□Tim□

I hear the door open from the living room, and I stand up almost immediately, my anxiety spiking. The steps get closer and closer, and Dick looks at me. We both know who it is, and we're just wanting to talk. About everything. From the Jason to Dad to the Cave. All of it. I just want her to understand that we lied to her to keep her safer, from the Joker who killed Jason, as well as from who we've become. The murderers and people we've changed into.

Okay, I literally need to say that and clear it off my chest because that was perfect. It sums up what both me and Dick want to say to her. And perfect timing too, because she walks in, arms at her sides, looking stoic.

"I will leave you to yourselves now, and if you need anything I'll be in the kitchen," Alfred states, quickly dismissing himself from the room.

And then there were three.
Here we go, no time to waste.

I take a breath and just start.

"Listen Mara I'm speaking for both Dick and I when I say that the reason we lied to you- from Jason to Dad to the Cave to the late nights- was because we wanted to keep you safe. The Joker killed Jason, and we didn't want to tell you about any of it because we didn't want that to happen to you-"

"And because we wanted to keep you from what we've become, from the people we've changed into. We're supposed to be your brothers, and we still are, but now it's different. Now, that you know, you're never going to look at us the same, and we know that." Dick stands next to me and explains more.

I nod and look back at my sister. She stays quiet but keeps eye contact with us, peering back and forth for a couple of seconds. And then she speaks, and I brace myself for her to yell at us more.

"I know that." It's quiet and small, and barely makes it to us. I almost ask her to repeat it, but she goes on. "I know what you mean, and I understand that, I guess. I mean not entirely, and yeah I'm still pissed, but it does make sense why you kept it from me. What I don't get is...well, why any of you started this whole 'vigilante' thing when you knew what you'd become?"

Boom.
Holy shit she's damn good.

Dick and I stay silent, thinking. Mara waits for us patiently when she sits down on the chair behind her.

"And where's Damian?"

"Oh, uh, well, he's upstairs as usual..." Dick trails off, so I finish it for him.

"Probably sulking or brooding. I mean, when is he not?" I try to crack a joke, but it doesn't play out well. No one laughs, so I just sorta look down. The silence is back. It's probably the most unnerving thing that you'll ever hear, because there's absolutely nothing you can do.

The ringing in your ears eats away at your body, bones, and nerves until your nothing but a hollow thing laying on the ground.

"Well, I'll talk to him later then..." Mara's voice sounds distant from me as Dick sits down again, from out of my peripheral. I sigh, copying him.

"You want us to answer the question don't you." Dick states dryly, staring at her. Her jaw tightens but her eyes soften.

"Well I asked it didn't I?" Sarcasm drips from her monotone voice.

"Mara, we didn't know what we'd become. What we are, who we are.  All we knew was a way to get our anger out. Now, after all this time, it's turned into something else, and that's changed us. We didn't know what would happen," Dick and Mara's conversation is becoming a little easier, as Mara is becoming more and more...'accepting' to say. It isn't the perfect word, but it'll due. The youngest Wayne in the room nods and swallows hard.

"Oh, I see," she says as I stand up and walk over to her. She looks up at me, and I reach my arms out. She tilts her head and half smiles, and I recognize it. It's the smile I've seen Dad wear, multiple times for seperate occasions.

Then Mara stands and wraps her arms around me. I smile when Dick's arms wrap around the both of us, and our heads just sorta collide in the middle. Mara's head below mine, mine below Dick's. As we let go I notice Mara's the last one to let go, leaving the embrace a couple seconds after I do. We all stand there for a second, enjoying each other's presence. I feel the foregiveness, love, and somewhat presence of serenity.

"Where'd you say Damian was again?" Mara asks, breaking the vibe.

"Upstairs," I reply, and she heads over to the stairs. But just as she runs up and reaches a couple stairs up, I add, "and fortunately in a slightly better mood than normal."

□Mara□

"Okay, thanks for the info," I smile, and run the rest of the spiral stairs. As I get closer to his room, I hear silence. My footsteps are the only thing I hear as I get a good two steps away from Damian's door.

I stop and just listen for a moment, to see if I can hear him. I don't know why, I just do. I take a deep breath and knock on the door. I wait a couple seconds, and then knock again. Silence. I purse my lips and start to sway, and then just decide to go in. He's taking too long and I need to talk to him.

I just want to take the weight off my chest. My patience is very thin in general, but it's icy thin because it's Damian I'm working with. It's dark when I open the door, and I see a figure start moving from the middle of the room. I'm guessing he was laying down, as the figure gets closer and closer. I open my mouth to speak but suddenly cold hands are on my shoulders, and are pushing me out the door.

"Wha- hey!" I stutter before Damian slams his door in my face. I frown, anger bubbling inside me. I'll keep it at bay until I need Damian to listen to me. In all honesty that's gonna last like five minutes, and after that I'm barging in and releasing my temper.

"Go away sister, I'm not in the mood," Damian's tone is angry. It just fuels my own anger.

"When are you not in the mood?" I snap back, the fury in me rising as we go at each other.

"Your childish to say that. Now go away."

"Why!?"

"Because!"

"Because why?!" My tone is dangerously close to my mother's tone, especially when I used sarcasm as a defense all those years ago.

"Because I said so!"

"Bullshit Damian, bull-!"

"Shut UP!" Damian roars, and I go silent. My brain shuts down, and I feel it click. The rage that came from the door that I keep locked. It figured out a way to get out. My jaw trembles, and my eye blinks rapidly. I can't control what my face is doing, as well as what I might do.

