A few notes:

Thank you all for the reviews they were good to get, when I was feeling very insecure about the quality of the story. Now the plot of this one is gonna lead all the way from Dinah's arrival in their lives up to the Birds of Prey becoming a trio instead of a duo. My series might slow down in its releases while my muse is giving me chapters for this one at a high rate, but I'll endeavor to finish all of this. Now for all my faithful reviewers and readers the next chapter.

Chapter 6: The Clocktower

Barbara looked with distrust at the large black vehicle. Bruce stood next to it with a strained look of happiness on his face. "What is this?" She had to ask. She was getting more than a little tired of receiving charity especially within the first few minutes of getting discharged from the hospital. She was considering where she should go to stay. Her home was out of the question.

"It's your new car," he explained solemnly.

"Bruce, I am not sure I want any more from you. I am grateful for your help with the medical bills and the lawyers, but I don't want to live my life as a charity case," she explained.

He looked at her as if he had expected this conversation for a while. "I know Barbara, it is not about charity. I want you to at least have a basic standard of living even with you unable to work for a while. You said you still wanted to change the world. I want you to be able to," he said and motioned for her to get closer.

He opened the car door and the bottom of the driver part of the car slowly lowered itself. Barbara slowly drove her wheelchair in, but couldn't turn around to face the wheel, when Bruce just pressed a button next to her. Something locked around the wheels of her chair and she was slowly lifted and spun into position in front of the wheel. The tech geek in Barbara almost giggled with excitement. "Let's practice a little on the parking lot," Bruce suggested and got in on the passenger seat.

A while later Barbara was getting used to the joystick based controls of the car. Bruce looked at his watch and said, "Alfred is waiting for us downtown." He looked at her expectantly. She guided the car out into traffic.

"Where are we going?" Barbara asked as they crossed into what she considered the downtown area of New Gotham. Nearby was her apartment. Fear welled up into her inexplicably at the thought of going home. How was she ever to feel secure there again?

"Head for the Clocktower," Bruce suggested and pointed at the building that was so prominent on the New Gotham skyline.

The car rolled to a stop next a meter and Barbara was once again lowered down to street-level by the car's elevator, only it placed her with her front towards the pavement. She rolled out and found Bruce putting money in the meter. "We're going inside," he said.

Barbara rolled towards the building noticing with her trained perception a man replacing a sign outside with a Wayne Enterprises one, a couple of workers putting in a ramp on one of the two big sets of doors and a rather large collection of other contractor vehicles parked down the road. She gave Bruce a questioning look, but he was looking away apparently searching for the elevators. "This way," he said and walked to an elevator that had just opened its doors.

Barbara stopped inside the elevator, turned her upper body towards Bruce and said, "Alright spill it, what is going on here?"

"Lucius recently invested some money in real estate, so I ended up owning the New Gotham Clocktower. I thought that neither you nor Dinah wanted to go back to your apartment, so I have set up a place for you here. I am having a few security systems installed after it got made wheelchair friendly," he answered without looking at her.

The elevator door slid open to reveal a dead quiet corridor. It looked like there were Wayne Enterprises offices behind every door. Bruce headed down the hall and when satisfied that there was no one around he pressed his hand against a wall panel opening for a small keypad. He tapped in a sequence of numbers and a secret door was revealed. They headed into what looked to Barbara liked an armored steel elevator. "A few security systems huh," she commented, but Bruce only smirked.

Barbara rolled into the cavernous room and realized that they were behind the clock of the Clocktower. "Wow," she said and looked around. The room seemed comfortable, but airy yet warm at the same time. There were a lot of rooms and she guessed the entire floor and all those around the clock were to be hers. "Isn't this a bit much?" She turned towards Bruce.

"I think it will do just fine," Alfred's familiar voice came from upstairs.

"Alfred," she said and the butler appeared leaning over the metal railing above.

"Yes, Miss Gordon," he asked.

"What are you doing up there?" she asked as she noticed his dusty clothes.

"Well I was cleaning the last room, so I can move Miss Lance's things into her new home," he explained. "Oh, Master Bruce, your lawyers sent some papers for you to the manor. I've put them by the security monitors."

"Ah," Barbara said and looked at Bruce. He motioned for her to follow him to a corner across the large empty space in front of the clock face. There was a bank of color video monitors, which showed the entrance area of the building, the entrance to the elevator leading up here, the elevator itself and the area outside the elevator up here. Barbara looked at the monitors not noticing Bruce reading through some documents. Suddenly a stack of paper was handed to her. "What is this?" She asked in confusion.

