Chapter 151
As we drive through a deep forested area outside of New York City, we approach an old metal bridge. As the car comes closer to the bridge, a large, gaping black portal opens right in the middle of the bridge. Jessica stops the car, and the three of us get out.
"That looks just like the portal that appeared in the apartment," Jessica mumbles as we stand in front of it.
"Hello!" Ed's voice reverberates from the other side of the portal.
I laugh as I yell into the portal, "Ed!"
"Natalie! I've finally reached you! Just step in and it will transport you back into our universe. You're coming home, Nat," he announces with straight enthusiasm.
Ed pauses for a moment, "Hang on...is that also your universe equivalent standing there as well? I'm getting similar readings-"
"Yes, it's me, the one you sucked into that damn portal and made me go on some kind of LSD trip," Jessica spits at Ed.
She turns to me and shakes her head, "Have fun going through that."
Before I know it, Trish is pulling me into a hug, "It was incredible meeting you, Natalie. I mean, someone from another universe is weird enough, but someone who is supposedly the universe equivalent of my best friend is...really odd, but really amazing."
"Uhm...thanks," I reply, not knowing what else to say.
"Hey, if she's anything like me she wants her personal space, like, right now," Jessica barks to her friend.
Just then, a black van comes roaring down the road, with a man with a purple suit sitting shotgun.
"Oh my god, Kilgrave, he's found us!" Trish gasps, as she makes a head start for the car.
Jessica takes one last glance at me, "Hey...that Oswald guy...don't let him control you, okay?"
I give her a brief smile, "Hey, I'm holding you accountable for that too. Kilgrave isn't so scary, right?"
For the first time, I see Jessica smile as she piles into the car with Trish. The car starts up, and the roar of its engine is the last thing I hear as I step through the portal.
Blinking my eyes open, I spot the familiar brightness of a green fluorescent light. High, smiley cheeks and a pair of horn-rimmed glasses hang over me.
"Welcome back, Nat," Ed pats me on the head, messing up my hair.
Without hesitation, I grab Ed and pull him into a tight hug. He's slow to react, taking his time to wrap his arms around my waist.
"Ha...it's good to be back, Ed," I chuckle, resting my head against his shoulder.
He pulls me back just a bit to look me in the eye, "You must tell me about your adventures. For...purely scientific purposes, of course."
I raise an eyebrow, "Purely scientific, huh? Not because you want to know about the alternate universe I visited?"
His bright smile turns into a guilty expression, "...alright. Perhaps I would like to know about your experience from a more...human perspective."
Ed jumps to life, circling around me, "What was it like? Was their world alien-like, or did it look like our universe? How different were their customs? How advance was their technology?"
I run my hand through my hair, smiling at him, "Ed, slow down, there will be plenty of time to tell you everything. I still need time to adjust back. How….how long was I away?"
Ed checks his watch, "Exactly twenty-seven hours and forty-nine minutes."
"One day? Well, I mean, it could be worse. Funny, though, that was how much time had passed in the alternate universe," I observe.
"So time passes at the same rate for both universes…" Ed concludes, "fascinating. Tell me more."
I start to explain the universe to Ed as we head up the stairs to the GCPD. I would have to feign illness to Captain Essen to explain my sudden day off work, and hopefully Oswald didn't come looking for me in the last twenty-four hours. But I have to say, it's good to be back.
Barbara sets down her suitcase at the desk of a small motel in Gotham's sister city, Blüdhaven. Blüdhaven is a popular hideout destination for both Gotham's elite and criminal elite. Barbara remembers staying in a dingy Blüdhaven motel just like this several times when her parents were avoiding paparazzi, tax people, or on one occasion, an angry mob of Gotham steel workers. She never knew how her parents made these people disappear, allowing them to return to their uptown mansion as if nothing had happened. And knowing what she knows about them now, perhaps she shouldn't question how.
The sleepy hotel clerk glances up at the well-groomed blonde, and without a change in expression, asks, "Paper or plastic?"
Barbara smiles, handing him her credit card, "Plastic."
The clerk swipes the card, but an error appears on the large monitor in front of him, "I'm sorry miss. You're empty."
Her smile instantly fades, "You don't say?"
The clerk hands back the card with a curt nod. Barbara digs her hand into her bag, "Paper it is, then."
She hands over the cash, and as the clerk pops open the register, Barbara asks, "May I use your telephone?"
Pointing a droopy finger towards a long, narrow corridor, the clerk responds, "End of the hall."
Barbara hardly has her bags into the motel room before her heels are clicking towards the coin-operated phone. She spins a number on the rotary, leaning against the wall as she listens to the dial tone.
