Chapter 3 - TOMORROW

February 2008

Bruce Wayne stared at the petite blonde with the pale violet eyes sitting across from him, registering the glowing, dark purple, Amethyst around her neck surrounded by bright pink stones. He wondered when the hell his life had become a fairy tale, a magical fairy tale, no less. He blamed Zatanna Zatarra. Six months ago, he'd laughed in her face when she'd told him the supposed 'prophecy.' Right now, he'd take bets she was taking her turn laughing her head off at him. He could almost hear her saying 'Don't say I didn't warn you.'

He sat across from Zatanna in his study, staring at her incredulously. Then he started to laugh.

'I knew you wouldn't believe me,' she said, folding her arms across her chest. 'I know you don't believe in magic, but it's real and it's about to arrive in Gotham City.'

'Zatanna, I haven't seen you in years. Now, you literally pop into my home, and you want me to believe in a prophecy about a magical stone imbued with the powers of the Greek Goddess Aphrodite!' he paused. 'AND, that I play a significant role in it?'

'Bruce, it's real. I know the timing is inconvenient as you've just begun your own…'she began.

He gave her a cold look and she stopped speaking. He knew she'd probably figured out his nighttime activities, but it didn't make him comfortable that she knew. He didn't trust magic and even though she'd saved his life once, he didn't completely trust her either.

'This is going to happen. The signs indicate that the prophecy has already begun, her heart has been given. You will be needed sooner than you know.' She finished. She held his look, not backing away from his anger or his distrust. She was serious. That and that alone made him relent.

'Fine,' he said his voice hard. 'Tell me again.'

She pulled the scroll out again. 'It is said that the Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Greece created stones and imbued them with their powers to bestow their gifts, temporarily, to their favorite mortals, their most devout followers. These God Stones, would allow mortals to use the power of the associated God or Goddess, most often in some way to defend the particular stone's God or Goddess, their favorite temple or city. Demigods, the half-god half-mortal children normally called to defend the Gods weren't always available, so these mortals could help in times of crisis. Often times, even though devout, the mortals weren't strong enough to host the powers of the God or Goddess and would literally burn up if they didn't return the power quickly enough.' She looked at him to make sure he was paying attention, before continuing on.

'However, there were some mortal bloodlines that were naturally able to harness and control the powers of the God or Goddess if they were bestowed upon them. These mortals were able to control the stone's powers in such ways, as if they were mortal versions of the God or Goddess themselves. They had complete command over the stone and wouldn't burn out, allowing them to continue to use the stone, as long as their faith in the God or Goddesses' powers remained.' She looked down at the paper in front of her, a copy of the prophecy she'd found, and read it aloud to him for the second time this evening.

The last in a line to reach twenty-one

Will give her heart to a powerful son.

The Goddess of Love is set free

As the heart that was given is lost at sea.

Guided by a darkest Knight,

In the ways of magic and light,

A protector's promise ignites a spark

Hearts joined by love, saved from the dark.

Two warrior's paths to be revealed

To their lives her fate is sealed.

Love's sacrifice to be unmade

As whispered words of love are said.

She handed the paper to him, which in addition to the prophecy, included a hand-drawn image of an example of a God Stone. It was a larger, round stone surrounded by small ones. 'If it truly is the God Stone of Aphrodite, the stone will be an Amethyst. The strength of her magic will be indicated by the color of the Amethyst and the surrounding stones. When the Amethyst fills to a deep color and the jewels on the outside color to pink, she has bonded with the Goddess and will need to learn her powers.'

'And I'm supposed to train her?' he asked. 'I don't even believe in magic. Why would you think of me?'

'…Guided by a darkest Knight…you don't see your role?' Zatanna sighed, 'She needs to learn defense and protection as well as how to control her emotions and, therefore, her powers. A God Stone, once awakened, will attract those seeking power. It could even call to other God Stones, awaken them.' She looked at him, 'I know no one in this world more suited than you to train her in the ways of control and strength. The magic will train her, but she'll need protection, guidance, discipline. She'll need you for that.' She finished.

'Say I believe you. How will I even be able to find her? Do you know how many 21 year-old women there are in this city?' he asked her, feeling the smirk on his face.

