Siege of Gotham: Day 20

(Stella's POV)

It had almost been a full month since Bane and his men had overtaken Gotham. Things started moving quickly. More quickly than I think we had really realized. Gordon had moved into John's apartment building which was becoming a hub for those of us trying to figure out our next steps. As we had learned, not all of the cops had been trapped in the tunnels. We had about a dozen men who had been out for any number of reasons. As much as they hated not being with their brothers, they realized how much more they could do on the outside.

Anything we could do was helping. In fact, I was on my knees in the middle of a cold November afternoon, sucking gas out of a car tank. John was crouched beside me, with a smirk on his face.

I moved the hose from my mouth and jammed it into the gas can at my feet. I spit a little beside me and turned to John trying to sound stern. "Wipe that smirk off your face, Blake."

John pulled me toward him by the loops of my jeans. John had been extra affectionate lately and I was not complaining. "Make me."

"John, I've been sucking-" I paused noticing the smile grow wider. I smacked him in the chest. Realizing where his mind had wandered. "Watch yourself."

He pulled me closer against him, trapping my arms against his chest. "I really don't care if your lips taste like gasoline. So do mine."

John moved a hand behind my head and pulled me in for a kiss. John urged my lips open, his other hand pressing into the small of my back. My fingers curled into the collar of his jacket searching his mouth for an escape. He did taste a bit like gasoline, but oddly I didn't matter. It was one of the hazards of siphoning gas. As long as you didn't swallow it, you were fine. I nipped his bottom lip, trying to bring him back to the present.

"John. A tumbler should be coming back in about five minutes."

John pressed his face against my neck, brushing his lips against my skin. "I can't help it. I've been watching you suck gasoline out of cars for the past half hour."

I grabbed him by the ear and pulled him to look at me. He looked dangerous and I couldn't ignore the fact it excited me. "We have work to do."

John moved my hand from his ear and kept his voice low. "Don't do that."

I pressed a finger against his throat, lips a breath away from his. "We. Have. Work. To. Do."

John grabbed hold of the gas can, carefully putting the top on before he pulled me with him toward the alley. We picked up the other gas can we filled up and headed back toward St. Swithin's. The building was getting real use now. People had come to hide behind its brick walls and found comfort in helping each other. The boys seemed happy enough to get to play with other kids. Plus with all the adults around, it was becoming more than just a boys' home. It was a home for everyone who needed one right now.

Most of the apartment buildings that were left, acted in a similar manner. The fancy buildings had been taken over by Bane's supporters; his crew, the escaped convicts, and some citizens that, while they didn't approve of all his ideas, liked the fact they could live the good life. The rest of us were living in our buildings helping each other when we could, but otherwise keeping close to our own.

Gordon and John had set up a taskforce to get as much information about Bane's rules as possible. Things were a tiny bit terrifying. For example, there were courts. A "court" of "peers" deciding if whatever you did wrong should result in death or exile. Exile hadn't sounded so bad until you realized they shoved you into the river and told you to swim to the other side. The problem was that this was November and no one could swim far. People would start to freeze and drown. Soon the water would freeze over and maybe people would have a little bit of a better chance. Though since Dr. Jonathan Crane was running the court, there wasn't much hope. Crane had been the head psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum years ago until it was found out that he was literally driving his patients mad. He had created some kind of gas that people had started calling a fear toxin. He had gone missing for a while, but Batman had apprehended him before the Joker took over the city. This meant that Crane had a long time to mull over things and unleash his madness over the citizens of Gotham. Things had not been going well for those unhappy with Bane's rule. Well, for those who didn't have our connections is hadn't been going well.

On my end, I was doing a bit of everything. I was checking on my building and helping where I could with them. I had also done what was possible with backing up most of the Gotham archives. Amazing what you could do when you started playing with the backup system. Aside from saving the history of the city, I was doing my own little part to save my home. Aside from doing legwork with John, I was working with Lucius Fox. Wayne Enterprises had taken up shop in the bank. Since there wasn't a cash flow going, most of the buildings in the city had just turned into living spaces. Fox had introduced me to Miranda Tate. Tate had taken Wayne's place on the board and was an active chair up until the takeover. Fox seemed to trust her and she had invested heavily in Wayne Enterprises. She seemed to have as much to lose as the rest of us.

"Shit." I stopped walking when I realized the time. If I hadn't been thinking about Fox and Tate I would have forgotten that I had a meeting with them today.

John stopped with a half smile. "Going to go meet with the think tank?'

I ran my hands through my hair with a laugh. "You know, you try to kid, but you always end up sounding jealous."

