Coba and Terry returned to the Batcave less than twenty minutes later. Bruce Wayne, Aaron Herbst (Ditto), Dick Grayson (wearing his Nightwing suit, though unmasked), and Dana Tan (wearing her newly upgraded Batwoman suit, unmasked as well) were already waiting for them by the big Batcomputer. The half-siblings got out of the Batmobile and removed their masks as they walked towards their companions. Dana ran to them and hugged them. "I'm glad you're both alright!" she said gratefully in a quiet voice.

Terry grinned back at his girlfriend as he returned the hug. "Of course we're okay," he said reassuringly. "Why wouldn't we be?"

"Because of what I did earlier," Coba solemnly answered for the girl. "Which is also why everyone's gathered down here like this."

Dana was surprised. "Wait a minute, it is?"

"I'm afraid so, Miss Tan," Bruce replied sagely. He looked over at his young ward. "Coba, come here," he ordered.

Although she hated being singled out like this, Coba obeyed her legal guardian's command at a moderate pace. She knew better than to try to lighten the mood with a joke or a smile—as such an attempt at this point would make matters worse for her—although she did not feel like doing so anyway. All she felt was shame for making her companions so concerned. Coba finally came to a stop in front of Wayne and looked up into his eyes solemnly, waiting for him to say something.

"What were you thinking out there?" Bruce asked sternly. "You could have been killed, and put your brother's life in danger! To top it off, not one of us here could have saved you: Dick was in Blüdhaven; Dana and Herbst were on the opposite side of the city; and there was no way for me to get out and act on time."

"I don't recall thinking about it at all," Coba confessed, tense at Bruce's harsh tone. "I'm sorry for causing so much concern. As for putting Terry's life in danger, both our lives were already at risk."

Bruce was about to scold her more, but Dick placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. His light blue eye met Bruce's light blue ones, then shifted to Coba's cobalt eyes. "Mind explaining what you mean by that, kid?" the one-eyed man inquired in a gentle yet authoritative voice.

Brooklyn relaxed a little bit at the other man's tone. "Miller kept thrashing that vehicle around," she explained, "and something told me that we'd hit a building up ahead. It's hard for me to describe what happened next: it's all a blur. I can't even tell if it was a rush of adrenaline or second nature."

"When you saw Sean, you started saying something about it being the beginning," Terry jumped in. "What did you mean by that? The beginning of what?"

Coba thought hard for a moment, her anxiety rising as she drew up a blank. "I-I don't remember," she stammered.

Aaron turned to Terry. "Batman, did you happen to film the entire chase from the Batmobile?" he asked curiously.

Terry nodded. "The camera is always recording footage when it's on. Why do you ask?"

Instead of directly answering the teenage Batman, Aaron looked at Coba. "Do you think watching it might jog your memory?"

After a brief moment of silently thinking it over, Coba nodded. "It might. Let's give it a try."

Ditto looked at Bruce, smiling with confidence. "Got anything to say about my idea? Genius, isn't it?"

Bruce did not even look at Aaron as he sat down and began downloading the video files from the Batmobile's camera. "I'll tell you what I think about it when we've tried it," he said gruffly.

"Geezer," Aaron muttered.

Wayne turned his head abruptly. "What was that?" he snapped.

"Nothing!" Aaron exclaimed, throwing his hands up innocently. Dana and Terry struggled hard not to laugh, but to no avail. Coba and Grayson, however, were not amused.

Deciding to ignore Herbst for the moment, the first Batman looked at the screen once more as he fast-forwarded through the footage to the scene of the chase. All eyes were on the screen while the vehicle driven by Miller whipped through the streets. Once the grappling hooks had gripped the roof, it was Grayson who pointed out: "That's the building right up ahead, isn't it?"

"It is," Terry answered with a nod, a bit surprised. "How the heck did you notice it so quick?"

"My eye was open for anything unusual," came Dick's reply. "And I can only guess that Coba's eyes were open for it as well—whoa!" he suddenly breathed.

All of the heroes, including Coba, stared at the screen in shock as the video Coba slid down the grappling line with strangely strong expertise. "How often have you practiced that?" Dick could not help but ask after the video Batgirl grappled back to the Batmobile. "You nailed it brilliantly!"

"I-I've never done it before," Coba answered.

"But how did you know what to do?"

Coba looked at him, her eyes wide with shock. "That dream I had last night included an exact description of how to do it. When I slid down that line, my mind replayed the instructions: instructions told to me by a female voice I have never heard, seen or met before." She looked down shamefully. "I'm sorry I scared you all with my actions."

Nightwing placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Your actions are why you and Terry are still alive," he said gently. "That's all that really matters, now."

"Just try to be more careful in the future," Dana added.

Brooklyn nodded in acknowledgment, but said nothing.

"Well, I'd best be heading home now," Dana said after a few long moments of silence. "My parents are probably still waiting up for me." She gave Terry a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow at school." She turned around at that moment and left the cave, shooting a smile back at her companions as she did so.

