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R: “I’m going to beat her ass. I knew we couldn’t trust her.”
Ryan’s behind the wheel this time. When they found out that Mary’s terrible excuse for a step sister was dusting off her petty theft skills, Ryan stormed back to the car, and had her foot on the gas before Sophie could even close the passenger door.
S: “Yeah, but, Ryan, we can’t go in there guns blazing. Mary is already going to be spiraling.”
R: “And that just pisses me off more. Beth, Alice, or whatever the hell she wants to call herself has been off doing who knows what for months, and just waltzes back in here with her usual destruction, and Mary’s the collateral damage. I’m so sick of her shit.”
S: “I feel you, trust me, but do we really need a repeat of mother nature Mary to add to our plates right now? She's just starting to get her footing again.”
R: “So we’re supposed to give Alice another pass because of her familial status? I’m done making exceptions for her.”
Sophie could tell Ryan was projecting some of her feelings about her own manipulative sibling onto this situation.
S: “No. That’s not what I’m saying. I’m saying, this is what Alice does. She distracts us with her drama. I don’t know what she’s up to, but I know we’ll figure it out together, like we always do, and right now, we need to stay focused on the Religion of Crime, so we can be done with that for once and for all. Then, we can deal with Alice.”
Ryan doesn’t answer. She simply puts her foot further on the gas, so they can hurry up and be done with all of it sooner rather than later.
~~~~~
M: “I know what you’re thinking, because obviously I was thinking it too at first, which is why I called you back here. But now that I’ve had a minute to sit with it, maybe we shouldn’t assume that Beth is up to the worst.”
Sophie and Ryan are just walking in from the batcave’s garage, and Mary dives into what she’d clearly rehearsed to stop Ryan from initiating a full search and seizure on her sister.
R: “You’re kidding. Seriously, Mary?”
Sophie shoots Ryan a look, reminding her to be easy.
M: “Just hear me out.”
Ryan crosses her arms and props herself against the desk, skeptically but silently agreeing to listen.
M: “She came here to help, didn’t she? All on her own, and out of nowhere. And, she’s never really been a team sports kind of girl, especially now that she’s been by herself for a while. What if she’s just following a lead?”
S: “With no word, or signal, though? You turned away and she just disappeared? I don’t know, Mary.”
M: “You’re right. That’s not exactly what one might consider normal decorum, but we know Beth isn’t exactly normal. I think we should give her a chance…”
Ryan stares at Sophie to say ‘I told you so’ with her eyes.
L: “Okay…a lot of tension in here right now. Someone want to fill me in?”
R: “Alice stole a page out of the Crime Bible, and Mary thinks she snuck off to be helpful, and we should forget all of the times she’s ever conveniently and selfishly used us so that she could pursue some ulterior motive that typically had to do with her gaining power or ending up on an island somewhere. For all we know, she’s trying to sell that page to the highest bidder right now.”
M: “But why not just take the whole book, then? There’s got to be something more to it. You didn’t see her. It was like she cared about someone else for a change. She even asked about me and…my life.”
Mary compulsively looks in Luke’s direction but quickly refocuses.
L: “Ah. Well, I guess we can add that to our list of answers we need tonight. I just got off of a call with Cisco and Kara. We think we should keep the safe in The Fortress, since Supergirl also has her fair share of trophies stored there, and it’s harder but not impossible to get to, if needed. She was actually pretty familiar with the Religion of Crime.They were known around Metropolis for worshiping an alien named Apokalips, as some kind of new god, and practicing the so called ‘Dark Faith.’”
S: “So how does this track all the way back to Gotham?”
L: “Apparently that is one of 3 Bibles, and Renee Montoya must have gone through a lot to hunt it down. Kara didn’t know much about the Dark Faith’s activities in Gotham, so I think we’re going to have to stick with the plan of getting our answers from Sinclair Jr. But they were both glad for the tip. This looks like the break we’ve all been looking for, and honestly it makes more sense than Marquis masterminding a crossover. He’s not that damn smart.”
S: “Ryan, are you good with tabling the hunt for Alice until we track down Sinclair Jr.?”
Ryan drops her head, slowly shaking it, wanting to say no, but doesn’t respond aloud.
M: “Or, we can do both. Let me look for Beth. You two can focus on Sinclair’s son, and Luke can finish the safe.”
