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chapter fifteen ━ we're the three musketeers

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❝ we help each other, always ❞

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SHE WASN'T EVEN sure how she was feeling. Every emotion was drained from her body and Skylar still managed to be mad at herself. Because all of her buildup, all of the strength and effort she put into making herself a stronger person fell apart. What if it was all for nothing? What if she was back to her place behind square one? Depressed Skylar had returned with full force and that left her laying on the couch. She managed to make her way from her bedroom to the living room. But now she didn't want to get up at all.

The blanket was clutched to her chest, her head resting on the pillow as her eyes remained wide and tired. She got a good amount of sleep surprisingly enough. Probably due to Selina being next to her, no doubt. And yet there she was. The time was unknown to her when the said girl entered the loft again from her trip back to the crime scene. She was about to walk up the stairs when she saw Skylar on the couch.

Letting out a sigh, she walked forward and went over. She stopped in front of her, snapping her fingers in front of her face. "Hey! Sky, come on, get up." The only response she got was silence. "Skylar!" She grabbed the covers and began to pull them. "No, you're not going to shut down on me. Skylar, I swear if you do not get up I'll-" The brunette looked up at her and Selina groaned, plopping down on the couch next to her legs. "The cops were there. He's dead." She looked over at Skylar. "Bruce wants our help to expose Bunderslaw. He needs us to steal the key to his safe. We should leave before your mom gets back."

"You go ahead," Skylar mumbled, digging further into the pillow. "I'll cover for you."

Selina shook her head. "Yeah, no." She stood up and grabbed the girl's arms, pulling her up to sit. "I'm not letting you throw everything I taught you away. So you're going to get your happy little butt up and we are going to steal this key for Bruce. You can sit here and mope all you want, but what would Jerome want you to do?"

Instantly, Skylar's attitude switched. She completely sat up, frowning with her nose scrunched up. "Fine. But only because you brought up Jerome. I'm not doing it for any other reason." Goosebumps appeared on her skin and she shivered. "Ah what the-Selina!" The balcony window was wide open, the cold air rushing in. "Seriously?"

Running over to the door, Skylar shut it and then locked it. Selina smirked, crossing her arms over her chest. "Got you to get up." The loft was empty of people besides them. Ivy didn't stay as much anymore and Barbara was hardly ever there. It was good for them just in case. And it came in handy then.

An eye roll was what she got in return. Skylar pursed her lip, mimicking Selina. "I don't know if I can do this anymore. I'm just not strong enough for this. I never was and I never will be." Her insecurities always won over everything whether she liked it or not. When her panic rose in her chest when she saw the body, when she ran to Jerome, any dignity that she collected in the last few weeks was gone. She was supposed to be strong. She was supposed to be getting better and getting over all of her pain.

Selina laughed. "Please tell me you're joking." When she realized that her friend was being serious, she frowned, going over and putting her hands on Skylar's shoulders. "Hey, you are strong, Sky. So what? You witnessed your first dead body and yeah that is serious stuff. But you of all people should know that this stuff happens in Gotham all the time. It doesn't mean you should suppress your feelings, it just means that you should expect it and know what to do when it happens again. You are strong Skylar. Don't let this break you down. Let this be a lesson. You can grow from this. And no matter what happens, I always got your back."

Despite her trust issues, Selina could really see herself in the brunette. The insecurities and all. And that alone gave her all of the faith she needed to trust Skylar. It was almost like they were bonded in a way no one would ever understand. Her promise to always have her back was truer than either of them realized. They would truly be together in any situation. Selina would be the one Skylar could trust if she needed someone. Not Barbara or Bruce (Jerome wasn't counting) but the girl she had met in the GCPD who supposedly had information for a case. They were best friends from that moment forward; sisters until they met their ends.

The hair that was held in Skylar's messy hair tie was frizzy and unkempt, giving more evidence to her current state. She bit her lip to contain the tears in her eyes. "I just don't know... I don't know, Cat. I think it's better if I just go back to the way things were. You saw what happened. I don't think I can do this."

"Well, you're in Gotham now, Sky. This is your life now whether you like it or not. And people get killed around here all the time. It's not a nice place." She sighed. "You can't just give up. Okay look, just give it today. Come with me to help Bruce. Then you can decide if you still want to train or if you want to quit and go back to sulking. Deal?"

Skylar tugged on her sleeve, pursing her lip into a straight line. Would it be so bad just to spend that day? If something happened, she could just back out. But deep down she knew Selina was right. Gotham wasn't a nice place. Fighting to stay alive was her life now. "Fine. But only today."

Only an hour had passed before the brunette said: "I never agreed to this." Selina looked over and gave her a look. The teenage girl was glaring with her hands on her hips. "I never agreed to go to a stupid charity ball."

