Sorry this took so long to get out, as I've probably explained in my other stories, school has taken over my life, so here's the next the chapter!

Dad's Home

Abby woke up the next morning, still in shock of what had happened the night before. That was the part that Abby hated about Gotham, the risk of being attacked at night. So, her mom did have a point about bringing down Falcone. But the problem was that he owned almost half the city and little people like Abby and Rachel couldn't do anything about it. She slowly got up from the bed and made her way to the bathroom. When she looked in the mirror, she saw that her messy hair gotten out of control from sleeping the night before. She began to roughly brush the tangles out of her hair and tie it into a French braid. Abby soon dressed into a pair of dark blue jeans, a plain white blouse with a black vest, and black converse shoes. She then grabbed her backpack and headed to the kitchen for breakfast. Rachel was found reading the newspaper and having a sip of coffee.

"'Morning Mom," greeted Abby as she grabbed two slices of bread and put them in the toaster.

"Good morning sweetheart," Rachel smiled. "Did you read the paper this morning?"

"No, I just woke up," answered Abby.

"Well, look at this," she handed her the morning paper that showed Falcone pinned up to a spotlight.

"What this supposed to mean? The guy had a bad day?"

"No, he was caught shipping drugs last night and now he's behind bars," Rachel said happily.

"You seem happy about the whole thing," Abby said as she went to get her finished toast.

"People have been trying to catch him in the act for years," explained Rachel, "and now this Bat-Figure caught him just last night—"

"Whoa, whoa, hold up," Abby stopped her Mom. "Is it that same dude that saved us last night?"

"I guess so; do you know anybody else who wears a bat-suit?"

"Very funny, Mom." She quickly looked at her watch and gasped. "Oh shoot I gotta go Mom; I can't be late for English again!" Abby grabbed her toast and headed out the door.

"Again?" said Rachel sharply causing Abby to stop and turn around.

"Yeah about that," she said guiltily, "I uh…had to…take another route to school because…there were a couple muggers…after me."

"AND YOU'RE TELLING ME THIS NOW?!" Rachel's voice rang out.

"Chill, relax Mom," Abby tried to assure. "I lost them when I got into the abandoned building—oops."

"Abandoned building?" repeated Rachel, furiously.

"What? I had to lose them, somehow," she said defensively.

"Alright, I'll let it go," said Rachel sternly, "for now, but anyway I need to talk to you about something."

"Can it wait? I don't want to be late," Abby begged.

"Sure," she sighed. "Have a good day at school."

"And good luck, trying to put one of Falcone's thugs in jail," Abby said before running out through the front door.

Abby ran quickly through the streets and soon arrived to her school. She beat the bell by a few seconds by the time she got into her seat.

"About time you came," said Heather. Heather had layered light red hair that rested on her shoulders and prominent grey eyes.

"Hey Heather," Abby greeted and her English teacher began to lecture them about Shakespeare.

As soon as English was over, Heather and Abby rushed over to Biology where they met Sasha and Aaron. They mostly passed notes during class since their teacher, Mr. Harris, was just showing them a movie. Class was over and they went to the cafeteria for lunch. They sat down at the first table they spotted and began to chat non-stop.

"Hey guys, did you get to read the paper this morning?" asked Aaron.

"Yeah, it was about that Falcone guy, right?" said Abby.

"Yeah, my parents were surprised when they read the paper this morning," said Heather.

"Why wouldn't they be, I mean people have been trying to get him tied down for years," said Sasha, "and now this Batman person caught him, I say something's fishy."

"I know what you mean, my mom's actually happy about the whole situation," agreed Abby.

"Well, she has been trying to put his thugs in jail," Aaron reasoned.

"Yeah, but that's prevented by Jonathan Crane (who is very creepy)," Abby corrected.

"You've met him before?" asked Heather.

"Yup, I met him when I was stuck at one of my mom's meetings."

"What did he say to you?" asked Sasha.

"He said I should learn how to keep my mouth shut," she said.

