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Chapter Text

"Catch!" The ball flew from her hand, falling a few feet away. She smiled when she saw the big black dog running after its.

Titus, her mind supplied.

She sighed wearily, taking the toy back from its owner's slimy snout and repeating the process. The thoughts of her returning to her current conflict.

DA-NI-E-LA

It's amazing how strange a word can sound after repeating it so many times. Is it normal that it takes so long to get used to her own name or is it just the great damage to her head?

There were so many questions plaguing her mind, some really important, but for some reason she couldn't stop thinking about the stupidest ones.

Was her name really Daniela? Why did they choose to give it that name? Who gave it to her?

"Catch!"

Does she really she lives in this great mansion? Was the owner of this place really her father? He was the one who took her out of the hospital and told him about her life before the accident, but… What guarantee did she have that she was really her daughter?

No, that was stupid. What does someone gain by robbing an amnesiac girl from the hospital? It was really stupid.

"Good boy, go!"

But she couldn't stop asking herself questions, looking in the mirror, they don't look much alike. Their skin, their eyes, even their features ... nothing fits.

'Was I adopted?'

Well, she was also the possibility of being her more like her mother, of whom she, by the way, she still has no news.

Do you have a mother to start with?

'It has been 3 days since I left the hospital, if my mother was with me ... wouldn't she be here already?'

She had intended to ask her "father" about the woman's whereabouts, but for some reason her throat would close every time she tried to bring up the subject.

'Maybe he doesn't like talking about her, my brain must be saying I shut up'

"Miss Daniela" she was startled when called. She quickly turned around, ignoring the hound's plaintive moan as his play was interrupted. She met the indifferent gaze of her father's servant.

Was servant a suitable word?

She couldn't help but think it sounded wrong.

"Mr. Pennyworth? " The older man's usually solemn face pinched for a millisecond, like every time she said his name. Why was he doing that?

"Her father is waiting for her for lunch." Her eyes widened, realizing how long she had been playing outside, she shot a glance at the dog next to her. How did he still have so much energy? "I suggest you go in and wash your hands, I'll put her plate on shortly"

“Yes, I'll be right away. Thank you Mr. Pennyworth” His strange face again. He nodded and went back inside the mansion.

Daniela looked at her playmate, now clearly calmer "I guess that's all for now"

As with every meal, she limited herself to following the same routine, that is, trying to eat as calmly as possible even while feeling his father's sideways glance.

She usually managed to get lost in her thoughts, not that it was very difficult, and they would eat in awkward silence, but for some reason he seemed quite willing to start a chat today.

"Something wrong?" She tried to shorten his misery and be the one to start the conversation. The man choked on his soup.

"What? No, why would something happen?" Just one glance between them managed to break it 'too easy' "We have to talk."

"I guessed" She lowered her utensils "What should we talk about?"

"These days I… uh…" He stumbled over his words, looking around the room for something. From what she had seen in these few days of consciousness inside the mansion, that look meant that he was looking for mr. Pennyworth, for some reason the man couldn't make any decisions about her without consulting the older one. "I thought it would be better to let you rest, you know, order your mind and... all that." He smiled uncomfortably.

"I appreciate it." She felt the need to say it, God, she really hated it when it sounded so formal. Se couldn't help doing it, luckily he didn't seem upset or surprised.

Should that worry her?

He nodded "Yes, but, well-" He cleared his throat "Daniela, there are many things I have to tell you, important things. And although I would like to give you more time for yourself as before, I am afraid that I can not let more time go by regarding these... things "

She frowned in confusion. What kind of things?

As if he was reading her mind, he replied "First, we must talk about our family"

That did get his attention "Shall we talk about my mother?"

He looked at her surprised "Your mother?" Daniela agreed "No, I... I think not today"

"Oh" She deflated. She wanted to ask more, to press the point, but from the look in his eyes it seemed like a bad idea. She would have to wait another moment for that "So what is it?"

Relieved by the change of subject, he smiled "Your brothers"

"Brothers?" She was surprised "I have brothers !?"

He nodded nervously. “Legally speaking, three of them. I wanted to talk about them before, but I was afraid it would be too much to process so quickly. "

A part of her wanted to snort, she wasn't crippled, she just had amnesia! She didn't have to walk on shells for everything, she could handle it. The only thing stopping her from saying all these things was the dark circles under the man's tired eyes. She didn't want to bother him anymore.

"All of them are older than you, because of their… jobs, they are not within the city, but believe me they have been very attentive to your condition"

"When can I meet them?"

It was difficult to live with her father and Mr. Pennyworth, they were kind people and they gave her her space, but she could never forget that their levels of recognition were not mutual. She didn't remember them, but they seemed to know so much about her.

It was all about little things, like her favorite food, food that she didn't know she liked but Mr. Pennyworth did. Or when her father put his hand on her shoulder and somehow knew exactly when to remove it before she felt uncomfortable.

They were small things, gestures that made her chest feel warm.

But she couldn't help but feel bad for them too. She felt that somehow she was failing them, for them she was family, for her they were strangers.

She felt like she was taking someone else's place.

And now, three brothers? Three other people to be uncomfortable with?

“We were talking and we thought that maybe you should get to know them little by little. Two of them are out of town, Tim, the youngest of them, usually stays here in the mansion so it would be easier to start with him "

Daniela nodded silently. Her brother lived with them, where was he all this time?

"So... I wanted to talk to you about it, how do you feel about your brother coming back here?"

"I..." How could her say no to that hopeful face? Hell, his eyes were sparkling. How could such a big man look like a puppy kicked so easily?

'And to think that a few days ago I was afraid of him...'

"I agree, I think so" The man smiled and she returned the gesture "Would you tell me about him?"

"Of course"

It was the first time they spoke during lunch, usually they just sat silently each with their own thoughts, only making little comments from here to there. Not this time, Daniela smiled when she saw the generally stoic man smile and talk animatedly about his another son, she wanted to feel envy of the other boy, of the effect he had on the man, but could not find it in her.

She wondered if he ever talked about her in a way with anyone else, had he done anything worthwhile to even tell?

"What do you think?" She turned around with a set of clothes in front of her, the furry creature on her bed glanced at her, preferring to go back to his nap. Daniela frowned, looking at the dress "Yes, I don't like the color much either"

Her me before the accident didn't seem to have a conspicuous taste for colors, all the clothes in her closet were dark and dingy, she didn't complain much about it, she had quite a bit of black clothes that she liked. But come on Who wears dark moss green color at her age? And with a high neck, what did she have on her head?

She threw herself on the bed, earning a complaint from Alfred the cat.

She still couldn't believe that she named him after Mr. Pennyworth.

'Seriously, what kind of person am I?'

Everything is so fucking confusing.

She shared a look with Alfred. Titus, like any dog, was full of energy, playing with him was refreshing. On the other hand, Alfred… “Stop judging me, will you? I have enough of my own self-loathing. "

As if her response had insulted him personally, Alfred got up from his place, stretched out, and left. Completely outraged.

Daniela moaned, burying her face in her pillow.

"The last time I saw you do that, you smashed all of yours pillows with a knife. Should I be worried?"

Daniela jumped from her place, seeing Alfred, the person, enter with a pile of clothes “Mr. Pennyworth! Wait, the last time I what !? "

He chose to ignore her question, putting things away in her closet. Seeing the mess on her bed he simply arched an eyebrow in that graceful way that only he could.

"Any reason for your... exhaustive search?"

Daniela blushed, hiding some things behind her. She glanced at Alfred, shaking her head "No, none" How could she tell him that she was nervous about meeting her supposed brother? She was ashamed just thinking about it, it was just her brother, it was family. Why did she want to look good? What was the point? It's not like she should make a good first impression, he already knew her.

'He knew her, past tense'

"It just... made me curious..."

"I see" Said the man, who clearly did not believe her "I'll start making dinner, anything you need from me before that?"

"No thanks Mr. Pennyworth" He nodded and started to walk away "Wait!" She nervously played with her hands "Can... Can I ask you something?"

"Of course"

"I ..." she looked at the man "How was my relationship with my brothers?"

Alfred watched her silently, then walked to the door of the room and closed it softly. "Is this about Master Timothy's visit tomorrow?" She nodded “Miss Daniela, I'm not going to lie to you, the beginning of your wasn't… the most charming. Your are the minors and both tend to fight a lot with each other, my poor kitchen has been a victim of it many times "

She smiled, though she quickly fainted. As she feared it, something told her that it couldn't be as wonderful as her father put it, 'We don't get along... Is it my fault?'

Alfred, the mind reader that he is, approached her, kneeling and taking one of her hands "Miss, as I said your beginning was not the best, but that was years ago, both have grown and although their disputes continue with the same frequency, its strength has dropped considerably. You are brothers, you will always fight each other. But if there is something I can assure you, it is that you love your brothers, all of them, you has not always known how to show it, but that is normal in this family. They know you love them and they love you too"

She blinked, trying to push away the tears that threatened to show themselves. His face softened and he gently caressed her face when a tear ran down her cheek. "You have nothing to worry about, Miss Daniela, with or without your memories, everyone in this house loves you and will help you in everything you need, you are not alone my girl, you will never be"

'Never again' He thought.

Chapter Text

She huddles between the blankets, the atmosphere around her is warm, and slender fingers gently comb her hair.

She sighs with joy.

The owner of caresses speaks softly, in a language that she cannot understand, but which she welcomes like an old friend.

It's warm, she's comfortable.

She never wants it to end.

She looks in the mirror for what must be the fifth time this morning. After the embarrassing cry of her in Alfred's arms, she now thinking about how to dress sounded so stupid in her mind.

Her brother was living in the same house again, not a big deal, right? She was only supposed to dress casually, as she had been doing for the past few days.

"And good?" She turned, her arms outstretched. Titus, lying on her bed, gave a happy bark. Daniela smiled "That's why you're my favorite" she could feel the threatening look of the cat on her pillow, but she preferred to ignore it.

She combed her hair with her hands, the simple gesture erasing her smile. She still couldn't understand that dream, she wanted to think it was a memory, but she couldn't remember anything that would give her a clue about it.

‘If it was a memory… Where was I? With whom?'

The feel of those fingers in her hair ...

'They felt... so familiar...'

"Miss Daniela, breakfast will be served shortly" Alfred called through the bedroom door.

"I'm going in a second Mr. Pennyworth!" She looked back at herself in the mirror, sighing nervously. He's just her brother, everything will be fine. Right?

Before

Waking up in the hospital was an unreal experience.

She struggled to open her eyes, they were too heavy. As soon as she did she was faced with a ceiling bathed in white, she could barely breathe, everything felt so… heavy.

She then she heard movement around her, she did not deign to move, she was too tired for that. But it wasn't necessary anyway, in just a few seconds she could see a man's face above hers.

The man's eyes were shining, he looked so… hopeful, so happy. A smile slid across his lips as their gazes met, he sobbed.

"Daniela ... Oh my god, daughter!" He cried, seeming about to hug her, but then he seemed to remember something and pulled away from her sight. She complained, wanting to turn her head, she didn't know why, she didn't understand, but she didn't want to lose sight of him. She needed to see him, to know that he was there.

Soon she heard more footsteps, she felt unfamiliar hands around her. Her breathing quickened, she could feel panic flood her. A white clothed man leaned out in front of her and she closed her eyes when a bright light shone on them.

"Daniela, can you hear me?"

Daniela?

Irritated by the light, she nodded quickly, wanting to push her away, but unable to speak through the device over her mouth.

"Is she okay?"

“Everything seems in order. Daniela, we are going to remove the oxygen mask, okay? "

Ah, that was the strange thing on her mouth.

"All good. All good… ”She felt emptiness, took a deep breath, only to end up coughing“ Take it easy ”

"Honey, it's me, it's dad. How do you feel?"

He is ... who?

She turned her face, looking at the man of the beginning. His bright blue eyes, though still looking hopeful, now looked sad, concerned. She frowned. Did he say he was her father?

No, he is not her father.

She doesn't know who he is. She does not remember ever seeing him in her life.

She opened her mouth to tell him, but then another thought hit her.

'Who is my father?'

This man was not, but then… Who was?

She searched her memory, trying to remember a man she called dad, someone to call her daughter, but nothing came.

Literally… nothing came.

'Oh God' her breathing quickened again, she could hear the machines connected to her heart rate make noise and several voices calling her. It all became too much.

'Why don't I remember? Think! Think!'

Her last memory? The last person she saw? Anything before waking up here!?

"Daniela, darling you must breathe"

Daniela? Because he called her that again !?

"Daughter, listen to me..."

'I'm not your daughter! Stop calling me that! '

She could feel the tears running down her cheeks, at some point her mask returned. She tried to take it off. She needed to breathe! Why didn't they let her breathe alone !?

"Mr Wayne, I think it would be better if you-"

"What is happening to her!?"

"Mr Wayne-"

What happened? How did she get here?

Where is here !?

Who are these people?

Who is that man?

Who is he…

...

...

...

…Who is she?

Now

By the time it's time for lunch, she is in charge of feeding Titus and heads to the dining room. As she gets closer, she can hear voices, not just his father and Mr. Pennyworth, there is one more.

'Could it be ...?'

She peeks out the door silently, trying to get a peek.

Inside the huge room, her father is sitting at the table, next to him, a boy who cannot be older than 18 years. Daniela studies him carefully, sitting down she can't see how tall he is, but he is quite thin. His hair is black and he has blue eyes.

‘He is more like dad than I…’

Her father talks about business things, about funders and throws a joke that she cannot understand. The boy smiles as if he is the funniest thing in the world and his eyes shine as he looks at the older man.

'It's the same face' she realized. The same expression her father had when talking about him the day before 'They ... really are close, right?'

A cough behind her makes her jump out of her place. Alfred looks at her with amusement, but always with that air of British seriousness. "Will you join her father and her brother for lunch, Miss Daniela?"

She blushed to be caught spying "Yes, Mr. Pennyworth"

"I'm glad, now, if you went to your stall ..." He gently pushed her inside. Daniela gasped, looking between the old man and the occupants of the room. They looked in her direction as they heard the man speak. They both got up from their place.

"Daniela, I was waiting for you to arrive"

"Sorry, I kept playing with Titus." She glanced down at her feet, too nervous to look up.

"That's fine, come here, I want to uh- introduce… your brother." Even she could hear the discomfort in his voice. Guilt settled back inside her. He shouldn't have to do that, he shouldn't have to go through something like that, have to introduce his children to each other like now ...

All because of her, because of her stupid amnesia.

"He is your brother, Tim" He pulled her closer to the boy, putting an arm over each of them. Daniela plucked up the courage to look at her new brother, he looked at her as if she were the most interesting and rare thing of all. She was immediately self-conscious.

Mr. Pennyworth said that their relationship was not one of the best long ago, but that they had progressed from there. What should she say? Should she act normal, as if they are acquaintances? Or to present herself as if she were a completely different person?

They must have sensed her discomfort, Tim leaned towards her uncomfortably "Hey" he greeted.

"Hey..."

God, this would be so awkward.

Before

"I'm sorry Mr. Wayne, but from what I see Daniela may be suffering from a neurological problem at the moment, although I cannot determine for sure if this is the case, or if it is a psychological problem, not without first doing some tests"

"Doctor, she ..."

"I'm sorry to tell you Mr. Wayne, but I'm afraid your daughter suffers from amnesia" There was a moment of silence, then a sigh "I understand this is a difficult time, with ... everything that has happened, but Mr. Wayne, how I tell you, we will not be able to know the cause until we carry out some tests, until then, I cannot assure anything about the diagnosis, not if it is temporary or ... "

"Do what you need, whatever tests are necessary" The man's voice cracked "Just ... please ... find out what's wrong"

She looked at her hands, contemplating what she was hearing through the wall next to her. She had only woken up a few minutes ago, long, agonizing minutes.

She couldn't think very clearly and her limbs were unable to move at the pace she wanted. The doctor in charge of her said it was due to painkillers that she was currently being given to calm her down.

She didn't think they were of much use.

She couldn't stop thinking about the tired man's face that she saw when she woke up.

The man who, it seems, is her father.

She couldn't get his face out of her head when she asked who he was.

That felt so… bad.

The tears came back, she tried to push them away as best she could with her numb body.

Why wasn't she able to remember him?

-

Now

Her father and 'Tim' chatted animatedly for most of lunch, filling the comfortable silence that Daniela had grown accustomed to in recent days. She wanted to be upset by the change, but she was happy to see her father more cheerful.

She was content to listen to them speak, taking advantage of their distractions to take a closer look at the boy in front of her.

Timothy Drake, according to what her father told him the day before, Tim was only a few years older than her, he had been an orphan for a few years. Tim is quite young, but he was emancipated and is now part of Wayne Enterprise, his father's company.

She was told that he was smart, but she was really impressed by his achievements, leaving school at such an early age and then starting to work with her father ...

'He is incredible'

Then her father received a call and left the room to answer. That was when the peace ended.

Both returned to their dishes, in eerie silence.

"So... you don't remember anything?"

'That means having amnesia, genius"'she was surprised by her own thought. Where did that come from?

She shook her head. He looked at her with narrowed eyes. “Nothing at all? Not even Dick?

What?

Daniela looked at him surprised. Was it a kind of joke?

"I'm sorry?"

Tim arched an eyebrow "Dick, don't you remember?"

Daniela blushed "What the hell are you talking about !?"

He seemed disoriented “Dick… our brother? Richard?"

"His name... is 'Dick'?"

"Oh" He looked away embarrassed "I got it, sorry, I thought Bruce would have told you about him"

"He said I had siblings, but he didn't really name them" She arched an eyebrow "What did he do to get called that?"

"We didn't choose it!" He put a hand to his face. “It's a nickname for him. By Richard "

"Richard?"

