Chapter 17: Flashback

Disclaimer: I own nothing

"Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Chapter 17: "Flashback"

(Tuesday-March 11, 2014)

Ember stood in front of a building, her old home. It had been rebuilt a while ago after it burnt down. They had rebuilt it over the ashes of her and her brother's life. Bitterness began to boil in her stomach as she looked up to the windows of the apartment building and saw people going about their normal lives. These people stole what she had...

No, she couldn't let herself think like that. That was how most ghosts lost their minds. These people were not to blame. She had to remain calm.

Glancing around the neighborhood, Ember felt nostalgia and memories dance through her mind. Trever's image popped up a lot, but there was another man. Her father, Ember noted. He was a rather tall man. She remembered he kept his head shaved. A mustache was there too. He also wore a suit…a white suit…

Ember rubbed her temples as her head suddenly ached. It was like her own mind was fighting against the memory. Maybe it was because the man seemed familiar from somewhere else. Like she saw him in her afterlife. But she only ever saw one group of people wear white suits like her dad used to wear.

"No…" Ember hissed as she clenched her teeth, "There's no way."

Turning away from her home, Ember launched herself into the sky. Her eyes scanned her home. Memories flooded back to her. Things became clearer. She remembered so much.

One small memory that drifted in from the depths of her mind was take your child to work day. She remembered being so excited that day. Dad carried on her shoulders into the buildings. Everyone respected her dad. He was such a good leader for his organization, the Guys in…

No. Nonononononononononononononono…

With a distressed look on her features, she turned and began to fly over familiar roads. She had to go to her father's old work place. Ember had to know the truth. She could only hope that the truth wasn't as devastating as she thought it was.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Robin questioned as they walked through a burnt down warehouse. The decayed wood and burnt steal crunched under his boot as he scanned the area, "This place has been burned down like as long as I can remember."

"Yes," Black Bat noted as she looked at the instructions in her hands, "This is the address I found in the Shadows' records. They used it as a starting point to track down Joel when he was a child."

"And then they just dumped him in that horrid Ghoul Project I've heard about," Troia frowned as she dug through the rubble.

"It was Ra's Al Ghul's strategy. He knew Joel would survive the experiments because of his willpower and the traces from the Lazarus Pit in his blood," Black Bat explained as she too looked around the rubble, "The plan was for Joel to eventually ask to come back and use the Lazarus Pit to stabilize himself."

"Yeah, that totally justifies it," Robin let out a snort, "Father of the year, right Dusk?"

Dusk shrugged, but didn't turn to look at his friends, "It eventually led to Amity Park, so it's not all bad."

"I guess so," Robin scratched his chin in thought, "We might not have ever met if it wasn't for that…"

"That's impossible to predict," Black Bat noted, "And assumptions will get us nowhere. Especially here. Start looking."

"Yeah, yeah, geeze, don't be so serious," Robin grumbled to himself.

"No need for further searching!" Troia let out a shout as she lifted a large chunk of debris to reveal a hatch, "I believe I have found it."

"Knew bringing some muscle was a good idea," Robin grinned as they all walked over to the entrance.

Troia went to open it, but she was stopped when Black Bat grabbed her wrist, "Don't. We have no idea if there are any traps."

"Really?" Troia eyed the hatch, "But look at all this destruction. Surely down there can't be any better. How could the traps still work?"

"Yes, the main reason the Shadows never went down there again was because they thought it might collapse, but I've heard reports on Joel's mother. She was incredibly skilled. Who knows what she did down there," Black Bat argued.

"Only one way to find out," Dusk stepped forward, "Back up, her traps won't hurt me."

When his friends gained some distance, Dusk yanked open the door. As soon as the door opened, a loud clicking noise went off, but nothing happened. Looking down into the hole, Dusk saw what appeared to be a trap designed to throw shuriken. The only reason it didn't work was because it no longer had any ammunition.

"The Shadows must have triggered her traps when they invaded," Dusk frowned into the darkness. He used his ectoplasm to light the area, but only saw scorched material and destruction, "No stairs. Collapsed spots. Everything is burnt. It looks like someone blew this place up."

"Was it the Shadows or your mom?" Robin questioned.

"One way to find out," Dusk held up a glowing ball of energy and descended into the basement. His friends quickly followed with the help of Troia. Once down into the basement, they made their way down the corridor. Both Robin and Black Bat skillfully avoiding touching anything that looked collapsible while Troia followed Dusk's flight pattern. They all still stayed close to the ghost though. If the place collapsed, only Dusk's intangibility would save them.

Eventually, after passing several collapsed rooms, they reached the end of the corridor to reveal wreckage blocking the final doorway. Dusk cautiously reached out to touch the wood and steal only to have the entire wall in front of them collapse. Dusk prepared to turn everyone intangible but stopped when he saw that only the one wall broke apart.

"Woah," Troia blinked as he looked past the wreckage, "Why is this room still standing?"

"It's reinforced. Like a bomb shelter," Robin noted as he tapped the walls to get a solid ring, "Even if the rest of the warehouse went down cause of a nuke, this room was going to stay standing."

"Yet there is a dead body…" Black Bat noted as she walked to the center of the room. A scorched skeleton lay face down of the floor on the floor.

"The fires started in here and continued outward…" Robin examined used bomb cases that stood at the sides of the entrance.

"I don't understand," Troia frowned down at the corpse, "Why have this room if thou was just going to blow it up?"

"To cover evidence," Dusk noted as he looked around the room, "If the thing you wanted to keep safe was gone, you might want to destroy everything in this room."

"But this body…" Troia eyed the obvious hole that existed on the side of the skull along with a charred gun that lay not too far from it, "This person did not die from the explosions or fire."

"Think about it," Black Bat gently traced the gun, "What would you prefer, dying in an instant, or a slow painful death?"

"But why not just run?" Robin questioned, "Was she corned or what?"

"Who knows what she was thinking. No one can run from the Shadows forever and without any allies, they would have found her and made her talk somehow," Black Bat reasoned, "There are forms of torture that can make anyone talk."

That statement cause and uncomfortable silence to fall upon the room. Everyone just stared at the burnt skeleton. The only noise that seemed to exist was the crunch of the debris as Dusk paced around looking for anything that survived. The near silence and pace suddenly halted when a large thunk sounded out below Dusk's feet.

Everyone turned to watch as the halfa once again test the floor with his shoe. After the sound repeated several times, Dusk knelt down to examine the metal part. Placing his palm on the metal place, he turn the steel intangible and removed it from the flooring.

"What is it?" Troia asked.

