A/N: Thank you again for the review! I'm always happy to see them in my inbox. :)

Chapter 22

The next time Lois opened her eyes she was in an unfamiliar room on a very comfortable bed. Slightly delirious from her injury and sleep, she looked around the room. The walls were a warm burgundy. The hard wood floors were deep mahogany. And the bed was a queen with fluffy pillows and a soft comforter. Looking around she noticed medical machines and equipment that stood to the far side of the large room surrounding a regular examination table.

She shifted slightly and regretted the movement as the pain in her ribs twinged. She felt them gingerly. They were bandaged professionally and amazingly she felt very little pain. Her head hurt a little, but other than that she was physically fine. But her mind had cleared enough to assess in increasing anxiety about where she was. And where Clark was.

Dressed in a plain cotton shirt and pants, she wondered in horror who had dressed her. Who had bandaged her? Even more confused and a little frightened, she looked for her purse, which was on a chair next to her bed. Carefully she reached for it and bit her lip as her ribs ached and twinged. She dumped it out on her lap and searched through its contents. Nothing was missing. Her cellphone was even fully charged. She dialed Clark. Where was he? Was he safe? Who was that man who attacked them? Too many questions and none of them could be answered as her call went to voicemail. Growling in frustration, she decided to leave a message:

"Clark, it's Lois. Where are you? I don't even know where I am. Call me back."

Where am I?

Then Lois heard someone approaching. Although wherever she was and whoever had brought her there appeared to be friendly, she wasn't taking any chances. Stuffing everything back into her purse, she threw it back onto the chair, lain back on her pillow and feigned sleep just as she heard the door opening and soft footfalls walk toward her.

The mansion was no different from when she was 12. It was surreal to be back in the place. Barbara walked down the silent corridor of the mansion at a slower pace than she normally walked. She wanted to absorb all the memories there, but also she wasn't looking forward to what she was about to do even though it was the right thing. If Clark was going to join with them, she would be seeing a lot of Lois and she needed to clear the air. All business aside though, she really wanted Lois' forgiveness. Lois was someone she greatly admired and frankly she wanted to be her friend, but she was nervous. She knew that she had hurt both of them and something told her that Lois would be less than forbearing.

She paused before she opened the door and took a deep breath. This was important. The medical wing looked more like a bedroom than a hospital. The only evidence it was a medical room were the equipment and machines. Alfred prioritized comfort after proper treatment was administered.

Lois was on the bed in the medical wing resting, so Barbara approached quietly. She was breathing deeply and appeared to be fast asleep. She told herself that she was being respectful by not disturbing her rest, but really she felt relieved for the chance to escape and turned to leave.

"Barbara?" Lois said. Barbara jumped at the sound of her name and then sighed. She had expected to be on the other side of this conversation.

She turned around slowly, expecting and receiving an icy glare from Lois. Her eyes roved over her uniform in what appeared to be shock mixed with rage.

"That is your name, isn't it?" Barbara's heart started beating faster.

"Hello, Lois," she said meekly. Lois' glare hardened a little.

"I knew you were in deeper than you let on," she said dangerously quiet.

Barbara took another deep breath. "Listen I know you're upset with me, but I came to see if you were alright."

"I'm fine. Alfred has been taking good care of me. Where's Clark? And your boss." She sent another glare at the mention of Bruce.

"The Batcave...with Kassandra," she said cautiously.

Lois raised her eyebrows incredulous. "The Batcave? Kassandra? Can't say I'm surprised about that one." Lois sighed exasperated.

Barbara raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry that Clark couldn't come up yet, but Bruce insisted that he focus."

"Heart of steel he has."

"He's always had a one-track mind," Barbara said carefully.

Lois scoffed a little. Then she shook her head, but stopped and put a hand to her pained face. Barbara rushed over to her with a glass of water.

"Here," she said gently. Lois took it and drank.

"I guess your feelings about him must have been an act too," she said.

Barbara chuckled without mirth. "No. My relationship with Bruce is...complicated." Lois looked confused, but she didn't want to rehash all the gnarly details of her past life so she cleared her throat.

"How are you, Lois?" she asked changing the subject.

Lois looked at her knowingly. "I'm fine. How is Clark?" She made to get off of the bed, but Barbara stopped her.

"He's fine."

Lois went to protest and Barbara cut her off. "I promise. Lois please rest. You are in the safest place possible." Lois gave her a long look.

"We're just trying to help you," she insisted.

From the moment they met Barbara had admired how strong Lois' loyalty was. Her drive to protect Clark was amazing and that she could was just as remarkable. However, her stubbornness would not help this situation and judging from her pained expression she was regretting her movement.

"We don't need your help," Lois said icily as she clutched her ribs.

"Actually, you do." She also found her stubbornness could be annoying. Lois scoffed again.

"Spying is help? Lying is help?" Lois bit out.

"It's not like you haven't done your fair share of both," Barbara countered.

