Hi all,

It's been a long day in Gotham - this chapter should round out the rest of it for everyone. Apologies in advance for the ending...

If you've made it this far, thanks for giving it a read, and, as always, a special thanks to all the super dope reviews. Your reactions truly are the best part of writing this.

Cheers,

EQT.95


"You gonna be ok?" came Luke's voice over the phone.

"Yea, nothing an ice pack and a nap won't fix," Kate replied dismissively, as she ignored the soreness beginning to extend across her body from the day's activities. The truth was that she was counting down the steps to her bed as she entered the lobby. She also knew her debrief with Luke was really just his excuse to check on her more than anything else. He had offered to stop by the safehouse, but Kate had no intention of staying awake long enough for that.

She also couldn't fathom making the trip back to Wayne Tower to change, so she'd taken advantage of the duffle bag of spare clothes she'd stored in a dumpster near the parade route for just this occasion. That they were half soaked from the downpour did little to impact Kate's thrill at getting back to the flat faster than usual.

"I was doing some digging through Bruce's logs, and it looks like he used two things to counteract the effects of blue poppie."

It hadn't taken long for Kate and Luke to conclude the gas was some variation of the fear toxin. Luke first realized it and, once the Crows showed up to help clear the area, he left Kate to take care of business while he began pouring over Bruce's notes. Their growing theory was that Dr. Butler and Tommy were involved, but how they had executed such an elaborate plan was still unclear.

"And are either of those available over the counter?" Kate asked.

"Unfortunately, no. One is some custom antidote, and the other is adrenaline."

"Adrenaline? That doesn't make any sense. Doesn't fear toxin amplify your heart rate?"

"Bruce used the adrenaline in the field. The antidote will knock someone right out. He couldn't afford taking a nap mid-fight, and there's something sciencey about it. Honestly I think it'd be best to chat with Mary about it."

"Luke," Kate cut in, barely paying attention to his words as she pressed her phone between cheek and shoulder while she pressed the lift button. "I hear you, I really do, but can we leave the rest of this for tomorrow?"

"Sure, of course…"

"But?" Kate asked, hearing one in Luke's tone.

"I guess I'm just worried… What if - is there a chance this isn't a one-off attack? What do we do if this happens again? At a larger scale? On a day when it doesn't rain?"

Kate sighed against the walls of the elevator as it closed shut. She took the momentary shift of it beginning to move as a prompt to speak.

"I'll talk to Mary. Maybe she can… I don't know. Do you have the antidote er… recipe?"

"Yea, I'll send it to you. It doesn't have to be tonight, but Kate, public sentiment is-"

"Waning, yea, I know. I saw the headlines," she sighed again. Her trip back to the apartment had been filled with sirens, blocked roads, and desolate streets. People were scared, and the first narratives were accusing Batwoman of stoking out the latest wave of crime in the city.

"And I don't think they're wrong," she admitted. It was a thought that had started small and grown over the course of the afternoon and into the evening as she watched the growing destruction. The attack was a concerted effort to destroy the symbol of Batman, and seeing the anger and fear for him from the very people she was trying to help did little to ease her doubts.

"Kate, this was a delusional attempt to paint a narrative."

"No, Luke, this was literally an attack against Batwoman, and for that people got hurt. Someone died because of this," she said as the elevator slowed. "Maybe we're in over our heads," she continued, exiting the elevator and admitting a growing apprehension.

"Kate, this is one bump; having the bat back in the sky was bound to bring out some suppressed resentment, but that's no reason to doubt what you're doing. You're still out there every night helping people."

"But what's the point?" Kate asked, pausing to fish out her keys. "It's just… in all of this, has crime even gone down? Or are we kidding ourselves thinking any of this had made a difference in…"

"In…?" came Luke's expectant voice.

"Soph?" Kate stared back in confusion, nearly dropping her phone in the process.

"Kate?" came Luke's voice again.

"Wh- Lu-, I-I'll-"

"You'll call me back," Luke chimed in, sensing the shock in Kate's stammer.

