Angel in Disguise

Today was the day. Chelsea would be walking across a graduation stage for the final time. It was almost overwhelming to think about. She was engaged to Bruce Wayne, pregnant with their baby, and also graduating college. So many important milestones in her life seemed to be happening all at once.

She looked herself over in the standing mirror. It was much too early in her pregnancy for her to be showing, but just the idea that she had a little peanut-shaped person growing inside her made her subconsciously rub her belly. Her engagement ring shimmered on her finger. She was glad Bruce didn't overdo it. He knew she'd gripe at him for spending money on her. Plus she preferred subtly. Her gown was royal blue. It had seemed so long ago that she had first enrolled in Gotham University, and yet just yesterday all at the same time.

However, only one thing would make this a perfect day for her.

"You look lovely miss." Alfred told her.

Chelsea flashed him a smile, "These things always take entirely too long… is he coming?"

"I'm sure he wouldn't miss it for the world." Alfred assured, unable to confess to her that Bruce had scampered off to fight crime, "We should hurry along. Your ceremony will begin soon."

"Nice dress." jabbed Tim Drake. Alfred had dressed him in semi-fancy attire for the occasion, against his wishes.

Chelsea roughed up his jet black hair, "Nice bow tie." she returned fire.

"Congratulations," came a voice she did not expect to hear. Dick Grayson stood in the doorway, leaned against the door frame.

"Thanks Wonder Boy," Chelsea smirked, throwing an arm around his shoulder to hug him. She was glad he decided to come, "where's Babs?"

He patted her back gently, "I'll pick her up on the way. Where's Bruce?" Alfred made a hand motion from behind Chelsea that Dick caught on to and pursed his lips with doubt.

"I'm assuming he got caught up in something at work… I'm sure he'll be there." Chelsea said, sounding like she was trying to assure herself.

Batman found himself being grasped by a plant with a vice grip. The more he moved, the tighter the hold became. He was lowered closer to the environmentalist, Poison Ivy, as she stroked his chin with her fingernails, "Look what my babies found sneaking around my greenhouse."

Batman was gritting his teeth with anguish. Why today? Today of all days, "What are you hiding here, Ivy?"

A smirk spread across her cherry bomb lips, "Oh Batman," she cooed, "we can't have you snooping around to find out." before he knew it, he felt something prick his arm, and it was lights out.

Time was growing short. Chelsea shuffled in her seat. Her name would be called momentarily. By walking on this stage she was exiting a familiar chapter in her life and entering one that seemed terrifying to her in comparison. Could she be a mother and a wife? Her leg was bouncing. It would be worth it to see Bruce and her family smiling at her like she had finally achieved something worthwhile in her life. Her name was called. She walked across the stage, making sure not to trip or anything of that notion. As she accepted the rolled up piece of paper she looked out into the crowd and to her surprise, she saw them standing on top of the roof of the pavilion that was across the way from the stage. Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, Hawkgirl, and Flash all stood in a line, beaming with pride.

She smiled at them. Her eyes darted to where she left Alfred and the others to find an empty seat by them. She felt a pain grip her heart and twist. Bruce wasn't there. He missed it. Crestfallen, she kept her head up and continued across the stage and back down to her assigned seat. Taking a deep breath, her expression fell, as she looked across the park toward the inner streets of Gotham, wondering where in the world her hero could be.

After the ceremony that seemed to drag on, Chelsea met up with her Bat-Family. While making her way to them, she checked her phone. Wally had left her a text message, "Supes wants to meet up later for dinner to celebrate. Sound good?"

She replied with, "Sure. Name the place. I'll be there… thank you for coming."

Wally was quick to reply, "I wouldn't miss it, Chels. You should be proud. I'll give you the details when I get them."

Wally's words only deepened this feeling she could not define. Once she was able to reunite with Alfred and the others, she tried her best to smile, "Well that took a while, huh?"

They could all see through her fake grin, "Congratulations." Barbara tried to make the mood better.