"Looks like a safe spot to keep some things protected from the fire. Like a safe," Dusk reached down into the safe spot and pulled out stuffed dog.

"A toy? I don't know any assassin that would keep a toy in a safe," Black Bat mentioned.

"She wasn't an assassin…" Dusk slowly pulled out more toys, ranging from binky all the way to a mobile with stars hanging down, "She was my mother."

Troia gained a rather emotional expression. It was hard to classify. Both joy and sadness danced across her face, "She couldn't bear to have all of thy memories erased."

"Yeah…" Dusk's eyes widened as he pulled out something different. It was a large book with a thick cover protecting the insides.

"What's that?" Black Bat questioned.

"Her journal…and my baby book…" Dusk's eyes desperately scanned the page as he flipped through the book, "This is it. She recorded everything that happened in here. That and…what she planned to do before hiding this away."

Robin gave his friend a concerned look, "What does it say?"

Dusk flipped back to the front page, "It says her name was Isabella…"

Dani twiddled her fingers nervously. She sat on the edge of the couch and looked around her living room. Everyone looked tense, and no one wanted to be the first to speak up. Not that she blamed them. It was a really weird situation.

Jinx scowled as she sat on a chair across from the man that helped give her life. He looked uncomfortable and not at all like the confident man Dani was used to seeing. Vision, on the other hand, was clearly analyzing the younger woman trying to figure her out.

"Danny's not coming if that's what you're waiting for," Jinx crossed her arms and continued to glare at Vlad, "He has to deal with something. Life and death stuff apparently. It better be, otherwise I'm going to tear his ear off."

"Yes," Vlad nervously adjusted his tie, "I just don't know where to start."

"Well, I don't either. I already have a dad," Jinx's eyes narrowed, "I don't need you in my life."

"Please don't be mad at him, Jennifer," Vision stated in a surprisingly gentle tone, "There was no way for him to know. I know Vlad. He would have raised you the best he could if he was given the chance. It was June that made the decision on how both of you—"

"Don't talk about my mother," Jinx snapped, "You don't know her! And I…I don't know her either I guess…"

"Um…" Dani glanced between her Dad and Jinx, "Can I say something?"

Jinx glanced at the other girl, "Fine."

"I have a weird situation parent-wise as well, Jinx…Jennifer. I'm sure Danny told you about it," Dani stated.

"Yeah, my 'father' made you using DNA from Danny and that Goth girl he used to know," Jinx nodded while biting her lips, "Because he wanted a child of his own."

"Even though Danny technically is my father, I don't think of him like that. Vlad's my Dad. Vision's my Mom. Danny's my brother," Dani explained, "That might not be right, you know, genetically, but I'm happy with it. They're my family, and I'm glad I have my relationships with them. You don't have to call Vlad dad or anything, but you can try for something. Or at the very least, hear out his version of the story."

Jinx sighed, "Okay then. Masters, start from the beginning. Tell me about my mother and how you met her."

Vlad nodded, "I can do that."

Danny let out a grown as placed his hand in his face and leaned back at his desk in Axion Labs. He should be home right now. He finally convinced Jennifer to talk with Vlad, and now he had to bail. Everyone probably was pissed at him, but he had a problem that needed dealt with right now. Or at least he had to find the best possible way to confront it.

Releasing his face, he looked back over his desk. It was covered with papers. Not the normal ones involving schematics and Axion Labs reports. No, these reports had to deal with something more complicated. David Cain had sent them with a single message on the front.

Shiva is dead.

Damn it. Goddamn it all!

Cassandra was going to be mad as hell. She was going to want to storm Ra's Al Ghul's fortress to take him out. They could try to stop her, but eventually she would slip away. Then, everything Shiva had worked for would be in vain. There was no way Cassandra would survive such an assault, even if she was a gifted fighter.

But perhaps that problem was already dealt with…

Looking through the other papers, Danny's frowned deepened. There was so much here ranging from deeps to houses across the planet, to accounts with so many zeroes it would make most people faint, and all the way to pictures. So many pictures.

"Damn it, Cain…" Danny placed his hands on his face once more, "Damn it!"

Isabella remained a passive face as she diligently wiped down the wooden floor. Candlelight danced across the stone walls. The windows that ran across the hallways revealed the darkened sky outside. The sun had set hours ago, yet she continued to clean. Fatigue was not a concern of her. She had been trained to go for days at a time without sleep. Besides, staying late working in the Great One's home was a far better alternative than going home to the shame filled eyes and disappointed sneers.

"Ahem."

Isabella stopped her work to look up. Her eyes instantly widened as she instantly brought her head down into a bow, "Forgive me, Great One, I did not see you there."

"Obviously," Ubu grunted as he stood loyally behind Ra's Al Ghul, "Move out of the Master's path, servant."

Isabella gracefully stood up. Without breaking her bow, though, she carefully stepped to the side and out of Ra's path.

Ra's did not move, though. He merely turned and eyed the woman, "You may release your bow."

Isabella stood upright immediately. Ra's eyes quickly took in her the soft curves that was her frame, which was highly complimented by the maid uniform that was meant to signal her place and fall from grace. The flawless skin of her legs and shouldered glowed in the candlelight. Her face was somewhat pouty but looked almost angelic as her hair was pulled up to reveal every beautiful feature of her face. What really struck Ra's the most, though, were her sharp blue eyes that seemed to make the very sky seem dull in comparison.

"Is there something you require, Great One?" Isabella questioned respectfully.

"You are a skilled fighter," Ra's noted, "I can see it with the very way you stand. Yet, here you are late at night cleaning the floors. Why?"

"It is my punishment," Isabella stated, "I refuse to obey. I refuse to kill."

"Refuse to kill?" Ra's blinked, "Well, that's something I haven't heard in a while. What clan do you come from?"

"The clan Taru," Isabella closed her eyes, "I was designated at birth to be the best. Your daughter's personal guard, but…I have too weak of will. I…I can't stand the sight of blood. The draining of life from a living body. It disgusts me, so I refuse to kill. I am a tool that is broken. A sword made into a mop and broom because it's too dull to use."

"No, not dull," Ra's noted, "Just…permanently sheathed. You have the skill. This much is obvious. You could have all the honor and glory you want, but you choose to be a pacifist. You chose dishonor over honor. You chose to clean instead of kill."

"Yes, Master," Isabella bowed once more, "Forgive my disobedience. I bring shame to both my family and to you."

"No, no," Ra's shook his head, "You held fast to your convictions. That's admirable. I haven't seen such a dedicated woman in a long…long time."

