Tonight was family dinner night. One of the best nights of the week. Dad and me were eating dinner at one of our favorite restaurants downtown. He got his steak and I had my salmon. We do this every week. Both of our schedules are so hectic, but we promised that we'd at least have dinner with each other once a week. It was usually always on Wednesdays.

My dad seemed to be somewhat cheerful lately. Not that he was a huge grump or anything, but his disposition had been a little bit more sunny of late. Even Tim mentioned it to me after meeting up with him on the roof of GCPD with Batman. Bruce, of course, didn't notice.

"Hey honey, we should go get some ice cream sometime from that place I used to take you. I walked past it the other night and its still there," he said.

"Isn't that place on the opposite side of town? What were you doing over there," I asked suspicious.

"I was just in the neighborhood," he replied. I looked at him strangely. Why would he be 'in the neighborhood' there and at night?

"In the neighborhood? In the neighborhood for what?"

"I felt like wandering around and visiting where we used to live," he said. Ok he is nostalgic, but not that nostalgic. Fine, I won't pry. He has his secrets and Lord knows I have mine.

I decided to change the subject. "So I saw the news today about Hill's charity donation. A lot of people seem upset."

"Yeah they are," he replied unsure.

"What is it," I asked curious.

"I don't know honey something just seems off," my dad said while cutting his steak.

"You don't think he just had a change of heart?"

"Hill is very devoted to the fight against cancer, especially since he lost his mother at a very young age to pancreatic cancer. So for him to all of a sudden change his huge annual donation to saving the rainforest is odd."

"It's still a good cause, but I see what you mean."

"Well the Cancer Research Fund of Gotham is a bit upset. They do need that donation every year and them not receiving it is going to set them back a bit."

"Do you think there is something foul going on?"

"I think there maybe something going on. I can't exactly investigate it. No crime has been committed."

Maybe someone outside the law can investigate. Sounds like Batgirl is going to be busy tonight.

"I'll meet you in Burnley tonight for patrol. We can go counter clockwise from there," Bruce said to me over the phone.

I was in my apartment getting ready to go out. "Start without me actually. I have something I need to follow up on."

"What's this something?"

"Nothing to worry about, at least not yet. It could be something or it could be nothing, I just want to check it out."

"If you need back up, call."

"I will. Batgirl out."

Later I was across the street from Mayor Hill's penthouse. I'd been surveillancing for at least ten minutes, and I already didn't like what I saw. Hill was definitely upset and waiting for something. Through my binoculars I saw him sweating and pacing back and forth. Then his phone rang and he anxiously picked it up. I've been practicing reading lips for sometime now and watched intently.

"Where is it? I held up my part of-" he turned his head. Damn it. Not long after I mentally cursed he turned back around. "I need it now or else I will turn."

Turn? Turn what? Down below on the streets there was a man in a trench coat and a big floppy hat standing at the door to the building. I looked in my binoculars to get a better look at his face but he never turned around, but he was definitely going up to Hill's penthouse. Moments later Hill frantically opened the door. He quickly welcomed the man inside and then was given a vial of something yellow.

What do we have-oh and he drank it. This can't be good. The two of them started to exchange words. I still couldn't see the face of the man in the trench coat, that damn floppy hat was in the way. Then the man in the trench coat grabbed him by the lapels and shoved him against the wall.

Time to break up this party. I shot a zip line right above one of the windows to Hill's penthouse and was soon flying across the street and crashing through the window. "Batgirl?" Hill exclaimed as I landed in his living room.

"Mayor Hill, is one of your constituents not happy?" I said sarcastically as I got up from my crouch. The man in the trench coat turned around. He was a lean, mean, and green. Literally. All twiggy and leafy too, in fact, it looked a lot like something Ivy would cook up. Before I knew it long branches extended from his arm. I was sure he was trying to impale me. I quickly took a batarang and threw it in his face. It stuck there as if I was throwing darts at a dartboard. He yelled out in anguish as he dropped Hill to the floor. Hill looked at me in fear.

