There was a pounding in my head when I woke up. My whole body was sore and my leg felt like it was on fire when I moved. I couldn't see anything because it was black as fuck in my room. I felt something furry touch my arm, and I knew it was Galaxy. Wow, she was actually cuddling with me. That was really odd. Usually this cat hates me. What time was it? I looked over at my alarm clock and saw it was eleven in the morning, and I groaned. Shit. I was late for "work." There goes my mission and number one way to infiltrate Wayne Enterprises. Why did my body hurt so bad?

I got up, but fell immediately on the floor and cried out in pain. I could barely walk. Ugh, son of a bitch. What is going on? What did I do this time? Now, I was angry at myself and I forced myself to get up and stand on my leg. Pain just shot through my body, but I managed to walk over and turn my light on. Oh great! Now my eyes are fucking burning and I'm flipping out in the middle of my room. After my eyes adjusted, I saw that there was a note on my bed stand.

I made my way over there, holding on to the wall for support and read it:

Raven,

When you wake up, please call me.

- Tiffany

I'm going to call her later. I need to take a shower. My body felt dirty and disgusting. My hair was greasy. I grabbed a pair of black leggings and a white tank top to wear for when I got out. I walked down my hallway but barely made it into my bathroom. The wall caught my fall several times. I undressed myself and when I looked at my body, I gasped out loud. What the fuck happened to me?! My stomach had a huge cut across it and stitches. My hand was also the same. My leg was wrapped in bandages, and when I took them off, I knew I had gotten shot in my leg. It was healing; but still disgusting. Did Tiffany bandage me up? She never has. These were my first aid supplies too. Tiffany doesn't know how to do stitches.

I got in the shower and the water stung my cuts, but I was already in an intense amount of pain. I can't remember what happened to me. I concentrated super hard on the last thing I could remember. It was being at the Marion with Bruce. And then... I remember we left suddenly. He took me home suddenly. Why? What happened to our dinner? I got shot and I've been cut badly.

I simply couldn't remember. Tiffany was going to have to remind me. After I was finished washing my hair and carefully washing my body, I got out. I could barely dry myself off because the towel kept touching my wounds. I realized there was no way I was going to be able to wear those leggings, so I went back in my room and changed into shorts. I had to re-bandage my leg, so I went in my kitchen and grabbed the supplies out of the cupboard, and then sat down on my couch and got to work on it.

As I was bandaging myself, Tiffany walked in and she looked at me angrily. "What the fuck?! I told you to call me when you woke up!" she exclaimed, sitting down on the couch next to me. Her blonde hair was in a messy bun and she had bags under her brown eyes. She looked exhausted.

"You didn't tell me anything. You wrote me a note," I said, and she glanced at me and gave me a look that told me to not start with her. I sighed, and finished bandaging my leg. "I'm sorry, dude. I was going to call you when I was done bandaging my leg."

"Whatever," she said, rubbing her eyes.

"So, do you know how I got shot? I don't remember anything," I said, leaning back on my couch.

"Surprise," she muttered. "I guess you don't remember your attempted suicide either, right?"

"What?!"

"Yup, Raven. It truly was remarkable and an interesting night for me. You see, apparently you had gone out to dinner with Bruce Wayne and you did not tell me about it. Your best friend. While you were there, you saw that Steven Anderson had taken hostages. You and Bruce left he dropped you off here, where you promptly fucking left and went to the docks, where Steven was. You almost drowned yourself trying to get in a boat, and then when you got in, Steven shot you in the leg. He was about to shoot you in the head before Batman showed up and saved your life. You started fighting Steven's henchmen, and that's where you got cut. You killed Steven, and then you went and laid down on a building. You just laid there. I'm not fucking stupid, Raven. You could've easily gotten up and saved yourself but you didn't.

"Want to know who saved you? That's right. Batman. Bat. Fucking. Man. He carried your body to me! He walked straight into my bar and asked for my help! It was truly crazy! I was worried sick! You were almost dead, you had gone unconscious from loss of blood. I had to lead Batman to your house, and he stitched you up and even gave you a blood transfusion. He asked me to take care of you while you healed and I did.

"If you're going to get mad at me for showing him where you lived, then go ahead. We couldn't take you to a hospital or you would've gotten arrested. He saved your life, Raven," Tiffany said and I just stared at the ceiling.

I couldn't believe it. Now that she had reminded me of what happened, I remembered. I was going to let myself die on that building. That feeling I had on that building came back to me. It felt like a rock in my heart and I wanted to sob into my hands. I wish they wouldn't have saved me. I couldn't even cry though. Batman saved me. He's been in my house. He gave me a second chance, didn't he? But why wouldn't he just take me to the hospital? Why was he worried about me getting arrested? Batman's second chances are the type where you go to jail and think your life over. But here I am, sitting on my couch, free of prosecution. For now.

