Chapter Three-

The Timely Threat

Two weeks later, Caitlyn had fallen back into her routine in life. Living as a high schooler during the day, and at night after her studies she would be Batgirl once more. Things had not been going so smoothly since she came back, however, between herself and Titania. Titania sensed the change in their relationship which was not a change for the better in her opinion. Yet Caitlyn did not find it in herself currently to tell Titania that she'd made her decision on whom she'd rather be seeing romantically.

Currently, she was at Wayne Manor with Terry and Bruce discussing matters that would impact the rest of her week.

"I've already informed Dick about this trip McGinnis and I will be taking. That means it will be up to you and your friends to handle things the week that we are away." Bruce was telling Caitlyn.

"Think you can handle it?" Terry looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"I told you before you worry too much, Terr." Sighed Caitlyn. "If Mr. Wayne is taking you to meet one of his old masters from back in the retro days, I say you should go and leave it to me and my pacce."

Bruce grinned.

"Just to warn you, a lot of the more dramatic things that happen to Gotham usually occur when Batman's away." He said, half sarcastically. She gave him an 'oh really?' look in return. "Usually," He added. "But if you think you're ready for this, then it's time we head out."

"I'll go with you to the station, to see you off." She smiled. "This will give me a good chance to talk seriously with Titania, too, while you're gone." She looked at Terry, and he knew what topic she was hinting at.

So with all that said and done, Caitlyn went with the two to the hoverport where Wayne's private transport waited.

"I'll see you in two weeks," She said to Terry, giving him a goodbye kiss. "Don't worry bout a thing."

"Right. Good luck." He said, following Bruce onto the transport. It was the very transport that they'd taken to France several months ago.

Caitlyn watched it lift off several moments later with a hint of fondness for the vessel which she rarely felt about any vehicle. After it faded into the skies above, she turned to leave the port.

"So that is your final word?" Snarled Titania, her violet eyes narrowing dangerously. "You choose him? Even after all the trouble that's been brought into your life?"

"It would be no different than with you, Titania. That is not why I've made my choice, though." Caitlyn said as Dick watched from the kitchen in silence. She knew Titania might not take this well, and that had been an understatement when she finally worked up enough nerve on this day to talk to her about it. But she also knew that if she didn't take care of this first thing, she might not get another chance anytime soon. Gotham rarely stayed this calm and trouble free for very long. "I know on your world things are different than here. But I'm just not that kind of a person, and I want to make sure that you understand. I still want to be friends with you, just not... like that."

Titania glared unhappily at this turn of events. After all that happened, Caitlyn still chose to go with the young man who called himself Batman as his alter ego. She let out a frustrated growl, putting her right hand into a fist, and punching through the nearby wall like it was cardboard.

"Titania..." Caitlyn eyed the fresh hole warily, though she didn't step back. If Titania was going to want to fight it out, she wouldn't hesitate. She wouldn't enjoy it either, but she wouldn't back down.

"That damage is coming out of your allowance, Cate." Dick stated.

Caitlyn ignored him for the time being as Titania turned her back to her.

"Titania... I'm sure someone will come along who will be more compatible with you." She tried to reassure her friend.

"It wouldn't be the same." Replied Titania, turning away from Caitlyn.

"Where are you going?" Blinked Caitlyn in alarm.

"Away. I need to be on my own for a while. I may come back to check on things at some point though. Or if you really need my help." Said Titania without even looking at her as she strode out the door.

Caitlyn stood where she was, not stopping Titania. She understood the need to get away, there were times when she wanted nothing more than to do just that in her life.

After Titania left, she sat down on the couch in the living room feeling like she'd just weathered a storm. Just when she was about ready to turn on the television, an alarm sounded from the command center downstairs.

"Guess there's no need to figure out what's going on in the news today?" She glanced over at her grandfather who was already moving to the entryway to the basement.

Caitlyn was already in her Batgirl suit except for the mask as Dick was working to figure out what triggered the alarms to go off.

"A break in at the museum." Dick said.

"Kina's still in prison... the Deeds broke out last week but unless they're working for someone, this isn't their M.O. ..." Caitlyn stepped up to the computer system.

"No other way to find out than to go there yourself. Only this time you don't have backup. So be careful. This could be anyone with the Hope Diamond on display." Dick warned.

A look of dawning comprehension on her face.

"I think I know who it is now..." She put the cowl mask over her head before turning.

Dick could not shake the hint of a feeling that something was about to go seriously wrong as Batgirl now left the Command Center. So after a long pause in the silent room, he reached over to press a button to call his wife.

Barbara Gordon was no stranger to taking on two days in a row without any rest. She was just taking another swig of strong coffee when her phone rang. She saw on the Caller I.D. that it was her husband and answered.

"Hey hon, what's going on?" She asked as she set the mug down, then flipped through some paperwork with her free hand.

"There's been a break in at the museum. I've sent her there, but she will have no backup." Dick said.

Barbara glanced up, as though making sure there was no one else with her in the office before answering.

"What do you mean? Isn't Titania hanging around even with Bruce and McGinnis being gone? That should be more than enough." She said, startled.

"No. Titania left a little while ago. Cate told her finally, and she didn't take it well." Replied Dick.

"Oh?" Barbara sounded almost amused.

"Let's just say there's a fresh hole in the wall that wasn't caused by random gang violence today." He answered.

"All right. So what's your proposal?" She rubbed the temples on her forehead. With the Hope Diamond on display at the Gotham Museum, there was a short list of people who could be after something that valuable, and an even shorter list of those who knew the true depths of its rather... mystic qualities.

Within the Gotham Museum smoke billowed around the displays of priceless artifacts, guards and police officers lay unconscious on the floor. The man who broke in had been planning this for months, ever since his first attempt failed. The lights in the museum went out, and people screamed. Those who'd been to see the exhibit of the Hope Diamond were all gathered in a separate room from this now thanks to his thugs for hire. This group included a bunch of high school students here on a rare day off.

Max and Melody were among them, up front.

"You guys won't get away with this!" Shouted Max to the clowns that held guns at them. The clown in a solid pink tutu laughed.

"Oh, I think we will, missy." He pointed a gun right at her head.

"Max, stay back-!" Melody pulled Max back by the arm.

"Well, if it isn't my dear older sister." Leia had been at the other end of the group, in her guise as Princess Hart.

"Leia-" Melody looked aghast at how her sister appeared now. "What do you think you're doing, hanging out with these mindless criminals? You're going to get yourself hurt one of these days, or worse-!"

"Be quiet!" Leia slapped Melody across the face, then knelt down in front of her sister to be at eye level. "For your information, I've been doing great since I left your little gang of cheerleaders. I have so much more freedom than any of you brats here do. And I get paid handsomely on a job well done. And here, no one's gonna pay for these so called crimes, sissy. This man has everything all figured out."

Back in the room with the displays, the man who planned this whole endeavor looked around. His face was hidden by a hooded black cloak which made him almost fade into the darkness that surrounded him. Though the hood of the cloak did not hide his long black bangs or his mouth.

