Flashes of the first week- so much panic, so much fear- the Infection had spread like the plague that it was. Nowhere had been safe. From farmland in Smallville to the halls of Wayne Manor, it took friends, family, loved ones; memories of a life before the Infection were nearly impossible to come by, save for those in dreaming, on the rare occasions where the nightmares gave way to dreams. Nightmares of vacant eyes and blinding speed, gnashing teeth and a wedding band on clawed fingers, tearing the bat symbol off of his chest- teeth sinking into his skin behind scarlet lips that used to kiss him tenderly and whisper-

"-Bruce? Darling..."

Selina's weak voice broke through the darkness of his subconscious and Bruce opened his eyes, staring sideways at the wall from where his head rested on her bed as he was seated beside it. His wife coughed weakly. "Bruce, what happened?" He felt her hand tighten in his as he sat up, pain throbbing in his shoulders from his awkward sleeping position.

"Selina?" Bruce shook himself awake. "Are you alright?" He reached up and put a hand on her cheek. "How are you feeling?"

"I don't know," she whispered, her voice still weak. "What happened?" She repeated. Her cheeks were still pink and feverish under his touch, her eyes still the same light green that they'd been since they'd first met. She still breathed slowly.

"You... you..." Bruce grabbed her face more firmly and kissed her forehead, her nose, and cheeks. "You were bitten." He rested his forehead against hers.

"I... Was... What?!" She cried, tearing herself away from him. She sat up and moved back so quickly that her back hit the wall and she cried out, her hand flying to her side where she'd been clawed. Selina gasped as she stared at Bruce in utter terror. "Am I gonna turn?! When will I turn?! How long ago was I bitten?!" she cried, and when Bruce reached for her she shrank against the wall. "Don't touch me! I'll kill you!" she shouted, tears streaming down her face. "I don't want to hurt you!"

"Selina!" Bruce grabbed her arms to stop her from struggling. "You were bitten hours ago. You're fine. You're fine," he breathed, pulling her close.

"How?!" She cried, trying in vain to push him away before finally giving up. Selina collapsed against him and her fists balled in his cape. "I could have killed you..." She whispered, pinching her eyes closed against the tears.

"I wouldn't let you do that." He stroked her hair. "I promised we'd both be okay." He buried his face in her hair. "I'm so sorry."

"But we won't!" She cried, pounding a hand against his chest. "We won't be ok, we can't both be ok- there's no hope for any of us so why- cling to it-" she gasped, bursting into angry tears. "How can we both be ok living like this...?!"

"We will be okay," Bruce said firmly. He grabbed her by the shoulders, avoiding the bandaged bite wound there. "We'll be okay, Selina. I'm not going to let anything happen to you again. I thought... I thought you were dead." He stared at her intently. "I can't go through that again. I'm not going to let either of us go through that. I promise."

"You can't know that!" she shouted at him. Her bare shoulders were hot to the touch; her fever a side effect of the transfusion. "You have too much to focus on, too many lives to save, Bruce, you can't save us all! Those officers... There were other officers in that supply run- it's all my fault- Kate could have saved them if I hadn't hesitated- how many more have died as you stayed here with me?! It's not just us anymore, Bruce, and it never will be again. It can't be 'the Bat and the Cat' anymore because- because if I die, I die, but if you die, Gotham dies!" she wailed. "I'm of no use to anybody!" Her words had become more and more slurred as she spoke, her fever blinding and confusing her.

"Selina." Bruce shook her. "Don't say that. You do matter. If you die, I die." She stared at him in alarm, and touched his face, as if really seeing him there for the first time. She looked down sadly.

"Then I live. So you live." So they all live. You have to live for them. You're all they have. Selina laid back down quietly, wincing as pain shot from her abdomen. She watched him as tears streamed from the corners of her eyes, her lips pressed together tightly. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I can't be stronger for you.

"Father?" Damian spoke gently from the doorway. When Bruce looked, his son stood in the opening with his Great Dane at attention beside him. Bruce ran a hand over his face.

