(*For those of you just checking in because I added a "new" chapter, the chapter in question is the companion story "In The News" which I just added to "Last Chance". You'll find it as "Chapter 59: Tabloid Speculations". If you've never read it, take the opportunity to do so now.*)

Here it is . . . The final chapter of "Last Chance" and the transitional chapter that will lead you into the sequel! If you've never reviewed before, consider leaving one now. You've followed this story for 100 chapters and read close to 340,000 words. Tell me what you thought of the chapter, if you will, but mostly what you thought of the story as a whole.

WARNING: Language (I honestly can't remember, but something might pop up) . . .

Dick was helping Elle with the breakfast dishes which meant that it took twice as long to accomplish than if she just did them by herself. Elle was sporting soap bubbles on her nose and Dick had some in his hair, but it was worth the extra time for all the fun they had.

Elle had spent all of the previous day going to appointment after appointment, meeting with numerous psychiatrists, and allowing them to evaluate her. She had come home tired and grumpy. Bruce had been appalled on her behalf when Dick had called him to give him a head's up, and had promptly given out the name of the law firm that Wayne Enterprises had on retainer. The firm was large enough that they had several branches of specialties of law, and one of the partners had agreed to find several of their best lawyers in each field to review the case and represent Elle if she agreed.

Things were on a roll now, but Dick couldn't help but worry a little. They had only two weeks left before the scheduled court date. The new lawyers were scrambling to see if they could get the case moved to Gotham City rather than Chicago. There was a less likely chance of Aiden being able to bribe the judge in time if the judge in question was appointed at the last minute.

So, when he picked up his cell to see Bruce's number, Dick thought it was the competency hearing that he was calling about.

"Hey, what's up?"

Instead of getting a lecture on phone etiquette, Bruce came right to the point.

"Get packed. I'll be there with Alfred and the boys in an hour to pick you both up," Bruce said, sharply.

Dick blinked. "What? Where are we going and why?"

"You're moving to Gotham City . . . today."

"Really . . . And the why?" Dick reminded him. Bruce had tried several times to get Dick to move back to Gotham and the manor, but he liked having his own city, liked the police force, and liked doing things his own way.

"Nameless escaped police custody sometime last night," he said, succinctly.

"What?" Dick moved through the apartment toward the bedroom for privacy. He didn't want to alarm Elle unnecessarily, but unfortunately this could definitely become necessary. He lowered his voice. "But . . . How? He was still in the hospital the last I checked, and there were guards posted at his door."

"The guard was discovered dead this morning; propped in the chair by the door like he was dozing," Bruce told him.

"That guy was in no shape to kill an armed police officer," Dick charged. He heard a car door slamming and an engine turn over. Tim and Damian's voices floated over the line.

"And you'd be right. He wasn't scheduled to be released from the hospital and remanded into police custody for another four days. He had help." Bruce's voice was grim.

"And you think he would come here?"

"I think he was paid a lot of money to do a job, and it has yet to be accomplished. I also think that he'll be looking for vengeance. He lost his career to Elle's actions." Bruce sighed. "I know that he doesn't appear to be a threat himself at the moment, but the man has colleagues that he's willing to do business with. How much would he be willing to pay to have the job completed and his vengeance against her secure? Someone killed that cop."

Dick felt a twinge in his chest at the death of a fellow police officer. He wondered if it were someone he knew; he knew most of them. But the urgency of the matter at hand quickly brought him back on topic. If it were only him, he would tell Bruce not to bother, but Elle had had enough of violence to last a lifetime. The likelihood that she would survive another encounter with a hired hitman was so small as to be non-existent.

He couldn't risk her life for his pride. Even the idea of it made him nauseous. He remembered finding her at the bottom of the ravine . . . The fear that he had at the time that she might still die of her injuries had terrified him. The idea that there could be someone else out there gunning for her now made his stomach drop.

"Okay," he said. "Okay, we'll be ready. How long do you think we'll need to stay?"

Dick would need to commute to Bludhaven every day if they were still in Gotham at the end of his leave. There was the court hearing he would need to attend. He would bring a few uniforms and a couple of suits . . . Just in case.

"At this point? I think we should consider something long-term," Bruce told him. He quickly added in an effort to forestall an argument, "We have no idea who the man behind the contract is; our best shot at obtaining that information has just escaped with professional help; and we can assume that Nameless will have a personal vendetta against her, and probably you as well."

