It's been a while. Hope you didn't give up on me. Real life sometimes needs to take precedence, plus, it's taken me a long while to get this last scene right. There was a lot I wanted to fit into this as I didn't want the Karaoke Bar to be longer than a 3-parter. Here's hoping you enjoy this . . .

WARNING: Strong Language and Violence . . .

When the waitress set down the drink, she had handed over the napkin with a conspiratorial grin. Leah's alarm sat up and took notice.

"What's this?" she asked, staring at the drink like it was poisonous.

"It's from an admirer," Nikki pointed unobtrusively in the direction of a table a couple over from her own.

Three people were sitting there, two men and a woman. It was obvious which two were a couple and which was the third wheel. She snorted lightly. Leah knew that feeling well enough. Her roommate, Rachel, and her boyfriend, Mark, were attached at the hip and anywhere that Leah went with the two of them often left her feeling like she was intruding on something. It wasn't even like they were trying to make her uncomfortable. Rachel was her best friend and Mark was the special guy who had broken through both their shields enough to win Rachel over and win Leah's trust – something Leah would have bet money was impossible to do a year ago.

She glanced down at the napkin. Jason, written in a woman's hand along with a phone number.

Leah looked back over with a smirk. So, the woman was trying to fix up her boyfriend's buddy and get a little private time. She chuckled, taking a sip of the drink appreciatively.

Rachel snatched the napkin up to read it. "Ooh, who's Jason?" she asked, her eyes scanning the room for the likely candidate. "Is he cute?"

Leah found the man again. He stood out against the crowd in his red shirt and black jeans. Black hair with an interesting white streak in the front drew one's attention, but those of his eyes held it. Blue? Or green, maybe . . . She could see them from here, but in the dim lighting she couldn't quite tell their color. His cheekbones and jawline were so sharp they could cut glass. He had a strong Romanesque nose and tight lips that framed straight white teeth. Her stomach did that funny little flip it did as her blasted hormones recognized a compatible match at a glance. The feeling startled her as she hadn't felt that for any man in years – not since . . .

Leah shook her head. She wouldn't go there. She promised Rachel that she wouldn't allow that event to dictate her life any more than it already had. She was past that now. Her life and her decisions, made for all the wrong reasons at first, made sense now. Leah was pleased, even happy, where she was at this moment in time. She was doing good and helping people. Maybe not in the same way Rachel did. Her friend had chosen a different path to take after her own 'event', but Leah was making a difference in her own way. Every woman at this table had been helped by the two roommates and seeing the laughter and relaxation on those faces this evening meant that they were succeeding.

Against her will, Leah found herself eyeing Jason again, drawn towards his masculinity, this time, however, she was more critical, judging him based upon his tells. He was bigger than his friend, but both men looked like athletes, possibly bodybuilders, although neither were especially bulky. They carried themselves with a confidence few men could pull off but on them looked natural. Jason's face carried his personal hardships in the lines between his brows. He was too young to have earned those lines so early.

From the streets, she thought. He grew up on the streets. Likely, he still had connections there despite hanging out in an upscale karaoke bar. Drugs? Leah wrote that off almost immediately. His eyes were too clear, his skin unmarked by the physical effects that come with having an addiction.

"So, what's wrong with this one?" Rachel asked knowingly. "Alcoholic?"

A drunkard? No . . . Leah shook her head. "The guy has been nursing the same beer for a while now," she muttered grudgingly. So, what was wrong with him?

Rachel laid a hand over hers, dragging Leah out of her own head. "You're doing it again. Stop it."

"Doing what? I don't know what you're talking about?" She did, although she'd never admit it in a million years.

"Yes, you do. You are picking that guy apart in your head and profiling him," Rachel accused. "You're trying to determine how he would hurt you."

Leah scowled. "It sucks being roommates with a psychologist," she grumbled sourly at the other woman. "You hear that? You suck right now."

Rachel laughed. "I only suck when I'm right. I could say something similar about you, too, you know."

"Yeah, but you won't," Mark blurted, inserting himself into the conversation, "because it's your birthday and you promised to not psychoanalyze anyone tonight. So, what is Rach right about?"

"Leah's got an admirer and she's actively comparing his face to every FBI most-wanted poster tacked up in the local post office," Rachel smirked. "The poor guy never stood a chance."

Mark made a face at her, all sad. "We're not all bad, you know, Leah," he reminded her.

"Not all of you," Leah agreed, "but, Rachel's already won your heart."

Mark smiled, nuzzling his girlfriend. "Did she ever," he agreed, "but, it wasn't with her cooking."

"Oh, you . . ." Rachel laughed good-naturedly. "Why should I cook when you're the chef?"

"Good point," he nodded, then turned back to Leah. "So, where is he?"

"There," Leah told him, angling her head in the general direction. It wouldn't do for him to see her pointing in his direction. "The guy in red and black shirt with a white streak in his hair."

