So this is a spin-off of Justice League: New Blood, and it takes place in the same timeframe. If you have not read New Blood yet, then that is alright, though there may be some spoilers (no pun intended) near the end of this story. I've been wanting to make a story about Stephanie for a while, and I'm glad I could finally make this. I hope you all have a nice day, and God bless!


Chapter One: Stephanie

Stephanie Brown couldn't believe she was finally here. She'd been waiting her whole life to come to a place such as this, and now she had arrived.

Europe, she knew, was a strange place for her to be in. Or at least, that was what she thought. Especially with her backstory. She had been born in New York City to Arthur Brown, also known to many as the villain Cluemaster, a third-rate villain. She hated that fact, as she was on the side of the good.

Less than two years before, she had joined the so-called Bat-Family, which included Batgirl, Robin, Nightwing, and the Dark Knight himself, Batman. She also counted Catwoman as a main member, though she knew Batman did not. At least, not at the moment, though she believed he would do so quite soon.

She went by the name of the Spoiler, donning a black-and-purple polyurethane-coated spandex catsuit with a hooded cloak. There was a filter mask that she used to cover her mouth, though she did not use a voice changer along with it. She didn't want to sound manly when she was so beautiful. At least, that was what she thought.

In a week or two (she had lost count because of the beauty of Europe, and she knew she'd have to ask someone soon enough) she would be returning to Gotham, wanting to return to her greatest friends in the world. But for now, she was in Europe, around the Irish coast. It was one of her favorite spots in the world now.

But at the moment she was indoors, in her nice, warm bed in the beautiful and luxurious hotel that she and the friends that had accompanied her. She stretched and ran her hands through her long, thick blond hair. Looking around her, she found that the other two beds in the suite were empty. She guessed Susan and Blair were downstairs.

Besides the two girls, there were two boys with her as well: Biff and Harry. They were the most mischievous boys Stephanie had ever known, other than Tim Drake, who was known as Robin over in Gotham City…and was the boy who she shared a love interest in. Despite their age difference of two years (with he being sixteen, and she being eighteen), she loved him very much, and she believed he loved her back, although she was unsure at times due to the way their last few "dates," if she could even call them that, had gone.

The last thing she'd received from any of the other members of the Bat-Family was a little surprising, in her opinion: Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) had actually taken her to the airport so her mother wouldn't miss work, giving her a hug and a present that Stephanie still hadn't opened yet; Tim Drake had sent her a message that said he was about to join the Justice League and that he loved her (as they were dating); Nightwing (Dick Grayson) sent her a photo of him holding a sign saying, "Miss you, sis," and Catwoman (Selina Kyle) sent her a present containing a copy of the novel Watership Down, a novel Stephanie loved, but had never been able to find in stores. The reason for Dick's message was the fact that he, Barbara, and Selina counted Stephanie as a sister, as did Tim, though of course, Stephanie wanted to be more than friends with him.

Strangely, she hadn't received a present or a going-away present from Batman himself, a fact that very much surprised her. However, she was sure he would do something for her later on. All she had on her that came from Batman was the communicator that would allow her to call either he or any other member of the Bat-Family, and her costume, which he'd helped her to make more durable in her battles against crime.

Stephanie got to her feet and walked toward the door, then realized it would be better if she dressed herself before going downstairs and meeting up with her friends.

After doing so and putting on her satchel, which contained her costume inside. She didn't think she needed it, but she decided that it was best to be careful. She remembered being told by Batman that there were many villains who had not been found in the last few weeks. That idea scared her somewhat, but she decided that it was best she kept her mind on everything good that was going on at the moment. But she would keep up on what was going on, nonetheless.

As she left the room, she suddenly ran into Harry, and he yelped out in surprise. "Shh!" she said to him. "There are other people than just us, you know! What's wrong with you?"

"Sorry," he apologized. "You scared me, is all. Is that a problem? What would you do if someone caught you by surprise like you just did to me? Jesus Christ, Steph."

He walked away, and Stephanie rolled her eyes. Harry and Biff were the only problems she would have to face on this trip, she knew. But they weren't as bad as some of the other challenges she'd gone through in the past. She just wished the two boys weren't so annoying.

