She could have left Wayne Manor without a single word yet she found herself unable to do so.

Bruce and his family had only ever been kind to her and she could not bring herself to leave as it would be a cowardly escape from the reality she should have faced years ago. So even if she had decided to leave and knew Bruce would stop her if she told him, she still went to his study.

The door that he had slammed shut hours ago upon witnessing Samantha's little act of affection towards Lavina hadn't budged open since. And Lavina knew that Bruce was already disturbed due to something or else he wouldn't have reacted so abruptly.

She hesitated to knock upon the door but thinking about the guilt of leaving without an explanation again made her relent. Two light knocks later, Bruce replied, "come in."

She noticed that his voice sounded strained, perhaps he had still not returned to his usual calm mood.

However, she pushed open the door and stepped in, eyes meeting his tired pale blue. He had retrieved his gaze immediately but his jaw had clenched, indicating that the main reason for his terrible mood was none other than Lavina herself.

Silence gripped them yet Bruce ignored her, focusing on the files he had spread out on his desk. Lavina closed the door behind her and stepped closer but there was no change in Bruce's demeanor.

Hands gripping the chair in front of him and dark eyes fixed on him unwaveringly, she waited.

At last, he gave up and his eyes met her gaze albeit reluctantly, "why are you here?"

"To tell you that I'm leaving."

"To go to Miss Vanaver's place?" His cold words snapped at her and she could easily sense the trace of jealousy in that tone.

Of course, he was irked about Samantha.

"No, I have to go home," she replied, "I don't want to keep burdening you further."

Bruce didn't respond to that remark but his eyes blazed in what seemed to be a mixture of rage and disappointment.

"I'm thankful for all you have done for me," she resumed softly, "you've always been a very caring friend and I appreciate that very much. But I must leave now."

When he still didn't reply, Lavina thought of stepping out. The reason she had come there was to inform him and that had been done.

She wasn't expecting him to stop her, not after all she had done.

"Lavina," his voice stopped her though and she paused, hand reaching halfway towards the door handle, "are you behind the Court of Owls?"

The question froze her to the spot, and her outstretched hand started to tremble. Bruce knew, her brain echoed with the realization; he had somehow found out a truth she never wanted him to unearth.

"You can leave after you answer me truthfully," he repeated, "are you controlling the Court?"

Even though she was shocked, she considered the outcomes of her answer. If she told him the truth, it would cause complications. If she lied to him again, then he would feel hurt.

"Lavina..."

"Yes," she replied with bated breath, not turning to face him because she didn't want him to look in her eyes accusingly, "I am the Court, Bruce."

That last sentence was half true. She was no longer the only person controlling the Court. Samantha had managed to dig her claws in considerably deeper as well.

She could hear his footsteps drawing near and she stiffened, eyes closing when his hand gripped her by the elbow.

"Did you send those Talons after my parents?"

"No. That was a rouge Talon who did not follow my orders and got what he deserved."

Her words clearly insinuated that she had punished that Talon fatally. And Bruce might have found that alarming if only he didn't have several other questions.

"And the Talon who took Father to the hospital..."

"I took him myself, I couldn't let him die."

Bruce realized why Thomas had been asking about Lavina when he had briefly gained consciousness. He must have known she had saved him.

He had stepped closer and she was surprised when his arms wrapped around her from behind, trapping her in a hug. Each time he did anything spontaneously that reminded her of how close they used to be, it would hurt her worse.

"Why? Why are you involved with the Court?"

"I..."

She didn't want to give in to him but he knew how to push her to that point very well. After all, he had known her the longest, second only to Christopher Hendricks.

"My family founded the Court," she mumbled, her voice was low enough for only him to hear, "I'm just reclaiming what was mine to begin with."

"You're lying," his grip tightened and at that moment, she felt very much trapped with no other escape but surrender, "your family must have founded the Court but you weren't the sort of person to delve into such darkness."

"Do you even know me, Bruce? Do you even know what sort of person I am?"

His lips touched her temple in a light kiss and that was the last straw in her wavering resistance. "I knew the best version of you. And even now I don't want to think of you as any other."

"You shouldn't live in a delusion, you shouldn't care about me so much. I only hurt the people who get close to me," her voice was laced with guilt, recalling every other soul she had hurt as such.

"Don't go, Lavina," he remarked, holding her still as if afraid she'd vanish otherwise, "don't do whatever you're planning to do with the Court."

She sighed wearily, "that's impossible..."

"Stay with me," he tried to persuade her yet again, "we could get married and start a new life together. We could leave this city if you don't want to stay here any longer. Everything will be just as it was..."

She was breaking from his entreating words and felt as if history was repeating itself. Everything induced a strange sense of deja vu because she knew years ago that her mother and Alan had been in a similar situation.

And she knew what became of them as well. She knew it all too well for her to neglect it.

"Nothing will be how it used to be," her voice shook with fear, "I can't do this..."

"Why not? We can leave it all behind us. We can start afresh."

It was so clear that he was helplessly in love with her. Even after finding out all the dark sides of her past, he couldn't bring himself to let go of her.

And even though she did not show it often, she was helplessly in love with him too. Whenever she loved something or someone to that extent, she tended to get selfish.

But her love for Bruce ran deeper than that and she could not bring herself to let him get hurt due to the Court.

"The Court doesn't let go that easily," she remarked, "it killed my mother and your uncle for the same reason. And right now you and I are standing on the same path."

"But Lavina..."

She tilted her head towards him, her hand cupping his cheek as she kissed him. When she pulled apart, the look on her face was quite sad.

"I love you too, Bruce. And that's why I can't let the past repeat. I have to take care of the Court first," she tried to explain to him, "and for that, I will have to leave you. I don't want to lose any more people than I have lost already."

With that final remark, she freed herself from her grip even though he was reluctant to let her go. And before he could try to stop her again, she left the study without even a backward glance.

She had packed up her scarce stuff already and knew Christopher would be outside Wayne Manor, waiting for her.

Letting go of Bruce as such was probably the toughest decision she had taken but she couldn't bear to put him at risk.

Not at any cost could she let another Wayne suffer due to her or the Court of Owls.

***