"So boss, have you found what you're looking for yet?" Asked Sharon as she and Sheryl stood nearby, energy whips at the ready with an eerie glow in the smoke from the explosion earlier.

"Not yet, but you two ladies can take whatever you like." He said offhandedly.

The two sisters looked at each other with identical evil grins. Just as they walked up to two display cases with particularly shiny necklaces and gemstones, four batarangs shot in sequential order, cutting across their hands. They yelled out in sudden pain, dropping their whips with their good hands to hold on to the now bleeding ones.

They saw the batarangs slap into the base of a display case to their left and looked in the direction the weapons came from. All they could see through the smoke and darkness of the room was the pointed ears and head of one of the Bats.

"So, which one do we have the pleasure of fighting today?" Sharon asked, taking a single step backward.

Silence. The figure vanished from sight before a fist came into contact with Sharon's face. Batgirl reappeared as Sharon fell backwards with a yell.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that." Batgirl snapped, then spun on the spot, so with her elbow she knocked Sheryl- who'd been turning to grab her whip- down to the ground. Then Batgirl looked up to the man that had broken them out of prison and hired them. She'd been right. "So, TimeKeeper... Long time no see." She said casually.

"Batgirl. I wondered if you would be the one to turn up." TimeKeeper kept his voice neutral, though he was certainly pleased. "What happened with your friend, that blond one with the purple energy power?"

"She's not around. But that won't stop me from kicking your ass just like before." Batgirl took a step forward as she spoke.

"You want to be careful, things aren't like they were the first time we met child." TimeKeeper said in a deep voice.

Batgirl didn't respond to this warning, though it did intrigue her.

"Yeah, same could be said about me." She reached behind her back and withdrew one of her javelins, which immediately extended to its full length.

TimeKeeper raised a dark brow from beneath the hood of his cloak. Before he reached for something underneath it with his right hand.

Batgirl heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed, then saw the blade come flying out of the cloak.

"A sword? Not a bad upgrade, TimeKeeper." She commented, almost amused. "If you're wanting to steal anything, you'll have to go through me with that thing, ya know?"

At this challenge, TimeKeeper sprang forward with a battle cry that filled the smokey room and echoed against the walls. The hood of his cloak managed to stay on his head as he attacked with surprising vigor while Batgirl blocked with the javelin, grateful for the fact that it wasn't an ordinary javelin as the blade came dangerously close to her face.

As TimeKeeper pulled the sword back for a strike at her heart, Batgirl apparently vanished from sight. Javelin and all, until he was knocked to the ground by a round-house kick to the side. While he fell, he swung his sword around in the direction the kick came from. A small yell, and she reappeared with a freshly bleeding cut on her side.

"Looks like I've drawn first blood in this fight, kid." TimeKeeper landed cat-like as Batgirl repositioned herself to a better defense stance.

The two Deeds slowly recovered, rising in time to see TimeKeeper and Batgirl facing off in the middle of the smoke filled, dark exhibit room. Sharon grinned as Batgirl slipped in an out of the displays, using them as shields while TimeKeeper relentlessly attacked with his sword.

Batgirl had to think of something, quick, as she blocked the sword with her javelin. She heard the sound of metal scratching metal while she held her ground, trying to come up with a plan to disarm him. Her leg flung out from beneath her again, but this time instead of aiming at his side, she aimed at his knees. It was a move that caught him off guard enough that he landed hard on his back with a thud on the floor.

"It's over, TimeKeeper." She declared, pointing the end of the javelin at his neck.

TimeKeeper saw out of the corner of his eyes a bright sparkle. The glow of the Hope Diamond in the dark. A grin cut across his face, alarming Batgirl at once. He turned the sword backwards, so the butt of the handle faced her. Grabbing her javelin, he pulled her forward while slipping to his left and as she fell, he rammed the butt of the handle of his sword into the back of her head effectively rendering her unconscious.

"For you, maybe." He said, fighting hard to withhold the triumph from his voice.

"Boss...!" The Twins said, blinking in awe.

"You two will be witness to a grand moment," He told them, taking his steps towards the case of the Hope Diamond. As he redirected his blade to cut into the case, his hands were sliced by what appeared to be Batarangs at first. He let out a yell of shock and anger as he looked towards the source of this new annoyance. He barely had time to see it was Nightwing before a fist connected with his face, knocking him backwards against an Egyptian style pillar.

"Woah..." Sheryl stared. "It's Nightwing..."

"Isn't he supposed to be the original? Like... The original Robin, sis?" Stared Sharon.

"That's what I remember." Nodded Sheryl.

Nightwing glanced at the unconscious and bleeding Batgirl, before staring back at TimeKeeper.

"You've gotten a little gray over the years, Nighty." TimeKeeper smirked, regaining his composure. "The kid didn't mention she had backup."

"She didn't know." Nightwing answered. He wouldn't have this man obsessed with Time travel messing with his family, he was determined of that as he ducked several slices of TimeKeeper's sword before going in to punch at the man's gut and chest.

TimeKeeper slid backwards, his feet screeching on the floor.

Batgirl regained consciousness rather quick. She looked up, fighting off the fuzziness in her eyes and in her head to see none other than her grandfather fighting TimeKeeper.

"Nightwing? When did you...?" She said in shock. She did not expect her grandfather to turn up now of all times. Though even in her state of momentary shock, she had enough awareness in her not to reveal Nightwing was her grandfather.

"Never mind that, just stay back." Warned Nightwing.

Batgirl frowned. He didn't think she could accomplish this on her own after all.

A shattering of glass as TimeKeeper rammed his sword through the display and protection surrounding the glowing, perfect Hope Diamond during the moment Nightwing had paused. TimeKeeper sheathed his sword, then pulled out an unpleasantly familiar compass from his pocket as Batgirl was now on her feet.

"No!" She shouted.

Barbara Gordon was leading a small force of officers through the museum when she heard Batgirl's scream, which sent a chill down her spine.

"Commissioner?" Her Lieutenant asked.

"You, secure the rest of the building," She ordered the group. "I'll go around and see if I can't spot these thugs from behind then call for backup."

"Yes, Ma'am!" The officers all obeyed their boss's orders as she took off on her own.

She came across the exhibit, with the door cracked open just enough for her to slip through. She could see Nightwing and Batgirl facing a cloaked thief holding something small in his hands. Nearby, the Deed twins were watching as though entranced by what they were seeing. Since she knew she wasn't noticed by anyone, she slipped into the smoke to conceal herself farther and get close to the scene as she could without causing harm to Nightwing or Batgirl as Batgirl jumped forward, her own fist flying with a kick to follow to attempt to knock the compass out of TimeKeepers' hand and push him away from the now shattered display case.

"Batgirl!" Shouted Nightwing in warning and alarm at her sudden boldness.

TimeKeeper didn't have a chance to unsheathe his sword again, but he aimed a punch at the still bleeding injury to her side that he'd caused earlier. Then with a kick, she let out a yell, fell backwards, and held onto her wound with her free hand. He took this moment to move quick, and grab the Hope Diamond from its case.