Rachel's eyes widened. "Oh wow. He looks . . . "

"Kind of dangerous," Mark finished for her. "You're right, Leah. Stay away from him. He's bad news."

Rachel elbowed him. "I was going to say that he looks kind of hot and you should definitely go for it."

Leah laughed. The tension she hadn't known she had been feeling slid from her shoulders like water. "He is kind of hot, isn't he?" she admitted reluctantly. "But, definite trouble."

Mark rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the stage where Daniel Carr, a local celebrity, was coaxing the woman from the table in question to sing with him. Rachel leaned over on the pretext of kissing his cheek and whispered.

"No matter what she says, she likes him," she said quietly.

Mark smiled, nuzzling his girlfriend's neck. "How can you tell?"

"She didn't send the drink back."

Mark peered around Rachel's head and sure enough, Leah was taking a sip of the drink in question and cradling it in her hands like a long-lost lover, but then she frowned.

"What's that asshole doing now?" she complained.

"Who?" Terry, the girl on the other side of Leah, asked.

"Daniel Carr," Leah snapped. "There isn't enough room on that stage for Carr and his fat-headed ego, let alone another person. Why's he trying to force that other woman to sing with him?"

"The boyfriend looks peeved," Mark murmured. "Tonight could end with Carr getting his ego handed to him on a platter."

"Looks like you were wrong, Lee," Rachel smirked. "Boyfriend is the one going to cause the trouble."

The song wasn't good. It was amazing! Leah could sing, but whatever Girlfriend was doing made everyone else here sound like tin-eared toads. Daniel Carr, no matter what sort of asshole he was in life, had a wonderful voice, but tonight he had sounded even better than he did on the radio after all the mixing and editing of the studio. The applause was genuine until the idiot reverted back to norm and kissed Girlfriend right on the mouth, even going so far as to tip her over his arm.

Uh oh! And, just like that, trouble had arrived.

Surprisingly, her troublemaker was holding his friend back. She had expected him to egg the boyfriend on. Never had she felt so out of sorts, questioning her well-honed instincts for the first time in years. A commotion from the stage dragged her attention back to the duo at the front of the room, just in time to watch Girlfriend punch the local celebrity square in the mouth.

It was a good hit. Carr staggered back from the blow with a hand covering his injury. She couldn't help it. Leah burst out laughing with the rest of the crowd. It was about time someone put that jerk in his place. Carr played it off well, but a practiced eye said that the punch had hurt. As Carr headed to his table in back, the women around her table applauded. Carr nodded in their direction, mistakenly believing it was for him that they cheered.

Leah smiled, deciding she liked Girlfriend better for standing up for herself. The woman in question was quite pretty with a body that made men drool. It was good the woman knew how to take care of herself. Glancing again at the two men, she noted that Boyfriend was glaring at the back of the room while Jason attempted to calm him down.

So, he was not a troublemaker? How could she have gotten him so wrong? Leah narrowed her eyes. No. No, she wasn't wrong, but she wasn't right either. Whichever way the man leaned, she gave them credit for teaching the woman with them how to throw a decent punch. One less student she needed to take under her wing, and that could only be a good thing.

Movement from the direction of the door caught her eye. Talking about the FBI's most wanted . . . One man stood out from the small army of what could only be bodyguards. She recognized his face, sure she had seen him before, but his name escaped her. Under the pretext of taking a drink, she followed the newcomers back to the table with her eyes where small-timer, Willie Shay, sat. Shay showed up here often. The man pictured himself a connoisseur of wine, women, and music, but the truth was Shay was scum with who had his fingers stuck in many pots.

Now, what business had Willie Shay gotten himself involved in that put him in the company of an international man of interest? The thought was only half-formed before flickering out like a candle's flame in the wind. For several minutes, the only thing that existed in the world was that voice coming from the stage. Helpless, Leah, like everyone else in the club, was inexplicably drawn back to the front of the room, caught up in the notes being sung like an insect caught up in a web.

This was so not like her.

Leah didn't know what possessed her to do this. No one else, however, had seemed aware of the strange way that time had seemed to warp when Girlfriend had begun singing on stage. Leah had only become aware of it when she found herself coming out of a trance-like state. Something like that, she decided, merited some investigation, but the only way she had to infiltrate the threesome was to take Jason up on the offer of the meet and greet that had accompanied the drink.

Rachel would laugh at her, telling Leah that she was using her suspicions to give her permission to approach the guy, and maybe there was a part of her that did want to meet the man, but that thing that Girlfriend had done earlier had set alarms off in Leah's brain. Jason and the boyfriend were in on it. Definitely.

Cutting loose, Leah plastered a smile on her face and danced her way up to the stage. She ignored the look of approval on her roommate's face and tried to control the mad case of butterflies currently dancing in her stomach at what she was about to do. Jason's voice was deep and smooth like a twelve-year-old bottle of a fine Scotch. He smiled at her approach, blue eyes twinkling.

