Cassandra Cain checked her heavily-encrypted email, and saw a message from Barbara Gordon. She paused before clicking on it, looking over at Stephanie, who was still asleep. Just looking at Steph made her smile.
Looking at Babs' screen name in the email, though, made her sigh. They had struggled occasionally, but Cass knew that Babs loved her deeply and unconditionally. Babs had worked with her endlessly, getting her speech therapy, figuring out alternate forms of communication. She had never given up, even when Cass turned sullen out of frustration. In passing on the Batgirl mantle, she'd been stern, laying down strict rules, but it always came from a place of caring about Cass and wanting her to be safe.
Cass saw her in a slightly different light from most people, she thought. Most were intimidated by Babs' intelligence and determination. True, Cass had relied on both traits as they figured out how to work together. But for her, it had been Babs' kindness that stood out.
She knew that other people thought of Babs as brusque, even abrasive. And Cass had seen that side of her, especially when they frustrated each other. The difference was, Babs always reached out again. No matter how many times they misunderstood one another, no matter how many times they faltered or failed, Babs was always there for her.
Which made her reservations about this mission particularly painful. Cass was hunting her mother, but Babs was the only person in Cass' life who actually deserved to be called a mother figure. Steph was right, Shiva had merely passed on her genes and a brief stay in her womb. Sandra Wu-San wasn't even a bad mother, just an entirely absent one.
And that absence hurt. Steph had some issues with her late mother; Tim Drake had problems with his own, when his parents had been alive. They'd both loved their moms, though. From what Cass understood, Dick and Bruce had had very close, loving relationships with their mothers – and had lost them brutally young. All around her, so much love and loss and grief, so much meaning wrapped around the simple word mother, an entire holiday devoted to the celebration of women who chose to have children. As if it were some mystical act that changed them forever, like it marked their souls.
Cass had no real frame of reference for that. David Cain had been her only parent, all her life, and she'd adored him with a child's innocence until the day he loosed her like a weapon and she saw the life run out of a man's eyes. Her innocence died that day, and her love for her father withered.
Maybe her pursuit of Shiva was in some way an attempt to find that kind of connection again. Or at least discover why it seemed so absent from her life. Cass preferred to think that she was simply the person most qualified to stop Shiva from whatever she was trying to do in taking over part of the League of Shadows, but even she knew that wasn't the whole reason.
She sighed, and clicked on the email, glancing at Steph again. It was heavily encrypted, and only the program on this computer could read it, using a key sequence Babs had coded onto this netbook. Cass let it run, and then leaned forward, reading carefully.
I confirmed that Talia al Ghul is in Libya. She claims to have sighted both of you.
Cass made a rude noise through her nose. She hadn't seen Talia, and doubted that the Demon's Daughter had spotted her without being seen herself. It was purely Steph's luck that they'd crossed paths – and Steph was eerily lucky, at times.
Unless Talia was looking for them, hanging around in places where she might set eyes on two strangers. That assumed that she had some illicit means of getting news about the Bats, and was just as good at deduction as they were; neither assumption was unreasonable. The League of Shadows trained its highest echelon very well, and they had vast resources at their disposal. It was possible that Talia might know Steph and Cass had left South Sudan at around the same time as Doc Leslie, and the reasonable assumption would've been that they'd headed back to Gotham together. When the two younger women never appeared there, she'd have to wonder where they were. Libya was where the League of Shadows' troubles originated; it was where any competent detective tracking Shiva would end up.
Babs knew all that, too. She wouldn't have risked contacting Talia except to confirm, preferably through call tracing, that Talia was in fact in the area. Now that she knew, it was time to see what course of action she recommended.
I want you both to leave Libya and return to Gotham City.
Cass sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose until her eyes watered. Of course. She knew Babs was recalling them because she feared for both of them; an internal war of the League of Shadows was a very dangerous place to be for anyone. Babs felt it was more dangerous because of Shiva's involvement, and Cass' relationship to her.
Of course, Cass disagreed. Shiva was a deadly opponent, true, but few people approached Cass' level of training. As long as she didn't get caught in a shooting gallery, she trusted herself to deal with any of the League of Shadows' regular members.
The problem, as she saw it, was Steph. Cass knew that Steph was worried about her, and short of injuring her or otherwise physically restraining her, Cass couldn't make her leave. Steph had come a very long way, but that bad shoulder was always going to be a liability, and it was just the worst of her injuries. She could maybe handle the League's people with Cass at her side, but Shiva?
Cass shivered, remembering the last time she'd crossed paths with her mother. She hadn't encountered anyone whose technique was so superbly refined, so seemingly beyond her own capabilities, since childhood. For a brief moment, Cass' heart had stopped thanks to an extraordinary strike by Shiva, and she'd known how dying felt.
She'd been revived, but the moment stuck in her mind like an ink-stain, spreading out to mark other memories. For the first time, Cass knew trepidation, facing a foe.
It didn't matter. Someone had to stop Shiva, and whatever she was trying to do, it would be no safer in the hands of Talia al Ghul. Cass had never met the Demon's Daughter, but what she'd heard didn't leave her inclined to trust in Talia's good intentions.
No, she couldn't leave. Not now.