"Uh-huh," Kate mumbled. She lowered the phone from her cheek and stared back at her ex, drenched from head to toe and clearly surprised to see Kate on the exterior side of the flat's door. From the water droplets on the floor beneath Sophie, it was clear she had also just arrived at the building.

"Soph, what are you-"

"Where have you been?" Sophie interrupted, her tone filled with worry. Kate watched this worry on her face slowly turn from relief to skepticism as she eyed Kate's equally soaked appearance.

"I - I… was…" Kate replied, at a loss for words. She felt her fingers grip the duffle bag's handle nervously. "I was uhm, at - at the gym."

"The gym?"

"Yea… bike broke down on the way home, so... " Kate said, seeing the look on Sophie's face and immediately regretting her words. How could she forget?

"Really? Because Melvin said you were meeting him at the parade," Sophie said, her skepticism growing to suspicion.

"You were with Melvin?" Kate feigned, already knowing she'd been caught in a lie. A surge of panic pierced through her as she scanned for an excuse.

"Yea, apparently you lied about a delivery or someth- actually, it doesn't matter. You said one thing and - and we were worried, but clearly you're alive so..." Sophie said, a mix of emotions coming to a head.

"Why wouldn't I be alive?" Kate continued feigning as she felt a knot tighten in her stomach.

"Haven't you seen the news?"

"Uh…"

"There was an attack at the parade."

"Oh, wow. I hadn't heard-"

"That's interesting, because nearly every street leading to your place is blocked off because of it," Sophie said, her skepticism turning into a line of interrogation.

"Yea, I mean, I thought that was weird but…" Kate said before trailing off. "Were… were you there? Is… are you ok? Is Melvin...?"

"We're fine. It's…" Sophie began before trailing off. "Why are you lying?"

"I - I'm not, So-"

"Yes you are," Sophie interrupted.

Kate stared back at Sophie, her eyes searching Sophie's for a sign she'd give in. When none came, Kate sighed. "I… can I?" Kate asked, nodding over Sophie's shoulder toward the door. Sophie stepped aside to let Kate pass, eyeing every step with a new level of criticism. Kate tried to seem as casual as possible given the circumstances, but she could feel the burning observation of Sophie's stare behind her. She heard the click of the lock and, with a small swell of relief, unlatched the door and stepped into the flat, trying to casually toss the duffle into a forgotten corner.

"Kate."

"Sophie," Kate replied, unwilling to turn around and look her in the eye for fear of being found out.

Sophie stood in the doorframe, unwavering in her stare. She glanced between the duffle and Kate.

"So if I go and open that duffle?" Sophie challenged, taking a step toward it. "I'll find a bunch of gym clothes?"

Kate stepped defensively toward the bag before freezing, realizing she'd revealed her bluff.

"I… no," Kate finally admitted.

"Why are you lying? And to Melvin of all people?" Sophie continued her line of interrogation, swinging the door shut and stepping into the space. The space suddenly felt much smaller for it.

"I wasn't lying about… I wasn't lying about the hardware," Kate lied.

"We'll come back to that," Sophie said, not believing Kate. "What about the parade? And don't act like you didn't know what was going on in the city all afternoon. You're not that naive to fall off the radar like that."

A silence passed between them. Kate's focus was on the plaster job of a wall across the room and Sophie's was on Kate. The stubbornness of the moment could have lasted a decade.

"I never planned on going to the parade," Kate admitted finally.

"Then why would yo-" Sophie began, already knowing as much before Kate had uttered a word.

"Because I found out you were with him."

That part wasn't exactly a lie, and Kate clung to it like a lifeline; even if she hadn't been suited up in bat attire, the moment she heard Melvin say he'd run into Sophie, there was a million in one chance Kate would have actually joined him. This small thread of truth was all she needed for Sophie to back down, and Kate watched the combative fire in Sophie's eyes dim as Kate's words registered.

"I… Kate, I wouldn't have - he - I wouldn't have let that-"

"It's fine. I… you were with Renee last night, and figured it'd be best to just stay away."

"Kate, about… about earlier when I called-"

"It's fine."

"It was… I don't want you out of my life-"

"Sophie, it's fine," Kate interrupted again, not interested in broaching the subject. "The point is, I shouldn't have lied to him."

