Solid as any of the stone gargoyles that watched over the city beside him, Batman crouched, unmoving, atop the Old Gotham Cathedral. He hadn't moved so much as a muscle in over an hour. A light snow had begun to fall, coating his dark Kevlar costume with a fine dusting of white. He and the gargoyles watched Gotham City in silence.

It had been a quiet December night. Without needing to consult the watch he'd built into his gauntlet, Batman knew it was nearly 2 a.m. If the city was going to become active, it would be in the next minutes as the bar's let out their patrons for the evening. Alcohol-induced egos and tempers would be flaring as the prospects were denied, as people realized they'd drank away their paycheck... again.

He watched, waiting.

Batman drew inward for a moment.

"Bruce needs to break off his relationship with Elizabeth", he thought.

She was getting too close... they were becoming too comfortable, too intimate. Elizabeth was far too understanding of Bruce's personality. Was she seeing the truth? Bruce wouldn't like that much. He was very fond of Elizabeth. She was one of the few who he felt like he trusted and loved.

"Sorry, Brucie. There's no room for love in your life."

He continued to watch the city. Without so much as a flinch, Batman came to life, drawing himself to his full height. His ears twitched at the sound of activity toward the waterfront.

"Bruce would rather be at home, intertwined in the sheets with Elizabeth," his mind mused. "The hell with Bruce."

The grappling gun was already in his right hand as he vaulted off the roof of the Cathedral. The cable was away as he dropped toward the ground. Batman never considered the notion that his aim would miss... that the cable would hook would fail to snare concrete. Failure was not an option on this night, just as any other.

His thoughts of Bruce Wayne's life fell away as Batman pursued the moment. With a flick of his wrist, the cable detached and he'd already flung a second out. His cape billowed behind him in the wind. Without the slightest hesitation, he moved his wrist - cable detached! - and Batman had already curled his body to front roll onto the five-story building before him. His keen blue eyes watched the rumbling crowd below on the street as they milled around the bar.

Lights were beginning to snap on behind window shades as apartment tenants were waking up to the sound. He waited, watched. Three, two, one--

"Hey, why don't y'all shut yer traps down there? There's decent people tryin' to sleep 'round here! Ya think ya damn drunks own the neighborhood?"

There. Across the street - 4th floor window open and an 60-some year old man peered out at the crowd. Batman tensed and scanned the crowd.

"Shut the hell up, old man!" came the reply. "You just go and climb back into your Craftmatic bed there and this'll all be a dream in the mornin!"

There. Black leather jacket. Colors? Yes. Street Demonz. Still, Batman waited.

"Go home and sleep off yer booze," the old man retorted. "Go home or I'm callin' the cops!"

"The cops? Man, go screw yourself! Ain't no cops here gonna shut down my party!"

He'd trained himself for moments such as these. Batman dove and was soaring down, feet first toward the Demonz the instant his right hand twitched for the comfort of his gun. He was prepared for the impact as he connected with the gang member and sent him sprawling into the concrete. Batman rolled with the impact and came up, standing.

The crowd fell back with shouts of, "OH shit, it's Batman!" Without pause, they began to disperse.

He waited, sparing only a momentary glance up at the apartment window of the old man. The window was closed and the shade had been pulled. Batman was grateful for small favors. The gang member moaned in pain and surprise, clutching his ribs.

To the small remaining on-lookers, Batman barked, "Call for an ambulance."

He leapt and fired a grappling hook simultaneously. Its reeling pulled the Dark Knight into the shadows of the night.

Batman observed, waiting, until the ambulance arrived. "Bruce Wayne and his dreams of a normal life are but dreams," he muttered.