The Wayne Legacy: Knightmare
By BetterInTexas
Chapter 23:
O’Malley’s Bar, Gotham City
Blake placed his beer on the table by the pool table and lined up his shot. O’Malley’s was a well-known hangout for cops, a pool hall with several tables, darts, greasy food and cheap beer. He had come here tonight to relax, to hang with the guys from his precinct and shoot pool, watch baseball on one of the TV screens mounted on the walls.
Before he could take a shot, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. It wasn’t major, but Bruce had been working with him on expanding his awareness and noticing small things that might pass others by.
He stood up from the table and looked around, until he realized what it was.
“Blake, you gonna take your shot?” Perez asked.
Blake nodded towards one of the security cameras mounted on the walls. “You see that? The dot of light on the side of the camera lens was red. Now it’s blue.”
“So maybe the batteries are getting low. I don’t think anyone is going to rob a police bar.” Cash said, brushing it off.
“Those cameras haven’t moved all night. Now they are all sweeping the room. All twelve of them are sweeping the room and the lights have turned blue.” Blake told his friends, though he was really speaking to himself.
“The cameras bothering you that much? I can ask the manager of this fine establishment to turn them off.” Detective Martin Ruiz offered.
Blake shot him a look and frowned. “A few seconds ago those were security monitors watching over the place, positioned to cover the entire bar. Now they are moving. They aren’t just watching, they are scanning us.”
Cash shrugged. “Maybe the manager got bored and is checking out the women in the place.”
Blake sighed, deciding not to worry about the anomaly. He took his shot and then another, continuing to run the table. By the time he had sunk the nine ball, no one was watching him or bemoaning his win.
“Guys?” he asked. “Somebody owes me money and I don’t care who pays, as long as I collect.”
He followed his friends gaze to the front of the bar and saw two men in black suits and red ties, holding up their phones and sweeping the crowd.
“I guess we figured out what caused your camera problem, Blake. Wayne Security just walked in the door and is pulling a Big Brother on everyone. Bet they got facial recognition on everyone in this place.” Perez concluded. “They are scanning the customers the cameras couldn’t get an angle on.”
“Is that even legal for those guys to be taking our shots and Identifying us?” Cash complained.
Ruiz snorted. “Of course it is. You see signs all over this place saying you are being recorded?”
“By the owner.” Cash countered.
“Exactly! Who the hell do you think owns every bar and restaurant in this area?” Ruiz asked.
The four suspended their table activities, debating why Wayne Security would be here, much less using facial recognition software on everyone.
“Blake? Your BFF, Bruce Wayne, coming to slum it with us tonight?” Cash asked his friend.
Blake showed his hands. “I haven’t heard a thing. He doesn’t get security. He told me Diana wasn’t that worried about him. Something about not caring if he lived or died, but I think he was joking… maybe.”
Perez laughed. “Yeah and Diana Wayne only walks around with that short Japanese chick who carries a Samurai sword… which is pretty badass. Too bad the department won’t let us carry one of those.”
“You’d cut your hand off.” Blake told him. “Maybe it’s Samantha Arias.”
He had thought of Kara but there was no scenario he could see where Kara would visit a dive bar like this.
Cash shook his head. “You are all wrong. Only one Wayne warrants security arriving before she does and making sure no one dangerous is in the room. Fifty says it’s Kara Wayne.”
Blake snorted and looked around the place. It was dark, it smelled like spilt beer and smoke, despite being a non-smoking establishment. Again, he thought this was not the type of place Kara Wayne would show up in.
He almost took the bet until he saw two more Wayne Security personnel enter and take places on the opposite side of the room. Then John Diggle walked in, not looking happy at all.
Blake had spent more than a few sessions training with Bruce and Dig. He knew, even for a bodyguard, Dig had a fiercely protective streak over Kara, and her coming to a place like this, whether it was filled with cops or not, would not sit well with him.
“No way she is coming in alone. Babs has gotta be with her.” Ruiz decided.
As predicted, Kara Wayne walked in, with Barbara Gordon and a short-haired, thin brunette by her side. Blake thought he had seen her at Sam Arias’ party but couldn’t be sure.
Blake noticed Kara looked like hell. She usually looked so bright and full of life, even when she was yelling at him.
Tonight, she looked defeated.
Like her two friends, Kara was dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt. Her black shirt had a picture of Mulder and Scully from the X-Files with the words Don’t Trust Anyone underneath the portrait, nothing that caused her to stand out. As far as he could tell, she wore no makeup, her hair was hanging straight, no ponytail, bun or long waves.
It wasn’t her clothes or her appearance that caught his eye and made him feel a lump in his throat. She couldn’t see him or hadn’t noticed him, but he could see her eyes.
Blake always believed the eyes were the window to the soul. He could read a lot about a person by looking into their eyes. It had worked to identify Bruce Wayne as Batman.
Kara’s were the eyes of someone who was hurting. Something was very wrong.