"Who?"

"Melvin?" Kate stared back, distracted by Sophie's scowl of confusion.

"Right, Melvin. But honestly Kate, it's not just that… I…" Sophie trailed off, her face contorting into another round of confusion.

"Yes?" Kate asked, waiting for the rest of Sophie's monologue.

"I… can I sit down?" Sophie asked, searching for her train of thought.

Kate stared back at Sophie in momentary confusion before understanding. She paused, trying to find a way to broach the conversation without suggesting too much. After a moment she decided to take a gamble:

"Your head - did you say you got it checked out?"

"My head?" Sophie asked, thrown by the pivot as she glanced for the nearest chair.

"You said you hit your head," Kate continued bluffing, taking steps toward Sophie.

"No I didn't," Sophie challenged, scanning her memory of the conversation. "How d-"

"When I asked if you and Melvin were ok-"

"What? No I didn't-"

"Soph, stop," Kate cut in, a look of genuine concern on her face. Sophie stared back at Kate, a fuzzy memory coming back to her.

Soph, stop.

Before Sophie could react Kate had closed the distance between them. Her hands reached up, cupping Sophie's face between them as she stared directly into her eyes.

"Close your eyes," she said, reaching into her back pocket for her phone.

"What?"

"I don't have a proper flashlight," Kate muttered, turning on her phone's. "Close your eyes."

Sophie complied and waited a moment before opening them. Kate stared intently, gliding the dim light over Sophie's eyes waiting for her pupils to adjust, already knowing what to expect.

"Why didn't you get checked out?" Kate asked after a second. "You shouldn't be… Soph, how long ago did it happen?"

"It's fine," Sophie said stubbornly before stepping back from Kate. "I'll sleep it off."

"You aren't supposed to just sleep off a concussion," Kate pointed out. "You're also soaking wet and freezing," Kate remarked, realizing they'd both been standing in wet clothes for their entire exchange.

"Yea, well, I thought you were dead, so..." Sophie shot back, as she walked toward the door.

The honesty of Sophie's words emphasized her priorities, and Kate found herself frustrated that even in her absence, she'd somehow put Sophie in danger.

"You aren't leaving."

"What?" Sophie asked in genuine surprise, her hand raised toward the door handle.

"If you have a concussion, I'm not leaving you alone," Kate reasoned, her frustration with herself outweighing logic. Her plans for the evening were taking a drastic pivot. The thought of a hot shower before collapsing into her soft, blanket-filled bed was now out of the picture; now she had Sophie and her concussed stubbornness to contend with, not to mention returning to her discussion with Luke about how to tackle this fear toxin problem.

"You're overreacting," Sophie replied dismissively.

"I'm serious. If something happens to you-"

"Then what? If something happens, then what Kate?" Sophie interrupted, her voice cutting through Kate's. It was a recurring argument, and they both already knew their lines all too well.

A stare down was met with Kate letting out a sigh of defeat.

"I'm just worried, ok? There's literally no harm in staying. It's late, you're soaking wet, and you're walking around with a half-diagnosed concussion."

Sophie's eyes were narrowed in frustration, knowing Kate's words would work like they always did.

"Besides, the shower is finally hooked up, and I can see you shaking from here," Kate continued.

Sophie scowled in disapproval. "Even if I do-"

"Look, we can spend the next ten minutes arguing while you catch pneumonia, or you can accept this. I'm not letting you leave," Kate finished.


"She's in the shower; I've probably got ten minutes."

"Oh… really?" Luke asked, his surprise uncontained and his tone suggestive.

"Not now, Luke. You have nine minutes."

"Fine, right. I think I can source the ingredients for this antidote Bruce has scratched together, but I don't have a grasp on what exactly these things are. If you can talk to Mary-"

"I'll take care of that. If she agrees, we need like… we need a plan. Where are we doing it? Is she supposed to Hermione Granger this in the clinic's bathroom? What's the scale? Why are you laughing?"

Luke's laughter echoed through the phone's speaker. "Did you just reference Chamber of Secrets?"

"...yes…"

"I didn't know you could read."