Dick sighed. "Four, maybe six months, then?"

"At least." Bruce said. "You can choose to commute to Bludhaven if you want, but I'd prefer to have you close by, and not just for Elle's sake."

Dick blinked and sat down on the bed. "What are you suggesting? That I quit the force?" Anger flared. Bruce had hated the idea of him becoming a cop from the very beginning, and had tried on numerous occasions to get him to quit and come home.

"Are you taking advantage of the situation just to drag me back to Gotham and leave BPD?"

"Of course not! But there is more to consider now than what you want," Bruce snapped. "I was going to suggest that you join the force here in Gotham City if you still wanted to become a cop. If Elle needed you, at least you could spare yourself an hour long commute to reach her."

Dick swallowed his response. Elle . . . He needed to consider Elle. He just hadn't expected this.

"Fine. I'll consider it. I still have six weeks left of leave before I have to decide. Perhaps we can figure all this out in the meantime with a little concentrated effort." His mind began to whirl with all the decisions that remained. "What do we do with the apartment? Sub-let?"

"I would consider letting it go. I can pay off your lease for you, and you two can search for something new later, after this is over." Bruce said.

Dick shook his head, even though Bruce wouldn't see it through the phone line. "It's under Elle's name. And you don't have to do that. She has more than enough funds to cover her leasing agreement and any penalties she might incur. You forget; I'm engaged to a rich woman now."

"Get started packing. I can arrange for your furniture to be put into storage in the meantime."

"I can do that," Dick protested.

"You will be busy. Let me help in this at least," Bruce said.

Elle came in just then, wiping her hands on a dishcloth. She stopped at the door and leaned against frame; watching him with concern. His heart clenched as her worry washed over him. She didn't need this kind of stress. Better to make it as easy as possible.

"Okay," he agreed. "Okay. An hour isn't a lot of time, but we'll try to be ready when you get here. We may need to make another trip in case we forget something, so give it a week before you make those arrangements."

"Good," Bruce sounded mildly surprised; like he was expecting more of an argument.

"See you when you get here," Dick said before ending the call. He looked up at Elle.

"So, where are we going on such short notice?"

Dick stood up and walked over to her. He rubbed his hands along her upper arms.

"To Gotham," he told her. "We're going to be staying at the manor for a while."

"You mean for the weekend," Elle asked him. She knew something was up.

"I mean for the next several months."

Her eyes widened. "What? But why?"

He smiled. He wondered if it reached his eyes or not. Probably not because she was looking at him with suspicion now. "I thought it would be a nice change of pace. Things aren't as comfortable here, what with memories . . . and . . . um, everything."

She frowned and leaned back. "You mean since the attack?"

"I was thinking that you might not want to stay here anymore," Dick explained. "We can stay with Bruce while we look for another place."

She stared at him for a moment. "But that makes no sense. You and I both work here in Bludhaven. Why not just stay here until we find someplace new? I'm not such a wimp that I can't live here for a few more weeks."

"You're not a wimp," he declared, but instead of answering her, Dick walked around her to the extra room where she kept her suitcases and he had a couple of duffle bags. She backed out of his way when he dragged them in and tossed the lot of them on the bed.

"Look, we can talk about it later," he said, not looking at her. "In Gotham. Once we get to the manor."

She pulled him around by his arm. "What is going on?"

He tugged her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. "You know I love you, right?"

She snuggled against his chest; enjoying being held although he was scaring her a little bit. "I think we have established that."

"Then will you just trust me in this? We need to go, and we need to take everything with us we will need for the next several days," he said. "We can come back for the rest."

She hesitated.

"Please, Elle? We're kind of pressed for time here. I promise to explain later, but I don't want to use a lot of time up that we'll need to pack."

She pushed away from him with a sigh. "An hour isn't a lot of time," she said. "We better hurry."

He smiled and blew out the breath he had been holding; relieved that she didn't argue with him.

Dick flipped over the couch in order to hit the intercom by the door. Elle came rushing into the living room in her socked feet and slid on the hardwood floor. Her feet went out from under her and she landed on her butt with a muffled thump.

Dick glanced back at her as he approved Bruce and the family's arrival with the building security.