"I'd better get going, too," Aaron announced almost a minute later. "There may be hardly anything to do at my apartment, but I would like to catch up on my sleep."

"Go ahead," Bruce stated with mock severity. "I won't stop you."

Aaron was surprised. "Really? You're not going to argue with me like you usually do?"

Bruce looked at him, a small grin on his face. "Your idea of showing the video to Coba mostly worked," he said. "You normally don't have any good ideas, but you did this time. You deserve a rest."

Herbst raised an eyebrow. "Were you just calling me stupid?" he asked, a bit offended.

"Only sometimes," Wayne admitted. "Better get going before I change my mind."

Without another word, Ditto immediately left the cave. Bruce turned his attention to the computer and shut off the video footage. He switched it over to the television station.

"An out of control child," a male voice said from the speakers as the screen displayed footage of Sean laughing, causing Coba to look up in alarm, "every parent's worst nightmare." A man walked onto the screen before speaking again. "I'm Doctor David Wheeler, child psychologist. With the tough new parental liability laws now in effect, mothers and fathers can no longer afford to ignore their children's problems. Are they staying out too late? Ignoring their schoolwork? Or are they involved in something worse? Whatever the problem is, I can help. At my ranch only minutes from Gotham City, I offer the very finest long-term therapy for adolescents. Yes, it is expensive, but think about the alternative."

Dick was noticeably disgusted with the commercial. "That's the third time it's aired this evening since Miller's arrest," he said irritably. "Like that's going to really help parents feel better. All scaring them is going to do is get them to not show some trust in their kids if they make the smallest mistake and make the immediate decision of sending them to Wheeler. If you ask me, this man's a fake. What do you think, Coba?" he asked, glancing at Coba. The sight of the girl staring at the screen in horror sent a wave of concern washing over him. "You okay?" he asked concernedly, the anger in his voice gone.

"That man," Coba said quietly as Bruce turned off the screen. "He-he's the one in charge of it!"

"In charge of what?" Terry asked, confused.

"The nightmare," Batgirl replied anxiously. "I recognized his voice from my dream." She thought for a moment. "I think his ranch has everything to do with what's going to happen soon."

"Do you know what he said, if anything?" Bruce inquired.

Coba nodded, trying to calm herself back down. "He said 'Do away with them both.' I don't recall who he was talking about, though."

No one spoke for a few minutes. "I'd better get back on patrol," Terry said at last.

Bruce looked at his apprentice in surprise. "Usually I'm the one who tells you when to go back out there," he noted.

"Well, with what Coba says about this whole 'nightmare' thing, I think more patrol time might not be a bad idea," McGinnis stated. "You coming, sis?"

The girl shook her head. "I'd better sit this one out," she answered. "With my anxiety now and the high risk of acting recklessly again, I could get us both killed. Good luck out there."

Terry nodded. "Okay. See ya, Coba." He pulled his mask back on and walked towards the Batmobile before getting into the vehicle. Bruce, Coba, and Grayson watched as the Batmobile flew out of the cave.

Nightwing looked at his companions. "I'll get going, too," he informed them. "You both know where to find me if you need me at all."

"Alright," Wayne said sagely with a nod. "Take care."

"I will." Dick turned and walked out of the cave.

Coba unsuccessfully stifled a yawn. "I'd better go to bed," she told Bruce. "I'm more done in than I thought I was." She started to turn to leave.

"In a minute, Coba," Bruce said quickly, stopping her. "There's something I need to discuss with you."

Batgirl looked at the old warrior questioningly. "What might that be?" she inquired.

Bruce looked at her sagely. "We've never discussed who your other family members are."

"That's because I don't know who my family members are aside from you, Terry, Mom and Dad." Coba looked at Wayne in confusion. "You're not thinking of sending me away, are you? Have I been misbehaving that much?"

"No, it's not that at all. In fact, you're well-behaved, almost more so than the Robins. I was just thinking that it might be helpful to know if there's ever an emergency where you're not able to be here, like when you had your foot broken. We were fortunate to have Mrs. McGinnis set her prejudices against you aside and let you stay a few times, but it was hectic trying to find another place."

Coba nodded in understanding. "I know. Mrs. McGinnis might be willing to do it again, but it'll be a good idea to find someone else." She thought for a moment. "I know you have a DNA lab in here. Will you need a sample of my DNA to do find out who I'm related to?"

The first Batman nodded. "Yes, but we'll worry about that in the morning. That is, if you're willing to go with it." He paused, suddenly realizing something. "Now that I think about it, looking into this may bring up some of your feelings towards them long ago, if any. Or even of your mother."

Brooklyn's gaze averted to the floor at the mention of her mother. "You may be right," she said quietly. "But then again, it may be helpful to know." She looked back up at Bruce. "I'm willing to find out," she told him sagely.

"Alright, kid," Bruce said solemnly. "You may go to bed, now. We'll do the test in the morning."