"I think I should explain it better" He started to play with his hands "Um ... the oldest of us is Dick, his real name is Richard Grayson, he is an idiot and loves hugs, you will recognize him immediately when you see him. Then comes Jason, Jason Todd, he is ... Jason, he's an idiot, but more in the real sense of an idiot, you will recognize him because he usually dresses like a criminal" A teddy bear and a criminal, okay "Later I come me, and finally you "He stopped, thinking for a moment" Well, there are more people, but for now that would be us "

"What other people?" Before he could answer, his father returned to the room. He immediately went back to discussing his business with Tim. Daniela frowned, sipping some juice. Why is it that every time one of her answers was answered another twenty were created in her head?

More people in her life. Brilliant.

"Daniela?" She looked up, they were both looking at her. What did she miss?

"Yes father?"

"I told you that we must go to the office after lunch, there was a meeting with some investors that we completely forget about"

"Oh, I understand"

He looked guilty "Alfred went to the market, he will be back in a few hours. Will you be okay by yourself?"

"Of course" She snorted into her mind, for such a luxurious and huge place, the mansion should have a top-notch security system. Who would be such an idiot to sneak in?

An hour after her father and brother left, as she relaxed in her room with Alfred the cat sleeping on her stomach and heard footsteps upstairs she realized that yes, there was someone what an idiot.

Well, shit.

Chapter Text

"Are you sure you are fine by yourself?"

Daniela rolled her eyes behind the man's back "Yes father, I'll be fine"

When Bruce came out to start the car, Tim looked at his little sister "I uh ... I guess we'll see you later"

She nodded, hiding her hands behind her back. It was a fairly new gesture to see in her. Being uncomfortable she usually used to fold her arms, trying to look as big as her small body allowed, hiding her nervousness or embarrassment. Now she just… hid it in another way.

Even with the stab of pain in his chest, he can't help the wave of affection that hits him. Trying to hide his face, he put a hand to her head and ruffled her hair, a smile grew on his face when he heard the indignant scream of the minor, it was nostalgic.

"See you later, baby bat"

The current Daniela was so different from her pre-amnesia in so many ways, the new one isn't careful to hide her facial expressions, doesn't frown as often, and seemed genuinely interested in talking to him. Too different from their first meeting almost three years ago.

It was almost… nice.

"Tim?" He was pulled out of his thoughts by Bruce's voice. He looked at the older man, surprised to see the concern in his eyes "Is everything okay?"

"Uh, yeah ... all good" He sighed "I'm sorry, were you telling me something?"

Bruce frowned "You know, if you don't feel well ..."

"I'm good"

"These days have been ... stressful, I'll understand if you need some time for yourself" he squeezed his shoulder for a second "If you still don't want to go back to the mansion, I'll understand. Alfred will understand too”

"And what about Daniela?" He surprised himself by asking. He met the surprised eyes of the man “You told her that she would come back, didn't you? What will you tell her now if I don't stay? What changed me mind?"

"We can say there was an emergency," Bruce proposed. Tim watched the man squeeze the steering wheel. “Tim, if you want to stay, you know you'll always be welcome. I just want you to know that you don't have the obligation to do it, that you have options"

To be honest, the offer was tempting. He could go back to the titans, stay for a few more weeks in the tower, collect his thoughts, be distracted with his friends ...

But that would not be right, something in his chest was forcing him to stay, to take his suitcases to the mansion and settle there.

It was what he should do.

Start acting like the brother he should be.

Instead of saying all this, instead of explaining it, he tried to change the course of the conversation “Will you tell me about the meeting we are going to? You didn't say anything other than that it was urgent ”he frowned as he saw his mentor wince“ Bruce… what are you not telling me? ”

They entered W.E's parking lot, parking in the spot with the plaque marked "Bruce?"

He sighed, turning off the car "... there is no meeting"

"Sorry?"

The man sighed "Listen, I'm sorry, but I thought maybe we needed to talk before… about all this."

"What is 'all this' supposed to be? Bruce, we just left Daniela alone! Because ... A fake meeting? What the hell!?"

"She will be alright-"

"You don't know that!" He took a deep breath, trying uselessly to calm himself. "Bruce, the last time we left her alone-" The words died in his throat.

"I know" his hands never left the steering wheel. While his voice was level and calm, his white knuckles told a different story. “I know. I just…” He sighed “Tim, we couldn't speak after… I really couldn't speak well to any of you on the subject. At the hospital, when I said to take it easy, you got mad and… you left” Oh yeah. They left, Tim knows that is true, it is not something that he can deny because he logically knows that it is true. But he can still feel the anger that he felt in that moment. He can remember it clearly.

He remembers that waiting room, that awful cold and uncomfortable place, he remembers his hands shaking, Dick's footsteps pacing the hall from one side to the other, the intimidating presence of Jason in a corner, standing with his arms crossed.

… Remember Bruce, sitting across from him, telling them that they couldn't talk to his younger sister.

Daniela had amnesia, it was a hard blow for everyone, even for Tim. To say that they were not the closest brothers would be an understatement, everyone knew that their beginning was not the best. She tried to murder him for the love of God!

But they had grown up since then, they had gotten closer, they managed to dialogue with each other without ending up hitting each other, they learned to read each other's actions, they appreciated their work ... even on his last birthday, Tim received a gift card from her, a card made by hand.

And… well, yeah, they had split up lately, with Tim living with the Titans and Daniela starting school…

But they had been fine!

Hearing that Daniela didn't remember any of that was… hard. As if all that progress, all that work, that mutual appreciation just… was gone.

But hearing Bruce tell them they couldn't get close to her for a long time...

He has no words to describe it.

According to Bruce, the doctor recommended not to overwhelm her, to introduce her to her surroundings and past her in a calm and leisurely way.

Apparently, for Bruce, that was denying her knowing the existence of her siblings.

Things exploded at that moment, for once it wasn't Jason trying to hit Bruce, actually, Jason was the one holding Dick so he wouldn't hurt the man.

It was to be expected, if it hurt Tim, he couldn't imagine what the other man should feel. Everyone knows that Dick is more of a father to Daniela than Bruce himself.

“Dinah is supervising Daniela, as her therapist. I… well, she says we should do things carefully around her. Not all patients with amnesia react in the same way, we do not know if recovering the memories of it is a quiet process or ... it may damage her"

"Damage her?"

“Some people it can… hurt. It can be a difficult process for patients. So far we haven't seen any progress with her memory, she doesn't seem to remember anything about her and so we don't know what kind of patient she is. Listen, I know you and Daniela didn't get along "Tim arched an eyebrow" But right now it's not her, she's not ... not the same girl who was verbally attacking you or who would know how to hit back "

Strike back? Tim feels his stomach turn "Bruce ..." He felt like vomiting "Did you expect me to ... hit her?"

He shrugged "You guys always used to-"

"That is different!" He threw his arms up in the air in outrage "Dammit, Bruce! Those were us interacting in the only way we knew how, I knew that Daniela would block my blows in the same way that she knew that her words no longer affected me as before! I'm not the kind of person who hits a girl who can't defend herself. "

And God, saying it hurt in a way he couldn't fathom. Knowing that Daniela was not the same was one thing, admitting it out loud was something completely different. And admit that now Daniela was not able to defend herself, that she was defenseless ...

"I know! Tim, sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that" Bruce sighed and soon Tim just wanted to put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him, but no, he was too proud to give in so soon. He knew the older man was in pain, probably more than them, but somehow they always worked the way to offend them.

“I just… am lost, okay? Everything is so complicated and I don't know how to do things! I was afraid to introduce them because I don't know how she would react, nothing happened with me and neither with Alfred, I thought that at home with her pets maybe she would remember something, but she shows no improvement! And so, I thought it would be safe to introduce them to you, slowly, one by one. I thought that it would be the best for her, that interacting with you would do her good, I thought of you first because you are the closest to her age and the calmest of the three" He breathed "But after the call, I saw you both talking together, she asking you questions and ... "

"And?" What was wrong with that? They were interacting in peace, just the way he wanted it!

"Then I realized ... that I didn't think of you" Bruce sighed, finally letting go of the steering wheel, grimacing at his white hands. "I didn't think about how being around her would affect you, answering questions that shouldn't even be asked. The names of Dick and Jason? I didn't even realize I hadn't named them before"

"It was embarrassing," Tim admitted, a pink tint on his cheeks. "Having to explain that her brother chooses to be called 'Dick'"

A graceless laugh filled the car. Tim smiled sadly, looking at his guardian. Even in the darkness of the underground parking lot he could make out the dark circles under the man's eyes, the tense shoulders, the watery eyes. Bruce has always been good at donning masks for the cameras, for the press, he is a master of the art of acting. But it's times like these that you can see the man under all of that. Is.. sad.

"Bruce, why did you really make up the meeting?"

“…These days have been difficult. I feel like I am in a minefield where any step could trigger something worse. I am constantly afraid of doing or saying something that might hurt her, that she..."

Tim nodded, understanding "You can't take care of her forever"

"I know" He repeated again "I know ... I took you out of the mansion, because I had to tell you. Tim, it won't be easy, being around her, taking care of your every move, your words… it's difficult, exhausting. If you stay at the mansion, you will need to take that into account. I want you to know that, if you think it is too much, you can leave at any time, that you are not obliged to be there. I want to help Daniela, but not at your expense, not at any of yours”

"Bruce ..." He couldn't lie and say that it didn't make him feel appreciated, but also ... "I think for once ... it's okay if our feelings don't matter." He held up a hand, silencing the man before he did could speak "What brought us to this, was exactly that, thinking only of us. Daniela needed us and we were not there for her, she needed us and ... and now we are paying the price, even worse, she is paying it"

They weren't the ones who forgot their full life, they weren't the ones who had to wander through a huge mansion without feeling it as their home, who should investigate in order to find out about the members of their supposed family.

No, everything was her. As before, she was the one who was really suffering.

“That won't happen again, not again Bruce. It hurts or not, that doesn't matter, we'll be there this time "He looked down" We may not be the closest, God knows Dick is the closest to her, but that doesn't mean I don't love her like I love the rest of this fucking family" He looked the older man in the eye, trying to convey all his feelings "I love her too Bruce and no matter what comes, I want to be there this time"

"We all want it"

Her father and Tim left almost an hour ago, Alfred showed no signs of showing up anytime soon and Daniela was alone, alone in a large mansion where a stranger, most likely a thief, had entered from the upper floors.

Her room was on the third floor, how did he get in from so high up !? Why not enter from below !?

She quickly shook her head, trying to push those thoughts away. She must concentrate!

She had thought about hiding inside her closet and calling 911 or her father, but she didn't remember having a phone ...

… Of course she wouldn't remember, she has amnesia, damn it! Why didn't anyone inform her of important things like that !?

Well, she could still hide and wait for someone else to arrive.

But what would that someone do? What if Alfred comes first? What would the poor old man do against a thief? What if the thief brought weapons with him? What if Alfred got shot? Or her father? What about Tim?

She could feel tears in her eyes at the thought. She had just met her brother, she couldn't lose him so soon!

So she discarded the first options and now she was here, in the lower corridor, moving as silently as she could, holding Titus by the leash, with the large canine leading the way and the small knife that he found tucked in her pillow pressed against her chest.

It was a nice weapon, she found it her first night at the mansion, when she couldn't sleep and her pillow felt strange. Then, in an attempt to accommodate her, she squeezed too hard and almost sliced her hand off. It was painful, she had to bite her lip to keep from screaming in pain. But she at least managed to find the cause of her annoyance.

Perhaps it should be worrying how quickly and calmly she went back to sleep, holding the small knife in her hands.

At this moment, she was very grateful to her pre-amnesia her for putting the weapon away. Perhaps she should wonder why she felt the need to sleep armed, but that would be later. She now she has a mission to focus on.

The plan was simple, go down quietly and leave the mansion, for a chance to warn whoever gets there first. The thief was upstairs, so she wouldn't have much trouble staying out of his sight.

Except that when she made it to the first floor, something fell into the kitchen.

'...How did he get there before us?'

Titus's nose perked up, Daniela barely had time to tighten the leash before the Great Dane ran straight for the source of the noise.

They both stopped at the entrance, gazing into the lighted interior of the huge room

... where a criminal was ...

Stealing the cookie jar?

The guy raised his head, looking directly at them, he seemed surprised, but she didn't pay attention, she was more focused on the weapons tucked in his tool belt.

"Hey" The subject gaped, getting up from his hiding place. Daniela looked at her own hand, where the small knife rested that she for some strange reason felt unable to throw.

"Hell, I thought there would be no one home" He kept muttering to himself "Okay, just let me-" When he started to approach her, Daniela did the only thing her mind clouded with her panic was capable of doing.

She reached for the thing closest to her, a cup, and threw it.

"Hey! Wait!" He screamed, shielding his face with his arms. Daniela didn't hear him getting more things and throwing them in his direction “Wait- ouch! Dammit Babybat! Don't you know how much Alfred loves his porcelain!?"

Daniela was about to throw a chair at him when his words clicked in her mind. Did he know Mr. Pennyworth? And that name that he told her...

"See you later, baby bat"

The same thing Tim called her!

Daniela looked at her 'attacker', the guy was not too old, just a little older than Tim, although much more muscular than the latter. He has black hair with a strange white streak on his forehead and those clothes-

"He's an idiot, but more in the real sense of an idiot, you will recognize him because he usually dresses like a criminal"

Oh

OH

"You ... you are ..." She blinked like an owl.

He scoffed, removing a piece of glass from his hair "Jason Todd, to serve you dear little sister."

Oh shit.

Chapter Text

Once upon a time, less than 24 hours ago, Daniela thought it would be exciting to have siblings.

Someone must have warned her in advance.

Daniela grimaced, listening to the pottery sound as she swept the porcelain chunks off the floor 'I hope Mr. Pennyworth doesn't get too mad'

Although technically it wasn't her fault, what else should she have done? She thought he was a criminal!

'Not that he looks much different from one' She glanced at her 'brother' across the kitchen, where he was trying to remove bits of pottery from his leather jacket. Tim was right with the description of him 'Although it would have been nice to tell me that not only does he look as a criminal, but he also comes home as one'

"Good! That was not the welcome I expected ... not that I expected one, but hey ..." He approached her. Daniela tightened her grip on the broom "Where is the old man?"

Old man? "Mr. Pennyworth went out to do some shopping"

"Mr... Pennyworth?" He looked at her in surprise, something in his gaze darkened, though somehow she knew he wasn't for her (Still, her grip on the broom only tightened). But then he went back to his amused expression "Nah, I'm not talking about Alfred. Where's Bruce?"

Bruce? Daniela frowned in thought for a moment before she clicked.

Right, that was her father.

She felt her cheeks heat up, not even having amnesia sounded like a good excuse to forget her own father's name "He and Tim went to his work, something about an important meeting"

"Oh so you already met little Timmy" He smiled "Dickhead is going to be upset"

"Dickhead?" Daniela raised an eyebrow "Oh, the other brother"

"The ‘another brother’?" For some reason he seemed even funnier. "Yeah, he's definitely going to get mad ... or maybe he'll cry" He muttered at the end.

'Those are two very different things' she frowned "Why would he... do that?"

He looked at her silently, a strange gleam in his eyes "I'll let you find out for yourself." He ruffled her hair. She had the strange urge to stab him with the broomstick.

She watched him come out of the kitchen, after grabbing a few leftover cookies “Wait! Where are you going? "

"I came for cookies from Alfred, I already got them." He turned away from her, as if that explained something. Daniela looked at the broom in her hands, hesitating for only a second before leaning it against the wall and following the guy.

"How did you do it?" She asked him catching up, he simply arched an eyebrow, not pausing. "Entering the fourth floor, how did you do it? No, rather why? Don't have keys? You could knock on the door "

He- Jason, shrugged "Why not?" He said with a smile. Daniela stared at him in disbelief. They both went upstairs.

"Why yes?" She tried.

He hesitated to answer, she heard a murmur of what the hell "I did not know if the old man was at home, entering through the main entrance was a big NO"

"Are you ... avoiding father?" She thought that based on what was discussed, she was definitely going to meet ALL of her siblings in no time. She today started with Tim, there were only Jason and… the other guy (she flatly refuses to call him by that ridiculous name). So why does her brother prevent her father from knowing that he is home? Wouldn't he come by himself in a few more days? "Why?"

"Why not?" She frowned, to which he responded smiling and ruffling her hair again "Good, just because your killer look is adorable" Daniela will deny until the day of her death the heat on her cheeks She is not adorable! "You see, dear sister with no memories, your daddy and me are not very close, well, that is to put it delicately"

Why? She was repeating herself in her mind, but it sounded too repeated right now, plus, the distant look on her brother's face was enough to know that if she kept talking about it, their conversation would turn quite dark .

She should find out what happens between those two later, with more time and delicacy.

'Maybe I'll ask Tim' she thought excitedly, happy to finally have someone who does answer her questions, or at least some of them. Something is something!

"Well! A pleasure to see you again, gremlin, but I must go now” Daniela left her thoughts, looking around her. She lost in her mind did not take into account how many stairs they went up, but she knew there were many.

She looked at her new brother, seeing him stick one foot out the window. “Wait! What do you doing!?"

"Aww, the little demon is worried about me, I feel flattered" He joked, sticking his other foot out, sitting on the windowsill "I admit that this personality change is a strange thing, but I will not say that I do not like it"

"Go to hell!" She blurted out before she could stop herself. She was amazed at her outburst, but didn't find her wanting to return it. For some reason, the insult feels good on her lips.

“There is the demon baby I know! I knew you were out there somewhere"

Daniela blushed at the implication. Did she use to curse frequently?