"NO!" Both Nightwing and Batgirl shouted this time.

Barbara didn't hesitate. She came out from her hiding spot and started firing her laser gun at Time Keeper.

Nana! Thought Batgirl as TimeKeeper was suddenly forced to dodge wildly at the woman's surprisingly accurate aims with the gun. One laser blast grazed his left arm, which held the compass. Another went straight into the lower arm, which caused blood to spurt across the floor.

"Looks like the old broad commissioner is the one to draw second blood..." He panted as he looked at her with fierce eyes. "But you're too late. All of you."

Batgirl saw it as though it were a slow motion holographic cube movie. Her mouth opened this time, without making a sound. She ran forward fast as she could, shooting a bolo cord from her wrist just as the Hope Diamond was set into the compass. The cord wrapped around his wrist just before he made the adjustments, and she refused to cut the cord's connection. Instead, she gripped it with her hand when a bright, red light emanated from the diamond itself. She didn't hear her grandfather shouting at her, or her grandmother yelling at her to let go or she'd be sucked in with him.

It was already too late.

Nightwing and Barbara were the only ones left in the room when the red light vanished as quickly as it appeared. Apparently TimeKeeper took the twins with him as well as Batgirl. A still silence filled the room as the two stared at the spot their granddaughter had been moments before.

Through the time stream, Batgirl barely noticed the twins with them as she and TimeKeeper struggled.

"Let go, kid! You have no idea what you're doing!" He shouted as she grabbed for the compass.

"Same could be said to you, bastard!" She yelled back, her hand finally grasping the Hope Diamond.

With that, she felt as though she were suddenly falling. She could hear the twin's screams as well, but it was all drowned out by TimeKeepers furious yells when another flash of light engulfed him.

She could see a dark building she'd fallen into, before landing in a pile of rubble just as an explosion rocked the ground like an earthquake. She had no idea where she was, or when she was anymore for that matter. All she knew was that if it weren't for her suit, she would be dead the moment the building collapsed on her.

It took several moments to recover herself, before she started reaching out to dig herself from the debris and fire even as she could feel her consciousness slipping away from the shock of what just happened. She could hear voices, but she didn't understand what they were saying. The last thing she recalled was a hand gripping her own when it broke the surface of the still violently burning pile, pulling her out. The last thing she saw was the silhouette of someone who looked oddly familiar, and behind them a man wearing a dark cloak. She thought it was odd, before she fell into blackness.

Thirty years into the past

When Batman's sensors had picked up that someone was in the building moments before the Legion of Doom's detonators went off, Nightwing moved in to rescue whoever it was stuck inside. Landing swiftly behind Nightwing as he pulled out the strange young woman from a burning pile, Batman saw something shining in her still gripped hand.

"What's that?" Robin spotted it too just as the girl passed out.

Batman moved before the boy could, taking the diamond from her hand.

"It's the Hope Diamond." Batman said, in almost disbelief.

"Then this girl must be from the future." Nightwing looked down at her. He remembered an incident in his youth when he had no choice but to do some time traveling, and met someone who was a Batgirl of that era. He'd suspected then that she was a descendant of his.

"A time traveler?" Robin looked at the diamond in Batman's hand. "But how would she get her hands on a diamond if she's on our side?"

"That we'll have to ask her when she comes around." Stated Batman, putting the diamond in a compartment on his belt.

"Till then, let's get her to the cave. It looks like she's been through a lot." Nightwing suggested, kneeling next to her.

"What about the Justice League and the rest of the Legion of Doom?" Robin looked around just as Hawkgirl managed to knock out Solomon Grond with her weapon and a battle cry.

"They've got it under control now." Batman raised an eyebrow beneath his mask.

Sometime later at the Batcave, Batgirl was woken by a painful stabbing feeling in her side. She let out an unexpected yell before trying to sit up.

"Easy, I've just barely managed to stitch you up miss."

An unfamiliar voice surprised her enough to stop moving, and she looked up. She stared at the old man.

"And who the heck are you, and what are you doing here?" She asked. She'd completely forgotten that she just recently went time traveling into the past.

"I believe I'm Batman, and I've just helped you with your wounds." Replied Alfred half sarcastically.

"Yeah right. You're not Batman, I know Batman. And you aren't him, fella. You're too old." She point at him as he clipped the last thread from the stitches on her side wounds.

"Such a charming young lady you are..." Alfred wasn't phased by her attitude. "And again no one believes me." He muttered to himself at the 'he was Batman' joke.

"Calm down," Nightwing walked over when he heard the girl waking up.

Batgirl turned to look at her grandfather, but received a shock.

"Erm... Grandfather... When did you get thousands of creds worth of plastic surgery? I thought you were against that sort of thing?" She asked.

"Grandfather?" Robin couldn't resist as he burst out laughing at the thought of Nightwing as a grandfather.

"And who's the kid with the cloak?" She demanded as Alfred was cleaning his tools.

Nightwing sighed.

"Do you remember anything that happened? About how you wound up in that building? Where you're from?" He asked, trying to get her to think logically about where and when she was.

Batgirl looked at Nightwing for a moment, looking around the Batcave. The cave itself looked different. It somehow looked... younger. If that were even possible for a cave. Just like her grandfather, who suddenly had short hair. The old man who had met her shock with sarcasm had white hair and spoke with a British accent. She then looked over at the control center where she saw Batman working away at the computers, a diamond gleaming in a case that was being scanned.

"Wait... the diamond..." She moved into a proper sitting position at the edge of the medical bed she'd been on. "And Batman with a cloak... Then that means..." She looked back around.

"You've been time traveling." Batman replied calmly. He'd dealt with time travel before, and knew how shocking it could be for those who weren't adept to such things in their life. "And the readouts on this diamond confirm that. There are remnants of the Time Space continuum all over it."

"Then you must be that Robin I met before!" She pointed at Nightwing. "Right?"

"As far as I can recall." Nodded Nightwing. "Time Keeper is still at it, huh?" He asked.

"Well, he was quiet for a while, but he struck again. Last thing I remember was going through what looked like some kind of worm hole, fighting with him trying to get the diamond back. It's all kind of fuzzy to me." She admitted, putting a hand to her head, feeling slightly woozy when she thought about it too much.

"You should take it easy for a few days, let yourself heal up. I've stitched up your wounds, but they still need time to heal properly." Alfred stated, walking past.

"Thank you, and... sorry bout my attitude a bit ago." She said, realizing she'd been rude to the man who was kind enough to help her out.

"That's quite all right, young lady." He hadn't expected any sort of apology, and wasn't about to demand one. But he still was willing to accept it when it happened, nonetheless. After all, he kept in mind that she'd just been through a tremendous shock.

"Has there been any signs of Time Keeper at all, in this current Gotham?" She asked, standing up carefully and walking over to the computers.

"No, ever since you got here things have been pretty quiet and stable." Replied Batman.

"Huh..." Batgirl wondered why Time Keeper would suddenly go quiet, when she hoped and partially assumed he'd been sucked into this time period as well. But without the diamond in his compass, he couldn't do much in the way of time travel.

