Authors Note: So, just to clarify for everyone, Dan is 27, Rorschach is 26, I'll make the Silk Spectra about 21, and this is about 2-3 yrs befor the Keene Act. The timeline might be a little out of whack, but lets just roll with it. :D

Disclaimer: The watchmen belong to Moore, not me. Only Susie is my character. And I'm not making any money from either of them.

Susie came downstairs and found Dan on the couch, Rorschach was gone. "Hey." Dan said with a smile. "He said he didn't want to be rude, but he had work to do. And to tell you thanks."

"Yea, I figured he'd be gone." She sat on the opposite end of the couch, and looked at her hurt fingers. She crossed her legs and turned to look at him.

"Bats aren't really that much good unless you sneak up on somebody." He said turning to look at her. She laughed at that.

"It was never my intention to harm anyone with the bat." She smiled at her own cunning plan. Dan brought his brows together in a confused expression. This just made her smile broaden. "I was going to swing the bat," she made the motion, "Then, when they went to grab or dodge it I would let go, and kick them in the head!" She said that last bit with much amusement and started giggling. The giggle broke into full laughter and Dan questioned the girl's sanity. She was always happy and smiling, but she rarely laughed.

"What if that hadn't worked?" The words came out colder than he intended. She immediately stopped laughing and looked at him with a hurt expression before smiling.

"Of course it would work, Dan. No one expects it!" Her smile turned vicious and her eyes gleamed. Dan quickly changed the subject.

"Were you really going to try that on Rorschach?" Her expression softened and she stared down at the couch. She explained about the door, and how she thought he might have been hurt. Then Dan apologized for not shutting it all the way and told how he had come looking for stitches.

"That's not right, it doesn't add up. Unless…" She trailed off in thought. Dan held his breath, he knew this was inevitable. He was surprised that it had taken her this long.

"Unless … You're a back-ally surgeon!" She got excited at the idea, which threw Dan off. He hadn't expected that. "That's it." She said. "I could totally be you're apprentice! I'm already good at sewing and bandages, just think at how good I'll be at stitches."

"No, I'm not," he sighed "A back-ally surgeon." 'Could any one really be this naive?' He thought.

"Well," she said, all her steam gone. "You could secretly be his lover." Dan gasped wide eyed at the notion. He did, after all, have dates, with women. She waved the idea away saying "No that still wouldn't explain why he came here." Then she put her head in her hands and sighed.

"I'm sorry, I can't do this anymore. Dan, I know you're the Nite Owl."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't patronize me. Do you really think I could have lived here all year and NOT figured it out?" Dan sighed, put elbows on his knees and looked down at the carpet.

"When did you realize it?" He didn't see the point in arguing any further. He'd known her since she was 13, and had never one an argument with her. She always made his words backfire on him. He couldn't win.

"Well," she began, "I've had my suspicions for a while now. But seeing Ror-- ink-blot tonight confirmed my suspicions." He tries to digest that and thought 'If Rorschach hadn't shown up tonight how long would it have takes her?' Then he thought of something.

"If you already new I was the Owl, why'd you pull the bat on Rorschach?"

"No, I said I've had my SUSPICIONS for a while. But I've already told you, the door slammed open, and I investigated." She shook her head, she hated repeating herself.

"But still," Dan pondered. "You had the bat raised like you wanted to hit him."

"Up until the point you walked up the stairs it could have gone either way. I knew you had a 'double life,' and I was positive you weren't a criminal." Her tone shifted, lowered. "But when I saw him and not you, I thought I might have been wrong. I thought he had proved me wrong, and that made me angry. I've never been wrong before." She looked up at him, her eyes wide and hurt, like a kid whose allowance had just been stolen. "I wanted him to pay for it." She suddenly got happy again, "Then you walked up the stairs and everything was alright. I'm glad that's all out in the open, because there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh, what's that?" He wasn't quite done talking about the incident, but decided it wasn't important.

"I want you to teach me how to fight, how to be a hero. I want to help. You guys could use another girl, and I could carry a small bag of suckers to give to the little kids whose parents just got arrested, or whatever." She looked up at him with puppy-dog eyes.

"I don't know," He shook his head. "I don't think ..hum" He trailed off. He didn't really want her join, but he didn't know how to say it.

"Oh, come ON," she stood up "You KNOW I've got an awesome kick." She kicked the air, which made Dan flinch back and grab his ribs. The first night Susie had been at Dan's she had fallen asleep on the couch. When Dan tried to wake her up the next morning she fractured three of his ribs and still didn't wake up.

"You still have nightmares?" Dan asked, trying to change the subject.

"Every night." She sat back down on the couch. "And I've already got my name picked out. I'll be Masked Mary!" Dan gave a heavy sigh and rubbed his eyes. "I'll talk to them about it, but I'm not making any promises."

"YES," she gave Dan a hug "Have I ever told you you're freak'n awesome?"

"Not nearly often enough." He laughed. She got up and started walking toward the stairs. "Night Dan."

"Night."

When Susie went to bed that night she had more nightmares.

It was a warm day near the end of spring. A crowed had gathered 'round to watch the fire fighters try and battle the flames. A young girl stood with her grandparents and a dozen of their employees as the flames engulfed their shop, and the apartment upstairs where the girl lived with her grandparents. Suddenly the girl lunges forward crying "My dress!" She is grabbed by a strong pair of arms. She looks up in anger "No! Let me go Walter! I need to get my dress!" Walter shakes his head. "It's too late. I'm sorry Susie." She tries to wrestle free before turning and punching him repeatedly, as if it will make everything better. All he can do is apologies for something he has no control over.

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So I know there wasn't any Rorschach in this chapter, but once in the next chapters we'll see a bunch more of him, and more of Susie's past. Hope ya'll liked it! Oh yea, this was kind of long, I'll try to make the next one shorter.