Final destination

The deal had been that they stay in bed for another two days at least and only left it to go to the bathroom. Mary was serious about it, Kate's injuries had been severe and as Kate refused to go and see a doctor, she had to do what Mary told her. Not that Sophie didn't agree, she was supposed to stay next to Kate and she couldn't think of a better place to be.

As her apartment was still a mess they were in Kate's apartment in the Wayne Tower. Should she move into an apartment here too? If she could afford them, the rent up here was high. There were cheaper apartments that overlooked the river, like her current one. She liked it, she liked the view.

"What are you thinking of?" Kate asked, kissing Sophie's hair.

"That I need a new place to stay and where it should be."

"Anything you prefer?"

"A nice view and very good security. If I learned anything from the last days it's that I need very good security. And space for Kodah." Her dog was with her neighbors, they had offered to look after Kodah during the days and in the evening Kodah returned to Sophie.

"You could stay here."

Here? As in Kate's apartment? Not that it wasn't big enough but…wasn't that a little bit fast? "What happened to moving in as the second date?"

"Sophie, we had so many dates, the second date was years ago."

Kate had a point. They had lived together for three years and it had worked out perfectly. But was it smart to move in? They had been separated for a few years, a lot of things had happened, had changed.

"Are you sure that's not a little bit too fast?"

"How about we bring your stuff here, you look for a new place, when you find one, you go there, if you don't find anything or we enjoy being together so much, you stay. It's not like there is no space for you and Kodah."

Yes, Kate's apartment was big enough for them and Kodah, she had three bedrooms, two bathrooms and the park was around the corner. It was a perfect place and very safe.

"All right." Sophie kissed Kate. She could do this more often when they lived together, she could stay in Kate's bed and there was no need to prepare a second bedroom for her as she knew, she'd end up in Kate's bed anyway.

"Great."

From coming out to moving in with Kate within a week. She was not wasting time. This was crazy and it felt so right.

"I wonder if we'll see each other a lot. You will be out all night, I work a lot at nights, we might meet for breakfast or lunch."

"As long as we can squeeze in a few hours in bed together I'm fine. I need you in my arms to heal."

"Do you?" Sophie smiled and turned so she faced Kate. Her girlfriend wasn't as pale as yesterday, she looked much better and yet, Sophie was glad Batwoman would take two more nights off.

"Absolutely." Kate pulled her into her arms and kissed her.

"I need you in my arms too. This is exactly what the doctor prescribed."

"Is it?"

"Yes, Mary told me to stay with you because you are good for me. She is our doctor."

"She is."

"Since when does she know you are Batwoman?"

"Since we kissed. Remember the Special K? She found it in my blood, she didn't believe real estate assistants work past midnight and with a headset and well, then there was the cover story of Batwoman being a lesbian. She's smart, she connected the dots and knew. Yet, I didn't tell her right away although I knew she knew."

"I told her I kissed Batwoman, no wonder she was so shocked when I said, I had no idea who Batwoman is."

"My lips seem to be not very rememberable."

"You did a damn good job to make me believe you are not Batwoman, however, I should have known when we kissed. I felt what I felt when we kissed years ago and it explains why I was so drawn to Batwoman. I couldn't resist her because it's you."

"And you came out for her."

"I came out for myself. It was an important step towards accepting who I am. A tough one, that caused a lot of pain. Sometimes what is the best for us, hurts a lot. Which reminds me: does your father know who Batwoman is?"

"No."

"Then we should keep it this way." She would not tell her commander. Those days were over. Yes, she'd worry about Kate, yet telling Jacob would not change this. Kate would continue doing what she wanted to do and Sophie had to make sure, the Crows did not hurt Batwoman.

"Thanks."

"I'm not sure I can resist you when we meet at a crime scene, that I don't kiss you when I believe we are alone."

"My father knows you are team Batwoman."

"He does and I hope he accepts it. Otherwise I have to become your assistant. We do kick ass together."

"We do, yes," Kate smiled. They had always been a great team.

"So, before we go back to work, will we go on a date? A real one, dinner, candles and everything that belongs to a decent date?"

"Alessandro's?"

"Somehow I had a feeling you'd suggest this restaurant." Of course Kate would. It was the perfect test if Sophie stood for herself, for Kate and for them. "Alessandro's it is. The food is great and after the last time, the owner has no reason not to let us into the restaurant. Especially as you opened your bar on the other side of the road. He'll be delighted to see us."

Kate laughed. "He can always say there is no table available."

"And you tell him who your sister is?"

"No, then we go somewhere else and have our dinner date. There are more place with good pasta in Gotham."

Kate was right on that. Gotham had enough good restaurants and Sophie couldn't wait to go to them, together with Kate. She had never been on a real date with somebody she loved.

The doorbell rang and Kate picked up her phone. "Kodah is back - and she brings company."

"Mary?" Mary had offered to pick up Kodah in the evening and take her to Sophie and Kate.

"Dad and…your mom."

