Izzie blew her whistle and waited for the team to huddle up.
“Good job, ladies! Now that we’re done with game strategy, let’s end practice with something fun. Split up and play a few rounds of ball tag.”
The girls cheered. They loved the drill because it was actually fun.
“Thanks Coach!” a few of the players said as they rushed back out on the field to play.
They loved having Izzie as a coach. She was so much cooler than the last coach they had. Izzie winked at Gia as she hustled after her teammates.
Izzie watched them until something caught her attention. She lifted her sunglasses and squinted at a familiar figure crossing the field.
“Well, hello there stranger.” Izzie said as Charlie approached.
“Hey Coach.” She laughed, looking her sister up and down. “I heard you stepped in as Gia’s new coach. I had to come see it for myself.”
Izzie rolled her eyes. “The munchkin cornered me. You know I can’t say no to her.”
Charlie turned her attention to the players on the field. She easily spotted her little sister. Although, Gia wasn’t so little anymore. The twins were a few months away from being teenagers. The girl had always resembled their mama. The older she became, the more she looked like Ryan.
“That girl does have a way of getting what she wants, doesn’t she? She’s even worse than you used to be.”
Izzie bumped her shoulder. “Why are you really here, Charlie?”
“I can’t come see my little sister?”
Izzie gave her a look. “Seriously? You’re a busy doctor, not to mention pregnant. I ain’t nowhere on your mind.”
“That’s not true.”
Izzie blew the whistle and ordered the players to switch.
“Which one sent you?”
Charlie smiled to herself. Izzie could always see through her.
“Mom sent me. What’s up with you and Mama now? I thought things were going well since she started training you.”
“Don’t ask me. Go ask her! She’s like a freaking drill sergeant.” Izzie huffed.
“Well, you’re the one that wanted her to train you. You had to know it was going to be tough.”
“Yeah, I wanted her to train me, not nitpick my every move. There is no pleasing that woman. Let’s just face it; she’s never going to let me have the suit.”
Charlie could hear the disappointment in her sister’s voice. She felt for her. People often misunderstood her sister because of what they perceived as her nonchalant attitude towards life. Charlie knew it was a facade. It wasn’t easy being the child of well-known public figures. In some ways, Izzie had it worse than her. By the time Izzie was born, Ryan had become famous for being the face of Wayne and a notable philanthropist. She grew up seeing their mother’s face plastered on magazines and billboards, not to mention the notoriety their Grandma J garnered. The world had been fascinated with her sister since birth. Although it seemed like a dream life, it wasn’t. Jealousy made some people cruel. Izzie learned to deal with it by pretending not to care. She knew becoming Batwoman was important to Izzie. It was the first time she’d truly dedicated herself to something.
She took a moment to glance around. She didn’t want anyone to overhear them.
“Come on, Iz. You know that’s not true. She just wants you to be prepared. Being Batwoman is very dangerous. She’d never forgive herself if something happened to you out there.”
“Well, everyone can rest assured because that won’t happen. She’s never going to believe I’m ready. There’s no need to play mediator.”
“That’s really not the only reason I came out here. I really did want to see you. We haven’t been able to hang out in a while.”
Izzie slowly smiled. “Aww! Did my Chuck miss me?”
Charlie rolled her eyes. “I don’t anymore.”
Izzie laughed. “How are you feeling? How’s the bean?”
Charlie instinctively placed a hand over her slightly protruding stomach. Izzie was calling the baby bean until they found out the sex.
“I’m good and so is the bean. The morning sickness is gone, thank God.”
“Is Mason taking care of you? Cause if he isn’t, I can have a chat with him.” Izzie said seriously.
“Mason is taking very good care of me so you can stand down. He barely lets me do anything when I’m home. Besides, you know he’s still scared of Mom. I’d threaten to call her if he wasn’t. How’s coaching going? Gia sent me a text that the season starts next week.”
“It’s good. We have some pretty good players this year. Gia is awesome. She’s a natural. I think we’ll have a decent season.”