"Within the last couple of days, however," Batman went on, typing at the computers again and several security camera style photos appeared on the screen which featured images of Sharon and Sheryl, as well as-

"Leia?" Blinked Batgirl, walking up to the computer in disbelief. "So he brought her here too... as well as the Deeds? Greeeeaaat."

"So you know some of these new troublemakers?" Said Batman, a little miffed that she didn't let him finish what he was going to say.

"Unfortunately." She huffed. "I'm going to try not to give any time-paradox-creating-spoilers here or anything, but needless to say we are long time enemies. Those two used to be low level gang thugs, then middle-middle-middle, they worked their way up. Afterwards, Leia- who used to be my best friend- joined them. She now goes by Princess Hart."

"I see. Well, within the last few days security cameras at the banks and museums have captured their images as they were breaking in." Batman explained.

"Last few days? Wait... how long was I out?" Now Batgirl was confused.

"Just a few hours, miss." Said Alfred.

"But it's possible that Time Keeper and his passe arrived here before you where the time stream is concerned." Nightwing commented.

Batgirl's brain felt like it was close to overload.

"Urgh... Time travel..." She grumbled. "This is my first time and I already hate it." She winced when she moved the wrong way, trying to slump.

"Alfred, get a room ready for her." Batman requested.

"What? Hey, what about those guys? Aren't we going to go after them?" She demanded almost as soon as Alfred had turned his back to them.

"Apart from some minor break-ins at the museums and banks, there hasn't been a lot of activity in Gotham that's worth us investigating. So for now, I think it's wise for you to rest up and recover from your injuries." Batman told her in a firm voice.

Batgirl looked over at Nightwing, who made it clear he wasn't going to argue with Batman.

"So what you're saying is, for now I'm stuck here in this time stream without any way of fixing it or going back?" She asked, making it clear she wasn't exactly thrilled about the whole idea.

"For now." Confirmed Batman.

"Fine..." She huffed. She thought the Batman of the past wouldn't be quite so bossy as the one she'd grown up knowing. But she was just proven wrong.

Walking down the hallway of Wayne manor, Batgirl looked around the familiar walls and doors. She never thought she'd be staying here for more than a few hours, let alone staying here back when the manor was in its prime.

"Your room is right through here, miss." Alfred said abruptly, catching her off guard. "You'll find some proper clothes in the closet, if you'll leave your suit out I can repair it for you. Your bath is to the right, with a game room to the left."

"Retro..." Batgirl stepped into her room, looking at the old fashioned flat-screen television on the wall.

Alfred raised an eyebrow at the comment.

"If there's anything else you might need, don't hesitate to ask." He chose to ignore the future-talk.

As though in answer to the statement, Batgirl's stomach gave a loud unexpected grumble. She then remembered she hadn't eaten anything since lunch time.

"Erm..." She felt embarrassed at herself.

"Perhaps some food would be needed at this time, hm?" He commented before turning to leave.

"Heh..."

Once the door closed behind him, Batgirl removed her hooded cowl, looking around the room in wonder. So for the time being she was stuck here in the past. She looked around more closely in the room, finding a desk with a computer laptop on it. So she went over to it, thinking it would be great to have some music playing. After learning how to use the older styled computer, she found some of her favorite 'retro but good' songs, found the stereo plug ins for the speakers, and started playing the music while she then went through the closet to find clothes that she liked. The music was a good distraction, she found, as she tried to fit in.

She folded her suit up, placing it on the chair next to the door, then walked over to the window. There was another shock waiting for her when she was staring out at the familiar yet different scenery- no hovercrafts on the horizon, the towers in the distance were different too. Now dressed in the 'modern' clothing, she played around with the idea of wandering the manor to explore it more than she ever had before.

There was a knocking at the door just as the thought played around in her head a little bit. She opened it, thinking it was Alfred already, but it wasn't.

"So what can you give to me that will make you a useful part of the Legion of Doom?" Asked Lex Luthor, staring at the cloaked and hooded figure who had two young women on either side of him, both with identical Raggedy Anne style wigs and white caps. Behind him was a girl their same age with very blond braided, shoulder-length pigtails.

The hooded and cloaked man looked up.

"The power to control time... to rewrite history so the Justice League and all your greatest enemies would never even have come to exist." He replied in his dark, ominous voice.

It was impossible to tell if Lex Luthor was impressed or not at this point.

"And how do you have that kind of power?" He acted as though he was already bored.

The man chuckled as he reached into his pocket. He pulled out the compass.

"This. It is a technology that came from the future. My era. Without a key component however, myself and my companions are trapped. But if you allow us into your Legion of Doom, not only will we help you overtake the Justice League, I will get my vengeance on another who came with us. And then you will have all the power you need to change history." TimeKeeper answered.

"Enough of this nonsense... Killer Frost?" Luthor glanced at the white haired woman who jumped forward.

Princess Hart, behind TimeKeeper raised her hands just in time as a wave of deadly ice shot at them. She blocked it with a wall of rock thanks to her powers that controlled any and all earth-related objects.

Killer Frost attempted to go around the wall of solid rock, however a wave of dangerously sharp chunks of the stone shot at her, knocking her to the ground with now several bleeding cuts and the small knife-shaped stones slicing her skin.

Luthor now seemed impressed.

"You've got yours, I've got mine." TimeKeeper snapped in response to the silence as Killer Frost dodged more attacks from Princess Hart before moving the ice around again, this time going straight for TimeKeeper- who jumped into the air just before he was frozen solid. In a flash he unsheathed his sword while still airborne. He seemed to fall right on Killer Frost, his blade inches from her throat as they hit the ground. "You won't be trying that again, will you missy?" He sneered, hovering over her.

"A sword? A little out dated-" Luthor sneered. "But for now I'll humor you."

"But boss!" Killer Frost stammered as TimeKeeper pulled away from her, yet kept his sword in his hand in case it was needed again.

"So... TimeKeeper is it? How exactly will that compass give me absolute control over time?" Luthor silenced Killer Frost with a look.

"First, I will need the Hope Diamond that the future Batgirl has with her. Then I can show you." Replied TimeKeeper, walking up to Luthor as the Deeds and Princess Hart walked up to join their master.

"Can't you just use the Diamond from this era?" Asked one of the lesser villains in the room.

"No. This compass will only work with the Diamond from the era that it was created." He explained. "The only problem is, we have no idea where the future Batgirl may have ended up in this time period. And we cannot have the two Diamonds next to each other, before anyone asks anything else stupid. Otherwise, it could destroy everything."

It was Nightwing at the other side of the door when Caitlyn answered. She blinked at the younger version of her grandfather.

"We need to talk." He stated. "Before I head back to check on Barbara and my daughter's mission status."

"Erm... yeah." Caitlyn went over to the laptop computer that was blaring her favorite retro music, turned it off, and turned to face him. "I've been wanting to talk with you again too, as a matter of fact."

"You could've talked to my older self all this time, why wait?" Asked Nightwing before stepping into the room.

