Author's Notes:

This chapter's finally done! Whew, this was hard to write: dang writer's block and high anxiety levels! Any-who, here it is. Please read and enjoy...

Batgirl ran through the long cement hallway, hearing only the quick yet quiet padding of the silencing pads on the bottom of her suit's feet hit the concrete floor and her heavy breathing from running so hard. She stopped behind a corner after a few more moments of running. I think I lost them, she thought.

Two guards suddenly bumped into her, causing her hit the ground with a pained grunt. Several men ran over to where she lay and pointed their rifles at her as her captors cuffed her wrists behind her back. Coba heard footsteps nearby and saw Terry and Sean walking by, herded on by guards. She heard the sound of another body hitting the ground, and was dismayed to see Nightwing laying there, bound by his wrists and ankles with handcuffs. They locked their eyes apologetically for a moment before the men cocked their guns.

"Stay calm, kid," Dick's voice said to her. "Focus on the task at hand instead of your fear."

Doctor Wheeler stepped forward, interrupting his men. He regarded the two vigilantes scornfully for a moment, then turned to his men. "Do away with them both," he commanded.

Without warning, a whip lashed out at the head guard's hands, wrenching the gun out of them. The other guards lowered their guns as Dick and Coba turned their heads in surprise to see Catwoman land between them and the guards. She quickly glanced at Coba. "Use those claws, kid!" she instructed before she hurled herself at Wheeler...

...who had pulled out a gun and squeezed the trigger as she did so.

"Coba?" a voice said gently.

Brooklyn sat up with a jolt, letting out a gasp of alarm. She looked up to see Grayson through terrified eyes for a moment before her frantic mind registered his presence. Coba closed her eyes and let out a shuddering sigh. "Sorry," she apologized quietly. "Nightmare. T-they had Terry."

"It's okay, kid. Try to calm down," the man instructed, keeping his tone calm to not upset his sensitive granddaughter more than she was already.

Coba breathed deeply and slowly for a moment, doing as Dick had requested. "I saw her get shot," she murmured. "And saw her get stabbed at the same time."

"What do you mean?" Dick inquired, a bit baffled. "Who are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Selina," Coba said solemnly, opening her eyes once more, "but at the same time I'm talking about Mom."

Nightwing noticed her hesitation to speak further. "What happened, kid? What did you see?"

"I'm not completely sure," Coba confessed after another moment's hesitation. "One second, I was in Wheeler's ranch, seeing Selina jump in front of Wheeler's gun. The next, I was behind a door with slanted shutters, watching as a knife pierced through my mother's heart. Those scenes flashed in between each other until—until—" She stopped, unable to find her voice. Coba began to shake once more, closing her eyes again as they welled up with tears. "I thought I'd get used to these feelings after having nightmares almost every night," she said sadly, her voice barely audible.

Dick gently pulled the girl into a hug. "It's okay, kid," he said reassuringly. "The nightmare's over."

"I'm afraid it's not," Coba choked, hugging him back. "Wheeler hasn't been stopped yet. Until he is, the nightmare will keep on growing, consuming everything in its path, until it is too big to be stopped."

"He will be stopped, Coba," Richard promised her. "One way or another."

"But will he be stopped in time? That question bothers me."

"It bothers me, too," Dick confessed.

Brooklyn was silent for a moment. She looked up at Grayson. "How do you hide your fear from your enemies, Grandfather?" she inquired. "Even when they catch you by surprise?"

"I just focus on my main goal: stopping the criminals." He noticed Coba's doubtful look. "It's not easy, but it works."

To his relief, Coba nodded in understanding. "Okay," she said, "I'll give it a try sometime. Thank you."

"Any time, kid."

~!~

It was several hours later, in the middle of the afternoon, that Dick and Coba arrived at the large outside entrance of the Batcave. Bruce, as he said he would, had called them a few hours after their discussion, asking if Coba was ready to return home. The girl said she was, even though she was not completely comfortable with doing so. She and Dick knew Selina would still be there, and both did not like the idea of Coba facing her again, but she knew she would have to face her grandmother at some point. Aside from Selina, Terry and Dana were also with Bruce, talking about their findings at the ranch. Nightwing and Batgirl silently entered the cave by foot after the older hero camouflaged the Wingcycle.

