Homecoming (Complete)

Chapter Twenty-Four

"You've been following me for three days," Alex said as she squatted down beside Batman on the roof. A slight clenching of his fist was the only sign he gave that she had surprised him.

"I'd forgotten how quiet you can be," Batman rumbled. Alex waited. "Everyone is worried about you," he finally said.

"Everyone?" Alex snorted. "There isn't anyone left, Batman. Kate's married and in London, Dinah is off overseas somewhere with Diana, Babs is tied up with the Center, and the new one she's building on the other side of the city...," there was no emotion, no judgment in her voice. It was simply a statement of fact. She looked at him shrewdly. "Let's be honest. You don't trust me. You have no idea who or what I am right now and you don't trust me."

"What are you doing out here, Alex?" he asked quietly. "You've been home for two weeks. You spent the first few days in the hospital, a day moving back into your old place, a few more doing interviews, and since then you've hardly been seen. You've been out here running through the streets every night for a week, walking them every day." He looked at her. "I'm just curious what you're doing. Honestly." He looked back down at the street below them. "Barbara is worried about you. She said you haven't been answering her calls, and you never seem to be home when she comes around."

"So she sent you to check up on me?" Alex asked blandly.

"No," Batman said. "I've been worried about you too. You haven't returned any of Bruce Wayne's calls either."

"Huh," Alex grunted.

"So are you going to tell me what you're doing?" Batman finally asked after the silence had dragged on long enough that it was apparent Alex wasn't going to say anything else.

"Searching the city," she said. Again he waited for her to say more and then mentally sighed.

"Okay," he said. "May I assume you mean things have changed since you've been away and you're trying to get the lay of the land?"

"Away," Alex said. Again there was no emotion in her voice and he felt the hairs on his arms stand up. It was starting to become unnerving how disconnected she was. "You make it sound like I was on vacation." She stood up and started to walk away. He reached out to put a hand on her arm to stop her, and she had him on his knees, with his arm twisted nearly to the point of breaking, before he even registered that she'd moved.

"Don't," Alex hissed in his ear and he felt a chill at the barely contained rage in her voice.

"Alex!" he gasped. "I'm sorry. I wasn't...," he gritted his teeth as she twisted a little harder. "I shouldn't have tried to touch you. I'm sorry."

"Huh," Alex abruptly let go and he rubbed his arm. She started to walk away again.

"Babs is throwing you a welcome back party tomorrow night. She said she left you messages, but you haven't responded," he called after her. "Kate is flying in to see you." Alex's steps hesitated. "Will you be there?"

"Are you aware how weird it is that you switch between calling her 'Barbara' and 'Babs'?" Alex said softly as she disappeared into the shadows. "I think it's weird."

"Alex," he yelled. "Alex! We just want to help." There was nothing but silence. "Please," he whispered, knowing that he was only talking to himself. "You need to let someone help."

* * *

"She's strung so tight and barely aware of her surroundings right now, Barbara." Bruce was sitting across from Babs in the site office of the nearly finisheReadMemorialCommunityd 'Alex    Center' (she was going to have to re-think that name) the next morning. "I reached out to touch her and she had me incapacitated before I even knew she'd moved." He unconsciously rubbed his still sore arm. "I have no idea if she'll show up tonight."

"She was fine in the hospital—I mean other than the expected—malnourishment, dehydration, minor injuries. She made it through all those insipid, idiotic interviews that everyone in the city wanted so they could ooh and ah over her bravery and all that shit." Babs glared at him like it was all his fault. "And now she pulls away? I don't get it. What's going on Bruce? PTSD?"

"Likely. Among other things," Bruce said thoughtfully. "She was alone on that tiny island for two years. They're calling it PTSS these days—a syndrome rather than a disorder—but yeah, that's a good start. But I have a feeling all that time alone in her own head...," he looked at Babs. "You remember what she went through, what her life was like, what she did to survive?"

"She shut down. Turned off everything and focused on the moment," Babs shook her head. "Damn. I hadn't thought of that."

"Yeah," he said. "I think that maybe she tucked 'Alex' away somewhere in a corner of her mind to protect her. No emotions—feel nothing, think nothing—just focus on the here and now, and survive. It may take a while for her to find her way back."

Babs heaved a sad sigh. "I wish she'd let me help. As far as I can tell, she barely eats, almost never sleeps, and criss-crosses the city from one end to the other all day and all night." She looked at Bruce with tears in her eyes. "I know she's avoiding me, and I don't know what to do about it."

"I don't think she's avoiding you specifically, Babs," Bruce said gently. "I just don't think she knows how to be around people right now." He studied her for a moment before continuing. "She's not mad at you. You know that, right? Not at any of you."

"How could she not be, Bruce?" Babs demanded. "We left her to rot on that damn island for two years."

"Because it's not your fault," a quiet voice said. Babs and Bruce turned to see Alex standing in the doorway.

"You really like the stealthy approach, don't you?" Bruce smiled.

"Alex!" Babs exclaimed. Alex looked at her and smiled a smile that didn't carry up all the way to her eyes—those were guarded, distant, and, Babs thought with an internal shudder that she barely supressed, completely devoid of any discernable emotion.

"Last time I checked, yep," Alex quipped. Neither Bruce nor Babs had any clue which one of them she was responding to. Alex looked at Bruce. "I'm glad you're here. I want to apologize for last night. It seems I'm not housebroken yet." She grinned at him. Bruce thought it looked more like a wild animal baring its teeth, but he smiled back. She turned to Babs. "Bruce said you've been trying to get a hold of me, that you have a party planned for tonight," she visibly swallowed and added quietly "and that...that Kate...," she didn't finish the sentence.

"Alex...," Babs started.

"I just wanted to know when and where," Alex continued. She made eye contact with Babs, and Babs thought she saw real emotion there—just a hint—for the first time since Alex had walked in. "I'm sorry, Babs. I'm... I've been trying but... People are...hard to deal with right now," she took a shuddering breath and looked at Bruce, and he could see her disconnect again. "And you're right... Alex isn't here right now." Then in a quieter voice—almost sing-song, "Not really sure where I left her. She might have disintegrated with the plane. Dunno yet." She turned and walked out the door. Babs stared after her with tears rolling down her face.

"My place," Babs yelled, running to the door in time to see Alex disappearing around a corner. "Eight o'clock!" She yelled louder, not knowing if Alex had heard her or not.