"How was it?"

"Nice. Warm," Sophie replied stoically, settling into a chair at the table as she watched Kate busy herself in the 'kitchen'. It's current state included only a fridge, a hot plate, and a moveable island, but Sophie could see from the tape on the ground where the future counters would go.

"Sandwich?" Kate offered, scrapping the edges of a mustard jar with a knife.

Sophie hesitated, considering a 'no' out of stubbornness before realizing she was starving. "Sure," she replied. "But no m-"

"No mustard; I know."

A silence fell between them as Kate pulled out another plate and began layering fixings onto bread and Sophie continued surveying the space, noting where small upgrades were occurring. Her eyes settled on the corner where the duffle bag had been discarded twenty minutes earlier and noted it now sat empty. She studied the rest of the flat with a critical eye, trying to divulge where the duffle's new home was.

"Pickle?" Kate asked, pulling Sophie's attention back.

"Always."

Kate walked over with both plates, sliding one over to Sophie before sitting down opposite her.

"You can take the bed," Kate said before biting into hers.

"The couch is fine," Sophie countered.

"I need to do some work," Kate reasoned. "Take the bed."

Sophie watched Kate for a moment, a mountain of questions she'd been wanting to ask on the tip of her tongue.

"That's uncommon for you."

"Sorry?" Kate asked.

"Working on a Saturday night. No big clubs tonight?"

"Oh, I mean… yea, not typically… it's just - since you'll be here, might as well make use of the time," Kate explained.

"I see," Sophie said, not believing her.

"Bathroom tile doesn't pick itself, right?" Kate joked, looking for a segue away from the pointed conversation.

"Did you go see Tommy Elliot after he got out of Arkham?"

"What?" Kate stared back in surprise, wishing the conversation could be about something mundane.

"The other day, when I had you on the phone. Were you meeting him?"

"Yea," Kate said, taking another bite of sandwich, trying to appear casual.

"Why? And… and how did you find out he was released?"

Kate paused, chewing through her latest bite before responding. "He reached out. He'd heard I was entering real estate and wanted to chat about it."

"And that's it?" Sophie asked, not quite ready to believe Kate's word. It was an uncommon feeling to be suspicious of Kate, but Sophie was starting to find reason after reason to question her.

"Yea. Turned out to be a real waste of time, too. Kept going on and on about his legacy. They really shouldn't have let him out of Arkham," Kate remarked casually.

"Right," Sophie said, and Kate had a sinking suspicion her act wasn't working on her. She waited for a follow-up question, and when one didn't come, Kate took the opportunity to pivot the conversation again:

"So any idea what caused the balloon to burst?"

"No," Sophie said, responding with the same cryptic tone as Kate.

"Maybe it was just old," Kate offered, watching Sophie closely. "Who knows what that material was made from. Three years of off-gassing in storage could be the culprit," she continued, weighing her ignorance carefully.

"It wasn't an accident," Sophie replied simply.

"How do you know?" Kate asked casually.

"Because I do," Sophie said, giving nothing away.

"Any suspects?" Kate continued, trying to penetrate the defensive wall she could see Sophie building.

"I'm not really ok sharing case details with you."

Kate raised her hands in defeat. "Sure, yea, I get it. I relinquished that clearance yesterday," she offered. She watched Sophie with growing concern, wondering where the desire for secrecy had suddenly come from. A part of her worried it was tied to Renee, but she couldn't tell. When Sophie didn't reply, Kate stared down at her half-finished sandwich, fishing for another pivot.

"What do you think about mauve?"

"Mauve?" Sophie asked, confused by the question.

"Yea."

Sophie broke her gaze from Kate and glanced around the flat in thought. "It's a good color," she said finally. "Where were you thinking?"

Kate gave a small smile. "Luke thinks the kitchen would be good, but-"

"The kitchen?" Sophie interrupted, her nose scrunched in rejection. "No, not a chance."

"That's what I said. But I think we found a compromise with the bathroom."

Sophie nodded in thought. "Yea… that would be nice," she admitted. "I didn't realize you two were that serious."

"Who?"

"You and Luke. Picking out paint together," Sophie half-joked.

