Batwoman landed on the fifth floor terrace of an apartment building on the southern edge of the Upper East Side. She had arrived faster than her courage, and she was left second guessing why she chose to do this. A grappling hook wasn't an easy thing to master but neither was this, and Batwoman felt more unprepared than ever.

A silhouette appeared through the terrace's open doors of the apartment. Batwoman stood frozen, her chest tightening, her breath shortening. She clenched and unclenched her fists indecisively, half wanting to reach for her grappling gun, half wanting to charge through the doors. Neither action addressed what she was there to do.

The silhouette had seen her. It was too late to bail, and Batwoman swallowed against her dry mouth. Her heart rate increased, and she quietly cursed herself for wavering now, of all days, hours, minutes, moments of her life. She watched from the terrace as the silhouette came closer - her eyes darted to the flow of brown curls moving slightly against the breeze cutting into the open room. Slowly, she absorbed the silhouette's entire form, taking in the casual swing of her shoulders and arms, the swaying curves of her waist, and the bright warmth of her chocolate brown eyes.

"This is definitely a first," came her voice crossing the threshold and revealing herself in whole to Batwoman.

"Uh - me too, actually."

"You mean you don't run wild in the streets, kissing all the damsels you save?" came the response playfully. There was a brightness and warmth in the smile that delivered them.

Batwoman smiled weakly in return and averted her gaze. She wasn't used to this. Batwoman was confident. She could face down muggers, murderers and thieves, but when it came to Sophie? Sophie was Batwoman's kryptonite because Sophie was Kate's kryptonite.

Taking a breath and mentally shaking herself, she began, "Look, I-"

"Do you want to come in?"

Kate faltered. Did she want to come in? She blinked. Does the sun rise to the east? Of course she did. More than anything she wanted to break out of her own mask and take Sophie into her arms again. The memory of last night washed over her once more - Sophie's soft, welcoming lips on hers; the feel of her hands on her waist, leaning, pressing against her warmth; Sophie's hands brushing her cheek -

"No," Kate said out loud, more to herself than to Sophie. Now was Sophie's turn to falter, and Kate saw her recoil slightly toward the shadows of her flat - her face now concealed in shadow. Kate instinctively reached out an arm for her, "I mean, I can't - this can't - we can't do this Sophie. Last night was…"

"A mistake?" Sophie feared aloud.

"Indescribable," Kate finished, her eyes returning Sophie's gaze. "It was - it was utterly indescribable. Sophie, I'm not saying 'no' because I don't want you. Believe me, l don't remember ever wanting something this badly…"

"But?"

"This can't happen. I'm Batwoman. I have enemies who, given the chance, would use you against me."

Sophie's eyes narrowed, "I can take care of myself - I'm a Crow. I'm trained to deal with people coming after me."

"It's not that simple, and you know it. Every night I'm out there, I'm protecting those close to me by wearing this mask, and I won't put them at risk through my actions. That includes you. I could never live with myself if I was the cause in bringing harm to you - you're too important to me."

Kate stopped. She knew she had slipped, but her resolve became clearer as fears for Sophie's safety flooded her words. The reality of her actions and the risk it meant for Sophie had never been so clear as this moment. Yes, she cared about everyone in her life, but Sophie especially so. The feelings from years ago lingered, burning stronger now not out of lust, but out of her need to protect Sophie. Even if this meant never being with Sophie, this nothing was better than living in terror for her and in secret of her.

Sophie's head tilted slightly as she took in Batwoman's words. This was a lot for a single rooftop kiss. Sure, there had been more - Sophie had felt it begin weeks ago, but this was more than she expected. It didn't make sense. Was Batwoman speaking through some former relationship? Had Batwoman been hurt before? Had there been someone else? She said this was a first for her, too. Was that a lie? What had happened that made her so resolute now? Confused, Sophie felt a wave of sympathy for Batwoman. She was building a wall to protect people close to her, yes, but she was also building a wall to keep those same people out.

"So what do you propose?" Sophie asked, searching for Batwoman to reveal something more, but Batwoman's demeanor had changed. They were an arm's length apart but in a matter of seconds, Batwoman felt unreachable to Sophie.

"I need to walk away."

For Sophie, she was riddled with questions. Her curiosity was the reason she was second in command of the Crows. She had spent her life honing skills to interrogate a situation, but in this moment she was at a loss.

The ensuing pause was unbearable to Kate. She knew her words were giving up on a hope she had been carrying for years, and every second that passed was a second she risked changing her mind.

"Ok," Sophie responded softly, jolting Batwoman from her thoughts.

"Ok," Sophie repeated more forcefully this time, stepping forward to close the physical distance between them. She stared into Batwoman's eyes, taking in the fear, confusion, and love swimming in them. In that moment she was struck by a feeling of familiarity - as though she had stared into that same mixture of emotions before. The difference was in that memory she was the one saying 'no'. In that memory she was making a mistake. Seeing this, Sophie leaned toward Batwoman and challenged:

"So walk."

Sophie could feel the heat radiating between them. She searched Batwoman's eyes for hesitation, and for a split second, she saw it and felt her heart skip. She wanted this - Batwoman and her. She felt a strange familiarity and comfort in Batwoman's gaze that she hadn't felt in years - she certainly hadn't felt it in her marriage to Tyler. She felt herself falling for the mystery in front of her, and she leaned in to close the space between her lips and Batwoman's.

But before she could, Batwoman stepped back and a cool breeze vanished the warmth and energy between them. Before Sophie could react, Batwoman's grappling hook was out and directed toward an adjacent building.

"Goodbye Sophie."

In a blink the shadow of Batwoman slowly disappeared into the night, and Sophie was left alone on her terrace.

Hi all, I hope you've enjoyed this. I've completely binged Batwoman, and I am excited about the characters and how their relationships will develop. That said, some things aren't happening enough for me, so this is the beginning of my take on it. The format won't totally align with the show or carry a consistent story-line - instead they will be 'excerpts' of a larger story, so if you decide to follow along, don't worry that it feels like there are gaps: this is intended. Obviously the show's writers have a better background on Batwoman's enemies, so I will definitely be leaning on that for later chapters.