Pre-Chapter Note: There is another, much shorter chapter that will be posted tomorrow morning. This chapter will conclude Year Four, and we will move to Year Five next week.
"First, thank you for saving my dad," was the first thing Barbara told her the moment she arrived at the Bat-Cave with Bruce. Side-by-side with the information broker was Dick, who had his mask off, and Alfred, who already had food and medical supplies prepared. "Secondly, we have a problem."
She gestured to the massive screen of the Bat-Computer, where multiple live news feeds were playing. Laurel swallowed as she watched every one of them replay her epic save of Gordon, each with varying headlines speculating who she was and why she was present at the scene of the arrest of a cyberterrorist. "Word is coming in about officially crediting the defeat and capture of the Calculator to you, Laurel," Barbara continued.
"How widespread is the video?" the young vigilante asked instead.
"It's on the national news," Dick answered, giving her a mirthless grin. "Congratulations, BC — you're famous."
Nobody laughed. "I can't stay, can I?" Laurel said instead. It was a statement more than a question.
Part of the reason why Bruce had been able to keep his identity a secret for so long from the public was because, as far as those outside of Gotham knew, he was a myth. Nobody was certain he even existed, which made it all too easy to dismiss the idea of some irresponsible playboy being a terrifying vigilante. For those within Gotham, the truth was far harder to hide, but even then, they knew better than to spread it around beyond some local Internet sites.
Laurel had planned the same for Black Canary. It would've been easier for her to separate her true identity from her vigilante one for when she finally returned to Starling. But with this — there was no way they would be able to cover up Black Canary's existence. The GCPD would be legally required to make a report about her involvement in the Calculator's capture and arrest and put out a statement to satiate the news. Any hopes of anonymity were now gone, all because Orphan had to be petty and get one last shot in. Wonderful, just wonderful.
"People will be searching for you in Gotham," Bruce noted, scowling up at the screen. "The longer you stay, the more danger you'll be in as the likelihood of discovering your secret identity increases."
That, if anything, caused Laurel's mood to darken even more. "We knew I was going to leave eventually, but not so soon," she lamented. "There's still so much I need to learn."
"There is," her mentor agreed. "But, I think this serves as something of an opportunity for you."
This caught everyone by surprise. "What do you mean, Bruce?" Dick questioned, moving away from the Bat-Computer to stand a little bit closer to his two teammates.
Bruce crossed his arms. "Our ultimate goal when it comes to Laurel's departure is to ensure that Black Canary's identity cannot be connected to Myra Kallen, and, above all else, Dinah Laurel Lance. Which means we need obfuscate things so it is impossible to connect the three."
"I presume you have some idea in mind, Master Bruce?" Alfred asked, arching an eyebrow.
"I do. A road trip."
There was a collective blink. "A road trip?" Barbara voiced the question, speaking on behalf of the rest of the team.
"Yes. My suggestion is that Laurel becomes a wandering vigilante of sorts," the older vigilante elaborated. "She can travel the country stopping crime of all sorts while keeping herself in the wind, always one step ahead of the authorities."
He turned to his student. "It'll allow you to gather more experience as a vigilante, along with further divorcing your multiple identities from each other, considering our plan was to return you to Lian Yu and have you rescued from there after a few months to sell the castaway story. Nobody is going to believe the Black Canary is a girl who has been stuck on an island for five years, trying to survive."
"True," Laurel agreed with another sigh. "It's probably for the best, though I hate I have to leave you guys like this. I was enjoying my time here in Gotham with all of you."
That prompted similar sentiments to come from the rest of the team, something that warmed her heart. Laurel was glad to know that if, for some godforsaken reason, Starling didn't work out, she had another home waiting for her here. Because that was what Gotham was starting to become: home.
Maybe it was a good thing this had happened. If she had stayed as she had planned, it would've made leaving for Starling all the harder later down the line. This was probably for the best. She would be getting some solo experience, and Bruce and Dick would have an easier time adjusting to no longer having a third member in the field with them.
And just like that, an imaginary light bulb appeared over Laurel's head. An idea, something that had been percolating for a while, had made itself known. Something that would make her departure a little smoother for everyone. Would they all agree to it, though?
Well, it wouldn't hurt to ask.
"Everyone," she started, cutting through all the well-wishes. "There's something I want to do before I go. I was wondering if you'd be okay with it."
Bruce frowned. "And what might that be?"
Laurel smiled sheepishly.
Starling City
After she escaped from Alex's apartment, Sara drove for hours as she waited for her tears to stop. By the time she was in a state of mind to talk to anyone about what happened, it was already nighttime. Resisting the urge to curse, she parked her car in the parking lot of a nearby convenience store and took out her cell phone from her bag.
