A/N: I've added Jenna's character profile to my profile for anyone who wants to look at it. Thanks and enjoy the chapter!

The End of the Beginning

"Gordon!" Jenna cried, throwing her arms around him. Having been rescued by firemen after hours of waiting on the roof, it was good to know that her family was ok.

"Jenna! Thank God! I was worried you had gotten stuck on the island."

"We did. We rescued a little boy and got chased by Crane, Zsasz, and a bunch of other convicts. Rachel Tased Crane right in the face and Batman saved us!"

"Wow. Sounds like you've had a full night."

"No kidding. Have you seen mom?"

"I was going to ask you that." Rachel, Jenna, and Gordon made their way inside.

"Brian! Hey, have you seen my mom?" Jenna inquired. Brian Douglas looked at Jenna sadly, bit his lip, and told her to come with him. Confused, Jenna followed him, Gordon and Rachel close at her heels. They went into a room where they found Jeannie Dawes lying on a metal table, eyes closed… and a knife in between her ribs.

"I'm so sorry, Jenna," Brian said, but she barely heard him. The world was falling underneath her feet. This wasn't happening, it couldn't be happening, her mother would never leave like that.

"Mom? Mom? MOM!" Jenna screamed, running over to her mother. "MOM! PLEASE, NO YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME ALONE, YOU CAN'T! MOMMY, PLEASE, DON'T LEAVE ME! I NEED YOU, I LOVE YOU, PLEASE, JUST OPEN YOUR EYES!"

But Jeannie Dawes didn't open her eyes. She would never open her eyes again. Because for the first time in her life, she had broken a promise to her daughter, and hadn't come home.

Jenna stayed home for the next few days. She didn't talk, barely slept, and rarely ate. She just sat there, staring into her lap, occasionally sniffling and crying. Rachel stayed home to try and help her but everything she said and did hardly even affected her. It was only during day three dinner, where Jenna was once again, not eating, did Rachel finally snap.

"Jenna, this has got to stop! You are going to starve yourself to death if you don't eat something," Rachel told her, looking at the bowl of tortellini and chicken soup, Jenna's favorite, that was untouched.

"Well, maybe then I'll be with mom and I won't have to be so alone anymore," Jenna shouted back, throwing down her spoon. Rachel got up and hugged her sobbing niece.

"Starving yourself won't bring her back and she wouldn't want you to do this to yourself."

"HOW WOULD YOU KNOW? YOU AREN'T MY MOM!"

"… I know because I see so much of her in you. And would you want her to kill herself if you died?" Jenna looked at her aunt before shaking her head. "Then that's all the proof I need. Now come on. Your soup's getting cold." Jenna finished that bowl of soup, as well as a second. While she and Rachel were cleaning up the dishes, Rachel said, "So Bruce is Batman." Jenna looked at her aunt before smiling slightly and nodding. "I need to talk to him. We both do." Jenna looked at her aunt, understanding what she was saying. "How about tomorrow?" Jenna nodded.

Jenna and Rachel walked through what remained of Wayne Manor. The two of them couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness; they both had fond memories and if they were sad to see it reduced of cinders, they could hardly imagine how Alfred and Bruce felt. They saw Bruce hammering a cover over the old well and Jenna stopped. Rachel turned to her niece bewildered. "I'll talk to him later. You two can talk alone." Rachel gave her niece a thankful look before making her way over to Bruce. Jenna sat on what she thought was once a wall, and ran through what she was going to say through her head. She looked at Bruce and Rachel and saw them talking and then, kissing. The corner of her mouth twitched upward slightly, though inside she wanted to stick her tongue out and gag. She may be fifteen but boys still had cooties to her. They broke apart and talked a little more, though Jenna could tell it wasn't happy. The two of them walked together holding hands and Rachel, still talking to Bruce, pointed to Jenna. Jenna waved a bit and Bruce made his way over.

"Hey," Jenna said.

"Hi," Bruce replied. Not knowing what else to say, he added, "I heard about Jeannie." Jenna's throat closed up and she looked down, trying to keep herself from crying. "I'm sorry." Jenna looked up, traces of tears still in her eyes, and stared at him as though she didn't know whether she should slap him or hug him. "Listen, Jenna about my disappearance−"

"I forgive you." Bruce froze.

"Wait, what?"

"I forgive you for leaving." Bruce looked confused.

"Really?" the corner of Jenna's mouth twitched.

"I was mad at you because I thought that you were a careless, rich, irresponsible brat who couldn't be bothered with someone like me." Bruce tried to say something But Jenna cut him off. "It's alright because I know the real you."

"My mask isn't my real face."

"Maybe, maybe not. People have many different faces for many different places; but I know that you are as brave, kind, and wonderful as you were to me when I was eight years old. And if you're willing to, I'd like to make up for lost time." Bruce smiled.

"I'd like that. And, considering the… situation you got into at the asylum, it might be beneficial for you to learn something from a mutual friend of ours." Jenna's eyes brightened up.

"Me. Take lessons. From you?" Bruce nodded and Jenna gave him a flying hug, just like the ones she had given him many years ago.

"ThankyouThankyouThankyouThan kyouThankyou!" she squealed. She could hardly believe it; the Batman, Gotham's protector, was going to teach her how to fight. "I'll be a great student I swear: I'll run laps, do jumping jacks, push ups, sit ups, chin ups−"

"Jenna, breathe," Bruce ordered and Jenna stopped immediately, taking a deep breath. "Good. I'll have to get Rachel's permission and find a time that won't interfere with your school−"

"I can cut class if need be," Jenna said but stopped with a look from Bruce.

"Or my patrol. But, I doubt Rachel will have problems with it as long as you don't join me on the rooftops."

"You mean I'm not−"

"No."

"But−"

"No. Not until you're legal at least." Jenna pursed her lips but nodded. Bruce smiled at her and turned to leave. Jenna made her way over to Rachel and just before they left, Rachel asked Bruce one more thing.

"What will you do?" Bruce looked at her, having picked up what remained of his father's stethoscope.

"Rebuild it. Just the way it was, brick for brick." Rachel nodded and left, holding Jenna's hand as she went. This year was going to be different, that was one of the few things she was certain of. She had lost her mother and her best friend and she could never fill the holes they had left in her heart, but she would go on. She would never forget them but she wouldn't lose herself because of it. Because life, especially childhood and teen years, was like learning to ride a bike; though you may fall down many times, what's important is to find the will to stand up again. And that's what Jenna would do. Though she had been pushed down, she would get up and never back down.