Gotham wasn't nearly as unclean as outsiders took it for, Ashley noted as she stepped out of the car in Baltimore, Maryland. It was grimy, sure, but most people had stopped littering due to the quite reasonable fear of being murdered by a crazy plant lady.

She had been slightly surprised when she received a call from Will Graham that morning — he preferred texting and even then he rarely contacted her, which suggested a tone of unspoken urgency — but nonetheless she had agreed to meet him at the requested location. She walked forwards with false confidence as she entered the mental faculty. It wasn't Arkham, but that didn't make her any more comfortable.

When she entered the room, Will Graham, Hannibal Lecter, and Abigail Hobbs were waiting for her. "Sorry I'm late. Now, let's begin, shall we? I've come to understand that you want to write a book with Freddie Lounds."

The youngest demigod sat back and watched as the two men tried to persuade the other teen.

The brunette moved so she had both of her hands on the table, wincing slightly as her ribs protested at the simple movement . This didn't go entirely unnoticed, to Ashley's disappointment. "Abigail, in this life it is yeet or be yeeted. One wrong move, and you'll yeet yourself, do you understand?"

The older teen stood abruptly and moved so she was also leaning on the table. "I know, but this way I have some control of WHEN."

Ashley leaned closer. "Would you?"

Abigail leaned and hardened her glare so that it matched the ex-assassin's. "Yes."

The brunette pushed off the table. "Right, well I know some people you can work with but if you write it with Freddie Lounds you can consider us done." She paused for a second as she opened the door and turned her head to flash a smile. "Just remember: I'm the hero of the story." She winked before exiting the room.

Abigail nodded with certainty and moved back as well. As the two girls shook hands, Ashley could've sworn she heard Will mutter something along the lines of "What the hell did I just witness?"

The two adults were quick to follow the girl out of the room. "What was that?"

Ashley paused at Will's question. "That was me supporting Abigail while avoiding a disaster. It's this new thing I like to call ✨multitasking ✨."

Ashley didn't mean to be rude, but she was so unbelievably tired she found she didn't care. Will hadn't slept, so neither had she. The piece of her soul that had stitched his together seemed to have formed a rather problematic empathy link.

She saw his dreams, and undoubtedly that meant he saw hers in return. Sometimes she felt bouts of confusion and fear, but they weren't her emotions. In turn, Will seemed more paranoid than usual. She could tell from the way his eyes seemed to dart about more. The real question was if he felt her righteous wrath or not because that could prove to be a problem.

Ashley Al'Ghul has felt angry for as long as she could remember. She was angry at her Dad for leaving. She was mad at her mother for forcing her to kill. She was angry at the Gods for never even giving her a chance. She was furious at herself for being stupid enough to be betrayed by Luke Castellan despite the fact that she had seen it coming from a million miles away.

She had managed to store that anger for when she truly needed it. They say anger blinds you, but it only ever made the demigod stronger. She used it to add more force when on the battlefield. She used it to keep everything in perspective. Ashley only projected her emotions when it was useful for her.

Hannibal gave her a sharp look. "Care to address your injury then?"

The brunette pointed two finger guns at the psychiatrist. "No."

An alarmed look passed over Will's face. "Injury? I thought you were away for a family emergency."

Ashley shrugged. "My family's notoriously violent. Of course, Hannibal would know all about that." She gave Hannibal a pointed look that clearly read 'back off'.

Will scowled. "Stop trying to run away from your problems and just tell us!" As soon as he blurted that out, a look of shock crossed his face. Will didn't mean to yell, he just felt so frustrated for some reason. Hannibal looked slightly shocked too, which only caused his face to flush brighter, but Ashley didn't look surprised at all.

"I-I , god, sorry. I just want to help."

Ashley smiled softly. "I know, but you can't always, Will. And I promise, I'm fine."

The shorter man made a point to try to look the younger detective in the eyes. In a softer voice, he tried addressing her again. "Just let Hannibal take a look, okay?"

Begrudgingly she nodded. Hannibal knelt down slightly. "Ashley, I'll need you to lift your shirt slightly."

She obeyed and Will moved so he was obscuring her from view of anyone who was passing by. Instinctively, the older detective glanced upwards to try and respect what little privacy she had.

Hannibal's dark eyes flitted over the bruised skin. "One broken rib, the other is fractured." He glanced up at her as he stood, and she let her shirt fall. "They're healing nicely."

She bit back a comment about how she could've told him that and instead tossed him a fake smile. "Thanks."

The three demigods awkwardly stood there for a moment, not knowing quite what to say. Ashley clapped her hands together and tossed an almost obnoxious smile. "Well, come on then. Jack'll blow a fuse if we're late."

≈§≈

Despite her calm demeanor, Ashley's blood froze as Jack addressed the small body. "Do you how he died?"

Jack leaned forwards. "I need you to tell me that. The biggest fragment we found of Nicholas Boyle was his skull."

Ashley raised an eyebrow. "And you still expect Abigail Hobbs to be able to recognize him?"

Alana Bloom seemed to bristle from her spot next to the youngest brunette. "You can't put Abigail Hobbs in the same room as that corpse! She already has nightmares about him."

"I'm curious as to why."

Ashley shook her head. "Whoever killed Marissa Schurr and the girl in the field most likely killed Nick Boyle."

Jack glared at the stubborn teen. "We have evidence that Nick Boyle killed both of those girls."

Ashley shrugged. "But if he didn't, the real murderer would have tied all the loose ends by murdering Nick."

"My instincts tell me Abigail Hobbs has answers we need," insisted Jack.

