A/N Sorry it's taken so long to post, but I moved not too long ago and have been a little tied up with the necessities of unpacking and fixing things up. Hopefully I'll be able to post a little more regularly after the holidays are over with, but here's a little bit to keep you going. A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who has been reviewing my story. I appreciate your feedback very much!

Clock Tower

New Gotham

12:50 am

The silence that had settled over the Clock Tower was finally broken as Reese slumped to his knees, his gun clattering noisily to the floor. There was the crunching of gravel, as Batman came up behind Reese, but the Detective could not bring himself to meet the older man's glare.

"I'm sorry," Reese whispered as he closed his eyes from the sight in front of him. As soon as he did that though, memories began to resurface, and his conviction was suddenly bolstered. "But you haven't been hear to see the hell they've been through because of her." There was no malice, or judgement in his voice, he was merely stating a fact.

"I love Helena too much to see her – to see any of them- go through that pain again or live in fear that one day she would escape and do exactly as she said she would."

"You killed an unarmed assailant," Batman stated flatly.

Anger flashed through Reese and when he shoved himself to his feet to face Batman, this time there was anger and accusation in his voice. "What gives you the right to judge me for what I did?! Do you know how much you hurt Helena and Barbara –and yes even Alfred- by abandoning them all those years ago? They were left to pick up the pieces of their shattered worlds, without the man who helped to create it! And yet they still went back out into the night to fight YOUR fight! For what?! To go through it all again nearly a decade later?"

"They made their own decision to continue-,"

"Because that's all they knew!" Reese shouted.

"This has nothing to do with you shooting Quinn while she was unarmed."

"It has everything to do with me killing her! I was here just after they defeated Quinn last year. I saw the pain and the fear in their eyes every time her name was even mentioned. I saw them nearly destroy their own lives trying to cope with what she did to them. All of you people take the law into your own hands, and do everything in the name of 'justice'. The simple fact remains that every time you guys put on those costumes, you're still working outside the law. You know what? I did something tonight in the name of justice too. And you, of all people, have absolutely no right to judge me for it."

There was a tense silence as Reese stood nearly toe to toe with the legendary vigilante. He was extremely hard-pressed to meet that glare that seemed to bore into his very soul, but his anger was fueling his courage- and maybe a touch of insanity- right at that moment. A moan from across the room finally broke the stand-off as both men turned to the bound and beaten form of Barbara.

They were both at her side immediately as she started to come around. "About…damn time…you got here…" she whispered hoarsely.

"Shhhh, don't talk. We'll get an ambulance here soon," Reese soothed.

Her head lifted slightly as she tried to focus on his face through the eye that wasn't swollen shut. "You…look like hell….."

"Yeah, well I was just there and is wasn't pretty. But we got the job done."

"Casualties?" she rasped.

"Later," he instructed.

"The girls Reese…..I need to know…" she pleaded with him.

He swallowed, trying not to think about that. "I honestly don't know…but something in my gut tells me they'll both be okay."

"Stop hovering in the shadows Bruce," Barbara whispered after a minute of silence.

When Batman stepped forward a look of displeasure was set in his thinned lips. "Stop scowling," she told him weakly, even though her eyes were closed. "He already knows…though he doesn't know everything…"

Reese was about to ask a question when the sounds of sirens broke through the night air. Barbara's eyes flew open. "The Delphi!" she gasped.

"Easy Barbara," Reese scolded as he reached out to hold her still.

"Reese if the police find the Delphi…."

Reese realized her problem and frowned. "I don't think I can keep them out of here Barbara."

Gritting her teeth she cleared her throat before speaking loudly. "Delphi voice activation, Barbara Delphi One"

"Acknowledged."

"Delphi begin complete downloading into the Cave computers."

"Downloading…please stand by…"

Thirty seconds went by and the sirens grew louder. "Downloading complete."

"Seal off the Delphi command center and begin destruct sequence on my mark." Her voice tightened, and Reese held her hand, knowing how difficult it was for the woman to order the destruction of her extensive network.

"Standing by Oracle."

"Proceed with self destruct auto sequence Oracle Delphi Ten."

"Self destruct will initiate in ten seconds. Please vacate all rooms near the Command Center. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one…"

Barbara's hand squeezed Reese's and she let out a tiny sob as the sounds of muted explosions could be heard behind the heavy metal doors and walls that were sealing off the Command Center.

Reese bent his forehead to touch her comfortingly. "I'm sorry you've lost your home to her again."

"What happened?" Barbara asked in a shaky voice.

"I did what none of you could," he told her simply.

Her eyes widened, and then she closed them. But not before he saw the relief she allowed for just a brief second. From her, it was all he needed.

