Your Turn

Batman always knew there would be something he couldn't overcome. And he has a backup plan for such an occasion.

Chapter Two

"What are we going to tell the press?" Riley asked Alfred.

Alfred rubbed his temples. "I'm not sure. But if it gets out that Batman is dead, and we don't report Bruce's death, we'll be in trouble. I for one, would not like to get on the bad side of Commissioner Gordon."

"I have to go talk to him. See if he'll keep Batman's death out of the paper. If the press finds out it was Bruce all along, Wayne Corp. is going to go under." Riley said and started towards the door.

"You can't tell him that you knew it was Bruce. They had a warrant out for Batman. If you reveal that you knew who Batman was, they'll arrest you for helping him." Alfred said grabbed her arm.

"He won't arrest me, Alfred. If he was going to do that, he would have arrested me at work." Riley said, pulling away and pulling on her jacket. "I'll be back later. And make sure you tell Lucius Fox." she added and headed out the door.

Gordon nodded to the officers he passed and entered his office. Closing the door behind him and tensed a bit. "Can I help you?" he asked, seeing that someone was standing with their back to him, looking out the window.

Riley turned around, her hands in her pockets. "I sure hope so."

"Ms. Susco. What brings you here?" Gordon asked, taking a seat at his desk and motioning for her to sit as well.

"I've come to ask for a favor." she said, sitting down.

"Which would be what?" Gordon asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

"I need you to keep the fact that Batman is dead out of the papers." she said and took a deep breath. "At least for a few months."

Gordon leaned back in his chair. "And why would I do that?"

Riley sighed and stood up. Walking over to the door, she made sure no one was out in the hall and locked the door, then walked over to the windows and closed the curtains. Gordon watched her curiously, wondering what she was up to. When she returned back to her seat, she crossed one leg over the other and clasped her hands together. He was suddenly reminded of when Bruce Wayne would visit his office to discuss donating money to MC.

She sat up straight and looked him in the eyes, knowing she could trust him if Bruce had trusted him. "If you announce his death at the same time as the man-behind-the-mask, Wayne Corp. will go under."

Gordon froze. Wayne Corp? He sat up and rested his arms on his desk, lowering his head. "Why would it go under?" he asked, needing to be 100% sure.

Trust him. Said the voice in her head. "Look at the man behind the mask, Commissioner. But please, don't let anyone know about it. You may be ready to learn who the Dark Knight is, but Gotham isn't. It may never be. Keep Batman's death a secret for a while. For the city's sake. " She said and stood up, leaving without another word.

Gordon stood with his hands in his pockets, staring at the large body cooler. He had made it clear that no one was to unmask The Dark Knight. And to make sure that didn't happen, he had placed a large lock on the cooler preserving the body until autopsy. Taking the key out of his pocket, he unlocked it, opened the door and pulled out the tray. Gordon pulled back the sheet, revealing Gotham's Dark Knight infamous mask.

Taking a deep breath, Gordon slowly began to peel back the cowl. Once it was off, he stepped back, dropping the mask in shock. Bruce Wayne lay motionless on the slab, the black paint around his eyes smeared from the removal of the mask. Covering his mouth with a hand, he leaned against the wall, using it for support. Bruce Wayne, Prince of Gotham, sole heir to the Wayne fortune, supporter of himself and Mayor Garcia, and the only reason MC was still up and running, was dead. Shot down by the people he tried so hard to protect, in both the light and dark.

Squeezing his eyes closed, he took a deep breath and pulled out his phone. Calling Stephens, the only officer on the force he completely trusted, he told him to meet him outside the morgue immediately. A few moments later, Gordon met Stephens outside in the hallway and rushed him into the morgue.

"Commissioner, what's going on?"

Gordon locked the door. "We need to move this body to another slab." Gordon said, pulling out Batman's slab again.

"Oh my god…is..is that who…who I think it is?" Stephens asked with wide eyes.

Gordon nodded. "Yes. We need to move him to a new slab. Give him a new toe tag and redo the paper work."

"But…what happened?" Stephens asked, still not looking away.

Gordon held up the mask. "We need to hide Batman's death for a few months." he said and grabbed a pair of medical gloves.

Stephens grabbed a pair and pulled them on. "What?"

Gordon looked at Stephens across Bruce's body. "If we announce Batman's death at the same time as Bruce's, everyone is going to figure out that Bruce Wayne was Batman and Wayne Corp. will go under. Now help me."

"Sir, what are we going to do when it comes time to bury?" Stephens asked as they carried Bruce's body to an empty slab.

"Bury him as Bruce Wayne. In a few months, we'll bury an empty casket as Batman. And with any luck, Batman's identity will remain hidden." Adding a new toe tag, they closed Bruce's slab and relocked Batman's. Gordon looked at Stephens. "Forever."

A/N: Let me know what you guys think :)