A/N - I know, I know... where have I been! I'm certain a few have given up on this fic, but I'm determined to finish it. Life with 4 kids is quite taxing and now that the baby is nearly 15 months old(where has the time gone?), she's able to entertain herself more and play with her siblings. So, that's finally leaving me with more time to myself. I never thought I'd have time to myself again! But here I am, with time to myself.

First, it was the noise. A deafening thud of pressure that was certain to blow her eardrums blew through the room, following a crushing sound. Whatever light was shining from under the door quickly disappeared as pieces of drywall and suspended ceiling fixtures fell down onto the floor. Heather screamed but her voice was met with the thick dust that filled the room. She instinctively covered her head, feeling the pieces of debris falling on top of her and prayed that it would soon be over or that death would be swift. It lasted only seconds but felt like an eternity. As the room became silent once again, Heather let out a cough as she gasped for air in the dusty room.

Heather tried to move and soon found that she was pinned down. She pushed with all her might at the beam of wood that crossed the room and held her to the floor.

Letting out a short sigh, she slowly turned her head towards where Kate lay.

"Kate?" she croaked. Her throat burned as she spoke her name and she was certain she would gag while she swallowed.

Heather reached out beside her, feeling blindly for her friend. She could merely feel the edge of her sleeve with her finger tips. Finally, she relaxed and closed her eyes, trying to slow her ragged breathing.

'So, this is how it feels,' she thought. 'I'm going to die here.'

David felt the train-like body shove him out the window, covering his head ensuring that he wouldn't get up as glass showered down around them. Batman rolled off of him as the explosion subsided. As he turned over and stood up, Commissioner Gordon was running towards them.

"I have fire and rescue on their way," he stated, catching his breath. "There's a fire coming up from the lower level of the building and the back half of the warehouse is already engulfed in flames. I have some of my SWAT team members still inside."

David looked up towards the building, seeing that parts of the outer wall had already crumbled in on itself. He turned and walked towards the window that they had just jumped out of when someone grabbed him by the arm.

"Wait," Batman growled. "You don't know where she is or if she's even alive."

David leaned forward and spoke low. He knew that Batman was probably right. "If Mom was in there, you'd already be inside and you know it. Now, let me go."

Bruce met his sons pleading eyes, seeing the emotion in them knowing that his fiancé was most likely already dead.

Batman let go of his arm as David quickly turned to climb into the broken window. He turned to Gordon beside him.

"Get EMS ready," he said softly. "We may come back with casualties."

Gordon nodded as Batman followed David back into the building.

A sound.

Her eyes flew open as she gasped. The air was thick. She could barely breath it. She was laying down. Why? Her leg hurt. It burned. She couldn't' move it. Why? Everything was confusing to Heather when her ears heard the sound again.

A voice. It was louder and for a moment Heather was certain that she was imagining it. What was it saying? Her mind was struggling for oxygen in order to make the words make sense.

"Is...ody...ere?"

There it was again. A man's voice. She knew that voice. Why couldn't she see anything? She wiggled around, feeling the pain shoot through her leg. Instead, she moved her hands until she hit something hard.

"Is...ybody...ere? ...eather!"

She gasped, realizing that someone was calling out to her. David. Heather tried to call back but found that she was barely making a sound. Frustrated, she reached for that hard item beside her hand and picked it up. It wasn't heavy but with her strength, she could barely lift it. Heather let it fall to the ground, letting out a low clunking sound. Beside her, it was loud. She picked it up again and dropped it, praying that someone would hear it soon. She was getting tired.

Batman paused for a moment as he and David walked through the debris filled hallway. The fire was nearing their position and Batman knew that they would have to turn back shortly.

"Hold up," he said, holding an arm out to the side, stopping David's step.

"What?"

"I heard something."

David quieted, listening. His head snapped up, hearing the sound.

"I heard it too," he stated, as both men pushed their way through the debris towards the sound. After twenty feet, they stopped again and listened.

"I don't hear it anymore," David said, a panic rising in his chest.

"She's nearby," Batman assured him, quickly rushing to a nearby door and kicked it in against the debris that held it shut. David followed suit and began kicking down doors, calling her name into each room. They were running out of time and they knew it.

