Grief is an emotion that is born of grave loss, and loss is the unfortunate side effect of the most predominate disease found – living. Loss is a usual aspect in the business of heroism. It's normal to lose a friend or ally, and perhaps even a time or two, a villain that maybe didn't deserve to die. It was, however, never truly expected to lose someone you love personally. That was the hypocrisy of it all. Under the cowl, the hero was a person that had no wounds to bare. The villain at the end of the day could hurt them, but their anonymity concealed their civilian vulnerability. However, when in the circumstance the Wayne family lived and breathed, they were a part of a world, a lifestyle. They were vulnerable to pain, and to loss. That, unfortunately, was the circumstance that unfolded on this day, and a day that Riley Grayson would never in all her years forget.

She had been attending school on the day of the accident, her classes rolling in and out, she barely noticed the hours slip by. Riley Grayson had been attending Gotham University for about a month, and already was one of the most capable students. Her laughter was like wedding bells as she strolled through the hall, happy for once to be having a normal day. However, normalcy was never permitted in a family that lived and breathed danger, so these few hours strolling amongst the Gotham civilians' was a nice change.

As she made her way to the last class of the day, she heard the usual rumble of her mobile. A sigh tore from her lips as she knew that more than likely it was either her brother or father calling her to complain about some madness. She quickly pulled it from her purse and rolled her eyes at the area code of the mansion. She quickly ignored the call, noting that Bruce for once could deal with whatever monstrosity that had escaped Arkham that day. Riley deserved ONE moment of peace after all, and in the sanctuary of her books, she was free to do so. The class was a breeze and she couldn't help but allow herself to be absorbed into the material, her bag tucked away on the floor she didn't notice the influx of call after call that came through.

It wasn't until she exited the room, that she took out her phone to finally call her father back. As she unlocked the device she noticed message after message lighting up with a strobe light. Her brow rose and suddenly she felt sick to her stomach. If they had needed her that badly what on Earth could have happened? She quickly began dialling away, swinging her bag over her shoulder as she ran down the steps of the hall heading toward her car. Within a ring, she received an answer and sighed into the receiver, "Look I'm sorry, I was in class and I didn't want to take out my phone. I'll be home in a bit. Do you think you can hold off until then?" She murmured expecting it to be her father. A small grumble echoed over the line as the other cleared their throat and she realised it was Alfred.

"Alfred what's going on, where's my father?" She called out as she finally made it to her car. "-Miss Grayson, I think it best if you hurry home." He replied quickly. Riley's stomach clenched as she began to quiver into her seat. Was Bruce hurt? Had she missed her father calling for backup? "I'm on my way." She replied before hanging up the phone. Speeding was never something Riley relied on, even more so since the entire of Gotham police department knew who she was, but that day Riley didn't care. From the University to Wayne Manor it was a thirty-minute drive, but the girl made it in fifteen.

As she turned in she saw the house seemingly abandoned, her brow furrowing as she quickly threw her things to the parlour and ran down to the elevator that led to the Cave. Her heart was racing and all she could think of was her father. What if he was hurt? What if they were in danger?

The doors opened wide, and she noticed Alfred standing across the room out of view. Bruce stood right in front of her, and in her head, she knew that he must have seen her on the security cameras. Her bright gaze turned up to him with a confused expression. "Tati? What's wrong, are you okay?" She asked carefully moving towards him. His eyes met hers with a solemn look, and for a moment, she felt a shiver of panic run through her. Bruce was standing there, Bruce was fine, and yet it took all of two moments to realise who she hadn't considered. The one person in her mind that would never think to be hurt. Her gut bottomed out, eyes widened before looking at him.

"Where-?" She whispered, wanting to know where she had to go to be with her brother. If Jason was hurt or in the hospital, she needed to be with him. Riley better than anyone knew how to comfort him, knew how to ease his pain. Her little brother wasn't that much older than she was when she started and yet all she could do was think of him. However, Bruce's stance changed as Alfred came into better view, almost blocking her as she tried to flickered her gaze around him.

At once the man stood tall in front of her, hands cupping her shoulders in a sigh trying to gather words. "Where's Jason..." She gritted through her teeth as she yanked away from him. Her eyes finally making it around him to see Alfred standing by a table. On the table was a glimmer of skin and redness and Riley all at once felt her breath leaving her body.

Her eyes widened as a choking force slammed into her chest, she lurched forward in a jolt of adrenaline and fear, only to find her father grabbing hold of her tightly. She screamed, it was a choking and agonising sound. She thrashed against the man, and no matter how hard she fought, she couldn't manage to break loose from her father. Her brother wasn't...no it wasn't possible. All those calls, all those messages...god no. She couldn't have done this? She couldn't have been responsible for this.

The sobs didn't die, she thrashed and cursed and beat against her father until he pressed her tightly against his chest. Her choking breath in gasps rang muffled by his tight hold. It was horrific, and it was madness. Bruce's arms cradled her as she settled into his grasp, her form never wavering as he tried to move her away. If she had taken the minute to digest, she would have made a comment about Bruce never held her so tenderly. Her chest rose and fell in shutters, the brilliant blue orbs that normally pierced through her cowl were muddy with tears and dripping makeup.

