"You don't feel comfortable," Kate said, disappointment in her voice.

"I am…a little bit irritated that we sit in the middle of the room."

"And people can see us, see us having dinner together, candle light dinner."
"Yes," Sophie sighed and looked down, "I'm sorry I'm this…shitty when it comes to standing up for myself. For being myself."

"What do you think is the worst thing that can happen?"

"Tyler and your father coming in here, together with my mother." This would be a hellish trinity and Sophie had no idea whom of these three she'd be afraid to face most.

"I confess, that is a horrible idea, yes, but I doubt they are all three hanging out together."

"No." Sophie stopped as the waiter came back to bring them the menu.

"Would you like some wine to start?"

"Yes, please. Merlot?" Sophie asked Kate.

"A glass of Merlot sounds lovely."

"Very well."

Sophie took the menu as if it could help her to hide when needed. She was so nervous. "I'm sorry I'm not the company you hoped for."

"Actually, you are the only company I hoped for, Sophie. I hope, you relax a little bit, we are having dinner, nothing else. Rumor has it, friends can have dinner together, too. And as we haven't ordered these candles, as candles are on every table, nobody can say we have planned a romantic dinner. It's how the tables here look like. We are only two old friends having dinner together."

Except that they weren't.

"Yes. Thanks for coming here, giving me a chance to make it up for the last time we tried to have dinner."

"I'll try to keep my hands to myself."

Sophie sighed and looked sadly at Kate. She'd like to hold her hand, sit next to her, kiss her. "Maybe we can go for a walk after dinner. I could…walk you home?"

Kate smiled. "I'd like that. And I hope I can go home after dinner and don't have to go somewhere else."

Like when Batwoman was needed.

"How do you know that you have to go? Does somebody call you?"

"Sometimes, yes. Most times…I hear what's going on. My sister is not exactly low key."

"Can I ask you something?" Sophie played with her napkin.

"Sure."

"It's about your sister and you don't have to answer."

"When it's about her I'm not sure I can answer. She is...not always easy to explain and the person I knew when I was a child."

"No, I figured." Sophie closed her eyes. There were moments on her mind, that had been there for weeks and she hadn't been able to let go of them, hadn't been able to come up with an explanation why this had happened. "Alice had the chance to kill me many times, yet I believe the only time she really tried to was when she dropped me off the plank. After that... Tyler and I were with Mouse in the office, all he did was tranquilize us, tie us up. Then when she escaped, she held the gun to my head, she could have killed me in a blink of an eye, like she has killed many other Crows before. Yet, she vanished without harming me." At nights, she still felt the gun on her temples, felt the cold iron on her skin. She knew, all it took was moving a finger an inch and her life was over and there had been nothing she could have done. At that moment she had been at the mercy of a psychopathic serial killer, a woman, who had killed dozens of people. The woman, who was the twin sister of the woman Sophie...cared for.

"I'm glad she did."

"Believe me, so am I. What I don't understand is why. Is it because of our past?" Present. Their past was about to become their present. At least Sophie hoped that the good times of their past could become their present and future.

"Maybe. I don't think she does it because she has a good heart. Deep inside her crazy and sick world she wants me by her side and she knows when she harms you, that will never happen. I told her, it won't happen anyway, yet she believes I might change my mind. Like a part of me still hopes she will change. A ridiculous and stupid thought, however it's there."

"She is your sister." Sophie understood why there was some hope left in Kate. For years, she had believed her sister had died years ago in the car crash, Kate had felt responsible for it, had blamed herself for it. "You haven't turned her in."

"No." Kate lowered her eyes. "I should, I have to. I mean...she is the opposite for what I stand for and yet I can't get to call the cops or the Crows. Like I couldn't have Nocturna kill her."

"How did she tie you up?"

"She bit me. It was totally unexpected, we fought, I thought I had her down and then she moved up and bit me, injected me with Special K. If you hadn't saved me...either she had drained me or your guys had arrested me."

"I think I still owe you a rescue or two," Sophie smiled.

"You told me, there can't be another time."

"No, there can't. Not if I want to work for your father and I hope, you will never be at risk again. It's a not likely, but it's what I hope."

"Sometimes hope keeps us going. For a long time it was the only thing that kept me going," Kate whispered, not looking at Sophie.

Sophie knew, Kate was not only talking about her hope that her sister was still alive, she also talked about them getting back together. The way Sophie had left Kate, had hurt her, it was a surprise Kate didn't want Alice to end her life.

"I'm sorry. When I told you that if I could change the past, could jump on the motorbike with you, I'd do it. Back then, I couldn't. I was too afraid."

Kate blinked like she had no idea what Sophie was talking about. "Are you...less afraid now?"

Was she? Sophie was not sure. She hoped she was stronger and braver, that she could stand up for herself now. She was second in command, had been acting commander, nothing should scare her. In reality we all had things that scared us, no matter how brave, strong and well-trained we were.

"I hope so." As Alice had pointed out, she was caught in her own prison, in her own lies.

"Good. Because your husband entered the restaurant."