"Oh… well, I mean, this is basically the headquarters, so he's here a lot and has opinions about things, so I figured it could hurt to have hi-"

"Kate."

"Hm?"

"I'm messing with you," Sophie interrupted with an amused look.

Kate grinned awkwardly and gave a small laugh. "Right, right, obv-obviously."


Sophie climbed under the blankets as she scanned through the events of the day. Her head was pounding with a headache, and the thought of sleep was taking priority over anything else. She glanced at her phone, a panic suddenly hitting her: she hadn't messaged Melvin. She quickly snatched it up:

S: hey, I found her

M: dead or alive?

S: alive

M: phew. I assumed as much, but figured confirming couldn't hurt. was she at the parade?

Sophie stared at the screen, the glow of it contrasted against the dark around the bed. She looked up to see Kate hunched over a laptop, reading a nameless file. Was she at the parade?

M: two minutes from airplane mode

S: she wasn't - have a safe flight, yea? give me a shout out next time you're in town.

M: you're at the top of my list. hopefully it'll be sooner than later ;)


"Hey, Soph."

The familiar voice pulled Sophie from her sleep. She could feel her entire body fighting to drift back to sleep: her head pulsed fully, and her limbs felt heavy.

"Soph? Soph, you need to wake up."

The voice wasn't commanding or frantic. It was soft and full of concern. Sophie felt herself sigh into the comfort of the soft pillow and blankets before feeling a hand on her arm. It was only then that she opened her eyes, taking in the dim lighting and the silhouette sitting over her. The hand left Sophie's arm and landed on the mattress next to her, and with its absence came a small wave of sadness.

"Hey," Kate's voice smiled at seeing Sophie blinking beneath her.

"Hey," Sophie said back, a smile creeping over her lips. "How long?"

"Not very - an hour. Just wanted to check you're ok."

"I'm good."

"Ok," Kate replied, her relief apparent.

Sophie stared back, recalling all the other instances a worried Kate had dropped everything for Sophie. It was something she both hated and hated to admit she loved. On one hand, Sophie saw herself as capable and independent - anytime Kate tried to intervene felt like that part of her was being directly undermined. On the other hand, these small moments brought out the softness in Kate, and Sophie hated to admit it, but they were some of her favorite memories.

"Can you, I don't know… name five facts," Kate quizzed, not totally ready to accept Sophie was well enough.

"I'm in your flat," Sophie said, scowling at herself for giving into Kate's protectiveness.

"Not wrong."

"It's Saturday."

"On a role…"

"You gave me the small pickle."

"That feels like an opinion, but I'll give it to you," Kate said, nodding at Sophie's progress with slight amusement.

"Your middle name is Rebecca"

"Regrettably…"

"And you're a pilot."

"Damn, you were so close," Kate replied, shaking her head in mock disappointment.

Sophie stared back at Kate's grin, the words she wanted to say left sitting on her tongue.

"Sophie Moore's first B."

"Good thing I'm not here on scholarship," Sophie joked back. She watched Kate's hand lift toward Sophie before pausing midair, as though reality caught up with her instinct. Kate awkwardly shifted her hand back to her side before nodding to conclude their chat.

"I'll consider it a pass and let you get back to sleep. If you need anything-"

"You'll be ten feet away," Sophie interrupted with a knowing tone.

"Get some rest," Kate replied, shaking her head slightly at Sophie's tenacity for staying on top of things. "I'll work on that pilot's license while you sleep."

"I expect full captain," Sophie said, letting her eyes fall closed as she nestled into the pillow, taking in the comfort of the familiar smell.


"Hey, Sophie," came a soft whisper. Sophie felt herself smirk at being awoken again, noting the slight taper in the mattress from a body lying next to her.

"You get that license?" she muttered, her eyes staying closed against the pillow.

"The what?"

Sophie's eyes burst open in confusion at the voice. She stared over at the familiar but unexpected face of Renee.

"Oh, uh, nothing. Must have been a dream," Sophie replied, suddenly feeling wide awake. She glanced past Renee to get her bearings and realized the unfamiliarity was warranted: she was still in Kate's flat, but Kate had magically morphed into Renee.

