Who: The Rag Lady and Batman What: A Confrontation When: Thursday Night Where: Out Warnings: Deep Dark of the Souls Status: closed/completed gdoc
The Rag Lady once again stalked the streets of Madison Valley. It had been over two years since her mania lurked in the shadows. Then she’d been aggressive, hostile and scared. This time she was just scared. The ghosts of the Red Court vampires haunted her, picked away at her psyche little by little with their taunts and accusations. In a little over twenty four hours she forgot entirely where she was, when she was and was edging on losing her Self.
One thing remained solid: protect the innocent. Even though she huddled behind veils and illusions in the alleys, back lots and filthy corners of the town that motivation was an anchor for her. She’d already stumbled upon a fight between two drunk guys and broke it up (by knocking their heads together after having snuck up on them unseen). It was time for another intervention.
A mugger had hauled a woman into the alley where Molly whimpered, curled and pressed against a wall. Her mews of terror stopped as if a switch were thrown then she stood up. She altered the illusion that hid her to make her seem more menacing. Her hair stood out in strands that wriggled in the air like snakes. She made her fingers lengthen into claws and her eyes seemed to glow as she advanced on the mugger. What did it matter that the woman she was rescuing shrieked in terror as well?
***
Bruce always had trouble sleeping at night and even though there wasn’t a lot of trouble in Madison Valley there was enough regular crime to make him walk the streets at night on occasion. Tonight wasn’t one of the quiet nights. Bruce’s walk was interrupted by screams of fear from an alley so he broke into a run to intervene.
Even at a run his feet were silent on the pavement so he came into the scene as a surprise to all the participants. The man holding the woman had his hold broke on her arm and he was shoved away. The terrified woman was pushed toward the mouth of the alley with a gruff command to run. The mugger wasn’t shy about trying to get away from Molly’s terrifying illusion either so he bolted for the other end of the alley as Bruce faced what they saw as a monster.
“Stop!” It was like being on the blue flower to face Molly. Bruce had been trained to master and work through fear so he wasn’t going to run from her.
***
The Rag Lady was pleased by their fear. Even if one of them wasn’t supposed to be caught up in her illusion, but hey. Maybe it would teach the silly woman not to walk alone at night.
Then everything went wrong. Someone INTERFERED! And he wasn’t afraid! Whaaaat? Molly frowned as the illusion dropped revealing her disheveled state. “Hey!” She was still wearing the sweatpants and tank top she’d worn to bed but the clothing was stained, torn in one area. She bore some bruises and cuts on her exposed skin and she was shivering from being woefully underdressed for the weather, but she ignored it all.
“That was mine!”
***
“What were you doing Molly?” Bruce immediately started slipping out of his coat so he could give it to her. Assuming she’d take it in the state she was in. “You were hurting them both.” Bruce was ruthless to the criminals but you were supposed to protect the victims not make them even more of a victim.
“Let them go. Take my coat, you’re freezing.”
***
“They’d be fine.” In a few hours. The Rag Lady struck with mental magic. They’d both probably have nightmares for a few days. “And he had it coming.”
Molly’s eyes widened even more than her mania normal and she backed up. “How do you know my name?” He didn’t seem more than vaguely familiar. Maybe he knew her dad or worked with Harry once. Regardless, she didn’t trust him. “Stay away from me.”
***
“Further victimizing the innocent is not fine.” Nightmares from her attack for a few days, sure. Nightmares and fear from being part of a crime and then attacked again…probably their whole life. But seeing her fear Bruce’s voice was gentle as he held the coat out to her.
“You know me Molly. You told me about that Batman Christmas song. It’s okay, I just want you to be warm.”
***
I forbid you from telling kids the unvarnished versions of fairy tales
The memory hurt like steel wool over road rash. Molly flinched as her hand went to her head and she took another step back. It was more like a stumble. “…stay away from me.”
Where was she? This wasn’t Chicago. It didn’t feel right. What was going on?
***
“I’m not going to hurt you. I’m just giving you a jacket.” Bruce was trying to keep eye contact because that was what you did with the unbalanced and scared people. He had no idea that in her case that was a bad idea even if he knew she didn’t make a lot of eye contact on a normal basis.
“I just want to make sure you’re warm okay?”
***
All it took was a fraction of a moment too long for the eye contact to trigger exactly what neither of them would want. The soulgaze began.
