AN: We're reaching the end of this thrilling tale! This isn't the final chapter, though. There will be two more chapters, dealing with the aftermath of the Scarecrow's rampage. But now, I think it's time for Babs to learn the truth... Don't you?

Batgirl ran. She ran as fast as she could, jumping from building to building. She scoured each hiding place in Metropolis. Unfortunately, the Scarecrow was either really stealthy, or really fast. Batgirl couldn't find him anywhere. Pier? Nope. Sweet Justice? Nada. Burrito Bucket? Not there. It was like he had vanished into thin air.

But he hadn't. As Batgirl had heard, he had gassed a few more people, being a businessman and a married couple who tried to stop him. After that, no one had seen him. Some people did see Karen's drone in the sky, but not the actual guy. But Batgirl wasn't just going to let him escape justice. She was going to find him, even if it took her all night.

She just hoped the Scarecrow had stopped somewhere close because she was really getting tired.

Eventually, Batgirl stopped on a particularly high building, panting heavily. "OK, he's gotta be around here somewhere," she mumbled. At this point she was really anxious to beat this guy.

With that, she took out her binoculars. At this height, she'd surely be able to find the Scarecrow. She quickly looked through them. She began to zoom in to some of the alleyways. Unfortunately, the Scarecrow wasn't in any of the alleyways. All she was seeing was a few kids playing hopscotch and a two teenagers making out.

She began to think. Where could he be? He couldn't have just turned in for the night, considering people were still being gassed. So, where was he?

Suddenly, she heard a scream. He quickly turned her attention to the bridge, zooming in. It was... Wonder Woman! Yes, she was fighting off Catwoman, and they were evenly matched. She looked at more of the bridge. She saw the rest of her friends. Supergirl was battling with Star Sapphire above the water, Zatanna was trying to push Giganta back with her powers, Green Lantern was slicing through Poison Ivy's plants... she even saw a little yellow streak zipping around Harley Quinn as the villainess tried and failed to swat it.

She couldn't help but smile. "Go team!" She called out. She knew they couldn't hear her, but she didn't care. Her only question was how a simple bank robbery spun off into a battle on the bridge. Hey, maybe if she used a batarang, she could disorient one of villains for long enough so that her friends could take them down.

Then she noticed something. Something that none of the people dueling on the bridge had seemed to notice. It was Karen's drone, wobbling slightly. Where there was the drone, there was...

She immediately turned her attention to the building that was nearest to the bridge. She promptly zoomed and enhanced and... It was him! The Scarecrow was standing at the edge of the building, controlling the drone.

It didn't take a sleuth to figure it out. Scarecrow was going to try and gas the villains and the heroes! Well, not her watch. Batgirl quickly spread her cape out and jumped off the building, using her cape to glide. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, she was gliding about as gracefully as a kite in a hurricane. She began to flail about, which honestly didn't help, as she closed in on the Scarecrow, who was completely unaware of her.

Then, with about as much force as a dodgeball being thrown into some poor kid's face during P.E., she crashed into the Scarecrow. Almost instantly, the villain crumpled to the ground like an old newspaper. As Batgirl stood up, she noticed that he had been knocked out cold, and was laying sprawled on the ground. She felt confidence swell up inside her...

And then remembered the drone. The drone that was probably about to land on the bridge, break, and release its load.

Batgirl's eyes widened. "Crap!" She quickly snatched the remote and began to fiddle with the control sticks. Thankfully, Karen had let her test it out a few days ago, so she knew how to use it. The drone, which was in a free-fall, began to gradually slow down. Soon, it stopped just a few centimetres above Supergirl's head. Star Sapphire noticed this and seemed to stare at it, confused. Something that proved to be a bad mistake when Supergirl used it as an opportunity to punch her square in the face.

Good move, Kara, Batgirl thought with a smirk. With that, she began to make the drone slowly come to her. Once it was near enough, she opened up the compartment on the back. She reached in and pulled out a few sacks. Ones filled with fear toxin, no doubt. Holding her breath as to make sure she didn't experience another fear trip, she quickly threw the sacks into some plastic bags. She proudly placed her hands on her hips.

"Day saved," she said. She quickly straightened up. "Now to help my-"

Suddenly, she felt something swish past her, narrowly missing her arm and hitting the ground. She yelped in surprise and turned around. It was the Scarecrow, conscious once again. He was holding a large scythe in his hands and he looked mad. Actually, mad was an understatement. He looked pissed.

