Beyond Masks and Fish Nets

Written By Starswim

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that belongs to DCEU and Warner Bros, except for my OC characters and twist of plot.

Rated: M (mature content - violence, gore, swearing, legal age gap, sexual content) It's a dark fic, don't expect hearts and flowers.

Summary: 'You're a lifesaver, Sal' those were a mother's last words before she left her daughter behind. All the years of discretion, Mia Marinus got caught by Black Mask's fishing net. Swimming in deep waters is easy; the challenge is coming up to shore alive. Roman/OC

Prologue

The eight-year-old girl was oblivious to tonight's happenings. She was in the backseat of her father's ladybug, listening to music on her headphones. More like she was lying on the floor of the car to avoid detection. From what? What happened to Daddy? Why wasn't he coming with them? The kid didn't ask. She didn't expect her mother to answer any of her questions anyway. Mommy only dragged her by the arm down the fire escape and told her to stay down without a word. The only thing the girl could see was the clouded moonlight fighting to shine the streets, the connecting metal rods that looked like spiderwebs, and stone archways. They were crossing the Gotham City bridge, far away from their tiny 'palace.' If only she could sit up to see the ocean view.

The driver's seat shielded her view of Mommy, especially the mirrors that revealed her mother's watery eyes and tremor fingers that dialed a number for the fourth time. Outside of her daughter's ears, the mother grumbled for 'him' to pick up. A breath of relief escaped her quivering peach lips when a gruff voice echoed the other line.

"Sally, it's me," she strained her cords, refusing to sound desperate. "Don't hang up."

The man was no longer exhausted. He was angry to hear her voice, especially at two in the morning. He demanded answers. Where was his brother? How did she get his number, and why was she calling? Did she know what time it is?

Mommy didn't care about phone etiquette or the strain of their relationship. She was determined to continue the mission, no matter how shaken she was.

"I'll explain everything to you at your place. I won't take no for an answer. Please, we need you." The task of keeping herself together failed at the last sentence. She never thought she could act like the whiny beggars on the streets, especially when talking to her brother-in-law.

"After all these years, Bruja, you have the nerve to contact me for my help. Why should I?"

"Because my life and your niece's life is on the line, you fucking asshole!" For that, the woman hung up. She could almost see her pig of a brother-in-law's reaction to the revelation. Speaking of her child, Mommy didn't bother to check up on her. She knew that her angelfish was a good listener. The kid wouldn't dare remove the headphones from her ears.

"Sit tight, baby. You'll be free soon enough."

~000~000~000~

The child was welcomed inside her uncle's apartment with open arms. The man dreamt of this meeting but in different circumstances. He took note of how bashful the girl was acting, hiding behind her mommy's trench coat. She didn't look or act like the bruja of her mother. He thanked Dios for that.

The pig-tail girl was even more terrified of his pet Rotweiller. It looked as if she had never seen a dog before in her life. Sal was patient. He comforted the child, helped her overcome the fear of something that looked mean and scary but turned out to be sweet and tiny - that was the dog's name, after all. One swipe of Tiny's tongue chased the fears away.

"It's a sign that he likes you, señorita," Uncle Sal explained. The girl giggled, wiping the saliva by her sleeve. Sal tucked a curl behind her ear, love shining in his eyes. The wake up call was worth it, just to see the smile on the young one's face.

The sweet moment didn't last for Mommy pressed them to go upstairs out of sight.

...

The girl was on the bed, not inside a closet for once. The headphones hadn't removed from her ears, shielding the yelling from the kitchen. Most of which belonged to the Spanish uncle.

"Hiciste esto (You did this)," he growled. "Mi hermano está muerto por tu culpa (My brother is dead because of you)."

"Okay, Sal," the woman raised her hand, rolling her eyes. "Lose the language. You know that I don't understand Spanish."

"Why Luigi has married you, I'll never understand. All these years, I prayed that he would come to his senses. Find someone decent. Mamá would've welcomed Luigi back in the family and her grandchild. I'm not surprised if you started exploiting the poor fish. A mommy-daughter tag team-" The slap in the face silenced him again.

"Hey, Rollie-Pollie, your brother was no saint either," Mommy hissed. "All the choices he made, joining the mob, gambling every cent we had. As I recall, gambling does run in your family."

