A/N: Just fyi, the chapters have shifted up by one. I split an earlier chapter into two and expanded on the intro - made the story flow better! Sorry for any confusion.

Thank you 4SeasonsChick and LaPetitePivoine for your reviews! :) They made me so happy. Writing their relationship is the hardest/funnest part of the story, so your reviews really meant a lot to me. :D Thank you Liliel and BloomingFireHeart for following/faving, and all the awesome folks who have been faving/reviewing S.S.S. as well. :) You guys rock!

Disclaimer: I don't own Batman. Batman owns me.

Redemption, Restitution, & Resurrection

-Chapter Ten: FULL MOON-

-/-/-/-/-

The world swam in front of her. This walk was too long, she decided. Luckily the fog was chilly, or the pain would be a lot worse.

Her shirt felt sticky. When she looked down, she realized it was covered in blood. Hard to see against the black shirt, but it was there, a dark puddle. How had she lost that much blood?

For the tenth time she turned her head to see if he had followed her. She breathed a small sigh of relief when no one was there. Though that comforted her little. He could be hiding in the fog again…

The hospital was ahead. Relief surged through her.

Stumbling through the main entrance door, she could vaguely hear Mrs. Phillips' horrified gasp. Warm arms steadied her. "My dear, what happened?!"

"I had a little run-in with Zsasz," she was surprised at how hoarse her voice sounded. "I got away, but he—"

"We need to get you to urgent care. The emergency room is still inundated."

"But your desk—"

"Don't worry about it, my dear," Mrs. Phillips waved to a guard. "Please watch the front, Eric. Keep special watch out for anyone who might intrude in the lobby. Mr. Zsasz might return."

She heard the security guard barking on his radio, and then she was whisked into the elevator and taken up to the ICU. Sitting on a bench, she saw Mrs. Phillips sweep over to the desk to register her. It felt surreal sitting here, again a patient instead of an employee. Strange how different a hospital could feel, depending what side of it you were on.

Nurses were rushing past her. They seemed extra apprehensive, but she thought she must have been projecting on them. No doubt it was just a busy day…

"—Found the bodies when he went in to check on the John Doe."

"Oh my God…"

"Fiona, what are you talking about? Who found what?"

Three nurses were standing in a nearby doorway whispering urgently. Danielle found herself listening in to their conversation, feeling a growing sense of horror at their words. If she didn't know any better, she'd think they were talking about—

"John Doe turned out to be that Zsasz guy, the killer in the news from the Square Massacre." Yep, it was him. Her skin prickled all over. That's right… he escaped from here. He asked me how many people I thought he killed in the process. Sick bastard.

"…Oh no, oh no…" The third nurse had caught on. Danielle's heart broke hearing the fear in her voice. "Who?"

"Monica, James, and Carrie. He got them."

"Oh God noooo…"

Monica… Wait a minute! MONICA?! Are they talking about my student?! She was only vaguely aware of Mrs. Phillips saying goodbye and leaving. Monica is…dead?

"Dr. Murphy found them 20 minutes ago. I was with him. It was horrible."

"Where is he?!"

"Dr. Murphy?"

"No, where's the murderer?"

"We don't know," the second nurse butted in. "Security's looking for him. We don't know if he's still in the hospital, so security's going to each floor to search for him, make sure no one else gets killed."

"So that's why we're all being summoned?"

"Seems that way."

"Who the hell let him in here? He was admitted here, none of us were told, and then he wakes up and kills us? What if he had killed more of us?"

"James' family's going to be devastated. They lost his brother Henry four years ago during the Joker Takeover at Arkham."

Danielle couldn't listen anymore. Monica… She felt cold all over. I lost another one. No. No, this can't be happening. Not like this. Her stomach turned, and tears streamed down her face. First Greta, now Monica. Two students dead. This can't be a coincidence. Zsasz really is the note-writer.

"Five more bodies in the first-floor kitchen," she heard. When she looked up, two security guards were coming in from the hall, walking briskly toward the other end of the wing. "And a whole lot of food missing too. Guy must have been hungry."

"So he murdered the kitchen staff and ate all the food? How are we gonna eat lunch then?"

"Stop worrying about lunch, man. People died in there."

"Does that mean they bled on the leftovers?"

"You wouldn't happen to be a sociopath, would you?"

"No, just hungry."

