Chapter Twelve

Barbara stared down. She couldn't believe this happened. This was quickly becoming the worst month in her life. She'd slept with her best friend, and while the aftermath wasn't as bad as she'd thought, she still felt guilt. And she'd found out her best friend's children had come back from the past to prevent something from happening. And then the youngest child was missing. And now this.

What could she do? What should she do?

She looked at the small stick again. The sight made her want to throw up.

Her cell phone rang. She glanced over at it. Dick. He was the last person that she wanted to talk to at the moment. But he said he'd call around this time, and he knew she would be expecting it. Sighing Barbara answered the phone.

"Hey Dick, what's up?" She forced cheerfulness into her voice.

"Is everything all right with you? You left kind of in a hurry this morning?"

"No, everything's alright. There are just a few things that I'll need to take care of before I join you back at the cave. Hold the fort while I'm away won't you?" She looked down at the plastic again.

"Sure. We're probably only going to give Jamie a tour of the cave before settling down for a movie night. Well, the rest of them."

Barbara swallowed thickly. Every time she heard their newest recruits name she was reminded of Dick's missing son. They had just passed the month marker a few days ago. They couldn't find any trace of him. Occasionally they would run into his captor, but he was slippery and would escape. Barbara was getting desperate. Ellie was getting desperate.

"Alright. I'll swing by the Batcave and pick up Ellie. Then we'll meet you at the cave before heading out. Okay?" Barbara walked out of the bathroom, sweeping the plastic in the garbage can.

"Sounds like a plan. Oh, and Barbara?" He asked.

"Yes Dick?" Barbara stopped in front of her coat.

"I love you."

And like that the conversation ended. Dick hung up and Barbara was left listening to a dial tone, frozen. Did he really just-? She knew that they were dating now, but that still surprised her. And she was still waiting for the day where he would leave for another woman. She shook her head. One day at a time. One day at a time.

She slipped into her coat and cinched it tightly around the waist. She grabbed her keys and left her apartment.

She walked against the brisk January wind. She kept her head low. No one needed to recognize her as she walked. She couldn't afford to have anyone recognize her. Not where she was going.

"Barbara!"

Barbara jerked her head slightly. She ignored it, thinking it was just a trick of the wind. She kept walking. She turned a corner and stood right in front of the building she desired. For a moment she looked at the sign and the door. Did she really want to do this?

"Barbara!"

This time there was no denying that there was someone calling her name. Barbara tried not to look surprised when she realized this. Who would recognize her here? She was careful to keep her head down. She turned her head slightly. What surprised her even more was who shouted her name.

It was Ellie. She was rushing to get to Barbara through the people traveling the other way. The look on her face was a mixture of panic and pride. When she finally reached the red-head she tripped and flew downward. Barbara reached and caught her with ease. She pulled the teen up on her feet.

"Barbara don't, don't get an abortion," she gasped.

Barbara's eyes widened. How did Ellie know? She'd only found out yesterday.

"Shh! Not here," Barbara hissed. She grabbed the teen by the wrist and dragged her into a nearby alley.

Sitting up against the wall was a new, old telephone booth. Roughly Barbara opened the doors, pressed a few buttons and shoved Ellie inside.

Recognized: Guest B34

Barbara looked around her making sure that there was no one around before stepping inside.

Recognized: Batgirl B16

She was spit out in the Batcave. Ellie stood there head down, as if she realized she said something wrong.

Maybe that was the wrong thing to say, Ellie thought to herself.

But to Ellie's surprise, Barbara didn't scream and fight her like she thought she would. Instead she sat on a seat, deflated.

"How did you know?" Barbara asked.

Because I'm the one growing in there? "I'm from the future. I know things. And I would think your daughter would appreciate living," Ellie said.

"My daughter?" Barbara looked down to her stomach. Gingerly, she reached and rested a hand on it. Warm feelings filled Ellie.

"Yeah."

"Do you know her? My daughter?" Barbara's eyes connected with Ellie's.

"Yeah. She's pretty interesting. Stubborn, know-it-all, intensely loyal, and she can kick the butt of anyone she wants."

Barbara smiled, but it faded again. As much as she wanted to keep the baby, she knew she wouldn't be able to. Her job wouldn't allow for that. Her hand moved from her abdomen to her forehead. Both hands. She messaged her temples. She could feel a migraine coming.

Ellie walked over and rested a hand on her mother's shoulder.

"You don't have to decide anything right at this moment. But you should call Dick. He should know about this. He is the father isn't he?" She asked although she knew the answer.

Barbara raised her head. For a girl of fourteen, Ellie knew a lot of wise things.

She pulled out her cell phone and was about to dial when the screen on the computer showed someone's face.

"Dick! I was just about to call you!" Barbara exclaimed surprised.

"Really? Did you take care of that business that you wanted to?" He asked. Sunglasses covered his eyes.

"Well, actually I didn't. The plans changed and I was hoping to talk to you about it," Barbara said, a bit shyly.

"Can it wait for a bit?"

Barbara looked to the teenager standing next to her. The girl was right. She had time to figure this out. With Dick's help.

"I suppose. But you and I will need to talk."

"And we will. But could you two zeta to the cave as quickly as possible? There has been a recent development in Jamie's case."

Barbara and Ellie's heart stilled. They had been waiting for some type of news for a while now. There had been no new leads for a while and both were losing sleep about it. But none were losing as much as Dick. The girls didn't realize, but he would comb the streets at night trying to find leads for them to follow. How broken Ellie looked when they'd come into the cave that day broke his heart and he didn't know why.

"We'll be there a-sap."

The connection ended and both girls scrambled towards the zeta-tube.

Recognized: Batgirl B16, Guest B34

As they looked about the room, they saw that the room was already filled with people gathered. Robin, Nightwing, and Batman with Agent A. Of course the entire Batfamily would be there. Over the past month Ellie had bonded with those she'd roomed with. What surprised both women was the presence of two others.

"Wally! Artemis! What are you two doing here? I thought you guys retired?" Barbara said rushed to her friend and embracing her.

"Tim called us. Said that our talents could be of some use to get you both out of a jam."

Barbara shot a look at Tim. He looked back. She'll talk to him later. She turned to her partner.

"What lead do you have Dick?"

He took a deep breath and turned to the monitor. "I should warn you. This… is disturbing."

A/N: So I included Wally and Artemis in this because they are awesome and they would totally help these guys out in a jam I think. So Review!