The woods around the manor are pretty and comforting. Nothing like what the kids grew up with. I thought it might help them for the five of us to take a walk out there anyway, since it's far from anything that would remind them of our mother.

Having just woken up, Ignatier says nothing, walking ahead of me with her arms wrapped around herself and her inhibitor collar clunking against her buttons. Klover, Jeremy and Logan stay much closer to me.

"Why did they have a thing like that on hand?" Klover asks, gesturing to the only thing keeping Ignatier's fire at bay.

"The company manufactures them for the League," I lie easily.

Jeremy glances between Ignatier and I, "What if they tell people about what they saw?"

"They won't."

"But-"

"Trust me," I interrupt, playing it cool, "They keep secrets like this. They...know things."

"If you know they know things, they mustn't be very good at secrets," Klover mumbles, but I ignore her. Better they be more cautious about it than they were before.

After that, as we head to the lake at the back of the estate, the only sound is the crunching of leaves and Jeremy and Klover whispering to each other.

It gives me time to think.

Giving in to Waller's ever present trap lingers in my mind. If I do this, acquire the assistance of ARGUS in tracking down the culprit, I'll owe her. She'll drag me out for the worst job she can find- killing children or something. I know she won't decline my request because she enjoys torturing me.

So that's step one in the direction of solving it all.

Then there's the kids and dad. My parents were soulmates.  Even though we all made jokes out of their affection for one another, we knew how strong their bond was. And now she's dead, possibly thanks to him.

He might want to sell the company and leave the profit in the trust funds. Luckily I've just married into one of America's richest families. Bruce is probably more than willing to buy us from the clutches of going public.

I stop. Not just because we reach the lake.

"Who's that?" Logan asks.

Across the water, a figure stands half-concealed in the shrubbery.

"Stay here," I tell them, looking away from him to give them all pointed looks. 

They nod out of fear, even Iggy, before I activate my powers and launch myself from one bank to the other with one jump. The mud squelches around my boots as I land, but I don't care.

"You."

"Cleo-"

Rip Hunter loses his calm demeanor the moment I advance on him.

"You bastard," I grab the scruff of his silly little trench coat and shove him into the nearest tree, shifting my grip to his throat, "Did you know?"

"Let me-"

"Did you fucking know?"

He claws helplessly at my hand. I only loosen it to hear his pathetic excuse.

"Not that she was murdered," he coughs out, eyes pleading.

"But you knew she was going to die?" 

"I can't change things like that," he explains, "No one can."

I look away from the sympathetic eyes staring at me to see the kids watching us in horror. I drop him and he coughs, falling to his knees.

"You're a fucking asshole Rip," I tell him, backing away.

He spends a moment with his head down, rubbing his neck.

"And you haven't changed Cleo," he responds, looking up at me. I only notice his exhaustion then. I offer him my hand, which he takes. As soon as he's up I tear away from him and back up.

"You said lives depend on Richard Grayson falling in love with me."

"I did," he says, still catching his breath, "Unfortunately the only benefit from that for this situation is Wayne Enterprises being at your disposal thanks to your marriage. You've been able to protect your company's assets from the Rebels. But that has nothing to do with the situation present."

"He didn't need to love me for that," I glare.

"No," he agrees, "But he will for what will happen next year."

The question is on the tip of my tongue. What is happening next year? I haven't the room the dread or fear in me right now.

"I can't tell you anything," he answers without being asked.

"Then why are you here?"

He reaches into his pocket and I flinch.

"When I took Nightwing back to your third year in the Marines, you asked me to do a world scan in search of Grotesque's unique bio-marker."

I nod, "I remember. His disgusting form secrets a concoction of radon laced mercury."

"Right," he clicks at me, then draws something out of his jacket. "Thing is, my systems didn't find him until after I had left you and returned Nightwing to his time."

He hands the device to me and I find the screen displaying Grotesque's marker over France. More than that, my mother's namesake and the place she grew up in.

"Amethyst," I mumble, "Make a note. August nineteen in my third year, Grotesque was in the Brittany Peninsula." The serpent shifts familiarly on my arm. I hand the device back, "Are you about to tell me my mother was visiting her home at the same time?"

He looks away, "It didn't seem significant until now."

"Really?" I laugh dryly, "It didn't seem significant that my mortal enemy happened to visit the place my mother was born? You didn't think to tell me when you delivered my dress?"

He looks confused, "I haven't delivered your dress yet."

"Fuck," I sigh. I don't think I'll ever fully understand time travel. Looking off in the distance behind Rip, I can see the sun reflecting strange colours in a forest clearing. I point at it, "Get in your ship and fuck off."

I turn around and start to walk back around the lake. This day has been draining enough to prevent another full jump and it isn't even ten o'clock yet.

