Barbara lazily turned the page, spinning in the chair as her eyes skimmed the page. Usually, she highly enjoyed reading but reading about the rich families of Gotham as uninteresting as it sounded.

The different family trees that somehow contributed to the city's founding and growth was not remarkable, especially considering who some of these people really were. Their wealth, their surname, and their connections were all just a cover- maybe even a safety net- for their crimes. These history books glorified them, making their victims seem unimportant. They weren't even given a footnote.

Barbara continued reading, seeing that it was more of the same stuff on the Isleys. However, something about this page made her straighten up and take a closer look.

The history on the Isleys abruptly ended with the marriage of their only child Pamela.

Pamela Lillian Isley, the only child of Marc and Rose Isley, was born May 2nd, 1842. Being a beautiful and affluent woman, it was expected she would marry a renowned surgeon and successor to his ancestral home, Thomas Wayne. Their engagement had been arranged by both families, but was unexpectedly retracted by Thomas. Embarrassed and insulted by this gesture, The Isleys hurriedly married their daughter off to acclaimed professor and botanist, Jason Woodrue in 1867. Shortly after, the couple moved to Seattle where Professor Woodrue was conducting research, remaining there for what is assumed the rest of their lives.

"Well, obviously there's more to the story," Barbara mused. "There's no mention of children, so if this is the same Pamela that would make her...79 years old?!" She quickly covered her mouth, realizing she was still in a library.

The encounter at the mansion confirmed this for Barbara based on what Pamela hinted at about "getting away with it for many, many years" and the portraits.

Especially the portraits.

"You witch," Barbara hissed as she shut the book and cast it aside. Though the thought of writing this newfound material down in her notebook crossed her mind, it would be futile. There was nothing that could be done with this information.

There was no one could help her because no one would believe her.

She hardly believed any of it herself.

Plus, the book would probably disappear the next day or a mysterious fire would break out in the library.

These people were always one step ahead of her.

And the girl still had no idea how to catch up.

Barbara opened the door with a forced smile, greeting Sarah Essen as she stepped in with a dish of mashed potatoes.

"Hi, Barbara! It smells good in here!" The woman smiled back.

"Yeah, it sure does. Oh, let me carry that for you." Barbara took the dish from her as they walked over to the kitchen.

"Is your dad burning the turkey?" Sarah laughed.

"Probably," Barbara chuckled back. She set the mashed potatoes to the side, listening to her dad welcome the woman. They continued talking as Barbara gathered the plates and utensils, oblivious to the girl's annoyed silence.

"So, Barbara," Sarah turned her attention from James, seeing that the teenager had been eating quietly. "Are you still in contact with Richard?"

Barbara gulped down her turkey before answering vacantly. "No. I'm not."

"Oh, that's too bad. Your father told me about you two, and I saw you both that night at the ball. You looked like a lovely couple," Sarah sympathized, lowering her utensils.

"Tell that to Mr. Wayne," Barbara replied sardonically, taking a sip from her glass.

"What is that supposed to mean?" James questioned.

"He told me not to come near Richard because I was an ill-suited match and would be a distraction," She muttered.

"He said that?" Sarah's eyes widened. "I cannot believe he would be so blunt!"

"Who does he think he is? To insult you because he didn't approve-" James pushed his chair back angrily.

"James-" Sarah advised.

"No, that was just unwarranted. I can understand his concern, but to talk down to my daughter like that!" James argued.

"Maybe that's why she struck him." Sarah suddenly suggested, surprising the girl.

"Was that the true reason?" James inquired. "Has that been the root cause of this erratic behavior?"

"I-I don't know," Barbara sighed. "It could be. It's not like it matters anymore. I am over it. Can we just get back to our dinner?"

The adults dropped the topic, continuing to eat their meal in now silence. Barbara could only stare at them as images of the bodies and blood at the Isley mansion intruded her mind. Every bite they took made her cringe. Each time their knife cut into the meat made her wince. And all their sips made her want to gag. Panic was beginning to set in, and the urge to hyperventilate was ever increasing.

"Excuse me, but I think I feel sick." Barbara rushed off to her room, holding her stomach as she climbed the stairs.

After the week off from Thanksgiving break, Barbara's life had slowly begun to return to normalcy. There had been no more incidents of sleepwalking or sleep-movements. The stress and sadness that clouded her mind were gradually disappearing with each day.