Batman paused, shining a light into a tight room. He saw Kate first and barely recognized her with the white dust that covered her face.

"Over here!" he called, catching David's attention from down the hall. The young man jumped over debris and ran towards the door where Batman had squeezed through moments before. "They're both here."

David couldn't see Heather in the dim light of Batman's flashlight but the strong 2x4's that fell from the ceiling kept them from reaching both women. Together, Bruce and David pushed the heavy piece of wood far enough to the side so they could reach Kate and Heather.

"Kate heartbeat is very slow," Batman said, his fingers to her neck. He turned to Heather and shone the light onto her face. He was met with her hazel eyes, barely open.

"David?" she croaked softly.

Batman looked over at his son kneeling beside her a few feet away. Without another moment's hesitation, David took her blood dried hand and squeezed it.

"I'm here," he said.

Batman put his hand on David's shoulder. "We have to get them out of here now. This place could come down at any time."

David nodded and gently picked up Heather's slender form, hearing her gasp and groan with each movement he seemed to make. He lost count of the number of times he muttered that he was sorry as he carefully walked her out of the room and eventually out of the building. Once he step foot back onto the grass again, he looked down at Heather, seeing the extent of her injuries in the light of the street lamps. But something was different. He leaned down towards her face and tipped his head to listen.

No, his mind shouted as he quickly laid her down.

"Batman!" David yelled out as he leaned over he once again to make sure that he was certain. Batman laid Kate down on the grass as David called his name.

"She isn't breathing," he said, more to himself than to Batman.

Quickly, he pinched her nose and brought his mouth over hers before breathing fresh air into her lungs. He prayed with each breath, and stopped to look at her peaceful dust-covered face and hair.

"Come on, Heather," he begged, running his hand over her face and into her hair before covering his mouth over hers once again.

"Come on!" he said, more angrily through gritted teeth, as Batman put his hand on David's shoulder. "And don't you tell me to stop trying."

"I'm not," Batman said, in a voice that only David and a few others would ever recognize. "But the EMS will be here shortly. It might be best to back away, gather yourself and let them do their job."

David ignored the suggestion and continued to breath into Heather's lungs.

He stopped and looked down at her face. Was it raining? Spots were appearing on her face, washing away the dust to reveal her skin beneath. It was then that he realized that he was crying. It pooled in his mask and ran down his face when he looked up. David pinched his eyes shut and leaned over Heather once more.

"I love you," he whispered in her ear, before moving towards her mouth. He gently kissed her lips and caressed her cheek.

Upon hearing the voices of the EMS coming closer to them, he pinched her nose once more and covered her mouth with his, filling her lungs with air for the last time.

"She isn't breathing," he managed to say, as he stood up and backed away from the scene. One immediately placed a mask over her mouth and nose and began to squeeze the bag.

"We have blood loss here!" he heard an EMS shout as a stretcher was rushed over. "Possible head trauma."

Batman watched from the shadows as the scene played out and the two ambulances rushed away from the scene, both with their sirens blaring. He turned to see his son standing behind him a few meters away with his back towards the scene and his hands on the back of his neck. He watched, seeing David's shoulders rise and fall erratically when Commissioner Gordon approached Batman.

He was about to speak until he saw David standing a few meters further in the shadows, his mask on the ground at his feet. A deep sense of loss washed over Gordon as he watched the young man grieve quietly in front of him.

"How are your men?" Batman asked softly, catching Gordon's attention. David heard Batman's voice and took a deep breath before bending over and picked up his mask. He put it on as the two other men continued their conversation and then walked up to them to join them.

Gordon rubbed the end of his nose and nodded, thankful for the question. "Apart from some smoke inhalation and minor wounds, they'll be fine. Only one ended up with a broken ankle. I'll let you know when we find Reese."

He looked to David and gave a small sympathetic smile before turning back to walk back towards the flashing lights of the squad cars.

The ride back to the cave was quiet. David sat quietly beside Batman and stared straight out the window as the tumbler swerved through the city streets and made it's way back to the Palisades. Batman was concerned for the young man. He knew that David was sensitive to feelings, a trait that he no doubt had picked up from Olivia. Knowing that he was holding back worried him.