"Master?" Ubu eyed Ra's.

Ra's raised a hand to silence his right hand man, "Ubu, you are dismissed for the night."

"But…" Ubu sighed, "Yes, master."

As Ubu walked away, Ra's eyed the woman in front of him, "I find it enlightening to hear opposing viewpoints. In fact, I think that assassins should value life. If they enjoy killing too much, then they become monsters."

"Yes, I agree with you, Great One," Isabella nodded sincerely.

Ra's looked around the hall, "I would say that this hallway is perfectly clean. You have done excellent work. Allow me to treat you to a late dinner. We can discuss the different viewpoints of our line of work," Ra's then held out his hand for Isabella to take.

Isabella eyed the hand for a moment before gently taking a hold of it, "How can I refuse?"

It was supposed to be an easy job, a way to get a lot of cash quickly. After all, Masters hadn't had his fortune for long. He was just some guy that got lucky with the stock market and a few business investments after all. There was no way for the guy to actually know what it meant to be a billionaire or to have a target on his back.

Take this dumb party for example. This was the most generic charity party June had ever seen. Granted, the décor was nice. Masters didn't hold back for any expense for the food, music, and decorations. His ball room was really nice, and June assumed the rest of the mansion was the same.

With her long dark raven hair swinging with every step, June strode across the room. Her sharp blue eyes scanned the room. The big wigs in the room gave her appreciating looks but looked away to avoid being rude. That was how she blended in here. Usually, her natural beauty and the midnight black dress that hugged her curves would make her stand out. Here, though, anything less would be out of place. She looked the part to fit in, but deep down she would never be like these people.

One last hard look across the room allowed her to see the owner of this home. His back was turned to her, but his dark suit and white hair gave him away. Apparently, he had been in an accident that had prematurely turned his hair white and left him hospitalized for years. He had definitely dragged himself out of that crater, though. June could respect that.

It didn't mean that she wouldn't rob him blind, though.

June silently exited the room. She quickly strode down the hallways and stopped once she was sure she was out of sight. Entering a dark closet, she closed her eyes and began a low chant. Her magic quickly reacted to her commands. It pushed her senses across the entire manor.

Hmm…He definitely had a set taste. The entire place was covered with Packers memorabilia. That meant that he definitely didn't have a woman in his life. If he did, there would be a lot more variation. Besides that, though, he didn't seem to have a lot. A lot of papers and files were in what appeared to be an office. Those weren't any good for her. She lacked a head for business, and Masters would track down any transactions easily.

No jewelry…A few expensive suits, but she would be laughed at if she tried to sell those on the black market…Pictures…Damn, there wasn't anything really worth stealing. The man didn't even have an expensive car. Didn't he need to drive?

"Looks like it's a bust…Wait…" June grinned, "Oh, that will work, I suppose."

Exiting the dark room, she quickly strode to her destination. The sound of her heels echoed across the empty halls. After few quick steps, she made her way to a rather empty room. Moonlight shined into the room from the far window and showed the display right at the end of the room. The display was a glass case covering a single football with the name Ray Nitschke signed across the front.

It wasn't diamonds or jewelry, but sports memorabilia like that sold fast, easy, and for a rather high price to the right people. At the very least, she would make a few thousand easy bucks tonight. Pretty good for such a cushy job.

With a smirk on her face, June reached out to grab the football but was surprised with a larger hand grabbed her hand and firmly held in in place.

"I know that my Ray Nitschke football is quite a sight to see, but I would prefer you didn't touch my prized possession," Vlad Master noted as he walked up from behind June.

Knowing that she had underestimated the new billionaire, June gritted her teeth and prepared to blast the man in the face with a magic fireball. She paused, though, when she saw his face. His features were handsome, but that wasn't what caught June's attention. Behind his looks, June saw a lonely and tired soul that was at a loss at what to do with his life.

Vlad stared at her as well. Instead of the usual stares men gave her, however, this one was different. He wasn't staring at her body or even her face. He peered into her eyes and saw the woman that had long since been trying to make a name for herself instead of living of the name of the ancestor that had been trying to control her life for years.

Then, Vlad said something that shook June to her core, "Has anyone ever told you that you look beautiful in the moonlight?"

That was the night that the woman known as Sorceress took the first step of falling in love.

David remembered when he first met Shiva. They had been on opposite sides of a contract. Neither one of them had been willing to compromise. Their fight had ultimately ended in a draw, with both parties being so injured that they could only crawl away. It wasn't all that later that they met up and fought again. And again. And again.

Then they shagged each other's brains out.

'And that kids is how I met your mother.' Yeah, that was a story to tell the kiddies. Shiva might have killed him if he ever told that to Cassandra. Well, she would have at least, if Ra's Al Ghul didn't kill her and send her body to him express mail.

The bastard probably thought it was a courtesy. Maybe he won't do anything stupid if we show the body some respect. David knew that Ra's was a complete moron in that department. It never mattered why or how a loved one was killed. People got pissed off all the same. There was no honor for assassins. There was no forgiveness or cooling off from having a loved one ripped away from the land of the living. Yet, Ra's Al Ghul still pretended as such. That was what always pissed Cain off to no end.

"Idiot should have sent assassins with the body to finish me off," David noted as he checked his pistols before holstering them at his sides. The weight of his shotgun at the back of his belt and his assault rifle across his shoulders and back comforted him as he prepared for what was to come, "Because like they say…"

David pulled out a red button trigger. Without flinching, he pressed the button and set off the explosives he set around the perimeter of the fortress. Cain reached up and took a long drag of the cigarette that hung from his mouth as he watched the walls go up in flames. He had long since learned the distances one could be and not be hurt by the explosives. As the flames died down, Cain dropped his cigarette and stomped on it with his boot.

"Payback's a bitch."

Where shame once existed, there was now honor and glory. In one day, she went from being the dishonored maid to the Great One's most intimate lover. No one dared to even look at her the wrong way now for fear of the Great One's wrath. Her family now gushed and spoke of her with great pride. After all, only the best could ever hope to catch Ra's Al Ghul's eyes.

As for the man himself, Isabella really didn't have any complaints. He was gentle and kind to her. His experience shined through in many instances. Of course, she couldn't say that she loved the man, but she could have done far worse than a man that honestly cared for her.

Overall, her life had improved exponentially. She never had to work. She lived in luxury. She had people wait on her hand and foot. This wasn't just because she was the Great One's lover, though. No, it was far more important than that.