John shook his gas can at me. "I think I'd rather take a swig of this than sit in on one of those meetings." He kissed my forehead. "You okay to head over there? I really want to get this to Father Reilly. Too many people are siphoning gas. I want to make sure the bus has enough just incase there is an evacuation."

"I know. I want you to get there, but I need to get over to the bank. There was something wrong when Fox called me. I don't know what, but something isn't right."

"It can't be that bad if he didn't ask you over right away. By the way, thank him for fixing the walkie talkies. It's been fantastic."

After the first week of the siege, Bane's people had taken out the cell towers. It had caused some panic, but we still had walkie talkies. The problem was most of the walkies were from children's stores and didn't function well. After a visit to Fox, our wavelengths were strong and clear. It had made coordinating our jobs much easier and it was nice to have communication strong.

"I will." I gave John my gas can and gave him a quick kiss. "Are you going to work at St. Swithin tonight or are you going home?"

"I should be home. Why? Thinking about pulling an all-nighter with the think tank?"

"Not sure. It depends on what the situation is."

"Stella. You know you can just move into my place."

I crossed my arms, not really meeting John's eyes. He had been trying to convince me that staying with him would make sense. I know it might seem silly with everything else going on, but I didn't want to jump into things. "I know."

John sighed. "You're insane. Completely insane. And I must be insane."

"I like you that way."

"Just let me know where you'll be, okay?"

"I promise."


(John's POV)

I followed Father Reilly into his office and put the gas cans by his filing cabinets.

Father Reilly looked at the cans confused. "What's this?"

"For the bus incase there's a chance for an evacuation. Just keep them in here. People are siphoning all the parked cars."

"Really?"

I grinned. "How do you think I got it?"

Father Reilly gave a little shake of his head, but I saw the smile. I hadn't been the worst kid to come through this house, but I admit I was a handful at times. I think he was glad that Stella's father had unofficially taken me in so often. I know it had always pained him that he couldn't officially let Donovan Sterling adopt me. I had been upset at first, but just realizing that I had a family that loved me was enough for me.

Father Reilly leaned back in his chair. "And how many cars did you siphon from?"

"I'll split my penance of Hail Mary's with Stella."

He laughed. "And how is she doing? I haven't seen her here in a few days."

"She's doing well. She's been working in her building, helping me out, and I don't even really know what else she's been doing."

"I see not much has changed. Now, how are the two of you doing? Not at each other's throats I hope."

I rubbed the back of my neck. "No, we're doing really well. Or as well as you can be in the middle of a militia takeover."

"Have you finally told the girl you love her?"

I snapped my head up. "What now?"

Father Reilly frowned at me. "I will use your full name if you keep acting foolish. You are too protective not to love her. And I do not mean just as a friend. You've grown to love the girl, whether you planned on it or not."

"Feelings don't matter right now. What matters-"

"Feelings always matter my boy. Especially during these times. She loves you too. You never need to question that." Reilly must have sensed my discomfort because he cleared his throat. "Any other news to share? Is the Commissioner-"

I shook my head. "The less you know the better, Father. Trust me on that right now. How are the boys doing?"

"Power's been on more, so they get some TV. Having other people has been actually quite good. You know, if we get through all of this, I think there will be a couple that will actually get adopted. I'm quite serious about that."

I smiled and stood up. "That's good to here. I will never badmouth my time here, but having a family to call your own…that's something all these boys dream of. I know I always did. I was lucky enough to have my family here and another family that took me in when they could."

Father Reilly spoke up as I went to walk out the door. "Blake, you be careful out there. They're hunting down cops like dogs."

I nodded and carefully shut the door behind me. I looked down at my walkie and stuffed it back in my pocket. I would hear from Stella when she was done and I needed to go see Gordon anyway.

Why did Father Reilly need to say that? I like this beginning of things with Stella. I liked knowing where she was and knowing that most of the time when I woke up she was next to me. It hadn't been that long, but I was getting used to it. I had always found it amusing to watch Stella when she fell asleep, but little by little I was appreciating it more and more. I enjoyed the smell of her on my pillow and the way her body pressed against mine during the night.

Though, that part was starting to make me want to rip her pants off, but I knew better. Some nights I would wake up and Stella's body would be firmly pressed against me. She would be slightly shivering so I would pull the sheet a little further up over us. When I did that she'd make a little noise in her sleep. It was halfway between a sigh and a whimper. During that noise she would end up grinding her body a little further against me. The little noise and movement were almost enough for me to wake her up and try to move our relationship forward. Part of me was also curious if she actually was awake and did this just to drive me insane.

