Rating: PG13
Fandom: DC Comics
Summary: A few years ago, in a universe next door...
She was alone now. It was fitting, in a way. Just as fitting as Bruce entering the room without bothering to ask or pretending he'd have cared about the answer.
"Barbara."
"Bruce. Here to lodge a protest? A last attempt to convince me to do things your way?"
"No. You know I respect you too much for that."
"What I know is the strings you pulled, the hidden funds, and everything else you did. I didn't need your help or your money to make this happen, and if you think it means you can control me..."
"The League will need help you will be uniquely suited to give."
"Perhaps. But in my terms."
He smiled. Not a fake smile, but a real one, with the full force of everything he did and was. It made the Batman suit he wasn't wearing seem like a ploy to look less dangerous than he really was. "Of course."
She knew her grin wasn't more innocent or less ruthless than his. "If you'll excuse me, Mr. Wayne, there's a presidency I have to be sworn into."
He disappeared just as the Secret Service agents entered the room, oblivious to his presence. President-Elect Gordon added upgrading White House security to her list of projects. It was a long list.
.finis.
