The old Crane house looked like it had been abandoned for at least seven or eight years. Thin wooden boards blocked out the windows, and the clear drapes covered the broken windows. The nightly fog and the pale light of the moon further added to the creepiness as Jim and Harvey pulled into the driveway. They pried off the loose boards covering the front door and walked inside the mudroom, sharply knocking at the next door. "GCPD," Jim announced. But there was no response. Crane had to be in there hiding, there was no doubt about it. As Jim knocked and announced their presence again, he swore he could hear faint whispers and chatter.

"We're coming in," Harvey slowly pushed open the door, and almost instantly, they heard the sounds of metal clattering. The detectives pulled out their guns, following the sound into a makeshift lab in the middle of the dining room. Tourniquets and countless needles were spread across the table. Clearly, Crane was about to either experiment on himself or subject B. The cold evening air howled throughout the abandoned structure, pushing the open back door against the wall. "We should check out back," Harvey suggested.

With guns still in hand, Jim and Harvey walked back into the night. But not even two steps into their search, a bloodcurdling scream ripped through the night, and without a hitch, they followed the sound past the trees to the entrance of a small field. Right underneath a terrifying scarecrow was Crane's silhouette as he hunched over a darkened mound. "Hands where we can see them!" Harvey yelled. "Hands in the air, or we'll shoot!" Jim repeated. But Crane refused to comply, reaching for his gun.

"You think I'm afraid of you?" Crane challenged. "Not another step," Harvey warned. "Afraid of your guns?" Crane began growing impatient and opened fire. Jim and Harvey quickly took cover behind the trees, feeling the rush of the bullets as they narrowly missed them. The second the gunfire ceased, and Crane reloaded his weapon, Harvey popped out of hiding and shot Crane in the shoulder. But Crane continued limping towards them. "I have no fear!" Crane proclaimed. When Crane used up the last of his bullets, Jim and Harvey again popped out of hiding, not hesitating as they fired three bullets at him until Crane toppled onto the ground, dead.

"You take him, I'll get the kid!" Jim said to Harvey as he dashed to where Jonathan was withering on the ground, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as he let out a silent scream. "Call an ambulance!" Jim shouted to Harvey, doing his best to help calm the young man down. But Jim's efforts did very little as the fear injection coursed through Jonathan's veins, his heart about to leap out of his chest at intense nightmares that were taunting him. "It's alright, son! It's alright!" Jim assured, cradling Jonathan in his arms as he continued to convulse and whimper.

~~~~~~~~~

Alfred stood by the window back in Wayne Manor, still waiting for Bruce to return from the hike. Master B swore to be back hours ago. What's keeping him? Alfred wondered as he reached for his pocket watch. At any moment, he hoped he would see Bruce's shadow emerging from the woods towards the back door, but as the temperature dropped and gray clouds filled the sky, Alfred's worries only grew from there. He immediately ran out to the back door, grabbing his coat as he followed the trail, calling out to the young boy.

"Master Bruce!" He called out, but only heard bats' wings flapping through the trees. He continued down the path, past the little creek, and hiked up the hill. In the moonlight, the butler could see Bruce and his father's rock piles destroyed and strewn all over. But Bruce was still nowhere to be found. After a while, Alfred gathered as much kindling and wood as he could find in the darkness and struck a match. Maybe Bruce would be able to find his way back that way. An hour into settling in by the fire, the sounds of leaves crunching filled the air, making him turn to just over the ledge. Carefully peering down, he saw the faint silhouette of the Wayne, disheveled and trying to climb back up the hill.

"Hello there, Master Bruce. Well, you certainly took your time," Alfred commented. "What, you stop off for a pie and a pint on the way out, did you?" "How long have you been here?" Bruce grouched, balancing his hand on a large rock. "I don't know, about an hour. Just when you started climbing that really nasty hill," Alfred answered. "Well, thanks for your help," Bruce spoke sarcastically. "Yeah, I never got you down there, did I? Are you all right?" Alfred questioned, noticing the makeshift brace Bruce fastened around his injured leg. Without missing a beat, Alfred walked over to him, and swinging Bruce's arm around the butler's neck. Bruce groaned as Alfred led him to the logs.

"I'm cold, I'm tired, and my ankle's sprained," Bruce sighed. "I just want to go home," "You wanna go home..." Alfred repeated. "or do you wanna wait and watch the sunrise? Like you did with your dad?" Bruce looked over at him surprised. "Well, Alfred, you can only stay if you think you can handle it," he spoke. "If I can handle it?" Alfred chuckled. "Mate, this place is positively cushy... compared to some of the places I've slept at. Cup of tea, you cheeky monkey?" He offered, handing Bruce the tiny flask containing warm cinnamon tea. Bruce eagerly drank some of it, eager to finally ease the aching in his stomach.

