The Many Loves of Batman

Secrets of the Past (Katherine Kane, aka Batwoman)

She sighed, walking slowly towards the place that she knew where he would be. She still remembers the repercussions of her actions, the hate she was now receiving from the family that had taken her in. Even her own cousin, who she was looking for right now, did not want to talk to her. She knew that her actions would have consequences, she was more than ready to deal with them. But never would she have expected this sort of treatment towards her. Especially the rift that she created with Cassandra Cain, someone that she cared for deeply.

It was the sole reason as to why she was walking straight towards their headquarters, her cowl in her hand as she let her face be shown to those around her. Thankfully, the place was relatively closed off to others. Only the members of their family, the Gotham Knights or more commonly known to the media as the Bat-Family, were able to access this place. She took a single step towards where she knew he would be, but stopped as soon as she noticed the cold hard glare that was given to her by her cousin.

"Bruce-"

"You are not welcome here, Kane" She flinched hard, her eyes dropping to the ground. She knew that her actions had been judged by those she held close. But she would do it once more, her thoughts going once more to that fateful night. She stills remembers the moment when Cassandra removed the symbol that united them as family from her chest, the moment when the red bat symbol was ripped from her. She would never admit it, but it made her feel vulnerable; the same feeling she had when she was saved from those thugs years ago by Bruce. "Leave"

"I'm sorry..." She whispered, fist trembling in grief. She already went against her father to protect those she held close to her heart, those who deserved her love and care. But in an act of desperation, she damaged something that was meant to symbolize something far greater. It had been too late, unable to change her actions. "I know that what I did was not something that you all would accept... Not something that Cass would accept" She kept talking, not moving a single step from where she was. She could slightly see her cousin in front of her, but she knew that he was not looking at her. It hurt so much, her heart ached at the mere thought of losing those she cared for. It had given her time to think things clearly, and she did so for far too long. "But I did it for my family... I did it for you..."

The silence around the place only made her tense slightly. She could guess just how her cousin could have reacted to her words. If it got him to stop doing whatever he was doing, then she could guess that he would be reacting to her words soon. She breathed in, trying to calm herself down a bit. She needed to let out her feelings, to finally be true with herself. She had ignored those feelings she felt for far too long, ignoring it because of the sole connection that she had with the man across from her. She still remembers them, feeling she had for her very own cousin. She used her other relationships as distraction, distraction that had slightly worked from the moment that she found out that Bruce was her cousin until this day. But she couldn't hide it any longer.

"I didn't want to lose any of you... You all mean the world to me..." She was trying to be honest with her feelings. Explaining for once her actions during the events of that fateful day, of the day that she lost everything. She tried to control the slight tremble that her hands were making. "Just thinking that he could kill one of you... I didn't want to lose anyone" She brought her eyes up, her eyes slightly widening seeing that her cousin was looking directly at her. She was only able to get lost in the deepness of his eyes, remembering the time when she was in love with him and when she was unaware that the two of them were family. "I already lost my father because I chose you, Bruce... I don't want to be alone..."

"You should have trusted in us" She nodded slowly, her mind already reaching the same conclusion. She knew that the Knights were strong enough to handle any enemy that may stand in their way. But fear is a strong weapon, and she was unable to control it. Yet as time passed, she slowly began to notice that he was looking at her with different eyes. Care was all she could see, and it was the cataclysm that made her realize that she could not keep on hiding behind lies.

"I do... I'm so sorry, Bruce..." She came in contact with him, her arms snaking towards his back. She missed this, the only moment that she ever hugged her cousin was the same day that the two of them found out that they were family. She felt the warmth coursing through all of her body, warmth that she has not felt in a long time. She wanted to tell him, to finally end the misery that consumed her long ago. "Bruce... I..."

She stopped lamenting herself, the lie had stretched for far too long. She could not continue hiding her love for him by being in other relationships with her same sex. So, without wasting another second; she closed the distance between the two. Her lips softly touched his own, her mind remembering moments when the two of them were together. Moments when she did not know that he was a part of her family. She separated herself from him, an almost invisible string being the last connection the two of them had.

"I'm sorry... I couldn't forget you... Couldn't forget us..." She just cried in his chest, tears staining the armor that her cousin was currently wearing. Being close to him again was something she never expected to happen ever again. But here she was, the two of them enjoying the hug that she had started. She had fixed and improved her relationship with Bruce, but she still needed to fix her relationship with the other members of the Knights. She hoped that it would be easier than the nerve-wreck that she felt as she tried to explain her feelings. Because she doesn't think she would be able to do everything one more time.