ElseWorlds™: Saving James

Chapter 4

By: Christopher W. Blaine

e-mail: darth_yoshi@yahoo.com

DISCLAIMER: Refer to chapter 1 for the disclaimer for this entire story.

"Your resume is impressive, no doubt about that," Lois Lane said as she glanced over the sheets of canary yellow paper. The reporter set the papers down and smiled warmly. "To be honest, once I heard you were applying for this job, I sort of threw out all of the other resumes."

Barbara smiled and blew out. It had been two months since the attack and she was not yet starting to show. The doctors had been correct about the extent of her injuries and she was healing quickly. Moderate exercise plus some minor aerobics were helping her along so that on the outside, she looked absolutely fine.

She had moved into a very nice apartment in Metropolis in a building owned by someone who only rented to women in trouble. Both of her neighbors were battered women trying to escape from abusive husbands. The security was top-notch and she felt relatively safe there. Dick had arranged everything and there was no way she could begin to repay him for his kindness. She had asked how he knew about this building with the rent-controlled apartments and he wouldn't say. "The owner is a very private guy," was the only thing he would mention on the subject.

She had missed her first interview. During her initial night alone in the apartment, the nightmares had started. They ranged from reliving the assault to Freudian images of giant white worms plowing through virgin flower gardens, leaving trails of slime and waste in their wake. She had been so disturbed by the dreams that she had crawled into a corner of the apartment and cried for hours.

In one night, her entire life had been destroyed, tossed into the wind to be blown everywhere. She was pregnant, recovering from a gunshot wound and estranged from her father. She was lonely, at one time wanting a strong man to hold her and at the same time repulsed by the thought of sex. She was fearful of losing her mind or becoming a lesbian or both.

When she had requested a second interview, Lois Lane had not only agreed to it, but also offered to come over to the apartment complex. Now they sat in Barbara's kitchen sipping tea and chatting like they were old friends.

Barbara knew Lois mostly by reputation. She was a damn good reporter, perhaps one of the best and she was also the object of desire for the Man of Steel. Dick was Superman's biggest groupie and he was almost as knowledgeable of Lois Lane as he was of Barbara.

She found the veteran reporter to be not only approachable, but also very likable. There was strength in her tone and manner, but something seductive as well. Maybe it was the thin lips or the deep color of her eyes, Barbara didn't know, but she had to wonder what it was that could attract a Superman.

Lois on the other hand found Barbara absolutely fascinating. "Can I talk to you about what happened?" she asked.

Barbara was skittish. "I don't want to be an expose for the Planet. Vicki Vale of the Gotham Gazette already tried to get my story."

"That print-whore," Lois said with a grin. "She's a good writer; bad dresser though. She's got the legs to stop the world in its tracks and she's always got those pant-suits on."

Barbara laughed and then looked down at her gray sweats and WayneTech T-shirt. "Uh, I suppose I could answer some questions, off the record."

"I just wanted to know how you're dealing with the pregnancy?" Her tine was not that of a reporter, but of a sister. "Bruce Wayne called me this morning; we're old friends you know."

"Bruce is a…unique individual," Barbara said. It didn't surprise her that Bruce had called someone else to look in on her. It was probably too much trouble for him to come all the way to Metropolis.

"Do you have a local doctor?"

Barbara sighed. "No, I've been commuting between here and Gotham. I have a…friend with a jet…"

"Don't we all," Lois confessed. "Look, if we're going to be working together…"

"Together? I thought this was a job for a researcher?" Barbara asked.

"Of course, dear, but you'll be my researcher! The truth is that I need the help. Being a reporter isn't as glamorous as the movies make it out to be!" Lois drained her tea before continuing. "Honey, I can't begin to imagine what you've been through, but you're lucky that Metropolis isn't Gotham and Metropolis doesn't pay attention to what goes on in that smelly place."

Barbara wasn't sure she enjoyed the reference to Gotham being stinky, but she said nothing. Lois pushed a card over to her. "This is my OB/GYN."

"I take it she's good?" Barbara asked.

