Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction

The Wayne Legacy: Knightmare

By BetterInTexas

Chapter 05:

Gotham City Streets

Today was Robin Jonathan Blake’s first as an official police officer on duty, patrolling the streets of Gotham City, riding with his partner, Aaron Cash.

While this was the first shift Blake was working, Cash had been on the force for four years after joining the police academy straight out of high school. They had both grown up in Gotham City and were well acquainted with its streets.

Blake’s journey had not been an easy one. His mother had died when he was only three-years-old, and his father had been killed when he was seven. John was never given details of how his father was killed other than he was shot, but John overheard a social worker mention a drug deal gone wrong.

At seven-years-old, he entered the foster system and left the little boy he had been behind. It was then that Robin Blake decided to go by a shortened form of his middle name, John.

John Blake wasn’t allowed to be a seven-year-old. John didn’t cry, he didn’t get pushed around and he got close to no one.

John Blake was also very angry. He was angry at the world for taking his mother and at his father for being wrapped up in something that got him killed. He was angry at the different sets of foster parents who told him to talk about his grief then angrier as he got older when they told him to move on.

John eventually learned how to get by in the world. If you wanted to avoid the boy’s homes, the juvenile halls, the shrinks and the group therapy sessions, you took that anger, swallowed it and showed the world a big smile when you had to.

He managed to stick with one foster family long enough to graduate high school and took the one job that wouldn’t mind his anger. He became a Marine.

For the first time in his life, John found a place he felt he belonged. He found a family. He found something he excelled at.

He left for bootcamp the day he turned eighteen. At twenty, he was a member of Force Recon, the best the Marines had to offer. At twenty-three, he decided to return to Gotham rather than re-up. It was a difficult decision to leave those he considered family, but he felt a pull back to Gotham. While his life may have been hell, he never stopped loving that beautiful city. For better or worse, he always felt his destiny lay in the city full of old buildings, constant overcast skies and crime lords running the streets.

When he had left for the Corps, Gotham was in the hands of Falconè and a few other organized crime bosses. Death was easy to find on the streets. Diana Wayne had just become part of Wayne Enterprises, a stark reminder to Gotham citizens just how dangerous those streets were. If people like Thomas and Martha Wayne had been gunned down, what hope did the rest have?

John Blake wanted to be part of the solution. He wanted to fight for the city he loved. It may be a losing battle, but he had been fighting the odds his whole life. He had spent more time on the streets than in the group homes and foster homes he had been assigned. The streets were where he learned to take a punch and get back up to throw his own.

When he entered the police academy, John was surprised to find things had drastically changed in his time away. Parts of the city were much better. Other cadets talked about the absence of organized crime. Street crime had been greatly reduced and his classmates talked about the city with enthusiasm and hope, more than he thought he would walk into. John had prepared himself for a warzone but found a flourishing city instead.

Apparently, the daughter of Thomas and Martha Wayne had ridden in on a white horse and fixed many of the city’s major problems. The police department was the largest in the country and had the best equipment, vehicles, and facilities. Jim Gordon, known as an honest and hard-working cop, was now the Commissioner. When Gordon had taken the reins, Internal Affairs had been given an overhaul and every dirty cop that wasn’t arrested, quit and fled town before they could be.

Perhaps he wasn’t as needed as he thought, but he still felt good about his decision. It may not have been the warzone he had prepared himself for, but Gotham still needed its protectors, and he was beginning his career tonight as one of those protectors.

“How long were you in the Marines, Robin?” his partner asked.

“John. I don’t answer to Robin.” He said shortly. Robin was a name of a kid who John had let go long ago. Cash got the message.

“Sorry. I think I’ll go with Blake to avoid confusion. There are about a thousand Johns in the department. So how long?” Cash asked. He had not been crazy when his captain had told him he would be showing the ropes to a brand new rookie and wanted to know what this kid was capable of.

“Five years, Force Recon. Spent most of it in the desert.” Blake said, again keeping his answer brief.

Cash raised an eyebrow. “Force Recon, huh? So, you are a sneaky guy. Good to know. We are going to be doing some recon ourselves tonight along with several other units. Gordon wants us crawling on top of each other on the docks.

“We’ll also be clearing out the Arkham City area over the next few weeks. We’ll be doing some sweeps of the buildings near Arkham, getting squatters to move or taking them in if we find anything on them. The word has come down that Arkham Asylum is on its way out and we are going to make sure no one is caught in the crossfire.”

