Then... When beat cop Renee Montoya first saw her, it was on the job. She and her partner were racing to respond to a jewelry store robbery, running around a corner only to slow to a walk as they saw what awaited them. The criminals had been tied to a lamp post as a figure in a cape comforted a crying woman, the broken window of a store nearby. "Police," Renee nervously announced herself, walking forward with her gun at the ready as procedure demanded. She turned towards them slightly and Renee saw the logo on her chest, a golden bat on black clothes as the greenest eyes that she had ever seen met hers, shining with life. "Officers," Batgirl smiled at them as she gestured towards the captive men, "it was a attempted hold up. The perps are over there." Renee opened up her mouth to say something, but she couldn't seem to form the words. Harvey Bullock gave her a wry glance as he said, "Thanks, Batgirl." "You're welcome, Officer Bullock." Batgirl answered, then she gave Renee a questioning look. Politely she asked, "Have we met?" "Oh yeah, this is the rookie," Harvey said, using his thumb to point towards Renee and say, "Renee Montoya." Renee nodded a bit shyly as she said, "Nice to meet you." Batgirl smiled again, gently as she said to her, "Good luck, Officer Montoya." "Thank you...," Renee started to answer then Batgirl moved off, smoothly spun a batarrang on a cable and threw it. A tug on the cable to make sure the line was secure and she was off, disappearing into the night. "You all right, kid?" Bullock asked as he checked over the crooks and got his grimy notebook out of his pocket. "Yeah, sorry," Renee hurried to get a statement from the victim. "Don't worry," Harvey said mildly, "it's always a bit odd, the first time you meet one of the bats. You'll get used to it." 'That isn't why I froze, Harvey,' Renee thought wryly as she took down notes of what happened, 'but I can't tell you why.' Now... The Question faced down Huntress calmly, her blank face as unreadable as ever. "You know what I want," Renee said, glad they couldn't see her eyes to tell she was bluffing, "you interested in my help or not?" "We don't make that decision," Misfit answered, the red haired young woman dressed in a improvised costume frowning. "You want my information on Intergang, I want to know who I'm really dealing with," Renee said to them firmly, "I won't hand it over to some faceless hacker." Huntress touched the side of her cowl near her ear, probably listening to someone on a concealed microphone. "We'll be in touch," the black haired woman in purple said flatly as Misfit disappeared in a puff of smoke and she swung off into the night. 'Damn,' Renee Montoya thought later as she removed the Question gear, packing the putty like mask away into her belt compartment, 'maybe I pushed too far?' In her usual trench coat and fedora Renee strode out of the alley and down the Gotham street, keeping a wary eye on things around her. It had been a while since she had been back in the city but it felt like coming home, all her old instincts coming back to her. She stopped in at a local diner she knew first, getting her favorite sandwich for lunch, then strolled along her old beat as she remembered the past. Coming up to a corner she turned then froze, eyes widening as she saw a familiar figure. Commissioner James Gordon was a older man, his hair gone from brown to steel grey but age hadn't slowed him down much. For Renee, Gordon was one of her heroes, a simple cop who has risen through corrupt police ranks to lead the city's cops until he had retired last year. Of course even that didn't last, and now he was back as the Commissioner and the spiritual leader of all the good cops of the city. Commissioner Gordon looked up as he saw her come around the corner and his face brightened a bit, "Renee, good to see you." Renee picked up her pace as she went over to his side standing in front of his home, "Hello, sir. It's been awhile." "Yes, it has," he took her hand and shook it gently in his as he gave her a sympathetic look. The light was shining off his square frame glasses as he quietly said, "I'm sorry about Allen. He was a good cop." "Yes, he was," Renee met his eyes, nodding slightly as they both acknowledged that she wasn't a cop anymore. Her partner and best friend on the force Crispus Allen had been murdered by a fellow cop, and in the end the killer had walked free despite all of Renee's efforts. It had broken her faith in the police, really, and at least partially led to Renee's new double life as a private investigator and the Question. Quietly Gordon asked, "Any chance I can convince you to come back to the force? I recently talked Harvey into returning..." "We've talked about it," Renee conceded, "but I think I'm doing more good where I am right now." Mentally she added, 'And I think trying to balance being a cop and the Question would be impossible.' "I'll keep the offer open," Gordon answered with a smile. He looked up at the building, "My daughter's visiting from out of town... would you care to join us?" Renee shook her head, "I wouldn't want to interrupt." "You wouldn't be interrupting us," a voice came from the doorway as she expertly levered the door open and rolled her wheelchair through the doorway then down the ramp, "dad's been scrambling to keep me entertained." "Barbara," James Gordon looked sheepish as his daughter rolled up to them. Barbara Gordon smiled, her eyes twinkling behind stylish yellow tinted glasses as she said, "You know it's true, dad. Besides, aren't you supposed to be at work?" "They can do without me one day," he smiled fondly as Gordon added, "I don't get to see you as often as I like since you moved to Metropolis." Barbara looked up at Renee, "It's been awhile, Renee." "You're looking good," Renee agreed, once more getting the odd feeling she was missing something. She had met Barbara several times before, of course, the most unusual time during the whole No Man's Land mess, and every time they met Renee had been left faintly confused by memory and something poking at the back of her mind. Barbara smiled as they set out together, "Thank you." She looked up at her curiously, "So, what have you been up to?" "Oh, this and that," Renee answered, "I've gotten my private investigators licence and am setting up shop here in Gotham." "Why a private eye?" James Gordon asked curiously. Renee smiled at him slightly, "The only paperwork I have to do is for myself." James gave her a startled look then began to laugh. Barbara looked at both of them and said, "I get the feeling I'm missing something." "I think the biggest police complaint I get is paperwork," James Gordon laughed, "the amount we have to deal with is staggering." Barbara chuckled, "I understand, for a cop a job without paperwork is heaven." A phone rang and James muttered something unpleasant under his beath as he answered it. "Hello?" he listened, "I'm not on call... Damn. Hostages? Where? All right, I'll be in as soon as possible." "Got to go?" Renee guessed. "Yes, damn it," James sighed, "a kidnappers demanding to negotiate with only me." He looked at Barbara, "I'm sorry, I..." "It's all right," Barbara smiled, "you've got to go." "I'll be back as soon as I can," James said. Looking up at Renee he added, "I'm sorry we couldn't catch up more." "I'm sure we'll run into each other," Renee said. Politely she asked, "Would you like me to escort Barbara around?" "I'd really appreciate that," James smiled. "Hey...," Barbara started to protest. Renee dropped her voice, "For his peace of mind?" She had known James Gordon pretty well over the years, and one thing Renee was well aware of was how precious his daughter was to him. Evidently Barbara was equally aware as she smiled wryly and looked up at her father, "All right." Dropping her voice she added to him, "Be careful." "Always," James said as he trotted back to his home. "So," Renee stuck her hands in her pockets as she looked at Barbara thoughtfully, "want to grab a coffee?" Barbara gave her a oddly assessing look then nodded, "Why not."
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