"It was nice... meeting again?" He smiled "But my idiots radar is on and I can feel your dear father coming." He took a rope, which she definitely hadn't noticed, tied outside to the wall and began to descend. Daniela watched fascinated as he went down, only after a few steps did she realize... she wanted to do it too.

Why would she want her-

He made landfall. As he dusted off his nonexistent dust jacket, he looked up and saluted. Daniela returned the stunned gesture and watched him walk away, camouflaging himself with the bushes in the yard.

… Did that really happen?

"What do you say? 'Pirates of the Caribbean' or 'Harry Potter'?" Tim pointed to the covers of both movies on his laptop. Daniela looked at both images, trying to decide which would be the best for their movie night.

One of them had what she could infer were pirates, although only one of them seemed actually dressed as one. The name was striking but the image was not so much 'Maybe next time'. The other had a boy with glasses as the center of the image, some bearded men and… was that a witch?

"What are they about?" She asked him.

"Pirates of the Caribbean is about ... well ... Pirates?" Daniela arched an unimpressed brow. He shrugged “I really don't remember the first movie well, but Jack Sparrow is a great character no matter what the number is. Anyway, Harry Potter is about a boy who discovers that magic exists and goes to a school of wizardry"

"You are the worst person to summarize movies" She froze after speaking and looked at her brother with fear. Where did that trust in her come from?

"Yes, you are not the first to say it" he admitted. He stood up, ruffling her hair in passing and began to connect the computer to the television, completely ignoring the sigh of relief she let out. “So? Which you choose?"

Daniela grunted, straightening her hair. For some reason, after meeting Jason, she began to realize that everyone did that to her 'So annoying'

"Let's see Harry Potter, I want to see the magic tricks"

“Oh, you're going to love it. There is a teacher who turns into a cat” How did he know that this would attract her attention? Daniela didn't know, but yes, he was right, that sounded very interesting.

Almost an hour and a half later, wrapped in blankets and flattened against her brother's side, she watched the credits roll in dumbfoundedness, her mind still confused by what she had just seen. It was definitely an amazing movie, even if it wasn't a recent movie, the effects were very good and the spells! And damn-

"I really thought Severus Snape was the bad guy..." She whispered to Tim, not wanting to interrupt the silence in the room, but having to get him out of her system "The other teacher was suspicious from the beginning, too... I don't know... but always I thought Severus was the bad guy in the story” She shook her head in disbelief. When her only response was silence, she turned to look at her brother.

She was surprised to see him with his eyes closed, clearly asleep.

At what point did he fall unconscious? Was she so focused on the movie that she didn't realize it?

She moved slowly, not wanting to wake him and stared at him for a moment, her chest clenching as she realized how tired he really was.

This was the second ‘movie night’ they had together. It all started when Tim showed her a so-called ‘meme’ on his cell phone and Daniela was not able to recognize the reference. He was horrified and set out to ‘educate her’ in the modern language of the internet.

She didn't quite understand why, anyway, it wasn't like she was going to use it. But how could she say no to quality sibling time? She wanted to get to know Tim better and he wanted to spend time with her. It was perfect!

The only problem? Tim is not even a teenager like others, he does not have as much free time as she. He is an emancipated boy who works the same hours as any other adult and as if it were not enough, in a high position. They barely had time to see each other in the daytime, but Tim made time to watch a movie with her for two nights in a row.

She was foolish not noticing his tiredness. Had she ruined his sleep schedule?

Even with the feeling of guilt, she couldn't help but feel warmth on her chest.

She was so worried about going back to those 'bad days' Mr. Pennyworth mentioned, where she and Tim got on badly. Seeing him now like this, exhausting his only short free time with her...

A smile slid across her lips.

She pulled the covers off her, covering her brother as best she could. She couldn't leave him sleeping here, she would have to wake him up in a moment to go to his own room. But in the meantime, she wanted him to be as comfortable as possible.

She looked at his face carefully, seeing the dark circles under his eyes, noting the paleness of his skin. Was that just his natural color or was it due to his tiredness? Her eyes moved to his hair and she hesitated for a moment, noting that there was no one else near her before raising her hand above his head, gently stroking his hair as he and Jason had done with her.

It was soft...

She sighed, smiling when he leaned into her touch, like a kitten. She hoped… she really hoped… could also have moments like these with her other siblings.

Chapter Text

I adore the poetic ambivalence of a scar, which has two messages:

Here it hurt, here it healed

The phrase continues to haunt her mind every time she sees herself reflected in the mirror.

Sounds good, poetic as it says. But looking at her body, full of those marks that she knows will not fade ...

She draws the lines, examining them. Some are thick and dark, others are barely visible, too thin to even notice at first glance. Some are long, some are short. Old or young, no matter the differences, they all hurt.

It is not a physical pain as you would expect, it hurts in a worse sense. It hurts not to remember, it hurts not to know how they were made.

Here it hurt, here it healed

What was it that hurt? What was it that she healed?

Her clothes for her day are waiting for her lying on the bed, in the same place where she left them just minutes before. But she is unable to look away from her own body.

What was it that hurt?

How did these marks get on her body? Did they hurt? Who left them there? When?

Did she really healed?

How long did it take for them to heal? Did they hurt before losing their memory? Was she able to stand in front of the mirror, like now, and not look away from her? Was she able to do it without hugging herself like she does now? Did the tears run down her cheeks too?

Here it hurt

Her hands tremble as they approach her chest, over her underwear, over the mark that terrifies her the most. Ever since she came back from the hospital and she was able to have a moment of real privacy, of introspection.

The first time she saw her she had to bite her hand to keep from screaming. Even now, days later, she still can't look at her without completely shaking. She still wants to scream.

The scar on her chest, on her heart ...

She turns slowly, looking at her back, where the mark repeats.

The same place, as if it was mocking her.

She staggers away from the mirror, hands over her mouth, aware of last night's dinner wanting to get out of her. Her legs shake from her, unable to keep her upright and she ends up sliding down the wall, hugging herself, hugging her legs tightly against her chest.

Legs full of scars.

Her tears fall for long minutes, but she is unable to stop herself. She needs this moment. Every morning is the same, and like the days before, her moment of anguish is interrupted by Alfred's call behind the door “Miss Daniela. Breakfast is about to be served "

She nods, trying in vain to dry her face with her bare hands. She clears her throat before responding "Yes Mr. Pennyworth!"

If he notices the tremor in her voice, he says nothing and she is only able to breathe again when she hears his footsteps away from her.

She looks again at her clothes on her bed, the culprit for her growing anguish and self-awareness on her ruined skin of hers.

After hours of searching, she had found a garment that was not completely dark, a blue planter with a skirt at the bottom of the closet, deep inside, as if she were being hidden.

‘Now I understand why’ she thinks looking at her legs again. She wanted to wear it today, wear a color other than the usual black, and take advantage of cooling off from the unusual heat outside the mansion. But it would not be possible.

"I'm sorry" She apologized through tears, not sure if she was apologizing with the immobile garment or with herself. Today she would wear her pants again.

Here it hurt, here it healed.

Damn, she didn't even remember where she read that.

"Are you sure you'll be fine on your own, miss?" Daniela smiled, looking with amusement at the worried older man.

She nodded "I'll be fine Mr. Pennyworth" He narrowed his eyes suspiciously, making her laugh "Really!"

They participated in a staring contest, whatever he saw in her eyes made him sigh, but he admitted defeat “Okay miss, I'll go do my shopping. Remember to wait for me right here if you finish your session before I return ”

"Of course." After a few warning glances and some promises on her part not to move from the building without the man present, he was finally gone.

Daniela sighed, a persistent smile on her lips, watching the older man leave the building through the window. Sometimes the man would worry too much, she was already in her doctor's building, she would soon be called for her weekly appointment and it would be a few hours before he had to return. Really, she sometimes wondered why so much overprotection.

Then she remembered that, according to Tim, this was the most dangerous city in the world.

Well, maybe they had their reasons for being cautious.

Her eyes were drawn to a tree near the building, where little birds played with each other. "They are beautiful, aren't they?" She rose from her seat, looking at the owner of her soft voice. Her therapist, Dinah, was looking out the window, just like Daniela had done a few seconds ago. Her blue eyes softened as she looked at the little flying animals. "They've been hovering here for a few days, I think they're making their nest in that tree."

"They are very cute" she liked their singing a lot, it was ... reassuring.

Dinah smiled, put a hand on her back, gently guiding her towards her office “How have you been, Daniela? How was this week? "

"Good, all good." She rubbed her arms, quite aware of her emotional breakdown that morning. Even with her clothes on, she could feel the scars as clear as day, but it wasn't a topic that she felt comfortable talking about. Not yet.

"Anything new since our last session?" The woman asked, ushering her into the room.

"No?" She played with her hands, trying to settle into the uncomfortable recliner aimed at the patients. No matter how many times she goes to that room or how expensive it looks, that chair is still just as uncomfortable as the first day.

Shouldn't it be comfortable?

She looked at the blonde in front of her, for some reason that no one wants to explain to her yet, after waking up in the hospital with memory loss, during her time in that place, it was decided that she should get therapy. According to her father, it was normal in people with her condition, she would have problems adjusting and it would be healthy to be able to talk to someone else about the matter.

At first everything was so strange and confusing that she could not find fault with that logic and she did not want to cause more problems than they already had in their hands, so she accepted immediately. Now, with a cooler head, she can't help but think about it a bit more.

Was it really necessary?

It's not like Dr. Dinah doesn't like her, really, she's an interesting woman, very patient and kind to her. It was nice to talk to her and when she did, she knew that her older woman was not judging and criticizing her. She just… listened to her. Asking questions, she listened and gave her points of view, never pushing her to do something that she did not want or to answer something that made her uncomfortable.

She was a good woman.

She just… felt like all of this wasn't necessary. She had people at home to talk to. And yes, her father may be busy most of the time… and Tim isn't home that much… But Mr. Pennyworth is always there for her! She can talk to him whenever he wants and he is always kind and patient to listen to her problems or her doubts "Nothing new"

"Really? Because a little bird told me that someone came home" The woman smiled patiently, writing something down in her notebook.

That was something else. While her conversations often seem natural, it was a bit awkward for her to write about every little thing she said. This gave her a bit of anxiety, as if she were in the middle of an exam without knowing what.

Were there correct and incorrect answers?

"Yes... My brother Tim, he came home a few days ago" It was not a big change in her routine, after all, he spent most of the day away from home, like her father. But he was another person at dinner time and Daniela had someone to talk to during the afternoons, even if sometimes their moments were really awkward.

Movie nights continued, now every other day, but Daniela made sure to accommodate the older boy as much as possible, hoping that he would fall asleep as soon as the movie began. He was too stubborn to go to sleep and she really wanted to spend time with him, but not at the cost of his sleep schedule, making sure she slept by choosing the slowest and most boring movies was a price she was willing to pay.

"How do you feel about that?"

"Good, I guess. I like him” Jotting down on her notebook, probably without even noticing it, Dinah arched an eyebrow, causing Daniela to frown. Why did that answer intrigue her?

Another reason she didn't want to continue these sessions: She was 70% sure the blonde woman knew her before her amnesia.

Yet another person who knows better than she knows herself.

Not to mention that she is a friend of her father and he was that "little bird" who informed her of everything around her.

It got boring talking to someone who knows your answers before you do.

"Hey, how was your date?" Daniela smiled when she saw her father standing at the reception. Usually at this time he was still at work.

"Good!" She took the offered hand, feeling warm at the touch of the much larger hand. For some reason, the man always seemed surprised and pleased to reciprocate the small gesture. They both said goodbye to Dinah before leaving the office "Father, where is Mr. Pennyworth?"

"That? Aren't you glad to see me? " He smiled at her unimpressed face. “Apparently the system crashed at the supermarket, they are waiting for me to come back to pay for their purchases. It was going to take a long time, so he asked me to come get you "

"Won't it cause you problems at work?"

He smiled at her concern. "I had a small meeting, but it was something unimportant and Tim said he could introduce himself in my place." He opened the car door for her when they got to the parking lot. "How was your date with Dinah?" He insisted.

"Well, we talk a lot" As in every session.

"I see ..." He seemed to want to ask more about it, so Daniela tried to change the subject.

"Father, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course! Anything"

'Except for my mother…' She frowned, but she erased it instantly. She wouldn't bother with it, it was a sensitive topic for him, she knew it, she just frustrated her not remembering why "When will I meet my other brothers?"

The vehicle went off the road, startling her "Father!" With an apology (and several honks from other drivers) they got back on track from her. He concentrated on the road and she looked at him in surprise. She didn't expect that response from the usually stoic man.

"Sorry, are you okay?"

She nodded, settling back "Yes, I'm sorry for the question."

"Do not! No, don't apologize. It's my fault, I was… surprised ”Yes, I noticed“ I just… Why are you asking honey? ”

"Well, it's been a few days since Tim arrived and ... I was wondering when my other brothers will come ... I know you said they live in other cities, but I would like to see them at least for a little while, to hear from them ..." Like why doesn't Jason wanted them to know he was there that day, or by the weapons on his waist ... It would also be interesting to put a face to the third brother with a ridiculous name. Only for curiosity.

There was also the issue of the relationship between her father and Jason, what he said, about not getting along with her father was something that kept her on her toes for a few days. She couldn't understand what their differences could be, what was the fight that made them walk away? Was it recent or something from the past? Were you close at some point? What happened?

Whatever it was, her brother seemed annoyed with it.

She still hadn't mentioned his presence to anyone that night.

Her father frowned “Are you sure you want to meet them so soon? I was hoping that you would adapt well to Tim first ... "

"But I'm fine with Tim" She blinked confused "Father, I'm not overwhelmed, I'm fine."

He pursed his lips, thinking, before sighing "Well, I'll talk to Dinah about it and we'll see how everything goes later."

Daniela looked out the window, it might not be the answer she expected. But something is something.

She hoped soon to really meet her other brothers.

End of chapter!

Thank you for reading! I want to show you the cover of the Spanish version found on Wattpad. I hope you like it! I tried hard!

(ó﹏ò｡) ♡

Chapter Text

Looked at her shaking hands, drenched in blood.

"It's fine" A hand gently rests on her head. She looks up, receiving a sad smile. The rest of the man's face is not distinguishable. His lips move, but she can't understand what they're saying. She wants to hear him, she wants to hear his voice. She needs it.

His hands move to her shoulders, he squeezes them comforting her. But the tears are already running down her cheeks and no matter when he tries to wipe them away, it's useless.

"You'll be fine, little firefly."

She closes her eyes, trying to control herself. Her sobs keep her from breathing. She falls to her knees, her hands pressed against her face "I'm sorry ... I'm sorry!"

"I'M VERY SORRY!"

"PLEASE FORGIVE ME!

She wakes up gasping. She can feel the wetness on her face, the memories of her dream are blurred, but the man's smile, his gentle touch, and the anguish in her chest are intact.

"Sorry, Sorry…!" She repeats, she is not sure why, not knowing what she regrets. But she feels the need to beg the forgiveness of that man "Forgive me... Ravi"

"I'm Daniela-"

"My name is-"

"Hello I... UGH"

“Hello, my name is Daniela Wayne and I… no, it's not right” She stops the recording again, taking a deep breath and starts again “Hey, I'm Daniela Wayne and right now I…” A sigh “No, I can't do it”

She slams the laptop shut, backing away from the desk and flinging herself onto her bed. She was not capable of doing something as silly and simple as recording a stupid video.

How embarrassing was that?

Alfred complained about her movements, shooting an annoyed look that she returned. This was stupid. Again, What was she doing this for?

Oh yeah, Dr. Lance.

"It is normal that you feel a bit strange at this time, many who suffering from complete amnesia like you do, tend to feel psychologically detached from the people they were before" Daniela nodded silently, agreeing with that statement. She didn't know much about Daniela before her amnesia, nobody seemed very interested in talking about her, which sometimes worried her a lot. But from her expressions every time she does something, they must be very different from each other.

"You know? I want to try a new exercise. I know there hasn't been much progress in your condition, the memories aren't coming back, but that's fine, it's not something that will come back overnight, it will take time and a lot of effort” She set her notebook aside, without diverting her Daniela's view "I want you to make some recordings"

"Recordings?"

“That's right, you said you didn't remember having a cell phone or a computer, I'll talk about that with your father. I know that there are things that you will not feel comfortable talking with your family, much less with me, I know that in your mind we are still strangers to you. But you need a way to retain what you remember, many times we make progress without realizing it. It will be like the athletes when they take a before and after photo"

"So ... should I record myself?" She frowned "Doing what?"

“Whatever you want” She shrugged “Talk about yourself, what you feel, what you remember… everything you need. Those videos will be personal, nobody but you will have access to them"

Even with her explanation, she still didn't quite understand why she should do it. But if Dinah said it was necessary, that this would help her… well then she would have to trust her.

Her father conversed with Dinah and that same afternoon Tim arrived at the mansion with a brand new little laptop. They spent the rest of the afternoon with him teaching her how to use it, the basic functions and the available applications. She was a bit confused as to why her memory had decided to erase that particular knowledge, but Tim commented that she had not shown curiosity about technology prior to the amnesia.

Strange.

Anyway, here she was, unable to record the stupid video. Even after Tim's help and the gift from her father, she still couldn't do something so simple. The words kept sticking in her throat.

And the nightmare of that night wasn't helping her either.

The lump in her throat was still there even though she didn't remember much of what had happened. She woke up crying, apologizing to a certain Ravi.

Her heart clenched at the thought of him.

But who is Ravi?

“So Lucius said that I shouldn't answer like that to the other shareholders. But the guy was an idiot! I don't know how he got to his position… ”Tim took a bite of his food, glancing at Bruce for his reaction. He shouldn't have been surprised that he wasn't paying attention, the man used to lose himself in thoughts of him constantly. But now he found himself following his line of sight to the other person in the dining room.