Barbara entered the room with a handful of dresses. "It's boring but good for the gallery's business. Please go for me?" She gave her daughter a smile which only made Skylar feel worse for denying the offer. Her mom had arrived hours later after Selina spent the day at the loft, coming up with a good plan with her friend. They attempted to make it as fool-proof as possible but they could only do so much. Skylar came up with excellent ideas and eventually, they decided on one. "I know how much you hate dresses but just this once."

When she saw that it meant a lot to Barbara, Skylar sighed, nodding. The blonde smiled wide, continuing to go through the dresses. In the past few days, there had been a shift in her personality. Or perhaps it was just her aura. But every single time Skylar spoke or was near her, she got the same feeling she got whenever she was around Jerome nowadays. Little signs began appearing such as protectiveness over Skylar, mood swings, and that look that shimmered in her eyes. Barbara was losing her mind. She was on the brink of becoming crazy like Jerome. Nonetheless, Skylar treated her the same.

"I don't really have a choice anyway," Skylar admitted. The older woman's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Bruce asked me to go with him." Selina grinned from ear to ear, making a heart shape with her fingers in the air. "Stop it, Cat!"

Barbara's eyes went wide at the news. "Wait, what?"

There was a knock at the door and Skylar went to answer it. Her steps were quiet as per usual though she was barefoot. She opened the door and there were several men with bags and boxes. "Hi. Delivery for Skylar Gordon?"

She nearly stumbled back in shock, her mouth forming into an 'o' shape. He sent her clothes? The men entered once she moved out of the way. They set the bags down without a word, giving her an "Enjoy" before leaving and shutting the door closed. Barbara and Selina walked over to the bags, watching as Skylar pulled high heels out of one of the many bags. Her expression turned stone-cold. If there was anything she hated, it was dresses and high heels.

Her body turned, holding up the shoes with her finger. "I'm not wearing these." With one motion, she dropped it on the floor. "Nothing will make me get dressed into any of-" She waved at the pile with a scowl. "-that."

Barbara and Selina exchanged a look and then her mother looked back at her with a smirk. "If you let me get you ready in these clothes, I'll take you to see Jerome."

Not even a second passed before the girl replied: "When do we start?"

---

"I look so gross," Skylar whined, tugging at her dress with a frown. Barbara swatted her hands away. Selina was watching the scene with a smirk despite the fact that she hated that she had to wear a dress too. But if made it worth it seeing the brunette was miserable because now she could tease her about it. After all, what were friends for?

Her mother narrowed her eyes. "You look fine. Perfect, beautiful, elegant-"

"-Disgusting, worthless, ugly."

Barbara gave her another look. "No! Now stop that or I won't take you to see Jerome." That shut her up fast. The doorbell rang and a smile overtook the blonde's face. "That must be him." She ran off to get the door and Skylar let out a groan, looking over at Selina.

"Quit being so smug. You're wearing a dress too." Her newfound friend said nothing in response and so the girl listened to the conversation happening out in the main room.

Bruce - unbeknownst to her - was at the door with a big smile wearing a tux for the occasion. "It's nice to finally meet you. Detective Gordon spoke of you."

She didn't have to be in the room to know that the last sentence struck hard. In the loft, not a word was spoken about Jim. None of them so much as whispered his name to another. Barbara was still upset over the wedding being called off and that her former boyfriend chose his job and another woman over her and his own daughter. Skylar didn't blame her and figured that this is what brought on the new personality and such.

"Yes, well, Skylar has spoken of you as well," Barbara finally managed to reply.

Her daughter walked out after she said that, not wanting them to talk about her as if she wasn't in the next room. "Please stop talking about me." Selina followed her and pushed her body further into the room so Bruce could see her.

The brunette stumbled and then relaxed, looking up at the billionaire boy. A blush decorated her cheeks. He looked at her in awe. Eventually, Barbara had chosen a white dress with one sleeve that was of lace that had a detached shirt that was also white. It was adorned with gold shimmers that made it glow against her skin. For once in a long time, Skylar wore some makeup which consisted of a natural color lipstick, mascara, black eyeliner, and a white with gold sparkles laced in it. Her hair was left in its natural style though it had been brushed. To top her outfit off, she wore the black heels she had dropped on the floor, a necklace of a silver heart with matching earrings, and a white lace fingerless glove on both hands.

Bruce was stunned and Barbara gave her daughter a wink. "Skylar... you look... beautiful."

Skylar blushed even more and then replied, "I better. I went through hours of torture." Selina laughed in the background at her reply. The two girls began walking to the door and Barbara gave her daughter a kiss on the head.

"Have fun and be careful. Look for me at the ball." Skylar and Selina gave her one last look before continuing out. Bruce said it was nice to meet her and then followed after them.