"Wow, so friendly," Aaron said sarcastically.

"Yeah, no kidding," said Heather.

"So guys, do you want to catch a movie after school?" asked Sasha, changing the subject.

"Maybe, I just I have to get out of this fancy dinner party my mom is making me go to," answered Abby.

"Hey Wayne!" shouted an unpleasant voice.

Abby turned around to see it was Renee Kendal. They had despised each other since the first day of kindergarten. Renee seemed to have the exact appearance of a Malibu Barbie doll, but had the attitude of a spoiled brat.

"It's Dawes," corrected Abby.

"Like it matters," said Renee, rudely.

"What do you want Kendal?" Abby said annoyed.

"Nothing, except to rub in your face that I'm going to Rome this summer," she said smugly.

"And I care why?"

"I don't know maybe because your mom can't afford what my dad can."

"Just because your dad is rich, it doesn't give you an excuse to fun of people."

"Well, at least my dad didn't desert me, unlike yours," Renee sneered.

"That tears it!" Abby began to charge at her, but Aaron and Heather held her fists behind her back.

"Oh, I'm so scared," she said sarcastically and walked off laughing.

"Why did you hold me back?" asked Abby, bothered.

"Maybe because we were stopping something ugly from happening," said Heather, releasing Abby.

"It would've been something she deserved," Abby huffed.

"Well ignore her," said Aaron.

"Besides why do you always get mad every time someone mentions your dad?" asked Sasha.

"I don't know."

"And why do you prefer to be called by your mom's last name instead of father's?" asked Heather curiously.

"What is this? A police interrogation?!" said Abby in rage.

"Yeah, guys just calm down on the questions," advised Aaron.

"Wait, Aaron, do you know why she acts this way?" asked Heather, suspiciously.

"I do, but I think Abby should be the one to tell you guys," answered Aaron, putting Abby in the spotlight again.

"Gee, thanks Aaron," said Abby, sarcastically. "Look how about I tell you guys when I'm ready," she assured.

"Fine, but if you wait too long, trust me the waiting will be over," warned Sasha.

"Ok, got that."

"So, are you going to be able to make it to the movie tonight?" asked Heather.

"Just like I said before, I need to be able to get out of this dinner party my mom's making me go to," said Abby.

"Ok, just call us then if you can't get out of it," said Heather.

The bell rang for their last few classes and they went their separate ways. The day went by fast from then on. For P.E., Abby and her class had to run the mile and play volleyball. After school Abby went down to her locker to grab her workout equipment for the weight room.

She ran over to the weight room as soon as she changed into a set of workout clothes. Abby began to lift weights on the dumb-bell, but was interrupted by a voice.

"How come you won't tell Heather and Sasha who your father is?"

Abby slowly put down the dumb-bell and turned around to find Aaron standing right behind her.

"Because I don't want to talk about it," she answered harshly.

"Well, I think you should still tell them," said Aaron, sharply. "I mean it's only fair."

"I understand that, but…" Abby pressed her lips.

"C'mon Abs, there're good friends plus your dad died like seven years ago."

"I know, but it's just that for some reason it's just harder to tell them about it."

"But then how come you can tell me?"

"You were there," reminded Abby.

"Right," he said. "But it still doesn't give you an excuse not to tell them."

Her mouth opened to answer, but then her phone went off. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone.

"Oh snap!" she gasped. "I'm sorry I have to go, my mom's waiting for me."

Abby quickly put her phone back in her pocket and headed for the door.

"Alright, good luck getting out of that dinner party."

"I'll call you if I can't!"

She ran into the locker room to quickly change and sprinted home. Abby rushed through her front door sweating and out of breath as she threw her bag on the couch.

"Mom, I'm home," she announced.

Rachel emerged from the hallway wearing a dark extravagant dress. Her hair was neatly put down, but had a little bit of a wave to it. She tapped her foot and glared at Abby for a moment.

"Sorry, I'm late," Abby apologized.

"You could've at least called."

"Again sorry, I was just working out in the weight room."

