AN: Thank you for the reviews! And I hope you enjoy this chapter. It combines my own writing with the epilogue of Infinite Legacy, so that's why the style changes and why it might feel a bit contrived, I had to fit my plot around Kipling's :) Enjoy!

And all the roads we have to walk are winding,

And all the lights that lead us there are blinding,

There are many things that I,

Would like to say to you but I don't know how,

'Cause maybe,

You're gonna be the one that saves me,

And after all,

You're my wonderwall.

Wonderwall—Oasis

Chapter Eighteen

Alexa did not remain standing still by herself for long, and nor did she bother crying. She had every reason to, looking at the situation, but something in her refused to despair. The hope that had been fragile before their kiss had grown stronger, tough, and was still increasing in potency every time her heart beat, every time she drew breath. Where it was coming from, this conviction, she wasn't sure. Aphrodite? She uttered a mental prayer to the goddess, thanking her for this hope, and asking her—not to influence Kal, but to let him see her. To let him consider the possibility of a them. Because she was certain, if he did, that it would be too impossible, too wonderful, to ignore. To let remain unexplored.

She decided to go home, full of this strengthened and fortified hope, and sleep. Eat. Act like an actual human being as opposed to the Batwoman-machine that she had been for the last ten days. When she got back to the cave, her com-link went off.

"Barda to Batwoman. Any news? Any … joys you'd like to share with me?"

"Jury's out. I'll get back to you."

"Make sure you do."

It was a sunny day in Metropolis—birds singing, cloudless blue sky, a perfect afternoon. But it was completely lost on Kal. He was sat in in a café, in a building that had once been home to a newspaper, and was now a complex of apartments and stores, restaurants and cinemas. No one was really looking at him, despite the fact he was hardly in disguise. It made him wonder why he'd bothered with the glasses for decades. All he'd done now was to put clothes on other than the Superman gear. Clothes Alexa had bought him. Rao, he couldn't get away from thinking about her. Not that he was trying to, for once. For once, he was actually trying to think about her. About what he was going to do, about her.

This was where he did his thinking, generally. Since moving back to Metropolis he'd come here a lot, to remember happier times. The room he was sat in now had been the newsroom. The coffee bar had actually been his office. It would be nice to say that if he closed his eyes, it was easy to imagine it as it had once been. But even though the chatter of customers was loud, and there was someone typing on a computer to his left, the character of the noise wasn't right. It wasn't urgent enough. Wasn't shouty enough. Was completely missing Perry White, for a start … But he had come here in the past to think about Lois. Since moving back to Metropolis, he hadn't been able to avoid it anyway; the memory of her had been everywhere, in every tree and brick. This street was where they'd picked out wedding china, that restaurant was where they'd had their first date, on and on, over and over again. At least at first. He hadn't forgotten any of those things, and even now there were a hundred thousand recollections rushing at him, urging to be acknowledged. But they weren't all painful. Time was, even the happy memories had been agony to look at and examine. He wasn't sure now. He didn't miss her any less than he ever had, but she was starting to … belong to the past. And thinking about that, Kal was torn between panic and- hope.

It was the natural process. It had taken him fifty years to get to this stage. It had taken a woman like Alexa to come along and show him that, yes, Lois was dead, but his heart didn't have to be. He still felt guilty; it would be useless and wrong to pretend otherwise. But he was tired of feeling guilty. And in that case, really … why not?

He took a sip from his cup, then grimaced. The taste in his mouth was bitter, but it wasn't coming from the coffee. Alexa deserved better than 'why not'. She had been completely clear and honest about what she wanted, and up till now Kal doubted he had even been honest with himself. He squeezed his eyes shut, warding off the headache. But it was a headache he had to confront.

Did he want her? Yes.

Did he believe refusing would cause both of them horrible pain? Yes.

Did he, could he, see a future with Alexa? Yes.

He refused to compare that potential future with the life he had already had. It would not be the same, nowhere near it. The only common element would be happiness for both parties involved. Which led to the last question. Both he and Alexa were immortal. This wasn't going to be something either of them could simply walk away from. And she was the first one, the first woman since Lois … she was too important to be a rebound, and he believed he would always be grateful for her healing him. But that didn't mean he would fall deeply in love with her. It didn't mean he would stay in love with her.

Was he going to want to?