"To what questions, Jack?" There was venom in Will's voice as he looked at his boss in utter disbelief.

"Where she goes when she sneaks out of the psychiatric hospital, for starters."

"Me." Ashley uncrossed her arms. "She visits me, and if you don't believe me, feel free to interview my dorm mate."

She shifted uncomfortably. "Can I go to class now?"

Jack nodded and Ashley made a beeline for the door. The second she was out of sight she retreated into the shadows.

Ashley stumbled slightly as she exited. Two hands softly grasped Ashley's shoulders to keep her from collapsing.

"They found the body."

Abigail nearly dropped the brunette teen. "Wh-what? But you said..."

Ashley sighed as she pushed herself to stand up. "I know what I said. They don't know it was us yet, and they WON'T if you don't crack."

"Abigail?"

"Tell them you meet me when you sneak out. Only me, understood?"

"Abigail?" Alana's voice was closer now.

The two teens made eye contact one last time before Ashley used the shadows to escape once more.

She swayed in her seat slightly as black dots swam across her vision. Ashley blinked to herself as she pushed herself upwards and took in a shaky inhale. I'm fine. Perfectly fine. Her eyes closed as she tried to stable herself.

The night, Will saw the truth. In the morgue, he found himself standing over the burnt, shattered bones of Nicholas Boyle. Will sat back and let the pendulum swing.

Will watched as the pieces rearranged themselves and gained substance as muscle, blood, and skin was reapplied as the corpse sat up. Nick was standing now, and he was very much alive. He looked down in shock as a knife was plunged into Nick's gut.

Abruptly, the image changed. Will was the one being stabbed and Abigail was the one looking at him in horror and shock.

Will heard her voice before he saw her. It seemed unusually airy as it echoed through the morgue. Black smoke had filled the space besides Abigail. As it shifted and morphed, it gained color and texture. "Now come, we need to hide the body."

Ashley's green eyes flickered to him and she winked before he jerked out of his vision.

He stumbled out of the room, and before he knew it he was knocking loudly on the door to Ashley's dorm room.

A brunette he didn't recognize answered the door and blinked. "Professor Graham. Are you..."

Will's clammy hands grasped at thin air as he desperately avoided eye contact. "I..." he paused to clear his throat, "is Ashley here?"

Clarice raised an eyebrow. "Um yeah, why?"

"I need to speak to her." There was an awkward silence that settled between them like a thick layer of dust. "Alone."

Clarice stammered over her words slightly as she exited the room. The door slammed shut behind her and she awkwardly speed walked away. "No way am I waiting right outside that door."

Ashley sighed as he entered the room and set down her custom-made laptop. Will's eyes scanned the room for a second. On the nightstand she had set her laptop, Will could see the unopened fishing set he had given her for Christmas.

Will pursed his lips. "It's true, isn't it?"

She didn't bother asking what the empath was talking about. Instead, Ashley just nodded. "Yes."

Will paused as he considered his options: turn them in or keep it a secret. As he glanced at the brunette in front of him, he decided the answer wasn't up for debate. Keep it a secret to protect Abigail and Ashley.

He knelt down in front of his student that looked incredibly young and small at that moment. "Ashley, Hannibal was right there. Why didn't you get help?"

"Jack's been looking for a reason to tie Abigail to a pyre and let her burn before she even woke up from her coma. If I had gotten 'help', all I would have been doing is pouring gasoline and lighting a match. You know that too."

"Hannibal could've..."

She cut him off with a scoff. "Could've what? Help me hide the body?"

"Evidently you didn't do a very good job if he was found!"

"Lower your voice," Ashley hissed out before taking a shaky breath to calm herself. "I checked the gravesite, Will. Nickolas Boyle wasn't found, he was dug up. The only other person that knew was Hannibal."

Will moved so he was standing again. "What are you saying?"

She glanced up, her green eyes almost looking pitch black in the dim-lit room. "The hole was six feet, Will, give or take a few feet because everything's covered in snow now. He was dug up with purpose. It wasn't me, and it wasn't Abigail, so by process of elimination..."

"That leaves Hannibal." Will drug out the letters of his name as realization crossed his face. "Are you sure no one else knows?"

"Just us. I was careful." She tilted her head slightly. "I'm just saying, Hannibal seemed pretty unhappy about Abigail wanting to write that book."

"That's a big accusation."

Ashley's gaze seemed to harden as she continued to gaze at Will. "I know. My gut's never been wrong before, and right now it's telling me that Hannibal's untrustworthy."

Will nodded. "I'll talk to him."

"No," Ashley objected as she finally stood up and grabbed something off the table. "No this stays in between us. The only reason you came to me and not Jack is because you know Abigail wouldn't stand a chance. " She paused for a second. "Do I need to call my lawyer?"

Will instinctively tensed as his eye was guided to the glint of a well-hidden dagger. Vaguely, he recognized it as the one Hannibal had given her for Christmas. The metal seemed almost unnaturally dark. He remembered how Hannibal's smooth, confident voice had explained that it was a Miséricorde dagger. It was commonly used to deliver the killing blow to mortally wounded knights.

Ashley ignored him and slit it across her hand before handing it to Will. He hesitated slightly before he glanced into her eyes. Fear. Determination. Uncertainty.

In that second, Will understands. She wanted to know she could trust him, but if she couldn't, she would tie up the loose ends herself. She would most likely kill him and then Hannibal not only out of self-preservation but to protect Abigail.

The fearless young woman was gone, just for a second as her eyes pleaded with him. Please. Let me handle this, please.

Will sighed as he took the knife and copied her motion. "This stays between us."