“Hey, Blake… why don’t you take us over and introduce us to her? I’ve never met the Commissioner’s daughter either.” Perez suggested. “You are friends with them, right?”
Blake looked away from Kara and toward his friend. “I train Bruce Wayne. I see them in passing but I’m not exactly a high society guy. I’m more like the hired help and it pays the rent. That and taking you guys’ money in pool means I barely have to spend my paycheck.”
“C’mon, man. We can at least say hi, right?” Perez asked.
Blake shrugged. “Take your shot if you are brave enough. It seems to me like they are having a girls’ night. I do know Mr. Diggle very well and he doesn’t look happy. If you so much as look at Kara the wrong way, he will break you in half, cop or not… be careful. I’m staying here and taking on challengers.”
The officers moved off to the main bar to speak to some women who had come in, though heeding his advice and not approaching Kara or her friends, leaving Blake by himself. He had come tonight at Ruiz’s insistence, to hang with the guys and relax. Listening to the advances and flirtations of intoxicated females was not what he was looking for. He waved a waitress down and ordered a burger, deciding to practice by himself, since the table was empty, until the food arrived.
Across the room, at a corner table, three women sat with a bodyguard six feet to their left.
“What do you think, Kara? Your first pool hall. Pretty horrible, isn’t it?” Babs asked. “I love places like this.”
Alex looked around, not sure what possessed Babs to suggest bringing Kara here. Yes, the blonde needed to get out, but this was beyond strange.
When Barbara suggested taking Kara out on the town, then suggested a pool hall in front of Diana, she was sure Diana would dismiss the idea immediately. Not only was it an unscheduled security nightmare but this place was not hygienic… not even close.
When they were eighteen, they had talked Diana into letting Kara come to a club with them. Kara nearly died because of that. It was a time Alex would never forget, her own guilt at encouraging Kara to put herself in such a situation was something she never wanted to repeat.
Instead of denying her, Diana exchanged a look with John Diggle who rolled his eyes and sighed, taking out his phone to arrange a security detail.
None of what was happening made sense to her. Babs may have told Alex not to ask questions and respect Kara’s privacy but having it thrown in her face like this, given what happened last time, was making it impossible.
She knew her mother had given treatments to Kara that were cutting edge, and Alex knew not all were strictly legal. Since Kara was treated in Wayne Manor, no one in the medical field knew what was going on under the manor and did not ask.
If Alex didn’t know it was impossible, she would swear that Kara was cured by the way she and everyone around her now acted.
But it was impossible. SCIDS was not something that you were cured of… you were treated, but never cured. The simple fact that Kara had lived a somewhat normal life as long as she had, was a testament to her mother’s skill as a doctor and Kara’s will to live.
But now, Alex was perplexed at what she was observing as there was no scientific rationale to explain this new behavior. It was only out of respect for Kara and Diana that she hadn’t demanded an explanation that would satisfy her scientific mind and quiet her concern for her friend, but her patience was running thin in the face of such blatant disregard of Kara’s normal health protocols and safety.
Her train of thought was broken when Babs waved at a guy, standing at the bar, who smiled back at her.
“I’ve had my eye on that one, he’s hot.” Babs told the girls. “Gotta love cop bars.”
Alex snorted, pushing her concerns aside for the moment. “You think anyone here is going to take a chance on hooking up with the Commissioner’s daughter?”
Babs waved her concern off. “I’m hot and rich. I’m worth the risk.”
“So… you brought me here so you could hook up with a guy? Thanks a lot, Babs.” Kara told her sarcastically.
By this time, one of the managers had realized who had entered the establishment and was tending to their needs. He quickly brought out an iced down bucket of beer and Kara wasted no time in opening her first bottle.
“I brought you here to lighten up, sunshine. Look around you. Every one of these guys would do anything to have a shot with you. Life moves on, Kara.” Babs told her. “I’m going to say ‘hi’. I promise I will be back in five, ten minutes… or you two could come with me.”
“I’m good here.” Kara said morosely.
Alex and Kara watched her walk off greeting several people, being the social butterfly that she always had been. It was one of the things Kara admired about her.
“She is lucky I love her, because she really sucks as a friend. Do you have your flask?” Kara asked.
“Oh, hell no. You are not mixing whiskey with beer. You shouldn’t be drinking at all after that glass of Bourbon earlier today. I’m surprised Diana didn’t have a problem with you coming here.” Alex said.
Kara shrugged lazily, brushing off her concern. “She is nearby. I can feel her.”
Kara finished off her first beer and was opening her second.
“What do you mean you can feel her?” Alex asked, Kara’s statement confusing her.
“I meant that she texted me. She and Steve are nearby.” Kara replied hastily, taking a swig of her beer.
Alex took a deep breath and thought of asking Kara exactly how she could be in such a high-risk establishment considering her health issues. All things considered, she decided Babs’s advice wasn’t really worth anything right now.
