I do not own any of the Batman characters or any of the songs mentioned as the titles.

Chapter 1: Symphony No. 25

Caden hadn't planned on killing that night. It was one of those things that just…happened.

She glared down at the body at her feet-it disgusted her to think that two minutes ago, this man was still alive, squirming like the worm he was. He had the face of a killer-cruel, worn, and emotionless. He was physically imposing but relied on a gun to do all his work. His hair was as greasy as his body. He had only just enough intelligence to kill discreetly, which was not a hard task.

They were all the same. She felt no regret in ending his pathetic life.

She kicked the body, hoping he felt the pain even in the afterlife, and walked down the street. Normal women would be afraid of walking down an abandoned road in the not-so-nice part of Gotham, where sirens, gunshots, screams, and dark laughter became a grotesque music. Even though Caden was far from 'normal,' she was just as scared as anyone else would be, but she was...in a special mood that night. That mood could best be summed up by saying that anyone that even tried to fuck with her would be sorry. She wasn't exceptionally strong-just exceptionally pissed, and that alone gave her enough courage to walk the streets of Gotham as well as the streets of hell. At times, they were one and the same.

"True courage isn't doing something and not being afraid," her mother would say to her. "It's doing something even though you're afraid."

Caden's jaw clenched. Every time she went over that phrase, the desire to kill would wash over her once more.

She took a deep breath, and continued walking. It would take her about 15 minutes to get back to her apartment, and 15 minutes alone with her mind could very well drive her mad. She let herself focus on the chaotic city around her inside of the tempest brewing in her mind.

The walk took too long. Even though she didn't live that far away, it was still too long. Too long alone.

She knew they would find the body soon. She took extra care to not leave any evidence-even if she did, she could pull some strings. Her brother was a forensic scientist and did not bind himself to any set of morals. She didn't believe in rules. Neither did the rest of her family.

Hell, if she had too, she'd get her brother to delete her from the system. It might prove troublesome once this was behind her, but at times Caden worried she would never be done with this.

How long had she been doing this? Roughly…7 weeks, give or take a few days. In that time, she had slaughtered some of the under-dogs of the mob…nothing they would want revenge over, and nothing anyone should, could, or would care about. They were just low-lives who concerned themselves only with money. Although the allure of criminal life had called to Caden-especially recently-she avoided true crime (you know, besides killing about 12 people) only because the criminals in this town were all scum. It was all about the money. Money is useless in the end.

Caden walked into her apartment, making sure to lock the door behind her, and laid down on her bed. She couldn't feel it's smoothness under her clothes-she wore a thick hoodie and black jeans. Not the best costume, at least not compared to the so-called "super-villains" of Gotham…there was a scarecrow, two clowns, a guy clad in question marks…

"Welcome to Gotham, home of the crazies, how may I take your order?" Caden said aloud. She chuckled. She had a strange sense of humor but she hardly got to laugh anymore. She needed to savor it while she could.

She removed the stuffy hoodie and traded the heavy black jeans for shorts. She, Caden the mobster-killer, was sitting on her bed, clutching a pillow to her chest while wearing a tank-top and shorts with Spongebob on them. Maybe that's why she got away with it. No one could suspect her.

It would have been perfect if she had fluffy blond hair and blue eyes-but, alas, she had dark brown hair instead. She did have blue eyes, but they were far from innocent. She had grown pale from her hours spent inside-sleeping mostly. Her "missions" often took up most of her night. She glanced at the clock-3:30 in the morning.

"Lovely." She groaned. She got out of bed, stomach rumbling, to find something to eat before going to sleep. Her eyelids begged to close as she heated up a piece of pizza, courtesy of her friend Jill who, thinking that Caden was lonely, came over with a box of pizza and a romantic comedy earlier. It was nice to see a friend-Jill was the one person who stood by her through middle-school and high-school. They were now out of college, in their late 20's and early 30's, and were still close friends.

And Caden was still wearing god-damn Spongebob shorts. Maybe that's why they're still friends-Caden, in her adult life, never put down the thoughts of a younger person. She saw them as equal, unlike many of the other adults. It still felt weird to call herself an adult…she still felt like a teenager, conflicted and moody as always. Damn, she wanted to be a kid again.

She quickly devoured the pizza, not even sure what kind it was, washed it down with a glass of water, and went to bed. Thankfully, she slept deeply and blissfully dreamless.

She awoke the next morning still tired. She groaned. Monday.

The alarm clock screamed at her, taunting her with the glowing red numbers that read "6:00." Oh, how she wished she was a kid again.