Sara had put her phone on mute so she wouldn't be distracted from the road, and was severely starting to regret it. She had gotten several missed calls and texts from both her parents and Alex. Sighing, she quickly dismissed all the alerts from the latter — she wasn't anywhere close to talking with Alex again right now — before making a quick phone call to her dad.
The moment he picked up the call, Sara immediately regretted the decision. "SARA!" Quentin all but shouted, causing the younger Lance to wince. "Where are you, honey? Your mother and I have been trying to contact you for hours."
"Sorry, Dad," she quickly apologized. "I wasn't ready to go home yet. Something happened and I… I went on a drive. I needed to clear my head."
There was a brief pause over the line. "Baby, is everything alright?" he asked again, this time much more softly. "You know you can talk to us about anything."
Sara swallowed. "I know, Dad. And it's nothing bad — at least, not life-threatening. It's just something I need to have to come to terms with on my own first."
"…alright, Sara. If you're sure. When you will be coming home?"
"Tomorrow morning," she blurted out before she could honestly think about it. "I need to visit Tommy's. He and Ollie are hanging out together at his new apartment, and I need to speak with both of them."
And now that she had said it, she realized that was what she wanted to do. She wasn't sure she could talk with her parents about this, especially since it meant revealing to them her newfound sexuality. But her two best friends were a different matter — she was sure neither of them would mind learning about her having a girlfriend, and maybe they would have some advice on how to deal with the bombshell Alex had dropped on her. Her parents probably would too, but to be honest, Sara felt more comfortable talking with Ollie and Tommy when it came to matters of love.
With a new destination in mind, Sara turned back on the ignition of her car. Next stop: downtown Starling.
Tommy had elected to move out of the Merlyn Mansion after one too many arguments with his asshole dad. It seemed the recent incident at his last birthday party had ruined the ongoing detente they had for the last several years ever since Tommy entered the rebellious teenager stage and Malcolm and he started bickering more. Sara didn't know how many times Tommy had shown up at either the Queen Mansion or her own house to crash just because he didn't want to breathe in the same space as his dad.
His new apartment was a luxurious penthouse in one of the nicer high-rises in the downtown part of the city. Because of course, Tommy Merlyn always had to be at the center of Starling City's vibrant nightlife. It helped that this happened to be the least crime-ridden part of the city, and the security was top-notch. Tommy had always been a bit iffy about that, ever since his mother died in the Glades.
When her best friend had moved into his new home, he had issued passes for Oliver and herself so they could come up to his apartment at any time without having to deal with the security desk. A gesture of absolute trust, and a welcome one, because it allowed her to go upstairs without having to deal with anyone else. She wasn't really ready to talk, even to a stranger, until she met with her friends.
Eventually, the elevator arrived at the front of the penthouse. Sara got out in a rush, frantically pushing the doorbell button one too many times. After a minute or so, the door opened to reveal a scowling Oliver, with Tommy right at his heels.
"Who—Sara?" His dark expression immediately turned into one of concern as he took in Sara's bedraggled appearance. "What happened?"
Sara opened her mouth to answer, only for a sob to escape instead.
Within the next half-hour, Sara had been allowed to clean up in Tommy's bathroom and was now bundled up with blankets and hot chocolate on her friend's stupidly long sectional couch, the tried and true method of comfort in their small social circle. Neither Ollie nor Tommy had pressed her about what happened to her since she had first arrived at the apartment, instead wordlessly doing their best to get her to relax so she could talk to them properly. Once Sara was settled on the couch, a comfortable silence fell between the three of them as they sipped their hot chocolate.
"I'm bisexual."
Under normal circumstances, Sara would've found it amusing watching her friends choke on their drinks in shock, but right now she was cursing herself for her loose lips. Why did she have to blurt it out like that? Couldn't have there been a way to ease it in for them?
"Okay, that was… unexpected," Tommy stated once he had recovered.
"You're okay with that, right?" Sara nervously asked.
Both of them looked offended at the question. "Sara, seriously?" Ollie asked, frowning. "I know we can both be shallow at times, but we're not that shallow. You're our friend. You've been our friend ever since you moved to Starling. Why would either of us care about something like that?"
Relieved, Sara felt herself relax immediately. "Thanks, guys. I've been scared about coming out ever since I've come to terms with it. I mean, I haven't even told Mom and Dad."
"Your parents won't care, Sara," Tommy told her. "Unlike my dad, they're good people who love you."
"And if Laurel were here, I know for certain she wouldn't have cared either," Ollie added. "You know how protective of you she could be."
That was true. For all they fought about stupid sibling stuff, Laurel was always there for her when it mattered. Sara was always just too blinded by her issues to realize that until it was too late.
"All this being said, why is this coming out now?"
Sara swallowed. "It's because I needed to talk to you guys about something. I… just broke up with my girlfriend."
Both men blinked, and it was Ollie who figured it out first. "Alex," he concluded, causing Sara to nod in confirmation.
