Steph kept working because hello, she had to, this was her job now. Go to class, beat up bad guys, try not to roll her eyes too hard when the villains called her "girlie" or Babs was cranky in her ear.

And anyway, Babs had her own problems. She didn't need Steph dumping on her, too.

So Steph kept patrolling and fighting the baddies, and occasionally being snotty at Damian and trying not to notice the way Dick's sadness replaced Batman's cape and then some, in terms of looming darkness and making you feel like a bad person.

Okay, that had gotten away from her a little. The point was, Steph was a fucking trooper, and she didn't think about how much she missed Cass, because there was no point.

Cass would've been able to fight her way out of a circle of twenty trained assassins; techno-zombies wouldn't even have phased her. Cass would've tried to get her to tie her hair back. Cass would've pushed her back against a brick wall and stared at her, and Steph would've fixed it for both of them by pushing forward and kissing her.

Cass might've known Steph wanted it before Steph herself did, but Steph was the one who was stupid enough to push it forward into action.

And Steph missed it. Part of the reason they'd been so great together was because they got confused about different things.

Whatever. It was stupid. Cass wasn't here, and Steph was.

"Got the specs on that tunnel yet, O?" She hopped off the skyscraper she'd been pacing on and swung down into a grimy alley. Her kick landed square in the face of the pimp who'd been menacing a girl who couldn't be more than twelve. "I'm keeping busy, but hey, totally up for some bigger fish." Three kicks, a punch, and zip strips. The girl was already gone.

"Give me a few more minutes." Babs sounded amused. It was totally progress; a month ago she would've been annoyed that Steph had the nerve to be impatient. "It's not like you don't enjoy kicking lowlifes in the face."

Okay, point. "Sure thing, O. Take your sweet time."

"Shut up, Batgirl," Babs said easily.

Steph grinned and climbed the fire escape, securing another line and flying across one of Gotham's bigger streets.

By the end of the night she was exhausted. The schematics had turned out to be five times as big as they'd thought, and Steph had been ambushed by some stooges of whoever was running the smuggling ring. She had bruises in some seriously uncomfortable places, and a huge cut on her bicep that would need stitches.

"I can get it later," Steph said, moving up to pull on a shirt - but Babs stopped her with a hand on her good shoulder.

"Don't even think about it, Batgirl," Babs said, and held up a needle.

Steph clamped her mouth shut. She couldn't help but think: Cass wouldn't make a sound. Cass wouldn't even have tried to put on a shirt. Cass...

Cass wasn't here.

"You should have told me you were distracted," Babs said as she began stitching.

Steph knew her well enough now to hear the recrimination, the nervousness. Babs was the one who had to watch them all hurt themselves. It wasn't really surprising that she'd made herself Batgirl Guardian, or whatever. "I didn't realize I was." Oh god, ow. Why did this kind of pain never get any easier?

Babs' fingers were gentle, at least. "Want to talk about it?"

"Cass." Steph closed her eyes. "I can't stop thinking about her lately."

"She might be back."

But Babs didn't sound even a little bit convinced. She had to be used to people dying, or going crazy and evil and leaving, and then coming back and leaving again. Steph kind of wanted to ask her if it ever got easier, even though she knew the answer.

"Batgirl?"

"Still here." Steph reached down with her free arm and tightened her fingers on the edge of the table. "Keep going."

Babs was worried, she knew - Babs was always worried. But she didn't say anything, just kept sewing.

When the cut was closed, she snipped the thread and said, "Batgirl - Steph." She pushed herself back a few steps and looked up at Steph, mouth pressed into a thin line. "I'm not going to tell you it gets easier."

Oh crap, if Babs could read minds then they were all doomed. "No, I know," she said, voice a little too high.

"But we support each other. We help each other. That's what we're here for."

"It's not like you're going to be kissing me better anytime soon," Steph said, and then flopped back on the table, one arm over her eyes, because seriously. Bad choices.

