++++++ Sorry for the delay in updating. Had a lot on my mind lately and I kept writing but deleting what I'd written. I am happy with this so hopefully you all are.

I do not own ++++++

Twelve

I took Rachael Murray back to my apartment so we could have more of a private conversation away from the public. She'd gotten remarried five years ago and had two children, their father was a police officer in the Central City Police Department where she lived. Rachael was a Kindergarten teacher-I kept expecting, waiting for something to happen but it never did.

I didn't know if what she wanted was the best thing for anyone involved but there was such sadness in her eyes.

So I did it.

I called Roy and asked him to come to my place.

About twenty minutes later and a fresh pot of tea, Roy let himself into the apartment calling out to see if I was okay.

"We're in here!" I replied.

"We?" Roy quoted, coming into the lounge room.

Rachael stood up, playing with her hands. She appeared to be a very nervous kind of person-I imagine it would have been from years' worth of abuse at her ex-husbands hands. "Hello Roy," she smiled.

Roy looked her up and down for what appeared to feel like years. "Mum?" he muttered. He glanced sideways at me. "What's my mother doing here?" he asked me. "River what the hell is my mother doing here?"

"My new investor," I replied. "She wants to talk to you. I think you should hear her out. I've made some tea-we all need to sit down and just talk."

"I am not sitting down with that woman!" Roy snapped. He grabbed my arm tightly-once upon a time it probably would have hurt me. "What the hell is this? We just got back together and you're throwing this in my face?"

"I only found out an hour ago," I hissed. "I think you should hear her out before you go casting judgment calls on a woman who spent the better part of her life as a dickhead's punching bag! I have no parents, Roy! Be thankful your mother is still alive." I pulled my arm away and went to pour everyone some tea.

Roy slumped down in a chair as far away from his mother as possible and Rachael sat down at the end of the table. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you," she told him. "I saw your picture on the internet-I can't believe you're all grown up. Such a handsome young man. My boy."

"I am not your boy!" Roy snapped. "You left me!"

"I tried to come and get you," she answered back. "Your father got to you first. You don't remember the day before I left do you?" Rachael asked him. "Your father past out on the couch, drunk again? You wanted his help with your homework and tried to wake him up. He threw you across the room. Luckily you weren't hurt. I would have taken you the first chance I got. I tried the police but they weren't any help. I'd be dead now if I had stayed!"

I sipped my tea quietly, practically hearing the thoughts rolling around Roy's head. There came a knock and the door and I sat my cup down then got up to answer it. "Roy, don't me angry, okay. She's here now. At least your parents were part of an evil plot to destroy the city," I reminded him.

Rachael stared at me questioning. "What is she talking about? How did you meet River anyway?"

The building concierge was at the door with a package for me. "This came for you Miss Quinn. It's from Gotham."

"Ah, thanks," I smiled, taking the box and slipping him a twenty. I came back inside and sat it on the kitchen bench. Roy and Rachael were talking somewhat uneasily as I dialled Bruce. "What's in the box?" I questioned when he answered.

"Excuse me?" Bruce frowned on the other end. "River what's in what box?"

I paused. "You didn't send me a package?"

"If I was going to send you anything I would have called you beforehand," Bruce answered. "I suggest you carefully open the package."

I took the throwing knife out that I had stashed in my boot and slid it underneath the paper, cutting the tape ever so carefully. Under the brown paper was an old cardboard box with no tape or anything on it holding the top closed. I opened it carefully only to find inside was a bouquet of violet roses and a clown's mask. "Fuck me sideways," I gasped. "It's purple flowers and a clown mask."

"Get out! Call the police!" Bruce told me.

Another knock at the door had me thinking that it was too late. There was no way I could do this here-not with Roy's mother in my dining room. After last night I think luck was looking at me laughing at saying today is not your day. I grabbed a couple of knives out of the kitchen drawer and walked into the dining room.

Rachael gasped. "What the hell is going on?"

"Roy we gotta move," I warned him. I leant underneath the table and pulled out a gun that was hidden there in case of emergencies. I handed him the gun once I took the safety off. "Only use it if you really need it."

The front door exploded inward, Rachael screamed and hid underneath the table. She covered her head. Roy crawled under the table to get to his mother. I knelt down and covered her mouth to shush her. "If you can get to my room, the bathroom doubles as a safe room. Punch in the code-7138 and it will send s distress signal to SCPD. It's got its own internal power source. Shut the door and turn the handle right and it will lock."

Roy went to speak but stopped when the sounds of footsteps came into the room.

"Honey I'm home!"

Joker.

"Turn this place upside down! I want my puppy back."

Okay I'm a little offended by that.

"River no!" Roy hissed. He grabbed my hand. "Not here. Not now."

"He's psychotic mad man able to put two and two together," I replied. "Getting hit by that truck must have told him everything he needed to know. Now you take your mother somewhere safe and call the fucking police. I love you." I leant forward and kissed him before getting up. "Looking for me?" I grinned.

Joker laughed when he saw me. "It's my puppy!" He held up a purple dog collar attached to a leash. "I even got you a new collar. Good puppy! Now sit."

Right now I'm going to ignore the fact that I had a few bedroom thoughts for me, Roy and leash that made me smirk. "I'm not a puppy," I replied, shaking my head, throwing a knife at the clown goon closer to me. "A bitch yes, but I am not your puppy."

"Hey!" Joker shouted. "That was my favourite goon! You will be missed number twelve. Get her boys."

I jumped up onto the table and kicked one of the clowns in the face. "Go!" I shouted to my guests. One of the goons grabbed my leg and pulled me down to the table which I hit with an almighty thud. I lashed out and a clown straight through my kitchen bench like he was nothing. "Oops," I mumbled. I jumped up and somersaulted off the table, breaking a clown's knee after I landed.

"This isn't funny!" Joker whined. "You're no fun!" He pulled a gun out of his jacket. "Time to put the puppy down."

My head was slammed against the table, splitting it open and sending sharp tendrils of pain all through my body. I blocked a punch to my torso just in time for a bullet to rip though my shoulder. I fell to the ground, holding my bleeding shoulder-no way I wanted to get any of that blood on anything that Joker could use.

How the hell did he find me? Starling is a huge place.

I scrambled underneath the table, during the fight Roy and his mother had chosen to hide. If only I could get to the study where a boe staff was hidden behind the door. I looked around and shook my head, throwing that idea aside. Instead I picked up two legs off the floor from a broken chair.

I hit one of the clowns across the face and underneath the chin. The sound of sirens in the streets below. I spun around, blood seeping into my clothing. Joker and the rest of them were gone.

I dropped the chair legs and rushed to the bathroom covered in blood. I punched in the code to the bathroom that was hidden behind a bookcase. "Family reunions?" I laughed, standing there holding the door open.

"Oh my god your head!" Rachael gasped, pointing at my head and the deep gash on my forehead. "Roy what the hell is happening to her head? She got shot! Roy what is she?!" she gasped before she collapsed.

I smirked. "Oops."

"River!" Roy frowned, bending down to check her pulse.

"Well I was going to answer alien but she fainted before I could," I shrugged as the shouts of the police met our ears.