"ATTENTION: This is a code orange. Will all ICU personnel please proceed to the ICU main lobby. Will all security personnel please proceed to the ICU main lobby. Thank you for your cooperation."

Suddenly the waiting area was filled with people. Security guards were posted all around, and one of the head nurses stepped up and began to talk. She vaguely heard instructions about seeing all waiting patients to their rooms and how a security guard must escort the nurse and the patient, while the rest would remain there. Another nurse was assigned to lock all the patients in their rooms as a safety measure. The ICU would remain operational, but a security detail would remain posted at the front for the rest of the day, until the murderer was caught or the hospital was in the clear. She could easily tell them that he was long gone. She should say something—

"Miss Danielle?"

She looked up. Tears flooded her eyes again. For a moment, she wondered if Zsasz had hit her head too hard.

"Monica?"

Nurse Alvaro leaned over her with a gloved hand, gently checking her broken nose. "What happened, Miss Danielle?"

"Monica!" Danielle stood up suddenly, startling the young woman, and hugged her fiercely. No doubt she was smearing the nurse's uniform with blood, but right then she didn't care. "You're alive! Oh thank God!"

Monica furrowed her eyebrows. "Shouldn't I be?"

"I heard—I heard that a nurse named Monica was killed here—"

"It was a different Monica." Her student looked so sad. "I cannot believe this is all happening."

"Me either." For a long moment, the two women held each other, both looking sadly into each others' eyes. Danielle took a deep breath. "I… I have some very bad news." How was she going to tell her this, on top of everything that had happened here today?

"What is it?"

"Greta from class… has passed away."

Monica's brown eyes filled with tears. "Oh no."

"It was the same person who wrote the note a few weeks ago. He wrote another one… We've shut down the classes." As she said it, it sunk in with such finality… that it was really over. She held her student tighter. "The classes are gone, Monica. I'm so sorry."

"Broken nose?" Kairi Tanaga jabbed her reckless student in the forehead with one pointy finger. "And just what do you expect to do in this class with a broken nose?"

"Are you saying I should go home?" It was Wednesday, the day after Zsasz's hospital rampage. Fortunately the break in the cartilage had been clean, and the swelling and black eyes were going down. Still… what was she thinking, risking her early healing over training? Danielle looked sheepishly down her bandaged nose at the dojo's red training mats. Images of bleeding all over Kairi's floors flashed to mind, and then having to clean it all up—

Kairi's eyes sparkled mischievously. "I have just the training for you!"

A few minutes later, Danielle found herself in the lotus position, training to quieten her heart. Deep breaths, releasing all the energy of the last few days, observing but not holding all the scary thoughts, sensing the healing energy gathering in her nose… Kairi really couldn't have chosen a better training.

The time passed peacefully. Slowly, the other students wound down. She heard Julien thank his partner of the day. Kairi's footsteps approached quietly. She couldn't hear them - rather, she could feel them through the ground.

"I will have you sit out of rigorous training for the next two weeks," Kairi told her. "You will come to class to meditate instead. How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling better."

"Are you really?"

"…I'm feeling more aware of the sadness," Danielle told her reluctantly. "I just-" she put a hand over her heart. Kairi nodded.

"Bruce Wayne-san has told me about your classes. He speaks very highly of your skills as a teacher," Tanaga-sensei crouched in front of her. "With great strength comes great responsibility. You know this well. As a teacher, you feel great drive to protect those who are less strong than you."

"Yes," she whispered. "I feel like I failed them."

"The very best teachers lead by example and inspire confidence and passion in their students. We are responsible for a lot, for their safety."

"What do you think, Tanaga-sensei," Danielle asked, suddenly feeling desperate. "Should I have kept the classes going, to keep teaching them? Or was I right to suspend them?"

Kairi did not answer. Danielle knew that not even her teacher could say one way or another. It was her choice, her burden to carry.

"Meditate tonight before you go to sleep. Empty your mind. You'll sleep better and heal better." She nodded to Danielle's nose. "Be mindful of your health."

The apartment had never seemed emptier when she returned home from the dojo.

She flopped down on the couch and slung her bag to one side. The sun was long gone, not that it mattered – the bookshelves were still in front of the living room window. The first aid kit was lying on the table, the phone was still strung up near the front door… What was the point of all her precautions now? A student was dead. The classes were gone. The Note Writer had won.