And that, right there, was the question that was completely impossible to answer. Or not impossible. It just required him to try. These doubts were utterly stupid, of course, since he didn't have them at all when with Alexa.

"Excuse me, sir?" He opened his eyes to see a young waitress smiling at him. She gestured to his coffee cup. "Are you finished?"

He handed it to her. "Yeah. I think I am."

Alexa had dreamt all that night about her hope disappearing—whether it was struggling to hold onto a pure white dove, forced to watch Kal turn away from her a hundred times or being stuck in an eternity full of despair, each time it was losing that precious hope she'd retained when Kal had left her.

When she woke, the next morning, she felt her hope still fluttering around inside her chest though, still beating its wings against her ribs. She still had her hope, and she lay there soaked in relief for a moment or two before she got up to take a shower. It was sunny outside, though promising rain later if the clouds were anything to go by. She smiled at it all anyway. He hadn't given her an answer, yesterday, and while that could be discouraging, it could also be encouraging. She knew Kal well enough to know he'd feel honour-bound to make a decision soon, one way or the other. And her hope told her it would be the right one.

There was, though, something else she had to think about, apart from Kal, though it was bound up in him. She was still engaged. She didn't love Michael, and she didn't want to marry him – but if Kal decided that he couldn't be with her… A voice in the back of her mind asked if it would really be so bad. If the amount of good she could do might be it worth it. But from now on she knew that she wouldn't be able to look at him in the same way. She'd known he was a politician, but with her he had always been a man first. When he suggested they marry immediately…he had been suggesting that they capitalize on someone else's death, in order to win votes. She still thought he was a good man – if that person hadn't been Kal…

But it had been Kal. And even if he didn't know it, Michael had taken her grief and fear and trampled on them. She didn't believe that, even if he said no now, Kal would continue for the rest of eternity denying what there was between them. And she didn't believe that she would continue to be faithful to Michael if one day he decided he did want her.

She went to the holophone and dialled Michael's number. It had only been a couple of days since they'd last spoken, but she barely recognised the man who answer the phone.

"Alexa, finally! I was beginning to think you'd forgotten me!"

"Beginning to," she said, only half joking.

"You're looking better," he commented.

"I feel better," she responded. "Michael, are you free at any point this afternoon? There's something I need to talk to you about."

"I'm pretty busy -"

"It's important."

He frowned. "Alright, I have some time over lunch. Can you get to New York for two?"

"Yes." He could make time for her over lunch? Goddesses, what this what her marriage would have been like, her life? How had she ever thought it would be the right thing to do? How could she have – "I'm sure I can get to New York."

"Alright. I'm in the Plaza."

"Okay. See you then."

She clicked the phone off before he had a chance to respond, then almost tore the engagement ring from her finger. When she flew to New York half an hour later, she still hadn't put it back on. And when she was shown into Michael's suite, and they were given a moment alone, she did not beat about the bush.

"Michael, I can't marry you."

He picked up the ring from her palm, twirled it in the light for a moment and then looked at her. "I expected you were going to say that. May I ask why?"

"Because I don't love you."

"But I don't love you, you know that. I thought we understood one another."

"We did – but something's changed."

He looked at her carefully, his eyes glittering in something like amusement. "I suppose you do have…other commitments."

"I do," she admitted, somehow unsurprised that he'd worked out something of her secret, if not all of it. "I think I've found someone I do love, and I can't lose that chance. Before now, love wasn't something I needed. Now I find it is."

"Well, I can't deny I'm disappointed. People can always do more when they're not in love, you know."

She smiled. "I don't know about that."

He stood, and offered her his hand. "I hope we at least part as friends."

She took it. "We do. And don't worry, I will still be voting for you, Mr. President."

"Glad to hear it. Thank you, Alexa, for your honesty as well as much else."

She kissed his cheek, and left, feeling lighter. She glanced up at the cloudless blue sky, unable to help the direction of her thoughts. Well, Kal. Now I'm just waiting on you.

