It was raining in Gotham City, the type of thick, heavy rain that manages to soak to the bone you even under two different layers of skin-tight Kevlar.

Ashley had no intentions of going outside, nor did she have the want to be rudely awoken at 3:45 in the morning, but some things couldn't be helped.

It was time like this she regretted forming the Gotham Muses. Much like the muses of myth, there were 9 members: Mara Crane, Pandora Nygma, Duela Dent [on occasion], Amelia Shelby, Helena, Cassandra Cain, Rose Wilson, Stephanie Brown... and of course, Ashley herself.

Being the person 'in charge', and the only one with the power of teleportation, she was always the one called when one of her teammates was in trouble. [Although Amelia was learning magic, so that may soon change. Well, that and the whole 'I'll be brutally murdered in the next couple of months.']

Despite the voice in her head begging to go back to sleep, she had answered her phone.

"What?"

Ashley could practically see the grin on the red head's face. "Riddle me this, what..."

Just as quickly as the voice had begun to speak, it was stopped, presumably because her 'partner in crime' had snatched the phone. The ex-assassin raised an eyebrow as Enigma's high-pitched voice practically squawked in the background and the lower, scratchier voice of Mara Crane, more commonly known as Paranoia, took over.

"Hey death breath, what Enigma means to say is that we're cornered and need backup. Don't tell our Dads, okay?"

Ashley glanced at her closet "Bring Fear toxin?"

"Yeah, I'm all out."

"Batman?"

Mara Crane paused on the other end before answering. "Not yet."

"Be right there."

The brunette hung up and flung the doors to her closet open. She had some of her old t-shirts and jeans all neatly hung. She pushed her clothes to the side and carefully removed the 'back' of the closet, revealing her old costume. I hope it still fits.

It was simple in design, really. A lot of her inspiration had ironically come from Batgirl, despite the fact that for the most part, they stood on completely opposite sides of the law. Ashley would stop occasionally to fight lowlifes, such as rapists or muggers, but besides that, she was mainly a thief. A thief, who I might mention, had stolen from Batman himself, even if she hadn't been aware of it at the time.

It was a simple black catsuit for the most part really, made out of ultra-light Kevlar she had stolen from Bruce Wayne [the man had suspiciously a lot of it for a billionaire, which had led to the conclusion that he was Batman]. On the chest was a fancy skull to match her skull mask. It was adorned with splashes of purple here and there, such as the straps for her throwing knives and the straps on her boots.

She inhaled sharply as she let the shadows lead her to the two Muses.

≈§≈

Ashley's eyes narrowed behind the white slits of her black domino mask as she appeared behind Paranoia and Enigma. "Situation?"

Paranoia raised an eyebrow [though no one could see it behind their plague mask] and in a scratchy, sarcastic tone replied with "Well, we're being shot at, so that's not good..."

Enigma shrugged. "We stole from the wrong people."

Ashley rolled her eyes out of instinct. "I can see that. Okay, I'll hold 'em off. You two split up and circle around. Exit through the back and DON'T engage Batman or Robin if they show. Alright?"

There is something really validating about someone saluting you and saying "Yes sir" before following your direct orders. Ashley grinned widely as she turned back to the scene. She stood up and the cement in front of her seemed to follow her hand motions. Someone shouted, "what the hell" as the young demigod punched the air and the cement followed, just barely missing the shooters by an inch.

Her goal wasn't to maim or kill, after all. It was to distract and retreat, which requires a different strategy. She repeated the same to the left before doing a front handspring and turning to the right. Jab, cross, hook. With her enhanced strength, it didn't take much to knock out her opponents.

Bang! She let out a gasp instinctively as a bullet collided with her ribs. Just because her suit was bulletproof [to a certain extent, of course] didn't mean the force couldn't break a rib or two.

She gritted her teeth and slammed the butt of an abandoned gun into the guy's face. "Didn't anyone tell you it's rude to shoot underage girls?"

Ashley let out a shaky breath as she tried to walk towards the back. If it had been a bullet from an Ak-47, she would most likely be dead. She let out a groan instinctively as she opened the door only to find a rather disappointed-looking Batman and a slightly concerned-looking Robin.

"Why didn't you tell us you were back in town Ashley?"

Her eyes narrowed slightly at Batman's demand. "I don't see how it's any of your business, Bruce."

Her tone and glare softened as she addressed the boy standing almost nervously to the side. "It's a pleasure as always, Boy Wonder."

While Ashley and Bruce didn't get along — although it was rather unclear if this was because of their clashing morals or if the root of the problem was Ashley's mother —  Tim Drake was another story. Ironically, they had bonded on the job over not having enough time to study for school, so they came up with an agreement: if the fight lasts longer than five minutes they ditch together and help each other with homework.

They had a mutual understanding and respect. Both of them had big shoes to fill [metaphorically of course], for both of their mentors had ridiculously high standards. Then again, Ashley supposed that was her fault for willingly become Edward Nygma's protégé.

