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Sophie and Ryan headed to Star Labs as soon as they were done at CCPD. The entire way there, Ryan kept looking at Sophie out of the corner of her eye, and every time, she found Sophie turned away from her looking out the window.
When they pulled up, they saw Cisco waiting outside the building for them. “Hello ladies, welcome to Star Labs. I’m Cisco, I’ll be your tour guide this evening.”
Sophie laughed as she gave him a hug. “It’s good to see you, Cisco.”
“It’s good to see you, too.” He looked over to Ryan. “Yo, you said you’d give me a Batarang the next time I saw you. You got it?”
“You think I’d do my boy dirty like that?” Ryan laughed as she pulled a shiny new Batarang from her back pocket.
“Yes!” Cisco yelled before grabbing Ryan for a hug. “Come on, everyone’s waiting for you.”
==========================================
“Look who I found lurking outside,” Cisco called out as the three of them walked into the room.
Iris quickly went to give her friend Ryan a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here. Barry’s sorry he couldn’t be here, but he had to take care of some things at CCPD.”
“Yeah, we saw him while we were there. He was up to his eyeballs in paperwork,” Ryan laughed.
“There’s just so much going on in Central City right now, I don’t even know where to start.”
“We’ve got some stuff to tell you, too,” Sophie replied.
“What happened?” Caitlin asked.
“Soph and I had the weirdest experience in the Batcave a few days ago. Some guy that looked like my brother Marquis portaled into the middle of the Batcave and said some crazy stuff. He was even wearing a Batman suit. Then not more than a couple minutes later, two people in hoods came through another portal, grabbed him, then they all jumped back through the blue light.”
“Yeah, it seemed like they were looking for something, but at first we didn’t know what,” Sophie said, grabbing the case they brought with them. “We think this is what they were after. They sent more men after us on the drive here to try and get it back.”
“What is it?” Iris asked.
“It seems to open portals to literally anywhere, but Luke couldn’t figure out how it works.”
“Let me give it a try,” Cisco said, grabbing the case.
Before he could get to his lab, the room was filled with a blinding white light.
“Get down!” Ryan yelled. “It’s the same light we saw in the Batcave!”
Once her eyes had adjusted enough, Ryan saw four hooded figures emerging from the light.
“Find it!” one of them yelled.
“It’s them! Keep them away from the case!” she yelled before rushing the one closest to her.
It was chaos. Sophie, Ryan, Iris and Caitlin were engaged with the mysterious individuals, trying to buy Cisco some time to get away with the case, but they were just too strong for them.
“Get it out of here, Cisco!” Sophie yelled.
“I’m trying to!” he yelled back.
Finally, one of the strangers yelled “enough!” and grabbed something off his belt.
Ryan quickly looked over. She swore it sounded like Marquis. When he saw her looking in his direction, he lifted his mask. “Hey, sis,” he said before holding something in the air.
“Flashbang!” Ryan yelled before running to shield Sophie.
Everyone ducked and covered their ears, but they were still knocked off their feet from the force of it.
With her ears ringing and her vision blurry, Ryan saw the people grab the case, and jump back through the portal.
Cisco stood next to Ryan. “What the hell was all of that?”
“I don’t know, and now that we lost the case, I’m not even sure how to find out.”
Still shaken herself, Caitlin started looking everyone over. “Come on, everyone. I need to make sure you’re all alright,” she said as she led them all to her lab.
==========================================
Tired from everything they’d been through in the last twenty-four hours, Sophie and Ryan went straight to their hotel after they’d finished at Star Labs. From the time they left CCPD until the time they walked into their room, neither had said a word to the other. Not even when they were with Team Flash. Ryan could see Sophie still wasn’t in the mood to talk, at least not to her, so she decided to give her the space she needed.
They rolled their bags into the bedroom. Sophie sat on the edge of the bed, while Ryan stood in front of the closet. “Which side of the closet do you want?” she asked.
Barely paying attention, Sophie looked up. “I’m sorry, I just… What did you ask?”
“I said, which side of the closet do you want?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Sophie replied, standing from the bed and heading towards the door. “I have meetings early in the morning, I’m getting in the shower.”
Ryan sat on the bed and watched her silently leave the room. She stared at the floor for a minute before covering her face and crying.
==========================================
The door to one of the meeting rooms slowly opened and people began filing out.
“Thank you for meeting with me, Commissioner Patton,” Sophie said, shaking his hand. “And thank you, Police Chief Kramer,” she said after shaking her hand.
“It was a pleasure meeting you, Commissioner Moore. We look forward to a renewed relationship between Central City and Gotham,” Commissioner Patton said.