The email required an answer, though. Cass didn't want to refuse Babs. Unless…
Cass knew where the encryption key was saved, and the file was editable. She could just go in, change a single keystroke, and they would be out of contact. Steph never had to know. Cass could pretend, even to Babs, that it had been a virus or just some kind of programming glitch.
Babs would suspect, though. And cutting off communication was the coward's way out. Cass' soul rebelled at the idea.
I want was not an order, though. It was an expression of what Babs desired to happen, not an infallible command. So perhaps there was a way to answer it without agreeing to return, some way to explain to Babs why they had to stay.
Even better, perhaps there was a way to get Babs to convince Steph to leave. Cass would feel much safer if she were only risking her own life.
Cass shut down the computer without replying, and slid back under the covers, snuggling up to Steph. She'd think on it, and decide how to answer later on.
If all else failed, she could flatly refuse. Babs wasn't likely to send someone after them, not with Joker free of the hospital. She had her hands full there. Perhaps she would have to simply trust in Cass' judgment.
The idea that someone older and wiser might put that trust in her was a little overwhelming. As she did whenever the world was too confusing, Cass tucked her face against Steph's shoulder and breathed deep, letting her mind race while her body relaxed. Even asleep, every inch of Steph spoke to her, the same way she always had, offering respect and trust and fondness. Stephanie Brown might as well have been a billboard of positive feedback, and if Cass were honest, she did need that.
With a sleepy murmur, Steph threw an arm around her shoulders and drew her close. Cass let her breath out in a sigh.
She'd have to keep her from seeing that email, when Steph woke up. At least until Cass figured out what to do about it.
…
Kala thought it was a damn good practice. Despite the grueling schedule, despite being here at the label's main studio, some of the playfulness was back in the band. They played their own stuff first, then starting doing covers and just jamming. Ned went off on one of his crazy percussion solos, throwing out polyrhythms in odd meters at blazing fast speed. Robb and Morgan picked up on it, playing support for a little while, then ran off into their riffs and changes. Kala just rocked to the beat for a while, letting them play, using her voice as an instrument without actually needing lyrics.
As always, they inspired her, and when Ned slipped into a groove that sounded familiar, Kala grinned. Time for her to show her own range. "Gimme Chandelier," Kala said, and the boys grinned right back, gliding into the minor key easily.
The Sia song didn't seem difficult to a casual listener, but the fifth change followed by the full octave tested any singer's ability. And keeping the pitch and tone correct at that sheer power was a challenge even for Kala, with super-stamina adding to her lung power.
It was also simply fun, and for a while now the tour hadn't been. They rocked through a few more songs, skipping back and forth between genres, Kala belting out Black Velvet like she was trying to fry the microphone, then switching to the torchy vocals and long-held notes of Mordred's Lullaby. They ended up with a song that they all sang together, which not even Kala could do perfectly, but then, very few people could match Freddie Mercury. And Bohemian Rhapsody was always meant to be a group song.
She ended the set tired but content, ready to go onstage tomorrow and rock out. Admittedly, she was looking forward to the Christmas break, partly because it meant time away from this crazy schedule, and partly because she was going to finally be able to see Jay for longer than a fractured night. As if there wasn't enough worry over the Joker since the breakout, she just simply missed him. She missed him with an ache that came from deep in her bones, lonely in ways she didn't want to deeply consider, and the whole notion of spending the entire week after Christmas with him filled her with delightful anticipation.
It was so good, she walked out of the studio grinning and joking with the boys. For the first time in a long time, she remembered why she'd wanted this so much she'd skipped college to sing.
And then she saw Jenna at the end of the corridor, giving her a bright smile that didn't touch her eyes. "Kala, do you have a minute?" she asked with false cheer.
Kala's first, instinctive reaction was simply to bolt. Just run, out the door and down the street, until she found someplace no one could see her and she could leap for the sky. The world always made more sense when viewed from a few miles up. Whatever this was, it would sour her good mood as surely as lemon juice would curdle milk.
Responsibility held her, even though she chafed at it. "Sure, Jenna," she said lightly, with a smile as fake as her agent's, and walked over to her.
Jenna led her to a conference room, and Kala's stomach dropped. There were too damn many suits in the room, never a good sign. She cut her eyes at Jenna; despite the fact that they all called her their agent, her proper title was talent manager. Jenna had been with them from the start, helping to craft their image, but Kala wasn't fooled. Everyone in the recording industry looked out for themselves, and Jenna's contract had just been renewed for another three years. She technically represented the band's interests, but she had to position them for success – and her connections in the industry were on the line if they bombed.
Kala should've known this was coming. She'd fired Derek and taken over as her own tour manager, an unprecedented move on a tour this size. Of course there would be repercussions. She glanced over the four men sitting at the table, recognizing the business manager who represented her band, the business manager who represented the label, the entertainment lawyer who'd walked her through signing her original contract, and one of the producer's assistants. All of them were looking at her with stern expressions that reminded her absurdly of Uncle Bruce when he'd scolded her and Jay for their misadventure against Black Mask's men.