They drove in the limousine in silence and yet Bruce kept looking at the teenage girl next to him frequently. Selina was smirking the entire time, seeing her friend's look. They entered quickly once they arrived and the second they walked in through the front door, Selina excused herself, saying she was going to find the food. And Skylar would've followed if Bruce asked her to dance first. Politely, she agreed and they made their way to the dance floor.

"I've never danced before," she told him.

He smiled softly. "Don't worry. It's not that hard." He placed his hand on her back, intertwining their free hand because Skylar put her other hand on his shoulder. She kept sneaking glances down at their feet with a worried look. "Ouch!"

"I'm sorry!" she said quickly, frowning. "I'm really sorry. I told you-"

"You're fine," he laughed. "I stepped on my mom's foot a lot when she first taught me how." Skylar relaxed and they continued to dance. "She kept telling me that if I stepped on a girl's foot that I'd never get a girlfriend." The brunette chuckled in response. "I practiced for hours trying to get it right because of it." She smiled and he looked down at their feet before looking back up. "See? You're a natural."

Skylar shrugged. "My feet still hurt." It was only then that she saw everyone staring at them. Most of them were at least. They pointed with smiles, women talking to one another while they stared. All of the attention unnerved her. Bruce noticed as well but neither of them stopped dancing. "Why are people staring?"

Bruce looked around them. "Well, I am Bruce Wayne."

"Really? Didn't notice," she sighed with a shake of her head.

He didn't seem offended by her sarcasm. "I don't see Bunderslaw anywhere." The two of them surveyed the room to the best of their ability. Everyone was just too tall and they were too short. Selina was by the food, eating her way through another cookie and stuffing another one in her purse. "He should be here. He's on the guest list. Just keep dancing." She nodded and he looked back at her. "And relax. If our plan is going to work, you can't be so tense."

Skylar nodded, trying her best to do what he said. Jim at that same moment was tracking The Ogre. It was all over the news so it was difficult for her not to know about it. Despite her still being angry with him, she was obviously worried about him. And while he was trying to find this guy, here she was, working through a plan to expose a corrupt business that could destroy her family. What was left of it at least.

They stopped dancing after they both got tired and started making their way through the ball to look for the man. Selina was somewhere else in the room, looking as well but giving Skylar and Bruce time to talk. "Skylar, what happened last night-"

"I don't want to talk about," she interrupted. Her body tensed again. "But I'm fine. It happens. Selina did what she had to do."

He kept their arms interlocked as they continued. "I don't believe that. You're not fine." Bruce did care about her. But he just didn't comprehend how her mind worked. To him, lying to people you care about and saying that you were fine when you aren't wasn't an option. How could she just lie and say that she was okay? There were people who would help you and he didn't understand why Skylar wouldn't just let those people help her through her rough times.

"Yes, I am."

Bruce shook his head. "No. You're not." She avoided his eyes, looking everywhere else besides him. "You ran all the way to Arkham so you could see Jerome. No one would do that unless they were desperate. It's normal to not be okay, Skylar. People can help you get through it. You don't need to push them away."

She scoffed, snatching her arm away, spinning to him. "And what the hell do you know about it?" she hissed. "Your parents loved you! Lila didn't care about me or Jerome at all. She beat us and never once showed an ounce of love. My brother raised me and then I lost him. So forgive me if I don't let people in. And if you have a problem with that then you don't know me at all."

Apologizing was what he was about to do when suddenly he saw the man they'd been searching for. "That's Bunderslaw." Skylar followed his line of sight and saw Selina just right behind the dark-skinned male, motioning toward him with her hand. The girl went to approach him when Bruce stopped her. "I'm sorry."

He got no response. Only silence. Skylar felt the need to look to the side of her. And so she did. Instantly, her eyes fell upon Barbara dancing with a man. Concern filled her eyes when she saw her mom try to pull away, only for the man to bring her back. He spoke to her quietly, leaning close to her lips. Bruce saw her expression. "Go ahead. I'll wait here."

Skylar nodded to him and then ran to her mom as quick as she could in heels. The two were nearing the exit, hand in hand when she called out to Barbara. Both of them turned to her and the brunette slowed to stop in front of them. "Mom? Where are you going?"

The look in her eyes seemed to glow brighter. Barbara smiled gently. "We're just going to catch dinner, honey. Nothing to worry about. Selina will be staying with you so you won't be alone tonight."

The man tried to look kind but failed. He was dark, chilling, and quite frankly, scaring her. Craziness filled his eyes if that was a thing. It wasn't like Barbara's or Jerome's. It was deeper, more frightening and less comforting. She wasn't afraid of her mother or her brother despite the way they acted. But this man made her want to crawl into the nearest corner and sob. The way he towered over her reminded her of the men Lila was with. "You must be Skylar. Barbara has talked about you before. It's very nice to meet you." He reached out toward her to press a polite kiss to her hand.