“Likewise,” Sophie replied. “In times like these, we can all benefit from working together. I’m looking forward to our meetings this afternoon with the city council. I have no doubt we can all come to an understanding.”
“I hope so,” Chief Kramer replied.
Sophie smiled and walked away, checking her phone on the way out of City Hall. She didn’t see any messages from Ryan, so she figured she was probably at Star Labs with Team Flash.
Realizing she hadn’t been very nice to her girlfriend since they got to Central City, Sophie texted, “I’m on my way to Star Labs, have some free time between meetings – see you soon babe.”
Barely getting a few steps into the street, she heard people screaming. When she looked towards the commotion, she saw them running to get out of the way of an oncoming car.
She stopped and started to run back to the steps of City Hall, but before she could get far, the car sped up, and turned straight towards her.
Out of time, she braced for impact, the car sending her flying into the steps before speeding off.
A handful of people rushed over to see if she was ok, with one of them yelling, “Call an ambulance!”
Barely conscious, Sophie asked, “Did anyone get the plates?”
“I looked, but there weren’t any,” one of the people responded.
“Just lie still, help is on the way,” another said, trying to keep Sophie from getting up.
“Did anyone get the make or…” she mumbled before passing out.
==========================================
Ryan was at Star Labs talking with Iris when her phone buzzed. She couldn’t help but smile when she looked at the screen.
“The way you’re smiling, that has to be from Sophie,” Iris said laughing.
“It is,” Ryan said, her smile growing. “She said she’s on her way here.”
“Great. Maybe she’s come up with some ideas on who those people were last night.”
“I don’t know. It didn’t seem like she was thinking about too much beyond being mad at me last night.”
“Is everything ok between you two?”
“It’s been… challenging now that she’s Commissioner.”
“Don’t worry, every new relationship goes through a rough patch. You two were meant to be together. You’ll work it out.”
Before Ryan could respond, her phone started ringing.
“Huh, I wonder who this is. I don’t recognize the number. Hello?”
“Hello, is this Ms. Wilder?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Hi, this is Dr. Walker in the ER at Central City General. I’m calling because you’re listed as the emergency contact for Ms. Sophie Moore.”
“Wait, what happened to Sophie? Is she alright?” Ryan asked, almost falling when her legs went numb.
Iris quickly grabbed her, holding her up.
“I’m afraid Ms. Moore has been in an accident.”
“What?” Ryan said as her heart sank.
“Ryan, what is it?” Iris asked, but Ryan couldn’t respond.
“What… umm, what happened?”
“It seems the driver of a speeding car lost control, and unfortunately, they swerved and hit Ms. Moore.”
Ryan gasped and covered her mouth. “Oh my god.”
“Ryan, what is it?”
“Sophie’s been hit by a car,” Ryan said as the tears fell.
“Oh my god.”
“Is she…” Ryan couldn’t get herself to say the word. Just thinking it was almost more than she could handle.
“No. Luckily, it wasn’t head on. They only managed to clip her, but she still took quite a hit. She’s actually doing quite well considering. She has a slight concussion, but there’s nothing broken, no internal bleeding, no major head trauma, just a few scrapes and bruises. It’s really quite remarkable.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, Ms. Wilder, I’m sure. Ms. Moore should make a full recovery.”
“Oh, thank god,” Ryan said, letting out a sigh of relief. “She’s ok,” she said to Iris.
Iris smiled and laid her head on Ryan’s shoulder.
“We’d like to keep her here for at least another hour or two for observation, but you’re more than welcome to come down and sit with her until she’s discharged. She’s resting right now, and we have her on some pretty powerful pain meds, but she asked for you before falling asleep, so I’m sure she’d like to see you.”
“Oh my god, yes. Absolutely. I’m on my way now. Thank you,” Ryan said before hanging up.
“What’s happening?” Iris asked.
“The doctor said besides some scrapes, Sophie’s just fine. They want to keep her there for a while longer just to make sure, so –”
“Come on, I’ll take you there right now,” Iris interrupted.
“Thank you.”
==========================================
When they got back to their hotel room, Ryan kept watching Sophie.
“Do you need anything? Are you hungry? Need more pain meds?”
“No, babe, I’m fine. Thank you.”
“Are you sure? Do you need to sit down, or can I get you some water?”
“Ryan, I told you I’m fine. Please stop fussing over me.”
“How? First, I have to watch you deal with all the crazies in Gotham. Yes, my brother included. Then we have these weird hooded guys after us. And now, this one tried to run you over. Sophie, I couldn’t breathe I was so worried.”