"Well, what do you have to say for yourself?" Tiffany asked, eyes wide. I felt bad for making her worry.

"Nothing," I whispered.

She shook her head. "I called Bruce Wayne and I gave him some bullshit story that you had been robbed in an alley that night, and he's very worried, but you still have your job. Or whatever. I don't know what it is to you."

"Thank you," I said. "I mean it. Thank you. I don't deserve to have someone like you."

She shook her head. "I think you need to quit being Raven Black. She's draining you. We both know that's not who you really are. You're Raina Knight, and it's about time you start acting like it."

My heart sunk. Damn, my heart was probably in my feet by now. "I can't just -" She cut me off.

"Yes you can! You can fucking stop! You have enough money to last you an entire lifetime, maybe even beyond that! You've done your duty! God damn it, Raina, it's fucking killing you! You are literally dying inside and out..." She sighed. "If you're going to keep doing this... I'm not going to stick around and watch you destroy yourself." She walked up and left, slamming my door on the way out, and leaving me all alone with my thoughts.

She wants me to retire at 23. I can retire, I have enough money, but it's not about the money. At least, not anymore. I'm sick of being known as a villain and evil and ruthless. I feel fucking terrible. I know my real name is Raina Knight but everyone literally knows me as Raven Black. As much as Tiffany wants to say that's not who I am, I am Raven. I'm not playing a character. Raven is just a fake name, a name that people can blame. I didn't know what to do. I don't want to lose my best friend, but ... Raven cannot be my legacy. I know Tiffany was right in some ways, though. If I keep it up, I'll die. No doubt about it.

And what about Bruce? There is still that pondering question. What if Ra's was right? What if Bruce is planning to destroy the fucking city and I retired? I accepted the mission to save the city, but I'm conflicted. Bruce does not seem like that type of guy at all. In fact, he seems to be more about kindness and compassion that anything else. I don't know why, but I feel as if I can trust him. That's rare for me.

I need to tell Bruce the truth, and I needed to do it now.

I grabbed a pair of keys and got in my most casual car I have, my 2014 Black Dodge Charger. I didn't feel like driving any other car right now. My body hurt a lot but I simply didn't care. I pushed through it and drove to Wayne Enterprises and I stumbled in wearing my black shorts and a white tank top. My hair was in a ponytail and I looked ridiculous, but I didn't care. I walked right up to his office and opened the door, but to my astonishment, he wasn't there. Shit. I walked back to Beth, who was the receptionist.

"Where's Bruce?" I asked.

"He called in sick today," she said. I didn't waste any time and went back to my car. I guess I'd just have to go to his house then. Oh wait. He lives in a mansion, not a house. I started driving the route we drove before. It was surprisingly easy to remember. The trees were turning red, yellow and orange. It really was a beautiful drive, but my mind was too focused on just getting there. I saw that extravagant mansion in the distance, and when I got there, I pulled into the driveway.

I stumbled my way up to the door and rang the doorbell. I think I waited a minute before Alfred opened the door. When he saw me, his eyes widened and he looked surprised. "I need to talk to Bruce," I said.

"I'm sorry, Raven, but Bruce cannot speak to you right -" Alfred said but he was cut off when Bruce walked out the door and stood right in front of me. Holy shit. He was only wearing basketball shorts and nothing else. He was ripped. Like, really jacked. He had a six pack and everything. I never realized how hot he truly was until now. He smiled down at me.

"I'm glad to see you're doing better," he murmured. His silver eyes had a yellow tint in the sunlight as he looked down at me.

I nodded. "I need to talk to you," I repeated.

I guess he could sense it was serious and important. Well, it was important to me. He nodded to Alfred, which I think was a dismissal, and Alfred walked away. Bruce walked to a bench on the lawn that overlooked the forest, and I tried to keep up with him, but I ended up falling and he caught me. He helped me stand up, and then held onto me until we made it to the bench. He sat down really close to me. The sides of our legs were touching. "Is it serious?" he asked once we were all settled.

"Yes," I said, and then it was silent as I tried to be brave. He was going to fire me but at least I would have a good conscious if he did, because I finally would've told the truth. "Bruce... I..." I didn't even know where to begin. I turned and looked him in the eyes. He had a concerned look on his face, like he was worried about me or something. I wanted to puke because he'll find out he should've been the one worried when I tell him the truth. "You said I was ruthless and evil. You were right," I said.

"I didn't say that about you," he responded but his facial expression did not change.