Blake wasn’t surprised. Gotham citizens had always considered the area around Arkham as one of the worst, only the Narrows was more dangerous. No decent person wanted to live near that monstrosity, but the asylum was a Gotham fixture, as much as a part of the city as Wayne Tower.

Still, he was puzzled by the assured tone of his new partner.

“What do you mean Arkham is on its way out? That place has been in Gotham for over a hundred years.” Blake pointed out.

Cash chuckled. “A lot changed since you been gone. You notice that we just drove through Crime Alley?”

“Yeah…”

“You see any crime?” Cash asked.

Seeing Blake shake his head, he nodded. “Exactly. Diana Wayne has been cleaning this city up one slum at a time. She tells the mayor what area she wants cleaned up, the mayor tells Gordon, and we carry out her orders. Diana wanted Crime Alley free of crime, so now it is. Citizens don’t even call it Crime Alley anymore. She has squeezed criminals off of every block in the city and they are all being pushed to the Narrows or Arkham City. I heard she wants Arkham gone so it will be gone, mark my words. Only place for criminals to run will be the Narrows and I wouldn’t be surprised if she had the whole United States Army raid that place.”

Blake continued looking out the window, understanding what Cash meant. When he first returned to Gotham, before entering the academy, he had walked the streets to refamiliarize himself with the city and noticed the changes immediately.

Gotham City was cleaner. It was safer. Families were walking on the sidewalks, visiting restaurants and theaters and not fearing for their lives.

“Diana Wayne tells the mayor what to do, huh?” He asked, extremely curious at that statement.

Cash shrugged his shoulders. “That’s the way it is. Nobody cares because she has made things a lot better than any politician is capable of doing. For instance, Ace Chemicals was shut down last year. The EPA came down on it hard and everyone knows she was behind it. She owns the land now and had the buildings taken apart and brought in a hazardous materials team to clean the entire area. Now we’ve got all these government factories coming in and it’s only going to get better. That’s a lot of jobs and Wayne pays good.

“Like I said, she owns this city. So if Diana Wayne wants Arkham gone, it’s going to be gone.”

Changing the subject, Cash asked, “You see that announcement about the new VP at Wayne?”

Blake shook his head. “Nah, don’t really pay attention to news about Wayne Enterprises. Business subjects go right over my head. I was lucky to pass algebra and government in high school.”

“You better start paying attention.” Cash told him. “The vests we are wearing, the radios we are using, the side arms we carry and even the bulletproof glass car we are in all come from Wayne Enterprises. What happens to that company has a direct effect on the force.

“I’ll keep it in mind the next time I read a paper.” Blake replied, greatly impressed even though he didn’t show it.

Cash liked what he had heard so far. This was a kid who grew up on the streets like him. A tough guy, made tougher by the military. He didn’t speak much, didn’t brag, had good instincts and probably had been in combat judging by his eyes constantly sweeping the area they were driving through. He was no bright-eyed optimist fresh out of the academy and his mother’s basement.

Before they could learn more about each other, a call went out to all units, indicating suspicious activity at the docks. The orders from Gordon had been to approach cautiously with no lights. The sex trafficking ring had been broken up but that didn’t mean the Russians would stop. There was big money in that market overseas, Gotham was still a destination for runaways and the docks were the largest on the East Coast. The Russians wouldn’t give up that easily.

“Be careful and watch everything. The last time there was suspicious activity on the docks it was fifteen Russian slavers with automatic weapons.” Cash told him.

Blake raised an eyebrow. “When was that?”

“Two months ago.”

Blake had been in the academy at the time. “I don’t remember hearing about a shoot-out at the academy. I read about the bust, but I assumed they gave up when they were caught. Fifteen guys with automatics? There had to be a shootout, right?”

Cash was quiet and wouldn’t look towards Blake. “Nobody knows what happened and we don’t really ask questions. I just know no cops got shot and they got arrests so let’s keep it that way tonight.”

The two pulled up to the docks and found another patrol car waiting at the main entrance.

“What’s going on?” Cash asked his fellow officer.

“A moving van was seen entering the docks. The harbor master was taken into custody immediately for questioning, but he swears he doesn’t know why a moving truck would be here.” The officer reported. “There are two units in there now searching for the van, but it’s slow going. A freighter unloaded earlier today… crates are everywhere.”