Sophie felt Ryan’s fear with every word she spoke. It wrapped itself around Ryan like a blanket, ready to consume her at any moment.
“Don’t let Mary hear you say the “C” word, she wouldn’t like it,” Sophie said, trying to lighten the mood.
“Really? You could have died, but no, you wanna stand there and make jokes? This isn’t a game, Sophie, I need you to take this seriously.”
“Take this seriously? Ryan, do you honestly think I don’t know how serious this is? You’re right, I could have died today. I was terrified sitting in that ER. Just one step further, and they would have hit me dead on. I don’t know if it was an accident or on purpose, and that scares me. But the thing that hurts most is, every time I’m in a dangerous situation, all I can do is think about you. Because I know if anything happened to me, you’d be wrecked, and I can’t let that happen.”
“Soph, I just want you to take it easy, that’s all.”
“I can’t, and you know that. I took an oath. I have a job to do. I can’t let things like this keep me from doing what I know I’m meant to do.” Looking to the ceiling, Sophie let out an irked sigh. “Ryan, I have to do enough arguing at work every day, I really don’t want to argue with you, too. Not right now.”
“Do you think I wanna be arguing with you?”
“I’m not really sure, Ryan. I mean, we’ve been doing a lot of it lately. In fact, it feels like that’s all we ever do anymore.”
“What?”
“Everything turns into an argument with us, Ryan, everything. Where we’re getting dinner from. The way the line between relationship and job gets blurred constantly. How early one of us goes to work. How late we come back.”
“That’s not fair, Sophie. You know what I’m doing when I’m out late.”
“And you know what I’m doing, too, yet that never seems to keep the argument from happening, does it? Ryan, this is exhausting!”
Ryan looked caught off guard by Sophie’s revelation. “I didn’t realize you felt this way. Why didn’t you say something?”
“When am I ever around you anymore? You know what, it’s whatever,” Sophie said, turning away.
“No, it’s not whatever, Sophie. I just –”
“It’s fine, Ryan. Please, just let it go.”
Ryan knew they’d been at odds for a while, and they haven’t been spending much time together, but the tone of Sophie’s voice. She sounded so… lonely. Ryan had been so busy with everything going on in Gotham, they both had, and until that moment, she didn’t even realize she’d been neglecting the most important person in her life.
Ryan pulled Sophie close. “I’m sorry, Soph. I’m sorry for arguing. I’m sorry for questioning you. I’m sorry for being overprotective. I’m sorry for taking evidence. I’m sorry. It’s just… Look, I’m not trying to stress you, I just worry about you.”
“I know, but I can handle it.”
“I know you can, and I love that about you. I’m just always so torn between knowing you’re a badass, and worrying about my baby.”
“And I love that about you. But you don’t have to worry so much, I’ll be fine.”
Ryan pulled Sophie even closer. “I thought I lost you when I got that call from the ER, and it almost destroyed me. I don’t ever want to feel that again. This is the first conversation we’ve had since we got here. If you were seriously hurt, and we hadn’t spoken to each other in a day, I…” Ryan stopped, fighting back tears. She looked into Sophie’s eyes, smiled, then gently kissed her. Their lips softly melting together.
Sophie laid her forehead on Ryan’s, gripping Ryan’s shirt while her other hand slowly made its way down her thigh. “Kissing me isn’t going to work. It doesn’t change the fact that we still don’t agree,” she said before kissing Ryan again.
“I know,” Ryan said, kissing Sophie’s neck. Taking her time with every spot her lips touched. Then, she touched Sophie in the spot she couldn’t resist. The spot Ryan knew always made her give in.
“Damn, woman,” Sophie whispered, her knees buckling. “Don’t… don’t stop,” she breathed.
“Oh, I wasn’t planning to.”
Sophie held Ryan’s face, kissing her deeper and deeper. Struggling to stay on her feet as Ryan continued to touch that special spot.
Barely able to stand, Sophie took Ryan’s shirt off. She backed Ryan up, pulling her pants halfway down before lifting her onto the kitchen counter, then ripping them off the rest of the way. Leaning back in for more deep kisses.
“Wait,” Ryan said. “I don’t want to hurt you. You literally just got out of the hospital, Soph.”
“Pain is the last thing I’m feeling right now,” Sophie said, passionately kissing every inch of Ryan’s beautiful brown skin that she could.
“I’m so sorry. I never meant to leave you feeling like you were alone, but I’m about to make up for that,” Ryan said, taking Sophie’s shirt off.
“You better.”
The two became one, each holding the other tight, both breathing deeply with desire. The passion they’d felt that first night together rushed back. It had been so long since they’d felt each other’s lips, felt each other’s touch, neither wanted to let go. Letting their actions say all the words they hadn’t spoken lately.