"Okay. Good night, Bruce," said Coba, grinning a little.

"Good night, Coba." Bruce watched his young apprentice as she left the cave. I hope I'm doing her a favor by going through with this, he thought. I don't know what to do if she gets hurt by it in some way.

~!~

Coba lay down in her bed at eleven-thirty, about twenty minutes after her talk with Bruce. She had changed from her Batsuit to her light blue flannel pajamas; fed Ace, the dog, and Ed, the rat; got all ready for bed; and finally turned on the reading lamp by her bed before turning off her bedroom's main light. The girl was about to pull the covers over herself a split second before Ace and Ed came in from eating in the kitchen. Upon seeing her in bed, the rat silently climbed up into his cage right next to Coba's bed and gently shut and secured the cage door behind him while the dog quietly lay down at the foot of the bed. Coba smiled at each of them gratefully. At least they now know not to try to talk to me when I'm trying to get to sleep, she thought. She pulled her blankets over her shoulders and settled into the bed and pillow, falling almost instantly into a deep sleep.

Unfortunately for her, a nightmare instantly plagued her mind.

A strange, human figure with emerald green eyes faded in from the darkness of Coba's dream. She gasped as she recognized the person. Mom, she thought, a pang of sorrow in her heart. The figure grinned warmly at her in confirmation. Suddenly, the figure seemed to age noticeably, the smile turning into a disappointed frown and the long black hair turning short and gray. Coba took a step back in alarm. Before she knew it, the person was no longer her mother, though she still had Natalie's eyes.

Without warning the woman smacked Coba across her face. "Failure!" the newcomer's voice yelled. "You let my daughter die!"

"No, it was an accident!" the girl heard herself plead. "I didn't mean for it to happen!"

"Liar!" the figure proclaimed, striking her again.

The newest slap caused Coba to hit the ground. She looked up in sorrow and terror as the figure was about to throw herself on her. However, another person intervened just in the nick of time, stepping between Coba and her attacker and managing to push the woman back. The newcomer suddenly grunted painfully and placed a hand over their heart. Brooklyn was horrified as it occured to her who her protector was. "Bruce!" she shouted, worried for his well-being.

Bruce weakly looked at her. "Coba, wake up!" he said as steadily as he could. His voice gained stability and volume. "Wake up!" The woman tried to push Bruce aside, but he still managed to keep her away from Coba. "Please!"

Coba woke up with a startled gasp. She opened her eyes almost immediately, but only darkness greeted her vision. After a few seconds she could barely make out a silhouette sitting on her bed. Panic overwhelmed her as she tried to reach over to her reading lamp, but her reach kept falling short. Her lamp turned on, but it was not her hand that made it do so. She looked from the hand to the person attached, instantly more relieved, though not completely. "Bruce!" she cried out, her voice still tight with terror.

Wayne looked into her eyes reassuringly, though the dark circles under his eyes told Coba that she had woken him up. "Sorry," she said sheepishly.

"Don't be," Bruce said sagely. "I'm supposed to be up at this time anyway to talk with your brother. Was it Wheeler again?"

Batgirl shook her head. "No, it wasn't him at all. It was someone else who had eyes like my mother's, emerald green. She was older, though, maybe about your age. I don't know who she was, though."

"Did she say anything?" Bruce asked curiously.

"She called me a failure and claimed that I let her daughter die."

"Have you heard the voice before?"

Coba thought for a moment, then nodded solemnly. "Yes. She was the same one who told me how to go down that grappling line without falling."

Bruce became concerned. "Do you think your dream is warning us not to see who you're related to?"

"I-I don't know, really," Coba stammered uncomfortably. "I don't want to talk about it right now, please."

"Alright, we'll leave the matter alone for now." Neither of them spoke for several moments. Wayne finally stood up, using his cane to aid him in doing so. "Try to get some sleep," he said at last. "I'll be in the cave if you need me."

"Okay," Coba said quietly. She waited until Bruce was out of the room before trying to relax again. To her relief, she immediately fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Author's Notes:

Who exactly was that woman in Coba's nightmare? What is it that Wheeler is up to? Why is Coba so terrified about both people? These questions and more will be answered in the future, as well as the identities of Coba's grandparents.

Say what?

That's right: I'm revealing the identities of Coba's grandparents. In every chapter until the big reveal later on, I'll be asking this question: Who do you think they are? If you would like to, you may leave your answers in a review below. It might even help me out as well if you did: it's the first time I've really started writing an actual mystery that people don't automatically know what's going to happen because they've seen the episode the story's based off of, so I would like to know how well I'm keeping it a mystery.

Also, since it wasn't exactly delved into in the episode, I'll be toying with an idea of exactly what Wheeler was up to and why he was doing it.

Another mystery? Woo-hoo!

Yep, that's exactly what I was thinking. On that note, please feel free to leave a review below. You don't have to if you don't want to, though it would be greatly appreciated if you did.