Before Midnight
Part Three of "What's Going On?"
By: Carmen Wayne

"Please, Grayson! You HAVE to! Don't you have FEELINGS for her?!"
Zatanna Zatara was upset now that Dick Grayson wouldn't cooperate. He hunched over and just refused to respond.
"Dick, she's offering us a way to at least save Barbara……" Bruce Wayne said. He set a hand on his shoulder. "Dick…?"
Dick still said nothing. Zatanna glanced at the clock across the way nervously, which read the clock. 11:40 PM, twenty minutes before midnight.
"I'd hate to push this… But we have twenty minutes, and we still have to FIND Batgirl."
And yet, Dick said nothing.
Bruce walked and pulled Zatanna with him. They exited his study and he shut the door gently. She observed the irregular coldness in his eyes--even for Bruce Wayne. She contributed it to the horrible loss that he had just endured.
"I've just lost a son, Zatanna. Are you lying to us about this?"
"No, I'm not."
"I'm not ready for games."
Zatanna placed a gentle hand to his cheek.
"Mister Wayne… I haven't a reason at all to lie to you or Dick…"
"Surely in this dimension you come from there's a Batgirl. Why did Klarion take this dimension's Batgirl?"
He realized he was being awfully passive with the fact that she knew their secrets, but now was not the time to worry about that.
"There was a Batgirl… For a time. Unfortunately, she met a very tragic ending at the fault of a bullet. This "Jokeres" is Barbara in another dimension, that's why he wants them to face off with each other."
Bruce stared away, focusing on nothing but air. He didn't want to endanger yet another protégé, but he felt he had no choice.
"Will you keep him safe?"
"As long as all goes well, yes."
"…Stay here." He reentered the study where Dick was still hunched and non-responsive. "Dick?" he asked. He sat down next to him and didn't receive a response. "Grayson, you *listen* to me!" he snapped. Dick sat up slowly and looked at him, stunned he was worried about lecturing than Timothy Drake. "This is our *chance* to make things RIGHT, Dick. You have to do this."
"Ev--Everything I feel for her… I can't feel… It's a bunch of clouded, faded memories locked away… I can't possibly make a kiss with her really mean something…"
"You have to try… For the sake of us all. We don't know how bad this can get, and you have seventeen minutes and counting down… If you don't succeed… I won't be mad. But at least *try*."
Dick looked at him with pained eyes. Bruce was expecting him to instantly rekindle something that he had *tried* to light again. But then Tim was shot and she disappeared. He sighed and rubbed his eyes, leaning back…

******

Batgirl ducked and the Jokeress sailed overhead, having to spring off the wall with her legs. She slammed into Batgirl that time and they crashed to the stone floor of Arkham. Batgirl slammed an elbow into the Jokeress's side to get her off and somersaulted onto her feet. The Jokeress tried to shoot her again, but she winged out a batarang, knocking the gun away.
"Guns aren't good for you," she said lowly.
"Oh, and that was definitely not good for YOU, Bat-bitch," the Jokeress snarled.
She pressed her flower and acid spurted towards Batgirl. She dodged it--for the most part. A bit landed on her gun scrape and burned deeper. Batgirl tried not to cry out as she clawed the wound with her gold gloves to get the acid out. A chair from a cell slammed into her back and she fell to her knees.
"Oh, MY!" the Jokeress laughed. "Endless hours of entertainment balled up into one lump sum of flesh! Well, bleeding flesh, but none of US care! WEEE!!!"
She latched onto Batgirl by the hair and yanked her forward.

Flames cut through the end of their corridor as they continued to catfight. Batman, Robin and Nightwing busted through as a huge fountain of fire continued to follow them. Batman threw a line up into the dark ceiling and swung up just as the flames went under him. Robin leapt into a bust cell and Nightwing did a flip, and then latched onto a second floor of cells. He crawled up the poles quickly. The Joker came out and grinned, shutting off the flamethrower.
"Come out, come out wherever you are, Batkids! Uncle Joker's got a few flamin' GIFTS for ya! HAHA!" As he walked past the cell Robin jumped to, he saw a little movement within. He turned and pulled the revolver, firing. Blood trailed across the floor and he laughed. "Oh, WEE!!! Bat food!"
Batman and Nightwing's eyes were widened with fear as the Joker skipped off. They made their way down to the dark cell and turned on the light. Nightwing had to look away. Batman walked over to where Robin sat with a wound in his right lung. The bullet had managed to somehow rip through a weak part in his Kevlar and pierce him entirely through.
"Robin…? Tim?" he asked.
"Can hardly… hardly… breathe…" he choked out.
Batman checked gently to see there was an exit wound to which all the blood was falling. He pressed into both sides of the deadly tunnel running through the boy's chest, and then he looked to Nightwing. Nightwing could feel him looking at him as he faced away. And he knew what he wanted, but he turned to him anyway, awaiting the actual command.
"You go… And you get him. No matter *what* it takes. You get him, and you bring him to ME," he said lowly.
"With pleasure," Nightwing growled.

