"Unrequited"
Batwoman soared over the city, enjoying the wind on her face. She was finishing up her usual sweep. It had been a slow night since the weather was warming up. The usual pick-pockets and muggers seemed to be enjoying it too. It was rare when she could spend two hours prowling the rooftops and not find a few lowlifes roaming around.
She landed on the roof of the Gotham Gazette building. From there her view of the GCPD was unobstructed. She watched and waited as the Detectives and Officers moved past the windows. Things seemed calm for them also, though she continued to scan the Major Crimes floor, searching for a familiar face.
"She's not working tonight," came a voice from the shadows.
As Batwoman turned, the Question stepped into the light, her faceless visage displayed to full effect. Kate had always hated that Renee had chosen to disguise herself that way, but she conceded that being perceived as faceless was preferable to having opponents constantly groping your face in an attempt to unmask you.
"Who says I'm looking for someone?" she shot back, deciding to play the usual "it's none of your business policy" she had with her love life. Besides, she definitely didn't' need dating advice from Renee of all people.
"It's only natural," The Question continued, "Anyone would want to look, especially after the other night." Renee had known Kate too long to buy into the smart-ass act. It was all a defense mechanism. She couldn't blame Kate for choosing not to confide in her. She'd given up hope of regaining Kate's full trust a long time ago. Too much had passed between them.
"How did you-"Batwoman started, underestimating Renee's growing detective skills once again. She still thought of Renee as the green Gotham Detective she'd been when they had first met. The traffic cop uniform had been sexier than Renee's current trench coat and fedora get-up, but she was NOT letting herself go there again.
"It's a small community," Renee answered, almost as if she'd read Kate's thoughts. "Everyone knows who you are and that you're 'out.' You can't dance with a woman, particularly at one of the social events of the season, without half of Gotham getting video of it on their Blackberries. You should know that by now." She wanted to say more, but her working relationship with Kate was going too well to risk a fight. It would be best to just say what she had to say, make her point, and go.
"If you know all that, you probably also know that it's been a while and I haven't heard anything from her. Cops, particularly the Gotham variety, tend to have a short life span around here so I had to at least check on her. Being a Captain here is much more dangerous than being Commissioner of Metropolis. I'm not sure she's adjusted to that fact yet." She sounded stupid and she knew it. She hated even having to say it out loud, but no cover story she invented would fool Renee. The years hadn't changed Renee's uncanny ability to see through her bullshit.
"Look, she was with Tony for a long time. That's not easy to bounce back from and I wanted to tell you that I think you should make the first move if you're really interested in pursuing this," She stated simply, trying to keep her game face on and the emotion out of her voice. She wanted Kate to be happy and Maggie too. She couldn't let her feelings get in the way.
Batwoman nodded, her gaze falling right to where Renee's eyes should be. Without the eyes, Kate couldn't figure out what Renee was thinking or why she was doing this. Ever since their fight about Mallory they had both carefully avoided the dating subject.
A siren wailed and she turned back toward the G.C.P.D. Four units were mobilizing, and the fire and rescue weren't far behind. The Major Crimes floor had erupted with activity, and Kate saw Bullock and his new partner scrambling toward the garage, coffee and doughnuts abandoned at their desks. Remembering Renee, Batwoman turned.
The Question was nowhere to be seen. Batwoman admired Renee's stealth, and then turned back to the chaos below, moving to follow the cops. As she glided above the traffic, Renee's words came back to her. Maggie might not be ready to "bounce back." Was she herself even ready?
She supposed that was the question…