"The righteous cry out, and the lord hears them-"

The priest echoed his sermon to the crowd, as stale air hung past the pews and the heavy stone floor.

A few rows back, Cassidy rubbed her arms.

She peered at the photo by Jeremiah's coffin- taken when he was on honeymoon with Diana, the two of them sat on the beach as the waves rolled in.

Jeremiah was ordinary, with a geeky frame and a bad fringe. Yet, Cassidy saw a weariness in him- hanging, in the gauntness of his eyes. Still, it was the only pleasant thing to look at- and gave some semblance of warmth to an otherwise cold room.

"- And saves those who are crushed in spirit-"

Others there dressed more for business than a funeral, some were scribbling notes or checking their watches as the service went on. And then, there was Henry. He was tapping his foot so fast that it could have been a muscle spasm. And it didn't go unnoticed.

Some people looked and tutted, others stared at the two of them like insects, ones that needed stomping out.

Cassidy ducked, adjusting her mask. She wasn't sure if anyone was still glaring at them. She didn't want to find out.

"- Not one of them will be broken".

Everyone turned as the church door slammed shut.

Henry was gone.

///

A long line of mourners made their way down the narrow path, Cassidy trudging ahead of her father.

It was for the best. His sudden exit from the church had left things awkward for them both, to say the least.

"Jeremiah's accounts are settled, however, the rest must be approved for probate before they can be passed on" Hugo continued.

"... Do we... Need a lawyer, or-"

"That will not be necessary. These are formalities, nothing more"

They followed Hugo to his car.

The shadows of Gotham Cathedral loomed over them, jagged towers blocking the light. Archways stood barren below the glass windows, fragile enough to chip and crumble at the slightest knock.

There was no warmth there, no life. Nothing.

Cassidy gazed back while Hugo continued to drone on.

"We are lucky his lease was ended-"

She zoned out of the conversation, and her eyes trailed to the hilltop beyond the cathedral, where Jeremiah was to be buried.

Gotham Cemetery.

No company there, except for a few angel statues that stood guard.

A tall one, in fact, seemed to be looking right at Cassidy. But it was no angel.

... Mom?

The gangly figure smiled by the graves, not blinking, her ginger hair making not the slightest flicker in the breeze. Cassidy drew back, trembling.

Katherine was dead. She shouldn't have been there.

And as soon as the thought crossed her mind, the haunting image of her mother disappeared as soon as it came.

"Out of the question!"

"What?"

Cassidy interrupted in time as Henry stormed to the other man with his fists clenched, but halted when he saw her looking. Hugo kept his focus on her, and her alone.

"As you are the legal owner of Arkham Asylum-" Hugo began, opening the silver car door. "We have decided to give you a 6-month probationary period, to confirm whether you are fit to be our new administrator..."

What?

"This is voluntary, should you wish to accept... and will require the proper training-"

Henry stepped in front of Cassidy like a shield.

"If you think I'll let my daughter go th-"

"With respect, that decision is not yours to make" Hugo grimaced.

Hugo bent over the leather seat, handing Cassidy a brown envelope before driving away.

///

"Well- that was a disaster... Jesus..."

Henry sighed as he opened the motel door.

"I'm sorry, I-" He stumbled "I know I've been acting weird. That place just..."

He looked back at Cassidy with a guilty expression.

"Doesn't matter. I'll... I'll be better tomorrow- I promise"

Henry squeezed her in a tight hug.

"Get some sleep, ok?"

Cassidy nodded as he closed the door behind him.

Heading into the room adjacent, Cassidy slumped against the wall in exhaustion and yanked off her face mask. She spent a moment like that, with her eyes closed, before looking at the room.

The Crown Inn.

It was a cheap motel, about 20 miles from Gotham City.

The coffee maker was clogged, and an awful humming noise from the fridge put her off from storing anything in it. But it was clean, and the air con worked at least.

Besides, Henry made it clear he wouldn't have stopped any closer to Gotham than he had to. Not a chance.

She peered down at the envelope in her hand and sat on the edge of the bed. She tore open the seal, pulling out pages of legal documents with far too many signature boxes for her to count, until-

Huh?

Cassidy grabbed the only folded piece, tucked at the bottom of the pile.

A letter.

Written in delicate strokes, with a few ink smudges here and there, it read:

'Cassidy,

I'm sorry I couldn't say this to you in person, I don't know if you would have wanted to see me after all this time.

A part of me always wanted a family, I guess I accepted that this wasn't meant to be. I wish I had known about you sooner.

I wish I could have been there for you, to watch you grow, to see the young woman you have become. You've been through so much, and are stronger than I could ever hope to be.

I leave Arkham to you in the hope that you will succeed where I have failed. I know that you will do the right thing.

I can't imagine what you have been through, but just know that I'm so proud of you, and that I love you more than you will ever know.

Your grandfather,

Jeremiah'

Cassidy tried to blink away tears, but they kept coming, stronger and stronger each time she fought them back.

She buried her face in her hands, sobbing as the letter fell to the floor.

///

"116 Arkham Island...yes... yes I- I'm sure that's where I want to go..." Cassidy said, pacing back and forth.

Knock knock!

"... 5 minutes? No- no that's fine, thank you"

She hung up the phone, unlocking the door as Henry waltzed in with a breakfast bag.

"Ok take your pick; we got some hash browns, muffins, and- whatever the hell this is..."

Squeamish, he picked a burrito from inside the bag, dripping a monstrous mix of eggs and maple syrup.

"Thanks," Cassidy said with a smirk, grabbing the small bag of muffins.

Cassidy sat across from him as he bit into the burrito, managing to suppress her laughter as his face twisted into disgust.

"Ugh. Why did I order this?" Henry gagged, spitting most of it back into the wrapper. "Thank god we don't eat it at home".

Cassidy's smile faded, and she looked away in guilt.

How could she say it?

It's what Jeremiah wanted... It was in his letter, yet... That wasn't the only reason.

Cassidy took one of the muffins, picking off the blueberries one by one.

"... I'm going to Arkham, dad..."

Henry's face turned pale.

"What?"

Cassidy rolled a blueberry between her fingers, thinking of a way to explain.

"I... I want to see what it's like... maybe I could-"

"No. No no no no-"

Henry stood up.

"- That place is hell! Believe me, you don't know what you're getting yourself into!"

"And you do?! You've never been!" Cassidy snapped, squishing the berry in her fist.

"I know that you don't want to go there! Please, Cass! Think of your life!"

Cassidy's laugh was sharp, filled with contempt.

"Life?!"

She sprang to her feet.

"What life, dad?! I can't go out without people treating me like some fucking monster!" Cassidy yelled, pointing at herself. "And now I've actually got a chance to do something for myself- it's somehow a problem?!"

Henry's expression softened, and he reached out.

"Cass... you don't need to prove anything, but Arkham... our family... you don't know the damage it's-"

"So?! It's my choice!" Cassidy said, flinching back.

"But I can't just sit back and watch you end up like-"

"Like what?"

He sighed, unable to answer.

"No- like what? Tell me!"

"... Forget it. Alright? Let's just-" Henry paused, taking a deep breath "If you want to go, fine... I just-"

Henry sat back on the bed, defeated.

"... I can't deal with this right now, so..."

"Sure. Ok," Cassidy said with an icy tone.

A car beeped outside. Cassidy put on her face mask and grabbed her luggage, ignoring Henry as if he were a ghost.

She turned, one last time, with a guilty expression- before closing the door behind her.

The taxi sped off as Cassidy kept a cold stare on the road ahead.

A/N: Henry did try to warn her... Oh well...