Cash nodded. “Where do you want us?”

“I’m staying here to make sure the truck doesn’t leave, another unit is on the way to back me up. Two units have taken the west side. We will be flooding the entire area with more manpower, but we need to concentrate our efforts in the east. If you could head in that direction, I’ll be sending more to you as they arrive. Be careful. It’s a damn maze in there.”

Cash and Blake began slowly driving through the lanes of crates. Most were positioned in a straight line however some blocked the passage, meaning tight turns had to be made.

After five minutes, despite the nearly pitch-black night and driving without headlights, Blake noticed movement, a shadow moving quickly behind a large container. Cash stopped the car and turned it off immediately, radioing to the other units a possible location for further investigation.

The two officers slipped out of the car, closed the doors gently and pulled their weapons.

Cash motioned for Blake to follow the possible shadow’s route while he pressed ahead.

Blake walked as quietly as possible, all his senses on high alert. The walkways were like a maze, and he was grateful there was no fog.

He stiffened when he heard whispering voices.

Staying hidden by a crate, he looked over and saw four men arguing. The back of the moving truck was open and despite the darkness, he could make out five males holding rifles and four females in the hold. He heard crying from the crate and knew other females were there as well.

The men were arguing about the police presence. Some wanted to abort and run away on foot, leaving the girls behind. The other two pointed out how angry the Bratva would be if there was another missed shipment, and their lives would be forfeit. They wanted to keep the girls in the crate and hope the crane operator for a freighter would put them on the right ship so the harbor master could send the container number to the Russians for pick up in Europe.

The ones arguing to let them go pointed out that without the right ship, they would be dead before they reached Europe and dead girls were no good.

Blake made a mental note to have the detained harbor master arrested once this was done and prayed the men would move those four girls in the moving truck to the crate to get them out of the line of fire. He watched silently as they continued to argue, however once they began speaking in Russian, he had no idea what they were saying.

Blake didn’t know if he should have been relieved or worried when he saw Cash and two other officers sneaking around the other side, taking position to take them down.

He caught his partner’s eyes and motioned with his hands not to approach, indicating the women were still vulnerable. Cash nodded, understanding.

To Blake’s relief, the final four girls were hauled roughly from the truck and thrown into the crate. The only problem was the crate was still open. Any shot fired in there would bounce wildly even if it didn’t strike a girl, guaranteeing someone would be hit.

Then a miracle happened. The crate closed seemingly under its own accord. The girls were protected inside.

Blake threw his small mag light towards the crate opposite him. The men looked up and aimed their weapons towards the noise.

The rookie officer stepped out of his hiding spot, gun raised and demanded the men set their weapons down. He didn’t expect them to, but it gave the officers behind them a chance to move in.

One raised his rifle towards Blake and the former Marine opened fire, striking the man fatally in the chest. The others turned toward the officers coming up behind them and quickly surrendered.

That was when hell broke loose. Other unknowns poured out between the crates, firing automatic rifles forcing the officers to take cover. Blake scanned the dark area and returned fire. While his fellow officers returned fire, he shot one in the head and another in the chest. He heard the sounds of running behind him and turned in time to see two of the men getting away.

The two officers he didn’t know took down the remaining men, and Blake waved at Cash to pursue. No one was getting off these docks tonight, unless they were in cuffs, an ambulance or a body bag.

The two split up on either side of a large crate and walked slowly, taking in the front and back and checking the top, as they moved.

When he reached the end, he heard a grunt and a body hitting the ground. He raced forward and saw Cash had hit the ground, a man standing over him, gun poised to fire.

Blake raised his gun quickly but before he could fire, a loud explosion rang out, practically in his ears. It was only when he hit the ground that he knew he had been shot. He turned his face and saw the gunmen had raised his weapon towards him at the noise but was now returning it to his partner who was still on the ground.

Blake nearly cried out when he thought Cash was done for, until something came out of the darkness from above, a shadowy figure, darker than the night, slamming the gunman into the steel crate and proceeded to strike him repeatedly until the thug dropped.

Blake rolled over and saw the man who had shot him in the back was now aiming his gun toward his head. He saw the finger squeezing the trigger in slow motion. Fortunately, the shot didn’t go off because some flying object came out of nowhere and struck the gun, knocking it out of the thug’s hand. Blake kicked up, shoving the man back but before he could rise, that same black figure that had saved Cash’s life tackled the man who had come close to ending his.

