Residing Waters

Chapter 1

Snow fell lightly from the sky and collected on the ground marking all of Gotham a winter wonderland. Watching from the rather large bay window in the five lit room, Rachel leaned her head against the window. The cool glass chilled her but she didn't feel like moving.

It hadn't been too long ago that Rachel had moved into the spacious Wayne Mansion, and she was still getting used to having lots of space, room service, and a giant goose feather matress that she slept on every night.

Really she enjoyed it though. But it was still quite awkward when she passed a maid in the hallway and they refered to her as 'Ms. Roth' or 'Mistress Rachel.' Vacations on a cruise or in the Bahamas lounging in the sun and reading were quite odd but pleasant.

She watched the snow and then focused on the past.

"Mommy! Look I made one!" Little Rachel wore blue and green gloves with a matching scarf. She sat up and looked at the masterpiece in the snow. "I made the snow angel like you showed me."

Soft footsteps came closer and her beautiful mother came into view. She had long strait black hair that was tied back in a tail. She wore no make up but her natural beauty was simply obvious and could have stopped a man dead in his tracks. Little flecks of snow stuck on her lashes. Her violet eyes were beautiful and always happy. Her stomach swelled with new life. A baby boy, much to Rachel's dimay.

"Thats a really good snow angel."

Rachel laughed and pointed. "Look, Daddies recording us." She patted together a snow ball and tossed it over at her father. It hit him in the face and he smiled wiping the snow off.

"Are you ok?" A voice came from the entrance of the large room. She broke away from her gaze and turned to find Robin holding two steaming mugs. He crossed the room and handed one to Rachel.

She nodded and focused on her herbal tea knowing that when she looked up she would find his eyes staring intently at her. "Honestly I was just thinking." She told him with a shrug.

"For you simply thinking is very dangerous." He sat down next to her and sipped at his hot coco. "Anything you want to talk about." He looked down at her expecting her to dismiss his offer and prepared to force the thought out of her.

"Not really." She said in a dismissive tone. She pushed back a strand o hair that had strayed from her tail. Now her hair was nearly to her shoulders, long, strait, and silky. She could feel his gaze burning on her so she looked up again.

"Let me rephrase this. Why don't you tell me." He breathed on his drink. As cold as it was outside he didn't need to scald his tongue.

"I was just thinking about my mother and how we would make snow angels in the snow during the winter. Once dad taped us playing in the snow and the day after mom's body was buried under the ground I saw dad watch the video crying." She said taking another sip. "When he saw me watching him do so he yanked the video out of the VCR and threw it at my head. Then gave me a beating for good measure."

Robin nodded and thought of some way that he could change the subject. He hated it when things triggered bad memories in her mind. Her mind was a dark world where not even she let him in. He didn't know half of the things that she thought, or why she did some of the things that she did. The only one who seemed to be in tune to her thoughts and actions were her little brother. Will Roth. He had been the sole reason that she had remained alive. In all her life she had thought many times of how simple it could be to slip her throat or wrist. Maybe even string herself up and kick the chair away, but taking care of Will had become her sole obsession. Her mind was locked and only Will had the key.

Slowly but surely Robin was trying to make her feel more comfortable but he was sure that she would never be the same child that she had once been.

Bruce and Robin had rescued Rachel from her home. Sad thing to say but true. She was being abused by her father ever since she was ten, ever since her mother died giving birth to Will.

Will was Rachel's loveable little brother who viewed the world innocently and lived to learn. He could read already by the age of eight and accustomed to living in a mansion. Victor, Robin's friend, had gotten the kid so good at video games that the little boy could beat Victor on the hardest level. Will spent some of his time getting better, most of it reading and learning, and the rest meditating with his sister, who told him that she had done it with her mother, and their mother had done it with their mother.

Robin grunted, and instantaniously changed the subject not wanting Rachel's mind to linger in the past. "Its snowing really hard in New York and Bruce will have to stay the weekend. Alfred received his call not too long ago."

She didn't move her eyes from the snow. Either she had ignored him or simply didnt hear. "I should show Will how to make a snow angel." She said so quietly that Robin practically missed it. He watched her eyes sadden and the hard mask of hers fall away. The snow was beautiful and devistating. It was playful yet harmful.

"Rachel, earth to Rachel!"

She turned surprised. "Oh, I'm sorry, did you say something?" The mask was quickly put back on and her usual emotionless expression turned and looked at him.

Robin sighed. "Bruce is going to be detained in New York. It's snowing so hard that its impossible for him to fly back, so he's going to be staying the weekend?"

"Even his private jet is grounded?" Rachel asked surprised.

"Yeah!"

Bruce Wayne was the keeper of Robin, Rachel, and Will. He was gone the majority of the time, going to some meeting, some important party, or even just simply to work. They only probably saw him once a week. On a good week he was there for two days. Alfred was the main person who took care of them, and he had been the one who had taken care of Bruce as well. He had told them that he had a fair share of troubled thoughts and working at Wayne Industries endless hours were the only way that he could forget them. Like her father had used the bottle to forget his. Workaholic basicly.

Rachel sighed. "Will he at least be here by Christmas?"

With a shurg Robin replied. "Who knows. Last Christmas he didn't come because he had a very important party to go to and if he didnt go the host would hate his guts, and then they wouldn't donate the millions to his experiments in the Industrty."