Second Chances: Batwoman

Chapter 12

Kate was currently sitting in her office, going over a few more details regarding her new branch of Wayne Enterprises when she heard her security guards trying to stop someone from entering and she immediately knew who it was.

"It's okay, I knew this was coming, let him in, but if he's not in the lobby after five minutes, then call GCPD to remove him." Kate said as her security let her father enter her office.

"Dad." Kate said, not batting an eye at the furious look on his face before she went back to her work.

"Kate, what the hell are you doing?" her father, Jacob Kane, asked her.

"Uh, I'm trying to do my job as the new CEO of Wayne Enterprises and I was serious about having the GCPD remove you if need be." Kate said.

"What I mean is why are you working for this company? You spent years training for military service." Jacob said.

"And what did I get for that commitment? I was booted from Point Rock for my sexuality and it also cost me the love of my life, though based on new information, I think I have you to blame for that." Kate said, finally looking up at her father, rage in her eyes.

"How did you find out?" Jacob asked, since he'd done everything he could to keep Kate from finding out about that.

"Sophie told me a few days ago when she finally came to apologize to me and she told me that you're the reason she ended up stabbing me in the back." Kate said coldly.

"Kate." Jacob said.

"No dad, I don't want to hear it from you. I have spent my whole life trying to make you proud, and yet it was never enough. And then you had to go and ruin the best thing I had in my life. But then again, ever since the accident, you were never dad of the year. Or least to me. You almost treated me the same way you do Batman. It's like you blame me for not saving mom and Beth from that or you blame me for surviving, just like how you blame Batman for not saving them either, when at least he and I both tried to help them. Which is more than you ever did." Kate said coldly, taking more pleasure than she should've at seeing her father flinch at those words.

"Don't go there with me Kate." Jacob said.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't. Tell me, why are you blaming me for something that wasn't my fault?" Kate asked.

"Kate." Jacob said.

"I'll tell you why. You blame everyone else for what happened because it's the only way to make you feel better about not doing anything? It's the only way you don't have to blame yourself. A father's duty is to protect his family and you failed spectacularly, since not only did you fail to save mom and Beth, but then, when I was a traumatized and grieving child, instead of being there for me, you shipped me off to military school before remarrying and acting like mom, Beth and I didn't even matter. The whole reason I tried to go into the military was because I was trying to make you proud, but now I realize that will never happen. You know why I chose to work with Bruce? It's because he was actually there for me when I needed someone. He understood my grief and tried to help me through it." Kate said angrily.

"Kate." Jacob said, trying to respond.

"No, I know you came here to tell me off for not endorsing the Crows or partnering with them like you were no doubt expecting me too, but honestly, you should be thanking me for not denouncing them as the hypocritical racist monsters they are, since they don't help Gotham, all they do is force your agenda on the city like you tried to do to me. They don't help the city, all they do is divide it between the one percent and the people who actually need the help. And you wonder why Gotham prefers the Bat over you." Kate said angrily.

"I thought we could work together to change that." Jacob said.

"What the hell makes you think I'd want anything to do with you and your organization and if you try to force your way into my company, I will disown you as my father and do everything I can to run the Crows into the ground. I just hope I can keep Mary from being programmed by your vendetta like you tried to do with me." Kate said angrily.

"Are you done?" Jacob asked after his daughter had finished her tirade.

"Yeah, I'm done with you. Get the hell out of my building and do not come back unless you have a signed warrant and you should know that I'm moving into Bruce's mansion since he's moving out and leaving the city." Kate said angrily.

"Kate, don't do this." Jacob said.

"I didn't do this dad, you did. Now you have to deal with the consequences for your actions. Maybe this will show you that you can't keep blaming everyone else for your problems, though I'm sure you'll find someone else to blame this on. You always do." Kate said as Wayne Security reentered her office.

"Please escort this man from the building and make sure security knows not to let him back in." Kate said and her security guards nodded, but Jacob, recognizing defeat, left with his own dignity, but her security still followed him out to make sure he left, so he didn't see Kate shed a few tears over her shattered relationship with her father, since while she thought she'd dealt with all her anger towards her dad in the old reality, but as she remembered how much worse her father had been in this reality, the angrier she got. And she also knew that until he realized that he couldn't blame the rest of the world for his problems, cutting ties with him was the only choice he'd left her. But she did hope that someday he'd see the error of his ways.

But right now, she knew she was in no headspace to continue doing her work, so after making sure her office was secure, Kate opened the elevator to the batcave so she could work out her anger down there.

Since I know at least one person will complain about how hard I was on Jacob Kane, I want to clear this up now. I have nothing against Commander Kane, I think he's a decent guy, but at the beginning, he had a complex and an ego that needed to be deflated and since he's not going to prison, I feel like estrangement from his daughter is a good alternative.