"How are you feeling?"

Sophie refocused on Renee, her confusion evident. "Wh… I-I'm feeling fine."

"Kate called," Renee admitted, seeing the disoriented expression on Sophie's face. "She said you'd gone looking for her."

"Melvin… He-he had to catch his flight," Sophie explained, feeling like all of it had happened weeks ago. "And-"

"And he couldn't get a hold of her and thought she was dead in an alley. Yea, Kate already explained," Renee waved off casually, but her tone suggested it was anything but. "We both agreed you and Melvin overreacted-"

"I-"

"But I suppose I'd expect nothing less," Renee continued.

Sophie let out a small sigh of relief at hearing this.

"I'm sorry I didn't-"

"Sophie, it's fine," Renee replied with a surprising casualness.

Sophie let out a breath she'd been holding in. Renee's tone suggested she wasn't upset Sophie had run off to find Kate.

"So a concussion, huh? Kate said I'm supposed to test you-"

"She's overreacting-"

"-so I figured now would be a good time for you to tell me about what happened between you two."


Mary was rushing from bed to bed as she tried calming down the onslaught of patients that had poured through her doors hours before. Exhausted and surviving off lukewarm coffee and muffins, she was on the verge of collapsing when a silence sweeping through the clinic made her look up to find Batwoman in the doorway.

"Mary," she greeted her.

"Batwoman," Mary replied curtly.

"I was wondering if you had a second to-"

"Does it look like I have a second?"

Batwoman hesitated, knowing her presence under the circumstance wasn't exactly bringing enthusiasm to the room.

"I just… I... The stuff that came out of the balloon," Batwoman began quickly and quietly, noting she was treading on Mary's patience with every passing second.

"The hallucinogen," Mary said, moving to the next bed with the next patient. She put on her stethoscope and, with practiced hands, applied it to the nameless patient.

"Sort of. It's a drug, yes."

"Inhale," Mary said, pausing to listen closely over the buzz of the clinic.

"Do you-"

"Again."

Batwoman took her own slow breath as she watched Mary ignore her. She knew Mary's heart was in the right place, but right now Kate needed her full attention.

"Do you remember the Scarecrow?" Batwoman rushed as Mary removed the bell and wrapped the tubing back around her neck.

"Only stories. My mom used to scare me with them before bed, but he was before my time," Mary said. "Why?"

"He used this chemical that induces fear-"

"Fear toxin?" Mary asked, her interest suddenly piqued.

"That's one name for it-"

"It's real?" Mary asked in slight amazement. "I always thought… I've just never seen it. Is that… do you think…?"

"Can we talk in private?" Batwoman asked, hoping her timing was right and Mary would agree.

Mary hesitated only a moment as she glanced around the clinic performing a cost benefit in her head. No one was in critical condition; they had already been treated.

"In there," she said, nodding toward the back room.

Once the door had clicked shut, Batwoman broke into an explanation.

"I think there's a good chance what we saw today is fear toxin. After Scarecrow was locked away in Arkham, there was a concerted effort to wipe away any evidence of the fear toxin from literature."

"But then how do I know about it?"

"Because it wasn't always known as fear toxin. It was also named after the flower that produces it: blue poppy."

"Blue poppy?"

"It can be inhaled or injected. High doses can be lethal without intervention."

"Intervention? You mean there's a cure?"

"Sort of…"

"Meaning…"

"Meaning it's not exactly FDA-approved. Batman developed it years ago."

"Is this where you tell me you have gallons of it stockpiled in some underground cave?"

"Not exactly. But I do have the recipe," Batwoman said, pulling out a piece of paper. She handed it over to Mary who quickly skimmed it.

"Chlorpromazine… haloperidol… sulpiride? This is basically a combination of different antipsychotics with electrolytes and steroids. What proof do you have that this even works?"

"Batman's journals."

"I imagine that's not accredited by a panel of scientists…"

"Like I said… it's not exactly FDA-approved," Batwoman replied. "But I was hoping…"

"I'm not a chemist," Mary said in protest. "And even if I was, where would I get the supplies?"

