I'm so sad to announce that this is the second to last chapter of the book. I'm so sad. This has been an AWESOME experience writing this book. Everytime I reread my work, it always ends up with me wishing that I was Bethany Ford, dating Dick, and running through the streets of Gotham fighting crime.

I love all my fans and I remember who ALL of you are. Not kidding. I recognize ALL of you guys' names when I see them. I hope you continue to read my works in the future. I am planning a second book after this one. So don't get rid of me so fast!

Bethany's POV:

Rose's funeral was two days later. I was an emotional wreck at the funeral, so much that I could barely say my speech when I went up to talk.

The next few days were quiet. The Team had apologized for driving me away and I had apologized for not trusting in them and assuming the worst. I continued to be a part of the Team and I still lived in Wayne Manor, although I wasn't really part of the Wayne family.

I walked back into school the next Monday after all the crap with Blaze had happened. Even though it was hot, I still wore my blazer and pulled up my knee socks in order to cover all the cuts and bruises. I even had to put makeup on parts of my legs in order to cover up the ugly bruises.

Dick opened the big double doors for me and waited for me to enter the school. It always amazed me how grand the entrance was to our school. When I got inside, Dick let go of the door and took my hand, pulling me close. I smiled lightly, feeling the familiar comfort of his body close to mine. Next to me, Artemis popped up along with Barbara.

I saw a familiar face bobbing through the crowd and coming towards us. I gave a little snort when I saw who it was.

Brady had the angriest expression painted onto his face. His arm was in a cast and there was a bruise blooming under his left eye. I laughed at the memory of how that had happened. Last week, Artemis had beaten him up when he tried to bully me. He saw me and opened his mouth to say something snarky, but Artemis stepped in front of me and smirked down at him.

"Nice cast you've got there," she nodded towards it, "Would you like another one on your other arm to even it out?" She had her signature grin and her hands were resting on her hips.

Brady's eyes widened and he shook his head. He stepped aside to let us pass.

The hallways were crowded with students studying on the floors or rushing to get to tutorials. After all, finals were only in a week.

As we moved through the hallways to get to our lockers, I felt slightly pained.

All my friends were together, except one. Rose was dead, so there was only four of us, instead of five. There was this melancholy happiness in my heart, but there still resided a painful emptiness.

I felt Dick staring at me from the corner of my eye and I knew that he could tell what I was thinking. He pulled me closer and let go of my hand. Instead, he rested his arm around my waist protectively. I smiled weakly against him and inhaled his familiar scent of spice and a little twinge of musk.

The people at school only knew that Rose had been murdered, but they didn't know the details. It was better that way.

The details of Kelli's "disappearance" was also pretty vague to the other students. They only knew that they're little future Prom Queen had died in a car accident. The news said it was a drunk driving incident, which sounded pretty believable considering how many parties Kelli hosted.

No one would ever realize all the pain that Kelli had actually caused. They would never know who she truly was or -

"Stop thinking about it," Dick whispered low in my ear.

I came out of my hazy state and looked back up at him.

"What? I wasn't thinking about anything."

"You were thinking about last week. I can tell. You get this misty look on your face when you think... about Rose. And then right after that, you get this scrunched up look when you think about Kelli."

I sighed. Sometimes I really hated how Dick knew me so well.

"Here. Let's go somewhere to talk," he tugged me away from the group, "We'll get back to you guys!" He called out to Artemis and Barbara when they gave him questioning looks.

"Ugh! You can just tell us when your going to go make out! You don't have to pretend!" Artemis called out.

I felt my face flush all the way to the janitor's closet that Dick pulled me to. It was the same closet that he had kissed me in after that night at his house. I remembered our kisses with a burning desire in my heart.

He shut the door behind us and the room was cast into a light glow, the only light coming from the single window.

He turned to me and I backed away a little. What was he trying to talk to me about?

"Bethany, you've had that sad look on your face ever since the fight. What can I do to help?" He moved to stand right in front of me. He lifted my chin with the tip of his finger, forcing me to meet his electric eyes. Something defensive boiled in my gut.

"It's kind of hard to not forget when your best friend dies in your arms."

He flinched like my words had slapped him, but he only pushed closer to me, causing me to back up into the wall.

"You can tell me, you know? About what happened," he said.

"About what?" I played dumb. I knew what he was talking about. Since the night Rose had died, Dick and Batman hadn't wanted to pressure me into telling them what had happened before they arrived. Dick had no idea what had happened before he came with the Team. All he knew was that he arrived to see me covered in blood and about to get my head snapped by Bane. Batman had tried to ask me what had happened after Rose had been killed, but I had shrugged him off and acted like nothing happened. I guess he didn't really care about what happened because he probably knew it wasn't that important. To his knowledge, he could probably just guess that it had simply been a really bloody battle.

