milliways_bar | (no subject)

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Barbara rolls into the bar, and automatically looks around.

She spots a young blond woman behind the bar's massive length.

She swallows. And heads straight for the ladies' restroom where she looks around to make sure no one's there before taking a deep breath, leaning her head down into her lap, and beginning to laugh. And laugh and laugh. Until she starts crying in relief, the tears streaming down her cheeks almost unnoticed as she throws her head back.

"YES!"

[You're welcome to catch her if you're, you know, in the ladies'.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I know how it started," Babs answers softly. "There isn't much that people can keep hidden from me. Not if it's in a computer."

Steph looks at the floor. Fascinating tiles.

"I wouldn't have rescued me. I didn't even save Orpheus. I didn't save anyone."

Barbara reaches out and lays a hand silently on Steph's shoulder.

Steph will not break down.

She hasn't talked to anyone about this. Not even the therapists. They didn't know who she was, what she'd done. alked about the torture, sure. Not about why it happened. Not about what Steph did.

Still, bathrooms are the place for emotional discussions. Everyone knows that.

She swallows fiercely. "What happened in Gotham? After I - after?"

"It survived," Barbara says softly. "It... began to recover."

Like it always does.

"What about --"

Steph agreed to go to Kenya. She agreed to let everyone think she was dead. It seemed easiest. But ...

"What about Tim?

Barbara sighs softly. "He blames himself." For Steph's death.

"But he'll make it." Babs will make sure of it.

Steph nods, looking a little confused.

How could he possibly have had anything to do with it?

But there are more important things.

"... Cass?"

"Have you ever tried lying to Cass?" Babs asks with an amused little sigh.

Babs knows Stephanie is not dead, and Cass has talked to her, so...

Steph smiles a little, dropping her head. She can imagine.

"How is she, though? I mean - is everything okay?"

"I don't really know what would shake her," Babs shrugs. "I mean... she didn't really get hurt, of course, and... she hasn't said anything."

Cass has always been hard to read.

"She didn't -- who did get hurt?" Steph asks sharply, a note of panic in her voice.

"You did," Babs points out.

"Who that matters."

Barbara's face twists slightly.

...

"Dick got hurt. Not nearly as bad as you."

Nightwing got hurt.

Because of her.

She nods, accepting that knowledge grimly. "Will he heal?"

"Yeah. Like I said, it wasn't that bad."

Which isn't strictly true. "Besides, you know how tough he is."

"You said not as bad as me, you didn't say 'not that bad,'" Steph says, with a small smile. She draws her knees to her chest, curled up on the bench, a small and compact ball of girl. "I know how bad I was."

"Yeah, well, no one was as bad as you."

Barbara smiles just a bit in return. "And you made it."

Steph reaches out for Babs's hand.

"Thanks to you."

She will never forget how close to dying she was.

Barbara shrugs uncomfortably. "Like I said. I had help."

"If you won't tell me who - will you thank them, from me?"

"I will," Barbara nods slightly. "But I suspect that some of them might mention it to you."

"'Kay." Steph nods, and makes a note of figuring out just how she'll thank everyone properly. It's going to matter.

She glances at Babs. "You're from - are you from the same time as me? I didn't even check. But if you just talked to me on the phone, you must be, right?"

Barbara nods. "Yeah. Same time."

It had had to be that way for Babs to do what she'd wanted to do.