"I figured you'd be here." Mary said as she entered her underground clinic to find her girlfriend lying on one of the beds.

"I live here. Where else am I going to go?" Ryan asked.

"Ryan, I need to tell you something." Mary said.

"And that would be?" Ryan asked.

"I came out to my dad yesterday." Mary said, stunning Ryan.

"You did what?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah. And it turns out that he's known about us this whole time." Mary said.

"Of course he did." Ryan said.

"And he approves of you." Mary said, taking Ryan aback.

"He does?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah, he does. And he cares about me enough to know that I wouldn't fall for someone who was a real criminal, so he looked a bit deeper into your case and believed your story and he expunged your criminal record. You're truly free and clear now Ry." Mary said.

"Then I guess I don't have any reason to keep dating you." Ryan said with a smile and Mary rolled her eyes.

"Please, you break up with me, my dad is likely to not only renew your record, but put you in jail himself. Pretty sure that when Kate eventually takes Sophie back, he'll make sure she knows that she's fired if she screws things up between them again." Mary said.

"I'm just playing, but I have to admit, it does earn Commander Kane a few brownie points in my book, since the fact that he was willing to do that means that he's a lot more understanding than I gave him credit for." Ryan said.

"It's like I've been trying to tell you from the beginning Ryan. Not all Crows are the same. The bastards that arrested you are not the only people who work there. The Crows are run by people like my dad and Sophie, who only want to keep Gotham safe." Mary said.

"And yet Agent Moore talks down to me every time I see her." Ryan said.

"And if she ever wants Kate to talk to her again, she'll apologize for it, since Kate also approves of you and honestly, I value her perspective way more than I do either of my parents, at least in this regard. If Sophie wants Kate to be in her life, then she's going to learn to put up with you. I mean, the fact that my dad is willing to clear your record should tell her something." Mary said.

"Good. Because I really do not want it to be awkward at your sister's wedding, which, from what you've told me, is likely only a few months away." Ryan said and Mary laughed.

"Very true, but that also goes both ways. My dad is giving you a chance Ryan and I'm sure that Sophie will give you one too, but you have to be willing to give them one too." Mary told her girlfriend.

"Your dad has earned a chance, that much I'll say. The fact that he loves you enough to not only tolerate me, but actually do me a favor like that has earned him that much. Sophie on the other hand, well, I'm not making any promises yet." Ryan said and Mary nodded.

"I can understand that. Now, on a different note, come with me, we're going shopping." Mary said.

"What do you mean?" Ryan asked.

"My dad invited you over for dinner tonight and no it's not optional. You're going so that you can meet him and Kate and also help me keep my courage when I come out to my mom." Mary said.

"Do I have to?" Ryan whined.

"Yes. This is the first time I have the chance to truly show you off as my girlfriend without hiding it and I intend to take full advantage of it." Mary said.

"Fine. But I'm staying with you tonight. There's no reason for me not to anymore." Ryan said.

"Deal. In fact, I was thinking that maybe we should start looking for a place together tomorrow, since now that I'm finally coming out, I think that we can take that next step." Mary said, taking Ryan aback.

"Mary, are you sure you're ready for that step?" Ryan asked.

"Only if you are. I mean, we've been together for nearly 4 years. I think it's time, plus, you deserve to have a real roof over your head." Mary said.

"Mary, I'd love nothing more for that, but I don't just want us to be dependent on your parents' money for that." Ryan said.

"Well the good thing is that with your criminal record expunged, it should be easier for you to find a job." Mary said.

"Except for the fact that some people might think that the only reason it was expunged is because I'm dating the Head Crow's daughter, since I'm guessing that you don't want to hide us anymore." Ryan said and Mary smiled.

"I don't and we'll figure out. I'm almost done with med school and soon you'll be able to live off my incredibly high doctor's salary instead." Mary said.

"Mary. Come on, I want this to be an equal relationship. I want to contribute financially too." Ryan said.

"And you will. I'm just trying to have a little fun with you. We'll figure it out. Now come on, I want to get you looking your best so that my mom doesn't throw you out the second she sees you." Mary said.

"You really think she'll react that poorly to me?" Ryan asked.

"Ryan, she does not have a very high opinion of people like you." Mary said.

"You mean poor." Ryan said, since she knew that Mary did not mean black, since Catherine Hamilton was many things, but racist is not one of them.

"Yeah. And while I don't want you to pretend to be something you aren't, a good first impression wouldn't hurt." Mary said and Ryan nodded.

"Fine." Ryan said as she let Mary lead her out of the clinic.

When Kate arrived at her parents' penthouse, she was surprised to find Sophie there, since she'd been told that this was strictly a family dinner tonight.

"What's Sophie doing here? I thought this was a family dinner." Kate said, not unkindly, but more curiously.

"I asked her to come to help diffuse any tension there might be tonight." Jacob said.

