A/N: Again, I'm sorry it's taken me so long, school's been evil. And to reply to Amber's review: thanks and I'm sorry that the overuse of caps lock annoys you, I'm still learning. Same for phrasing. Anyway, hoep you all enjoy this chapter and please leave a review!

Out of the Frying Pan

"Lucius, I've sent you a sample of the disease. I need a cure ASAP," Jenna Dawes said into the microphone of headset that Barbara Gordon was currently wearing, a slightly annoyed expression on her face as her head was pulled toward her boss's mouth.

"Jenna, you do realize it took me twenty four hours to synthesize an antidote for Crane's fear toxin," Lucius' voice reminded her.

"I expect the cure to be here within the next eight hours. I have faith in you Fox." Jenna hung up and let go of the mic, Barbara muttering something along the lines of "Thanks for giving me back my head." Jenna ignored her as usual and moved back across the bunker to where Black Canary was patting the forehead of a deathly pale Bette Kane with a damp washcloth. Kneeling down next to the ill blonde vigilante, she took the cloth from Dinah.

"I've notified Lucius about the disease and Doctor Thompkins is on her way over here. You'll be cured in no time Bette," Jenna assured Bette, patting her forehead with the rag. The younger blonde tried to smile but started coughing and spitting up blood, Jenna barely managing to catch the bile in the bucket. Collapsing back on the bed, the young woman shook her head, eyes glistening with tears she refused to shed.

"Ain't nothin' you can do Jenna," Bette muttered. "Ain't nothin' anyone can do." The brunette immediately took her friend's hand and forced her to look her in the eye.

"There's always something you can do," Jenna told Bette. She kissed her friend's forehead. "You just hang in there. I will save you," she vowed. Bette smiled at her friend and Jenna stood, letting Black Canary go back to her work. Suddenly feeling a little overwhelmed, Jenna put on her cowl and headed outside: the night air would clear her head and she could hopefully find more evidence at the crime scene that would help her find Shiva. However, just as she moved to leave, Barbara called from her chair at the computer, "Batgirl I got a hit!"

"What?" Batgirl shouted, hurrying over.

"A patient was submitted into Gotham General yesterday with symptoms almost identical to Bette's."

"Who?"

"Jeremiah Arkham." Batgirl's eyes narrowed.

"Alright then. Looks like I'm paying a visit to the good doctor," she said, before moving to gbring out the Batpod. "Call Blake, update him on the situation, and tell him to bring the kids here for their safety," she instructed before pausing to consider her next few words carefully. "I think it's about time they knew." Barbara nodded.

"Got it." The Batgirl quickly revved the Batpod to life, started the lift to the surface, and burst through the doors of the metal storage container, driving off into the night. Barbara quickly dialed John Blake's number and said, "Blake we've got problems."

"Alright, I'm on my way," John said, hanging up. He'd wondered when they'd have to tell the kids about their secret, though he didn't think it would be within the week they brought them home. He walked over to his youngest ward's room, opened the door, and looked up to find her hanging from the ceiling. "Cassie, we've got to go someplace, ok?" Cassandra Cain nodded, and swung down back to earth, hurrying over and standing at attention like a soldier. Blake's mouth twitched; he knew he should discourage her living so dangerously but she seemed to handle herself ok. The real problem would be what would happen if Jenna found out.

"Go get your jacket. I'll get Dick." The little girl nodded and headed for her closet, Blake shutting the door and moving to his older ward's room. Knocking and not receiving an answer, the new guardian found Dick Grayson curled up in bed.

"Dick? Dick, come on, we've gotta–" John halted and pulled the covers back to find only a bunch of pillows underneath. Moving the pillows, he found a note tucked inside.

Gone out. Don't worry. Be back before 10. – Dick

John sighed: of course. He looked to his side, finding the little girl looking up at him.

"I think we need to talk to him, don't you?" Cassie smiled and nodded. Blake opened her arms and she leaped up into them, settling herself on his hip. He walked out into the living room, but was suddenly hit from behind. He stumbled forward, taking care not to drop the little girl in his arms, before turning to face his attacker.

"So, you're they guy who thinks he's good enough to care for my daughter," an older man scoffed, gun on his hip and a knife at his thigh.

"And I suppose you're the excuse of what she has for a father," John shot back, pushing Cassandra gently toward the kitchen for her safety.

"At least I was there for her," he countered, watching his daughter take cover behind the counter.

"Is that what you call her leaving her wounded and out in the cold to die?"

"That was teaching her a lesson."

"Well I suggest you go before I teach you one too," Blake threatened and David Cain pulled out his gun. The younger dark haired man quickly grabbed the gun and pointed it at the ceiling, directing the fire away. He then yanked the gun away from his opponent and elbowed him across the face, before kicking him back. Cocking the gun, Blake aimed it at the older man lying on the floor in a heap. Cain smirked.

