Chapter 29-

Megan held her father tight as they landed on the plate surface of a roof. She buried her face in his chest, her breath coming out in short gasps. Bruce stroked her hair gently before pulling her face from his chest and looking into her brown eyes.

"Are you all right, Megan?" Bruce asked, his eyes full of concern as he cupped her face gently with his gauntleted hands.

"Yeah, I guess so. Daddy, I was so scared!" Megan said, her eyes filling with tears.

Bruce smiled faintly at her before kissing her forehead gently. "It's all right, Megan. I was too," Bruce said as Megan wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him again.

"You were?" Megan asked, looking up into Bruce's eyes. It was a little hard to see her father's eyes through Batman's cowl, but if she looked hard enough she could see them.

"Yes. Did you think I wouldn't get scared?" Bruce asked.

"Sort of. I mean, you're Batman. You normally scare everyone else. You scared me slightly the first time I saw you. You don't strike me as the type who gets scared of anything," Megan said in a small voice.

"Don't let me fool you. I get scared. Are you surprised?" Bruce asked, his voice amused.

"Yes. I think I've had more surprises today than I thought possible. I'm a lot braver than I thought. A lot dumber too," Megan said wryly, quoting a line from one of her favorite movies "Freaky Friday."

"I am sorry, Megan. I wanted to protect you from all of this," Bruce said contritely.

"It's okay. I'm just glad you're not a complete and total geek like I had originally thought," Megan said grinning.

"Not funny. Now let's get off this roof. I think your mother is very worried about you," Bruce said, standing up and taking Megan by the hand to the edge of the roof.

"Is Mom okay?" Megan asked, wrapping her arms around Bruce's neck as they jumped. Megan was as worried about her mother as her mother was about her.

"Yeah. I put her on top of a roof so she would be safe from the panic in the street," Bruce said softly. Megan took a slight sigh of relief. Her mom was safe!

"After we check on Mom what's gonna happen next? Where are we going to go now that the mansion's gone?" Megan asked, changing the subject.

"I thought of the penthouse at the hotel I bought the night you and I first met. I told Alfred to reserve it for you and me. Now I'm not so sure. I need to be close to the manor because all my Batman stuff are there. Your grandparents had a summer cottage on the property that we later gave to your grandmother when we hired her as our cook," Bruce said, his voice reflecting.

Before Megan could say anything else they landed on a roof. "Where are we now?" Megan asked, looking at Bruce.

"Look over there," Bruce said, pointing to the left. Megan looked in the direction Bruce pointed.

"Mom?" Megan asked, seeing her mother and the little boy from the alley. They were both asleep. Megan broke free from her father and went to her mother's side.

"Mama?" Megan asked, touching her mother's face lightly. Rachel opened her eyes and looked at Megan.

"Megan?" Rachel said, reaching up and stroking Megan's face.

"Mom. I was so afraid, Mama," Megan said, burying her face in Rachel's neck.

"I was too, Baby. When that terrible man took you I felt as if I was dying," Rachel said.

Megan then looked at the little boy. He appeared to be having a nightmare. "Is he okay?" Megan asked, a concerned look in her eyes.

"He breathed in the toxin, Megan. We have to give everyone who's been infected the antidote," Bruce said, keeping his voice low and gravelly.

"How are they gonna get it?" Rachel asked, looking at Bruce concerned.

"Lucius Fox who works in the applied sciences wing of Wayne Enterprises has been working on it. That's what I gave you when you were poisoned, Rachel," Bruce said.

"I did ask him at Dad's party earlier if he could make more and he said he could," Megan said, attempting to fix her hair. It was just now that she realized how much had come loose in her attempt to pick the handcuffs' lock.

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"Does she know, Bruce?" Rachel whispered to Bruce as they watched their daughter fix her hair.

Bruce wasn't too surprised at Rachel's question. It was a very good question that even he would have asked. "Yes. She found out earlier this evening. Rachel, I didn't want her finding out this way. I was going to tell her when things calmed down," Bruce said quietly.

"Bruce, this is the last time Megan will get into this kind of trouble, right? I don't want her to be like you at twelve and always doing stupid stunts," Rachel said softly.

'Don't worry, Rachel. She knows that I'm Batman, but she won't be involved like she was this time. You know me, Rachel. I would never intentionally put our daughter in harm's way," Bruce said, his voice turning quite serious.

"I guess I know that. I just love her so much. She reminds me of what you would have been like if your parents had lived. Bruce, I want her to have a happy childhood," Rachel said, her anguish in her eyes.

"I understand, Rachel. I want her happy too. I don't want her to be like I was at twelve. And I want her to know that her father and mother love her," Bruce said, more to himself than Rachel.

"Okay, Bruce. When are you taking her back to Wayne Manor?" Rachel wanted to know, changing the subject.

"In a few minutes. Rachel, the man who took Megan burned the mansion down. Where do you buy Megan's clothes?" Bruce asked.

"Megan's clothes?" Rachel asked perplexed.

"Yes. I want to replace everything she had that got burned up," Bruce explained.

"Let me think. I'm on a budget so I can't spend a lot on clothes. It was a miracle I was even able to put her in private school. Carl, my boss, told me he would help pay for her tuition. He actually was the only one who knew that you were Megan's father. He said to me that the daughter of Bruce Wayne deserved the best education available," Rachel said sadly.

"But where do you buy her clothes normally?" Bruce persisted.

"I think Wal-mart, K-mart, or the occasional thrift store. Megan?" Rachel called over to their daughter.

"Yeah, Mom?" Megan asked, walking over to them and sitting on the ledge.

"Your father wants to know where I buy your clothes," Rachel said.

"Wal-mart, I think. Except my school uniform which you bought at a shop that makes and sells uniforms for the seven or eight private schools in Gotham," Megan said, wrinkling her eyebrows in concentration.

"There's your answer, Bruce," Rachel said.

"Why do you ask?" Megan asked, looking at Bruce confused.

"I'm planning on replacing all your clothes that got burned up. I just needed to know," Bruce said, stroking Megan's head.

"You don't have to do that. I think I have some clothes over at Mom's apartment," Megan said.

"You don't. I brought all your clothes over when you went to stay at your father's a week ago," Rachel said regretfully.

"Yikes! So that means that the only clothes I have is what I have on?" Megan asked, looking down at her party clothes that she had changed into for Bruce's party hours earlier.

"Looks that way," Rachel said cryptically.

"It's time to go, Megan. It is after 3 o'clock in the morning and we have a lot to do tomorrow," Bruce said, changing the topic.

"What about him? Don't we need to get him the antidote first?" Megan asked, looking at the little boy who was still fast asleep.

"Point taken. Rachel, take him to your apartment. I'll send Lucius over with the antidote. Can you keep him there until we find his parents?" Bruce asked, as Megan took his hand.

"Of course. Megan, just promise me that you won't get into any more trouble tonight?" Rachel begged.

"Yes, Ma'am. I promise I won't get into any more trouble. I didn't exactly plan on being kidnapped tonight," Megan said, rolling her eyes.

"I know you didn't. Just be a little more careful next time. And don't roll your eyes when I tell you something," Rachel scolded as she hugged Megan.

"Yes, Mom," Megan said apologetically.

"Megan, time to go," Bruce said, crouching on the ledge.

"See ya, Mom. Love you," Megan whispered softly before they jumped. Megan was asleep by the time they reached the Tumbler, not waking up until they reached the summer cottage on the edge of the Wayne property.