Pam heard Selina's laugh fade, her smile disappearing. "What's all this?" she asked, glancing between Bruce and Talia where they stood across the table from her in the cafeteria.

"You and Pam," Bruce's voice shook, the room quieting around them. "Why would you do that?"

Pamela found herself standing, some unknown force inspiring her to position herself between them. "Bruce, let's just take a deep breath," she encouraged. "And maybe take this to a less…public, forum." Glancing around, she found her classmates had all tuned in to the drama unfolding in front of them.

But Bruce didn't want to be reasonable. Bruce was angry. "How could you?" he asked Selina, then he turned to Pam. "And you? I thought you were my friend."

"I am your friend, Bruce," Pamela took a brave step forward while Selina remained silent, seated beside her. "Of course I am."

"Then why would you…why would you let her…" Bruce was shaking his head. "I love her, Pamela. You know that. Why would you—,"

"Bruce, stop," Selina had finally found her voice. "Let's not make a scene…well, more of one anyway," she smiled tightly, indicating the audience they'd amassed.

"You lied to me, Selina," Bruce gritted. "You both did."

It was then Selina seemed to realize just how much ground she'd forfeited without knowing it.

But he was done now, his little outburst over with. Bruce was not the type for public displays of discontentment anyway, which meant he must be extremely upset to rev up the rumor mill like this. "Let's talk outside, then," he suggested, regaining his footing, his jaw steadying, voice losing its heat.

Selina nodded, grabbing her bag off the bench next to her and following him outside, leaving what was left of her lunch on the table. Pamela started to follow, but Selina shook her head as she passed by her, mumbling, "Fuckin Talia," as she did.

Pam remained standing, watching, until the door closed behind them and dispersed whispers slithered about the room, many eyes still on Pam.

"Umm…any idea what all that was about?" Dick asked the table as Pamela plopped back down into her seat, her eyes on Selina's uneaten apple.

Harley cleared her throat, the only other one at the table besides Pam to have an inkling. "I'm sure they'll tell us after things blow over," she said, trying to sound reassuring.

"Alright, well, I blame Talia," Dick decided.

"How about we withhold judgment?" was Diana's contribution, ever the proponent of equal justice under the law. "I'm sure they'll tell us what they want to when they're ready."

When Pam looked up, she found Diana was looking right at her rather than at the door Selina and Bruce had exited through like the others. "I'm sure," Pam mumbled, not understanding how any of this had happened.

Even without Bruce explicitly stating it, Pam knew what he was angry about it. Though how he knew was a mystery. Neither Selina nor Pamela had ever told a soul…until Selina told Harley in the locker room that night, and…oh.

Talia.

Pamela was suddenly on her feet again, spotting Talia just as the double doors leading from the cafeteria to the hallway near the AP lit classroom swung closed behind her, and she found herself running.

"Pam?" she heard Harley ask, and then Dick's louder, "Where are you going, Isley?"

She ignored them both, bursting through the doors and into the hallway, finding Talia opening her locker to put her books inside.

"How did you know?" Pamela snarled, slamming the locker door shut and nearly trapping Talia's fingers inside, causing the brunette to jump backwards in surprise.

"Jesus, Isley, haven't you ever heard of personal space?" Talia took a step back, putting some space in between them…space that Pamela quickly closed, shoving her up against the wall with a double-handed push. "Ow! Leave me alone!"

"How did you know?" Pam repeated, finding it difficult to maintain the cool exterior she'd spent so much time and effort cultivating. "And why did you tell him?"

Talia puffed her chest, challenging Pamela now, unafraid. "You guys should probably check to make sure the locker room is actually empty next time you're going to reveal reputation-altering secrets," she sneered. "And I told him because he has a right to know."

"Bullshit!" Pam almost laughed. "Driving a wedge between them isn't going to make him love you, Talia, I promise."

"Oh, right, because you're the Bruce Wayne expert," Talia scoffed, trying to hide the blush in her cheeks.