She bit her tongue to keep from laughing. None of them had any idea who they were dealing with. They were here to chide an artist for being difficult; she was the Blur, she was Superman's daughter, she could literally fly away from here at a speed difficult for the human mind to comprehend. Hell, just hovering in place would substantially change the discussion they were about to have. Gotham's rogues tended to make her angry, since she'd gotten properly trained, and these men didn't stand a chance of intimidating her.
So Kala smiled sweetly. "Hello, gentlemen. Come to offer me Derek's percentage, since I'm doing his job?"
"Have a seat," her business manager, Brian Pelham, said. Not unkindly, and Kala did slowly sit down, with Jenna taking the chair to her right. She met each man's gaze levelly, wanting them to see how unimpressed she was.
The label's business manager, Shawn Mullins, leaned forward. "We're concerned about your band's future, so we wanted to have a little meeting to discuss it."
"A little meeting with me, since I'm acting tour manager. And also the initials painted on all the merch," Kala said dryly. "For the record, I think not consulting the boys is shady."
The producer's assistant, Aaron Douglas, gave a dismissive wave to that. "Backup musicians come and go. You're not the Beatles; an act like yours is all about the frontman. Or frontwoman, as the case may be."
Kala narrowed her eyes at him. "Try and get up there to do Ned's job, or Robb's, or Morgan's. They're not replaceable cogs in a standardized machine. This is art, gentlemen, and our sound comes from all of us."
The lawyer, Frank Rogers, kept quiet. Jenna did clear her throat. "KLK is an ensemble, Aaron."
"And they're missing half of their vocals," Aaron replied. "Look, Kala, we appreciate that you've taken responsibility for managing things – but you were the one who fired Derek."
She set her elbows on the table and lifted her chin, glaring. "Derek fired himself. He had no right to browbeat Robb, or raise his voice at any of us, or accuse me of being on drugs, or talk to us like children, or trash-talk Marlene. We put up with all of it, and I kept Jenna appraised, but when he put hands on me, that was it. He was going out the door or in the hospital from that point. I and everyone else specifically warned Derek that I've been through some things, and I do not take kindly to being manhandled. He did it anyway. You're lucky I didn't call the police and report assault."
"That would've been fairly difficult to prove, after you apparently threw him to the ground," Shawn said.
Kala let herself laugh, and none of them would ever recognize the Blur's battle-ready gleam in her eyes. "Oh yeah? You're not stupid, gentlemen. When a woman – a delicate-looking, conventionally-attractive woman, who's sober and speaking in professional tones – tells the police a man ten years older than her grabbed her and shoved her around, they're going to take that more seriously than her retaliating. At least, as long as there aren't any bruises on her assailant. My aunt's a cop, my parents are reporters, I know how the justice system works. As far as I'm concerned, Derek and I settled it the old-fashioned way. I didn't want him arrested, I just wanted him to stop."
"We understand there were personality conflicts with Derek," Brian said, glancing from Kala to the other three men. "We have that under control, and we're working on finding a manager to take over the tour. Unfortunately, after the suitcase incident in Denver, we've got to consider that carefully."
Kala gritted her teeth at that. "I don't think the suitcase is what your problem is."
Aaron put his elbows on the table, clasped his hands in front of him, and looked at her sternly. "The problem is, we've lost one lead singer and a manager from this tour in a matter of months. And the common denominator is you."
Deep breaths, Kala told herself. If she lost her temper and flipped this table over and told them all exactly what she thought of them, she'd only convince them that she was unbalanced and didn't have to be taken seriously. She could afford to flush it all down the drain, if it came to that – but the boys couldn't. She had to look out for Robb, Ned, and Morgan.
"Fine then. Fire away. What are your concerns?" Kala's voice sounded tight to her own ears, but not hysteric. It should have been good enough.
"Mr. Vélez is in breach of contract right now," the lawyer said, speaking smoothly and with unflappable calm. "We have chosen not to pursue that, in hopes that we can bring him back to the tour – and to the studio next spring. Our primary concern is avoiding another incident like Denver. We do not need the property damage, or the very public departure of a leading member of the band."
"Why not just call him a valuable product?" Kala said, emulating his silky tones. "We all know you're only looking at the bottom line." The label was owed a measure of blame for the situation. The marketing team had pushed Kala and Sebast, not quite as an official couple, but certainly as a pair. They had teased the possibility of something more than friends, baiting the 'shippers in the audience, and had encouraged the flirtatious personas they both showed on stage. No one had ever issued a statement about them not being in a relationship, or about Sebast being gay. Hell, no one on the PR team had never even bothered to deny that the video of Kala kissing her mysterious man in Denver wasn't her cheating on Sebast. They'd let the relationship drama bring more hits to the fan forums, and sell more concert tickets. They only cared now because Sebast hadn't come back immediately, and the fans who came to see him might stop buying.
Aaron spoke next. "We need your assurance that you can maintain a civil working relationship with Sebast. Whatever your personal challenges are, you're both under contract for another album and another tour. We need at least that much professionalism from both of you to protect our investment."
Clenching her jaw again, Kala took a deep breath and let it out before she replied. "You don't have to worry about professionalism from me. The incident in Denver was unprecedented. In my entire career, I've never done anything like that before – nor do I have any intention of doing so again."