The ferocious slam on the kitchen counter didn't crack the stone-cold woman one bit. She dealt with worse men than him.

"Never speak ill of my familia," Sal commanded. "Luigi's death was not in vain."

"Maybe, but what about mine? What about my daughter's life?" She gestured the bedroom door. "He never should've told the police anything. Because of his stupidity, he's dead, and it's only a matter of time before the mob comes after us."

"As I recall, I'm not on anyone's payroll"

Mommy mockingly applauded for the uncle, "Bravo. Bravo, Sally. Not everyone could spend a day selling hotdogs on the street."

"I'm selling wieners, you're selling to suck one off. What's the difference?" he snorted, "Wait. There is a difference. My business is more legit."

"Watch yourself, Sal. I can demonstrate what I do to someone's dick when they try to cross me."

Sal rolled his eyes, meanwhile crossing his legs in a subtle fashion, "Does the kid know about her padre?"

"Are you kidding me? No! I found her hiding in the closet. Luigi must've put her there before he..." she trailed off, sparing the gory details. "I couldn't have her crying in the car, could I?"

Sal sighed, rubbing a hand across his face, "Why are you here, Bruja (Witch)?"

Mommy lightly drummed her fingers onto the kitchen counter, averting her eyes almost hesitant to follow through the mission. It had been a long time since her last unpleasantries with this family. The last time was the pregnancy/engagement announcement. When Luigi was disowned of the family, he prohibited them from being a part of his baby's life.

Finally, she looked at him in the eye. It's almost seemed like she was at work, setting the terms in stone, "I need you to take the kid."

Sal widened his eyes in disbelief, speaking his reaction in Spanish. Mommy rolled her eyes, snapping her fingers for the uncle's attention.

"I don't mean keep her, you idiot! I mean, drop her off somewhere. Maybe an orphanage, the CPS, a catholic church - you guys are all about priests and nuns - your mama..." Mommy quickly pressed her lips, forgetting the painful truth of monster-in-law. Luigi refused to pay respects, no matter how much Sal begged. The family could've met the new addition that day.

"Why can't you take her?" Sal demanded softly. "Where are you even going?"

"Far away from here that's for sure. The mob may or may not know about Lou having a kid, but I would much rather be safe than sorry."

"That's very noble of you, Bruja," Sal hissed the sarcasm.

"And I may need some money to tie me over," she added.

Honestly, what did Baby Luigi see in this hooker?

"And you can't get the police involved. I'm sure they want to know what happened with Lou."

"You know the police can't help us. Look what it did for Lou. I don't have anyone else!"

"Your customers? Your girlfriends?"

"C'mon, Sal. I get that you hate me, you all do."

"Eres una mujer despreciable (You're a despicable woman)."

Mommy didn't need to ask what he said. It's an insult that could be the truth. Did she care for words? Not as much as sticks and stones. "Maybe so, but I was married to Lou. That automatically qualifies me as 'familia'," she air quoted the Spanish word. It took all his might not to slap the smug off the woman's face. He wasn't a believer of violence against women, but this one was tempting him like Satan peer-pressuring Jesus in the wilderness.

"You wouldn't betray your familia, would you? Whether they're disowned or not?"

Sal pressed his lips in a tight line. If this were a cartoon, steam would be coming out of his flushed ears.

"If not for me, do it for the little angelfish," Mommy gestured the bedroom door again.

Sal's face softened, picturing the scared little girl cuddling up with his dog. She may not know what's going on but not stupid enough to know something was wrong. So sweet, she didn't deserve this.

"Por favor, Sally," Mommy pressed.

A pounding knock interrupted the arguing pair. The dog immediately barked on cue, scratching against the wood of the bedroom door.

"Mr. Marinus, this is the police. Open up."

The wicked pout planted on Mommy's face dropped, shuffling back away from the kitchen, closer to the living room, towards the windows. Was it the police? Was it armed thugs disguised as police? What if they really do hold the badge but are working for the mob boss? Against Mommy's protest, Sal approached the door. Mommy wasted no time scurrying inside the bedroom, allowing the dog to viciously pounce and bark at the front entrance.