"The adoption paperwork for Dinah, all you need now is a final hearing, and then she will be yours in everyway," he said.

"Thank you so much," Barbara took the papers and quickly read them through. Bruce slowly walked away without saying a word.

After a while Barbara looked up finding Alfred standing close by. "Master Bruce had to go, and so do I, but before I leave as well I wanted to give you this," he said and handed her a folder. "It's the description of this place and its security system. Wayne Enterprises is footing the bill I believe is the proper American term," Alfred began buttoning his coat.

"Alfred, why is Bruce so glum? I haven't seen him since Jason died," Barbara just couldn't understand.

Alfred looked at her for a moment then it seemed he came to some conclusion, "Well maybe you haven't learned of it Miss Gordon, but on the same night you were attacked Selina Kyle was killed."

Barbara suddenly felt another wave of anguish go through her mind. Selina had been a good even if a little distant friend. "Oh, my god, Helena," she suddenly realized. The girl was out there somewhere left all alone in the world. Neither Bruce nor Helena knew of her true lineage. They both had too feel, an enormous sense of loss and loneliness right now. But she could do something to alleviate it.

"Yes, I am afraid Miss Kyle's daughter must be in a sorry position," Alfred agreed in a slightly neutral and removed tone.

"No, Alfred it is not only that. I emphasize for Helena's loss. I remember how hard it was and sometimes still is for Dinah. But there is something else. Selina told me, Bruce is Helena's father. I promised not to tell anyone unless something happened. Well something has happened," she explained. Maybe the news of Helena could console her sad friend.

"Oh, dear," Alfred said and practically ran off. Barbara stared after him with a lifted eyebrow at the uncommon behavior of the usually stoic butler.

The elevator door slid closed leaving Barbara looking around the huge room. "Home sweet home," she said wryly and headed for the elevator herself. She needed to go see Dinah.

Slowly Barbara maneuvered her wheelchair into Dinah's room at the children's ward. Dinah was eating and watching a cartoon. Barbara smiled at seeing the still pale girl sitting up with only a few IVs and monitors around her. Dinah no longer needed help with her breathing and the doctors assured her that Dinah's lungs were recovering at an astounding rate. "Mom," Dinah called out as she rolled to a stop next to her. Dinah still hadn't commented on her disability, but Barbara was sure the intelligent girl had noticed.

"So," she had planned on telling Dinah about the adoption plan soon, but she felt strange almost afraid of Dinah's reaction. What would she do if the girl decided that she didn't want to be adopted? "I wanted to talk to you about some things," she said and butterflies seemed to suddenly spring to life in her stomach.

"Okay," Dinah said and focused her attention on her instead of the TV.

"Listen you're gonna be well soon and I. think we shouldn't go back to the apartment, so Bruce helped me find a much cooler and safer place for us. I can't wait to show it to you, when you get out of here," she explained.

"I can't wait to get out of here." Dinah took a pained breath.

"Also there is something else. Dinah, you know I am your guardian and I could never replace your mother, but I. I." She paused and forced herself to calm down. "I want to adopt you, if you want me," she said with a cracking voice. A few tears got out of her iron willed control.

Dinah leaned forward even if the movement still caused her some discomfort and picked up one of the tears on to her left index finger. "Mom, of course I want to. I can't imagine not being your daughter. I've felt like that for years. I can barely remember my birth mom, but I do know that I love you both with all my heart," she said. For a while Barbara and Dinah sat in the hospital room their hands clasped. Barbara wanted to hug Dinah, but knowing that it would hurt them both because of their still healing wounds, kept her from doing anything more.

Dinah Lance sat in the ugly brown upholstered and uncomfortable seats of the court room. Well she knew it wasn't a regular court room, but it still had the same nervous air as those she had seen on TV before. She had been released from hospital today just to be taken across town by a nice but reserved old man that asked she called him Alfred, while he kept referring to her as Miss Dinah. She would have been protesting if it hadn't been for her mom telling her this morning to listen to him and to go with Alfred when he took her here. Her mom was also here sitting out in front answering questions by a judge carefully guided by a man and a woman in very expensive looking clothes, who sat next to her. She had been here since before they had arrived.

