I Do Not Own Batman or anything else, except my OC(s)!

"I see a beautiful city and brilliant people rising from this abyss. I see the lives for which I lay down my life, peaceful, useful, prosperous and happy" Gordon read from a book as he stood over the empty grave of Bruce.

I was hugging John crying quietly as I looked down at the headstone. Papa was standing in front of it with tears in his own eyes. Mr. Fox was standing across from us along with Penelope.

"It is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known" Gordon said after shutting the book staring at Papa and then me.

Mr. Fox walked over to Papa and patted his shoulder before walking over to me. I hugged him and let go.

"I'd like some alone time with Papa" I whispered to John.

He nodded and walked off with Mr. Fox, Penelope and Gordon.

I walked over to Papa and he pulled to his side as he began to cry.

"I'm so sorry. I failed you. You trusted me, and I failed you" He said to Martha and Thomas Wayne's headstones.

I kept quite as I stared at the headstones. Papa and I stood there for a few minutes before walking back to the manor where John and Penelope were waiting for us. Penelope and I walked up to my room and began to pack my things before the house was to be locked forever. We did not speak, just threw the important things into bags and boxes.

When we were done we walked down the stair and put away my stuff in the back of John's car. Since the camaro and motorcycle belonged to Bruce I parked them in the garage for good. I was going to miss them, but they weren't mine.

Penelope and I walked back inside and to see Papa and John talking to one another. I listened in on them.

"You better treat her with respect, if you don't I'll hunt you down and skin you alive" Papa told John with a serious look in his eyes and my eyes went wide, "She's the only thing I have left and I don't want her to get hurt"

"I understand, sir" John said nodding, "I'd never hurt her, I love her too much"

"Good" He said and then frowned, "The will is being read tomorrow. I'm sure he left some things to Lily. It's starts at two in the afternoon"

John nodded.

"Well I must go upstairs now to get some of my things packed" Papa said and left the room.

John turned around to face me and Penelope when we walked in. He smiled and hugged me. I hugged him back and we left the manor soon.

Penelope flopped onto the couch and let out a sigh.

"I hate funerals. They're so sad" She said and I glared at her.

"Penelope, don't start" John said as he stood in front of me so I wouldn't go off on the girl.

"Sorry" She said and turned the TV on.

"Coffee?" John asked turning to me.

"Something a little stronger" I told him as we walked into the kitchen.

"Alcohol is not your friend, Lily" He said and got out the bottle of the half empty whiskey bottle.

He pour a little in a mug and handed it to me. I drunk it and coughed a little and then laid my head down into my arms.

"What am I going to do now John?" I asked him as tears came to my eyes, "He's dead, and Papa's leaving Gotham for God knows how long!"

"You can stay here with me. I'll help you with Penelope until she graduates and go on to college" John said.

Since Gotham had come back to normal, I had become Penelope legal guardian, after all she was my sidekick.

"I don't know, John. Wouldn't it be hard?" I asked him.

"We'll get a different apartment. A bigger one" He said smiling, "Please it wouldn't be the same without the two of you"

"I'll have to think about it" I told him and he nodded his head.

That night Penelope and I didn't go patrolling. John and I had to leave early in the morning to go to Wayne Enterprises. When the time came, John and I left the apartment. We rode the elevator up and walked out of it. We entered the room as Bruce's lawyer spoke.

"The contents of the house are to be sold to settle the estate's accounts and the remainder is left in its entirety to Alfred J. Pennyworth. The house and grounds are left to the city of Gotham on condition that they never be demolished, altered or otherwise interfered with and that they shall be used for one purpose, and one purpose only. The housing and care of the city's at-risk and orphaned children"

I smiled hearing the last part. Nick, Mark, Arthur and the other orphans was going to live a good life now and won't be kicked out onto the city streets at the age of sixteen! I held John's hand and looked up at him. He had a small smile also.

"My clerk can help with the smaller correspondences and instructions. The restaurant, La Bonne Nourriture, and penthouse on top of the hotel, Chambre à Louer will be given to Lily A. Smith along with the red camaro. So she may continue on with her dream of running a restaurant and have a place to go" The Lawyer paused for a moment making a weird face, "Um, this is a little strange, but Ms. Smith. Bruce had written something for you. I don't know if you'd like me to read out loud or not"

"Go ahead" I told him and he nodded.

" 'Lily, Don't get it towed again, Bruce' "

I smiled a little at that.

When everything was over and I got the keys to everything that Bruce had given me, John told me to wait for him while he went and checked on something. I nodded my head and waited in the lobby. As I waited for John, Mr. Fox walked over to me.

"Hello Ms. Smith" Mr. Fox said.

"Please call me, Lily, Mr. Fox" I told him and he nodded smiling.

"How are you doing today?" He asked.

"I'm okay, still can't believe that Bruce is truly gone" I told him.