Chelsea reached out and hugged the girl, and sighed, "Thanks Babs. Glad you and Wonder Boy could make it."

"I'll make you a very special dinner tonight, Miss. Anything you want." Alfred told her.

"I'll help you. I think we're going to have company." Chelsea took a glance down at her cell phone, starting to relay the message to Wally.

Later that afternoon, Alfred already started preparing the meal, insisting that Chelsea stay out of the kitchen just this once. She decided to sulk on the porch swing outside. She watched the breeze brush against the trees branches in the onset of summer heat.

"How are you holding up?" Dick asked, sitting down beside her.

Her swinging motion stopped, "I can't believe he didn't show."

"I can." laughed the original boy wonder dryly, "He missed mine too, ya know?" he leaned forward and looked her over, "Look… I'm really happy for you guys. I never thought Bruce would be one to ever settle down… but a word of advice from someone who's known him as long as I have…" he gazed out into the Wayne Estate, "You will always be second best."

Chelsea gave him a confused look, "What do you mean?'

Dick kicked his foot, rocking the porch swing gently, "Face it… you're marrying Batman. No matter what he might say, the man will never give that up. It's his life. It's all that really matters to him." his eyes turned to her momentarily, "Don't get me wrong. He loves you. And that's saying a lot… but at the end of the day… Bruce Wayne is just a man… when the night comes… he's Batman. The sooner you accept that he will miss graduations, birthdays, and holidays… the less disappointed you'll be in the long run. You're the bravest woman in Gotham… for offering up your heart to someone like him." They stared at each other briefly before Dick stood up and went back inside.

Dick's words stung. She knew she had picked the harder road, but there was nothing complicated about the fact that she loved Bruce, unconditionally. What if there was some truth to what Dick said? Deep down, she believed him. Everything he said made sense.

"Chels!" Tim called out to her, "Bruce is home."

Chelsea hurried up the stairs to find Bruce sitting at the edge of his bed, injecting himself with some sort of antidote, "What happened?" she asked with concern.

Bruce flexed his hand, "Poison Ivy injected me with one of her toxins. Nothing that could kill me… just knock me out cold."

Chelsea approached him and cupped his face in her hands, "Are you going to be alright?"

"Getting there," he nodded once. He put the cap over the needle and tossed it in the trash. Smoothing back his hair he stood up, "I heard your graduation went well. I'm sorry I couldn't be there." he turned away from her and started for the door, "I'll be in the cave if you need me. There's still a lot of unanswered questions with this Poison Ivy case."

Chelsea's eyebrows scrunched together. The door slammed in his face before he reached it. This action caught him off guard. He turned to her confused, "That's all I get?" she asked with a hint of irritation.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, his voice rising with agitation.

"You missed my graduation, Bruce. It meant a lot to me you be there. And all you give me is a passing apology before running off to do more research?" Chelsea wondered, throwing her arms up and letting them fall, folded up across her chest.

"I've been unconscious for at least three hours, Chelsea. Again, I apologize for not being there for you, but Poison Ivy is up to something. There's more to this, and I couldn't just ignore it." Bruce mirrored her body language, his large, muscular arms folded in front of his chest.

"What else are you going to miss? Our wedding day when The Joker poisons the water supply? Our baby being born when Two-Face robs the 2nd National Bank?" Chelsea barked, her speech patterns speeding up.

Now Bruce was offended, "Of course not!" he yelled angrily.

"Look," Chelsea sighed, "Today meant a lot to me. Everyone was there. Even my family from the Justice League… but when I looked down and didn't see your face, it killed me. You were the whole reason that was possible for me Bruce!" she snapped the last statement, "You gave me the money to go to school. I felt like I was making you proud up there, and in one of my greatest accomplishments, you weren't there to support me."

Guilt started to sink in, which only seemed to make him more frustrated, "I wanted to be there." he argued, his balled up fists dropping to his sides, "But I couldn't. I'm not apologizing anymore. You should know that duty comes first."