"Are you alright?" He darted over to give her a hand up.

Elle looked at him, annoyed. "I don't get how you can get away with those crazy acrobatics of yours and I can't run into a room without falling on my ass!"

Dick grinned, reassured that she wasn't hurt. "I'm not wearing socks. That stunt would have busted my ass if I had been," he explained.

She noted his bare feet. "I packed most of your socks. If you don't want to leave barefooted, I would suggest you go dig out a pair now."

They separated as he went after his socks and Elle picked up a box to stuff all over her important papers and files in. She made certain to keep everything pertaining to her father's will and to the competency hearing on top. She was just placing the lid on the top of it when she heard the knock on the door and froze.

Dick came in, slipping and sliding a bit on socked feet. "That's Bruce! Why didn't you open the door?"

Elle blinked and seemed to shake herself. "Uh, sorry." Color infused her pale face. "Flashback."

Dick glanced over at her as he pulled the door open. "You okay?"

She flashed him a smile. "Fine," she assured him as she moved around the furniture to greet Damian, who shoved through under Bruce's arm. "Hey, buddy! Good to see you!" She pulled the boy into a big hug before he could avoid it.

Dick turned to greet the rest of them in order to hide his grin. No matter what Damian claimed; it was obvious that he enjoyed her attention.

"Come on in," he said. "We're still gathering some things together, but we'll be done soon."

It was everyone's first time in the apartment with the exception of Alfred. Although Bruce had been here before, he hadn't actually entered the apartment itself.

Alfred stepped up to Elle. "How might I be of assistance, Miss Arabella?"

"Oh, but you're a guest," Elle told him. "May I get anyone a drink?"

Dick laughed and tugged her back to the bedroom. "They aren't here to socialize, sweetheart, but to help us move."

"That's no reason to be inhospitable," she complained.

"We're fine, Elle," Bruce reassured her. "Is there something we can start moving down to the car?"

Dick reappeared a moment later with three suitcases and a duffle bag slung over one shoulder. He handed them to Bruce and Tim. Elle came out with a couple of garment bags and an overnight case of which Alfred divested her.

"What can I take," Damian asked.

"Oh, here," Elle picks up the box of documents. "Will this be too heavy?"

Damian scoffed, snatching the box out of her hands. "I'm strong enough," he declared.

Elle smiled. "You certainly are. Those are very important. I trust you to not lose anything in there."

As Damian trotted back to the elevator, Dick came up behind her. "He's beaming! Only you can get him to loosen up that way."

"He just wants to feel included and trusted, just like anyone else," she told him. "What am I going to do with all the food in the refrigerator?"

"I don't know," Dick admitted. "Maybe Claudia can take it off of your hands? We'll be coming back in a couple of days for everything else. It should be okay til then."

She made a face; not liking what she heard, but not seeing another choice.

"Maybe Alfred could pack up a few of the perishables that would survive an hour in the car," Dick suggested.

"I'll go do it," she said, and rushed into the kitchen.

Dick followed her in. "He came to help, you know. It's kind of what he does."

"He does it for everyone," she complained, pulling out some paper bags she had stored under the counter. "I don't want him waiting on me. He has enough to do already."

"Bruce pays very well, and Alfred is good at his job," Dick reassured her. "He takes a certain pride in it."

Elle stopped and sighed. "You still want to marry me, don't you?"

He frowned and moved closer; sliding his arms around her waist. "Of course, why would you even ask that?"

She turned in his arms and looked up at him. "I want to be your wife," she said with a pout. "I want to take care of you, not Alfred. Will you still not tell me why we need to go to Gotham City on such short notice?"

Instead of answering her, Dick drew her into a hug. Resting his cheek on her head, he rocked them both for a minute. "Later," he promised. "I'll tell you later."

And he would, too. It was too dangerous for Elle not to be told. She needed to be aware, but right now she was surrounded by Batman, Red Robin, Robin, and Nightwing. And Dick knew very well that Alfred was not to be underestimated. She could have another hour or two of peace before he needed to tell her what was happening and why they needed to make such a drastic move.

Sounds of running alerted them to the return of Damian and Tim. Dick grinned. The two were getting along much better, Bruce had told him. While the boys had bickered some, nothing had deteriorated into the physical since Christmas.

"Anything else you need help with," Tim asked, grinning.