Jenna added, "You've got Marlene Drucker's notes, and you know in the last two years there hasn't been a single complaint from any hotel or venue. KLK runs a tight ship. These kids even clean up their hotel rooms before they check out."
"Well, they ran a tight ship with Drucker, but she can make the Glades Park Five look good," Shawn said.
Kala raised her eyebrow. "Marlene taught us well, but she spoiled us in a way. We're used to being treated like adults, like real human beings, not like commodities. Or sideshow performers. Find me a manager who can do their job without climbing down our throats, and we'll be fine."
Brian said, "The manager isn't the real problem. Derek … was a poor fit, for this band, at this particular time. I think what's causing the most worry is the issue with Sebast."
"The issue with Sebast, and Kala's other obligation of late, which seems to be taking precedence over her career," Aaron put in.
"Mr. Douglas's habit of referring to me in the third person in my presence is not exactly conducive to finding a solution," Kala said, looking directly at Brian. Only once she'd made her point did she lock gazes with the producer's assistant. "That said, Aaron, my 'other obligation' has not caused me to miss a single rehearsal or venue. You really ought to be grateful to my other obligation; he's been the main reason why I was able to keep Derek's insinuations from bothering me for this long."
"This man has nearly made you late on several occasions. And you haven't been in your room when you were expected to be," Shawn said.
"So, you're my parents now?" Kala challenged, jutting her chin out. "Gentlemen, I am twenty-four years old. I can sleep in whatever bed I want to sleep in – with whoever I want. You do not get to tell me to go to my room like I'm a misbehaving child. My own father was never this overbearing."
"There is an issue of negative publicity," Brian said, with a sheepish expression.
"Negative publicity? There's one video, ninety seconds, and a handful of photos. His face is completely obscured and you can barely tell that's me," Kala shot back. "The only reason they knew it was me at all was because they were fans, and they happened to be at the club where I hopped onstage – for one set with a cover band. I wasn't trying to usurp the booking agent's take, gentlemen. I've never heard my own music covered before, and the lead singer invited me onstage. How could I refuse?"
"The unscheduled appearance was irregular, but it was not the problem," Frank told her. "Overall, it was handled in such a way that there was no negative impact."
And Kala bit back an ironic laugh, that the lawyer was the reassuring one in the room at the moment.
…
Jay managed to start feeling human again by mid-afternoon. He wanted something spicy, and stopped by a Thai place that was near the Clock Tower, so on a whim he got an extra order and called Babs. "Have you eaten yet?" he asked.
To his surprise, she had to think about the answer. "I had breakfast."
He chuckled. "Yeah, I'm coming by. Where's Dinah? Doesn't she usually remind you to pull your head out of the database?"
"When you see what I'm researching, you'll know why I've been busy," Babs said ominously. Then added, "Thank you, Jay. Bringing me lunch is a lot nicer than bringing me a bunch of busted cameras."
"Look, if you're complaining that I don't come see you enough, I'll start dropping in every day and pestering you," he teased back.
"I wouldn't mind," Babs laughed, and hung up.
It was only a short trip, and he didn't really think about how different this was from eight months ago until he was on the elevator headed up. Spring of this year, he'd slipped back into Gotham, bristling and ready to fight anyone in his family who tried to bring him back to heel. He'd expected confrontation, some kind of ultimatum from Bruce, the whole rest of them ranged against him.
Instead, he'd gotten cookies and a comm unit, and Babs offering to work with him, not against him. And a month later, he'd run into a half-trained Super with a snarky mouth and the most beautiful eyes he'd ever seen.
All of that was better than thinking about his panic attack last night, or wondering how well Babs was coping. If she was forgetting to eat, it couldn't be that great.
He was laughing to himself, focusing relentlessly on the lighter side, as he walked into the main room, and Babs pushed herself back from the monitor, arching an auburn brow at him. "What's so funny?"
"Just thinking back on how damn slick you were," he said, laying out both entrees to let her choose. "You knew K was on her way when you sent the comm, didn't you?"
"Of course. And I wanted to know where you were so she didn't drop-kick you into orbit some night," Babs replied, smirking.
"Yeah, little did you know," he chuckled.
She picked the beef broccoli, and Jay took the red curry. They both unpacked sauces and chopsticks, and Jay dragged a chair over. Once they were settled in, Babs gave him a serious look. "I think it all worked out for the best. Even the unintended consequences."
"Just delete that audio file, and I'll agree," he teased.
"No, I'm saving that for blackmail purposes," she told him.
Jay just shrugged; he had no shame about it, anyway. "So what're you working on?"
"Trying to pinpoint League of Shadows operatives in southern Libya," Babs sighed. "Also trying to anticipate Joker's next move." She sounded as blasé as he did, as if it was just another day in Gotham. Not trying to track down the man who'd shot her at close range.
"That fucker's never predictable. Just keep security set at red-orange and your gun loaded," Jay advised. He had a brief mental image of literally sweeping his nightmare and everything else under the rug, but at this point, the rug wouldn't even be touching the ground anymore. There was too much trying to hide under it. He supposed that was part of why he'd had that nightmare; stuff leaked out around the edges.