"I know how you feel, Lily" He said and looked around, "Could you drop by later. I have something to give you and Penelope"

I nodded and he smiled before leaving. A few minutes later John appeared with a duffel bag that had rock climbing gear in it. So Bruce had given John the cave.

"What's that?" I asked him and he shrugged.

"Something Bruce left for me" He said and we left the building.

When we got back to the apartment John left saying something about seeing what Bruce had left him. I nodded and went to the kitchen. I waited for a few minutes. Set a can of spaghetti and meatballs out for Penelope to cook for herself and a note telling her that I was out. I got into the camaro and drove to Wayne Manor. I got out of the car and snuck into the house. It was being empty today. I walked into the library and opened the secret passage.

I walked down the staircase and quickly changed into my bat suit. I hid behind a stone pillar waiting for John to show up. He did about ten minutes later. He swooped into the cave on a rope and landed into the water. He walked into the cave with a light and quickly ducked when bats flew towards him. I smiled as he walked into the water. I pressed a button and watched him rise up on a platform. He seemed surprised by that.

"So Batman passed the cave onto you" I told him stepping out behind the stone pillar, "It's a shame. I was hoping he'd passed it onto me"

"What are you doing here?" He asked me.

I shrugged my shoulders walking onto the platform.

"Waiting for you, what about you?" I asked him.

"Checking the place out" He replied back.

I nodded and stopped walking. I pressed my foot onto a tile that would bring up the computer, tables and chair. John watched them and I walked over to the computer. I began to put a few more passwords onto some files. Including access up into the manor. He didn't need to know about that just yet.

"Do you have any experience in fighting criminals, beside from being a cop?" I asked him as I typed on the computer.

"Not really" He said and I let out a sigh.

"Any martial art techniques? Sneaking?" I asked him and got the same answer, "Well then I guess I'm going to need to train you. Get you a suit and figure out a name for you to use"

I got up from the desk and walked over to him. He was shaking his head.

"That's a lot of work, Mr. Blake" I told him, "Now let's start with your first training session. Learning the equipment"

I brought him over to the table and began to teach him about them.

We spent around four hours in the cave. I taught John everything about flash bangs, grappling gun, bat blades, and the vehicles. We didn't have the Bat. Mr. Fox wouldn't let me have it. Says I wouldn't know how to fly it.

So when John left the cave I quickly changed back and left the manor. I drove back to the apartment like the devil was chasing after me. I rode the elevator up and ran to the apartment. I walked in and shut the door behind me. My eyes went wide seeing Penelope dancing around in nothing but a shirt and her underwear while the TV played some song loudly.

I cleared my throat making her squeal and turn around. Her face was red as I crossed my arms. She apologized and quickly put on a pair of pants. I turned the TV off and began to take my shoes off.

"Where were you?" She asked me.

"At the cave. It seems Batman left it to John. So I'm going to be training him. I'm going to need your help though" I told her.

"You're going to let John become the new Batman? And why did Batman leave the cave to John? I figured he'd left it to you" She asked me and I shook my head.

"No one can be the new Batman, Penelope. He'll be a new hero, a new shining light to the people of Gotham. He will help us protect this city and Batman never wanted me to be Batgirl, so I guess he didn't want me to have the cave either" I told her.

"Right, so do we tell John who we are?" She asked me and I shook my head.

"No, we don't. He can't know. Not now at least" I told her and sat down on the couch, "Oh, before I forget. I ran into Mr. Fox earlier today. He told me we need to stop by later. I think your suit is ready"

She let out a squeal and jumped up pumping her fist in the air. I laughed and looked over at the door seeing John walk into the apartment. His clothes were wet still.

"You're wet" I said getting up from the couch.

"Yeah, I uh, fell into a pond" He told as I went to get him a towel.

I returned and handed him the towel. He took it and walked off to his room drying his face and hair. I turned back to Penelope, who was now sitting on the couch messing around with her phone. I let out a sigh and sat next to her.

"So did you get anything cool from Bruce?" She asked me.

"Yes. The camaro, a penthouse and the restaurant La Bonne Nourriture" I told her.

"La Bonne Nourriture? Who names a restaurant good food in French?" She asked me and I laughed.

"Apparently Bruce did" I told her.

"Are you going to change the name?" She asked me and I shrugged my shoulders.

"Who knows" I told her, "Let's get going. It's getting dark" I told her and she nodded her head.

We got up and I walked over to John's bedroom door. I knocked and told him that Penelope and I was going to go check out the penthouse. Then Penelope and I left the apartment and drove off to the manor to get ready for the night of crime fighting.

And so that's how the people of Gotham had learned to rise above the storm that had threatened everyone. Many people were lost, but during that a lot of people had found themselves, fallen in love and rose to be a hero. When we Rise Above the Storm there's always a life After the Storm we must live.

AN: And so here's the ending of the sequel to Before the Storm. Now we move onto the third installment of Lily's life of being Batgirl. The story After the Storm should be posted soon after this is. So I hope everyone had enjoyed this story.