Chapter 17 My God, What Have We Put You Through?

The smell of burning flesh filled the air. Dark eyes sparkled as they watched the pyre like a scene from of movie. It crept the large man standing beside him out. Not that he would ever say anything. He found in his line of work, a silent tongue was key to survival; just because the boss was acting insanely you shouldn't blink, let alone interrupt them with logic or morals.

Still the kid was a dangerous man who creeped him the fuck out. He wondered if the Joker's men went through this crap back in the day.

The kid turned to his newly acquired man, "Now that that little inconvenience is out of the way we go to Gotham to set the stage."

There was no question in the big man's mind that the kid was nuts, but he followed him anyway.

Cassie woke to a cool cloth pressing again her overheated forehead. It felt nice. Maybe a little too nice. She shouldn't be lying here. She tried to get up but a gentle hand pressed her back to the soft pillow. "Shh. Don't move, you're still hurt."

She knew that voice and slowly opened her eyes to confirm it. "Tim. What are you doing here?"

He looked tired, but tried for an amusement that didn't quite reach his eyes. "You came to me, remember?"

She did. She put her head back against the pillow again but chose to study her nightstand rather than Tim's face. He continued, the tiredness of his face seeping into his voice, "Why are you here?"

Cassie kept her tone emotionless. "I was hurt. You were closest."

Tim rose from the bed. "That's not true, the safe house was the same distance, but you came here."

A silence settled between them. What was once comfortable was now only tense. Tim spoke again, Cassie figured it was because he knew she wasn't going to, "It was reckless. Damnit, Cassie, my family doesn't know about my days as Robin! What if my children had seen you? They are far too innocent for gunshot and stab wounds. I had to send my wife, Meredith, away. We're fighting now. She doesn't want a vigilante bleeding on her guest bed. She wants nothing to do with the underworld of Gotham."

Cassie could see Tim pacing out of the corner of her eye. She remembered he did that when he was frustrated. "You're a vigilante from the underworld of Gotham, Tim."

He stopped pacing. "No, I'm not. I gave that up years ago, Cass. I got married, had a family, and live a nice normal life. You know that. I told you I was going to quit before I even told Bruce."

Cassie chanced a look at him. She had to ask, regardless of the possible heartbreak. "Do you ever miss it?"

He looked her squarely in the eyes. "No."

Cassie felt her heart drop until he continued tenderly, "But sometimes I do miss you."

She only caught a glimpse of his old feelings before he hardened himself again. He walked to the door, throwing cold words over his shoulder, "I'm going to bed. You need to be gone before my children wake up."

As the door shut, Cassie felt like crying, but refused even the slightest amount of weakness.

She disappeared within the hour.

Selina tried to stop the gapping fish look. "Helena, what are you doing here?" She doubted her success.

A glance over to Bruce showed he did not have that problem; he had that same stony Batman look sans mask. Damn him. Did nothing break that man's cool?

Helena seemed to have inherited that calm exterior. She was walking around the study, briefly playing with whatever her fingers came in contact with, a book here, a paperweight there. "Well, I was wondering why my birth certificate said Sam Bradley was my father when my DNA names Bruce Wayne. Figured I should come straight to the source for the answers. Batman always has the answers doesn't he?" She looked at them now, and Selina realized that barely restrained cold fury was more her than Bruce. It frightened her to see her look reflected in blue eyes. "What was it, Bruce, didn't want some bastard going after your billions?"

Bruce didn't flinch. "It's a bit more complicated than that."

Helena had reached the desk. She stopped playing and faced her parents, pushing herself up to sit upon the desk. It was a surreal experience for Selina. To watch a perfect blend of her and Bruce play out before her. She'd only seen it in glimpses before, never had it been this pronounced. One might suppose it was the knowledge affecting Helena's behavior, but Selina guessed the knowledge was simply a catalyst to bring out Helena's dark side. It was in their dark sides of Catwoman and Batman that Selina and Bruce were at their purest essences, and that was what Selina was seeing now, Helena's pure essence. Selina saw Helena's eyes sparkle darkly just like hers once did when she replied, "Explain it to me. I'm clever girl after all, probably get that from you, daddy dearest."

Selina got off the sidelines, replying, "It was for your protection, Helena."

"My protection." That was Bruce's voice, asking a question but making it into a statement.

Selina continued, that voice never stopped her before, "It was to protect you. You were in enough danger as Catwoman's daughter, if anyone were to discover the truth…"

"Well, somebody did." Helena leapt off the desk. "You gave me up to protect me, but it didn't work. I lost the only parents I ever knew and someone is trying to kill me. At least if I had been your daughter I would have known why. I would know how to defend myself. You didn't protect me, you took away the only protection I had."

Bruce, as always, remained the voice of calm reason. "Helena, we can't be sure that is the reason why someone is after you."

Helena spat, "What else is there, father? You're supposed to be a great detective. This is the most logical and obvious reason."

Bruce inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Only a handful of people know who we are, only three rogues found out who I was."

Selina couldn't help herself. "Four. That twit Talia knew too."

Bruce turned to her, irritated. "I'm sorry, should we count you too?"

Selina wished for a whip to unfurl. "Don't start with me Bruce."

Helena watched the exchange. "Maybe I was better off not being raised by you two."

Selina felt the anger evaporate and she focused back on her daughter. She moved to reach for her, "Helena…"

Helena dodged the contact, another Batman move. "No. I've heard everything I need to hear." For the first time that night she showed some emotion on her face. Selina could figure out if it was anger, fear, or sadness. "I need to go. I need some time to think."

No one tried to stop her as she left as abruptly as she entered.