He'd found a contractor to fix his window, today, at an exorbitant price. After lunch he'd have to head over to the building to disarm security and hide anything incriminating. Jay didn't mention it, though, the same way he didn't ask Babs how she was sleeping. They both knew that after this with Harley, Joker was going to escalate. And either one of them could be his next target. They both had hot metahuman chicks looking out for them, though, and Jay was determined not to dwell on it. Talking would only make it more real.
Instead, he picked up on the other thing that was worrying Babs. "As for the League, what's really going on in Libya? You've been cagey about that for a while."
"Shiva's out there trying to do something nefarious," Babs replied. "We don't know if she's trying to split the League, or take it completely from Ra's, or if there's some specific objective in that particular area that she wants. Based on my reports from Steph and Cass, I think it's the latter. But I don't know what it could be."
Jay scrubbed a hand over his face, thinking. "Shit, I was in Morocco for a while, but we never did Libya. I don't know what assets they have there."
"Neither do I," Babs admitted. "There's a significant presence, and Talia admitted to being there."
"Wait, you talked to her?" Jay said, his eyebrows going up. He remembered Thanksgiving then, Selina being rather cutting with her gibes, and Babs' sudden interest in the prank war.
"Yes. The number Selina got for her is still active – it's the same number Talia used to call you about the kryptonite she sold to Black Mask. I could only partially trace it, there are too many reroutes, but we have a line of communication." Babs looked at him like she expected him to challenge her somehow.
Jay was too busy being astounded. "Okay, okay. Why do you want a line of communication? Oh fuck, tell me you're not trying to recruit Talia. You're gonna need a lot more than cookies for that one, Babs."
"Cass and Steph are in Libya," Babs told him. "And Cass thought they'd seen Talia, too. I needed to confirm her presence – and when I did, she already knew they were there. My girls are at ground zero in what might be an intra-League war. Something like that, in a place that's already recovering from a civil war, could quickly spill out into open conflict."
"Fuck," Jay muttered. "Call the girls home. Let Talia deal with Shiva. That's her fuckin' job, anyway, keeping the nutcases in line for Daddy."
And Babs looked at him with a soft, self-deprecating laugh. "I already did, Jay. They haven't answered me. I'm afraid Cass has gone offline deliberately. This is her mother."
"Well, double fuck, then," Jay said, a chill running down his spine. "Maybe they're just busy, or laying low."
"That's what I'm hoping. They've been out of communication before – the League presence is very heavy, and they're staying far under the radar. I just can't help worrying about them." Babs took off her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose.
Jay saw the shadows beneath her eyes, and reached out to touch her arm gently. "Hey. If push comes to shove … fuck, send me and Kala over there. I can find 'em, Kala can drag them both home. Not even Cass is gonna be able to argue too much with a Kryptonian."
Babs shook her head slowly. "I don't want to drop Kala in the middle of a potential war zone. If Cass is deliberately ignoring my recall, she would fight, and she's one of the few people who would probably merit an appearance of the Empress. I'm not turning that loose on foreign soil, not when one of our enemies who has large quantities of kryptonite is active in the area. Hell, Jay, for all I know, Libya is where Ra's stashed most of it, and that's what Shiva's after."
"Shit, why would Shiva want kryptonite?" Jay asked, ignoring the way his skin prickled and his belly tightened. Even thinking about the stuff made him nauseous, now.
Fuck, maybe he'd picked the wrong distraction. Joker's bullshit was looking like the safer topic, right about now.
Babs shrugged. "I don't know, but I can't discount the possibility. Shiva's not someone I can completely predict, either. And for what it's worth, I wouldn't send you out there, anyway. I have serious qualms about putting you in Talia's path."
One of Jay's more esoteric studies had been a couple months with a top poker player, learning how to control his facial expression and body language so as not to reveal his intentions. He hadn't perfected that – Kala could still read him perfectly – but Jay drew on every second of coaching to try and appear nonchalant now. "What, you think she'll Manchurian-Candidate me or something?"
"No, I think she was your handler for a long time, and if she asked for your help in a sufficiently righteous cause, you'd give it," Babs replied. Which, thankfully, didn't seem like she had any clue just how much Talia had handled Jay. He managed not to let his relief show, either, as she continued, "I don't want you or Kala mixed up with League of Shadows business. The worst part about this is, Cass is the perfect agent for this surveillance. She knows the League better than you do, she's the most advanced martial artist of any of us, and she has plenty of experience maintaining a cover."
"But you're afraid for her because you know she's not objective when it's her mother," Jay supplied. "Fuck, Babs, tell her to call me. I can remind her how trying to reconnect with my bio mom went down. Maybe it'll convince her to listen."
"I can try that. But I don't know if she'll change her mind. That's the worst of it, she knows she's my only option there. And Steph's there, too. Steph won't leave her side, and she's vulnerable." Babs pinched the bridge of her nose again. "I can't even tell them they'd be safer here, with Joker running loose. He's going to ramp up again, I can feel it. There's already chatter among the crime families that Joker's lost his edge, that Harley beating him up means he should be taken down. We're about to have a war here, Jay."
"Not if I find the fucker first," he said darkly. And here they were, talking about the thing they didn't talk about, the scars they shared. He didn't have to ask to know that Babs understood how it felt, looking at five AM on the clock face and waiting for the light, checking every corner of the room and arguing with herself that she wasn't a child, she didn't need to look under the bed.
