He waits for three days, until his wounds have become more of an irritation than an impediment, and then starts his rounds again.

He goes by Sprang Mission and watches Sister Magdalene passing out blankets to the men on the street. She looks straight at him once and he knows she sees him, hidden in the shadows or not, but she turns away without a reaction.

He goes to Holly Robinson's apartment, even though he knows what he'll find.

The cats are gone. The fridge has been stripped of its photos, and the mess of clothes has vanished from the bedroom. All the personal touches, gone. The furniture is still there, however; it must have been rented with the apartment, or she didn't want to waste the time to transport it.

An envelope is lying in the middle of the living room floor, next to a broken plastic hanger. For the Bat is written across the front in a bold scrawl that he knows, somehow, does not belong to Holly. He crouches, wounded leg protesting stiffly, and checks for traps before picking it up.

He tucks the envelope into his belt and does another sweep of the apartment to make sure it's as vacant as it seems. It is.

Hours later, back under the hard lights of the cave, he examines the envelope again before he opens it. Inside is a greeting card from the ASPCA: A sleek black cat, perched on a brick wall, looks down arrogantly at the camera.

He flips the card open. A clipping from the Metropolis Daily Planet falls out. Reporter's son found unharmed.

There's a note written on the card itself. The same bold scrawl.

You're welcome, it says, and See you around.

In his mind he hears the voice from Holly's answering machine, rich and amused. He closes the card and looks at the black cat on the front for a moment.

My friend …. She helps people.

The lady came and got me.

There's always someone in the shadows, pulling the strings.

He knows what happened now.

The woman broke into the high-rise and, either then or during her reconnaissance beforehand, saw Jason being held captive. She rescued Jason – maybe knowing who he was, maybe not. Most likely, the League agents saw her, tried to stop her, and she decided it was more trouble than she wanted to handle. She couldn't go to the police – she was in the middle of a crime spree. So she sent Holly on a mission to deliver Jason into Batman's hands, to keep him busy and help Jason all at once.

Just another lost child. Just another little boy abandoned by the heartless city.

But Holly accidentally dropped her purse – it must have been an accident – and he picked it up along with Jason. Then, before he could follow the strings all the way back, the woman cut them.

Or, at least, that's what she thinks.

This isn't done yet.

He slides the card back into the envelope, and puts it away for later.

--end--

...But wait, there's more!

Please join me again for "Of the Rest of Your Life".