Skylar flinched back before he could, fear was shown in her stance and eyes. "Mom I don't want you to go. Can you please stay with me tonight?" Every ounce of her screamed that whoever this man was, he was dangerous. If Jerome were here, he'd take care of this guy. She was nearly surprised by the thought of letting the redhead kill this man. But then it went away quickly, replaced with her worry.

"No, Skylar," Barbara said firmly. "Go with Bruce and Selina."

Her mother's tone made her shrink away. Never had she used that tone with her because she knew how much it resembled the way Lila spoke to her. And this only increased her anxiety. She was shocked she didn't have a panic attack right then and there. "Ok," she whispered in submission, turning and walking back to Bruce who had been joined by Selina. Barbara and the man left. Skylar felt tears prick her eyes at the thought of losing her mother.

"You okay, Sky?" Selina questioned.

Both of her friends looked concerned and so she nodded to try to ease their worries. "Yeah. Barbara's going for dinner." It was a lie and she knew it the moment the blonde said it. Dinner was simply a code-word. "Talk to Bunderslaw."

The dark-skinned was in the middle of a conversation when Bruce approached. Skylar and Selina slinked to the back of them and acted as casual as possible. "Hello. I'm Bruce Wayne." When they shook hands, Skylar leaned forward and nabbed his key ring in his pocket. "I'm going around, trying to get to know everybody who works for the company. You do work for Wayne Enterprises, don't you?" The fellow brunette pulled out cushion which replicates the key.

"I'm the Director of Physical Operations. Which, I'm afraid, is a bit dull." Selina pressed down, closing the lid and looking around. "There are many much more interesting people here."

Bruce carried on the conversation with ease. "Ah, yes, well, I'm sure I'll get to meet everyone, eventually."

Selina finished and pulled the key out, handing it back to Skylar. Bunderslaw smiled at the boy. "If you'll forgive me, Bruce, I have an early flight tomorrow. It's been a pleasure." The girls' eyes widened in alarm and Cat gave Bruce a look.

He listened. "It was, um..." Sid turned back to him. "It was nice meeting you." They shook hands and Skylar snuck the key ring back inside his pocket, pulling back and trying to look innocent. He walked away and the girls took steps back to go on either side of Bruce.

When Selina held up the copy, the three of them smirked though Skylar was still tense from the conversation with Barbara and the man. "We make quite the team," Bruce said. Even if none of them replied, they knew it was true. "The three musketeers."

---

Skylar paced in the living room, her breathing speeding up. Heat rolled off her in waves so she pressed hands up and down her legs to try to make it stop. Something was off. Something wasn't right. That man... he wasn't good news. And one thing was for sure, Barbara was not going to dinner with him. It was just the vibe he gave her. Jerome may have murdered Lila in cold blood, but even he didn't give her that feeling. Perhaps it was because she trusted and loved him. Then a part of her denied that. Something just wasn't right about him.

Hearing her repeated footsteps, Selina entered and stopped. "What's wrong? You've been pacing ever since we got back." It was true. Both of them had taken showers and cleaned off all of their makeup, switching for their regular attire.

"I'm worried about my mom. She was left with this guy-" A knock interrupted her, followed by a string of names which she realized was her own and Barbara's. It was Jim.

The teen ran to the door and opened it. Jim entered, looking relieved to see her but then walked farther into the loft. "Skylar, where's Barbara?"

All of the air in her lungs escaped and fear replaced it. "Dad I think something's wrong." He turned to her to see the beginning of her panic attack. "She left with a man." Jim brought out a paper that held a sketch on it.

"Was this the guy?"

She looked closer and Selina lingered behind Jim near the doorway of the living room. The drawing was awful but it did have some resemblance to him. Skylar nodded, tears spring from her hands. "Yes. Dad, what's going on?" Jim lowered the paper, horror covering his face. "Dad? Is mom going to be okay?" The tears fell and sobs racked her body, making her fall to the ground. "No."

---

I'm going to say it because it is the truth: reading your guys' comments keeps me writing and keeps me inspired. I don't get any other motivation because my own parents know I write fanfiction and don't really motivate me. All they do is go on about I need to write a book I can actually publish. So, I don't get any other motivation besides you guys.

So please, I'm asking, comment on my stories because it really helps me. I love seeing what you guys have to say and what you think. My readers are silent and that doesn't make me at all motivated to write. And no, update comments don't count. They actually make me feel worse because I think, you have the nerve to comment "update" but you can't comment on anything I wrote? Let alone the fact that you probably didn't even vote on the chapter. It doesn't matter if you write "I love this story so please update" because it is the same deal. If you can comment that and if you really love the story, actually comment on the chapter.

What I'm trying to say is to please comment on the chapters. It helps me a more than you know. I hope you guys have a great day/night and don't forget to vote on this chapter, comment your thoughts, and follow me for updates!