Streets of New Gotham
By Deanie
February 2003

Rating: PG-13
Fandoms: Angel/Birds of Prey
Pairing: Connor/Dinah
Written for The Next Level Quickie Challenge (though not in response to any specific challenge/pairing) http://tnl.moonlitpaths.com
Disclaimer: Connor (and everything Angel) belongs to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. Birds of Prey doesn't belong to me either -- it belongs to Tollin/Robbins productions and WB Televison.
Author's Note: Timeline for this story: in the near future, after Dinah's 18th birthday and graduation from high school. Future Angel as well, and assumes that the Angel Investigations crew joined forces with the Scooby Gang and the Potentials do defeat The Beast, and its boss, the First Evil -- at which time the Hellmouth was destroyed.


***

The lone, leather-clad figure prowled the streets of New Gotham. Criminals beware. She was on the case and ready to kick some serious butt. A lean, mean, crime-fighting machine.

"Dinah, are you there?" Oracle's voice in her ear reminded her that while she was on her solitary patrol, she was never alone.

"I copy, Oracle. What's up?"

"Something just came over the police band -- two men, attacking a girl, just a few blocks over from where you are."

"I'm on it."

"And Dinah?"

"I know, I know. I'll be careful." So much for her feelings of independence. She was legally an adult now, and a high school graduate (as of last week), but to Barbara and Helena, she would always be the fifteen-year-old runaway they saved from the streets of New Gotham. When were they going to see that she'd grown up? She could handle herself.

She heard the victim's screams from a block away and picked up the pace. Stepping into the alley, her keen eyes assessed the situation. One victim, a petite brunette female, on the ground, screaming. The two perpetrators were male, and didn't appear to be much larger than she was. Shouldn't be too tough at all.

"Oh boys," she called, smiling as they looked up in her direction. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

"Get her," the dark-haired guy growled, and his blond friend turned around and advanced towards Dinah.

Okay, this was new, she thought. What was up with their faces? They were all ridgy, with long, fang-like teeth. Some weird meta-human power? If it were, it would be a first -- two metas with the same power.

Dinah ducked as the blond swung at her. She countered with a sharp right hook, then kicked out, sending him flying across the alley. He hit the brick wall hard, sliding down on top of a pile of garbage, apparently unconscious.

"Next?"

The dark-haired man released his victim, striding towards the blonde crime-fighter. "When I've killed her, I'll be back for you," he promised the bleeding girl he left slumped on the ground.

"You wish!" Dinah retorted. As he moved forward, she got a closer look at his… fangs. There really wasn't another word for them. And he had blood on his mouth. Had he been eating the girl? Ew. Gross. Cannibalistic metas? That was definitely a new one.

As he attacked, Dinah reached out with a telekinetic blast, sending him flying, landing on top of his partner. Both were still.

She walked over to the girl. It looked like the one fanged guys had bit her on the neck. Strange. Almost like they were… No, they couldn't be. Most people didn't know about the supernatural world, but Dinah wasn't exactly "most people." Barbara had made sure she was well-informed about all potential threats -- natural, meta-human, and supernatural.

Through Barbara's nationwide crime-reporting software, they'd learned that demonic creatures had been spotted all over the country, fleeing for their lives now that the Hellmouth had been closed, but none had been spotted in New Gotham … yet. But still… fangs, neck, after dark… the two of them with the same freaky power…if they weren't metas…

Uh-oh. She had a really bad feeling about this. She heard the sounds of the guys… vampires, she corrected herself, moving around behind her. She pulled the girl to her feet. "Run!" Dinah commanded, whirling around to face the two criminals… who, yep, looked like vampires.

Okay, think, Dinah, she urged herself. With mainly human and meta-human criminals in New Gotham, her supernatural knowledge was sketchy, at best. But she did know something… Vampires are evil demons, and the only way to stop them is to kill them. But how do you kill them? Wooden stake through the heart, she remembered. "And me with no wood," she muttered. Dinah suddenly felt very unprepared. She was a meta-human crime-fighter, not a vampire slayer.

"Barbara, big trouble," she whispered into her communicator, one eye on the vamps at all times. "They're not criminals, they're vampires. What are they doing in New Gotham?"

"Running from the Slayers that destroyed the Hellmouth would be my guess. Hold tight. I'm dispatching Helena to help."

"Have her pick up a couple of stakes on the way, okay? 'Cause I'm fresh out."

The vampires separated, one moving left, the other right. Dinah backed up, trying to keep them both in her line of vision, but her back was literally against the wall. Freed of their human masquerade, the vampires moved in, stalking her like the predators they really were.

Then, out of nowhere a figure jumped to the ground in front of her, landing nimbly on both feet. But much to Dinah's shock, it wasn't Helena in front of her. It was a young man, about her age, with shaggy brown hair and a lanky build.

"You think you can stop us?" the dark-haired vamp sneered.

