The Demon Of The Night [OUTDATED VERSION]

Drosera Aliciae

Barbara glanced out the window, seeing that the fog from last night had remained. Dark clouds were starting to brew overhead as well, turning the sky almost black.

"Of course this would happen on the last day of school," Barbara muttered as she finished her breakfast. As she cleaned the table and her dishes, the girl suddenly felt the impulse to check the window once again.

A feeling ever so familiar overwhelmed her as she saw a police car parked just outside.

Dread.

Barbara pushed up her glasses, taking a deep breath before going up to the door and opening it. The police officers were about halfway to the doorstep when she stepped out to greet them.

"Hello." She tried sounding as friendly as possible. "Are you here because of my dad?"

"Hello, Ms. Gordon. No, we are not," one officer replied. "He doesn't know we are here actually."

"Oh..." Barbara trailed off, brushing her orange strands back out of her face. "Then, what are you here for?"

The other officer shifted on his feet. "We are here for some questioning."

"Someone has come forward and demanded we press charges against you," the first officer explained, shifting his gaze away.

"What? Is this a joke?" Barbara laughed in disbelief. "What for?"

"If you'll just come down to the station-"

"There's nothing to worry about, Ms. Gordon. We will get this resolved-"

"No," Barbara interrupted the visibly uncomfortable officers. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what this is about."

"You are being charged with having inappropriate relations with a fifteen-year-old boy, Ms. Gordon," a sudden voice said from the side.

Barbara closed her eyes, feeling her blood begin to boil as soon as that voice spoke. "I should have known..."

With his hands in his coat pockets, Bruce strode up to the three of them. His face betrayed none of what his true feelings might be and remained in the same stoical state as always. "You are legally an adult and Richard is-"

"Is a seventeen-year-old, which is legal in this state!" Barbara snapped back at Bruce. "Even though nothing happened between us. This man is lying, officers!"

"Ms. Gordon, please try to understand," the taller officer pleaded.

"Oh, I do understand. Perfectly." Barbara pushed past the two officers. "I will go down to the station and make sure my father does too." Refusing to let herself further humiliated, Barbara walked herself to the police car and without handcuffs.

It was already past ten and Barbara was still waiting in the police station. She leaned her cheek on her palm, heaving a tired sigh. To her dismay, she still hadn't talked to her father. Sarah had told her that he was busy with another case and that he would see her as soon as he was finished.

So now she sat alone in the station, thinking about what to say and what to argue when her dad finally arrived.

Well, she wasn't completely alone. In a nearby cell, there was an equally upset woman. The woman was huddled in a corner on the floor, her back resting against the wall. Barbara looked up, recognizing the woman as one of Pamela's friends. She rose to her feet instantly, a question playing on her lips. The woman met her eye as she approached, quickly turning away towards the wall. Just as Barbara opened her mouth, Detective Bullock stepped out of a nearby office.

"Selina Kyle," he read off the file he carried. "You have quite the colorful past. Arrested several times for prostitution, thievery, robbery, burglary, and assault."

Selina tossed her hair back as she glanced over her shoulder. "Most of those crimes occurred when I was a child."

"Then what are you here for?" He retorted.

"Like I said, most of those crimes," she purred.

"Well, your past has finally caught up with you. It's been decided you are being committed to Arkham Asylum." Detective Bullock threw the folder on his desk.

"What?!" Selina exclaimed, slamming her hands against the bars. "With no trial? I didn't even get to talk to my lawyer! Who decided this?!"

"Sorry, but your past and current behavior determined that you have a severe mental disorder. This will probably be the best option for you, Ms. Kyle. You will get the treatment you never got as a child," the man explained, almost pitifully.

"No! I refuse! You can't do this!" She backed herself into a corner. The detective left to get back up, returning with some other officers. They tried to apprehend her, but Selina resisted, clawing and kicking at anyone who tried to come near her. But there were too many officers and they quickly overpowered her. Barbara could only watch in shock as the mob carried the woman out of the police station and into the paddy wagon.

Her screams could still be heard long after the doors had been shut.

When her father and Sarah burst through the office door, they found Barbara still gaping at the entrance. "Barbara!" James rushed to her. "What was all that commotion?!"

"D-Detective Bullock... He took Selina Kyle." She turned to her dad sharply. "Dad, am I going to be sent to Arkham too?!"

"No! Of course not!" He fumed. "Once Bruce Wayne get here, all of this will be dealt with!"

"Dad, he has been threatening me for months now! He has warned me before to stay away from Richard, who told me he was seventeen!" As she said this, she realized that Richard had lied to her before. Could he have lied about this too? It was certainly possible.

Barbara shook the horrible notion out of her head. "We never did anything inappropriate! You have to believe me!"

"I do, honey." James's tone had softened. "It's Bruce who I cannot believe would go to this extreme!"

"He hates me. There's nothing he wouldn't do to ruin my life."

"Well, speak of the devil." Sarah rolled her eyes as Bruce entered the building. "You finally arrived, Mr. Wayne. What took you so long?"

"I had some business I had to attend to." He looked towards Barbara and James.

"What is the meaning of this, Bruce?!" James's rage returned upon seeing the man. "You didn't think to call me first?!"

"I have every right as a citizen to press charges against someone who has committed a crime." Bruce's tone remained cool in contrast to James's. "Especially one as serious as sexual relations with a minor."

"You have got to be kidding me!" Sarah threw her hands in the air. "Don't you think you are overreacting, Bruce?"

"No," he simply answered.

"How dare you accuse my daughter of being a- a sexual predator!" James shouted into the other man's face.

"The only predator here is you!" Barbara stepped forth, tired of the man's blatant hypocrisy. "You are constantly following me and threatening me!"

"And what proof do you have of that, Ms. Gordon?" Bruce challenged.

"The same proof you have of Richard and I," she sneered.

"Oh, but you two are a couple, aren't you? And I trust it hasn't all been innocent?" He turned his icy gaze back towards James. "I know it must be difficult to realize your child is participating in such behavior. It was for me. But a clear case of abuse has been committed, and I will not stand for it. Just as I know you wouldn't either if the roles were reversed, James."

James stared at the man bitterly. "I will tell you right now that these charges will not stick."

"And I will not give up," Bruce assured. "Excuse me, but may I use your telephone? I need to make a call to Harvey Dent."