Sal greeted two officers standing in his doorway- a male and female, while holding his dog back from attacking the male.

"I'm sorry to intrude, Mr. Marinus. I'm Detective Patrick Erickson and this is my partner Detective Montoya."

"Badges, por favor," Sal demanded in gritted teeth. Both officers complied, proving that they were legit. The female detective asked if they could come in. Her partner's face said it all, after nearly getting attacked by the resident's dog. Renee managed to calm the mutt by commanding him in Spanish. Tiny lied down in submission, not making a peep. Sal was impressed with the display, asking if she got a dog of her own. Patrick dismissed it as more luck than Renee, assuming that dog had already lost its energy to try anything. Sal allowed the officers inside, offering them a cup of coffee; Erickson accepted.

"Is someone here with you?" Renee asked, patting the Rottweiler on the head.

Sal nodded, creating the drink by hand, "Si, my neighbor's kid. The wife is giving birth to a boy as we speak. I'm babysitting."

Renee stepped towards the bedroom door, "Is the kid in that room?"

"Si, would you like me to fetch her?"

Renee opened her mouth to answer but Erickson spoke for her.

"There's no need," Patrick took the coffee from Sal's hand. "Gracias, good sir."

"How can I help you, officers?" Sal asked, cleaning up the counter with a washcloth.

"We have some news regarding your brother - Luigi Marinus."

"Oh? Has the law finally caught up to him?"

"You might say that."

They broke the news of Lou's death to Sal, and the man didn't have a chance to sit down. His reaction was subtle. The female detective challenged Sal, asking why he wasn't surprised by this devastation. Sal explained that his little Lou joined the wrong side of the crowd, and it got worse when he met the hooker at Midtown. The two brothers haven't spoken since the phone call regarding their madre.

The cops demanded to know if Sal heard anything from the hooker for she was a person of interest to this case. Judging the female detective's clenching jaw, she wasn't convinced it's the wife who did it. Though, it didn't stop her from peeking behind the long tattered curtain to the foggy window.

"Sir, is anyone else staying with you?" Renee challenged, wrinkling her nose.

The woman in the bedroom was horrified to hear what Sal said next.

"I see you notice the witch's stench," Sal tried his best not to laugh.

Erickson raised both brows, opening up his notebook.

"Yeah, I can smell her perfume, it's the kind my girlfriend used to wear," Renee circled her finger, motioning the uncle to continue.

"She was here?" Patrick asked, pointing at the floorboards.

"Si, demanding money. Told me that she is leaving Gotham and never looking back."

"Did you?" Erickson asked as Renee searched the living room, terrace, the bathroom, and then the bedroom. Sal didn't bother giving consent to the search with many reasons. One word would draw suspicion. Tiny remained in his spot by the bedroom entrance, acting as a guard dog.

"Keep your eyes open out here, partner. You have my word, I won't hurt the kid," she patted the dog's head, before cracking the door to the dimly-lit room. There was a girl indeed under the bedsheets, her back turned from the detective.

Renee widened the door, switching a flashlight from her pocket. The spotlight scanned the room and closet, carefully not blinding the child awake. The little girl was fast asleep, hugging a pillow to her chest that disappeared under the thin comforter. Renee could still smell the strong rose perfume, but no sign of the woman. She checked under the bed, nobody was there. She rummaged through the hanging clothes in the closet to see if the suspect was hiding behind there. Mommy wasn't there.

A startling bark and a sudden squeak gained the officer's attention. It wasn't mice, Renee knew that the door didn't widen by itself. Tiny didn't relieve himself from guard duty. The suspect could be hiding behind the door. Slowly, she hovered a free hand on the gun in her holster.

"Renee, quick goofing around," Erickson's voice echoed outside. "The brother-in-law says she left."

To prove that theory, Renee approached and pushed the door close, quickly flashing the light. There was nobody behind the door, except chipped floral wallpaper.

"Renee," Erickson pressed.

Renee cursed under her breath, quietly leaving the room, not wanting to wake the little girl. She paced back into the living, demanding a location.

"Where did she go?"