“I have to say, this is a new look for you. I half expected to see you in leather pants and a ripped t-shirt.”
Izzie had a certain look about her. She was tall with a body to die for. She had supermodel looks with a style that gave feme fatale and tomboy the next. She was one of those women that looked good in anything. And much to Ryan’s dismay, her choice of transportation on most days was a motorcycle which only added to her reputation as Gotham’s playgirl.
Izzie snorted as she looked down at herself. “Mom said I have to dress appropriately for the soccer moms.”
Charlie bit back a smirk. She wanted to tell her sister just how inappropriate some of those moms could be, but she decided to keep it to herself.
“Anyway, it’s a good look on you. I watched you before I came over. You seem to like it.”
“I have to be honest. When Gia asked me, I didn’t want to. I was just doing it for her but it’s been fun. The girls are all great. It’s a nice break from school too.”
Izzie was working towards her business degree at Gotham University. Although many expected Charlie to follow in Jada and Ryan’s footsteps, it was Izzie that had the mind for business. Jada had been grooming her since she was a little girl.
“You’re so much like her.”
“Who?”
“Mama.” Charlie chuckled. “It’s why you two butt heads so much.”
Izzie gave her an incredulous look. “We are nothing alike.”
“Please. You’re stubborn just like her. You both act all tough, but you’re the biggest softies. You’re both fiercely protective of those you love. Not to mention, you both have a savior complex, hence being a certain superhero. And I hear Mama was quite the lady's woman back in the day.”
Izzie kissed her teeth. “Girl please. Mama only has eyes for Mom.”
“Yeah. Now she does. I’m serious Aunt Mary has some stories from when they were roommates. She was a chic magnet apparently.”
Izzie groaned. “Eww! Gross. What does that have to do with me?”
Charlie gave her a look. “Iz, they call you Gotham’s most eligible lesbian. The comments on your insta should come with a warning for your family.”
Izzie laughed salaciously. “They do tend to get a little specific in what they’d like me to do to them, don’t they?”
“I rest my case. Like I said, you two butt heads because you’re so much alike. Don’t give up. She’ll give you the suit when you’re ready.”
Izzie sighed and nodded. “Hey, you want to get dinner with me and the munchkin? I’m about to end practice. We just need to pick Nicco up from his practice on the other field.”
“You know I love to eat these days. I’m down.”
“Great.”
Izzie blew the whistle. Charlie stood to the side and watched her sister talk to the players. She pointed out things she wanted them to work on at home then gave a short motivational speech. Charlie smiled. Izzie really was good at this. She reminded her of her first coach, ‘her Sophie’.
As the players dispersed and wandered off to their parents, a young woman approached Izzie. Charlie noted that she looked too young to have a child that age on the team. Her brows rose when the woman openly flirted with Izzie.
“That’s Stephanie’s older sister, Megan. She has the hots for Iz.” Gia said.
Charlie pulled the girl into a side hug. “Hey munchkin.”
“Hey Chuck.”
Charlie looked around. “Are there always so many people at your practices?”
“Not until Izzie started coaching. Now, everyone with an older sister or a young mom started showing up.”
She rolled her eyes which made Charlie laugh.
“I guess it’s a Moore thing.”
“What do you mean?”
“The soccer moms used to come to our practices all the time too, especially when Mom coached. You should ask the aunties about it. They have some hilarious stories.”
The aunties she was referring to were Dejah, Val, Nova, and Monica. They were still friends with Ryan and Sophie to this day.
“Alright. You two ready to go?”
“Are you or do you need more time with your fan club?” Gia asked sassily.
Charlie snorted. She high fived Gia. “Good one, kid.”
Gia brushed off her shoulders. “I learned from the best.”
“Just for that, you’re paying for dinner.” Izzie said.
Gia shrugged her shoulders. “I have Grandma J’s card anyway.”
Charlie’s mouth dropped open. “How did you manage that?!”