Molly sat curled into a tight ball, rocking back and forth on a fractured, rocky landscape. All around her were the bat-like creatures that were the Red Court vampires, locked in battle with only a handful of wizards…and one impossibly handsome man wielding a rapier and a short blonde woman with a glowing sword. Lightning, fire and other elements were flung almost randomly. Suddenly, Molly’s head snapped up, her baby blue eyes wide. Every monster’s mouth opened, and Molly screamed with them as each one of them died all at the same time.
The landscape changed with a blur to the filthy back streets and alleys of Chicago. A beautiful red-haired woman with a single white streak threw magic at Molly in various forms, unrelentingly. Molly fought back, but she was exhausted, starving and her leg hurt from the bullet that had torn through her thigh only a few months earlier. Finally, her shields failed and the next bolt of magic slammed into her chest, knocking her from her feet.
“Thou must be better than that, mortal child. Have you learned nothing?”
Another blur of the scenery and the Rag Lady eyes up the dark doorway. It led to Undertown. She waited in the shadows, cloaked in her magic. Long moments pass then what looked like three men in Armani suits emerged from the doorway. Molly didn’t hesitate. She struck with brutal force and fire, but all it did was strip the clothing from them. They still looked human except for the gills at their necks, proving them to be the Fomor she hunted. The ensuing battle was fierce and Molly didn’t come out of it unscathed. She’d have a few more scars, but Undertown was minus a few more henchmen.
The scenery changed again to the living room of a tidy little house. Molly sat on a couch, glaring daggers at those around her. One time friends. Family. Her brother spat his usual bitter disappointment and accusations at her. It hurt, but Molly gave back as good as she got. Anything to keep them away from her. Anything to keep from hurting them with what she’d become. But what hurt the most was the shade of the man she’d loved for as long as she could remember. He’d saved her life. Made it clear there was no chance for what she wanted, but that he would teach her. They became closer than what she’d thought she’d wanted. Now he was dead. She’d helped that to happen. Sensing his ghost hurt her to the core.
More images and memories flickered around in a dizzying and nauseating display until Molly’s most recent memory from before Madison Valley solidified. She was on Demonsreach. Everyone she knew and loved was on the beach fighting not just for their lives, but the world’s survival. She was with Harry at the cabin, fighting Maeve.
Then it was over. Bruce knew now not just these things, but who Molly Carpenter was. Everything about her, all of her dirty little secrets, her motivations, what made her act and react. These were more than just memories. These were the doors and windows to her soul.
***
It was dark. There was light from up above but the hole that led deeper into the earth was dark enough to swallow all light just a few feet into it. His arm hurt like it was full of broken glass every time he shifted his weight so Bruce was trying not to move. There was a rustling from the darkness, and a smell washed over him in the light breeze that made his skin crawl. It was a leathery, damp smell that grew stronger as the bats suddenly burst into the light. They surrounded him bathing him in their smell and somehow never touched him. Bruce screamed....
...and the scene changed to an alley outside of the theater where his parents were holding his hands until the man was there, the man with the gun. His fear had driven them outside and Bruce watched the man gun down his parents in front of him. He was left there in the icy cold alley on the ground with his parent's blood soaking his pants, holding his father's hand until it was cold in his fingers and the police were there to take him somewhere else.
The courtroom, with the man who killed his parents and the gun in his pocket he wanted to kill him with, only the chance was taken away before he could do anything. The cold fury that someone took his chance at vengeance, then the shame at how blind he'd been at the state of Gotham. He could have done more, been more. In an instant he left it all behind to go become someone that could make a difference.
He learned. Sleeping on the streets, learning from anyone that would teach him, ending up in a filthy jail where everyday he fought to survive while practicing on the criminals within. Working through the cold, snow, exhaustion, never stopping in becoming what he envisioned. Never letting himself fall to the easy way of becoming a killer.
And at the very end Bruce Wayne reached up and took off the mask of his face and the Batman was underneath...
***
Molly remained staring at Bruce, eyes locked. They could do that now. Soul gazes only happened once. Even though she knew the story thanks to what just happened she lived it. The shock of it brought her back to reality…for now anyway. The ghosts of the Red Court were still out there.
“…I’m sorry.”
***
Bruce's head was pounding with the memory of dying with an entire race of vampires. He's stumbled back a couple of steps and put his hand to his forehead to try to help. "What the hell was that?" The coat was still in his hand and he absently let it fall on the ground.