"I'll handle that," Batwoman replied quietly, glancing toward the door nervously. "Look, I know it's a big ask-"

"This beats 'big' by about ten levels," Mary interrupted. "Besides, I don't even trust this recipe. Sulpiride? That's been proven ineffective in recent studies for having no impact on 5-HT2 receptors; using this would be a shot in the dark at best."

"I don't understand any of what you just said, but right now I don't have a back-up plan. If this happens again-"

"You think it'll happen again?" Mary asked. "By who? Who's doing this if not the Scarecrow?"

Batwoman sighed, unsure how much information to divulge.

"If you want me to make this stuff, I deserve to know," Mary continued, and she hoped it was clear she meant about everything.

"I think it's coming out of Arkham."

"What? Like, a patient?"

"No. A doctor. Dr. Randolph Butler."

"A doctor?" Mary repeated. "Dr… Hang on; I know that name. He's written a ton of papers. He - he's even come to speak in seminars at school. Dr. Butler is one of the most respected voices in the reintegration of psychiatric patients. He chose Arkham over Johns Hopkins years ago because he said he thought he could make more of a difference in Gotham."

"That may be, but he's been performing some unsavory releases from Arkham lately. And we think there's a link," Batwoman replied.

"We?"

"I… I think," Batwoman stuttered quickly.

"Don't tell me mystery man isn't in on this, too," Mary said, her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"The point is, w-I'm worried about another attack. The rain softened the blow today, but we might not be so lucky next time. People got hurt today - imagine a worse attack, Mary."

Mary mulled over Batwoman's words, her concern less about getting caught and the resulting ramifications and more about messing up the antidote and causing more chaos.

"I need to be able to test it. I don't doubt Batman, but times have changed. There's new technology; his recipe might be fine, but it's antiquated and could use an upgrade."

"And I thought you said you weren't a chemist..." Batwoman smirked.


"Hey, Soph?"

The whisper pulled Sophie from her latest round of sleep. She mumbled ineffectively that she was fine before she felt a hand on her.

"Soph?"

She finally opened her eyes to see Kate's glowing back at her. It took a moment to orient her eyes to recognize the rest of her silhouette was crouched at mattress level next to Sophie.

"You look different," Sophie whispered.

"She's behind you," Kate said.

"Mmm. You get that pilot's license yet?"

"Still working on it," Kate grinned back. "How do you feel?"

"Where were you?" Sophie asked, ignoring Kate's question.

"I had to run an errand," Kate explained cryptically.

"In the middle of the night?" Sophie asked, not backing down.

"Yes," Kate said with a small sigh.

"What errand?"

"Can we not do this right now?"

"Were you at the parade today?"

Kate paused, "Soph, I thought we talked about this. I was-"

"I know what you said," Sophie replied.

"Then why the question?" Kate asked, her voice soft. She watched Sophie's brow scrunch as she formulated her response. "Look," Kate began, jumping into Sophie's thoughts. "I just wanted to check in and make sure… I don't know when Renee last-"

"I'm sorry," Sophie interrupted, her voice sincere. There was still a lingering suspicion to her tone, but for the moment, Sophie wasn't acting on it. "I don't know… I don't mean to… I'm being an ass, and you're trying to help. I just… thank you."

A small noise from the other side of the bed made Kate glance over Sophie to check the lulling form of Renee.

"She's a deep sleeper."

"I can see that," Kate remarked. "I'll let you get some rest. Glad you're ok."

"See you in an hour?" Sophie whispered hopefully.

"I think you're good, Soph. Even with a concussion you're as sharp as always," Kate said, giving Sophie's arm a light squeeze before standing up.

Sophie considered arguing to the contrary, wishing for another interruption from her sleep by Kate but knew better than to suggest such.

"But where are you-?"

"Couch," Kate replied simply.

"But-"

"Soph."

"Kate."

A brief silence passed between them.

"Get some rest. I'll see you in the morning," Kate said lightly.


K: hang on, the internet just went out

L: again?