Then, The Commissioner at heart remembered her schedule. “Dammit, wait,” Sophie said, leaning back from Ryan.
“What is it? Are you ok? Did I hurt you?”
“No, I’m fine. I just remembered I have to get back to City Hall. There are more meetings this afternoon.”
“Really? Are you sure you have to go this instant?” Ryan asked, unhooking Sophie’s bra, and throwing to the side. “I can’t imagine there’s anything they have to say that’s that important right now,” she said, laying her hand on Sophie’s chest.
Sophie took Ryan’s hand and laid it on her breast. “I think this is where you were trying to get to.”
Ryan smiled then leaned down to kiss the spot where her hand lay, causing Sophie to let out a quiet moan.
“Ry…,” Sophie whispered before Ryan lightly slid her fingertips down Sophie’s stomach and unzipped her pants.
Sophie slid Ryan’s bra off and threw it on top of hers. “I’ve missed you so much,” she said, kissing Ryan’s neck and running her hand along the inside of her thigh. Smiling when Ryan started to slide to the edge of the counter to get Sophie to take off her panties, too.
“I’ve missed you, too,” Ryan said, sliding her hands inside the back of Sophie’s pants and pulling her closer.
They moved in perfect sync, one fluid motion. Switching from kissing to exploring each other’s body. Their desire for each other growing stronger with every passing minute.
“I need you, Ryan. Please.”
“Damn, Soph,” Ryan said when Sophie took off her pants, and pressed against her. “I want all of you… now,” Ryan said before hopping down from the counter and pulling Sophie to the bedroom.
==========================================
Later, Ryan and Sophie were cuddled in bed watching a movie. Trying to spend some quality time together in hopes it would help them get past whatever was plaguing their relationship. Sophie held Ryan tight, tenderly kissing her cheek from time to time, while Ryan gently caressed Sophie’s hand. Then, Ryan abruptly sat up, and turned the tv off.
“What’s wrong, babe? Are you ok?”
Ryan could hear the concern in Sophie’s voice. See the worry in her eyes. But she needed to get something off her chest. Something she’d been thinking about for quite some time. It was haunting her, keeping her up at night. She knew it wasn’t anything Sophie would want to hear, especially after the argument they’d had earlier, but it was the truth. It was how she felt. And she couldn’t keep it from Sophie any longer. Not after what happened outside City Hall.
“Ryan, talk to me. Please,” Sophie said, taking Ryan’s hands in hers.
“I care about you, Sophie. So, so much,” Ryan said, clinging to the comfort Sophie’s touch brought with it.
“I know that.”
“I mean, who would’ve thought we’d be here after the way things started out between us when we first met.”
“Definitely not me,” Sophie laughed, tightening her grip on Ryan’s hands.
“And deep down, I know you’re a badass that can take care of herself. It’s just that…”
“Ryan, please. Just say what’s on your mind. It’s alright.”
Ryan nervously looked at Sophie. “Soph, I’ve watched you run into battle over and over. Never afraid to take a risk. Hell, you’re Sophie Freakin’ Moore. You’re gonna take on anyone or anything that comes at you. And now, you’re Commissioner of Gotham. Everyone knows that’s probably the most dangerous job anyone could have in that city. You do all this without hesitation and… Sophie, it scares the shit out of me.”
“I’m sorry you’ve been feeling like that, Ryan, I really am. But it’s always been like this for me. Nothing’s changed. Well, except maybe for the commissioner part. This was me at Point Rock, me in the Army, me when I was with The Crows, and it’s been me on The Bat Team. This is me. I’m just… I’m confused, Ryan. Where’s this coming from?”
“I just… While I was benched after that explosion, I had the chance to see how missions go from the outside. And Sophie, they look completely different.”
“I’m sure they do, but I still don’t understand what you’re trying to tell me.”
“What I’m trying to say is… I want you to cut this trip short. I want us to leave Central City and get away from whatever’s happening here. And when we get back to Gotham, I don’t want you to go on any more Bat Team missions.”
Sophie chuckled. “You’re joking, right? Ryan? Please tell me you’re joking.” But Sophie could see by Ryan’s expression she was absolutely serious. “Unbeliev… How dare you!”
“Sophie, it’s not what –”
“You know what, Ryan? I don’t even want to hear another word you have to say right now, honestly. And here I was, thinking that after making love this afternoon, we were on our way to figuring this out. Finally finding a way to get back to where we were. Finding our way back to each other. But clearly, I was wrong. I should have known.”