"Yes Damian, what is it?"

"It's nearly dawn... I returned early to see if the girls needed any help on Supply, or if anyone needed help in Arkham, and since Nightwing is asleep I came to you for permission." He watched Bruce carefully. "But now I see that you're busy, I'll just go speak to Nightwing..." He turned to leave.

"No, it's fine." Bruce sat back down beside Selina's cot. "How many are going already?"

"Just the two of them on Supply, Batwoman and Spoiler. I know that Batwoman feels incredibly guilty..." He trailed off, absentmindedly scratching at Titus's ear. "And Arkham Patrol always could use an extra hand. I'll go where I am needed." Bruce rubbed the back of his neck.

"You may join them under Red Hood's authority. Otherwise, check with Batwoman."

"Of course, Father," Damian bowed slightly in respect, his features rigid as he turned without another word. Walking down the hallway, Damian broke into a run, Titus keeping pace with him as he swung through the stairwell doorway and made his way down. His finger pressed his comm in his ear.

"Red Hood. Permission to join you and Blackbat in Arkham," he spoke. Cassandra commed back.

"Granted. All checkpoints have been secured."

"Then I shall assist with cleanup." He pressed his comm again to turn it off.

Everyone had a job to do. City Patrol kept general crime down and, should the issue arise, took care of the Infected when they popped up. Supply missions were run by one to two people, and their sole purpose was to raid the surrounding cities of Gotham for food, toiletries, clothes and supplies, building up a stock slowly but steadily day by day. Arkham Patrol kept Uptown Gotham secure from intruders and made sure that the Infected and the inmates remained separated from the rest of the city, and when all points in or out of the city had been checked and approved, the Arkham Patrol was to eliminate Infected that- should a cure ever be developed- couldn't be saved anyway. The ones that had decayed beyond repair were only a liability and served no purpose but to spread the disease. The GCPD helped where they could, and they were a valuable asset. Batman, Robin... They couldn't do this alone.

Robin nodded at the policemen on the bridge into Uptown Gotham as he crossed it, his dog trotting beside him. "I'm over the bridge. What are your locations?" he spoke into his comm.

"I'm along the East River," Cass commed.

"I think I'm in the middle somewhere," Jason said. "Gimme a sec. I got a few on my tail."

"On my way," Damian responded, breaking into a run. Titus followed. The dog made it difficult to use his grappling hooks to navigate, but he didn't mind. He preferred to travel on foot, anyway.

"They're all in pretty bad shape," Jason panted as he slid around a corner. "Probably been hiding out somewhere from the smell of them." He could hear the grunting behind him and the sound of slipping feet. "How the hell are corpses this fast?"

"They're not that fast," Damian smirked, and suddenly descended out of the alleyway to his left, leaping clear over Jason's head. He cried out and ducked as Titus bolted around him. Damian's feet hit the ground as he swung his katanas simultaneously, decapitating two of the Infected that had been chasing him. He backflipped out of the way as Jason fired his guns, the bullets tearing the chest of the third zombie open, severing multiple arteries. Damian landed as the gunfire ceased, and then he glanced at his dog tearing the fourth Infected to pieces. His gaze returned to Jason, and he pulled his hood down. "And I think I remember a joke told once about seeing roadkill faster than you, I guess this proves that theory."

"To tell a joke you have to be funny," Jason told him as he checked the rounds in his gun. Damian laughed shortly and then whistled for Titus. The dog returned, wagging its tail, a black bloodied piece of fabric dangling from his jaw. Damian bent over and praised the dog, clearing the debris off of his snout.

"Pretty cocky for a guy who just got his ass saved by a fifteen year old," he commented as Titus licked his hands.

"I was fine on my own. I needed the exercise." Jason reholstered his gun with a smirk.

"Yes, you are getting fat in your old age, aren't you?" Damian commented, standing up straighter. "Perhaps you should take up yoga with Richard in the mornings." They stood near the base of the Arkham City wall, and he looked up at the towering structure.