"Bruja took a taxi. She left her car behind - it's the red buggy parked downstairs. I didn't understand why she did that, but I guess I know now... essa perra (that bitch)," Sal cursed last set of words in an emotional whisper.

"And go where?" Erickson asked.

"Away from Gotham City," Sal repeated. "Knowing her and my money, she could be going to Metropolis by now."

The police took his word for it. Patrick Erickson apologized for the inconvenience and thanked him for the coffee. He motioned the woman detective to follow him. Renee narrowed her eyes at the uncle, hesitant to leave. She could still smell the perfume. Sal wrote his number on a napkin, handing it to Renee, telling her to call him when they find out anything.

"Renee," Erickson opened the front door, demanding the woman to follow. Her eyes scanned through the chicken scratch writing, before softening the eyes at Sal.

"I'm very sorry for your loss, Mr. Marinus," she apologized. "Your brother was a stand-up guy. If you hear anything from his wife, tell her that running is only going to make things worse. We are not the bad guys. We want justice for Luigi."

Sal had to avert his gaze from the woman, nodding his head.

Renee sighed, hearing her partner calling her name for the umpteenth time. She reluctantly left with him, not before patting Tiny's head.

Sal remained on the couch until he was sure that the cops were really gone. He got the cue when Tiny entered the bedroom. He followed, switching the lights on. The sheets, that covered the girl and the pillow she was holding, lifted. It turned out the cotton sheets was Mommy's hiding spot. Mommy gasped for air as if she came from underwater.

"Happy now?" Sal asked.

Mommy glared at Sal, not appreciated the slightest. "Why did you tell them about my plan?!"

The uncle put a finger on his lips, jabbing it the sleeping girl's direction. Mommy rolled her eyes, she and Sal exited the bedroom. Sal switched the lights off and closed the door behind them.

"You didn't tell me you were heading to Metropolis," Sal clarified. "Then again, you are predictable, Bruja."

"You told them about the car!" She gestured the window outside where the car was parked below.

"They would've gained that information from your records. The cops are slow but not stupid."

"What about your lie? You know, the neighbor?"

Sal shook his head, "I didn't lie. I do have a neighbor whose wife's having a baby."

"But if the cops ask them-"

"I'll take care of it," Sal stuffed a hand inside the pail of change next to the TV. Mommy's pupils dialated at the sight of the green paper in Sal's hands. How much was he going to give her? She restrained herself from taking the entire bucket and run.

"El niña necesita a su madre, Christine (The kid needs her mother, Christine)," Sal stated sadly.

The woman blinked. The Marinus's family never once addressed her by name only insults. She didn't have to get a Spanish dictionary to know what he said.

"Her father is dead, Sal. If the police caught me, she won't have a mother either."

"That man detective will try. According to my amigos, he is on Roman Sionis's payroll."

"Fuck!" Mommy couldn't hold back the curse word from lips, repeatedly, "Fuckin' fuck, fuck!" She grabbed the remote from the coffee table to throw it across the room, but Sal stopped her by grabbing her wrist and stuffing the thirty dollars in her clenched fist. Her eyes watered, watching the money forced into her hand. Sal was one of the rare people to witness her in a sobbing mess.

"Tomorrow night," Sal grabbed her shoulder and tilted her chin up to look at him, "take a bus ride to Chinatown. There is a man there, they call him 'Doc'."

"I heard of him," she mumbled. "He owns a restaurant."

"Not just that. Order number thirty-two and tell him that I sent you. He'll let you lay low on his turf, no questions ask. Until the cops assume you've dropped dead, take the boat ride out of Gotham."

Christine didn't know what surprised her more - that her brother-in-law was advising her how to live life on the lamb or that he has loyal friends. He was a hotdog man. Nobody gives a crap about the maker, only the product. The hooker wasn't the one to complain, but she wanted to understand why. If Sal had his way, Mommy could've spent eternity in jail. Why didn't he rat her out to the police? Her daughter was the secret weapon for sympathy and money, but that's not it.

"You don't believe I did it," Christine said it as a statement than a question.

Sal sighed, "It was better if you did, for everybody mostly me."

She huffed, stuffing the money in her pocket, what he said next earned eye contact.

"But I know your greedy mind, Bruja. Lou's worth more to you alive than dead. Sooner or later, you could've divorced his ass for child support."

