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Harley's Joke	By : tooshoes Category: DC Verse Comics > Batgirl Views: 3926 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Batgirl, Harley Quinn, James Gordon or any of the characters or situations of the Batman universe. I will not be making any money from this story.

Chapter List
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"How can we tell one criminal from their copycat?" the rookie asks James Gordon.
"It can be tough," the commissioner explains. "The clues can be found in the motives. There are motives all offenders want you to see, motives they want to hide, and motives they aren't even aware of. So before you examine the clues, examine the motives. Now, here is what we know about the copy-cat Joker," James says while holding out his iPad and pointing at the screen at Joker #2's profile.
The rookie and his partner quickly scribble notes off the device.
James smiles. Not long ago, James would be using a notebook as well. He had preferred the old ways, and he made the entire department as anti-technology as he was. Now he was at the forefront, and that was largely due to his growing relationship with his daughter. Her enthusiasm with technology and social media was rubbing off on him.
James Gordon then paces the taped-off room of the Gotham City museum while his detectives look for clues concerning the theft of several priceless Atlantean pearls. Selina Kyle is the obvious suspect, but James has to build a case, regardless, because of the possibility of a copycat Catwoman. Some say that a teenager is stealing Selina's persona. Lately, it seems Gotham has been inundated by imposters. Twice recently, James' detectives thought they were on the trail of the recently escaped Joker only to discover that two new Jokers had arisen from the Gotham underworld, copying the Joker's style and even his appearance. Those were easy for James to identify by merely examining their motives, but then a new Scarecrow has been spotted on the streets even while another remains in Arkham, and James still isn't sure which is the original. Even new vigilantes are appearing with striking similarities to the more well-known heroes. It seems that the new generation of celebrity criminals and crime fighters have no fresh ideas.
Adding to the confusion, Sunday will be Halloween, and the city will be overrun with copycats throughout the weekend. Of course, many will be trick-or-treaters and partiers with no sinister intent, but in recent years, real criminals have used this day as camouflage for their nefarious acts, and this year the GCPD has had to increase their presence across the city.
James doesn't like to think about that. For several years now, Halloween had been the one day he always took off from work, because his daughter's birthday is on November 1, and he always takes her trick-or-treating and stays with her until she blows out the candles at midnight. It has been the one day he puts aside just for her, so they can be like a real family, but these fucking copycats threaten to steal even that from them.
James knows he hadn't been a good father over the years. Babsy's birth was both a blessing and a curse. Babsy is a constant reminder of her beautiful mother, but she is also a reminder of the nightmare that led up to her mother's death. James never blamed Babsy for what happened, but he couldn't look at her for the first few years of her life without sinking into depression. He passed her care off to one nanny after another while he came and went like a ghost haunting the house.
Then a traumatic event had forced him to stay at home for a few days and spend time with his then six-year-old daughter. He was embarrassed by how little he knew about her and how little they had in common.
That was when he finally fell in love with his daughter. She had her mother's eyes, her mother's hair and even that signature habit of sucking on a spoon long after the food was gone. He had never properly mourned the loss of his wife, and seeing her traits resurrected in his daughter was both adorable and disturbing, bringing back all of the pain and the love that he had buried deep in his heart. He realized that he needed to connect with his daughter in a more meaningful way. She was entering and leaving his life like a poorly followed TV show, where he'd stumble upon an episode every once in a while, and before he knew it, the child actor had aged five years. Except that this was real life, and the child was his daughter.
But duty kept on calling, pulling him away from her. He has seen so many lives, including his own, wrecked by bad decisions and deceit, and he will do anything to protect her from the same fate. He couldn't let the darkness of life infect her as it had infected him.
So James left her in the care of one nanny after another, and she remained on the peripheral of his life, believing that he was doing it for her good.
Then two years ago, she ran away from home. Harvey took charge of the search because he said James was "too close to the case," but Babsy showed up at home again two days later on her own.
James was overcome by guilt, because he most definitely was NOT too close to the case. He had run away from his home a long time ago while his ghost had haunted the house. So Babsy was simply following his example. He finally decided that he couldn't let his daughter's whole life pass by without being a part of it. He needed to man-up, put his own issues aside. He needed to carve more time for her out of his ever-full schedule, even if it was only a few minutes for breakfast each day. He had already missed far too much of her childhood.
He brought her into his world, and he tried to be with her in hers. For a while, they couldn't have been closer.
But now, Babsy is at that troubling age of transformation that can be beautiful or monstrous. Her latest escapades at school only proved that it's time for an intervention. James handled all kinds of interventions as a police commissioner, but he was out of his depth dealing with a girl going through changes. That is why he brought in an expert.
So now he goes through the motions at work, distracting himself with procedures and criminal profiles, while anxiously waiting for the result of Babsy's doctor visit. Part of him knows that she is merely going through growing pains, but what if he had caused her some kind of psychological trauma after so many years of neglect? What if the doctor says that he is not good for her and wants to take her away?