As the tumbler came to a resting position in the cave, Batman turned to David and was met with his back as he climbed out of the massive vehicle. Stoically, David pulled off pieces of armour from his body and let it fall to the ground as he walked until he came to sit in a chair by the work bench. Batman pulled off his mask, seeing his own reflection from many years earlier when he mourned the loss of Rachel Dawes.

Bruce mentally brought himself back to that time in his life, trying to recount things that Alfred may have said to make him feel better or tried to do to ease the situation. Taking a deep breath, he walked slowly up behind David as the young man began to dive himself into work. He picked up a small screwdriver and a mechanical device that Bruce had been working on for months. In fact, he hadn't touched it in months.

He is more like me than I thought.

"David..."

"I don't want to talk," he quickly replied.

"I was going to ask if you'd like to come to the hospital with me and see how your mother is doing," Bruce suggested, softly. "I'm certain that Alison and Alfred are concerned."

David pinched his eyes shut. "And what am I going to tell them? That I failed?"

"You didn't fail."

David tossed the precision screwdriver onto the table.

"Didn't fail? She's dead!"

"She isn't dead," Bruce reminded him. "Her heart was still beating when she left. She is still alive."

"Barely!" David exclaimed, feeling the tears come back to his eyes as he stood up from the table to face Bruce. He held his hands up in front of his face and looked at them. "I had her right in front of me, alive and then she stopped breathing. I tried..." He paused, as the tears began to roll down his cheek at his next thought. "I was going to marry her. I loved her."

Bruce reached out and attempted to put his hand on David's shoulder when the young man abruptly turned and threw a punch into the table, causing nearly every instrument and piece of small machinery to fall to the floor. He fell to his knees and put his hands to his head as a sob shook through his body. Bruce, knowing too well that sorrow, put his arm around his sons shoulder and leaned in towards his ear.

"I'm going to tell you something that your grandfather told me, Alfred once told me and I'm sure that I've told you many times in your life," he said, hearing David's sobs subside as his father's voice spoke calmly into his ear. "Why do we fall?"

David shook his head, knowing full well the answer as he had heard that question asked many times in his childhood and youth. He ran a hand over his face.

"I don't know how to pick myself back up from this," he admitted, catching a sob in his throat. "How can I get on with their life when part of me is missing?"

"It's not easy," Bruce replied. "But you'll learn to pick up the pieces. And part of that comes with closure." He paused, squeezing David's shoulder. "Let's go to the hospital and check on both your Mom and your fiancé."

David nodded, taking deep breaths as he stood up to look into Bruce's face.

"Thank you," David said softly. Bruce put his arms around David and hugged him.

"And I am proud of you," he said, as he lightly squeezed him before releasing the young man.

"And you said that they left to go get some food for Heather," Olivia said, as a nurse took her blood pressure and checked her vitals. She was trying to find the meaning of these code words in her mind.

She had woken up less than a half hour after David and Bruce had left and she was asking over and over for details in the location of her husband and son. But having a nurse or doctor constantly in the room of one of their primary patients proved difficult for Alfred to relay the story accurately.

"Yes, she ran into a problem," Alfred replied, glancing at the nurse and trying to choose his words carefully. "She needed them to pick something up for her."

Olivia shook her head, trying to venture what he was trying to tell her. "Both of them?"

Alfred nodded. "It was very urgent."

"Will she be all right with what she has until they get there?"

"I'm certain that things will work out," Alfred replied. "I haven't heard back from either Master Bruce or Master David."

Olivia sighed and smiled sweetly at the doctor beside her. "I'm sorry but could you do this later?"

The nurse glanced at the doctor who nodded to her. "Yes ma'am."

Alfred and Olivia watched the doctor and nurse leave the room and Olivia turned to the older man the moment that the door snapped shut.

"Now, what is going on?"

Alfred explained the situation as he knew it until they heard the door open once again as Alison walked through the door and shut it behind her. Her face was pale.

"I was downstairs taking a walk and I overheard the news talking about an explosion," she said.

Alfred walked over to the television and turned it on. An image appeared on the screen from an aerial shot of a large building engulfed in flames. He quickly turned it up, hearing part of the reporters voice.