"Damian. Wayne. Open. The. Damn. Door. Right. Now." I spit as I grab the door handle and twist it. Damian didn't lock the door. Perfect. I open the door, slip inside, and shut the door behind me. I hear Damian's footsteps and I feel the wall for the lightswitch. I flip it and see Damian standing a couple feet away from me, looking pissed. He doesn't move from his spot as he observes me.

"Get-"

"Do NOT interrupt me! Damian, I literally came here to talk to you, and you shut the damned door on me, you little shit!" My voice is low, but it isn't the only thing that screams 'ANGRY ANGRY ANGRY'.

My muscles all over are forced and  tense, ready to fight. I don't know why, but I really feel like fighting Damian. Like, punching, kicking, screaming, just 'get it all out' kinda fighting.

I think he feels like this all the time, but especially now. Honestly reacting like this will only escalate the situation drastically, but I don't care.

"I don't want to talk. Get. Out." He emphasizes the 't' in out. I clench my jaw. I'm not in the mood to hear his crap. I came here to talk to him and clear everything up, just like I did with Dick and Tim, but they are different. They listen without retaliating and getting too agitated.

"No!"

"Yes!"

"NO!" I shout at the top of my lungs, not using much energy. It's not the loudest I can go, but it's the one that usually scares the shit out of people.

Damian's face is all scrunched up with rage, confusion, and straight up violence. He looks...animalistic, even. It's starting to raise my heartbeat and slightly alarm me when he starts coming towards me.

I start to back up, my fight or flight instinct kicking in at Damian's demeanor, when I hear a couple pairs of footsteps right by the door. Damian dead stops, and suddenly his whole outward look changes. His eyes go wide, his body freezes in its position, and I stop too, but bump into something as I do.

It's taller than me, broader than me, and I yelp and turn quickly, and push my arms out at the thing I bumped into. It's solid, but I soon realize it's a person. It's Bruce. I yank my hands back as he looks down at me, mostly emotionless. I swallow and take a couple steps back from everyone, whom I see is Bruce, Dick, and Tim. Alfred is nowhere to be seen.

I stand still once I feel I'm at a 'good' distance from them, even though I have no reason to. There's a beat of silence as we all glance at one another. My anger is still here, just floating around in the air.

"What's going on in here?" Bruce asks, and I both become relieved and even more angry.

The first side of that coin is that I'm happy to have someone between me and Damian, while the flipside of the coin is that now Damian and I can't talk because others are in the room, as well as the obvious.

The obvious is that the 'other' in the room is Bruce Wayne, my second biological guardian, who probably thinks that doing this will make me understand him and mend our rocky start. Nu-uh, no way. He isn't getting away with anything that quickly, I might as well just give him fifteen more years before he gets a word of healing out of me.

"Just talking," I lie. Damian still doesn't look at me, as he's all the way back to the window seat. He's just staring down at the floor, but I think mainly at his hands.

"Yeah, and 'just talking' involves screaming and yelling?" Tim adds, giving me a look.

"Was I asking you?" I retort, giving Tim a glare. Dick rolls his eyes, and Bruce takes in a breath.

"No, but-" Tim starts.

"That's enough! Now, what the hell is going on here? Dick, Tim, leave. Damian and Mara stay here." Bruce says, and I immediately regret starting a mini argument with Tim.

Now he's leaving with Dick, and I'm going to be left alone with the two people I don't really wanna be near anymore. Damian just makes me more angry and somewhat alarmed, since he tried to lunge at me, while Bruce just makes me confused and hateful. Either way, both guys lead to the same place; the door I don't open. Bruce leaves the door open a crack as he sighs and folds his arms.

"Okay, Mara, Damian, sit down. Both of you. I didn't want it to end up like this but your gonna have to work it out the harder way," Bruce tells us, and I scoff internally. Externally I stay where I am, not budging.

"No thank you," I respond, not making eye contact with Bruce. I can feel his stare burning into me.

"Mara, please just sit down," Bruce asks again, and I clench my jaw. I can listen to him, or I won't listen to him.

Both have their own pros and cons, but I do know that I just want to get all of this over with. Well, not mine and Bruce's rocky start obviously, but mine and Damian's. So, I sit down on the side of Damian's bed, crossing myself off from both of them. My legs and arms folded, I keep my face mostly emotionless as usual.

"Good, now Damian, please sit down," Bruce warns, but I truly don't think Damian is listening. I peer over at him and see he's still staring at his hands, standing completely still.

I mean, from here it looks like he's not even breathing, but I know he is. Everyone's gotta breath. I look at Bruce out of a random act. He looks at me and gives me a look that sends the hairs on my neck to stand up. I start to frown when his head flicks to the right, where the door is. And now I think this is the final straw between listening to him and not listening to him, but I don't think I have a choice.

My reasoning for listening to him is because he needs to help Damian with his...faze, per say. Or moreso trance. Yeah, Damian's trance, which did scare me quite a bit. I know Bruce can handle him, but I can't help but think that he might get hurt.

I hate myself for thinking that, but I guess since I'm just letting myself listen to him now, why the hell not. I mean why not just start up my own caped crusade gang while I'm at it huh? Yeah, definitely, with Monique and Emma and Levi. Yup, that sounds amazing. While I'm at that, why not just start a zoo. I mean, we've got the space for it!

Calm. Down.
Just let it be, Mara. Leave it. It's not your problem anymore.

As I take a step out I feel myself physically relax. My shoulders lower, my eyebrows reset, my hands unclench themselves, and my toes uncurl themselves. And then I realize I need to be alone, so I just decide to head to my room and do what I always do.

Listen to music. I flop down on my bed, feeling my body slowly become more numb as the beats, melodies, and sounds slowly null me to sleep.