"Callie could you bring me that slide dear?"

Callie looked from the microscope she was viewing to see her mother's smiling face. She was motioning towards the far table where samples were laid out in numerical order. "Sure Mom."

Suzanna Hughes thanked her daughter when she handed her the item. Callie looked and saw her father, Michael, listening to music and inspecting sheets that had printed from the analyzer. They were in Lab 3, or the Family Room as her parents called it due to the fact they spent so much time together in it.

"You seeing anything interesting over there Callie Sue?" her father asked her, a wide grin splitting his face.

"Still looking at Subject W." she frowned. "Not getting the results that we should be getting. All of his levels are off the charts but they should be decreasing when we look at the dosages he's taking." Callie compared what she read on the charts to what she saw on the slide.

"You sure of that Cal?" Michael walked over to look into the microscope. "This can't be right? What has Larry been doing?" he muttered under his breath.

Suzanna looked at her husband with worry. "Callie why don't you get the first three samples we took from Subject W. Then we can compare them. They're in cryo." Suzanna approached Michael. "If this is true Michael this would make him very dangerous. We need to talk to Larry."

Callie had just walked to the cryo unit when the lab door blew open and a large explosion shook the entire room where her parents had been. She was blown backwards knocking into the cryo unit, and dropping to the floor. Glass and chemicals burned along the walls and floors, and she couldn't draw in enough breath. The last thing she heard before going under was a man mumbling. "Shouldn't have pried."

She came awake suddenly gasping for breath. Stark, white walls greeted her vision, and she winced in pain as her sore muscles extended.

"Are you all right Ms. Callie?"

She looked over to find Alfred sitting beside her once again. "How do you always get stuck with hospital duty Alfred?"

"A pleasure I assure you." He smiled kindly. "You looked frightened when you awoke?"

"I was dreaming of the day of the explosion. The day that took my parents lives. I've had the dream a few times, but never this clear, and I've never remembered as much as I did this time. I heard him enter the room. It wasn't an accident. My parents were close to finding something in their research. Someone breaking the rules." Callie had almost forgotten Alfred was there as she pieced together her thoughts. Suddenly without warning one of her trancelike states was upon her. "It hates us. Calliope and Bruce. Bruce must die first, and then after all is taken care of Calliope will die as she was meant to that day. Should never have survived. Hate is spewing. Now we must get Lawrence James from his padded cell. Now we must rely on our man to kill Wayne. If he fails this time then he will be punished worse than James was. We so enjoyed James punishment. The breaking of a fragile mind. The breaking of a will. He had outlived his usefulness. So much more useful when doing as told. Ahh, Billy brings new play things. Play things to stroke and play with. Pretty little play things." Callie came to herself with a gasp. She was horror stricken to realize Alfred had heard everything.

"You're The Seer." He said quietly.

"Yes." She whispered. A tear fell down her cheek.

He leaned forward and patted her hand with his. "Don't worry Ms. Callie. I won't reveal your secrets."

"You mustn't. Bruce mustn't know either." She asked him looking into his kind eyes.

"Master Bruce will only know when you tell him, or if he finds out on his own. It shan't be through me." Alfred sighed realizing how difficult this would make things. He saw great promise between the two, but with this added to the other secrets he already possessed complications were raising to a much higher level.

Alfred knew he shouldn't be promising to not tell Bruce. In fact he should be telling Bruce. However, he wasn't sure if that was the best idea. If he was correct in the feelings that Bruce was developing for the girl, then knowing that she was out there risking her life, just as he was, would cause more worry and stress for the man. No, for now he would keep her confidence and keep a close eye on her.

Bruce walked in to find Alfred with his hand on top of Callie's and tears on Callie's cheeks. "Everything okay?" he asked gruffly.

"Fine." She gave him a watery smile. "I was just thanking Alfred for being here for me when I woke up."

"She'd had a bad dream." Alfred said and left it at that.

Bruce's eyes narrowed. Alfred was keeping something from him. "Bad dream huh? Not scared of that Batman are you?"

"Oh no. He was very kind considering. I had a dream about the day of the explosion at the labs. The one that killed my parents."

"That would be a bad dream." He murmured and sat on the edge of the bed. Of its own volition his hand began running on her fingers. "You know they're looking into that fire?"

"Yeah, I got a call from a Lt. Gordon a few days ago wanting to set up a time to talk to me. I'm almost glad I had the dream, because I remembered things that might help."

Bruce nodded. "Good."

"You shouldn't be taking time out of your busy schedule to be here." She admonished Bruce as she entwined her fingers with his. Callie was tired and sore, and for the first time in a long time she just needed contact. Needed to feel someone there.

"Nothing more important than being here right now." He told her softly.

"If you'll excuse me," Alfred began, "I believe I'll go make some phone calls."

"He's a good man." Callie told Bruce, not looking him in the eyes.

Bruce scooted closer to Callie remembering the terror he'd felt when he'd heard Lawrence James on the cell phone the night before. "Yes he is. You scared me."

"Sorry." Another tear slipped down her cheek. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm not a crybaby. I can normally handle everything."

He lifted her chin so she'd look him in the eyes. "No one can handle everything Callie. It's been a rough few days for you. Add to that this is a second hospital stay, and the man who held you at knifepoint to get you here. It's only natural to be a little emotional."

Callie moved closer to him and he pulled her into his arms. He was careful so as not to disturb the wound on her arm. "I hate hospitals." She whispered.

"Understandable."

"I want to go home."

"When you leave here you aren't going back to the hotel. You're going back to the manor." He told her. She almost laughed at the mulish tone his voice had taken. "We have dozens of rooms that you can use until you get your own place. I won't always be there but Alfred normally is." Bruce had thought long and hard before making this decision. As long as he was extremely careful he figured he could make it work. For the first few days she'd be recuperating anyway, but if there were people out there that wanted to hurt her then she was going to be where he could look after he.

Callie thought about it. He wasn't going to take no for an answer. She thought that if she was extremely cautious that she'd be able to sneak in and out to do her job as well as keep an eye on him. Especially seeing as someone still wanted him dead. He'd expect her to be recuperating for awhile anyway.

"Okay. But only for a few days." She smiled at him with gratitude.