Disclaimer: I don't own any of the liscensed DCU characters. All OC's are mine and I guard them fiercely.

AN: Sorry for the long break between updates. I got distracted by life. Enjoy!

Ch. 7: Trick or Treat

Cat hated Halloween. It meant that the next day was All Souls Day, and that the next day would be Día de los Muertos, Day of the Dead to those who didn't speak Spanish. When she had been little, she had loved Day of the Dead. She would go with her family to clean the graves of her ancestors, then set up the family altar with its myriad of photos and gifts to the departed family members. The day meant delicious food, like pan de muerte and sugar skulls and a late night of sharing memories with friends and family.

But since her mother had died and she had moved up here, the day had lost some of it's meaning to her. She still celebrated it, but the day wasn't the same without actually being by the graves. As she started setting up the offering, she refused to put a picture of Lita on the altar. She wasn't dead. Cat knew it.

Halloween passed without issue. Nothing happened that night on patrol that was noteworthy, but that made Cat feel worse. Normally there was something big happening on Halloween. She was afraid that this meant that a big shipment was going to come in the next night. That's all she needed to make Day of the Dead worse.

The day after Halloween, Cat was called into Ms. Bertinelli's class during her lunch hour. Cat entered after her hesitant knock was answered with a curt, "Come in."

"Please sit down Catalina," said Ms. Bertinelli, gesturing to a chair next to her desk. "I have something serious that I want to discuss with you."

Cat sat down. She didn't think it was her grades that they were going to be discussing. She was getting A's in all of her classes as far as she knew. Maybe it was Cat's lack of friends here at Belmont. Teacher had discussed that with her before but Cat normally brushed them off. Why would she want to be friends with the people who looked down on her on a daily basis?

"Where is your grandmother?" asked Ms. Bertinelli abruptly.

"She's on vacation," answered Cat adroitly. She had been expecting this question for a while now and was surprised no one else had asked it yet. In fact, she was surprised it was the new teacher who asked it, rather than one of the teachers she had from last year.

"Then why hasn't she been around for the last few months?" asked Ms. Bertinelli, studying Cat's face, looking for some clue. "I'm not asking you because I want to cause problems for you. I'm really worried about you Cat. You're one of my best students, but from the looks of it, you haven't been getting enough sleep lately. You're too young to be living by yourself."

"I'm fine Ms. Bertinelli, honest. Please, she'll be back soon. My aunt's been having some problems back in Mexico and my grandmother went down to help her. Please don't report me to foster care," Cat pleaded, looking earnestly into Ms. Bertinelli's eyes. Then it clicked in her mind. Why hadn't she seen it before? Did Ms. Bertinelli suspect about Cat? Was that why she was asking these questions?

"Cat, I won't report you now, but if she's not back by the first of December, I'll have no choice but to report you. I care for you as a student, and I respect your wishes, but I feel like the best option for you isn't living on your own. Do we have an understanding?" she asked as her eyes stared into Cat. Cat nodded, trying to buy herself time. She needed to go home and compare evidence in the basement. I should also start screening for that abuelita to act the part if Lita is still MIA by December.

As Cat got up to leave, Ms. Bertinelli leaned over and asked, "Cat, you seem a little disconcerted today, more so than usual. What's going on?"

Cat weighed her options carefully and then decided to give her the one that would be the most understood and the least revealing. "Tomorrow's Día de los Muertes Ms. Bertinelli. It's been hard on me ever since I moved to Gotham."

Ms. Bertinelli nodded understandingly. "I understand. Holidays can be hard for me too. I hope you feel better after its over." Cat nodded and fled just as the bell that ended lunch rang.

The night was young and promised excitement. One of Cat's sources near her home had let slip that there was a big shipment coming in that Jaguar had a stake in. Cat's friend, Azucena, had a brother who worked for the gang, and 'Cena was always telling Cat juicy tidbits, not realizing that her gossiping was helping Puma take down the Tigres one by one.

Cat scanned the docks as she thought about what else she had learned today. The photos she had been comparing at home had been a match. Cat just needed to decide what she was going to do with the information. If she let it slip, her secret identity could be out the window. But the information could also get her out of a sticky situation with her personal life…

"Hello Batwoman," she said absently as she kept a close eye on the docks. Batwoman chuckled and knelt down beside the girl.

"Good, at least I'm not sneaking up on you any more. You're getting better."

"Thanks."

"What's going on here?" came another voice as Huntress came into view. "I heard from one of my sources at the Mob that the Tigres were shipping in something big tonight."

Cat nodded. "The Tigres are set on becoming the biggest supplier of drugs from Latin America. This is their biggest shipment yet. There's also a rumor that the Jaguar is sending something on this ship. I'm hoping it will help explain what she's up to in the city."

"Why are you so interested in Jaguar?" asked Batwoman. Cat remained silent, choosing to ignore the question.

"Leave her alone," defended Huntress. "Just because she wants to take this Jaguar down doesn't mean that this is personal." Batwoman didn't say anything but still didn't look convinced. Before she could say anything however, Cat spotted movement by the dock where the shipment was supposed to come in.

"Come on," she said as she leapt off the roof. She heard the other two follow behind her as she knocked out the first man with a hard blow to the head. As soon as she got her feet under her, she could tell that this was going to be a real fight, not the scuffles she had had for the last few months. There were at least a dozen men here, all armed to the teeth with guns and knifes. The three of them worked together to disable and aprehend all the men. Cat felt exhilarated. This was the most work she had had in months.

"I think that's everybody," said Huntress as she knocked out the last man standing. "Let's take a look at what they were shipping." As Huntress went for the crate, Cat heard a noise behind her. As she turned around, she felt someone knock her aside as the bang of a gun went off.

Cat got up just in time to see Batwoman fall, holding her side as a man who they had thought was knocked out stood with a gun. After looking at his handiwork with Batwoman, he started to point at Cat again. He was too slow.

Before he even realized what was going on, Cat hit him like a freight train, first knocking the gun out of his hand before beating him into the ground. "You coward," she snarled at him. "Is that what the Tigres teaches you?" Before he could answer she knocked him out and ran to Batwoman. Huntress was already beside her.

Looking at Cat, her eyes were worried. "She got hit bad. She'll survive, but she needs help immediately and we can't trust any of the hospitals."

Cat thought for a moment, and then gestured towards Huntress. "Grab her and follow me," she ordered as she started running. Her house was only a few blocks from here. "I know a place where we can help her." Huntress grabbed the injured Batwoman and started to follow Cat as she led the way deeper into the city.