I return from Pergatory! I was grounded from the computer for 4 DAYS! Never fear, I'm back! Now this chapter gets a little sappy towards the end, but I begin to show that all of Carm's instabilities are really just excuses she's made up to avoid history repeating itself. And You'll notice the last scene from BB, sorry that i didn't get it quite right, and a scene from the original.This sin't my favorite chapie, and I'm still not toally satisfied, but review and tell me what you think!
Nightshade0020: Geeze, You've got a whole ton of Batman fics out! I'm going to take a stab in the dark and guess you're a fan. Have you read the comics? I haven't, I'm too busy. Well, Cram being part of The League of Shadows would be an interesting twist, but I don't like stories where the two MCs are so similar they could be clones. I get a little into her past toward the end though : )
Savitri: Would you friggin log in! I don't particullary care about my sp, thank u very muche
Maid of the Mer: I'm beginning to fear muffins...
Pirate Gyrl: Thanks for so much feedback! I'm glad you like that cape-wedgie, just shows you how I think. Well, Bruce finds out, and since you enjoyed my previous sappy conversations, You'll have plenty to gnaw on when you're done!

I hate you

They found the oddly intact body that wasn't supposed to be there in the vat that they'd been draining because it wasn't supposed to be there either. So they did what you do with everything in Gotham that isn't supposed to be there: they threw it in the river., which is where the doctor found it. He was in need of a cadaver to practice a technique on, so instead of paying for one he went to the river, a virtual bank of bodies. Plus, the river practically picked them out for him. Only fresh bodies would work with the new procedure, and only fresh bodies floated. In fact, the body he'd found, though grotesquely disfigured, was so fresh it was still breathing. Worried, he'd brought the almost-dead body back to his make-shift medical lab and tried to counteract the distortion of the face. However, he wasn't a real doctor, and there was little he could do.

"Oh dear." Those eyes had just opened, disturbingly orange.

"What?" Snapped the voice. "What do I look like?"

Unable to describe his patient, the doctor handed him a mirror. Jack was sure for a moment that he was looking at a portrait of something inhuman. But no, when he blinked, so did it. When he opened his mouth in horror, so did it. That thing looking back at him was albino white, pasty and unearthly, with a shock of green hair. But the worst part was his face. His lips were twisted into an unending smile, that no matter how hard he or the doctor tried would not unclench.

Jack stared at the reflection, and finally satisfied that there was no saving his features, threw the mirror away. He sat in the chair, and laughed. He laughed when he got up, he laughed when he shook the doctor's hand, and he laughed when he shot his rescuer.

K.C. had burst quite unceremoniously into Wayne manor about an hour ago, an hour which she'd divided between yelling at Lucius Fox (who had been to medical school and therefore cleaned up her best friend), yelling at Bruce (who was only halfway out of the Batsuit when she'd come in), pacing, and yelling at Carm (who was currently comatose and laid out in a guest bedroom). It would have been a scene worthy of a soap opera, what with the doctor, the boyfriend, and the butler all hovering around the limp body, if K.C. hadn't been bursting in at random intervals screaming things totally off topic.

It was after K.C. had come in shouting, "CARM, WAKE UP, I STILL HAVE TO BEAT YOU OVER THE HEAD FOR THAT TIME WHEN YOU USED MY PURPLE BLOUSE TO MOP UP COFFEE! COFFEE STAINS, YOU MORON!" Lucius had decided that a nice heavy dose of sedatives might do K.C. some good that Carm began to regain consciousness. Of course no one noticed, because Lucius was preparing a heavy dose of what he'd labeled "Knock-you-on-your-ass," Alfred was taking an aspirin, and Bruce was chasing K.C. to vent quite a bit of anger as well as catch her so she could be shut up.

Carm never saw any of this rather comical scene, however because of the bandage across her eyes. The bullet had grazed so close to her eyes that the bandage that kept her from bleeding also kept her from seeing as well. She took a moment, lying utterly rigid, using her remaining senses to assess the situation. She was quite obviously still in the Dragon suit, though all of the scales had been removed, as well as her boots and gloves, and was laying on a rather comfortable set of sheets and a rather stiff mattress. Her first thought was an infirmary, but if she really was in a hospital she wouldn't still be in her suit. Besides, it didn't smell like the massed produced clean of a hospital, it smelled more like soap and mint. Uh-oh, soap and mint, that rang a bell that ought not have ever been rung again.

She was momentarily comforted by K.C. leaping unto the bed where she was currently sitting on and screeching, "It's about damn time you woke up! I swear, I was about to go mad with waiting. You know, I've probably lost quite a bit of weight because of you, what with the worrying and the pacing and the running."

Carm tried to raise her eyebrows, but it didn't quite work because of the excruciating pain the movement brought. " Good, you're alright. That reminds me, how did you get home?"