K: checking it now

Kate tossed her phone on the table in frustration as she imagined Luke's chastising voice in her head. The internet had been gerryrigged together weeks earlier and regularly went out. They had discovered one of the cables was frayed and unreliable, and instead of replacing it, Kate had tried fixing it first with electric tape and then with a combination of coat hanger and bubble wrap. That it had gone out again was undoubtedly a result of that, and she was secretly happy Luke wasn't there to troll her for her failed quick-fix again.

She slowly lifted herself from the chair, feeling every impact from the day's events screaming for her to stop as she made her way to a rope of cables bundled together on the floor. She scanned for the familiar blue cable, seeing that the bubble wrap had slipped out of position.

"Does that hurt?"

Kate jumped up in surprise, turning to find Renee propped up in a chair.

"Sorry?"

"Your back; shoulder blade. It looks pretty bad," Renee continued as Kate turned to face her, hiding the bruises in the process.

"It's fine," Kate replied coolly as she glanced around for a sweatshirt to throw on.

"How'd you do it?"

"Saved a baby from a shark," Kate replied dryly.

"I don't believe it. There aren't any teeth marks."

Kate's eyes narrowed in annoyance at Renee's casual nosiness. "Had a small motorcycle incident."

"Small? That looks like some serious damage."

"Serious would've been broken bones."

"I didn't know you rode."

"Since high school."

"I'm impressed. I assumed you were chauffeured everywhere."

"But then I'd be riding in the sidecar," Kate replied easily. She watched Renee's face furrow into a scowl of confusion before relaxing in realization.

"Oh, I get it-"

"Because my-"

"- your chauffeur would be driving the motorcycle."

"Right."

"Hilarious," Renee admitted without laughter.

"Did you need something or…?"

"Sophie told me about you two."

Kate stared at Renee unsure how to respond. Her tone wasn't accusatory, and Kate wasn't sure what Renee's intentions were. Hadn't Renee found out about them a week earlier?

"You two were dealt a bad hand," Renee continued with boundless candor. "It's sweet you still care about her after what happened."

"I… I'm not sure I know wh-"

"Kate, you don't need to pretend. You're actually pretty bad at it. I also can't think of anyone else who would call their ex's current girlfriend to come over to their apartment to sleep in their bed to keep an eye on said ex," Renee continued, her hands distracted with the bowl of fruit in front of her. "This place is so weird: you don't have walls, but you've got a fancy bowl for fruit. Is this a blood orange or a grapefruit?"

"Uh - not sure…"

"It's almost like something out of a story. I'm glad you at least have the bathroom done. It could use a splash of color though."

"I don't… it's a work in progress."

"Do you still love her?" Renee asked, not looking up from the stack of citrus she was busying herself with, shifting the other fruit aside.

"Hey, don't bruise the bananas."

"Classic evasive tactic."

"No, I'm serious. They're the worst bruised."

"Do you two ever get tired of deflecting?"

"Sorry?"

"You heard me," Renee said, finally looking up from the pyramid of citrus she'd made. "Because I asked Sophie the same over a week ago and she couldn't answer me then either."

"I can't speak for Sophie," Kate said, feeling her mouth dry at the confrontation.

"Still redirecting," Renee said before grabbing a bruised banana and peeling it. "Look, I'm not trying to start anything. I just don't want to get stuck in the middle of something that's so obviously going to happen."

"Renee, you've got the wrong idea. Soph and I are just friends."

"I call bullshit," Renee said through a mouthful of banana. "Respectfully, of course."

Kate stared across the table at Renee, wanting more than anything to send her back to bed.

"Kate, think about it from my perspective. I like Sophie. She's great. You're also great as far as I can tell. You drink a little too much-"

"Says two-for-one margarita over there," Kate shot back. It was a pointless jab; Kate knew Renee wasn't going to waiver in this train of thought.

"-but don't we all over-indulge every once in a while?" Renee continued unimpeded by Kate's words. "And while being with Sophie is great, I don't want to be hurt. You get me? Because that shit sucks; I've been there, and based on what Sophie said earlier, you have, too."

Kate remained silent, feeling more vulnerable in the last three minutes with Renee than she had all day fighting off the fear toxin.

"So," Renee continued, "do you still love her?"