Daniela was playing with her food, pushing it with her fork. It was obvious that her mind was not in the same room as them and it had been that way all day, at least since Tim got home.

Daniela used to get lost in her mind, it was something common since the… accident. But she was normally able to get out of it and pay attention to them. Today was not one of those days.

"Daniela, is everything okay?" Both father and daughter looked at him in surprise. Tim wanted to snort, he wasn't Bruce, he wouldn't just stare when something was obviously wrong "Didn't you like the salad?"

"Hey?" She looked at her plate of food as if she had just noticed him “No, it's okay. Yes I like it” She took a bite, as if to test her claim.

Tim looked at Bruce and the man cleared his throat "Honey, I was thinking about what you said the other day"

She arched an eyebrow "About what ...?"

"About your brothers" Tim choked on his juice "I talked to Dinah and you're right, there is no reason to wait any longer" He masterfully ignore the black-haired guy trying to control his cough and the incredulous look he was sending him" Alfred said he would talk to Jason , if he is free then he will come to visit "

"Really?" Daniela asked beaming. She ran to her father, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly “Thanks! Thanks! Thanks!"

"Just promise me that you will tell me if you feel overwhelmed."

"I promise!" Bruce smiled, returning the hug. He winced at the intense gaze of the teenager next to him, it was clear they would have to argue after dinner, it would not be a fun time.

It took two days for his second older brother to arrive, but the nervousness and excitement at seeing the guy again were clouded by seeing Tim leave his room with a couple of suitcases.

"Tim?"

"Hey" He greeted, closing the door to his room "How did you wake up?"

"Good, very good ... Why the suitcases?" She asked him, pointing at the offending objects.

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking away "I'm staying with some friends for a few days… Just a few days!" He was quick to explain when he saw her face fall. He looked around before putting the suitcases on the floor. “Listen, I know you're excited to meet Jason, it's something new for you. But for me…"

The darkness in his eyes was downright disturbing. "You two… don't you get along?"

He sighed “It's a bit more complicated than that. Our relationship has improved over time, but I prefer not to try my luck" He put a hand on her head "He and Bruce also have their problems, they usually argue even over the smallest, I prefer to stay away at least the first days, I do not want to ruin your first impression of Jason fighting him"

‘Yes, the first impression…’  Daniela smiled nervously, hoping Jason didn’t mention that incident. “When you say fight… you mean beating? Like… really hurt physically? "

He sighed "And there is the bad impression that I did not want to give you" He took his things off the floor "I better go before I make it worse, see you later baby bat" He walked away before giving her the chance to say goodbye as well.

Daniela frowned "I always forget to ask why that nickname"

With Tim away from the mansion, her father seemed increasingly nervous. Daniela was beginning to regret asking to meet Jason.

'Maybe I should have asked about the brother with the ridiculous name'  She frowned 'Although, I don't know how his relationship with the rest of the family is either'

The only one happy about the guy's return was Mr Pennyworth, who had started cooking a feast as soon as the news came of his temporary move to the mansion.

'If Mr. Pennyworth likes him then he shouldn't be so bad'  She tried to convince herself 'Right?'

'No, he's an idiot'  She thought annoyed, watching Mr. Pennyworth's feast go to waste after two hours of waiting for the guy to eat dinner. The older man just sighed and started removing some of the dishes, saying that he would freeze them. He looked disappointed but not surprised and Daniela's chest constricted with, which she was pretty sure, was anger.

How dare that idiot leave Mr. Pennyworth waiting?

Her father didn't seem mostly affected, a little sad, but his expression looked more guilty than anything. That also confused her.

After eating, she decided to go up to her room and finish the day, anyway, it was already quite late. She almost screamed when one hand of hers grabbed her shoulder from behind her, but another quickly covered her mouth. Instinctively, and quite surprising to her, her body moved of its own accord, taking advantage of the little control over her shoulder as she spun around, hitting the intruder in his stomach as hard as she could.

Which turned out to be quite strong.

Daniela blinked, shifting her gaze between her clenched fist and the guy on the floor complaining 'How did I do that...?'

“Good hook, baby bat. Hell, that did hurt” The guy said, standing up with a pained smile on his lips. Daniela could only see her supposed brother in disbelief.

"What the hell Todd!?" She paused for a moment, seeing her surprise reflected on his face. 'Why did I call him Todd?'  Her head started to ache. She sighed "What are you doing here?"

"I thought you had been told, I'm moving" He smiled at her frown "I'm hungry. Did Alfred save some food?"

"Enough food" her previous annoyance of hers for him came back "Maybe he wouldn't if someone was on time"

"Yes... I had a little setback" Daniela raised an eyebrow, but for the first time that night she peered at the guy in front of her. He was wearing the same outfit as last time, including the red jacket, but his clothes looked battered, dirty. He also had a split lip and his hair looked dusty.

Tim's words came back to her mind.

"I'd rather stay away for the first few days at least, I don't want to ruin your first impression of Jason fighting him"

Jason was... fighting with someone?

“Well, I'll go say hi to good Alfred. See you later Gremlin” He turned, walking down the stairs. Daniela took a step forward, wanting to call out to him, but the words were caught in her throat.

Suddenly, all the questions she wanted to ask him vanished as if they had never been there to begin with.

'The last time we talked as if nothing, why is it different now?'

Maybe it was too late, he looked haggard and she was tired, maybe in the morning ...

'Yes, I'll talk to him tomorrow. When we are in better shape'

Her shoulders were shaking after a new nightmare, it was the same from nights ago, except this time, the warm man was not there.

Her hands were bathed in blood again, her chest ached, tears were falling… but he was not there. She could not feel his soft hands, nor see his soft smile, she did not hear those sweet words tinged with sadness ...

"Ravi..." She sobbed with pain.

She still didn't remember him, but she could feel the emptiness with his absence. The dream was not the only thing different, also her reaction when she woke up. She ached, her chest ached and it was hard for her to breathe.

"Help…"

Alfred was pushing her side, trying to comfort her. Daniela sobbed even more, unable to even return the gesture. Her surroundings began to blur with tears, her breathing worsened "...Dad!" She gasped.

Titus was restless, groaning. He moved to her closet, picking up something from the floor and going back to her. In her overwhelmed state, she made an effort to take what he was offering her.

A sweater.

'Why?' She found herself wondering. Titus grabbed the opposite sleeve from her and pulled her, pulling her off the bed "Titus..." He kept pulling her off the bed and throwing her to the floor. Daniela moaned looking at the dog. As if he understood her confusion, Titus ran to the door, scratching her with his claws and returning to her owner.

Amid her confusion, her brain clicked, understanding the message. She needed help.

They should seek help.

Later she would wonder how Titus knew that, at this moment, she wiped her tears as best she could and took a moment to get up, without letting go of her sweater. As soon as she managed it, Titus pulled again, she opened the door and simply let the dog guide her, trusting him and trying not to trip over her unsteady knees.

She hardly noticed when Titus stopped outside her father's room. Titus scratched on the door, but there was no noise from within. Daniela swallowed a sob and opened the door, taking a look inside, finding a dark and clearly empty room "Father?" Tears fell back down her cheeks at the lack of response, the anguish growing even more in her chest.

Daniela looked down the hall, trying to remember if they ever told her where Mr. Pennyworth slept, but nothing came to her mind. She hit her head with her hands, feeling frustrated with herself. Titus nestled his head in front of hers, trying to stop her. His gesture only made her cry even more, hugging the dog "Titus..."

"Titus? Is it you, friend? What is all that noise? Do you want to go to the bathroom? Your scratches will wake Alf-” Jason paused, staring at the image in front of him. He quickly approached the sobbing girl “Gremlin? What happened?"

Daniela looked at the guy in surprise, quickly pressing her lips together trying to stop crying, but just like before, it was useless. With a barely suppressed sob, she lunged at him, clinging tightly "Jason...!"

"Hey, it's okay..." He wrapped her awkwardly with his arms "What's wrong? You're hurt?"

"Ravi..."

"What?" He tried to get away from her to see her face, but she clung to his shirt, repeatedly shaking her head. “it's okay. Shh… Everything is fine, I'm here"

Daniela breathed against his chest, her weariness enveloping her.

Soon Jason's words were combined with the tender hand stroking her hair gently. Daniela sighed, letting herself be carried away by the comfort that those warm arms gave her and the weight of Titus snuggled against her back.

She felt… safe.

"Everything will be fine..."

Really, she wanted to be able... to believe those words.

Chapter Text

"It's okay. Shh… Everything is fine, I'm here "

Daniela breathed against his chest, her weariness enveloping her.

Soon Jason's words were combined with his tender hand stroking her hair gently. Daniela sighed, letting herself be carried away by the comfort that those warm arms offered her.

She felt… safe.

Daniela opened her eyes slowly, for the first time in days her body felt rested when she woke up. She narrowed her eyes in confusion when she saw the color of the sheets. ‘Mine are white, not red’ Then her gaze slid across the room, noticing vaguely that this was not hers.

"Good morning sleeping beauty" Jason greeted from the door, closing it behind him. Daniela looked at the tray in his hands "Alfred sends breakfast"

Daniela sat down, taking the tray with a whisper of thanks. Jason took a wrapped sandwich for himself and sat on the foot of the bed "How do you feel?"

She toyed with her own food, taking a moment to process the question. She tried to remember what happened that night, but her memories were blurry. “What happened?

"You do not remember?"

"It's... blurry"

"...You had a panic attack" Daniela nodded slowly, taking a bite. That would make sense, she supposed. Panic attacks make it hard to breathe, right?

She remembered the feel of her throat tightening, feeling choked...

"Listen" Jason crawled a little closer "I don't know how it is now, but before you used to try to cut the throat of someone who asked you if you were okay" He raise his hands in peace "I'm not going to try my luck asking now"

Daniela opened her mouth, ready to ask what he meant by slitting someone's throat. But his gaze stopped her in her tracks. Jason's eyes, for the first time since they met, were completely serious "But Gremlin, you need to talk to someone about this"

“There are things that you will not feel comfortable talking even with your family"

Dinah's words came back to her mind. Now it started to make a lot of sense

Jason's gaze was still on her, but he didn't insist upon her silence, he simply went back to eating without looking away from her.

She went downstairs to the kitchen after dressing, she had felt well rested upon waking, but as soon as she got out of Jason's bed, it was as if all the burden from the night before came back with a vengeance.

She entered the room to find it empty. She frowned, puzzled, usually Mr. Pennyworth would be there at that time.

"Alfred went out for some errands, won't be back until later" she jumped in her place as she heard Jason behind her. She turned to see him with a helmet in his hands.

"Are you going out?"

"No" He threw the helmet at her. "We are going out"

What?

"Are you sure we can just go out like this?" Nervous, she looked at the mansion behind them. Jason hummed, starting his motorcycle and donning his own helmet, “Shouldn't we tell someone? Does Father know about this?"

"I left a note for Alfred in case he arrives earlier" She looked at him suspiciously, he scoffed, placing her helmet on her "Don't worry demon, it'll be fine. Alfred will come back late and Bruce too, they won't get mad if we go back before them ... and also if we don't tell them we're going out"

"So they don't know we're going out"

"This is more fun" Daniela snorted. Jason got on his bike and gestured for her to get in the back. She looked at the mansion one last time, she was nervous about leaving without permission from her father or Mr. Pennyworth, but she couldn't deny the pleasant sensation of adrenaline rushing through her veins.

She hadn't left the mansion other than to go on her dates with Dinah.

"Are you coming or not, Gremlin?"

Daniela smiled, running to sit behind her brother.

"Oh my God! That was incredible!" Jason looked amused at the younger girl jumping excitedly, looking at the motorcycle as if it were the best invention of mankind “Are you always going fast!? My heart is beating a thousand!"

Jason laughed, rubbing her hair "That hardly counts as fast"

"Really!?" She didn't even seem to notice her messy hair, staring at him with stars in her eyes "Can we go faster when we get back!?"

How to say no to puppy demon eyes like that?

"We will go so fast that you will want to vomit"

"A zoo?" Jason nodded, completely pleased by the emotion in her voice. Daniela looked around her, seeing the adults being dragged into the place by completely restless children.

They had to get in line to buy their tickets, but Daniela was pleasantly surprised when their conversation, unlike the day before, flowed freely. Jason commented on the last time he went there with some friends and how funny it was when one of them accidentally fell into the crocodile zone.

The way he said 'accidentally', with a dark look and wicked smile made her make a mental note to be careful in that particular sector. And yet another to ask Tim later if he knew who it was who fell.

And if he made it out alive.

After paying their entrance fee, they began the tour.

"What animal do you want to see?"

Jason frowned thoughtfully "I heard that they adopted a red panda."

"Are there red pandas?" She asked, imagining a common panda painted red. Did that really exist?

As if he was reading her mind, Jason scoffed "Surely we'll find him later." He took the map of the place. "Let's see, where do we go first?"

The reptile area was filled with glass panels, small lagoons and artificial swamps, and aquariums so you could see them without getting too close. She was not very fascinated by looking at some of the little beings and although the larger turtles were cute, she couldn't help but feel pity seeing them crowded with people. They must feel horrible, seeing all those kids on top...

"Gremlin! Watch this!" She was startled to see a large yellow snake around Jason's neck "Come on, take a picture of us!" He threw her cell phone, with the camera already on the screen. She looked at the artifact with confusion "Just aim and hit the red button." She nodded, aiming as best as possible, when it was done, he took the snake from his neck carefully, said something to the man in charge of the animal and they both moved towards her "What...? JASON!"

The older chuckled, placing the snake now on her neck. Daniela took a deep breath, trying not to tremble at the sensation of the snakeskin on her neck "Jason..."

"Easy, it is not poisonous. The caretaker lets them take pictures with her" He guide her smaller hands to hold a front part and a back part of the snake "Just... stay calm while I take a picture of you" He walked away from her and Daniela managed to take a look at the animal in her hands. The snake was calm, almost docile so to speak, but it didn't look drugged. She even looked into her eyes for a moment and Daniela couldn't help but smile nervously. She was beautiful.

"Tell Jason is the best brother in the world!" Jason exclaimed pointing at her with his cell phone to take her picture. Daniela smiled at his stupidity

"Jason is the best brother in the world!"

A feeling of realization found itself in her chest. He's my brother.

We are siblings.

The flash made her blink a few times, she looked concerned at the animal in her hands, but didn't seem bothered by the light. Surely used… she thought sadly.

"Dickhead will be so jealous..." Jason smiled putting his cell phone away. Soon the manager of the snake approached to take it back and they continued with their journey after thanking him.

The next place was the ape habitat. She was scared when one of the bigger ones lunged towards her sector of the cage and must hit Jason when he didn't stop laughing at her.

The little monkeys were very cute, there was a sector where they could interact with some of them, but she preferred to pass them by, those mischievous smiles did not bode well.

And she was right, when walking away from the place they heard the cry of a man about his missing watch. She and Jason shared a brief look and ended up laughing out loud.

They might only be halfway there, but she knew with complete certainty that white tigers were the most majestic thing she had ever appreciated seeing in her young life.

At least, in what she remembers of her life.

Jason had a hard time getting her away from that sector, but it wasn't her fault! She couldn't help but admire the beautiful specimen. Then pounding  Jason's chest with almost childish insistence (Which she of course would deny after), she managed to get his cell phone and take hundreds of photos that she made the guy swear that he would not delete and pass them on to the her computer.

She even managed to take some of her and Jason in front of the animal's cage, he looked smaller without the zoom, but still, he looked amazing.

She spent much of her morning visiting every possible place and after getting used to the technological gadget, she couldn't stop taking pictures of everything she saw. She was sure she had taken up a lot of Jason's cell phone memory, but he didn't seem upset, outside of some comment here and there, but she knew he wasn't serious.

Finally, the only attraction that they needed to visit was the aquarium at the end of the zoo and the bear sector where she hoped to meet the famous red panda. But before that, they decided to take a short break in one of the available benches.

Daniela took a moment to look around her, the children ran from one side to the other excited by each animal they saw, a blush appeared on her cheeks when she realized that she was doing exactly the same thing minutes ago .

[So childish]

She looked around her in surprise, where did that come from? This sounded so close, but there was no one near the two of them. Jason looked at her curiously, arching an eyebrow.

Daniela blushed, looking away. Was she listening to things?

This must have been because of the excitement of the day. Too many emotions in such a short time.

First her 'panic attack' in the early morning, then the motorcycle ride with Jason, and now the visit to the zoo.

She couldn't help the warm feeling on her chest as she glanced at her brother. Even if Tim was right and Jason had all the guise of a criminal, he was definitely a big softie inside. He had brought her to this place without anyone asking, he made sure to protect her every time she tripped over someone or was startled by something. Even behind his annoying nicknames, she could hear the affection behind them.

She was so happy that she could get along with another brother. She was so scared when she met Tim, she didn't know what to expect from him and she already had confirmation from Mr. Pennyworth that they didn't get along.

Part of her hoped he was annoying, cold, mean. She hoped it was his fault they didn't get along sooner. But no, Tim turned out to be someone great. He was smart, patient and although their interactions were quite shy and awkward at first, she knew over time that it was not possible that their previous bad coexistence was his fault.

But then, that means it was her fault.

And if her fault was hers… What kept her relationship with her other siblings from being so bad?

But so far, things were going well. Jason didn't have the same discomfort as Tim or if he did, he knew how to hide it. But he was trying to spend time with her, that must be a sign of something, right?

"What do you think so much about?" He asked, pulling her out of her thoughts. He hit her head with his knuckles "Up to here I can hear the gears working."

'Shit! Think fast! Think! think!'

"Why a zoo?" Not that she wasn't fascinated by the idea, but there were hundreds of places they could go.

