Authors note: This is not a sequel to my first Batman and Batgirl story. This takes place after the events of "Batman: The killing Joke".

Chapter 1

Batman had lost it. Finally he snapped. He couldn't take it anymore. All it took was one last bad joke for him to do it. His hated enemy, the Joker, had finally took him to the edge of the abyss.

As he shared a laugh with his enemy, Batman wrapped his hands around the Joker's throat. The Joker's laugh turned into gasps for air. For the first time in his life, he was truly afraid. Even though he still had a smile on his face, he was afraid of death as it approached him. Batman's laugh was saying it all. He didn't care about his rule anymore. He just wanted this criminal dead. He was done with him.

Batman continued laughing until he completely squeezed the life out of the Joker. He then dropped his lifeless corpse to the ground. That sick smile still lay on the dead clown's face. Batman was no longer laughing. The twisted smile that laid on his face as he strangled him was now replaced with a stone cold face of hate. Hate for the many times the Joker hurt him, and hate for himself for breaking his own rule.

Jim was with Barbra in the hospital when he got the report that the Joker was found dead. The marks on his neck indicated his was strangled to death. Everyone kept arguing if Batman did it or not. Some believed he finally broke and finished him, while others refused to believe he couldn't do it. They wanted to blame it on someone else, anything else. But deep down they knew it had to be Batman.f

Jim was somewhat thankful. The man that tortured him and his daughter was now burning in hell. He completely scarred Jim and Barbra's lives forever. Jim wasn't going to forget the images the Joker showed him. Barbra also wasn't going to forget what the Joker did to her. Not only that but she wasn't ever going to walk again.

When she heard the news she broke down in tears. Jim thought it was because of all of the grief from everything that happened. He had no idea of Barbra and Batman's history. That's the real reason she was crying. It was because of Bruce. She was crying because he lost it. He broke his rule because of what happened to her. She was blaming herself for Batman doing what he did.

Later that night Bruce showed up at the hospital. Barbra laid there unable to sleep. The night before when he visited her, she had a neck brace on and her head was wrapped up. But tonight the brace was off as were the bandages on her head.

Batman looked at her beautiful face. The face he always felt guilty for being attracted to. That night on the rooftop, when he made tender love to her, was a night they both could never forget. Bruce still had feelings for her, as did she, but they knew they couldn't act on those feelings.

Bruce made his way over to her. She could hear Bruce come in even though he was being very quiet.

"Bruce." She sternly said.

"Barbra." He said ever so softly. She wouldn't have even heard him say it, if it wasn't for his training.

"I heard what you did. Why? Why, did you allow him to break you."

He knelled down beside her bed. He held his hand in hers. "Because of what he did to Jim. What he did to you. I offered him a chance. A chance to try and make amends for his crimes. He didn't know that what i was really offering one last chance. One last chance to prevent me from killing him. He told me one last bad joke and i was done with him."

"You only gave him the victory he always wanted. To bring you down to his level."

"I'm sorry Barbra. All i have done recently is fail you. You quit being Batgirl because of how horribly i treated you. I was unable to save you and Jim from the Joker. And now this. Tt just seems that i can't do anything right...Maybe Batman is no longer what's right for Gotham.

Barbra let out a sigh. "No Bruce. If you leave, another criminal, someone possibly worse will step up and take over. Gotham is going to need you now more than ever. With the Joker dead, there's going to be chaos as someone try's to step up and become the top criminal in the city."

Bruce nodded. "You're right. What am i going to do without you Barbra?"

A smile laid on her face after hearing him say that. "I've been thinking and i thought of a way i can still help you." He stared at her intrigued. Barbra explained how she could use her hacking skills and researching skill to help him while he was on missions.

In this moment Barbra Gordon explained to Batman how she could once again help him bring justice to Gotham. Only this time it wouldn't be a Batgirl. It would be as Oracle. Bruce couldn't help but love her idea. He knew he still needed her around. He stood up and was about to leave. But he couldn't just yet.

"Barbra." He said with his back turned to her.

"Yeah?" She asked.

He turned around bent over and placed a soft gentle kiss on her lips. She kissed him back tenderly. When she opened her eyes. He was gone. It felt so good for both of them to feel the same heat they did that night on the rooftop.

On Barbra's last day in the hospital, Jim was getting ready to take her out when a doctor entered the room. She was sitting down in a wheelchair, a chair she knew she was going to get well antiquated with.

"Excuse me? You're Miss Barbra Gordon right?" The Doctor asked.

"Who are you?" Jim asked.

"I'm Dr. Richard Johnson."

"Wait, your name is Dick Johnson?" Jim couldn't help but chuckled as he asked him. Barbra rolled her eyes as she lightly smacked her dad's leg.

"It's an unfortunate name, that's why i go by Richard. But if i may have just a second of your time. I have an offer i believe your daughter will very well be interested in."

"I don't think Barbra is..."

"I can speak for myself, dad." She snapped. "You were saying?" She asked the doctor. The doctor cracked a smile at her tenacity.

"You are a perfect candidate for a new experimental surgery. A surgery that can, well... You'll be able to walk again."

Barbra was in disbelief in what she was hearing. She had a chance to walk again. She was just beginning to accept the fact that she was never going to walk, but now there was a chance to fix that.

"What? How?" Jim asked.

"A Doctor in Star City has spent his entire adult life studying the spine. He now believes he has figured out a surgery to fix a damaged spine. There are many different types of spinal injury's that can lead to your daughters condition. She just so happens to have the one that this doctor believes he can fix. Well not him personally. But a special group of people he is training to perform this surgery."

"So you want her to be an experiment?" Jim asked with a hint of anger in his tone.

"Well, i guess you could call it that. But i have read his report on this and it truly is full proof. But it still is dangerous as she'll be one of the first to undergo this surgery. If you accept of course." He said holding out a clipboard.

Barbra quickly snatched it out of his hand.

"Wait, wait. Sweethart, are you sure? At least think about this."

Barbra took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Worst case scenario?" She asked.

"Losing movement from the neck down is possible if a mistake is made. Also possible brain death may occur if something goes wrong." Dr. Johnson informed her.

Barbra took a second to think about it. After thinking about it thoroughly, she signed her name on the paper.