She took the elevator down to the lobby, and she was surprised that Harry wasn't there when she arrived. She guessed he was taking the stairs down. She knew she'd beat him, however. She sighed with relief, glad she wouldn't have to deal with him for another few seconds. She took the time to think. I'm so glad I can do this. I love Gotham with all my heart, but I can't deal with the stupid crime that runs rampant through the streets all the time. I need to unwound and relax for the first time in a long while, and fortunately, that's exactly what I can do while I'm here. I won't worry about what's going on over in Gotham for now. I'll worry about that later. When I arrive, likely. But for now, I'm not going to worry about crime at all. I have the Spoiler costume with me, which I know is sort of a precaution I didn't really need to take, but maybe I thought I just needed, just in case. Maybe I was just being paranoid. Well, it doesn't matter. I have another week or so of this, and then I'm back with the rest of the family that I love. I would like to be with them now, but I know what can't happen for the time-being. Oh well.

She reached the lobby after taking the elevator down and noticed her friends Susan and Blair, also her roommates, talking to each other near the coffee shop. They looked up and found Stephanie there, and a strange look appeared on their faces suddenly.

"What's going on, guys?" she asked. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Well, we found out what we're doing today," Susan said. "We're going to the art museum." She was referring to the Galway City Museum not very far from them. "And the teacher said that we have to take partners. The only problem is, she said that since there's about forty-five of us that came on this trip, she wants nine groups of five."

"So?" Stephanie said. "We'll just find two more girls."

"No, that's not going to happen," Blair told her with an exasperated sigh following her words. "We're going to have to take two boys if there are already three girls." She looked up at Stephanie. "And Mrs. Carlisle already gave us the people in our group. Yes, we are all together, the three of us, but can you guess who else is there with us?"

Stephanie didn't even need to think for a moment to realize whom she was referring to. "Oh no," she said, and she facepalmed. "Why do we have to go with Biff and Harry? Those two will likely destroy a piece of art before they become interested in it!"

"I don't know," Susan said. "This will dampen things somewhat, but I think we'll be able to move on from this if we just keep our heads in the game. We have to keep realizing that there are still three of us, and only two of them. I think we'll be able to get through this so long as we attempt to keep our distance. Alright? You guys got that?"

Stephanie nodded. "I'm going to go get a drink," she said. She walked into the coffee shop, and though it wasn't Starbucks, she thought the coffee here wasn't half-bad. So long as she put some sugar in, at least.

When she made it to the counter, she did her best to understand the heavily-accented Irish youth that stood behind the counter.

"How can I 'elp you, sweethaert?" he asked her. She noticed that he was eyeing her, and though she was used to it somewhat, she wasn't that much a fan of it. It made her uncomfortable. Plus, the man's sallow complexion, greasy hair, and oily face made her feel a little sick.

"I would like just a normal coffee, with five creams and two…sugars, I guess," she said.

He nodded, and when it was done, he handed it to her. She paid €3.08, the equivalent of $4.18 in America. She thought it was somewhat overpriced, but she didn't say this to the man behind the counter. Instead, she walked back to her seat and sat down.

"So we're going to the museum today, then?" said Stephanie to Blair.

"Seems so," Blair said. "It's cool and all, but I don't feel like it's totally worth it or anything, you know what I mean?"

"I don't know. I've always been a fan of art and history, so I might be interested. You know, we all have different tastes," Stephanie reminded her friend. "But I understand if you're not as excited about it as I am. I'm just different than most of you, I guess." She laughed.

"Well, so long as Harry and Biff don't screw anything up, I think we'll be totally fine," said Susan. "I've had to deal with them way too much on this trip, and I hope for some peace and quiet while we're there."

Stephanie nodded. "So what exactly is the history behind this Galway City Museum?" she asked Susan. Fortunately, Susan was almost as big a fan of history as she was. She'd gotten it from her mother, though she didn't know if her father had loved it as well. She wouldn't have been surprised, but she didn't feel like she wanted to know. Knowing how her father was, she didn't want to take after him at all. At the moment, they were complete opposites, and that was how she wanted it to be for good.

"They have a prehistoric exhibition," Susan said, "as well as a medieval exhibition, one that has to do with dance, sea science, and cinema–I'm sure you'll find that last one interesting, knowing your love of movies."