Dick glanced around the apartment. "No, nothing else right now. Everything else can wait for later or be put into storage." He looked at Elle as she carried a couple of bags of fresh produce.

She set them on the table as Bruce and Alfred re-entered the apartment at a more sedate pace.

"Wait," she exclaimed. "We almost forgot Mook!"

Bruce frowned.

Dick slapped his forehead. "You're right," he said. "We can't go without Mook."

"Who's Mook," Bruce asked.

Elle moved between them and knelt in front of the terrarium. She waved a finger next to the glass and suddenly the tarantula climbed out from inside of his hollowed log. Tim looked startled.

"That's a tarantula," he yelped.

"That's Mook," she said. Mook waved its front legs in her direction. She glanced up at Bruce. "I'll let you carry him. I trust you not to drop him."

Bruce blinked and stood up straight from where he bent to look in the glass cage. "Uh," he stumbled over his words. He threw a look of desperation at Dick. "Dick's more than capable of carrying Mook," he said. "The spider might not like being carried by strange people."

"If I may remind you that Master Dick has recently gone through a rather invasive surgery just two weeks ago. It might be prudent if he didn't handle such heavy, bulky items. He could do himself some damage," Alfred pointed out. "Was that not the whole point in all of us showing up to help them move?"

"Damn it," Bruce muttered under his breath, but Dick heard him and laughed.

Damian moved in for a closer look at the tarantula as Elle lifted the top of the terrarium and allowed Mook to crawl onto her hand. Tim jumped back, alarmed. Even Alfred and Bruce took a step away as she turned around with the spider. She held her palm up and Mook raced up her arm and settled onto her shoulder.

"That's creepy," Tim announced.

Damian grinned. "That's cool!"

Dick laughed and slapped Tim on the shoulder. "That's creepy," he agreed.

As Alfred moved to pick up the grocery bags, Bruce picked up the terrarium. "Is that thing . . . um, Mook going to ride to Gotham in his terrarium?"

Elle was playing with the spider by wiggling her finger in front of it. It would extend its front legs to touch the finger, but didn't try to move from where it nestled on its perch.

"I think he can ride with us," she told him. "We're taking the Yugo, right?"

"Fine, but you have to keep him out from under the foot pedals." Dick warned her as he picked up his keys. "We'll follow you back, Bruce."

Tim watched her with an expression of vague horror on his face.

"I want to ride with Dick and Elle, Father," Damian said, hope beaming on his face.

Bruce nodded his agreement. "How about you, Tim? You want to ride with Alfred and I or with Dick and Elle?"

Damian scoffed. "He won't ride with us! He's scared of the spider."

Tim glared at him. "I am not," he declared, but it was a lukewarm declaration at best.

Elle smiled at the elder boy. "You can ride with us if you want, but you don't have to feel obligated if you don't want to, Tim. I'll understand."

"Yeah," Damian snorted, "she'll understand that you're scared of spiders."

Dick turned around, casually slapping the back of Damian's head as he did so, as if by accident. "Whoops! Sorry about that, little D," Dick smirked.

Tim smiled and shrugged. "I guess I can ride with you."

Dick and Elle exchanged looks. He didn't sound exactly enthused about it.

"If you're sure," Elle said.

Tim shrugged again and followed them out, glumly.

As they drove on the beltway that took them around Gotham's downtown district, Bruce looked in the passenger side mirror. He swiveled in his seat to look behind them.

"I don't see them, Alfred," Bruce told the older man.

"They did say that they would be following us," Alfred glanced in the rearview mirror.

"Yes, they did," Bruce agreed. "But they're not there now." He searched the numerous lanes for the Yugo, but didn't see it. "I was checking for them every ten minutes or so. We should have followed them instead."

"Hindsight and all of that, sir, but we weren't anticipating that they would veer off unexpectedly."

Bruce pulled out his cell phone. "If they veered off voluntarily. Certainly we would have noticed if someone had run them off the road. Dick knows how to drive defensively. I doubt he would have been taken by surprise. I'm certain he would have laid on the horn if that were the case."

His phone buzzed before he could press speed dial. "It's from Tim." He answered. "Where are you?"

"Take it easy," Tim's voice came through. "We had to take a little detour. We should only be fifteen minutes or so behind you."