"Since when are you the funny one?" Cassandra said quietly as she landed nearby, her Blackbat mask covering the entirety of her face. "And have you looked in the mirror lately? You don't look like a boy anymore," she said, a smile in her voice as she grabbed Damian's chin and examined the stray hairs that he'd missed while shaving. He pulled his face away and chuckled a bit.

"Yeah, I used to be almost afraid of you, kid." Jason nudged him. "What happened?"

In an instant Damian's katana had swung down, just shy of Jason's nose as glanced off of his mask, and then it had returned to press against his throat. "Make no mistake, Todd, I can still kill you where you stand." A familiar scowl had twisted the boy's scarred lips, his eyes narrowed before he smiled and sheathed his katana, only joking. Cassandra watched them.

"There he was! Turns out I didn't miss him as much as I thought," Jason muttered.

Damian laughed slightly and then suddenly screamed as an Infected shot through a storefront window, catching him by the throat, its claws raking along his jaw. He raised a katana and drove it into the zombie's gaping mouth, forcing it upward through the top of its head. When it dropped him, more descended through the window, nearly a dozen, and a few rounded the wall, hissing and spitting as they moved slowly forward. Damian held a hand against his face and brandished his sword, his teeth grit together. He hadn't seen any blood on the Infected's hand, but he was anxious to clean his wound either way. Nowadays they couldn't afford to take chances. The Infected moved lethargically, vacant eyes and gaping mouths empty and longing to be filled, outstretched, clawed hands hovering and ready to tear their flesh away.

"Shit," Cassandra swore, backing up closer to Damian. "I didn't hear them coming! Why are they so silent?!" She held up her fists in front of her face, and Damian tossed her his other katana. Titus growled ferociously at his side.

"Damn it." Jason quickly pulled out his gun and flicked off the safety. "Where the hell are all these coming from?"

"There's three of us," Damian snapped, yanking his cape around his front and pressing it to his face to try and stop the blood flowing from the three long cuts running along his jaw, just barely above the vein in his neck. He took his hand away from his face to brace both hands on the hilt of his katana. "And we're by the wall. They're attracted to humans-" one lunged, and Damian cut it down- "We're going to have to fight." He grit his teeth.

"Not all of them are decayed," Cassandra whispered. "We can't kill them all."

"Then utilize the tranqs," Damian hissed. Straight shot between the eyes… the only way…

"I was here first, so don't blame me for this," Jason defended as he pulled out his tranq gun. He held both of his guns out as he took aim.

"And I'm not the one bleeding out," Cassandra mumbled as more Infected rounded the corner towards them.

"So we're not saying this is your fault," Jason told Damian, "but this is your fault."

"How are we so certain that it wasn't your big mouth?" Damian hissed.

All of the Infected charged at once, scrambling over one another in their desperation to catch their prey. Damian bit his tongue when pain exploded in his jaw as his teeth snapped together from the blow of his sword coming down on a zombie's head. Yanking his blade out, he kicked it's body back into the growing horde around them and used it as a springboard to jump over three others, decapitating two as the third caught his leg and pulled him back. Damian cried out, the Infected's teeth nearly sinking into his ankle, but Titus leapt onto the zombie and tore it's jaw clean off of it's face, defending his master.

"We have to get out of here!" Damian called to the other two. "Split up, so they have less people to follow- Hopefully they'll stay by the walls!" He cut clean through a zombie's legs and it toppled, more crawling over it towards him.

"Keep them away from the bridge," Cass added as she quickly decapitated two before grappling up out of the way of the oncoming horde.

"God these things are fast," Jason muttered as he sprinted for the corner. "And quiet," he added when he turned to see one on his heels. He grappled up onto a fire escape as the zombie's grabbed at the spot where his neck had been a moment before.

Damian watched them go and then glanced down at his grappling hook. He quickly cut down the zombies in his path. "Titus, come on!" he shouted, and then whistled for his dog, who broke from the mass of Infected and sprinted towards him. Damian began running with him, glancing over his shoulder at the zombies following him. He looked up at the rooftop where Cassandra ran along the buildings, and then back at his dog. He grit his teeth and surged forward, Titus on his heels. Cassandra glanced down.