Lois laughed; she seemed to do that a lot and Barbara wondered if she had ever been that happy. She had a brief mental image of her as Batgirl chuckling at some joke a teenaged Robin made as they sat waiting on a stakeout. "Honey," Lois began, "if you're going to date Superman, you need the absolute best."

Barbara giggled with her, but she felt no humor. Instead, she was laughing at the fact that such things no longer held her interest and she could not see the satire. Constantly she asked herself if she would ever want to have sex again and constantly she asked herself how she was going to raise her child.

The idea that the child would be one of special needs had not escaped her thoughts and she found herself going everyday to local church to pray for a miracle. She had been putting off getting a good doctor because any doctor worth their salt would want to start running all of the tests that Barbara did not want run. She was avoiding the issue for as long as she could.

She picked up the card. "Thank you."

Lois reached over and put a hand over hers. "Barbara, I want you to know that I think you and I can become great friends. You need a friend right now."

Barbara nodded. "I don't have a lot of friends, that's for sure." She could count them on one hand and all of them had huge emotional issues to deal with. That's when it occurred to Barbara what was so attractive about Lois: she was normal. This was the first normal person Barbara had spoken to in a long time. "When do you need me to start?"

"Well, you can work out of your apartment, but I think you should come in an meet the others: Jimmy, Perry, Clark…"

"Clark Kent?" she asked, mildly amused. She knew that Clark Kent was Superman. Dick had told her. "I'm a big fan of his work."

"He's not bad for a farm boy," Lois said with a grin as she stood up. "You've got my number if you need to talk some more. I'll have your first assignment dropped off tomorrow by special delivery."

Barbara walked her to the door and thanked her again for the position. Lois assured her that she had made the right decision and that a packet explaining her benefits, especially the medical coverage would be with the papers in the morning.

* * * * *

Special delivery in Metropolis meant Superman.

There were so many events going on in the Man of Steel's life, however, that he didn't have a lot of time. This was going to be a very busy year for him, but none of that mattered this early morning.

As Batgirl, she had briefly encountered Superman and she remembered being in awe at the way he seemed to radiate goodness and purity just with his gaze. It was the same way here as he gently floated down onto her balcony. "Ms. Gordon?" he asked as he stood at the glass door.

Barbara pulled her robe shut and felt silly about trying to cover up in front of someone with X-ray vision. "Lois said she had powerful friends," Barbara said as she opened the door. "Would you like some coffee?"

"I'm afraid I don't have time for that," he said as he handed over a package. "Lois assumed you would get a thrill out of this, but to be honest, this is more of an honor for me."

Barbara was taken aback. "I don't understand."

He took a deep breath, his massive chest with the familiar "S" heaving with the action. "I know what happened to you; Batman told me. I know that you are carrying the Joker's child and plan to have it despite the advice of your father. That takes courage; I don't think I could stand up to my father that way."

Blushing, Barbara turned her head away. "I'm just doing what I think is right."

"I know. That's what separates the super super-hero from the regular super-hero. You're sticking to your convictions and are willing to sacrifice everything you hold dear to give that small child a chance at life. There is no more noble cause."

She accepted the comment with humility and took the package to the table. "I'm no super-hero, at least not anymore. The Joker killed off any chance of there ever being a Batgirl again. I won't go back to Gotham. I won't have my child exposed to that sewer."

Superman came over and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. His grip made her imagine steel being shredded. "There may be other things you could do."

Was that an offer of some sort? What was he talking about she wondered. "I have a baby to look after…"

He glanced at her stomach. "Who appears fine, by the way. I'm no doctor but you'd be surprised how many women want Superman to reveal the sex of their child." They laughed and she told him she didn't want to know to let it be a surprise.

He started to walk back to the balcony. "Like I said, there are other things you can do. I'm thinking of establishing my own little family of sorts here in Metropolis. Batman has his and despite all of the bad things, I think its helped make Gotham a better place."

She started to disagree but thought different. "Sudden inspiration?"

