Four weeks later…

 

Lara sighed as she thought back to that fateful afternoon with Izzy and Laurence. While her coming out to them had gone about as well as could be expected, Lara couldn’t help noticing that her friends had seemed somewhat distant ever since. Maybe they were still processing the news that she was a girl, or maybe they were afraid of accidentally outing her by saying too much at school? Either way, she hoped that she’d have a chance to reconnect on her birthday. She wasn’t sure what she would do if it turned out her friends were actively avoiding her... 

 

“Hey sweetheart. ‘You doing okay?” said a voice behind Lara, who started a little, having gotten used to the solitude in the air. She turned to see Superman, AKA Clark Kent, AKA her father smiling at her.

 

“Oh, yeah!” said Lara, laughing awkwardly to conceal her surprise. “I’m fine, dad. How’s it going? Anything good so far? I haven’t spotted anything fun today except for a truck of smuggled weapons, but the cops got to that before I could.” 

 

“Things are pretty quiet today, or at least peaceful.” Clark smiled. He loved having his little girl out in the field with him. Even on days like this where very little was happening, he was just happy to spend time with her. Still, today that time would be cut a little short. “Just thought I should tell you; It’s just gone four-thirty. You wanna head over to the teleporter? I just heard from your mom. She says she’s waiting for you in Gotham.”

 

“Oh yeah! I almost forgot!” said Lara, changing direction in midair as she and her father began heading for the closest of the JLA teleporter pods. “Will you be ok to carry on patrol without me?”

 

“I think I’ll just about manage.” Clark chuckled as they reached the roof of the Metropolis WayneTech tower. “Worst we’ve had so far this week was that leftover robot from Toyman’s last visit, and I think I could take the likes of him by myself if he shows up.” 

 

“You sure about that?” said Lara, cheekily. “If I remember correctly, I was the one who caught KGBeast last week, after the “incident” over by the embassy…”

 

Clark smiled as he remembered the image of the cybernetic assassin desperately trying to make a run for it, while Lara had held his vehicle in place with one hand. 

 

Anatoli Knyazev had thought he could give Superman and the MPD the slip while they were distracted by the hostage situation he had created in the Metropolis Ukrainian Embassy. However, he hadn’t counted on the younger Kryptonian, who had been acting as the eye-in-the-sky, swooping down and giving him some severe engine trouble. Clark was relieved that his daughter didn’t speak Russian, or else she would have learned some very colourful language on that day.

 

“You’re never gonna let me forget that are you?” said Clark.

 

“Nope.” giggled Lara. “Probably not.”

 

The father-daughter duo landed next to a fake ventilation shaft, which contained a hidden teleporter pod. The pair quickly looked around to make sure no one else was on the roof before Clark lifted up the metal grate, allowing Lara to step inside.

 

“This’ll send you right to where your mom is waiting.” explained Clark. “You sure you don’t want me to come with you? You can never be too certain about what you’ll encounter on a trip to Batman’s territory”

 

Lara shook her head. “Nah, I’m Supergirl! I can handle a trip to Gotham easily.” Though she did feel a little nervous, no matter what she said. It wasn’t anxiety about any thug or criminal she might find, she knew she could handle that! No, these butterflies in her stomach were for something else... 

 

Still, the important thing, as Grandpa Kent had once told her, was that she recognized the nerves and was able to still move forward in spite of them! That’s what true bravery was all about!

 

Clark smiled. “That’s my girl!” He entered the coordinates into the teleporter’s keypad, and spoke clearly. “Supergirl - C-01. Bye sweetheart!” 

 

The mechanism whirred to life, and Lara waved goodbye to her father. She would see him again, later that evening. Hopefully, he’d be able to keep things stable in Metropolis, while Supergirl was out of town. There was a flash of light, and Lara vanished as she was teleported over to Gotham City.

________________________________________________________________

 

A few days prior, Lois Lane had been tasked by the Daily Planet to write a report on a new psychiatric clinic which had opened in Gotham City some time ago. The clinic in question was run by the reformed supervillains, Harleen Quinzel and Pamela Isley. The office had been largely avoided by most of the city at first; but Harley had had wonderful success helping street-level criminals, and even a few low-level supervillains, turn their lives around. The world was finally ready to pay attention to Dr. Quinzel, her wife, Dr. Isley, and their adopted son, Colin Wilkes. 