"Robin, you have too many on your tail, you'll never make it." She said quietly.

"I'm not leaving Titus!" he shouted back. "You guys go, I'll meet you at the bridge!"

And with that, he turned the corner and sprinted down a side street back towards the Arkham City wall. The Infected closest behind him were suddenly shot down and fell back onto the others.

"Well get a move on then," Jason commed as he loaded a new magazine into his gun. Damian backtracked and headed for the bridge again, the zombies slowly falling away from him to return to the wall, where the Joker stood, staring down at them.

He watched Robin and Red Hood retreat towards the skyline where the only bridge connecting Uptown to Downtown Gotham stood over the river, the afternoon sun blocked out by the clouds swirling in the sky.

"It's always cloudy," Scarecrow sighed beside him, taking his mask off. Jonothan Crane's slender face and dull eyes stared out at the horizon. "You'd think that the apocalypse brought about the illness of the world as well as its inhabitants, casting it as gray as it's people turn in death."

"Cruel, gray world," the Joker agreed with a smile, glancing between Scarecrow and Harley Quinn on either side of him. "But, we're progressing in it. Your procedure worked, Dr. Crane. They're deadly and silent now."

"They were always deadly," Harley yawned. "Now ya just have the decaying problem." She watched the writhing mass of zombies below her. "It won't make any difference that ya removed their vocal cords once they rot."

"True," Joker glanced at her, tapping his fingers on his lips. "And Nygma is beginning to get bad. Could you...?" He glanced at Crane, who nodded.

"I'll get started on that. There are still problems with them, but I'm sure we can get them worked out."

"Terrific." Joker clapped his hands. "In the meantime, Scarecrow, get these ones back to Arkham."

"Yes. And about the raid-"

"-not here." Joker cut Crane off, holding up a hand. "I'll come see you tonight and we'll discuss it."

Crane stared at him, his glasses reflecting a brief moment of sunlight through the clouds. He glanced at Harley and then nodded. "I'll get these subjects back to the Asylum," he repeated, and then walked past them along the top of the wall. The Joker began strolling in the opposite direction.

"What raid?" Harley asked, trailing after the Joker.

"Don't worry dear, you'll know when it's need to know," Joker waved a hand dismissively.

"But I-" Harley cut herself off and bit her lip. Joker glanced over his shoulder at her, his emerald hair falling in front of his eyes. He grinned.

"Continue to trust me, Doll, I won't lead you astray. Don't worry," he turned and cupped a hand under her chin, his thumb tugging her lip away from her teeth before he leaned down and kissed her slowly. Harley kissed him back in shock. It was the first time in a long time that she hadn't had to instigate a kiss. He stepped back and smiled down at her, tracing a thumb along her lip, grinning as if it had been nothing. As if he hadn't just reciprocated the affection that she'd shown for so long. It wasn't much, but it was a start; she was left wondering whether it had really happened. "It's all part of the plan. Trust me," he repeated.

"Of course," Harley breathed. She grabbed the lapel of his jacket to hold him close. He grinned brightly and looked out over Arkham City, a wiry arm wrapping around her waist.

"We're beginning a new era, I can feel it."

"Whatever ya say, Puddin." She looked up at him and studied his face; the way his green hair fell over his forehead and the slight curve of his smile.

"Today we gain the trust of our allies- tomorrow, we slaughter the Batman family and crush the people of Gotham."

Dick opened his eyes slowly, a sigh escaping his lips from a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. His eyes hurt despite the hours of sleep he got, and he was dimly aware of Barbara's head on his shoulder in the low light cast from the sunrise into the room.