Slowly, Isabella reached down to gently stroke her extended stomach. The large bump had grown out immensely in eight months. Her smaller frame was now weighed down by the weight of the heir to Ra's throne. Her life now mattered more than anything to Ra's, because the one to finally take his place now grew in her womb. They both knew it. They could feel the strength of the child, Isabella would guess a boy from gut instinct.

"Is something wrong?" Talia looked back at Isabella who had stopped her walk, more like waddling, to look down and stroke her stomach.

Isabella looked back up from her large stomach. She glanced at the woman and the single guard leading her. Usually, she had far more people guarding her at one time. Talia, however, wanted to speak to her with somewhat privacy. As such, it was just her and one of Talia's most trusted guards. He was a rather large man dressed in all black. She had no way of knowing what he really looked like under his mask.

"Forgive me, I was just thinking about names," Isabella noted.

"That is not for you to decide. Father shall name the child when he is born," Talia noted, "Now come. We need to talk about how you will take care of the child when it's born. We can't have you coddling the child after all, but he will need his mother…"

Talia tried to turn away, but Isabella spoke up again and stopped her, "He's going to be named Joel."

Talia raised an eyebrow at the women who had gained her father's attention, "Joel? Such a normal name for Ra's Al Ghul's heir? That's bold, I'll give you that. But it does mean 'Jehovah is God'…Is it your prediction that he will become a god among men? "

"I don't like to think of it like that," Isabella stroked her belly lovingly as she walked right up to Talia to the point that her pregnant belly was almost touching the other woman, "I like to think the name will give him strength of will and faith. He will be an uncompromising man. He will still to his beliefs, unlike me who is abandoning her creed."

"What are you talking—" Talia never got to finish that sentence. With speed that shouldn't exist on such a heavily pregnant woman, Isabella rushed forward with a sucker punch. Not having any warning, Talia easily fell from the blow. As the woman fell, Isabella grabbed the knife that hung from Talia's side and turned towards the body guard.

Using his shock to her advantage, she shoved the knife forward through the man's throat. She did this with closed eyes and clenched teeth. Bile crawled up her throat from the feel of his hot blood plashing across her face and the gurgling noise that jumped up from his throat.

Without even looking at the dying man, Isabella released the soon to be corpse and rushed to the compound's fence. She had been waiting weeks for this moment, for the chance to take her baby away from this place. Everyone always forgot her natural talent for the shadow arts. Isabella had long since learned the best escape route. With a skill that a pregnant woman shouldn't have, she shoved her newly acquired knife into the compound wall. She then used the handle of the blade as a foothold to get to the top of the fence. Once she managed to drag herself over it and safely land on the other side, she ran.

There was a dock down at the base of the compound. If she had to, she would kill to get a boat. Then, she would get away. She would take her baby away from this life of assassination and murder. He would remain pure. He would get a chance to choose who he wanted to be.

Isabella would make sure of it. Joel would never be Ra's heir. He would be a good boy, one that was pure and had no blood on his hands. Not like her. She had killed and broken her oath. That man's murder was on her hands, as was the wife she widowed and the children she orphaned. None of that mattered to her now, though. It didn't matter what she had to do, what sin she had to commit. She would keep Joel safe and out of Ra's hands for as long as possible.

No matter what…

It had been close to a year since June started her relationship with Vlad. In that time, she learned what a complicated man he was. While intelligent and cunning, he was also emotionally vulnerable. He feared betrayal and loss more than anything to the point where he had a borderline obsession to those that did him wrong. If ever asked about it, he often brought up an old college friend that had caused his accident.

That was fine, though. June had problem letting go of things herself. While never giving him Vandal Savage's name, she did explain how she lived under the shadow of her 'father' and how she desired recognition and independence that didn't involve him. That was something Vlad instantly related with her.

In a way, they were perfectly flawed together. Their selfishness often danced around each other's. Egos clashed in mind games. Their ambition seemed to push them to become better. More often than not, things were a competition, and they thrived on it.

They spoke on many things. Art. Literature. Philosophy. There were a few one sided debates, though. Vlad often leaned more onto science and business, while June was more at home with magic and spirituality. It was the one difference that they could never discuss much. It was almost like a metal shield between them.

That was fine, though. Every couple had differences, and June was glad that he never pretended to be perfect. His flaws and strengths were all open for her to see, and she grew to love the man. She had even moved in a few months ago. Before meeting him, she would have scoffed at giving up such independence. Now, though, she enjoyed waking by his side.

For a time, at least, because everything must come to an end. Eventually, a bomb had to drop. Vlad, however, decided to drop his first.

Black rings appeared around him. Suddenly Vlad Master became Vlad Plasmius. He was a half-ghost. June didn't even know that was possible. Apparently, he gained his powers from the accident in college. That was how he really gained his fortune. He had abused his gifts to gain riches most people had often dreamed of but never received.

Truth be told, June didn't have a problem with any of it. He was a ghost, and she was a witch. He a cheat and a liar, and she was a thief and a villain. He could change the world by overshadowing the right politicians, and she could bring an era of darkness to the planet. So, she wasn't bothered at all by halfa thing.

Or, at least, she wouldn't have been if she wasn't pregnant.

She needed no test. June felt the second life force inside of her the day after it happened. The child would be powerful, that much she knew, but the energy was weird. Even before Vlad told her, she knew. Something was different about the child growing in her womb. It probably had to do with the fact that the parentage was so strange. A witch and a ghost having a baby. It sounded like the beginning of a horror story.

…Maybe it was…

June knew that Vlad would be delighted to have a child. The only problem was that June wasn't sure that she would survive the birthing process. There were times where she knew that the baby might kill her. Things broke around her for no reason. Mirrors. Cracks on the floor. Salt falling over. Black cats crossed her path.

Bad luck. That was not a good sign for someone going to give birth. The thought of abortion popped up more than once, but June couldn't bring herself to kill the child made from her and Vlad's love. As such, she would have to deal with the consequences of the birth, even if it meant dying.

If she died, then what would happen? Vlad would probably break mentally. He would be in no shape to raise a child. Who knows what would happen to him…her. June was hoping the baby would be a her. She always wanted a baby girl…

"I can't stay," June realized one day, "If I die, both of them will suffer. I need to leave. If I do survive, I can come back and explain myself. He'll understand. I know he will."

So, she left. June left to the only person on the planet she would trust her child with if she died. She returned to her protector, her ancestor, Vandal Savage.

David took advantage of the chaos his explosions caused. He charged in head first into the compound. The smoke and flames hid his image as he threw every sort of grenade he had into the courtyard. Explosions, flashes, loud bangs, and just regular smoke filled the entire place before anyone could realize what was happening.

