Chapter 15 Jump Ahead Too Far

"This was a mistake," Selina felt she needed to say it out loud, she'd been thinking it for quite some time now.

"It'll be fine," Harvey tried to assure her. "We're sitting in the back, I'm incognito. It'll be fine."

"Yeah until Miss Chlorophyll decides the University is mistreating her precious ivy babies and attacks. Which, by the way, I cannot believe you would feed Eddie to the lions like that."

"Hey, I listened to his new Riddler rant enough to earn the right to pass off Pam's grand plant tour of Gotham U. to him."

"This was a mistake. I should have never told you I had a daughter let alone that her college graduation was today."

"We're your friends Selina. Hell, Pamela even said something about how you'll need support now that your old enough to be a mother to a college graduate."

Selina glared at Harvey for that little comment. "What I don't understand is why she thinks we're such good friends. The woman has tried to kill me before, several times."

"You can hardly hold that against someone in our crowd, Selina."

"I still don't know why you married her."

"I didn't marry her, we just live together. She understands me. It's not like I've got the ladies breaking the doors down. I don't care about her past because been there, done that. The no kid thing doesn't bother me because what would I tell him when a career day came up? Daddy used to flip a coin to decide whether he'd steal and kill or turn himself in. You'd be surprised how much money you can make before Batman breaks a few of your bones and you get locked up in Arkham, little Johnny."

Selina had a smirk that looked like it could break out into giggles at any time. "Little Johnny?"

"I like the name Johnny." Harvey's eyes took on a far off look. "Besides, Pam's ass is as sweet as ever, I think the chemicals did something to slow her aging or the effects of gravity."

The smirk was gone and Selina was glancing through her program. "Not something I really know about, Harv."

"You're kidding right? Everyone knows the only reason you never got thrown in Arkham or Blackgate was because you knew how much Batman liked your ass."

Selina glared, clawing the edges of her program. Harvey continued unaware. "You know that's why I never got the gay rumors. I understand the ones where he's an alien or a clone and robot and all that crap about him being more than a man, but gay? Watch him fight you once. Even Pam. Hell, I bet he even checked out Harley at some point."

Selina's voice took on a deadly tone that once warned of whips and claws. "You know Harvey, just because I'm not Catwoman anymore doesn't mean I've forgotten how to use a whip, or kick someone's ass."

Harvey's mind finally caught up with his mouth. "Did I mention that another thing I love about Pam is her ability to stop me before I get off on really stupid tangents?"

Selina went back to studying her program. "I think that's more of a man/woman thing."

Eddie and Pamela returned. Pam sat next to Harvey and immediately got into all the types of foliage she saw and its possible mistreatment. Eddie sat next to Selina. She handed him a spare program and leaned over to whisper. "If I don't get to meet your daughter today, I may be forced to reactivate some of those old deathtraps."

Selina smiled. "That bad?"

Eddie shook his head. "If I never see another ivy plant again it'll be too soon." They sat in silence for a moment, ignoring Pam and pretending to read their programs. Eddie couldn't stop himself from asking, "Will any ex-boyfriends be attending this ceremony, MI FACT RAY?"

Selina knew whom he was talking about. "I'm not your anything and I don't know if he'll be here or not."

He abandoned the light-hearted tone for his second question. "He's not the father is he?"

Selina's tone darkened as well. "Careful, Eddie."

Then the music started and the ceremony began.

Helena had been worried that she would have no one to embarrass her at her graduation.

Now she was wishing she'd been right.

She thought it had been bad when Dick started cheering like she'd scored the winning basket when she walked across the stage. Then it got worse afterwards when Barbara couldn't stop crying for some reason as the men awkwardly told her congratulations, looking to the other to deal with the crying woman. Then her mother walked over with her friends and Bruce has had some weird tension ever since, making Helena wish he'd stayed home with Alfred instead of Cassie. Then she actually met her mother's friends and felt she understood a lot more about Bruce's weird stance.

Helena was polite enough not to stare at Harvey's harsher half. She also was polite enough to explain calmly whys he would not be attending Harvard as well as her plans about becoming a doctor rather than a lawyer. She even refrained from telling him that she wasn't about to take advice from him, as it hadn't worked out too well.