Stephanie nodded and smiled. "Sounds good, so long as we don't have to deal with the stupidity of Biff and Harry. I mean, they're with us, so there will be a whole lot of stupidity, but let's just try to ignore them, okay?" She looked to Blair, who was on her phone. "Hey, Blair, did you hear me?" Blair didn't answer. "What's going on?"

"There's this report that has to do with some of the cities surrounding Gotham," Blair answered. "According to this, there was a fire in a factory in Metropolis, an attack at Star Labs in Central City, what seems to have been a fight in Coast City, Blüdhaven...many others. There's no sign of the superheroes for those respective cities, though. Gotham isn't in this report, however."

"Strange," Stephanie said. She thought about what she had just been told, and the main city that she thought of was Blüdhaven, where Dick had gone on his journey to find himself, where he became Nightwing. She hoped he wasn't in any danger, or any of the other Bat-Family members, for that matter.

"Alright, students!" came a voice. Stephanie looked behind her to find the teacher leading the field trip, Mrs. Guzman, standing near the café. "It's almost time we leave! Get your groups together! Groups of five, please, if you can manage it!"

"Groups of five?" Stephanie said after she had gone. She doesn't seriously mean that we have to be with Biff and Harry, does she? Because I don't think I could do something like that!"

"Well, that's how it sounds, unfortunately," said Blair. "Great, this won't be going according to plan!"

"Well, none of us really fancy it, either, Blair," came Harry's voice. "But it seems as if we're all going to be going together, so get used to it, alright? Good. Now we can tell that jerk of a teacher that we have our groups together. Maybe then she'll shut up for once." He laughed, snorting at the same time, which made him sound even stupider than he already was, and even more of a jerk at the same time.

"Shut up," said Stephanie. "At least she can teach! She's taught us some really good stuff, too, so it's better that you be quiet for the moment! I don't want to have to deal with your crap! I don't want to have be with you, but I'm going to be. I'm not happy about it, and you know what that can lead to. So unless you want to face my wrath, then I suggest you shut up for once before I force you!"

That shut Harry up. He knew she could get angry, as Stephanie knew herself. Her training with Batman had helped in some situations, such as being able to hear him coming up behind her to bully her, and other things of that sort. She had once been forced into a fight with him, as well, although he had provoked it, having been bullying a Freshman named June, who was new to the school. She was different, thought Stephanie, but even those were different didn't deserve to be made fun of. So Stephanie had stood up for her, leading to Harry wanting to fight her. Stephanie had easily won the fight with a well-placed kick between the legs, which was made worse by the fact she'd been wearing her pointy-toed boots that day. She hadn't gotten in trouble for it, however, as the principal of the school had seen what had happened, although he did give her the small consequence of detention, which was cleaning up the Theatre room. She didn't count that as punishment, being happy to help the teacher there, and she did not receive any other punishment.

June had been unable to make the trip, unfortunately, but Stephanie still thought of her as a friend. She liked helping others, something she'd received after first becoming Spoiler and working with the Bat-Family. She couldn't wait to get back to Gotham to join them again, but for the moment, she was fine where she was.

The five of them got together, much to Biff and Harry's chagrin. Susan and Blair had gotten over it, thanks to Stephanie's words towards the two boys.

Soon, Mrs. Guzman appeared again, and she found that all the students had done what she had asked of them, and she smiled at all of them, assembled together. She was a very easy-to-please teacher, much to Stephanie's happiness, and at times, relief.

"Alright, then," said Mrs. Guzman. "Let's get going. Remain with your groups at all times!"

The groups moved forward toward the front of the hotel. Stephanie was thinking of what they would be seeing when they entered the museum. She remembered all she had been told by Susan, and she just hoped she was able to enjoy it all, despite those who were in her group. Susan and Blair had been the only ones she'd wanted with her, but now the two trouble-making boys were with her, and she wondered how that was going to turn out. If they made too much trouble, Stephanie told herself she was going to kick them both between the legs. It didn't matter to her if she got in trouble. All that mattered to her right now was having a good time without it all being horribly ruined.

Soon enough, they made it outside and made their way to the bus. Stephanie boarded with Susan and Blair rather quickly, hoping to be able to find a seat where they wouldn't be forced to sit next to Harry and Biff.