As David charged in, he blindly fired at anyone that got close to him. It didn't matter who. The only person he had left to care about was safely away from here. The rest of these jackasses were expendable. None of them matter to Cain.

As he ran, David tried to dodge every incoming attack and projectile that came to him. There was no way to get through all the chaos without getting hit by something. Several shuriken grazed him. A bullet had managed to lodge itself into his left arm. Luckily, all the adrenaline and pain killers he took before the assault made it so that he didn't feel anything.

By the time he made it inside, he was covered in large cuts and his own blood. Cain didn't let him stop, though. He continued down paths he had memorized by heart from the plans that Shiva had sent him long ago. As he moved, he pulled out his shotgun and mowed down anything that got in his way. A single blast from his gun sent bodies flying away him in a dead heap.

The damn assassins did manage to get a few more blows in through the conflict. His right leg was lagging for some reason, forcing him to do a combination of a limp and a run. David didn't let himself slow down, though, as he hurried through the hallways. Eventually he made his way to his destination. Before entering the room, he tossed his last grenade behind him to collapse the hallway and prevent his pursuers from following him.

Not wasting any time, he instantly went to the center of the storage room. He peeled off the middle panel to reveal a tunnel. David instantly felt grateful that Shiva's secret had never been found out. Without thought of worsening his own injuries, David plunged himself into the tunnel. He crawled and dragged himself through the dark, never once letting himself pause in fear that his body would shut down.

After a few minutes of crawling and a few drops, Cain was met with a bit of green light. With a grin on his face, Cain looked down through the cracks in the rock below to see a large green pool with famous ooze that was able to resurrect the dead. In front of the pool was Ra's Al Ghul himself. At the entrance of the room, many of Ra's most capable guards stood ready to fight.

Too bad they all forget the most basic rule of stealth. Always look up.

Throwing subtlety out the window, Cain dropped through the rock and to the cavern below him. The entrance instantly shocked the other people in room. This gave him just enough time to pull out his pistols and open fire. To the luck of the people at the front of the room, David only had one target for tonight. The first bullet that hit Ra's was definitely a kill shot. Still, as he fell, David emptied out two pistols worth of ammo into the demon's head before Cain finally landed on the ground.

The solid crack that sounded out when he landed signaled that he had broken something, but David couldn't bring himself to care. All he was focused on was the corpse of Ra's Al Ghul. The demon's head was swish cheese, but a quick look at the Lazarus Pit behind the corpse reminded Cain on how Ra's never exactly stayed dead.

Unfortunately, Cain's thoughts distracted him from the fact that he was not alone in the room. Some of the Shadow's best fighters were in that room. The likes of Deathstroke, Sportsmaster, and Cheshire were on him in a second. What followed was a blood path far worse than what had happened to Ra's Al Ghul.

Isabella was breathing heavily as she allowed her enemy's to slump to the floor. They had found her. Truth be told, she knew it would happen eventually. The Shadows would eventually hunt her and Joel down. She just hoped that she would get more time.

The sound of Joel's agonizing cries brought Isabella out of her stupor. Turning from the corpse, she saw her baby lying in his crib. In the scrimmage, he had gotten injured. It must be a relative new assassin that had managed to track her down, because if Ra's learned that the baby was hurt because of him, he wouldn't be long for this world even if he was alive right now.

"I'm so sorry, Joel," Isabella reached down to comfort her baby. Soaked in her enemy's blood, she was sure that she was a frightening sight. Joel didn't seem to care, though. He was more focused on the cut that stood on his forehead, "Mommy didn't protect you very well."

It had been a hard few months since she left the compound. After fleeing, she went to the one of the few cities that she could disappear without a trace. Gotham was good for that, after all. Using all of her skills in stealth and ninjustu, she stole, threatened, and beaten people to provide for Joel.

Isabella had managed to acquire one of Gotham's many abandoned warehouse and use the basement as a shelter. Dozens of traps had been placed to stop any intruders. It worked for the most part with the now corpse's allies, but he managed to sneak by somehow.

"I wasn't as thorough as I thought," Isabella noted as she lifted the crying babe from his crib and began to exit the baby's room.

She had lost count of the people she cheated and lied to so she could keep Joel safe. It made her sick that she had taken care of some people's better natures. Skipping out on hospital bills after Joel's birth. Using both her beauty and Joel's cuteness to distract people from the truth. It all made it hard to sleep at night, but it was worth it because Joel was safe.

But that was no longer true. They had found her, and it was only a matter of time before more came. That meant that it was time. Joel was no longer safe with her. So, Isabella took Joel and moved across the city. She took Joel everywhere, making sure to leave specific traces at different bus stations, docks, and airports to make it seem like Joel could easily be out of the city. Isabella left so many false trails that she knew it would take years to figure what she really had planned.

Then, she enacted her plan. It was rather simple really. She staged a car crash, or more specifically thrusted herself into one. It wasn't all that hard. Gotham had car crashes every day, after all. She just drove up to one. Swerved a bit, and then carefully it a lamp post.

Quickly jumping into action, she moved into the back seat. Removing the protective covering she surrounded her bake with, Isabella took in the sight of her frightened child. Taking some broken glass from the back windshield, she carefully reopened Joel's wound to make it seem that it happened in the crash. Then, with only a few words of love and adoration to her baby, she ran. Isabella ran away from the car crash making sure to cover her scent as much as possible.

It broke her heart, but she couldn't be seen at the crash. No one could know that she was Joel's mother, not even him. He would grow up never knowing her. That was fine, though. All that mattered was that he grew up happy, away from Ra's as long as possible. At least, that's what Isabella told herself as she tried in front of Joel's now empty crib.

The sound of a crashing down sounded behind her. Gently clutching the side of the crib one last time, Isabella forced her sobs from jumping up her throat. Then, she turned to face Talia Al Ghul and the squadron of assassins behind her.

"Where is Father's child?" Talia glared at the woman that had assaulted her only a few months prior.

"Safe," Isabella gave the other woman a wet smile. Hot tears ran down her face, "Away from me, from you, from the demon you call a Father."

Talia pulled out her dagger, "You will tell me where he is now. If you do so, I will grant you a quick death."

"Oh, you poor naïve woman," Isabella laughed at Talia as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a pistol, "You can never threaten a mother like that. I would rather have my intestines slowly ripped out of me than tell you anything."

The assassins behind Talia all readied their guns. Talia just glared at Isabella as she shook her head in disbelief, "Why do all this? You know that we'll find him eventually. All you did was delay the inevitable."