"But... you did. Because... the truth is, I am the Assassin. I am her. I am the one who kills people for money and I am the one who used to be a great Assassin but I'm not anymore. I'm not great, I'm not even good. I'm evil and ruthless, like you and Steven said." I wasn't even thinking my words out anymore, I was just basically pouring my heart out. He was about to say something but he cut me off. I couldn't even read his expression right now. It was like a mixture of disbelief and ... relief, which makes no sense. "The reason I have all my nice cars is because I killed people. For money. I lied to you about writing Harry Potter. I'm not a writer. I'm a killer."

He glanced at the sky and back down at me, letting out a sigh. "What happened to you?" he asked. His voice was barely above a whisper.

"A couple years ago, when I was twenty years old, I fell in love with my mentor. Jacob Laine. I loved him so much that it hurt. I would've done anything for him. And he loved me. He saw my potential when I was younger. He saw that I had it in me to become a great Assassin someday. He thought I was intelligent, and the first time I ever heard that was from him. I thought he was the guy I was going to marry someday, settle down... have a family. I remember I had a good heart and I had the right ideas. I killed truly evil people and I didn't care about the money. I went out of my way to save people. I did it for the Assassin's, the Creed... for Jacob. The Brotherhood was the only family I ever had. They gave me a second chance at life.

"One day, Jacob and I were sent on a mission together. We had to investigate Arkham Asylum, because someone was letting the patients out and they were getting onto the streets and killing people. I found out who it was first, and by the time Jacob did, Damian Stryker had a gun pointed at my head. It was terrible. It was the worst betrayal I have ever felt because Damian was an Assassin. He was an avid member of the Brotherhood. We all thought he upheld the standards and the tenants of the Creed like no one else. And there he was, pointing a gun at my head.

"It all happened in a flash of a second. I saw it all in slow motion. Damian was flexing his finger muscles, which meant he was about to pull the trigger. Jacob saw that... and then he jumped in front of me. He took a bullet to the heart. Jacob dropped to the ground, and Damian had disappeared through a window. My whole life, I thought I knew what true pain felt like. I was so wrong. I experienced some surreal pain when Jacob got shot. I screamed, and the last thing he said to me was 'I love you'.

"It was like my world around me shattered. The love of my life was gone, and I was alone. When I went back to the Brotherhood to tell them what happened, I demanded that they let me go and hunt down Damian. To kill him. But they wouldn't let me. They refused to. It seemed like to me they didn't respect Jacob's life, or even mine. Jacob was a fucking Assassin in their Creed and they wouldn't let me avenge him. They wouldn't even tell me why I couldn't do it. That's when I broke completely. Instead, I started killing people for money and didn't care about what they've done. Eventually, I got kicked out of the Creed. I'm not even a real Assassin anymore, Bruce.

"That same day, I lost some of my abilities as an Assassin. I couldn't use my Eagle Vision anymore and I never realized how useful that vision was until I lost it. I bet you if I had it, I wouldn't have gotten so hurt when I went to go and kill Steven Anderson. But I don't have it anymore. I don't have anything anymore," I said.

It was silent for at least a minute before Bruce finally said something. "I'm so sorry," he said.

"My name isn't even Raven. It's Raina Knight," I added.

He looked at me. "I see. I guess I should tell you the truth. I always knew you were the Assassin. I hired you so I could study you and find out who you really were. I didn't expect to actually like you or get attached. Or care about you. Because I used to think you were ruthless and evil. But what you did on the night Steven Anderson died... Raina, you are not ruthless or evil. You are selfless, and you are one of the bravest people I've ever met. You risked your life for those people, and you did it without hesitation. Without a second thought. The moment you saw what happened on the TV, you knew you had to leave. That's not evil, selfish, or ruthless at all. You deserve a second chance."

"I don't know what to do. Tiffany wants me to quit altogether, but I don't want Raven Black to my legacy. Jacob wouldn't want it," I said.

"Is there anyway you can rejoin the Assassin's?" Bruce asked.

"I don't know. I'd have to prove myself worthy."

"Would you even want to?" he asked.

"Yes, I would. I think they didn't want me to pursue Damian because I would've destroyed myself in the process," I said.

"Maybe... stop being Raven and start being Raina, the Assassin. Not Raven the criminal. Start doing good. I'm sure you could get back in. I just have one more question, why did you apply for a job?" Bruce could probably already sense why I applied for a job. I might as well tell him the truth.

"I was hired to kill you, but it's not like... it's not for the money. It's a high amount, yes, but I was told that you were building a deadly weapon to destroy the city, and maybe the world. It seemed weird to me so I decided to make sure that's what you were doing before I killed you," I confessed.

A genuine look of shock came across his face. "What?!"

"Yeah," I said.

"I can assure you I am not fucking doing that," he snarled. "Who told you that?"

"Ra's al Ghul."