At around 9 pm, much of Washington was still wide awake, with many of the important figures gathered there making calls and even arranging meetings despite the hour.
In comparison, Gotham was much quieter; even the notorious Crime Alley and East End had gone silent. With much of its criminal population having fled, Gotham had become relatively safe, with only a few criminals remaining, and they too didn't act carelessly due to the fear of being caught.
Because of the decline in crime, Gotham's police commissioner, Jim Gordon, didn't have a heap of paperwork to get through or countless case files to review. For the first time in a while, he had returned to his home early.
Situated in a rather quiet neighborhood, Jim Gordon's residence was a flat on the second floor of a regular apartment building. The moment he opened the door to his home, he smiled and took off his fedora and trench coat before shouting, "Barbara, I'm home!"
His daughter, Barbara Gordon, had long been used to her father's busy schedule and incredibly long hours, sometimes only being able to see him on weekends.
A part of that had inspired her to take up crime fighting, thinking that maybe if Gotham became safer, her father would need to work less. Jim Gordon was already aware of his daughter's interest in police work.
The police radio she had in her room was a gift from him when his department had new models come in. Although very young when she got it, her interest never faded.
On slow days, an adolescent Barbara would speak on police channels with other officers or just check in on her father because he couldn't be home, instead letting her stay at the neighbors or with a babysitter.
She'd come a long way, but her interest remained. Her plan after high school was to study forensics and crime scene investigation since her father refused to let her try for a position that carried danger.
Now, she lay in bed quietly, slouched on a pillow with her legs kicking the air as she did her homework for the day. Her father's call wasn't heard because she had headphones in her ears.
But to Jim, her not answering was a cause for worry, so he rushed to her room and called, "Barbara? Are you home?"
Her curfew remained 9 pm even with how safe Gotham had become, and knowing his daughter, he was sure she'd follow this rule of his—that's just the sort of trust he had in her.
So for her not to answer, maybe something happened. He quickly rushed to her room and opened the door. It wasn't done loudly or with force, but still, it caught Barbara's attention immediately.
She was surprised for a moment, but upon seeing it was her father, she relaxed and instead frowned. "Dad? Could you knock, please? I'm not a little girl anymore; what if I was changing? Wait, it's only 9—did you forget something? I can help you look."
Inwardly, Jim was just glad his daughter was safe and sound. As she listed the possibilities of why he returned early, he was both happy and sad inside. Happy that she understood him so well, but sad that she had grown used to not having a father around.
"That's not it; I'm just off for the day. I finished the last of my heavy workload today, so going forward, this is the time I'll be clocking off." He revealed with a small smile.
Barbara was happy to hear the news, so much so that she stood from her bed and rushed to hug him. "Wow, that's great, you deserve it!" She was genuinely happy her father could get a break; it didn't even register yet that it would also mean the two could spend time together.
Jim smiled like he hadn't in a while and hugged her back tightly. Ever since that day he found her crying, he worried very greatly for her. Thus, it didn't just end at working normal hours.
"That's not all, honey. I've been doing some thinking, and I've decided we should move to a better place, you know. You only have one year left of high school, so it won't be long before you go off to college. I wanted you to spend your final year in a bigger home, like most teenagers. You can have slumber parties, movie nights, or whatever it is you girls do without worrying about space and all that."
The more Jim spoke, the more Barbara felt touched. He was really trying his best to be a good father. She wanted to say it was fine, but she could see that her father had gone a long way and also thought about this a lot. It would be insensitive on her part to refuse. So, with a small smile, she nodded while breaking the hug between them.
"That sounds amazing. And if the yard is big enough, we can have a summer barbeque with your co-workers, like that time I was in sixth grade. But is that really okay? For you, I mean? I know your job pay isn't that high, and Gotham High's fees aren't exactly cheap either, not to mention the rent we pay to stay in a safe…"
As much as she was touched, Barbara felt worry for her father. She didn't want him going all out just for her and ruining his retirement plan, perhaps forcing him to work even more.
Jim understood that Barbara was a smart girl, and she was right, but he laughed it off and calmed her worries. "Don't worry about it. At first, I took a loan that I was hesitant to use, but today, the mayor's office called and said the entire police department would get not only raises but bonus payments, along with other departments throughout Gotham. Since my position is so high, I will be getting almost as much as the mayor! You don't even need to worry about scholarships, but that doesn't mean you should slack off."
Barbara saw her father radiate so much happiness that she was stunned. She couldn't remember the last time he looked so carefree and cheerful. "That's big news, Dad, congratulations! How did this happen? Is it because Gotham is safer? Still, it would take at least a year for the city budget to be reworked. Don't tell me Lex Luthor donated to the city or something?"
As much as she was happy, she knew it'd be bad if her father got entangled with Lex Luthor. She knew he was bad business through her time working with Robin.
Hearing that name, Jim frowned and immediately rejected it. "No, until a by-election is held, Gregor's people still control the office of the mayor, and they refused to get donations from Lexcorp. I also wondered how they organized such a tremendous amount, and they said it's because of Arias Markovic. Many of the criminals we caught had offshore accounts housing millions upon millions of dollars."
"Normally that money would go to the state, but much of it was traced to have been made and laundered out of Gotham, making it the city's money. When the money came to their office, they asked for his input, and he said to compensate families who lost breadwinners to crime and also raise the income for civil employees and also pay large sums to make up for the years of underpayment. They reached a new budget just earlier today, and thus the good news. Honestly, I'm still stumped. Oh, but please don't tell your friends; apparently, it will be announced formally tomorrow, and the credit will go to the bureau and state."
Jim's story was nothing more than a forged plot to make Arias look good. True, many criminals had laundered money and possessed secret accounts, but this was found out by the bureau themselves, who just followed procedure and returned the money to Gotham while exempting them from tax for a certain period of time due to Gotham already having paid high taxes over the years.
The office of the mayor was fully controlled by Arias because the dirt he had could ruin the lives of each politician present, while also gaining them considerable jail sentences.
Their job now was to make Arias look good to the people while blocking out competitors from gaining influence in any department that contributed to the running of Gotham, Lex Luthor being a prime example, as his attempts at donating had ended in failure.
Whether the office of the mayor liked it or not, Gotham was practically Arias's.
In the same way Jim found out earlier that day, Arias was likely to have been called or emailed already.
As Barbara listened, though, she could only think good things about Arias, just like her father.
From an investigative point of view, Arias wasn't interested in politics, judging from how he carried himself. Instead, it seemed like he genuinely cared for Gotham.
If not, why allow money you could've kept for yourself to go to the city? Better yet, why allow someone else to take credit? The few signs she could see, in addition to his track record, made Arias seem incredibly positive.
In reality, it was just that he didn't want to risk possessing dirty money. As for not gaining credit, it was obviously best for him to not get too greedy with his actions. He only needed to target the right people with each move. In this case, only Jim needed to think of Arias in a positive light.
His position in Gotham was cemented until he chose to retire himself, making him a valuable piece. Whether or not he could be of use… remained to be seen.
For now, the father and daughter pair were too drunk on their happiness to overly think about the situation. Perhaps if they sat down and dug deep enough, they could see the suspicious nature of the things around them, but… they were just unwilling.
Happiness was a wonderful feeling, one that people always wanted to feel. Once that happiness was gained, very few were willful enough to doubt it unless clear signs were shown.
And until those signs appeared, the two were trapped in the happiness Arias created for not only them… but Gotham as a whole.