"It wouldn't have been the same... It's hard to explain." She shook her head, glancing at the folded up Batgirl suit on her dresser that still had the tears and blood stains from the battle. It came as a shock to learn that her mother was still alive in this time period. And on a mission? Caitlyn never knew anything about her mother being a heroine just like Barbara and herself. Though she didn't say anything about the revelations that occurred from Nightwing uttering that one sentence.

"I think I understand." Nightwing held up a hand to silence her. "There's a chance that you might come across each other while you are still here, if she returns from her mission as planned within the next few days. Normally Batman would be explaining these kinds of things, but he felt it best if I talk to you about it."

"Yeah," Nodded Caitlyn, partially agreeing with Batman on this one.

"I know something must have happened to my daughter in the future, the way you reacted when I asked about her." Continued Nightwing.

"Look... I may not be the most intelligent of people compared to this Batman or you guys, but if I remember my reading, people who travel to the past from the future aren't supposed to give spoilers. It could cause problems. So if you're worried about me spilling the beans to your daughter about everything, don't worry." She tried to say this as calmly as possible without being rude.

"That's what I was wanting to confirm, actually. Don't even tell Robin anything if he asks, right?" Nightwing showed only a little bit at his relief that the future Batgirl already knew some of the basic rules of time travel and keeping secrets about the future to oneself.

"Oh... There was one thing. I've been wanting to thank you for your help the last time we met." She said when it was her turn to talk again.

"Don't mention it," He said with a smile, standing up. "And Batman said you had the run of the place, just don't leave the property is all." He added when another knock at the door announced Alfred's arrival with Caitlyn's dinner. None of them knew how long or how short her stay would be. "At least until it's time for the next stage in the mission to send you back."

"Here's your supper, miss." Alfred put it on the small table in the middle of the room. "Is there any beverage that you would like to go with this?" He asked, glancing at Nightwing but not saying anything to him.

"Erm... some Jade tea if you have it. With about five spoons of sugar?" Caitlyn wasn't exactly an expert at giving requests or orders to a butler.

"Of course," Alfred raised a brow at the unusual amount of sugar she requested for her tea. He picked up the suit. "I'll have your suit repaired and ready for use by tomorrow."

"Thanks... just leave the belt if you would. I'd still feel safer with it handy just in case." She sat down at the table to eat as Alfred and Nightwing prepared to leave, wondering how the old man would be able to repair a suit he'd never even seen before. She shrugged it off when the door closed behind them, turned back on her music, and returned to her meal.

"So you are actually believing everything this girl that appeared out of the exploding building told us?" Robin asked as Batman sat at the main computer hub in the Batcave, working on learning more about the compass she mentioned, and the other criminals that supposedly followed her.

"All the evidence points to it being the truth." Said Batman simply. "But I've called in a couple of extra hands to make sure."

"Extra hands?" Nightwing asked, having come back into the Batcave as Batman said this.

In answer to the question, a flash of light illuminated the batcave. Martian Manhunter and John Stewart Green Lantern walked through the boom tube before it vanished.

"So, the great Batman needs help once in a while?" Asked Green Lantern with a grin of welcome as Batman turned to face the newcomers.

Caitlyn heard the noise from the Batcave just as she finished her dinner. Her immediate thought was a possible attack. She'd never seen a boom tube or heard one before, so she had no idea what was really going on. Forgetting to grab her shoes, she grabbed her utility belt, putting it around her waist. It felt strange having the belt without the suit, but at least it was an extra precaution. She stumbled, however, on her own two bare-socked feet as she opened the door before slamming face first into the floor.

"Dammit!" She shouted in momentary pain before getting up. Now her face was more likely than not to have a bruise.

She got back on her feet as soon as the pain subsided, and hurried to the secret entrance to the Batcave, where Alfred happened to be headed to at this exact moment.

"Ah, I hope you found your supper decent miss?" He asked with a smile.

"Erm... yeah. It was very good. What was that loud noise I heard?" She asked in turn.

"That, my dear, would have been a boom tube. The Justice League uses them to travel if it's long distance." Explained Alfred, opening up the entrance.

She'd only ever heard of a boom tube before in legend from her grandparents before, so she was excited to think that she might be able to see one in action. Following Alfred down the steps into the Batcave, it was a familiar yet unfamiliar sight. In the time it took her to eat her dinner and make sure she had her belt, Martian Manhunter and the John Stewart Green Lantern had joined Batman, Nightwing and Robin by the main computers. The boom tube had already disappeared.

Green Lantern was using his ring to scan the Hope Diamond that Caitlyn had brought with her from the future, and Martian Manhunter was standing there as though waiting for someone. "The time-space particles are crazy around this Diamond. It's definitely come through the time-space warp." Green Lantern said after reviewing the stats on the computer the ring generated afterwards.

"This is the one you spoke of, Batman?" J'onn asked in his deep voice.

"Yes." Batman looked over at Caitlyn as she approached quietly.

J'onn's eyes glowed momentarily, then Caitlyn winced. She was used to aliens prying about in her mind thanks to Titania, but it was still unpleasant.

"My apologies," J'onn said quickly when he realized she didn't like her mind being read like this. "This is all just a necessary task to ensure that we are not dealing with an enemy in disguise."

"I understand, but I'm still not fond of mind-reading. No offense." Caitlyn added, rubbing her temple a little.

"None taken." Replied J'onn.

She glanced over at the much younger John Stewart. Time travel was confusing and bizarre.

"I take it you know me in the future judging by that look?" Asked Green Lantern.

"Erm..." She glanced over at Nightwing. "You could say that. I'm just not very fond of this whole time travel thing."

"You and me both." Green Lantern agreed without hesitation.

"So now that you've confirmed I'm not a liar or enemy in disguise, or any combination of the two, what's the next plan?" She turned to Batman, who'd been sitting silently through these proceedings.

"We need to find out where the compass is so you can get back to your own time period, and make sure the ones responsible aren't going to be able to repeat their actions again." Answered Batman.

"So one of those easier said than done things? Great." Sighed Caitlyn, a hand on her hip as she looked at the main computer screens which held images of her three former friends as they appeared in this time period now.

There was a few moments of silence.

"Are there still things like night clubs and such in this time period?" She asked.

"Why do you ask?" Robin stared at her.

"Because I know exactly the type of places the girls like to hang out at during their down time between capers." She replied. "If we can figure out which night club they frequent now, we might be able to track down Time Keeper."

Batman was already typing on the main computer hub, and seven night clubs appeared on the screen.

"These are seven of the best night clubs in the city." He explained. "Anything here look like what you're talking about?"

She walked up to the computer. Out of seven, there were two that caught her eyes. One of which she frequented in the future, and had been around for quite a few years.

"Those two could be possible targets for the girls." She pointed at two in the middle.

"Then we should go check them out." Batman stood up. "We should only bring a few people so as not to gain suspicion and cause them to move." He looked at the group. "We'll go at sundown. Robin and J'onn will come with me. Nightwing, you take Green Lantern-"

"Hey! What about me?" Snapped Caitlyn when she realized she was going to be left behind. "I know these girls, I know their M.O."