But Dick knew something was off about the battle. He always asked me if I was okay and if I wanted to talk about the battle that I had had with Blaze before they had arrived. Again, I always shrugged him off. Just like I planned to do now.

"You know what I'm talking about, Bethany," he reached up and tucked a stray strand of hair out of my face, "If you want to talk about what went down between you and Blaze before we got there, you can tell me."

I pushed his hand away, getting impatient, "Dick, it was just a battle between us. It was bloody, I'll admit oaky, but it was just a stupid fight that no one ended up winning. Then a shitload of villains arrived and then you guys arrived. The end."

"I know something's bothering you about that fight you had with Blaze. Something's haunting you. I can tell. I notice these things. You can't hide it from me."

The hard shield I had created around me cracked a little bit from his words. I didn't have the strength to pretend anymore, but I spoke softly, whispering "There's nothing to talk about."

His body was completely covering me. He put his hand on both sides of my head, trapping me in.

"You need a break," he bent his head down to my ear, his hair tickling the side of my face. My heart started thudding and butterflies started fluttering in my stomach. Something exciting was going to happen, I could tell.

"We should skip school. We should go somewhere," he mumbled against me. I put my palms on his hard chest when he started bending a little too close. Part of me didn't want anything to happen because we were still in school, but a huge chunk of my heart wanted to just lean over and kiss him.

"Wouldn't we get in trouble?" I managed to breath out. I felt his heart beating under my hand just as fast as mine. My head clouded and I couldn't think straight.

"Who cares? My dad is Bruce Wayne. He'll kick anyone's ass if they get on our backs," he pushed so close, our bodies were pressed against each other. He moved his head from my neck to face me. Our faces were centimeters apart.

"But won't we get in trouble with..." A small gasp escaped me when his hand moved to my hip, "...Bruce?"

"Oh screw Bruce."

His words had my heart tripping over itself.

He cupped my cheek and guided my mouth to his. His lips were soft at first as he moved against mine. His other hand travelled down the length of my body and cupped my thigh. His other hand stayed on my cheek, rubbing soft circles. I still had my hands in fists on his chest. I couldn't move. His touch had me frozen to the spot, my head spinning. I forgot all about Rose and Blaze. I forgot all about being sad. I just focused on his kisses and his touches and his passion that he had with me.

Then I was kissing him back. My hands moved from his chest to rest at the nape of his neck. I tugged some of his hair, loving how it felt threaded through my fingers.

He groaned against my lips and moved both hands under my thighs. I help tight with my arms around his neck as he hoisted me up. I instinctively wrapped my legs around his waist and he held me under my butt. He pushed me back against the wall giving me extra support and making me feel trapped in his arms. His lips moved against mine going faster and faster. He would suck on my lower lip and then switch off, going to my upper lip. I kissed him back, hard. My hands moved from his neck, down his chest, and then pressed against his stomach. I loved the feeling of his hard muscles moving underneath my hands.

Electricity danced across my skin and fire burned where he touched me. He pushed me firmer against the wall and I held tighter to his neck and waist. He let go of my butt and moved his hands up and down my body, going over my butt and then back up to my waist. It felt like he was feeling me, to make sure I was real. To make sure I was still there.

I felt his tongue go against my lips and it made me freeze. What did he want me to do? I hadn't gone this far before. He tried again but I didn't know what to do.

He groaned, impatiently and moved his hands from my waist and went further up. His hands stretched from my upper back and I felt his thumb graze the sides of my breasts. I gasped in pleasure and he used this opening to delve his tongue into my mouth. We moved against each other, unable to get enough. His tongue clashed with mine in a heated battle.

Suddenly a banging sound erupted from the door.

I immediately let go of his neck and waist and jumped down from him. My eyes were wide and my heart raced. Dick jerked around, standing protectively in front of me.

The door swung open and a large man in a blue janitor's uniform stepped in. He took one look at us and froze. Aw shit.

I stared back at him with deer-in-the-headlights eyes. Dick just looked annoyed.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat, "I think there are some empty classrooms down the hall. Please don't make babies in here."

My face burned from embarrassment, but Dick just shrugged and grabbed my hand and swiftly tugged me out of the room.

As my eyes adjusted to the brighter lighting of the crowded hallways, Dick turned back to me and said, "We'll finish our talk later."

He flashed one of his winning smiles at me and pulled me to Chemistry class, my cheeks still burning from our hot make out session.

After dinner that day, Dick and I sat on the roof that we had had our first kiss on. We lay next to each other in peaceful silence, looking up at the stars. It always amazed me how clear the skies were, even though Gotham was one of the most polluted cities. Batman was somewhere out in the city. He had gotten a call for something about a giant crocodile-like villain. Bruce had insisted that we stay home to study for finals next week.