Castle Wyvern

Manhattan

1:00am

Xanatos entered the security room and sat down next to his wife. His demeanor had changed considerably as soon as Bluestone's group had left. He flipped through a number of screens, watching as the various groups began to leave through secret exits that led directly into the tunnels. As the teams began their journey's towards their various destinations, he focused on the feeds from the perimeter.

Owen came in a moment later, Alex practically skipping by his side. "Is it time to play now?" the child asked excitedly.

Xanatos allowed himself a brief snort of amusement. His son was definitely going to give him some gray hair within the next few years if he kept up his taste for danger and mayhem. "Soon Alex. Listen why don't you keep guard at the door while I talk to Uncle Owen for a moment okay?"

"Okay daddy."

As the toddler ran off, Xanatos fixed Owen with a hard stare. "Are you sure he will be in absolutely no danger?"

"The boy has grown considerably powerful this past year, as Fox can attest to sir," Owen said in an almost impatient tone.

"And all of this… 'unpleasantness' he's been dreaming about. He will not be witness to any of that?"

"No sir. Again, what young Alex has seen, is not to occur here."

"You've given me the time and place Owen. What if I decide to get there early?" Xanatos challenged.

"Don't force me to stop you David," Owen stated quietly.

Xanatos sighed and slumped into his seat. "Damnit Owen, I already know something bad is going to happen and I'm not going to interfere. Why won't you just tell me?!"

"We've discussed this already sir. Now if you will excuse me, I should change and go over some reminders with Alexander."

Xanatos waved a dismissive hand at his aide and sulked in his seat, jabbing one button after another until her realized his wife was staring at him. "What?" he asked archly as he caught her fighting a smirk.

"You're far too used to getting your way every time my dear," she chided him.

"Now you're defending him?"

"Sweetheart, you don't do pouting very well. Sulking maybe. But not pouting. Trust him on this one David. Things are going to be chaotic by the end of the night- we don't need an angry and distrustful Clan on our hands to add to the problem. If he says we shouldn't know, then we will have to find out just like everyone else, what this night has in store for everyone," she told him gently as she rested a hand over his.

He looked up in surprise, as he felt the slightest tremor, and she smiled ruefully. "Yeah, they've all become like family to me too. Funny how much they can grow on you even if they do ignore us half the time," she tried to joke. But it was only half-hearted, and they soon both lapsed into a somber silence.

Quinn's Yacht

1:00 am

Elisa's muffled curse from behind the closed door, confirmed her location and Dracon knocked on the door to the stateroom. "Maza you okay in there?"

"I'm fine!" came back the clipped answer.

Chuckling Dracon opened the door shaking his head. "That didn't sound very convincing Sugar," he said as he paused in the doorway and raised an eyebrow at the sight that greeted him.

"I don't remember saying you could come in, but since you have you think I could have some privacy and shut the door?" she snapped at him.

Dracon smirked, stepped to one side and shut the door behind him. "Need some help?" he asked as he watched her struggle to peel off the upper half of the body armor she had been wearing.

She struggled for a few minutes more, and then with an exasperated sigh, she finally relented to his offer. "If you even think of trying to cop a feel a swear to god Tony I will break every bone-"

"Easy Sugar," he laughed. "I promise to be a gentleman."

She snorted, but said nothing more as he stepped forward and helped her out of the confining top. She gasped as he pulled the shirt over her head, and his eyes widened at the damage suddenly revealed. "Damn Elisa!" he swore in disbelief.

"Tell me about it," she grit out, panting slightly against the waves of pain that were rolling through her. She finally opened her eyes and looked across the room, to see her reflection in the mirror. Damn was right. Her torso was riddled with rapidly darkening bruises from various impacts. She was certain that at least one lower rib was broken and a couple more were most likely cracked. Her sports top was concealing at least two bruises she knew her sternum was feeling right now.

With all of the other pain, and adrenaline, she hadn't really noticed the gash in her side, where a knife must have slipped through her guard and gotten lucky. She had probably lost a decent amount of blood by now, which would help account for her dizziness.

"We're gonna have to get that sewn up Maza."

"Yeah," Elisa sighed. "You think he's got something on board to take care of this?"

"Are you kidding? This bad boy is a state of the art command ship. Guess you didn't take much time to look around."

Elisa grunted a negative response as Tony crossed over to the phone and picked it up. "I need some one to go to the infirmary and bring that mobile med kit to the secondary estate room immediately."

He hung up the phone and Elisa raised an eyebrow. "Infirmary?"

"I'm telling you Elisa, I only took the nickel tour, but from what I saw, he was ready for a fight. And I would be more than willing to bet that this was going to be his base of operations. I mean this has to be what? Ninety to a hundred feet? He's got a good sized cargo hold, crew barracks for at least two dozen, a fully stocked galley, infirmary, and a communications center that's giving one of my techies a wet dream. Not to mention three of these fully loaded estate rooms."