Her mother was here? What the hell was she doing here? She hadn't called, she hadn't sent her a message, how did she know where Sophie was?

"O-kay."

"Are you okay? Do you want to get up?"

Get some space between them? They sat on the couch, snuggled up under a blanket, the TV running. Like a couple on a rainy Sunday. When she stayed where she was it was obvious she and Kate were more than friends.

"No. I took off my mask, remember?"

Kate smiled, bent over and kissed her before she opened the door with her phone.

"That's not a safe way to open your door."

"It's for moments like this, otherwise the smart door is not activated."

"Good." Sophie squeezed Kate's hand under the blanket. It was time to face her mother. The first time after she came out and the first time she would see her with a woman. With her girlfriend.

Kodah came running into the living room and jumped onto the couch, making herself comfortable on Sophie's lap after she greeted Kate with a sloppy kiss.

"Hello, I brought dinner and visitors." Mary entered the room with a pizza box in her hands. "Vegan pizza on one side and vegetarian on the other side. I knew there is a way you can share a pizza."

"Hi mom." Sophie swallowed when her mother entered the room.

"Again, why do I have to hear from Jacob what happened?"

Accusation as a greeting, great. Maybe that was why she hadn't contacted her mother.

"Because you left my apartment without talking to me anymore. You did not call, did not ask how I am after you left me crying."

"You didn't come home, apparently, you can't be on your own."

Sophie felt how Kate wanted to say something and stopped her with another squeeze with her left hand. "I am fine and I am not on my own. As you can see, I am with Kate."

"You need a new apartment and come to your senses."

"I found a new place, I'm going to stay with Kate." The surprise was not only written over her mother's face, Jacob looked surprise too. Right, he hadn't been around, hadn't learned his daughter and Sophie were a couple. Again. He had known about them back at Point Rock, had he known that she had never really loved Tyler?

"You want to stay here?"

"Yes. For now and maybe for good. Remember how I told you about the happiness I found at Point Rock? It was Kate. She is the one, who made me happy, who makes me happy. I've never stopped loving her and it has been the biggest mistake of my life to let her go. I should have left Point Rock with her. It might have cost me my career, but letting her go cost me my happiness. Now I'm lucky enough to get a second chance and I'm going to take it. There is nothing you or anybody else can do or say to make me decide against Kate. She is my soul mate."

The reactions were different from the three people standing in front of them. Mary was all taken, holding her chest like she was watching the most romantic scene ever, Jacob leaned smiling at the door frame, like he had expected something like this, and her mother was shocked. Her eyes moved from Sophie to Kate and back, realizing her daughter sat way too close to the other woman to be just friends. She also realized Sophie's left hand was beneath the blanket.

"I love Sophie since we met, Mrs. Moore and I won't lose her again."

"You won't lose me again," Sophie smiled at Kate, getting lost in her green eyes for a moment. No, she was not leaving Kate again. She might made a mistake but she made it only once, not twice. Leaving Kate was the worst mistake she had ever done, she wouldn't repeat it.

"I…I can't see how this is right."

"It's right for Kate and me, mom. We love each other."

Her mother looked at Jacob as she expected him to help her understand it, help her get this right.

"They've been in love years ago, it was the first time I saw Kate happy after she lost her sister and her mother."

"You knew?"

"Yes. I was there when Sophie signed that she would not be with Kate anymore and Kate left Point Rock, because she would not let anybody tell her what to do, with whom she can be."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it is up to Sophie to tell you. I had employed her if she had left that day, she and Kate had been the best cadets Point Rock had seen, but it was her decision."

"My mistake," Sophie whispered.

"We all make mistakes."

"I…I think I need time to understand this." Her mother shook her head. "I do understand why you don't want to go back to Tyler, Jacob told me what he did, but this…it's not right. I've been taught it's not right."

"Sometimes we need to learn new things in a certain age," Jacob said, "times change, a lot of things happen and our daughters, they make each other happy. I promised my wife at her funeral, that I'd do whatever it takes to make Kate happy. It's not what the rabbi says is right, but it's right for her and for Sophie. I believe, in the end it's more important that my daughter is happy than what is written in an old book."

Her mother looked at Kate and her again and for the first time, Sophie saw no disappointment in her eyes, only confusion.

"I still don't understand it."

"We don't have to understand everything and we don't have to agree with everything our children do, what is important is that they know we love them no matter what. They committed no crime, they only make each other happy."

"Kate and I are happy mom, we don't hurt anybody."

"No, quite contrary, they make people happy," Mary smiled, "seeing them together gives me hope, especially after the last days and weeks. It shows, in the end everything can be all right when we give it a try."

Sophie was not sure everything could be all right, there were a lot of things, that were out of their hands, yet she believed with Kate everything was better. It was like she had reached her destination on her road to herself. And at one point her mother would understand her, accept her, tonight had been the beginning, she could see it in her eyes and it gave her hope.

THE END

Thank you very much for reading and reviewing.

There are two more stories waiting to be published as soon as I'm back from my vacation and have access to the Internet again.