"If anything were to happen to you while you are stuck in this time period, it could drastically affect your future. We can't risk taking you out with us when things are still so unstable." Batman replied coldly.

"I'm not going to be left behind like I'm some useless twip." She grumbled. "Besides, if you find them, and they happen to have the compass on them, shouldn't I be there in case we can grab it and send me back?"

There was a long, stubborn silence between the two of them.

"You know, I think she makes a point." Green Lantern said when the silence dragged on.

"Thank you." She was relieved when someone took her side.

"Fine. We'll have to take some precautions to make sure you keep out of any real harm then." Batman wasn't pleased. Neither was Caitlyn. She was annoyed at all the precautions, and 'extra protection' she frequently went under. But at least this time, she could somewhat understand why what with the very fabric of the space time continuum being at stake.

So by the time nightfall came on, the group had split apart and were now at the two night clubs she indicated the Deeds, and Princess Hart could be at. Green Lantern and Nightwing were checking out a nightclub at the north end of Gotham, while Batman, J'onn, Robin and Caitlyn were at the south end of Gotham to investigate.

Caitlyn had her freshly repaired suit hidden in her bag, when they arrived at the night club.

"I'll look inside, see if they aren't around. I'll let you know if I find something." She said over the comm unit in her right ear.

"I.D." The bouncer said at the front door. She pulled out an I.D. provided by Batman for her to use. The bouncer looked at it, then her before handing it back and pointing his thumb behind him to tell her she could go in.

"We're all set up here if you run into any problems." J'onn said.

"I've just done a scan of this building," Came Green Lantern's voice. "No one matching our targets."

"That means they are here somewhere." Muttered Batman at the south end.

"We'll be there shortly for backup." Green Lantern glanced over at Nightwing and nodded.

Within the noisy building full of party goers and dancers, Caitlyn looked around.

"This place is totally retro." She commented. It was the same building she often inhabited in the future, but it looked completely different."The music too."

"Focus, Batgirl." Snapped Batman.

"Right, right oh great master." Caitlyn shook her head, her sarcasm coming through.

Robin was blinking.

"Did she just...?"

"Yup." Said J'onn simply as Robin chuckled, while Batman frowned.

Caitlyn was about to give up when she spotted someone in a corner. There was no mistaking those pigtail braids, or the way she sat there. Easy. This could be a trap. Caitlyn thought, glad she wore long sleeves to hide some batarangs in if she needed a quick escape or to stall for time.

"I've found one of them. I'm going in." She muttered into her comm unit. She approached Leia with caution.

"Well, well, well, look what the bat dragged in. Get it?" Smirked Leia at the cleverness of her own joke.

Caitlyn raised an eyebrow at the greeting.

"Come up with that one yourself did you? Clever." She replied sarcastically. It was almost like the two of them could be friends again for a moment.

"So, what brought you here missy?" Leia asked, leaning forward over her round table as music boomed and thudded around them. Caitlyn didn't answer. "Ah, I see. Here to find out where the Boss Man is, right? So you can fix everything?" Again, Caitlyn didn't answer. There was a long silence between the two former best friends. Leia finally got impatient, and stood up. She saw Caitlyn brace herself, and walked towards her slowly. "Ahh... I get what's going on." She said sweetly. "This might be a different time period, but this is still the same building we used to haunt during our free time. So many memories. Remember me getting totally wasted for the first time over in that corner and throwing up all over the place? You had to call your mom to get us home since you're not that great of a driver." She grinned, knowing that the mentioning of the memories they shared, and her friend's mother was a blow well below the belt.

"Leia, if you told me where TimeKeeper is we could fix this together. It doesn't have to be like this you know." Caitlyn said, pushing back the feeling like a cold hand was clamping around her heart as Leia circled around her like a hawk observing it's prey.

"Sorry, I'm not exactly the helping type." Sighed Leia. She could tell for a moment her words had stung her former friend as she raised her hand. "At least, not helping on your side." She let out a yell as suddenly a large rock the size of a mini van came crashing through the walls, slamming into Caitlyn, sending her flying backwards to the other end of the room while Sharon and Sheryl strode into view from the shadows.

"Nice work there, Princess." Said Sheryl in approval as Leia raised the rock from atop Caitlyn, who was now unconscious.

A blast of green light erupted from seemingly nowhere as the crowd around them screamed, running to get out of the way as Batman, J'onn and Robin crashed through the glass ceiling.

"Bad move," Said Green Lantern as the wave of green energy forced the trio back.

Nightwing landed beside the unconscious Caitlyn as she stirred, he helped her to her feet.

"That hurt... In more ways than one." She grumbled.

"Tell us where TimeKeeper is," J'onn stated. To the Deeds and Leia. "We have to find him so we can fix the time stream before any farther damage is done."

Now the club was practically empty, and sirens could be heard in the distance.

"We'd love to stay and chat some more, really we would, but we're not allowed to spill the beans." Grinned the Deeds. They reached into their pockets and pulled out small smoke bombs before releasing them.

Leia raised both hands up, raising a massive slab of cement rock before breaking it apart as the Deeds disappeared. She sent a rain of dangerous rocks down on the group as J'onn and Green Lantern took flight to chase after the Deeds who had hover bikes waiting for them nearby.

Batman ducked and dodged cleverly, before seeing through the smoke with his mask and tossing two of his tiny tracking devices at the Deeds before landing.

Batgirl, who was now in her suit- having taken advantage of everyone's distraction to change behind a convenient wall- came flying from above to tackle Leia to the ground, hard enough that she heard several bones break.

"Now, Princess Hart, you're going to tell us what we need to know." Batgirl grabbed the girl by the collar of her shirt to hold her up, as Leia started to laugh.

"I gotta hand it to you, Bats, I honestly didn't think you had this in you to round up all these legends and fight me like this." Chuckled Leia, now unable to move because some of the bones broken were in her right leg and left arm. "But I'm still not telling you squat, twip."

"You won't have to." Batman said as the smoke was finally clearing.

"Really?" Blinked both Leia and Batgirl at him. Even though he knew very little about this Batgirl, he could tell that these two had some history between each other.

"I've set tracking devices on those two. And with J'onn and Green Lantern following close behind, it shouldn't be too difficult to find TimeKeeper and put a stop to all of this." He answered.

"Then what are we gonna do with her?" Robin looked at Leia.

"We'll have to bring her with us so we can send her back to my time line, won't we?" Batgirl looked between the two.

"Robin and I can handle her now," Nightwing said, stepping forward as Batgirl used an electrically charged bolo cord to tie Leia up.

"In the meantime, we'd better go ahead so we can catch up with J'onn and Green Lantern." Batman looked at Batgirl, who nodded.

Racing recklessly through the streets of old Gotham, the Deeds knew where they were going even if they didn't know they were being followed. Swerving around street corners and sending cars careening out of control, the Deeds made their way to a building at the edge of the harbor.

"Is it ok that we just left Hart there?" Asked Sheryl.

