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[alwaysroomforhope]

It's fairly early in the morning when Mel, Sokka and Steph crest the final hill and find themselves looking down from the Heights towards Gotham City. Mel is keeping the girls happy in the back; Steph's driving. She doesn't ask before slowing gradually to a stop, eyes on the vista before them.

Gotham. Smoky, dark, twisted, gothic. It almost looks organic, lumpy and misshapen as it is, every building sprouting gargoyles and added wings, twisted into fantastic shapes.

It's so familiar it makes Steph's heart lurch; she hasn't been home for almost a year. She knows the skyline inside out, knows exactly how it feels to leap from the casino to the street below and swing up exactly in time to land on the train, knows where the instabilities in the gargoyles are and just how hard to throw a grapple to get from one end to the other of Ninth in under two minutes. It's filthy and ugly and disease-ridden and smoky and it's home.

Except ...

... this isn't the home she left.

It's with a sigh of pure relief that she realises, slowly, that this is Gotham before the quake, missing the light-filled spires of Luthor's redesign, all the old buildings still standing tall. This is Gotham before she had the baby, before the No Mans' Land.

This isn't her world.

The grin she turns to Sokka is enormous and full of relief.

"It's not mine. I won't find th— her here. Oh, thank fuck for that."

Comments

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

Sokka, however, isn't turning back.

"...why is it like this?" he asks, frowning thoughtful at the city in front of them, sitting up and leaning forward to peer out the window. "I mean, misty, dark, and creepy, that's fine - why is it still standing when nothing else we've seen has been?"

[alwaysroomforhope]

"It's fine," Steph says, dismissive, "it's Gotham. Of course it's still standing, Gotham'd weather anything."

She's leaning happily on the wheel, looking -- well, looking like she feels at home.

"I bet they hardly even know anything happened."

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

Sokka's frown hasn't lightened in the slightest but this time, at least, he does glance to Steph. "I don't know... I think I've gone farther than you or Mel, since you were using that-- poofing girl. Nothing's left standing, Steph, nothing, especially not on the coast. The brick here should be just like the brick anywhere else."

[alwaysroomforhope]

Steph apparently doesn't like this idea much, but at least she has the sense not to dismiss it out of hand and insist everything's fine.

"...it is kind of ... foggy down there," she says slowly, reluctantly. "It's not normally that misty. But it could just be a cold snap."

Please let it just be a cold snap.

[slayer_fray]

Mel peers through the glass at the city, hugging Hana to her.

"How d'you know it's not yours? Are we talking a couple centuries or whole different reality?"

[alwaysroomforhope]

"That's mine how it used to look," Steph explains, frowning down at the mist-shrouded city. "There was an earthquake a couple of years ago, when I was about fourteen. The whole skyline's changed since then, in mine."

She hesitates, and then adds to Mel, carefully, "... That was... after, so she could still be down there, though. If things went the same in this world."

See, totally talking about her mother, right.

[slayer_fray]

"Then we go down."

Mel leans across to put a hand on Sokka's shoulder. "But we don't get out of the car until we have to. You know where we're going, Steph?"

[alwaysroomforhope]

"Yep." She guns the engine, suddenly excited again, grinning back at Mel. "Like the back of my hand. Let's do it!"

[not-that-marie.livejournal.com]

For a moment there's enough space in the back of that car to fit one more person.

A moment's all Marie needs.

(flick)

"Hi guys," she says cheerily. "Said I'd check in, did I not? Sorry it took me so long."

[slayer_fray]

"Hey, Marie," Mel says cheerfully, as Loo reaches out for up to the stranger.

(Mel pulls the reachy arms down and takes the baby onto her own lap)

"How's it going?"

[officer-fray.livejournal.com]

And from overhead there's a loud whining noise of something that sounds close to but is not quite a jet engine.

Anyone looking up would notice that it appears to be a car.

A Flying car.

Because yes... it is pretty awesome.