We were still working out what was okay and what wasn't. We hadn't progressed much, but honestly sleeping next to her, kissing her, and pulling her toward me when I wanted was enough for me. I loved the way she responded by smiling during a kiss or biting my lip before she went off for one of her meetings.

I shook my head and turned the corner to my apartment building, but stopped off on the second floor. With people moving around and staying with family and friends, there were many apartments that had been left open, as well as a few that had been open before the siege. Gordon had moved into one of the rooms and it had also turned into our command center.

I walked in and saw Gordon looking over a map with Kevin Ryan. Ryan had been one of the cops that had been off duty the day of the tunnel exercise. There were a handful of others like Ryan who had tried contacting everyone they could after the siege. Along with the few active duty that had been out sick or somewhere, a few of the recently retired officers had joined in. Actually anyone with a connection to the department had been in contact with us.

Big Steve, owner of a gun shop and range, had been one of the first to contact us. He had been the one to load Stella up with ammunition and her new rifle. He was holding down the fort at his home, but we had gone to see him a few times. Big Steve had a prosthetic leg that made it difficult for him to move in these conditions. The man was proud and didn't want to admit it at first, but when he took into account that none of us really knew what the people in the tumblers would stop us for, he realized it might be for the best. We went to his house now and then for the space and to help take stock of the weapons he had. If an uprising was coming, we should be okay. Especially after he told us that there were still weapons in storage. Though Stella had the key, which scared me just a bit.

Gordon motioned me over. "Anything new one the street, Blake?"

"Just came back from St. Swithin's. They don't know much more than we do. The power has been going on more so the kids are watching TV. Normal stations are coming in, so that's a good thing. They're holding down the fort pretty well. Others in the city are siphoning cars for the gas. Stella helped me get gas for the bus for St. Swithin's."

"Where is she?"

"She's with the think tank. They're up to something, though I'm not sure what it is. She moved pretty quickly, but if it was anything red level I don't think she would have been helping me suck gas out of abandoned cars."

Ryan laughed and shook his head. "I wouldn't be too sure about that, Casanova."

I frowned at him. "Can we focus?"

Gordon sat down in his armchair with a small smile on his face. "You know, we think all day and dream about all of this. I think it's only fair we rest our brains and focus on something else for a bit. How are things with Stella?"

"I'm not discussing this."

Ryan leaned against the wall, smirk firmly in place. "It's only fair if you share the stories of your woe."

"There is no woe. There is no story. You can all go question someone else."

"Come on Blake. You have an active romantic life."

"I don't know if I would call it active." I winced realizing I had said that out loud.

Gordon held up his hands. "I don't need to hear this. Never mind. I take back my questions and I'll change the topic. You said she's with the think tank. Did they call her while you were out? Did you hear anything?"

I shook my head. "No. She had a meeting with them beforehand. She was a little worried, but if it was anything that bad he would have had her go over there right away instead of making an appointment with her. Plus, we would have been first to know."

"I wouldn't be too sure." Gordon shook his head at my look. "Not that they wouldn't tell us. Don't be confused on that. All I mean is that Stella is part of the think tank, she's not just a visitor. If something is wrong, they will bring her in on it. She may not be a physicist or engineer, but the girl sees things at a very different level."

I sighed. "Tell me about it."

Ryan smiled. "What happened, Blake?"

"Nothing."

"Come on, Blake. Share your woes. Seriously, my brain needs a bit of normal after going over time tables and maps."

I sighed and took a seat on the couch. "Fine. I kinda asked Stella to move in with me."

"Seriously?

"No. Not seriously. That was the first lie I could think of." I glared at Ryan. "Of course, seriously. If she moved in with me she would be closer to all of our moving points and I wouldn't have to worry about her walking all the way up here and back."

"Blake, it's not that far. The girl likes to keep her independence." Ryan paused looking at me carefully. "Oh, I see what this is. You think she's not taking you seriously."

"I didn't say that."

"But you're thinking it. Try seeing it from her perspective."

Both Gordon and I stared at Ryan. He wasn't a misogynist or anything, but hearing him say to take things from the female perspective was a new one for him.

He waved his hands at his sides. "Yeah, yeah. 'Oh, look at Ryan, he's being all thoughtful.' Can it. I'm serious about this. This is day 20 of the siege. How long has it been since the two of you figured things out?"

"Uh, about the same. Slightly less."

"Think about this as a non-siege perspective. You're just about 20 days into your relationship. Would you think about asking her to move in?"

"No." I winced. "Because that would be crazy."

