So, I pretty much fail at updating.

Disclaimer: Don't own Batman or any of that jazz. I own Evelyn, Michelle, Robert, Sinéad and Liam.

The only thing worse than having six broken ribs and having to be bedridden for another two weeks, is having six broken ribs, being bedridden for two more weeks, and having your best friend bring her fiancée and your parents to see you. Talk about the reunion from hell.

I had been hobbling my way down the corridor, heading toward the kitchen to scrounge up some sort of fruity delight, when I heard the voice I hadn't expected for three more weeks at the latest.

"Oh, well if she's sleeping we can just come back later." Michelle's voice floated up the stairs as I reached the top of the grand staircase. I blanched as I saw everyone who had accompanied my best friend to Wayne Manor, and I nearly fainted and fell down the stairs. My mother saw me first, and gave me a wave, which brought everyone else's eyes up to lock on me.

"Eve!" Michelle exclaimed, sprinting up the stairs, taking them two at a time to reach me.

"Careful!" I said quickly, holding out my arms as a defense as she attempted a near tackle-hug. "I, uh, have, well…six broken ribs at the moment."

"What?!" Michelle's jaw dropped. "How did you manage that?" I gave a sigh.

"Follow me," I said as I carefully went down the stairs.

"Good to see you, kiddo," my dad said, his Irish accent so thick that it was surprising anyone short of a native could understand him. He gave me a grin, adjusting the hat on his head.

"Hey, dad," I said. "Mum."

"So how'd you get six broken ribs?" Michelle asked before my mother could speak. I could have strangled my chestnut-haired friend right then and there as I watched my parent's faces take on a look of shock.

"Broken ribs?" my mother questioned in a whisper. "Evelyn!"

"I can explain everything!" I said, casting a glance at Alfred. "Over tea. Alfred?" I turned to face him.

"Certainly, Miss Larrabee," he said. "I shall brew a pot right away." He headed off into the kitchen. Michelle watched him a moment, then turned back to me.

"So, how far have you and Wayne gone?" she whispered to me, giving my side a small nudge with her elbow. I smacked her arm with the back of my hand.

"We haven't," I hissed back. "Nor do I plan to. I'm just staying with him."

"Sure you are," Michelle retorted with a sly grin. I frowned, turning to Robert.

"Control your woman," I said. He chuckled lightly, taking Michelle's hand. The door to the kitchen opened and Alfred returned to the foyer, a tray in his hands. "Come on," I said, heading past everyone and toward the parlor. "We can talk in here."

Once we'd all sat, either on the couch or in a chair, I began to talk, having fabricated a new explanation as to why I had six broken ribs. "You see," I began. "Bruce let me borrow his Mustang, and I was driving down in Gotham, right? Well, I guess with all that horsepower, I got a little careless and ended up running a red-light and bam! A Ford pickup slams right into the driver's side. Totaled the car and banged me up pretty bad too." I took a sip of my tea, waiting for it all to sink in, hoping my lie had fooled them.

"As long as you're okay," my dad said, resting his forearms on his thighs and linking his fingers together. "My Eve's a trooper." I gave a slightly nervous laugh.

"That's right," I said, smiling softly. I took another drink of my tea. "So…mum, dad. Why'd you come back with Michelle?"

"Do we need an excuse to see our only daughter?" my mother asked, dropping another sugar cube into her tea before taking a sip. "We won't be staying. I left the estate in Bernard's care, and he's too old to watch it for too long." I gave a small nod, recalling the kind groundskeeper that has worked for my family since I was a toddler, and he was old then.

"Right," I said as I stood, wincing slightly. "Well, uh, if you wait a sec, I'll go get dressed as we can do some catching up." My mother nodded, and I hurried from the room. I caught Alfred in the corridor upstairs, taking his arm. "I need you to tell Bruce that I went out with my parents for a while. If he asks why they're here, tell him that it's because Karma is kicking my ass for one reason or another." I didn't wait for his reply as I slipped past him and into my room, closing my door behind me. I quickly flung a pair of white slacks and a black blouse on, then slipped my feet into a pair of black heels. I ran a comb through my hair, then wet my hands in the sink of my own private bathroom and ran them through my hair. I hurried back into the corridor, down the stairs and into the parlor.

"All ready?" my father asked. I nodded.

"Well, Robert and I have to go get my things," Michelle said. "Before we can start the move." She gave her fiancée a big grin, then a kiss on the cheek.