"No," Babs said, after a moment that felt like forever but was probably more like five seconds. "But if you ever want to talk, I'm here."

"Is this how it was with Cass?"

When Babs didn't answer, she forced herself to sit up and look Babs in the eye. Babs looked grimmer than Steph had ever seen. "I'm sorry. I -"

"It's fine," Babs said. "No. You're different - you know that."

"I really am sorry," Steph said, because God, God, how could she be this dumb?

"I miss her too," Babs said. She backed up a little more and turned around, going back to the computer. When she spoke again, she was so quiet Steph barely heard her. "Get some sleep, Batgirl."

Steph was pretty sure she'd missed something. A smart person would just walk away. It wasn't like she didn't know that an angry Babs could end her. But Steph didn't really believe in walking away, even when it was seriously stupid not to do it.

"I will later," she said, and walked over to the console. She could lean on it, but then Babs would really and truly kill her. Painfully. So instead she stood next to Babs and didn't make eye contact. "Tell me what you meant."

"I said what I meant." Perfectly level voice. Babs was lying.

"I don't think you did, O," Steph said, and moved so she could put a finger on Babs' shoulder.

Babs flinched.

Oh. Oh, Steph thought stupidly. She - "What's going on here?"

Babs leaned back and looked up at her. Her face was hard, like she was facing down Batman at his most stubborn. Either Batman. Steph tried not to wince. "I care about Cass. I miss her. I care about you. I'd prefer not to have to miss you just yet."

And seriously, Babs could've cut herself open and put the organs on display for Steph's edification and it would've been less weird. "I'm sorry," Steph said finally. "I'll try - I mean, I can't -" She raised her shoulders, not quite a shrug, and one of her bra straps slid off her shoulder.

Babs' eyes followed the motion, and suddenly Steph was really, really aware of how she wasn't wearing a shirt.

So Steph made a choice. A stupid one, but whatever, it wasn't like anyone in the world would be surprised. "Don't hit me," she said, and leaned down.

For a few seconds she was sure it was a mistake. Babs didn't move, and all Steph could think was how awkward this was going to be, and what a stupid choice it was, and how seriously, if Cass could see her now she'd kill herself laughing (or projecting amusement), because at least she'd known Cass was into girls before she'd -

Babs got a hand in Steph's hair and pulled, adjusting their angle and kissing Steph back. And holy shit. It wasn't like Steph wasn't used to desperate hookups, but Babs was kissing like she thought she might hit Steph after she was done. Steph wasn't sure if she was more weirded out by the kiss or by how much she liked it.

She had to pull back when the crick in her neck got too bad, but Babs curled her hand into a fist at the nape of Steph's neck. "Don't you dare."

"I'm just - isn't this uncomfortable?" Steph let herself touch, curving a hand over Babs' cheek. Babs didn't flinch away. "We could, I don't know. We could do something else."

Babs tilted her head. She had her scary-genius look on. Luckily, Steph was used to scary geniuses. "Sure," Babs said, and pushed Steph back against the console.

Whoa. Steph looked down as Babs pushed her legs apart, kissing her thigh. This was - well, okay. It wasn't like Steph didn't want it.

But on the console?

Steph was gearing up to ask what she was pretty sure would be a seriously stupid question when Babs pulled her shorts down and pressed a thumb between Steph's legs, right on her clit.

Steph gasped and spread her legs further. Babs leaned forward, running her tongue over Steph's underwear. It was a really good thing she changed after patrolling, Steph thought, because otherwise this would be seriously gross, and she'd totally done the sweaty hookup thing, it was really okay if you were both completely disgusting. And -

"Steph."

Steph looked down. Babs had a finger hooked in Steph's underwear and an expectant look on her face. "Sorry," Steph said, and tilted her hips. "Are you sure you don't want to, you know, go somewhere more comfortable? Actually comfortable?"

