch when they were twelve and she hadn't exactly told him or led him to believe otherwise.

"Yeah, I will do." She responded, getting a more genuine smile from him, though it was still strained. "Try not to kill yourself this weekend."

"I'll try." He chuckled and Barbara took his hand in hers, giving it a comforting squeeze before getting up and leaving.