A/N: So I jumped the gun and posted this chapter before I did a final review of it and realized I forgot a few things….like the double spacing between paragraphs for easier reading. Sorry! I also added a little bit here and there to give this chapter some finishing touches - I wasn't completely happy with it after I went back and re-read it. Anyway E.P. many thanx for the recent reviews and of course Midnite you always get a tip of the hat.

Castle Wyvern

Manhattan

Midday

Either the doctors had underestimated how much sedatives she needed, or her body was adapting to the drugs quicker than normal. Elisa Maza didn't really care why she was awake, she only knew that being awake and in pain was far better than being trapped in the drug induced nightmares. She heard a shift in the air near her bed, sensed the nurse coming near her - most likely with a syringe ready to plunge her back into her own personal hell - and weakly held up a protesting hand.

"No," she croaked out, her voice scratchy from the recently removed ventilator and disuse. "Please don't put me under again," she nearly begged. She felt a wetness seep out from under the bandages around her eyes and trickle down her cheek. Under most circumstances she would be loathing herself for such a display of weakness. But recent events had all but shredded her tough emotional exterior, leaving her heart exposed and bleeding.

There was a pause and then a sigh. "You really need to be resting Elisa," a kind voice with a southern accent informed her.

"I promise….just please…no more drugs….."

"Are you having bad dreams because of them sweetie?" she asked, as Elisa heard the syringe being set on the table next to the bed before the nurse began to dab at her tears with a tissue.

Elisa merely nodded and the nurse made a comforting noise. "Ok, if you promise to stay put and rest on your own, I'll let Doctor Majors know that we can forgo keeping you sedated. Your family is upstairs, would you like for me to see about smuggling your parents in for a few minutes?"

Her throat tightened and she lifted her hand once more to her bandaged eyes before shaking her head. "Not yet," she whispered turning her head away from the nurse, more tears creeping past the bandages.

"Now it's not as bad as you think sweetie," the nurse tried to reassure her, as she brought Elisa's face gently back around so she could tend to the fresh tears. "You're banged up something fierce alright, but the doc say's you'll heal up just fine."

Silence met her statement, the tears kept flowing, and Elisa could almost hear the other woman nod. "Ahhhhh, so I'd be guessing that all this is over more than what has happened to you," she said perceptively.

Elisa felt her jaw tighten, and then grimaced as pain shot through her face and deep into her skull. She hissed sharply as her whole body jerked as the pain seemed to race through the rest of her body like fire, and the nurse pressed a small device into her hand.

"Morphine button. When the pain gets to be too much, just hit the button and it'll give you a little kick to take the edge off," she explained.

Elisa gratefully hit the button, and moments later began to feel an icy numbness spread through her body. The nurse stayed by her bedside, pressing a cool cloth against her cheeks and neck. Once Elisa felt herself drift into that weightless, almost uncaring state she finally spoke again.

"How long?"

"Since the Dock Wars? That's what the media is calling them by the way. A couple of days - it's about two in the afternoon on the twenty-seventh."

"What's happened?" For some reason, Elisa felt better speaking to this stranger about what was going on, than her own family. She had too many emotions she was trying to cope with right now, she didn't think she could handle her family's overwhelming concern on top of everything else.

The nurse seemed to realize this and settle into the chair next to her. "Where would you like me to start?"

"The Clan," was her first request.

"They made it back from their battle with only a few cuts and bruises. They've been dealing with the loss of Goliath as well as can be expected. I don't deal too much with them, but from what I've seen, Brooklyn's doing a fine job of trying to keep their spirits up and help them cope. He even let Angela's mother stick around to help the girl through this whole ordeal. From what I hear, and given your own reaction, I'd say that must be quite a gesture on his part."

Even in her condition, Elisa found herself surprised. Brooklyn had allowed Demona to stay under the same roof he was? He really had come a long way in such a short time. "How…how is Angela?"

"Poor dear is trying so hard to be brave, but she has her moments, and her mother is always nearby for when she does break down. She's spent both nights pestering Doctor Majors to allow her to sit by your side. He finally broke down last night and allowed Angela in here for a couple of hours. Her mother didn't seem to happy about it, but she lurked outside the doorway the whole time as well," the nurse told her and Elisa almost smirked a tiny bit.