"So I am second place then." Chelsea confirmed.

Bruce couldn't believe her words. He stared her down in silence, and left the room without another word. When the door closed, she fell back onto the bed and covered her face.

The evening came, but Bruce didn't show his face at dinner. Chelsea did her best to entertain the league members that came to honor her on her day. They all wondered where Bruce was, but none of them felt it was alright to ask. Something seemed off about Chelsea. She wasn't herself, despite her efforts. As everyone was leaving, Wally pulled her aside to ask if he should stay, but Chelsea waved him off with a long embrace, "I'll be alright. I just need some sleep." she assured. He didn't argue with her over it, but reminded her, he was a simple phone call away.

Chelsea walked down the hallway and stared at the grandfather clock that's hands hadn't moved in ages. She pushed it aside and started down the steps to the Bat Cave. She looked about the nooks and crannies, but Bruce was nowhere to be found. Making her way over to the main monitor she started analyzing some of the data Bruce had been vigorously investigating. That's when she came across a file that grabbed her interest. Some toxic plants that only bloom in the summer had been grown in Poison Ivy's Greenhouse. Chelsea dived deeper into this detail, punching some information into the Police records and continuing her search. When the evidence was found, the plants had been placed in a cryogenic state. Chelsea's eyes widened. There was only one person who could be involved in this: Mister Freeze.

As Chelsea flew across the Gotham skyline toward the most recent location where Poison Ivy took root, she started to figure out this strange situation in her head. There was some sort of disagreement between the two villains. Freeze must have frozen Pamela's rare, dangerous plants she had been growing, killing them instantly. In retaliation, Pamela got a hold of Victor's object of affection: his wife, Nora Fries. Nothing mattered more to that man than his wife who has been in cryogenic stasis for some time. To Pamela, her plants are like her children. Family comes in many forms.

Chelsea landed on the greenhouse roof and inspected the scene below her. It was dangerous for Mr. Freeze to be in such a warm setting. His suit would keep his body cool, but she imagined it was like an ice cream on a hot summer day. He raised his ice ray gun to fire at Pamela Isley when Chelsea decided to make her move. She landed between them and deflected the blast with the heat from her light, "Mr. Freeze, please stop." She took note that Poison Ivy had Nora behind her, still frozen in time in her capsule.

"Who are you? What business do you have here?" Mr. Freeze asked her, raising his gun.

"That won't be necessary. Please, just hear me out. I'll help you get Nora back." Chelsea told him.

Mr. Freeze gave her a cold stare through his red spectacles, "You couldn't begin to understand what it feels like to love someone as much as I love my Nora."

Flashes of Bruce flipped through Chelsea's mind like a projector screen, "Yes, I do. I love someone very much. If I ever lost him, I'm not sure what I would do. I can't even say with a straight face that it wouldn't break my morals and turn me into something unrecognizable. I don't understand your pain Victor… but I know that with as much as you love Nora, I'm sure she loves you just the same. She wouldn't want this for you."

"I will never know." Mr. Freeze told her, "You love someone? Imagine never feeling the warmth of their hand on yours again. Imagine watching the one you value most suffer through a fate worse than death, and then be frozen in time to live that fate, day after day. All the while there is nothing you can do to bring them back." his gun started to glow, "This wicked woman… she lives in a world of the sun's light and brings life to such evil flora. Such a waste of life."

Chelsea turned to Pamela, "You need to get out of here."

"Not without my babies." Pamela protested.

"They will remain unharmed. Just leave. Now." Chelsea instructed with glowing eyes.

Something inside her, told Poison Ivy to leave immediately. That girl had the same tone in her voice as Batman.

Chelsea turned back to Mr. Freeze in the nick of time to dodge his icy blast. The man hardly had the strength to raise his gun again. The heat was starting to affect him, "Nora," he breathed, feeling light-headed. Chelsea approached him with great caution, catching him as he fell to his knees, "Please… save my wife… get her out of here. Maybe someday science will be able to save her… I just want her to be happy. She can never find happiness from a man who has lost all sense of feeling. Who can no longer offer her warmth."