Alfred's gaze never wavered, to broken to see Riley suffer so and yet, no one knew how broken she felt. It was like someone ripped her heart from her chest and broiled it. Her breath gone, she felt so faint she had to lean into her father for support. Riley wasn't sure how long Bruce toggled her there, she wasn't sure how long she had remained idle in her purgatory until Alfred moved over to them. "Miss Riley..." He murmured softly, and Riley only seemed to flinch. If no one spoke it wasn't real, if no one acknowledged her...it wasn't real. She shook her head, her face turning into her father's soaked and bloodied chest as he moved to pat her on the shoulder.

It didn't take long for Bruce to release her, pushing her further and further back, trying to spare her the vision of Jason's mangled body, but Riley was his sister. Riley would be with him no matter what. She finally broke free from her father, stumbling to pull herself over to the boy before witnessing the tragedy herself. It was like looking into hell, she thought, looking into utter darkness. Bruce quickly moved to stand behind her, his hands outreached still as if to pull her back to him. As Riley's gaze looked straight down at the body of her brother, she couldn't help but feel bile rise into her throat. Her fingers were red as she struggled to hold the metal table, her jaw clenched as she looked away for a moment trying to breathe.

His beautiful features now distorted, his cheeks bruised and bloodied as a smear escaped his slightly parted lips. Her fingers brushed against his cheek, choking back her tears, looking down at him for a moment and praying that it was just another bad dream. There lie the single most precious thing in her life and she didn't know what to do. Jason, her rescue. Jason, her brother. The boy she had saved and held. All those nightmares, all those bad memories. She had pulled him through each one. He was her secret keeper, her partner in crime, he was her best friend. Her eyes squeezing tight in agony she clenched her fist leaning over to bury her face against his chest.

She cried, and with her arms wrapped around him, she cried for what felt like hours. There were no words that could be said that didn't already flow from her mouth. 'I'm sorry.' 'Don't hate me.' 'I love you.' 'Come back...'. There was only so much pain worth watching, and Bruce could watch his daughter suffer no more. He moved to touch her shoulder gently, wanting to pull her away but she shook her head stubbornly. His lips parted to ask her to return with him, to let Alfred finish preparing him for burial, and yet he knew there was no point. Riley would stay with Jason until she was pried away from him, and right now Bruce didn't have the strength to make her suffer anymore.

She pushed the thin plastic sheet that covered his torso away, wanting to look at the extent of everything to somehow, understand better? A part of her knew that she was only going to hurt herself more, and yet it didn't seem to matter. She pushed herself up, sitting on the table beside him as her trembling figures brushed aside a small fragment of his suit from his shoulder. There was an evident gash that was no longer bleeding, it looked dark and bruised, but in the way, a cold piece of steak looked, not the beautiful boy that was her little brother. Riley pulled one of the pieces of gauze off the nearby gurney and dampened it with the peroxide beside it. She slowly began dabbing at the wound, in some strange way trying to heal it.

It wasn't long until she was alone, Bruce finally giving up trying to pry the crying girl away. The cave fell into near silence, and the only light was a single swaying halogen lamp above the table. There were no more tears falling from her gaze, her sobs only trembling against her barren soul, and she laid herself down beside the boy with no regard. Her arm drapping over his tiny form as she buried her face into his hair. In some small way, he still smelled like cinnamon and lemons, and she could remember how often she would find him crawling into her bed late at night. How often she would pull her blankets back and hold him until the nightmares were far away.

Her eyes closed and for a moment she so desperately wanted to believe that the boy in her arms was asleep, and she could lull him into a world of warmth and delight. The song came to mind, as she had so often sung it to him as a boy. "Noapte buna dragostea mea... voi sta cu tine pentru toldeauna. Pentru totdeauna dragostea mea...ca am merge in soare." She sings softly beneath her newly forming tears, fingers brushing down his cheek as she pulled herself closer to him. "-tu si cu mine, sa creasca vechi impreuna, dulce meu, dragostea mea... pentru totdeauna mai mult..." The song lofted into the stones of the cave, a small and broken voice sending the sweet tones into the cracks and crevices of the cave and up into the home.

Riley didn't leave Jason, not until the wee hours of the morning until, whether through complete exhausting or deliberate ignorance, she found herself moved and sent into a sleep of her own back in her warm bed. Bruce never mentioned to Riley what he had heard, and nor would he ever want to. The soft song that fell from her lips was a moment of privacy and intimacy that wasn't for him. Bruce knew that Riley would savour moment of her old tongue with Jason, whispering around him like it was a smoke screen and they were two ghosts dancing a hidden tune. Bruce's heart may have already been shattered, but no more so when his daughter tried to sing her brother back to life. That was the moment he lost everything, that was the moment he lost both his children. Riley's song echoed throughout the house, and all anyone could do was turn their gaze away. It was too intimate, too personal...too painful. It was loss, terrible loss, and it was Riley who had to suffer it alone in the darkness.