Bethany's POV:

I could hear my fast paced breathing in the full face helmet that I was wearing. My heart was racing and the adrenaline pumped rapidly through my veins. The wind was howling through my helmet as my cape billowed behind me. I was way over the speed limit and way in over my head, but my hands held a firm grip on the handles. I may have been scared out of my mind, but I had a goal and a destination to get to. I needed to get Rose out of there. I didn't care if she found out who I was. She didn't deserve to get mixed up in this. She was a beautiful young girl with a bright and successful future ahead of her. It couldn't be cut short.

I had disconnected the helmet from headquarters and had shut down the GPS and any tracking device on the motorcycle the Cave could use to track me. I even checked to make sure Robin hadn't thrown one of his annoying tracking devices onto the back of my cycle. I wasn't taking any chances. No one could follow me. If someone did end up following me, Rose would die.

My tires squeeled as I made a sharp turn trying to avoid a car that had almost crashed into me. I raced past the near accident I had caused, the sounds of angry blaring horns struggling to keep up with me.

Ahead, a train blared its horn and the crossing rails began its descent down to block off anyone trying to cross the tracks. The lights were flashing through the dark night, a warning to any car to stop. But I simply sped up.

I felt the motorcycle lurch forward and I was almost thrown back, but I squeezed my knees tighter to the body of the motorcycle and leaned down over the handlebars and raced across the tracks. I only dared to glance at the train for a split second. But that second seemed to go in slow motion. The train was right next to me and its front light was so bright it pierced through the darkness of the night and aimed straight into my eyes. My eyes widened in fear and my ears rang with the sound of the screaming horn and thundering wheels on the tracks. My heart stopped.

Then I was landing hard on the ground, the bike swerving widely to recover from the bad landing. Shit. I had gotten distracted.

When the bike finally straightened out, I leaned forward and held tighter to the bars. I sped up, going over 100 mph. East End Plaza was up ahead. That was where they were bound to be.

The plaza had a couple rundown stores, but everything was closed for the night and no one was here. When they said "plaza," they really meant a little cracked fountain in the middle with rundown shops surrounding it and then a nature trail off to the side. The trail led to a deep clearing surrounded by thick trees. The plaza was pretty pathetic, but I guess no one put that much effort into it because it was East End. East End was one of the most crime ridden areas of Gotham, sometimes referred to as being the equivalent of Crime Alley. It was the perfect place because no one would think twice of a fight going down here and because it was completely deserted and dimly lit.

I didn't even wait for the bike to stop before jumping off. I threw the bike down in the middle of the plaza next to the fountain, not caring how damaged it got. I pulled off the helmet and threw it at the bike as hard as I could. I was pissed and full of adrenaline. I had just gotten thrown under the bus by my friends and then found out that my other friend had been kidnapped by vicious killing villains. It's about time that someone ended this.

I spun on my heel and dashed down the trail that would lead to the hidden clearing. They would most likely be there. It was hidden from view, just in case someone did decide to show up in the middle of the night for a stroll.

My breath came in puffs around me as I ran as hard as I could through the trees. My boots were crunching on the gravel and my butt-length cape was billowing behind me. It was chilly and I had forgotten to switch into my Cold Costume, where I had longer insulated pants and a thicker cape. I knew I should be freezing by now because all I was wearing were the midnight purple spandex and the matching one sleeved cropped top. But I didn't even feel the cold. My body was burning with hatred and anger.

I burst through the thick trees and emerged into the large clearing. Good. It was big enough for a huge fight.

But my heart stopped at the sight of Rose laying in the middle. She didn't seem to be hurt, but she was bound with her wrists in front of her and she had a gag - something I could have easily escaped from, but she wasn't a trained hero. She was just a ordinary girl. And she was unconscious. Her beautiful dark hair was sprawled around her head like an angel and her eyes looked like she was sleeping peacefully. Her red lips were a contrast to her light skin. I sighed in relief when I concluded that she wasn't Blaze. I hadn't thought she was, but this just confirmed my thoughts.