'She'll seek you out, of course.' She turned and started walking away from him, towards the terrace, then turned and faced him again. 'She'll need your help with something, most likely to do with someone she loves. When she comes to you, send word to me, and I'll come to see her. She will need someone to discuss Magic with, even though you're to be her guide. I'll offer what I can to her, even though our Magics will be very different…She's supposed to be a source of great good Bruce, from what all the signs indicate. The power of love fighting to bring light into this world, at a time when it feels we could use it most.' She sighed, 'Please keep an open mind.'

Then she said 'emoh' and he knew she had activated her spell as she disappeared to wherever was her home now.

Keiran stared at the intense green eyes of the man across from her as they travelled down to the necklace nestled near her heart and those eyes went wide. Bruce Wayne rubbed his face with his hand and seemed to laugh and sigh at the same time before he focused on her again. She felt like she wanted to grab the collar of her shirt and pull it closer to her neck, but she'd come here to ask for help and that might seem rude after the…glance…he'd just given her.

'Thank you for seeing me Mr. Wayne,' she started. 'I realize that this was an unusual request. I appreciate you taking the time.' She was doing everything she could to stay in control. She needed him to help her. She also knew the information she was about to give him would not make this a friendly meeting.

'Alfred said that it was a matter of life or death…I believe. I found myself… intrigued' he said lowly. The look he gave her was dark, like she had already angered him. She kept her confidence though and plowed on.

'Yes, I did say that, and I believe it is,' she said. 'I need your help in finding my friend and I think…no, I know you're the only one that can help me.'

He remained quiet, leaning back and continuing to stare at her. His eyes flickered down to her breast again, seeming to focus on her necklace, and then back up to her eyes. She blushed harder. She took out her file and started spreading it out on the table in front of her.

'His ship was lost at sea almost 6 months ago in a severe storm,' she said quickly,' and I suppose it makes perfect sense that weather like that could down something like this,' she pointed to this schematics of the Queen's Gambit, 'but I don't think the weather did it. No wreckage has been found, nothing.'

He still said nothing, but she'd seen his eyes widen a little at the recognition the ship's name on the schematic's plans. His eyes held a gleam of curiosity now, so she rushed ahead. The hard part was coming up.

'I don't know enough about yachts, or even where to start looking. When I interned with Mr. Fox in Applied Sciences last spring, I didn't know a lot about the materials, so he would provide me with the parameters for research. That way I could learn more and then I would be able to continue to expand searches myself. Right now though, I don't have that kind of time. With your help, I think we might be able to save the survivor of this disaster.' She finished.

His eyes returned to hers, filled with suspicion, a frown on his face. 'I'm sorry Miss Flannery, but I don't see how I can help. If you're hoping to fund a search and rescue, Lucius would have been happy…'

She cut him off and said in a rush, 'Mr. Wayne, I'm not just asking for your help, I'm asking for Batman's help.'

He smiled, almost pityingly at her, but his eyes turned hard as he continued to look at her. 'Then it seems a strange request to make of me if you need the assistance of Batman,' he said to her coldly.

'Mr. Wayne, you and Batman are one and the same, I know it. Just as much as I know that there is at least one survivor from this sinking boat,' she said.

He moved so quickly, she didn't realize that she was standing until she felt the hard wall of his study at her back. The cold, dark eyes staring into hers worked to intimidate her, but she didn't show him fear. She couldn't. He was her last chance.

She'd been having nightmares since the Queen's Gambit had sunk, seeing Oliver in various scenarios, all horrible. Oliver in a lifeboat dehydrating in the hot sun, Oliver watching his father shoot himself, Oliver being shot with an arrow, Oliver being beaten, Oliver falling, Oliver fighting.

Night after night, over and over, she had the dreams. She woke up every night after seeing the awful visions, crying, her heart breaking anew. She'd stay up for the rest of the night, not wanting to go back to sleep and see him hurting. Not wanting to wake up crying again. She was exhausted. She needed to get out of this cycle.

When Tommy and McKenna had spent Thanksgiving with her, it had been hard to keep the dreams and the tears away from them. They'd commented on how tired she looked, so she'd purchased better makeup and made a great show of relaxing and enjoying the long weekend while they were there. They'd seemed more confident in her their last night together, which was for the best. McKenna needed to worry about the Police Academy and Tommy was having a hard enough time still dealing with his best friend's disappearance. As much as she loved them for it, they didn't need to worry about her.

That last night with them was also the night that she'd found out Bruce Wayne was Batman. The three of them had gone out drinking, not a normal activity for her, and they'd gotten lost on the way back to her apartment, which is not in the nicest neighborhood. They'd crossed paths with a couple of gang members who'd decided they'd wanted their money and jewelry. She, Tommy and McKenna had been about to give over their things when Batman had swooped down and disarmed the two men.