***
Molly’s head wasn’t doing much better. Between the soul gaze and twenty four hours of breakdown she felt like her skull was going to split. She was used to it however so was able to stumble through to pick up the coat.
“A soul gaze,” she said quietly. “It’s what happens when you look a wizard in the eyes for too long. Only happens once though.” She held his coat out to him.
***
Bruce had seen hints of it when he had the banshee powers but this was so much more intense. He needed some time to let it process and settle into his head. Right now he was getting by on the same thing that let him keep going after he fell off a roof or was hit by one too many bad guys.
"Keep it. You're freezing." Bruce waved off the coat with the hand that wasn't rubbing his forehead.
***
She was freezing, but only noticed when he pointed it out. However, she misunderstood the wave. He hated her. Or was afraid of her. Molly didn’t blame him, really. Her history, her mind…none of it was pleasant. No one deserved to see and feel the things she’d been through.
Molly edged around Bruce for the entrance to the alley as she slowly pulled the coat on. She’d bring a veil up again before she got to the street then slip away. The vampires were waiting.
***
"Molly?" He wasn't sure why she was creeping past him like he was going to hit her. Bruce didn't hate her, he wasn't afraid of her, He could barely see straight for the headache and he desperately wanted a full explanation for what had just happened.
Maybe after he lay down and let his head stop splitting.
"You shouldn't be out here alone."
***
She paused when he called her name. Her shoulders hunched up under the coat that was too big for her, and she picked at a fingernail as she glanced at Bruce through the strands of her hair.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “The ghosts will come again, and I’ll forget. I’ll just be back out here.” Her hair obscured her face again as she lowered her eyes. “You should get inside. Somewhere. Don’t go to sleep, though.”
***
"But you'll have a chance to get warm and to eat something." He could tell she probably hadn't been eating any more than she'd been keeping warm. If he could at least get a hot meal in her Bruce would feel like she would do better.
"I don't sleep Molly. Not much anyway." The bats were there too often when he wasn't able to be the Batman and work on saving Gotham.
***
Warm. Food. Her stomach gave a loud protest. Food would be good. Molly sighed then nodded. “I could eat.” She looked out to the street for a moment then back to Bruce. “You coming?” There was a moment of hesitation then she stuck her hand out toward him. It was a huge gesture, and after what he just saw he’d know that.
***
He knew. Bruce reached out without hesitating to take her hand and smiled. She knew after what she'd just seen this was the real him smiling and not the mask he wore. "I'm suddenly famished. So yeah, I'm coming."
***
Molly’s hand gripped his tight as if that hold on him would keep all her fears away. It wouldn’t last. She didn’t know where the vampire ghosts had gone, but they’d be back. For now, she’d get some food in her so she could keep running later.
“A side effect of the soul gaze,” she said. “And nightmares. Mine just got added to yours. Nobody deserves that nobody…nobody.” She was drifting, but the hold on her hand was a good anchor.
“It’s not right. I’ve got no right but I need you do something for me.” Molly moved closer to him when they hit the public street. “I need you to tell people what you saw. Not in my head. Never that. No. Tell Harry. And Barry. And…Teresa? I don’t remember names. Not right now.”
***
"Don't worry about me Molly." Bruce knew she'd cut and run at some point but she'd have his coat and a good meal in her first. He'd already planned to tell Harry that he'd seen her. "Tell them what then? That I saw you, what you were doing?" She didn't want him to tell what was in her head so telling them where she was and what shape she was in was all her could think she wanted.
***
“That I’m okay. I’m okay.” A car going by made her flinch, but as soon as she realized it was physical she bit her lip and kept walking. Hinkles wasn’t far. Coincidence or subconscious design had her close to hot food. “They shouldn’t look for me. They wouldn’t find me. Even Harry can’t find me when I don’t want to be found.”
***
"I'll thell them but I doubt they'll listen to the not looking for you part." He'd tell them what she said but he knew that Barry would probably be searching the town on mach ten to look for her at least. They could smell the burgers and Bruce was going to make sure she had as many of them as she could eat.
"You know that." He could of course call them now but he wanted her to eat, if he called them and she knew she'd leave.
***
“No they won’t.” Molly’s grimace was turned on a person that was looking at them like what’s a guy like him doing with HER. “I don’t want them to worry but it would be worse if….” If she were contained. Put inside or someone tried to control her. It would be bad.
