Another Bat Abandoned

Mask

The doctors said she was healed when they released her. They were wrong. Virgil Cain was not healed. She was not healing. She was broken, and the only thing that was still in the process of breaking was her mask. The mask she wore every day. The mask that made her say, "I'm fine," everyday. The mask that was a lie. The lie that was her life. The life she didn't know what to do with. And every bone in her body screamed to tell them, to tell everyone, how broken she was. To take away the mask. But the truth was, if Virgil finally shattered the mask, she didn't know what she'd find hiding beneath. She only knew there was no going back.

So when Bruce told her to tell the team, she let the mask slip a bit.

"I wish my mother loved me."

She could see the heartbreak in his eyes. But she could also see he didn't know what to do with her bit of truth. No, she could not tell the team. 

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When Virgil was released, there was no one there to pick her up. So she headed back to the mountain. Terrified beyond all measure.

Wally was there when she appeared at the tubes.

"I'msosorryIdidn'tknowandyoutriedtokillyourselfpleaseI'msorryIwanttoknowwhathappenedand-" the speedsters quick rant was cut off by Vigil.

"It's not a problem. I overreacted." Virgil knew that wasn't true. But she had to rebuild the mask somehow. "I'm fine, Wally, really." Like hell I'm fine.

Dick walked in. There was an awkward tension between them before he ran up and hugged her. shocked, Virgil didn't push him away like usual. Instead, she returned the hug, leaning into his shoulder to whisper, "You can still save me, Dick. Robin can't, but you can."

Dick seemed shocked as well. It wasn't often that he had to be Dick Grayson to save someone.