"We haven't exactly been friends," Elisa admitted. "Water?" she requested, her throat and tongue drying even more with the extra morphine.

"Just a couple of sips now," the nurse instructed as she pressed a straw to Elisa's lips.

After she had chased away some of the cotton, Elisa nodded her thanks and rested back against her pillows. "Do you know…what happened to our friends in New Gotham?"

"Well, only bits and pieces. The news reported that several civilians were killed in the crossfire, but I overheard Hudson saying that most of the people who had volunteered to help survived. He comes by every night to check on your progress to call your friends with an update. Last night he was in here asking Doctor Majors about possibly making room for another patient however. It seems that one of the girls was hurt badly during the fight and has been in a coma since. Doc was on the phone with her physician for awhile last night, but I guess the girl isn't stable enough to move yet."

"Do you know who?" Elisa asked in a fearful whisper. She had no idea what had happened back at the docks that night, but it had sounded and looked like someone had dropped a bomb in the middle of everything. Whatever it was, it had been strong enough to knock out everyone at once. Elisa had a sinking feeling she already knew who the injured party was, because there was only one meta she had met that wielded enough power to possible do something like that.

"I didn't catch her name, but the doc was upset when he found out she wasn't even an adult yet. Said she was just a child, and had no right to be in a fight like that," she sighed.

"Dinah's been through more in her life than most adults," Elisa told the nurse quietly. "She had the power to do something that night, and no one would have been able to stop her even if we had wanted to try."

"That's what Hudson said when the doc questioned him about her," the nurse chuckled.

"What's your name?" Elisa asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Annabelle," she answered and raised an eyebrow when she noticed Elisa's lips turn up a fraction. "What?"

"You're name fits your voice Annabelle."

"Flattery will get you everywhere detective," Annabelle laughed.

"Can it get me Owen Burnett?"

That made the nurse blink. "You don't want to see your parents, but you want me to fetch that dreadfully boring blonde fellow that follows Mr. Xanatos around?"

Elisa shrugged slightly, too doped up to notice the pain. "It's important that I talk to him, Annabelle."

"Well, you got your reasons and who am I to question them right? Just remember that this is against the doc's orders so he can only stay for a few minutes understand?"

"I only need a couple of minutes."

"Hang tight then and I'll go see if I can find him."

Elisa heard the nurse shuffle out of the room and sighed as silence filled the room. She could feel the morphine trying to pull her back into the world of unconsciousness. It was bad enough that her eyes were bandaged and she couldn't help the constant images that were playing against the screen of darkness while she was awake. However while she was awake, she could at least try to focus on something else to keep the grief and guilt at bay. Asleep, she knew it would all overwhelm her once more, and she dreaded it enough to fight the drugs with everything she had.

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Batcave

New Gotham

Midday

She had tried. She had really, really tried to keep her temper in check and at least make the effort to be cordial. That had all been pitched out the window the moment her father finally answered the door, took a look at Helena and Jim and then told Jim this wasn't the best time to do this.

No one, not even Helena, could have braced for the right hook that seemed to come from nowhere and dropped Bruce Wayne on the ground before he could draw another breath. Jim Gordon turned stunned to the young woman standing next to him, and stared at her as she rubbed her fist, her jaw tightly clenched.

"That wasn't quite what I had in mind Helena," he said hesitantly after clearing his throat. He knelt down to check on Bruce, wincing as he saw a vicious bruise already forming on the man's jaw.

Helena shoved him aside though and hauled the unconscious man up single handedly. Jim stepped back, hearing her breathing coming out in harsh pants, as her eyes flickered to gold. "Go upstairs and get everyone down here."

"Do you really-," he broke off as her feral eyes bore into him and she growled.

"Everyone?" he asked uncertainly.

"Everyone."

Jim Gordon sighed and hurried back upstairs to gather the Manor residents. More like get reinforcements, he thought ruefully to himself as he rushed into the kitchen, startling Alfred.

"Master Jim is everything-."

"No time Alfred, Helena and her dad are about to have a go at it. I'll go get my daughter and Dick, can you find the others?"

"Oh dear," Alfred sighed as he set down the plates he had in hand. "I'll go find Master's Drake and Reese at once."

Gordon nodded and then jogged up the stairs and knocked urgently on his daughter's door and barely waited for approval to enter. Babs and Dick sat up instantly when he approached them, sensing trouble.