I started towards her, but before I could, a figure stepped out from behind the trees.

Blaze clicked her tongue disapprovingly and waved a gun around. It was a big handgun, bigger than usual, with the Ruger name engraved on the side. I guessed it to be a .45 at the least.

"Not so fast, Bethany," Blaze said in a sing song voice. The fire in her eyes were lit to an amused flicker. I heard the sound of the safety being clicked off.

She was in her stupid slutty costume again. Her red hair was long and unruly. This time, her hair wasn't on fire, but the color of her hair was a deep dark red. It lay sprawled around her shoulder, the color of a deathly dark fire. Her eyes were just flames and her lips were layered with dark red lipstick. I couldn't tell who she was; the only thing going for me was her voice. That was the only thing that sounded slightly familiar. But her voice was firm and commanding, demanding attention and fear, which was not like anyone I knew.

My blood started boiling and my eyes narrowed in absolute hatred. She started this. She attempted to kill my friends. She was the one that tipped them off that there was a traitor. She was the one that made them assume it was me. Now I had to leave the safety of the only home I had and leave a life I loved behind me. Now she was threatening an innocent friend. She was going to pay.

I pulled out both of my mini crossbow guns that were loaded with exploding arrows and pointed both at her dumbass ugly face.

"What do you want?" My voice came out in a nasty snarl. I held my arms firm and my legs were crouched, ready to pounce.

"I'm so glad you decided to join us," she bent down next to Rose and studied her face, "It was getting kind of lonely with just the two of us, right little Rose?"

"Leave her alone, you dumb bitch!" I yelled. I took a protective step forward, but I had to stop myself from flinging myself at Blaze.

Everything urged me to go grab Rose and flee, but I couldn't. Not with Blaze standing right there with a gun. I wouldn't even be able to reach Rose if she shot at me. As if she could see my dilemma, she grinned wickedly at me and she traced a finger over Rose's face.

"Such a beautiful young girl. Such a pity she had to be caught up in this," Blaze said with such sweetness that I thought I was going to puke.

She was toying with me. This was all a game to her. And it made me so frustrated that I couldn't even see who she was.

"Don't touch her anymore. I'm here. So leave her alone!" I desperately yelled. My grip on my mini crossbow guns tightened until my arms were shaking a little. I could shoot Blaze right now. But she had her gun right at Rose's head. Any slight move from me would cause her to pull the trigger. And besides, the arrows would explode, and Rose would be caught in the blast. DAMNIT. I knew I should've brought the handgun with me instead of these little toys. But Batman had taken the gun away from me on the very first day and gave me these little toys instead. Screw the "no killing" rule. Stupid Batman.

Her teeth gleamed through her coy grin and her eyes lit up even brighter.

"Don't touch her, you say. Hmm. It seems you've forgotten who has the power in this situation," she raised her hand against Rose's face and then brought it down hard against her cheek. The slapping noise of skin reverberated through the quiet night. I gritted my teeth, ready to lunge at her.

Suddenly, Rose's eyes burst open and a look of utter fear quickly replaced the look of peacefulness that had been on her before.

Rose sat up immediately and her eyes went to me first. In her eyes, I saw something so different it scared me. Her eyes were so big and wide from fear and they looked like a scared wild animal. It burned my heart and tore it into two. I never wanted to see that kind of fear in anyone ever again.

A growl erupted through me and I found myself yelling all the vile words I knew at Blaze.

But Blaze completely disregarded me and yanked Rose to stand by the arm. Rose looked petrified.

Blaze swiftly twisted Rose into her arms so that she was holding Rose in a headlock with a gun right at her head. I heard a small yelp escape through Rose's gag. I could see her shaking from where I was standing, a frantic look in her wide eyes.