She'd seen his dark blue aura, as dark as midnight, only allowing the smallest figment of light from the world around him to penetrate to the man inside the aura. She'd recognized it instantly because of its distinctiveness. It was hard to miss at the Board Meetings where Bruce Wayne pretended to either sleep or ogle the legs of the secretaries and assistants in the room, including hers on more than one occasion. She never let it bother her after that because she now realized that was his mask.

She'd kept his secret since then and the seed of an idea was planted that night. She'd started to think that her dreams might be an indication that somehow Oliver might be alive. Since she only had images though, no sound and no sign of where he might be, she had no idea where to start looking for him, or even how. Maybe Bruce Wayne, the Batman, would be able to help her...

As Batman, he was able to take on multiple opponents as one man. He found information about criminals and righted wrongs. He helped people. He might help her figure out where to start looking. She knew it was as slim chance, she had no proof Oliver was actually alive, just her dreams.

But the smallest hope that he might be able to help her stayed with her. So, she'd waited, unsure of whether or not she would ever be able to ask the Batman for his help without a way to prove anything to him.

Two days ago, she'd received a call from an unknown number on her cell phone. She'd answered it only to have the scene in her apartment change to a grey room with large windows that seemed to a radio or control tower. Oliver stood in front of her, a clunky looking phone to his ear, his own hand covering his mouth. He was dressed all in black and he was filthy, his hair matted, the smell of burning metal and wood and blood emanated around him.

'Hello? Hello…Oliver?' she said.

Then a man, dressed all in grey, came running up behind Oliver, took the phone from him and slammed it down. She was back in her apartment holding her cell phone to her ear, the call ended.

It was the final sign for her. It didn't matter how much she had been hurt by Oliver Queen. He was still her childhood friend. A part of her would always love him for that. If there was any way she could save him and help his family, help Tommy, she had to try.

She stared defiantly at the hard eyes targeting hers. 'You trying to scare or intimidate me won't change the fact that you and Batman are one and the same person. I won't tell your secret. I've known since last Thanksgiving when you saved me and my friends.' She tried to ignore the pain building in her back as he kept her pinned to the wall. 'Whether you help me or not, I still won't tell anyone who you are.'

His grip on her softened, just a little, his cold eyes bearing down on hers. Then he unexpectedly let her go and turned away from her.

Tears started to form in her eyes as she tried to keep her voice even 'Please, Mr. Wayne, I'm asking…'

'I heard your request. You want my help to save Oliver Queen, whom the whole world believes is dead, but whom you believe is still alive.' He laughed at her cruelly, still not facing her, 'Your childhood friend, whom you are wholeheartedly in love with. Don't deny it, it's written all over your face. And he hurt you too, I can see it in your eyes, yet you still want to save him. Why? So he can reject you again?' his cold voice asked her as he turned back to face her.

She strode over to him and slapped him hard, harder than she had intended she realized as a red mark started to appear on his face almost immediately. She felt an angry energy spreading throughout her body. How dare he mock her? She was asking for his help, she didn't need to be made to feel pain she was already trying to forget.

She paid for her impulsive action as he pushed her back against the wall, harder this time, her breath knocked out of her. 'How do you know?' he growled at her, his voice not that of Bruce Wayne anymore.

'Wha…' she started to ask him, but he shook her, pushing her harder into the wall.

'How do you know who I am?' he repeated.

'I see auras…I can see a person's true energy. They're unique, like fingerprints. Colors can be similar, but the way they move, their clarity, that's always different. Yours were the same, Bruce Wayne and Batman, midnight blue, not playful, almost rigid, letting in very little light,' she said quickly. She looked at him and realized his face was being lit from below, bathed in a pinkish light. They both looked down. Her Amethyst was glowing.

'Does that happen often?' he asked, his tone less threatening, still cautious.

'Only with one other person…'she said to him softly.

He looked into her eyes and she saw the hostility leave. She tried one final time.

'Mr. Wayne, right before my 8th birthday, my father died. I'd been sickly as a child and he gave me this necklace. He told me to keep it close.' She felt his grip loosening again and continued, 'The moment he died in a car crash, I was at a yoga class waiting for my mother to pick me up. Suddenly, I was at the crash site and saw my father, surrounded in a light blue aura, telling me he loved me and that I should believe in magic. Then, I was back in my yoga studio and my mother was picking me up. A few hours later, Gotham police came to tell my mother that my father was dead. Something I knew hours before. Shortly after that, I started to see auras all the time.'