"Wait, Alex is…" Tommy trailed off, his face changing several different expressions at once.
"Gay, yes," Sara confirmed, watching his face turn an interesting shade of red. Probably remembering his futile attempts to flirt with Alex when they first met. "We first kissed back in winter, right before Alex flew home for Christmas. There… might have been mistletoe involved."
"Of course there was," Ollie sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose while Tommy snickered.
Sara ignored both of them and continued speaking. "After she came back, we talked about it, and realized we had feelings for each other, so we started dating. It was going really well for a while, but then…"
"Alex's dad died," finished Ollie. She had told both of them about the situation to explain why she had been house-sitting for Alex.
"Yeah. You know what happened — she took a sabbatical from med school, left for the funeral, and she just came back today. Except, it turned out she's only coming back to officially pull out from Washington and transfer to a new med school near Midvale. She's moving back home to help out her mom." Sara looked down. "And she wants to break up. Says that a long-distance relationship wouldn't work out for either of us."
Neither Ollie nor Tommy had anything to say to that. They just exchanged helpless looks.
"Guys, I love her," Sara said, feeling just about ready to weep again as she clutched her cup of hot chocolate harder. "And she loves me, she even said it herself. But even with all that, she's not willing to fight for our relationship like I am, and I don't know why. Am I not enough?"
"Sara, no," Tommy said, setting down his hot chocolate on the coffee table to go to his friend. "God no. You're more than enough for anyone that would be lucky to have you in their life. If Alex is going to let you go just because she believes that you two can't make your relationship work when you're on different sides of the country, that's her loss, not yours."
"Tommy's right, Sara," Ollie added. "None of this is on you."
"But if that's the case, then why is it happening anyway? I love her, I don't want to let her go like this." If Sara had it her way, they'd be together for as long as possible. Nobody had ever come close to making her feel the way Alex did, had ever made her feel so happy. And for a while, she thought she was making Alex feel the same way. So why…?
Ollie frowned and sighed again. "I don't know, Sara. The only person who can tell you that is Alex. What I can tell you is that if Alex doesn't want to stay in the relationship anymore, then you can't make her. You need to let her go."
That was true too. Sara had known that from the very moment, Alex told her that she wanted to break up. It was why she was here now — she was hoping, futilely, that her friends would know some way to delay it, or even stop it altogether, even though she knew they didn't.
Alex wasn't leaving her because she didn't love her. She had said so herself. No, she was leaving because she felt taking care of her mother was more important than her burgeoning relationship with Sara. And while Sara could respect that and understand it… "It hurts, though." And there were the tears again. "It hurts so much."
"I know, Sara," Ollie told her, reaching out to take her hand with a reflection of her pain in his eyes. Remembering Laurel, no doubt, just made Sara hurt even more. "I know better than anyone what you're feeling right now. Nothing hurts more than a lost love. But this isn't the end. You're still here, and like you told me once, you can find love again when you're ready. And until you are, I promise we'll be with you every step of the way."
"Yeah, Sara," Tommy said solemnly, squeezing her shoulder. "We'll always be there for you, no matter what."
Despite all the grief she was feeling, Sara felt herself giving them a watery smile. "Thanks, guys."
Gotham City
Jason Todd, all things considered, had lived a relatively miserable life, which was par for the course for a Crime Alley native like him. Henchman father, junkie mother, and on the streets by the time he was twelve. His story was all too common, and if Jason wasn't so determined to avoid being completely consumed by the criminal life like his father was, he'd be a hell of a lot worse off. Thievery was hardly the worst offense in the world, and as long as he didn't hold up someone with a gun or anything like that, easy to ignore later down the line when he could finally get his shot at honest work when he was an adult since child labor laws made it a lot harder to come by as a minor.
However, even with the determination to make something of himself that many of his peers sorely lacked, Jason could've never expected the bizarre turn his life had taken these past several months.
"What are you doing at my house again?" Jason asked, crossing his arms. Leaning against the ratty upholstery was one Black Canary, the talk of the town and the absolute last person Jason wanted to be seen around right now. At least, not on these streets. "Look, Myra or BC or whatever you want me to call you, you're my friend, but you know as well as I do that I can't be seen around you. If the people in this neighborhood think I'm a snitch—"
"I know, Jason, I know. That's not why I'm here." His friend tilted her head sadly. "I'm here to say goodbye. I'm leaving."
The statement hit him like a freight train. "Oh." Now that Jason thought about it, it made sense — she just made national news. If she stayed any longer her identity was bound to be exposed soon. "Well… that sucks."
'Myra' laughed. "Yeah, it does. I was going to leave eventually, but I didn't expect it to be this soon. But it is what it is. I have things to do, and I can't accomplish them here, especially if it leads to me being exposed." She gave him a soft look. "But I couldn't leave without saying goodbye to you. You've been a good friend to me during my time here in Gotham, almost like a little brother. I'm going to miss you."