"Kean residenc-"
"Stanley? It's Barbara," she whispers, having trouble keeping the phone in her hands.
There's a gasp, "Ms. Kean?! I...your parents certainly were not expecting this call-"
She puts her hand on her hip, "Cut the crap, Stanley, you know it was my parents who pulled all the money from my account."
The butler sighs, "Y-...yes, Ms. Kean. After your parents heard of the...affair with you and the police detective, well, you knew they couldn't support something like that."
"Stanley, that was my money, in my name. Not a penny of it was theirs to take, they have no legal right to it," Barbara explains, putting her hand against the wall.
"Ms. Kean...you are aware that there are...some not so legal methods of emptying your bank accounts, am I wrong?" Stanley reminds her.
Barbara rolls her eyes, "Well then...Stanley, are my parents currently at home?"
"No, Ms. Kean, they're attending...uhm...they're lunching with Aunt Sionis-"
"So they're meeting with the Court of Owls. Stanley, I think I've finally figured out what 'lunching with Aunt Sionis' means," Barbara spits.
From the other end of the line, the Kean family butler mumbles, "I've always hated lying to you, Bar-...Ms. Kean. But your parents thought it best you grew up away from the Court. At least they saved you from that. There are children in the Court you know, as young as ten-"
"Enough!" Barbara commands, "You have access to my father's study, correct?"
There's a pause on the other end, "Ms. Kean...you know what you ask of me...of...of course. How much do you need?"
"My parents stole thirty grand in savings. I'll be taking that back, thank you very much," Barbara's tone is cold as she twirls the phone cord between her fingers.
"Yes, Ms. Kean. Your father keeps his checkbook in his safe, as usual. A discreet check sent to the Gotham National should bring your money back-"
"Stanley, darling, you know better," another voice joins the conversation, and Barbara's heart drops.
"Mother…"
"Barbara dear, you do remember we have two telephones in the house, or have you forgotten your home so quickly?" Barbara's mother asks, as footsteps can be heard from the other end.
"I-...I'm so sorry, Barbara-" the phone suddenly drops as the sound of men shouting fills the phone's speaker.
Stanley's distant grunts, and the sound of scuffling feet and fists are all silenced by the blast of a shotgun. Barbara frantically tries to steady her breath, biting her lip to stop her reaction. Her hand shaking, she holds onto the receiver with all her might.
"You never could understand the weight, and consequence that comes with having money, could you Barbara?" her mother questions.
Fabric drags along hardwood as the footsteps grow distant. Barbara lowers her head away from the receiver, so that a tear could finally roll down her face.
She sniffles, "And to actually think I was considering coming you to you guys."
"We raised you, Barbara darling, it's only natural. If we'd never let you take those art classes, you'd never have become the...entrepreneur you are today. You owe us, dear. Gravely."
Barbara tone becomes low, "I don't owe you anything."
"If you insist, dear. Good luck out there, I hear work is rather hard to come by these days. And know that, should you ever need our help...it will come with a price."
Her mother hangs up the phone, and Barbara storms back into her room. She checks her bags. She doesn't have a whole lot of cash on hand. She'd kept most of it in the bank, where it would be...where she thought it would be safe.
Sitting down on the bed, Barbara buries her head into her hands. Everything's going to be alright...everything's going to be fine.
Author's Note:
Lurker: I'm really glad you like the story. While the arc with Jessica Jones is coming to a close, it was a lot of fun. It let me write in a different world with totally different attitudes and set tone. While the storyline was a disaster on the readership numbers, I'm glad someone likes the Marvel crossover. Even though the Steve Rogers cameo didn't contribute much to the overall plot, I knew I had to include a bigger Marvel character because not everyone knows Jessica Jones. Plus Steve and Natalie are kindred spirits, being in that same "fish out of water" situation within the Marvel universe. As for your suggestion, I tried exploring Gotham's homophobic nature with the media scandal on Barbara and Renee, and Renee getting fired in the process. I debated whether Natalie would ever bring it up to Jessica or Trish, and I concluded that because of the world from which she comes from, it would not be something she would bring up to people she'd only known for a couple of days. Maybe if she'd stayed in New York City a little longer, she would have been informed about their different perspective on the subject (a deleted scene includes Jessica, Trish, and Natalie passing by the Stonewall Inn, which was eventually replaced by the Steve Rogers cameo). There's other avenues in which I intend to explore the topic within the normal Birds of a Feather universe. But from what I understand it's not a popular aspect of the series, so I try to avoid hammering it in or bringing it up too often. Thanks for the comment, and I hope you enjoy the next chapter :)
Thanks! :)