“Kara, aren’t you scared of becoming sick…”
“I should have slept with him, right?” Kara asked suddenly. “I should have told him I loved him, and I should have slept with him. I should have stayed at his place. He was always intimidated by the manor. It’s my fault. You know he asked me to tell him I loved him, and I couldn’t. All I had to do was lie. I cared about him more than I’ve ever cared about a guy. Wasn’t that enough?
“I thought I would have a date for Valentine’s Day, for like the first time ever. Looks like it will be another lonely year, eating heart candy while the rest of the world celebrates a stupid holiday based on some romantic emotion I’m probably incapable of feeling.”
Alex sighed, realizing this wasn’t the time to question Kara on these matters. She and Babs were here for Kara tonight. She saw Babs was making her way back over with three cheeseburgers and a large basket of crisp fries.
“Okay, so, I’ve scouted around, and most guys want to approach you but are too scared, Kara.” Babs told her.
Kara raised an eyebrow. “Why would they be scared?”
Babs laughed. “Maybe because Dig is giving death glares to every guy who walks within ten feet of you and has his hand inside his coat where it is obvious his gun is holstered.”
Dig looked over at the trio, having heard Babs observation but did not seem apologetic, instead adopting a smug look.
Babs took the beer out of Kara’s hand. “You have had nothing but ice cream today. You are not drinking two beers before you eat this burger, sweetie.”
“All you have had is ice cream and you were drinking Bourbon.” Kara countered but began eating.
“I’m a pro.” Babs replied. “Eat and then you can drink. Just don’t get drunk. Diana would not like a photograph of Dig carrying you out to the car because you can’t walk.”
The three girls began eating their food with Babs and Alex explaining to Kara about the traditions of surviving a break up. There was more to this than Kara had suspected.
“Also the rebound guy.” Babs informed her. “Pick a guy, take him back to the manor and bang him.”
“Barbara!” Alex shouted, incensed.
“Like you’ve never done the rebound, Alex? Stacy Adams, senior year?” Barbara retorted.
“Don’t get started, Babs. You lead the league in rebounds.” Alex said in retaliation, then promised, “Kara is not going to pick some cop, take him to the manor and screw him!”
“Not as long as I am alive.” Dig interjected.
Alex was surprised he heard them. Their voices weren’t raised and though he was close, the bar wasn’t quiet.
Alex took a closer look at Kara’s watch and realized there was a tiny speaker on the side of it. He could hear everything Kara heard and said.
Alex scowled, then took Kara’s wrist and whistled sharply into it. Dig grabbed his ear in pain and pulled out his com, then returned Alex’s scowl.
“Privacy. It’s a thing.” She chastised him. “Girls’ night, remember?”
Dig narrowed his eyes at Alex then continued to watch the room.
“Hey, Dig!” Babs called to him. “If you are that concerned about her safety, you should make sure I’m not carrying any weapons. You can frisk me on the dance floor.”
“Oh, god.” Kara moaned, placing her head in her left hand, as she pulled another beer from the bucket with her right. “Please stop hitting on my Dig all the time. It’s weird. It’s almost as bad as when you were crushing on Bruce growing up.”
“He knows I do it because I love him.” Babs picked up Kara’s wrist and raised her watch to her face.
“Don’t you, Dig?!” she yelled into the watch, causing Dig to jump back once again and level Babs with a death glare.
Kara shook her head, obviously not happy. “He listens because I want him too. You try being the number one target of terrorists in the world and not want someone to be able to hear and know where you are at all times. Leave him alone and don’t talk into my watch. You have no idea the lengths that man will go to protect me. He would die for me so show him respect.”
“Come on, Kara, you can’t be comfortable with him hearing everything.” Babs argued.
“He knows when I need privacy. My life is in his hands. You think I keep secrets from him?” Kara asked irritated. “Didn’t you come here to meet a cop, Babs? Go find one.”
Babs was surprised by Kara’s sharp tone but shrugged it off. “Okay then. I’ll be back.”
“Take your time.” Kara called after her. She then looked at Alex. “Sorry, but I had to get rid of her for a while. She is being extra Babs tonight and I can only deal with so much on a good day.”
“No problem.” Alex told her. “I didn’t mean to screw with Dig like that. I just want you to loosen up and have fun. I get that it is scary being you sometimes. Just don’t forget to unwind.”
“Screw unwinding. I want to do what I always do when I feel like this.” Kara told her.
Alex sighed and reached over, rubbing her despondent friend’s back comfortingly. “You mean go to the south wing of the third floor, go up into the turret, then cry for days until Diana carries you back down?”
“It’s always worked before.” Kara offered as a reasonable explanation for that behavior.
Alex sat back and drank with her friend in silence, taking in the room. It was mostly a pool hall but had a small dance floor, a DJ, an area for darts, and a seating area for people to eat the greasy food Alex was already regretting.
From across the room, Babs caught her eye and pointed to the pool tables. Alex scanned the area to see if there were any open tables when she recognized him… Officer ‘Bad Dreams’, Alex thought, remembering Kara’s panic over seeing him at the last ball she had attended.