Blue . . . They were blue. Okay, she'd admit it. She was attracted to the guy, but it wasn't enough to make her forget something weird was going on in their little group. She'd let him invite her back to their table and – Uh oh! She watched as one of the rich guy's bodyguards was approaching the girlfriend out on the dance floor.

Her curiosity was about to take a backseat to the trouble about to break out any second. She glanced over to the boyfriend. His attention was elsewhere, his gaze somewhere off in the distance like he was listening to something other than his buddy's vocal performance. A look at Jason, and she could see he was just as aware of what was about to transpire as Leah, but instead of heading off to intervene, he merely watched avidly, a gleeful anticipation in his eyes.

As Dick took down two of the oncoming Turks, Elle began looking for a chance to zap another in an attempt to even the odds. The third and fourth men stepped around the grappling men toward her. She tightened her grip on the stun gun, prepared to electrocute these two into smoldering hunks of charcoal if they messed with her when Dick's foot slammed into the side of the knee of one of the men. His leg giving out on him from the devastating blow, the man stumbled into his partner.

Dick took a hard blow to his chin, drawing his attention back into his more immediate fight. He shot Elle a look before returning the favor, hitting his opponent in the temple with his elbow and Elle realized she was more of a hindrance to him than a help just standing there. Had she been alone, Elle would have been the first out the door. She knew she was out of her depth here, she was no warrior, but how could she just leave Dick there against so many adversaries. Her aggressors recovered but joined struggle when they realized that Dick was no ordinary brawler.

Elle snapped the stun gun and started forward once more determined to help only to have someone snatch the weapon out of her hand from behind. If that was Jason's way of protecting her, she was going to punch him in the face. She spun around only to be face to face with one of Willie Shay's men.

Elle darted away, ducking into the screaming crowd as people either ran or jumped into the fray themselves. From the yells behind her, she knew that the man was pursuing her. When a couple ran into him, Elle used the confusion to dive beneath a table, peering out at the madhouse all around her.

Four men were on Dick and several more were heading purposely in his direction, when Jason finally leapt from the stage, joining the fray as he took down two. Her view was disrupted by a handful of rampaging feet when the table she was hiding under was stripped away. Elle's pursuer had discovered her. He pressed the button on the stun gun and she could hear the snap of electricity above the sounds of chaos.

He reached for her.

Rolling to the side, Elle kicked out, catching the man on the side of his knee, mimicking the move she had watched Dick perform earlier. Although the man stumbled, he didn't fall. In fact, all Elle had succeeded in doing was to make him angry. He came at her again.

"Oh crap," Elle yelped as she attempted to scramble away. She could only hope no one stepped on her. She couldn't decide if the crowd of people were good or bad.

Her assailant followed her movement, leaning down to grab at her when a flash of movement shot out from behind her. The man caught a boot full in his face. Blood spurted from his nose as his head snapped and he stumbled back. Elle glanced up at her rescuer only to discover Jason's woman standing above her.

"Thanks," Elle called out breathlessly. "Um, Leah, isn't it?"

Leah flashed her a grin, holding out her hand. "I couldn't let the guys have all the fun," she told her. "Look, those fellows seem rather intent on you right now. It might be best if you vacated the premises."

Elle nodded her agreement as she took the proffered hand. If only she didn't have to leave Dick and Jason behind . . . She bit her lip and glanced at the fight going on just a few feet away.

As if reading her intentions, Leah interrupted her thoughts. "Uh-uh. You'd only be a distraction if you stay here. Better to get somewhere safe, so your guys can concentrate of getting out of this mess with their heads intact."

"Only one of them is my guy," Elle volunteered. "The other is his brother. He's single, by the way," she added quickly with a smirk. The half-smile disappeared in the next instant when she saw her tormentor move. "Oh, look out! He's getting up."

The Turk climbed to his feet, ignoring the blood dripping from his ruined face. "You will regret that, woman," he snarled.

"I got this. Go!" Leah gave Elle a shove to get her moving.

"Right. Leaving now . . ." Elle yelped.

She hadn't taken but a few steps when a panicked female slammed into her, screaming. A hand came out to grip Elle's elbow, steadying her. Whirling about, Elle prepared to fight the next attacker when she recognized Daniel.

"Come on," he shouted over the din, hauling her after him. "Let's get you out of here!"

She didn't want to go anywhere with Daniel, but this wasn't the place to argue the point. For whatever reason, the men they had come to eavesdrop on had decided they wanted her, exactly what Dick had predicted might happen. Knowing who those men were, Elle chose to go with the lesser threat, so when Daniel tugged her along after him, she was ready to follow him out. She hesitated only when she caught sight of Dick slugging it out with at least three men. Jason was dealing with at least that many himself. She couldn't help worrying, though, for while Elle knew they both had moves that could obliterate their opponents, they were being forced to hold back in their civilian identities.

Daniel barked at her. "Are you nuts? You can't help them!"