The nightmares didn't wake him in terror anymore. They couldn't compare to the waking nightmare he was living. He was most disturbed in dreaming not by the frightful images, but the peaceful ones. Images of Barbara's red hair shining in the sunlight in Gotham Park, of Tim laughing, of Damian fresh out of trouble in his brand new Robin uniform. Memories of the happy times were what pained him and frightened him the most. He hadn't noticed his racing heart. What troubled him even more this time, however, was a smile. A woman's smile and bright laughter, and blonde hair tumbling over pale shoulders. He'd never seen her before in his life, and as he glanced down at Barbara, he couldn't help but wonder why he'd dreamt of her and where she'd come from.

Barbara sighed as she rolled into him, grumbling slightly as she woke up. She braced a hand against his chest as she blinked her eyes open.

"What time is it?"

"Almost dawn. I'll have to leave soon," he sighed quietly, rubbing his tired face.

"I've been away from the lab too long." Barbara sat up. "I hope Tim ran those samples."

"It'll be fine," Dick assured her, reaching up to brush her hair away from her face. "You look pretty when you actually sleep," he whispered.

"But not when I'm awake?" Barbara laughed.

"When you're awake, you're stressed. But you are just as pretty."

"Good answer." She smiled before stretching. "Are you on Arkham patrol today?" She ran her hand through her messy tangle of hair.

"Yes," he sat up. He'd gotten up at some point to remove his jacket and the heavy fabric of his nightwing suit, leaving his scarred and muscular arms exposed by the tanktop he usually wore underneath his uniform. "It's going to be a long time before I'll get to rest again, I think, too. With Selina out of commission I'll probably have to pick up the slack…"

"Any news on her condition?" She stood up and dug her mask out from under the bed.

"Not since before I went to sleep with you," he glanced at her.

"Fair point." She pulled her mask on. "Let's go find out."

Dick got out of the bed and pulled the torso of his Nightwing suit over his head, slinging his jacket over his shoulder as he put his mask on. His long hair was knotted and messy, and he struggled to run a hand through it as he followed Barbara out the door. Carrying a ponytail holder between his teeth, Dick glanced at her. "How'd you sleep?" he asked, pulling his jacket on and twisting his hair into a loose ponytail at the base of his neck.

"Fine, but I forgot how much you snore." She wrinkled her nose at him as she smiled.

"Yeah well I forgot how clingy you are," Dick muttered, smirking at her.

"Isn't it time for you to get a haircut?" she asked.

"You don't like it?" he asked, touching the ponytail again. Dick laughed a little and shoved his hands in his pockets as they walked down the stairs.

"It's okay until it gets longer than mine. Then I'm getting the shears." She laughed.

"Sounds like a deal," Dick smiled and glanced at her.

"And no mullet," she added as an afterthought.

"You didn't like those years? As I recall, you said I looked very stylish," he laughed a bit. Reminiscing about the past wouldn't bring it back, but it made the present more manageable.

"Now I look back and cringe." Barbara grinned.

"I thought I looked stylish," he smirked.

"Do you still think you looked stylish? I look at old pictures of me and cringe too, so it's not just you. Although you had a particularly interesting fashion sense."

"Hey, I was styling," he laughed as they opened the door onto the medical floor. They went into the room full of cubicles and headed down the center aisle.

"Whatever you say," Barbara chuckled. Dick hesitated as he went to Selina's cubicle, grabbing Barbara's arm to stop her.

"Hey, let's be a little… I don't know, sensitive?" He stared at her for a moment. "Never mind, you're not Jason." He pulled her along and they stopped in the doorway.

Selina looked up from where she'd been talking to Bruce in her bed. She had no doubt coaxed him to sit with her, for he'd somehow ended up sitting beside her with his arms around her as they talked, his legs under the covers.

"Sorry if we're interrupting something, right?" Dick smiled a little. Selina looked down, playing with Bruce's hand.

"You're fine," Bruce told him.

"How are you feeling?" Barbara looked over Selina with a critical eye.

"I'm just fine," she smiled a little glancing up at her. Her hand closed around Bruce's and she squeezed tightly, her lips pressed together.