"Killing me in front of my daughter who you want to be yours; excellent way to set an example for her," he remarked. Blake hesitated for a second and that was all the older man needed to get to his feet, retake the gun, and push the younger man to the floor, Cain leveling the gun. CRASH! A wine bottle flew through the air and shattered against the skull of the man with the gun, causing him to stumble and giving John the chance to push the weapon away and slam Cain's head against the wall, knocking him unconscious. Blake then glanced over into the kitchen to see Cassie was out of her hiding place and holding another wine bottle, scowling at her father with pure loathing, an expression that looked truly unsettling on a girl so young. After removing the clip from the gun and throwing it away, John quickly got out a pair of handcuffs and secured them, one on the unconscious man's wrist and one on the radiator. Someone had heard the shots fired and had probably called the police already, so all he had to do was make sure that Cain was still here when they did.

"Come on Cassie, let's go," John said, and the little girl spared her birth father one last disgusted glance before leaping into her real father's arms and letting him carry her to safety.

Doctor Jeremiah Arkham was lying in bed, attached to numerous breathing apparatuses and various other machines. The doctors didn't know what was wrong with him and chances were, by the time they figured it out, he'd be long gone. The doctor let out a particularly heavy breath; this was what happened when you mixed with the scum that should be locked up in his asylum. He stiffened in realization. His asylum: if he died here, it'd go to someone like that damn Hugo Strange or someone else just as underserving. Arkham Asylum had been in his family since its creation, and would remain that way as long as there was an Arkham living in Gotham. A shadow suddenly spread across his bed and the doctor looked up to see the figure that the darkness stemmed from.

"You," he gasped.

"Me," Batgirl echoed, stepping further into the light. Arkham started to struggle but collapsed almost immediately. "No need to get up on my account Dr. Arkham. I'm not going to hurt if you cooperate," the Batgirl informed him. She looked him over. "You're dying, and there are other people, good people, who are dying from the disease that's killing you. You don't have much time left and I can't help you unless you tell me where Shiva is and why she wants to destroy Gotham." Doctor Arkham considered his options as the moment, and decided that he had a better chance of surviving if he talked.

"To…to finish… what was started," he breathed. The shadowy figure's frown deepened.

"But why would Shiva want to finish the League of Shadows' work?" she pressed.
"D… d… daughter," he choked out before seizing up and collapsing on the bed, the machines buzzing and beeping with alarm at his passing. Batgirl closed her eyes and sighed slightly. It never got any easier. Making her way to the window, she leaped out and flew off into the night.

Two men with olive skin and greasy black hair stood outside the Catscratch club, smoking a few cigarettes as they waited for their coworker to arrive. "Heard anything about Jones lately?" one asked out of interest. News about the underworld was easy to get when you knew who to go to. The other shrugged.

"Not much. Last I heard he was hiding in the sewers." The other grimaced and then chuckled darkly.

"I'll be sure to avoid manholes then." The other laughed. "What about Zucco then?" At that, the nearby streetlight blew, a rock falling to the ground beneath it. The two immediately drew their guns, knowing that darkness was never a good thing for criminals in this town. Monsters thrived in the dark and even cold-blooded killers feared monsters; Especially the ones that live in Gotham. Moving toward the end of the alleyway, they did not see the figure behind them. One went down as a rock the size of a tennis ball hit the back of his head. The other jumped, turning180 degrees midair, only for his gun to be kicked to the side. He was thrown against the wall, a club pressed to his neck, and discovered his attacker to be a teenage boy with black hair and cold yet burning blue eyes, dressed in a black leather jacket and pants with a blue shirt underneath.

"What do you know about the deaths of John and Mary Grayson of Haly's Circus?" Dick Grayson interrogated. The boy was cut off the butt of a pistol hitting him around the head, knocking him to the ground. The new man who the other two had been waiting for him then began to attack the young man, kicking and beating him into near unconsciousness.

"Shouldn't you be home kid?" the man taunted as he cocked his gun. People in Gotham were getting brave again, too brave for criminals' liking. Time to start spreading fear again. A new shadow then covered the two criminals, before engulfing them. Dick Grayson squinted at the figure that leaped on and quickly. "Word to the wise: leave kids alone in Gotham… or I will find you." With that, he knocked the man unconscious, gathered the inanimate teenager, and carried him to the nearby Tumbler.

Bright white light: that was the first thing Dick Grayson saw when he opened his eyes. At first he thought he could be dead, but if that were the case, his parents would be there. But as the world started to focus and he saw the outlines of a man and a woman, he began to hope. But then the figures came into complete focus, and were revealed to be an old woman speaking with the Batman.

"He took quite a hit to the head but he doesn't have a concussion. He may be little disoriented when he wakes up but he should be fine," she informed the Batman. He nodded.

"Thank you Doctor," he said and she left. Dick settled back on the cot and pretended to still be asleep, but stopped when the Batman remarked, "I know you're awake." Dick sat up and looked at the Batman, expecting him to continue. The Batman then came closer. "That was just plain reckless and irresponsible you know," he stated and the teenager rolled his eyes. He had enough people trying to be his parents, didn't need one more.