They were able to do so, and the girls just sat there, hoping to get to the museum without any trouble. Despite the museum's close proximity, Stephanie knew it was still possible for Harry and Biff to try and screw everything up. She'd dealt with it for so long, and she just didn't want to deal with it again.

But this is high school, unfortunately, she thought. Nothing here is easy. Even when we're over in Europe, nothing can be easy. Not so long as these two idiots are around. But it's worth it. I still get to see some really cool stuff, and I'm staying in a really nice hotel. But what I really want is to be back in Gotham, with my extended family. I do hope they're doing alright over there. From what Susan said, it sounds as if there's a lot of trouble happening all around. I know that some of the other cities that were mentioned were those that belong to other superheroes. Batman's explained that to me and to the others before. And he would know. He's one of the founding members of the Justice League. I would love to be a recruit for them, but I don't think that'll ever happen. She sighed out loud, and she saw Blair look over at her. "Just a little tired," she said, defending herself. "I got good sleep, but I think I could have gotten a little more, you know what I mean?"

"Yeah," Blair said. "It's not easy, when you're not at home. When I'm at home, I usually fall asleep in a matter of minutes. But when I'm here in Ireland, in this hotel, in a place I don't know that well at all, it takes longer for me. I love it here, but I really can't wait to get home and see my family again. But this'll be fun while it lasts. Or so I hope." She sighed herself, and then turned her head away.

She's right. As long as Harry and Biff don't screw anything up, this should be a really good experience. I need to keep on my guard when I'm around them. There may not be any of my enemies from Gotham around here, but that doesn't mean I don't have enemies right here in Ireland. But if I can deal with the likes of the Joker and Harley and Poison Ivy and Bane, and a whole crapload of others, then I should be able to deal with these guys. That's my main hope, at least. I just hope none of this is screwed up by their complete idiocy and immaturity. Why is it that boys of this age are like that? I just can't take it!

She stopped thinking for the moment and looked out of the bus's window at the view. It was all so beautiful. Although she loved Gotham with all her heart, this place was even more beautiful. But then again, Gotham had its own kind of beauty. It was a type of beauty that wasn't really normal, a type of beauty that could not be explained by normal means. That was how she thought of it, at least, and she knew there were those that would agree with her on that. Even though Gotham had its fair share of problems, especially with the amount of supervillains that ran rampant through the streets, and Ireland did not, Stephanie still thought that Gotham was a place she never wanted to leave. It was where she had grown up. It was where she had met her extended family. If she left it, she wouldn't know where to go. She wanted to stay there in Gotham all her life.

She saw the museum appear soon, and she was caught off-guard by the great beauty of it all. She sighed happily, glad she was here for the moment. She would enjoy for just this time, and then begin counting down the days before she began her journey for home.

Much of the building was white, though she saw many glass windows. She saw the River Corrib flowing behind the museum. The morning sun sparkled off the reflective surface. A smile widened across her face. She loved it so much.

Soon enough, the bus came to a stop, and Mrs. Guzman announced that they were going to be getting off. "Remember to stay in your groups with one another!" she yelled out. "We don't want anyone getting lost!"

She climbed off the bus, and the students began following her. Staying by Susan and Blair, but keeping a little farther away from Harry and Biff, Stephanie hurried toward the front. She couldn't wait to explore the museum. There was so much she wanted to learn here, and she wasn't going to let anything get in her way of finding out something new.

The many groups came together at the front of the museum, where Mrs. Guzman stood at the top of the stairs they would have to climb to get in. "Alright, I want everyone to be safe while they're in here!" she said. "If there is a group that would like to remain with me, then you may! But for the next two hours, you are allowed to move around the museum, so long as you're with your group, without me. Don't go anywhere else, however, because if you do and I find out, you will be in trouble." She paused for effect, and a few minutes later she smiled. "Alright then, let's go inside!"

She started walking toward the museum, allowing the students to move up the steps toward the museum, as well. She held open the door for all of them to file inside. Stephanie felt Blair's hand on her right shoulder as they entered, and they were caught off-guard by the beauty of the inside of the museum. They couldn't believe their eyes.