"I know him a lot better than you do," Pamela assured her, though this really wasn't what the argument was about. "He will eventually learn to shoot the messenger."

Talia opened her mouth, closed it, and opened it again, her body coiling. "And what about your mom?" She finally spoke. "Is she going to shoot the messenger when I let it slip that you're a dyke?"

Pamela's jaw clenched, pulse thrumming in her ears, her stomach turning. "Don't," was all she could manage as a response. "Please don't."

"I won't," Talia smirked… "As long as you're useful to me. See, you may be kinda out around here, but it's all just rumors, really. Ones you can easily deny if push comes to shove. I'm the only girl who hasn't slept with you who knows for sure. So…if you help me keep Bruce and Selina apart, I'll help keep your little secret."

"Why are you doing this?" Pam was close to both violence and tears at this point.

"Payback," Talia spat. "I finally have something to hold over the great and powerful Pamela Isley's head. Bruce likes me, I know he does, he just—,"

"Likes Selina more?"

"He's confused," Talia decided. "She never lets him out of her vice grip long enough for him to think for himself. But you'll see. And you'll help him see. Your parents never struck me as the understanding type."

"Pam? What are you…" Harley had just entered the hallway, her question trailing off as Pamela took a step back from Talia, allowing the brunette to step away from the lockers. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Pamela muttered, watching Talia's eyes, how they shifted under her attention. "Talia was just…"

"Leaving," the brunette smiled, opening her locker again and placing her books inside. "I'll see you at practice tonight, Harley."

Harley furrowed her brow. "Uh…yeah, 'course. See ya."

Talia took that as her cue and exited the scene, starting off towards professor Dent's calculus classroom, leaving Harley and Pam alone for only a moment before the door to the cafeteria opened again, a stream of students filing in around them, on their way to their own classes.

Harley offered a sympathetic look, one that said, let's talk later, OK?

But what was there to talk about, really? Talia's threat put Pamela in a difficult position. She'd been avoiding a conversation with Harley about coming out to her mom, and admitting to Harley how terrified she was about Talia telling the truth would hurt Harley's feelings. Harley would take it personally. Think it was because Pamela was embarrassed of her, when in reality…

When in reality…

She didn't have an end to that thought. No where in her vast and brilliant mind was there a satisfying conclusion to this problem. And so she let herself be swept away to her next class. French, with Diana.

/

"Bruce, what the fuck?" Selina demanded. "Since when are you the angry, jealous boyfriend?"

He stopped near the bike racks, watching Selina try to conceal her fear and guilt with haughty indifference. "Since you lied to me."

Selina rolled her eyes. "Seriously? Is that what this is about? Yeah, Pam and I hooked up. There. Cat's out of the bag."

But Bruce wasn't going to let her off the hook that easily. "When?"

"Wh—uh," the question seemed to catch Selina by surprise. "Last August, I think."

"We got back together in June."

"Yeah, I know, but—,"

"How many times?"

Selina sighed, resigning herself to this awful conversation, just as upsetting for her as it was for Bruce, it seemed. "Just one time."

"You're lying again."

"No, I—the other times were just, like, over the jeans stuff!" Selina defended herself. "None of it mattered, we were just…messing around."

Bruce crossed his arms over his muscular chest, his shoulders tight. "I might believe that, if Pam didn't just admit she was a lesbian and introduce us to her girlfriend and if you hadn't been so jealous throughout the whole thing."

Selina swallowed, taking a step forward. "Alright. It meant something. But not like it does with you, OK? That's the truth."

He watched her for a moment…watched her shoulders slouch, her eyes fall…yes, that was the truth. So Bruce took a deep breath, his own stance deflating. "We've known each other too long to be dishonest with each other. And I love and respect you and us too much to be lied too."

"I—I'm sorry," Selina admitted, her voice quiet. "I—you know I have a hard time with—I just—I wanted to…feel…"

"And why can't you get that from me?" He wanted to know. "What does she have that I don't?"