Babs looked at him for a long moment, not speaking. Not needing to. Jay also knew she kept a gun in her nightstand, and she had the training to use it. If Joker tried to use her to make a statement, he'd die for that mistake. And Jay would throw a party.
Then again, if Joker tried to remind everyone what a badass he was by picking fights with the guy he kept calling 'Dead Hood', Jay would kill his ass, and be done with it. Let Bruce pitch a temper tantrum. Self-defense was a thing.
Babs finally sighed, and switched back, not wanting to open that particular Pandora's box either. "I asked Talia to look out for the girls. It's a gamble, but it's the best I could do. Even if Cass decides not to listen to me, at least one person has some motivation to protect them."
"Don't trust Talia," Jay said, more harshly than he intended. And when Babs raised an eyebrow at him for explanation, he sighed and raked a hand through his hair. "Look, Babs … yeah, I thought I knew her pretty well. I've got a lot of doubt about that now. But one of the things I'm pretty sure about is her loyalties are seriously fucking conflicted. If it comes down to Bruce or Ra's, you might as well flip a coin, because not even she knows which way she'll jump. Daddy Demon's got her damn near brainwashed. Plus if she's dealing with Shiva, come on. You know Shiva's one of like, five people on the planet who could thoroughly kick her ass. Talia's not gonna be at the top of her game, knowing she's dealing with a rebellion led by Shiva."
"She's the only leverage I have," Babs said bleakly. "At least she knows that we know she's over there. If anything happens to Cass or Steph, Bruce will be looking at her. That has to still mean something."
"Yeah, it means something, but Bruce can't cut ties with her, either. Even when Selina's over at the Manor for breakfast once or twice a week, Bruce still fell in bed with Talia when she was in Gotham last. She's not used to thinking anyone could ever really cut her off. Maybe she thinks he could forgive her for this – not like she'd be the one who hurt them. This much I'll give her, if Steph's compromised and she's like, what, seventeen? That's a noncombatant, to Talia. She won't let her get hurt if she can help it."
"It's the if she can help it part that worries me," Babs sighed. "All of this is just a nightmare, Jay."
That phrasing sent a shiver down his spine, and Babs saw it, looking at him shrewdly. He shrugged, and decided fuck it. Might as well flip that rug back and take some of the trash out. At least Babs wouldn't judge him. "Yeah, well, I've been having nightmares of my own. Side effect of the Clown running free. I'm never not gonna hear that laugh."
"Me, neither," Babs told him gently, and covered his hand with her own.
Jay turned his over, lacing his fingers through hers for a light squeeze. "Yeah, let's just keep K away from him. I shouldn't have let her see how bad he gets to me. She'll stomp him to jelly, given half a chance."
"She saw my scars, too," Babs told him. "I need to amend the general notes on Kryptonians in the main computer. They really are super-protective."
And despite all the uncertainty and the very real threats out there, that terrible pun made both of them laugh, not least because Jay had said it before himself.
…
Kala didn't get much time to enjoy that win. "The issue was you disappearing with this man, and don't think we're stupid, Kala," Aaron cut back in. "You running off with whoever-he-is prompted the argument with Sebast that led him to walk out of the band. And also forced us to provide a twelve-day rental car and pay for a windshield replacement."
That hit deep, much more on-the-nose than she'd like, but she let it roll off as much as she could. It was a point she'd known they would bring up, but that didn't really help. "You're a record label," Kala said drolly. "Two weeks' car rental and a windshield? That's, what, a grand? Hell, I could've paid that. Not to mention, that wasn't his fault. Sebast and I already had issues before that. The incident in Denver just brought it all out in the open."
"Yes, we're aware of those issues," Shawn said. "Did Sebast know you were seeing someone else?"
That earned him her most narrow glare. And here it went again, everyone thinking they understood the situation perfectly, emotional and tangled as the reality of it was. "Someone else?" Kala said sharply. "You are aware that the image you promote isn't where things actually stand, right? Sebast and I have never been a couple. People see what they want to see." It wasn't the entire truth, she knew it wasn't, but the complications there were none of their business, either.
"You own a house together," Aaron scoffed.
Her expression narrowed even more at that, having heard that far too many times, too. Enough of that bullshit, already. What she and Sebast had was beyond any simple labels these closed-minded executives could understand. "And Ned and Robb both stay there about half the time when we're not on tour," Kala spat. "The rest of the time they're staying with Morgan, and no one questions them. Sebast has been my best friend since I was fourteen; sharing things with someone doesn't qualify as practically married. Why have I had to explain this to everyone I know over the last six months? That's all it ever was."
Except it wasn't. Except for the one night, and yes, they'd dragged all their complications out in that one epic argument. She was lying to them now, it had always been more than friends, but she and Sebast had successfully convinced themselves and each other otherwise. Until someone came along who threatened Sebast's place in her heart, and she had selfishly not considered the consequences, then he'd turned on Kala with a fury all out of proportion to what actually happened.
A pregnant pause, and Brian said, "Your situation with Sebast is … complicated. It has been since last spring. He's been a little distracted, and when you suddenly left for an entire summer, he was … worrisome."