"No," Bruce looked at her sternly, and then glanced up at Barbara. "She's not. The wounds in her side are giving her pain, but she won't take any medication." He looked near the end of his rope. "She won't listen to me."

Barbara frowned. "You just had an exchange transfusion. Of course you hurt like hell, why won't you take any meds?"

"I don't need them," Selina said quietly. "There are other people who need them."

"You're going to be stubborn about this aren't you?" Barbara sighed. "Fine. Let's put this in a reasonable light." She crossed her arms. "You're the first human we've ever seen survive a bite by an Infected. The first, Selina. We need you well enough to run tests on. If you pass out from pain or fever, you're no use to us. Don't put your body through an unnecessary beating, okay? We need you."

"It's not… I'll be…" she frowned, crossing her arms and letting go of Bruce's hand. "Okay," Selina finally whispered. Bruce smiled in relief, and then he laughed quietly.

"Just like that? When Barbara says it, you listen, but when I beg you for an hour…" he smiled and kissed her head. Dick watched them, the corner of his lips tugging up a bit.

"That's because you don't know how to talk to women," Barbara told him with a smirk. She left to go get Selina some medication. Dick leaned against the wall, watching Bruce and Selina for a moment.

"I'm going to head out for Arkham patrol," he said quietly. Bruce nodded.

"I'm heading out later tonight, but I'll have GCPD officers cover my shift during the day."

Dick rolled his eyes and nodded. "As is expected, sure. Stay safe tonight, though. And Selina, make sure you get some rest." Selina nodded.

"Get the field report coming in from Uptown before heading out," Bruce told him. "I'll check in with how the raids and other patrols went."

"Yes Sir," he muttered, uncrossing his arms. "Feel better, Selina." As Dick passed Barbara in the hallway, he caught her arm and kissed her cheek before continuing on his way. Pressing his comm, Dick cleared his throat.

"Red Hood, Blackbat. Report. What's your location?" he asked.

"Just checking in with Alfred now," Jason said as he tapped the plaque by the entryway. "And the little twerp went with us."

"We have a new report," Cass added quietly.

"Good. Give it to me, the Bat and the Cat are otherwise occupied at the moment," he yawned. "Meet you in the lobby, stay put."

He got back into the elevator and then emerged through the doors in the lobby, walking to them, smiling. It quickly faded when he saw the state they were in. Sticky black blood coated their hands and jackets, and the blade of Damian's katanas.

"What happened?" he demanded, checking them over. When he saw Damian's cape pressed against his neck, blood soaked and splattered on the boy's face, he narrowed his eyes. "Go to medical, Robin, you did well, I'm sure."

Robin looked like he might argue, but he instead went straight to the elevator without a word. His dog trotted on his heels, wagging his tail.

"Alright, you two. Report."

"Robin commed in that he was coming to assist us, and I had a few badly decayed ones on my tail, so he beelined to help me," Jason explained. "Blackbat came to check on us, and we didn't consider that there were too many of us in one place."

"Any that were in Uptown came for us," Cass input. They'd been the only three patrolling Uptown and probably the only on the outside of the Arkham City wall. The zombies had been drawn to the group of them together like bees to honey.

"Only," Jason rubbed the back on his neck, "we couldn't hear them coming."

"What do you mean you couldn't hear them? Were you not paying attention? We talked about this, Jason…" Dick sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"No," Cass said firmly. "Each of the Infected had an identical marking. One long gash here," she ran her finger along her throat. "It was harder to see on the ones that looked barely human, but they all had it. They couldn't make noises."

"A gash. On their throats. All right…" Dick nodded. "I'm headed to Arkham now, I'll look into it."

"Have fun." Jason mock saluted him before going to get cleaned up. Blackbat nodded before heading her own way. Dick hesitated and then pressed his comm.

"Robin. As soon as you're fixed, up, if you feel up to it, join me on Arkham Patrol. Got it?"

"Copy. I will be heading after you shortly," Robin replied.

"Take it easy," Dick commented, and then walked out as daylight was beginning to cascade over Gotham.