This is the story of what would have happened to Bruce, Harvey, Rachel and the Joker had Harvey not stepped forward and saved the Batman from revealing his identity at the Press Conference. I realize this isn't a widely accepted type of fanfic because it admittedly isn't too much fun when people know who the Batman is, but I thought it would be challenging to basically rewrite the end of the movie and see where the characters end up. I hope you can look past the fact that this goes against all that is Batman and holy. I really really need to go to sleep, sooo this chapter is very short but here's a taste! Enjoy!

Bruce was surprised at how calm he felt. He was sure he would be shaking by now, sweating, something. But he supposed his reaction was only to be expected. He had worked so hard for so long at maintaining a perfect poker face that by now it had seeped past the exterior into his very core. His body oozed with confidence. Cool, calm, and collected: that was Mr. Wayne.

But this wasn't a fundraiser. This wasn't another multimillion dollar deal or a nightly encounter with armed criminals. This was much bigger than any of that. He was preparing himself for something that could potentially ruin his business, put Rachel and Alfred into harm's way, allow the Joker room to create even more chaos, and put himself behind bars for a majority of his life. And although he had steeled himself for this moment, he was still surprised to find that he was very much at ease with the decision. It was the right thing to do.

The conference room was bright and filled with people. Emotions were running high. Cameras flashed in Harvey's face and officers stood, shouting in anger and grief. It had been a long time since Bruce had seen anyone in the city this united over an issue, and although the circumstances were more than understandable and extremely grim, he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride that finally, finally people were starting to take an active role in making Gotham a safer place. Even if it meant the Batman had to turn himself in.

A woman standing close behind him spoke up. "You'd rather protect an outlawed vigilante, than the lives of citizens?"

The room broke out in cries of agreement. A moment of disorder reigned before Harvey's voice rose above the noise. "The Batman is an outlaw! But that's not why we're demanding he turn himself in, we're doing it because we're scared. We've been happy to let the Batman clean up our streets until now-"

"Things are worse than ever!"

Harvey sighed. "Yes, they are. But the night is darkest before the dawn…and I promise you, the dawn is coming. One day the Batman will have to answer to the laws he's broken but to us. Not to this madman."

Bruce was impressed. There was something about Harvey that he liked, a fire in his eyes, fervor to make better a city that many had long ago given up on. He was confident that he was leaving Gotham in capable hands. His speech alone seemed to spark trust in his heart, although Bruce might have just been flattered that Harvey held the Batman in such high esteem, he wasn't sure.

Many seemed to disagree with Dent's flattery, however, and shouting drowned out the rest of his sentence. A reporter stood up and raised his voice above the din. "The Batman has done more harm than good! As soon as one criminal is gone, another one comes along, worse than the last. We can't let more people die because one man won't come forward and face the consequences of his actions!"

"Yeah!"

"Turn him in!"

"No more dead cops!"

Harvey stared at the maddening crowd, all of whom were filled with passionate resentment, and decided he could no longer try to dissuade them.

"So be it. Take the Batman into custody."

An expectant hush fell across the crowd, the members eager and yet somewhat reluctant to finally know the identity of the man who had saved so many lives and caused so many deaths. Bruce hesitated for a moment, briefly envisioning a future that could be if he were to not go through with this. The Joker could be caught. The streets could be cleaned. Rachel and he could finally be together. Consciously blinking away these thoughts, Bruce Wayne made his decision and swiftly stepped away from his spot against the wall.

"I am the Batman."

Please review! Let me know what you think :)