"You?!" He snarled. "Trying to stop me again? You just ruined my chance to really be feared!" He pointed at her, seething in rage. "And how are you even here? I sprayed you with my fear toxin! It doesn't wear off for 24 hours! How could you resist it?"

Batgirl just stood her ground. She wasn't afraid of this guy. Especially since his toxin wouldn't work on her anymore. She hoped, anyway.

"I... just overcome my fear."

For just a few seconds, the Scarecrow's hateful expression dropped. Replacing it was a look of disbelief and shock. His grip on the scythe loosened as he just stared at her, jaw hanging open slightly. Batgirl couldn't help but stay back. What was this guy thinking?

But, just as quickly as he changed expressions, any sense of shock disappeared from his face, the rage once again making itself present. "Liar!" With that, he brought the scythe down again, this time slicing one of Batgirl's hands. She screamed in pain and grabbed her hand, groaning a little.

The Scarecrow glared at her. "You can't just overcome your fear! It is something that stays with you! Forever!" His voice was filled with so much rage that it was almost stunning. With that, he took out his shovel and tried to smash her head in.

Batgirl quickly ducked. "Yeah, well I just did it!" She proclaimed. "So you can take your fear toxin and shove it up your nose!"

Scarecrow hissed at her. "I'll shove it up your nose, you... stupid, purple bat!" He paused, frowning. "OK, I could have done a little better than-"

Batgirl used this opportunity to punch him in the face. She punched him with such force that his mask flew off his face. As the Scarecrow knelt down, covering his face with his hands, Batgirl placed her hands on her hips.

"It's over, Scarecrow. Or should I say..."

The Scarecrow lifted his head up, revealing his face for the first time. And, for Batgirl, it felt like the world had stopped moving. She felt her heart begin to race. She just stared at the criminal, trying to convince herself that she was just seeing things.

But she knew she wasn't.

Jonathan?

It was him. The same messy hair. The same green eyes. The same thin, pointed facial features. It was Jonathan Crane, through and through.

Batgirl just stared at him, unable to move. Jonathan was the Scarecrow? Her friend - well, technically former friend - was a villain? She couldn't believe it. No, she wouldn't. She didn't.

Eventually, she found her voice. "Who... are you?" She was careful to not accidentally blurt out his name. Right now, her mind was trying to think of some other possibility. Some way that showed that he wasn't the Scarecrow. She...

Jonathan just stared back at her. "My name's not important. Leave. Now." He was trying to sound intimidating, but his voice was shaking. Hell, his whole body was shaking.

Batgirl cleared her throat, trying to push back that negative looming feeling. "Wh... why did you do all this?" She needed to know. "Why did you hurt so many people?"

At first, Jonathan was silent. But, after a few seconds, he stomped the ground.

"Well, I doubt things could get any worse. So, I'll tell you." He unfurrowed his brow. "I've been pushed around my entire life. By everyone except my family. The boys at my old school, the girl I loved, the guys at the old arcade in Gotham... even the teachers thought I was a pushover!" He threw his shovel to the ground. He took in a deep breath before speaking again. "Every day of my life, I lived in constant fear. Practically no waking hour was safe. I never told my parents, because I felt like it wouldn't change anything. Besides, it's not like my dad would listen."

Barbara began to feel many conflicting emotions. On one hand, she still felt bad for Jonathan for going through all that. It was horrible. But on the other, he had hurt so many people. So many innocent people.

Jonathan continued. "It was like that for so long. Until one day. My family bought a scarecrow so that they could get rid of the crows that kept eating our crops. The scarecrow was actually pretty creepy." He began to walk around, fiddling with his fingers. "A-a-and it... inspired me, as weird as it sounds. And then, that night, I got struck with an idea."

Barbara's eyes widened. "And that was?"

"To take vengeance on my tormentors. I dressed up like a scarecrow and started to scare people. People like Bo Briggs and Sherry Squires." He stopped moving, staring back at her. "Around that time, my dad got sent to Arkham Asylum. When we were sorting out his stuff, I found some plans for a 'fear toxin'. Once again, I was struck with inspiration."

Barbara took a step towards him. "Which was..."

Jonathan sighed. "To make my own fear toxin. I made a few batches so I could use them on my enemies. Tonight was my first night of doing so."

Barbara just stared back at him. She could barely believe what was going on. "But... why?"