R: “I’m sorry Mary, but I don’t trust her. If you find her, you don’t know what you’re walking into.”
M: “No matter what, we both know she isn’t going to let anything happen to me, Ryan.”
Ryan’s shoulders drop, relenting. She does know that Alice cares about Mary, in whatever twisted way that she’s able to care about someone besides herself. And they really don’t have any more time to waste waiting around for this organization to surprise them with their next multi-city attack. It’s rare that they get the opportunity to get in front of something this big.
R: “Fine, but you’re not doing anything without access to backup. Soph, can you give her your panic watch? Mary, you’re also going to have Comms in, so that Batwing can assist if needed.”
M: “Deal.”
R: “And, Sophie, I think we’re going to need to try a different approach to get into the tunnels. We’ll have to leave the batmobile a mile or so away.”
Sophie puts her hand on the line launcher attached to her belt and nods to confirm her understanding.
R: “Alright, let’s do this.”
~~~~~
Sophie is driving again, and Ryan is quietly stewing.
S: “You good?”
Ryan glances over but doesn’t answer. She’s practicing thinking before she speaks.
S: “Okay, let me rephrase. Where’s your head right now? Odds are, we’re walking into another fight. I need to know you’re not going to run chest first into a bullet or go on a pumelling spree because you’re imagining it’s Alice’s face.”
Ryan sighs audibly, in a woosahh.
R: “You’re right. I’m good. I’ll be good, I promise.”
Ryan puts her hand on Sophie’s thigh as she drives.
R: “Thank you.”
S: “For what?”
R: “Being you. Hearing me. Understanding me. Centering me, the way you always have, and that only you can do.”
Sophie’s head dips a little, as she tries to shake off the blush. Every time Ryan catches her off guard with spontaneous appreciation, she feels those butterflies she had for the crush who was once her enemy and wasn’t ever supposed to ever become her lover.
R: “I haven’t forgotten.”
S: “What? The plan? I didn’t think you had. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t lose sight of it…”
R: “That you owe me a story. You said you fell for me before you knew I was Batwoman. I’m still waiting to hear it.”
S: “I’ll make you a deal.”
R: “I’m listening.”
S: “You take me to an island that isn’t covered in the Desert Rose, to do something other than fight for justice or our lives, and I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
R: “Is Commissioner Moore really going to take a vacation?”
S: “That’s Interim Commissioner, and hell yeah. But last I checked, Batwoman didn’t take nights off.”
R: “Hey, I’ve grown a lot recently. I can take a vacation.”
Sophie pulls into a secluded and lightless area, off the side of the road she was just driving on. After parking, she shifts entirely in her seat to face Ryan.
S: “So, we have a deal, then?”
Sophie’s hand stretches out toward Ryan.
R: “Guess I’m making all kinds of deals tonight.”
Ryan takes Sophie’s hand to shake it, and pulls her in close. Sophie glides her hands around Ryan’s waist, down to her hips, and Ryan reaches up to slide her hand around to the back of Sophie’s neck so she can kiss her girlfriend. For a moment, they lose themselves in each other, before diving into another battle against people who want to take them away from one another.
~~~~~
SJ: “A legacy… A fucking legacy, and here I am, being a lacky for some nut who hasn’t done the work or invested the time.”
Sinclair, Jr. is talking to a group of robed people, seemingly in the middle of some sort of monologue.
SJ: “I’m supposed to just give it all up, hand it to her, and call her ‘Mistress,’ because she’s been ‘chosen,’ when I’ve been watching my father and preparing for this my entire life. No, instead, they want to pluck a mental case out of Arkham, who’s been wandering the streets of Switzerland talking to herself, because of her organized crime resume. And sure, she had a good run, but she went soft. They had to brainwash her to get her to do what I’ve been ready to do all on my own!”
Sophie and Ryan are hiding on opposite sides of the room, in plain sight, using the shadows as cover, while they look on and listen to Sinclair, Jr.’s bitter tirade.
S: “Are you hearing all of this?”
R: “Sure am.”
S: “It can’t be a coincidence, can it?”
R: “...That the woman he’s describing sounds a lot like Alice? Have I ever told you I don’t really believe in coincidences?”
S: “Damn. She can’t catch a break.”
R: “Are you pitying her?”
