Dark as Night, Sweet as Sin
Batwoman stood on the rooftop, looking out over the city. From here, Gotham seemed so peaceful. At least it did until you saw the Bat Signal looming overhead and remembered exactly where you were. After that, you looked closer and suddenly found yourself knee-deep in corruption.
Tonight seemed quiet so far, with emphasis on the word seemed. She moved easily from building to building, watching to find what she was missing. Searching and searching and –
Over there, the oh-so-familiar sound of something going bump in the night. She headed towards the banging and shouting but when she reached the alley, the sight that awaited her was equally familiar but entirely unexpected. Several thugs lay on the ground, groaning in pain. Above them stood The Question.
"I thought you were gone," Batwoman said after jumping down to ground-level.
"Hello to you, too." The Question sounded the same as the last time they had talked, even though it had been many months now. Many, many months.
Batwoman walked closer, looking at that faceless face. "Where have you been?"
The Question shook her head once slowly. "Around. I needed a break from this place. We all do, sometimes."
"I don't."
"Yes, you do."
Batwoman scoffed and turned away. "Are you staying?"
The was a soft, half-muffled sigh. "I haven't decided yet. Why, do you think I should?"
"... You're free to make your own decisions."
"Of course I am, Kate," The Question said, her voice taking on a softer tone, hushed to make sure no one heard, "but that doesn't mean I don't care about anyone else's opinion."
Batwoman starting walking, towards the wall and back again, pacing to and fro. She never paced but right now, standing still felt far too dangerous.
"Renee ..." she said finally, "do you want to stay?"
Before she could answer, there was a loud moan from one of the men lying near her feet. "Won't be long till these guys wake up," The Question said. "Why don't we go someplace else?"
Batwoman nodded. "Where do you suggest?"
The Question titled her head and even though it was impossible to know for sure, Batwoman was positive she was smiling. "How about Ben's?"
Ben's.
Dark eyes flashed with suppressed laughter and suddenly her angry dissipated.
A hand laid over hers on the table, providing warmth and a gentle squeeze.
The night Renee felt brave enough – not to mention drunk enough – to kiss her in public.
A million smiles and secrets.
"Fine. I'll be there in at eleven." Without waiting for an answer, Batwoman turned and was soon sailing on out of there, telling herself it was a tactical retreat rather than running away.
It was 11:10 when Kate arrived at Ben's. Or rather, she arrived across the street from Ben's. She stood on the sidewalk, staring across the road and through the windows. Renee was sitting there in a booth, a coffee mug before her and another waiting on the other side of the table. Both black as night and sweet as sin.
Kate walked across the street, ignoring the honking from a car that served to miss her. At the sound, Renee looked up. Kate raised her hand briefly, before opening the door.
"I should have known better than to expect you to arrive on time," Renee told her as she sat down.
Kate shrugged. "It took me some time to get changed."
"I guess it would. I like the short hair, it suits you."
"Thank you." Kate reached for her coffee and took a long drink. "I forgot you hadn't seen it."
"Oh, I saw it," Renee told her, "just not in person."
Kate scowled slightly but didn't say anything. Neither did Renee and for a long moment the only sounds were from the radio, blaring Top 40 Hits. Silly little love songs but people who only knew silly, little loves.
"So," Kate said finally, "anything particular you wanted to talk about or did you just invite me here for old time's sake?"
Renee considered the question for a moment, before answering "Bit of both. I always likes this place, even before you came along. They brew the best cup of coffee I've ever had."
"It's okay."
"You still hate to sound impressed, I see."
Kate glared. "And you still hate to be direct."
Renee raised her eyebrows. "Fine, you want direct? I heard about your new girlfriend, too. I didn't realize you'd gotten a taste for women in uniform."
Kate put her mug down on the table hard. "I didn't come here to talk about Maggie." She started to stand up.
"Hey, calm down, I'm sorry," Renee said, raising her hands, palms up. "Look, I just wanted to see you. That's not a crime, is it?"
Kate froze where she was, half standing, half sitting. "You would know."
Renee sighed, looking down at the table. "I never really answered your question from before, about where I've been. I went back to Nanda Parbat."
Kate frowned and finally returned to her seat. "That's where-"
"Where Charlie died? Yeah. I went other places too, along the way, but that was the main one."
"Why?"
"Like I said before, I just needed to get out of Gotham for a bit." Renee paused, looking out the window as a homeless man or woman shuffled past. "You really should try it sometimes, it does wonders for your faith in humanity."
"Never had much of that to begin with."
"Yeah," Renee said, "I know."
Kate looked into Renee's eyes for a moment. Just a simple moment to take her in, face-to-face, without any masks in the way.
"Are you staying?" she asked again, and as she did she reached out slightly across the table, not quite close enough to touch.
Renee stared back before smiling. "Yes," she said, placing her hand over Kate's, "I think I am."