Jenna cleared her throat. "We were hoping that a summer apart would settle whatever was off between you two. At first, it seemed like it had. But then there were all these absences, on your part and his…"
That had her frowning, but for different reasons. Morgan had mentioned that Sebast had been a little more reckless while she'd been gone, and he'd been jealous over lack of communication with her during her training, but that the label had noticed was ominous. Suddenly, she felt her heart contract. "Wait, wait," Kala said, needing to know, holding up her hand. "What do you mean, Sebast was worrisome?"
Shawn said, "Acting like it was his first year in the industry. Parties, excessive drinking, not returning calls for hours, enough hookups to populate an entire tabloid. That's normal for Los Angeles, but you were right – your band never did that. And he never did that, either. He never got in trouble with the law, but he was certainly splashing out. The promiscuity was turned up to twelve."
Kala couldn't help blushing with secondhand embarrassment. So they did know about the sheer enormity of screwing around Sebast did.
"Sebast knows what he likes, and he gets plenty of it," Jenna said in a placating tone. "He's never done anything illegal, he doesn't even have a DUI, and none of the guys he was spotted with were underage or married or anything."
"About half of them were supposed to be straight," Brian muttered, but it sounded as much admiration as chagrin.
Jenna took Kala's hand, looking concerned. "We've all seen this before, but again, it's usually the first year. Watching him fall into the party crowd was concerning. When you came back, it all slowed down – but that could've just been because he left L. A. for Metropolis." Remembering now how relieved he'd seemed to be to see her, the way he had snatched her up at the airport, Kala wanted to slump down in her chair. She should have seen the signs, but she'd been too bound up in what hadn't happened with Jay.
"Both of you behaved normally, except for arguing with your manager, until August," Shawn cut in. "After that, it all started to spiral."
August. When she'd finally confronted Jay about everything, and started sneaking away to Gotham as often as she could. Neglecting Sebast in the bargain. God, what a mess. But then she really thought about what they were telling her about the last eight months. Kala felt a chill, wondering how much the label actually knew, how close of an eye they'd kept on her and Sebast both. Far more than a recording contract was at risk.
She didn't want to tell them that she'd started seeing Jay then. And she absolutely wasn't going to give away his name. All she said was, "Sounds about right. Has anyone spoken to Sebast, since he walked out?"
"He blocked all of our numbers," Jenna said. "I left voicemails from other phones to try and reach him, but he's stonewalled us."
"Have you spoken to him?" Shawn asked, his eyebrows going up. "He's back in Metropolis, presumably living in your house."
Just the implications in his tone were elevating her blood pressure. Between he and Aaron right now… "Our house," Kala corrected, refusing to rise to the bait. "Yes, I spoke to Sebast, briefly. It was very tense, but … not as bad as it could've been."
"Why haven't you said anything to any of us?" Aaron demanded.
"Clearly because it was very tense and it didn't change the situation in the slightest," Kala retorted. And mostly about my superhero secret identity, which you really don't need to guess at. "And it was also about a month ago. He called me right after he got into Metropolis."
Brian nodded, looking thoughtful. "Okay, at least he reached out to someone. Maybe this means there's a chance of reconciliation."
That brought her eyes back to Brian, the thought making her eyes water. How had she not seen what was going to happen? Why hadn't she paid close attention? "There's always a chance of reconciliation," Kala said, her heart aching. "Sebast is my best friend. I wouldn't shut him out, no matter what."
Jenna patted her arm gently. "Kala, we've all seen plenty of best friends, lovers, spouses, even family, fall apart in this industry. It's a lot of pressure, and a lot of money, two things that tend to sour relationships."
"And it's a big investment for the label, which is what this is all about," Kala replied, taking a deep breath and crossing her arms. No matter how personal this was for her, this was what this conversation was really about. "You want me to talk to Sebast, since he won't talk to you."
Aaron said, "He has to talk to someone. Otherwise the only communication we can get to him will be a summons." Frank, the lawyer, cleared his throat with a quelling look.
Kala just narrowed her eyes. Speaking of personal… "Oh, is that how it is?"
"That wasn't a threat," Brian said hastily, glaring at Aaron and Shawn.
Jenna also frowned at them. "Kala, the label is prepared to offer mediation, or counseling services, if you think either would help."
They're gonna pay for what, couples therapy? Kala laughed at the thought. "Yeah, no, Sebast would go through the roof. Look, I have to talk to him soon. The holiday break is coming up, and I'm going back to Metropolis. I need to know if he's going to Ponce with his family, or if he's gonna be at the house, so I can make my own plans. He's had some time to cool off and think – we can talk about him coming back to the band then, too."
Frank took a folder out of his briefcase. "When you speak to him, then, we have a list of points to address…"
"No," Kala said firmly, and all of them looked at her. "I have to fix my friendship with him, first. Let us get this right between us as just people. Then we can hit the legalese and work out the business relationship. I don't know if he'll even want to come back to the band, but I have to speak to him as me. Not read him a list of talking points from you. He'd get one whiff of that and shut it down just to spite you."
"Very mature," Aaron said dryly.