She thought of her students. "What will you do, Theodore?" she wondered, tracing a finger over the First Aid Kit. "Will you overcome your bullies, the ones who wait for you everyday outside your front door? What about you, Scott? Are you free of the crime family who was targeting you, or will they send someone to silence you?" She knotted her fingers in her hair. "Just once, Becky, will you make your abusive uncle sorry for messing with you, so he never tries to again?" Would they survive, toughen up the way she had? Could she put her faith in them to take care of themselves?

Would the Note Writer leave them all alone since he'd gotten what he wanted, or would he go after them anyway out of sheer malice? If the Note Writer was Zsasz… she shuddered to think. They wouldn't stand a chance against him. Her students still needed her help. They were still her responsibility.

I need to call Commissioner Gordon… The dial tone rang in her ear.

"Gordon's office."

"Hi Commissioner. It's Danielle Lee. I shut down the classes. It's done."

A long pause. "That must have been very hard for you. You did the right thing."

"Did I? Now my students are all by themselves…"

"Listen, anytime we do something to protect someone's life… it's a good thing. Don't lose hope yet. We're not done tracking down this sonofabitch. I'll call you if we figure anything out. Keep your head up."

"Thanks…" The phone disconnected.

Ring ring! "Hmm, maybe he forgot something… Hello?"

"Oh, Danielle…"

Sudden anger.

Zsasz sighed in satisfaction. He had so hoped she would answer.

"I was thinking…" he spoke whimsically to his sweetheart, "If you're not terribly busy, we should get a hot chocolate tomorrow night at Gotham Square. Do you remember when we had our first date there, that hot summer's day?" He twirled the phone cord around one finger. "It would be a nice contrast to go there in the winter. Don't you think so, Danielle? Seasonal sweets, tiny brats and their families running all around... I hear they've mostly cleaned up the blood!" He laughed maliciously.

For a moment, she sputtered into the receiver. "You're psychotic, you know that?!"

He was undeterred. "And here I thought a romantic date would lift your sour mood–"

"Would you stop calling it a date?! We weren't there on a date the first time, and-and considering what you've done?"

"You sound… upset."

"No thanks to you, you asswipe!"

"I don't appreciate your tone, Danielle," his voice hardened. "I may not want to kill you, but I cannot say the same for your friends."

"So you threaten my friends now… First my classes, and now my friends…" Her class? He hadn't, but she had just given him a good idea. "You have to resort to attacking everyone around me because you know I'm not afraid of you."

"Oh, but you are afraid of me. I know you're afraid of me and what I'm planning to do to you—"

"Isn't what you did to Greta enough?!"

"Greta?"

"You and your sick notes! You and your little sick games—"

"Notes?" Suddenly Zsasz didn't like where this conversation was going. "I've never sent you any notes, Danielle."

"Don't play mindgames with me, you—!"

"What kind of notes?" He gritted his teeth. "From a… secret admirer, perhaps?"

"Secret admirer?" she laughed so hard, so manically, that she sounded on the verge of sobbing. He heard her gasping to regain control over her voice. "I'd hardly call them an admirer! Creepy nursery rhymes, telling me to stop teaching my classes and lay down my crusade… Oh, they succeeded," she said, and there was so much bitterness in her voice. "It wasn't you?"

"No. No, I don't write nursery rhymes. Someone else is after you," he said in disbelief. Someone else has power over her. "What do the notes say?"

"Why do you care—"

"Just-" he almost lost patience, "tell me what the notes say. I might be able to help you somehow."

"You—"

"I don't like knowing that there is someone out there who is possibly as fixated on you as I am," he stated. "You are my mark. There, you've heard my reasoning, now read me the notes!"

She did. Given how quickly she answered him, he guessed she had recited them from perfect memory. There were three notes - as she had said, they were demanding she cease her classes. He heard her voice catch on the name: 'Greta'. One of her piggy friends, or more likely one of her students? When she was finished, the line was silent for a long moment.

"Zsasz?"

"You're in danger," he breathed finally. "Someone wants you dead because of your work. You're a target, Danielle."

"Well isn't that the pot calling the kettle!" she scoffed. But he heard her sigh shakily.

"For some reason, I am gaining the impression that this person was hired," he said uncertainly. "There is no mention of a past incident or slight, and this person does not taunt you with anything aside from your students. It does not sound like a personal grudge, and you would know if it was personal."