S: “Come on, Ryan? How many times can someone have their head messed with? I’m not saying she isn’t dangerous, but Mary’s not wrong. So much of this has been done to her.”
Ryan sees the shadow in front of her shift, and she realizes she isn’t alone. She ducks down, and charges backward, knocking the monk looking worshiper behind her into a wall. He yells out in shock and pain, and their cover is blown.
Two more robed people run for her, and Sophie abandons her hiding place to distract the rest, so that they don’t all follow along and pursue Batwoman. Sinclair, Jr. seems enthusiastic about having company.
SJ: “Well, well. If it isn’t Batwoman and her BlackCat. I’m so honored! Of all the tunnels and covens in Gotham, you wandered into mine. Please, meet my friends!”
Sinclair, Jr. is unbothered by the injuries his ‘friends’ are sustaining, as the couple neutralizes them one by one. However, there seems to be an unlimited supply of army members that just keep showing up out of nowhere. And, these quiet but violent followers aren’t as untrained as the ones they fought before. Junior kept better protection close by.
Ryan gets a moment without an attacker and makes eye contact with the supposed legacy.
R: “We honestly didn’t come here to fight. We just want to talk.”
Sophie uses her whip to lift and toss a man into a couple of others headed her way. The juxtaposition of the act is poetically ironic.
R: “We can keep reducing your numbers, or you can call them off so we can do what we came for. And, I kinda get the feeling you have some stuff you want to get off of your chest.”
SJ: “Why would you want to talk to me, instead of trying to undo my operation.”
Another follower charges at Batwoman, and she elbows and then kicks him out of her way, barely stopping her long enough to break the rhythm of their conversation.
R: “Because it doesn’t sound like it’s your operation.”
SJ: “Ouch. That was harsh.”
R: “But isn’t it true?”
His eyes fall, and he throws his hands up. Those who were watching him stop in place, and the silence is so loud that it creates a domino, causing all of his remaining followers to stop moving too.
SJ: “So, an alliance is what you seek?”
S: “We don’t ally with criminal organizations.”
SJ: “Nevertheless, our battles can be saved for another day, because you’re right. While I should be in charge, I’m not the one you want. And while I just want to run my covens, and follow the teachings, the current leader has a bigger mission that causes tsunami sized ripples that I’m not particularly fond of.”
S: “So that’s the real reason they didn’t choose you? You didn’t share their goals?”
SJ: “Perhaps. And perhaps they lack foresight. Not every idea is a good one.”
R: “Agreed. So, who and what should we really be after?”
SJ: “Since you were listening, I’d think you already know. But maybe you need confirmation…”
Ryan and Sophie chance a glance at each other, and then look back to Sinclair’s son.
S: “Why don’t you just spit it out and drop the performance?”
SJ: “She’s a feisty one? I like her…Why, it’s the Wonderland Gang Leader, of course. Though, I believe she’s changed her hair and goes by another name, these days.”
R: “And what is she after?”
SJ: “The spear that travels the earth’s orbit, though which earth is unknown.The spear that tells all, and has the power to create world leaders or killers, and the strength to end the man of steel.”
S: “He sure is theatrical.”
SJ: “The Spear of Destiny, and you should have some respect, for when your local villain gets her hands on it, and gives it to the big boys, I shudder to think what will become of this world you lose sleep to try to save each night.”
R: “Anything else we need to know?”
SJ: “Just that I don’t trust a vigilante to keep a deal with an underground crime leader. And so, I bid you farewell.”
Without any other warning, all of the followers who were standing so still that they could hardly be breathing began charging at the two women. By the time there was no one left to fight, Sinclair, Jr. had been long gone.
~~~~~
It had been a couple of weeks since the Bat Team’s big break, and that had really been the last one. With everything they’d given up - so much time and attention to everything that commanded it - they’d quietly begun to reclaim any moments outside of work and war that they could, while continuing to educate themselves about the mysterious and seemingly ancient organization with lofty goals. Luke had built the Crime Bible safe, and Supergirl had paid them a quick visit to retrieve and store it, as they’d agreed. They would just have to add the missing page to the box, whenever or if ever it was found. And, each team had been slowly uncovering more and more information about the prevalence of the organization within their cities, which they shared in weekly updates. This wasn’t going to be something they solved overnight, but at least they had more of an idea about who and what they were after, or better, was after them. And now, they might be prepared for the next attack, which was bound to come sooner rather than later.