Actually right now it's just kind of hovering overhead as if someone is watching the people below.

"ATTENTION PEOPLE ON THE GROUND. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ENTER GOTHAM CITY. REPEAT: DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ENTER GOTHAM CITY!"

Because PA systems are all in capslock. Right?

[slayer_fray]

Mel knows that sound.

Hell, Mel knows that voice. And although her first reaction is to flip the loudspeaker the bird, she sits forward sharply and taps Steph's chair sharply.

"Stop the car!"

[alwaysroomforhope]

Steph, who had blissfully ignored the PA, glances back at Mel just once, and at the older girl's tone her foot hits the brake.

But gently. Babies on board, after all.

"What is it?"

[slayer_fray]

Mel's already got the door open and is half out, Hana in her arms.

"Stay there," she tells Steph and Sokka before stepping out into the road, her other hand cupping her mouth to yell out:

"Erin!"

[officer-fray.livejournal.com]

The car hangs in the air for a few moments before the engine noises changes and it slowly lowers itself to the ground.

And a confused Erin Fray steps out.

"Mel?"

[slayer_fray]

Mel stares for a second, not sure how to react.

"Jesu, Erin," she repeats, before racing forward, Hana laughing with the movement.

"It's really you?"

[officer-fray.livejournal.com]

Erin's trying to take all this in. So far today she's been transported to another dimension or time, pulled a depressed guy out of Gotham and almost got eaten by some giant... thing.

And now there was Mel coming after her with a baby?

"Um. Yes?"

[slayer_fray]

Let's hope Erin adapts well and quickly, because the arm not occupied with baby is about to be thrown around her shoulders in a one-handed, non-baby-squishing hug.

"Oh god I thought I lost you, I'm so sorry, I..."

Of course, it takes a second for her to register the car behind her sister.

"You came from Haddyn, right?"

And therefore isn't the Erin that already dealt with the issue of the twins.

[officer-fray.livejournal.com]

It's been a long time since Erin's been squished by her sister (even one-handed). And when you add to the fact that Mel is carrying a baby you can appreciate her state of mind.

It still doesn't stop her from squishing back though.

"Where else would I be coming from," she replied. "Or do I want to know?"

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

Sokka's jaw dropped right about the time Mel's did, his eyes up and staring in shock at the car. Of course, he knows Erin, of course he could explain.

But zomg CAR!

Give him a minute.

[alwaysroomforhope]

Steph - once they've pulled over and let Mel and Hana out - yeah, she's laughing at him.

But affectionately.

"I'll get you one for your birthday," she suggests, reaching over into the back for Loo, eyes staying on the woman Mel's talking to while she pulls the sleepy baby into her arms. "Who's that?"

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

"Can my birthday be tomorrow?" Sokka asks, craning his neck to try and see more of the car out of the front window. With the question, he glances off toward his sister and Erin and smiles a little, reaching back for Loo-

Of course, Steph already beat him to that, and it takes him a minute to stop panicking to realize that.

"That's Erin, Mel's older sister. And since she didn't have a flying car in Apocalyptica, I'm guessing it's a whole new one straight from Haddyn."

[alwaysroomforhope]

"Sure. We'll trade for the landrover." Steph grins. "I'm sure Mel's ... sister, wow ... won't mind."

Mel said stay here, so Steph does, despite her eyes widening enormously at the man who's climbing shakily out of the jet after the blonde.

"-- holy shit, it's Commissioner Gordon!??"

[notanoptimist.livejournal.com]

"...someone from Gotham, yeah?"

[alwaysroomforhope]

"Yeah," Steph confirms, bouncing Loo a little, staring at the man. "Yeah, the police commissioner. Only he's really young, so ... if he's from that Gotham, then we won't find her there, he's never looked so young when I was there ... But ... wow, check the moustache. Never grow facial hair like that, Sokka. I'm telling you this as a friend."

Steph is suddenly Very Solemn.