As if he felt her fear for him, Dick met her gaze. He nodded at her, mouthing the word 'go'. He gave her the slightest smile before returning his full attention on the fight in front of him. Her father's warnings about her voice bringing trouble went through her mind. Somehow, she knew, this was all her fault. Realizing her continued presence was only making things worse, Elle allowed Daniel to lead her out of the bar.

"Oof!" Elle grunted when Daniel stopped abruptly, slamming into his back. "What the heck! Why'd you stop – Oh . . ." Her words died away when she peeked over his shoulder.

Willie Shay stood between them and the door, surrounded by several of his own men. The Turk the men had called The Patron was behind him. They were obviously preparing to retreat before the police could arrive.

"Well, well," Willie crooned with a smile. "Look what we have here, boys. The lady has deigned to join us after all."

Elle pulled Daniel backward as she searched the bar for a weapon. Snatching up a beer mug, she held it up in a threatening manner, sloshing the alcoholic beverage everywhere.

"Back off," she warned them.

Daniel's eyes widened in alarm at the heavy glass in her hand. Elle's lousy aim was well-known amongst her friends. If she meant to hit one of those goons in front of them, Daniel understood very well that he could end up concussed simply by standing nearby. Moving out of the way, he inadvertently left Elle exposed to the very men attempting to kidnap her.

"Lady, you don't want to do that," Willie growled, his temper rising. "You've caused enough trouble already." He motioned to one of his men. "Bobby Ray."

Bobby Ray, a tall, lean black man, slapped Daniel out of his way. The crack was loud as it connected with the singer's face.

"Not the face!" Daniel yelped, dropping Elle's hand as he cowered out of the brute's way.

Elle moved to throw the mug at Boddy Ray, but the man caught her arm, slamming her wrist against the bar. Pain shot up through her hand and wrist as the mug shattered, flinging shards of glass everywhere. Elle flinched when one struck her cheek. Warm blood trickled down her cheek.

"Bring her with us," Willie ordered as he and the Turk turned to leave. "Don't worry about your men. I'll see that they get back to you safe," he promised his guest. "I have a man on the inside."

Elle frowned at that. What did that mean? Shay had someone within the police force on his payroll? Her mind quickly returned to her own predicament as Bobby reached out to grab her. Used the broken handle from the mug, Elle slashed the man across his face, leaving two long lacerations the entire length of his cheek. Bobby Ray roared in anger, striking out at her in retaliation. Elle lifted her arm to block the blow as she'd been taught but was only partially successful. The punch struck her above her ear, dazing her, but not so much as to prevent her from ducking beneath his arm. Darted behind the bar, Elle made a bid to escape.

Bobby Ray followed.

Grabbing one of the liquor bottles from the shelf, Elle flung it behind her blindly. Bobby blocked the bottle, grunting as he took the blow with his forearm. His long arm reached out and grabbed her hair, yanking her backwards off her feet as she knocked several more bottles off the shelf trying to catch herself. One broke on the floor between them. Elle swiped up one of the unbroken bottles as Bobby bent to pick her up.

With a yell, Elle struck him with her impromptu weapon and the bottle shattered against his forehead, the stinging liquor and yet more blood added to the mess already covering the man's face. As he released her, Elle slammed her palm heel into his chin. Bobby Ray's head snapped back, and he stumbled, catching himself on the bar but, still, it wasn't enough to make him go down.

"Damn it!" she snarled as the man straightened in fury.

Spinning on her heel, Elle ran. She was doing herself no favors tying to fight him. Seeing an exit at the end of the hallway beyond the bar, Elle ducked under the counter only to crash into another of foreign guards who had come with the Turk. He had come around the bar while she had been busy fighting off Shay's man.

This guy, a broad-shouldered Turk, didn't give her a chance to fight back. Throwing her over his shoulder, he turned down the hall she had been headed for. Suddenly, escaping the barfight seemed like a bad idea as it now took her away from any help she might have found.

"We've got her. Let's go!" another of Shay's men called to Bobby Ray. "We're going to meet them in front of the alley."

Elle kicked as she struggled, pounding at the man's back ineffectually, but in seconds he was bursting through the door and into a sleet-drenched alleyway before she could gather her breath enough to scream. Bobby Ray and two others ran out behind them.

She glanced up at the black sky, the icy rainwater pelted her face, running into her eyes. The storm must have hit Gotham some point after they had arrived this evening. The music and fight must have covered any noise such an onslaught might have made. The sleet lashed at them, soaking them all in seconds. As the men started for the street with their prize, the rain and Elle's panic lent her new-found energy and a strength she didn't know she had.

Fighting back ferociously, her blows seemed to suddenly have an effect and her abductor stumbled. Elle, twisting violently out of his grasp, fell to the ground with a splash. With nowhere to drain, the standing water in the alley was a couple of inches deep, covering her hands to the wrists and seeped into her boots. As fresh adrenaline coursed through her veins, Elle didn't feel the cold at all.