The smells from Hinkles got her stomach growling again and she picked up the pace. She wanted food. Wanted to be warm for a little bit and wanted it now before the ghosts came back.
***
Other than scanning for threats Bruce was completely ignoring the people around them. They weren't important at the moment. Once they were at Hinkles he opened the door to let her in without letting go of her hand and followed her inside.
"Worse if what?" He needed to know.
***
Molly stepped in but froze in place as the hostess looked at them. There were people in here. So many people. It wasn’t really that crowded but to Molly it was almost too much. Her breathing quickened, but she immediately pulled to mind the calming mantras Lea had taught her. Her hand tightened in Bruce’s again.
“If I were contained.” Inside. Inside without being able to get out. Her eyes picked out the windows so she could see outside. It helped.
***
"Okay." Bruce pointed to the booth right by the door and smiled at the hostess. "That one please." If she hesitated he'd hand her a couple of twenties but he was getting that booth. "And just tell whoever's table it is to bring six burgers and six orders of fries and two large drinks." He wasn't going to mess around with waiting any longer than they had to.
"I'll work on keeping them from containing you. And I'll keep the path to the door open here. And if you can remember that I'm doing it I'll leave you out food and more clothes until you're ready."
***
“Six?!” Molly’s attention snapped to Bruce. She wasn’t complaining but dang! That was a lot of food. Her eyes looked him up and down. “Where do you put it all? Your waist is thinner than mine!” Not really. She was a bombshell with curves that wouldn’t quit but ever since Chichen Itza she’d been on the thin side.
She nodded in relief as she went with him to the booth. “Good. I don’t really want to hurt anyone.” Not anyone that didn’t deserve it, and not now while she could think clearly.
Molly slid into the booth all the way against the wall. “Why? I’m not your problem. And I know I’m a problem so don’t try to lie to me.”
***
"Well I am sharing them with you remember?" Bruce chuckled as he slid into the other side of the booth from her. "And lots, and lots of training. I also skipped lunch so between that and the last hour I'm ready for a solid meal." There had been times in prison he'd existed on thin rice soup with something that was supposed to be chicken but bore zero resemblance to meat.
"Everyone is a problem at some point." Bruce could be diplomatic but he also tended to be straight to the point if he didn't have to be charming Bruce Wayne. "If they contain you, bad things might happen. I don't want bad things to happen and I don't want you to have to face those bad things later. And you're a friend so I want you to eat and make it through this."
***
He was her friend? After everything that just happened to him? He was nuts! But it still made Molly smile. After what she saw in him Bruce had been put on the Rag Lady Nice List. Even lost to her mania he would stand out to her. But for him to call her a friend?
“Can I tell people that Batman is my friend because that would be so cool.” Her cheeks turned a little pink and she grinned. It was shaky, but it was there.
***
There could probably be a few arguments for him being nuts. But this wasn't one of the reasons as far as he was concerned. He knew her. There was so much more to her than the Rag Lady and the genocide. And her question made him grin back at her.
"Sure. I'm not sure why it's cool and you have to promise me you will never sing that damn song."
***
That actually got a surprised laugh from her then she drew an X over her chest. “Cross my heart.”
She tucked into the burgers when they got delivered, but she only managed to polish off three. She could have eaten another one, but Molly had learned the lesson about filling up. I.E. you didn’t. It either made you too sleepy or made you throw up when the adrenaline got going which would undo all the good eating did in the first place.
It was a good thing, and the timing was perfect. Movement outside the window caught Molly’s attention. There. Across the street. Eyes in the shadows. Motion. They were looking for her. They hadn’t found her yet, but they would.
Molly went visibly pale as she sank down in the booth. “…they’re coming.”
***
"That same alley. I'll leave you food there." Bruce didn't see anything but he had no ability to see ghosts and they weren't there for him. "Even if I don't see you the food will be there, once a day at least." More than that and it could be seen. He'd have to be careful.
***
Molly turned eyes filled with tears of fear to Bruce. Her lips were parted as her breathing grew rapid and shallow, and she gave a jerk of a nod. “I’ll try to remember.”
She looked back out the window and a whimper escaped her as she saw the ghosts that haunted her point at the diner. Suddenly her expression changed, went flat, eyes determined.
“I have to go,” she said then a moment later she disappeared from view. It was easy enough to wait for someone to leave then she slipped out before the door closed.