Alex looked back at Barbara, seeing her friend nodding and pointed to him again, mouthing to trust her.
“Let’s play pool.” Alex said abruptly.
“Great idea. We can go back to the manor.” Kara agreed, pushing her chair back and standing.
“I mean here, idiot.” Alex said fondly as she too got to her feet, taking Kara’s hand in hers. “You can even bring your beer. That’s the last one by the way.”
“Why?” Kara whined as they made their way to the pool tables.
Alex stopped and turned to her, her tone almost menacing. “Because I don’t give a damn how much of a breakthrough my mom made or how many new drugs or treatments you are taking… alcohol does not mix well with medication! You are still taking medication, right? You have been playing fast and loose with your health and if Diana suddenly doesn’t give a damn, I guess I will have to!”
Kara said nothing for a moment, then nodded. “Playing pool sounds like a good idea. Let’s go.”
Alex still had hold of Kara’s hand and moved quickly to the table ‘Officer Bad Dreams’ was at.
Kara still hadn’t noticed him as she was behind Alex.
“Hey, is this table open?” Alex asked.
Blake’s eyes widened, not having expected Kara and her friend to approach him. Kara looked as if she weren’t even present.
“Nine ball, ten dollar games.” He offered.
“Isn’t gambling illegal, Officer?” Alex asked, a sly grin on her face.
“It’s not gambling.” Blake replied, returning her grin. “Just a bit of trading cash among friends. I’m John Blake. You are?”
“Alex Danvers.”
“See? Now we are friends and can trade money back and forth all night.” Blake told her.
Alex jerked Kara up beside her. “You’re not trading money with me. My friend wants to play. I think you already know her, right?”
Kara’s eyes focused on who Alex was talking to and stilled when she saw John Blake.
“What are you doing here?” Kara asked.
“Playing pool.” Blake replied. “What are you doing here?”
Kara shrugged. “Just having a girl’s night… hanging with my girls… doing girl stuff, like everybody else does in the world… just being normal… normal Kara. I do this sometimes.”
“No, you don’t.” Blake answered, the smile on his face was one she usually caused him to have.
Kara looked around and admitted this was a first. Even the nightclub that had nearly killed her was fancier than this place.
“So, I’m trying something new.” She acknowledged. “Alex, you wanted to play… Alex?”
“Your friend just walked over to Gordon’s daughter. She said you wanted to play. You up for some nine ball?” Blake asked.
Kara shrugged. “Sure.”
“Great! Twenty a game. You can break.” Blake said.
Kara broke and ran the table, taking twenty off the table, quickly. Despite her impressive performance, the win didn’t excite her.
As she methodically ran the table, Blake studied her closely. “Okay, spill it already. You look like hell. I know you don’t have any dogs beside that wolf pack security uses, so nobody kicked your puppy. What’s wrong with you?”
Kara leaned on her pool stick and stated. “Tommy broke up with me. He left Gotham this afternoon.”
Blake winced, knowing the feeling. “Been there. Getting dumped sucks. Look, any guy that leaves you voluntarily is a nut job. I know you were into him but give it some time and it will get easier.”
Kara raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been there?”
“Everybody has.” Blake told her, then seeing the look on her face, asked, “You never been dumped before?”
Kara shook her head.
“No, I guess you wouldn’t.” Blake agreed after thinking on it further. “Something tells me you are the heartbreaker in most of your relationships.”
Kara didn’t say anything for a long moment before correcting him. “Tommy was my first real relationship. He was my first boyfriend. I’ve had a few dates, but they always turned into disappointments. Tommy was the first guy… it doesn’t matter. I screwed up. I took him for granted… why am I telling you this?”
Blake shrugged. “Not sure. This game is fifty.”
Blake broke and just like Kara before, ran the table.
Kara reached into her back pocket and realized she had no money. “I’ve got no cash. We will have to settle at the end of the night. You can pay me then. Surprisingly, this might be the most satisfying money I’ll ever make, and I’ve sold over two hundred jets to the military at a cost of ninety million each.”
“The irony of you not having cash is too great to even talk about.” Blake replied with a laugh, wanting to lighten her mood. “Look, I’m sorry you got your heart broken. It sucks. But I need you to focus. I don’t want your breakup used as an excuse for you losing a good portion of your hourly salary.”
“Rack em, Robin.” Kara replied, her eyes narrowing, but the hint of a smile on her lips.
“Prepare for this day to get worse, Bunny.”
The two played round after round, each clearing the tables and in a dead even heat. In the final game, Kara found herself in a poor place, no shot available. Her best option was placing the cue ball where he had no shot either.
She made her move and gave the table over to him.
“You had a shot.” Blake told her.
Kara disagreed. “I know everything there is about this game. Never screw with a mathematical genius in pool, poker or blackjack. I had no shot and now you have no shot. I’ll get the table back and win in three.”