Have to get up! Her mind raced. I'm alone out here. If I want to get out of this alive, I have to get up! I need to fight! Dick and Jay were too busy fighting off their own attackers to even realize she was in trouble yet.

Roughly, the Turk attempted to yank her back onto her feet. Elle used his distraction to strike out viciously, punching the guy in the groin as hard as she could. Releasing her, the Turk fell back into the dumpster, sliding down to the ground breathlessly. Free for the moment, Elle stumbled back as she regained her bearings, putting as much distance between her and her would-be abductors as the narrow alleyway allowed.

A black car pulled to a stop at the end of the alley. Whatever happened, Elle knew she couldn't allow herself to be put into that car. While the distance of the bond was expanding, if she were taken outside of that range, Dick wouldn't be able to use it to track her. Not yet anyway . . . but, what could happen to her between now and the time he rescued her, Elle didn't want to contemplate.

She looked towards the back of alley and nearly groaned in frustration. A chain-link fence blocked any escape she might have found in that direction.

One of the men held out a hand to the man Elle had dropped.

"Kalk, Halim," [Get up, Halim] he snapped in Turkish. "Kendini utandırıyorsun, bir kadının buna düşmesine izin veriyorsun." [You embarrass yourself, letting a woman fell you like that.]

Elle shoved her rain-soaked hair out of her face. Freezing water dripped from her eyelashes; her clothes were plastered to her skin. She might have just climbed out of the river itself, she was so wet. Glancing down at her hands, Elle cursed under her breath. Her Atlantian heritage was staring back at her from between her fingers. But then, a thought struck her . . .

I'm stronger in water than I am out of it . . .

The punches she'd thrown while inside had hurt her almost as much as the pain she'd dealt out. Would the same thing apply out here in the rain? A calm settled over her. She was still in trouble, but maybe the storm would be to her advantage. Moving into position, Elle prepared to defend herself. She only had to hold them off until the police arrived, or Dick could come after her.

I can do this.

Halim paused while struggling to his feet to puke. Bobby Ray was still staggering from the she had dealt him with that bottle. The remaining men would be the challenge. As they advanced on her, Elle bounced on her toes, ready for whatever was coming. She was faster in the water, more graceful, she told herself. She could do this.

"Quit wasting time, Mike," Bobby Ray growled. "Get her and come on! The police will be here any minute." He lurched past them towards the car, one hand on the brick wall for support.

Mike and the second Turk closed in. Abruptly, the Turk darted forward to grab at her. Remembering Dick's lessons, Elle knocked the man's hand away, but instead of ducking out of the way, she stepped into him with a hard-right jab to his nose. Her fist struck the cartilage with a loud crack that could be heard over the roar of rain. The Turk staggered back with a cry of pain, holding his nose and shaking his head. In the weak light from the light fixture above the backdoor was more than enough to recognize the dark liquid pouring down his face was blood and not rain.

Da-a-amn . . . She blinked down at her fist in wonder.

"Enough!" Mike yelled at her angrily. "This is for Bobby Ray."

He barreled towards her, intending to tackle her. Elle didn't think, she only acted. Leaping up, she spun in mid-air, using a move she had only seen Dick demonstrate while sparring with others. Elle's boot heel caught Mike across his cheekbone, sending him reeling into the wall.

"Oooh, my gosh!" Elle gasped in shock, astonished at her own badassery.

Halim, having recovered, took advantage of her distraction. He slammed his fist into the side of her face. Elle stumbled back several steps but retained her footing. She spit blood, the feeling of warmth running down her chin. Elle was able to shrug it off almost effortlessly. She probed the wound lightly with her tongue as she straightened. Bobby Ray had escaped to the waiting car, and with Mike and the nameless Turk out for the count, that left only Halim.

"You pay for striking me, woman," Halim growled. "We take you, then I show you how to pay proper respect to a man, eh?" he told her. He reminded Elle forcefully as to why Jason was after these bastards to begin with by grabbing his crotch in a vulgar manner.

Elle snapped at him. "In your dreams, asshole!"

Halim came at her, swinging. He threw punch after punch. Elle backed away, barely keeping up as she blocked them. She might be stronger now, but she knew it wouldn't take much for him to overwhelm her if he managed to strike her in the face another time or two.

Elle bumped into the chain-link fence and realized she had nowhere else to go. Time to make her stand. Ducking his next swing, Elle moved past him, coming up behind him just like Bruce had shown her. Going on the offensive, she punched him in the kidney and felt a rib give beneath her fist.

Halim grunted in pain as he spun around to face her. When he dodged her next attack, she stumbled forward after him. When she missed again, her fist slamming into the brick wall behind him and splintering one of the bricks there.

Glancing over his shoulder at the damage, Halim stared at her in shock. "What are you?"

Shaking off her own astonishment, Elle glared at him and quipped, "I'm your worst nightmare! A woman who'll fight back."