"You're injured," Tim blurted out before flushing red.

She tossed him an almost amused expression. "Well, getting shot will do that to you. Now, are you guys gonna arrest me or.."

"No. We're taking you back to the Cave and while Alfred's fixing you up, you're going to explain why you've been chasing after serial killers as a civilian. Robin, help Ghost Queen, get in the back."

≈§≈

The ride back to the cave underneath Wayne manor wasn't nearly as awkward as she thought it would be. Batman was quiet for a majority of the time, but surprisingly he didn't intervene as the two teens chatted in the back seat.

The conversation had reached a natural dnd when they reached relationships. Ashley learned that he and Stephanie were 'on break', but she could tell from his dejected voice and body language that he didn't think they'd be getting back together anytime soon.

Ashley, in turn, had told him about Drew [Ashley glossed over the fact that the child of Aphrodite had basically mind-controlled her for months before she broke free and dumped her] and Kathy, who had cheated on her with some random guy. In conclusion, both teens seemed to have terrible luck with blondes.

Her eyes widened as they finally entered the Cave. As much as she often disagreed with Batman, she had to hand it to him. He was committed to his aesthetic. He was the only superhero she knew that successfully pulled off goth.

Her green eyes scanned the area carefully. "Is this bedrock and lime reinforced with titanium? Impressive. Although I'm not sure if it's safe to have so much lead coating everything, and is that kryptonite I sense three stories up? You really don't trust Superman, do you?"

The brunette turned her head to face him with a smirk as the infamous Batman bristled and Robin stiffened and seemed to stop breathing altogether. After a moment, she continued. "That's what most therapists would call paranoid. Not that you're wrong, of course. There is a reason why you're quite possibly the best superhero of all time."

Ashley didn't often care what people thought of her anymore. For as long as she could remember, people had been looking down on her. It didn't matter that she could take twice the hit of an average full-grown man without flinching if needed or that she could juggle knives by the time she was 4, or even that she was fluent in well over 12 different languages. She was never good enough for Thalia Al'Ghul.

Ashley had always been the girl to talk to thin air and appear or disappear randomly. She wasn't meant to be well-liked... she knew that. So instead, she settled for the one thing she had always been good at: getting under people's skin.

But Tim Drake, sweet, kind, adorable Tim Drake, he seemed to care. So for him, she would back off, just this once. She fell silent afterwards besides the few pleasantries she exchanged with Alfred. Tim had been sent home by Bruce, so now it was just the three of them.

Any hope she had left along with the butler as she was left alone with Batman, who had yet to shed his Kevlar suit or remove his cowl, despite the fact that she knew who he was. A permanent glare was settled on his face.

Vaguely, it reminded the teen of a disappointed parent, like she had seen over and over again on tv. Unfortunately for Bruce, Ashley was used to playing the role of "disappointment problem child."

"So, care to explain?"

"I'm more qualified than most mortals in navigating the minds and souls of serial killers. I can even go as far as seeing it from the eyes of the... victims. It wouldn't make sense to not put my abilities to use. Besides, you and your Robin's do the same exact thing, so how's this any different?"

For a split second, Bruce could easily imagine Jason leaning against the wall in her place, arms defiantly crossed and a scowl planted on his face. He had been a little older than she was when he... no. Bruce gritted his teeth. He wouldn't think about that.

"You can't use your powers as a civilian."

"That's what mist is for."

"You're putting yourself in danger."

She shrugged. "I'll be dead by 16 anyways. What does it matter?"

"What about your friends? Nygma and Crane treat you like their kid."

The brunette stiffened slightly. "That's their fault. They knew what was to come. I told them to not get emotionally attached."

Frustration boiled through the vigilante's body. She truly didn't care, because as far as she was concerned, she was already dead.

"What about Stephanie and Tim?"

"My death'll give them something to bond over," deadpanned the teen.

Okay, Bruce thought to himself, time for a different approach. "Don't get yourself killed." This time, it was a demand.

"You're request will be considered by the council of one that is me."

"That was an order."

She shrugged. "I've never been a good listener."

They say everyone dies twice, but Ashley Al'Ghul knew better than most. You die thousands of times before your final death. Every time you experience something that causes even the slightest change in your personality or thought process, you die and are born anew. Any fragments that had been human had long ago been chipped and eroded away, leaving the perfect killing machine etched in stone.

The cold, harsh reality had settled in for the young demigod. Every night, the same vision plagued her. Her sleeping potions lay in a box underneath her bed, untouched.

First, she would find herself at a house she now recognized as Will's. Sometimes she found herself at Camp Half-Blood instead. Next, she would have a glimpse of the next murder she would solve. Despite the variations, it always ended the same. Will pointing a gun at her and a gunshot.

Ashley Al'Ghul was going to die, and she couldn't do anything about it.