She didn't have to wait in anxious inactivity though; there was a party in two days' time at the manor, organised by Thomas to celebrate…well, with Tommy there didn't really need to be a specific celebration. Maybe just his libido felt like it was being neglected. Alexa made a mental note to tell him what happened to the male antechinus mouse after it had literally fucked itself to death. Maybe when she was in a more pessimistic mood. Quite possibly at that very same party, where he was surrounded by nubile women and when she was surrounded by gold-digging men. Unless Kal suddenly turned up. Just walked in and kissed the sense out of her in front of everyone, and she could spend the rest of the night in his arms—whether on the dancefloor or upstairs in her bed…

The loud, sharp sound of a carhorn caught her attention; it seemed she'd been about to step into the road. Damn. Actually daydreaming now. And Harlequin daydreaming too… That needed to stop. Even if Kal actually did that. Not that she wanted him to. Much.

She stopped those thoughts there, though her hope protested at being squashed. Dwelling on it would probably lead to her contacting Kal, and she needed to give him space, time, room to breathe and sort out his own feelings. If they were anything like how complicated hers had been then it would take a few days at least. There had to be something she could do. Something worth her attention had to be happening in the world. Something in Gotham, specifically. All other locations had to be ruled out—Themyscira, because Hippolyta was still so proud of her 'queenly decision'. Isla Wayne, because her parents would know from one glance that she was trying to escape from something, and the Metro Tower, because it was firmly in Kal's backyard, and going there would defeat the point of giving him space.

She returned to Gotham and went down to the Batcave, cursing for once that all her city was calm and all its people were safe. Although, while she was here … even if she didn't to physically be with her parents, they needed to know she was no longer engaged. But Diana would have so many questions …

"Computer, call Dad."

There was the sound of a ring tone, which seemed to go on forever before Bruce picked up. She wondered if she was waking him, but night hadn't completely fallen in Greece. Finally though, her father answered. "Hey, honey."

"Hi, Daddy," she smiled. "Am I disturbing you?"

"Not at all. The, uh, goats are kidding."

"Kidding?"

"Yeah. It's like lambing but you end up with kids instead of lambs."

"You bought pregnant goats?"

"Apparently my Greek isn't as good as I thought."

She grinned briefly. "I see."

"What did you want to talk to me about? Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine. Although Poison Ivy isn't dead."

"She's not?"

"No."

"Transfer of her consciousness into a new husk body?" Bruce asked.

"Yep. She's in Arkham now, but she caused a little havoc while she was out. Matt has placed her under maximum security."

"Make sure her cell is weeded regularly," Bruce recommended.

"Will do. Um, there was something else though. I have – some news. I broke it off with Michael. We're not getting married anymore." There was a pause, and the expression on holographic Bruce's face was inscrutable. "Dad?"

"What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know. I was expecting …"

"Relief?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I think it's good you've come to your senses," he said bluntly.

"Gee, thanks."

"It's the truth, Alexa. The marriage was a bad idea and you must know that."

"I do."

"Then what else were you anticipating?" His voice softened a little as he continued, "It was never going to make you happy."

"I know."

"But your pride won't let you admit that to your mother, right?"

"Kinda," Alexa replied sheepishly.

He shook his head. "You two are so much alike it staggers me."

"Will you tell her for me?"

"Yes, I'll tell her. But you can tell Hippolyta."

Alexa smiled. "Deal. I'll have to –"

"Alert," the computer suddenly boomed. "Serious violent offence detected."

"Dad, I've gotta go."

She closed the call and accessed the computer. Wayne Enterprise satellites had picked up the incident, and relayed it to the Cave. Right now it was showing massive explosions in three different areas of the city: a bank, a hospital and a school. She'd need the full clan to deal with this. She issued urgent summons to Thomas and Terry, then changed into her suit and took off out of the Cave at top speed. Her priorities torn, she finally choose to go to the hospital first. She had checked with the school's database and found that Hera had been watching over Gotham—it was a staff training day, not one child in the building. There would be some teachers dead, and that of course was a tragedy, but Alexa's next priority had to be the hospital. And Apollo had not been watching over the sick. An entire wing of the hospital had been destroyed, six wards blown up and dozes of people killed, over a hundred injured. Batwoman's first task was search and rescue; removing the largest chunks of rubble to search for people. She found another twenty seven alive, and delivered them to safety. The hospital's ER had survived, but soon they couldn't cope and ambulances had to ferry them to other Gotham hospitals.

After Alexa had saved her twenty-fourth life of the day, her com-link went off. It was Thomas. "Sixteen dead at the school, thirty-eight at the bank. I'm going through the forensics now. There's not much that's distinctive; homemade chemical explosives, timed fuse. The simultaneous explosions might be significant."

"Keep digging. Let me know if you find anything."

