Bruce slid the pair of sunglasses he was wearing down a bit, giving Cassandra a look at the black eye he'd gotten the previous night as he stared down the street from Saint Michael's Cathedral. "Are you all right?" Cassandra asked.
"Hm? My eye? It's nothing. Raided an import of venom last night, one of the handlers decided to give it a try. More importantly, I kept it out of Bane's hands for the time being."
"Should I have been there?"
"You've accumulated a lot of vacation time, Damian and I had it under control."
"Is he doing well?"
"He's still difficult, but I think I'm making progress. I've considered asking you to try converting him, thought it'd give him one more reason not to kill anyone."
Cassandra double took. "Do you mean that?"
Bruce let out a single chuckle. "No. Sorry, I know you're all used to me being brooding and quiet all the time." His eyes turned to the car's clock. "You should probably get moving, you don't want to be late."
It was usually Tim driving the two of them to church on Sundays, but he would occasionally fall victim to a late previous night and swear he'd go later in the week. On mornings like those, Bruce was usually still awake from the previous night's escapades. The two sat in a blue, four-door Ford sedan Bruce had bought specifically to keep from drawing attention in errands like this.
"Could I be late coming out?" Cassandra asked. "Confession after mass today."
"Sure thing." The two sat for a few seconds before Cassandra reached for the door and Bruce asked, "Anything you want to talk to me about?"
"Not on this," she said. "Just the monsignor."
"… It isn't about Sadie is it?" She didn't respond at first. "Cassandra?"
"I don't know."
"If you don't want to talk to me, that's fine. But don't give me another reason to worry about you. I want you going to church to be a good thing, not something weighing you down."
Cassandra sighed. "I just wish I didn't have to lie."
Bruce laid a hand on one of her shoulders and she gave him half a smile. "I want you to remember no one is making you do this, and no one is going to be upset if you need some time to reevaluate things."
Cassandra stepped out of the car, waving to Bruce as he drove off. With another deep sigh she began the block long walk to the cathedral, performing the sign of the cross that all would go well.
The typical hour of mass past as usual. Cassandra still only half understood the songs and sermon as they came and went, but her presence was the most important thing, she felt. Outside of that, her attention always remained on the again, portly monsignor, George Ryan, her first religious teacher and her source of guidance on her holy journey.
When she felt he would understand, at least.
The trickle out of the cathedral always began as soon as Communion had ended. When the congregation had been properly dismissed, Cassandra only had a line of three to wait in before she could speak with the old monsignor. She said a few silent prayers as she came closer and closer through the line, anxiously awaiting her turn. The last woman in front of her in line went on a little longer than the others, but soon enough she too stepped out, smiling at Cassandra as she passed and motioning her in.
With another heavy breath, Cassandra entered the confessional, shut the door behind her and pulled away the curtain separating her from Monsignor Ryan. The old priest already looked tired from the day, his little remaining white hair beginning to frizz, but he beamed at her as she sat down.
"Hello, Cassandra. Always a pleasure to see Gotham's favorite Angel."
"Hello, Father," she said, kneeling down and clasping her hands together for a moment before releasing them for another sign of the cross. "In the name of the father, son and holy spirit. Last confession was…" Cassandra paused, trying to count out the Sundays she had attended.
"Two months ago," Father Ryan said with a little chuckle. "It's all right, I know it's difficult for you." He closed his eyes and began to recite the day's scripture. "Whomever you forgive anything, so do I. For indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for you in the presence of Christ, Amen." The two were briefly silenced before he said, "You may begin when you are ready."
"I fought a robber. He was threatening, but he just wanted to save his home. Not be in the cold."
"But was he trying to steal something?" Monsignor Ryan asked.
"… Yes."
"That isn't a sin, Cassandra," he said.
"I… I judged a man. On the radio. I decided he was evil when I first heard him speak."
"Mmm," the monsignor nodded solemnly. "I see."
"… Father… father there is someone I am seeing."
Monsignor Ryan perked up at this, surprised. "What do you mean by seeing?"
"I… I have… I have a boyfriend," Cassandra said.
"Surely you know that isn't a problem," Ryan said. "If anything, I'm happy for you."
"I… we were out. Seeing a movie, last night… something happened."
At this point, Father Ryan frowned and looked up at her, studying her face as he cheeks started to go red. "Are you all right, Cassandra? What happened."
"S… he… he… he was touching me. My neck… his tongue, his teeth. He bit me. I felt so good, but afraid. Sick. I do not know what happened. I loved it, but I hated it. I—"
"Did you tell him to stop?"
Cassandra looked up at Father Ryan, realizing how rough his look had suddenly gotten. His face was hardened, his eyebrows arched down as far as they would go.
"No," Cassandra said.
With a sigh of relief the Monsignor took a moment to straighten himself, pinching the bridge between his eyes and saying, "I'm sorry. You worried me for a moment… proceed."
"I do not know if it was sinful, if I did something wrong. I just do not like feeling this way."
"Was that all that happened between you and this boy? All that was unusual, at least?" Father Ryan asked.
"Yes."
Father Ryan nodded, rubbing his chin in thought. "It isn't a sin in and of itself, Cassandra, but I'd advise that you be watchful of your friend in the future. And more than that, be willing to talk to him. It sounds to me like his actions would be the beginning of something more… is he Catholic himself?"
"No."
"Mmm. Well then before something like this happens again, you need to make it clear where your boundaries are. The body is a gift that should only be given to the person you marry, and only after you marry them."
Cassandra bit her lip and looked down, saying only, "I know."
"Is there something else bothering you?"
"… No."
"What you say is up to you, Cassandra, but you know this is a safe place. I'm not here to judge you. If you've done anything else and you are sorry, I want to absolve you."
"..." Cassandra held two fingers to her head, massaging her temple as she considered his words. After a few seconds she said, "No. That is all. I am sorry for these sins of my past life."
"All right then. Perform a decade of the rosary for your act of penance and think on how you will avoid matters like these in the future." He bowed his head, Cassandra doing likewise as he prayed, "Oh my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you and detest all my sins…"
Cassandra followed along as best as she was able, but her mind lingered on the previous night and all that remained unsaid.