"What do we need more evidence for?" Terry's confused voice echoed through the cave. "You took the feed from our finger-tip mics, didn't you? All you gotta do is take it to the authorities!"

"And what do I say when they ask me where I got it?" Bruce inquired, keeping a calm yet grave composure. "A couple little bats left it on my front porch?"

Terry was about to protest, but realized Bruce's point. "Oh," he said, scratching his head to try to find another solution.

Dana, however, was not as understanding as her boyfriend. "I thought you said you were friends with the commissioner, the first Batgirl," she stated in bewilderment. "Wouldn't she listen to you?"

Bruce had a tough time keeping his composure. I swear this girl is hard to get messages through to sometimes, he thought irritably. "Yes, but—"

"Then why can't you just give it to her?"

"Because the mayor will hear about her being in league with vigilantes without his consent, possibly uncovering her past as Batgirl, and fire her before Wheeler's brainwashing scheme is stopped," a young female voice answered before Bruce could.

McGinnis was the first to recognize the voice. "Coba!" he cried out in surprise and relief, turning to see his half-sister walking towards them with Grayson behind her. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Coba gently reassured him.

"Where were you last night and this morning?" Dana asked the small girl curiously, already understanding what Brooklyn had said about Barbara.

"I—uh—" Coba stopped uncomfortably.

"She was with me," Dick answered, noticing his granddaughter's distress.

Terry placed a reassuring hand on Coba's shoulder, also noticing her discomfort. "Rough night?"

Coba looked into his eyes solemnly. "Very," she said in a quiet voice.

"But how did you know that Wheeler's brainwashing the kids?" Dana inquired her young friend.

Brooklyn hesitated, feeling her stress rise from recalling her misadventures. After a moment, she closed her eyes and heaved a small sigh before telling her brother and his girlfriend about her encounter with Jennifer Vreeland and the guards from Wheeler's ranch. "Grayson told me the Drakes took Jennifer home before I woke up," she concluded. Almost called him 'Grandfather,' even after we agreed not to tell Terry and Dana about our relations just yet, she noted, a bit irritated with herself.

Dana was still perplexed about something. "Why did you go to Blüdhaven? It's not like you to leave Wayne alone on such short notice unless you're going as Batgirl."

"It was my fault."

Everyone turned their heads in surprise to see Selina standing a few steps up from the bottom of the stairwell. Her face was one of pure solemnity.

Terry turned to Coba. "What's she talking about, sis?" he inquired concernedly.

"I'll explain later, bro," Coba replied, still looking in Kyle's direction a bit tensely. Or Bruce, Grandfather, or Selina will, she mentally noted.

"Who is that?" Dana inquired defensively. "Should she be in the cave?"

"Selina Kyle, the first Catwoman," Bruce answered in a low voice. "And no, she shouldn't be in the cave, but I doubt she's going to cause trouble."

I'll make sure of that, Dick thought, narrowing his one eye angrily and placing a protective hand on Coba's shoulder.

The girl barely noticed Grayson's hand as she watched Selina walk down the remaining steps and approach the Bats. Stay calm, kid, she thought to herself, and speak only if talked to.

"What's going on that's got all of you gathered like this?" Selina inquired curiously.

Everyone hesitated. Bruce turned to Coba. "You think we can trust her with the information we have?" he inquired quietly.

Coba nodded. "I think so. I don't sense anything that tells me otherwise." She mentally slapped herself when she noticed Selina looking at her quizzically. Great, now she has the notion that I'm psychic!

"She's right, you can trust me," Selina stated, much to Coba's surprise and relief. "It's not like I'm going to run around telling people about it and get arrested." I'll turn myself in when I feel it's time for me to do so, Coba heard her think. "Now, who's going to tell me what's going on?"