"What's wrong dad?" Barbara asked worriedly as her father picked up a robe from next to the bed and handed it to her.

"Sorry to bother you kids, but Helena just knocked her father out, and then demanded that I round you all up immediately."

"Oh boy," Dick sighed as he rolled smoothly out of bed and reached over to help Barbara with the robe. He looked at the red-head. "You need help into your chair, love?"

She grimaced and then nodded, knowing that with a broken arm she couldn't give herself the needed leverage to maneuver herself into her wheelchair alone. Dick gently transferred her into her chair, her father wrapped a light blanket around her legs and feet, and the hurried back downstairs.

Blinking, Leslie stepped out of her room as the trio rushed by and sleepily inquired where the fire was. When she was informed of the events unfolding downstairs she too threw on a robe and hurried after them.

Reese, Tim, and Alfred met up with them in the study and the younger men took the quicker way down, allowing Babs and the older adults to cram into the small elevator. They gathered in the cave's massive control room and looked around worriedly.

"You don't think she threw him off the ledge do you?" Tim asked into the confused silence.

Several glares were turned his way and he shrugged defensively. "What? I was just asking."

Leslie had gone over to check on Dinah, when she finally heard noises coming from the training room. "I think they're in there," she called to the others as she moved towards the room.

The group entered the training room and froze at the sight before them. Helena had stripped her father bare of his shirt and shoes, handcuffed his hands behind his back, and had a rope pulled through his arms to hold him up from one of the supports in the ceiling. Definitely not a comfortable position to be in.

"Helena?" Barbara finally asked hesitantly.

The angry young woman turned from her handiwork and nodded to the others. "Good. You're here," was all she muttered before she turned back to her father and backhanded him. A split lip was added to his bruise, and a small trail of blood dribbled down his chin. "Wake up!" she shouted at him. He grunted, and his eyes fluttered for a second. A not so gentle nudge with her foot to his chest snapped his head back, and the others could now clearly see the large bruise on his jaw.

Leslie jerked as she watched the young woman handle her old friend so brutally, and would have moved to intervene if it weren't for Dick's firm hold on her shoulder. "I wouldn't get in the middle of this right now Leslie," he warned her quietly.

"But-," she began to protest.

"Wait and see what happens."

Leslie looked over to see the rest of the group watching the scene intently, but no one- not even Barbara- looked ready to stop it.

Helena reached down, grabbed a fistful of his short hair keeping his head bent back at an uncomfortable angle and patted him on the injury. "That's right Bruce, time to wake up and finally face the music."

His eyes finally blinked open, and Helena watched with amusement as he instantly took in his situation and watched his jaw clench tightly. "Not the best time to do this Bruce?" she snapped at him sarcastically. "Tell me, were you just gonna hide in that tomb of yours until you could run off again?"

"I don't have to explain anything to you Helena?" he ground out, his steely gaze boring into hers.

Helena gave a sharp bark of near hysterical laughter. "No?" she asked incredulously. Then she stepped behind him and forced his head around to take in the others that were gathered in the room. "Well what about them Bruce? What about the people that you trained with, and fought side-by-side with. What about the people who kept your secrets for you and were always there for you when you came home at the end of each night? What about those people over there, some of whom lost EVERYTHING, only to have you abandon them!"

Helena bent down, her mouth next to his ear. "You meant the world to them Bruce, and you just threw that all aside like it meant nothing," she growled angrily at him.

He stared at the people across from him for a moment, trying to decipher their feelings. Trying to decipher his own. He hadn't been prepared for this. He had expected a confrontation with Helena, but not this. He hadn't been expecting to face the others like this. Damn that girl! He wasn't about to let her get the best of him without a fight.

Her shoved upwards, smashing his skull into hers, knocking her backwards as he used the rope to bring his body through his arms so that his hands were now in front of him. She had searched him pretty well, but she had left his belt on. Five seconds later, the cuffs dropped to the floor and he turned to face his daughter who had managed to stay on her feet despite a broken nose.

Father and daughter circled each other warily, both having drawn blood on the other. Barbara watched the scene in morbid fascination. Part of her wanted to stop them before things got too out of hand, but another tiny part of her was cheering Helena on. The analytical portion of her brain was simply observing and cataloging the standoff. She absently wondered if either of the two realized just how alike their stances and movements were.