"Ran about halfway, but then Alfred picked me up and brought me here. But that's not all the running I did. Your boyfriend seems to have gotten over you. He's been chasing me for the better part of twenty minutes." Carm heard the satisfying clunk as something hit K.C. in the head. She probably would have enjoyed it more if her heart hadn't stopped.

"We're in Wayne Manor, aren't we?" Carm whispered.

"Wholly out of luck, might I add." Carm heard Alfred's voice from the corner.

Carm felt a warm and masculine hand on her shoulder. She turned around –

- and kneed Bruce in the stomach. She satisfactorily felt his thud as he fell on the floor, completely off guard. "What a funny way to say thank you," commented Alfred.

Carm tugged at the bandage, to the great dismay of Lucius, and ripped it off. She'd been stitched up, and any excessive eye movement would be painful, but that didn't stop Carm from glaring at Bruce. If looks could kill…

Through clenched teeth, Carm whispered, "K.C. we're leaving." She pulled her boots on, along with a good majority of her scales, and headed for the door. She almost ran into Bruce.

Catching the swing she'd made at his head he pushed her back onto the bed. "Not yet, you're not. We need to talk." As if rehearsed, everybody left the room. Carm tried to leave with them, but Bruce kept her firmly planted on the bed.

When Bruce was satisfied that she couldn't get out until he unlocked the door, he let her stand, still on the bed himself. "So, would you rather I address you as Carm or Dragon?"

She pulled on her gloves and began flicking the flames off and on. "Whatever you prefer, Batman." Once again, if looks could kill.

Bruce rolled his shoulders and briefly closed his eyes, exerting an tremendous amount of self-control. At that moment Carm seemed to decide the conversation was dead and leapt out the window. They were only two stories up, so Bruce had no problem following her. She pretended not to notice he was following her until he was close enough to get with a backwards kick. He grabbed her foot and spun; she landed like she'd been doing pushups, her face centimeters from the ground. Bruce gently placed a foot on her spine before she had a chance to get up.

"Carmine, you're making this harder than it needs to be." She attempted to set his pants on fire. He leapt away, allowing her rise.

"What do you want, Bruce?" She gently fingered her stitches, praying that they would work.

"I just want to know why you… What happened in the Batcave?" He appeared blasé, but after several years of watching men like him in Asia, she knew he was ready to give chase should she run.

"What, did you expect me to be happy that you were keeping things from me?" Flames several inches long sprouted from her fingers. Almost as if she didn't notice them she relaxed her hands, momentarily calming the fire.

"That's not the pot calling the kettle black at all. Need I remind you that you lied about not only your job but your duel identities as well?" Bruce raised his eyebrows, the only hint of his agitation.

"I never lied to you, because you never asked." Carm began grinding her teeth.

"Omitting the truth is the equivalent thing. How can you begrudge me that when you did the same?" Bruce took a step forward, sending Carm back two. "I think, maybe, that there's something else going on that you're not telling me. I suppose I should used to it by now."

Carm looked like a chastised little kid, and stepped meekly forward. She wrapped her arms around Bruce and whispered, "Is it not good enough that I hate you?" Carm sprung back and slashed Bruce across the face.

She pulled her mask up and ran down the drive, her gliding cloth unfolding as she ran until she lifted up and disappeared. From the window K.C. muttered, "Oh, I am not going to sleep well tonight."

K.C. was right; she wouldn't sleep well that night. In fact, she wouldn't sleep at all. Proving that the was no end to Carm's posttraumatic oddities, she came home to find all the windows open and every electronic thing in the apartment on. Carm was perched on the back of the couch, fresh from the shower. She looked like she'd been in the middle of dressing. She was wearing a pair of jeans, a bra, and her bathrobe. The TV was tuned to a emergency news broadcast. They were covering a double homicide in the Narrows. Carm was watching while her face flicked from anger to horror to misery and back to anger.

"Details are uncertain, but both of the deceased seem to have been brutally maimed before death, faces twisted into ghastly smiles. Wait, I'm getting something… it seems that victims are Gerodi Valintino and his brother Adolfo," buzzed the old TV.

Carm cackled and clicked the remote. "Well, our job's done, isn't it? Just you watch, the whole damn gang will collapse and I can go back to Tibet."

K.C. looked pensive. "That's just too easy. Somebody will take control, and if we did our homework it'll collapse, but we can't be sure until it happens. Wait, what do you mean 'Tibet?'"

Carm pulled on a t-shirt. "Just what I said, I can go back to Tibet. I'll bet Spunks misses me. In fact, I bet they'd all be glad to have me back." She was making reference to the band of thieves she'd fallen in with during her tour of Asia.

"Oh that's great, defeat one gang to join another. You lousy hypocrite. Just admit it, you're running away again."

"I have nothing to run away from. I did what you asked me to do, K.C., it's not fair to pile more on the job when I'm done."

"Nothing to run from! What about the Batman/Bruce thing? You never had any reason to hate him in the first place."

"Bruce? Yes I do; he lied to me." Carm was dodging the question.

"No, Batman. You never had any sound reason to hate him."