"Oh, right." I'd completely forgotten that they now had plans to move in together. I sighed inwardly as I exited the parlor and headed toward the front door, my mother, father, Michelle and Robert following. "I'll be back!" I called, hoping Alfred could hear me as I opened the front door and headed onto the driveway.

"That was hell on earth," I said as I trudged back up toward Wayne Manor's front door, several hours later. My ribs ached like I'd had thirty bricks dropped on my chest, and my head was pounding with a headache that could rival California's earthquakes on a Richter scale. I grabbed the knob to turn it, only to find it was locked. I heaved a huge sigh, then pounded on the door with my fist. "Alfred!" I called. "It's me!" The door opened several moments later.

"I was beginning to wonder when you were returning, Miss Larrabee," said the old butler as I walked past him and into the manor.

"My parents are so talkative," I said with a frown. "I remember why I preferred them across an ocean. Is Bruce here?"

"In the kitchen, I do believe," Alfred said, following her. "It is almost four, Miss Larrabee. Would you care for something to eat?" I shook my head as I pushed open the kitchen door.

"Nah," I said. "We went out for dinner at Red Lobster." I stopped short in the kitchen doorway, looking around the spacious room. "He's not in here." I frowned, turning back to Alfred. He blinked.

"Perhaps he's in the garden, miss," he stated, inclining his head to the open back door. I turned back, then nodded.

"Gotcha," I said. I headed through the kitchen and to the garden. I saw Bruce cutting white roses from one of the many bushes that adorned the garden. He looked up when I came out of the manor.

"How did your family reunion go?" he asked, straightening from where he'd been crouching with his scissors. I gave a disgruntled sigh.

"Fine, I suppose," I said, sitting down on one of the wrought iron chairs next to the rose bushes. I sighed. "I can never get a word in edgewise with those two. Not to mention they think that I wrecked a car and that's why my ribs are busted, which means they probably think I'm more reckless now than I was when I still lived at home. This is just peachy." I propped my elbows on my thighs, then rested my chin in my hands. I sighed again. "Though I know if I ever told them that I was running around in a leotard, fighting criminals on the streets of the most crime-filled city in the States, they'd both have aneurisms."

"Speaking of your outfit," Bruce said, walking toward me with his basket of roses. "I have something to show you." I raised an eyebrow as I stood and followed him inside.

"Like what?" I asked.

"You'll see," Bruce replied with a sly grin. He set the basket of roses on the kitchen counter and headed into the foyer, then toward the study. I followed dutifully. He tapped several keys on the piano, opening the secret door in the china cabinet that sat at one end of the study. We both entered the elevator and it took us below Wayne Manor and into the Batcave. "Over here," Bruce said as the elevator came to a stop and we stepped off. He headed toward a large cabinet mounted on the wall. I followed him, and he opened it. I felt my mouth drop open.

Hanging inside was my new crime-fighting attire.

The design looked fairly similar to Bruce's, with the plating, though it appeared less bulky. It reminded me of a seventies era pantsuit, almost, though much more form-fitting. The plating extended down into pants, and a pair of shiny black calf-high boots sat at the bottom of the cabinet. The thing didn't have sleeves, but elbow-length black gloves. The torso part, my favorite, extended up almost like a tank-top, though the straps were much thicker and unduly more durable. A top the entire thing on a wooden head sat a sleek black domino mask. I thought it was my old one, though upon closer inspection I discovered it had small screens where the eye-holes would have been, and had similar attributes to Bruce's cowl. I stood in awe for several moments.

"Holy shit," I said finally. "It's…amazing."

"I'll be sure to tell Lucius you like it," Bruce said, smiling. I turned to face him and threw my arms around him in a hug. For a split second I felt like a little kid who'd just gotten a new bike for Christmas. I pulled away from Bruce, grinning like a complete idiot.

"Thanks," I said. "Now I wish that my ribs were fully healed so I could go kick some ass in my new outfit."

"You've still got to take it easy," Bruce said, closing the cabinet before heading back toward the elevator. I followed. "You don't want to end up breaking something else before you're completely healed."

"I know," I said as we boarded the elevator. "I've heard this spiel from Alfred about seventy times. He thinks I'm going to sneak out two weeks before I'm supposed to and end up killing myself or something." I gave a small shrug. "Though that new outfit is going to keep me from getting too banged up in the future." I smiled.

"You've got to remember, Evelyn," Bruce said as we reached the top of the elevator and exited back into the study. "There are still design flaws."