Then, she smashed her boot into Halim's shin, just below his knee. The bone buckled beneath him and he fell, screaming.

Jason pulled Dick off one of Shay's boys. "The cops are here. Time to beat a hasty retreat."

Dick glanced behind him as he wiped blood off his chin with his sleeve, the sweater was ruined anyway. "Too late. We run, and we look guilty."

Jay snorted. "We are guilty. You threw the first punch."

"I did not. Mine was just the first one that landed. No jury in the world would convict me," Dick shrugged. "Where's Elle?" He looked around but didn't see her. Was she hiding behind the bar?

"You two! Face the wall and put your hands behind your head," one of the officers yelled in their direction.

Jason sighed and moved to comply. He had no desire to fight his way through an army of cops. Dick ignored the command, instead he turned in a circle, searching the nooks and crannies of the bar for a familiar figure. One of the cops was pulling Daniel up from where he had been hiding, both he and the waitress, Nikki, were near the place he had last seen Elle. Worry began to creep in even as he reached out to locate her.

Last he saw, she had been on her way out with Daniel. He didn't like the guy but if he had been protecting Elle during this mess . . . Except Daniel was here and Elle wasn't.

She's not in the bar, Dick realized with alarm. He thought she might be outside the building, but was she safe or had she been kidnapped? He threw a panicked look at Jason.

"She's not here!" he gasped.

Jason looked around the room. "What do you mean she's not here? Maybe she's hiding somewhere?"

"No, she's not in here. She's outside."

"Then she's safe," Jason concluded.

An officer grabbed Jason's shoulder and spun him back towards the wall.

"Whoa! Hey! Take it easy, bucko," Jason blurted.

"You two don't follow directions very well, do you?" He said, doing a quick pat-down.

"Dude, I'm the good guy here," Jason retorted smoothly. He had taken off his guns before coming upon Dick's insistence. Probably a good thing, not that he was going to admit that to Dickhead. He still had one little pea-shooter still in his boot that could be a problem, but he got lucky when the cop frisking him noticed Dick taking off.

The cop quickly slapped the cuffs onto Jason's wrists as he yelled back over his shoulder. "Hey! Get back here. Reese, stop that guy!"

Reese snagged Dick's sleeve as he passed him, intending to slam him against one of the tables that was still intact, but Dick slipped his grip with a fancy movement Bruce had taught all of them when they had begun their Robin training. Dick spun out of Reese's reach and closed the distance between him and Daniel.

He grabbed the singer by the collar and shoved him into the bar. "Where is she?" he snapped in the cringing musician's face. "You were supposed to be looking out for her!"

Two cops grabbed Dick by his arms and dragged him back as Reese caught up them a second later. Dick didn't exactly fight them, but he evaded the cuffs Reese tried to put on him.

"I t-tried," Daniel whined, holding a hand up to his throat. "She left without me."

"Quit the act," Dick sneered. "I didn't choke you – not yet, anyway. Where is she and why aren't you with her?"

"Hold him still!" Reese yelled, attempting again to cuff his man.

Dick turned to the cop on his right. "My fiancée was being pursued by some men in here," he explained quickly. "That's why the fight started. She's not here, though."

"Sounds like she was trying to get away from the fighting, buddy," the officer told him. "She's probably outside."

"It's pouring out there. If I were her, I'd have gone straight to the car," the third cop remarked. "You need to calm down. We can work it all out down at the station."

Reese managed to slap the cuff onto one wrist, but Dick jerked his other arm free. "Would you hold still?" he snapped, frustrated.

There was no way he was going to be trotted down to the precinct until he found Elle. "Sorry. Not until I find her."

Dick twisted unexpectedly, surprising the men holding him. He leapt easily onto the top of the bar. He could see a hallway at the other end that led out, he suspected to an alleyway.

"Daniel," he yelled at the singer. "Which exit did she use?"

The musician stopped in the middle of giving his statement. "Um, I think she went that way. One of those thugs went after her," he finally admitted.

"What?" Dick evaded one of the officers who tried to pull him down. "Why didn't you stop him?"

Worried boyfriend or not, the officers handling him were losing patience.

Daniel winced. "He hit me!"

The officer taking Daniel's statement paused. "One of the thugs hit you?" He squinted, looking for a bruise.

Daniel shrugged. "Okay. It was more like a slap, but it still hurt."

The cop rolled his eyes, scratching out part of what he'd previously written.

"What? He was a scary guy," Daniel whined. "Look, you may not realize this but I'm a celebrity. I can't let anything happen to this face."

Elle put some distance between them and looked around her, but Mike appeared too dazed to regain his feet. The Turk whose nose she had broken was stumbling towards the street, but the black car had already left at some point during the fight. Red and blue lights flashed on the wet street ahead of him. The police had finally arrived . . . just in time to mop up.

The door to the club opened and two cops dressed in rainslickers poked their heads out.