She realized that he was no longer pushing her up against the wall, but just holding her there as she continued to talk. 'Since the Queen's Gambit went down, I've had nightmares of Oliver Queen being beaten, tortured, fighting, shot with an arrow, running for his life…over and over again, night after night, this happens. Two days ago, I had a vision, just like the one of my father's death, while I was receiving a call on my cell phone from an unknown number. When I answered the call, I went to another place and Oliver was standing right there in front of me on the other end of the line. I couldn't hear him, but I could smell fire and smoke and blood. He was filthy, but he was alive.'

She met his eyes again and put every ounce of her heart into her voice, 'I don't know why I can see these things. I just know that I can and that I need to do something about this. I can't continue like this Mr. Wayne, I can't sleep, I can't eat…'she paused, taking in a shaky breath. 'Yes, you….are right, I…did love him and he broke my heart, and long before any of that, he was one of my best friends. No matter what has happened between us, if he's alive and I can save him, I will. Now, will you help me?'

'How old are you Miss Flannery?' He asked her, which caught her by surprise. She hesitated, 'I don't see what that has to do with…'

'Humor me,' he said.

'Twenty-one,' she told him, 'Why?

He didn't respond. He let her go completely and turned, walking away from her again. As he stood by the window a long silence went on between them.

Finally, she said, 'Mr. Wayne?'

'Go home, Miss Flannery. Come back at this time tomorrow. I'll give you my answer then.'

Hope fluttered in her heart. 'Thank you,' she said, and turned to head home, praying that the next 24 hours wouldn't be as excruciatingly long as she felt they were going to be.

Bruce Wayne walked out to the large veranda his penthouse had. He rubbed his face. That slap had hurt. He'd wanted to test her, to see if she had any idea about the glowing jewel at her neck, what her visions meant, if she really was acting out of love. She'd definitely given something back to him and he'd felt a little power behind it, a heat.

Fuck you, Zatanna, he thought.

The wind cleared his head. He heard Alfred's footsteps come up behind him.

'I assume you heard the whole thing,' he said to his butler, 'Your thoughts, Alfred?' he inquired.

'What a sad and lonely girl. She has no idea what she is, and she's come to ask for your help, an act of love…'Alfred began. The man knew about the prophecy. He didn't hide much from his loyal companion.

'Alfred…'he sighed and turned to the man,

His butler smiled at him, a little too knowingly he felt, 'I think that poor girl is in so much pain, more than she even realizes and she just came to you and requested the help of Batman. Batman has pledged himself to help citizens, though most don't know where to go to ask for his help. Additionally, a friend of yours recently brought to your attention' he chuckled, 'a magical prophecy that involves you, the power of love and a woman. And, that a woman matching the description of that prophecy, almost to the exact detail, just left your apartment after doing exactly as it was predicted she would by the same friend.'

'You're not helping Alfred,' he said a little annoyed with the older man.

Alfred continued, but his tone became more serious. 'Sir, someone has asked for your help, help that you are uniquely suited to provide. This person has also admitted to keeping your secret for quite some time, and to prove how she knew your secret, she revealed not one, but two secrets of her own. If I were to guess, I would believe that she's never told anyone of her ability to see peoples…auras, did she say? Nor do I believe that anyone else in her life, outside of the boy in question, has any inkling of the additional relationship she shared with Oliver Queen.' Alfred paused, 'Can you imagine how much courage it must have taken for her to come here to ask for your help and be forced to share that information with someone for the first time in her life?' Alfred chuckled suddenly, 'Plus, she's not afraid of you. I heard that slap all the way in the kitchen, not that you didn't deserve it after what you said, Master Bruce.'

'I know Alfred, I was testing her.' He replied.

He had to agree with Alfred, though there was no need to tell him that. Keiran Flannery had revealed that she knew his secret and when pressed had trusted him enough with hers. Dammit, she'd shown no fear of him and had bravely given of herself in the pursuit of trying to save someone else. She'd had no way of knowing how he'd react with any of that information. He could feel Alfred's smile growing larger before he looked at him.

'She knows my secret, and I'm supposed to train her. She's now a liability. I'll need to be able to protect my identity and her because of what she knows. How do I do that, Alfred?' he asked.