"Victor," Chelsea murmured, thinking quickly. She lowered her voice to a whisper, "If I could save Nora… cure her of her disease and free you from your cold state, would you do it? Even if it meant never seeing this world again?"

Mr. Freeze was confused by the girl, "Stop speaking in riddles! That is simply impossible."

"I have the power to create a dimension where you could finally live in happiness with Nora. She would be free of her Huntington's. She would see you as she remembered you. You could feel the sun on your face once again without shuddering in pain. I can fix this… but the price you would pay, would be never seeing Gotham again. It would be your own small world… just the two of you… would you like that?" she asked him. She always pitied Mr. Freeze out of all of Bruce's enemies. This man wasn't wicked. He just wanted his wife to be cured. He just loved his wife. Even if he didn't do it in the most constructive way, he had good intentions.

Victor felt like he was being tricked. Like it was all too good to be true, "Why would you help me, child?"

"Being a hero means saving everyone. The ones who carry the burden of life in darkness, need the light all the more. I promise this is no trick. My father might have been a terrible man, but he blessed me with gifts and I intend to help people in any way I can." She smiled at him, "Aren't you tired Victor?"

He felt his hands start to shake, as he grasped the girl's arms, "Yes… please."

After a few moments Chelsea stood on the rooftop of the greenhouse once more. She watched Poison Ivy get carried away and tossed into the back of an Arkham van. How did Commissioner Gordon know where to find her? "I don't see Mr. Fries or his wife, Commish." Harvey Bullock told his boss.

"He must have escaped…" Jim commented, glancing up on top of the greenhouse. Chelsea landed a few buildings away, reflecting on what she had done. She didn't see herself ever using the dimension ability she received from her father, since it seemed to only bring about bad. She hoped helping Victor Fries would be rewarding.

"That was incredible." a deep voice said from behind her.

She turned to him. She stared up at Batman with saddened look, "They'll never be able to return here. If they do, they'll resume their previous states… but he loves her so much. I just wanted them to have another chance at happiness. Isn't that why we do this job? To help people."

He paused, looking up at the sky, "I heard everything you said." He came toward her and kissed her gently, "You will never be second on my list. Don't ever say that."

"I let Wonder Boy get in my head. I'm just… I'm scared. What if I'm a bad mom? What if something happens to you and that child has only me to depend on?" There was so many things bothering her that she let it get the better of her.

"I should have been there today and I wasn't. I'm very proud of you. You should feel proud of yourself. You're a strong woman, Chelsea. You should never tear yourself down. It's a hard, unforgiving world we live in, but you've made it this far, and I have no doubt you'll be just fine in the future. And when you're lost in doubt, I'll be right there with you. Always." he smoothed back her hair.

There was a house, surrounded by lush land and fragrant flowers. A woman with long blonde hair and eyes, blue like crystal walked through the bed of flowers. She looked up to see a man standing near the house, "Victor?" she called out.

"Nora… it's you." he sounded relieved, as he closed the gap between them and held her in his arms. He felt her warmth crash against his body. He could feel tears of happiness sliding down his cheeks. It wasn't a dream. This was real. They could finally be together.

Winter was finally over… and she was his Spring.

"I'll never forget the girl who reunited us… the one who could capture light… perhaps she was an angel in disguise." thought Victor Fries.

Author's Notes: OHMYGOODNESS I am so sorry guys! I know it's been forever and a half since I updated. I've been flooded with tests and now trying to find a job that I have been so busy. Plus I've had writer's block which doesn't help. I really wanted to do a chapter that had Mister Freeze in it. He's always been a favorite of mine, and I wanted to help him get a happily ever after. Next up we'll be exploring Chelsea's pregnancy further, how that will affect her duties as a Justice League member, wedding plans, and so on! Thanks for reading guys. Hit me up with a review. I love hearing your feedback. Thanks~!