~~~~~~~~~~

Not long after the paramedics arrived and transported Jonathan to the hospital, Jim returned to the GCPD, exhausted from the long night. But he couldn't go home yet. Not without saying goodnight to Lee. And of course, inviting her to Holly's art contest. But how was he going to bring up the fact he had a daughter? It wasn't right to keep this a secret from Lee, but maybe there was a small part of Jim that thought Lee would leave him for being a dad. But at the same time, Lee was sweet, and she really loved being with him, so maybe she'd grow to like Holly as well. 

He walked towards the examination room, watching as she put away her equipment for the night. "Oh, hey. How are you? I heard your suspect was killed," Lee turned around when she noticed him standing in the doorway. "He came after Harvey and me with a gun. We didn't have a choice," Jim explained. Lee's face fell hearing that before she asked if Crane's son was okay. "Paramedics were able to stabilize him. But... I'm worried about him," Jim admitted. "Of course you are, he's a kid. I don't understand how someone could drug their own child," Lee shook her head. "I could never do that. Not to my Holly," Jim agreed.

Jim's eyes widened as his daughter's name slipped out of his mouth. "Holly? Who's Holly?" Lee quirked her brow. How Jim intended to tell her of his daughter's existence, he had no idea. But now that Lee knew her name, there was no turning back. "She's my daughter. I know I should've told you this earlier, but I guess I was nervous about what you would think," Jim said. "I thought you wouldn't like kids," "Oh no no, it's okay! I don't mind it," Lee assured. "How old is she?" "Twelve, about to be thirteen next month," Jim answered.

"Teenage years. I miss those days," Lee chuckled. "And... I was thinking of introducing you to her," Jim continued. "She has an art contest tomorrow afternoon at school. I was hoping you'd want to join?" "I'd love that. She sounds like a lovely girl," Lee nodded. "On that note, I have tickets to the circus tomorrow night, maybe you and your daughter can come?" She walked to her desk and showed him the tickets. "A circus?" Jim inquired. "Yeah, they're good. No, sad elephants," Lee answered.

"Circus, sure. Why not?" Jim smiled. Lee leaned in to give him another kiss, but he paused her, turning his head back to the hallway. "Look, Lee... No kissing here on the job, okay? I'm serious," He lowered his voice so only she could hear him. "Okay. If your hardass reputation is worth that much to you," Lee smirked. "This is a place of work," Jim reminded. "Cops have feelings too. It's not unprofessional to show feelings," she said. "Yeah, it is. Those kinds of feelings," Jim countered. Lee's gentle expression changed as she abruptly walked away, telling him to be that way.

