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"…has withdrawn more than thirty million dollars from the plan's account," the news report said. Charley and Dr Quinzel were having breakfast together, before she'll be headed to school and her grandfather to the hospital, "Mr. Redmond claims refunding the Halcyon Pension Plan has always been his intent, but sources say Redmond was coerced by the vigilante."
"This man in the hood again?" Dr Quinzel said, frowning with disdain.
"Batman's a vigilante too," Charley reminded him, "What's the difference?"
"When vigilantes fight truly dangerous people," Dr Quinzel explained, "Mobsters, or worse… People like the Joker and-"
"And my mother."
"These people are a menace that needs to be stopped. If the police can't handle a threat, that's when vigilantes have a legitimacy to dirty their hands. But Adam Hunt? Marcus Redmond? They're corrupt, sure. And they may think that they're above the law because of their money – but they're not. All it takes is for the police and the courts do their job right."
Charley nodded slowly. She understood what her grand father was saying. And it made sense. It was one thing to use violence against truly violent people, and another altogether to use it against people who were simply corrupt.
But is it really that simple? She had to wonder, If one bad man with a lot of money can ruin thousands of lives, and the authorities do nothing, isn't there a point when he needs to be stopped?
She was still thinking about that when her grandfather said, "Don't think I forgot how dangerously close you were to his attack on Hunt, either."
Charley couldn't argue with that. It was just a few short minutes after they left Oliver Queen's homecoming party, that right across the street the hooded vigilante and Hunt's private security were in a gunfight.
"You were lucky that night," he continued, "but I'm sure you learned your lesson."
Charley knew what lesson that was. But she had no doubt he was going to say it again in three… two… one…
"Keep your distance from these Queens," he told her sternly, not for the first time since he heard she went to Queen Mansion, "People who get close to that family always end up in harm's way."
"Most people would be quicker to keep their distance from us, you know," Charley argued, "But Thea Queen's always been nice to me. And right now, she needs a friend."
Dr Quinzel was frustrated by his granddaughter's insistence on this matter. Of all the ways to rebel… he thought. But he couldn't tell her why her new friendship with the Queen girl could be so dangerous, and he couldn't really force her to listen either.
"Just remember, that your mother's way down started with trying to help someone too. But not every soul can be saved."
"You won't compare Marcus Redmond to the Joker," Charley told her grandfather in disbelief, "But Thea is just like him now?"
Charley didn't love the idea of disobeying Dr Quinzel. But she had no doubt whatsoever that he was wrong this time. Thea wasn't beyond help.
Just… maybe a little too morbid? The teenager thought when she realized where they were headed.
"We're going to eat this Big Belly Burger takeout… right next to your father's grave?" Charley asked in a bit of shock.
"Ollie's too," Thea corrected her, pointing at the other tombstone, "Although he's alive now, and Dad's actual body is thousands of miles away of course."
"Right, sorry."
"I know it's weird, but I feel safe here. When everything else is just…"
Charley nodded, and sat on the green grass. If that's where Thea needed to be, it was okay by her.
As the two teenagers sat and ate, Thea told her new friend, "Oliver's body is just… covered in so many scars. Big scary scars, that he isn't willing to talk about. Not yet, anyway. He barely talks about anything, except criticizing me. Definitely not about what he's been through those five years."
"It's a lot," Charley said softly, "I can't even imagine that kind of ordeal."
"I know," Thea told her, "I'm not being curious, or selfish. It would be okay if he didn't talk with me about it, but shared this with someone else, but… I guess he isn't ready for that yet. At least he says he's sorry 'bout it."
Looking at her brother's tombstone, Thea told Charley, "I told him I used to come here and talk to him, when he was… Before he came back. And… I said he's more distant now than he was then. Is that an awful thing to say?"
"It's an awful thing to feel. I don't think you have to hide your feelings."
"Did you ever get a chance to say what you're feeling, with your mom?"
Charley was surprised that the conversation suddenly turned to her relationship with her mother, but it was only fair. She couldn't expect Thea to share, if she wasn't willing to do the same.
"Once, when I was twelve. It was the last time I visited Harley in Arkham. Actually, I remember that it was a couple of weeks after…" she trailed off, looking at the tombstones, and Thea nodded in understanding.
"You call her Harley?"
Charley nodded, "The last time I saw my mom, was on my eighth birthday. My grandparents brought me to Gotham so we could celebrate together. She… She was actually already Harley by that time, but for that one day she pretended for me."
"What was she like?"
"Beautiful, happy, loving… I know now that most of it was fake, but… It felt real. I remember that feeling."
"Will you ever go see her again?"
"I couldn't even if I wanted to," Charley said with a shrug, "They don't keep her in Arkham anymore, let alone a normal prison. Apparently after the last time Batman caught her, they put her in some government black site."