"Like the fact that there's practically nothing between the plates?" I asked. "I just won't get shot; simple as that!"

Two weeks and three days later, I was yet again on the rooftops of Gotham, now clad in my new attire. It made me feel almost invincible, though that might just be the fact that my other outfit offered zero protection. Bruce had even given me a nifty new communicator that fit inside of my ear and hooked up and around so it stayed in place.

My parents, thankfully, had left nine days ago, making me promise them that I wouldn't get into any more car accidents, and that I would visit them once in a while. I said that I'd be careful, and I'd fly over at some point. They seemed satisfied with that. Michelle and Robert have a wedding date now, and she wants me to be her best bridesmaid. I told her that I'd love to, though I'm starting to regret it slightly. Hearing her talk, the wedding is going to be huge. She told me that I'd better catch the bouquet.

At the moment, however, I was using the night vision setting in my mask for surveillance. I have to say that it's marginally easier than squinting through the darkness. "This is so cool," I said to myself with a grin. "Everything over here's clear," I said to Bruce through the communicator.

"Good," was his stoic reply. It amazed me how easily he made the transition from Bruce to Batman, then back to his playboy persona. I figured if he ever wanted to act, he'd make a damned good actor. I laughed quietly at the thought. A loud sound came from my right, and I jumped, almost falling from my perch.

"Wait a second," I said to Bruce. "Something's up." I scurried across the rooftop and peered over the edge. Directly below were two teens, probably no more than seventeen, who'd just upturned a trashcan. For a moment, I thought they were just being stupid teenagers. Then I saw that there was a homeless man on the ground before them. "No no," I said as I scaled down the fire-escape and landed quietly behind them. "Now, boys," I said, putting my hands on my hips. They turned, fists raised. "Didn't your parents ever teach you to respect your elders?"

"Back off, lady," one sneered. I rolled my eyes beneath my mask, and then lashed out at them with a low kick. The two surprised boys fell to the ground in a heap as I knocked their feet out from under them.

"Kids have zero manners these days," I said as I pulled out a long wire from the black belt that had come with my outfit. I tied them up and rolled them through the alley and onto the sidewalk. "Got two trouble-teens," I said to Bruce. "Nothing big." I went back to the homeless man and helped him to his feet. "You okay?" I asked. He gave me a toothless grin.

"Yes'm," he said. "Thank you." He shook my hand, still smiling, then sauntered off deeper into the alley. I frowned slightly.

"Uh, you're welcome?"

"Phantom," came Bruce's voice in my ear. I almost forgot that I had a codename. "Dockside. Meet me there."

"Got it," I said, then went back to the two teens. "Now," I said, kneeling next to them. "What have we learned?" They both remained stubbornly silent, and I rolled my eyes again. "Kids," I grumbled, then quickly called GCPD.

I met Bruce a top one of the many warehouses that adorned Gotham Harbor. "What's going on?" I asked quietly, looking down at the small courtyard-like area between two warehouses and several large metal storage crates. A dozen men were standing around. Two – I assumed the head honchos – were talking in the center of everyone.

"A drug deal," Bruce replied. "From the sounds of it, something that's never been on the market."

"That's never good," I said with a frown. "Why don't we just go down there and bust heads?"

"A dozen armed men, five of which have shotguns, the rest with at least two pistols each," Bruce said. "The small space would be our only advantage."

"And the element of surprise," I added.

"They're mob-bosses," Bruce said. "They're ready for anything at all times."

"Well, shit," I said. "What if we just smoke-bomb them, then jump down and kick ass and take names?"

"We need a strategy, Evelyn," Bruce said. "One that's not reckless." I frowned.

"Well, what if we sneak down there and surround them. Well, you on the right, me on left, then we just go and start taking down henchmen? Then we can go after the two boss guys," I suggested. "That could work. Plus we can just throw some weighted wire around them so the two head guys don't try and escape." I felt rather proud of myself for such a plan.

"Alright," Bruce said. "You take the left, then. Watch for my signal." He leapt off of the side of the warehouse and landed silently into the shadows below. I followed suit, though on the left-hand side, and slinked my way into the shadows of the storage crates. I used my night vision to peer across to where I figured Bruce must be, and I saw him between the warehouse and the storage crates. "Get ready," his voice sounded in my ear. I nodded, shifting my position so I could sprint forward easier.

"Ready," I said, clenching my fists.

"Now."

Thanks for reading!