'I've been feeling like my management of your…uh…social activities, both during the day and the evenings are growing a little difficult. Maybe we could hire a personal assistant to help with 'managing' you…someone who already works at Wayne Enterprises…' Alfred said. 'Lucius may have an idea or two. You should call him.'

Bruce smiled. He wondered how long Alfred had waited to call Lucius after Keiran Flannery had left his apartment.

Keiran couldn't sleep. It wasn't her fear of the dreams of Oliver that kept her up. She was restless. Energy was coursing through her. She felt wired, like she'd been mainlining caffeine. Her necklace glowed steadily and the energy seemed to pulse from there. It had been doing that since she'd slapped Bruce Wayne. She hadn't meant to do that…he'd just made her so angry, putting her down because she'd taken a chance on loving someone. She felt the energy pulse through her again.

It wouldn't let her sleep. She tried reading, went through a series of yoga routines, took a long shower, tried some late night television, but nothing worked. She couldn't stay still. She turned the lights out, deciding to try to sleep again, and pressed play on her iPod dock.

…How can I stand here with you, And not be moved by you?...

The melody played and the tears come anew. Some nights, you just couldn't escape your heartache, she thought, as the memory of the night before she left for Gotham rushed back to her…

…How can I stand here with you, And not be moved by you?...

'I love this song' she sighed, leaning her head against his shoulder.

'I know you do, you used to sing it all the time…'he whispered to her, holding her in his arms, as they danced slowly.

'I thought you hated dancing, Oliver Queen,' she said as she looked up at him, her arms going around his neck.

'For you, I'll make an exception,' he said and he leaned down to kiss her. She melted, like she did every time he kissed her.

They'd spent the last three nights together, sleeping in each other's arms after spending hours up talking and kissing. She'd sneak up to his room after everyone was asleep for the night, then sneak out again before her mother came in to start breakfast. They hadn't talked about it, but they hadn't said anything to their family or friends about what was going on between them. It wasn't time for that yet.

Tonight, his parents and his sister were down at the dock, staying on the Queen's Gambit. Thea loved the boat, as did Moira, so Robert had brought them down there for a couple of days before he and Oliver left for Beijing. She and Oliver had the mansion to themselves, their last night together. They were dancing in his family room.

His kiss intensified, deepening as he pulled her closer to him. She didn't want this to end. At the same time, she couldn't wait for him to be with her in Gotham. Every time she thought of him going to China, she got the chills. She wished he wasn't going. Her thoughts disappeared as his hands roamed over her back, the warmth of his skin felt clearly through the thin fabric of her sun dress.

She could feel the heat rising between them. For the past three nights, it felt like the more they were together, the deeper the heat between them became. Tonight, she felt like she never wanted to stop touching him.

Her hands moved from around his neck to the bottom of his t-shirt, slipping them under the material and touching the bare skin beneath. She heard his quick intake of breath and brought her hands upwards, separating from his lips just long enough to bring his shirt over his head and for it to hit the floor. He pulled her to him again, his lips searing to hers, his hands fisting in her hair. Her hands skimmed the skin right above the waist of his jeans.

'Jesus…' he whispered to her lips, pulling away from her, making her hunger for his contact again. He put his forehead on hers. 'Why does everything feel so…different with you?' he asked her.

She didn't say anything. She couldn't answer that question for him. She knew the reason why it felt so different for her. He needed to answer that question for himself.

…Cause You're all I want, You're all I need, You're everything, everything…

She could show him how she felt though, she thought.

She took his hand and led him upstairs to his room. She sat him down on his bed and stood in front of him and slowly slid the straps of her sundress off her shoulders, until the dress loosened and fell to the floor. She stood in front of him and watched him looking at her.

His eyes were dark and intense. He reached out his hand to her stomach, placing his hand flat against it. She heard her own quick breath as the heat from his palm flooded her body. He stood, his hand moving slowly from her stomach, straight up, until it covered her heart, where her necklace lay. He slowly took his finger and traced an outline around it and then continued to trail his fingers just above the lace trim on her bra.

She felt like she was on fire. She looked in his eyes again and saw his desire for her, but saw something else as well. Something he couldn't say yet, but that she knew he felt.

He sat back down on the bed, grabbing her quickly so that she straddled his lap, her arms around his neck, his eyes looking up into hers. He pushed her hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear.

'You are…the most beautiful woman I've ever seen,' he said, awe and sincerity in his voice.