But even though our heated make out session at school had made me forget about Rose for the rest of school, I still ended up thinking about it now. I usually ended up thinking about Rose and Blaze whenever I had time to think.

I remembered pointing my gun at Blaze's face, angry tears going down my face. My chest had hurt so much that day from the pain of loss, anger, and vengeance. I was a completely different person that night. Would I have killed Blaze if Dick hadn't stopped me? I think I would have. Maybe. I don't know. I guess I'll never know. I wonder if Dick had noticed the difference in my personality that night.

"Was I scary?" I asked Dick through the silence of the night. I didn't look at him, but instead continued looking up at the stars thoughtfully.

He turned and propped his head up on his arm to look down at me. I avoided his gaze.

"What are you talking about?" He asked confused.

"That night. When Blaze... killed Rose. Was I scary when you found me?" My voice had softened considerably. I think that if I spoke any louder, I would start crying again. I didn't really feel like crying in front of Dick again.

"You were frightened and angry. You were just acting on instinct, which is understandable," I could feel his steady gaze on me as he spoke. He said the safe answer, not quite answering the question.

"Looking back, I am scared of myself. I was a completely different person, wasn't I?" I Didn't wait for a response, I simply continued. It was a rhetorical question.

I sighed. I guess I'm ready now to talk to him.

I continued and felt his stare on me intensify, "Before you came, Blaze shot Rose and she died in my arms. I was so close, you know? Rose was walking towards me, in exchange for my surrender. I was so close. And right when Rose was within my reach..."

Dick had moved closer and was listening intently.

"I heard the gunshot and saw the blood. Rose fell in my arms. I-I tried to stop the bleeding, but it just... happened. There was no time... I... Dammit!" I slammed my fist on my bruised leg and I flinched at the intense pain. "I should've shot Blaze when I first arrived. I had the option, I was just too scared to take the chance!"

"No!" Dick grabbed my hand before I could hit myself again, "It's not your fault. When my parents were killed, I felt like it was my fault for years. But Bruce finally got me to understand that it wasn't my fault at all. It just... happened. If that's what's been bothering you this whole time, then you need to stop. It wasn't your fault. You did everything you could."

"No. You see, that's not what's been haunting me."

Dick fell silent, obviously surprised.

I took a deep breath, gathering up the courage.

"After I got over the shock, I turned on Blaze and started trying to-to kill her. I actually was trying to kill her when we fought. I used my knives to cut her up! If it hadn't been for her healing powers, then she would have been dead and cut up into bloody pieces and-and I can't believe I actually tried to kill her!"

He didn't speak. I dreaded my next words because I feared that maybe he would see me differently and maybe he wouldn't even like me anymore. But I had to tell him.

"That's not even the worst part. There were parts of the fight when I actually..." I took a shaky breath, "When I actually loved the fact that she could heal. Because then that meant I could hurt her and cut her and stab her even more. And she could just heal so that I could keep on doing it! It was like I was able to continue devastating torture on her. There was even a part of me that enjoyed doing it and it made me happy."

I finally turned to look at him, my voice shaky with fear.

"Now YOU tell me that that's normal. Because I sure as hell know that that is NOT normal. I'm pretty sure that it's just plain homicidal and psychotic to actually ENJOY hurting someone over and over again. I'm a monster." I looked down at my hands as if expecting to see claws, "And I'm starting to think that if you hadn't stopped me from shooting Blaze in the head, then I actually would have-"

"Stop," the commanding tone of Dick's voice had me falter. He grabbed my hands from me and tugged me to sit up. He held our hands in between us as he continued, "You want to talk about normal? Well we can't. Because we aren't normal. Normal people don't put on a costume and go fight crime at night. Normal people aren't friends with aliens from different planets. Normal people aren't strong enough to watch their loved ones die and continue living. You and me, we aren't normal."

Well that made me feel especially warm and fuzzy on the inside. Thanks so much. Not.

"You are better than normal. You're strong and selfless and brave. So don't try to compare aspects of a normal person to yourself, because you're not normal. Being normal doesn't pertain to you anymore. Once you stepped foot through that portal from the mother box, you became someone else."

He held tightly to my hands and squeezed. I think tears were forming in my eyes.

"When my parents died, I couldn't forgive myself. And I hunted down the killer and almost killed him. Batman had to stop me, just like I had to stop you. Vengeance is a normal human instinct. But you learn to overcome it through control and justice."

He rubbed a tear away from my cheek and then cupped my face, making me focus on him. The moon reflected off of his electric eyes, making me even more mesmerized to him.

"One day, in the future, you will be in another situation where you have to face the choice of vengeance or justice. And you will have to make another choice. It will be up to you. You're a strong girl. Not just physically, but mentally. You're the strongest girl I know."