K.C. noticed the tears a little too late. Carm whirled around. "Yes I do! He had Gotham handed to him, he didn't have to give what I did, and what I'm still giving! This monster of mine ruined my life, why should he be happy when I'm not?"

"Carm, you're begrudging him his sanity, a gift that leaves you a little more each day."

Carm cackled. "So what? So what if I hate him for being sane? Or at least saner than I am. What sort of crackpot goes around dressed like a bat!" Carm slammed her door, rattling something glass on the other side.

He had enough on his plate without the searchlight with a bat on it going on. He knocked on it, his only greeting was, "Nice."

Gordon turned around. "Couldn't find any mob bosses." He paused, unclear how to go on. Finally he blurted, "People still think you're a threat. After all, you're wearing a mask."

"So?" Batman had other things to think about right now.

"What about escalation?"

"What?"

Gordon shrugged. "Cops get semi-automatics, so the criminals get fully automatics. We get Kevlar body armor, they get armor-piercing bullets. Now, you got a mask. Take this guy last week... armed robbery, double homicide... Got a taste for theatrics, like you... Leaves a calling card." He handed over and evidence bag with a playing card inside, peaking Batman's interest.

On the other side was a joker. "I'll look into it." He turned to leave, his mind already spinning with ideas.

Gordon spoke once more. "I never got to say thank you."

Batman had his answer ready. "And you'll never have to." He leapt off the rooftop and toward a place where he knew he wasn't welcome.

K.C. screeched and dropped her bag of potato chips when he walked through the window. Putting a hand on her heart she muttered, "You could've knocked. I don't think she's in the mood to talk right now."

"Have you been watching the news?"

K.C. sucked in her cheeks, looking meditative. "You're talking about those two murders a couple of hours ago."

He nodded. K.C. picked up her cell phone and dialed the apartment. The phone began ringing, and from the safety of her bedroom K.C. hollered, "Carm pick it up!"

"Where's the phone?" Carm's voice permeated into the room. Bruce (he'd taken off the cowl and closed the blinds) smiled at the oddity of the situation.

"On the couch." Carm came stumbling out and froze. Appearing calm she walked past Bruce, picked up the phone, and dialed 911.

"911 response line, how may I help you?"

"Hello, I have reason to believe I'm being stalked by the man that just broke into my apartment."

"Do you know his name, ma'am?"

Bruce looked pleadingly at Carm.

"Yeah, you might know him. It's Batman."

The operator sighed. "Ma'am do you know that you are the fourth person this week to have called in saying that, and the previous three turned out to be a rapist and serial killers? Would you like to continue your report?"

Carm threw the phone in the sink after hanging up. Continuing to ignore Bruce, she grabbed an old fashioned suitcase from the closet and threw a Kevlar suit, a wide variety of what looked like scales, several small bottles of a home-made propane-like substance, an old book written in Korean, a set of adamantium tipped gloves as well as boots, and a battered, much patched pair of socks.

Extremely wearied, Bruce asked, "Where are you going?"

"Away from you, and Gotham, and everything else that ever got screwed up in my life."

"Fine, but can it wait? We need to sort this out, especially if you're going to help me."

"No, Bruce, it can't wait. I'm sorry that you've got a new psycho on the loose, I'm sorry I over reacted to everything, I'm sorry that I'll never forgive you, and I'm sorry you never got the chance to propose. But K.C. is right. I'm running away from my problems, and it feels a lot better than you'd think."

Bruce took a step back, shocked. "How'd you know I was going to propose?"

"It's my job to find out what people don't want to tell me."

"Would you have said yes?"

Carm paused. "Before I hated you? Yes, I would have."

Bruce gave up. He sank to the floor and tried to concentrate on what he was here for. But he couldn't; she would have said yes, if he'd just been faster, if only he hadn't waited.

Carm look sympathetically at him. "Well, maybe I'm exaggerating. I don't hate you, I hate Batman."

Bruce looked up, looking very pathetic. "Why?"

Carm clenched her fists. "Because you didn't give what I gave, you didn't loose anything! You disappeared for seven years and came back, everything just the way you left it! Where's the justice in this world? I lost a mother, a home, a husband, and because of me ten good men lay rotting in the bottom of the Machu River! When I came back I could hardly stand from sickness, I didn't have anything but what's in this suitcase and the clothes I was wearing, and I was unemployed. I'm a thief, a mudslinger, and by default a murderer. I wasted a year of my life in prison, and just when I put all of that behind me you came in and screwed everything up AGAIN!"

Bruce wiped his eyes and whispered, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry you lost so much, but I did my fair share of losing too. And you know what I regret the most? That I lost you to your own insecurities." He stood up, his face inches from Carm's. "But I'm not sorry that I still love you." He kissed her open mouth softly, and before she could react he pulled on his cowl and jumped out the window.

yeah sappy! Alright,REVIEW OR I SHALL CALL MY MONKEYS OF DOOM UPON YOU!