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Stephanie Brown is a model Gothamite. She doesn't look for fights but can hold her own long enough to get away, isn't malicious with her words but gives a tongue lashing to anyone who thinks that they can get away with insulting her person. When things take too long to get done, she pushes up her sleeves and does things herself. Yes, Stephanie is a model Gothamite. Which is why no one is surprised by her going into the night with a poorly constructed cape on.
Her father, in his dip into supervilliany, pushes Crystal Brown further into her addiction from the stress. The police are taking too long to arrest the man. If the system can't make Authur Brown pay, than it isn't too much of a stretch that Stephanie would seek out her own justice. Spoiler is born to bring the Batman and his brood's attention to her father. And people notice.
When her blond locks are spotted leaving boxs of information on rooftops, people quietly shake their heads but don't say anything. Stephanie is a child but it was clear that she isn't reckless, that she had thought this through. By leaving info, she would do her father in without ever risking contact with the Bat or his Robin. Without risking injury, without risking death.
It takes weeks before a curious bird opens one of the boxes left. He chirps to the large shadow of the creature, twisting its head too far in it's interest, a mockery of the thing it pretends to be. A reminder of what it is not. People close their windows and mind their own business.
Stephanie, Spoiler, doesn't give up. She doesn't care if the nightmares in her city used her father for hunt or for play. She's a Gothamite and would not be denied her justice. Night by night she gets closer to the pair, bolder in her approach. Day by day, more and more people plead with her to reconsider, to give her initial idea more time.
One night she gets so comfortable that Robin gets close enough to startle her. With a single panicked swing, brick in hand, Stephanie strikes the Batman's smallest. People close their windows and mind their own business. And if they pray to the Batgirl to remember her days as human and take pity on the poor girl, then that was between them and the Pristess.
Stephanie is seen in the morning, and the morning after. Spoiler gets bolder and bolder, but still ducks behide Robin sometimes when speaking to the Batman. Soon she gets a scholarship a Gotham Academy and befriends Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne. People hold their tongue.
Still Crystal gets an all expenses paid offer to a therapeutic community, alongside enough allowance to easily support her daughter and husband until well after she gets out. With a few threats to her husband, a kiss to her daughter and hope in her chest, she leaves. People start talking again.
It is no big secret that Brucie Wayne is dumb. It is an even smaller one that Bruce loves his children. But people tend to forget that Bruce is a Gothamite, and that he too is vicious in defense of that which he loves. It is no secret that all of Batman's brood favor Wayne's children, and the last child that held of a bird's interest was absorbed into them. To this day, no one knew why the Pristess had been taken, or even who Batgirl was before she became m o r e, but it was clear that Wayne wasn't taking chances with his own. And if that meant isolating a girl from her community and mother so that Batman had an easier target, so be it.
People remember, a clearly human girl caught trying to use the same hunting grounds. How her hair tips darkened with shadows, her pale skins whitened further, how she spend less and less time off after injuries. They remember their horror as her voice started catching in her throat until all she can do is whisper, when someone realizes the stitches repairing her clothing were also catching on her skin. People remember and apologize as they gently shove their choosen sacrificial lamb in front of them.
Her father is arrested. No one reports on a child now living alone. They visit, bringing food and cakes and teas. Gifts for mourners. As they watch her stuff her face happily, no one had the heart to tell her that what they're mourning is her humanity. One final comfort as her as a human, and their first offering to her as a monster. That they are buying her goodwill for when she leaves them.
When she puts on a childishly made Robin costume, people hold their breath. Stephanie isn't taken yet, but its clear that her colors and lack of fear has the Bat confusing her with one of his own. He is seen teaching her at night, and her laughter rings in time with chirps and growls, a clear indicator that she somehow understands them.
Batgirl appears again, and the people realize that they haven't seen her in a while. The Pristess no longer speaks, collecting information in silence, dropping on her prey before they can even sense her. Her hair is short and dark, her suit lost its purple to give way into a darker black and she gained a certain grace as she knocks muggers teeth in and sinks her claws into a new victim. Batgirl fights like a dance and a shock of color can be seen following her shadow in awe. The city watches while a girl who once was and a girl that still is chase each other across rooftops, one in glaring silence and another in ringing laughter. Stephanie spends half her classes in her new school dozing.
Winter comes and Stephanie's clothes grow darker and darker. Her voice rings even when the sun is out and there are days she glides across the floor instead of walking. In gym she runs until everyone stops to watch her, and then runs even more and when she stretches, her limbs bend in ways that make it seem that in her body, having joints was opinional. It is clear to her neighbors that she is near and stop giving her reasons to cling on. They instead leave their offerings of food on her doorstep and pray that her tastes don't change when she leaves them.
Stephanie has never been popular but in her new school she drifts away farther and farther. People let her. When she finally disappears for good, she only has single friend, one person that notices. Tim Wayne is frantic, asking, begging, and kicking up a fuss. His friends stop him from bothering the police, from going out at night looking for her, from taking this to outsiders in his distress and pray that he never figures out his father's part in her disappearance. A week later he walks into school calm, happy even.
Someone walks up to him asks about Stephanie. He asks who that is and is shown a picture. It is one of Tim and Steph smiling together.
His face pales. It's like he had suddenly remembers her, panic-stricken. The school day isn't over but he leaves before anyone can follow.
The next day Tim walks into school calm, happy even. Someone asks him about Stephanie. Tim smiles and asks who Stephanie is. They avoid the question and leave.
As the school throws away posters, delete photos and moves desks, they stare at Drake-Wayne's blank eyes as he finds a glittery purple pen that once belonged to his dearest friend. People don't speak of Stephanie Brown. There is no one left to talk about her.