Here – There

Gotham

Even as he watched Helena swing away, Bruce knew this was far from over. He remained stoic on the outside, but feelings and emotions were churning inside of him. He kept reminding himself that she wasn't his daughter, yet she represented the possibility of something he really hadn't imagined he could ever have. Watching her get further and further away he could see it so plain in her movements, almost like seeing an echo of himself. He'd been struggling with the whole concept of being a parent since he first learned of Damian, yet it seemed his counterpart on the other Earth had managed it. Then again maybe it wasn't her father at all, but …"

"Is what she said true?"

Selina.

Batman turned to see her slip down to the rooftop next to him. He knew she'd heard, but there wasn't anything he could do about that.

"Is it?" She repeated.

"I had some quick scans done without her knowing it on the station,' he said. "Yes, I think it is."

"So she's …" Selina started and then stumbled to say the words. "Yours and mine?"

"No." He said with a shake of his head.

"But you just said?"

He cut her off.

"She's from another world, another Earth,' he explained.

"Still her parents are Catwoman and Batman,' Selina pointed out.

"Different versions, different people,' he replied.

"How-How different?" She nervously asked.

"I don't know."

"Then she could be …"

"She's not our daughter, Selina, I'm sorry,' he said to her. He reached for her but she took a step back.

"You didn't help her."

It wasn't a question it was a statement.

"I did what I could."

"But not enough."

His head dipped for just a moment.

"No."

"Then maybe I should,' Selina said.

"She's not your daughter, Selina,' he replied.

"But she could be,' she stated. A small smile came to her lips at the thought. "That's-That's enough for right now."

They shared a look that was filled with so many of the unspoken things between them. The revelation about Helena brought up thoughts that had always been in the background, yet neither was ready to address.

London

Diana arrived back at her apartment and turned on the lights. She couldn't remember just how long it had been since she was last here, but it felt good to be alone right now. Things had just gotten more complicated and she needed time to think. It was a kiss, she told herself, just a kiss. She hardly knew him. Most times she was surprised when he used her name. They were both just lonely and it happened. No reason to make it out to be more than it was.

But it was a good kiss.

No, she told herself, you have other responsibilities to think about. Thinking about those sorts of things is how trouble starts. If she needed a reminder, she only had to think of Steve. People get hurt when they get too close. Best to just chalk it up as something that happened and move on. He seemed as surprised by it as you were, so it obviously wasn't something he'd considered, she thought.

He did say it wasn't a mistake, though.

No, don't go down that road, she told herself. You really know nothing about him. You've been teammates for five years and he just told you his real name tonight. It was just the situation and what you'd both been through that caused it. It was seeing Steve in the hospital and ending things once and for all after letting it linger for so long. You were vulnerable and upset, feeling lonely, Diana thought. Then he was there and the conversation just seemed to take a life of its own. You both just got caught up in the moment. Don't make more of it than it was, she counseled herself.

He was already gone to who knows where. She'd only heard part of the conversation with Batman, but it seemed to involve someone named Karen Starr. Diana had no idea who she was, but apparently she was important to Superman. I wonder what their connection is, Diana idly thought? Is she his girlfriend?

No, it didn't matter how they knew each other she chided herself. What happened, happened and it's over now. Best to just forget about it and move on. She had so many other things on her plate right now, with her recently discovered parentage, what had happened to her mother and sisters, the infighting amongst the Gods and their new attitude towards her, she certainly didn't need to add any more complications.

Although it really wouldn't hurt anything to find out whom this Karen Starr really was. It was just out of curiosity, Diana told herself.

The Watchtower

As Superman, Clark wasn't used to feeling off kilter. It was in many ways the easiest part of his life. Things were straightforward, you stop the bad guys and you protect the innocent. He always felt he knew the answers or at least what they should be when he was Superman. Yes, there were always shades of gray in every situation but fighting the good fight was always the objective.

Now it seemed other parts of his life were bleeding over into this one. He'd always been so careful to keep them separate, compartmentalizing his life into well-defined boxes. Yes, it had resulted in a rather lonely, isolated life so far, but it seemed necessary to keep others safe. It was one of the sacrifices he was willing to make. Unfortunately those barriers began to break down the moment he went looking for Karen Starr in New York.

He didn't even realize it at the time. He'd been excited about meeting another Kryptonian and that's as far as his thinking went. As a young man who'd just turned twenty-seven Clark liked to think he had some things figured out, at least a little bit. He now knew that women were not one of those things. It wasn't like he didn't have experience, he'd dated in high school and college but it seemed those relationships did little to prepare him for really understanding women.

Karen had basically turned his life upside down every time he was around her. What she wanted or didn't want was a mystery to him. One minute she wanted nothing to do with him and the next she was in his arms. She said it was over, but now she was God knows where and he was going after her. He couldn't seem to let her go, even now.