"Now, I want you to listen to me," Blaze's voice had lowered and the sweetness was gone. She was serious now, "I won't hesitate to kill your precious little friend here. My allies will come in a few moments and you WILL cooperate."

I nodded my head quickly in agreement, desperate to just get Rose out of here.

"Okay, I'll do it! Now hand her over!" I demanded strongly.

Blaze's fiery eyes seemed to dwell on mine for a moment, before a slight smile etched itself onto her face. She was planning something, I could tell. But she hid it with a smirk. She released Rose from her chokehold and moved the gun away.

"Alright," Blaze said breezily and then shoved her so hard that she stumbled towards me. I started forward, ready to catch her in my arms.

Rose's face relaxed a little as she stepped towards me. I had my arms outstretched, ready to catch her and embrace her in a comforting hug.

But it was like time seemed to stop. Everything continued in slow motion.

The sudden sound of a BANG! echoed through the deserted park. Time was too slow. Everyone was moving too slow. And it was in that moment that I knew. I knew that Blaze had pulled the trigger. My heart stopped beating and it felt like all my veins stopped pumping blood. The hairs on my neck stood up and my eyes widened.

I looked back at Rose and saw her body jerk mid stride and her face scrunched into confusion. A tiny red spot in the middle of her shirt appeared. And then suddenly it was spreading. The red was taking over her whole shirt. Her face was contorted in a pained expression. She was falling, her hair flying behind her.

And just like that, time returned to normal. I dropped the guns and leapt forward to catch Rose in my arms. Her eyes were still open, but her face was still in shock and her eyes were slightly glossy. I tore off her gag and cut through her binds.

My heart recovered from its shock and started to beat furiously. My throat got scratchy and it felt like I had a lump in my throat. I started to gasp for breath.

"No!" My voice was hoarse and the word came out cracked.

I cradled Rose's head in my arms while rocking back and forth. My thoughts were like a blizzard and I couldn't think straight. I shakily took her hand in mine and squeezed it.

"Rose! No...you..." I stammered, "We'll get you on - on my motorcycle and then I - I think I can rush you to the hospital in time and - and then they'll give you an IV and take out the bullet and clean you all up and maybe you'll even recover in - in a month or so and-" Then I felt her slightly squeeze my hand back.

"Rose?" I asked quietly. There was a long pause.

"It... Hurts," she murmured. I saw the sight of tears rolling down her face. A slice of pain shot through my heart.

"I know it does, Rose. But just stay awake and I'll get help. Just stay awake!" I ripped off the single sleeve from my cropped shirt and began to tear it to make strips. My hands were fumbling as I tried to hurry. I needed to stop the blood from the wound in her stomach before I could transfer her. Otherwise she would die on my motorcycle on the way to the hospital.

"Who...?" Her voice was raspy like it was hard to talk. Blood started to dribble out of the corner of her mouth. Her eyes were slightly open now, like she had to force them to stay open.

"It's me! Its Bethany! You're okay! You're going to be okay!" I ripped off my mask and tilted her head so she could see me. My hair blew lightly in the wind as I started to shake her a little, "Stay awake!"

Recognition settled in and then she smiled weakly, but more blood started coming out of her mouth.

"Bethany," she whispered softly. And it was like her voice had almost returned to its normal softness. Her smile had just a little bit of sparkle before her eyes fluttered and her head fell limp in my arms. Her body seemed to relax like she just cuddled into my arms.

"No!" I gasped. I picked up her wrist and felt for a pulse. Nothing. I thrust my fingers onto her neck. No pulse. I desperately leaned over and put my ear to her heart to listen. Nothing! I leaned back on my heels, a weight starting to form in my stomach.

I couldn't speak for the longest time. I dropped the strips I had been making and stared open mouthed. When I finally could move, my heart started to pick up its pace and my blood started to rush in my ears.

"Rose...?" It came out barely a whisper.

Then it all came crashing down on me.