Or so she thought.

Although she no longer sleepwalked, she now had trouble falling asleep. The thought of something slipping into her room late at night, watching her as it finally decided her demise haunted her.

She did not cry for what had happened to her friends. Nor did she cry for herself anymore. She was just numb; she felt empty.

Her eating habits had also altered after her encounter at the Isley mansion. She only ate two meals and even then they were small portions. She often felt tired and worn down because of this, and it showed in her appearance.

The only thing that actually stimulated her- that made her feel some sort of positive emotion was her college application.

It was there her future lied; where her eventual happiness lied.

For so long, she had focused on the investigation instead of her schoolwork but that had now changed. If she wanted her and her father to live a safe and happy life, then she had to go back to being a "naïve schoolgirl."

There was no one who could help. No one who would believe her.

She hardly believed any of it herself.

One evening, as she returned home from school, she found an unexpected guest waiting for her.

Really, she should have expected this. Sarah Essen had been coming around more often to the house.

"Oh, Barbara! I didn't hear you come in." Sarah rose from the couch with something in her hand. "I hope you forgive me, but I was reading your journal. It's very well-written and detailed, something the department needs more of."

"You read my journal?!" Barbara exclaimed; more concerned than angry.

"More like skimmed it. Don't worry I didn't read everything," Sarah reassured.

"But you must have read about the mansion then!"

"I was actually just getting to that-"

Barbara swiped the notebook away from the woman, frowning as she held it close to her. "What exactly did you read then?"

"I read about your suspicions mostly. Also, a little bit about Richard." Her already gentle tone softened even more. "Barbara, I imagine what you're going through isn't easy. Especially at this age. But I am here for you, you can tell me anything."

"You are right. It's not. There's a lot of uncertainty and frustration I'm facing right now. I want this investigation to be solved, but I know it probably won't be." Barbara sat down dejectedly.

"We are trying our hardest to catch this perp. Your journal- It provided me some insight. Maybe we need to reexamine some things. Question some people again like the two women Officer Bard suspected," Sarah admitted.

"Did you ever question them?"

"Your father and I did, but there was nothing we could hold them on. They provided alibis; people had seen them that night."

"The person behind this- They're powerful. They have money. They have connections. They know what they're doing because they've been doing this for a long time." Barbara looked Sarah in the eye, startling her with her intensity.

"You sound as if you know who it is," Sarah whispered.

"No, I don't. It's just I have done enough reading to know these things," Barbara's lips turned upwards into a smile at her implication.

Her college application had been filled out with the utmost most care and attention to detail. She had made sure her handwriting was perfect and everything was clearly legible.

Now was the time to turn it in.

She was wearing a dress even though it was the end of November. Her legs were freezing, but she needed to make a good impression with the dean. Her dad had even told her that she needed to be dressed professionally.

"Well, at least it's better than the heat," She reminded herself, remembering how she preferred the cold.

Barbara checked her watch, seeing that there were only a few more hours until the curfew.

"I should be finished before then," She told herself as she approached the University. For the first time in a while, she found herself feeling excited. She felt hopeful that something would finally go right.

She felt confident.

"I wonder if it'll snow soon." Barbara tilted her head back, looking at the grey clouds. Her mind started to think about the weather, leading it to think about Christmas and so forth. She was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she failed to notice who was standing at the entrance until she was only a few feet away.

Barbara's eyes widened instantly, dodging instinctively behind some trees. She prayed he hadn't seen her, knowing that if he had he would come to her. Mr. Wayne was really the last person she wanted to see right now.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Barbara cursed under her breath, watching as he talked with the dean.

Barbara waited impatiently for him to leave. She had no idea what they were saying; she was too far away. But she could see that what they were talking about was serious.

"You are being watched," She repeated her words to herself, nodding in realization.

"Hello, Ms. Gordon."

Barbara regretfully stepped out from behind the tree, acknowledging the man. "Hello."

"Why are you out here hiding?"

"I think you know why." Barbara was trying to move past him, but he towered over her, thus crushing any shred of confidence she formerly had. She felt tiny and helpless.

"I have already told you there is no need to be frightened. I will not hurt you. Before you go inside, I want to talk with you." He looked down at her stoically. Barbara knew he wasn't giving her a choice; he was going to speak regardless.