"Well, you might as well get ready," Rachel's face softened.

"Can't I just stay home tonight? I don't feel like going out since what happened last night," she looked at Rachel with glossy eyes.

"Are you sure? We'll be a lot safer this time," comforted Rachel.

"It's alright, I'll just hang here. Besides I don't want to make you late for your dinner."

"Well, if you feel that way then, dinner's in the fridge."

"Great, thanks Mom," said Abby, enthusiastically.

"Don't cause any trouble while I'm gone," she said sternly, waving a finger.

"Got ya, have fun."

"Alright, I'll see you later."

Once Rachel walked out of the front door, Abby ran to her room to grab her phone, but before she could dial the number the door bell rang. She threw the phone on her bed and went to answer to door. Abby's eyes widened in surprise when she looked through the porthole; she opened the door to find Aaron standing on her doorstep.

"Hey, Aaron I was just about to call you," Abby smiled, letting him in.

"Yeah, 'bout that," he walked in with a guiltily look on his face, "Sasha and Heather said they couldn't go to the movies tonight because…well…they…"

"Spit it out."

"Okay, long story short, they couldn't go to the movies because well…the movie they wanted to see was sold out, so I told them they could hang out at ether my place or yours."

"Ok, so are they coming here or there?"

"They're coming here," answered Aaron.

"Even when you knew that I could've gone to my mom's dinner party?" inquired Abby.

"Actually, it was just a lucky guess that you were able to get out of it."

"Alright, so when are they coming?"

"Right…about…now."

As if on cue, the doorbell rang. Abby opened the door, letting in Heather and Sasha.

"Hey sorry for the short notice," apologized Heather.

"It's okay besides I was able to get out of my mom's dinner party," said Abby.

"Cool, so do you have any DVDs that we could watch?"

"Yeah, I think they're under the TV somewhere," she pointed into the living room, "You go ahead and look for one, I don't care what it is."

Abby walked into the living room with them, jumping on to the couch. Heather and Sasha dug through for a movie to watch while Abby and Aaron slouched on the couch.

"So, Aaron do you know when's next practice?" asked Abby.

"Yeah, I think its tomorrow or Sunday, I'm not sure," he said with uncertainty.

"How about 27 Dresses?" asked Sasha.

"No way!" protested Aaron. "I'm not watching chick flicks with you guys!"

"Why? What wrong with chick flicks?" shot Heather.

"Gee, I don't know, every time I watch one with you guys, you go asking me why guys aren't sensitive."

Abby sighed and nodded in agreement, "Ok, no chick flicks."

"How about She's the Man?" offered Heather.

"I can deal with that," agreed Aaron.

They put in the movie, laughing at every hysterical part. Aaron, of course, wasn't that very pleased when the gushy parts came throughout the movie. When the movie ended Abby suddenly heard the front door close.

"Afraid to go out into the streets again, huh?" said her mother's voice.

"Hi, Mom," said Abby, giving her a guilty smile.

"Hey there, Ms. Dawes," said Aaron, Sasha, and Heather.

"Hello there girls, and Aaron."

"You're home early," said Abby.

"Yeah, well let's just say the DA can talk forever, so I decided I'd leave early."

"Sorry, Abs, I gotta go," said Heather, looking at her watch. "My curfew ends in ten minutes."

"I'll go with you Heather," Sasha volunteered, "my parents will kill me too, if I'm not home soon."

They got up and headed towards the door.

"See ya, soon Abby," they both said before the door closed.

"I think you should go home too, Aaron," insisted Rachel.

"Yeah, I've got to go clean my room anyway," said Aaron, getting up. "I've been putting off that project for a few months now, so it would be good to get started."

"See you later, Aaron," Abby waved.

"See ya."

The door closed and Rachel stared at her with an ounce of disappointment.

"What did I do now?"

"Oh, I don't know, you invited a few friends over when you clearly stated you didn't want to do anything tonight," said Rachel in angry, yet calm tone.