Batgirl clawed down on the Jokeress's face. The Jokeress backed off, but kept a tight grip on Batgirl's navy blue cape that went to her knees. She swung Batgirl around and crashed her into a wall. Batgirl swung around and backed handed her with all her might. Every move Batgirl made, it felt like her bones were shifting within her painfully. But she sucked in the pain and continued to battle. After all, that WAS what she was trained for, right?
The Jokeress took the powerful backhand quite well by cartwheeling instead of falling. Batgirl let out a low growl and leapt into the air towards her. A cleated foot slammed into the Jokeress's face and knocked her back. Batgirl then moaned and held her arm. The Jokeress got to her feet and pulled a dagger.
"Lets raise the stakes, Batslut."

********************

Klarion watched their battle rage on. He looked at a nearby clock to see there was seven minutes and counting. He was happy, yet nervous. If it hit twelve before Zatanna got back, everything would go as he wanted. But, she would never even want to look at him. If he stopped it, she would be happy but he would be unhappy.
"Ooooh, what do I do, Teekl?" he asked the cat. "Do I worry about her happiness or mine?" Teekl let out a mew in response and he sighed. "All right, all right. I'll wait."

********************

Nightwing ran after the Joker on the roof of Arkham. He wasn't about to let him get away for what he did, and had done before that so many times. Now, he had full permission from Batman to let loose on him--as long as there was enough for Batman to have a piece too.
The Joker leapt up onto the edge wall and turned to him, holding the flamethrower at hand.
"So… I see the little Bludhaven first stringer wants to play. I'm so GLAD… Batman's finally sending someone of class!"
"He was just a BOY, Joker!"
"Oh, blah-blah. That's all I'm hearing from you right now--BLAH-BLAH! Lalalalalalala! I can't HEAR you!"
He plugged his ears and looked away. Nightwing growled and flew out a rope around his feet. The Joker stopped and looked down, then to Nightwing.
"Heh," Nightwing smirked. He pulled just hard enough to send the Joker off the roof, but he held the rope tightly. He walked to the edge and looked at him. "So, should I let go?"
"You *wouldn't*…"
"I don't see anyone here. No Batman, no Commissioner Gordon."
"But you still don't have it in your heart to do it! Ha-ha!"
Nightwing pulled him up and held him up by the neck.
"You're right. But I know someone who has it in his heart to do it…"

Zatanna and Dick, who was in a trench coat and hat, appeared just outside of Arkham Asylum.
"Whoa…" Dick said, noting all the differences.
"Get your mask on, and lets go! Four minutes and counting and who knows where they are!"
Dick pulled off his jacket to his vigilante garb and slid on his mask.
"All right. Lead the way, since you know where they were last!"

Going off the level the level they were on, the Jokeress and Batgirl slammed into a floor lower than the main level. They stood as quickly as possible, so they could continue their offensive-defensive strikes against each other.
Batgirl ducked under one of the Jokeress's swings with the dagger. She gripped the Jokeress's arm and then her hair, despite the bad arm. The Jokeress kicked Batgirl in the solar plexus and swung her around into the wall.
"You know, I must say… You have a lot more FIGHT in you than the Batgirl in my dimension. A lot more frontal too… I like that!" She let go of Batgirl and backed away quickly. "So much spunk! You've got a few people waiting at home, doncha? Well, that's okay… 'cause they're gonna have to wait longer!!!"
She raised a small pellet, and threw it at Batgirl. Batgirl ducked and it slammed into the wall behind her, causing a huge explosion. She tried to run from the rubble that came for her, but it got her from the waist down, pinning her to the ground, on her back.
"Oh… no…" she whispered.
She pulled to try to free herself, but to no avail. The Jokeress tapped her face with her foot to get her attention. She looked up to see the Jokeress holding a metal bar.
"This is a chance too good to pass up," the Jokeress grinned.
She raised the bar, and then swung down.

Zatanna and Dick sprinted down the halls as fast as they could. They passed one cell, and heard:
"Nightwing!" Dick turned and looked in to see Batman holding Robin's wounds. "Oracle called the police… Did you get the Joker?!"
"I'm not your Nightwing! I'm Batgirl's Nightwing!" He headed down the hall quickly, calling over his shoulder, "Follow me! Come with Robin!"
He ran now about thirty paces behind Zatanna as she searched for Batgirl and the Jokeress. Batman trusted him just enough to do as he said, carrying Robin the best he could. Nightwing ran in, dragging the Joker with.
"What's going on?!" he asked.
"Follow that Nightwing there!"
He gestured to Dick. Nightwing was stunned a moment, then obeyed.
"Oh my God…" Zatanna whispered, staring down to where the Jokeress and Batgirl had their final battle.
"What is it?" Dick asked. He came over and gasped. "No…"
All around was a circle of bombs placed there by the Jokeress. In the center was the bloody body of Batgirl. Dick swooped down and saw sixty seconds on the bombs.
"One minute until twelve!" Zatanna cried.
Dick gently lifted Batgirl up the best he could and touched her cheek. She was still alive, and barely conscious.
"Babs?" he whispered. Her eyes slowly tried to focus on him. "It's me…"
"…How…?" she squeaked out.
"We have to kiss and make it mean something before twelve…"
"I-I'm going to die…"
"No… no you won't, Babs… You have too many people who love you…" He bent down and pressed his cheek against hers. "*I* love you," he whispered.
"You do?" she asked.
"I-I always have. I just never realized it until now… I *love* you," he said louder. "Love conquers all else…"
He brought her lips to his. She closed her eyes as red tears streamed down. One second later, the bombs went off……