“I’m her favorite.” Gia preened as she walked away.
Charlie and Izzie were left standing there contemplating their entire lives.
Izzie made her way into the bat cave. She’d received a text from Ryan letting her know they’d be training here tonight instead of home.
She saw Sophie and her Uncle Luke there as well. She figured they would be triple teaming her tonight. She mentally prepared herself for a long brutal session.
“Hey guys. I just need to change, and we can get started.”
“You’re not training tonight.”
Izzie turned to see Ryan standing behind her. She frowned. “I’m not?”
“No.”
“Then… what am I doing here?”
Ryan gave her a long look. She walked over and stopped in front of her.
“I heard you the other night. I have been extremely hard on you because I was thinking like your mother. If you were anyone else, I’d say you were ready.”
Izzie wanted to speak but she was too afraid she’d say something to fuck it up. Ryan stepped away and picked up a large black box. She handed it to Izzie.
“This is for you.”
Izzie took the box and placed it on a nearby desk. She lifted the lid and saw the bat suit inside. She had to remind herself to breathe.
“Over a year ago, you stole that. You hadn’t earned the right to wear it nor were you ready to. Today, I can say that you’ve earned it and you are ready.”
Izzie swallowed as tears filled her eyes. She ran her fingers reverently over the red bat symbol. She looked at Sophie and Luke. They both nodded in agreement.
“Go on. Try it on. Uncle Luke and Mom made some major upgrades. We need to make sure everything feels right before you go out on patrol tonight.
“To.. Tonight?”
“No time like the present.”
Izzie threw herself into Ryan’s arms. She squeezed her so tight, Ryan actually coughed. Izzie was quite strong.
“Thank you! Thank you!”
“Don’t thank me. You earned it. Now, go on.”
Izzie quickly hugged Sophie and Luke before she excitedly ran off to the locker room to change.
Ryan’s eyes watched her baby, no, a grown woman, disappear around the corner. Sophie slipped her arms around her waist from behind.
“I’m proud of you. You’ve trained her well, baby.”
“That girl has been giving me grays since she started walking.”
Sophie chuckled. “That’s our Izzie. Looking back, it’s not really a surprise that she’d end up following in your footsteps. She’s been fascinated with you since she came screaming into the world. Everything was always about her mama. You’re her idol and she’s going to be just as good as the O.G.”
“Nah. She’s going to be so much better than I ever was.”
Izzie cleared her throat as she came around the corner. They all took a moment to just look at her. She looked like she was destined for this.
“I need help with the cowl.” Izzie said quietly.
Ryan walked over and took it. A thousand memories flashed through her mind as she held it. She placed it on Izzie and made sure it was secure. She stood back and took in the image. She locked eyes with her daughter and nodded.
“Now, you’re ready… Batwoman.”
Ryan quickly wiped a stray tear away and turned to Luke. “Batwing, suit up. It’s time to hit the streets.”
Sophie was busy on comms while Ryan watched the monitors connected to Batwoman’s body cam. She bit her nails the entire time, but she had to admit that Izzie was good, really good.
“The area is clear, Batwoman.” Batwing’s voice came through. “Do you want to sweep the next warehouse?”
Ryan held her breath. This was the test.
“It’s your call.” Batwing said.
Ryan and Sophie’s eyes met as they waited for her response.
“Comms, do you have visual of the warehouse?”
Sophie smirked. “That’s a negative, Batwoman.”
“I think we should fall back. We accomplished what we came to do. We don’t have visual inside. We don’t know what we could be walking into. I say we leave and wait for better intel.”
Batwing nodded proudly. She was making sound decisions. The old Izzie would have rushed in giving little regard for her or his safety.
“Alright. Let’s head out before GCPD shows up. Comms, we’re coming in.”
“Roger that.” Sophie said.
Batwing blasted off into the air while Izzie jumped on the bat bike and rode off into the night.
Ryan looked at Sophie. “She’s ready.”
