Ok, two chapters at once! Hopefully, this will tide y'all over until I can get the next two chapters up, right? :Looks around hopefully:

Disclaimer: way back in chapter one, which hopefully you read, or this won't make any sense at all.

A/N: Not much to say here, other than thanking my beta, Arlene, who is so cool, both for beta-ing and putting up with me, lol!!!! Anyway, on with the fic! 

Huntress raced across the rooftops of New Gotham with a speed she'd never had before. She was grateful for the challenge her speed presented to her journey; it gave her something to focus on, kept her mind on being Huntress. Deep inside, Helena was near to tears with fear for Barbara, who was like a second mother to her, but at that moment it was Huntress who was most needed, not Helena.

            She slowed as she reached the alley Dinah had named, not wanting to announce her arrival too soon. If Barbara weren't in any danger, she would not be pleased at Huntress' interruption, but if there were trouble, then the element of surprise would be an important factor. Taking a deep breath, she looked around the corner, and her heart almost stopped as she took in the scene before her.

            There were three men in the alley with Barbara, all armed with knives. One of them – the leader, no doubt – had grasped Barbara by her throat and lifted her out of her wheelchair, which had been overturned. The man held her at eye level in front of him as he spoke to her. Huntress was too far away to hear what he said, but she had no doubt that it was a threat of some kind. The other two hung back, closer to the mouth of the alley – backup in case of trouble. One of the backup thugs was favoring his right hand, and Huntress could see his knife on the ground, along with a set of escrima sticks. She smiled briefly – obviously Barbara had given them some trouble. 

            Turning back for a moment, Huntress touched her necklace, activating a comm link back to the Clocktower. "Dinah, it's me. Barbara's in trouble. Get the car and get down here fast. And contact Reese at the station. Tell him there'll be three bad guys for him to pick up. I'll give him details later."

            "Understood, Huntress. I'm on my way." Dinah's voice was firm, barely betraying her emotions, and Huntress smiled briefly; the girl had come a long way. A strangled gasp from the alley brought her focus back, and she turned the corner to see that bad guy #1 had tightened his grip on Barbara's throat. He was speaking more rapidly now, and she could see the knife he held just under Barbara's ribs.

            In an instant, she was behind them. The wounded thug went down quickly, but his partner seemed to have had some training, and lasted a bit longer. The delay was no more than a minute, but it proved to be just long enough; Huntress turned from him just in time to see the leader throw Barbara against the wall. There was a sick thud as her head connected with the bricks, and she crumpled in a heap on the ground, unmoving. Huntress spared only a glance for the fleeing assailant as she rushed to her friend's side, rolling her onto her back. There was a cut on her head, probably from the impact of the wall, but that was overshadowed by the blood rapidly soaking Barbara's shirt. Helena went into a definite panic at that point, remembering the last woman she'd loved who had been stabbed in the street, but Huntress ruthlessly kept control.

            "Dinah, where are you?" she shouted as she clamped her hands over the wound, applying pressure. "Barbara's hurt! Alert Reese that one of the perps is on the run!"

            "We're on it, Huntress," Dinah's voice came back, much less calm than before but still steady. "Pulling up now." A few seconds later, she came flying down the alley, emergency medical bag in hand. "Alfred's back at base," she said in reply to Huntresses' look. "He said he'd be more use preparing the medbay for any injuries."

            Huntress spared a second to bless the old butler's foresight as she grabbed the bag from Dinah and yanked it open. Pulling out a pair of scissors, she cut Barbara's shirt open for better access to the knife wound, just below the ribs, and took a pressure bandage from Dinah. Once it was in place, she checked for a pulse and was relieved to find it relatively strong and steady – for the moment. "Ok, let's move," she said, carefully gathering Barbara into her arms. "We need to get her back to the Clocktower, fast. Get on comms and tell Alfred to get Dr. Thompkins over there, now!"

Ok, you all know what to do; don't make me get out my sharp objects!!!

lareina walks off, making mental note to buy more chocolate for smores: