Title: You Can Take The Batgirl Out of the City

Summary (Extended): New to Central City, Barbara Gordon intends on beginning a new life and takes a part-time job at the local police department. Though after an investigation briefly forces her to once again become Batgirl, she realises that starting again is harder than she anticipated. Struggling with her vow to never become Batgirl again, Barbara finds herself interacting with people who seem to be immersed in the superhero lifestyle. Barry Allen is attempting to find his way as the new hero of Central City, Oliver Queen is struggling after the death of Sara and Laurel Lance has begun a training regime under the tutelage of the once masked vigilante, Wild Cat. Felicity is left battered and bruised after a mission goes terribly wrong in the field and with Ray's help, she may just discover the means to make her worthy of a place by the Arrow's side: as a fellow vigilante. Roy Harper is torn between reuniting with Thea and keeping his own vigilante identity a secret from her again, whilst Caitlin and Cisco begin to come to terms with the unexpected after-effects of the particle reactor and the apparent resurrection of Ronnie Raymond.

Timeline: Post 1x06 "The Flash Is Born" of the Flash, and 3x07 "Draw Back Your Bow" of Arrow

A/N: I've caught the few grammar mistakes that slipped by my initial check and also altered the Arrow scene at the end of the chapter. Make sure you to read the revised version, and seriously, thanks to everyone who reviewed!

Chapter One – "Positive Horizons"

The steady, peaceful rain that was sweeping across Central City had now become an aggressive downpour; capable of halting traffic and forcing people to take refuge within the nearest shop. Angry taxi drivers and chauffeurs beeped their car horns and shouted obscenities from their open windows, but there was a single young girl walking the streets that saw all of this as a bliss-like paradise. If the only thing Barbara Gordon had to worry about now was the number of people with road rage, she could happily spend the rest of her life here.

The move from Gotham hadn't been an easy one but from the moment she'd driven across the bridge into the heart of Central City, Barbara knew that this had been the best thing for her. No longer would she have to concern herself with the scum of Gotham or the lawless streets of Bludhaven.

Arguably there had been news reports of a red streak gallivanting around town, but it was unlikely that Barbara would be affected by a blur; if she actively shied away from danger. She had her theories on what or who it could be, but each one only led her to the inevitable scenario that she would once again don her cowl and cape; something she had sworn never again to do.

Adopting the alter ego of Batgirl had taken Barbara on some truly unforgettable journeys, but it also brought with it the constant threat of retaliation and vengeance. Sure, she and he who shall not be named had taken down a number of dangerous foes, but their imprisonment within Arkham always seemed to be a temporary one.

It wasn't until she sustained a paralysing injury that Barbara truly regretted becoming Batgirl. She had spent three years in a wheelchair, clinging to her former life as a vigilante by taking the codename Oracle and using her technological skills to aid her friends. It was nowhere near as fulfilling as physically being out there, but it was the best she could do with an awful situation. But now things were different, she had regained her mobility over a year ago and after graduating college, was ready to start a life free of terrifying situations.

Shrugging off the weakening grasp Gotham and Bludhaven held on her, Barbara pulled her shoulders inwards and lowered her umbrella slightly. The police station was only four blocks away from her new apartment, which proved to be a pleasant perk; especially with all of the aforementioned road rage. Barbara breathed a faint giggle and stopped her brisk pace beside a row of stone steps.

They led to two large doors, each one transparent and disclosing the busy lives of the Central City Police Department. Men and women in uniform paced hurriedly back and forth, engaged in conversation; detectives out of uniform but smartly dressed shrugged their arms into trench coats and holstered their weapons. It was truly fascinating for Barbara to be on this side of the law, especially without hiding behind a mask; maybe now she could afford being recognised for her work in the field.

"Barbara Gordon," the voice was warm albeit consumed with surprise, and without turning beneath her navy umbrella, she grinned. "My god, look at you," Barbara turned and took in the welcomed sight of Joe West, a somewhat distant friend of her father, James Gordon. He had told Barbara about Joe and it was thanks to him that she was able to land a part-time job that utilised her degree in forensic psychology. She was to interview criminals and prospective witnesses in order to determine whether they were fit to stand trial or act as a reliable witness respectively. Of course there'd be a little psychoanalysis thrown in there too.

It hadn't been Barbara's dream job but during her time as Oracle –analysing police footage and countless interrogations- she had become quite fascinated with that particular field of expertise. Her father putting in a good word with Joe West certainly didn't hinder her chances, and now here she was, with her own apartment, a job and a tangible grasp on normalcy.

"It's been too long, Joe," Barbara immediately tucked the shaft of her umbrella underneath her arm and attempted to avoid poking his eye out as she embraced him. The sleeves of his trench coat were soaking wet and it immediately reached the skin beneath her thin sweater but she didn't care; laying eyes on a familiar face was just another milestone Barbara had been waiting to achieve. "I think the last time I saw you, I was—"

Joe immediately interrupted her and laughed. "Your fourth grade talent show. I was working a case out in Gotham and it just so happened that Jim convinced me to tag along. I heard he's commissioner now? Good for him." Joe's gaze trailed off for a slight second, obviously recalling a memory that portrayed one of their closer moments. "You sang that song, oh what was it called," Joe snapped his fingers as though that would conjure the name to the front of his memory.

"It's a Hard Knock Life," Barbara blushed at the recollection and could feel the warmth beneath her cheeks as the sudden image of her hideous orange dress made itself known. "One of the more embarrassing moments of my life." Both of them laughed as they casually asserted some distance between themselves and Joe sighed, clearly happy to be reminded of the 'good ole' days'.

"Well you sounded great," the wrinkles around Joe's eyes became visible as his gentle smile turned into a grin, displaying a row of teeth faintly stained by coffee; the well-known drink of choice for officers. "Now, how about we get out of this rain and I show you around, get you settled in?"

There were no words that could have made Barbara happier and as her head threatened to fall off of her shoulders from nodding so hard, she accepted Joe's offer and began climbing the stone steps. The rain hadn't died down and had now distorted the transparent image of the police department doors, forcing blues and browns to mesh into undiscovered colours that served as the backdrop for Barbara's new beginning.

The doors opened easily with a slight push and though a few heads turned at the pair of them entering, they didn't stay cemented for long. It was simple curiosity opposed to the expectant look that officers got when a new criminal was brought into Gotham PD. But here there were no tattooed thugs donning bandannas and torn trousers, it was just lawyers and police officers, lab assistants and interns. This was the very picture of law-and-order, something every young girl originating from Gotham craved.

"So what do you think? A little cleaner than Gotham, am I right?" Joe ran a hand through his short hair and rid himself of the excess liquid, shaking his arms a few times to allow the droplets to join the small puddle forming at the hem of his coat. "Central City has its problems but there aren't drug dealers and gang wars. More like—" Barbara pulled her gaze away from the identical staircases on either side of the main entrance and turned to him, suddenly aware that he had cut off mid-sentence.

"More like what, Joe?" Barbara asked curiously, her intellect thirsty for knowledge; but she had a feeling that she knew what he was going to say, and it had something to do with the red streak appearing all over town. If he or she was a vigilante, then it appeared as though the law's stance hadn't changed, even in Central City. Despite the red streak having saved people countless times already, the officers of Central –and any city- were bound by laws that often hindered the way they were forced to carry out investigations. Vigilantes were free to go where and when they pleased, without answering to anybody or risking their badge and gun being revoked.

"Oh, nothing, just me thinking aloud, now let's have you meet the rest of the team," Joe placed a hand on the small of Barbara's back and ushered her forward, immediately exposing her to several rows of desks covered in documents and crime scene photos; as well as the hurried journeys of the other detectives.

Some were yammering into their phones, demanding information on perps whilst others were making round trips from the copier to their desks and then back around to the small corridor marked with an arrow labelled 'Evidence'. Instead of overwhelming awe –which was how Barbara assumed she'd react- she was ecstatic, and very eager to begin. Everybody knew what they were doing and where they had to be, and she envied that: the routine of an ordinary day.

Joe continued guiding Barbara through the aisles until they stopped outside of a door, with a plaque nailed to the mid-section that read 'Captain Singh'. Instinctively Barbara looked up at Joe, who was smiling deviously as he grasped the bronze handle and shoved her inside.

Barbara was immediately met with a tanned man wearing a shirt and smart pants who had his palms pressed against the top of his polished desk. Before her arrival, he had clearly been addressing the two men that sat before him. The captain himself was a broad man, with thick black hair and a stern jaw that was either natural or a permanent fixture after clenching it so much.

The man on Barbara's left was sitting uncomfortably, his forearms pressed tightly against the armrests of the wooden chair he sat in. He was blonde, and his cheekbones were oddly attractive, complementing the side of his face that Barbara could see. Thirdly, the smaller, appropriately awkward male that looked around Barbara's age seemed to be in the middle of a thought. He was wearing a cardigan that –as Barbara was guided further forward- she could see was covering a white shirt and a tie. While the younger of the two men was in smart-casual clothing, the blonde man was clearly a detective; which meant the former was some sort of therapist or lab assistant.

"Captain Singh, this is Barbara Gordon, she's the new forensic psychologist," Joe's raised and attention-grabbing voice was clearly an attempt to rid the room of whatever hostility had ignited before their arrival. "She's Commissioner Gordon's daughter, he works out of Gotham," Captain Singh had a puzzled look on his face and it was clear that he had no idea who Barbara was; but as Joe mentioned her father, he raised an eyebrow and sighed.

"Of course, of course, Jim's kid. Welcome to Central City, stick with Joe here and he'll show you the ropes," it was clear that the captain had no time for providing inductions to the new recruits, and Barbara didn't mind that; she had been witness to the many occasions in which her father had scolded or completely ignored one of his officers. It was awkward to watch but she had never experienced that level of indifference, but with the Captain's current attitude, she suspected that, that was going to change sometime soon.

"Barbara, this is Eddie Thawne, my partner," Joe signalled towards Eddie and he stood, revealing himself to be a little shorter than Barbara had anticipated. Though she did admit that he was attractive, even if he did have a slightly uneasy look on his face.

"It's nice to meet you," Barbara said as she stretched out her hand and shook it as he took a hold. She could now see that Eddie was uncomfortable because he'd just had his scolding observed by an outsider.

"It's good to meet you too, Miss Gordon," Eddie retracted his hand and Barbara did the same. "Now I know I'm only Joe's partner, but he's a friend, and any friend of his is a friend of mine."

"Thank you, I appreciate that," and Barbara did, although she had been around enough corrupted cops in Gotham to know that it'd take more than pleasantries to win her over. Eddie nodded and smiled once more before leaving the room, not failing to nod to both the captain and Joe as he did so.

"And this is Barry, he's our forensic investigator. No doubt you two will be working together in the future, so I think it would be best if he were the one to show you around," Joe gave Barry a pressing look that immediately saw him getting out of his chair and offering his hand.

"Hey Barbara, I'm Barry," he was smiling brightly and as their hands departed, he crossed his arms. "So you're from Gotham, I bet you got a jump on your career as a forensic psychologist then? Because of all the crime?"

Barbara tensed slightly at the mention of the city and uncomfortably shook her head, "I only graduated recently, but being the daughter of an officer, you certainly hear some stories." She heard Joe laugh through a grunt and smiled.

"Well I better get back to work, and Barry, make sure you show Barbara everything, not just your lab," Joe turned and grabbed the door handle, "Captain," he said with a firm nod and immediately left the room. Though as Barbara turned back to Barry, she caught sight of the captain.

"Yes Miss Gordon, Mr Allen, this is still my office," Barry laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head before making an effort to get the door.

"Thank you, sir," Barbara said as she stepped past Barry and back into the main office of the station. She heard Barry bidding the captain good-bye and waited patiently until he joined her. Barbara could already tell that she was going to fit in here, and truthfully she was relieved; but even more so because she could now strike 'new job' off of her list of things to do now that she'd finally gotten to Central City.

The air was bordering on freezing as Felicity joined the slow foot traffic outside of what was previously Queen Consolidated. There were a number of people hailing cabs and others heading towards the light show a few blocks away. Even though Felicity had no intention of going to see the Christmas lights being turned on, she didn't feel like heading back to the lair.

Aside from John's blatant albeit honest confession that her work relationship with Ray Palmer bothered Oliver, it had hurt her that the masked hero of Starling City hadn't come to verbalise his feelings himself. Felicity pressed gentle fingertips against her lips and was instantly reminded of how little time had passed since Ray had kissed her and what was more surprising was the fact that she had kissed him back.

But for whatever reason, Felicity couldn't shake the feeling that she had done Oliver a great injustice. The unspoken bond or attraction between them was unmistakable yet simultaneously unobtainable. Oliver had even said that he couldn't be with anybody and as much as Felicity wanted to take Oliver's uncomfortable reaction to her possibly having feelings for somebody else as some sort of sign, she knew that it wasn't because he wanted to be with her.

Felicity's posture slumped considerably as she clutched her purse and buried herself into her coat. The lair was definitely not an option, so she commanded her feet to walk towards the curb and she raised her arm. It seemed that the only solace she was going to achieve tonight was from finally finishing that server encryption Ray had asked for.

The various lights and sounds of car horns seemed to disappear as Felicity waved her arm towards an oncoming taxi. Her mind was consumed with thoughts of matters she couldn't control or would rather ignore until the very last possible moment, so she hardly paid attention as she sat down on the uncomfortable interior of the vehicle and disclosed her address.

It was only moments later that Felicity was torn from her emotional barrage and occupied by her cell phone. It was a message from John, containing a picture he'd obviously taken from the kitchen. Oliver and Roy were sat opposite Lila and an empty chair, with almost finished plates of food in front of them. Felicity smiled for a moment and felt her heart elate at the happiness on each of their faces, though as her eyes travelled towards the message that accompanied the image, her smile faded.

'There's plenty more.' The words were sincere and in her head, Felicity could almost hear John convincing her to confront Oliver and tell him that there was nothing between Ray and herself. But she could also hear her own voice, stating that it wasn't entirely true.

Sighing and attempting to keep the tears that threatened to fall at bay, Felicity quickly typed a reply and placed her phone back into her pocket. 'Maybe next time.'