“Sophie –”
“Was all of it just an act, Ryan? Did you make love to me just to try and soften me up so you could drop this bomb on me? Did you even really want to be with me?”
“What? Of course I did, how could you even ask that? Sophie, just let me –”
“Whatever. I’ll sleep on the couch tonight. Goodnight, Ryan.”
“Sophie, wait. Please.”
Sophie never turned around. She just left the room, slamming the door shut behind her.
Walking towards the door, Ryan heard Sophie lean against it. Pressing her cheek against the door, she could hear Sophie quietly crying on the other side. Every second of it tearing her heart to pieces.
Ryan slid down the door, hitting the floor with a thud. The sound of Sophie’s crying. Knowing she was the cause. It was too much for her to bear.
“Oh my god, what did I just do? What did…” she said, pulling her knees to her chest. “I’m so sorry, Sophie. Please forgive me,” she whispered as the tears rolled down her face.
==========================================
In the morning, the City Council members decided it would be safer to move Sophie and Ryan to a new hotel, just as a precaution in the event the person that hit Sophie did it on purpose and knew where they were staying.
Ryan kept looking over at Sophie as she unpacked. Sophie was pacing on the other side of the room, intently going over her notes for her upcoming meeting at City Hall.
“What?” Sophie asked, never looking up from the piece of paper she held.
“Hmm?” Ryan replied.
“I can see you staring at me, Ryan,” she said, looking dead at her now. “What is it?”
“You didn’t… You didn’t say a word the entire time we were packing, Soph.”
“And what were you expecting me to say, hmm?”
“I’m not really sure, I guess, but I know there’s something you’re not telling me.”
“What do you mean?”
“What do I mean? Sophie, we had to switch hotels in the middle of our trip. Something happened that you’re not telling me about.”
“Oh my g… Ryan, wasn’t last night enough? Do we really have to have this argument now? I told you when we got here, it’s nothing. It’s just a safety precaution.”
“Look, I’m not trying to start an argument. I know you’re still mad at me because of what I said last night, and I don’t blame you. I never should have –”
“Ryan, I really don’t have time for this right now. I need to prepare.”
Iris peaked her head in the doorway. “Barry’s downstairs when you’re ready, Sophie.”
“Ok, thanks,” Sophie replied.
“You can’t go,” Ryan said, grabbing Sophie’s arm.
“Umm, I’ll just meet you at the car,” Iris said when she saw the look on Sophie’s face.
“Ryan, I’m not doing this with you today. You know I have to go. It’s the whole reason I came to Central City.”
“No, you don’t have to go. It’s clearly dangerous for you right now, otherwise we wouldn’t have switched hotels.”
“I can protect myself, Ryan.”
“Can you though? Sophie, this is too –”
“I know exactly how dangerous this could be, believe me.”
“If you know that, then why –”
“Because I have to, Ryan. Because we have to. We can’t live our lives in fear and allow the monsters to keep us from doing what we’re meant to do. And what we’re meant to do is protect Gotham, protect Central City. Protect whoever needs protecting no matter what. I dropped the ball with that one giving Luke those coordinates for the blimp, and I swore I’d never do it again. Meeting with the officials of Central City will help us keep people safe, both here and in Gotham.”
Sophie stopped, taking a breath when she felt herself getting agitated. “Look, Ryan, we both knew the risks of what we do before we even started this relationship, so to act brand new to it now is pointless. I love how much you care, and I care just as much as you, but we still have to do what needs to be done.”
“Soph, you’re always taking unnecessary risks, and I hate that. You’ll run into a burning building never thinking about what could happen or how it will affect anyone if something goes sideways.”
“Oh, and you don’t?”
“That’s different.”
“Really? How?”
“I have the suit to protect me. You’ll run in wearing a blazer and high heels. That’s not exactly the best protective gear.”
“I see. So, it’s all about do as I say, not as I do with you, huh? Got it.”
“You know that’s not what I meant.”
“Dammit, Ryan! Why do we keep having this same argument?”
“Because you’re not hearing me, Sophie.”
“No, Ryan, you’re not hearing me. This is who I am, who I’ve always been.”
“Yeah, well I’m Batwoman.”
Ryan’s words hit Sophie like a ton of bricks, causing her to take a step back. The expression covering her face perfectly mirroring the feeling of her breaking heart. She never thought Ryan would use that against her in an argument, yet here they were.
“Batwoman. Right.”
“Wait, Sophie, you know I didn’t mean –”
“You know, Ryan, sometimes there are arguments that you just can’t come back from. And I am done with this one.”
Frustrated and hurt, Sophie grabbed her bag, and left the room.