"...and we have yet to hear from police if this was arson or if there are even any fatalities within the blaze, but from accounts, people are saying that there was a blast indicating a possible bomb has started the fire. Commissioner Gordon was on site but wasn't available for questioning."

The video footage included shots of ambulances quickly leaving the area and a dozen squad cars with their lights on.

"My God," Alfred breathed, in awe of the extent of the carnage on the screen.

Olivia held her hand out to Alison. "Give me your phone."

The young girl quickly complied and handed the cell phone to her Mom. She dialed the number that would bring her directly to Bruce and waited for him to answer. Every second felt like an eternity until she finally heard his voice.

"Bruce!

"Olivia! You're awake? Are you all right?"

She smiled. "I'm fine. Where are you?"

"In the elevator on our way up to see you," he replied. "Reception in the hospital isn't the best."

"David is with you?"

"Yes, we're both fine."

She let out a sigh.

"I'll see you in a minute."

Olivia hung up the phone and handed it back to Alison.

Bruce and David walked out of the elevator and onto the floor of the secured wing of the hospital where Olivia. Bruce had a renewed energy once he heard his wife's voice. He paused at the nurses station and glanced over at David before speaking to the nurse sitting behind the desk. She stood up when she saw Bruce at her desk.

"Mr. Wayne," she said, happily. "You're wife is awake and doing well."

Bruce smiled. "That's good to hear, but I need a favour. Two ambulances came in probably within the past hour or so. Could you let me know the status of one of the women that came in?"

The nurses smile faded. "I'm sorry, Mr. Wayne. I can't divulge information like that unless you're next of kin. Confidentiality and all that. I'm sure that you would understand."

"That woman is my future daughter-in-law," he said, softly. "I'd like to know how she is."

The nurse looked past him at David as he walked further down the hall towards Olivia's room. With a small sigh, she leaned over and looked at her computer, entering information.

"I'll see what I can do," she said.

Bruce nodded before he walked down the hall. When he opened the door, he smiled seeing Olivia sitting partially reclined. She caught his eye and felt tears come to them. In three quick strides, he covered the distance between them and put his arms around her and kissed her. After a minute, he pulled back and looked into her face.

"How are you feeling?"

"Sore," she replied. "But nothing that I can't manage."

She looked past Bruce at David as he stood by the window. He hadn't said a word when he walked in and had merely gave his Mom a quick hug before moving out of the way for Bruce. Bruce noticed her concern just as a they heard a knock on the door. Alfred opened the door and the same nurse that Bruce had spoke to earlier walked in, holding an iPad in her hand.

"I have that information for you, Mr. Wayne," she said, glancing at the other occupants of the room. "There were two women who came in, both with injuries which included blood loss, dust and smoke inhalation but without any identification on either of them, we're not certain whom you're interested in knowing the status of. Unfortunately, one had passed away prior to arrival to the hospital and there wasn't anything we could do and the other is finishing up in surgery at the moment."

Bruce glanced over at David's back as he stood looking out the window. The man barely made a move.

"Could you please find out who is in surgery?"

"She has two tattoo's," David said softly from the window. "A butterfly on her lower back and a smaller one on the right side of her chest." He turned touching his own chest as he spoke. His eyes were red and he looked exhausted.

The nurse seemed stunned hearing him speak, but nevertheless, she looked down at the iPad, sending the information down to the surgical room. A moment later, it chimed and the nurse nodded.

"They're saying that the woman in surgery does have a small tattoo on her chest," she said. "They can check the one on her back in about 15 minutes when they're out of surgery."

"That's fine," Bruce said, watching David turn back around. "Her name is Heather Tamarack. She's important to this family. Could you have her brought up to this floor after surgery?"

The nurse nodded.

"Thank you," Olivia said, as the young woman left the room. Finally, David let out the breath that he was holding.

"Wonderful news sir," Alfred said with a smile, placing a hand on David's shoulder.

Not willing himself to say anything in fear that he would break down like he had in the cave, he simply placed his hand over the older man's and nodded.

The beeping.

And the talking.

