It's here! The sequel to Knight's Birth is here!

I'm honestly touched by all the support you guys have given this series so far, it really makes me so happy! And, after a month, here we are again, on Fanfiction, prepared to read about Bat-Castle's journey. Are you guys ready for this? Eh, for all I know, you've skipped this Author's Note to start reading the story. But that's ok, I understand.

But let's get some background information! First of all, if haven't read Knight's Birth, I STRONGLY suggest you head to my profile to do so. It is pretty critical for this story. Ok? Good. Secondly, this story takes place in 2006, which is a month after Knight's Birth and about three years before season 1 of Castle.

Here is the FULL summary:

With the departure of the League, Castle is ready to stare evil in the eye and fight criminals in New York. He becomes a symbol - the Batman. It doesn't take long for him to make some enemies - a bounty is placed on his head by an unknown criminal, the NYPD certainly don't trust him, and the saucy Selina Kyle seems bent on making his life miserable. On top of all that, a plot seems to be brewing in the city - a plot to destroy it. Teaming up with Captain Roy Montgomery of the NYPD, the Batman faces an enemy Castle never thought possible. (Part two of the Knight of the Castle series.)

So, without further ado, I now present to you...

BATMAN BEGINS

December 24, 2005

The O'Malley family. An organized crime ring, Irish in heritage, that grown tremendously the past couple of years. Rumors were circulating of how the Boss was sick and dying; there were also rumors about who would take over after the Boss kicked the bucket.

Ra's al Ghul's resources found out who the heir was.

A lone figure stood on a rooftop opposite the mob's warehouse, where Scott would undoubtedly show up to help with a new shipment they had coming in. There were already two men there, unloading a white van, joking and laughing with each other. Strange to see with criminals, during such an 'important' job.

The soft sound of a car approaching caught the figure's attention. Scott had arrived. He greeted the other two, beginning to help them with the work. He was the sole target. The way the League and, more importantly, Ra's al Ghul saw it, once the O'Malley boss died, and with Scott out of the picture, there'd be no leadership. And a mob without leadership tended to fall apart, either into smaller groups cops could easily catch or completely.

Beginning his descent from the rooftop, the figure kept a close eye on the three men, now able to hear them better.

"-things going with you and Siobhan?"

"Really Bobby? Come on, we're working here!"

"Aw, come on Fenton! Just tell me something-"

Scott interrupted them. "Boys, can we please get back to work? We can talk about O'Connell's love life later."

There was silence for a moment, then the sound of footsteps began again.

He reached the breaker easily enough, waiting for a moment at least two of them were inside so he could take them out. Of course, when the warehouse's lights went out, their guard went out. As expected, they had guns, but to him it would be no problem. When one of them came to check the breaker - it was either Bobby or Fenton, he didn't know and wasn't too concerned - he grabbed them from behind, cutting off their respiration until they passed out.

'One down, two to go.'

He was patient, and careful. One wrong move, and he'd be shot in a hail of bullets. Smiling to himself at the intended joke, he worked his way around the warehouse to his next vantage point. In walked Scott, which meant the third guy had gone outside and was now alone. Moving quickly, he got out and snuck up behind the guy, smashing his head against the van.

All that was left was Scott.

A disturbed shout notified him that Scott had found the first 'victim.' Hurried footsteps told him to get out of sight, fast.

Scott looked around carefully. Fenton was unconscious inside, he didn't know how or why. With a hint of fear, he saw Bobby S laying on the ground by the van. Scott was relieved to find a pulse - if whoever was doing this wasn't killing them, then maybe-

Seeing a shadow, Scott turned and fired quickly. But there was no one there. Damn, this was supposed to be a simple night! The regular shipment of heroin they got every week, with no problems. Looking at his unconscious 'co-worker', Scott figured it was safe to say that they had a problem.

Scott was too freaked to pay much attention to him approaching.

All Scott saw before being knocked unconscious was a man dressed in black.

Ok, there you go! The prologue for Batman Begins. A bit short? Yes. And I am sorry about that, but it didn't fit in right with the next chapter's content. In my opinion at least. This chapter is about one written page long, front and back - future chapters are about 4-6, pages front and back. So all other chapters will be MUCH longer, don't worry.

So, Castle is working with the League; the next chapter will go into more detail about it. And I'm sure you can spot the cameo in this chapter.

I'll have a cast list posted up on the KOTC website in the next few days, along with a sneak peak for the next chapter. I think I'll be doing a sneak peak every week between chapters (maybe Monday or Tuesday), how does that sound? If you like that idea, let me know. And if you want to check out said website, it's at kotcverse . BlogSpot . com (just remove the spaces).

So, what are your thoughts? Excited? Intrigued? Tell me!

See you all next Thursday!

Katrina