A moment later, Terry's voice sounded in her ear. "Got the perp at the bank, I think. He's dead, but he's got a picture of the Joker tattooed all over his back."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure," he said, and she could almost hear the shudder, "I'd never forget that face."

"Thanks. Go back to the Cave, see if you can make a start on tracking them down."

"Them?"

Of course it was a 'them'—with the simultaneous, 'off-limits' targets, all chosen to deliver the maximum amount of chaos? That could only be one criminal group. Albeit one on the edge of extinction. "It was the Jesters," she said.

That was confirmed by the large quantities of playing cards Tom had found at the school. The bombs there had been packed with them, along with nails, broken glass and all manner of horrible, pointy things. They had been placed into trash cans that were dotted around the playground. If there had been children there, then they would have been ripped to shreds by the explosions. Thank Hera that had not been the case. The Joker, though fortunately long-dead, had continued to inspire copy-cats. The Jokerz in Terry's day, who had then become the Jesters. Who Alexa had hunted down with such zeal that she had believed the pests to be exterminated. Apparently not as thoroughly as she had hoped, though.

After four hours, helping the injured and gathering the evidence, the three of them reconvened in the Batcave.

"Why?" was the first question on Tom's lips.

"Chaos," Terry said.

Alexa nodded, "Sick people and children being targeted—it's against the established rules of crime. A mafia boss would never harm a child. If there were any mafia bosses left."

"Okay—so how do we track and take down a group who thrive on unpredictability?"

"Because they're not unpredictable."

Terry went to the computer. "All we need do is look for other 'off-limit' target locations. Circuses, libraries, cemeteries …"

"Cemeteries?" Tom asked. "What would be the point in- Right, chaos, I get it," he said at the looks his brother and sister sent him.

"Pinpointing potential targets will only get us so far though," Alexa said, "unless we know where their base is. That wouldn't be random. These cretins are just following in the Joker's footsteps, looking up to him like he's some kind of god. It would be some place they consider sacred."

"On it." Thomas pulled up a chair next to Terry's and started compiling a list of the Joker's known hiding spots. There were about two dozen results, and they eliminated them slowly, until they got about two-thirds the way down.

"There," Alexa said, pointing to one line. "Old Russian Circus. That's where they'll be."

"How do you know?"

"It's out of the way of the public, but easily accessible, and there's no monitoring by CCTV. And where else would you find clowns?"

They loaded the batmobile with radioactive tracer fluid, which they would be able to track if needs be. No longer needed in the field, Terry stayed behind to monitor the situation from the Cave. On his wife's orders. The twins got into the batmobile and flew to the old Russian Circus.

"You were right," Tom said. "Thermal imaging shows over forty of them in there."

Alexa nodded, engaging stealth mode. The huge craft became absolutely silent. "Ready?"

"Ready."

The batmobile burst through the ceiling in a shower of plaster and broken glass, without warming. Immediately, the Jesters were simultaneously lit with white light that burned their eyes and sprayed with the tracer fluid. Then both twins leapt out of their vehicle and started knocking out Jesters at a rate of three point four every ten seconds. Inevitably, some got away. But they would not get far.

When all the present Jesters were unconscious, and restrained, Alexa contacted Terry. "Send our position to the GCPD, and we'll call it a night."

"What about the others?" Tom asked.

"They're not threat for now. I'll track them down and take them out one at a time."

Batwoman took a single step forward out of the shadow that had been obscuring her. Her seamless, black suit was simple in appearance but coupled with her abilities, she was nothing but terrifying.

The young punk that had been squinting into the darkness immediately pointed a gun at her, but his hand and weapon shook violently. Due to fear obviously, though she wondered if he had some debilitating illness affecting his motor-skills.

"I wouldn't bother wasting a bullet."

He wasn't a good listener. A shot fired off, with surprisingly good accuracy for a young Jester, but 'surprisingly good' wasn't going to cut it. A soft ping sent the bullet off into its new home somewhere in the expanse of the empty warehouse.

Just as fast as the bullet had left its barrel, she was at his side and issuing him catatonic with a forefinger. The Jester slumped to the ground, his oddly distorted clown face looking out of character in the dark, abandoned building.

Her earpiece crackled, "Alexa?"

"He's down. The last of the Jesters. Or at least the one that will lead us to any stragglers." She stared down at the body. "What is it with clown wannabes in this city?"