"What? Didn't you like the animals? "

"It's not that! I loved them!" She exclaimed, drawing the attention of other people. Jason laughed at her embarrassed face.

He leaned back in his seat, looking at the bird exhibit in the distance "I knew you would love them" He said, with a voice so calm that it took an effort to hear him "Honestly, I think your love for animals was the only thing I knew for sure about you before the… accident, that's why the first thing I thought about was the zoo "

Daniela was silent for a moment, processing his words "We... weren't very close before, right?"

"You could say that" He sighed, running a hand over his face "My relationship with this family is complicated, to put it simply. And you weren't very easy to get along either" He pointed around "We never had a moment like this "

Daniela was surprised by his words, not by the almost non-existent relationship between the two, that was expected. But his words ...

"Jason… would you do me a favor?" He looked at her confused, but gestured to continue "Could you… Could you tell me more about me?"

"Of you?"

"Before the accident"

"... Why do you want me to do that?" He asked without looking away from her eyes. She felt the sudden need to look away, but she held her ground. She must.

“Nobody mentions anything about me before the accident, just random little comments. I want to know what it was like before, but… no one wants to tell me" She took a breath "Father hardly ever talks to me, Mr. Pennyworth tries to give me the image with flowers and rainbows, even when we both know it to be false and Tim is determined to leave the past in the past"

Jason frowned "And why do you think I'll tell you something?"

"Because you are the most sincere yet!" She exclaimed frustrated "What you said a while ago, Tim would have blamed himself for everything as if nothing, but you are able to tell me that the fault of our lack of fraternal relationship is for both without sweetening things! You said this morning something about me slitting someone's throat and last time you also suggested that I used to curse quite a bit! Nobody else tells me that kind of thing... "

Jason seemed to think about it for a moment, his gaze directed to the sky, shifting between her and the blue landscape as if he wanted the clouds to write his response. He finally let out a frustrated sigh "I'm not sure..."

"Please…?" She put her hands together and tried to make the most pitiful face of all, she even thought of that sad doggy movie that Tim showed her last week.

Jason seemed to want to mock her sad attempt, that was until tears began to flow from her eyes. Then the panic appeared and he started waving his hands “Okay! It's fine! Enough!"

Daniela jumped in her place excited, but a hand on her face stopped her “But with two conditions! First, I will only respond to what I want, if I say I don't want to talk about it, you stop "

She nodded "Understandable, the second?"

"... you can't tell Bruce about this"

"Why not?"

Jason frowned. “Don't tell him I told you, but the reason Bruce doesn't want to talk about the past is because he thinks that getting your memories back might hurt. If he knows that I give you information without telling him…” He made a grin that Daniela copied. She already knew from him and Tim that his relationship with her father was not the best, if her father found out that he was doing something that he told them not to do… he would be upset. Very annoying.

"I promise not to tell him anything"

He ruffled her hair, ignoring her squeak in outrage.

"You better Gremlin"

The red panda was not exactly what she had in mind, it was much better!

"...I want to caress his ears so much..." she pressed herself against the glass, trying to see as closely as she could the fluffy little animal "He's so cute..."

Jason next to her took another photo "Do you think we can kidnap him?"

She should be confused by that, perhaps a little scared at how serious Jason's voice was when he asked. But only one thing came to mind "Mr. Pennyworth won't let us keep it." She didn't know how, but she was sure of it. A sigh came from both of them, looking at the little animal longingly.

"Someday" she heard her brother mutter.

She supported the thought wholeheartedly.

"And that's how I met Bruce"

"I can't believe he adopted you after he found you stealing the tires from his car..." Daniela frowned, imagining that scene in her mind. She wondered what her father's exact thought was when he saw a smaller version of Jason playing with his wheels.

It must have been a very interesting meeting...

"Nor I. But that's the way life turns, one moment you steal to eat and the next you are adopted by the millionaire playboy you stole from"

'Sounds like a fictional story' She took a bite of the ice cream Jason had bought for her when they left the zoo. The story of her brother was so strange that she didn't know whether to believe him or not, but he was in a good mood, so she decided to play along.

"Next question" Jason made a vague gesture with his hand and Daniela perked up.

She wrinkled her nose, searching her brain for some of the many questions that had been formed there in recent weeks “I know! Tim mentioned that I have 3 brothers, but there were more people. What does it mean?"

Jason took one of his ice cream, nibbling on the cone "He must have been talking about the girls..."

Girls? Her eyes gleamed "I have sisters!?"

"No" He said crushing her hopes "Well, not like this at least" He frowned "You could say they are family... but if we think about it that way then there is a lot of incest in this family..."

Incest? She choked on ice cream "You guys got out!?"

Jason was silent, looking up from the sky. She for a moment she thought he was ignoring her, but she could see the deep thought in his eyes.

God, they really dated.

Yes, whoever they are, she could no longer regard them as sisters.

"Anyway" she tried to deflect the question "Who are they?"

"Well, this Steph, Babs, Cass ..." He named each one raising a finger and frowned as if he was trying to remember someone else, but in the end he shook his head "Yes, they are"

"Do you think I will meet them soon?" As much fun as it was to have brothers like Tim and Jason, and to spend time with her father and Mr. Pennyworth, she would also like to interact with other girls.

Jason shrugged, “Maybe soon, if they let me get close to me, nothing stops them. Although Cass is still on a mission in Hong Kong. "

"On a mission?"

"Shopping! She is shopping! "

"A mission... of shopping?"

They exchanged a look. Before anyone could speak, Jason's phone rang. He sighed in relief, but the relief didn't last long when he saw the call number "Is something wrong?" Daniela asked confused.

Jason shook his head “Alfred. Wait here, I'll try to convince him not to report us” He answered the call, taking a few steps away. Daniela sighed, finishing her ice cream.

Even outside the zoo there were a variety of children running around. Shouldn't they be at school?

‘Shouldn't I do it too?’ She was surprised at the thought. Why was she not in school? No one had mentioned it until now.

Is it due to amnesia?

Two children ran ahead of her, playing with what looked like two small action figures. Daniela smiled in amusement when she saw their concentrated expressions, completely absorbed in their game. They got close enough to hear their voices.

“Come on Robin, faster! Let's catch the criminals! "

Her smile faded.

"Don't worry Batman, we have them!"

The figures swayed, hitting others in prison suits.

"That will teach them! Stealing is bad! "

"We must take them to jail!"

The figures of the criminals flung themselves away.

"Good job Robin!"

Daniela took her head in her hands. She felt a stab of pain.

Good job Robin

She closed her eyes. There was an image, something in her head was being shown, but she… couldn't quite identify what.

"You did well, Little D"

A smile, someone was smiling.

'Because it hurts!?'

She looked around her, searching for her brother. This was happening again, her throat was tightening.

'Jason!'

She needed to breathe. She needed air.

She looked around her, why couldn't she breathe? They were outside! She could see the sky!

Children playing, voices screaming, sounds, smells, colors, it was all too much! She couldn't focus on breathing!

She got up off the ground.

At what point did she stop standing?

And she ran. She ran away. Away from the children. Far from the zoo. Far from that memory and from the pain.

She needed to breathe, she needed to get away. She needed Jason.

But Jason wasn't there.

Where is Jason!?

Chapter Text

Her first thought upon opening her eyes was to wonder why this were closed in the first place.

She glanced around her, observing the great buildings from the alley where she was hidden. People walked the streets without noticing her presence.

She then she remembered her escape from the zoo.

She had run without looking where, without stopping when she collided with people or things. She ended up in this alley, hiding in a corner trying to suppress her senses, trying not to hear, not to see. Not remember.

Then…

What happened then?

"I must have passed out" She stood up, grimacing when her hand encountered a puddle of slimy liquid that she really didn't want to know what it was. Her clothes were so dirty. How would she explain that to Mr. Pennyworth?

It took her a moment to get out of the alley, every time she thought of leaving the dark place her mind returned to the initial anguish. She didn't want to feel that anxiety again, the tightness in her chest. But she had to. After all, she had to get back to Jason.

With a deep breath, she came out.

The streets were full, people walked in the same direction, talking on the phone or among themselves. Daniela was overwhelmed by noise, not just people, but cars as well. When she traveled with Jason the wind and his helmet covered those sounds, but now, she could hear everything very clearly, too clearly.

Now, away from the darkness, she could see the orange hue bathing the city. She was amazed at how late it was in such a short time and she feared she had been unconscious for a long time.

"Eh, Excuse me?" She tried to get the attention of a passing woman, but she ignored her and she followed her path. "Excuse me sir" she tried with a man, but the same thing happened, only that instead of blatantly ignoring her, he sent her a look of displeasure.

'Rude'

She kept trying to find help, someone to give her an address or how to go to the zoo, where she hoped Jason was still. But no one stopped to listen to her.

She walked aimlessly, looking for some indication of where she was or some police station where to ask for help. Her hopes waned as the darkness of the night was present and her chest filled with anguish as she saw the number of people diminish.

Tim said this was a very dangerous city.

She was not eager to discover the things that went on there during the night.

"I want to go home..." Her thoughts turned to her father and Mr. Pennyworth, by now they should both be at the mansion. Father would notice her absence and Jason's. What would he think of it? Is he upset why they left the house without his permission? Disappointed?

She hoped Jason wasn't scolded. This was all her fault.

She and hers stupid panic attacks.

"Jason, I'm sorry ..." She felt the tears threaten to fall from her eyes, but she rubbed them hard, she wouldn't cry, she had to be strong. She must find her way home. She should tell her father… this wasn't Jason's fault! She couldn't ruin what was left of her relationship.

In the absence of help from people, she tried to find her way on her own. But after 10 minutes she found herself looking at the same comic-themed shop as in the beginning "I'm walking in circles..." she realized with horror. She didn't understand how that was possible, she was walking in a straight line!

Well, she would try another way.

"Why didn't anyone tell me that my sense of direction is so bad? It's an important thing to know!"

'Although... I guess no one expected me to lose myself' she sighed. Her gaze met the brightly colored store again, this was the fifth time she had come across it "If I didn't know better, I'd say I'm walking here on purpose"

Following her curiosity, she approached the building looking inside through the window. The bright colors are inside too, everything was packed with books and action figures, as well as posters and huge cardboard figures. Her eyes went to a figure dressed in red and blue. There was a huge S on his chest. Her eyes narrowed looking at the symbol, she could feel something moving in her mind, the same feeling that she had in the zoo listening to those children play. Why ...?

"I don't understand what you see as funny in this." She crossed her arms, casting a disgusted look over the unpleasant book. The boy next to her laughed amused by something he read "They are people writing and drawing strange things from your own life and that of your father"

"That's the fun!" He opened the book in front of her face. “Look at this! In this version dad is a shapeshifter, so they try to explain that no one recognizes him in their civil life without wearing a mask like you"

Daniela lowered the comic with an arched eyebrow "I still don't understand how no one recognizes them by simple glasses..."

"Kryptonian magic" He gestured with his hands imitating an illusion.

"I'm pretty sure that doesn't exist" she couldn't help but smile when she saw him continue with the illusion of his hands, he was excited to see her lips arch, his eyes shining at his achievement .

He looked again at the shelf he was looking at how to spend the rest of his allowance. “You sure you don't want to get one? There are many of your family"

"Don't say it so loud" She looked at the copies, snorting at the sight of one of Red Robin and Red Hood together. She still remembered the first time she saw ‘fanarts’ of her siblings as vigilantes in a romantic relationship. She was so horrified by the image, but so excited to see the idiots' faces showing it to they. Drake would probably know by now, he was a comic book nerd just like Jon, but showing it to him in front of Todd...

And they didn't disappoint, she still had the cave security camera footage. Gordon was so fascinated. Todd refused to patrol with Red Robin for months, after learning that his fans fujoshis (term learned thanks to Brown) were shipping him (also learned from Brown) with most of his 'brothers' and even Daniela ("It's a girl for Alfred's sake! Do I have a pedophile face!?”) he refused to patrol with either of them.

…Maybe she should take a comic and drop it off at Todd's safe house.

"I know that expression, now I regret asking" Jon murmured with a small mischievous smile "I fear for one of your brothers"

"You shouldn't, they deserve it for being idiots" She taked the comic, giving it a contemplative look "Jon ... Do you know if they have Red Hood comics... ‘shipped’ with Batman?"

The clerk at the cash register looked in their direction upon hearing the boy's uncontrolled laughter.

Daniela grabbed her head, gasping at the horrible pain.

She had been here before, she did! And she wasn't alone, but who was that boy?

Black hair, blue eyes… no, damn it! She couldn't remember!

Like her dream of the man Ravi, she couldn't remember his eyes, she knew they were blue, she had thought it was a nice color, but she couldn't remember now. She could only hear his laugh. It was innocent, childish.

She felt the tears flood her eyes. Who was that boy? Because she couldn't remember !? Why did the memory fade like waking from a dream?

They were talking about comics ... or was about his family?

'Waiting! I remember something. Red Hood. The book said Red Hood' She crouched on the sidewalk, her eyes closed trying to remember. There was something else, but she can't remember...

Probably the best way to answer your question would be to go into the store and search for an answer. But just thinking about turning the doorknob made her shiver.

She ended up sitting outside the store trying to control her breathing, trying to remember every part of the new memory of her that hadn't faded.

Who was that boy?

Would he be a friend? Where did she know him from? Where was he now he? …Would she ever see him again? She hoped it was like this ...

[Move on]

She was startled, looking at the owner of the voice. Except ... there is no one around her "Who...?"

[Move on!]

Scared, she heeded the order. She got up from her place on the cold ground and looked everywhere. Where was that voice coming from? She sounded familiar, but at the same time so… distant.

[Move on!]

"Who are you!?" She kept looking around her "Where are you!?"

[Is not safe. move on!]

"Is not safe?" The street lights came on, startling her. A glance up at the sky, barely visible from the tall buildings of her told him how late it was. The sky was dark. Completely dark. She looked back at the comic book store, which was closed.

She was alone, at night, in a city that she did not know, with no possibility of returning home alone.

"…Who are you?" The voice was silent. She was afraid of her own mind playing a prank on her, but she was more terrified of the idea of being alone "Please..."

Footsteps echoed through the silence of the night, startled, she looked trembling at the shadows looming down an alley. The voices were thick and by their figures she could see that they were two men.

"Could I… ask them for help?"

[STUPID! Get out of there!]

"Hey what do we have here?" One of the men scoffed. When did they get so close?

She now she could see them better. They were big, almost twice her size. They had bottles of suspicious liquid in their hands and the smile of the man who spoke sent a shiver down her spine "I-I..."

She took a few shaky steps back when they approached

"Are you lost little one? Don't you know that little ladies shouldn't be alone at night?"

"I was... going home" Her breath hitched as he laughed. "I... I'm sorry, I have to go" The laughter stopped.

He looked at her from head to toe “You have nice clothes. Does daddy have a lot of money? Or maybe mommy does?" The other subject approached, taking a lock of her hair in his hands. Daniela felt a lonely tear run down her cheek, too scared to move "How much would Daddy give us for his spoiled little princess?"

[RUN!]

The voice activated something inside her. One second she was frozen in her place and the next she aimed her fist at the guy's face, hitting his right eye. He howled in pain, cursing.

Daniela looked at her stunned hand, not understanding what happened. But as soon as she met the furious gaze of the first subject, she dismissed any thoughts and heeded the voice in her head. She ran.

Her legs were stiff from the cold, her lungs ached and she could barely make out her way because of her tears. It shouldn't have been a surprise when she ended up falling flat on her face.

Tears ran down her cheeks, the floor had scraped the palms of her hands as she tried to stop her fall "I want to go home..."

[Stop being a cry baby, they're getting closer]

Daniela looked back, seeing the silhouettes rush towards her. She bit back a groan as she got up and limped into the alley beside her, if only she could lose them ...

She could hear the voice mutter something close to 'stupid' but she couldn't focus much on it. She was busier looking for a way out, except… there wasn't one.

'Really!? A dead end!?’ Of all the damn times to forget Tim's horror movies… Of course it would be a dead end!

[Stupid] The voice repeated.

"Where are you little princess?" They were getting closer. Daniela moaned looking for a place to hide. Her eyes met a fire escape.

They were drunk, at least enough to possibly not be able to climb ‘If I can go up there, I will definitely lose them’

[Alright, you're finally using your head]

She couldn't reach the ladder with her height, not even by jumping she managed to touch it. She needed something… a box! She picked up a cardboard box lying next to a trash can. It was empty, but it was thick enough to support her weight for a few seconds.

She climbed onto it and quickly leapt up the ladder, clinging to it. She had noticed when looking at herself in the mirror in the mornings that she had an exercised body, she had not yet asked if she did any sports, but she was sure that she practiced one. She now she could only thank her self before amnesia for it, her strength would make it easier to climb.

[Watch out!]

A hand gripped her leg. Daniela, surprised, screamed as she lost her grip on the ladder and fell backward to the ground.

"Where do you think you are going? We still haven't finished with you brat "

"I feel like I've seen her somewhere"

Daniela groaned. The fall wasn't very hard, but she had hit her head and it hurt trying to lift her.

"In a magazine? I told you, she is the daughter of some idiot with money! "

Their voices were very loud. Daniela narrowed her eyes, trying to concentrate. With her head on the ground, she could see between the men's feet. They were only two, right?

"I'm telling you, we'll get a lot of money out of him"

So why did she see another shadow entering the alley?

One of the men noticed his new viewer “Hey! Get out of here bastard! Do you want trouble?"

The shadow continued to approach, at a leisurely pace. But Daniela could see his hand tighten around a cylindrical object.

"Didn't you hear me !?"

The second man took a step back, looking scared "Hey… isn't that…?"

"What?" He looked at the man, narrowing his eyes “Who…? Nightwing!?” He muttered in surprise. Just hearing his name made her head ache "This is not his territory!"