Blake slowly stood and saw a dark cape and a fist being raised over and over again. He heard the loud pop of a bone snapping and winced.

The caped figure in black turned towards Blake.

John Blake was speechless. The figure’s dress, what it had just done, the speed it moved, made him forget about the pain in his back. Was this a human or some kind of… he had no idea what he could be.

“Are you okay?” a gruff voice asked him. “I saw you take one in the back but couldn’t reach you in time.”

Blake took a moment to assess his body, finally feeling the incredible soreness and no small amount of pain while breathing. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first time he had been shot and he was as lucky this time as he was before.

“Yeah, my vest caught it though I’m gonna be sore as hell. Thanks for knocking that gun out.” Blake could now see the figure clearly enough to tell it was a human male. “I’m guessing you threw that thing… I’m sorry, who the hell are you?”

The masked man stared at him in silence.

“Yeah, I probably wouldn’t give my name either. Thanks, you know, for saving our lives. I’m guessing that was you that closed that door to the crate.”

The man nodded. “Good job waiting. I wasn’t sure if you would keep your cool.”

Blake shrugged. “I’ve been in combat before. Sometimes cool is all you have left.”

Blake heard the sounds of officers shouting for him and Cash. He also heard the sounds of sirens getting louder. “Something tells me you don’t want to hang around. Guess I will have to take credit for this myself, right?”

“It would be helpful.” The masked vigilante moved to leave then paused when the officer asked him to stop.

Blake walked closer and peered intently at the man’s masked face. “Even in the dark, I can see that look in your eyes. I get why you are out here. These streets took something from me too, but I still love them. I don’t know what they took from you but I’m glad you’re out there. I don’t like owing people so you ever need anything, give me a call. My name is John Blake.”

The vigilante nodded and disappeared into the shadows.

Blake let out a breath and handcuffed the man whose leg was lying in the wrong direction then moved towards Cash’s would be murderer. Cash was crawling on top of the thug and had his cuffs out.

“Glad you are okay, Blake. I thought we were both gone.”

Blake laughed lightly. “About that… if anybody asks, you took him out and I took my guy out.”

Cash raised an eyebrow. “You were shot in the back and the guy was standing over you. I remember seeing something… wait… you saw him, didn’t you? You saw the bat? He is real?”

Blake looked up as the other officers flooded the area. “Yeah and he doesn’t want publicity. He just saved both our asses, so we keep it quiet. You took this guy out and I took mine out, right?”

Cash nodded. “Yeah, I got it Blake. You know you killed two of those guys back there and the other is probably in critical condition if he is alive. Your first night and you are going to be doing paperwork for a month.”

The man groaned. “I’m gonna miss the Marine Corps.”

---

Wayne Manor

“So Sam said yes?” Tommy guessed, fairly confident given the woman and Diana had been inseparable all morning.

He was taking advantage of a day off by hanging out with Kara in the garage and handing her tools as she worked under the hood of a red 1972 Camaro that had seen better days.

“Diana always gets what she wants. You know that.” Kara told him. “Hand me the socket wrench, please.”

Tommy handed her a screwdriver.

Kara pulled back from the engine, careful not to bump her head on the raised hood.

“Really?”

“What?” Tommy asked.

“I said socket.”

“I didn’t give you… oh that’s a screwdriver. I knew that. Hold on.”

He handed her an adjustable wrench.

Kara closed her eyes and pulled away from the engine, placing the wrench in the toolbox and pulling out a socket.

“What was that one called, just for future reference?” Tommy asked.

Kara shook her head. “For future reference, I will get it myself. You stand there and look hot. It gives me motivation.”

Tommy figured he could do that. She was looking pretty hot herself in those jeans and that sleeveless shirt. “Speaking of motivation and looking hot, why don’t we hang out at my place tonight? Maybe you could stay the night.”

“I can’t.” Kara replied. “We need to stay here. If you want, you can just spend the night.”

Tommy hid a grimace. “I feel weird being here at night while Diana is here… in the next room with an adjoining door.”

Kara shrugged her shoulders. “So we can hang out in another room.”

Tommy nearly rolled his eyes but held back. “I thought you liked my place.”