Unfortunately, they weren’t sure if they were any closer to finding Alice. Luke had begun working with Mary on the search - Ryan didn’t want to take it away from her, and she and Sophie really needed more time together, anyway. Luke had learned that there were thirteen covens in Gotham, and they were trying to narrow down where, if any of them, Alice might be hiding out.
L: “Hey, Mary, I think I’ve got something.”
Luke and Mary had been looking at separate screens, reviewing camera footage of traffic lights near the areas where they believed the covens were located. If Alice had come or gone from any of them, they were going to catch her doing it. It wasn’t glamorous work, but it was the best they had to work with.
M: “Show me!”
Mary scoots her chair as close as she can to Luke’s, so that they can both look onto the monitor. He feels suddenly engulfed in her lilac perfume, and can’t help but look down at her neck, where it seems to be coming from.
M: “What am I looking at?”
Luke clears his throat, and returns his attention to the monitors.
L: “I think that’s Alice. Her hair is really different, but look.”
He rewinds, so they can see the front of her as she walks passed the camera. Her style is similar, with lots of layers, a corset, and a skirt, but it’s also different - more punk than vintage, with darker hues. And hair is cut short and wavy, loose around her head instead of the typical straight bob she’d warn. She was also blonde again.
Mary places her hand on Luke’s leg in shock and excitement.
M: “You’re right! That’s definitely her! You did it!”
She quickly turns and hugs him. She doesn’t know what any of this means, but she’s closer to getting answers now. Luke slowly embraces her back, and inhales her scent.
L: “We did it. We make a good team.”
Mary pulls back, just enough to look him in the eyes.
M: “We do, don’t we?”
Luke only nods, and Mary smiles.
M: “I couldn’t have done any of this without you. I know I said I’d find her, but I can’t imagine trying to do all of this alone.”
L: “You wouldn’t have. I’m always going to be here for you, Mary.”
She thinks she believes that - knows it even. They’ve always been there for each other. Before Ryan, before Sophie, and when they weren’t sure if there’d ever be a Kate again, they had each other. No one knew Mary better, and no one understood Luke the way she did.
Seconds that feel like minutes pass with neither of them moving in one direction or another. They simply share space, until both of their phones vibrate simultaneously, and they already know it's their group chat with Sophie and Ryan.
R Cell: I’m ordering lunch. You guys want to come up and join me?
Ryan is working in her office, and she hasn’t seen Mary and Luke in hours. She thinks they deserve a break.
S Cell: I could use a break, too. Order me some of whatever you’re having, please, and I’ll be over there by the time it arrives.
M: “I should probably go. We don’t know how long she’ll be there, and I don’t want to miss her.”
Luke understands what she’s not saying. She wants to talk to Alice alone. She knows if they tell Ryan what they’ve found, there’s no way that’s happening. He doesn’t love the idea, either, but with her this close to him, looking in his eyes this way, he’s having a hard time not giving her anything she wants.
M: “I still have Sophie’s watch, and I’ll be on Comms. Just cover for me, please?”
L: “You better not die.”
She kisses him on the cheek in appreciation, jumps up, and leaves Luke laughing at her perkiness, even while it’s entirely possible she’s walking into danger. He’s really hoping she’s right about her sister. He grabs his phone and texts the group back.
L Cell: “Mary says she’s good. She needs to head back to the clinic for a bit, and I’m making some updates to the AI in my suit, so I’ll pass, too.”
He wants to put off looking in Ryan’s face after having just told her a bold faced lie for as long as he can. And he needs to stay on comms to listen for Mary. He really hopes this doesn’t blow up in both of their faces.
Since it’s just them, Ryan texts Sophie separately.
R Cell: Want to just meet at the loft? Eat cereal or whatever’s in the fridge?
S Cell: Yup!
~~~~~
S: “Honey, I’m home!”
Ryan is already in the bed, mostly undressed. She really likes her matching underwear, and thinks they deserve to be appreciated.
S: “So, we’re not eating? Can’t say I’m surprised, or even disappointed.”
R: “Oh, I’ve got something for you to eat.”