Daniela moaned on the floor, taking her head in her hands. Her movement caught the attention of the two drunken men and that was all the vigilante present needed to attack.

She admired the view of the city beneath her feet, sitting on the Gotham post office building, even with the noise of the city she could hear the footsteps behind her. But she knew her sound was intentional, he used to do it so as not to startle her, his unfounded fear of her losing her balance "Nightwing"

"Little D"

"No names in the idiot field" She heard his laugh, making her smile.

Daniela closed her eyes, trying to ignore the gasps and moans of pain from the men, she could not care what happened to them, she was more occupied with her mind screaming.

"I want a double Batburger with a Batcola" He gave a charming smile to the poor blushing saleswoman behind the counter "What do you say Robin, do you want a Batmite?" He shrunk when he received a frown. "Come on, I know you like it" He turned to the young saleswoman dressed in a batman theme "We also want a Batmite with a veggie Batburger and a double portion of Batfries" She wrote everything down and gave them their waiting time "Thanks"

He turned to her, smiling innocently "You're a idiot Gr-Nightwing"

"You love me" He put his hand on her shoulder, guiding her to the counter "Let's see what toys are there, which of these are you missing? Last time you had a Red Hood one"

"Now it's Titus's toy"

He laughed "I guessed it"

Daniela sobbed, the voice in her head trying to tell her something, but she wasn't able to understand it. In the midst of her pain she looked at the figure standing on the unconscious bodies of her previous pursuers.

The alley was still too dark to see him, but now she could see that his clothes were blue and black and he was wearing a macara over his eyes.

When he felt her gaze, he looked at her and began to move towards her.

"Who…?"

He stopped.

Daniela took a deep breath "...Who are you?"

Soon, the pain became too much. She did not realize when she fell unconscious.

Chapter Text

Should she be worried about falling unconscious so many times in a single day? Probably yes.

Daniela blinked as she was greeted by the ceiling of her room. Her hands roamed over the clean sheets, even without bringing them close to her face she could feel the air freshener used by Mr. Pennyworth.

'I'm home...' Tears welled up in her eyes 'Am I really... home?'

It almost felt like a dream, or maybe what had happened on the streets was a nightmare. She liked the latter idea, that none of it had happened, but the bandages on her hands told a different story.

"Miss Daniela" Mr. Pennyworth greeted her from the door, entering with a tray in her hands "I'm glad to see you awake"

"Mr. Pennyworth…” She sat up, realizing belatedly that she no longer felt any pain in her body. The older man walked over, placing the tray on her nightstand.

“Do you feel any pain?”

"No, I'm fine"

"Are you sure?" He sat on the foot of the bed and gently took her bandaged hands "Do her hands feel okay?"

This burned slightly, but nothing compared to the heat caused by his tender touch. She cursed herself when her eyes misted up again. "Yeah, it doesn't hurt."

She was so happy to be back.

She was so afraid of never being here again, of never seeing this good man again or her father, Tim, Jas-

‘Jason!’

"Mr. Pennyworth! Where is Jason?

His expression didn't change in the least, but Daniela could feel his hands tighten "Master Jason is fine, he has returned to his house."

“To his house?” Something cold settled on her chest. "Will he… not stay here anymore?"

Had it all gone that bad?

“I told you before, her brothers are adults, they have their things to take care of.” Alfred helped her lie back down and straightened her blankets “Master Jason has a job to return to, he'll be back soon. Now you must rest"

He headed for the door “Mr. Pennyworth!” He paused before opening the door "How did I get back?"

“…Master Jason brought her back” Was all he said before he left, closing the door softly.

'But... he didn't find me, did he?' Her mind went back to the figure in the alley. Her head only seemed to ache like this when memories of her tried to come back.

Last night hurt more than any other time, it could only mean that part of the memories revolved around him.

But who was he? How did they know each other?

A bright smile "Good job, Little D"

"Ugh," she curled up with her head in her hands. She might think about it after a little nap.

-

Her father was very emotional when they met again. Daniela came down from her room for lunch and her father did not hesitate to run towards her to hug her. The touch was as warm as it was unnerving, she hadn't noticed it until that moment, but in all their time together he had never been tactile with her, always afraid to initiate any physical contact, pulling his hands away in embarrassment whenever he unconsciously touched her.

She was beginning to wonder if it was a common thing before the accident or if he was taking care of not to make her uncomfortable by losing her memories of him. Whatever the case, she could only hide her face in the man's coat, enjoying the warmth that was given to her.

The meal proceeded as normal, like the days before Tim came back, with both of them eating in silence. Her father seemed to want to talk to her, but without being able to put his ideas in order. Only when they were both done, setting their utensils aside, did he decide to let his thoughts out "We need to talk"

Daniela moved uncomfortably in her seat "Okay"

“What happened yesterday…” He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose “I know it wasn't your fault, I'm not blaming you and you're not in trouble” he assured. Daniela frowned, that sounded strangely… rehearsed? “I just… I would like to know what happened”

“I… I'm sorry,” she fiddled with her hands, avoiding his gaze. She told her father everything, from that morning until the moment they arrived at the zoo, omitting some parts, like his nightmare the night before "Jason took a call and I waited for him, but then..."

The children playing, their toys…

"Then?"

“Something made my head hurt”

That seemed to pique her father's interest. "What thing?"

"I do not know. I… I don't remember exactly. It just…it hurt, so much" The noise, the people… "I'm sorry, I walked away from Jason and I think I ran away. I don't know where I went, I woke up in a dark alley and-” Bile rose in her throat, memories of that afternoon coming back to her mind. She felt so foolish for not being able to talk about it, so weak. But it was hard, she didn't want to tell her father how weak she was, how scared she was. She felt…bad.

A warm hand rested on hers. She met her father's eyes and immediately she had to look away from him, feeling embarrassed "I... I don't want to continue"

He frowned, wanting to insist, but a throat clearing from Alfred stopped him "I understand" He sighed. He held her hand tight for a moment before letting go “I know it was a difficult experience, remembering nothing of the streets and no one else with you. That's why I want you to promise me something."

"What thing?"

"I want you to promise me not to leave the mansion alone again"

'But I wasn't alone' She bit her tongue to keep from replying. She wasn't stupid enough to go out alone to a place she didn't know, she was with someone else, she was with Jason. With her older brother.

Her brother... That he was surely upset with her for what had happened. She wasn't stupid, even if she didn't remember the personal relationships of each member of her family, she knew Jason's departure to his own place wasn't for work.

Surely her stupid crisis away from her house caused him to have problems with her father.

It was all her fault.

"Daniela?" Her father's eyes begged her to say what he wanted to hear. Hoping not to find a contradiction to his request.

And who is Daniela to deny her that? "I promise"

Her smile was worth it.

Or at least she hoped so.

Daniela sighed, looking out the window at Mr. Pennyworth hanging out in the vehicle, waiting for her. She hated being the reason the man had to go so long without taking care of his own things, she knew how busy he was and how much he seemed to hate sitting still in one place.

She had tried to convince him to leave her behind, but since that day no one seemed to want to leave her alone for a minute. She understood that they were a bit overprotective and she couldn't say that it didn't generate a nice warmth in her chest, but this was becoming too much already!

[Maybe if you weren't so weak, they wouldn't have to put all their efforts into taking care of your worthless butt]

"Wow, so you're still here" She growled."You were very silent this morning"

Another thing that changed since that day was the voice in her head. She thought it was just something in the heat of the moment, something created by the stress of being lost. But it wasn't like that, as soon as she left her room the next day, she could hear her.

Her problem wasn't hearing voices, actually the mansion felt less empty with someone talking to her, even if it was a creation of her mind. The problem was how rude she turned out to be. Day and night, all the voice did to her was insult and mock her.

It was irritating.

"Daniela?"

She turned around, meeting Dinah's curious gaze “Dr. Lance"

"I already told you that you can call me Dinah." The woman put a hand on her back, guiding her to her office.

Daniela could feel her cheeks heat up "I'm sorry, calling others by their last name feels... wrong"

"wrong?"

Daniela settled into the usual uncomfortable seat, knowing from little experience that it was better to settle in before starting to talk to the blonde “It's strange. It feels… wrong. As if I was being disrespectful”

"Does this happen to all people or only people older than you?"

Daniela thought about it for a moment, about her interactions with the few people she knew so far “Until now I don't know anyone younger than me, but... I think it happens to everyone. I make an effort to call Tim and Jason by their first names because, I think it's weird to call my brothers by their last names… also, there are three of them, I can't call them all 'Wayne,' right?"

Dinah frowned, whenever she did that Daniela felt like there was something she was missing.

[Because she knows things that you don't]

"Maybe it's something they taught you as a child, a way to address adults and even with amnesia it has stayed"

[Did you see that grimace when speaking? She is lying]

"It's likely" Daniela made an effort to ignore the voice. From what she had learned these last few days the voice loved to make her doubt other people. That Jason was upset with her, that her father didn't want to touch her, that Tim can't stand her... That her another older brother took advantage of her amnesia to never see her again...

She didn't know why, but that last one really hurt.

And she had no way to refute it.

"I heard you had a difficult situation this weekend. Do you want to talk about it?"

[For what? Obviously he already told her everything]

"Actually... I'd rather not" She had been asked so many times about that day, that she was beginning to feel like a broken record. Besides, the voice was right, if Dinah knew about it, it's because her father already told her everything.

"Are you sure? High-stress situations like that can be-”

"I'm sure" She surprised herself by interrupting the woman, Dinah mirroring her surprised expression "Sorry, I just…I really don't want to talk about it."

"Don't worry, it's normal. I just want you to know that if you ever want to talk about it…”

Daniela smiled "Thank you, I appreciate it"

Her feet ached from running so much.

It wasn't usually a problem, running across the rooftops of Gotham had become a habit after so many months as Robin. Even a relief from her routine, with the wind caressing her face and her feet taking off between the buildings.

This was normally relaxing.

Not today. Today she just wants to hit someone. Preferably the idiot who made her run nonstop for over an hour after three days of not being able to sleep for more than two hours straight. She couldn't understand how Drake managed to stay sane with her disastrous sleep schedule.

“Batman to Robin, localized location. Head to the docks"

Daniela stopped in her tracks, regulating her breath "Robin to Batman, could you repeat that?"

“Head to the docks”

Daniela looked back, in the direction of the docks, from the same place she had come from… "You have to be kidding me" she growled. She activated her communicator "On the way"

Frustrated, she prepared to run. Only, when she was about to jump, her foot tripped. A curse escaped her lips at the sight of the emptiness beneath her body. Before she could think of anything, a hand took hers, holding her in the air.

Daniela gasped, looking up. She was greeted by eyes hidden behind a black mask. "You almost gave me a heart attack" The concern in his voice did not match the bright smile on his lips.

She couldn't help but smile as she felt his hand squeeze hers tighter, warmer, larger. Protective.

-

Daniela awoke with a strangled cry, the feeling of emptiness under her feet still present. She quickly looked around her, looking for a point of reference with which to prove that she was still in her room and not out on the town in the middle of the night.

The walls of her room were dark, moonlight streaming through her windows. The only thing that allowed her to breathe in peace was the weight of her blankets, giving her something to hold on to.

With her heart slowing down, she reviewed her nightmare.

'It was a nightmare?'

This time there was no blood, usually her nightmares had a lot of blood...

She pushed those thoughts aside, she could think about it later. Right now, she needed the notebook hidden under her mattress.

Ever since that day in the alley, her mind couldn't let go of the masked man. The mere thought of him made her head ache, but in some strange way, she was beginning to get excited with the pain. The pain meant that her memories were coming back, she didn't know how or why, but that man was related to her and she needed to find out.

Dinah said that to recover her memories it would be good to make video diaries, but every time she got in front of the camera her thoughts would fade and she could only stutter uncomfortably. It was a big no.

Also, the voice in her head insisted that it was not safe, that her family would see her videos. Daniela wanted to say that it was a stupid thought, but she still gave up trying.

At her place, she searched through her things and found a small black notebook (because all her things are dark!?) and in it she wrote every little thing that could be a clue to recover her memories. Every thing that gave her a headache, every nightmare she's ever had. Little things like foods, smells, and words.

She even she didn't have much, but it was already a step forward.

The dream she had just had barely stayed in her mind, she used to lose the memories of her dreams and nightmares very quickly, so she tried to write down as much as possible before that happened.

"Jumping between roofs, it's night... tripping and falling..."

She looked at her hand curiously, thinking of her larger hand holding it. Now it felt so cold...

"I don't know who the hell you are, but I'm going to find out"

Chapter Text

The pencil balanced on the sheet of paper, the slight pressure exerted causing a light grayish that contrasted perfectly with the deep black of the outline. Daniela allowed herself a small smile of satisfaction at the result.

She wished someone had mentioned this to her a lot sooner.

It was relaxing. The tearing of the pencil on the sheet, the union of the lines, the small details that deepened her creation.

It felt so… amazing.

[He moved again]

Daniela looked up in surprise, letting out an exasperated growl, "Titus, quiet!" The Great Dane gave her a single glance before returning to his previous position, letting out a snort. Daniela sighed "It was just a moment, I promise"

Certainly Titus was not the best model to make a portrait, like any dog, he was full of contained energy and just wanted to go out and play. But at least he stayed still much longer than Alfred, the cat who enjoyed spending all day sleeping or resting in one place, was unable to stay still after the initial sketch.

Daniela is ninety percent sure that he was moving just to annoy her.

With another sigh, she decided to quickly return to her current job, trying to keep her promise to finish quickly and go play with the impatient dog later.

She still couldn't believe how easy she was for drawing, and she just discovered it by chance!

She had decided to draw what little she remembered of the masked man before her forgetful memory erased it completely, her surprise came when at the end her eyes met a quite realistic version of her recorded memory on the paper.

Delighted with her new discovery, she searched her room for some pencils to add color to her work. An ability like that wasn't born from amnesia, right? Her pre-accident self must have worked hard to achieve that.

In her search, she managed to find some drawing books, but she couldn't see all of them. The ones she did have time to look through were incredible, full of beautiful drawings of wild flowers, birds and farm animals, the latter being an odd choice, but she was too excited to think about it much.

She was really good!

The book that most caught her attention was one with a dark green cover. Its content was very realistic images of people. Her family was there, her father drinking what she assumed was a cup of coffee, Mr. Pennyworth watering his flowers, Tim concentrating on the computer… even Jason was there! With a motorcycle helmet under his arm and an annoyed expression on his face.

They were not the only ones portrayed, there were many other people, but Daniela could not recognize them (for more than obvious reasons). There were three girls laughing together, her amnesia-free me didn't seem to appreciate colors much even in her drawings, they were all in monochrome. It was a shame, she wishes could know the colors of their hair and eyes, maybe so she could recognize them if she sees them one day...

Anyway, there were many more people, of different ages, many adults, some children. Daniela wondered if she really knew all these people, there were too many. The ones that most caught her attention were the children her age. There were two dark-haired girls who were quite the same, as well as two boys, one with black hair and the other who seemed to have it lighter due to the gray tone of the pencil.

Her head hurt seeing them in the pictures, but not just her head. Her heart ached too, seeing their smiles and bright eyes. Would they be like this in reality?

She wondered if they were friends before the accident.

If they care enough about her to visit her someday.

She… She hoped to see them someday in person. She had never felt so alone before seeing that book.

“Come on Tim! Just once"

"I already told you no"

It wasn't her intention to eavesdrop, actually, she hadn't even realized she was doing it until just a few minutes ago.

She was walking to the kitchen to show Mr. Pennyworth her drawing of Titus (and perhaps ask for a sandwich) when a female voice drew her attention to her brother's room. Daniela was confused, Tim was supposed to be with her father in his company until dinner time. Why did he come back earlier?

She thought of asking Mr. Pennyworth, but her curiosity got the better of her and she soon found herself with her ear pressed to the wooden door trying to make out their voices and words.

"You know what bruce said"

“I don't care what Bruce says! I want to see her!"

see her? See who?

"Steph please"

“Tim, it's been a long time. She has been locked up here for weeks without seeing anyone ”

"She does leave the mansion, she has been seeing Dinah"

"Being locked in a room with a specialist who tries to cry out her soul is not a get out Tim”

“That's not what psychologists-… You know what? I won't go into that. I just know that she's not allowed to leave the mansion, not after her and Jason's go out” Daniela could barely hear the last part, but the girl didn't have the same problem.

“With Jason!? You let her go out with Jason, but I can't even visit her!?"

Daniela grimaced, she sounded really upset. She felt sorry for her brother, the poor must be very- Wait! They were talking about her!?

[You are so slow]

"We didn't let her go out with Jason, he practically kidnapped her"

"…What?"

'He's taking everything out of context' Daniela gently banged her head against the wall.

[He has never known how to handle his panic at an annoying girl. Much less with her]

"Who is she?" She murmured, but as always, the voice ignored her question.

"It's a long story" Tim's voice sounded nervous "But she is no longer allowed to leave the mansion unless it is to see Dinah"

“Oh yes, how healthy for a teenager”

“Steph, going to a mental health professional is the healthiest thing anyone in this family has ever done”

"Good point. But you know what I'm talking about"

"Yeah, I know- wait, where are you going?"

"I'm going to see her"

"Steph, don't"

"Only be a moment"

"NOT!"

"You can't boss me around!"

"Bruce said no one else can see her. It's for her own good!"

There were hurried footsteps and then a few knocks. Daniela took a few steps back, ready to escape and not be caught eavesdropping. But then the door opened and two bodies fell in front of her feet.

Daniela saw at her brother lying on a girl with blonde hair, pinning her to the ground while she tried to free herself. They were both growling and muttering to each other, completely unaware of her presence.