"Over here!" Elle called out. "There are three of them," she told the officers and pointed out the one attempting to escape. One of the cops jogged after the fleeing Turk while his partner pulled his gun on the other two.

"Are you okay, ma'am?" he asked. "What happened here?"

"I'm fine," she told him.

He looked at her face skeptically, reminding Elle of her own injuries. She couldn't feel a thing, however. Her adrenaline numbed any pain she might have been feeling, not that it mattered. Any injuries would be healed up in the course of a few hours, maybe faster with the aid of the rain.

"Four men dragged me out of the club after the fight started inside. They had planned to kidnap me," she explained. "The fourth man managed to escape with their boss. He just left a few minutes ago. They were driving a black Mercedes."

The officer stared at the three powerful-looking men and back at her. Elle knew she didn't look like much, soaked to the skin as she was. All three of her abductors had towered over her own meager, five-foot, four-inch frame. He glanced up at the roofline.

"Was the Batman here?"

Elle glanced up at the empty sky, but the rain only got into her eyes. She shook her head, ruefully. "No." If only . . . "It was just us."

"You did all this . . . to them?" He didn't look like he believed her.

The officer couldn't have been any more surprised at the outcome than Elle was herself. He looked startled, however, when she started laughing. Probably not the usual reaction of a woman who had nearly gotten herself abducted by human traffickers, but she couldn't help it. She had done it! She had bested not one, but three men!

"I guess I did!" she said, grinning. She couldn't wait to share her triumph with Dick . . .

Dick! She gasped suddenly, remembering where she had left him and Jason. What had happened to them after she had been carried outside?

She wouldn't just leave them, even though he had told her to, not unless someone had been chasing her. Willie and his Turkish friend had been too interested in her after hearing her sing. Damn it! Dick had known this would happen, it was why he had insisted on coming along.

The officer that had been talking to Nikki broke off his questioning to intercept Dick at this point. That was too bad as Dick had no intention of stopping to chat.

"Get down from there," the officer called to him. "We're not done talking to you yet."

"Later," Dick growled.

"'Fraid not, buddy," the officer said. He pulled out a weapon, waving it in Dick's direction. "Don't make me use this. Trust me, it's going to hurt you more than it will me."

No one was surprised when Dick ignored him.

Jason was being escorted to the door when the cop taking Leah's statement moved to assist his fellow officer attempting to detain Dick. Jason rammed him with his shoulder, sending the cop sprawling. The cop at Jason's back growled and shoved him to the floor, putting a knee into his back to hold him still.

"Take it easy," Leah waved her arms, stepping up to gain the officer's attention. "I can vouch for these two. That one was just defending his girlfriend, and this one only became involved when his brother was being overwhelmed by several attackers at once. Take those cuffs off of him."

The weight on Jason's back disappeared, and he was suddenly being helped to his feet. "You might tell that to those guys over there. They're trying to taser my brother."

Leah glanced over to the scuffle happening at the bar. 'Trying' was the appropriate word. The tracers missed their target by several feet when the brother performed a neat flip off the bar, landing behind it. It wouldn't get him very far, but he continued to evade the officers with embarrassing ease. One of the officer's moved toward the end of the bar to block Dick's path.
She shook her head as she headed over to break it up. "He's not doing himself any favors by resisting. They're not going to be gentle with him when they finally catch him."

"IF they catch him." Jason smirked. He looked at the cop beside him. The man had been fishing out the keys to Jason's cuffs from his belt when Jason tossed the cuffs to him with a wink. "Here. Let me save you the trouble."

"What the-!" The startled officer juggled to catch the handcuffs as Jason followed Leah's wake.

"Why are these guys listening to you?" Jason asked. "Don't tell me you're a cop, too!" Oh, and wouldn't that be ironic.

Leah winked at him even as she moved to interrupt the farce at the bar before someone got hurt.

"Are you kidding me?" Jay gaped.

The back door slamming open interrupted the conflict as an officer shoved a man back into the bar from the back. Dick recognized him as one of the Turks. The man looked the worse for wear, blood still dripped from his chin, staining his rain-soaked clothes. The cop pushed him forward.

"We're going to need some paramedics out back," the officer told them.

Dick rushed towards the back now. He couldn't feel Elle at all over his own terror for her. He stopped being nice as he rushed the officer blocking his way to the back. The cop pulled his gun out as Dick threw a bottle. It smashed upon impact with the firearm spraying alcohol and glass everywhere. A dozen guns were immediately aimed at him.

"No! Stop!" Leah yelled as Jason barreled past her.

Jason shoved between two officers and dove over the bar to tackle Dick before someone shot him. The two rebounded off the back wall and tumbled into the startled disarmed officer as Leah threw herself between them and the others. She held out her hands to get their attention and stop the situation from escalating further.

"Damn it, I said stop!" she yelled again. "They're not the bad guys here! Calm the hell down. His girlfriend is missing, alright?"

