Petrichor [J.T.]

Chapter 13 - 51%

Maybe going back to the manor would be in Sam's best interest. She could go there and lock herself in her room, throw her technology against a wall and call it all good enough. No temptation to turn back around, no temptation to pick up the phones and hit redial, and demand it's a mistake and she takes it all back. It would be easier to go to the manor and tell Gar what happened because maybe Gar would tell her it was the wrong decision and none of them can give up on Jason. But, none of this has been easy so she doesn't go to the manor. Instead, she goes back to the Excellent Gotham, going up to the roof through the back where the crime unit doesn't see her.

She ditches her phones and her necklace on the roof, figuring all of it will be safe for an hour. She hides everything under the radiator unit before she heads back down and back to her bike. Then she drives to the one person who will not be so understanding of this entire mess but deserves an answer. And deserves to know what's going on, just in case.

"Hey." Molly greets, standing in her doorway.

Her hand rests on the doorframe, blocking Sam from inside while she wears a sowl. Sam looks to her feet and then back to Molly, knowing this is going to be difficult. She's thinking her own guilt might fall into the air and suffocate her like carbon monoxide poisoning. Maybe that'd be less painful.

"I need to talk to you." Sam states softly, tugging her sleeves over her blood-stained hands.

Molly scoffs, shaking her head as she keeps her hand on the door. It's unbelievable. She knows Jason dying was horrible. It's worse that Sam had to be the one to find him mangled and bloody. But, Molly cleaned his blood out of her suit and off of her hands. She cleaned his blood off of the bathroom floor that night all by herself. It was Molly that got Sam into bed with tear-stained cheeks and the smell of iron radiating off of her. It was Molly that had to take care of Sam instead of grieving for her friend. Molly didn't see what Sam did but she didn't have to because the blood across the entire bathroom and Sam's traumatized demeanor told her everything and it was fucking traumatizing for her, too. Molly still tried to be there for Sam and Sam does what she always does. She runs away from everything that hurts. That left Molly alone to deal with the loss of one of her best friends. Alone.

"You've been ignoring me for a week and now you want to talk?" Molly spits back. "I lost—"

"It's about Jason." Sam cuts her off because she knows she's been a shitty friend. She knows. Molly hesitates, her eyes narrowing as she shakes her head. "You can yell at me all you want and you can slam the door in my face but I bet you didn't replace your locks so I can just break in anyway."

"Seriously?" Molly asks, unamused.

Sam shrugs softly, sucking in a deep breath. "It's important. I know, alright?" Sam gestures her arms out. "Just...let me fucking--"

"Is that blood?" Molly asks, seeing Sam's hands.

Sam looks down, blood staining her hands yet again. Her hands are shaking and she didn't even realize it. When did they start shaking? Have they been shaking the whole time? When did the blood dry anyway? It feels chalky on her hands and it makes her grimace, shaking her head quickly.

"Uh...yeah." Sam nods and she sees Molly's face soften. Sam swears she doesn't deserve sympathy. "It's not mine. It is why I'm here though." Sam says softly. "Not Jason's either, to clarify."

Molly raises a brow at the last remark, knowing it can't be Jason's on account of him being dead. But, she's watching Sam shift her weight on her heels and her hands shake at her sides. Molly might be mad but she is also intrigued with what this could have to do with Jason and at the end of the day, she is worried about Sam. She knows Sam's body count is up to four but she knows Sam would say it's five. And that's always concerning. So, she lets out a sigh and moves her hand, stepping aside so Sam can enter the apartment.