Gordon folded his hands, not really looking at us. "Thinking about a non-siege perspective. Outside the box."

I looked over at him confused. "Sir?"

He shook his head. "Ryan has a point. We've all been thinking about this from the one perspective. Just on how to work around them. We need to think about how to control them more. How to get them to bring us more than just want we need, but what we want. To do that we need to hear from Fox and that will be happening quite soon. Whatever he needs Stella for should help us move along. We've got a new heading gentlemen." He gave a yawn and looked at his watch. "Ryan, go get some sleep. Blake, go shoot a message to the boys in the tunnels. Then go home. Apologize to Stella. Don't make things more difficult for yourself."

I sighed and stood up. "It's a bit late for that."


My walkie started ringing just as I shut off my lamp. I grabbed it quickly, unsure of who would be checking in this late. Whoever it was, it couldn't be a good thing. I grabbed the walkie glad I moved the charging dock beside my bed. "Yeah?"

"John…are you near home?"

I paused looking at the walkie. "What's wrong Stella?"

"Will you come over tonight?"

"Stella. What's wrong?" She wasn't using any of the codewords to say that someone had captured her or was nearby. I wasn't sure why, but that worried me more.

"I just want to see you. Please?"

"Yeah. I'm here. How far are you? Should I meet you?"

"I'm around the corner. I'll see you in a minute."

I got up and turned the lamp back on. She didn't sound panicked, just off. Almost sad, but not quite there. I blinked walking around the room and picking up some clothes on the floor when I heard the key in my lock. Around the corner my ass, she must have been in the lobby when she called.

"In here Stella."

Stella peaked her head around the doorway looking tired. She should considering that it was ten thirty at night. When she saw I had downgraded to sweatpants and a tee-shirt she seemed to relax. Unbuttoning her jacket she tossed it onto the floor and moved into my arms.

I stroked her hair, slightly confused. She was in a loose sweater and sweatpants, which meant she had gone home since I last saw her. Her arms were around me, pressing into my back.

I kissed her temple. "What's wrong?"

"I just want to stay with you tonight."

I grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at me. "Stella."

She pressed her lips against mine, pausing my thoughts. Her hands moved to the back of my neck, pulling me toward her. I grabbed her hips, roughly pulling her toward me. She responded by pressing against me and nipping my lip. I growled slightly and forced her lips open so I could taste her. Her tongue flicked to touch mine, sending a little spark through me. Part of her was cold, but crisp. It seems that the temperature had started dropping further into the night. My hands moved back and grabbed her ass earning a little gasp from her. She started squirming, but not away from me, but toward me.

Stella drew away from the kiss taking a shaky breath. "When I said stay the night, I just meant stay here, John."

I looked down at her noticing her chest rising and falling visibly. "Really? Are you sure?"

She nodded slowly, her body still pressed against me, making it very hard to focus. "I mean it. I'm sorry, I just…I just wanted to stay here tonight. Maybe this was a bad idea."

I closed my eyes and pressed my forehead against hers. As an extra measure I slowly moved my hips back, needed a little extra distance. "No. It wasn't. I'm the one who should be sorry. Come on. We'll just go to bed."

Stella gave me a light kiss and took my hand as she moved back toward my bed. She pulled me into the bed behind her and turned so she was facing me. Her eyes were bright, a green that was rare to see. They reminded me of those of a cat, an unusual shade and always calculating the world around her. Her hair was pulled back in a pony tail that had been drooping as the day wore on, but I like that it still kept her face bare.

I touched her cheek and smiled as her eyes fluttered shut when I did so. "Are you going to tell me why you came?"

"I missed you. I just wanted to see you." Stella's eyes opened just a bit. "Is that such a bad thing?"

I let my fingers run over her lips thoughtfully. "No. It really isn't. Pardon me for being just a bit paranoid."

She scrunched her nose a bit and closed her eyes again. "Can the paranoid when it comes to me. Never question my want to be here. Just shut up and accept the fact that I'm here. It isn't a new thing, just in a new capacity."

"I know. It was just that your tone worried me. That and it's pretty late for you to be out. You just made me nervous."

Her lips lifted in a smile, eyes still closed. "You didn't seem so nervous when I kissed you."

"Yeah, well that's another step to tackle another day."

"Tackle? You'd take me out completely."

I shook my head and pulled her close. "Stella, just go to sleep. If you keep talking I'm going to have to put a pillow over your face."

She tucked her head under my chin and let out a sigh. "I'm glad I still have you, John. You have no idea."

I pulled her a little closer and closed my eyes. "Oh, I think I do. I think I do."