"You'll understand if you ever become a mother," Isabella gave a look of utter love to the crib behind her, "No matter what, you want to give your child the best life possible. I want Joel to be able to choose who he will become on his own. Not because Ra's brainwashed him. Not because I pressured him. Because he chose who he wanted to be. And if simply delaying his capture will do that, then it's enough."

"It won't matter in the end. Father's blood runs through his veins. Eventually, the blood of the demon will overcome him," Talia noted.

"Maybe. Maybe not. But at least I've given him a chance otherwise," Isabella gave one last smile as she moved her gun to the side of her head and pulled out what seemed to be a button with her other hand, "And that's enough for me."

Talia's eyes widened, "What are you doing?"

"Giving Joel as much time as possible," Isabella then allowed both her hands to twitch. As her gun went off, her other thumb slammed into the button. Explosions filled the room and cause the assassins to retreat from the now burning building so that they too would not get consumed by the flames.

As she left, Talia looked over her shoulder one last time to see Isabella's corpse being consumed by the flames. The fire danced over the unmoving body, illuminating every part of the woman's features. For a brief second, Talia thought that she could actually see the dead woman smiling in death.

The sound of a baby's cries raked across her ears. Was it over? It didn't feel like it was over. Her insides felt like they were melting. Not to mention how badly things hurt down in her neither regions. June knew it would hurt, but this was like having her organs ripped out through her vagina and then have acid shoved up in its place.

"It's done," Savage noted as the doctors prepped the baby, "How are you feeling."

"Like shit," Sweat rolled down June's exhausted face in waves, "How is she?"

One of the doctors handed the child to Savage. Vandal looked at the innocent babe that lie in his arms. Like thousands of times before, he instantly fell in love, "She's perfectly healthy. Strange hair color, though. Pink."

June let out a weak laugh. She noted that her vision was rather blurry, "She gets that from her daddy. Let me see her."

Vandal went to hand her the child, but June shook her head. She couldn't raise her arms, "Just show me her face. I want to see her."

Savage did as she commanded, but he snapped at the doctors, "What's wrong?! Why is she acting like this?"

"Sir…there were complications…The child…Her powers activated in the womb…She destroyed Lady June's insides. There's literally nothing I can do."

"The hell you can't! Call anyone with any sort of healing ability! Magic or otherwise! I don't care who, I'll use up all my favors if I have to."

June ignored Savage's yells. She was too focused on her child. The babe was scrunching up her face and crying from all the yelling. Still, she looked so perfect to June. She even had a little bit of her dad in her face. That was good…That was good…

"Grandfather…" June addressed Savage, "I know what I want to call her. Jennifer. It fits her."

"June!" Savage looked at June's dulling eyes, "Hold on, I'm going to get you help! Just keep fighting!"

"Let her take your name, not mine," June stated, "Jennifer Moon…It won't fit her…Savage is the best name for my little fighter….Tell her…I loved her…"

"You can tell her yourself every day!"

"…"

"June?! JUNE!?"

"…"

"Goddamn it! Get someone, anyone right now!" Savage continued to yell at the doctor. He gently held the crying Jennifer in his arms as the now vacant eyes of June Moon stared at the newest life the grace the planet Earth.

David groaned as he slid down a wall to a seated position leaving a blood trail in his wake. Dozens of knives were sticking out from him. He could feel each bullet that was lodged within his body. Most of his blood was now on the outside of him instead of the inside. At this point, David couldn't really even look over himself to see how terrible he looked through the blood.

He just barely managed to get away. Many of the assassins had moved to help Ra's after their initial attack on Cain. That was where the real money was, after all. A few of the attackers tried to make sure he had died. In his haze of blood loss and injuries, Cain had no idea how he had gotten away.

"What was the point of all this?"

Or not.

Cain sighed as he reached into his jacket with his only still functioning arm and pulled out his last cigarette, "What do you mean?"

Ravager stood before the defeated assassin, "Why do this? You know that Ra's would never be permitted to stay dead as long as he doesn't have a successor. Sure, you took out a few people along the way, but you've done absolutely nothing to hurt the Shadows in the long run."

Cain held his cigarette in his mouth as he pulled out his lighter and lit up his last smoke, "Yep. I knew that from the start."

"Then why? Did you just let your emotions compromise the mission?" Ravager demanded an answer as Cain took a long drag of his guilty pleasure.

"Kid, emotions was the mission. That man killed my wife," David took in the pleasure his cigarette gave him. Even now, he could never kick the damn habit, "You might not get it because you don't have anyone you care about—"

"You're wrong!" Ravager snapped, "I did care about people, but they left me! Both of them! Jericho and Cassandra thought they were too good for this life style!"

"Brat, everyone is too good for this life style," Cain let out a pained chuckle, "Very few ever make it to the top. Hell, even fewer ever wanted to make it to the top. We just started because we needed money, and then we could never stop. Not until we were dead. Don't blame people for wanting out. That means they're still sane."

"Even if almost everyone dies for the mission, at least they don't die on an impossible mission like you," Ravager argued.

"Oh, I already accomplished what I wanted," David held his cigarette in his mouth as he reached into his coat one last time, "My whole plan was to show how stupid this is."

"What?"

David pulled out what looked like a photo. Somehow, it managed to avoid getting completely covered in blood, even if it was dotted with red droplets, "What do you think Cass will want to do when she hears about Shiva? She'll want to do what I just did. Now, though, she'll see how stupid and pointless it is. She'll be smarter in her approach when seeking revenge."

"Wouldn't it be better to stop her wanting revenge all together," Ravager questioned as she knelt in front of Cain.

"And who would convince her of that? Me? Batman? Phantom? She has too much of her mother in her. No one could convince her of anything with words. Actions, though, always caught Shiva's attention," David stared longingly into the photo in his hands, "And they'll catch Cassie's attention too. I just save her life."

"At the cost of your own," Ravage mentioned.

"Your dad must be the crappiest father in the world," Cain noted, "It's the father's job to protect his kids, no matter what…"

Ravager looked away uncomfortably.

"Hey…Could I get…a last…request…" David took the photo and reached it out to Ravager, "Give that to Cassandra. I should have left it…with the rest…of my will…but I couldn't die…without having that…with me…"

Ravage looked at the picture. A surprisingly groomed David Cain in a suit stood next to a stunning Lady Shiva in a beautiful white wedding dress. The two of them were smiling widely as each other as the held up their new wedding rings. Oddly enough, a smaller picture was glued to the lower corner of the wedding photo. It was a small picture of a newly birthed child wrapped in pink cloth.