"Hey," Jim took her hand. But as she turned around, Lee's mischievous smile was back on her face. "I'm just joking. I'll be discreet," She kissed his cheek before gathering her files.

~~~~~~~~~~

Holly could hardly sleep that night. Her heart pounded with intense excitement. Not only was she back in the contest, but the majority of people at the school caught wind that Holly was, in fact innocent, and some of the students acted super friendly towards her, as if they never talked bad about her and Cara in the first place. As the sun rose the next morning, Holly slipped on her school uniform, opening the hotel curtains just a smidge before grabbing her painting. Something about it in the morning sunlight made it feel just as ethereal, like it was a portal taking her back to Mrs. Constantine's garden.

Everyone was going to see countless canvases telling different stories, but this story, Holly hoped, would touch the deepest parts of a person. After a quick breakfast, Holly kept eyeing her painting as it sat in the backseat, watching it like a protective mother. Pulling to the sidewalk outside Anders Prep, Holly kissed her father goodbye before taking her painting into the gymnasium. It almost looked unrecognizable the second she stepped in.

Navy blue and yellow silks covered every wall, save for the windows, and the other contestants already had their paintings set up on easels, ready for the judges to arrive. "There she is!" Natasha and Cara squealed when they saw Holly and ran over to her, hugging her. "Guys, the contest isn't for another hour. What are you doing here?" Holly chuckled. "To support our bestie!" Cara smiled. The fact Cara and Natasha sacrificed their early morning to show up and support her showcased the type of friends they were. "Is Bruce coming?" Natasha asked. "I don't know, I haven't heard from him," Holly shrugged. "I hope he does come,"

"Actually, I got a text from him this morning. He said he sprained his ankle during a hike," Cara reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, showing the text as proof. "Aw, I hope he feels better," Holly shook her head sadly. "Oooh, sounds like you really like him!" Natasha teased. "No way, Nat. We're just friends," Holly insisted. "Holly does, she absolutely does!" Cara joined in. "Oh my god, girls and guys can be friends!" Holly sighed as she set up the rest of her display.

Cara and Natasha's teasing continued, and Holly could only blush a deep pink with embarrassment. If anything good came out of Bruce having a sprained ankle, it was that he wasn't there to witness the whole thing. But just a tiny part of Holly wished he could've been there to support her. Soon, the gymnasium filled with students, staff, parents, as well as three judges; Mr. Parker, Ms. Jenkins, and Mr. Johnson. The two men were dressed in dark black suits, one of them wore a monocle by his right eye, while the woman wore a black and white dotted dress. One by one, they walked up and down the aisles, stopping at every contestant interviewing them about their paintings.

While most students needed a handwritten explanation of what their painting was about, Holly didn't need words on paper to explain the story. The detail and her background in the making of this painting were enough. Holly could see the quiet disgust that came from the judges as they walked down the aisles, eyeing the paintings. These weren't just any regular judges. They were the Gotham City Art Museum, determined to find only the best painting to be hung on their walls. "I must say, Ms. Gordon. Your painting is rather..." Ms. Jenkins inspected the painting closely. Holly's breath hitched as she dreaded the words that would come out next.

"...Fascinating,"

Did I hear them correctly? Holly nearly gaped at their words. They actually liked it! Somehow, in some magical way, they were entranced by the painting. And not only was  Ms. Jenkins impressed, but so was Mr. Parker. Mr. Johnson, however, seemed very skeptical. "What makes this painting stand out from the rest, Ms. Gordon? From what I can see, it looks like any regular garden," he squinted. Holly took a moment to compose the right words. "This painting is very reminiscent of my childhood. Every day, I would look out my window and see the beauty of my neighbor's garden, and I remember how she took such good care of it. The bright colors, from the yellows to the pinks, showcase the beauty of every flower, and the bright blues and white showcase the peacefulness of the atmosphere. To me, it's like stepping into a vast wonderland of dreams and tranquility,"

Mr. Johnson raised an eyebrow but said nothing more. Ms. Jenkins and Mr. Parker continued with the questions, from asking the basics like "How long did it take you to make this painting?" to more in-depth questions about her process and technique, all of which Holly answered flawlessly. The judges nodded and thanked her for her time before they continued down the aisle. While the sea of students and parents poured through the gym, Holly kept a close eye out for her father and Lee, but either they just passed her and she didn't see them, or maybe they hadn't arrived yet.

Then, her ears perked up at the sound of a familiar excusing themselves through the crowd, and Holly was both in shock and happy her father had made it. "Dad, you came!" Holly gasped, walking to the other side of the table to hug him. "Of course I did! I told you I would make it!" Jim patted her back. "Holly, there's someone I want you to meet," Holly turned to see Lee in a long dark blue jacket and brown dress smiling at her. "So, you must be Holly. Your father tells me you're quite the little artist," Lee held out her hand. Holly shook it graciously, introducing herself. "It's very nice to meet you, Lee. My dad tells me a lot about you," She smiled. 

"Oh really? What has he told you?" Lee asked with interest. But before Holly could answer her question, a microphone's feedback pulled their attention to the center of the gym. Mrs. Scherer, Headmaster Koch, and the three judges stood there, waiting for all eyes to be on them. "First of all, I want to say how beautiful and intricate your paintings look this year. You really gave them your all and showed what truly lives in your artistic soul," Mrs. Scherer looked around the room. "To me, you are all winners in my eyes," She handed the microphone back to Headmaster Koch. "Thank you, Mrs. Scherer. And now is the moment we all have been waiting for. The judges have reached their decision, and as a reminder, our lucky winner will have the opportunity to have their winning piece shown in the Gotham Art Museum as well as receive a check of $2,000," Headmaster Koch turned towards the judges.

Ms. Jenkins handed the headmaster their unanimous decision, and the tension only built in the room as the headmaster slowly unfolded the slip of paper. "Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the 20th Ander's Prep Art Competition is..." Headmaster Koch finally unfolded the last piece, and with a big smile, he read off the name. "Ms. Holly Gordon! Congratulations!" Applause broke out through the gym, and Natasha and Cara were practically screaming with excitement as Holly walked to the center to receive her award. Mrs. Scherer proudly handed her a small gold trophy in the shape of an artist's easel, and as the school's photographer took the photo, Holly looked out in the crowd, seeing her father and Lee so happy for her.

"That's my girl!" Jim whistled while Lee clapped and grinned, seeing Holly have her moment of victory. And in that moment, everything felt right. For that briefest moment, everything was just as it should be.