"I was following a lead on my parents killer. I couldn't pass it up," Dick argued.

"Yes, but charging in, guns ablaze, without any protection or back up whatsoever is the easiest way to get yourself killed."

"Why do you care so much about me anyway?" he asked, frustrated. "I know my parents were killed but why me especially?" The Batman turned his back on the boy, and removed his cowl to reveal short black hair. Dick's eyes widened and his jaw dropped as the Batman turned.

"Dick… We need to have a little chat," John Blake stated.

"You're Batman… you… you're the Batman. You're the f–" Dick started but stopped at his guardian's raised eyebrow. "Freaking," he corrected himself. "You're the freaking Batman!"

"Yes," John replied. Dick ran a hand through his hair.

"So, would that make Jenna–"

"Batgirl."

"Wow," he breathed. He looked around at the cement ceiling. "Where is she now?" Blake opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by his communicator vibrating.

"That's probably her now," he told Dick, opening the channel. "Batman here."

"Batman, I'm at Wayne Enterprises. Someone's tampered with the water works. I've shut down the system but–" The transmission was cut off and the conversation ended.

"Batgirl?" Batman asked. No answer. He quickly put his radio in his belt and headed for the Tumbler. "I need to go help her," he told Black Canary, who nodded as he passed.

"Alright, then let's go!" Dick exclaimed, shooting up from his bed and following him.

"No, you are staying right here, out of the crossfire," Batman ordered.

"What? But–"

"I told you I'd let you have freedom if you took on certain responsibilities, like watching Cassandra in emergencies," the Batman reminded his ward, passing the little Asian girl who was climbing some gymnastics beams and bars with ease. "Not to mention how you abused my trust in you by sneaking out."

"I'm sorry, I had a lead on my parents' killer," he tried to explain but the Batman just closed the Tumbler's hatch on him and drove out into the night. Dick made a noise of exasperation. "Why won't he let me help? I could help if he'd just let me," he argued aloud.

"Sorry to butt in Dick, but I think that's the point," Bette called out from her cot. Dick turned to her and she smiled morosely, as though remembering a good memory long past. "They're never going to let you," she stated. He looked at her and she gave him a knowing wink. Looking at the bulletproof vests and other various gadgets and tools left lying about, Dick turned to Cassandra Cain, who was looking up at him, smiling with glee as though she'd just landed in Candyland. He kneeled down and looked his 'little sister' in the eye.

"Cassie, do you want to help me with a little arts and crafts project?"

Batgirl was thrown against the wall by her attacker again, her communicator smashed to pieces on the ground. She rolled to the side to avoid Lady Shiva's kick to her diaphragm, and retaliated with a punch thrown toward the Asian woman's head. The woman caught the punch and kneed Batgirl in the gut. Batgirl swung around to attack the woman but found that she had vanished.

"Well, looks like the Batgirl isn't quite the opponent I was hoping for. Too bad. I could've used a challenge," Lady Shiva's voice taunted, echoing throughout the room. Theatricality and deception, Batgirl noted. Even if this woman doesn't have League of Shadows training, she has skill and experience. Looking around the room, Batgirl threw small explosive devices (similar to the ones the Batman had used in Hong Kong during the extraction of Lau) at walls and pipes, where they stuck, awaiting detonation. Once the charges were in place, the Batgirl closed her eyes, listening to clanging of pipes and the running of water around her, searching the sounds for abnormalities that would reveal her hidden foe. Sure enough, she could hear the faintest step of combat boots against the concrete floor from behind her and quickly dodged Lady Shiva's powerful high kick that would've most likely knocked her unconscious had it hit its mark. But Shiva quickly retaliated with an elbow across the face and another high kick that almost broke the faux redhead's jaw. Batgirl fell to the ground and her opponent restrained her arms, rendering her almost completely immobile.

"Nice try Batgirl. But that's all it was: an attempt. It'll take more than a little girl playing dress up to take me down," Lady Shiva mocked, taking a knife from her belt and moving it toward her enemy's throat. She didn't notice the detonator in Batgirl's hand until she'd pressed it. The wall behind Shiva exploded, as did many other pipes and walls around them, sending chunks of rubble, metal, and steam everywhere. A particularly large pipe hit the back of Shiva's head, disorienting her and making her loosen her grip on the younger woman. The Batgirl quickly pushed her off and slammed Shiva's head against the wall, knocking her almost completely unconscious. Straightening up, the young vigilante handcuffed the woman and turned to her partner, who had just come out of the shadows.

"Looks like you've got it all handled," the Batman noted, and the Batgirl gave him a pointed glare.

"Did you ever think I didn't?" she inquired and he didn't reply. Rolling her eyes slightly at him, she dragged a dazed Shiva to her feet. "You're coming with us, Lady Shiva."