Sophie nodded. “Looks like Gotham has a new Batwoman.”
A victorious Izzie and Luke returned in record time. She went directly to her mothers for their input.
“Good job, Iz. You were great out there.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
Izzie turned to Ryan expectantly. Everyone knew her opinion mattered most.
“You handled everything perfectly and you made the decision to put safety over ambition. I’m proud of you.”
Izzie’s smile was so bright it could have powered the entire city. She was on cloud nine, practically vibrating with energy. Ryan remembered that rush. Usually when she came back feeling like that, she and Sophie got up to some very active grown-up things. The thought made her flinch. She didn’t want to think of what Izzie might get up to.
“Okay ladies, I’m going to head home to my wife. Great working with you, Batwoman. Until next time.” Luke said.
“Night Uncle Luke. Thanks again.”
Luke winked before he stepped into the elevator.
“Alright, what do you say we head home too?” Sophie suggested.
“Uh… you guys go ahead. I have a date. I’ll be home later.”
She quickly pecked their cheeks and trotted off to the locker room to change.
Sophie and Ryan looked at each other. Sophie already knew where her wife’s mind went. She remembered those nights too.
Sophie shrugged her shoulders. “At least we don’t have to worry about her getting pregnant.”
Ryan groaned. “Still giving me grays.”
When the weekend rolled around, the family headed to the soccer fields for Gia’s match. Ryan climbed the bleachers and took her usual seat. She pulled the baseball cap she was wearing down a little more, hoping no one would recognize her. She just wanted to enjoy Gia’s soccer game today.
Sophie had opted to watch from the fence. She liked being closer to the field.
“Hey Ma, Xavier and Beau are down by the gate. Can I go hang with them?” Nicco asked.
Nicco’s team didn’t have a match today, but he’d come along to support his sister. Ryan’s eyes scanned the area. She saw the familiar faces by the entrance.
“Yes, but don’t leave the park.”
“Got it. Oh, cheer for Gia for me.”
“You know you could do that yourself.”
“I’ll cheer for her while I’m over there.”
“Sure, go on. Behave please.”
He flashed a dimpled grin. “I’ll try.”
Ryan shook her head. That boy was as charming as he could be, but he was a handful. He really did try to behave but usually failed.
Now alone, Ryan put her sunglasses on and settled in to watch her baby girl be a rock star on the field. As the start time approached, the bleachers started to fill with parents and spectators. Charlie arrived and made her way up to sit with Ryan.
“Hey Mama.”
“Hi bug.” Ryan hugged her. “How’s my baby and grandbaby today?”
Charlie smiled. “I’m good and so is the bean.”
“I see the nickname stuck.”
Charlie shrugged her shoulders. “It works until we find out what we’re having.”
“And where is my son-in-law? He didn’t let you come here alone, did he?”
“Mama, you do know that I’m only a couple of months along. I’m not disabled.”
Ryan just blinked at her.
“He’s here. He’s down there with Mom.”
Ryan’s eyes spotted the tall man leaning against the fence next to Sophie.
“Is he taking care of you?”
“You sound like Iz. And yes, my husband has been perfect.”
“He better or I’ll send Sophie over there.”
Charlie laughed. Some things never changed.
A small group of women, looking to be college aged, sat a few feet away from them
“I can’t believe I let you drag me out here on a Saturday morning to watch some kids run up and down the field. I don’t even know these kids, Megan.”
“I already told you, Pam. My little sister is on the team.”
“Okay, so? I thought you said there was something I needed to see.” Pam said.
“Trust me. Megan is right. You’re going to want to see this.” One of the other girls added. “If you leave you’ll miss it.”
“Miss what?”
“That.” Megan pointed towards the far side of the field.
They all turned and watched as a sleek, black motorcycle pulled up behind the bleachers. It was obviously a woman on it. She sat up and removed her helmet. She shook her hair out and ran her hands through it. It looked like she was in a shampoo commercial.
“Damn! I stand corrected. Who is that?”