“Hundred bucks.” Blake challenged.
“No problem.”
“Except you don’t have any cash on you.”
“I won’t need it.” Kara challenged.
Blake shook his head and smiled, then bent down to line up his shot. “I’m no mathematical genius, but there is something you probably don’t know, Wayne. Never challenge a street rat when money is on the line.”
Blake winked at her and struck the cue ball. Kara watched it strike the six ball, sending it careening over the table, until it sunk. The seven, eight and nine, were knocked out in successive order.
Kara dropped her head. “Nice. I think my day is complete now.”
Blake offered her a seat at one of the raised tables he had been seated at.
“Did you come here alone tonight?” Kara asked, her mood deflated again.
Blake shook his head. “Nope, I was hanging with some friends, but they decided to find future wives at this fine establishment and left me. I’m sure romance will bloom for them, and they will all be married with children in the next couple years and it all started tonight.”
Kara snorted at his sarcastic tone. “I feel your pain. Babs brought me here tonight because she wanted to hook up with some cop. By the way, how did your date go Saturday?”
“Date?” Blake asked, confused as to who she would be talking about.
“Yeah, Renee Bullock.” Kara remembered.
Blake winced having forgotten that. “Yeah, it didn’t work out so well. She was arrogant, bad tempered and had very poor personal hygiene. I’m going to leave dating behind for a while. Not really for me anyway.”
Kara was surprised by that. “Really? Don’t you want to find a future Missus Blake like your friends?”
Blake laughed and shook his head. “Marriage. Not in my cards. I can’t imagine having kids either. I can barely take care of myself. Besides, I got too much I want to do in life. Having a girlfriend who wants to settle down is the last thing I need.”
Kara was intrigued. “What things do you want to do? I would guess a badass action hero like you would make it to SWAT one day, maybe Detective in a few years, right?”
Seeing the genuine sincerity in her face, Blake decided he had nothing to lose by answering her truthfully. “I’ll be honest, I don’t tend to look to the future much. I try to stay in the now. I don’t actually know how long I’ll be a cop. I suppose until it stops feeling like I’m doing good anymore or something else calls me away. Maybe I’ll always be a cop but I’m not going to let this, or any job hold me back. I never got to see the world in the Marines. I saw plenty of the Middle East but not much else and there are a lot of places I would like to see.”
“Like where?” Kara asked, surprised by his words and thoughts.
Blake looked at her for a moment then shook his head. “It would probably sound crazy.”
“Try me.” Kara pressed.
“I’ve thought about trekking the Amazon Rainforest, finding some lost cities, maybe visiting Africa, check out some of Europe. Maybe I could work a season on a crab boat in Alaska.”
“You know how to work a crab boat?” Kara asked, sounding surprised.
“Don’t have a damn clue, but that’s what makes it so fun.” Blake replied with a smile. “I’d love to ride a camel through the Sahara. I want to go shark diving someday off the coast of Australia… stuff like that.
“I got this book at my apartment about traveling the world on a budget. It’s cheaper than you would think. The big cost is the plane tickets. Once you are there, you can’t live large, but I’ve never believed you needed to live large to live good.
“I love Gotham and want to live here but I wouldn’t mind taking some extended leaves of absences and just going. I dreamed about it as a kid. You get stuck in one place for so long, all you dream about is getting away. It’s not even about the destination, you know?”
Kara nodded. “It’s just about being able to go wherever you want, whenever you want. Even if you never do, it’s nice to know you can.”
Blake smiled widely. “You get it!”
“Believe me, I do.” Kara admitted, surprised by how similar their desires were. She supposed there was more to John Blake than a thrill seeker assisting a billionaire vigilante for kicks. “I’ve got so much I want to do. Speaking of lost cities in the Amazon, I think I’ve found a few on satellites and an underground room in Jerusalem I haven’t told anyone about.”
Blake’s eyes widened and he whistled lowly. “Wow. You could be the first person to walk those places in thousands of years. That’s living life in my opinion.
“So, what’s your next move? You gonna lay off romance for a while? Whatever you do, don’t grab one of these guys for a rebound. Something tells me Gordon’s daughter might be the type to suggest that.”
“Nope, I definitely don’t do rebounds.” Kara snorted. “You think I should call him? I told him to get out of my city today. He’s on the road. What if he gets in a car wreck because I pushed him to leave and it’s my fault?”
Blake shrugged. “Do what feels right.”
“What if I don’t know what feels right?”
Blake sighed. “I got no answers for you, Kara. I’m not an expert in relationships. Hell, I’m not much of an amateur. You want to talk traveling, playing pool or old muscle cars, I’m your guy. Everything else, I’m as lost as you are.”
“You think I’m lost?” she asked.
“I don’t know. Have you found yourself yet?”
Kara thought for a moment then shook her head.