 

Colin was the trans boyfriend of Damian Wayne, and one of Lara’s best friends in the hero community. He had been the one who had helped Lara realize her true self, and come out as a trans girl. He also had the superhuman ability to transform into a giant furry dragon-bat creature called Goliath, with super strength, claws, fangs, and fully-functional wings. Needless to say, Colin was a pretty fun and interesting guy to hang out with.

 

Lois had agreed to meet Lara in Gotham that afternoon, before heading to the clinic. Lois would interview Harley and Ivy, while Lara got to hang out with Colin, as the clinic was in the same building that Colin and his moms lived in, and Lara had a few important questions of her own to ask her friend.

 

As Lara arrived in Gotham City’s Diamond District, stepping out of the teleporter pod in a flash of light (the pod was disguised as a disused phone booth with blacked out walls), she spotted her mom waiting for her. She looked up from reading her pocket sized notebook and smiled at her daughter.

 

“Hi sweetie!” said Lois, holding up a shopping bag. “I brought a change of clothes for you.”

 

“Thanks mom!” said Lara, peering into the bag. Lois had made sure to bring some civilian clothes for Lara to wear, so that no one would wonder what the new Supergirl was doing in Gotham. The original plan had been for Lara to get changed at home, and simply accompany Lois on the ferry to Gotham. However, this would have meant that Lara would be out in public as Lara Kent, not Supergirl, and risk being recognized by the residents of Metropolis. The other alternative would have been for Lara to dress in boy clothes, which she had immediately refused.

 

Lara took the bag of clothes, and headed back into the phone booth to get changed, while Lois kept watch outside. She emerged a minute later, wearing a pair of brown sandals, red skirt, and a blue sleeveless top; the perfect summer outfit! Lara’s Supergirl outfit was neatly folded in the shopping bag, and to complete her ‘disguise’, Lara also wore her hair clip and a brand-new pair of girl’s glasses with purple frames.

 

Over the last few weeks, Lara had only really gone out in public, either for school, while presenting as male, or as Supergirl. She had rarely spent any time out in the open as the mild-mannered citizen, Lara Kent, out of fear of being recognized, and prematurely outed as trans. 

 

However, over the last week, she had been training herself by flying across the world to far away cities, and spending a brief amount of time wearing girl clothes in public. This way, she was less likely to be recognized, and could enjoy a brief amount of time as a normal girl. So far, she had visited London, Sydney and Los Angeles under the guise of a young tourist, usually accompanied by her dad, her big brother Conner, or her cousin Kara.

 

Even though she knew it was very unlikely she would be seen by anyone who knew her, Lara still felt a little nervous walking through the streets of Gotham, dressed the way she was. After all, Gotham was only just across the Delaware bay from Metropolis. Lara reassured herself by holding Lois’s hand, as they made their way through the streets.

 

Mother and daughter worked their way north, out of the Diamond District, and towards Robinson Park. As they walked, Lara took her time admiring how different the city appeared during the daytime.

 

For decades, Gotham had had a reputation for being an old, dilapidated, crime-ridden city, with a dark atmosphere and an abundance of poverty. However, over the past 20 years, with the rise of numerous heroes, villains and crazy metahumans, mixed with the occasional earthquake, alien invasion or attacks from literal demons from H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks, the city had undergone a rather astounding transformation.

 

The streets were a different flavor of chaos from what Lara was used to in Metropolis. Her home city was generally clean and well lit, more or less always looking and feeling safe. However in Gotham, old decaying buildings were scattered among the new ones, like rotten teeth in a smile. Still, the people of the city, in a push for civic pride of a sort, had tried to beautify the spaces. Artwork on walls or modern statues on corners covered, or at least distracted from the worst damage.

 

Lara remembered something Damian had said about some Gotham villains and vigilantes frequently tagging their turf with certain symbols and markings. There seemed oddly very little graffiti of any kind along this street, besides the artistic statement variety. Just as she was about to ask her mother why this part of Gotham seemed so much nicer than the rest, she got her answer. 

