The main entry way to the manor was filled with many of the notable names among all Gothamites. As Bruce walked down the stairs, it did not take long for his stomach to churn as everyone's attention slowly turns towards him. Before reaching the bottom of the stairs, Bruce pauses, not wanting to join the party. Alfred gently nudges the boy to move on, to which Bruce solemnly complies.
"Well now, if it isn't the Prince of Gotham himself. Harvey, Jessica get over here and greet Bruce!" exclaims Christopher, ignoring the piercing look from the boy. Appearing from within the crowd, Bruce takes note of the twins walking his way. Before his world was turned upside down, Harvey, Jessica, and Bruce spent many nights running through the manor playing every game a child could imagine. However, now seeing them for the first time in so long, they appear as strangers to him.
"Hey Bruce, it's been a long time. Didn't even know you were in Gotham still." Harvey addresses Bruce coldly, hesitant to offer any more words than necessary. Jessica extends her hand in a warm gesture to Bruce, who takes a moment before replying.
"Hey Jess. Nice to see you again." Bruce takes her hand gently and shakes it. Her smile in return prompts Bruce to smile as well, a sight that almost brought Alfred to tears. With a slight scorn, Harvey looks at his sister with wonder.
"Damn clown." Harvey mutters under his breath before his father slaps him in the head.
"Everyone, please. A moment of your time!" Thomas appears in the center of the room, commanding everyone's attention. With all eyes on him, he calls for Bruce to join him, an unnerving move that disrupts his brief moment of solace. Begrudgingly, Bruce leaves Jessica to join his father.
As Thomas addresses the crowd, thanking everyone for again attending one of his fundraisers to help the poor of Gotham, Bruce's growing discontent with being in front of everyone begins to show. He sways in place from side to side, trying to loosen the grip his father has on him. With the predictable speech coming to a close, the regular laundry list of personal 'thank yous' that his father always makes, Bruce's eye catches a glimpse of a union being made in the distance.
Trevor Hill and Tucker Cobblepot approach Christopher Dent and the men exchange handshakes with wide smiles. As if on cue, Thomas ends his speech and asks everyone to enjoy their night and to enjoy his booze. Bruce rolls his eyes as the majority of the room erupts in a rich laughter.
"Thanks Bruce for standing here with me. If the City sees us standing strong, we can inspire them all to be strong. Now, try and have some fun. I need to go and work the room a bit more." Without waiting for any type of reply, Thomas ushers Alfred over and walks straight towards the trio. Alfred stares at the boy as he silently takes note of his father meeting with those men.
"You see Alfred. Just as I said. Every time." Bruce remarks flatly.
"Now Master Bruce, your father has to work with all sorts in order to do the work he does. Why don't you go find those Dent children and see if you can at least enjoy part of this night. Leave your father be." Bruce lets out a heavy sigh as his view of the four men become obscured.
"Fine Al."
Bruce leaves the party floor to return to his room, not wanting to be around anyone anymore. As he reaches his room, he hears a sound come from one of the master bedrooms. Alerted, he walks through the darkness to investigate. He slowly opens the door to find Jessica standing in the mirror holding a familiar pearl chain.
"What are you doing?" shouts Bruce, startling Jessica who drops that chain. The loosely held together set of pearls spill out onto the floor as Jessica freezes in place.
"No! No!" Bruce crumbles onto the floor, trying to catch as many as he can.
"I'm so sorry Bruce, I was just looking at them. I -." An angered Bruce jumps up from the floor and starts towards Jessica who leaps back a step.
"Why are you in here? Why did you have to disturb them?" Bruce, his face no longer recognizable to Jessica, scares his former friend into a retreat. As she steps away, trying to avoid the fury making its way towards her, her foot lands on one of the loose gems. With her balance lost, Jessica slips backwards, striking her head first onto the edge of a console table before landing on the floor.
"I have to get all the pieces now. Why did you have to disturb them?" Bruce's screams become manic as he ignores her body laying on the floor. He gathers up all the gems he can before paying any attention to Jessica, who has not moved since falling.
After securing all twenty-two gems, Bruce's mood begins to quell. The pool of blood from Jessica's head goes unseen in the dimly lit room.