"She'll be fine. She's gotten much better with her powers than she used to be, DeeDee." Sharon replied.

"I guess you're right, DeeDee. But I still don't like leaving her behind." Sheryl pulled out her energy whip and started attacking random things as they drove along. Sharon imitated the action and together the pair laid to waste the streets, leaving a trail of random destruction as they went. Even managing to shock several innocent passers by into unconsciousness.

There was a particularly loud explosion that shook the city when they struck a gas line just as the police were giving chase. At this moment there was nothing more thrilling than the chase as they laid to waste the city with their unique and terrifying weapons.

From above, Batgirl could see the chaos the twins were causing. And the fact that it attracted the police. She landed on a skyscraper near Batman and Robin as the gas line exploded.

"Crap... Been a while since they've been in this good of a mood." She frowned.

"You call destroying part of the city and attacking innocent people them being in a good mood?" Robin looked rather cynical at this observation.

"Well, considering when they're in bad moods, or wanting to impress someone, they kill. Yes." Replied Batgirl casually as she looked ahead as Batman was doing his silent calculations. "This is them when they are in good spirits. Just wish they didn't have to involve the police in their rampaging."

"Unfortunately we don't always get what we want." Commented Batman, standing up as they were joined by the others in their group. As well as an unfamiliar person. A young woman with red hair in a Batgirl suit with a purple and black cape.

"You finished your mission early then?" Batman looked over.

"Yes. Alfred filled me in on what's going on." Answered the young woman.

When the young woman spoke, Caitlyn knew exactly who she was and it came to her as a shock. She fought hard not to show any reaction even though her own heart was feeling cold and constricted. She wanted to scream and go punch something. Though she held everything in on the risk of endangering the time line.

"So you're the time traveler? Nice to meet you. I'm the Batgirl from this era." The red head walked over and raised her hand to shake the future young woman's own hand.

"Nice to meet you." She held out her own hand as calmly as she could.

Robin looked like he thought it was a strange thing seeing two Batgirls from different timelines shaking hands like that.

"Enough niceties. We have to keep moving to catch the girls and TimeKeeper." Green Lantern reminded them.

"Right. Let's get going." The red haired Batgirl agreed.

"We'll split up so we can come at them on both sides. They're headed for the old warehouse at the loading bay." Batman said.

Caitlyn thought it was so typical as she rolled her eyes. Grateful for the fact that her hood, mask and cowl hid them and those present wouldn't be able to see the reactions on her face.

They were in place. One group at the front entrance, the other to the back. Once they checked in via the bluetooth devices in their ears, Batman said to wait for his signal as the police were approaching- having followed the Deeds to the old warehouse.

Within the warehouse, TimeKeeper turned as the twins dismounted their motorcycles.

"Is everything ready?" He asked.

"Ready, boss." The Deeds replied in unison.

"Good." TimeKeeper looked at the group behind him and nodded.

"We've got a few people in the front." Killer Frost replied. "Is everyone ready?"

"Yes. We need to keep them away from here until I can get hold of that diamond. Make sure that only the future Batgirl gets in." Ordered TimeKeeper.

Within moments, doors and windows were frozen shut by Killer Frost. The ground started shaking like an earthquake as Killer Frost began tearing it to shreds all around the warehouse with her powers over ice.

"They were waiting for us." Commented Robin as the building began to be encased by ice and the ground around it was being ripped apart by the ice that was coming apparently out of nowhere.

"You got that right!" Shouted Princess Hart as she was hovering in the air on a slab of solid ice.

Batman threw four of his batarangs at her which exploded on the rock she was using to hover above them and the building. She landed hard on the ground rolling, before coming to a halt on her side, with a flexing of her hand, the building Batman, the future Batgirl, and Robin were on began to fall apart as though a bomb had gone off from within. The three had to jump to avoid being struck by random debris.

Caitlyn in her batsuit vanished from sight now that Killer Frost was distracted. She aimed right for the door as she hit it with her own explosive batarangs.

On the other side, Green Lantern crashed open the back door.

"Knock knock," He said as he and J'onn came from behind.

A screeching racket suddenly aimed right at them, forcing them to cover their ears as the Banshee attacked. The present Batgirl came swinging in, aiming her own batarangs at Banshee's face. They exploded, forcing Banshee back a couple of paces as the present Batgirl landed next to Green Lantern and J'onn.

J'onn disappeared from sight moments later, as Banshee attacked again. Green Lantern used a shield around himself and the present Batgirl.

Next thing Banshee knew, she'd been knocked out by a hit from behind as J'onn reappeared.

Batman and Robin managed to take out Killer Frost after she nearly caught them at least four times in her ice powers.

She now lay unconscious as the two made their way through the now frozen again doorway to find the future Batgirl in a fight with the Deeds.

"You might've caught our friend, but you can't catch us." Laughed the Deeds as their target danced out of the way of several strikes of the electric whips they used.

Vanishing from sight, the future Batgirl managed to catch the twin's wrists and fling the twins hard against the wall. And with the amplified strength provided by the suit, they crashed hard against the solid cement.

"I don't have time to mess with you two." She growled, reappearing.

"No, you don't." Came TimeKeeper's voice from behind. He caught her off guard, bringing his sword to her neck from behind just as Batman, Robin, Green Lantern, J'onn and the present Batgirl came into the same room. "You have the diamond I need. Where is it?" He demanded.

"Nowhere you'll be able to find." She retorted as with his free hand he grabbed her arms and twisted them from behind her back. Before they left, she'd given it to one of the heroes currently in the room with her. So long as she could keep the bluff, they would be able to get the compass from him.

Atop the roof of the warehouse was Nightwing, holding Princess Hart down to keep her from aiding her own group.

"Hard to believe you're her dear old grandfather." Chuckled Hart.

"Don't even try to get away." Warned Nightwing.

"You think just because I'm all tied up like this, I can't use my powers?" She smirked.

The roof suddenly exploded as she tore apart the metals holding it together without effort. Several sharp shards cut her free as Nightwing dodged the flying sheets of deadly sharp metal. It was like a tornado was ripping the roof apart. He ducked several aimed beams as he ran towards her, pulling out his javelin.

"This is like de ja vu." She commented. Only this time she was fighting Nightwing as a building was collapsing rather than her ex friend.

On the ground floor, Green Lantern had to use the shield from his ring to protect himself, and the present Batgirl.

The present Batgirl had known the moment she shook the future Batgirl's hand. It was an intuition sort of thing. Just before the shield came down, she ran from behind TimeKeeper as he held the future Batgirl in a strangle hold. Tapping on the man's shoulder, he turned to face her just before she punched him right in the face.

The future Batgirl felt him loosen his grip, pulling her arms free she spun around with a few smoke bombs in her hand and threw them around him so the two could get away just as a piece of the roof narrowly missed them.

"Thanks," Commented the future Batgirl to the present.

"No problem. We need to get you back home, kid." Nodded the present Batgirl as the Deeds were recovering from the blows earlier.