"Where are you," Bruce repeated the question in a growl.

"We had to make a pit stop for Mook. Elle says he needs food." Tim explained.

"You stopped by a pet store?" Bruce asked, frowning. He didn't remember a pet store being in this area. Most were found in Gotham suburbs than around here, near the docks.

"Actually, no," Tim admitted. "Dick says there is a fishing supply store nearby, but who'd want to eat any fish from Gotham's river? Ugh! Anyway, don't worry. We'll be there soon."

The call disconnected and Bruce put his phone away. The mention nudged the information in Bruce's mind. There was a fishing supply store near here, he remembered now.

"Mook is a tarantula, not a fish. I'm not sure what they expect to find at a fishing shop," he shook his head.

"I have a feeling that we will becoming more familiar with this unusual sense of dismay as time goes by," Alfred commented as he steered the Bentley into the correct lane for their approaching exit.

"Hm," was Bruce's only reply.

He had a feeling that the organization and dynamics of his home would be undergoing some disruption as Elle settled in. She was variable that he had not calculated into his equation. But there was no choice, and despite her penchant for being unpredictable, he had seen positive results from her inclusion into the family in a very short time.

And . . . the edges of Bruce's mouth tilted up ever so slightly . . . He liked her.

He had been telling Dick the truth about that. She was refreshingly honest and sincere in a world that was increasingly cynical and counterfeit. And for a woman who was entirely not typical; Elle was enticingly 'normal'. Something that all of their lives had forever been lacking.

While Alfred's prediction was very likely; Bruce, oddly-enough, found himself rather looking forward to it.

Bruce and Alfred opened the front door as the Yugo pulled to a stop in front of the manor. He watched as his children poured from the vehicle with smiles and laughter. Even Damian appeared to be amused.

He looked for the tarantula as Elle exited the car as it was the reason for their late arrival, but didn't see it perched on her shoulder as it had been when they had left Bludhaven. Instead, she was carrying a Styrofoam container with a plastic lid. He glanced at Dick as he closed the driver's side door, but he, too, was empty handed. He watched as his eldest rounded the vehicle with Tim.

Bruce didn't even glance at Tim. It had been impossible not to notice the teen's discomfort around the large, hairy creature. In truth, Bruce had shared it, but years of hiding his emotions had downplayed his own sense of unease. It was the reason that the terrarium had been the first thing he had unloaded and set up upon arriving. Better to get the arachnid back into its home and safely contained.

It wasn't until Damian was approaching that he saw the spider perched on the boy's shoulder. He shouldn't be surprised. Damian had shown a fascination for the tarantula from the moment he had seen it. Bruce stepped back to give the boy room to enter into the foyer. No sense in alarming Elle's pet unnecessarily.

"How was your trip," Alfred asked politely.

"Yes, did you run into any problems?" Bruce followed Dick and Elle through the front door.

Dick wore an odd expression. "No problems, if you don't count a tarantula running loose in the car. I'm surprised you didn't notice my erratic driving when Mook began scrambling around my feet!"

Tim shook his head as he brushed past them. "I thought sure we were all going to die."

Dick ruffled the boy's hair as he passed. "I'm a better driver than that."

"Matter of opinion," Tim muttered as he ducked his brother's hand.

Elle smiled reassuringly. "It wasn't that bad," she said. "And Damian caught him easily enough. Mook seems to like him."

Alfred looked at the pint-sized container curiously. "And what manner of food were you able to purchase for the . . . creature?"

Elle turned to face him as she walked. "Oh, his favorite! Mook is always happier when he gets to hunt his food," she explained.

Suddenly, Elle tripped and stumbled forward. Before anyone could move she fell flat and the Styrofoam container flew from her hands. It hit the floor several feet beyond her and the lid flew off and its contents scattered in all directions . . . And immediately began hopping and jumping towards freedom.

"Elle!" Dick yelped as he hurried to help her, but she was already scrambling to her knees.

"Oh no!" She shrieked. "The crickets! Catch the crickets!"

Tim darted forward to help only to step on one of the insects with a disgusting crunch.

"Don't step on them," she cried out, picking up the container and trying to scoop a handful of the crickets back in. Most of them quickly leaped over her hand, however.

"HEY!" Damian yelled.