"It…was the…only picture…I ever had…of Cassandra…" Cain let his dying cigarette fall from his mouth, "I had to see it…one more time…"

"I'll give it to her," Ravager stared at the picture.

"Thank…you…" David Cain stated as his body fell to the side. His body landed with a bloody squish as the final bit of life drained from his body. He wasn't really a religious man, but Cain hoped that he went wherever Shiva was. Heaven. Hell. Nothingness. None of it mattered as long as he would get to see her face one last time.

Dusk stared blankly down at the large book in his hands. His entire past had just been laid out in front of him. It was a lot to take in, especially considering he never even knew his mother's name before this. To think that she would so far for him…

"I'm a bit jealous," Robin suddenly blurted out as he stood over Isabella's burnt bones, "My mom would never have gone that far for me."

Everyone looked up to the Boy Wonder. Troia looked to her boyfriend with concern, "What dost thou mean?"

"She was a drug addict. She'd do anything to get her fix," Robin noted, "Even sleep around. And guess where that led to. Guess she realized I was coming a bit too late for the law's sake. And her illegal abortion failed…obviously. Dumped me the first chance she got."

Black Bat looked away uncomfortably, "I suppose some people aren't meant to be parents."

"Yet they do it anyway," Robin sighed, "I know where she is, but I'm afraid to confront her. It's…It's hard."

"Guess I should be happy then," Dusk carried the book over to the bones and gently laid it down by his mother's skull, "Isabella…Mom loved me enough to break her own beliefs. She sacrificed everything she had for me."

"Then why don't thou look happy?" Troia questioned.

"Because I'm sad," Dusk gently reached out to touch the hole that stood on the side of his mother's skull, "I caused her so much pain just by being conceived. It seems like I've been a burden all my life—"

Robin stopped Dusk's sentence by punching him across the face.

"Robin!" Troia's eyes widened in shock, "What art thou doing?"

Black Bat looked to intervene when Dusk raised a hand. He wiped his split lip and looked to Robin, "Sorry."

"Damn right your sorry," Robin growled, "You sure as hell have never been a burden. Don't blame yourself for other people's choices. Not Cujo. Not Secret. And especially your mom. She wanted to give you the right to choose who you want to be. Because of that, you're in our lives. You're the peaceful one in our group. Who knows how out of control we would be without you."

"Yeah…" Dusk looked back at his mother.

Troia decided to speak up, "Before, when thou said that we cannot escape the nature of our parents, thou might be right. There are definitely different aspects of your parents in thee. Ra's Al Ghul's charm. Isabella's pacific nature. But in the end, thou art thy own person. Thou are Joel Fenton, someone I'm sure thy mother would be proud of."

Dusk was silent in response.

"We all have our demons," Black Bat spoke up as well, "A lot of them seem to come from our parents. That's something we all have to deal with, but it's something we can overcome. You can overcome your Father's blood."

"…He's not my father. He's just the guy that helped conceive me. A sperm donor," Dusk suddenly stated, "I may be a bit like him, but I'll overcome that. Instead, I'll be the man my mother wanted me to be. The man she gave everything for. I'm her son, no one else's."

"Damn right!" Robin puffed out his chest, "And with that done, we'll deal with the other parent problems in our group. Next thing we have to do is help Black Bat save her mom from those bastard Shadows."

Black Bat blinked at the boy, "Really?"

"Yeah, we'll meet up with your dad and then kick some ninja ass," Robin grinned, "I'm sure he's already almost found her anyway. Soon, you'll have your parents back together…and maybe a new sibling as well."

"Maybe," Black Bat smiled at him.

"And when that's done, I'll head to Themyscira and tell Donna's mom that I'm dating her daughter!" Robin declared.

"Woah, let's not get ahead of ourselves," Troia shook her head, "I prefer thee still alive and intact, Robin. That won't happen if thou act like thyself around the leader of the Amazons. She'd be more than likely to castrate thee than welcome thee with open arms."

"Meh…Good point," Robin deflated a bit.

"It was a nice thought, though," Dusk let out a chuckle, "Hey, um, can I have a few minutes alone. I just…"

"It's fine," Black Bat walked over and gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder, "We'll just head outside."

"Oh, do we have to…" Troia gained a disgusted look but followed nevertheless, "Gotham's air is so disgusting. I'd prefer to stay down here, and it smells like brimstone."

"Hey, are you mocking my town's smell?" Robin pouted as he followed the girls out of the room.

"Yes."

"Okay, just clarifying."

Dusk let out a chuckle as his friends out of the room. Then, when their voices faded from the burnt basement, he let his smile drop and looked back at his mother. He bowed his head in respect, "I just want to thank you. I can never repay you for giving me a chance. If it wasn't for you, I might have ended up just like Ra's."

Dusk took a shuddered breath, "Because of you, I have a family now. Good friends too. I love them all so much. They're good to me, just like you were. I promise I won't let your sacrifices be in vain. I won't let anyone's sacrifices be in vain. Never again. I swear to you that I'll keep the creed that you gave up to keep me safe. I will never let the blood of the demon get the better of me again."

Dusk then stood. He carefully grabbed his mother's journal. Then, he moved over to collect the other items that Isabella kept hidden and safe. The halfa quickly created a bag with his Matter Make ability and gently placed his baby stuff into it. He decided to keep his book out, though. Pausing for a brief second of thought, the halfa once again opened the journal to last page.

For a minute, he stared at the picture. His mother's smiling face looked back up at him. She looked exhausted, but the joy on her face was genuine as she held the baby version of Joel close to her face while holding the camera above her head with her free hand. Based on the gown and cloth they were dressed in, the picture looked like it had been take right after he had been born. What really made the image special was the small passage of words written beneath the photo.

The happiest day of my life. I love you, Joel.

Dusk desperately sucked in a breath as he fought against his now stinging eyes. With great care, he closed the journal one final time that day and hugged the book to his chest. Then, he turned back to his mother's corpse.

"I'll give you a proper burial. Right next to the rest of my family. Where you deserve to be."

"So…That's the full story…" Jinx leaned forward and placed her hands over her mouth.

"Yes," Vlad sighed, "She left without a word. I always thought she was disgusted by what I was. Now I know better, I suppose."

Vision placed a gentle hand of his, "In the end, everything was a misunderstanding."

"Not exactly," Jinx eyed Vlad, "Mom didn't trust you with me."

Vlad nodded slowly, "Yes, I was a different man all those years ago. I have no idea what I would have done if I saw June die. I would like to think that I would have raised you right, but there's no real way of knowing."

