So now there are 8 or 9 chapters to go... :3 I am going to edit this story before posting the sequel.

I dream of the woman again, for the next few nights. I constantly jolt awake, right after I shoot her in the face.

I don't tell Jason, for fear of worrying him to much. I guess that just proves that Alfred knew what he was talking about.

Tonight, however, I am not awoken by my nightmare. Instead my eyes just...open. I glance through a tired gaze at the clock, to see that it's barely three in the morning.

I taste nothing but dryness in my mouth and throat. Gently, I pry Jason's arms off of me and manage not to disturb him, climbing out of bed.

He rolls over, onto his back, snoring softly. I hold in a giggle, reaching out to brush his growing fringe from his eyes. Looks like he needs a haircut.

I also noticed the slight stubble to his cheeks and chin, as well as a soft darkness beneath his eyes.

How the hell have I not noticed this?

Jason looks positively sick; like he hasn't slept in weeks. I know he gets a bare minimum of two-three hours a night. Sometimes he goes 48 hours without a rest.

A fresh wave of selfishness washes over me. I've been so caught up with my own shit I haven't even taken notice of his.

Gently, I press a kiss to his forehead, silently vowing to make it up to him. 

Without sound, I slip on my silk nightgown and a pair of socks. Maybe a glass of water and a sleeping pill will relax me enough to fall into a dreamless sleep.

Taking the tray of tablets, I open and close my bedroom door silently, before making my way to the kitchen.

It's dark, but there are windows that allow moonlight to stream through the house. I take the stairs slow to the second floor, past my sister's room and towars the last stairs.

Thump thump.

An odd sound erupts from Damian's room. I hear his cat, Alfred, meow loudly from inside. She's probably the cause of the dull banging.

When I reach the kitchen, the benches are neat and clean as Alfred likes them. I fill up my glass and drink it all, trying to settle the shake in my hands.

I am going to be driven insane by that dream.

A sad thought, but I haven't had nightmares since I was a child. Thinking about them, however, makes me smile. They moulded me into the monster I had to be to become Sugar Skull.

Perhaps back then the dreams of gangwar could have driven me insane, if I had not had a certain person there to rush into my room and take my hand in his.

I can't even remember the last thing I said to my last living brother, Simon. The day he left the family feels like a dream, because I told myself it was constantly.

Now he'd be twenty-nine years old. I can't even imagine what he looks like, but I remember his dark blonde hair and ice blue eyes like mine

It's honestly been nearly fourteen years since I've seen him.

How have I not realised what time has passed?

Blinking back tears that need not fall, I take a sleeping pill, before washing my glass and putting it away. I descend the stairs quietly again, reaching the second floor.

Thump.

I freeze as I get to the second floor landing, staring to the right at Damian's bedroom door.

Thump thump.

Alfred the cat is meowing again. At the same time, I hear Titus give a low grumble.

More thumps and a muffled voice follow, sounding almost pained. Slowly, I take a few steps towards the door.

"Don't touch me!" I hear Damian shriek. Immediately I dash forward, opening his bedroom door, met with the darkness of his large room.

Through the tiniest sliver of moonlight I can see Alfred and Titus trying to wake Damian, who is thrashing around beneath his covers.

Closing the door, I run over to the bed, noticing there are tear tracks on his face and for some reason, blood.

He's having a nightmare.

With great effort, I get my hands on his wrists, tugging him roughly so that he stops hurting himself. I discover the origin of the blood; his fists are clenched, nails breaking skin.

"Dami. Damian. Wake up, come on," I say sternly, moving his left hand to mine, holding both wrists in one grasp. With my free hand I whack him swiftly across the face.

He jolts awake, taking in a hurried gasp of air as if he was not breathing before.

"I'm here, I'm here," I find myself saying, trying to catch his gaze. It seems focused somewhere else as I hug him into my chest, rubbing his head soothingly.

After a few seconds he seems to really wake up, wrapping his arms around me. His nails dig into my skin but I ignore the pain, focusing on calming him.

"It was just a dream," I say softly, rocking the pre-teen gently, "A dream can't ever truly hurt you, understand?"

There's no response from him, just sniffles.

Minutes roll by. I feel no anger over having to sit here and comfort a practically motherless child. I didn't have a nightmare tonight- I just woke up.

I felt something was wrong, and I was right.

"I was fighting. I was alone. I was dying," he says after around twelve minutes. He begins to pull away and I allow him to, moving to cup his face.

Young jade eyes are shining with tears. I still see a bracket of defiance in his eyes.

"Don't believe it. Don't see it as some premonition. See is only as it is; a lie playing itself behind your sleeping eyes," I tap his nose, "I promise, Damian. I will always be there to protect you, understand? You will never fight alone."

Something changes in his expression; my powers tell my it's trust. I lean forward and kiss his forehead, before moving to lean up against the headboard. He follows suit and I put an arm around him, trying to lull him back to sleep.

Just as he drifts off, I look to the doorway, seeing Bruce standing there silently. He gives me a simple nod, before closing the door.

~

"Guess I'll have no one to nerd-talk to."

"You can Skype me?"

"Do you know how insecure those connections are?"

"Not if you have Bullimer's defence code embedded in your systems."

"Yaster's works better."

"Guess I'll have to find out."

"Guess you will," Tim smiles down at my sister. I resist the urge to roll my eyes, folding my arms as I watch the little goodbye between the two.

It's time for Caelan to return to Lightway city and become Menolly again. My father is bored out of his mind, but it's also not particularly safe here for her anymore.

"Will you visit?" She asks hopefully.

Tim goes to answer, but I jump in.

"You've got texts and Facebook you'll be fine. I have important places to be," I say, gesturing with my arms to move things along.

"Important places to be? You mean lunch?" Caelan asks incredulously. I glare at her.