She worked a relatively easy job. She had little stress, but it still kept her from sleeping. She was a waitress at a small café that only served breakfast and lunch. At least she got the nights to herself. She had always wanted to become a composer, or at least join a symphony, but those dreams were shattered quite a while ago. She wasn't even sure where her clarinet OR her bassoon was.

She quickly got ready, chugging coffee filled with ice as best she could (and it was not very fun) and ran out the door. Her shoulder-length hair was already messed up. Oh well. The only thing she could possibly fix were the bangs-besides that, her hair was mainly straight and normal. No beautiful riglet curls or waves. Who cares?

She rushed to the café down the street, and allowed work to consume her thoughts.

The work day could not end fast enough. She returned home at around 4-she stayed behind to help clean up, but that was all she planned on doing.

Her life had fallen into this routine-get up, work, come home. She had friends and did things with them often and had a boyfriend or two, but something would happen and they would leave. Besides, Caden had never needed a man. Maybe because her mother didn't have one.

Or need one.

Caden shrugged, and turned on the TV. And, there it was, like a reminder, as the report of the dead mobster.

"Although some police believe the murders are connected, it is assumed that this is just one more case of senseless violence."

"As if you know anything about 'senseless violence'." Caden said as she turned off the TV. That was all she wanted to see of that thing. She was never one to sit and watch televison for hours on end. She was too restless.

With a loud sigh and her legs streched causally over the edge, she spread out in the armchair, comfortable and tired. Without even thinking about it, she fell into a fragile nap.

"Please…I-I haven't seen him in 18 years!" The voice seemed to come from nowhere at first, like a shark jumping out of black water. All that was there was her mother's voice, desperate and high, in the darkness.

"You expect us to believe that?" Color and shape started to fade in. The liquid darkness slowly took form, moprhing slowly into a tan room. Shapes came slowly, forming furniture. Once the painting was completed, her mother and two thugs were depicted. Her mother, eyes crackling like lightning with fear, sat on her knees on the tawny carpet. The two thugs stood over her, one lean and lanky and the other stout but muscled. It reminded her of a T-Rex and an Ankylosaurus. The chuckle from the Ankylosaurus was the thunder to her mother's firebolt. "We have sources that say he came here for money a week ago."

"No he didn't!" Mother hissed, her rage spiking. She was just a non-poisonous snake lunging-scary, but harmless."God damn it, he didn't! He wasn't here!" The crack of a slap filled the room, a sound Caden had learned to know. In Caden's childhood, it was a sound more often felt. Her brother was the one who heard it and never did anything to stop it. However, she was 29 now and her brother was too (as well as not even there.) Since her "father" wasn't "disciplining" them, it had to be her mother getting slapped, not giving the slap. This went through her mind in an instant when she was lying in her bed, awakened not by screaming but by the sound of flesh hitting flesh.

She, without caring she was in pajamas, marched into the front room with the courage of a lion. She wished she was a lion at that moment so she could simply eat the thugs. Wouldn't that make all life easier?

"Leave her alone!" She commanded. She was probably an interesting sight; a 29-year-old woman in Dr. Pepper PJ's with wild, knotted hair and bare feet. Despite that, they immediately aimed their guns towards her. Caden didn't falter.

"Sorry, sweetheart, boss's orders." The T-Rex shrugged.

"I don't give a damn. Get that gun away from my mother." Her threats were empty-she couldn't fight off a pissed-off chihuahua, and she had definately tried when that occured, but if these thugs were as dumb as they looked, maybe, just maybe they would get spooked.

"Would love to, but…" he pondered it for a moment. "Don't think I can. Now tell us where he is. He owes us."

"I don't know where he is! I'm not his wife-it isn't my job to keep up with him." Ankylosaurus had the gun on her head in a second. Probably not the only thing he does fast.

"You've got a mouth on you. I would suggest you not use it." he growled.

"You're asking me questions I couldn't know the answer to! Look, if you just leave, I'll keep you updated on anything that happens-I want him dead as bad as you do."

"And if you just tell us the truth, we'll never speak to you again."

"I've told you the truth! Now get the hell out of my house!" She yelled.

"Well, if you won't tell us…" the T-Rex sighed. He glanced over to his friend. "Keep her back." He said, tilting his head in my direction.

"…no…" Caden was barely able to choke out. The man was on top of her in a moment, slamming her to the ground and pinning her arms back. Caden kicked into overdrive.

"NO!" she screamed at the top of her legs, kicking and thrashing. She clamped her teeth down on the man's arm. He howled in pain.