"Jess, why don't you get up and at least say sorry?" Bruce walks over to her and kneels down to take her hand. Immediately, he realizes that she is gone. In horror, the boy reels back on the floor, tears beginning to run down his face. Scared, Bruce leaps to his feet and runs out of the room in search of his father. He makes his way to the private study at the other end of the hallway, knowing that if he was anywhere tonight, it had to be there.
The door ajar, Bruce hesitates before barging into the room.
"Damnit Tucker, we all have sacrifices to make in order for this plan to work. For God sakes, Thomas gave up his wife for this. Surely you can give up one of your flock for The Court." Mayor-elect Hill's words freeze Bruce in place, the thoughts of Jessica instantly put aside.
"Hill, watch what you say in my house!" Thomas shoots up from his chair, startling everyone in the room and the boy at the door. The door creaks open loudly, causing Bruce to land on the floor, bloody palms first. The gentlemen in the room pause in place, staring down at Bruce. Thomas gasps at the sight, his body starting to numb with fear of not knowing what may have been overheard.
"It's Jessica. Dad, I'm - I'm sorry." Bruce pleads under the gaze of the four men in the room. At the sound of her name, Christopher starts towards the boy before being stopped by Thomas.
"What is he saying about Jessica?" screams Mr. Dent, his voice growing louder with each word. Thomas shields Bruce from the aggressive man as he scrambles off of the floor.
"It was an accident. She slipped!"
Bruce leads his father and Christopher towards Martha's vanity room, an area of the manor Thomas had tried his best to ignore. Trailing behind, Hill and Cobblepot mutter to themselves, exchanging looks of dire curiosity.
"Jessica!" Christopher yells upon entering the room. Thomas rushes to her side to see if there is any hope left to use his medical skills to aid the fallen child. To his dismay, the time for help had already past.
Christopher paces about the room as Hill and Cobblepot scurry in to lock the door behind themselves. Sitting on a bench in the corner, Bruce rocks in place, staring on at the lifeless girl decorating his mother's floor. Thomas, still in a sort of shock, just stares at his son.
"Thomas. Christopher. It seems we have a number of problems at hand. And with the party still going on -." Hill tries to get a handle on the situation while exchanging another glance with Cobblepot again.
"The boy overheard us Thomas, you know he has!" skwarks Cobblepot. Thomas flies over to Trevor and grabs him by the neck, thrusting him against the wall.
"You shut up. You keep your damned mouth close Cobblepot!"
Hill jumps to the side and lets the two men dance. Christopher kneels by Jessica and places his hand on the girls head. With his eyes close, he whispers a few words to himself before making his voice heard.
"Thomas, let the little man down. He is correct. Bruce had to have heard. Isn't that right, boy?" Finally looking at Bruce, Christopher is assured of his assumptions through the hateful glare from the boy.
"What did you do to my mother? Father, what did you have these men do?" Bruce leaps up from the bench, his fists balled baring pale knuckles.
"Bruce, settle down! You don't know what you are speaking about!" Thomas, his hands now free, tepidly walks towards Bruce, who is equally taking steps away.
"The boy is no idiot Thomas. And now, clearly he is a murderer." remarks Hill, his voice of indifference alarming Bruce.
"I didn't kill her! It was an accident!" Bruce, now in the room's corner, feels himself trapped. Christopher calmly walks over to Bruce, his intent clear and unencumbered by Thomas.
"Be that as it may Bruce, my daughters blood is on your hands. And clearly, you now know something you shouldn't. Something needs to be done about that." With a quick strike, Bruce's view goes black as the elder Dent's fist connects with his face. Thomas, understanding the depths of his follies, stands aside with quiet contempt.
"Thomas, I have a friend who specializes in tormented souls. You will send the boy there, tonight. Dr. Strange in Switzerland owes me a great deal. He will know how to deal with him." Thomas quietly agrees as he goes to check on the health of his son.
"And what of your girl Dent? What becomes of her?" Hill questions Christopher as Tucker fiddles his fingers in a visible nervousness. Christopher stares at Thomas with a new born hatred before addressing Hill.
"We all have sacrifices to make Trevor. Sacrifices must be made."