“I love your place. But we can’t spend the night in your place. You don’t have enough room. Where is Dig supposed to sleep? It also means his team will have to be up all night and an additional team would need to be brought in to secure the area around the store. Wayne Manor is secure and doesn’t require other employees to change their patterns.

“Besides, I know Dig. Even if you put a cot for him downstairs he would never sleep. I told you when we started this, that dating me was going to be a challenge.” Kara reminded him.

Tommy rubbed her shoulders. “Sorry. I forget sometimes. I didn’t think about Dig. I was just thinking about us, maybe getting away from the manor for a night… like all night.

“I know Diana is planning that large suite upstairs for her and Steve but when they are in the room right next to you, with an adjoining door, it can be kind of weird. I know it is asking a lot, but maybe we could ask Dig if he wouldn’t mind sleeping in one Saturday… he could guard the store and maybe we could stay at my place the Friday before?”

“No, Tommy. If you don’t feel comfortable, I can ask Diana and Steve to go out and give us time alone. If you want to go out to eat, I can ask Dig to secure a place and we can do that.” Kara said, not really having any desire to put anyone out.

Tommy sighed, knowing she was right and hating it. “I’m good hanging out here. My place is kind of cramped and it wouldn’t be easy to secure.

“I have to say, it is cool owning my own place. For a long time, I never thought I would live any place my father didn’t own.”

“I bet it is cool.” Kara said absently, pulling away from the engine and retrieving a rolling bench. Grabbing a set of wrenches, she rolled herself under the car.

“What about you? Do you ever think about owning your own place some day?” he asked, as casually as possible. He could see the two of them sharing an apartment, living in their own domestic bliss, rather than the stately, yet intimidating, Wayne Manor.

Kara stopped what she was doing, rolled herself out from under the car, and looked at him strangely. “I do own my own place… Wayne Manor. Despite my adopted status, I am a Wayne. I love everything about my home and will never live anywhere else.

“My family is here. Diana and Steve are here, Alfred is here, Dig is here. Maybe one day, Bruce will decide what is important in life and come home. Why would I ever leave? Where is this coming from?”

Tommy raised his hands. “Just making conversation, I didn’t mean to offend.”

“Do you not like seeing me here?” she asked defensively.

“I love seeing you anywhere I can, I promise. I was just wondering if you ever gave any thought to the future, where you might see yourself in five years, that kind of thing. I never did but I assume you have, because you are a lot smarter than me.” Tommy said, trying to deescalate the annoyed look he could see growing on her face. “I guess I’m thinking more about the future since I met you and wondered if you did the same.”

That seemed to appease Kara slightly. “The next five years, huh? Personally, I plan to take advantage of all life has to offer, to see the world, to race in 5Ks and one day, a marathon… maybe even a triathlon. I want to climb mountains and explore ancient cities, cycle in Europe.

“I also want to solve world hunger, continue to guide the world towards clean energy, and make weapons that will make this country unconquerable. I hope to one day start our own line of hybrid cars and make the first race car that runs completely on electricity. I have a lot of plans for new technologies the world has never dreamed of.

“Hopefully, I’ll be Aunt Kara in less than five years and have nephews and nieces to dote on.

“I want to do more than I could possibly fit into five years, but I’m going to do as much as I can.”

Inwardly, Tommy sighed. Leave it to Kara to have lofty goals and leave no doubt that she would accomplish them. Solve world hunger? Sure, give me a week. Climb mountains, explore ancient cities? Just a typical weekend.

She still wasn’t answering the question he most wanted to know. With as much nonchalance as he could muster, he asked, “What about… other things? You ever think about marriage, or kids, that kind of thing?”

Kara stared for a split second, then started laughing, shaking her head. “Tommy, I won’t be twenty-two for another two months. Marriage and children are the last thing on my mind.

“You are the first boyfriend I have had in my life. I can barely take care of myself, much less a family. The world needs change and exploration and I plan to do both.”

Tommy would be lying if he said the conversation hadn’t been a big disappointment. He had been hoping to hear Kara talk about their future, not remind him that she would never leave this place, that he was only her first boyfriend, that she had lofty goals and none of them involved marriage or children.

He hoped that she would one day consider venturing out of Wayne Manor and Diana’s very large and protective shadow.

He should have known better. No matter how much he would like for the two of them to run off together, that was his dream, not hers.

He always considered her the more mature one, given who she was, so it was easy to forget her youth. She wasn’t ready to settle down, she was ready to spread her wings and try new things, experience what life had to offer now that her health was improved and she finally could.