"Foolish girl. You somehow managed to get two of your friends killed because of your prying. I warned you about the consequences." He continued, taking her silence as an indication to.

"If you are so worried about me then, why don't you just kill me? Be done with me. What's stopping you?" Barbara finally challenged. "It's not like killing is beneath you people."

"You are certainly a threat. However, I have my reasons for not ridding myself of you. They are my reasons and all that matters is that they are what has kept you alive." He narrowed his eyes at her. "But know that I have indeed tried."

The sudden recollection of her notebook came to Barbara's mind. Pretty much everything she had found out was written in there. If something did happen to her, that would be the smoking gun. After Sarah had found it, she had been carrying it around with her in her backpack. She needed to find a better place; one where her dad could find it.

"Did you understand what I just said, Ms. Gordon?" A hint of confusion was evident in Bruce's question.

"So that means you did try to hurt me at one point," Barbara answered dully.

"Yes."

"Then, I'm guessing one of those reasons is my father," She sighed.

"Yes, speaking of which, he called me recently. He was upset about what I told you on Halloween."

"Was that not the truth?" Barbara scowled.

"I never denied it. In fact, I didn't deny it to him. I admitted my mistake and apologized."

"But you're not sorry. You just said it to keep yourself in his good graces." Her tone dripped with absolute loathing.

He did not answer.

They stared down each other for a few seconds; Barbara looking on with vehemence while Bruce regarded her with coldness.

"Have you finally learned, Ms. Gordon? Has the loss of two people in your life been enough for you?" He finally said.

"I gave up snooping. After seeing the Isley mansion-" Her sentence quickly dropped off upon recognizing where she was going with it.

"Go on. I know you were there," Bruce observed curiously.

"Then you know what happened?"

"Not specifically."

"After seeing the Isley mansion," She resumed. "I decided I don't want part of it anymore. Alright? I'm done. I should have never gotten involved. So you things can just leave me alone now!" She hadn't realized her tone became more desperate with each sentence.

"You are more than just killers-"

"You haven't the faintest idea what we are," Bruce interrupted her harshly. "If you did, you would go mad just trying to comprehend the truth. Your mind would decay as you seek answers that do not exist. Society would outcast you, locking you away forever. Until death eventually freed you from your prison, either by your own hand or time's."

Another silence came between them, but this time Barbara looked on the verge of screaming. She closed her eyes, sighing as she tried to calm herself. She fully believed his words because hell, she was already halfway there.

And that was just from getting a small dosage about their true nature.

"I don't know if your word means anything, but can you at least promise me nothing will happen to my dad. Please, at least that. He doesn't deserve to-to," She couldn't bring herself to finish the morbid thought.

"Yes. I assure you it will not come to that," He gave a slight nod.

"What about her?"

"Her?"

"Pamela. I know you aren't in this together, but she directly threatened his life. What will you do about her?" She challenged.

"As I said, it will not come to that. I have my own problems with her that I need to resolve."

Barbara nodded, satisfied with this answer. "May I leave now?"

"Yes. I wish you good luck with your application." Bruce stepped out of her path, providing her a clear direction to the entry.

"Have you really been watching-"

"It is serendipitous that I happened to be here the same evening you decided to turn it in. If not, I would not have been able to tell the dean to expect your application soon." Though the man's mouth was not smirking, his eyes clearly were relishing Barbara's defeat.

"He and I are good friends, but being a patron and writing a substantial check to the university always puts someone in good graces."

Bruce watched as the girl practically stormed out of his sight and into the building. She made no attempt to look back to make sure he wasn't following her, nor did she even try being sarcastic.

"You two can come out now," He said, not taking his eyes off the direction Barbara had gone in.

Upon command, two figures slowly crawled down from the nearby trees and onto the grass. They stood up to their full height, walking over to the man who seemed to be in deep thought.

"I didn't even get a chance to talk to her," Richard muttered disappointingly.

"She didn't even mention you," Jason scoffed.

"I thought she might. At least briefly... " Richard trailed off. "She's changed so much in just a few weeks. Her eyes, her hair, everything about her looks-"

"Dead?" Jason suggested.

"Yes," Richard grimaced, now turning his attention to the older man. "Was having the last word like that really necessary?"

"There are other ways to get someone to comply than threatening their life." Bruce did not face the pair as he lectured them. "She needs to know constant fear. When mortals do not know that fear, they start getting bold. And when they get bold, they become dangerous."

