When Jason returned to his apartment he flopped on his bed. He expected to finally catch some 'r and r' after another long ass night. What he got was anooffollowed by a tired groan of slight pain.

If he didn't recognize the voice instantly, she'd be dead already. He pulled the blanket down to reveal his little sister who was blinking the sleep out of her eyes. He withheld his own groan but did glower a bit.

"Does your father know you're here?"

"If he did he'd have sent Duke." Was her airy reply to which Jason hummed then made his way to the bathroom.

"What brings you this time, Meia?" He almost yells as he turns on the shower.

She sat up gingerly, loathing the coming conversation. "I couldn't stay at the mansion."

He traveled back into his room, collecting things for his shower. "Why is that?"

"Jay, of all people you should not be asking such a stupid question."

Jason paused to look at her, pointedly. She was right, of course, but they both knew this needed to be done. "The hot water isn't going to last forever, Meia."

She glared then huffed, thrown her hands in the air slightly and shaking her head. "I'm scared, Jay. Is that what you wanted?"

And there it was. A whole month of her sneaking into his apartment to sleep without an explanation has lead to this. He tried to get her to talk sooner but, like he and the rest of his siblings, opening up was like pulling teeth.

"And?"

She was starting to quiver, so, she brought her knees up and wound her arms tightly around them. She rested her chin atop her knees as she spoke, voice revealing what she desperately wanted to hide. "I'm scared that dad can't protect me."

"As much as I hate to say it, he's Batman. There's no place safer than right under his nose."

This sentence sparked a bit of rage in her. Meia was on her two feet in a flash, fingers pointiin

"But Batmanwasn't therewhen that psycho abducted me. Just like hewasn't therewhen that same psycho abducted Alfred!" The tremble was now present in her voice, water gathering in those once sweet and innocent honey brown orbs.

"Meia–"

"No! I was supposed to have gone on my senior class trip to fucking Tokyo! Instead I ended up in a Stephen King book mashed with a god damn Lifetime movie!

"Batman isn't omnipresent." She stood, heat beginning to be unbearable. "He's a damn human just like any other! At least I know that if I come here and that sonuvabitch follows you have the balls to shoot first and ask questions later!"

And that's what it had boiled down to, didn't it? Batman wasn't willing to kill but he was.

She slumped against a wall, "More than that. You're the only one who knows exactly what going through." Meia sniffles, quickly swiping at the tears she tried hard not to let fall. "Nothing will ever be the same again, Jason. Why wasn't a school bus enough? Why did he show up in broad daylight? Why wasn't anything enough?"

He had turned the water off long ago,Meia was more important. Even more so since she was supposed to be the one that was clear of this life. Clear of the reality they were all so familiar with being merely a part of life. She was supposed to be the picture of a mundane lifestyle, albeit, raised wealthy.

It hurt to see her like this. He could picture himself so easily… and now she was in the same position. His heart weighed heavy in his chest. This is the worst he's felt in years.

He pulled her close, embracing her with all the love he could muster. He allowed her tears to soak his torso with something other than blood and grime. Turned the soft quakes that racked her form into a gentle rocking.

"It's alright, pup, let it all out."

And she did. For ten straight minutes, Meia, bawled into her brothers chest, mourning the end of her world.

"It's not fair…"

"I know, pup.~"