"A yacht this size doesn't come cheap and this boat looks like it's seen use. Want to bet no one knew about baby Quinn because he's been off hiring himself out as a mercenary soldier?"

Dracon leaned against the counter and nodded. "There is quite a bit of money in that business, and Quinn is obviously a man who's seen quite a bit of action."

A knock at the door interrupted them. "Don't suppose this ship comes with a real doctor does it?" Elisa joked weakly as Tony came back, a very large case in hand.

"Sorry Sugar, but don't worry," he assured her as he opened the case, and pulled out a pair of gloves. "I've done quite a bit of quick fixes in my career."

"Thought it would be too conspicuous if you showed up at the ER needing a gun shot wound fixed?"

"Something like that," he merely smiled as he pulled out a tube and grinned even wider. "Ah now here's a man after my heart- no needles."

"What is it?"

"Surgical glue. First let's clean that cut out and make sure you don't get an infection," he said as he pulled out several other items. "On your back Maza," he ordered with a smug grin.

Elisa mumbled something about 'you wish,' but she complied as she gingerly laid back on the plush bed. Later she wouldn't be sure if it was pain, exhaustion, blood loss or a combination of all three, but several seconds after her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light.

Tony snorted lightly in amusement, allowed himself a free lingering look of a body that had grown incredibly sexy over the years before bending his head to focus on his task.

The Tunnels

Beneath Manhattan

1:00am

"You think Claw will be okay with Glasses and his crew?" Brooklyn asked Derek Maza, now known as Talon.

"He'll be fine," Derek shrugged. "I hate to admit it, but I know Tony never lost his thing for my sister. Ever notice that whenever we get into a scrape with one of his goons, they never aim to kill?"

Brooklyn thought about that for a minute and then chuckled. "You know, now that you say that…..you're right. So…Tony and Elisa were an item once huh?"

"A long time ago, when they were in high school. Elisa was bound and determined to defy our dad in any way she could. Tony was about as bad as they came," Derek laughed.

"Just don't let my father overhear you saying that," Angela grinned, knowing her father's jealous streak.

"Yeah well he'd be the pot calling the kettle black now wouldn't he? I mean, my sister couldn't have fallen in love with someone who lived life more on the wild side than him now could she?"

The small group chuckled at that comment. "Speaking of mates, how's things going with the negotiations with the Ishimura Clan?" Derek asked, trying to keep things casual as he lead them through the tunnels.

"Pretty good," Brooklyn grinned. "Lex has been chatting online with a female who seems agreeable to coming here in time for the breeding moon. Hudson has been trying to play matchmaker now too since he's been at the castle so much lately and has learned how the computer works."

"Somehow I just can't picture that."

"Och lad, ye are young and strong. Ye shouldn't be so serious all o' the time! There's a beautiful lass tha' I sent your picture to an' she's dyin' to chat with ye," Brooklyn said mimicking the elder clan member.

The imitation was so dead on, that Lex Angela and Broadway all had to pause as they nearly doubled over in their laughter. Derek looked over at them, and then at Brooklyn who was chuckling himself. "Trust me, I was ecstatic when Elisa and Goliath took him."

They resumed their journey, chatting quietly along the way, each trying to push their own fears and concerns to the side with their everyday conversations.

Elsewhere in the tunnels…….

"How much further?" Chavez asked of her two guides.

"About another mile to the end of this tunnel and then a couple of minutes beyond that juncture to the manholes that lead up to the shipping yards."

"So um, how long have you guys been down here?" Officer Morgan asked, trying to be friendly with the two creatures that were obviously close friends with Matt and Elisa.

"For about five years now…ever since…ever since we were changed," Maggie answered quietly.

"Changed?"

"Claw, Talon, and I were all once human. But we were all transformed into what you see now by some psychotic geneticist Xanatos had employed."

"Whoa…no wonder you guys don't like him," another officer muttered.

"I have accepted that Xanatos seems to be changing, but I doubt Derek- Talon will ever forgive Xanatos for what happened to us," Maggie said sadly.

"What about you Delilah? Are you a real gargoyle then?"

The quiet gargoyle shook her head, averting her eyes. "No I am a clone."

"Delilah has several brothers all cloned from the clan, but they were first generation I guess you could say. Their mental capacities are severely limited, and they would be more of a risk than an asset in a fight such as this."

Morgan shook his head chuckling. "Gargoyles, clones, humans turned gargoyle….and I thought this old cop had seen it all."

"Don't feel too bad Morgan," Chavez chuckled with him. "I've known Elisa since she was in diapers, and while I've had my suspicions, I didn't know the half of it. So the clones are all copies of the clan?"

