Alexandria scaled the walls of Gotham's skyscrapers. She ran across the rooftops, jumped from each one with every ounce of grace she possessed. The feeling of being back after so long completely exhilarated her.
Her boots made little sound as she ran to the edge of the roof of Ward Corporation. Lex stood just at the very edge. She looked down at her city. The cold Gotham wind sent chills through the air and her bare skin. Her loose hair whipped around her masked face.
Alexandria made her way to uptown Gotham, completely unaware that this wasn't unclaimed territory. She inhaled and closed her eyes as she leaned forward off the edge. She had prepared to fall from the roof and expertly catapult off the balconies and ledges and land unharmed on the ground, but a sudden voice stopped her.
"I wouldn't do that." The voice grunted from behind. Alexandria smirked under her mask, eyes still closed, at the familiar voice.
"And why not, Batman?" She asked, her voice higher, teasing. Her toes wiggled in her boots as they hung off the edge still.
"You wouldn't make the fall."
"Who said I was going to fall?" Lex turned around at her last word.
Batman stood brooding in the darkness. She cocked her head at him, making her look even more like the animal she presented herself as. They stood a safe distance away. They were both very cautious of each other.
"Who are you?" Batman asked, his voice harsh and thick. Alexandria took a deep breath before answering.
"No one. Don't be concerned, Batman."
"Why are you in Gotham?" He took a dominant step forward, completely revealing himself in the dim light of the city.
"So many questions!" Lex said, rolling her eyes under her mask.
"Answer." She squinted her eyes at his demand.
"It used to be my home. I mean no harm, Batman." Alexandria spit back. She was becoming more annoyed at the man and his way of manners, or lack of. "If you don't mind, could you leave me alone so I may resume what I was previously doing. I'll be on my way shortly. Don't follow me, I'll know if you do." She threatened. Batman's lenses narrowed as he examined the woman.
He had to admit she didn't pose as an obvious threat, or come across as hostile. His cape snapped as he took a step back and turned around. As he neared the opposite edge of the roof, Alexandria also turned back around.
She closed her eyes and waited for Batman to leave in complete silence. She was granted the silence, but only for a few moments. The sound of a familiar metal hitting an object and ricocheting off to the floor snapped her back. Before she could grab hold of the situation she was kicked to the side and fell hard on the roof. Her bare hands scraped against the cement as she caught her fall. She rolled to the side and crouched in a guarded stance. She was not expecting that.
Batman stood across her a short distance away. His stance mimicked hers. Alexandria fisted her stinging hands. She glared at the man through those tiny slits. He came up for a swift punch to her right side, but Alexandria caught sight of it early and blocked it. She kicked her right knee up into Batman's side. He grunted in response.
Ignoring the pain and lack of air, Bruce reached for her still outstretched knee. He caught it and sharply turned her joint to the left, causing Alexandria to gasp at the sudden pain. Bruce brought his elbow up and knocked it into her mask.
For a moment, Alexandria was completely unaware of her surroundings as her jaw swelled with immense pain. She had to admit, Batman was an excellent fighter. She noticed their techniques were a little too similar.
Batman still held her knee tight but Alexandria used it to her opportunity as she outstretched her leg and kicked him in the side. She knew it wasn't a hard blow, so she jumped from her left leg and twisted her body to deliver a mean kick to the side of Batman's head. He dropped her knee just before she landed. Bruce shook his head to get rid of the blurry pain but before he could come to, Alexandria punched him in the jaw followed by her bare elbow. She now stood for a moment against him, facing the other way. Using the proximity of their bodies, Bruce caught her arm and it twisted it back to make her face him.
Alexandria let out a grunt as she forcefully spun around to face Batman. All while they fought she wondered why the sudden attack from him. He had seemed to be rather peaceful earlier. She glared at him, her chin nearly level with his.
"Why?" He breathed. Alexandria relaxed her tight arm in Batman's grasp She would let him think that this position was to his advantage.
"I should be asking you that." She grumbled.
"Where did you get this?" Bruce held up a one of a kind gold disk bearing a symbol Alexandria knew far too well. The disk was like Alexandria's own.
She was stunned. Lex suddenly kneed Bruce's side again. She watched the disk fall from his gloved hand as he went to cover his new wound. She quickly kicked her foot into Batman's knee. He fell, now on both knees and completely at her mercy. Alexandria stepped around him and picked up the disk.
She toyed with it. It was hers. Talia's. Alexandria looked up from the disk and scanned her surroundings. Talia was here, she was the one who threw the disk. She sighed and turned her head to Batman. He was still struggling.
She stepped next to him.
"Don't fight me." She cautioned. Before he could answer, Alexandria reached for his heavily padded arm and helped him to his feet. "I told you I meant no harm." Batman stood tall. He eyed her. Lex held the disk in front of him
"You thought this was mine. It's not." She said as the disk sparkled A symbol was printed in the middle.
"I recognized the symbol of the League of Assassins." He stated.
"And you think I am from the League – which I am not." Lex nodded at her own words. It was something she also would have assumed if she was in his place. "Let me remind you that I mean no further harm." Under her mask, she gave a look to him.
"Who are you?"
"Just somebody that used to be in the League." She confided. Alexandria took a step back and made some distance between them. "Sorry about knocking your knee out of its socket." She added with a smirk. Batman gave no response. "You know of the League?"