On the floor, Dick elbowed Jason in the mouth.

"Get off me!" he growled.

"Jesus, Dick, you're going to get yourself killed and you know Bruce will fucking blame me for it," Jason snapped back as he wrestled his brother into submission. Or, at least, that had been the plan. He was discovering that Dick, despite being shorter and lighter, was far stronger than he'd realized.

He took another blow to the temple and saw stars. Was Roy right in suggesting Dick had held back on him all those times when they had come to blows before? He redoubled his efforts, putting his brother into a half-nelson.

He rolled them off the cop they had landed on and onto Jason's back. He continued to hold onto his brother, wrapping his legs around Dick's waist and squeezing. Maybe he would get him to pass out? Cold water dripped onto his forehead. Now what?

"Hey! What are you guys doing?"

The melodic voice was like someone had dumped a truckload of ice water over them. Both brothers stopped struggling immediately and stared up at Elle. She was standing over them, frowning, looking like a drowned rat - a little worse for wear but thankfully alive. Jason blew out a breath of relief. He could practically feel the sanity flowing back into Dick's body.

He started laughing. "Perfect timing, sweetheart," he told her as he released Dick. "Now, get this idiot off me before the cops decide to use us for target practice." He grunted as Dick managed to land another elbow to Jay's ribs.

"Elle, baby? Are you alright?" Dick asked, climbing to his feet. He ignored the half-dozen cops who were still watching them, warily. He hugged her to him, uncaring that she was soaked, and a puddle was forming beneath her feet.

"Me? What about you? You guys were battling it out with eight men the last I saw of you," Elle said as she ran her hands over Dick's face.

"Carr said Shay's men took you out the back. What happened?" Dick asked her. He used the sleeve of his sweater to wipe the excess blood from her chin but wound in her mouth had stopped bleeding by this time. When he examined it, it was already well on its way to healing.

Jason shook his head as he watched the lovebirds from where he still lay on the floor. Two of the officers were busy behind him helping the unfortunate he and Dick had landed on. A boot nudged his leg drawing his attention. Leah smiled down at him with her hands in her back pockets of her jeans.

"I bet family get-togethers at your house are pretty exciting," she smirked and held a hand out to help him up, grunting with the effort it took as he allowed her to pull him to his feet. "After that stunt, I can't decide if you are extremely loyal or just really stupid."

Jay rubbed his ribs gingerly, grimacing. "Let me know when you decide because I'm haven't figured it out myself. So," he said as he grinned down at her," you never answered my question."

Her light-green eyes sparkled. "What question is that?"

"Are you a cop?"

Her lips twitched with amusement as she shrugged. "I know that the cops are going to need you three to give them a statement."

Dick had his arm around Elle as they passed by. "Can we stop by the station tomorrow? I want Elle to get checked out first."

"I'll have to talk the investigator in charge, but there should be an ambulance outside," Leah told them. She looked at Jason. "You should probably go, too, just in case."

"I'm not hurt," Jason shrugged this time.

"You're not hurt now, but when your adrenaline crashes, you're going to be feeling at least a few of those punches you tried to block with your face," she warned.

"This? This is nothing," Jason protested, but worked his jaw with one hand.

"Humor me," Leah said and then added with a wink, "And don't leave town."

"Hey!" Jason called after her as she started to walk away. "How about you question me over dinner tomorrow night?"

Leah paused, glancing back at him over her shoulder. Then, dipping her hand in her back pocket, she pulled out a business card and plucked a pen out of one of the nearby officers' hands. She scribbled a number on the back of the card and handed it to him.

"Meet me there and bring your appetite," Leah told him before walking away.

He glanced down at the card in his hand. Milo's Bar & Grill it said, written in flowing script and Jason grinned. He loved that place. Best barbeque in town. Flipping the card over, he read, Take Your Life Back – Survivors School of Self-Defense. Owners: Leah Patterson, C.P.P.D.I. (Certified Personal and Professional Defense Instructor) & Rachel Mackey, LCP (Certified Clinical Psychologist).

He grunted. Okay, so yeah, that kind of made sense when he thought about the glimpses he had gotten of Leah during the bar fight. So, she could handle herself. Now, why did that only make her seem more attractive to him? When he looked back up, however, Leah was gone.

"Hmph," he snorted. "She never did tell me if she was a cop," he muttered to himself. Jason pocketed the card and followed Dick and Elle out of the bar. He found he was looking forward to the opportunity of seeing Ms. Patterson again - cop or not.

REACTIONS?

I'm kind of excited to hear what you guys thought of this. Not only are we seeing another glimpse into Elle's Atlantean side, but being introduced to a potential new regular character, Leah. I'm not sure how much you'll be seeing of Leah, but she'll be making an appearance or two . . . or more. Maybe - we'll see. But, because of these new things, I'm hoping you all will let me know your thoughts and reactions.

I'll try my best not to take so long before the next chapter. :D Please, tell me you're still interested in this story.