"Though I still don't know why there would be any tension at all." Soohie said, though Kate had an idea.

"Mary told you, didn't she?" Kate asked and Jacob nodded.

"And tonight she is telling her mom, so I thought that having you and Sophie under the same roof might help make her a little less uncomfortable." Jacob said.

"Wow, looks like you learned how to take other people's feelings into account while I was gone." Kate said sarcastically.

"What are you two talking about?" Sophie asked.

"You didn't tell Sophie?" Kate asked.

"It's Mary's secret to tell, not mine." Jacob said and Kate nodded.

"What secret. If it's that Mary plays for the same team as Kate and I, then it's not exactly a secret." Sophie said.

"Shouldn't be surprised that you know already." Jacob said.

"Only because Mary is not as subtle as she thinks she is and because I know the signs of a closet case well enough from being one myself." Sophie said.

"So you're not still one?" Kate asked her.

"No. I came out to my mom shortly after you died, since honestly Kate, losing you made me realize just how stupid I was to listen to your dad back at Point Rock." Sophie said.

"I'm sorry, what?" Kate asked, even though she already knew, she just wanted to watch Sophie throw her dad under the bus.

"Way to throw me under the bus Moore." Jacob said.

"If she's going to be mad about what happened, she should know the whole story. I was planning on doing exactly what we said we'd do that day, but your dad talked me out of it. I've regretted listening to him ever since, since while I may have been able to see action and have the job I do now, it wasn't worth the cost. Every moment we had together was real to me and I was a fool to throw it away." Sophie said, stunning Kate, since she wasn't expecting Sophie to confess to her like that.

"I'm not saying you're out of the doghouse yet. But now that I know that it wasn't entirely your fault, I'm closer to forgiving you." Kate said and Sophie smiled.

Whatever either of them were going to say next was cut off when the elevator door opened and Mary and Ryan entered the apartment.

"Wow, have to admit, this place is even more ridiculous than I thought and I'm only saying that as someone who's used to the simple life." Ryan said.

"Hey, I like you already." Kate said with a smile.

"You must be Kate, the only person in this room that Mary didn't have to make a case for to get me to like you." Ryan said as she held out her hand, only for Kate to actually hug her.

"Mary said you weren't a hugger, especially to strangers." Ryan said.

"You're not a stranger Ryan. You took care of my little sister when I couldn't and I can already tell that being with you has made Mary happier than I've ever seen her, so as far as I'm concerned, you're family. And Mary, I promise I won't scare her off like I did your boyfriends." Kate said.

"Mary told me about that and it's why I like you already. You kept the guys away from her until I could meet her." Ryan said and Kate smiled.

"Okay then, let's get to dinner before someone says something that ruins this happy moment." Mary said, though she was relieved by how well Kate and Ryan were getting along, since they were without a doubt the two most important people in her life.

Catherine was surprised when she saw a young black woman enter the dining room with Jacob, Kate, Mary and Sophie and what surprised her more was seeing her holding hands with her daughter.

"Who is this?" Catherine asked as Mary took a deep breath as she felt both Ryan and Kate place their hands on her shoulders, lending her their strength to give her the courage to do this.

"Mom, this is my girlfriend, Ryan Wilder. We've been together for nearly 4 years now." Mary said.

"I'm sorry, did you say girlfriend?" Catherine asked, wanting to be sure that she'd heard her daughter correctly.

"Yes mom. I'm gay. And this whole time you thought I was having a bunch of flings with different guys I've actually been in a committed relationship with this lovely woman." Mary said.

"Mary, I was just surprised by your announcement. If you're sure, then I'm happy for you." Catherine said, making it clear that she meant every word, which was a huge relief to Mary.

"However, I am hurt that you didn't tell me." Catherine said.

"I wanted too, but I was afraid of how you'd react, since I know you were okay with Kate, but she's not really your birth daughter, no offense Kate." Mary said.

"None taken, that's a compliment." Kate said.

"Mary, all I've ever wanted is for you to be happy and if this Ryan girl makes you happy, then no matter what her background is, I will make an effort to get along with her. I just ask that you give me some time to get used to the idea, since while I have no problem with it, it's still a shock." Catherine said.

"That sounds fair and I completely understand." Mary said.

"Now, why don't we all sit down and you can tell me how exactly you met Ms. Wilder and I can get to know this young woman for myself so that I can see if I can really trust her with the thing I cherish the most. You Mary." Catherine said and it was clear that Catherine was only saying this as an overprotective mother and not due to Ryan's background and that alone brought Catherine up several degrees in Kate's eyes and she decided that now was not the time to reveal her lies. Not when everything was going so well. Not only did Kate not have any proof yet, but she knew how much Mary had mourned her mom after Alice had killed her. She wasn't going to take her mom away now in a different sense when Mary probably needed her the most.

With that in mind, she simply sat down at the dinner table next to Mary so that they could begin eating and hearing the story.