"I'm not sure who it is."

"You had better be careful, Danielle. Go out somewhere, don't stay too long at home. They might try to kill you anyway, and they will have more trouble finding you if you're unpredictable…" The irony was not lost on him how he knew to give her this advice. She had used that exact strategy for weeks, and it had kept him from killing her, three years ago when he had first pursued her mark. As it was, he had no idea where she lived now. She had been careful - too careful - going home from work on the days he had tried to follow her. But if someone else had managed to find out where she lived, was somehow a better tracker than him… The thought burned him up. Though he suspected it was because he hated for another person to be better than him.

"If I didn't know any better… I'd think you were worried," she said softly, snapping him out of his thoughts. Before he could answer, she chuckled. "Well, whatever you're planning, you'd better do it soon, Zsasz. My 'secret admirer' might get to me first." Without waiting for a response, she hung up.

Zsasz glared down at the phone, and with deceptive calmness, he laid it back in its cradle.

His mind worked as he exited the phone booth. So… there is a competitor out there for her attentions. For her emotions.

That would not do.

He would find this so-called 'admirer'. First, he would follow Danielle again; in the process, he was sure to spot her new stalker! And then he would take his time carving the interloper's mark into his flesh…

But first, a little game. Danielle needed a reminder about who really owned her life.

"Soon, piggies…"

Thursday evening. No sign of the self-defense teacher in two days.

The Note Writer stretched his long fingers. From his vantage point, he could see everything. The security guard pacing through the hallways, shiny badge glittering in the light. A nurse and a surgeon, hands all over each other, canoodling down the corridor. The old doddering hospital secretary, the Old Mother Hubbard, come down to stare apprehensively through the glass window into the darkened office.

She stood for so long and so intently, and then finally mouthed a name. He knew whose name she uttered. His smile split forth in malicious glee as he took in her face. Her skin wrinkled and mouldering, large scared eyes magnified behind her cat glasses. Always nice to see an old friend.

The secretary's face pinched in determination. For a moment, it looked as though she was staring straight into his hiding place, straight at him. But it couldn't be. He was hidden, behind shadows and steel.

She finally turned away to trudge down the hall and back up to her miserable post. Nothing to see here, move along. Though he strongly suspected she knew who he was. Well, she would know better than anyone, wouldn't she?

The classes were closed. And as an added bonus, the self-defense teacher had been too chicken to come in.

My work here is finished.

But just to be safe, one more day...

When Friday morning rolled around, she decided to suck it up.

She hadn't gone to work the past two days, moping as she was. Why bother? She didn't have a job to do anymore, did she? But that wasn't entirely true… She still had paperwork. Lots of paperwork.

As the elevator descended in the hospital, her stomach tightened with dread. Her office felt infected now. The Note Writer had been there, inside her sanctuary, leaving a note filled with malice and gloating over her student's death. A pang in her heart. How was she going to have the courage to work in there today? As the elevator doors opened, she steeled herself.

Froze. For a moment, she had heard soft voices. No, Danielle. You're being paranoid. You're procrastinating. She continued, lead in every step.

She rounded the corner to her office—

"SURPRISE!"

A shower of confetti landed in her hair. Sudden tears of happiness filled her eyes.

Her Tuesday class beamed at her from their campout in front of her office. Danielle couldn't believe it. They were all here! She saw Monica and Sarah, holding up picnic baskets, and Lloyd holding balloons. Theodore was cheering as he led everyone into an enthusiastic round of clapping. Scott smiled hugely as he threw another handful of confetti. A flash of blonde and suddenly she was being squeezed around the neck by Becky.

Catching her breath, Danielle beamed at her students. "Wh-What are you guys doing here?"

"We're here for class, Miss Danielle!" Theodore declared, and everyone cheered again.

"I got everyone's contact info," Cecil held up his notebook with his good hand. "It was Theodore's idea to do this." She turned and Theodore glanced at the ground, blushing. "Everyone unanimously agreed to be here today," Cecil grinned at her. "We just needed our teacher!"

"But—But what about—"

"Look, we're not scared," Scott interrupted. "Or if we are, we decided it's better to keep taking the classes. We need to take care of ourselves, Miss Danielle, and that means learning how."

"So will you teach us?" Theodore asked hopefully.

