shatterverse | (no subject)

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Babs is sitting out on the back porch. Her laptop flickers beside her, and every so often she looks over and perhaps taps a few keys. But mostly she stares out over the fields.

Things are quiet here. It's so different from Gotham and from Metropolis and from everywhere else she's lived all her life.

She's not sure whether she likes it or not.

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"You're a real sweetheart," Barbara smiles. "Anyone ever tell you that before?"

Sam sighs and shakes his head, vry sad with the memory, absolutely not blushing. "Yeah, but I think they were just trying to get something out of me."

"Yeah, well, I already got what I wanted," she says in a teasing tone as she gestures at the books.

"So," she leans back in her chair. "What do you do now?"

"Hang out here and do some research," Sam answers, laughing a little from her tease. "Then my brother has a job he wants to take care of."

"Anything I can help with?"

Sam smiles and shakes his head. "No, thanks. It's... kind of our area of expertise."

"Well, if you think of anything..." she trails off with a grin.

"I mean, I've got access to resources you don't."

"Thanks, I appreciate it," is what Sam says, smiling gratefully.

Even if his first response had been 'yet.'

"Tell me," Barbara begins slowly. "You've had more face time with Leah than I have. What do you think of her? How bad were all those months alone?"

Sam blinks, surprised by the question. "Uh... well, she handled it well. She's really good at keeping her head."

"Yeah, she is. But that doesn't mean she came out perfectly fine."

"It's not that I don't think she's okay," Babs clarifies. "I'm just... worried. That's a rough thing for anyone to go through."

He knew what she was asking. The hesitation is out of loyalty for Leah, not to mention that he really doesn't know Barbara that well.

Which is why he's able to look concerned as well as agreeable when he nods. "No, I agree. I think you should really ask her about it, though. We were only together a couple days."

Barbara smiles. She knows, and can appreciate, what he's doing.

"Take it from me, Sam. You're never able to properly gauge how bad something that happened to you was." She runs a hand across the arm of her chair. "Especially in our business."

Sam smiles sadly and nods, head bowed a little in respect - which is only partly exaggerated. He can appreciate what she's doing, too.

"I know. But at least if she was answering you, you might be able to tell what she really thought. Leah's tough but she isn't stupid. If she was really suffering out there, I don't think she'd lie about needing help."

"I suspect I know her type better than you do," Babs says sadly.

"All the more reason for you to be the judge," Sam points out.

"I'll be asking you again," she warns with a grin. "Just so you know."

His next smile is more bemused than anything, surprised. "I doubt I'll know any more then than I do now."

"We'll see," she laughs.

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