"This is between you and me Helena," Bruce grit out, keeping himself just out of arm's reach. "Leave them out of this."

"NO! I will NOT leave them out of this because we're all in this together Bruce. THEY became my family when you left, and however hard they tried to hide it, you hurt them deeply by what you did. I don't care if you're my father, NO ONE hurts my family! Not anymore."

Over on the other side of the room, Tim almost smirked. He loved a good family brawl and this one had been long overdue. He hadn't been as effected by Bruce's sudden departure as the rest, but he was happy to see the Almighty Bat about to be taken down a couple of notches. Looking over at the rest of the group he took in the mixed emotions playing on their faces. There was a pain that they had kept hidden for so long floating just under the surface. What surprised him the most was the look of relief. Relief in the knowledge that they would finally get the answers to their questions, because one way or another Helena was going to get those answers. Even if it meant she had to beat them out of Bruce

The silence from the group spoke volumes to Bruce, and his jaw tightened. He finally stopped circling Helena and pointed a finger at her angrily as he began to advance on her. "You have no idea what I went through Helena-,"

"NO idea? You've got to be kidding me right?" Again her laughter was teetering on the edge of sanity. "I lost my mother that night! The ONE person I knew in my life that loved me. How do you think it felt to finally find out who my father was only to have him run off and leave you? A man who is supposed to be a legend couldn't handle the fact that he had a child," she spat at him bitterly as she shoved him back roughly. The force slammed him hard into the wall behind him, and he paused for a second as he forced air back into his lungs as he watched her warily once more.

But the anger seemed to have fled her body, as pain and loss filled her eyes and she wiped savagely at an errant tear that escaped down her cheek. Dear god is that what she had thought all this time? That he'd left because of her or he thought she had been some kind of mistake? His aggressive stance disappeared instantly and stepped forward to put a hand on her shoulder, but quickly found himself back on the ground. Instinct took over, and he kicked out, sweeping her feet out from under her before she could react. He flipped over quickly and pinned her shoulders to the ground with his knees.

Again, Leslie moved to intercede, but this time it was Alfred who gently held her back. "Ms Helena would resent it very much if we were to interfere right now. Let them settle this their way," he advised.

Blue eyes bore into gold, and Bruce found himself mesmerized by them for a moment. "It was never you Helena," he told her quietly. She stopped her struggles for a moment, and he reached down to place strong hands on both her shoulders as his eyes bore down into her. "It was never you, and I'm sorry if you thought that," he apologized sincerely.

"What about them?" she asked jerking her chin to the others, who had watched the whole scene unfold without a word.

Bruce looked back at them, seeing the expectant looks on their faces for the first time. His eyes finally met Barbara's and he could see the pain she was hiding behind those emerald eyes. He looked away, the guilt crushing him once more, and rolled off Helena.

"What do you want?" he asked her as she stood.

"I want what they want," she told him in a less hostile voice as she rolled to her feet and stood toe to toe with him- something most people would never do. "We all want to know why Bruce. Why did you leave us when we needed you the most?"

He was silent for a minute, his head bowed, and everyone sensed him gathering the strength he needed to speak the next words. "Because for the first time in my life, I failed. I had lost before…but never failed. That night I failed those I loved the most. After I tracked down the Joker, I told myself that I could never return to Gotham. That I could no longer be a part of your family - that I didn't deserve to be a part of your family."

"Then why return now?"

"Because when I found out what was going to happen that night, I couldn't fail you again. I didn't expect to be a part of your life Helena. I still don't, and I never expected any of you to welcome me back," he told the rest. "But I couldn't have lived with myself if I had allowed you to be killed when I could have done something to prevent it. I needed to make sure you were all safe, and then I was going to leave you to get back to your lives."

"Did it even occur to you to ask us what we wanted?" Helena asked in a tight voice.

He lifted his gaze to see that his daughter had slipped out of her feral mode and blue eyes so like his own, seemed to peer into his soul. "What do you want Helena?" he asked tiredly, defeated.

She glared at him for a minute, the silence stretching out, before she finally glanced past him to the others. When her gaze returned to his, he could see the pain warring behind her blue eyes. It was an old pain…one he had caused so long ago. "I want the chance to get to know the man that is supposed to be my father," she answered quietly.