Tommy had years of a carefree lifestyle with multiple lovers. While he could never see Kara doing that, she had no real experience with relationships. He was her first.

First loves weren’t always last loves and that shook him greatly.

Diana pulled Tommy out of his melancholy when she walked in happily, a skip in her step.

“Tommy, I missed you at breakfast this morning, so I expect my compliment now.” She told him playfully. She was in a very good mood, and it took him back. Diana wasn’t much of a morning person on weekends.

“Didi, what’s up?” Kara asked, sitting up on the rolling bench.

“I didn’t read this until you had left the table. Check it out.”

Kara took the pad from Diana and her eyes widened as she read the headline.

Gotham P.D. stops human smuggling ring. Shoot out on docks leads to rescue of ten girls.

Kara looked at Diana curiously. “You aren’t furious this happened again?”

“I didn’t expect them to give up that easily. However, our police force responded in a timely fashion, saved the girls and showed that no one gets away with anything like this on our docks.” Diana responded happily, hands on her hips. “Two of the Russians were killed, a few were seriously wounded. Our officers survived and will be decorated for their professionalism and bravery under fire.

“A message needed to be sent by the Gotham P.D. and it was. We didn’t need the feds to come in and clean it up. Gotham City did it on its own and we will keep protecting this city. That’s the message.”

Kara smiled, reading the rest of the article. Gotham P.D. had come through.

Then she read about officer John Blake who killed two of the perpetrators but was also shot in the back.

“I see you got to the part where your vest saved the life of an officer.” Diana told her proudly, recognizing the look on Kara’s face. “It was an armor piercing round, but it couldn’t break your material. Once again, you saved a life.”

“I need to find out the employee identification number on the vest.” Kara said, pleased as well, reaching up to grasp Diana’s hand to pull her up.

“I already have. Frederick Douglas has been contacted and told to prepare for pick up. Dig is getting a detail ready.” Diana told her. “Officer Blake is still in the hospital. He had swelling in his back from the impact, and they are holding him until it goes down. He took bullet at nearly point blank range. Your team did good work as always, Kara, but the weave and new Kevlar were your designs and polymer. My hero has saved another life. I’m so proud of you, sweetie.”

Kara’s face was all aglow at her sister’s praise and her smile lit up the cavernous garage. “Thanks, Diana.”

“I’m only speaking the truth.” Diana remarked. “Now, to save you some time, I’ve picked out a dress for you. I think with the recent breakthrough in your health, you can visit him in the hospital. Would you like me to come along?”

“Nah, I’ve got this.” Kara said after a moment, then turned to her boyfriend. “Tommy, why don’t you hang out and wait for me. I’ll only be gone for a couple hours.

“The factory that makes those vests is located in East Gotham. Each one is handmade and given a unique identification number by its maker. We like for the employee to meet the officer and see the real world impact their work has, including the life it saved.”

Tommy thought that was a wonderful idea. He also had a better idea than hanging out here. “All right, but since your entourage is going to be assembled, why don’t you stop by the store afterward? I can check to make sure everything is going well and then we can head to the zoo or the park? Maybe the amusement park would be fun?”

Kara nodded. “Sounds great. I’ll talk to Dig and see what can be arranged on short notice.”

An hour later, Kara, Fred Douglas and Dig pulled up to Wayne Memorial Hospital. Kara was wearing a dark blue business dress and had left her hair down, letting its natural waves flow freely. She had placed her contacts in, wanting to look her best.

She also had no intention of Tommy taking her to an amusement park or the zoo. Rain was in the forecast, but she thought a nice, cozy dinner in his loft would be nice before she returned to the manor. Perhaps it would appease his sudden dislike of her home and room. Diana had been nothing but kind to him recently. Perhaps he wanted to have sex and was uncomfortable with Diana so close which is why he brought up her and Steve. He had no idea that it didn’t matter where they were in the house, Diana would hear, which made her uncomfortable, so it wouldn’t be happening.

Diana’s acute hearing aside, sex was something she had given a lot of thought to lately. She was attracted to Tommy, and he had not pushed her for anything she wasn’t willing to give. But her sexual experience so far had been over the course of one weekend, and she treated the experience more like a science experiment than an intimate one. Though she didn’t regret it, she had told herself the next time she took that step, it would only be with someone she absolutely loved. She thought Tommy might be that person, but something was holding her back.