The woman rolled her eyes and scoffed, wiping the tears. It's official, she became predictable. "That's why he wanted to marry me," she stated. "It wasn't love like he had you all believe. He didn't give shit what I do, just as long as he owns up to his mistakes."

"She is no mistake," Sal whispered. Mommy didn't argue or agree to his statement. Luigi was a desperate man, most of the time reckless. Out of all the sins, he committed, Sal's younger brother believed children are blessings. If only his parents didn't disown him; things would've been different. However, it's too late to change the past. It was up to Sal to do the right thing in the present, for Luigi.

"You're going to take care of her?" she asked.

He nodded, earning a hug and kiss on the cheek. Sal pressed his mouth, refusing to take back the arrangement. Christine pulled away, heading straight for the door, catching the uncle off guard once more.

"Where are you going?" he demanded.

"To Chinatown," Mommy responded, passing the bedroom door. "I'll wear a wig to get there undetected. It's in my car." Sal opened his mouth to argue, but she assumed what he's going to say. "Don't worry, I'll look before I leap. The cops should be in city's line by now. You gave me the time I needed."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Sal challenged, holding the need to raise his voice without waking the neighbors. She glanced at the uncle in confusion. He nudged his head toward the bedroom, indicating the child inside, desperately waiting for her mother to join her in bed or give a kiss goodnight.

"Don't you want to say goodbye to your kid?"

Christine closed her eyes, huffing heavily. "I... I can't do that."

"Why not?" Sal challenged. "That's your daughter in there."

"Here's the thing-"

"No, that girl doesn't deserve to lose both parents. For you to ditch her without saying goodbye-"

"I can't!" her eyes widened, covering her mouth in shock. She hoped and prayed that the neighbors didn't hear her yell and call the police for disturbing the peace. It took a full minute for her to regain composure, keeping the hand on the doorknob.

"I can't," she whispered, repeating the words out loud, hopefully enough to end the disagreement. This was supposed to be an arrangement, no different than offering her body for sex. Once the deal was sealed, Christine leaves with no strings attached. She can't get emotional tonight. The girl will understand when she gets older. If they're lucky, the girl could forget about this pathetic childhood and live better. There was hope.

"I'm sorry," she hissed coldly. No more tears in her eyes to show evidence of sincerity.

Sal shook his head, disappointment and anger was all that he could express, "Realmente eres despreciable, Bruja."

Mommy turned the doorknob, cracking the door open, "You are a life saver, Sal."

One blink in Sal's eyes, and the woman was gone, never to be seen again.

Sal checked on the kid to see her fast-asleep, if she's asleep, snuggling next to Tiny. From the wetness on her cheeks, chica knew that her mother wasn't coming to give her the final kiss goodnight. She must settle in an orphanage or stay at a foster family.

He heard talk about the poor child system in Gotham. Some ended up on the streets and starved due to negligence. Most of them grew up as thieves, drug runners, or hookers just like Mommy. They, too, started off naive, believing the golden rule can get you anywhere, until they learned how to fend for themselves the hard way. One rare case involved Bruce Wayne. He was raised by his butler and became the obnoxious playboy in the city, today. There was a chance for the girl to end up on the streets or in jail. She had the meek and quiet spirit about her. The thought of her losing that gift was unbearable. Someone has to teach her to act religious but self conscious. Someone has to give her a proper job that didn't involve sex or murder. Someone has to keep her safe and raise her as a law-abiding citizen. Who can pull off the challenge better than Salvador Marinus himself? He never thought to become a mentor at 3:00AM, but this was what his brother would've wanted. They're family, after all.

Prying the headphones from her ears to turn off the music, Sal was curious about the playlist she was listening to. It didn't long for him to recognize the song currently playing, completely horrified that the parents allowed their child to hear this adult language and suggestive lyrics. He took the disc from the portable CD player, keeping it out of reach for eternity.

~000~000~000~

The next morning, Sal set the kid down on the couch for breakfast. He reduced half of his enormous food potion on the girl's plate - one pancake, three sausage patties, and two scrambled eggs. She was quiet throughout the meal, hardly touching her meal. Tiny tried to be sneaky by slipping a sausage from chica's plate, but Sal won't have it.

