Homecoming (Complete)

Chapter Ten

Alex sat down in the lawn chair she had set up on the roof a week ago and flipped open her laptop to go over the day's progress reports and supplies lists. Renovations, repairs, and additions to the center were moving along rapidly. The Olympic size pool and diving facilities would be ready to be filled with water in a couple weeks, the various gyms and classrooms were finally getting walls, and her residence on the top floor was just waiting for some cabinetry, the spiral staircase, and the last of the cleanup and painting. She mused a bit on what a vast quantity of money and an offer of a healthy bonus for finishing on time could achieve.

She had hunted down the best in the city—contractors, engineers, inspectors, suppliers—to make sure no corners were cut, and that the work would be done fast, efficient, and properly. From all accounts this project was being completed at the fastest pace anyone had ever seen in the city. Or at least the fastest legitimate and proper construction anyway.

Alex's eyes drifted down from the spreadsheet to the time on the bottom right of the screen—12:15 am. Last chance Kate, she thought. Today was day seven of sitting on the roof at night waiting—hoping—that Kate would swing by. The probabilities said seven days—seven days to process the information; seven days come talk to her, or to come kick her ass; seven days to cool down, or ramp up.

"Aren't you freezing your ass off up here? You haven't worn a jacket once this whole week while you've been sitting up here," a terse voice said behind Alex.

"I don't feel temperatures the same way most people do," Alex responded, closing the laptop and setting it aside. She stood up and turned slowly to face Batwoman. "Hello Kate," she said under her breath.

They stood and stared at one another for a few moments and then Kate reached up and pulled back her mask. "I guess I don't need this."

"No."

Again silence.

"You used me," Kate finally said slowly, deliberately.

"Yes," Alex nodded.

"You fucking used me, and you lied to me!" Kate spat with heat this time.

"Yes," Alex agreed quietly.

"Is that all you have to say? 'Yes'?" Kate growled.

"There isn't much else I can say, Kate. I'm sorry. I truly am. I don't know if that is something you can hear or accept from me," Alex said, standing very still, not wanting to do anything that would make Kate leave. "I could try to make excuses, try to explain. Hell, I could manipulate my way out of this. I'm sure Bruce told you that I'm good at that—manipulating people. But I won't. I can't do that to you," she paused and took a slow breath. "Did he give you the drive?" she asked quietly.

"I didn't want it," Kate spat, "but yes, he gave it to me."

Alex nodded into the silence and waited, not knowing what else to say. Finally Kate turned and walked toward the edge of the roof and Alex took a panicked step forward, thinking she was leaving, but Kate stopped and said quietly, almost too quiet for Alex to hear, "Is it true? What they did to you? What happened? The...abuse? The things...murders...they made you do? Was all that true?"

"Yes. All of it," Alex said quietly.

"God...," Kate murmered—there was a hitch in her voice. "I'm not sure I'm ready to forgive you...I'm not sure I can...," she turned to face Alex. "I need more time to think this through. I just wanted...I needed to see you, and tell you that I'm sorry for what happened to you as a child. That I understand your motivations, and what you thought you were potentially up against. I think.... What I'm struggling with the most is that you didn't tell me yourself. You sent me to Bruce." Kate turned to go.

"Wait! Please. I... Kate...," Alex hesitated. Kate paused on the edge of the roof—waiting but not turning around.

"I tried to tell you a thousand times in my mind—I went over it and over it," Alex said hurriedly, "but the bottom line is...I was trained to manipulate people, to manipulate their emotions, their feelings—to sway them to believe anything I told them, anything I needed them to believe. I went over it and over it, but I couldn't be sure that I wouldn't do that to you, that I wouldn't try to influence your thoughts. I didn't want to do that to you. You're important to me. I haven't had a...a friend...in a really long time. Not a real one. I...I wanted you to have the truth—the complete, unabridged, unedited, un-whitewashed truth. I wanted...," she swallowed and tried to get her rapid heartbeat under control. "I knew the only chance I had of ever coming out the other side of this with your friendship, with even a remote possibility that you would ever speak to me again, was to give you the truth, and the only way I was positive that would happen was if it came from someone other than me. I gave Bruce nothing but facts on that drive—no emotion, no color, none of the language I would normally use to lead someone in a direction I want them to feel or think or believe." She watched Kate's back muscles twitch. "I... Kate, I never lied about... My emotions, reactions, our conversations...that was truthful and real. I swear." Alex lifted her hand toward Kate's back and took a step forward.

"I...," Kate shook her head. Alex gently touched her shoulder and felt some of the tension ease. "I have to go," Kate murmured as she pulled her mask up. "You've given me a lot to think about—a lot to be angry about—and I'm having a hard time separating my anger at you from my anger for you at the moment. I need some time, Alex." She took two quick steps and jumped off the edge of the roof and into the night.

As Alex watched her swing out of sight she lifted her hand to her cheek to wipe tears away. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and punched in some numbers.

"Hello? Bruce? I'm sorry to call so late but I was hoping you would still be up. I just wanted to let you know that I'm heading out of town for a few weeks. I'm leaving in couple hours." She paused to listen for a moment. "Thank you. I'll keep in touch, but it may be spotty at best. I'm heading overseas to go see if I can find Beth. I think I'm done burning bridges—it's time to start building some." She paused to listen. "Yes. She just left. Sadly I can't predict if there's any chance of ever repairing that particular bridge. If I stay there's a strong likelihood that I'll push too hard and the damn thing will crumble instead." She paused to listen again. "Thank you, Bruce. I'll be in touch as often as I can."