"No, it's—that's not what I mean, it's not like that. I just…I'm sorry, Bruce. Look, I—,"

The bell rang then, interrupting her mid-sentence. They were late.

"Can we talk about this more tonight?" Selina asked.

But Bruce shook his head. "No. Not tonight. I love you, Selina, but I thought we were on the same page. And clearly…" again, he shook his head. "I'll call you, OK? But not tonight."

/

Selina was sitting in her kitchen when she heard the doorbell.

For a moment, she thought it might be Bruce, but of course, that wasn't the case. Not yet, anyway. He came back…sometimes…but Selina wasn't sure he would come back this time.

Her mom—her REAL mom—had been the same way. She'd come and go…Selina had gotten good at climbing up onto the counters to get food from the cupboards, but as the days wore on, she'd have to reach further and further back until, finally, her hand would only hit wood. Then her stomach would growl and she'd drink more water. She'd drink and drink and drink until she felt like she was drowning because she needed her stomach to be full of something. Her mom would eventually come back, but she was tired when she did, and when she spoke it didn't make any sense.

Without conscious motivation, Selina poured herself a glass of water, gulping it down quickly before she went to answer the door.

"What do you want?" She said as she swung the door open before she realized it was Pam standing on her doorstep. Calm down. Selina quieted her excitement.

"Hey," Pam said, holding up a grocery bag in her right hand. "I brought chocolate."

Selina crossed her arms and leaned against the doorway, successfully masking her relief that she and Pam were still talking. "Belgian?"

Pam nodded. "I had it overnighted."

The brunette studied the bag apprehensively. "Do we have to share it with your Cabbage Patch Kid?"

Pam raised an eyebrow, an amused smirk stretching her lips. "If Harley is my Cabbage Patch Kid, then no. I'm afraid you're stuck with just me. Unlike you, she's decided to put some extra time in at the gym before your next meet."

"What a tragedy," Selina feigned disappointment as she snatched the bag from Pam's hand, opening the door wider so she could follow her in.

The two made a b-line for Selina's bedroom, having perfected this ritual over years of repeating patterns. Bruce had first asked Selina out in 8th grade, so this certainly wasn't their first breakup, and Selina hoped it wouldn't be their last.

"Bruce pissed at you too?" Selina asked as she spread out the chocolates on the bed and began to unwrap her first.

Pam shrugged, pulling off her shoes before sitting back against the pillows. "He told me he's disappointed."

"Ugh," Selina popped the chocolate into her mouth. "Dad Bruce is the least sexy Bruce."

"Dad Bruce and righteous Bruce are by far my least favorites, I will admit," Pam chuckled as she grabbed a chocolate for herself. "You want to place a bet on how long it takes him to come back?"

Selina laughed. He's not coming back. "Depends on if he starts fucking Talia."

Pam shook her head. "Two months. That seems to be the average, no reason for him to break pattern now. And it's not like you really cheated, anyway. You don't care about me like that."

It pained Selina to hear the hurt in Pam's voice, even more so because she knew Pam hadn't intended it to sound that way. "Does Harley?" Selina asked, in a move that surprised even herself.

There was a slight blush in Pam's cheeks as she set down her chocolate, avoiding eye contact. "I don't know."

"Are you…" Selina cleared her throat, trying to ignore the ache in her stomach. "Are you in love with her?"

Pam drew her knees to her chest, reminding Selina of the sunflower she'd met when they were four years old. "It's difficult to say…When you've been in love with one person your entire life, you get used to a specific feeling. It's different with Harley. Not worse, better, probably. But it's been challenging to draw a parallel."

Selina crawled up to join her on the pillows, resting her head against Pamela's shoulder. I am cruel. "Who?" She couldn't force her voice to go any louder than a whisper.

She could hear the smile on Pam's face even if she couldn't see it. "Mmm…this cat I met during arts and crafts time. She drew me a picture and said we were going to be best friends forever."

I am cruel. "I don't know about forever…that's a big commitment for a cat to make," Selina smiled even though she didn't feel like smiling. "When did you know? That you were in love with me?"

