People Are Dying
Flashfic – takes a few lines from a movie clip of Dark Knight and puts an alternate ending on it.
"People are dying, Alfred. What would you have me do?"
"Endure, Master Wayne. Take it."
"I can't take any more of this. What if it had been Rachel that died? I can't…won't have her blood on my hands."
"She didn't die. She's fine."
"One of these days she won't be, Alfred. There'll come a time when I can't protect her – when I can't save her from people like the Joker."
"You can't save everyone, Master Wayne. You know that better than anyone. Your parents couldn't be saved and someday, you won't be able to save Rachel."
"I don't need to tell you that I don't need to hear I told you so." Bruce tried to smile and then sighed.
"What is it?"
"I love her, Alfred. I love her and I can't go near her. The minute I do, it means my anonymity will have been compromised. If anyone found out we were dating, they'd go after her and make me hurt. It's like handing her a death sentence. I can't ask her to take that risk. It's not fair to either one of us."
"Doesn't love count for something? She loves you, too. You know it as well as I do."
"If you know it, that means the whole town knows it. And that means that the Joker does too. Do you see what a mess I'm in?"
"Endure this too, Bruce. If she loves you as much as you think she does, she won't care about the risk. You need her – because some day I won't be here to watch out for you."
"The voice of reason aren't you?" He sighed and picked up the phone to call Rachel.
The End