“Me either. I guess we are both lost.” He replied with a smirk lighting his face. “It’s kind of fun though, right? Not knowing where you are going is better than having a road paved out. Who knows what you might discover? Yeah you might walk into disaster and fall off a cliff, but you also might find the most beautiful view you will ever see.”
“Here’s to being lost.” Kara said, offering her bottle to Blake for a toast.
“Here’s to being lost.” Blake agreed, bottles clinking to seal the toast.
Kara sighed and took another drink of her beer, seeing it was nearly empty. “I don’t know if I want to call him or even speak to him. I’m so mad at him. I think it’s my fault, but he did spring this on me. I walked to Carmen’s to see him, and he already had his bags packed. He had been avoiding me for days. We could have talked about it. Instead, he planned to spring it on me at the manor and leave immediately. What the hell is that all about?”
“Why do you think it was your fault?” he asked curiously.
Kara was quiet for a moment before she spoke. “I couldn’t love him like he deserved to be loved. I couldn’t make myself feel what I wanted to feel. Does that make sense? I must be so drunk talking to you about this.”
“You are looking a bit loopy but at least your eyes don’t look so dead anymore.” Blake told her. “Look, maybe it’s nobody’s fault. Maybe some things just aren’t meant to work out. You shouldn’t have to make yourself feel something. If it’s right, then you know it. It’s instinctual.”
Kara thought on that for a moment. “How come you are better at talking about this than my two best friends?”
Blake smirked. “I’m more than a badass action hero. I’m like an onion. I have many layers. I’ve been dumped a lot, but one time really hurt. I didn’t see it coming. This girl, Janene. Made black look like the prettiest color in the world. She even pulled off one of those eyebrow rings. I thought me and her were gonna be forever. She used to hang at the skate park near the boys’ home I lived in. She had the most beautiful face I had ever seen. I was convinced it would be me and her against the world for the rest of our lives.”
“Like Tommy and Gina?” Kara asked.
“Yes! Exactly like them! So, I find this ring at the park, beautiful fake diamond but who can really tell the difference?”
“Selina Kyle.” Kara answered immediately.
Blake nodded with a chuckle and continued. “So I’m going to tell her I love her. Sixteen and I had already found the one I was gonna spend the rest of my life with. How lucky was I, right? Some people wait their entire lives to find their soulmate and I already had.”
“What happened? Did you tell her you loved her?”
Blake shook his head and closed his eyes. “I found her banging a skater boy against a dumpster near the skate park. She yelled at me for interrupting them. You believe that? She cheated on me and when I catch her, she tells me to give her some privacy.”
Kara began laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes.
“Yeah, so that as my true love tale. We dated for three whole weeks. Best three weeks of my life.” Blake said, a small grin at having succeeded in getting her to laugh.
“That is so sad. Was she your last girlfriend?” Kara asked once she could speak again.
“Hell, no. I went to a bar and found a rebound girl. Got past it and moved on.” Blake grinned at her, and she began laughing again.
“You asshole. You are such a liar.” Kara said, trying to catch her breath.
“I got you to smile. It was worth it.” Blake told her, then sobered. “World’s not ending, Kara. It feels like it, but it isn’t. Can we be real with each other? We’re both orphans… we’ve both been through much worse than a breakup, haven’t we?”
Kara nodded, realizing he was right. “Yeah, we have.”
“We are survivors. We are the ones who carry on. People like us, we get knocked down, we pick ourselves up and keep moving. You take a punch, you get up and swing back or walk into another one, but we keep going.” He offered sincerely, then asked, “Now, you any good at darts?
Kara had no idea. “I’ve never played.”
“C’mon, I’ll teach you.”
“I’ve probably had too much to drink. I might hit someone with a dart.”
Blake shrugged. “You are Kara Wayne. So what if you hit someone with a dart? What the hell are they going to do about it? I’ll call us even on pool if you hit who I ask you to.”
“Considering I don’t have cash, I suppose that’s the only way out of debt. Lead the way. You can tell me how your car is running. After you and Bruce are finished playing one day, I’d like to check the transmission.”
The two walked through the crowd, people parting for them, none of them wanting to be the one to touch Kara Wayne and incur the wrath of her bodyguards.
At the bar, Blake’s friends were smiling. They had watched him and Kara play pool then sit and talk for over an hour. Cash had suspected John was tighter than he claimed with the whole family but there was something else going on here. Kara had not cracked a smile when she walked in, but Blake had improved her mood. His partner’s mood seemed lifted as well.
Blake wasn’t much for small talk or laughing. He had a tough life and wasn’t a happy-go-lucky guy. Watching him with Kara was like watching a guy he had never met.
Ruiz turned and raised a beer in Babs’ direction, winking at her.
Over at the corner table, Babs and Alex had also been watching Kara the entire time while Babs filled Alex in on what she knew of the man.
“I thought I was going to need to point him out to you to take her over.”
“We’ve been trying to cheer her up all day and he made her laugh so hard she cried. Apparently, this guy was the key.” Looking at her friend now and though she was certain of the answer, Alex asked, “You knew he was going to be here, didn’t you?”