"I'm going to miss you too," Jason admitted honestly. "Good people like you, people willing to help us good-for-nothings here in the Alley — you're rare."
"That means a lot coming from you," Myra told him, sounding touched. "And I appreciate it."
"No problem."
He supposed this was where she was supposed to leave. But she didn't. Instead, the Black Canary peered into his face thoughtfully. "Tell me, what do you think about us Bats? I know you appreciated how we keep Gotham safe, but something tells me there's more to it than that."
A strange question. Jason frowned but decided to answer honestly. "When Batman first started, he was a boogeyman here in the Alley. Considering how all the residents are involved in some kind of criminal activity to survive, there was no other way it could go. He was running around rooftops, beating down criminals and sending them to either prison or the hospital — usually both. How could we not be scared of him?"
"But as time went on, a lot of us, the ones that are desperate to get out and escape this life of crime to make something of ourselves, grew to appreciate him. He took down the pimps that were using and abusing the working girls. He helped bring down the mob that recruited so many of the most desperate mouths in the Alley to do their dirty work and to be left behind holding the bag. He made our lives easier, if only by a little bit." Jason looked down. "He gave us hope."
"And that's a big thing here, Myra. A lot of us, want to get out, because we think out is the only way we're ever going to make it. But wouldn't it be easier, so much easier, if we didn't have to get out at all? If we could live our own fulfilling lives here, without having to worry about getting a rap sheet just to feed ourselves?"
He glanced up at his friend, and she was staring at him, something he couldn't quite describe in her eyes. Jason sighed. "Forget it. I'm not sure what I'm talking about—"
"No," Myra cut him off. "I know exactly what you're trying to say. And I think I've got an idea."
"Where are you taking me?" Jason hissed from behind her, clutching her waist with everything he had.
"Don't worry," Laurel told him, smiling. "We're almost there."
A few minutes later, the familiar of Wayne Manor came into view. Laurel quickly diverted her motorcycle to the secret pathway that led to the Bat-Cave, clicking on the door opener attached to the handle of her bike and watching as the doors parted open. The moment the path was clear, she sped inside, Jason's arms tightening around her waist as they were blanketed by darkness.
Finally, they arrived at the Cave. Laurel parked her bike and got off, gesturing for Jason to do the same. The young teenager did, removing the helmet Laurel had him wear and fixing his hair. He looked around, eyes bulging when he realized where they were.
"Black Canary," they both turned to see an extremely unamused Batman. "Why have you brought someone unauthorized to the Cave? You know better."
"Don't worry, he's trustworthy," Laurel insisted. "He's the one who saved me from Scarecrow and helped us track down the heist crews that worked for the Calculator."
"Even so, why have you brought him here?"
Why indeed? Laurel turned to Jason, taking him in. The young teenager swallowed. "I think he has the potential to be one of us," she finally said, answering the question.
There was a beat. The Cave fell so silent one could've heard a pin drop.
"What?" Jason exclaimed, flabbergasted. "Myra, is this about what I said at my apartment? I didn't mean it like that!"
"Jason, you said it yourself — you wished that things in Crime Alley were better, that you didn't have to leave the Alley to make something of yourself without having to turn to crime? What better way to do that than as a vigilante?" Laurel smiled. "You have it in you. I know you do."
The young teenager swallowed again. "Okay, your faith in me is nice and all, but why would Batman ever try to make something of a street rat like me? For all I know, he's probably expecting me to boost the tires from the Bat-Mobile when he's not looking."
Instead of rebutting that statement, his friend turned to her mentor. "Are you?"
Batman's eyes flashed. "Tell me, what are the current dynamics between the Black Clouds and East Side Dragons?" He was speaking directly to Jason. The younger man blinked, before launching into a lecture about the general history of both gangs and their ongoing feud.
As he started delving into other gangs and their histories and relationships, Laurel felt her smile grow wider and wider. She felt Dick walk up next to her and place a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I like him," the former Robin declared.
"I knew you two would," Laurel told him. "What do you think? He got potential?"
"Considering he's telling us stuff about Gotham's gangs that not even we knew about, yes, yes I think he does. So does the old man, by the looks of it."
To punctuate that, when Jason finished his unexpected lecture, Bruce grunted. "Alright. I'll give you a shot," he told the younger man.
Jason blinked. "Wait, what?" He turned to Laurel. "Myra, what did you just get me into?"
Laurel smiled and removed her mask and wig. "My name's not Myra, Jason. It's Laurel." Her smile widened. "Dinah Laurel Lance."
And so, Jason joins the Bat-Family. Things for this year are winding down. We've got one more chapter, and then onto Year 5!
Next chapter: the end of Year 4.