"'Why?'" Jonathan yelled, making Barbara jump a little. "Why do you think?! Were you listening to me? I was treated like garbage! All my life!" Tears were starting to stream down his face. "I was always the one being pushed around. But, as the Scarecrow, I could be respected... I could be feared." He looked down, covering his eyes with his hand.

Barbara took a step back, feeling a whirlpool of thoughts spinning around in her mind. Thoughts of all the time she had spent with Jonathan in the past week, how he seemed like such a good guy, and his awful life in Gotham. Eventually, she was able to clear her head and outstretched her hand. "Jonathan..."

Suddenly, Jonathan lifted his head back up. He didn't look sad anymore. He just looked furious. "And I am not letting some wannabe superhero take my moment away from me!" With that, he grabbed his mask and pulled it back over his face. He lunged at her, letting out a scream of rage. Batgirl quickly dodged him, with the Scarecrow screeching to a halt once he missed her. He turned around to face the hero, pulling out his scythe.

"Too bad," Batgirl said, preparing herself for battle. "I am going to stop you!"

The Scarecrow just yelled again, slicing the air in front of him. Batgirl grabbed the blade of the scythe, holding it just above her head. The Scarecrow pushed it down more, the blade slowly edging towards her right eye. Batgirl began to sweat as the blade got closer. She was just lucky that her hands weren't sweaty. Otherwise, it'd slip out of her hands and...

Well, no need to dwell on that. She delivered a kick into the Scarecrow's stomach, knocking him back. However, he recovered after only a few seconds. He stared at her, his expression still as hateful as ever.

"Cute, hero," he sneered. "But it's not over yet."

Batgirl just glowered at him. "How could you hurt so many people?!" She had an idea she'd be asking a question like this at some point. But now she was asking it to someone who, just a few days ago, was her friend.

The Scarecrow let out a loud scoff. "I wanted to show the people how awful they were to me!"

Batgirl lunged at him, grabbing his wrist. "But what about the people who did nothing to you? Innocent people?"

The Scarecrow wrestled out of Batgirl's grasp, punching her in the face. "No one's really innocent! They just haven't had the chance to bring me down yet! This whole thing is a perfectly sane and rational way to deal with my problems!" He drew his scythe again, glaring daggers at Batgirl.

Batgirl just sighed. "You're... you're just a bully."

Almost as soon as the words left Batgirl's lips, the Scarecrow snapped. "SHUT UP!" He quickly brought the scythe down again. Batgirl fell to the ground and rolled out of the way. When she stood up, she noticed that the Scarecrow wasn't trying to get her. Instead, he was struggling to get his scythe out of the the wall it was stuck in.

This was her chance. With utmost speed, Batgirl leaped into the air and delivered a kick directly into the Scarecrow's jaw. He flew a few feet back and fell to the ground. A soft groan escaped his lips and his head lolled to the side. He was unconscious.

She had defeated the Scarecrow.

But, she didn't feel that happy. Make no mistake, she was happy that she had taken him down and saved a lot of other people that he may have gone after, including her friends. But, something about this was different. This was someone who was her friend for a week. A boy she met in kindergarten. A boy who, even though she probably shouldn't have, she wanted to be friends with again. And so, the feeling of joy at a victory was gone. Instead, she felt mostly... empty.

"Hey!"

Batgirl spun around, adopting a combat stance. However, she relaxed when she saw it was just her friends. She sighed, smiling a little. "Oh, hey guys," she said.

"The villains escaped, but we were able to get back the money they stole and..." Diana trailed off, looking past Barbara. "You... defeated the Scarecrow!"

The girls smiled. "Good job, Babs," Kara said.

Barbara's smile faded, being replaced with a frown. Kara smile dropped as well. "Babs?"

Barbara didn't say anything. She just walked over to the Scarecrow, ripping off his mask. The rest of the girls gasped when they saw his face.

"Jonathan was the Scarecrow?" Jessica whispered. Barbara nodded, sitting down. After sitting there for just a few seconds, she pulled out her Bat-Phone and called 911. Soon, she heard a voice.

"911, what's your emergency?"

Barbara cleared her throat. "Hello. I took down the Scarecrow... And I know who he is. Send a car."

And so ends the Scarecrow's reign of terror. Don't go yet! There are still two more chapters. One for Babs, and another for Jonny. See you soon (hopefully).