Author's Note: This is a SERIOUS fic, and I promise that the next few chapters will be longer. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Only the Beginning

There was his warm breath fogging the Arctic air, his face exposed – his true face.

And he begged for the being to end his life. There was no way out and he refused to surrender. "DO IT!" he yelled.

The finger pointed and Rorschach felt his body being ripped apart, unimaginable agony burning his body…

And then it was over.

He was gone, only his hat and a smear of blood staining the pure white snow.

Rorschach was suspended in an expanding whiteness. He wondered if perhaps he was still in Antarctica, if Doctor Manhattan had spared his life.

He knew that this was the end, though. How could it not be? But there was no God, so why was he here? There was only life, and death, and cruelty, and glimmers of kindness here and there, like a ruby in a pile of fool's gold. There was no God that watched over the world, only death and pain. Life had taught him that much.

As Rorschach was thinking, Doctor Manhattan arrived out of thin air. Underneath his mask, he blinked several times. He was surprised, but not shocked. After all, he was dead. What couldn't happen when you were dead, of all things? He waited for the blue being to speak.

"Rorschach," Dr. Manhattan finally said, breaking the deathly silence. He saw that the vigilante did not look as shocked as, say, Laurie would have. The blue superhuman regretted what he had done to Rorschach, but it had been necessary – no one could have prevented what Veidt had done, but telling everyone what had happened would just make things worse. Jon was done with the human race, for now and for ever. But he had to do something for Rorschach. It was only right.

He saw the vigilante waiting patiently and knew that he had to begin. "Rorschach," he said again, "you are dead. I killed you in the snow to prevent worse happenings."

"Know this," Rorschach said in his raspy voice. "Also know that it was necessary, in your perspective."

Dr. Manhattan smiled sadly. "It was," he admitted. "But milliseconds before I killed you, I transported your soul to this place." He spread open his arms. "Time has no meaning here."

"Hurm, interesting," the other commented, rubbing his chin with his hand. So he was not in fact dead. Jon could be so confusing sometimes…

Dr. Manhattan blinked his eyes, a longing look on his face. "Rorschach, your world has moved on. It has already forgotten about you and soon it will forget about me." Jon looked away, turning his body so that his back faced the vigilante. "I can show you hat Dan Dreiberg and Laurie were doing while I killed you in the snow, if you like."

Rorschach's eyes widened underneath his mask. Could Jon actually show him this – and if so, would he want to see it? The vigilante knew that it was against his better judgment, knew that he just get hurt again. But as always, his curiosity got the best of him. He nodded.

Dr. Manhattan waved a hand, and an image, almost holographic in manner, appeared in the air. The colors were faded and the figures were distorted, but Rorschach could still see it. Still see his only friend sleeping on the floor with Laurie, covered in his Snow Owl suit. Not caring, not wondering, not wanting to know…about him.

Rorschach reached out to touch the image, only distorting it. "Daniel…" he said quietly. Had all those nighttime raids, all those times together, meant nothing? Daniel had been one person he had trusted. Not entirely, but more than anyone that he could think.

He vaguely remembered something he had said to Daniel when he had started his investigation involving the Comedian. Daniel had said, "Yeah, what happened to those times, Rorschach?"

He had walked through the tunnel, not looking back. "You quit."

Yes, Daniel had quit. He had quit for good this time.

Quit on him.

Dr. Manhattan sighed. He turned around, facing the vigilante again. "Dan and Laurie changed their names, got married. They still live in Manhattan. They still fight crime." He paused. "I am happy for them."

Rorschach thought that Jon didn't look happy, but he didn't mention it. "The newspaper received your journals and an article was published. The world has not blinked an eye at your final act. Viedt was questioned, but he denied all accusations." He smiled a little. "But perhaps the trust is gone among the people. I cannot say. It is not my problem any longer."

Rorschach shrugged. It really wasn't his problem anymore either – after all, he was dead now. As hard as he had tried to protect the innocent when no one cared, he had failed. He blinked, looking at the palm of his hand. And now…now what?

"I have decided to give you one more chance at life. There is a dimension I have discovered, a dimension in which superheroes are more common and are not ridiculed or frowned upon. This is where I will take you. You will make more of a difference there then you ever have."

Rorschach was angry now. Dr. Manhattan had killed him. What right did he have to make him go through more hardships, more pain, more fighting futilely? "No!" he yelled. "Cannot do anymore. Have played my part. There is nothing else." The vigilante began to walk away.

"You are needed. Your expertise is needed. And I owe it to you," Dr. Manhattan said to Rorschach's retreating figure. He raised a finger, and the twisted figure of a man that had been killed during his last stand saw a bright globe of light, enveloping his figure, his being, blinding his retinas. Rorschach felt himself falling…and then there was nothing.