Author's notes: Last time I wrote Doctor Who was two years ago when Peter Capaldi was still to have his first appearance as the 12th Doctor in Deep Breath. I have written mostly DCEU crossovers with Harry Potter since, but I thought I would return to this as well, to continue from Hereafter where the Doctor left the Nolanverse Batman and Catwoman to live a normal life.
So, if you're a new reader, I suggest that you read The Dark Knight and the Doctor, A Silent Guardian and the Predator, Nine Days during the Beginning and Hereafter before starting with this one.
Better Man
We all have a reason for going to war. We leave our solitude, to become soldiers, to inspire others, to defeat impossible odds and to define icons. For me, it started on a night like this, in surroundings just like this, in the company I thought I would never be able to be with again. And being forced to watch it happen like this… without being able to do anything to change it's outcome…
''What's wrong, Bruce?'' the boy's mother asks as they exit from the theater's backdoor.
''No, no, it was me,'' the boy's father says, lying to protect his son. ''I needed some fresh air. Little bit of opera does it long way. Right, Bruce?''
The boy doesn't say anything and I can immediately tell he is uncomfortable. I wasn't when I was in his shoes. For me this was the last time I thought I was happy. I laughed with my parents when we walked out of the theater's front exit. It was the last good family night I had with them.
''Let's go,'' the boy's father says and they start walking.
They don't get even two steps further.
''Wallet, jewels, FAST!'' the boogeyman I expected to show up says, but he act nothing like the one I have seen in my nightmares since I was seven years old.
My boogeyman never spoke a word.
''It's fine,'' the boy's father says calmly. ''Just… take it easy.''
My father was not this calm. His first instinct was to protect me and my mother.
''Take it easy,'' the boy's father says reaching and handing over his wallet. ''Here you go.''
It falls on the ground; the boogeyman is nervous and hesitant. If he had been like this, my father might have been able to fight him off.
''It's fine, it's fine,'' the boy's father says as the boogeyman picks up the wallet with the gun shaking in his other hand. ''Just take it and go.''
''I said jewelry!'' the boogeyman says and the tension breaks.
BANG!
The boy's father steps between his family and the gun as it goes off. He falls to the ground and his wife screams for him.
''THOMAS!''
And then, when she is kneeling next to her dying husband, the boogeyman reaches for her pearls and her reaction startles him to fire again.
BANG!
She dies immediately, leaving her son alone in the alley as the boogeyman runs away.
''Bruce…'' the father tries to say with his last remaining strengths, ''don't be afraid… don't be afraid…''
They are both dead. The boy is left alone. He is like me. But I can change something while I'm here. Give him something I had to wait for too long.
Closure.
He wasn't in the best of shape he could have been. Not here, but when I had to life through that from the boy's perspective, the boogeyman was fast and efficient. He didn't need to say what he wanted and he was ready to kill from the start.
This boogeyman was nothing like him.
The boy's father was more careful than my father.
My mother had little differentiating factors with the boy's mother.
And the boy… if he is anything like I was at that age…
There he is.
''HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!''
He screams in terror before he has even seen me. All I do is grab him off the streets and pull him up to rooftops. I don't let him see my face, he can just hear my voice.
''Joe Chill,'' I say, assuming it's his name here too and let him know I know, ''confess.''
I watch him walk into the police department. He knows I'm watching and that keeps him from walking away. He confesses killing the boy's parents and the boy won't spend most of his adolescence asking why or clinging onto conspiracy theories when looking for answers.
VWORP!
There it goes again, the blue light in my hand. It's time to move forward again.
VWORP!
VWORP!
VWORP!
THUMB!
Still in Gotham, but it's day time. I can't go around dressed like this without being noticed. I need to change my appearance or stay out of sight. But first, where in Gotham am I? I was overlooking the police department and this is… the court house.
Why am I here?
Oh, that's why. The boy has grown up, but there is something wrong with- IS HE HIDING A GUN?!
I look where he is looking at. Police escorts, members of the media and
''Chill.''
I didn't give him closure. I gave him a target for his anger and changed his life for the worse.
''Bruce, don't do this,'' I say, but he either isn't listening or the part in my hand is keeping me from being heard.
And he walks with the gun towards his boogeyman. He is going to kill him in front of all these witnesses and
''Joe! Hey, Joe,'' a blond woman says barging between him and Chill. ''Falcone says hey.''
BANG!
