DCU: Split

"Well." Nolan settled back into the leather seat of the SUV, watching the city slide past the tinted windows. "That was rude. You practically made her run away from us."

The Beast offered no response, at least not one Nolan could hear, but there was something stirring in the deepest recesses of his mind. It felt almost like a low, satisfied chuckle, the kind of silent amusement the Beast had begun displaying whenever he believed he had accomplished something worthwhile. Nolan sighed through his nose and shook his head. "Damn bastard," Quentin muttered from somewhere behind his thoughts. "Scaring Beth like that. What was the point?"

Nolan's eyes narrowed slightly. "I know you added a little something in there too, Quentin."

There was a brief pause before Quentin answered, sounding entirely unapologetic. "Well, she shouldn't have peeked. Where is the decorum? The decency to ask permission before rummaging through a man's thoughts?"

"You know damn well you could have stopped it."

"Could I?"

"Yes."

"Did I?"

Nolan rolled his eyes. There was no point arguing with him. Quentin knew exactly what he had done and had probably done it precisely because he thought it would be funny. That was Quentin's particular brand of cruelty; he rarely needed a reason beyond the opportunity to amuse himself.

Nolan turned his attention back toward the window. Gotham's lights blurred together as the SUV moved through the streets, the familiar skyline rising beyond the buildings. "Sounds like she'll be coming to Gotham every now and then. I wonder if that's what this was really about. Maybe they sent her to get close to the Underpass."

Vey's voice came quietly from the back of his mind. "Her history would make her a convincing plant."

Nolan considered that. Beth had been connected to them long before the Underpass had become what it was now. She had been frightened, confused, and vulnerable when they had first encountered her, and Nolan had ultimately made the decision to put her in Batman's hands. Since then, the world around them had changed dramatically.

"But Batman wouldn't make a play that risky," Nolan said.

"What if it wasn't his decision?" Vey asked.

Nolan's eyes narrowed slightly. "Young Justice?"

"Possibly. The League is dealing with legal problems right now. If they're occupied, the younger team may be carrying more responsibility than usual."

Kieran finally entered the conversation, his voice smooth and thoughtful. "Or she really did just want to see us. Don't overlook that possibility. We were a significant part of her life, whether she likes admitting it or not."

Nolan didn't answer immediately. He watched a pair of pedestrians disappear beneath the glow of a streetlamp and found himself thinking about how long ago it seemed that he had handed Beth over to Batman. At the time, he had convinced himself it was the right thing to do. She needed people who could teach her how to control what she was capable of, people who could give her a life that wasn't defined by the same darkness that had consumed him.

Now she was growing into someone capable of choosing her own path.

Nolan wondered if that was what bothered him.

"Change of plans," he finally said, leaning forward slightly. He pulled out his phone and sent an address to his driver. "Take us here instead."

"Yes, sir."

The SUV turned at the next intersection and began moving deeper into Gotham. The conversation inside Nolan's mind gradually faded as the city changed around them, the crowded streets giving way to quieter avenues lined with older buildings. Ten minutes later, the vehicle rolled through the gates of a private hospital.

Nolan looked through the windshield at the building for several seconds before stepping out.

The hospital was one of several facilities Kieran Everleigh had quietly contributed to over the years, although the name attached to those donations rarely appeared prominently enough for anyone to connect them back to him. Nolan entered through the main doors, exchanged a polite nod with the receptionist, and walked directly toward the private elevator. The attendant recognized him immediately and said nothing as Nolan selected the fourth floor.

The doors opened with a soft chime.

He walked down the quiet hallway until he reached the room at the very end. The lights were dimmed, leaving the room bathed in the muted glow of the city outside. Sherry lay exactly where she had been before, motionless beneath the blankets, the steady rhythm of the machines beside her providing the only real sound.

Nolan pulled the chair closer to the bed and sat.

"Your granddaughter is in town," he said quietly.

There was no response.

"Beth."

Still nothing.

Nolan leaned back and studied the old woman's face. He had visited her before, though rarely. Usually there had been a practical reason for it, some obligation or promise he had decided to keep. Tonight, however, he had come without one.

"It would be nice if you woke up sometime soon, Sherry," he murmured. "She's growing up. You should probably be around for some of it."

Her breathing remained steady.

Nolan smiled faintly.

"Well, I suppose lying down isn't so bad either. I've spent plenty of time wishing I could do the same."

He looked toward the window, where Gotham stretched beneath the night sky.

"I used to think that was all I wanted. To close my eyes and let everything disappear. No responsibilities, no expectations, no people asking things of me. Just silence. Nothingness." He paused, considering the admission. "For a long time, I thought that was peace."

His fingers slowly folded together.

"It's strange. That feeling has been getting weaker lately. I wake up and actually want to accomplish something. I want to build things. I want to see what happens next." He gave a quiet laugh. "I never thought I'd become that kind of person."

Nolan glanced back at Sherry.

"The Underpass keeps getting bigger. Every time someone tries to tear it down, I find myself wanting to beat them. Not just survive them. Beat them. Protect what we've built." His expression softened as he considered that. "I suppose that's the part I have trouble accepting. The peace I used to want doesn't really exist for me anymore."

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"My desires got bigger."

The words lingered in the quiet room.

"I think I understand why now."

Nolan lowered his head for a moment, staring at his hands.

"For the longest time, I wondered where the Beast came from. I couldn't understand why something like that existed inside me. Why I could feel so much anger and violence when most of my life I was trying to avoid both." He swallowed quietly. "But I think I finally understand."

His eyes lifted toward the window again.

"I was a coward, Sherry. That's the ugly truth of it. I hid from everything. From people, from the world, from myself. I wanted everything to stop because stopping meant nothing could hurt me anymore." He paused, his voice becoming quieter. "There are parts of my past I can't even remember properly now. Maybe that's for the best. Maybe some things are better left buried."

The moon hung above Gotham, bright enough to illuminate the edges of the surrounding buildings.

"But the Beast wasn't created because I suddenly became some monster. He was always there. Maybe he was the part of me that refused to keep running. The part that wanted to fight back when I couldn't. The part that wanted to make sure nobody could ever hurt me again."

Nolan stared at the moon for several seconds.

"I think I spent years trying to destroy that part of myself because I thought it was evil. Now I'm starting to wonder if it was just another piece of me trying to survive."

Sherry remained completely still.

Nolan smiled sadly.

"Funny thing is, I'm not sure any of us are entirely sane anymore."

He stood and straightened his jacket, smoothing the fabric absently before looking down at her one last time.

"Beth might come back here soon. I hope she does. And I hope you're awake when she comes." His expression softened. "She deserves to have her grandmother back."

He reached the doorway before stopping.

"For what it's worth, Sherry, I'm glad I didn't let her become like me."

Nolan stepped into the hallway and allowed the door to close quietly behind him.

For once, his mind was strangely calm. There was no argument between Quentin and Vey, no Beast snarling from behind an invisible barrier, no Kieran offering some clever observation. There was only the quiet certainty that something inside him had changed, even if he couldn't quite put a name to it yet.

He walked toward the elevator and pulled out his phone.

"Let's go to the airport," he said when his driver answered. "I need to be in Metropolis."

The elevator doors opened, and Nolan stepped inside without looking back.

—-

A/N: for some reason the chapter didn't upload on time sorry. On another note not the longest chapter but I put a lot of thought into it, perhaps Nolan and the beast can find common ground eventually?