He nodded. "I've never heard of anyone leaving it." He knew of the consequences of leaving, and if all his suspicions were correct, he wondered how on Earth she managed to live for so long.
"They don't, except I did. I would tell you more if it aided you, but I don't believe the League is forcing itself upon you. This is only a matter for me." Alexandria said. Her tone forcing the discussion to close. She had this new weight on her shoulders now. She looked down at the disk.
All sorts of emotions filled her. Talia was here. Her sister was here, but on what times? The last time Alexandria had seen her was when she was 18, two years before she left the League, seven years from today, and their departure hadn't been a pleasant one.
Alexandria glanced up at Batman, trying to find something to say but he wasn't there. She looked through the darkness for the dark figure but no one else was present. She held the disk in her palm. She would make her way back home now. She dreaded what could possibly be waiting for her there – if there was anything.
…
"Sir, I do caution you to be careful but seeing now that that is the exact trait you lack." Alfred said. It was the following morning. Bruce sat on the edge of his bed as Alfred removed ice packs from his bruised and swollen stomach. He grunted as Alfred gingerly touched it.
"Who was it this time?" Bruce hadn't told Alfred anything regarding her new theories, but now that the old man asked he decided it was time.
"Alexandria Ward." He confidently said. Alfred stopped and raised his brow.
"Master Bruce, do you hear yourself? She had ju-"
"Alfred, same body, mannerisms, height, voice… hair. It's her. I've never been so sure. She wasn't exactly concealing herself completely." He interrupted. Her image was fresh in his mind.
"Did you see her face?" Alfred asked as he resumed to place gel on Bruce's wounds.
"No. She wore some type of ancient mask. She trained with Ra's." He watched for his butler's reaction. Alfred made no sign of disturbance.
"You presume this is what she did for those five years?"
"Yes."
"Well, now that leaves no more room for suspicion about her fighting those thugs the previous night. She gave you quite a beating. What do you plan on doing with this information, Master Bruce?"
Bruce took a deep breath. He had thought about this all night and morning. "Confront her. Maybe tonight. I believe that the League might be after her."
Alfred said nothing as he moved away from Bruce, now finished. Bruce slowly stood. The dark bruises on his sides and the sore knee hurt for Alfred to see. Bruce moved to put his shirt on.
"Are you going to help her?" Alfred couldn't help but ask. Of course, he wanted Bruce to help Alexandria, but not on the cost of the life. He remembered how dangerous the League has previously been.
"I don't know." Bruce replied simply.
"You do have a meeting with her Monday morning." Alfred reminded. Bruce nodded. He didn't forget.
…
That day Alexandria didn't leave her manor. She stayed home aiding her aching muscles and sore bones. Numerous ice baths couldn't help her bruised body. Batman also gave her a decent beating.
It was nearing 10PM. The lights in the manor were dim throughout the house. She preferred it that way.
Alexandria was fresh from her most recent ice bath. She lay in the chaise in the library and pulled the golden disk from her sweatpants pocket. She had been carrying it around the house all day, never leaving it somewhere for too long.
She twirled the disk in her fingers and stared at her sister's disk. They both had their own type, every League member with a higher rank received their own personalized disks to their own liking. Alexandria had received that honor much earlier than Talia.
Talia was in Gotham. The thought continued to haunt Lex. She would not go and search for her sister because she knew that Talia would come to her on her own time, whenever she pleased. Talia would find her, not the other way around.
Alexandria suddenly felt the weight of the air change in the library. She felt the tension grow. She no longer was alone. Lex made no movement of disturbance on the chaise. She continued to play with the disk as she tried to narrow down where the intruder was in the room. She knew the only entrance to the library besides the actual door was through the stained-glass ceiling opened to the right of her. Alexandria calmly turned her head that way.
She didn't know who to expect, he was one of the two people who would break into her home but she was surprised to see Batman standing in the shadow of the tall bookcase. She raised a brow at him.
"May I help you, Batman?" She asked with boredom. He stepped into the light and she sighed.
She scolded herself for nothing thinking ahead. She didn't hide her appearance well at all last night. She didn't think she would have encountered anyone, let alone the Batman. Always expect the unexpected she burned into her brain. She stood to face him.
"Those five years, you trained with the League?" Batman asked. He nodded. He had done his research.
"Why? You were fifteen." He stated the obvious. She took a deep breath and looked back at the disk still in her hand.
"I was sent to Nepal with my sister after Victoria and Alec were killed. I was sent to train with the League, I didn't question it. It seemed that Victoria and Alec had always been training me to be a part of it. Then, I left when I was 20. My sister stayed and I stopped being what I was, until now." Alexandria explained, knowing if she didn't, Batman would only discover for himself later.
"They've come to kill you?"
"I don't know. My sister is the one who is here. I haven't seen her in 7 years. I will only know what is going on once she tells me." She held up the disk.
"Aren't you worried she is here to kill you?" She smiled at his question.
"No, I am stronger than her. I am not worried at all if they are here to kill me. They won't succeed." She replied rather sternly.
"What are you going to do?" The question wasn't one out of intense desperation. It was meant to determine where Batman would stand between the two seemingly enemies. Lex shook her head as she returned to sit on the chaise.
"I'll figure something out in due time. They are bound to show up here any day now." She finished as she rested her head against the plush chair.
Minutes after no response of any kind, Alexandria concluded that Batman had left. With a small glace behind her, she was right. Batman had indeed disappeared.