While he examines some key evidence in the museum with three of his detectives, his iPad rings with the word "HOME" spread across the screen.
"I have to take this," James says to the detectives anxiously, but he doesn't leave the room. Most of his detectives know Babsy well. She spends a lot of time at the police station. That was one way he keeps her front and center of his mind -- by keeping her in his world. So when he sees the tell-tale "HOME" message on the iPhone, he doesn't hesitate before accepting her FaceTime call:
"Hi Babsy!" he greets along with both of Babsy's unofficial "uncles," jockeying for position in front of the camera.
"Daddy!" Babsy cries out longingly.
His heart beats faster when he sees her bright smile.
"Hey Gummy Bear, how was your session?" he asks, controlling his feelings.
"Doctor Harley is really nice! I like her a lot!" she gushes.
"Did she help you?" he probes.
"Uh, I guess so," Babsy says, suddenly evasive, but then she giggles naughtily.
"Did you do everything she asked you to do?" he accuses like he thinks a good parent would do.
"Yeah ... She gave me some homework ... kind of," she says reluctantly.
"Good!" James says, always approving of homework. It helps children keep their minds right even when nobody is watching them. Discipline is important. "Do it tonight. Does she want to see you again?"
"Yeah, she wants to see me Monday," Babsy says, a little more enthusiastically. "She said she'll call you."
"Oh, okay," James says. He is disappointed that Babsy needs more help, but he is happy with her attitude. "I'm proud of you, Babsy, for doing this and taking this seriously. This is very mature of you. Does she know that Sunday is your birthday?"
"Yeah," Babsy says quietly, then stops talking.
"Is something wrong?" James asks gently.
"Uh, it's just that Doctor Harley invited me to a Halloween party tomorrow with some other kids," Babsy says with mixed emotions. "Can I go? I know you wanted to be with me this weekend."
"Oh Babsy, that's great! Of course you can go," James says, also with mixed emotions. "I know that you love Halloween and dressing in costumes, and I hate that we can't spend it together this year. This town has been like an asylum all week, and Halloween is always the worst. But guess what -- the very next day is my favorite day of the year. You'll be twelve years old, and I'll wake you up at midnight so we can start your birthday off right."
Babsy giggles, remembering warmly how Daddy woke her with a kiss last year while whispering, "Wake up, sleeping beauty."
James smiles as they share the memory. "But before then, absolutely go to that party! I think that cute princess outfit is still in the basement."
"Okay Daddy!" she exclaims with delight, not bothering to remind her Daddy that the princess costume is four years old and would never fit.
"Send me a selfie!" Daddy continues wistfully.
Babsy's heart skips a beat, and she says excitedly, "I will, Daddy! I promise! I love you!"
"I love you, too," James says flatly, and he's about to hang up, but he can hear her breathing irregularly on the other end of the phone. "Is there anything else, Babsy?"
"Uh..." she begins, sounding frustrated. "I was wondering. I don't know. I think maybe ..."
"What is it, sweetie?" James asks, concerned by her hesitation.
"Daddy ... is it okay if I like girls?" she finally asks uncertainly.
James feels a moment of panic and even jealousy, so he doesn't reply immediately. The possibility of his daughter being a lesbian never occurred to him, despite the fact that she had been hanging out with a girl and sexting her for weeks. He glances at his detectives, but they suddenly seem disinterested, not wanting to weight in.
"I'm sorry, Daddy," Babsy says, like she wishes she could take it back.
"No, no, it's fine. Is that what your doctor thinks?"
"I don't know," Babsy says quickly and then pauses again. "I like boys, too, but ... I don't know. I was just ... wondering."
James takes a deep breath then says, "Babsy, boys or girls, it doesn't matter to me. I only want you to be happy. Okay?"
"Oh ... okay," Babsy says, sounding confused, and then she says like nothing else matters, "I love you so much Daddy!"
He relaxes and smiles.
"Love you, too, Gummy Bear" he replies very affectionately, and he waits for her to hang up before disconnecting his iPad.
He thinks about the call for a moment, and the silence is awkward. The other detectives wait patiently for James to speak.
Finally, James asks them, "Do you think I handled that right? Is that how a normal father would react when his daughter comes out of the closet?"
One detective waved his hand dismissively. "I don't think she was coming out, commissioner. Babsy is a curious girl."
The other detective adds, "I think you handled it perfectly."
James nods, reassured that he reacted appropriately. Yet he feels that prickly feeling on his neck, telling him to think again. He goes over everything Babsy said on the phone in his mind and how she said it, trying to find the cause of his foreboding intuition, but he can't place it.
He wishes he could watch her now, see how she is feeling, but the cameras in their home don't work that way.
He'll have to fix that.
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Harley's Joke