"Al suelo (Get down)!" Sal waved the dog away from the table. The Rotweiller ducked under it, whimpering for human food.

The awkward silence continued for another five minutes with the exception of the television airing 'The Price is Right'. Sal finished three quarters of his meal. He huffed to see chica stirring her eggs instead of eating it. She wasn't giving him much eye contact. She was scared, this was a whole new world. He understood that.

"I don't know if your papa told you this, but I do make the best breakfast in the neighborhood. Solía cocinar para los abuelos todo el tiempo (I used to cook for grandparents all the time)."

She didn't respond with words, only a twitch in the corner of her mouth. A tear trickled down her cheek at the thought of her father.

Sal bit his lower lip, hating to see the girl cry, but neither can avoid the subject long. It's best to just face reality if changes are to be made.

"I see that you are an intelligent young lady, Angelfish, not stupid at all. So I am going to have a grown-up talk with you, if that's okay." He waited for her to speak, she only gave him eye contact. Sal took that as a sign to continue, "I think you know why you are here."

She opened her mouth but quickly closed it, almost afraid to speak out loud.

Sal motioned her to talk, "Go on. Don't be afraid to speak your mind, chica."

She bit her lip, closing her eyes as more tears dropped down.

"You know that your parents can't be with you anymore," he moved from the floor, propping down on the couch, careful not to spook the child. "I get you are scared and confused, but know that their reasons to leave have nothing to do with you. They love you so much, so much they would do anything to keep you safe... as will I."

Finally, the girl opened her puffy eyes, looking up at her uncle. She was hard to read. If he fell off the gambling wagon, Sal would've trained her to become a great poker player. The thought diminished as a squeak perked his attention. He was relieved to find out it wasn't a mouse this time.

"What's that?" he pressed.

"Are..." she paused to clear her throat. She hadn't spoke a word, since Papa put her in the closet back at the tiny palace. "Do we have to fight the bad guys?" her voice was sweet like a flower's pollen. He clenched his face and turned away slightly, trying not to laugh at the question. She was adorable.

"Mi querida sobrina (my dear niece)," Sal began, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "There is a difference between fighting with our heads than using our guns."

Her eyes widened in disbelief, "You have a gun?!"

"Did your father?"

She shrugged her shoulders, not entirely sure. If her father did, he wouldn't have shown it to her.

"Well, I do, but that's a weapon these people expect. We got to use our brains," Sal tapped his skull, leaning towards her ear in a whisper, "that's our secret weapon."

"How?" she wondered.

"We start with the weak spots. Everyone has them," He leaned forward, smirking her way as she instinctively crawled to the other side of the couch. What was he doing? Sal continued, reaching a hand across, "Like here!" He tickled her tummy, earning the set of giggles from the girl.

"No! No! Stop!" she begged.

"And here!"

"No!"

Sal moved down to her bare feet, spilling her plate on the couch and the kid's hair.

"Shit," he cursed.

"Shit is Mommy's favorite word," the girl explained.

"No. No. No," he shook his head, refusing to compare himself to the witch. "We don't say that. You are right. It is Bruja- I mean Mommy's word. She called it. Therefore, it's hers. Come here." He pulled her off the couch to clean up the mess, he made. The girl offered help, but he refused in a sweet tone. Sal moved the plate onto the coffee table and plucked the fallen pieces of food into his mouth. Meanwhile, Tiny used the distraction as an opportunity to devour the sausages on the plate.

"Do you have a favorite word?" she asked.

"Si, and if I say it, that means you can't use it."

"Okay, but fuck is Papa's word," she jabbed at finger at his nose. "You can't use it."

Sal tried not to laugh, but couldn't make a disapproving face. The girl was adorable. "Deal," they sealed the agreement with a handshake.

"Now where were we?" Sal's eyes widened as if a light bulb lit his brain. "Oh yeah," he hummed the Jaw's theme song, resuming the fun task at hand. The girl tried to run but it was too late. He pulled her arm to tickle her to death. The girl's begging didn't end the tickling torture or the blowing blueberries against her ear. For a moment, she thought it was Papa on the couch and not the uncle. Perhaps, they both learned it from their father, who did it to them as children. How Sal longed to see the smile on the girl's face. Finally, she was warming up to him. It almost seemed normal. Fun Uncle Sal playing with his favorite niece while the brother was away for legit work. He could almost picture his mama making cookies while ordering the two to simmer down. What a lovely delusion.