Bruce stared as Mook, apparently seeing a smorgasbord in front of him, jumped - Jumped! - off of the boy's shoulder and into the fray. He blinked at the speed that the spider displayed.

Dick veered off of his cricket-rounding duty to dart after the fleeing tarantula. "Mook! Get back here," he called, as if expecting the spider to heed his orders. "Alfred, get a colander!"

The startled butler was pulled out of his dismay, and responded in horror. "Good heavens! I should say not! I will not have that filthy creature being captured with one of my cooking utensils!" He said as he turned to rush out of the room.

"Alfred! Where are you going," Bruce asked of his butler's retreating back.

"He's probably going to pack," Tim replied, holding a dozen chirping crickets in his cupped hands. He had several that had leapt onto his head and shoulders.

"I'm going to get the vacuum cleaner," the elder man called back over his shoulder.

Elle looked up, startled, from where she kneeled still trying vainly to catch the fleeing insects. "That won't kill them, will it?"

"You were planning to feed them to the tarantula," Bruce pointed out. "Are you really that concerned about them?"

Elle blinked at him. "Oh, no," she said, in a perfectly reasonable tone of voice; as if things like this happened every day. "It's just that Mook likes to eat them while they're still alive."

"Ew," Tim groaned as he tried to dump his crickets into the container. At least half of them escaped.

Damian darted by. "Mook!"

"Careful, Damian," Dick called out. "Don't step on him by accident! I'm going to get that colander!"

"Alfred's going to kill you," Tim warned as he continued to attempt to catch the escaping crickets.

"I'll buy him a new one," Dick called back before disappearing around the corner.

Dick passed Alfred; the elder man dragging the wet/dry vac behind him. "I say, Miss Arabella, I think we'll just have to allow these crickets their freedom once we have captured them. I cannot think how we will be able to transfer them from the vacuum to your container without them simply escaping once again."

Several crickets dangled from her hair. "But Mook . . ."

"We'll simply have to send out Master Timothy to obtain more from that fishing shop," he said reasonably. "Although it might be better to consider another food source for your . . . pet."

"Are you going to release them into the grounds, Alfred?" Tim asked.

"I should say not! This many would likely destroy the gardens," Alfred declared, plugging the vacuum into the wall socket. As soon as he turned the machine on, the crickets scattered in all directions; many taking to the air and disappearing upstairs and deeper into the house.

Mook jumped suddenly onto Tim's hand, obviously attracted to the crickets he was covered in. The teen yelped and leapt to his feet and the tarantula jumped in alarm towards Elle. Surprised, she dropped the container again, and the few crickets they had managed to capture joined their comrades in flight.

Dick ran back into the room and stopped to stare at the chaos; the colander dangling forgotten in his hand.

Bruce still remained where he stood when all of this began, and remembered Alfred's prediction. Dismay seemed like such an understatement. He began to chuckle.

Damian stopped to stare at him. His son was wearing several crickets as he gaped. Bruce covered his mouth, but his laughter increased.

"What's wrong, Father?" Damian looked shocked.

Tim turned to stare and then Dick noticed.

"Are you alright," Tim asked.

Alfred turned the vacuum off to look in his direction. Everyone, including his very proper, very stoic, very polished English butler, were wearing crickets. The chirping was a cacophony. They might never get the crickets out of the manor after this. He imagined the manor, a hundred years from now, still chirping.

His family's expressions, however, were priceless! Bruce could only laugh harder. He paused to wipe the tears from his eyes and met the embarrassed gaze of his future daughter-in-law. Had he once called her normal? If nothing else, life around the manor would be anything but boring! In fact, his time as the Batman might turn into something of a sabbatical from what his home life was promising to become.

"Welcome home, Elle," Bruce told her, once he caught his breath. "Welcome home!"

REACTIONS? Don't forget to review and Fave! Please let me know what you thought!

Elle's living at the manor! What could go wrong? Welcome to the first day . . . LOL!

"Second Chances" will be following along in a few weeks, and I promise that it will be just as intense and detailed as this one; full of fun and laughter and surprises, and a few dark spots. We'll be seeing a lot more of Jason in this one, and several cameo appearances by super acquaintances! And there will even be the long-awaited wedding! It will answer most, if not all, of your questions from this story, and bring about resolution. BUT the sequel will not even be the end. I have plot enough for even a third story! ;D

See you soon!