This politeness did not extend to the second friend. "You're green."

The beautiful woman arched one of her perfectly shaped red eyebrows. "Excuse me?"

"Your skin, it's green."

Poison Ivy started to look angry. "My skin is alabaster."

Helena was about to argue with her when she noticed all the looks of no, so she let it drop.

Finally, she turned to the third friend who was studying her like a puzzle that needed solving. His greeting was simply, "You have blue eyes."

Helena looked confused. "Yes. I do."

Edward studied her further. "Dark blue. Your mother has green, but I know someone else with dark blue eyes."

Helena didn't miss the look exchanged between him and her mother. She did miss the glare Bruce gave him. Later she questioned her mother. "What was that all about?"

"Eddie's just trying to figure out who your father is."

"Why don't you just tell him?"

"I don't want to ruin all his fun."

Helena just smiled. "I've got work. I'll see you later."

"You didn't take the day off?"

Helena looked at her curiously. "I graduated. I didn't win the lottery."

As soon as she was out of earshot, Selina mumbled to herself, "Workaholic just like her dad."

A voice sent shivers up her spine in response, "You know talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity."

Selina didn't bother turning to face Bruce. "Which sign is it when you start putting on a mask, wearing tights and running around rooftops?"

"We need to talk."

She did face him for that. "You need to talk? Must be serious." She saw in his eyes that he was. "I'll get my coat."

Helena glanced at the clock again. Ten minutes. Too late to get started on anything new, and with Nurse Sarah guarding the exit, too soon to leave. She needed to get to Barbara's house. Barbara left a message that she got Helena a graduation gift and she should come by and pick it up. Helena wanted to get out but needed to find something to occupy her time for a few minutes to take her mind off the clock. With the wealth of knowledge of Gotham Hospital at her fingertips, Helena decided to satisfy some of her curiosity.

After all, it was only slightly illegal.

She typed in her biological mother's name. The record showed only a few minor injuries. No record of any baby. Helena thought about how long it took for her to discover the truth, of course the woman registered under an alias. She looked at some of the medical history, blood type, and other idle information. Then she went on to her father, which was much of the same only with a death certificate.

Helena looked at the clock again. Three minutes. By the time she shut everything down and closed shop it should be good. It was then it clicked.

She'd just looked at her biological parent's records and seen their blood types. Neither of which matched hers.

It was no longer idle curiosity. Helena doubled checked. Then tripled checked. Her mother was O positive and her father was A positive.

Helena was O negative. She gave blood and they always got excited because of her blood type.

It's a strange feeling to go from lost to found only to have the rug pulled out from under you once more.

Barbara checked the clock again. Helena would be arriving any minute now. She went to go get the gift she'd left in her bedroom. When she returned she placed the brightly wrapped package next to the brown envelope. The brown envelope was the now needless DNA test she'd sent away for months ago. Helena already knew the results, but Barbara figured she'd give it to her anyway. Barbara hadn't even bothered to open it yet.

She was drinking tea when Helena arrived. Barbara smiled brightly at the upset looking woman. "You just graduated, you're supposed to be happy."

Helena ignored her, walking over to the gift. "You didn't have to get me anything Barbara."

Since when did Helena call her Barbara? Barbara shrugged it off but was now paying closer attention to her mood. "I know that. Is something wrong Helena?"

Helena ignored her again, opting to study the contents of Barbara's kitchen table instead. Her eyes came to rest on the envelope. "What's that?"

Barbara turned her head to see what she was indicating. "Oh that. Those are just the DNA results for your parents. Useless now."

Helena came alive at those words. Soundless she ripped open the envelope and scanned the results quickly. She paused at something and then took off running, throwing down the papers behind her. Barbara yelled after her about her forgetting the present. She rolled over to her front window to see Helena peeling out on her bike off to God knows where.

Barbara was confused as to what could have happened to cause such a reaction. She picked up the discarded results. She gasped when she saw it:

With a 99.7 percent certainty Helena Troy is the daughter of Selina Kyle and Bruce Wayne.

A/N: I know. Not a real shocker, but then it's not supposed to be the real shocker in the story. Though the fallout should be interesting.