The trio started to walk away from the University; each boy processing Bruce's words differently.

"You overestimated her feelings for you. I doubt she holds anything but resentment towards you," Bruce suddenly said.

"Gee, I wonder why," Richard grimaced. "You certainly didn't play any part in that."

"If I had played more of a part," The older man's tone grew severe. "She would have been dead by now."

"I killed the old woman for you. Doesn't that makeup for the masquerade?" Richard reasoned.

"Your obedience to certain instructions do not cancel the others out. You had the perfect chance to be rid of her on Halloween," Bruce continued his reprimand while Jason listened on amusedly. On the other hand, Richard listened with shame.

"I had another opportunity. The night we first met. But Jason stopped me," Richard snapped his head toward his brother.

"Oh, go ahead and blame me then. What about the night you took her home? You could have easily done it there when you found her injured," Jason retorted.

"Enough arguing. What has past, has past. At the moment, we have to concern ourselves with Ms. Isley and her partners. The girl can be contained, but Ms. Isley is our greatest enemy right now," Bruce explained.

"Well, there's three of us and only one of her," Jason pointed out. "If that means anything."

"Also, her motives seem to be kill as many men as possible. That can be contained too," Richard agreed.

"Perhaps. If she is willing to compromise." Bruce's tone did not sound hopeful.

"And if she doesn't? Does that mean we have to 'contain' her ourselves?" Jason raised an eyebrow.

"I have fought our kind before. And I have prevailed each time. She may be older and we cannot underestimate her levels of depravity. But she can be killed the same ways as any of us." Bruce looked up towards the building that came into view; its blue light casting over the three of them.

"Despite this form, we still have our interests. Our weaknesses. Ms. Isley just so happens to have two."

For the remainder of the way, the trio walked on in complete silence. Their shoes did not even make a sound as they hit the pavement nor did their clothes rustle from their movements. Once they came within a few feet of the Wayne Tower, Jason ran up ahead, proclaiming it had been so long since he had been here.

"And what if Pamela wants her?" Richard asked, stopping in his tracks. "Because you know that is a real possibility."

"I will not stop her," Bruce paused as well, looking back at the boy somberly.

"Even if Barbara has kept her word about not getting involved anymore?" Richard took a few daring steps closer.

"In her own words, she should have never gotten involved. Now she has to face whatever consequences lie ahead." Bruce turned on his heel, leaving a concerned Richard behind.

"That also means you will not get involved either," Bruce insisted as he reached the glass doors. "You will not disobey me again unless you want to remain in the Manor, continuing to survive off the blood of animals."

Richard quickly closed his mouth, but his troubled look did not leave his face. He stayed frozen in place while the older man opened the door, gesturing for him to enter. Richard lowered his head as he walked inside, feeling Bruce's eyes on him as he passed.

Jason was waiting for them by the elevator, looking around curiously at the building.

"I was wondering when you two would show up," He remarked.

They all walked into the elevator, each one with a different expression on his face. Richard looked deeply upset; his body tense as the doors shut and the elevator began to rise. Meanwhile, Jason still had that curiosity to him, but now with a tinge of satisfaction. Bruce brought his hand to Richard's shoulder reassuringly. Yet, his countenance was still stern and brooding. This action forced Richard to drop his frown and take on an air of confidence.

Once the elevator came to a halt, the males clambered out and walked a bit more down the dimly lit hallway. They rounded a shadowy corner before coming to a large, black door decorated in art deco style. Bruce effortlessly pushed it open, revealing a much brighter room.

Pamela instantly rose from her seat at the conference table, sauntering forth to greet the trio.

"I am so glad you all agreed to meet with me." Her eyes flickered to Richard and Jason with interest. "I was beginning to worry you would not show up."

Bruce did not immediately respond, letting her wait for his answer as he slowly closed the door.

"Let us begin then," He finally said as the door fastened shut.

A/N: Is everyone named Jason in this story? My gosh. Like really, I didn't even realize how common this name was in the DC universe!

So I know that this story is being told from Barbara's point of view as a memory, which is why most of the scenes include her. This keeps the mysterious atmosphere and the feeling of "who can you trust?"

However, there will be scenes that don't include her because I want the setting and characters to be expanded on. Character interaction is vital and helps in their growth/motivations. So yeah, forgive me for that inconsistency.