Second Chances: Batwoman - Rough Draft

Chapter 16

Just to answer a few questions that have been popping up in the reviews, yes I will be doing a Supergirl/Batwoman team up and I will be pulling other elements from the DCEU into this series.

"I can tell you have questions." Jada said to Kate after the blood test had confirmed that Jada was Ryan's biological mother.

"I thought you weren't giving answers to anyone but Ryan right now." Kate said.

"That was before I found out that you were the only one who could decide who got to see Ryan." Jada said.

"Fair point. I'm not even sure I know where to start?" Kate asked.

"Yes you do. Go ahead and ask." Jada said.

"Why did you kick Ryan to the curb? Especially when I know that you have a son that you did keep? Or was it because Ryan is the result of an affair?" Kate asked.

"I know how it sounds, but honestly, the way Ryan grew up was not the way I intended for her to grow up." Jada said.

"Meaning?" Kate asked.

"Look, when I got pregnant with Ryan, things were complicated. I was watching everything I'd ever worked for go down the drain. My husband was threatening divorce, I couldn't put my son through that. So, I made a choice that I have regretted ever since." Jada said.

"But why pay a doctor 2 million dollars just to cover up an affair?" Kate asked.

"That wasn't what the money was intended for. In my haste to keep things quiet, I failed to do a proper background check on the doctor who delivered Ryan. If I had, I would've never entrusted him with such an important job. When it was nearing my due date, I was looking into potential families to adopt Ryan when she was born and I found a loving couple who I thought would be perfect parents for her. The 2 million was meant to go to that family to ensure that my daughter would want for nothing. However, I forgot a classic trait of all Gotham doctors in that area." Jada said.

"Greed." Kate said and even though she'd just met this woman, she could tell that Jada was telling the truth.

"Yes. It wasn't until it was too late that I realized that the doctor kept the 2 million for himself and dropped Ryan off at a fire station." Jada said.

"Did you try looking for her?" Kate asked, needing to know if Jada had cared about Ryan that much.

"For years. But by the time I found out about the doctor, Ryan was already trapped in the bureaucracy of Gotham City's childcare system. It took me years of searching and millions of dollars to even find a clue about where she was." Jada said.

"So you found her?" Kate asked, wondering where this story was going.

"Yes, but by the time I did, she'd already been adopted by another woman, Cora Lewis." Jada said.

"But you still could've entered her life. Done for her new family what you intended for her initial family." Kate said.

"I wanted too, more than anything in the world, but things had changed by that point and I thought that Ryan would be safer without me in her life." Jada said.

"Safer how?" Kate asked, now getting concerned.

"Let's just say that your family wasn't the only one affected that day Ms. Kane. Just not as severely as yours was." Jada said as Kate quickly realized the day she was talking about.

"The day the Joker ran my mom's car off the road?" Kate asked and Jada nodded.

"My son Marquis was on the bus that day. And when he for some reason tried to stand up to the Joker, it ended with him being zapped by the Joker's joybuzzer in the head. He hasn't been the same since and I knew that I needed to keep Ryan safe, until I could find a way to fix him." Jada said.

"So why come into her life now? I'm assuming you haven't found a fix for Marquis yet?" Kate asked, making a note to tell Bruce about this talk.

"Because I was originally only going to be a part of her life as a contributor to her Wayne Foundation Charity. I wasn't planning on revealing she was my daughter, but when Bruce told me about this, I couldn't stand by. Especially when I can help her in more ways than one." Jada said.

"What do you mean?" Kate asked.

"My company has a contract with the DOD in the field of robotics, specifically prosthetics for soldiers. We've already got a prototype in development that I think could help Ryan, though it still has some kinks in it." Jada said.

"What kind of kinks?" Kate asked.

"Issues with the neural interface, which means that the interface that allows the arm to interact with the human brain is faulty and my scientists can't figure out how to crack it and while I was okay with waiting before, not anymore." Jada said and Kate nodded, since not only would that arm help Ryan, but it would also get Mary to at least hear Jada out before she killed the woman for abandoning Ryan.

"I'll talk to Bruce and see if Wayne Tech might have anything that can help with that and I know someone who knows someone at L-Corp. They might be able to help too." Kate said and while normally Jada would protest, her desire to help her daughter outweighed any corporate rivalries.

"Do it. Though I am curious about your connections." Jada said.

"Yeah no. We're not there yet. If ever." Kate said, since she was not telling Jada that she had an in with the CEO of L-Corp.

"I'm gonna go make that call now." Kate said as she walked away from Jada and called a National City number.

"Kate, what a surprise." Kara Danvers said when she picked up.

"Yeah, I know I haven't talked to anyone else since the whole universe got reset and all. I'm the worst." Kate said and she heard Kara laugh.

"You're not the one who can fly." Kara said.

"You're right, you're the worst for never coming to visit." Kate said and even though she and Kara hadn't known each other for very long, she already felt a sense of sisterhood with the kryptonian.

"I've actually been meaning to call you myself." Kara said.

"Really, about what?" Kate asked.

"Let's just say I realized that I play for the same team as you." Kara said and Kate smiled.

"Let me guess, Lena Luthor. I've seen the press." Kate said and Kara chuckled.

"Yeah. But anyways, we can talk about that later, why are you calling?" Kara asked.

"Because I was hoping you could get me in touch with your girlfriend, who I expect to meet at some point. Quick question by the way." Kate said.

"Yes, she knows I'm Supergirl. I learned the hard way that keeping that secret from the person I love doesn't end well." Kara said.

"You really don't think that it's possible to keep that balance?" Kate asked.

"No I don't and any of the other heroes would tell you the same thing. Barry, Clark, Oliver, the only reason their relationships worked is because they didn't keep their identities secret from their loved ones. Kate, I understand wanting to protect the people you care about, but trust me, keeping that secret from them, it won't end well." Kara said.

"Thanks for the advice. But anyways, Lena, I need to talk to her." Kate said.

"I can give you her number but she's out of the country right now on some personal business." Kara said.

"Can you have her call me when she gets back. It's really important." Kate said.

"Yeah, but can you tell me what's going on?" Kara asked as Kate told her everything.

"Yeah, I'll call her now and see how soon she can get back to the states." Kara said.

"Thank you." Kate said as she hung up.