That, until her eyes met a beautiful sky blue and immediately the girl's movements stopped. Confused, Tim followed her gaze, surprised to see her in front of them.

Daniela swallowed, not knowing what to do next. The girl didn't take her eyes off her and Daniela just wanted to run away, because, even if she had gotten better at controlling her headaches, the current sting in her brain wasn't really pleasant.

And looking at this girl's sparkling eyes was only making it worse.

Taking advantage of Tim's distraction, the girl threw him aside, quickly standing up and ignoring the indignant complaint of the dark-haired "Dani"

“Eh…” she looked at her brother for help. Tim sighed from the floor "Daniela... I present to you, Stephanie Brown, she is... well..." Both teenagers looked at each other uncomfortably, not knowing what word to use.

Daniela frowned, searching her hazy memory for some hint of her name, it sounded familiar. Then the memory hit her "You're one of the girls!"

The blonde's, Stephanie's, eyes widened in surprise "One… of the girls?"

Daniela blushed “Sisters! Well, no sisters” She got caught up in her words, feeling their eyes on her “Tim said there were more people in the family ans Jason said there were the... girls. But they weren't sisters, because… well, he mentioned something about… incest”

She watched their flushed cheeks in fascination as her words registered in their brain. "Jason…" They both growled.

Daniela sent a little mental apology to her older brother.

Stephanie knelt down at her level and held out a hand that Daniela shyly shook. “Tim is horrible at this, so I'd better introduce myself. My name is Stephanie Brown and I am so much more amazing than all of your brothers combined"

Tim snorted with his arms crossed, causing Daniela a small laugh. Stephanie seemed pretty proud of causing that.

“…Nice to meet you” she frowned “Well, to meet you again. Since we knew each other before and you still know me… but I don't know… you” she shrugged, covering her face with her hands “Please ignore everything I said”

The silence was held long enough for her curiosity to overcome her embarrassment and she uncovered her face. Stephanie was grinning from ear to ear, while Tim was just pretending to look away.

Before she knew what was happening, she found herself surrounded by the blonde's arms, being lifted off the ground "Tim told me, but I thought he was exaggerating. You're so adorable!"

"I never said that! And put her down, you are being very abrupt”

“You are jealous because I have the emotional capacity to give hugs”

"That makes no sense"

"Your face doesn't make sense." However, she carefully place Daniela on the ground.

Daniela sighed, still shocked by the blonde's enthusiasm. Her family wasn't that…extroverted.

"Now" Tim looked at her with curiosity and a hint of amusement "What were you doing spying on us?"

"I wasn't spying," she lied. Tim arched an eyebrow, clearly not believing her. Then his eyes strayed to the sheet of paper in her hands and Daniela sighed in defeat "I was going to show Mr. Pennyworth something I made"

"We can see it?" Stephanie asked.

Daniela hesitated for a moment, but finally handed them over. They both looked at it carefully, their eyes wide with astonishment. Tim smiled “I've seen you drawing before, but you never showed me what you did. This is really good"

"Really?"

Stephanie nodded strongly “Yes! It's like looking at a picture of Titus."

She knew that they were just being nice to her, that drawing was not up to the ones in her old notebooks, but that did not prevent a warm feeling from growing in her chest "Thank you"

For some reason, that earned her another hug and coo from Stephanie.

"So this is the 'emergency' you had to come home early for?" Her father crossed his arms, looking at Tim reproachfully.

She had spent the entire afternoon being dragged along by Steph, as the blonde asked to be named, chatting about everything and nothing. Daniela had to admit how refreshing it was to have another girl inside the mansion. Steph is bright and full of energy, very different from the boys in her family, always calm and tired.

Even Mr. Pennyworth seemed happier in her presence.

Then her father came home from work and he didn't seem very happy. At least now Daniela understood why her brother was home so early.

“I tried to stop her” Tim offers his feeble excuse. Daniela smiled nestled under the arm of her new self-proclaimed older sister. Jason told her why her father didn't want her to see her siblings in the beginning and why he doesn't want they to talk about the past. Her father fears that it will harm her and in a certain sense yes that's how it is, her head hurts every time she gets close to something familiar, but the more people she meets, the happier she feels, the loneliness she feels in her chest fades and the hope to regain her memories becomes older.

Steph tightens her hold on her "Come on, you knew you couldn't keep me away for long"

Her father sighs in frustration. Daniela takes this as a sign that she will see Speth at home more often.

"So what do you think?" Steph looked up from the crowded streets to see her new surveillance partner on the rooftop. With his face covered, Red Robin looked indifferent, but his voice showed his uncertainty and curiosity.

“I don't know” She would have preferred to crack a joke to lighten the mood, but the subject was serious for both of them and she preferred to get her thoughts out as soon as possible, before they got stuck in her head and they were unable to move away “She's so… different, but at the same time, is her” She thought of the little green-eyed girl, she couldn't help but compare the shy but cheerful girl of now with the furious and distrustful of a few months ago “Only, you know, without the walls” A smile curled around her lips as she remembered her laugh, she had never heard her laugh before. She had only seen her smile, but never with real happiness, her smiles were always forced or full of arrogance.

Hell, this was the first time she was able to hug her. Months ago, she would have lost her arm just trying.

“Yeah, it's… weird” Tim sat on the edge of the roof, kicking his feet in the air “I've never seen her look so…” He shrugged, not knowing how to continue.

Steph nodded, leaning on his shoulder "You know what the weirdest thing was?" She smiled, turning away to see his reaction. "She really admires you"

"What!?"

"Come on, don't tell me you haven't noticed, she looks at you with little stars in her eyes!"

He shook his head, a slight blush barely visible on his cheeks "It's not true, you're making it up."

"Really! It's really adorable!” And boy was it. It was not common to see Daniela being like this with anyone but Dick and even with him she had reservations when being with other people. But this version of Daniela had no qualms, or perhaps care, in keeping her feelings to herself and showing an indifferent front.

It was amazing to know that both girls were the same person. She couldn't help but wonder what would have become of Daniela if she had grown up in an environment away from the league of assassins, would she have been as free as the girl she met today? Free to show her feelings without fear, without shame?

"I'm not saying you're right" Tim grumbled "But I'll admit we've been… closer"

"Really?" She asked in disbelief. Not because of the fact itself, but because he thought she didn't notice. Even with how little she was in the mansion before their patrol she could see how close they were compared to before… it.

“…We have movie nights”

"What!? Are you having movie nights… without me?” She squeezed her chest, faking a deep hurt "I feel so abandoned by this family"

Tim smiled "It's just something we've both been doing, someone needs to teach him modern culture"

She arched an eyebrow “And you're the one in charge? Is she that bad?” She got a little shove in retaliation “I'm just saying, I could teach her. You know, less nerd culture and more quality pop culture"

"Oh yeah, I'm sure Bruce will be very happy about that"

“She has the right to grow up as a normal teenager of this century, besides, it's not like we can leave it in his hands, I bet he would just teach her dark and… I don't know, melancholic things. It is in his essence”

“Nah, I bet he would teach her detective series. With a lot of mystery-"

"And sad endings"

"...Yes, many sad endings." They shared a smile.

Steph sighed. "By the way... Dick isn't showing up yet?"

"He was going to do it" Something in Tim's voice made him sound off "Everything was already arranged to go to the mansion, but..." He shook his head, running a hand over his head "Something happened, after Daniela got lost on her outing with Jason. Dick found her and called us to go get her, but…”

"But?"

"He couldn't even look at her" He let out a mirthless laugh "It was pitiful, you know? Seeing her lying on the ground and him… just standing away, unable to do anything. He was so determined to see her and now he just… seems afraid” He shook his head. Steph could only look at him with pity, feeling the same pain that he expressed with his broken words. She took his hand and didn't comment when he squeezed it hard, a silent tear slipping down his cheek. “It hurts. It hurts so much, that she doesn't know us is… God, it hurts a lot. We barely interacted, we got along horrible, we insulted each other all the time and hopefully we had a few patrols together a month, but it hurts that she doesn't recognize me. I can't… I don't know how to even imagine how much it must hurt him. Steph, Dick was practically her dad"

She nodded, not wanting to interrupt him. This is something he should have let out a long time ago.

“For so long I had anger towards them because of their relationship, I thought Dick was replacing me not only as Robin, but as a brother. He defended her so much, he showed her so much affection… so much patience and I just… I don't know, I wondered why she deserved it more than me. I was so selfish… so jealous and… blind.

Of course it would be different because they are not siblings!” He hid his face in his hands "She was his daughter..." he laughed again "After so many jokes about Bruce and the habit of adopting, in the end he ended up adopting his daughter"

Steph smiled, remembering Jason once making that same comment in front of the older brother. Dick had choked on his drink, but he never denied the accusation. And it wasn't necessary for him to do it either, everyone knew that if Bruce hadn't come back, Dick would definitely have taken guardianship of Daniela, no one in the world would be more capable and more committed to caring for and loving that girl than Dick Grayson.

And Daniela wouldn't love anyone the way she loved him either.

He was probably the first person to truly love her.

in giving her affection...

…What a sad thought.

She leaned back into his shoulder, not knowing what to say to cheer him up. The only thing she could do for this strange family was show her support, hold him as he cried, and murmur words of comfort.

We can't fix the mistakes of the past, we can only learn from them and... wait for things to change. They weren't there for their little sister when she was needed them and now that hurt them. But everything would be fine, Steph could trust it. Because now they will be there, together. They will be the family they should have been from the beginning, they will support each other and they will be happy.

Steph will make sure of it.

Chapter Text

Daniela hummed an improvised melody while drawing in her diary of 'memories' as she had lately nicknamed it. The fact that she knew how to draw helped to convey her vague memories in a better way, it was much easier for her to try to describe them, especially when it comes to dreams like on this occasion. Her dreams about the mysterious watchman did not stop accompanying her during the nights, but she occasionally switched to other companions.

Last night she dreamed again of running over the buildings, with the cold night wind crashing against her face. She had to admit it was nice, except for the times when she was chased by shadows she didn't recognize.

But last night a new character entered her dreams, a female figure surrounded by purple. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make out her face, but she knew that under her dark mask the girl held a joyous smile, how did she know? she had no idea, it's not like they could exchange words or anything, but something in her environment gave her the feeling of calm and closeness.

She felt so…familiar.

"Miss Daniela, breakfast is served" Daniela quickly looked at her watch on her nightstand, surprised to see that it had been a long time since she started drawing, she looked sadly at the purple pencil in her hand, wanting to finish the drawing but not wanting to keep her father waiting.

"I'll be there in a second Mr. Pennyworth." Before leaving, she made sure to tuck her diary deep into her underwear drawer. For some reason, the annoying voice in her head insisted on keeping it where no one would look for it, and although Mr. Pennyworth did the laundry, he allowed her to put things away herself, so he wouldn't touch that drawer in particular.

In the dining room, her father sat at the head, talking animatedly with her brother, who had his trusty cup of coffee in hand. According to Mr. Pennyworth, coffee was an unhealthy habit of Tim's that the entire family had tried to break in one way or another, failing miserably.

"Good morning" They both responded to her greeting calmly. Daniela thanked Mr. Pennyworth as he placed a cup of tea in front of her.

Breakfast passed normally, in a comfortable silence broken only by the pages of the newspaper.

Therapy sessions with Dr. Lance became more frequent since her 'incident' on the streets of Gotham, her father seemed to be convinced that the experience will form some kind of trauma in Daniela. Although it was something terrifying that she still had nightmares about, the excitement of her meeting the mysterious masked man who saved her and knowing that he was triggering some of her memories left all the bad memories behind. At least for the most part.

Dr. Lance wanted to know more about her family environment, she always used to ask about her brothers and her father, her relationship with them, the activities they did together, etc. Everything seemed to be of the utmost importance, although Daniela could not understand how.

Actually, she had spent the last 10 minutes of the session talking about Stephanie and how her cheerful attitude seemed to contrast with the quiet environment of the mansion. Dr. Lance seemed very happy that she had another person present around her, but she worried about what this might trigger in her mind.

“It hurt a bit, like… a pressure on my head”

"You told me something similar when you met your brothers"

Yes, apparently it was something recurring. As if her mind will try to signal that her memories are still there, that there is a memory for each of those familiar faces. Only… she still can't unlock them.

“Dr. Lance… Is there a way I… speed up the process of getting my memories back?”

The blonde woman made a slight, almost imperceptible grimace, her eyebrows furrowing. "I'll be honest with you. The process to overcome a retrograde amnesia like yours is not easy, it is not a physical damage that we are overcoming, it is mental. Your mind is trying to protect you from something, probably the accident that caused you to lose your memories."

"Protect me?"

“A traumatic experience can trigger various coping or defense mechanisms. We could say that your mind decided that amnesia would be that mechanism.” Daniela nodded, having heard something similar from the doctor who treated her after waking up with amnesia “For now, I'd like to go slow with your recovery. The fact that you feel pain when being with familiar people makes me think that recovering your memories will not be a painless process and I would prefer that we go little by little ”

Her mind returned to the encounter with the masked man in that alley, the excruciating pain that made her want to hit her head against the ground in a foolish attempt to stop it. She hoped that recovering her memories would not require that kind of pain again "...I understand."

“For now, I would like you to spend more time with one of your brothers. Being with familiar people can make you remember little things and bring you closer to the normality you used to.”

Daniela made a face “That may not be possible. Tim is busy working most of the day and Jason…”

She hasn't seen Jason since that day.

And she is afraid to ask her father about him.

"What about Stephanie?"

"what?"

“You said that you met Stephanie a few days ago, that she is a nice girl and you liked being with her”

Daniela blushed “Well, yes. But... I don't know if...” She hesitated for a moment before confessing "The truth is, I was hoping to invite her to go shopping… ”

"Shopping?" She smiled, encouraging her to continue.

"Yes, I... there are some things I wanted to see" She thought of her closet, full of dark and warm clothes, of the pretty dress she couldn't wear because of her scarred legs "I hoped she could come with me" She has wanted to for a long time seeing new clothes, but she didn't feel confident enough to ask her father for something, still shy from barely knowing him. She didn't want to ask Tim to accompany her either, embarrassed for some reason.

Stephanie seemed encouraged to do things together and she felt more comfortable being accompanied by another girl.

"That seems perfect to me. Going out with her is a small step, it could bring you closer together and make you feel more comfortable around her".

And so it was that, two days later, she found herself sitting with her self-proclaimed older sister in the backseat of her father's car, being driven to the mall by Mr. Pennyworth.

Daniela fiddled with the sleeves of her jacket, feeling more restless than usual. On her side, Stephanie was talking non-stop, trying to fill the silence in the vehicle, with Mr. Pennyworth making comments from time to time. Daniela looked out of her window, the sky was cloudy, but not dark, but in a way that allowed the colors of the city to stand out, although, it wasn't very colorful that we could say.

She felt too soon when they reached their destination.

Daniela said goodbye to Mr. Pennyworth, ready to get out of the car. But the older man surprised her by getting off next to them “Mr. Pennyworth?”

"Before letting them go, I want to have a few words" The man looked at them seriously "The deal with Master Bruce is to remain inside the mall at all times until I come to pick them up at the agreed time" Daniela agreed, remembering the demands of her father to allow them to go out alone, that was a very long talk "Usually I wouldn't have a problem if you decide to go to other places, but I'm afraid that this time I will ask you to follow the rules and please stay together at all times"

Stephanie smiled, putting an arm around Daniela's shoulders and drawing her to her chest "Don't worry Alfred, I won't let her out of my sight for a moment" Then, in a softer tone "I promise"

The man nodded, allowing himself a small smile. Then he crouched down to be at eye level with the younger girl. "Try to have a good time with Miss Stephanie."

Daniela smiled, her previous nervousness fading slowly. "I will."

The mall was much bigger than she had imagined and was filled with so many stores. People were walking leisurely back and forth, some looking for specific things, others just strolling and talking. If it weren't for the presence of the blonde next to her, Daniela would have felt very lost in that crowd.

Deconcentrated looking at the people, she was startled when a hand grabbed hers.

Her cheeks warmed at the sight of her hand linked to her sister's, Stephanie smiled "I said I wouldn't let you out of my sight, I'm making sure"

Daniela snorted in embarrassment "I'm not a baby girl..."

"You're my little sister, it's the same" Stephanie squeezed her hand "Besides, Jason already warned me, he said not to lose sight of you for a second so as not to lose you"

"Jason?" Daniela was surprised. "Have you talked to him?"

“Of course, I also had to yell at him for not telling me he'd already seen you.” Stephanie smiled. “He may try to look tough, but he's just a cuddly bear on the inside. He was very worried when he found out that we were going out together, he insisted on coming with us to take care of you. Although of course, not with those exact words, rather he said that I am distracted and that I would lose you… What an idiot”

Ignoring the girl complaining about her brother's insults towards her, Daniela allowed herself to breathe with relief.

Jason wasn't mad at her. He was even worried about her safety.

During the rest of the way looking for shops, she couldn't help the smile on her face.

"So what kind of clothes do you want?" Steph took an item of clothing from the sideboard, showing it to her. Daniela made a face at the fluorescent pink cropped jacket “Yeah, maybe not” She continued looking “Why don't you look around here? And don't look at the prices! Today we are going to bust Bruce's card"

Daniela smiled, her father had complained about something similar when he gave the blonde his credit card that morning. She would have been worried, but Mr. Pennyworth said to spend what she needs, her father had more money than he needed.

She moved around the store looking at the different clothes, feeling Steph's watchful gaze in her back.

Her eyes flicked to her right, glancing subtly at two girls who looked her age joking around in the middle of the store. They took out one blouse after another, showing them to each other. Daniela grimaced when she saw the way they were dressed, despite the cold outside, their legs were bare thanks to a square skirt and short shorts, likewise they barely covered their arms with the sleeveless shirts they wore.

