The Bat & The Witch {1}

<Chapter 12: Together>

(Time Skip)

Laia's POV

I woke up to a room. It was the same room I was in before when Bruce brought me here. I sat up and got out of bed. I walked out of the room and down the hall to the living room. Bruce was sleeping on the couch. I smiled. I walked over and sat down next to his feet. He was sleeping in a t-shirt, pants and socks. I chuckled. I saw his facial expression became worried, like he was having a bad dream. I reached out and shook him gently.

"Bruce." I said. No answer. "Bruce." He slowly opened his eyes and looked at me. He groaned, sitting up.

"Laia?" He asked.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"What time is it?" He asked.

"9 in the morning." I said. "So, what happened? Did we win?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" He asked.

"Screaming." I said.

"Well, um...Clark's uh..." He started. He sighed. "Clark's dead." What? "Doomsday killed Clark as Clark killed Doomsday." A tear rolled down my face.

"I did this." I said.

"No, no." He said.

"I did." I said. "If I didn't help Lex, this would have never happened! God, I'm so stupid!" I started crying.

"Laia, stop." He said, putting his hand under my chin. "Look at me." I looked at him. "It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself. If you wanna blame anyone, blame me. I had so much hate for Clark that I didn't see who the real monster was."

"No." I said, standing up. "That's not fair! You can't blame yourself for this! I was the one who helped Lex!"

"Yeah, well, I was the one who tried to kill Clark in the first place!" He said, standing up.

"But you had reasons!" I said. "I didn't! I just thought that Lex was my family, that I had to support him, but I was wrong! So, it's my fault!"

"No, it's not!" He said. "You tried to help Clark before I decided to! So, it's mine!"

"No!" I said.

"Yes!" He said. I sighed.

"This is going nowhere." I said. "We can't help it but blame ourselves."

"So, how about we don't?" He suggested. "We'll blame Lex. He is responsible for starting all this. He's going to jail today. They're gonna shave his head and send him off."

"Good." I said. "I'm gonna go." I started walking. 

"What?" He asked, following behind me. "Wait. Laia, where are you going?"

"To see Lex." I said.

"What, no!" He said. He grabbed my arm, stopping me.

"Bruce." I said.

"No." He said. "Laia, he was gonna kill you after he was done with Project Witch."

"I know." I said.

"So, why are you going to see him?" He asked, letting go of my arm and crossing his arms over his chest.

"To prove to myself that they caught the right monster." I said.

"Laia—"

"I need to see him, Bruce." I said. "...It's the only way I can move on." He nodded.

"Okay." He said. "But I'm coming with you." 

(Time Skip)

I was behind the glass, waiting to see Lex bald. Bruce didn't come in the room, because Lex would recognize him and tell everyone about Bruce being Batman. So, I told him to stay outside while I did this. So, I was alone. The guard pulled the towel off Lex's head. He slowly looked up and locked eyes with me. He stared at me with a blank look. I just gave him the same expression back. The guards came over and pulled him up out of his chair. He stared at me as they walked him out of the room. When he left, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

(Time Skip)

I was stand beside Bruce as we watched Lois kneel down by Clark's grave. I felt bad. She shouldn't have to be burying her lover. If anything, we should be burying the monster who killed Clark. Clark should be alive. Diana walked up and stood beside us.

"All those circuses back east burying an empty box." Bruce said.

"They don't know how to honor him, except as a soldier." Diana said.

"I've failed him in life." Bruce said. "I won't fail him in death." Bruce looked at Diana and I. "Help me find the others like you two."

"Perhaps they don't want to be found." Diana said.

"They will." He said. "And they'll fight. We have to stand together." Diana sighed.

"100 years ago, I walked away from mankind." She said. "From a century of horrors. Man made a world where standing together is impossible."

"Men are still good." Bruce said. "We fight. We kill. We betray one another. But we can rebuild. We can do better. We will. We have to."

"The others like us." Diana said. "Why did you say they'll have to fight?" Bruce glanced at us before looking back at the graves.

"Just a feeling." He said. Diana walked away. "So, where will you go now, Laia?"

"I don't know." I said. "Lex owned everything I had. So, I have nowhere to go."

"Well, I was hoping, maybe, you'd stay with me." He said. I turned to him. "What do you think?" I nodded.

"Yes." I said. He held his hand out to me. I took it and held it between my two hands. "So, how are we gonna do this, Bruce Wayne?"

"I don't know, Laia Vaher." He said. "Together, I guess." I nodded.

"It's better than doing it alone." I said. He chuckled.