Falcone exists here too and he just saved Bruce from ruining his life. A brunette takes his hand and pulls him away.
''Come on, Bruce,'' she tells him. ''You don't have to see this.''
''I want to,'' he responds looking at Chill's dead body.
No, he really doesn't and at least she is smart enough to know that and pull him away.
VWORP!
And I'm moving on again.
''Madness is like gravity. All it takes is a little… PUSH!''
''My turn.''
''You just have to imagine the fire!''
Planet Hereafter, C-side plantation
VWORP!
VWORP!
VWORP!
THUMB!
The TARDIS materialized on a hill overlooking the ocean. It's doors opened and the Doctor, wearing a hooded Crombie, white t-shirt and black sunglasses on his nose, stepped out examining his surroundings.
''Question,'' the Doctor said rising a finger and then turning back at the TARDIS, ''why am I here? All the possible places in the universe and you brought me to this place. This is the fourth time I have visited this planet and they always turn boring after the first time.''
The blue box stood on it's place without reacting.
''Oh, silent treatment, I could have understood that last thousand years ago before you told me you malfunction on purpose TO BRING ME I'M NEEDED!'' The Doctor shouted box. ''I had no intention coming here, SO WHAT IN BLAZES IS THE REASON I-''
The Doctor shut himself up as soon as he noticed he was being watched. His hand reached to his shades as he looked around and saw who was watching him.
''Don't mind me,'' the Doctor said realizing hoe he must have looked. ''I'm just a silly old man yelling to a phone box. It's really nothing interesting to look at.''
''But it isn't something you don't get to see every day,'' a male voice said as a man with brown hair and a stumble goatee walked up accompanied by young girl. ''Hello, Doctor. It has been a long time.''
The Doctor lowered his sunglasses on his nose to get a better look at the father and daughter.
''I'm sorry,'' the Doctor said looking at the two, ''have we met before?''
''Well, the first time you saved me from wandering on a desert,'' the father said speaking about something the Doctor had not bothered to remember, along with other thing he had allowed himself to forget over his 2000-year long life. ''You had a black hair with noticeable chin, and you also wore a bowtie. Last time we saw, you saved me and 12 other versions of me.''
''Doesn't ring a bell,'' the Doctor said denying everything and turned back towards the TARDIS. ''I was already leaving as-''
THONK!
A bat shaped shuriken flew to the side of the TARDIS. It was familiar enough for the Doctor to take it out of her and look at it long enough to realize he had been duped to reveal he had been pretending.
''Fine, Bruce. I remember you,'' the Doctor said walking back to the father and daughter, handing back the batarang. ''And young Huntress.''
''Her name is Helena,'' Bruce said as the Doctor had squatted down to Helena's height.
''Not according to her,'' the Doctor said putting his sunglasses on the young girl's face before rising back to his own height. ''So, anything interesting happened that would attract the TARDIS' attention?''
''Not that we'd know,'' Bruce said scratching his goatee. ''We were close by and heard the TARDIS materializing and came to find you.''
''Hmm,'' the Doctor hummed grabbing his sunglasses back from Helena and took another look at their surroundings. ''Suppose I need to stick around for whatever it is.''
''Is Clara coming along too?'' Bruce said nodding his head at the TARDIS.
''Clara? My Clara,'' the Doctor said with an absent look. ''My Impossible Girl Clara… she's not traveling with me anymore, sorry.''
Bruce looked at the Doctor for a while before patting him on the back and lead him to walk down to hill with him and Helena.
''Come on, Selina, Kairi and Sora would probably love to see you again too.''
As they walked away from the TARDIS, four glowing signs manifested on the ground near them. From the first one raised a large figure whose glowing dimmed as he walked forward to see where he was.
''Esto ya no es Gotham,'' the large figure said another figure raised from another sign on the ground. ''Payaso! Que hiciste!?''
''We are not him,'' the second figure growled at the first one, flipped a coin and looked behind himself at the last two signs. ''There he comes, along with that bitch!''
Third sign let out it's figure which walked out past the first two with his arms spread and inhaling the sea air. Fourth and last one didn't move up to join the first three. She backed out to separate herself as the third figure opened his mouth in a wide gleeful grin and let out his excitement in laughter.
''Haa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, HAAAAAAA!''
Author's notes: This won't be long, it will be more like a five comic book issues long miniseries, which should count up to an episode of Doctor Who as well.