Disclaimer: I don't own Batman Arkham Asylum/City. They belong to DC/Rocksteady/Warner Bros. WARNING: Contains major spoilers for Arkham City.

For a moment, Batman stared down at the lifeless body of the Joker. He had gone out laughing, coughing as the Titan formula in his blood killed him. It didn't have to be this way; he would have given Joker the antidote. Batman would never have allowed his arch nemesis to die. If only the Joker hadn't stabbed him.

Slowly, Batman knelled and picked up Joker's body, his entire body protesting. It had been a rough night, rougher than when he had put down Joker's take-over of the Asylum. Bruises and cuts covered his body, which screamed at him to get some treatment. He worked through his pain.

As he neared the exit to the theater, his only thought was I failed. Sure, the Joker was a maniac, a psychotic killer with no remorse who had been his greatest enemy. Sure, he had been responsible for hundreds, if not thousands of deaths over the years. Even so, Batman had done his best to save the Joker. To deliver the cure that Mr. Freeze had created, no matter what obstacles he faced.

Penguin, Two-Face, Solomon Grundy, Hugo Strange, Clayface; all had opposed him, all had been defeated. Even the immortal Ra's al Ghul, who was the mastermind behind Arkham City, had fallen. Granted, he took his own life. The Lazarus Pits had driven him insane, that much had been made clear in the ruins of Wonder City. Now, he was dead, as was his daughter, Talia; as was Ra's al Ghul's puppet, Hugo Strange.

The chorus of voices chanting "Joker" grew still as Batman exited the theater. The crowd parted and a shrill gasp was heard, followed by fierce sobbing. The Caped Crusader didn't need to look to see to know that the gasp and sobbing came from Harley Quinn. I failed him, Batman thought, I failed them all. Slowly, he made his way towards the main gate, his tattered cape bellowing behind him.

Eyes turned and hushed whispers broke out. Joker was dead. Out of respect for Joker or fear of Batman they stepped aside, glancing at the corpse in Batman's arms. He was aware they were watching him, the gang members. Two-Face's crew, Joker's crew, even the remnants of Penguin's crew had turned out. Some watched from behind rubble, others stepped out from the shadows and simply stared. Like a wildfire, news of Joker's death would quickly spread.

Red and blue lights flashed across his vision as the gates opened. He heard Gordon's exclamation as he strode towards the police car and gently laid the Joker's body across the hood. "What the hell happened in there?" Gordon asked. "Batman, what happened?"

A lump formed in the Dark Knight's throat as he walked away. Gordon followed for a moment, then stopped after realizing he wasn't going to get an answer. Batman raised his grappling hook and whispered, "I failed".