Babs grinned slyly. “Detective Ruiz owed me a favor. I told him to get Blake here and if Kara arrived, to make sure he was alone and by the tables.
They watched Kara laughed when a dart hit above the board and the crowd cheered.
“So, she thinks this Blake guy is hot.” Alex said.
“He is.” Babs confirmed. “He’s also the reason Kara couldn’t love Tommy. Pretty sure Diana thinks so and I know it. One day she will realize it.”
Alex looked suspicious. “You don’t think she is going to hook up with him tonight, do you?”
Babs shook her head. “Nope, Kara isn’t that type of girl, and I’ve been in enough bars to know a guy’s type. Blake isn’t a player. He hasn’t looked at a woman since we walked in, and he hasn’t made a move… not a hand brushing hers, not even a shoulder bump, but you could tell he was into her. It will take a while, but they will figure it out.
“Look at Dig’s face… he knows, and he is loving this. Blake already has the Dig ‘seal of approval’ meaning he respects Kara, so no passes will be made.”
Alex considered what Babs was telling her, and finally relaxed, seeing Kara laughing again and knowing her friend was eventually going to be just fine.
Chez Vous Restaurant, Downtown Gotham
Emily walked into the restaurant, a Gotham City staple for decades, with a burning anger she could feel in her bones. Despite this, her outward appearance was that of a confident woman. She wore a long, black dress, the type she hoped to wear to her parents’ funeral one day. She had thought once she wouldn’t attend but decided she would, if only to make sure they were dead.
The call from her father had caught her by surprise, and she had nearly laughed and hung up, but it was so out of the blue, her curiosity got the better of her. She had not spoken to the man in over fifteen years.
She gave her name and followed the host to the back of the restaurant where her father sat.
“Hello, Edward.” Emily greeted the man. She sat down across from him and ordered a vodka tonic.
“Emily.”
The two sat in silence, taking each other in.
Emily finally had enough. “You called and asked me to meet you here. I thought after high school it was agreed we would all be better apart from one another so what do you want? Are you or mother dying? It would be too much to hope for both of you to be ill.”
“I want to know what you think you are doing working for Wayne Enterprises.” He answered. “I have taken you for many things in my life, including my greatest disappointment, but I never once considered you stupid… you look like her.”
Emily shrugged. “I agree, she is lovely. Thank you for noticing.”
“She looks like you, you both have genius level intellect. How long before she figures it out or worse, Diana Wayne figures out who you are?” Edward asked. “I know about the psychotic stalking you have done over the years, but this is taking it too far. What do you think you are going to accomplish?”
Emily sneered condescendingly. “Thomas Wayne has been dead for seventeen years and you are still terrified of him.”
“Thomas Wayne is not the problem.” Her father retorted. “Had he chosen his son to be his successor, Bruce Wayne would not be a problem. But I’ve met Diana Wayne… and I have heard the stories. She is more ruthless than Thomas Wayne ever dreamed of being. Twenty-eight-years-old and she terrifies businessman with triple her experience. Thomas Wayne and Lucius Fox taught her well. Do you have any idea what she will do to you, if she found out you left her baby sister on a sidewalk?”
“What she will do to me?” Emily laughed quietly, shaking her head before proceeding to flip his explanation on its head. “I tried to take care of Kara. You tried to sell her. I overheard you trying to sell her to one of your black-market cronies and ran with her. I only made it as far as a fire station before you caught up with me. I laid her down to fight you off, but you took me and left.
“You threatened me for years afterward with what you would do to her if I claimed her. You abused me mentally and physically my entire life. Of course, I was too frightened to go against you, being the powerful man that you are.”
Edward Parlow became pale. “That isn’t what happened. I tried to get her to a home that could take care of…”
Emily raised her hand, pointing at him threateningly. “You tried to sell her, that part is true, but it doesn’t matter what happened regardless. That is the story Diana Wayne is going to hear if she ever finds out about me. I think it would be in both our interests that she doesn’t find out.
“You are right, she is ruthless. She would end you. Me? She would probably try to run me out of town, but my daughter is very fond of me and has a soft heart. She would never let Diana ruin my life. Kara and I have become quite close. Once I explain what a monster you are, she will understand.”
Edward sat back and said nothing while the waiter brought their drinks.
“You are playing a very dangerous game, Emily.” He said, narrowing his eyes and staring at her intently. “Of course, I knew who Kara was. You gave birth to her, and we tried to arrange a legal adoption, but you were unhinged. You tried to kill yourself when you found out you were pregnant, and we had to keep you under guard at home. You took Kara and ran after she was born. When you returned, we questioned you for days, but you refused to speak. Then we heard that Thomas Wayne had adopted a child named Kara and believed it for the best that you stay far away.
“Do you see how this works, Emily? You aren’t the only one who can spin a story to favor you.