The floor was made of wood, and the walls were all white. There were many things decorating those walls. Well, of course, thought Stephanie. It is a museum, after all. It would be kind of weird if the walls didn't have anything on them. She almost laughed at the strange way in which her mind worked. She didn't know why it worked that way, it just did.

Minutes later, she found herself with Susan and Blair and the boys, looking at a group of paintings. While Stephanie wasn't really interested in the paintings themselves, she loved the art styles, nonetheless.

"I still can't believe we're doing this," said Susan. "I've been dreaming all my life to finally come to Ireland. It's been a dream of mine for so long. Yes, I know I just said that twice, but you know what I mean. It's so beautiful here, so amazing...I don't think we'll ever get to do something like this again. And I'm really happy I got to spend this time with you girls." She hugged them both, and Stephanie saw she was smiling very brightly. That was something she loved. She loved it when her friends were at their best, and she hated it when they were at their worst.

But as she thought of this, it suddenly made her miss Gotham even more. She knew it wouldn't be too long before she returned, but every second she spent away, she felt as if it was just so long. She sighed.

"Yeah, yeah, you and all that crap," said Harry. "Why in the name of God did we have to get stuck with you three? I mean, you have no reason to even be on this trip! This might have been your dream for a long time, but I don't think that's a good enough reason for you to be here! I should have come here on my own! Sure, I don't mind Biff being here, but whenever you three are around, I just want to cut off my own ears!"

"Well, have fun with that, Van Gogh," Stephanie said briskly. "Really, you think we want to be here with you two? I hate having to be in school with you two, and when I learned you were going to be coming on this trip, I nearly cursed out loud! I nearly got in trouble when I found that out!" She was referring to a night when she was on patrol, she received a text from Blair. She'd thought she had been alone, only for her phone to go off and for her to find herself cornered by Killer Croc, leading her to having to be saved by the timely arrival of Robin and Catwoman. That had darkened her mood for the rest of the night, and remembering it now, as well as having to deal with Harry and Biff right now, led to her mood being darkened even more. She didn't know why this had to happen to her.

Harry cursed under his breath. "Screw this!" he said. "I'm tired of having to deal with you people! If you want to go ahead and bore yourselves out of your minds, then be my guest! I can't believe I had to be stuck here with you! I should have just stayed back in Gotham! Screw all of you!" He cursed out loud, and then stormed off. Stephanie looked to Biff, who just stood there with an awkward expression on his face.

"Honestly, I've just been staying near him for the past few weeks because I've been trying to get money out of him," he explained. "I don't really hate you guys. It's just that I thought I'd developed a friendship with him. But the past few weeks have made me realize that that's not what's really the truth."

Stephanie nodded. She sighed, and turned her attention back to the painting. She wasn't going to waste her time dealing with Harry. She'd rather waste her time looking at old artifacts...things that were actually worth her time in some way.

Meanwhile, Harry walked through the halls of the museum, wondering why he'd had to come on this trip to begin with. It was because of his parents, who'd wanted him to get out of the house for the first time in a long time. He planned to confront them for that as soon as he got home. But for the moment, he was going to find a bathroom and sit in there until it was time to go back to the hotel.

He found one in a deserted hallway not far from him, and he entered it. When he had finally relieved himself and washed his hands, he left the bathroom, only to find himself being cornered by a group of men wearing black costumes. That was how he described them in his mind, at least. They resembled ninja costumes, as well. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to be scared or if he was supposed to laugh. He decided on the latter. "Okay," he said as he did so, "what in the name of God is this supposed to be? Are you trying to scare me or something? Because that's not gonna work. I don't get scared too easily. Sorry to burst your bubble on that boys. I just hope you realize you're making fools out of yourself."

What he didn't see coming next was the punch from one of the men. As soon as he was punched, he felt his lip split and blood drip from it. He wiped it away, and he cursed. "What in the freak was that? You really think you can get away with that? Well, you're screwing with the wrong guy, you stupid pieces of crap! Come on, then, show me what you've got! Show me that you're not just idiots!"

He saw one of the men take out a device from his pocket. Harry attempted to dodge out of the way, only to find the man was too fast. He felt the shock coursing throughout his body, and he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. Was he supposed to laugh, cry, or scream? Or was it all three? He chose the latter two.