Kala folded her arms on the table and stared at him, just him, for two beats longer than anyone was comfortable with. "His best friend kept something important a secret from him. I had my reasons, and I'm not going into them with you, but this is something only Sebast and I can sort out. And frankly, gentlemen, Sebast's friendship means more to me that this contract or my career. I can afford to break contract. Most of my royalties and advances are invested, remember. I haven't been blowing my money on parties or drugs or fancy cars. There have been times, dealing with Derek, where the only thing keeping me from telling all of you to fuck off was the fact that I had the boys to think of, too. I'm young enough I can go back to college and find another career if I have to. It would suck, I wanted this since I was six years old, but I can do it. I'm the only one Sebast will speak to right now – and I'm going to talk to him on my terms, not yours."
All the suits shared a look, at that. Kala kept her expression stony, though she wanted to smile. Obviously they weren't used to people who couldn't be manipulated so easily. Very little in this world could move a Super when they didn't want to be moved, and the label was just now discovering that.
Jenna mirrored Kala's posture. "Kala does know Sebast better than any of us. And it's worth noting, gentlemen, that this band has acted like seasoned professionals – in all the ways that really matter – from day one. We owe her the chance to resolve the personal issues, and we can trust that she's not going to do anything to sabotage our business efforts."
"Even when she's threatening to break contract?" Aaron demanded.
Brian laughed before Kala could answer. "Didn't sound like a threat to me. More like putting all her cards on the table. I don't know about the rest of you, but I wouldn't like to see what an actual threat sounds like."
Shawn held up a hand before Aaron could speak again. "All right. Kala, we'll let you run this your way. But you should understand – in the interest of putting our cards on the table – your band occupies an extremely niche market. You've managed to broaden your appeal, but you're not the only act we have to consider."
"This is just business for you, I get that," Kala said easily. And never mind the way her heart contracted, thinking about the conversation she had to have with Sebast. They had to talk, but given the way the last conversation ended … she wasn't looking forward to it. Still, she had to keep her focus here and now. "You should also understand that it's not just business for me, and never could be. This is passion, this is an art form, and in some ways it's doesn't really matter to me whether I'm singing to a sold-out arena or a packed bar. I do what I do because I love to do it. The money's nice, the fame is actually more of a pain than anything else, but even if our contract doesn't get renewed – and don't think I haven't guessed what you're thinking there – I can still sing. I can still get up on a stage and cast my voice over an audience, with or without you. And you're not the only label in the country, either. As an artist, I can't consider this a purely business venture. It has to have heart, and soul, to work the way it should. And this with Sebast is a matter of getting our hearts in the right place."
All of them looked at one another, considering. Jenna finally said, "Gentlemen, Kala was right earlier. She's never missed a performance or a rehearsal, and never even been late to one, despite pulling double-duty as the sole lead singer and acting tour manager. I think we have to trust her on this. Correct me if I'm wrong, Frank, but at this point we have nothing actionable, anyway?"
The lawyer nodded. "Ms. Lane-Kent is well within the terms of her contract."
"Okay then," Brian said easily. "The holiday break is coming up. We'll let Kala talk to Sebast, and hopefully he'll reach out to us. If not, we'll revisit this after the first of the year."
The meeting broke up after that, with a few more empty words from the suits, and Kala took the first good opportunity to stand up and leave the room.
Brian and Jenna followed on her heels. "Listen, Kala," Jenna began.
As if she didn't have enough going on right now without this bullshit on top of it. Kala cut her off. "Thanks for that, by the way. I love being shanghaied into an intervention. Really builds my confidence in my own management team. Especially right after a really good session, where I remembered why I wanted this so much for so long."
"You had to know it was coming," Brian said. "They're worried about the money, Kala."
"Yeah, and my extremely niche market sound still plays on the top 40 channels. 'Anything for You' was a top-ten hit. Not bad for Latin-flavored Goth rock." Kala knew she was being waspish, her voice brittle, but she found herself hitting the same kind of adrenaline dump that usually struck after a fight on the streets of Gotham.
Sebast should have been here by her side. Jay understood that kind of fight, guns and blades and fists, body armor and cunning. This kind of fight, artistic integrity against business sense, trying to reach a wider audience without selling out, Jay wouldn't have a clue about it. Sebast would. He'd made an art of firing back business jargon at the suits, of showing up dressed to the nines himself and looking so respectable that they tended to forget which side he was on … until he spoke up.
Kala missed him so much.
She'd been okay for a while, not thinking about it, but his absence hit her right in the chest again, and for a moment it was all she could do to keep walking steadily and not let her eyes water.
"Look, I'm sorry for springing that on you," Jenna said. "They sprung it on me. But we can't keep up the family emergency fiction much longer. We need to either get Sebast back, or move forward with KLK as a one-voice band."
"I'll call him," Kala said, walking a little faster to end that discussion. Technically Brian and Jenna were on her side, but right now, she just wanted to curl up in her hotel alone. And try to ignore the icy fist clenched around her stomach at those words. She'd been avoiding the thought as much as possible, but Sebast might not want to have anything to do with her going forward. Keeping a secret as big as hers – not telling him something as fundamental as her species – was a serious breach of trust.
One way or another, Kala had to deal with this, though. She was all out of running room.