And now Selina could tell Pam was furrowing her brow, deep in thought. "8th grade," Pam decided. "It was a Thursday. We had a dance on Friday and the theme was masquerade."

"OK…" Now Selina was thinking. "I remember the dance, but what happened on Thursday?"

Pam released her knees and laid back on the pillows, bringing Selina with her. "You asked for help."

"I did not," Selina laughed, settling into a more comfortable position, facing Pam on the pillow. "Preposterous."

The redhead smiled her dazzling smile. "You didn't know how to dance in ballroom style. You asked if I could teach you the waltz."

Selina raised an eyebrow. "Well, did you?"

"Mmhmm," Pam nodded. "And when we stopped, you looked at me and smiled, but like you were a bit embarrassed. I had known you forever, but I don't think I'd ever seen you not completely sure of yourself. And then you bit your lip and tucked this strand of hair behind your ear…" Pam twirled the one in question around her finger. "And it just…it hurt me, to look at you and not touch you. So I kissed you, remember?"

It was coming back to Selina slowly now, the memory of that day. She'd felt so stupid asking for help, like she was finally admitting she was less than. And yeah, Pam had kissed her…and that's when she knew she could always pull Pam back to her. With just a kiss.

"I remember," Selina admitted. "Then I told you that you sucked at kissing and needed some practice before you actually got your hands on a boy. How the fuck was I supposed to know you shit rainbows?" I knew.

"I—I wasn't terribly self-aware," Pam murmured, dropping her eyes.

Selina knew, in that moment, that it would only take a swift tug on the rope that tethered them to bring Pam back to her. All she would have to do is take Pam's chin gently between her thumb and forefinger, tilt her face upwards, and look at her. See the want in those bright green eyes. The loneliness, the desperation…it didn't matter how happy Pam was, that would always be in there. It was a seed planted by a mother who would never acknowledge her daughter's strengths. Would never say she was proud. Never tell her she was beautiful. Pam only wished to be seen. To be recognized. So all Selina would have to do is look her in the eye, and Pamela would begin to creep nearer. Maybe not consciously, certainly with no malice aforethought. She wouldn't be thinking about Harley then—she would never hurt her on purpose—but Pam would lean in and Selina would meet her halfway, and they'd be everything to each other once more. Sister, mother, friend, lover…just like they had to be their entire childhood.

But Selina knew that Pam would hate her for it. Hate her for taking Harley away, even though all she would really have done is look at her and allow Pam to do the rest. That was the thing about Pam, nothing was ever truly her fault, not in her mind, anyway. She was justified in every action. Self-righteous to the core. So maybe Selina would pull her back in with that look, with that kiss. Or maybe Selina would become the villain again. She was tired of that, exhausted, really. And in this life she'd been given she was so often that. When Pamela's mother had walked in on them "practicing", it was Selina who was deemed the bad influence. Selina, the kid who didn't really belong. The kid who'd stolen this life. Who existed simply as a result of the virtue and charity of others. For how "in love" with her Pam claimed to be, she'd hardly done much to defend her that day. Pamela Isley was nearly perfect in every way, but she was weak in the face of criticism.

So Selina didn't reach out. She kept her hand at her side and rolled over onto her stomach to avoid even the temptation of claiming Pamela as her own once more. "If he fucks Talia, I hope she gets pregnant." She brought the conversation back around to somewhere she was more comfortable.

Pam giggled. "That's a terrible thing to hope."

Selina shrugged. "That baby would come out like Damian from The fucking Omen."

Pam was laughing now. "Does that make Bruce the devil?"

"Mmm…" Selina mulled that over. "No. The only things I really remember from my last party was making out with you, and Talia telling me she's a demon or some shit. So it seems like they've got the devil contingent covered in that relationship."

"Good to know," Pam smiled up at the ceiling.

"Are you gonna help me get him back?" Selina inquired.

The redhead turned to look at her. "Doesn't he usually do the chasing?"

Selina's tone sounded sincerer than she intended: "Not…under these circumstances."