"Get the hell outta here," I yelled as I dodged yet another set of branch. I pissed it off, I pissed it off big time. Hill wasn't moving though. I kept dodging attack after attack. I at least had a moment to press the distress signal on my belt. Hopefully Batman would be here soon, until then I was going to have to dodge this thing. It moved so fast. I could hardly keep up. I threw more batarangs, but all it seemed to do is piss it off more. The fight made its way to the kitchen. I was running for cover behind the kitchen island when I spotted it. A bottle of cooking spray rolled toward my feet from one of the cupboards that exploded from a hit that I dodged. I quickly grabbed the can and the small lighter I had in my belt, waited for my moment and spayed the can behind the open flame and right into the face of the not so jolly green giant attacking me.

It screamed out in agony as flames licked at its face. I started to feel a bit relieve but then it started to put itself out. Now what? It took a look at me for a second and then started to run away. Oh no, your not getting away that easy. I chased it only to find it was making a beeline to Hill. It was going to take him and run. I ran and leaped so I could get in between the two of them, I soon found out that was a mistake. It had me wrapped up in the vines that were meant for Hill. The scariest thing was its that it's head was still smoldering as it pulled me close to its face.

"Finally got you," it spat out at me. It squeezed tighter and tighter around my mid section as one of its vines wrapped around my neck. I could feel sharp pains at my sides. I was gasping for air but every attempt was futile and painful. My lungs felt like they were on fire. My vision began to blur and darkness started to fill the edges. I then heard a crash and it yell out again in pain. I saw was Batman as darkness started to enveloped me. The blackness didn't go away until I fell to the floor on my back gasping for air. I felt paralyzed as I went into a coughing fit. Each cough was just as painful as the last, my sides hurt like hell. All I wanted was air in my lungs. I heard another scream from the plant monster and then I was startled for a moment when a hand touched my shoulder. It was Bruce. I relaxed as he helped me roll on my side. His hand reassuringly rubbed and patted my back as I continued to cough my lungs out.

"Batgirl are you alright," he asked. I gasped for air between coughs and tried to speak. "Just *cough* *cough* peachy." I stayed on my side exhausted and still trying to catch my breath.

"Where's *cough* Hill?" I asked.

"He's fine, but the assailant got away," he said helping me up from the floor. I cringed and quickly sucked up air as I felt sharp pains in my side.

Batman let me lean on him as I got up. Hill then came up to us panicked. I could hear sirens in the distant. The police would be there any minute. "Batman you have to catch Poison Ivy. If you don't I'll turn into that thing that attacked us all."

"That vial, *cough* *cough* whatever is in it is keeping the effects at bay?" I mustered out. Batman was still helping me stand up.

"Yes!"

"Why do you think you are even going to turn into something like that?" Batman asked, picking up from where I left off.

"I got this basket of fruit a few days ago and when I took a bite of one of the apples there was something moving inside. At first I thought it could be a worm, but it wasn't. I was a small vine. Seconds later I got a phone call extorting me for money, it was Ivy. She said if I didn't give my big annual donation to the International Rainforest Fund, then she was going to let me turn into a plant creature like her friend. That plant man was then at my door "introducing" himself and said he would be back when I held up my part of the bargain."

"When do you need your next dose," Batman asked.

"In 48 hours! She's never going to give me one now! My only hope is that you catch Ivy and get the antidote before its too late!"

I could hear that the police arrived; Hill would at least be in good hands for now.

"Tell Gordon everything you told me. Do you still have that vial?"

"Yes, actually its right here," Hill opened up his hand to reveal it.

"Get it to STAR Labs. They might be able to replicate the antidote from the residue. In the mean time we'll be hunting down Ivy," Batman then grabbed me and shot a grapnel line out the window. He wasn't going to let me be on my own just yet. He held me tight as we landed on the next roof. The car was in the alley down below.

"I'm taking you to Leslie's. Think you should get some x-rays and a MRI done," he said as he lowered us both down to the alley. His tone started to sound like he was angry.