He wasn't sure where she was, so he thought it might be wise to get some back up. His first thought was of Wonder Woman, but now with the kiss that didn't seem like the best idea. While women really confused him, he was pretty sure asking one you just kissed to help you find one you slept with was a bad move. He went with his instincts on this one.

Then there was the kiss. He'd kissed Wonder Woman.

No, that wasn't right, he'd kissed Diana. Most people probably wouldn't see the difference, but he did. What if meant, he had no clue really. She seemed as surprised as he was. Part of him wondered if it had been a douche move kissing her right after she had her emotional moment with Steve Trevor, but Clark reminded himself that wasn't why he'd gone. He wanted to make sure she was all right, that's all. Things had sort of taken a different turn then he expected and then she kissed him. His kiss was partly to reassure her the first one wasn't a mistake. The other part of it was because he wanted to.

It was all so confusing. If that wasn't bad enough, he'd brought Kara into this. He just thought of her as someone that could help, but now that he had time to think about it he wondered if it was a mistake? They might be estranged, but she was his only flesh and blood. She was so young and new to all of this, he worried something would happen to her. Clark would never forgive himself if that happened. The problem was she didn't trust him that much to begin with, so now that she'd agreed to help it probably wouldn't go well if he tried to talk her out of it.

Things were so much simpler just a short time ago. Clark did what he did and lived his solitary life. Now that was all changed. He had more questions than answers. Three young women had thrown his life into chaos and for the life of him he wasn't sure what to do about it. For once being Superman was little help. Trying to figure out what each woman was thinking was a super power he didn't possess. If he ever wanted to feel closer to humanity, this was a situation millions of men shared, heroes and civilians alike.

Clark decided to just focus on what he could do and that was finding Karen and bringing her back safe.

Gotham

Bruce sat in the cave trying to concentrate on the recent developments in Gotham. The mutation bomb that Helena and Damian had stopped was out of the ordinary for the city. Yes, it certainly had its share of illegal arms, drugs and explosives, but this was something else. It was a dangerous outlier, which might represent a new threat to everyone in the city.

The problem was he couldn't just concentrate on it. Other thoughts continued to intrude. He believed he had fully processed Helena's revelation, yet it nagged at him. It was like a brief glimpse at a life he'd only imagined. He was thirty now and if anything those opportunities seemed to be fewer and fewer for a normal life. A wife and family, the things his parents had didn't seem in the cards for him, yet Helena's very presence said otherwise. What had that other Batman discovered that he hadn't? What made him take the risk?

"She's not your daughter."

Damian.

Bruce should have known he would find out. He was too good at computers sometimes for his own good. Bruce turned to see his son standing at the bottom of the steps, wearing his Robin uniform. He knew Damian well enough to know his moods and he was definitely not happy. This wasn't a teaching Batman moment, but a father and son moment. Bruce slowly took off the cowl and gestured for his son to come closer.

"I know she's not, Damian."

"But you like her," Damian fired back. "You like the idea of her and who her mother is."

"It's all too new to be sure what to think,' Bruce admitted.

"But you helped her."

"Yes, I did."

'Why?"

"Two reasons, really,' Bruce explained. "One, is who she might be and two is you, Damian."

"What?' Why me? I've got nothing to do with it."

"No, but I keep thinking if the situation were reversed, I would want that other Batman to help you."

Damian took a step closer to his father.

"You're my son, Damian, nothing is ever going to change that,' Bruce said.

"What about her?"

"She's lost everything,' Bruce explained. "Her parents, her world, her best friend, everything is gone. What sort of example would I be if I didn't try and help her?"

"But if she's Batman's daughter, that means you and mother never got together on that other world,' Damian asked, moving a little closer. "You're not together on this world either and you like that tramp, Catwoman."

"Damian, hey, look at me,' Bruce gently said. "What happens between your mother and me doesn't change things between you and I. I'm your father and you're my son. That's always going to be true."

Damian had moved closer, but still stayed out of his father's reach.

"How do you know you won't be with mother some day?' Damian asked.

"I don't." Bruce honestly said. "But even if we aren't, that doesn't change things between you and me."

Damian had moved a little closer and he absently glanced at the screen in front of Bruce.

"What are you looking at?" He asked.

Bruce glanced at the screen for a moment.

"That bomb you stopped has been troubling me,' he explained. "It was too well organized to be just random. Someone or some group is behind it and I was looking for any connections."

"I could help," Damian offered.

"I'd appreciate it."

Damian moved over to the screen and started tapping the keys. Bruce allowed himself a rare smile as he reached over and put his hand on his son's shoulder. He wondered if maybe this was what that other Batman realized.