“If you stopped living under a rock, you’d know that’s Izzie Wilder-Moore.”
Ryan and Charlie both perked up hearing Izzie’s name.
“You mean Jada Jet’s granddaughter?” Pam asked.
“The one and only.”
“She is fine as hell. She looks better in person.”
Izzie was pulling off her leather jacket, revealing a fitted tee with Gia’s team logo on it. It went well with the baggy distressed jeans and motorcycle boots.
Ryan growled. “I should have never let her get that damn bike.”
“Let her? Mama, she’s an adult.”
Ryan heard the girls talking about Izzie again. “Apparently everyone thinks so.”
“Oh my God! Look!” Pam said pointing.
Ryan looked down and saw Izzie pulling her jeans off. Her eyes widened. Charlie snickered and placed a hand on her mother.
“She’s got shorts on underneath. See?”
Izzie’s athletic shorts came into view. She then switched her boots with a pair of sneakers. She now looked like a coach instead of a lesbian pinup girl. Ryan relaxed, that is until she heard the woman talking about her baby’s toned legs.
Charlie giggled under her breath. Her sister had been a menace her entire life. She loved it.
“Look, there’s Gia’s team. Let’s focus on the game.”
“You should tell them thirsty heifers that.” Ryan said through gritted teeth.
Charlie nearly screamed as she patted her mama’s hand. This was going to be a long match.
After the game, Ryan and Charlie went down to meet up with the rest of the family to congratulate Gia and Izzie on their decisive win.
“Is that Giana Wilder-Moore or is that Alex Morgan or maybe Megan Rapinoe?” Charlie asked.
Gia grinned brightly. “Chuck! You came!”
Charlie hugged her and gave her a fist bump. “Of course, I came. I couldn’t miss your first match. You were awesome out there, by the way. Two goals? Nice!”
“Thanks!”
“You were great, baby girl. Congratulations!” Ryan said, hugging her close.
“Thanks Mama.”
Sophie, Mason, and Nicco joined them also offering congrats.
“Where’s Izzie? I was hoping to show the coach some love too.” Sophie asked.
“Oh, she’s probably being adored by her fan club.” Gia said.
Sophie frowned in confusion. “Fan club?”
Gia tilted her head across the field.
They all turned to see Izzie surrounded by young women. It was obvious that they were all vying for her attention.
“Are those… soccer moms?” Sophie asked.
“More like soccer sisters, although Katie’s mom is over there too.” Gia said.
Nicco grinned. “Clock it. Izzie got game!”
Ryan glared at him. “What do you know about game?”
“Mama, please. I'm practically a man.”
Ryan huffed while Sophie looked contemplative. Charlie smirked. “Bringing back memories, Mom?”
Ryan glared at her. Sophie cleared her throat. “I’m going to go… get the car. Come on Nicco. You’ll be safer with me, son. Trust me” She mumbled as she quickly made an exit.
Ryan kissed her teeth. “Mmhm.”
Izzie finally made her way over to them. She gave Gia a high five. “Great game munchkin. It’s almost like you were coached well or something.”
“Thanks, coach.”
“So, what did you think, Mama? Think we have a chance at making the finals this year?”
“Absolutely.”
Charlie clapped her hands. “Alright, I think we should take our winners out for lunch. What do you guys say? Crispy Joes?”
Gia punched the air. “Yes!”
Ryan laughed. “I think you have your answer.”
“I’ll meet you guys there.” Izzie said as she headed towards her bike.
“Hey Iz?” Gia called out.
Izzie turned around. “Yeah?”
“I think we might need to rethink the shorts, maybe wear some sweats next week.”
Izzie looked down at herself. “What’s wrong with my shorts?”
“It kinda defeats the point if everybody is looking at you instead of us. We had a team meeting about it. It’s been decided.” She said walking away.
Charlie completely lost it, doubling over in laughter. Izzie looked appalled. Ryan looked satisfied and Gia…Gia was completely unbothered.
-Fin-
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