He bent down and kissed my parted lips gently. It sent a shot of comforting warmth spreading through my body. It made me feel giddy.

I smiled and a small laugh escaped my lips.

"Since when did you become so wise?"

His eyes sparkled and his signature smirk came back, "I guess it's all just part of the charm."

I shook my head, a smile on my lips. I felt like a whole weight had been lifted off of my chest. He still liked me, even though I told him that I thought I was a monster for trying to kill Blaze. And he said all those nice things about me. I felt a blush crawl across my cheeks.

"Hey!" He grabbed my hands again and tugged me to stand up, "Let me show you something."

"What?" I was startled by his sudden excitement.

His eyes gleamed with mischief, "It'll be fun. I promise."

He told me to change into my costume and we went down to the Batcave and hopped onto his motorcycle. We put on identical helmets with pull down visors and we sped off, heading to Gotham city.

"Where are we going?" I asked, hearing my voice echo in the helmet radios. I ignored the way my heart fluttered when I felt his hard abs under his chest. My arms tightened across his stomach, feeling safe around him.

"We're gonna go spy on Batman while he's on the job!" He let loose a mischievous laugh and sped up the motorcycle.

"Won't we get into trouble?"

"Oh screw Batman!" He laughed. I was beginning to see that this was his usual phrase when I asked that question.

"Okay, but if we get into trouble, I'm totally blaming this all on you!"

He laughed and then said, "While we're at it, I can teach you how to use a grappling gun." I remembered that Batman had never taught me to use my grappling gun because I hadn't reached that "level" yet, whatever that meant. But he had still given me one to use in emergencies. I had used mine on Blaze and accidentally left it in the clearing. Whoops.

"We'll go swinging on the tallest buildings of Gotham city!" He laughed excitedly.

I giggled at how he made it sound like Gotham city was his play ground.

About ten minutes later (Dick seems to like speeding) we were atop the Wayne Tower, one of the tallest buildings in the city. Looking down, I felt my stomach jump into my throat. It was a LONG way down.

"Um, you'll catch me if I fall, right?!" I had to yell over the wind.

"Of course I will, Princess!" He pulled out two grappling guns and handed me one. My heart fluttered at the nickname. "Try to aim for the very top of the building at the edge. That way, it can hook onto the roof securely. See? Watch."

He aimed and pulled the trigger and the chord shot out. When it stopped, he tugged it harshly to make sure it was secure and then turned to me.

"Then you hold onto the handle, jump off, legs forward, weight back, and swing. When you get close to the building, try to use your weight and flip up onto the top." He said it all really fast.

He turned to jump off, but I caught his arm.

"Wait! What?! How will I be able to do that? Shouldn't I go with you the first time?!"

He thought about it for a second and then shook his head with a smile, "You're a smart girl. It'll come to you naturally. I'll be watching you and will come rescue you when you need it! See you on the other side!" He leaned down and kissed me deeply before pulling away and easily flipping off the side of the 45 story building. My lips still tingled with electricity and I felt dazed. But then I shook my head and raced to the edge of the building to watch.

My heart dropped, when he didn't appear again. But then I saw him, easily swinging to the other building like he had done hundreds of times. He made it look so easy.

I was all alone. I took a moment to listen to the sounds of Gotham traffic below me and the wind, threatening to push me off the edge of the building.

By now, I was sure Dick was probably waiting on the roof across from me, using his binoculars to watch me. I smiled to myself. He was always watching out for me.

I looked down at the busy street below me again. My stomach felt queasy, but then I remembered that Dick had said he would rescue me. I trusted him with my life. I pushed down my nervous fears and fumbled with the handle.

I pointed the grappling gun towards the building that Dick had swung to and then aimed it at the little crouched shape I saw. He was watching me, waiting. I pulled the trigger and watched the chord zip out of the gun. I tugged really hard on it when it stopped. Okay, it's secure.

I stepped onto the ledge of the building. My heart was pounding so hard. I remembered how as a kid, I had a fear of extreme heights. I think the fear just came back.

Oh, God. Just do it for goodness sakes.

I closed my eyes and jumped off the building.

The first feeling I got was when your stomach drops when you go down a rollercoaster. But then suddenly I felt the chord tighten and then pull me back up. Human instinct took over and my body moved into a proper position.

I felt so free! I was flying! The wind pushed back my hair and my cape flapped behind me loudly. There was nothing as amazing as this! The nervous butterflies in my stomach left and turned into bubbling excitement. The experience was indescribably amazing!

I let loose a wild laugh as I freely swung my way through my new play ground.

Okay, the Epilogue is next, and then the book is over :,( But there will be a second book! So don't get rid of me yet!

Stay traught, my lovelies!