**********************************************

**FLASH**
Barbara Gordon jerked away from Dick Grayson's embrace. Tim Drake stood, laughing hysterically as he held the snapshots he had taken of them.
"OH MAN! Wait 'til Bruce sees these!"
Barbara was frozen for a second as Dick got angry at Tim. Then she realized the "spell" had reversed itself. She wouldn't have believed it, except blood was beginning to seep through a tiny slice of her sweater sleeve where she had been shot and burned as Batgirl by the Jokeress.
"Tim?!" Barbara cried.
She ran for him, but this time to hug him. He yelped, not knowing that and ran for the door. Dick followed Barbara quickly.
Tim shoved out the door and slid down the walls of the narrow staircase. He flipped to the bottom and booked for the elevator.
"TIM!! WAIT!!!" Barbara screamed. "You're going to be killed!!!"
She pumped her legs harder than ever before, this time fully intending on catching up. Tim went for the opening elevator in a mad dash, but then skidded to a stop, eyes wide. There stood the Joker with a gun.
"Bruce Wayne's little brat. Cute," the Joker smirked.
He fired, but Tim was tackled to the ground by Barbara. The bullet hit the wall just beside Dick as he rounded the corner. Barbara stayed on top of Tim as a shield until the doors shut on the cursing Joker. Dick ran over and helped her up.
"You're hurt, Babs! The bullet didn't just get the wall, did it?" he asked, holding her arm.
She smiled weakly and nodded.
"It got me too, but I'm okay… Now, at least."
"You knew he was there, didn't you?" Tim asked. "How?"
"Call it a friendly intuition that scouts the future injuries of my friends. Come here, boy!" she laughed.
She pulled him to her and hugged him.
"Gee, thanks Babs. Ick! Girls have cooties!" Tim exclaimed, joking. "Especially when they have gunshot wounds."
"I guess this calls for the Bats and Birds to go into play," she smiled. "Lets get moving!"

Barbara, still clutching the wound that was bleeding slower now, entered her apartment as her phone rang. She locked everything up and ran to it.
"Hello?" she asked.
"Barbara, it's Bruce."
"I thought you'd be out looking for the Joker already! What's up?" she asked as she entered her kitchen to start bandaging her arm.
"Several things. First of all… What you did for Timothy… Thank you."
"I'd die for any of you, you know that…"
"As we would for you."
Barbara smiled but said nothing. She knew Bruce was still there, and could hear her bandaging her arm. He waited until he heard her finish and head out for her room to continue.
"Dick mentioned something to me that you told him two days ago that you want to… retire…?"
"Yeah, I did. It's something I've been… talking about…"
She stopped as she turned on the light to her room. Lying on her bed was her black Batgirl suit with the blue tinge and gold gloves, symbol, belt and boots. The cape, which was gold on the under side and blue on the other and went just below her waist laid beside it. Next to that was the suit Oracle had made for her, damaged and bloody, but still recognizable. Very dark gray with the gold boots, belt, gloves and symbol. The navy blue cape and cowl with the black hues, which ranged to her knees, lay beside that.
"You listen to me. Don't you retire. Don't you DARE retire, Barbara. It's not worth it. Besides, you have no reason to. From what I understand… Your world is perfect…" Oracle's voice echoed in her head.
She had put on an argument over that with her, and that other Robin as well. Dick had been shot and fired by Bruce. Jason Todd had been murdered. Oracle was paralyzed. Batman once had his back broken, even. Contagions, cults, slaughters, loss of friends and family. All far worse than anything in Barbara's life.
She let out a ragged sigh into the phone that Bruce heard.
"Is something wrong, Barbara?"
"No." A slow smile grew across her face. "Nothing's wrong at all. I'm just thinking about how lucky I am to be living here as I am and no where else. And how lucky I am to have you all… Also how stupid I am for even considering retirement. Life's too good to let something like THIS go! I have to change; I'll meet you at the GCPD in ten. Bye!"

The End.
~~I've wanted to write this for a long time (and I've tried… Like five time before this, LITERALLY), and FINALLY, because of "Birds of a Feather" and A.j.'s kindness, I've actually gotten it done! This is to you, A.j.!~~