"I could do it right now, end everything. The lives I've hurt, the people who've been hurt because of who I am, what I am. I could end it now."
Batman stood on the edge of the rooftop, staring down. A shiver running through his spine as the wind billowed his cape behind him. The cold wind of January enveloped him making his already cold thoughts and feelings feel all the colder. His hands were shaking, never had he felt so responsible for one thing. Never had he felt so responsible for so many things.
His thoughts were a maze. The cowl masking the face of Bruce Wayne, masking the world from the sadness that he held within his heart. It was only two months before that he held the body of Jason Todd in his arms. The boy whom he had taken in from the street, who had become the new Robin, was now dead. And it was all his fault.
Speaking to no one, "I can't keep doing this."
Batman's intense gaze focuses upwards towards the heavens. Snow begins to fall gently, kissing the bare skin on his face. The sensation sending another shiver down his spine. "Everything I've done has been for nothing! What am I supposed to do?"
Pausing, as if expecting an answer to be cast down among the flakes of snow, Batman turns his gaze back down to the streets below. Echoes of police sirens and gunshots. Another crime in progress. Another crime that Batman needs to stop. Another chance for him to make someone suffer. The weight of his actions cause him to stop himself from leaping into action.
"Gordon will take care of it," he says coldly to himself.
A gust of wind blows in from behind, nearly causing him to lose his balance. Or was it that he wanted it to knock him over? Without Jason at his side, life felt more and more meaningless. As if the more he struggled against the criminals, the more they fought back. Like digging a hole in loose sand, you could never make any progress. The Penguin might be at large, but what difference does it make if he gets stopped? He'll only pay his way out of prison as he always does.
Police choppers buzz overhead. Spotlights filtering down through the snow, making the night look like a disco. Batman begins to lose himself in thought once more. The Joker could be up to no good, but what could he do? Joker has already hurt him more than he could possibly imagine. No matter how many times he fights him, Joker always has something more sinister to deal out from his deck. He can't be allowed to be free, but what could an emotionally injured Batman do?
Breathing a deep sigh, Batman inches towards the edge of the rooftop. "If I do this, then there's no more Batman. No more Bruce Wayne. No more problems."
A tear rolls down his cheek. His thoughts now turning towards those he loves. Alfred, his only family since his parents were murdered when he was a boy. What would he think of this? Would he understand the pain that has been coursing through his mind since Jason died? And what of Selina? Despite her natural tendency to lean more and more towards crime, she is a wonderful woman. Would she care? What would she say? Dick isn't even in Gotham right now. He'd probably find out through the news or from Alfred.
Batman clenches his eyes shut, "You can't do this to them. You're being selfish!"
The cold wind billows through his suit, chilling him to the bone. A footstep behind him, normally this would cause him to turn and regard his would be assailant, but tonight, something else is on his mind. Plus, the familiar smell of perfume is in the air.
"Batman, I'm surprised to find you here."
Not even turning to regard his guest, "Selina."
Catwoman tilts her head, something is definitely unusual with him tonight. He never acts like this, sure he can be cold, but when has he ever ignored her? "You know a simple, 'Hi, Selina.' would suffice."
He turns abruptly to regard her. Why did she have to come now? He can't be seen like this. Too vulnerable. "I'm not in the mood tonight, Selina."
Slinking up to him, she begins to slide a finger across his chest, "Too bad. I had such good plans for us tonight."
"I'm sure you did."
"Well," she leans in to kiss him, "the night is still young, isn't it?"
Batman feels her lips on his. It feels good, but he can't kiss her back. He wants to, but he just can't. The coldness in the air has filled his heart. Backing away from her, he says, "I can't do this."
"Why not? I mean it's not like we have to stay out here. It's freezing."
"No," his voice is stern and hard like steel, "it has nothing to do with where we are."
Rolling her eyes, Catwoman slides a finger on Batman's shoulder, "Then what's the matter, sweetie? You can tell me, I am your favorite cat aren't I?"
He grabs her hand and throws it off him. Why can she not see the hurt in his eyes? Can she not understand what he has been going through? "I can't talk about it."
His eyes begin to wander around, constantly glancing at the edge of the roof. It seems so close, and so easy to do. He looks back at Catwoman. At Selina. Looking into her eyes, he can feel himself start to lose control of his emotions. The sting of tears begin to encroach. You can't do this. You are Batman, you cannot show your emotions.
"Batman," Catwoman's voice has taken a decidedly more serious tone, she begins to rub his shoulder, "what's the matter? Maybe I can help in some small way. I don't want my favorite bat to be sad."
Looking directly into her eyes he feels a tear roll down his cheek. More snow billows around them, making them huddle closer to keep warm. "You know what happened to Robin?"
Her eyes showed a bit of surprise. Was he really going to confide in her? "I had heard that Joker had something to do with his murder. I'm-I'm really sorry about your loss."
"When he died," he continued, almost unaware that she had even said anything to him at all, "I felt like the most powerless person on the planet. No matter what I do, no matter who I fight, it's like the world never improves. The Joker is still out there. We have more and more madmen filling the streets of Gotham everyday. Innocent people are murdered, and drugs are made available to everyone. It feels like no matter what I do, I don't make a difference.
"Ever since losing Jason, it just amplified feelings I had before. As if I'm useless. I feel like-" he pauses.
"Feel like what?"
"I feel like Gotham would be better off with me."
She stares at him in disbelief. What is he saying, is he talking about suicide? "You can't do that. It's a selfish way to go. You've done more good for Gotham than you realize. If it wasn't for you, some criminals wouldn't be in Arkham right now. If it wasn't for you..." She trails off, don't say it Selina, she thinks to herself.
"If it wasn't for me, an innocent boy wouldn't have been brutally murdered by a psychopath."
He begins to walk back to the edge of the roof, more tears running down his cheeks. The snow is falling fast, and the wind is blowing hard. A blizzard has bared down onto Gotham City. "Don't!" She cries, trying to grab him as he walks closer and closer.
"This is it, Selina, I'm not going to cause pain for anyone else."
She tries to grab him, but it's too late. A gust of wind blows as she watches Batman plummet towards the street below.