Despite the warning glance she received from Dick, Coba told her grandmother about what had been going on the past few days concerning the situation with Doctor Wheeler they have been dealing with. Catwoman nodded in acknowledgement once the girl was done speaking. "I see. How do you plan to stop him?"

"I'm not sure," Coba confessed, hiding her unease at Selina's question. "I only know that it won't be easy."

"I think I've got a solution," Terry spoke up. He turned to Bruce. "Do you still have that plastic video camera? You know, the one that can't be seen through metal detectors?"

Bruce nodded sagely. "I have it." His expression became even more grave. "You're not thinking of going there yourself, are you?"

Terry grinned at him. "Some things are just too big for Batman. That's when Terry McGinnis swings into action."

Wayne raised an eyebrow at his apprentice, but did not try to argue with him. He instead turned to Coba. "What do you think?"

"That it's inappropriate for you to ask me for my opinion when it's Terry's decision," Coba answered in a non-threatening tone. "If he wants my opinion, he'll ask it, though he knows too well what I'd say." That I don't like this idea at all.

"It'll be fine, Coba," the young Batman calmly assured his half-sister, though there was a hint of irritation in his voice. "I'll take the greatest care."

Brooklyn said nothing, not wishing to upset her brother any more. She instead nodded grimly. Even the greatest care may not be enough, brother.

~!~

After the conversation in the Batcave, Terry and Dana each went home. Bruce, Coba, Selina and Dick all went upstairs and back into the manor. Ed sat on Coba's shoulder, glaring at Selina and squeaking words at her that only Coba could hear yet not repeat. For the umpteenth time since she first got him, the girl swatted him, not hard enough to knock him down but enough to get him to stop squeaking. "Be quiet if you can't be nice, Ed!" Coba ordered in his language. The rat obeyed, but still glared at the woman.

Selina was obviously surprised. "You talk to animals? How are you able to?"

"Well, certain animals," Coba answered. "I built my first animal communicator at the age of ten and learned a few languages, though I built another almost a year ago to freshen up my knowledge of them and learn more."

"Which ones do you know?"

"Dog, cat, rat, mouse, goldfish, gecko, horse, bat... the list goes on. I know only certain languages from wild animals, though, like if they're related to domestic animals."

"What do you mean?" Dick inquired, strangely interested in the conversation as well.

"Like mountain lions and wolves are related to cats and dogs respectively," the girl answered.

"Show-off," Ed muttered.

Coba heard Ed's remark, but decided to let it slide this once. She looked at Selina and Dick. "So, uh... what was it that... er... brought you together?" Man, I hope my question doesn't spark a big argument!

"What do you mean?" Selina inquired, a bit confused by Brooklyn's question.

"Well, what was going on when... Sorry," Coba apologized. "It's an uncomfortable subject."

"She basically means to ask what was going on when her mother was conceived," Bruce answered, noticing that Dick was also too uncomfortable about the subject to speak.

Kyle finally caught on. "Oh. Well, shouldn't we wait to talk about it until we're all comfortable with doing so?"

"That might be better. So, what... uh..." Coba stammered uncomfortably. She swallowed before trying again. "What brought you back to Gotham?" That's better, she thought.

Selina's face became solemn as she explained what she had told Bruce the previous night. Coba thought over what Selina said once she was finished speaking. "You know, I think I remember briefly hearing Mom talking to someone on the phone or online just before I went for that walk," Coba said quietly. "I had gotten permission to do so before she made the call. I just never knew who she called."

"Now you know," Selina said gravely. "I am sorry, Coba. For your loss and for what I did to you last night."

"I forgive you. But it wasn't your fault Mom was..." Coba trailed off uncomfortably.

"I know, but still. I wish I had noticed the signs earlier."

Brooklyn looked up at her sadly. "I wish I had seen them sooner, as well."

Dick placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's not your fault, either of you," he said calmly, speaking to Coba and Selina. "I may have never met Natalie, but I know she'd agree." You're starting to repeat yourself a bit, Dick, he realized.

"I-I guess so." Her eyes grew wide with shock after a moment of silence. "Oh, no," she breathed. "Not now."

"What is it?" Dick asked concernedly, his voice quiet.