"No, no, no!" I muttered to myself. This wasn't happening. This wasn't happening! This was just some nightmare, "Rose! Get up! Now! I know you can hear me. Say something! I can take you to the hospital and they'll fix you right up! Just say something so I know how bad it is!" Words were tumbling out of my mouth.

I lifted up her shirt and saw the huge bloody mess, and I knew right away. Blaze had hit her right through the stomach. Just below the rib cage. That was one of the lethal spots my dad had taught me. Lethal. Deadly. Rose was dead. Right here, right now.

I started hyperventilating.

"NOOO!" I screamed out at no one. I raised my head to the skies and released a blood curling scream that seemed to shake the trees around me.

I was sobbing, angry tears were flying through my eyes, blurring my vision so I couldn't even see Rose's pale face anymore. I leaned over Rose's face, my tears falling all over her hair and face.

"NOOOO!" I cried as loud as I possibly could. Every time I yelled, the word would end in a choked up sob. My face hurt from scrunching it up so vigorously and my throat was burning from screaming. My heart felt like it had been ripped out and my chest felt like there was a tight band around it preventing me from breathing.

"You..." I looked up at Blaze, but all I could see through my tears was a blob of red, "You killed..." And then I continued to sob, holding Rose like a baby.

I screamed at her, wailing nonsense until my throat wouldn't allow it anymore. I couldn't see Blaze's face anymore because of all the tears. I just couldn't concentrate or think straight.

Rose was... She was actually... Blaze killed...

Blaze.

It was her. It was all her. Everything bad that had happened was all her fault.

Blaze killed Rose.

My vision turned an angry red. My fists began to shake and my teeth clenched so hard it hurt. My heart was hurting so much and my blood turned to ice. I could only think one thing: I was going to kill Blaze.

I gently placed Rose's head down and carefully shut her eyes and kissed her forehead. I put on my mask again and stood up, looking down at Rose's curled up figure. It looked like she was a baby curling up for a nap. I released a shaky breath and closed my eyes for a moment to slow my furious heart. Then my head slowly raised to look straight on at Blaze. My blood had turned to ice. I was finally feeling the chill of the night and goosebumps were already present all along my body. My back automatically became straight as an arrow and I squared my shoulders to face off with Blaze. I picked up my two mini crossbow guns and clenched them tightly.

Blaze had been watching me this entire time with an amused expression on her face and her arms crossed. It made me sick that she thought killing a young, innocent, and bright girl was just a funny game.

"Why?" My voice was hard and surprisingly steady. But even I could hear the pain dripping through my voice.

She had finally tipped me over the edge. I was going to kill her.

And I bet that that was her plan all along. To push my buttons until I went crazy.

And I sure as hell was feeling crazy. Crazy enough to break every rule and murder someone out of pure hatred.

"You," I pointed a gun at her and stepped over Rose's body, towards Blaze, "Why? Why did you do it?"

"Oh come on," Blaze cackled, "How did you not see that coming?"

"This isn't a game," My voice was tight. My chest was hurting from the anger and pain all built up inside, "You killed Rose. Even though we had an agreement."

I continued walking towards her. She put a hand on her hip and held her ground.

"You look a little angry now," she smirked and teased.

I let loose a frustrated scream and then shouted at her, "YOU JUST KILLED MY BEST FRIEND! EVEN THOUGH I AGREED TO DO WHAT YOU FUCKING SAID, YOU FUCKING BITCH!" My pace quickened towards her. I clicked the safety off of the crossbow guns.

"Whoops?" She said it like a little question. Her red lips curled up as she saw I was getting furious and unstable. I let loose a horrifying shriek before rushing her.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" was the last thing I screamed before charging straight for the devil herself.

Whoops. Sorry. Don't hate me. But come on, I had it planned since the very beginning when I first introduced Rose. :( Okay, I have the next chapter ready, but I still need to read over it. I'll either post it later today or tomorrow, so...

Stay traught, my lovelies!

3