"Bitch!" he shouted, punching Caden right in the face. She cried out.

"MOTHER!" she yelled past the pain.

"Get the hell off of her! Step away from my daughter! Get away fro-," the gunshot seemed to shake the room. Caden burst into tears, screaming and begging.

"Get off of me! Get the hell off me!" the words were clouded with sobs.

"Shut up!" he roared.

The room then exploded as glass flew everywhere.

Caden whimpered. She bolted upright so fast she fell out of the chair face-first. After catching her breath, she began to laugh uncontrolablly. That was definitely a first.

And then she remembered her dream. She couldn't stop the memories from returning.

"Shit!" they hissed. After a few gunshots, all Caden heard was the rapid beating of her heart and the pounding of fists. She didn't care-the man was off of her and she scrambled over to her mother. She laid, limp as a rag doll, on the floor, blood pouring out of a small hole in her head. Caden hugged her dead mother to her chest, shifting between sorrowful and angry. All she could do was gasp in shock and try to formulate words.

She then remembered the two mob members in her house. She jumped, and looked up. The two men were on the ground, unconscious, and the last thing she saw the flash of a cape. "Wait! Come back!" Caden screamed, jumping off the ground and running towards the hole in the glass-whoever he was came in through the windows.

"Wait!" she screamed one last time, but whoever it was had disappeared. She sighed. "I don't know who you are…but thank you." She allowed one single tear to slip down her cheek, and she promised it would be the last she would shed that night before picking up the phone in the kitchen and calling 9-1-1.

Tears welled in Caden's eyes. "Damn it…not again." She sighed.

Now…now she couldn't stop herself.

She went into her room, tied her hair back, and pulled on the black hoodie and jeans. She grabbed her knife and tucked it inside the hoodie pocket, and slunk out the front door.

She didn't think when she did this…the most she thought of was who she was going to kill. She knew all that were involved with her Mother's death…and her Father's life. She also learned the names of the two men who killed her mother. Lawrence Frost (The T-Rex) and Thomas Wells. Apparently, Batman needed to brush up on his knocking-out skills that night. Two minutes later, when she was in the other room calling 9-1-1 , then men had woken up and crawled away. They were now with her Father. She just needed to find out where her Father was.

She had almost killed everyone involved with her Father-she had sources, which she found shortly after her Mother's death. Anyone who did "business" with her Father would be dead. She had talked to her "contact" and knew who to target-a new-comer named Jacob. Her Father was his "mentor."

"Well, Jacob…you shouldn't have looked up to my Father…now, he'll look down on your corpse…" she chuckled darkly. He would be leaving a bar on the street corner like he did almost every night, and he always took a route down an ally to get home.

Caden went to the ally, mind completely set on murder. Her instincts grew sharper and clearer-she noticed every movement and every sound. She smiled as she hid in a dark corner and waited.

As the minutes ticked by, she observed the ally. It was long, reaching a set of apartments on the other side of the street-and was especially dark by now. It was now 11 at night. The other criminals and law-breakers had started to leave their lairs and hunted the streets like wolves. The ally was dusty and the air smelled foul. The stars and moon were blocked out by lights, but it was exceptionally dark tonight. Caden smiled evilly. It was the perfect setting for murder.

She waited, the minutes lasting only seconds, held her breath, anticipated the man coming out of bar, and, oh God, she couldn't wait to sink that blade into his skin…she'd tell him why she was killing him, why he was to die, and make him accept it…

She held her breath as she heard footsteps coming. She grabbed her knife, muscles tense and ready to spring. She would make him pay and every single person that harmed her Mother or would ever harm anyone like that...

He had walked past her without noticing. Oh, yes, yes, yes! Slowly, carefully, she stalked behind him, leaving the shadows, creeping up behind the man. She was a lioness in the Savannah. Anxiety, alert, and excitement formed a dangerous mixture. If he turned around, it'd be all over, but that's where the fun came from…

She waited for the right moment, until he released a long, deep exhale, and, with hands moving like lightning strikes, she clamped her hand over his mouth and the other around his torso, using all of her strength to keep him in her grasp. She wasn't as strong as he was, but she had shock on her side and that was all she needed.

She was about to slice the knife across his neck when she was pulled down from behind, and thrown to the ground.

At the end of every chapter, I'll explain why I chose the certain song. I chose Mozart's Symphony No. 25 for this chapter because when I first heard it, I envisioned a man pacing in his room by candlelight, lost in his thoughts. The piece sings of inner turmoil, which I think is heavy in this chapter.