S: “Don’t I know it…”
Sophie shakes off her blazer, and starts shedding the rest of her clothes, to meet Ryan’s current attire. Then she climbs on top of the bed, and pulls her close.
R: “Welcome to the bed!”
S: “Happy to be here. We should do this more often.”
R: ”We definitely should. How’s your day been going?”
S: “Nope, no shop talk. This is a break.”
R: “I guess we can busy our mouths with other things.”
Ryan closes the gap and kisses Sophie. They start slow and soft, with feathery pecks, and eventually their breathing picks up, as their mouths open and they rub and grip at each other’s skin.
They finally seem to be in a rhythm: work, live, play, with work encompassing day and night jobs. It isn’t easy. They have to be intentional. They have to hold each other accountable. They have to talk. When they do that, though, they’re in sync, and there’s space for moments like this, where the world can fall away, and all of life’s demands are just background noise. What rings loudest is their heart beats. What’s most tangible is the touch of each other’s skin. What matters most, always, is that they have each other to hold onto and lift up.
Sophie breaks away, somewhat abruptly, as though it’s urgent that she does so.
S: “Wait.”
R: “What’s wrong?”
S: “Literally nothing. Everything is perfect right now.”
Ryan smiles, but waits like she’s asked.
S: “I’m breaking our deal.”
R: “What, why?”
S: “Because I don’t want to make you wait anymore. I’d rather tell you sooner than later.”
R: “So I just hadn’t kissed you good enough to get a yes until now? Is that what it is?”
S: “Maybe, or maybe it’s just that I don’t want to wait longer than I have to for anything when it comes to you anymore. Don’t you think we do enough waiting? When has there ever been time enough for us? We just figure it out and fit it all in. I kissed you in the middle of a war with Poison Ivy. You kissed me in the middle of a war with Marquis. I don’t want to be in the middle of a war when I tell you this story.”
R: “Fair enough. I’m all ears.”
S: “First, I’ve always cared about you, which might sound crazy when you think of our history, but how could I not? You’re beautiful, and fiery, and I didn’t always understand what was going on when we had our run-ins, but I never doubted you were good.”
Sophie touches Ryan’s chest, reaching for her heart.
S: “Every time I showed up unannounced to give you a hard time, I was also…trying to help. I knew you deserved better. You all say I thought you were a ‘common criminal.’ That’s not true. It might not have been my right to be that person, but I felt you just needed someone to have your back for a change. I know now that you’ve always been this somewhat reckless, self sacrificing person, which I love, but…”
R: “Some sacrifices are a lot to give…I get it.”
S: “I knew you were going to be trouble when you looked at me with those big doey eyes and convinced me to let you go undercover to track down Black Mask. That as much as I felt like you needed protecting, I also liked the idea of us working together, maybe a little more than should have. And, the way you smiled at me…you’d never done that before. You were different after that - we both were, I think, even though you still called me Crowphie for a while after that.”
Ryan laughs at her wittiness. She’s still pretty proud of that one.
S: “I just knew I needed to see that smile again. I couldn’t go back to the way things were. By the time I found out you were Batwoman, everything clicked, because, maybe I wasn’t that surprised she was you. Maybe it all actually made a lot more sense than you two not being the same person ever did. So, when I went to check on Mary about her dad, with that bottle of tequila-”
R: “The night Cluemaster tried to blow us up.”
S: “Right. I was definitely hoping you were there, and I was glad when you showed up.”
R: “Damn. Sophie Moore, flirting with the enemy from jump.”
S: “Ryan, you were never my enemy.”
Ryan rolls Sophie onto her back, and climbs on top of her.
R: “I’m really going to marry you one day, apparently sooner rather than later, as you said, because we’re not waiting longer than we have to anymore.”
S: “Correct, and you better. I’m a hot commodity, now that I’m the official commissioner.”
In the weeks that had passed, Sophie had proposed that Wayne and Jetirian come together to begin rebuilding the area that was damaged by her coordinates. The fact that Jada Jet was finally being held accountable for her son’s actions was enough for her to get the votes to no longer be the interim commissioner. In addition to finally feeling like she was doing more than fighting against the bureaucratic machine, knowing that the people impacted by that necessary but still awful decision were finally getting the help they needed was helping her sleep a little better at night, too.
R: “You know, I could never really picture it before…”
S: “Me as commissioner?”