Finally, Sal straightened up, releasing the girl from his bulky grasp. Chica fixed the hair from her face and inside her mouth.

The playful moment was interrupted by the knock on the door. Sal ordered the child to wait here while he gets the door. He checked through the peephole, relieved that he didn't have to use his rifle. He opened the door, allowing the visitor inside.

"Detective Montoya, what a surprise," he greeted in a high-pitch friendly tone.

"Cut the shit, Mr. Marinus. My partner's not here," she allowed herself inside the apartment. "Where is she?" Tiny greeted the detective by licking her hand, she responded in kind by patting his head.

"I almost couldn't read the note, you gave me," Renee stated. "It looked like someone has wiped their ass on it."

"Maybe I did," Sal teased, earning an eye roll from the detective. He guided her to the living room, where the child remained on the couch, bug-eyed with fright.

"It's alright, cariño," Sal assured the girl. "She's a friend."

Renee sat down on the coffee table, cooing the girl sweetly, "Hi. Hi, honey." She didn't bother to ask Sal why her partner can't be trusted with this information. There were rumors, and how Patrick was so fixed into believing it was the wife who killed her husband. It was as if he knew who did it but wanted to cover his buddy's ass - whose ass? She hadn't figured it out.

"It's alright, sweetie. I'm not going to hurt you," Renee nudged her head to Sal's direction, keeping her eyes locked on the child. "What's her name?"

Sal opened her mouth to respond, but realized the forgotten detail, "I... I don't know. Bruja didn't tell me. This is the first time meeting my niece."

"Jesus, you weren't kidding about the long-term silent treatment," Renee grumbled before addressing the kid. "Sweetie, I brought you something," Renee stuffed a hand in her pocket, while shoving Tiny's face away. He must've picked up the sweet smell when she walked in the apartment. Before the girl could run behind Sal's leg, Renee revealed a cherry-flavored sucker pop in her hand.

"You want it?"

The girl made no move in taking it, "Papa told me not to take anything from strangers."

"He's right, but I'm a friend of your uncle's. He's standing right here, right now. He doesn't mind it, one bit. Right?" she asked Sal, who nodded in agreement.

The girl's eyes glanced at Sal for a moment, still hesitant to take the pop.

"Look, honey, I know you are scared. I know you love your mom and dad very much, and they want you to be safe. I can help if you let me," Renee showed her badge, again, proof that she was one of the good guys.

"I.. I..." the girl stammered, not entirely sure what to say, repeatedly looking between Sal and the cop. She didn't want to say the wrong thing. Mommy says that a tattletale has no friends. Then again, the girl didn't have much friends except for her stuffed animals. She was homeschooled unlike the kids outside her window. Her education involved coloring books, counting pennies, Leap Frog, and home economics.

"I need to find your mother. Do you know where she is?"

"Is Mommy in trouble?" she finally asked. "Did she do something bad to Papa?"

Renee sighed, "I don't know. I was hoping you can help me figure that out."

"I don't... I don't-" tears ran down her face, Renee wiped them clean with her sleeve. She hushed the child, assuring her that everything was going to be okay.

"We can start off slow, nice and easy. Something simple like stating your name. I'm Renee Montoya," the detective offered the pop once more. "What's your name?"

The girl eyed the hand, then Sal, and back to the hand. The uncle didn't object to the greeting. How could she? It's rude. Papa did say to be polite, while Mommy told her to be quiet. Mommy wasn't around to bark orders at her anymore. Sal was Papa's brother. The rules to be nice still applied.

"Mia," the girl uttered, taking the detective's candy.

A/N: Yes, I couldn't resist. After watching Birds of Prey, three times, I couldn't help but want to create a Black Mask fanfic. If you guys want me to continue let me know in the comments down below. This is the prologue, the next official chapter will take place many years later. If you haven't seen it yet, check it out the trailer for this story on my Youtube channel.