"Next time you have a hunch, I'm coming with you," he said sternly as he started the car.

I stubbornly stared back. What the hell is his problem. "Are you mad at me?"

He started driving and ignored my question. I wasn't going to let him give me the silent treatment right now.

"I'm sorry I let the little shop of horrors get the drop on me, but I had to step in. There wasn't any-" he stopped me right there.

"You should have never gone in alone," he said angry but still keeping his eyes on the road.

"I told you what was going on. Everything happened so fast that I had to intervene. I alerted you once the commotion started."

"I trained you to be better than that," he spat back. That statement hit me harder in the gut than any physical punch I've ever received.

"That's bullshit Bruce and you know it. I wasn't the only one who failed tonight. You didn't go after that thing."

The car quickly swerved into an alley and Bruce threw the car in park. He turned to me angry as I've ever seen him, "I made a judgment call. No other lives were in immediate danger at the moment, the only one that possibly was, was YOURS."

My voice was still hoarse and my throat still sore, but I didn't care. I yelled back, "WHY ARE YOU SO MAD AT ME?! IF IT WASN'T FOR ME, WE MIGHT HAVE NEVER KNOWN WHAT IVY IS UP TO! YOU DID TRAIN ME, YOU TRAINED ME TO FOLLOW MY INSTINCTS, THAT'S WHAT I DID!"

He scowled at me for a second before he threw the car into drive. It was silent the remainder of the way to Leslie's clinic. I didn't mind. I just quietly seethed in pain.

We didn't talk for a couple of days. Bruce managed to capture Ivy and produce an antidote. Leslie told me to rest for a week and that my ribs were just bruised and not broken. I still went to work and went to the manor to help Tim with his Algebra, but I mostly spent my nights with Netflix, not masked vigilantes and criminals.

"I'm finally catching up with the rest of the kids in my class," Tim said putting a pencil down proudly.

"See I knew you would. I bet next semester you will be at the top of the class," I raised my eyebrow up.

Tim shook his head, "That will be a cold day in hell."

He just looked down at his paper. I could tell he meant it, and he wasn't just saying it to push my buttons. His voice had a sense of defeat in it.

I took the eraser I had and flung it at him. He looked at me like I just shocked him out of deep thought. "Hey. You've had it a lot harder than those other kids. They have been in prestigious schools all their lives. You didn't get that opportunity. If you had, you would be doing mental laps around them."

"Aww thanks Mom," Tim said getting up and grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl.

Bruce walked in as Tim took a bite out of the apple. "Are you two about done? Tim has some training to do."

"He's good for today," I said glaring at Bruce.

"Right…awkwaaaarrrd. I'm going to go change," Tim said vacating the premise as soon as possible. I decided that was a good idea as well.

"When do you think you'll be suiting up again?"

"Soon," I said packing up my things.

"Ok," he said a little frustrated.

"Don't worry. I'll be able to cover for you while you're out on League missions," I spat out before leaving.

"Barbara," he said calling after me.

"What?" I spun around to look at him in the eyes.

He sighed heavily, "Nothing. Just go."

I turned back around a left a bit furious. What was the point of that? He just had to get the last word, didn't he?

My phone rang as I got in the car. Tim was calling.

"What?" I said picking up the phone.

"Whoa, you're mad at him not me."

"Tim, what is it?"

"I just wanted to say that he's been miserable since we put Ivy away. Actual he's been a terror in here. He even yelled at Alfred last night. I don't know what happened between you two, but I think it's why he's being such an ass."

"I'm sorry he's been so difficult to live with, but thats not my problem."

It was silent on the other end. I didn't mean to snap at Tim like that. Damn it Bruce.

"Don't worry, it'll all blow over. Just keep your head down and don't cause any trouble in the mean time. Okay?"

"Okay." He seemed not sure.

"Hey, you're doing good. Bruce might not say it enough, but he's proud of you."

"Thanks Barb."

"Anytime."