"She's having a vision," Bruce sagely answered for his young ward. "Coba, why don't you head up to your room? You've been telling me that it's easier for you to calm down when you're in there."

"O-okay," Coba stammered. She stood up with Ed still on her shoulders and limped up the staircase, her eyes still wide, before turning the corner and entering her bedroom. The girl gently shut it behind her.

Selina blinked in shock. "She gets visions?" she asked quietly once Coba had gone upstairs.

"Sometimes, yes," Wayne replied. "Usually in the form of nightmares, though according to her half-brother she has been having more visions than nightmares as of late."

"She has a half-brother?"

"Yes. Same father, different mother."

"Oh." Selina was silent for a moment. "Will Coba be alright on her own while she has that vision?" she inquired concernedly.

Bruce nodded. "She'll be fine," he reassured her. "She's had these before, and she's always pulled through. I'll check on her in a few minutes."

"I'll head up there now," Dick stated gruffly, standing up. "My gut tells me a few minutes will be too late."

Wayne was about to protest, but thought better of it. He trusted his former apprentice's judgment almost as much as he did Coba's. "Alright. Let us know if anything happens."

Dick nodded affirmatively before ascending the stairs as fast as he could. He did not want to disturb Coba in the middle of her vision, yet he knew that he may have to for whatever reason. Coming to a stop in front of the door of Coba's bedroom, which used to be his own, he knocked on the door. "Kid?"

No answer.

"Coba?" he called a bit more gruffly.

Still no answer.

So much for being civilized, Nightwing thought irritably. He opened the door cautiously, hoping he did not catch his granddaughter at a bad time. To his dismay—though not so much to his surprise—Brooklyn was already wearing her Batsuit. He knew she was aware of his presence, though she did not turn around. "You're not thinking of going out there, are you?" he asked suspiciously, though very concerned.

"I have to," Coba replied grimly without facing him, pulling on her suit's cobalt blue gloves. "My vision told me that Wheeler has Terry held prisoner, as my nightmare last night had depicted."

"Coba, listen to me," Dick stated, approaching her and turning her around to face him. "You shouldn't go there, at least not alone. You could get captured yourself, maybe even killed."

"You could be, too, you know," Coba shot back.

"'Could' is not a strong enough word to keep me here while my only surviving relative puts her own life at risk," Dick said stubbornly, irritation beginning to show.

Coba looked into his eyes solemnly. "It's not strong enough to keep me from going after my half-brother, either."

Grayson quickly realized that it was pointless to try to argue with the girl, but knew better than to let her completely have her way. "I'm not going to stop you from going after him," he said sagely, "but you're not going to stop me from going as well."

Brooklyn was silent for a few seconds, considering what she heard and what she should do, before sighing in defeat. "Alright, I see your point. There's no way we can talk each other out of doing what we're going to do, and we may as well get over it."

"Pretty much," Dick confirmed. "We'll take the Wingcycle like we did earlier."

"Alright. Better than the mode of transportation I had in mind."

"Which is?"

"Using my suit's gliders and rocket launchers. Would've used up a lot of it's power, though."

Dick nodded in understanding. "Yeah, you really don't want to do that, trust me. You never know when you'll need it."

Coba nodded but said nothing, unsure of how to feel about this team up. He's certainly going to be a bit more protective of me because we're related, she noted. And we seem to have the same thoughts on misusing the power in the suit. Should I be relieved that he's coming along or should I be worried?

Author's Notes:

I admit, it isn't really structured as well as I wanted it to be, but I'll probably go back at some point and fix it up. The next chapter will have a lot more action. The one after that (if it's not crammed into the next one) will probably be pretty short in comparison, then the one after that will be pretty lengthy and full of action. Yeah, I don't think I'll be able to get this story done by Christmas: I've still got quite a ways to go. Hopefully by Martin Luther King Day, or by Valentine's Day at the latest.

Dick obviously has a strong dislike for Selina. Any thoughts on if this relationship will change at all?

Please leave a review in the box below (I love reading those!) if you would like to. Have a great day! :)