"Amethyst..." Rip calls out. I stop and look over my shoulder at him. He opens his mouth to speak and I prepare to listen for whatever cryptic warning he's about to give. "...Nevermind."

I flip him off and continue over to the kids. By the time I reach them, Rip, and the ship, are gone.

◊

◊

I leave the kids with a pissed off Mai upstairs and head down to the corridor I know the secret entrance is in.

Damian is standing by an old looking Grandfather clock.

"I have been waiting here for half an hour," he grunts when he sees me, but it lacks any ire.

"Thanks."

He looks at my weirdly.

"Do my ears deceive me?"

"Don't push your luck kiddo."

He makes sure I can see exactly where and what he pushes on the secret door. There are probably many throughout the place and if I had looked, really looked for them, I could have easily broken in.

The clock detaches like a door and slides open electronically. A dimly lit elevator awaits.

"La-"

Damian starts to speak but quickly cuts himself off.

"Were you about to say 'Ladies first'?"

"No." 

"Hmm," I regard him carefully as I step into the little space. "How the hell do Jason and Bruce fit in here?" Damian shrugs. As the door starts to draw shut again, I smirk, "You must fit perfectly, tiny."

Flames roar in his eyes but whatever snide response he has gets blocked out by the doors.

The lift drops alarmingly fast. I almost fall over, but manage to collect myself before it opens again and I am presented with the legendary Bat cave.

I step out wearily, unsure of what to take in first. I had so many ideas on what this place looked like. A dark, dingy, cobweb covered dungeon resembling a Dracula's bedroom, a super decked-out techy mess of futuristic junk, pretty much both ends of the spectrum.

Instead of heading down the spiral staircase below, I take in the view I have from the door. Its certainly a cave; a giant, rock-walled hole in the ground the size of the manor above it.

I see what must be the main platform, with an array of computers and tech on it. Tim and Dick are there, discussing something intense. Against the far wall their costumes are lined up in glass cases. Along from there a giant hangar and tunnel must lead out and that's where I spot Jason working on a bike. In front of that is a weird little tiled block that I assume serves as the showers. Just next to it is curtained off; the medical bay. The rest of the space is obviously where gadgets are built, cases are investigated and combat is trained.

"Impressed?" Damian smirks once he arrives.

"By you?" I mutter absent-mindedly without looking at him, "Always, you funky little star."

He spends a moment in silent distress, followed by"What is wrong with you!?" 

With a bright red face he shoves past me and scurries away. The commotion catches Dick and Tim's attentions. The former lights up upon seeing me.

Hopefully I don't look too awestruck as I follow Damian down the stairs.

"Hey, was the walk good for the kids?" Dick asks, a little too enthusiastic about it.

"We don't know since the cameras went down over there for about ten minutes," Tim mutters.

I stare directly at him, "Yeah. A shy old acquaintance of mine brought some information to me."

It leaves a tense few seconds of silence, with Dick wringing his hands.

"I didn't mean to-" Tim starts, obviously remembering the grave news hanging over this day.

"Then don't."

I turn away then, to move on and observe more of the cave. I hear Dick's footsteps follow as I wander over to their costumes.

"Who wore the shorts?" I smirk.

"Jason more than me," Dick says quickly.

"Lie!" Jason's voice echoes around the cave.

It makes me smile. They remind me of the kids and I. 

I move along to another Robin costume a few cases down. It's slimmer than the others, but thankfully lacks the usual impractical breast armor some female vigilantes and heroes get stuck with.

"Heard about the female Robin from Waller during my tour. Said she was useless," I continue. From the computer I hear Tim begin to speak, but something stops him. Dick, I assume. "Though Waller doesn't think anyone's useful unless she can use them herself. It's like a trap she sets."

My eyes fall upon the next case. Damian's uniform. 

I suddenly feel an imposing, heavy presence behind me. I don't have to look over my shoulder to know it's Bruce, or to see that Dick has abandoned me to him.

"Falling into traps does not excuse the crimes carried out in succession," he lectures, coming to stand beside me. I glance at him and instantly look away, the sight of Bruce Wayne's heading popping out of Batman's body is a bit too much right now.

"Don't act like you didn't fall into the same one," I respond, "I know you did time in the Suicide Squad. And that you work with ARGUS when it suits you."

"We never crossed paths," he turns to me, "I suppose that's a good thing."

Such a drama queen. 

"This might shock you, but I only end people who deserve it," I respond, prepared for the no kill lecture. "You should know. I assume it didn't take long for Damian to rat me out after he saw me leaving that gang hideout. I didn't kill any of them."

"You didn't," he acknowledges, "Though I don't know what lead you to them."

I refrain from fiddling nervously and instead glance behind us, finding the place empty now apart from the faint sounds of Jason using a ratchet in the distance. I look back at the ring on my hand.

"He was covered in bruises," I confess quietly. 