"For the most part," Maggie answered cryptically. Delilah remained quiet, and Chavez looked over at Matt who was pretending to not be aware of the conversation. Realizing that she wasn't about to get a straight answer for now, Chavez went back to small talk with Maggie, trying to steer clear of any touchy subjects that might raise the tension any higher than it already was.

Outside New Gotham

1:00 am

The explosion that lit up the night sky was seen for miles. Nightwing smiled and let out a low whistle. "Now THAT'S the way to celebrate Christmas," he chuckled. Goliath had crammed every last weapon into the last two cars in record time while Nightwing and Hudson secured the prisoners into the next two cars. Nightwing released a sleeping agent into both cars, ensuring their captives wouldn't be waking anytime soon and then set the charges in the last two cars. They had pulled away from the two cars rigged to blow and were a couple miles away when the weapons were destroyed.

"Goliath you can cut loose the sleeping beauties back there."

Goliath nodded and turned to head back outside when Nightwing noticed something. "Body armor came in handy huh?"

Goliath hesitated, and Hudson looked the younger warrior over carefully now noticing where Goliath's armor had been hit with several bullets. The lavender giant nodded somberly. "I am greatly indebted to Alfred for his thoughtfulness and foresight regarding this mission. I was not expecting as many soldiers in the one car, and was caught by surprise by two of them."

"Unfortunately we've been forced to sacrifice caution in the face of a timeline. It happens in this business more than I'd like to admit. But that's why we wear the suits- no matter how uncomfortable they may be at times," Nightwing shrugged.

Goliath departed, and Hudson snorted softly. "Aye Elisa will be havin' a fit when she finds out he was hit."

Nightwing chuckled. "From what little I've seen and gotten to know about Elisa, she doesn't strike me as the type to keep her head down. I'm sure Alfred will be busing patching up all of our suits by the time this night is over."

"Ye think Elisa will be needing her armor again?" Hudson asked a bit surprised.

Nightwing laughed. "You saw the look on her face when she came out of that locker room. She's been bit by the vigilante bug Hudson. She may be a cop, but after this mission she'll probably realize just how much good she can do by 'unofficially' helping the police. With the costume and a mask, she could freely help you guys out anytime she wanted. The way she's been glued to Goliath's side these past couple of weeks I don't think she'd need much convincing to spend more time working with the clan."

Hudson chuckled. "Aye. They do make a formidable team."

Goliath re-entered the train, and eyed the two as they fell suspiciously silent. "Are we on schedule?" he asked, finally breaking the silence.

"According to Oracle yes. With the loss of the last four cars and all that tonnage, we'll be able to make up lost time with a higher speed. We should be arriving in Manhattan within two minutes of the scheduled arrival."

"How long?"

"It's a straight shot from here to Manhattan, should only be another couple of hours. I wonder how everyone else is doing?" Dick said, a worried look crossing his features.

Canmore Estate

Manhattan

1:00 am

Outside the ornate gates, a lone figure watched silently as two shapes lifted from the roof of the massive mansion, and quietly took off into the frigid night air. He lit up a cigarette as he dialed a number on his cell.

"It's Ray. Yeah they both just took off on their little flying contraptions. What were they wearing? I dunno….it was dark…… Yeah I think they had some sort of hoods on…..They took off towards the river. Do you think they know about the shipment boss?….You want me to blow the place before I head over to the castle? Huh…ok whatever you want, you're the boss."

He clicked the cell off, took another long drag from his cigarette before quickly walking back to the car he parked a block away.

Pier 21

Jon Canmore raised his hand, and one of his subordinates hurried over immediately.

"Sir?"

"It appears that we might have some company soon. Tell Matthews to contact the boat and have the shipment re-directed to Pier 15."

"Yes sir. Shall I have the men start relocating the trucks?"

"Leave behind two trucks, and tell Matthews to assemble a small strike team."

"The company sir… are the gargoyles coming?"

Canmore shook his head. "No….it's some of my misguided family. I want them taken down, but not out. Do I make myself clear that I want them alive and unharmed?"

"Unharmed?"

Canmore paused when he saw the look of doubt cross over the young man's face. "I will understand if they have to be roughed up a bit to be subdued. But they had better not have more than a few scrapes or bruises. Is that understood?" he asked in a cold tone.

"Yes sir!" the soldier gulped.

"Good. Once they are subdued, I want them brought back to the base, and I will deal with them after I see to the shipment. Carry on."

"Yes sir!" the man said as he snapped a salute and jogged off to relay his orders.

Canmore chuckled quietly to himself and shook his head. "Ah the young and impressionable," he mused quietly to himself. "So eager to please, so easy to control."

After casting a glance skywards, Canmore motioned for his driver to bring the car over as he barked out several parting orders to the now scrambling men.