He smiled and she felt herself get weak in the knees as she saw that jaw line. Thank God! she cried internally. Her libido was only hidden and scared, not driven away. "No; maybe I'm seeing things in a different light. You are part of the community, Barbara, and you've chosen to come into my territory. I'm not Batman; I don't want to control your life, but there is much good you could do."

He gave her a wink. "We'll talk again after the baby is born."

With a gratuitous "Up, up and away!" he was gone.

* * * * *

"Ms. Bertinelli, let's not beat around the bush," Jim Gordon said as he walked around the modest apartment. "I know you're the Huntress."

The raven-haired beauty shrugged her shoulders. "And? You're not Police Commissioner anymore."

Jim nodded and pulled out his cigarettes. She protested, but he lit up anyway and he noted a hint of satisfaction in her eyes. She didn't take to being coddled and chivalry probably wasn't the way to endear oneself to her heart. This was a woman of action, a woman who took pain and used it as an aphrodisiac.

She was the daughter of a mob boss that had been killed several years before in the last bloody gang war before the super-villains took control. The Bertinelli's were old mob, going back to days when the first of them got off the boat in Gotham Harbor. Helena was the only survivor of the massacre that had taken out her entire family.

Raised in private schools paid for by mob money, she had returned to Gotham City only in the past year to become a high school teacher. As the Huntress, she had already killed and Jim knew it. He didn't need proof because, unlike the Batman, he didn't want to arrest her.

He wanted to employ her.

"If I wanted you arrested, you'd be in prison trading that pretty ass for cigarettes and toilet paper," he said. She snorted and he gave her a look that told her that even though he wasn't a cop, he still had friends. "The Batman is looking for you."

"So?"

"He'll find you eventually and when he does, it's all over. Do not think for a second that you can outwit, outfight or outsmart the Batman. You can't."

"Thanks for the warning," Helena said as she stood and straightened the too-short skirt. Her sexuality was her weapon and she knew it. She could tell that it had no effect on Gordon, but there was no sense in not trying to perfect her skills. "I'm a big girl now; I can take care of myself."

"Really? I found you real easy; of course I've been keeping tabs on you since you last left Gotham as a child. I didn't agree with what your father did for a living, but there was no need for the violence surrounding his death." He dumped an ash into the dark fireplace. "I'm offering you an opportunity to get your revenge."

"Already getting it, now go," she said.

Jim coughed. "I've formed a private company, the Oracle Group. We're a private criminal sanitization coalition."

"Excuse me?"

"A privately funded group of professional crime-fighters." He saw her eyebrow rise and he shook his head. "We're not killers. Though we will use deadly force as required."

She laughed at him and got into his face, taking the cigarette away from him and taking a long drag for herself. She blew the smoke in his face. "Bullshit."

"Why? Maxwell Lord privately funds the Justice League. The Teen Titans are supported by an endowment from S.T.A.R. Labs. I've already gotten approval from the governor. The legislature will fall into line soon enough." He took the cigarette back. "It's a reality. Think of it, Helena, all the resources you could ever want. Sanctioned hunts for the scum that want to make the city unsafe."

She moved over to the window and looked out. She had hoped to become the partner of the Batman but she soon discovered there was a huge difference between the man and the myth. To criminals, Batman was the harbinger of death, but up-close, he was a preachy bastard with an impressive physique. He had tried to make her quit, but she had blown him off.

Probably not the brightest thing in the world to do. "What will Batman say?"

"Batman is my problem. Your problem will be keeping up with the others. We're going to clean up this city. No more scare tactics. No more warnings. Criminals are going to either leave or be in pain. If they hurt an innocent, we will hurt them ten fold."

She looked at him. Was this really the famous James Gordon speaking to her? She had heard the story of his daughter's rape and her subsequent departure from Gotham City. There had to be something more to the story she was sure. "What about anything I might have done in the past."

Jim looked down at shoe leather. "It will be taken care of."

"Why me?"

"Because," he started, "you know pain and you know suffering." He didn't want to tell her the whole truth. He didn't want to say that she reminded him of his daughter.

"I'll think about it," she said.

He shrugged. "Don't think about it too long. The only way you can escape the Batman is to join with me."