R: “No, that seemed pretty obvious, actually. It really does suit you.”
Sophie kisses her, appreciating her support of something that honestly could have come between them. Their history with being on opposite sides of the law could have caused Ryan to doubt this decision, but she’d only ever been supportive.
R: “I’d never really pictured myself being a wife…Maybe because I’m not really the version of a wife you see on tv, or because I just had a hard time picturing anything too far in the future, at all. But, it’s different with you. I can see lots of potential futures, and they all include you. I’m excited to see which one we end up in, because I know it’ll be alright and even great, as long as you’re with me.”
S: “Babe…”
Sophie lifts her head, and kisses Ryan again. No one interrupts this time.
~~~~~
M: “Luke, I’m here. Do you copy?”
L: “I copy.”
M: “I’m headed in. I’ll let you know how it goes.”
L: “I’ll be on standby.”
Luke watches from the street camera where they saw Alice, as Mary enters the building.
A: “Hey sis! Long time no see!”
M: “Why do you sound like you’re not surprised to see me?”
A: “Because I’m not. Do you think I was unfindable for all of these days and just accidentally walked in front of a camera that was right in front of the building we’re now both standing in?”
M: “So you lured me here? Why?”
A: “Can’t a girl miss her baby sister?”
M: “What is going on with you? First, you show up acting like you care about us and want to help. Then you steal from us and disappear, and we hear that you’re the leader of this huge religious gang, and now I’m supposed to believe that you just want to what, catch up and hear about my day? I defended you!”
A: “I know. And the truth is…well, the truth is a long and complicated story, that I don’t really have time to tell you right now, because I did a lot to arrange this little meet cute, and if I’m gone for too long, it’s going to look fishy.”
M: “I feel like I’ve already heard a lot of the story, and I’m a quick study, so why don’t you at least try to tell me why I shouldn’t just call Ryan to come and get you right now?”
A: “Because I need you.”
That stops Mary short. A part of her is irate, because this is always how Alice, or Beth, traps her in her convoluted web. Mary can’t not help someone in need, especially someone who she’s grown to care about, regardless of how toxic and unstable their relationship is.
Alice approaches slowly, and closes the distance between Mary and her.
A: “I did go try to fix my brain, like I said I would. And I was doing a pretty good job for a while, even though the only company I had was the people talking in my head a lot of the time. But I’d managed to start telling the difference between what was real and what wasn’t, and to remember Beth. I liked Beth. Unfortunately, as I guess you’ve heard, I was captured, and more people have played around with my head. So, now, I’m this version of me, which is kind of an upgrade to the old Alice, if I do say so myself.”
M: “That doesn’t sound like you have a problem you want solved.”
Mary looks down at her watch, as though she’s annoyed, and wants to check the time, but really, her spidey senses have told her that it’s time to call for help.
A: “Oh, but I do. You see, little naggy Beth is still rattling around in there, and she reeeally wanted a relationship with her sister. I’m kind of bored of trying to get rid of her, because that hasn’t worked this far. So, instead, I’ve decided to try to shut her up.”
And, now, Mary knows she was right, and her heart begins to beat out of her chest. This wasn’t about Alice wanting to talk. It was a setup. She can barely speak above a whisper, but she knows she needs to keep Alice talking, so Luke has time to get to her.
M: “We can work on that. We can try out a few different meds, and see if they help to silence the voices.”
A: “Yeah, I’m done with meds, too. I like the clarity I have right now, and hers is the last little voice I need to extinguish. I think she and I have come to an agreement. I give her her sister, and she lets me do my job.”
M: “Beth if any part of you is still in there and strong enough to fight, I need you to, now. You don’t have to do this!”
A: “Here’s the thing, sis. Beth doesn’t want to fight, either. She’s tired. She’s been fighting for a really long time, and she just misses her family. So, unfortunately for you and fortunately for me, that’s not going to work.”
Just then, Alice places a needle into Mary’s neck. Mary’s face drops in defeat and disappointment, and then her eyes close. Alice catches her, and helps her to the ground. Then she notices her watch is not the typical smart watch, and she knows she’s out of time.
Luke flies through a window, into an empty room. He lands right where the coordinates took him, and finds the watch, alone on the ground. He’s too late. Mary and Alice are gone.