Babs looked around the cave. Steph couldn't have read her expression if Lady Shiva was telling her to and had her in a chokehold. Dangling off a skyscraper.

"No," Babs said finally. "Here is fine."

"Okay," Steph said weakly, and reached down to touch Babs' hair. Babs smiled, predatory and seriously kind of scary, and leaned forward.

Steph thought she might fall over. There was no possible way Babs could know what Steph liked (unless, God, she had cameras all over, and that thought really shouldn't be as hot as it was) - but she was doing everything exactly right, moving her thumb in circles over Steph's clit and licking around it, pressing her tongue the tiniest bit into Steph and then spreading the moisture around. And it felt good, it felt fucking amazing.

All she could think about was Babs' hands moving over the keys of the computer, Babs' mouth tightening when Steph mouthed off, Babs smiling the few times Steph did something really awesome in front of her. She couldn't look down because she'd do something really embarrassing like grind against Babs' face or maybe yell like a girl in a porno, but she could reach down and touch Babs' hair, her cheek, gasping when Babs sucked on her clit,

And then Babs pulled back and Steph thought really seriously about trying to kill her - until Babs said, "You like this," and slid two fingers into Steph.

"You don't - how - that's creepy," Steph said, but she thrust her hips forward anyway. Her shame was completely gone, like, over the Canadian border and headed for the North Pole.

"You weren't careful," Babs said. She thrust her fingers and leaned forward, licking Steph's clit and then backing off again. "Cass was, most of the time, but you weren't. And she didn't make sure you were."

Which, well, it was Cass. Cass didn't make mistakes. Cass had known, Cass - "Oh God," Steph said. Her arms were shaking. She couldn't hold herself up, except for how she had to. She was going to have computer key-shaped bruises on her ass tomorrow, and she didn't care in the slightest.

"I miss her," Babs said, and curled her fingers. "She'd be proud of you."

There was something else there, something important, Steph had to get enough brain cells together to really listen - but then Babs leaned forward again and tongued her clit, completely mercilessly, and Steph had maybe ten seconds before she was coming so hard she almost blacked out.

She didn't give herself time to think - she pushed off the computer and went to her knees, pushing Babs' hand away and getting her pants down far enough to touch.

And it was an accident, actually, when she trapped Babs' clit between two fingers - the angle was weird and she was just trying to figure out what Babs liked. But Babs flung her hands up and hit the computer console, gasping and making these tiny, funny sounds Steph was never, ever going to forget.

Steph moved her fingers a little more, figuring if she'd come once, so quickly, they could go again - but Babs shook her head and pushed Steph's hand away. "That'll be enough, Batgirl," she said with wry amusement.

Steph decided not to even pretend that didn't turn her on. She got up and kissed Babs, craning her neck and shivering when she tasted herself.

"Cass would probably laugh at us," she said when she pulled away, her forehead against Babs'.

"I'm laughing at us," Babs said. "She'll be back, you know."

Steph thought it would be kind of hypocritical to argue, since she'd totally let everyone think she was dead for so long. "I know. But -"

But I miss her too much. But I want her to work with me. But I want her to know about this. But I want her to see.

Babs kissed her again, and Steph knew she was thinking some of the same things.

"Go home," Babs said when they pulled apart again. "Sleep."

Steph totally knew better than to ask if they'd do this again. She did. She bit her tongue to keep the words back.

"Okay," she said finally. "See you."

Babs gave her an Oracle look, all-knowing and scary-hot. "Put a shirt on first," she said, and turned back to the computer, apparently not noticing her messy hair and clothes.

Steph didn't notice the massive bruise on her left arm until she pulled a shirt over her head. The cut on her right arm ached, but the bruise felt...

Sleep, she reminded herself, and pulled on her jeans. Sleep, and then thinking.

And then maybe, she thought, optimism taking over, more mindbendingly hot sex.

Hey, a girl could dream.