“For both our sakes, and to avoid any unpleasant conversations with the Waynes, I would suggest you resign immediately and move, perhaps across the country or overseas.”
Emily smirked at the man, greatly amused. “That’s not going to happen. No one would believe you. You don’t have the best reputation. Your old allies were corrupt. Most have been run out of town, are in prison or dead. Your finances are in decline, and you are in danger of losing your business. You are known as a cold person, an elitist who only looks out for himself. An elitist who has fallen on hard times. You have no friends. You have no one who would corroborate your story.
“Besides, your opinion no longer matters. You are meaningless. You are small and irrelevant. The great Edward Parlow is nothing now.”
“Unless I take the initiative to approach Diana Wayne myself and warn her of you.” Edward countered. “What if I explained, as a father, I did what I did to protect my daughter when I approached Falconè to bury a body for you when you were only fourteen?”
The smile left Emily’s face and her anger reared up again. The girl in question, a senior cheerleader, thought she could bully Emily, the freshman nerd. Emily finally had enough and one day, followed her home until the cheerleader rounded a corner where no one was watching. She hit the girl in the back of the head with a thick, fallen branch she had carried from the school, then picked up a loose brick from the ground and crushed her face until she was unrecognizable. Emily had dragged the body behind a dumpster and called her father.
Of course, no daughter of Edward Parlow could ever be involved in something like this, so he cleaned it up. He called Falconè and paid the man to take care of the body. Her father had cut a deal with Falconè to make the girl’s body and any investigation into her disappearance go away.
Emily never felt regret. The girl was a bully and had gotten what she deserved. As far as Emily was concerned, she would have grown up to be a bigger bully… just like Diana Wayne.
That was simply one more reason Kara needed her. Kara admitted she had a darkness inside her, something she no doubt gotten from Emily. Kara could burn the world if she wished. Kara needed her to teach her how to tame that darkness, not let it control her as it had controlled Emily for so long.
Emily had been sloppy in taking care of that bully, as sloppy as she had been when Kara’s father tried to talk her into an abortion. Luckily for her, but not so much for him, they had discussed this in a remote area and used separate cars. Emily had hidden the body herself without the need to incur a favor from her father.
“You would simply implicate yourself.” Emily told him. “My boyfriend, Harvey Dent, the District Attorney and the man soon to move in with me, already knows what a bastard you are. He would never believe you. The body was never found, and you would be implicated. We both know that won’t happen.
“So, do not make idle threats to me, Edward. I am no longer a child you can bully. If Diana Wayne becomes a problem, I’ll deal with her. You assume she is untouchable.”
“She is!” Edward said, more loudly than was prudent.
“Lower your voice.” Emily warned him. “Kara needs me. Thomas and Martha Wayne were good to her, but Diana keeps her on a very short leash. She has brainwashed Kara into obeying her every command. She controls her, uses her, watches her every move. I cannot and will not allow that to continue.
“I failed her as a baby because of you. You could have paid for her treatment, but you were too embarrassed by the both of us. I must make up for that mistake. I will set her free. She may never forgive me for leaving her, but I owe her that. I will be on my knees to beg for her forgiveness if I have to. I would do anything to be a part of her life, and no one will stop me. I’ve waited too long already.”
Emily laughed at the horrified look on his face.
“What could you possibly do? I doubt you will be able to kill Diana with a brick.” Edward asked, trying not to think of the dead girl’s caved in skull. Perhaps he should have let the law take Emily back then, kept it quiet, had her placed in a home for the criminally insane.
Instead, to protect his reputation, he had ignored one important fact that was now going to destroy him: his daughter was a killer. She was worse than a killer. She was a psychopath with no remorse, a genius intellect and an obsession with her daughter who she stalked for twenty-two years.
Emily’s expression turned somewhat thoughtful. “What I do about Kara and Diana is my concern. What I am wondering now is how much I need to move up my timeline. I came here to determine the risk of you doing something stupid, like opening your mouth and becoming involved.”
Edward felt a chill go through him, wondering if she were truly psychotic enough to attempt to take Diana Wayne’s life.
“Timeline?” He repeated warily.
“Yes, in regard to how long your life will be.” She leaned forward, eyes intent, voice low. “If you say anything about my identity in regard to Kara, you will see me much sooner than I’ve planned. You see when I kill you, and make no mistake, I will kill you, it will be slow and painful, and I will watch the life leave your eyes, while your wife watches… then I will kill her. How soon this happens is up to you, Edward.
“You know what I am capable of. Diana won’t be able to hurt me before I find you and your wife.”
“You truly are a monster.” He whispered, sweat breaking out on his brow.
“And you are my Doctor Frankenstein. I’m going to get back what’s mine… what has always been mine. Kara will love me.” Emily promised him with a smile. “Give Edith my regards and keep your mouth shut, or you will see me very soon.”
Emily rose from the table as the waiter returned to take orders, leaving a shell-shocked and frightened father behind.
Bella MacLeod's Twilight Fanfiction 
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