"Technically, I said I didn't want to go out," corrected Abby, standing up, "I stayed in, and so I'm pretty much off the hook."

"If there's one thing in this world that I know, it's that you're not off the hook," she said.

"Okay, so what's my punishment this time?"

Abby was used to getting grounded by Rachel on a daily basis. She would always find a way around the rules, but she would always get caught. Getting grounded was one of Abby's talents.

"I was getting around that, and you know what I was thinking?"

"Let me guess, you want to ground me for a year."

"Nope, but I was considering it."

"Then what is it that you were thinking?"

"Sit down," Rachel gestured towards the couch.

She obeyed Rachel's orders and sat on the couch. Rachel soon accompanied her, looking troubled.

"Are you okay, Mom?" asked Abby with concern in her voice.

"Yeah," she sighed, giving a small smile, "it's just that I need to tell you something."

"Well, what is it?"

"I don't know how to tell you this, but…"

"We're moving aren't we?!" Abby shouted. "Look if this is about my grades, I'll raise them up, but if it's just the city itself, I'll carry pepper spray with me all of the time."

"Honey, calm down," Rachel put her hand on Abby's shoulder, "we're not moving."

"Oh, never mind," she said quietly.

"What was that about your grades?" glared Rachel.

"Um…nothing, you were saying?" Abby put on an innocent smile.

"Anyway, like I said I don't know how to tell you this…"

"Oh just spit it out before I say something stupid again!"

"Ok, then your father's alive."

Abby's eyes became wider than ever and her jaw hung wide open. Her thoughts had crashed together. She had no idea what to think of this. Did her mother say alive? It couldn't be true, it just couldn't. She remembered the day when William Earle had announced the death of her father worldwide. Heartbroken wasn't even the word to describe how she felt when Abby first heard about her father's disappearance. Rachel did her best to keep her a happy seven year old at the time. Abby usually faked a smile to make her mom not feel bad for her.

"Abs, are you okay?" asked Rachel.

She sat there paralyzed and then snapped out of it, "Yeah," she smiled, "wow, you really got me. Like he can just 'rise from the dead'. Good joke, Mom, I always knew you were the comedian."

"Um, that wasn't a joke," Rachel said sharply.

"C'mon, Mom it's impossible," protested Abby. "He's been gone for like seven years and he decides just now to come back."

"That's what I thought when I first found out, but then I saw him tonight and…"

"Wait; hold up, you saw him tonight?"

"Well, it was more than saw, we talked," she explained.

"What can you talk about after no contact in seven years?" inquired Abby.

"I don't know we just started talking, though your father did ask about you."

"Funny, I've heard that before," said Abby, sourly.

"You don't need to be so harsh, Hun," advised Rachel, "besides you need to talk to your father again. I'm sure he'd appreciate it."

"No way, am I talking to that playboy billionaire!" she shouted.

"That's going to be kind of hard."

"No it won't, I'll just stay clear of Wayne Enterprises and I'm good," Abby huffed, getting up from her seat.

"We'll actually Abby," said Rachel, calmly. "When we were talking, I thought since you two haven't had any contact, I asked your father if you could stay with him for a few weeks or so."

"YOU WHAT?!"

Abby was outraged. Her face was almost red and her fists were clenched. Why did her mom have to plan these things before telling her? She did not want to be stuck in the same house as the man that had left her seven years ago.

"I knew you would say that," sighed Rachel. She buried her face in her hands.

"Well, duh, you plan these things before telling me!"

"I'm sorry, but you can't live in hatred forever Abigail!"

Rachel remained seated, now clenching her knees, and looking at her furiously.

"I can if I want to!"

Abby stomped to her room in fury.

"You going tomorrow, whether you like it or not!" said Rachel before Abby slammed her door.

Thanks for reading. In truth this story is actually named after the song My Hero is Youby Hayden Panettiere. If you ever do have the time, just listen to the full song. It'll relate exactly to the story. By the way I made covers for all of my stories. They're on my profile if you want to check them out.