Thomas laughed in her ear. "Party's still going on. In case you were wondering."

"Knocking out a crime syndicate in a three day weekend is a little more fulfilling. No offense." Alexa took hold of the kid and flew out of the building. In minutes he was distributed to police hands who happened to be awaiting his arrival.

"So you coming back? Or should I get everyone to leave? Before I came down to the cave, Charisma Worthington was giving me the eye."

Alexa was scanning Gotham's under belly with hawk-like precision. "Ugh, I could rub two turnips together and it would have a higher IQ."

Her brother laughed again. "But it wouldn't be as hot."

"I'm fine staying out here, thanks."

"Well, I'll keep Cray on stand-by. I'll update your logs later." With that, he signed-off, leaving her alone.

She flew to her favourite perch atop an ancient gargoyle, and silently addressed her city. All was well, as it should be. The crime-rate was at its lowest in nearly two hundred years; Arkham's populace was accounted for and had its smallest clientele…ever.

Batwoman's involvement with the League was just as impressive.

Which reminded her…

A soft landing of two boots on the rooftop behind her resonated like an orchestra.

Alexa didn't move. "I wasn't sure when you'd get here."

"Sneaking up on you is getting nearly impossible. Reminds me of someone."

She stifled a laugh and swivelled round to face her visitor. "Are you here to reprimand me for missing the League meeting?"

The slightly greying areas around his temples were heightened in the moonlight. It was one of the many things about him she found sexy. But she wouldn't tell him that, yet. It oftentimes made him uncomfortable.

"Well, no…"

Alexa flew over, closer to him. She coyly eyed him, her mouth curving upward. "Then why are you here?"

"I-…" He was here because he wanted to see her. She wished he would just say it. Out loud. But her age, her parents…too many factors scared him.

More than anything, Alexa desired just to be closed to him. To freely trace the 'S' on his chest, to put her mouth on his…

"Kal," she took a step closer, "I'm almost twenty four, you know." As if it made a sizeable difference.

He grinned his impeccable Boy Scout grin and shook his head. "Alexa, please…"

"And really what does it matter? We're ageless."

She knew this was hard for him. The last time they had been alone like this, he shared his feelings for her. But he also shared that he felt like he was betraying Lois' memory. It ended with Kal leaving mid-sentence and Alexa cursing herself for falling or such a quandary.

A drop-dead gorgeous socialite heiress with unmatched wit and social grace, she could literally have any man she wanted. But she wanted the hundred and fifty year old Kryptonian like she wanted air in her lungs.

Still, they both knew Lois would only want him to be happy. If she could see him now, she would slap sense into him. Moping around the Metrotower like some damned ghost of yore wasn't going to cut it for the Man of Steel, or at least it shouldn't. Being in such solitude could have a negative effect – especially on those doomed to walk the Earth forever. Lois wouldn't want him to be alone. No one would. And Kal had been alone for far too long.

It was almost as if he was frozen in place, unsure of what to do. At war with himself, no doubt.

Alexa was nearly as fast as him, but when he was caught off guard, she was faster. Before Kal blinked, Alexa's arms were looped around his neck and her lips were delicately tracing a line across his jaw. She was hovering to compensate for their drastic height difference.

His reaction was immediate, and his mouth quickly found hers, and they melded into each other. The bat embossed on her chest was as close to the S on his as humanly possible.

To her dismay, he eventually pulled away.

"Bruce may try to kill me." He wasn't entirely joking. "Sorry, did I say may? I mean will."

"I'll talk to him first," she answered in between light kisses.

"Are you coming to the next League meeting?"

"Mmmhmm…"

He sighed. "I need to return to Metropolis."

"Stay with me tonight."

He shook his head and her heart sank. "Why don't you come to the Metrotower after patrol?"

Alexa lit up. "Or you could come to the manor."

"Well, I guess we'll have eternity to figure that out." With that, he left her with a lingering kiss.

After he was out of sight, Alexa jumped off the building giggling like a schoolgirl. She zoomed around buildings and cars and trees feeling light as a feather. She sobered only momentarily. Superman was now involved with Batman's daughter.

Life just got a little more interesting.

A/N: Well, there we are, we're now at the point where Infinite Legacy ended! But our story doesn't end there. Not quite yet. After all, we still have to break it to Diana and Bruce... Review please!