"Lunch is important. I'm hungry. Plus, I'm actually meeting with Selina. The bodyguards are dropping me off, then you."

Caelan looks back at Tim with a small, regretful smile. She hoists her last bag up onto her shoulder, the others already in the car. She starts talking again and I become bored, walking through the glass doors towards the car.

I thank the driver for opening my door as I slip inside.

Caelan begins to back away from Tim, smiling awkwardly and giving him creepy little waves. I don't know if Tim doing the same thing back makes things weirder or better.

Is this how nerds romance?

The driver opens the door for her when she gets close. Annoyed with the pure idiocy of my sister, I duck down and shout at her.

"Are you seriously not going to kiss him?" I ask her, holding my hand out for her bag. Her face lights up with a blush as she passes it to me.

"No...I-"

"You?"

Caelan looks at me, then over her shoulder, then back again.

"Hurry up and kiss him! I have to get back here for a case in an hour!" Still, she stays glued to her spot, glancing around nervously. I sigh, "Caelan. He wants to kiss you too."

She blinks, "Really?"

"Yes. Hurry up."

It looks like a bright light has erupted inside her as she turns on her knees and practically skips back inside. I watch carefully as Tim looks up from his phone, face breaking into a smile.

Which ultimately turns to a look of worry as my sister trips on nothing but air, plummeting toward the ground at Tim's feet face-first.

My first reaction is breaking out in utterly cruel laughter, uncontrollably. I mean, as I'm getting out of the car to help her, there are practically tears rolling down my cheeks.

"Shit shit, Venus stop," I whisper to myself as I jump back up the external steps, pushing the spin door to see Tim helping Caelan up.

"Are you okay?" I choke out, trying to mask the accidental grin on my face. Caelan brushes off her jeans, glaring at me over my shoulder.

"I'm fine," she snaps, noticing my exterior. "You-"

She's cut off by Tim grabbing her chin, turning her face towards him so he can kiss her. It's a nice little scene, a sweet thing I was never truly granted at that age; young love.

When I was seventeen I think I had already killed over a hundred people.

Finally, we're in the car, driving through Gotham.

Caelan is as red as Jason's helmet, twiddling her thumbs and smiling to herself. I'm desperately trying to clean up my tear-stained face.

"Venus," she suddenly says, out of the blue. We're nearing the cafe as I settle back into my seat, looking at her. She seems a little more serious now.

"What is it? Have you had a vision?" I ask.

My sister shrugs lightly, tapping together her neon nails.

"Earlier. You brushed past me and I saw it. A dream you've been having. And you think papa knows what it's about. I was thinking...maybe I could find out from him?"

Caelan's powers are touch-based, unlike my fathers. If something is on someone's mind, she can see it and explore it with a touch. And sometimes she gets glimpses of things that are yet to happen.

"I don't know, Cae. If dad won't tell me, maybe it's not worth knowing." It begins to rain lightly, as we pull over to the side of the little café I can see Selina sitting at. "But...yes. Please."

The driver climbs out with an umbrella. I kiss my sister goodbye, taking my bag and getting out. The driver helps me to cover from the rain, before returning to the vehicle as I approach Selina.

We're in an outdoor setting, shielded by a pink-painted tin veranda. The rain pitter-patters on it softly. Tables, chairs and other essentials alike are decorated with pink and black embellishments.

It's a sweet little place.

"Good afternoon," Selina says smoothly, gesturing to the seat across from her. I reply and take a seat, noticing a tea waiting there for me.

"Jason told me to order it for you. He says he knows your stressed and that it should calm you." That makes me smile, as I bring the cup to my lips.

Selina and I have spoken around six times. Twice at two different Wayne parties, three times these past few weeks in the hallway, as she leaves Bruce's room in his shirt and her underwear and once in court.

She asked about lunch and I agreed; simply because I have some questions about Crime Alley. I'm thinking of (finally) setting up a charity. The Waynes can't do everything.

I want to know where my money best be put, from the view of someone who once lived there.

At least, the lunch starts off like that. I ask questions, she answers. But slowly I begin to feel more relaxed about this woman in front of me; Catwoman. This woman who holds the heart of the Bat under lock and key, because she can.

I find that Selina has a genuine care for the Batfamily, as well as this city.

"That Damian again?" I ask around half an hour into our meeting. Her phone keeps buzzing; Damian talking to her. "He likes you."

She laughs, "Not as much as he likes you, according to Bruce."

I am reminded of the previous night. Tears and blood of a young, frightened boy, with no mother to sooth him because she's a crazy, hellbent assassin on the other side of the world.

"I just understand him differently is all," I reply, finishing my second tea. Right as the bottom of the empty teacup hits the plate, I know something is wrong.

Selina picks up on it as well, glancing around the area, to the road.

Nothing suspicious registers in my mind, before, with the force of a thousand men, I feel myself being thrust backwards through the air, rocketing off my seat and straight through the café window.

I am blinded by the bright light, deafened by the thunderous noise by which can only be a bomb.

Someone has blown up the café. It's my first thought as I feels the broken glass from the window slash at my back when I land on it.

My head thumps against the ground, my left and right limbs ache more than everywhere else.

Deliriously, I try to gain my sight again. Above me all I see is the faint silhouette of a person, before that fades to a bunch of moving colours.

And the colours turn black.

~

This was longer and usual because I have to stick to my plan which means chapters will my choked FULL!!

Who has taken Venus!?

She made a promise to Dami!

Jason's looking tired!

13 days until Game of Thrones!!

Love you all,

Stay magical!

Be safe.

Kaido XX

PS: I have entered this and all my other DC fanfictions (except TLOTM 3 and TDOD) into the DC WATTYS!

AND ALSO DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE CHARACTER COMPETITION.