Back at the paintings, Stephanie, Susan, Blair, and Biff heard the high-pitched scream echo through the halls. The scream made Stephanie stiffen. She was ready for a fight. She just hoped that wasn't was what was about to happen. Please, oh please, God, let this just be Harry screwing around! I'd rather not have to fight for a while! I'm tired, and I'm not ready to do this. I mean, I could ready myself to fight, but I just don't feel like it right now. Good God, this is stressful. What should I do?

She saw Susan, Blair, and Biff running the way from which the scream had come. Stephanie waited for a moment, then sighed and ran after them. She hoped there was nothing bad going on. That would ruin her whole trip if there was.

When she finally reached the location the scream had originated from, she found Susan, Blair, and Biff on the ground, unconscious. All of them had tears streaming from their eyes. Stephanie's eyes widened when she saw this.

She looked up to see five men, all of them armed with shocking devices. Stephanie felt as if she'd seen the men before, though she had no idea why...

But it didn't matter.

Obviously, these men were attempting to kidnap her friends. Well, Biff wasn't a friend, but she still wasn't going to allow them to be kidnapped. She was now sure that Harry had to be around here as well. And sure enough, she found him, slumped on a wall. Blood trickled down his chin from a split lip. While she disliked him as well, she couldn't allow him to be kidnapped by these men.

Stephanie closed her eyes, inhaled deeply, concentrated on the matter at hand, and then opened her eyes. The next thing she did was run at the men as fast as she could, and kicked one as hard as she could. She felt her boot connect with where the man's face would have been was it not hidden by the mask he wore. The man grunted and fell to the ground.

He got back to his feet not long after, and all the other men seemed ready to run at her. Stephanie sighed, and she thought to herself, Here we go. There goes a fun time here in Ireland. Well, crap.

But before the men could come at her, a clear, cold, female voice cut through the air.

"Stop," it said. It was accented, and Stephanie knew automatically that she had heard the voice before. But who did it belong to again? She couldn't remember...That was, until the beautiful woman appeared.

"You look familiar," said Talia. Talia. Yes, that was her name. She was Talia al Ghul, the daughter of Ra's al Ghul, known as the Demon's Head, one of Batman's greatest enemies. One of the Bat-Family's greatest enemies.

"Well, I don't know why," Stephanie lied. "But you're not going to take my friends! You even dare, and I'll hurt you!"

An expression of recognition crossed Talia's face. But then it was gone. "Well, then, bring it on. I hope Bruce has taught you well."

Stephanie realized Talia had deduced that she was Spoiler. But since this was a villain who had learned Batman's true identity, she wasn't all that surprised.

Stephanie ran forward at Talia. But Talia was smarter than she looked. Her seductive appearance, wearing a lycra unitard that revealed her cleavage, would normally make one think that Talia could not fight all that well. And while Stephanie normally wouldn't have made that mistake as a result of her training with Batman, she hadn't fought Talia in so long.

She felt the kick in the chest, and she groaned as a stinging pain appeared there. But she wasn't going to let that stop her. She remembered how she had fought Talia before. Despite this, Talia seemed to have learned some new moves.

Stephanie kicked Talia in the gut, who retaliated by kicking Stephanie's legs out from under her. Talia stood over her and stomped on Stephanie's chest, causing Stephanie to cough and groan in pain. Talia wore boots with sharp heels, and that made the pain worse.

"You should not be here, but that matters naught," Talia said. "You have fought well, but in the end, you have failed. Your friends will be taken, and you cannot do anything about it. Do not even try to follow us, for you will fail. Farewell, little one."

Talia kicked Stephanie, and Stephanie had no idea where the kick hit her. All that she remembered was the pain that coursed through her whole body. She remembered the pain, and she remembered coughing.

The last thing that she remembered was hearing Talia laugh, and seeing Talia and the League of Assassins walking away from the scene with the unconscious bodies of Susan, Blair, Harry, and Biff.

Stephanie's pain increased. She didn't feel as if she could take it anymore.

It was becoming too much.

Soon, memory ceased for Stephanie. Everything went dark. She thought of nothing after a while, and while she heard sounds around her, she could do nothing.

Stephanie gave into the darkness, and fell into unconsciousness.