DISCLAIMER – I didn't own any rights then, and I don't know.

New York, New York, USA.

May 15th,1936.

Morton, the butler, stood at attention in the front of the modest manor's gates as the chauffeured limousine braked to a park at his feet. Morton, slowly and carefully, made his way to the passenger side door and opened it. He then opened the gate of the manor. It wasn't until the passenger was through it that he spoke.

"Hello, Miss Kyle. I trust you enjoyed your stay in London?"

"Immensely, Morton," the lovely woman said and smiled. "What's li'l sis up to?"

Morton moved to the house and the woman noted the girl sitting in a boarding school uniform on the porch. The girl stood up quickly and smiled wildly.

"Sabrina! You're back!"

Selina Kyle was younger than Sabrina, with all of her sister's beauty, but much shorter, with a shorter nose and a thinner face. Her hair was blonde while her older sister's was brunette, but they both had the same high cheekbones.

Selina sat back down on the porch, and Sabrina sat down beside her.

"What's all this I hear about you getting kicked out of boarding school?"

"Almost kicked out of boarding school," Selina corrected hastily. "Nothing big. I got caught with a boy in my room…"

Sabrina gasped.

"But he was just sitting there! We weren't even doing anything!"

"I have a feeling that's just the latest one," Sabrina said.

"There were a few other little things," Selina said. "But what can I say? I'm a troublemaker… just like you, big sis'."

Selina rested her head on Sabrina's shoulder. Sabrina Kyle laughed but said, "Mom and dad are going to throw a conniption. You know that, right?"

"Don't worry. Morton straightened everything out. As far as the school's concerned, none of my shenanigans ever took place."

Sabrina stood up.

"I've got a new friend for you."

"Really? Where?"

"She's in the limo."

Sabrina Kyle rose to her feet as Morton came marching back, something that appeared to be a large ball of hair from a distance in his arms. Morton handed it to Selina, who stroked it softly. The ball of hair suddenly transformed into a slender, glossy black kitten. Sabrina set the kitten down beside Selina, who giggled with delight.

"You'll have to promise to take good care of this one," Sabrina said. Then, more sternly, "Unlike the last five!"

Selina giggled more loudly.

"I will, I promise!" she said to Sabrina. Then she added, much more softly, to the cat, "Won't I, Miss Kitty?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Six Years Later…

1942.

Gotham City.

Even with the cowl off and set on the bench beside him, Bruce Wayne was Batman. The loud screeching all around him reminded him of that. As if he'd forget. He was so distracted by the small piece of material in front of him that he forgot all about Wayne Enterprise, all about stately Wayne Manor just above his head. He was Batman.

Batman inserted the data into the Bat Computer.

Just like one of Allan Gates' fancy typewriters, he thought. Just insert the data and an answer sheets slides out.

But this time the answer wasn't sliding out. Batman pounded the desk beside the Bat Computer and roared in frustration. This scared the bats, sending them flying all around him and increasing the volume of their screeches, but did nothing to solve his problem. The computer shouldhave crosschecked the material with all of the clothing stores and manufacturers in Gotham. But it found no matches.

Batman hung his head, grabbing tight on his hair and pulling. He let go and looked at the tiny green piece of paper beside the computer.

"a Teddy, not a camisole. take it out and Bear it all."

He kicked himself.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Dark Knight Detective," he thought. "It's so obvious."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Inside the old, closed down Tynker Toys Shop, Barbara Gordon, the daughter of the Gotham City Police Commissioner, looked with wide eyes at the madman in the green three-piece suit: light green dress shirt, royal purple vest, and a dark sport jacket. A green derby completed the ensemble. It would be almost leprechaun-like, especially taking in to account the man's demented smile, except he was incredibly tall. His whole outfit was covered in black and purple question marks. The hair peeking out of the derby was neon red, just like Barbara's.

A giant yo-yo was on the floor behind Barbara, it's long string thrown over a rafter and it's giant "finger" loop around Barbara's neck. She was standing on an oversized Jack-in-the-Box, and The Riddler was laughing merrily as he turned the crank.

"Barbara Gordon," he said between chuckles, "you have been sentenced to death by hanging from the neck!"

"You're insane!" Barbara shouted. "Someone will come for me."

"You'd better hope it's one of my men, telling me we've received the ransom money," he said. "'Cause it won't be the Batman. He'll never figure out my clever riddle in time!"

The Riddler let go of the crank and a slow, eerie rendition of "Pop Goes the Weasel" began to play.

The Riddler stopped laughing. He thought he saw something. He kept staring in the direction of where he could have sworn he'd seen movement. Just a trick of the light, perhaps? But, no, something was coming. The Riddler could see the yellow circle in the distance. As it came closer, he could make out black in the yellow, like a swarm of bees. A swarm of bees buzzing in his direction. But no again. On closer inspection, it wasn't a swarm of bees, but rather a single bat.

Then a swarm of bright colors appeared beside the bat. They were flashy, like a circus. Not stealthy at all. The Riddler just stood staring with his jaw dropped, listening to the music coming from the Jack-in-the-Box.

Finally, he could see that the swarm of colors was the clothing on two men.

A black object flew threw the air, resembling a bat in flight. It sliced through the thick string around Barbara's neck. Barbara leaped from her perch seconds before the song ended and the huge Jack emerged from the Box.

The bat-thing flew back towards the man, who caught it in his gloved hand. He was wearing a long cape that draped all around him like a bat's folded wings. He was wearing a mask and a cowl with two short, vertical "ears", not outstretched horizontally in such a manner that they might get caught on something.

His companion was wearing a mask and brightly colored tights. Not quite so stealthy.

"Edward Nygma!" the Batman said, his voice low, guttural, gargling. "It's over."

The Riddler looked around him, terrified. But the only way out was through the two men. He looked straight at them and made a run for it. Batman threw his hand out and the Bat-bola caught Nygma around the ankles. Nygma fell on his face.

The Batman stepped over a group of teddy bears, stuffed with the same type of material as he had received a sample of attached to the riddle. Barbara Gordon ran to the Batman and threw her arms around him. He gently but firmly attempted to push her away. Then Commissioner Gordon burst in, followed by GCPD squad. Barbara quickly relinquished her hold on the Batman and embraced her father instead.

"We came as soon as I got your message, Batman," the Commissioner said. "Thank you."

"But, holy tiddlywinks, Batman!" Robin exclaimed. "How did you know where the Riddler's hideout was? And how did you know the Riddler was really Edward Nygma?"

Robin thought he saw a small half-smile cross his partner's grim façade.

"Elementary, my dear Robin. Elementary."

A/N – I was tempted to title this last chapter "The Monster Off My Back." It wouldn't really have anything to do with the story, but it describes how I feel. Not that it hasn't been a blast, mind you. It's just that I've put an awfully large amount of time and effort into this story. It's taken me over a year, and I've dealt with family members seeing me writing and asking me why I've made such a large investment in something I can't legally publish.

But, despite everything, it's been fun. Of course, if I had it all to do over again, there are things I'd do differently. That's how it goes when you start writing with only the vaguest of outlines in your head and try to shape the thing as you go. But, overall, I'd like to think that I've spun a decent yarn, and that an "unwritten chapter" in the Batman legend has finally been adequately written.

So I'd like to thank every one of my readers, and especially my reviewers, and bid you all adieu until some other day.