She pulled herself from those thoughts, knowing now wasn’t the time to dwell on them as they entered the hospital. As usual, Kara attracted attention, not only by her entourage but by her presence alone.

Kara Wayne never came to the hospital. Every medical professional knew she was treated exclusively by Eliza Danvers at Wayne Manor and hospitals were simply too dangerous for her to be in.

She was taken straight to the room she requested by the Chief of Staff who had been notified beforehand of her visit.

Kara knocked on the door and was told to come in. She opened the door and saw Officer John Blake for the first time, standing by the bed, wearing jeans with no shirt. Her mouth dropped, as she stood stunned, taking him in.

“I’m sorry, I thought you might be a nurse wanting to check my back one more time before I was released.

“I’m John Blake.” The handsome officer introduced himself, offering her his hand to shake.

“I have a boyfriend.” Kara blurted out, then shook her head, eyes wide and panicked. “Not that you care because obviously you don’t. I have no idea why I said that. Sometimes I don’t say the right thing. I just, wow, you look like you are doing well… how is your back?”

Blake gave her a smile, his hand continuing to reach out to her. “How about we start with your name?”

Kara reached out and grasped his hand, noting the strength of his grip, though he held her hand gently. “Kara… Kara Wayne. This is my friend, Dig, and this is Frederick Douglas. “

John nodded at the two men and put on his shirt. “How can I help you… wait, Kara Wayne? Like Wayne Enterprises? That Kara Wayne?”

Kara nodded quickly. “Yep… yes, that’s me. I’m Kara. Kara Wayne, that Kara Wayne.”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “And this is Frederick Douglas. Fred made the vest you wore last night. Whenever possible, I like for our craftsmen to meet the heroes whose use our products every day.”

John raised an eyebrow and moved forward, offering his hand to Fred who took it with a smile. “Fred, your work saved my ass last night. I got hit in the back from three feet away with an armor piercing round. Best case scenario, I should be paralyzed. Worst case and I’m in the morgue. You made one hell of a vest.

“I have heard Gotham P.D. has the best Kevlar in the world and that Wayne Enterprises made it and provides it to the department. I never wanted to test it out but I’m really glad it lived up to the hype.”

“It’s an honor, Officer Blake. Thank you for the job you do.” Fred told him proudly.

“Honor is mine, Fred. You ever get by the fifty-first precent, I work the mid-shift. I’d be glad to buy you dinner or a few beers after shift, introduce you to the people who can get you out of parking tickets.”

“I might take you up on that if the wife allows me.” Fred laughed and nodded. “I’m just glad you are okay.”

A final handshake and a proud Fred Douglas walked out.

“Hey, you think I could have a moment of your time, alone?” Blake asked Kara.

Kara turned to Dig who nodded.

“Door stays open, and she remains in my sight.” He told the officer and Blake understood.

“Uh, how can I help you, because I will…” Kara shook her head and sighed. “Anyway, what did you want?”

Blake lowered his voice. “I heard that Wayne Enterprises is a big backer of the police department but does your company help out in other ways? Ways that involve… highly skilled people not known to the general public?”

Kara was confused. “I don’t understand.”

Blake could tell he was off base by the look on her face. Kara Wayne’s face was an open book. A beautiful, open book he would love to read but was most definitely out of his league. She didn’t show the slightest hint of recognition.

“Never mind. Let’s just say I had a devil looking out for me last night. I probably imagined the whole thing.” He said. “It was nice to meet you, Kara Wayne. I’m not sure if we will ever see each other again but if we don’t, meeting you has been an experience. You and your people do good work. I know the men and women at the precinct appreciate you.”

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Officer Blake. I hope we do again… uh, meet again, I mean. Not that we would. I’m usually busy with work or my… boyfriend! Yep, his name is Tommy… uh… anyway I hope we do… meet again? Good-bye!”

Kara practically raced out, walking so quickly even Dig was having a difficult time keeping up. When they reached the car, neither said a word until Fred had been dropped off.

“So, John Blake was an interesting guy.” Dig said, prodding her where he was sure she didn’t want to go.

“I’m not attracted to him!” Kara snapped.

Dig coughed to hide his laughter, but it didn’t fool Kara.

“Let’s go to Bruce’s mafia lair.” She said, irritated.

“Bruce?” Dig asked, genuinely puzzled.