It's a long stretch of heavy silence as he chooses what to say next. Instead of responding to it specifically, he merely nods, looking away.

"That night I had Damian we got car ambushed. I got us out before we could get caught. When he told me the gang name, I remembered it from overhearing Dick on the phone. So I got some payback," I look at him pointedly, "You're welcome."

He doesn't react.

"You showed restraint."

I shrug, "I always had a feeling you knew who I was. If I had killed them you would have traced it back to me. That would have thrown a serious wrench in my plans."

"At first I thought that was it," he confesses, "but Dick suggested something else. I think he's right."

"He usually is," I admit quietly.

I move on down to the Nightwing uniform. I can't wait to see him wearing it, properly. And then I can't wait to learn how to take it off.

"We both think that in that room of thugs and gangbangers, you saw something else," his words are measured and I see where he's going with this, "You saw what we see."

I roll my eyes, "And that is?"

"Victims."

I shake my head, turning away from all the flare of the Batfamily and clunking back down the steps towards the computer. 

"I thought this was the 'keep our secrets or else' talk, but if you're about to ask me to join your crusade, save your breath."

"I wasn't," he answers, surprisingly mellow, "I'm merely stating what I see in you."

I look up at the multiple giant screens before me. There's footage of the Joker in a cell up in the corner, chained and gagged. Something tells me it's a live feed. Along from that are some blueprints, then a news report, with four screens under that displaying an analysis of some hulking beast.

"I'm aware you'll hate me for asking," he is suddenly right next to me, "How are you?"

A bomb drops, again. Everything comes crashing into me, like the despair and morbidity from upstairs soaks through the cave walls down into space here. It's a simple fact but it makes my whole body feel cold and sore.

Oh yeah, my mother died today. 

"To be honest I had forgotten for the last ten minutes until you brought it up," I mumble. 

He looks away, "I'm sorry."

An awkward silence passes through us. The cave is silent now and I can't sense Jason anywhere. It's just me and the bat in this shadowy, gaping cavern.

My stomach feels heavy with grief and I seem to have broken into a cold sweat. I swallow the strange amount of saliva building up in my mouth, which is an audible gulp that seems to echo around the place.

Feeling enclosed by the dark, I fold my arms, shivering.

"Are you going to tell me it goes away?" I can't help but ask.

"That would be a lie," he answers quietly.

I nod slowly, "Yeah."

He comes a little closer, "You know I know."

The atmosphere is uncomfortable, but I also feel particularly hidden as the screens start to go black before me. One by one, casting us in an even dimmer light.

Strangely, it feels safe. Because he can't see me. And it's just him. I'm not exposed to someone who I want to think I'm strong- the kids and Dick. I'm not in a brightly lit room so no brave face or fighting down feelings required.

"The kids are welcome to stay here," he continues. It suddenly feels like a bubble is rising up in me, from that twisting pit in my stomach, burning its way up through my chest and out of my mouth. "But they'd probably prefer staying with-"

"I don't know what I'm doing," I blurt out. 

A dam breaks. I'm suddenly shaky and my voice comes out in a rushed shrill.

"I feel like I suddenly don't know them. And because of that I don't know how to comfort them." 

"Of course you know them," he quickly answers, incredulous.

"No, I don't!" I counter, "I spent four years away and three more drowning. I...I have no idea what I'm doing."

"Cleo-"

"A-And you know what the worst part is?" It's all coming out now, "There's no one to blame. No one to be mad at. I have no idea who pushed her. Or why. It could have been an old enemy, it could have been my fucking dad- why the fuck was my mom at the office without him anyway!?"

My mind is racing through everything I've been shoving to its back all day.

"How the hell am I suppose to explain that to Logan? Or the twins? How am I suppose to stop them from chasing the answers themselves? I couldn't even stop them from starting their own crusade!"

I feel his hand on my shoulder, "I know."

"And you know neither could she because she wouldn't look up from the mirror for five seconds and actually look at her kids. You know if she actually paid attention to them maybe she would have seen what they were doing. You'd think after she fucked me up she'd try to do better next time. Instead she raised a bunch of vain assholes- one part her, one part dad!"

My face feels wet. There's a lump in my throat.

"Now I'm supposed to be the mom, right? That's what's expected of me? How!? I can't remember her teaching me anything! The nannies and the school and the tutors...If the company goes under and you know it will, I won't be able to afford any of it. How am I going to raise them? I had no role model. She was a terrible mom!"

There should be a tiny voice in the back of my head arguing, but there isn't.

"She wasn't there for me... she wasn't there for them." 

I finally realise I'm sobbing. Like, on my knees sobbing with the Batman crouched next to me. I don't even have the mind to be ashamed.

"And now she's gone," I cry, heaving, rocking, "and I need her."

Without anywhere else to go, I end up falling into Bruce's arm and finally, for the first time today, I really let it hit me.

My mom is gone.