"Hey, you changed when me and Danny started to live with you," Dani smiled at her adopted father, "I think you would have stepped up to the challenge."

"Thank you for your confidence, Danielle, but I do believe that the very best I would have done was raise Jennifer to similar to how she is now," Vlad noted, "Even then…Savage would probably have done a better job."

"He did a great job," Jinx stood up and glared at him, "Despite what everyone might think of him, he's a loving caretaker. He raised me even when he didn't have to. I never once thought of him as anything less than my father. Sure, the training was hard, but I wanted it. I wanted to work with the Shadows to show him my worth, because I wanted to make him proud."

"And is that what you still want?" Dani questioned with a very serious look in her eyes, "Is that why you are with Danny?"

"NO! I love Danny," Jinx snapped out and then froze at the realization of what she just said.

"Good, because he cares about you," Dani glared at her, "I really don't care if your Dad's daughter, my adopted sister, or some demon spawn. All I care is that you're with Danny. Val proved her loyalty, and yours is all over the place. Forgetting your frenemy status, forgetting that you moved in on Danny while he was still mourning Val, forgetting everything you've done, I still don't like that you're with Danny because you're likely to choose your dad over him. If you do that, know that I will be your enemy for the rest of your life. Hell, I'll continue to hate whatever hell spawns you eventually push out if you betray Danny. Remember that."

"I will," Jinx glared back.

"Good," Dani nodded, "Then I'm happy with how this meeting has gone."

"I am too," Jinx looked at Vlad, "But I'm not out to have any new family members. Maybe as time goes by and Danny and I get closer, I'll give you a chance. Until then, though, I really don't care if you're technically my birth father. Mom didn't think you were worthy of being my dad, so neither do I."

"Very well," Vlad let out a sigh as he watched Jinx turn to head towards the exit, "It's not like I'm in any position to demand anything."

Jinx looked back at him for a second before leaving, "No, you're not."

With Jinx gone, Vision leaned in to comfort her fiancé, "Are you okay?"

"No…I'm a bit depressed," Vlad rubbed his head in frustration, "Everything is so complicated now. And it doesn't help that I always wanted another child."

Vision gave him a smile, "We can work on that."

"I know, but…" Vlad eyed the space Jinx once took up, "It won't change what could have been."

Phantom stood in the Cave. He had shared everything he had gotten from Cain with Batman and Nightwing. They too seemed troubled by the reports. There was no way of telling how Cassandra would react to it. While very serious and mission oriented, she was also extremely protective of her family. They would have to be careful on they presented the news to her.

Recognized: Black Bat B25

All three of them turned to watch Black Bat walk in from the Zeta Tubes. She instantly noticed their gazes, "What?"

"We need to talk," Batman stated.

"Am I grounded?" Black Bat questioned, "Because that's the tone Mom always has before I end up getting sent to my room."

"No, Cass, you're not grounded," Nightwing sighed, "It's more complicated than that."

"You found my Mom? Does Dad know?" Black Bat asked eagerly.

"No…Yes…It's complicated…" Phantom walked up to the girl. He gently handed her the dozens of folders in which he placed Cain's accounts, deeds, and notes.

"What are these?" Black Bat frowned at the folders in her arms.

"They're from your father. He sent them after he found out where Shiva was," Phantom sighed, "He wanted you to read this first."

He placed a small slip of paper on top of the folders. The massage burned into Black Bat's eyes.

'Don't be like me. Don't be like Shiva. Be Cassandra. I love you.'

Black Bat used her free hand to pull her mask away from her face. Her eyes shined with tears, "They're dead, aren't they?"

Phantom closed his eyes as Black Bat silently began to cry, "Yes, they are."

"Is everything prepared?" Trigon looked down at his various followers. They all bowed down before him, except for one.

"Your sons are ready, Father," Greed smiled up to the giant demon, "We will are ready to bring Pride back into the fold. Soon, your sins will be made whole once again."

Brother Blood bowed so low his forehead brushed the ground. He didn't seem to care as his red and white robes gained a layer of grime and dirt over them, "Your worshipers are ready, my master. The heroes will not know what to do when faced with humans ready to die for you."

Agent Z was the only one not bowing, "Your lava beetles are prepared. We'll burn everything to the ground, Master Trigon. Don't you worry about that."

"Good," Trigon nodded, "All of you are dismissed except Z. Get your groups ready for what is to come. The end of days will arrive soon."

Now free to leave, Greed and Brother Blood stood and walked away into two different portals at the back of the platform that stood above the planes of hell. Agent Z, however, didn't move, "What is it you want, Master Trigon?"

"I wanted to clarify something for you. I know that you think that I was lying when I said I would reuinte you with your children again," Trigon noted.

"It's fine. I've told you hundreds of times, all I care about is making sure Phantom dies," Agent Z shrugged.

"That's thing, though, David. I was never lying. You will meet up with your children again," Trigon stated, "I keep my promises, after all."

"Really?" Agent Z raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. That's what I want to address. Are you prepared to meet them? They won't be like you remember. They'll probably despise what you've become," Trigon explained, "Are you prepared for that? Are you certain that your loyalty won't waiver?"

Z frowned, "I can't guarantee how I'll feel, but you know that I don't go back on my decisions. Once I commit, I never waiver. You've seen that when I tried to eradicate all the ghosts and when I betrayed Joel."

"Yes. Very good. I just wanted to hear it from your mouth, because from what I understand about humans, you often let your blood family get in the way of progress."

Ember was trembling. She did not tremble. Rock stars and fire ghosts did not tremble. Ember did everything with complete confidence. That was her thing. No one could question her resolve.

Yet here was about to break down crying in front of her father's old workplace. It had been abandoned almost four years now. Everything was stripped from the building, even the giant logo on the front. Ember could still make out the letters, though.

GIW.

The Guys in White.

Her father was in the Guys in White. No, that wasn't completely right. He was the leader of the Guys in White. Ember's father…Torch's father…was Agent Z, one of Danny's greatest enemies. Disgust surged through her as she realized that her father was the man that had tried to kill everyone in the Ghost Zone, betrayed Joel, and was now apparently an agent of Trigon if she had her facts straight.

"Damn…It all makes sense now," Ember noted as she realized why both Torch and Danny kept so much from her. The truth was ugly.

Slowly, Ember reached out and traced the faded letters with her fingers. She might not have been responsible for her Dad's actions, but she still felt guilt. He was her family. That meant he was her responsibility. Just like it was Torch's responsibility.

"Okay then. I know what I have to do. Dad…I'm gonna have to deal with you."