The future Batgirl looked at the present Batgirl. And even though the present Batgirl couldn't see it, they knew each other in that moment and the future Batgirl smiled in spite of everything.

TimeKeeper let out a yell of frustration. As with one hand he swung his sword at the pair, while the other he held the diamond. Which was suddenly pulled without much effort from it as J'onn reappeared.

The Deeds turned on their whips again, just as Hart landed on the ground with Nightwing close by.

"Nice of you to drop by." Quipped Sharon. Half a second later her face fell at her own lame joke as Killer Frost busted down the remaining front wall of the warehouse.

TimeKeeper seemed to think he had the upper hand as he directed his sword at the future Batgirl.

"You'll hand the diamond over to me, or I not only allow my ladies to destroy this building, I will find the diamond myself by killing each and every one of you." TimeKeeper stated.

"That won't be happening." Said Green Lantern as he pulled out the diamond with J'onn handing him the compass.

"NO!" Shouted TimeKeeper. "You gave the diamond to Green Lantern?!" He then glared at the future Batgirl.

"It made perfect sense to me. Seeing as the device itself works according to one's will power. Just like the ring of the Green Lanterns." The future Batgirl said.

"Hart!" Screeched TimeKeeper.

She grinned.

"Time to bring down the house." She said, raising her arms. As she did so, a fischer began to appear on either side of her. Causing rocks and debris to go flying in every direction and the people around her to dodge out of the way.

The future Batgirl jumped into the air with the rockets at her feet. With a long mid-air flip she was near enough that Green Lantern sent the compass now equipped with the diamond at her and she caught it before being hit with a blast of ice. She fell, rolling while clinging to the compass with the diamond in the middle. She knew that the Compass if it had the Hope Diamond nestled in the middle was powered by will.

"Hurry!" Batman shouted as he fought fist to fist with the Deeds after knocking their whips from their hands. Robin was distracting TimeKeeper with his own sword skills as Green Lantern put the shield around her to protect her from flying debris. She glanced over at the Green Lantern, who nodded back. She then looked at the present Batgirl.

A moment of understanding went between them. They knew there were no need for goodbyes, but Caitlyn still wished she had more time with the younger version of her mother. Any moment with her mother again. Yet she knew she was being selfish and she could not stay, as the ground rocked violently as though by an earthquake.

The present Batgirl gave a reassuring smile that also reflected strength, strangely enough. The future Batgirl returned the nodding gesture and looked down at the compass.

"Right..." She muttered, focussing on it as Green Lantern fought to hold the shield.

TimeKeeper glanced around as he dodged a downward strike from Robin.

"No you don't!" He shouted again, but Robin wasn't having any of it and kicked the man hard in the face.

The future Batgirl clutched the instrument as she concentrated with all her might. She knew what era she had to be in, and focussed on bringing TimeKeeper, the Deeds and Princess Hart with her.

Everything seemed to freeze in place all at once. The heroes blinked, looking around.

"I've frozen time for them." She answered as they looked around at her. "We're going back, thanks to you guys." She looked around. She took one last look at the present Batgirl. "Thank you." She said in a strained sort of voice.

In a flash of bright light, the building repaired itself. The goons vanished except for Killer Frost and Banshee. The future Batgirl was fading slowly. Her last sight was of Nightwing standing near the present Batgirl and the two watching her disappear.

Thirty years from now-

Back in the museum, Barbara Gordon and Nightwing were the only ones left just as Batgirl and TimeKeeper vanished.

Moments later, they reappeared with the Deeds and Princess Hart out cold. With Batgirl being in charge of the time travel compass, on the way back through the portal she willed it that the four would be unconscious. None of them would remember who she was either, so her identity would finally be safe again from them. She also made sure TimeKeeper wouldn't remember that he knew the connection between the compass or the Hope Diamond.

"Looks like she handled things on her own." Commented Barbara, aiming her laser gun at TimeKeeper as he stirred.

"I had help. I'll explain later." She added. "For now..." She carefully removed the Hope Diamond, placing it back in its display where it belonged. "That thing is more trouble than its worth in my opinion." She also put the compass in her utility belt at her hips as she heard the police headed their way.

"We should go." Nightwing stated, to which she nodded.

When the police arrived in the room, Batgirl and Nightwing had vanished.

From a far off building, Batgirl and Nightwing watched as TimeKeeper and his gang were hauled off by the police.

"Time is a crazy thing. Even when it's left alone, you know?" Batgirl said to her grandfather.

"Wow, so that's what happened when you went back in time?" Asked Max after Caitlyn recounted the story the next day. "You actually met Robin, J'onn and the Batgirl before you?"

Caitlyn nodded. She still felt a little wigged out.

"Not to mention a younger Green Lantern." She added.

"Wild. And I always wondered who Alfred was, Terry and Bruce never mentioned him much." Max was leaning back in her chair. Caitlyn was at her place that afternoon.

"I don't know why, he was a pretty neat guy. Classy, like something out of a completely different era than the one I'd been launched into." She shrugged. It was hard for her to focus on her homework when so much had happened. "Like when we're watching those history cubes about the old British spies during the wars."

The two had snacks all over the table they sat at as they were supposed to be studying for a bunch of tests coming up that Friday for their midterm.

"You'd think after all that that we'd hear more about Alfred from them. Makes me wonder if something happened and Bruce just doesn't like to talk about it." Max pondered out loud, half glancing at her homework on her laptop.

"I don't know. But I do know we need to stop focussing on the past and get this done if we want to avoid detention for negligible duty regarding our homework." Caitlyn sighed, pulling a bowl of a random assortment of sugary sweets in wrappers towards her to pick out some that had the word "strawberry" on it.

It had been an eventful last couple of days since Terry and Bruce left Gotham city. And they knew better than to let their free time slide when it was calm and peaceful. Because there was always a calm between the storms. That's just how it seemed to work.

Author's Comments:

Good lord Time Travel is a nasty beast. I don't know why I put myself through this. I know my chapters are far in between, but I've been busy. Not just with life, but with writing of a different type. I've been working on my first real book and I wanted to devote some solid time (heh, get it? Nudge nudge) to it. I got the first part of the series written and now it's being proof-read. Which could take a while. So now I'm back to my Batgirl Beyond story. I've been wanting to finish this chapter for a long time to it again after taking such a long, unexpected hiatus.

But after watching shows like The Flash, Once Upon A Time and the current season of Sailor Moon Crystal (Season 3) I felt the urge to write in this story again. So here it is. I put the past and present parts under certain labels as you saw. Hopefully to keep things better organized. I don't know how The Flash can keep track of everything, but they do it well. Time Travel, like I said, is a nasty beast to work with. A lot did happen though.

Titania is taking a break from the story for now. She's not gone permanently, so don't worry Titania fans (I know you're out there). And there's still a couple of events to happen while Bruce and Terry are away. I'm not going to spoil it, obviously. This is a good chance to see how Max and Caitlyn work without the main guys (except for Dick) in town. I certainly want Batgirl to spread her wings a bit more than she has. As the ending stated, this is the calm between storms now.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! See, this is proof that I didn't forget about you guys.