A fire burst inside her, any fear or hesitation was gone. She reached for him, finding his mouth, a hunger inside of her needing to be filled by him, only him.

She felt his arms go around her, holding her close to him again. She could feel how much he wanted her in every spot their bodies connected, the heat an intense pulse between them, driving her delightfully insane.

His hands slowly traveled up her arm, skimming the bared flesh of her torso, returning to her face, holding her head steady, his eyes focused completely on hers, 'Keiran…I've never wanted someone this much in my life…you don't even have to touch me and…this intense desire just builds inside me,' he paused,' but I don't want you to regret…not waiting.' The last part was almost a growl.

She didn't think it was possible to love someone more than she already loved him. She was practically naked, offering herself to him, and he still wanted her to be sure. Something inside her burst again and she reached for him. 'No regrets,' she whispered, using his own words to answer him. She kissed him, then pushed him down to the bed and loved him with all her heart could give.

Later, she'd lain in the bed and sighed as he curled up behind her, tracing kisses along her shoulder and neck. She quickly heard his breath become even and knew he had fallen asleep. She turned, so that her head was in the crook of his neck, it was her second favorite place in the world, her first being the spooning position she'd just left. She loved the feel of his arms around her.

She lay there, listening to him breath, wondering if everyone felt this way when it came to love. She hoped so. She traced her fingertip around the area where his heart was, saw his face smile in his sleep at her touch, his arm tightening a little more around her.

'I love you Oliver Queen,' she said, quietly, her eyelids starting to droop.

The next thing she knew, her phone was ringing. It was Tommy telling her he'd be there in 45 minutes to pick her up to take her to the airport. Oliver had called him to tell him he wouldn't be able to make it like they had planned. Something had come up with Thea, he'd said.

She'd told him she'd be ready, and then hung up. She was naked and alone in Oliver's bed. There was no note on the bedside tables or bedroom dresser. There were no missed calls or texts on her phone. She found one of Oliver's t-shirts and took a quick walk through the mansion. No one was around, not even the staff, as the Queens were at the marina. She was completely alone.

She went back to his room and into his bathroom to take a shower. She looked in the mirror and almost gasped. The amethyst at her throat had turned a dark purple, the small stones around it a bright pink and she herself was surrounded in a bright pink light. Her aura, she was seeing her own aura. She'd never seen it before, only the auras of other people. She started to cry, but pulled herself together. She needed to be ready for Tommy. Where was Oliver?

Why had he left her alone?

She wondered if she'd been wrong in what she'd felt from him last night, but she didn't believe that. She knew him. She'd been able to tell what he felt even if he couldn't say it. She just knew.

It didn't matter anyway. She'd told him no regrets. She couldn't second-guess anything now.

She grabbed her luggage and went around to the cottage. She left a good-bye note for her mother, thankful for the day they'd been given together yesterday to say good-bye. Then she went around to the parking area to wait for Tommy.

When he picked her up and took her to the airport, he kept up a cheerful stream of chatter that she fell in with to avoid the ice building around her heart. Tommy stayed with her in the airport until she felt it was time to go through security to ensure she would board on time. He'd given her a huge hug, told her how proud of her he was again and then waited until she was all the way through security, waving at her as she walked away until she was around the corner to her gate.

She'd been fine waiting to board the plane, been ok on the flight and had made it on the taxi ride to her new apartment, just barely, before she crumbled. She'd unlocked the door to her apartment, gone in, closed it and slowly dissolved to the floor in tears. She'd never seen Oliver Queen again.

A few days later, the Queen's Gambit went down. A few days after that it was reported that Sara Lance was on the ship. Sara Lance, whom Oliver had slept with when he was still with Laurel, his girlfriend and Sara's older sister. Her heart had shattered that day.

And then the dreams had begun.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as the memory faded again. She said a silent prayer, asking for help, for her heart to be healed, for her love to be saved. Her eyes started to grow heavy and sleep finally came, only for the nightmares to begin again.

Batman watched the bright pink glow emanating from Keiran Flannery's apartment. He'd watched her pace and workout, wondering if she realized that the jewel at her neck was continuously giving off light. She'd finally turned the light off, apparently attempting to sleep again, when something caused her to stop.

Whatever it was had caused her to be overcome with grief as she'd begun crying as she returned to the comfort of her bed. She appeared to have drifted off to sleep, when her God Stone lit up the room.