She knew, what was going on. In spite of having called Barbara mom for years, deep down she had always felt nervous each time the word had passed her lips. Because she knew from the other kids all the way back in the grief group that Barbara wasn't her mom. Time and again she had thought about what would happen if Barbara suddenly decided she didn't want her around. She wasn't her birth mother. But today that was all changing all without even asking for it. She knew her birth mom in heaven would be happy with both her and Barbara today.

"Then I see no problem with this adoption. I am going to grant it. Congratulations," the judge said. Dinah felt a kind of lump in her throat and sniffled as her eyes watered. She was feeling so happy all of a sudden. Suddenly muscled and tanned arms wrapped around her and she leaned into the first hug of her mother the first hug they had been able to give each other in over a month. Dinah breathed in the smell that was uniquely her mother.

"Congratulations Miss Gordon or is it going to be plural now," Alfred said.

Dinah shivered a little suddenly feeling a bit cold as Barbara leaned away. She collected the jacket the old man had given her and began putting it on. "I don't know, but technically it would be plural now," Barbara answered.

"Plural, what do you mean?" Dinah had to ask. She knew that plural meant many, but she had no idea what they were hinting at.

"Dinah, honey, we're talking about your name. Now that I have adopted you, you're legally a Gordon like me," Barbara explained.

Dinah thought it over. She didn't feel any different just happier than before, but often the grown up paper agreements didn't make her feel any different. Like when she got her grades and everyone thought they were really nice. Dinah just thought they were some people's idea of what she knew cooked down to a letter. "So I am Dinah Gordon now?" she asked.

"Well I was thinking more along the lines of Dinah Gordon Lance or Dinah Lance Gordon, but it's up to you if we change your name at all," Barbara explained.

Dinah considered the names. So many bad things had changed for her both inside and out lately, and this new name was a good thing. "I think I like Dinah Lance Gordon better," she decided leaving both Alfred and Barbara grinning.

"Well I will have that arranged. Now Dinah how about we go home? I want to show you our new place, before we go out to dinner with my Dad," Barbara suggested.

Dinah nodded vigorously, she had only heard a little about their new place, so she was looking forward to seeing it, her new room and all her things. A thought suddenly came through her mind, "Mom doesn't this make Jim my granddad?"

Her mom suddenly gave her a sly smile, "It does."

Dinah looked around with wide eyes as the door of the secret elevator slid open to reveal their huge new home. "Wow," the little girl couldn't help saying and walked out into the bare room in front of the clock. Barbara smiled knowingly.

"Indeed," Alfred agreed with a smile as he followed her and her little girl inside.

Dinah ran off to explore. Barbara watched her, but didn't say anything. She didn't want to mother Dinah too much. The little girl needed to regain her confidence now more than ever and she had decided to make that a part of her plan for their shared future. "Thank you for taking her care of her today, Alfred," she said wondering slightly where the butler had found the time.

"Well I have a lot of time on my hands now that Master Bruce is gone," he said.

Barbara turned her wheelchair towards him and stared at the butler. "Bruce is gone. where?" she asked.

"Master Bruce has left the city. He told me that he wanted to be alone, so he didn't share his new location with me. He has left some instructions. I fear he is not coming back," Alfred said in his absolutely calm fashion as if he had just recited a recipe for soup.

"But. but what about Batman? What about his fight? More importantly what did he do about Helena?" she blurted out rapidly.

"Well, Miss Kyle is being well taken care off. He set up a trust fund for her. A rather substantial one I might add. But I am afraid he didn't feel up the challenge of meeting her or telling her himself. I was reassured by his lawyer that all that was taken care off. As for Batman I think he has been retired," Alfred explained.

"Has he gone nuts? Helena loved her deeply mother. She won't just bounce back from this. Money won't make her feel better. What was he thinking?" Barbara was feeling very angry at that point. She knew Helena well enough to feel very sorry for the girl. Her world had been turned upside down much like her and Dinah's. And with both her and Batman gone it would only take a short period of time before the canny criminals of New Gotham filled the power vacuum left by the Joker. She was still needed. Barbara looked around. And Bruce had known it even planned it.

"Let me guess, he left the same day he showed me this place," she hazarded to guess. She hadn't seen Bruce since then.

"Yes," Alfred admitted. "Well, Miss Gordon I am sorry, but I'm afraid that my presence is required at the manor in a while, so if you'll excuse me." And with those words the butler left, leaving a shocked Barbara Gordon sitting in her wheelchair in the sunbathed reflections of the New Gotham Clocktower clock.