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The Batfamily sat gathered in the Batcave, the air thick with anticipation. Bryce, Dixie, Jaylin, Tabby, Stephan, and Casper had all come to trust Doctor White—or rather, Demi Al Ghul, as they now knew her by her true name. Demi had been part of their family for months, but there was still one thing they didn’t know about her, one secret that she had kept hidden, even from the people she trusted most.
Tonight, that would change.
Demi sat at the far end of the room, her posture calm but her eyes revealing the quiet storm that was brewing inside her. She signed silently to Bryce, “I need to tell you something.”
Bryce, her ever-attentive protector, nodded and turned to the others. “Everyone, we need to listen. This is important.”
The others exchanged curious glances, but all followed Bryce’s lead. Demi never asked for their full attention unless it was something serious.
Demi took a deep breath, then slowly began to sign. “I need to explain something about myself—something you don't know.”
Tabby was the first to speak up, her voice full of concern. “What’s going on, Doc? You’ve never really shared much about your past.”
Demi hesitated for a moment before signing again, her hands slow and deliberate. “You all know my mother, Athanasia Al Ghul. You know she was close to Ra’s Al Ghul, but what you don't know is that she wasn’t just another member of the Al Ghul family. She was his aunt.”
There was a collective pause, the weight of her words sinking in.
“You mean,” Bryce started, her tone incredulous, “you’re older than Ra’s?”
Demi nodded slowly, her face an unreadable mask. “Yes. I was born in 1800 in Istanbul. Ra’s was born in 1814, four years later.”
The Batfamily stared at her, their eyes wide with disbelief. The pieces were falling into place, and it was a lot to process.
Jaylin, ever the cynic, raised an eyebrow. “Wait a second. If you were born in 1800 and Ra’s was born in 1814, that means…”
“You’re older than Ra’s?” Tabby finished for her, her voice full of awe.
Demi nodded again, this time a slight smile tugging at her lips. “Yes. Ra’s Al Ghul, as you know, is part of the main branch of the family. I’m not. My mother, Athanasia, was Ra’s’ aunt, and she had… other ideas about how the League of Assassins should be run.”
Demi paused for a moment, the years seeming to weigh heavily on her. “That’s why Ra’s kept me close. He valued my strength, my knowledge, but also my silence. I never sought power; I just followed his orders… until now.”
There was another beat of silence, this time filled with an almost palpable shift in the air.
Tabby, always one to say what was on everyone’s mind, leaned forward. “Wait, if you’re this old, and you’ve been around for that long, you could probably have anyone you wanted, right? You could’ve been like… a femme fatale. All those years.”
Demi gave a slight smile at the suggestion, but there was no malice in it. She simply signed, “I never had time for that. Power, affection… they were distractions.”
The others were still processing this new, extraordinary information, but Bryce felt something else stir in her chest. She had always known Demi was more than she appeared, but hearing her true age, the secret of her past—it made everything feel even more surreal.
“So wait,” Bryce said, her voice quieter now, “after all these years, you've never…”
Demi glanced at Tabby, her expression softening. “No. Until now. Only now, with Tabitha.”
Tabby felt her heart skip a beat. Demi had never been one to speak openly about emotions, especially about herself. She had always been the composed, stoic doctor, but now, there was something different. A vulnerability that made her heart flutter.
“You mean… you’ve fallen in love?” Tabby asked, her voice a bit unsure, as if she couldn’t quite believe it.
Demi nodded again, the gesture so simple, yet so powerful. “Yes, Tabby. I have.”
The rest of the Batfamily remained silent for a moment, processing the incredible truth.
But then, Jaylin spoke, his voice low but teasing. “Well, if you’re a femme fatale now, Tabby, you’ve got some serious competition.”
Demi smiled at that, but it was a knowing smile, one that spoke volumes. “I’m not a femme fatale. I’m just... a woman who found something worth fighting for.”
Stephan, always the quiet observer, cleared his throat and glanced at Bryce. “So… what does this mean for us, then? Are we all still safe around you?”
Demi gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. “You are my family. I would never harm any of you.”
The room was filled with quiet contemplation. Demi’s true age, her connection to Ra’s, the fact that she had been around for over 200 years—this was a lot to take in. But at the same time, it only reinforced what they had always known about her. She was a constant, a force of nature that would always protect them.
Tabby felt her heart swell as she looked at Demi. She had spent months getting to know the woman behind the white mask, the stoic doctor who had taken care of them, who had never let her guard down. And now, she understood—Demi was far more than just a doctor, far more than just a part of the Batfamily. She was something otherworldly. And yet, she had chosen her.
“Demi,” Tabby whispered, reaching out and taking her hand gently, “I’m glad you told us. I really am.”
Demi met her gaze, her eyes softening with something that, in all her years, she had never shown anyone else: trust. “I trust you all. You are my family now.”
And for the first time in a long time, Demi allowed herself to feel something she hadn’t in centuries—hope.