Her glare returned, but right then Barbara didn't care. Lois knew she had a point even if she refused to admit it.

"And it's not like it's the method I wanted," Barbara said more gently.

"Whatever happened to talking to people?" Lois asked incredulous.

Barbara turned away ashamed. "Look I wanted to stop. But Bruce is right. We live in a graceless age, Lois. Talking could just as easily be lying. People should be judged by their actions more than just their words," she said a little miserably. Although Lois continued to glare, Barbara noticed her eyes had slightly softened and when she spoke it was with a more rounded edge than before.

"So what is all of this? Who are you supposed to be?" she asked gesturing around her.

"You're in the infirmary of Wayne Manor," Barbara said, then she smiled a little bit awkwardly. "I don't have an official code name anymore."

Lois raised her eyebrow. "Who were you then?"

Barbara sighed. "Batgirl."

"You're Batgirl?" Lois asked disbelieving.

"Was," she corrected. "I stopped being her eight years ago."

"When did you start?"

"I was twelve."

Lois shook her head. "You were so young...I don't understand how someone could willingly work with someone like him."

"Bruce isn't that bad. In fact, he's a very good person, he's just been through a lot. After a while all that mattered to him was the mission."

"Is that why you left?"

Barbara's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"You don't think I did my homework?" Lois asked with smirk.

Barbara chuckled. "I left for other reasons," she said evasively.

Lois raised her eyebrow expectantly. Sighing, she relented; she guessed that she owed Lois at least this much. She did know all of her boyfriend's secrets and had lied to her repeatedly.

"My Dad, my grand father, his Dad. All of them were cops. My Dad never wanted me to join law enforcement though. He thought it would ruin my life. But I guess that sense of justice is genetic or maybe it was teenage rebellion because I participated in a lot of police investigations. Unofficially, of course. When I finally got in trouble, my Dad put his foot down. But that didn't stop me. Helping the police was...it felt right. Even though technically I was breaking the law, I knew I was helping people. I wanted more than anything to do something for the city. To prove to myself that there was still good in the world. And Batman...He was so incredible. So I took on the mantle of Batgirl and eventually I joined up with him. He trained me. The first time I saved someone, it was like I found a part of myself that I didn't even know was there. Like I was valuable. Like I was a part of something bigger."

Barbara could still remember the early days clearly. When no matter what darkness she faced, she could handle it and fight it back. She smiled a little sadly as all the memories came flooding back.

"What happened?" Lois asked gently breaking into Barbara's thoughts.

Barbara smiled a little sadly. "I grew up. After a while I realized that no matter what I did, the city would always need saving. Being Batgirl was starting to take over my day life. I wasn't sure who Barbara Gordon was anymore. Maybe it's selfish, but I wanted a normal life. So I left. Went to college and grad school, volunteered in different organizations helping the poor and educating people."

"Did you miss it?"

"I wasn't Batgirl anymore, but no matter where I went I always felt the itch to protect people. I just didn't wear a costume."

Lois knit her eyebrows together. "If Batgirl is retired, then why are you doing this?"

"For a long time I had lost faith in something greater. I no longer believed that the world would ever improve or be truly saved. Then Superman came along...Clark gave me something I hadn't felt in a long time: hope. I wanted to know whether that moment of optimism was in vain. I wanted to know who he was underneath the red and blue to make it...real. So when Bruce approached me, I agreed to help him."

"That big thing he's planning."

She nodded.

"I am sorry. What we did was necessary, but it was also wrong."

Lois didn't answer, but at least she didn't look angry anymore.

"I am grateful though for what it allowed me to do."

"What's that?" she asked.

"I got to know you guys." Lois looked surprised. "Really. I wasn't just protecting you because it was my job. Clark is a genuinely good person who was raised by an amazing woman with a God's honest talent in the kitchen and a bigger heart than I've ever experienced. And you, well you're Lois Lane. You're a badass with a pen, but are honest and strong in ways that I respect. You all gave me hope. I went there on a mission; I didn't expect to actually care about any of you."

Lois looked touched; her eyes were overly bright and Barbara had to look away for fear that she would start to cry.

"I guess I can't really condemn your curiosity," she said softly and Barbara felt relieved for the forgiveness. "I just have one question."

Barbara looked up expectantly, but without anxiety as Lois' eyes held amusement.

"You're not a writer, are you?"

Barbara laughed a little bit. Honestly, she had forgotten about that. "No. I just thought it would be a good way for us to bond."

They sat in companionable silence, until she heard a buzzing in her ear. "Excuse me."

She turned away from Lois slightly and touched her left ear. "I'm here."

Kassandra's voice poured out of the device.

"We need you in the Batcave."

"Acknowledged." She turned to Lois. "You should rest."

"What are you doing?" she asked as she leaned back onto her pillow.

Barbara put on her mask. As she did she felt a thrill of excitement pass through her.

"My job."