 

On the side of a 5 story brick building was a very detailed painting of Goliath the bat-dragon in mid roar. A reminder to criminals that this neighborhood had its own protector. Lara doubted many common crooks would be brave enough to try and rob a house in an area with frequent sightings of the local chimera. She wondered who had painted the piece, but had a strong suspicion that Damian had something to do with commissioning it. 

 

Lara couldn’t help but express her thoughts as they walked. “Maybe it’s just because it’s daytime… but Gotham doesn’t seem as bad as everyone makes it sound.” Sure, she would always be a Metropolis girl, but this was still much nicer than what Lara had been led to believe about Gotham. Even some occasional pieces run in the Daily Planet had made the town sound like it’s residents were likely to be mugged on every other block. 

 

“Well, it has gotten a lot better in recent years.” Lois said, having seen the statistics herself through her work. Compared to the madness of 20 years ago, it was almost a different city. “It’s taken a lot of hard work, and sure, some other things have definitely gotten crazier than they were before, but there has definitely been an overall improvement.”

 

Lara nodded, “I guess Batman and his friends have done a lot to help the city.”

 

This actually made Lois smile. “Oh, they definitely have, but it’s taken so much more than just them to change this place.”

 

She thought back over the years of corruption that had eaten its way through large swaths of the city. Dirty money passed from hand to hand that allowed Arkham Asylum and Blackgate Prison to earn their “revolving-door” reputations, and the police and politicians that rose to power the fastest were the ones who saw and did nothing. Commissioner Lobe, who had been in charge of the Gotham City Police Department before Gordon had rocketed to his position, was not fondly remembered by many citizens, due to his complete lack of control over Gotham’s many crime families.

 

“Batman and his team have done a lot to protect the city from supervillains.” Lois continued. “But that doesn’t mean much when the city itself has still had to overcome so much corruption and poverty.” 

 

“Right,” said Lara, “That’s what the teachers said at school. They said what’s really helped in Gotham is people like Bruce Wayne giving money to Batman and the police.” She gave Lois a knowing smile. Talking about Bruce Wayne and Batman as if they were separate people always made Lara feel special, as she was one of the few people who was allowed to know the truth.

 

Lois gave a small laugh. “Ha! Is that what they’re teaching you at school? I should write a letter of complaint.”

 

“What do you mean?” Lara stared at her mother, perplexed. “I thought you supported Batman…” It was awkward to talk about her Uncle Bruce like he was someone they only knew from afar, but it was necessary to keep up appearances. 

 

“I’m just kidding, sweetie.” Lois smiled. “I only meant that there’s more to it than just giving money to cops and superheroes. That’s never been the answer to Gotham’s problems. In fact, it’s been the cause for some of them.”

 

“Oohhh…” said Lara, realising what Lois meant. “Yeah, I get it. Crooked cops might use that money to make things worse.”

 

Lois nodded. “Not only that, but having more police and vigilantes around doesn’t do much to fight poverty or improve the standards of living.” She pointed towards a nearby billboard. “Instead, Wayne Enterprises have started investing in more... progressive ideas.”

 

Lara looked to where her mother was pointing. The billboard displayed an advertisement for one of Gotham’s universities. It showed a looping neon animation of bright-eyed students earning degrees in medicine, art and infrastructure, which according to the billboard, was all funded by the Martha Wayne Institute.

 

“Over the last decade, Bruce Wayne’s been shifting his focus onto things like healthcare, social programs, and education.” explained Lois. “These are the things that Gotham lacked when I was your age, and it’s part of the reason why things got so bad here.”

 

“And the supervillains?” Lara asked, thinking of all the problems that various members of the Gotham City Rogues Gallery caused for the people of the city. “Not much of that was because of healthcare.”

 

“Oh, they certainly have caused their fair share of problems,” Lois admitted. “But that’s not just a Gotham issue after all. Still, better social programs could have done a lot to curb some of their activities.” She pointed down the street at a wall, where a faded Two-Face spray paint tag could still be made out. “Harvey Dent might not have become Two-Face if doctors had properly treated his condition, instead of locking him away in Arkham and forgetting about him.”