It was quiet at first, almost distant. But it got louder with each passing second until Heather could hear it right beside her.

A movement flashed over her eyes as she strained to open them. She was just so tired and she fought that feeling, wanting to see where she was. She swallowed and feeling the gritty feeling in her throat, she moaned and grimaced. Heather felt a caress over her forehead and down her cheek.

"Heather?"

She opened her eyes at the sound of the voice and saw a familiar face. David.

"You're okay," he said. "You're in the hospital."

Her mind flashed through the series of events. "How...? Kate?"

He shook his head, gently taking her hand being careful to not disturb the IV line by her wrist. "I'm sorry, but Kate didn't make it."

Heather pinched her eyes shut hearing the new revelation as she began to cry. "No..." she whimpered.

"You nearly died yourself," David said, placing a kiss on her hand. "I thought I lost you. I was so certain that I lost you."

She opened her eyes more, taking in the room as the groggy feeling began to subside. She glanced down at her leg, seeing it slightly elevated with it tightly wrapped up, only her painted toes exposed. David followed her eyes to her leg.

"It looks worse than it is," he said. "A bullet did some damage but didn't break your femur. The doctor said that the surrounding muscle should heal well and you'll be able to put some weight on it after the swelling goes down but you're going to be doing some physical therapy for the next 3 months or so to strengthen it."

Heather watched his eyes as he spoke.

"Why don't you trust me?"

David turned back to her at the sudden change of subject. "I'm sorry?"

"You don't trust me."

"Why do you say that?"

"You've been keeping something from me."

"I have?"

Heather nodded.

"I know that it was you and your father who found me and Kate in the warehouse," she said, looking him straight in the eyes. She saw them waver slightly as she spoke. She reached out and touched his face.

David said nothing, which elicited a soft sigh from Heather. "Are you going to tell me the truth or do I have to ask you?"

He looked up at her eyes, pleading to know the truth about the man she loved.

"You're right," he said softly. "I have been keeping things from you." He paused, looking down at the blanket that covered her body; anything but in her eyes. He was afraid of what he might see; fear, doubt, shock, anger. He kept his eyes trained on the blanket as he spoke. "I was there the night at the store, and when you were trapped with Alison and again tonight."

"You weren't alone," she added. She paused as it hit her. The gun shot wound, the bruises, Coleman Reese, Wayne Enterprises. It all made sense.

"Your Dad," she stated, rather than asked. "Mr. Wayne is..."

The door suddenly opened as the visitors knocked on the door. Two heads quickly appeared as a smile once again appeared on Heather's face.

"Mom! Dad!"

Linda and George Tamarack rushed into the room, as David stepped back from the bed, giving her parents room to greet their daughter.

"We came as soon as Bruce called us," Linda said, motherly running her hands along Heather's face and kissed her cheeks as George sat down on the other side of the bed holding a bouquet of daisies.

"For you, my dear," he said lovingly as he placed them on the table beside the bed.

"They're beautiful, Dad," Heather said, beaming. "Thank you."

David backed up from the scene and headed towards the door.

"Oh, David, honey," Linda said, as she stood back up, walking over to him to give him a hug. "I'm sorry. We never said hello to you."

George stood up, holding out his hand towards David who promptly shook it.

"I hear that there is some good news," Linda said, with a twinkle in her eye. She glanced down to Heather and back to David. "Your Mom and Dad told us about your engagement."

David smiled, looking over at Heather and shrugged. "I guess with all of this excitement, announcing it had been put onto the back burner."

"David and I are going to have to discuss some details further before we set anything," she said, looking plainly at David. He felt a pit grow in his stomach as she said those words.

"Of course," George said. "You need to heal up and get your energy back before we have a wedding."

"Right," Heather said with a smile, although David knew that physical therapy wasn't the details that she was implying.

A/N Yup, I'm back and hit you with a long chapter. I know the direction I'm going with this now and will probably wrap it up in the next few chapters. Please be gentle with the reviews...I've been out of writing for nearly 2 years so I'm sure to be rusty. I even had to go back and read this story in order to know details that I tossed in earlier on in and I can't tell you how many times I cringed as I originally wrote it quickly. Hopefully I get back into the swing of things sooner than later...