Kara nodded. “I need to check his suit for bullet holes.”

When they reached the house, Kara didn’t bother to knock. She entered the security code then used a hairpin to pick the manual lock Bruce had added.

“He would probably give you a key.” Dig suggested.

“It’s more fun this way.” She told him, satisfaction in her voice as the door unlocked. “I used to pick the lock to his room to borrow his remote control cars.”

Bruce was waiting for her in the kitchen and offered her a beer.

“A beer?” It was early in the day and Bruce had never offered her alcohol.

“Diana can’t get upset anymore and I thought you may be here to yell at me about something.” Bruce replied. “A beer could relax you… take the edge off.”

“I’m not here to yell at you but I won’t turn this down.” Kara took the open, cold beverage, taking a drink, enjoying the flavor of the dark lager. “I just visited Officer John Blake. He asked me a strange and rather purposely vague question, then said he must have imagined that he had a devil looking out for him. I need to check your suit for bullet holes.”

Bruce showed a bit of worry. “I thought you said the armor was bulletproof.”

Kara rolled her eyes. “It is but once it has been shot, it may need reinforcement. Were you shot anywhere last night?”

Bruce shook his head. “Perfectly safe. I only became involved when I had to.”

“Like saving his life.” Kara said as she took a seat.

Bruce nodded. “He and his partner were separated from the herd and jumped. I didn’t have a choice.”

Kara sat back and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she took a long drink of her beer and smiled at her brother.

“I hate that you were there.” She stated bluntly.

Bruce opened his mouth, but Kara stopped him.

“But I am also glad you were.” She followed up, her tone a bit softer. “So are those police officers. You did good, Bruce. They are alive because of you.”

Bruce said nothing but he felt a pull in his chest. It was the first time Kara had ever complimented him on his new role. He wanted to hug her but wouldn’t push it. She sounded sincere and was looking at him with pride.

How long had it been since she looked at him the same way she looked at Diana? He couldn’t remember, wasn’t sure she ever had and that made him want to cry, but he held it together.

“Let’s go to the batshit cave, so I can check your suit.” Kara told him.

“I thought the suit was a onetime thing. You didn’t want to be involved.” Bruce reminded her.

“I’m not involved. I just want to make sure you didn’t screw up my tech. Show me to the suit. Did you have any problems with the camera?” She asked.

“Alfred told me I had a slight glitch. I tapped the side of my head and it cleared up.”

Dig snorted, following them to the library. “I would have loved to have seen that.”

While Kara and Bruce were checking over the suit, Dig sent a text to Diana saying Green, meaning for her not to panic when he called.

She answered his call a few seconds later. “What’s going on?”

“We’re at Bruce’s. He was involved with the bust last night, saved a couple of cops’ lives.” Dig told her. “Kara said she wanted to make sure his suit wasn’t damaged, but I think she really wanted to make sure he wasn’t damaged.”

“I’m not surprised he was involved. Does he look okay?” Diana asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

“He looks fine.” Dig reported, then shifted the subject to why he wanted to call her. “Hey, the cop we just visited, John Blake, what do you know about him?”

“I haven’t looked yet, other than knowing last night was his first night on the job.” She replied.

“Hell of a way to start a career.” Dig muttered. “Are we still having that welcome party for Sam Saturday?”

“Yes… why?”

“Invite this Blake kid. I promise you, watching Kara with Tommy while Blake is there is going to be entertaining as hell.” Dig told her.

“Oh… it was that bad?” The concern was back in her voice.

“He was standing shirtless when we walked in and she forgot how to speak, then babbled randomly for the remainder of the time.” Dig plainly stated, unable to hide the humor in his tone. “She could use some practice getting that under control.”

Diana held back a laugh, understanding the situation perfectly. “In that case, how can I resist. I’ll invite all the officers involved so it doesn’t appear we are singling him out.

“Steve and I are taking Sam and Ruby out tonight so we might be late. Try to talk her into going to sleep before eleven.”

“No problem, Diana. You know I got this.”

“Dig, you have no idea how much of my stress you relieve. Take care, friend.”

Dig hung up the phone and looked over at the brother and sister.

Though both were examining the suit and avoiding looking at each other, he saw a connection. Things were continuing to get better.

Now if he could get Kara to speak like an adult around a guy she thought was hot, he could consider this week a success.

He also wanted payback for that Speedo prank.