 

Lara hadn’t thought about it that way. “But there’s still time to help them, right mom?”

 

Lois beamed with pride, glad to see her daughter so excited to do her part. “We can only hope, princess. For some people, the way back is easier than others.”

 

Right on cue, they turned the corner and they caught sight of the dragon’s lair, better known as Colin’s house. Now here was the home of some people that truly had found their way back! 

 

Shortly after they had adopted Colin, Harley and Ivy had moved into a small house to make their own, and they had succeeded in making it very much their own! The narrow three-story building stood out from all the others around it. First, the front had been painted with Harley’s old distinct jester motley of red and black. But the paint wasn’t nearly as eye-catching as Ivy’s touch of flowering vines growing down from the planter boxes at every single window. 

 

As they got closer, Lara noticed finer details about the house. More green foliage on the top indicated a large rooftop garden. At the base, there were two doors and a little stall, almost like a child’s lemonade stand, situated between them. Behind the table sat Dr. Pamela Isley, better known to the world as Poison Ivy, who was wearing a lightweight floral print dress and seemed to be selling baskets of peppers, tomatoes, blueberries and strawberries in little containers made of woven vines.

 

“Afternoon Lois! Hi Lara!” The green skinned redhead called from her seat as mother and daughter came up to her. “You’re early! Harls is finishing up with one last client. She’ll just be a moment.” She nodded her head at the left hand black door. On it was a logo of a red and black rose in full bloom with the words “Quinn-Isley Counseling Center” written in gold leaf. 

 

“Morning Ivy!” Lois said, walking around the table and giving her friend a quick hug. “Selling from your home too now?” She asked, gesturing to the baskets, which even Lara could tell were a lot cheaper than the grocery store tended to sell them.

 

Ivy gave a little shrug, but still smiled proudly. “What can I say? My babies have been enjoying the weather. I can’t just let all their hard work rot on the vine just because the farmer’s market doesn’t open till Sunday! People should get to enjoy them. Anything I don’t sell today, I’m bringing down to the soup kitchen tomorrow morning.”

 

Just then, the office door opened and a tall, burley stranger shuffled outside. The figure had to duck to get through the doorway, and was dressed in a large trenchcoat and fedora with a scarf covering the face, and hands in the coat pockets. Lara started a little at the sudden appearance of the mysterious giant, but remained calm when she saw Ivy smiling politely at the figure.

 

“Hey Waylon,” said Ivy, cheerily. “How’re you doing?”

 

“I’m good, Pamala. Thanks for asking.” The figure replied in a deep gruff voice. “I gotta make a move, but we can catch up another time. See ya ‘round!” With that, Waylon strode off down the street, tipping his fedora politely at Lois and Lara as he walked past.

 

Lara turned to Ivy, hoping for some kind of explanation. The green redhead simply smiled. “Old work friend of Harley and me.” she explained, packing a lot of meaning into the words “work friend”. “He’s also one of Harl’s patients. Speaking of which, she should be free now.”

 

As if on cue, the black door opened again and Dr. Harleen Quinnzel stuck her head out. Compared to some of her previous outfits, Harley was dressed fairly casually in jeans and a red blouse, with her long blonde hair in a ponytail, and a pair of red spectacles on her head. 

 

“Hey Lois! Hope I didn’t keep ya waitin’.” She said with a smile, before turning to Lara. “Love that outfit, Lara! Colin’s upstairs if ya wanna wait for us! We’ll be up as soon as the interview is done.”

 

“Yeah! I’ll show you up.” Ivy got up from her chair and opened the red door up into the house.

 

“Ok! See you in a bit, mom!” Lara hugged her mother, then ran to give Harley a quick hug, before joining Ivy at the door. 

 

As she stepped inside, Lara turned and looked out down the street and noticed the figure known as Waylon was only about a block away. With her keen eyes she saw something shift under the large man’s coat and fall down the back. At first Lara thought his belt had come loose, but then it moved… This man had a large scaly tail! Lara opened her mouth to call out or ask a question, but the door had already closed behind them.