He jumped across to her balcony to see directly into her window. He'd seen many things in his time, but he was still unprepared for the sight of her, her whole body encompassed in a bright pink glow. She appeared to be dreaming. Suddenly, whatever was happening stopped. She stirred in her sleep, still dreaming, but appeared to be unharmed. He moved on, heading home for the evening. He needed to make the call.

'You are going to be reassigned, Miss Flannery. You will now be my personal assistant,' he said to her. She'd returned at 6 pm promptly to hear his response to her request.

'You will be here by 9am each morning. Unless otherwise necessary, your day will end at 7 pm,' he continued. 'I will need a list of your regular activities so that I can ensure security is provided to you. If you plan any outings, I will need to know about it in advance. Again, for security purposes,' he paused, waiting for her to say something, but she sat quietly on the sofa across from him. 'Finally, your work week will be Monday through Saturday. Any plans you may have for your day off I'll need to know about in advance, for…'

'Security purposes?' she asked, tilting her head, looking at him curiously. 'I…Why would you need such detail about the comings and goings in my life Mr. Wayne? Why would you want to reassign me to a new job? I'm just asking for your help in…'

It was his turn to cut her off, 'You know my identity. That makes you a liability to me, a security risk. To ensure my protection,' he said coldly, 'If you want my help, I need to know where you are at all times to reduce the risk you pose to me. You also need to understand that risk, and consider how much time you are willing to devote to this. We will most likely not find your friend overnight.'

She stared at him and nodded, slowly, 'I apologize, I hadn't thought about it that way. Any of it…'

'Fine. Do you agree to the terms?' he said brusquely, wanting this part to be over. He'd introduced Zatanna to Keiran as an associate she'd be working with so she wouldn't question why the other woman was in their meeting. He didn't want to be a part of the talk about Magic.

Keiran Flannery nodded, 'Yes,' she looked at him, 'Thank you, Mr. Wayne.'

He felt himself grimace. 'I wouldn't thank me yet Miss Flannery. As I said, you will also be working with Ms. Zatarra, and that work will begin this evening. I'll find you when you are done.' He ignored the baffled look on her face.

He walked out of the sitting room as Zatanna started explaining about God Stones to Keiran Flannery.

'How is she?' he asked Zatanna.

'She's…hurting,' she sighed. 'She accepted the Magic part of it quicker than you did. Much more open to it…but, she's lost some faith in love, not enough to burn out from the stone, but enough that learning her magic may take longer until she feels love again. She feels like the love she's had in her life hasn't been because of her, but because of the power from the stone. She'll be ok, she just needs time to see the love in those around her, she'll believe again.' She turned to him, 'Don't treat her with kid gloves. She's in pain, but she needs to learn strength again.'

'So, beat up on the pretty girl with the sad eyes and the broken heart. Thanks, I enjoy being the bully.' He said to her.

She laughed at him and he finally saw how much she was enjoying his situation. 'She needs you to show her how to be strong Bruce,' she said, 'You have so much in common, don't you see that? You both watched parents die at a young age, you both fell in love with a childhood friend who couldn't return that love to you and you both would do anything to save the people you love, including putting yourselves at great personal risk.'

He looked away from Zatanna, not enjoying hearing thoughts that had been bouncing through his head this evening spoken aloud. 'Will she be able to get in touch with you if she needs to?' he asked.

She nodded, 'Yes, she'll be able to call for me. Thank you Bruce.'

He nodded to her in return and shrugged. 'It wasn't like I had much choice in the matter…' he said.

She smiled at him and waved, 'oT enitnatsnoC ' he hear her say, and she disappeared.

He turned and walked toward the terrace, where he saw Keiran Flannery standing, looking out over the city.

He walked over and stood next to her, his hands in his pockets. 'Are you…alright?' he asked.

She started to laugh, quietly at first, then full-throated and loud, almost a little manically.

Then she turned to him and he saw the tears falling through the laughter. He knew Zatanna had said that he shouldn't use kid gloves…but maybe, just tonight, a little mercy would be needed.

He didn't have the words to give her, but he had a small idea of how she felt. So, he did the only thing that felt…natural. He took her hand, led her to one of the benches on the terrace and sat down with her, putting his arm around her and letting her cry.

Tomorrow he would begin looking for Oliver Queen he thought darkly. Tonight his role of protector was more important. His arm tightened around the young woman at his side as her sobs wracked her body, the sound of her pain familiar to his own.