" I still don't understand how you met Talia." Bruce said once Lyla had finished explaining how she found Damian minus I few details.
"She met my mother when she rescued her boyfriend."
"Damian!" Lyla scolded. She hadn't decided yet if she should mention that part without Jason's consent.
" What's he talking about?"
"Jason's the Red Hood." Lyla confessed through a scoff.
"Jason's dead." Bruce said.
"He's not. You'd know that if you'd bothered to listen."
They fell silent. Bruce sighed rubbing his hands along his face.
" Lyla I've made many mistakes. I realized it that that night on the docs. I only hope I'm not to late to undo some of the damage I've caused."
" Yeah Bruce you've royally fucked up. With Dick. With Me. With Jason more than anyone. But admitting that is the first step to fixing it."
Silence fell agin as they both struggled to compose how they felt.
"Father, is it true you dress as a giant bat to scare criminals?"
Bruce and Lyla both started laughing and Damian looked confused.
"It is." Bruce admitted through a smile.
Lyla realized this was the first time she'd seen Bruce smile.
" Batman is more than a scare tactic though, he's part of a mission. A mission to make Gotham a safer place. It's not just Batman though, even your sister helps as Phantom."
"Phantoms has not been a part of defending Gotham in a long time." Lyla reminded Bruce.
"No but I am glad your back."
"I'm back. But I'm back with a different playbook. Something has to change this time." She told Bruce. "I can't lose someone again." She said looking at Damian.
" I am not a child in need of protection. I am a warrior trained by the league of shadows."
" I know little bro, I've got the matching katanas remember" she said but she couldn't muster the smile she wanted to "That's not what I meant. Jason was perfect capable of protecting himself but the Joker still killed him. Gotham is dangerous and what we've done up to this point hasn't changed that."
They all fell silent. The air in the study turned heavy, tense, suffocating.
Lyla could feel Bruce's eyes on her, Wondering.
" Bruce?" She asked.
"Yes?"
"Who's my mother?"
" Her name was Selina."
" What was she like?"
" Your mother was beautiful and bold. She was intelligent and cunning. I met her as Batman not Bruce. Your necklace." He said pointing to her neck. "I gave it to her when I asked her if she was ready to make our relationship more serious. It was the last time I saw her. I had no idea she was pregnant. I can't believe I didn't see it. You look so much like my mother."
" What happened to her?"
" I have no idea. I spent years looking for her but never found anything."
" Thank you Bruce." Lyla said. She was sure she couldn't stand another minute in the now to small room. "Damian, are you ready to meet your brothers?"
YOU ARE READING
A Ghost Girl and a Zombie Boy A Red Hood re-telling.
FanfictionWhat happens when a girl off the streets of Gotham is saved by a Robin with a promise to keep? Lyla has been alone most of life. She's never had family or responsibilities to ties her down. But as she's getting older life is getting harder, until o...