"Yes." They may be scary by New Gotham standards, but Connor wasn't from New Gotham. He'd fought The Beast alongside the rest of the Angel Investigations crew, and joined with Sunnydale's Scooby Gang and all of the potential slayers to defeat its boss, the First Evil. Not to mention killing dozens of vampires on the street in Los Angeles -- these two, they were amateurs. He could take them with his eyes closed.

At his one word, his supreme confidence, the vamps took a step back.

Connor turned slightly, never taking his eyes off the vampires. Since he'd left L.A., he'd fought alone, but now, maybe he didn't have to. He pulled a stake from the pocket and tossed it to the blonde girl behind him. He'd seen her fight -- she was good. There was no sense in letting himself have all the fun. "I've got the one on the right."

"Okay." Dinah grinned. Now that she was properly armed, the vampires didn't stand a chance. She just hoped this new guy could walk his talk -- she'd be cranky if she ended up saving him, too.

Connor sprang at the vamp on the right, lashing out with a series of kicks that sent the demon stumbling back. The other vampire looked at the way the young man was beating up his partner, and decided that running was the only way to stay alive. He started towards the exit to the alley, only to be stopped by Dinah.

"Going somewhere?" she asked.

The vampire rushed her, but she pushed him back telekinetically until his back was to the wall. Frantic, he swung at her, but her quick movements deflected his punches.

On the other side of the alley, Connor whipped out a stake of his own, and dusted the vampire. "Make sure you hit the heart," he warned. His cocky grin let her know that this was just another day at work for him.

Dinah smiled, watching the vampire's eyes widen as she plunged the stake into his heart. Ack! She stepped back, coughing, as he turned to dust. Ew. She'd just inhaled part of the vampire's destroyed body. The gross things that she did on this job to keep the streets of New Gotham safe.

"Police! Freeze!" came the shout from the opening to the alley. "Hands in the air!"

Dinah and Connor turned around, slowly, their hands up in plain sight.

"You two are coming with us."

And so, the blonde crime-fighter from New Gotham and the brown-haired demon slayer from Los Angeles found themselves in the back of a police car.

"I'm Dinah," she said.

"Connor," he replied. "I'd shake your hand, but I'm a little tied up at the moment." He gestured to the handcuffs that bound them both.

"Nice to meet you."

****

Surprisingly, given the crime rate in the city, Dinah and Connor were the only ones in their adjoining jail cells in the New Gotham Jail.

"So," she asked. "What's your story?"

"I'm from L.A. Used to be a lot of vampires there… but after the Hellmouth closed, vamps and demons started leaving California by the truckload…literally, sometimes. So, I left."

"Why do I have the feeling that there's more to your story?"

"Maybe because you're a smart as you are beautiful…"

Dinah turned away, hoping that Connor didn't see her blush.

"What about you? Have you always wanted to be a vampire slayer?"

"Actually, I've never seen a vampire before. They're not very common here in New Gotham. I usually just deal with thieves, muggers, drug dealers, rapists, murderers… run of the mill criminals."

"You kill people?" he asked, startled.

"No!" Dinah protested. "We don't kill anybody. We just catch the criminals, and let the police deal with them."

"We? The people you were talking to on your secret communicator? What are you, part of some secret society of underground crime-fighters?"

He had no idea. "Something like that…"

The jail door opened, and Detective Reese strode in, followed by the uniformed officer who had arrested Connor and Dinah.

"Officer. What exactly are you charging them with?"

"Well…" the cop sputtered. He and his partner hadn't actually been able to find evidence the two had been up to no good, aside from the wooden stakes the two had carried, but he knew they just looked suspicious.

"You brought them in without charges, with the sole witness being a homeless man who said…" Reese opened a notebook and read out loud. "They stabbed the men with pointy sticks and they turned to dust." He looked up at the cop in front of him. "Officer, does that sound possible to you?"

"I…" he leaned in and whispered conspiratorially. "They're not normal."

Dinah sighed at his words. No, neither she or Connor was 'normal.' People like their arresting officer would always be suspicious of them simply because they existed.

"You arrested them because you though they 'weren't normal?' That sounds like prejudice to me."

"I didn't mean…"

"Let them go." Reese silenced the officer's protest with a wave of one hand. "On second thought, give me the keys and get out of my sight. I'll let them go."

Dinah smiled. At least everyone didn't hold their meta status against them.

As the jail door shut behind the fleeing officer, Reese turned back around to face Dinah and Connor. "You all right?"

"We're fine, Jesse. Just, get us out of here, will you?"

"Do I want to know what's going on?" he asked, opening the door to Dinah's cell.

"You really don't want to know," she assured him, patting his shoulder as he let Connor out of his cell.

"Hold on. I'll give you a ride home. It's dangerous…" He stopped in mid-sentence, realizing who he was talking to. "I know, I know, you can take care of yourselves."

"I appreciate the big brother-like concern, really, I do. But I'm a big girl. An adult, remember? So's Connor. Don't worry. We'll be fine." She turned to Connor. He was special, and she didn't want this night to end. "You want to get some coffee? I know this place that makes a great mochaccino."

"Sounds good," Connor said, following her out of the jail.