Daniela wondered if they weren't cold and deep down she envied how comfortable they looked with so little on. She looked at the skirt in her hands, it caught her eye by being placed in the wrong place, bringing out its blue color amidst orange blouses. it wasn't very short, it didn't look tacky, but it has metal hoops that looked good.

She was having a hard time returning it to its place, even knowing that she wouldn't take it. It's not like she could put it on, that would only make his ugly scars visible.

"Did you find something?" Stephanie leaned in next to her, looking curiously at the skirt in her hands. "It's cute."

"What?" Daniela tried to quickly place the skirt where she was hanging, failing due to her nerves "It's nothing, it was just in the wrong place"

Stephanie took it from her hands, getting a better look at it. “It's pretty. I have never seen you in a skirt. Do you want to try it?”

It's obvious because she never wore a skirt "No, don't worry… what's that?" She changed the subject, looking at the large amount of clothing on the blonde's left arm of hers.

Something strange passed over her face before she cleared it up and smiled “I found some really nice clothes! I have to admit that I may be imposing my tastes a bit, but I would love to see this on you! Even if it's in the fitting room" Daniela hesitated, looking at her puppy blue eyes "Pleaseeee"

A sigh was the only answer the blonde needed, Steph squealed excitedly, pushing her towards the nearest fitting room.

"Is everything in order?" Daniela looked away from her face in the mirror in front of her, “Dani? Come on, I want to see you!" She blinked, trying to push away the tears that were beginning to form. Her eyes focused on the pile of clothing at her feet, the bright, vivid colors of it giving her a bad taste in her mouth. Daniela looked up at the full length mirror in front of her, taking a look at her own body in her underwear.

Her eyes watered at the marks on her body. Arms, legs, stomach, back. Nothing was saved. Daniela took a deep breath, hugging herself.

She was being stupid, she knew she was being stupid, but she couldn't help the hole in her chest that seemed to oppress her heart. Everything felt wrong, uncomfortable. No matter what was tasted, everything felt wrong about her. Her arms itched, her legs looked ugly, suddenly even her back seemed out of place. A few hours ago it wasn't like this, why now, all of a sudden, her whole being was uncomfortable and horrible? Was she Always she was she so hideous?

Tears fell without her permission.

[You're pathetic]

'I know' she sobbed, covering her mouth to avoid being heard by her sister outside her changing room. Just thinking about the other girl's excited face made her sobs increase in intensity 'I know'

"Are you sure you don't want anything?" Steph frowned in concern. 

Daniela just smiled, hoping her red eyes weren't as visible as they felt. “Sure. I'll get something another day” 

The blonde was visibly disappointed when Daniela left the fitting room without showing her how she looked like any of the clothes she offered her, but the disappointment quickly gave way to her concern when she saw the state of her face. Daniela tried to dissuade her concern by inventing that something got into her eyes and that is why she rubbed them too much, explaining the redness and swelling.

If the girl saw through her lie, she didn't mention it. They just kept visiting a few other stores, looking for other styles that the girl might like. But while Steph made purchase after purchase for herself, Daniela couldn't get interested in anything.

Time passed and the blonde was desperate to find something, even if it was only one thing that she liked. Daniela appreciated her gesture, but now she herself just wanted to go home and hide between the thick covers of her bed, away from the eyes of others and her own.

Stephanie sighed as she looked at her cell phone. "Alfred says he's on his way, we should wait for him outside in about 10 minutes". Daniela nodded, feeling relieved. On the way out of it, Steph stopped in front of a brightly colored store. “You know, I think I need something from here…” She looked at her carefully for a second, “Will you wait for me out here? I won't be long"

Daniela raised an eyebrow, was the same girl who held her hand all day like she was three years old to keep from losing sight of her asking her to stay outside? Away from her?

Daniela looked at the store where her sister wanted to enter. It was bright and seemed to be packed with people "Okay". She'd rather get lost than go back into one of those crowded stores. At least for today.

Steph smiled and after several warnings to stay in her place, she entered the premises.

Daniela sighed, allowing herself to lean against the wall behind her. Her eyes scanned the wide corridor in which she was. There were many children running around, dragging their tired parents to see every little thing that caught their interest. A smile grew on her lips as she remembered the children at the zoo that she visited with Jason.

Among the glittering shops in front of her, a purple blur caught her eye. Ignoring the warnings (threats) of her sister, Daniela made her way through the crowd, dodging a couple of children, her gaze fixed on the electronics store that adorned their window with state-of-the-art televisions.

Her mouth dropped open in disbelief as she saw on the larger screen a highly defined image of the purple figure from her dreams, the same figure she drew in her memory journal just a few days ago.

She swayed, trying to digest this new information. She can't believe that girl is real.

Her drawing may have some mistakes in the wardrobe and the colors are a little different, but she knows that it is the same being.

The question here is who is that girl? and…

                                                                     Why did she appear in her dreams?

Chapter Text

Gotham, six years earlier.

Daniela: 8 years old.

The rain fell around her, bathing the landscape in a sad tint. The only thing keeping her from getting completely wet was the umbrella placed over her head by the dark-haired man. Daniela ignored his presence as much as she could.

People moved and chatted in low voices, with heavy and nostalgic tones. Many of them spoke to her, throwing in the occasional word of comfort that didn't really feel real.

Daniela looked at the grave in front of her, unable to avoid the frown on her face. Everyone is sad about the man's death, his children continued crying full of pain.

She should feel that too, right?

She is his only blood child, the pain of his eternal absence should be second nature. So why isn't it like that?

The only thing she can feel is anger.

She fought so hard to meet the man, it was years of blood, sweat and tears. So that? So that he die without even teaching her anything valuable? Leaving her in the hands of these useless orphans? The man couldn't call her his daughter or treat her as such. And now she must accept the condolences of these strangers? They were not able to save the man, apologizing for their failure is the least they can do.

A hand on her shoulder caught her attention, she looked up at the man next to her. Grayson, her father's oldest charity case, looked at her with deep pain in his eyes. Daniela wanted to roll her eyes and rip his hand off for daring to touch her, but no, she had to stay calm. Without her father here, there's no reason for these guys not to send her back to her mother.

And she didn't fight so hard to walk away from the league to be returned to that horrible place.

She will stay calm, play soft and when they least expect it, she will escape.

Where to? She still doesn't know it, but any place will be better than the torture that awaits her with her grandfather.

“Everything will be okay” Grayson whispered, squeezing her shoulder. “Don't worry, everything will be okay” Confusion grew inside her. What would be okay? Her father is dead, Gotham was left without Batman's protection, the world was left without its protection against the league of assassins. Poor naive, he has no idea what's coming now.

Daniela just looked down, playing her role as a heartbroken daughter

Batman died, nothing is going to save them now.

Present

“Miss Daniela” Daniela smiled as she saw the older man at the back entrance of the mansion, Titus running beside her. They had decided to go for a walk before lunch, seeking to calm the dog's insatiable energy.

“Mr. Pennyworth!” She greeted the man, who handed her a glass of juice “Thank you”

“Master Bruce is waiting for you in the dining room”

She raised an eyebrow. “Did he come to eat?” Today was Wednesday, both her father and Tim were supposed to be back late.

“I have some things to do this afternoon and her father decided it would be appropriate to come and spend time with you”

“I don't need to be taken care of, you know? That's why I have Titus” The dog barked when he heard his name. Daniela smiled and caressed his head “See?”

“I am aware of what a good guardian Titus is, but I am afraid that both you and Master Bruce need more… human contact.”

Daniela raised an eyebrow, not really knowing what he was referring to, but she decided to ignore him and follow him inside. Many of the things they said didn't usually make sense to her.

"Go out?" Daniela asked in amazement, repeating the man's words "Do you want to go out... with me?"

Her father smiled nervously, sharing a look with Mr. Pennyworth “I've been thinking and... we haven't spent much time together since you came home, I've had too much work. And since your brothers already had their chance to take you out for a walk, it seemed appropriate that I do the same. Sure, if you agree with that”

Was he seriously asking if she wanted to go with him? Daniela's eyes lit up with excitement. “I do!”

“Put on your seat belt” Daniela nodded, complying with his order. To say she was excited would be an understatement, she could barely sit still in her place.

With her father's hard work at her company, she had barely been able to see him in recent days, as well as Tim. Even with Mr. Pennyworth and her animals, the mansion felt very empty. She was already starting to get bored of being locked up all day. “Where are we going?”

Her father smiled, starting the car “I was thinking about going for ice cream.”

"Ice cream?" She raised an eyebrow.

“I know it doesn't sound like that exciting, but it's an ice cream shop I used to visit sometimes with your brothers.”

Daniela nodded, she was a little confused by the choice, but she couldn't help the small smile forming on her lips “Sounds good.” The man's smile was warm.

The road was long, longer than she expected. Her father must have sensed her confusion and curiosity, because he commented on how his public figure was recognized within Gotham and that's why when going out to eat he usually went a little further from the city center. Daniela pretended to understand, wondering for the first time how well-known the man was in the city, she knew that he was rich, the mansion was enough proof of that, but was he a famous person?

Their car ride ended minutes later. Daniela looked around her with curiosity, it was still part of Gotham, but… different, much quieter and less populated than the central part of the city that she had already known. “This way” her father guided her with a hand on her shoulder.

The ringing of a bell above the door announced their arrival, there were hardly any people inside the premises and none of them paid attention to them. Daniela looked at the interior in amazement, the pastel colors went together very well, creating an atmosphere... sweet? She didn't know how else to explain it.

A young woman in a bright pink apron who seemed to be cleaning the tables was the only one who looked at them, smiling as she fixed her gaze on the older man “Mr. Wayne!” She walked towards him, without raising her voice too much. A call of surprise, but not disbelief.

“Nice to see you again Ana” he greeted warmly.

The girl, not many years older than Tim, smiled with a light blush on her cheeks. For a very strange moment, Daniela felt the need to hit her. It was an intrusive thought that took her by surprise.

What was that?

“The pleasure is mine, Mr. Wayne, you haven't visited us in a long time” she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, looking at him out of the corner of her eye.

Daniela frowned in surprise at her obvious flirtation, but her father did not seem affected “Unfortunately, my job has not allowed me to escape”.

“Well, I'm glad you had some time and decided to spend it here” Daniela wanted to erase that bright smile.

[Do it]

She had barely met the girl. Why did the support of the voice sound so good?

“How could I go anywhere else when I have such good company here?” Daniela looked surprised at the man next to her. Was her father returning the flirtation? Without a doubt, his tone of voice said yes. Daniela frowned in disbelief. Was he seriously flirting in front of her own daughter? To a girl who could also be his daughter? Wasn't the man married?

…ah.

It's true. She still doesn't know what happened to her mother.

And it never occurred to her to ask about her father's love life.

She tried to look at the man's hand in search of a ring on his finger.

Meanwhile, she noticed the silence that formed between the couple. She looked at them both, realizing that they were staring at each other, him smiling and her shamelessly playing with her hair, never taking her eyes off his. Daniela frowned, tired of being ignored by both of them, she coughed into her hand, getting their attention.

The girl finally fixed her gaze on her, raising her eyebrows in surprise. “Oh, what do we have here?”

“Ah” her father tightened his grip on her shoulder again, seeming to have forgotten that she was there. Daniela tried not to be offended by it. “Daniela, introduced you to Ana, she is the daughter of the owner of the establishment”

“A pleasure” Despite her words, Daniela knew that her tone and frown did not say the same thing. Her father smiled nervously, clearly taken aback by her attitude.

“Ana, this is Daniela, my daughter”

The girl's eyes grew wide. “Daughter!?” She looked at her father curiously “Mr. “Wayne, did you adopted again?” The only suggestion made an indignation rise inside her. God! This girl was triggering very strange feelings!

“Uh… well…” The stuttering only made the feeling worse.

“Oh, what a fool! I'm sorry, it's none of my business, that was rude, I'm sorry" The girl exclaimed with embarrassment, then pointed to one of the empty tables in a corner far from the main door. "Please, have a seat, I'll take your order soon".

Her father nodded quickly, hurrying to take her to the far table.

They sat opposite each other. Daniela hurried to look at the menu that was spread out on the table, happy to have something to focus her attention on and pretend that none of the above had happened. What were those sour feelings?

“See something you like?” Her father asks. Daniela quickly looks at the menu, seeing a wide variety of desserts and ice cream flavors.

“I'm not sure… they have many flavors”

The man smiled “That's right, it may not have many customers these days when they are colder, but in summer it is the most recognized and visited ice cream parlor in Gotham thanks to its wide variety of flavors. They have some very strange ones and some that are rarely seen in other stores” he pointed to one of the images on the menu. “Tim likes coffee-flavored ice cream, he always orders the same thing.”

She grimaced. “He has a serious caffeine problem.”

“Definitely” he pointed to another picture. “When Jason was a child he liked plain chocolate and Dick would beg for caramel ice cream with cookie pieces.”

Daniela smiled, imagining a smaller version of her brothers eating ice cream with her father, especially Jason, who apparently had a complicated relationship with the man “They used to come here very often?”

“As I said, it is a place known for its strange flavors, it is almost impossible to get many of them in other stores, so we always came here when we wanted ice cream. Also…” He looked around at the few customers present “It is a place further away from the center and during this colder season there is not usually a lot of customers, it is perfect to go unnoticed and not receive much attention”

“Of course, not getting much attention,” she murmured, glancing askance at the girl tending a table far away from them, who turned to look at the man every so often. Her voice came out with more venom than she expected and she cowered in on herself, expecting a scolding for being rude. However, what she didn't expect was his laughter.

Daniela looked carefully at the man in front of her. She didn't expect him to burst out laughing out of nowhere, he's usually much more stoic than this, it's a very strange change. He apologized when he saw her confused look, however his smile did not fall. “I'm sorry, it's just that-” He breathed, trying to calm down. “Of all things…”

Her eyes widened as she saw his lip tremble, quickly going from laughing to seeming to be holding back tears in pain “...Father?”

“Sorry, sorry,” he took a moment to calm himself, breathing deeply. After a few minutes of silence, he turned to look into her eyes, a sadness so deep in his blue orbs that he left her shocked. Did she just cause that?

He smiled, taking her face in his hands, a gesture so warm and tender that it took her breath away. Their biggest contact so far was a hug after hanging out with Jason, but this is… different.

“I've missed it” he whispered, raising his thumbs, which had previously caressed her cheeks to her forehead, where she had been frowning “I hadn't even realized it, but I missed seeing you upset”

"What?"

“When you were little, you used to frown a lot, always looking upset with everyone "Tim used to joke about how you would have wrinkles before you were 18" Bruce smiled remembering his youngest daughter running after the boy with katana in hand, at that time he was annoyed by their constant fighting, but now, looking back he could only smile like a sad nostalgic old man

After waking up with amnesia, his daughter definitely seemed like a different person, with her feelings on full display, showing every thought and feeling without any inhibition. It was a radical change, too soon, too abrupt. He hadn't had time to process it, but now, watching his daughter frown like she used to, promising a slow, painful death to a girl who was just flirtatiously trying to get his attention... it was like having his little girl back together. him.

He could remember the first time he introduced her to one of his “dates”, he remembered the look of disgust and indignation on her small, chubby face. He also remembered the woman's indignation at being called vulgar names by the little girl. Not even Bruce knew that some of those words could become an insult if used the right way.

“I'm sorry for bothering you, I know you don't like it when I get close to other women” He said, watching with amusement as her small face blushed in his hands as she was trapped. He was so used to his role as a dumb playboy that he momentarily forgot that he was with his daughter, who doesn't know his need to keep up appearances to protect his secret identity. She probably now thought of her father as a disgusting man who flirts with young girls.

The mere thought of it disgusted him.

"It's not-!" She stammered, not knowing how to defend herself. Instead, she picked up the menu previously forgotten on the table and looked at it as if it were the most interesting thing on the planet. Bruce smiled to himself, his daughter is really adorable “Which one do you usually order?”

“Green tea” An acquired taste thanks to Alfred.

“Oh, I thought you'd like caffeine like Tim” She hummed quietly, her green eyes taking in all the pictures before frowning.

"Something wrong?"

“I… I don't remember if I have a favorite flavor” Her bright green eyes turned to him with doubt and confusion. Bruce looked at the menu, looking for a flavor he remembered that did suit her, except… his brain went blank. No matter which of the flavors he looked at, none seemed to fit Daniela's preference.

…What was his daughter's favorite flavor?

He frowned in confusion. Did she ever mention a flavor to him that she liked? Did he ever see her eat ice cream? He knew that she used to escape with Dick from their patrols many times to eat together and he can remember that more than once Dick mentioned to his that they went for ice cream, but... he never knew what Daniela ordered.

Actually, outside the house... he didn't remember going out to eat with her.

Was this the first time he went out with his daughter?

His chest tightened at the only thought. No, he couldn't be such a horrible father, could he? It can't be the first time they've dated, years have passed since Daniela came into his life. She is his daughter, his little daughter. How can he not know something so basic?

Daniela looked at her father with a queasy stomach, his lack of response was being a very discouraging response in itself. She could almost see the gears turning in that head of his. Her gaze returned to the cardboard menu, no matter how many flavors there were, none felt familiar to her. Not a bit of pain in her head.

It was depressing.

“Hey! Have you decided yet?” The flirtatious girl approached their table, ready to take their orders. Her father seemed lost in the question, so Daniela decided that she should let her previous question pass, for the poor man's well-being.

“I think I'll give the green tea ice cream a try.”

"Great! And you, Mr. Wayne?”

“Yes, me… me too. Green Tea"

“Okay, then two green tea ice creams, do you want them to serve or to take away?”

“We'll eat them here-” her father was interrupted by his cell phone. Which lit up with Tim's name on the screen.