She looked around at their eager faces. Her heart sank. Damned if they do, and damned if they don't. Could she really refuse them? Scott and Theodore stared at her, determination burning in their eyes. Didn't she want to put the faith in them to take care of themselves? If they decided that this was what they wanted — no, needed — then who was she to stop them?

"Yes."

"YAAAAAYYYYY!"

Two hours later, sweating and exhausted, they went out to the small courtyard and enjoyed their lunch. It was frosty out, and they huddled together, laughing and sharing their hopes. At the end, she hugged them all, warning them that she might change her mind next week, telling them to look out for themselves and each other. "Safety's Number One!" She hugged Theodore the longest. "Thank you so much," she motioned to his classmates. "You gave them all hope." Softly, "Sometimes, it's the students who teach the teacher."

Her class left and she went back to her office, a new spring in her step.

Her phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Girl, there you are!" It was Cindy. "I've been trying to reach you on your other phone."

"I left my cell at home on accident."

"So you're back in the office."

Danielle chuckled. "I had some help, but yes… I'm back."

"Mrs. Phillips and I were worried — she wants to talk to you, by the way. You doing OK?"

She could hear the concern in her friend's voice. "I am now. I'm sorry for worrying you guys."

"You sound good. You can tell me all about it tonight! Are we still on for dinner?"

"You know it! Seafood, here we come!"

"Mm, but that crab chowder sure hit the spot!"

Cindy and Danielle waddled around the pier, clutching their sides and laughing. Between the oysters, the chowder and the bread bowl, they were both stuffed.

Festive music wafted in the air. The pier was decked out with holiday lights, and people were everywhere, all wool jackets and warm hats. It was a clear, cloudless night, with stars dotting the heavens. The moon was just rising.

"Hey, wanna go for dessert? I smell funnel cake!"

Cindy was smiling, cheeks lit up like a Christmas ornament. Her friend had a huge sweet tooth, especially for all things cinnamon. A dream flashed back to mind, the one where they had eaten the giant pastry, of Cindy's face covered with frosting. For some reason, the thought turned her stomach. Or it could have just been that she was overly full.

"You go for it. I don't want to get a stomach ache."

The friends partied into the night, relaxing in the jovial atmosphere, letting their troubles go. Danielle peered over the black water to the glittering lights in the distance. She glanced down at the docks and smiled wryly. Seemed the seals had wisely cleared out of there. Maybe the bright lights were scaring them… or maybe they had gone someplace warmer.

Hours later, and they had all but forgotten their troubles. They hadn't talked about them, and Danielle had forgotten to call Mrs. Phillips and see what was so urgent.

Cindy said she needed to go home; Dante was waiting up, no doubt. Danielle offered to catch the bus together. The friends agreed to call each other once they got in safety.

As they walked away from the boisterous piers, Danielle noticed that the moon had risen overhead. "Hey look Cindy, there's a rainbow…!"

Indeed there was. A shiny rainbow made a ring around the full moon, making it appear even more dramatic than usual. "It means it's a sign of rain," Cindy mused.

Or a sign of bad luck, Danielle remembered. In her hometown, the villagers had considered it a sign of approaching snakes. Of course, the snakes could just be restless because it was getting ready to rain...

As they walked out of Amusement Mile, Danielle couldn't stop looking up at the moon's bow. The icy circle seemed to shine more brightly when she looked. Her skin rippled with goosebumps. Suddenly being out at night didn't seem like such a good idea anymore.

The friends rode the bus, and Cindy's stop was first. Danielle waved to her friend through the foggy window and promised herself to call once she got inside.

The elevator seemed so slow going up. It must be chilly inside. She coughed a little.

Down the hallway, keys fiddling in the lock, door shutting. She sighed. She was safe. It was dark in her apartment, though the streetlights filtered in, casting shadows.

Time to call Cindy. She picked up the receiver.

The phone was dead.

Fear shot through her. Frantically she turned to run—

"OH GOD NO!"

The intruder stood menacingly in her doorway. No words, just blocking the way out.

She lashed out with a shriek...

And missed! Fear coursed through her.

The figure reached out a hand—

"NO!" CRUNCH!

She broke the intruder's face with her bare fist. The shadowy figure fell to the ground and did not move.

For a long moment, the only sound was Danielle's shuddering breath.

Had she killed him?

Finally, she turned on the light. When she saw the body, she felt terrified and sick.

It was Greta.

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