He had spent a couple of hours searching the area for Raven. She didn't seem that athletic or smart to him so he had thought finding her wouldn't be a problem. There was no way she could have called a cab or for help, he hadn't seen a cell phone on her, and there weren't that many places for her to hide. Not from him. He didn't think she could run fast enough to get out of this forgotten area either. If she had wanted to escape like this then why did she bother following him home in the first place? What kind of twisted game was she playing with him?

The first place The Joker had checked was the car they had come home in. He had to give her credit enough to think to use it as her get away, but the car sat in the same spot it had been in since he parked it. Wherever she was, he knew she couldn't be far. He would find her and he would quickly delight in killing her. Come out, come out, wherever you are…

As he continued searching around for her, his mind was filled with images of Raven - the light leaving her eyes as he kills her. He wanted to kill her so badly now that his fingers twitched and itched for his knives; hell even a gun would do. How dare she think she could get away from him? Who did she think she was? Nobody. She was nobody.

He was so angry he could hardly think of anything, but her death. He should have killed her when he had the chance. Why did he let her live? Now she was gone and with that everything he was planning now was at jeopardy. She could go to the cops and they'd come here for him. What if she'd already gone to them? No. He wouldn't let her ruin his plan. He needed this. Nobody was going to stop him.

The Joker made his way quickly back to the old house he had been calling home. With the sun setting behind him, he quickly climbed the metal fire escape. When he was at the door, he pounded on it roughly, absently biting the scars on the insides of his cheeks.

"B-boss?" Schiff's voice squeaked from the other side of the door. "Th-that you?"

He sighed, rolling his eyes. "No, it's Santy Claus here with a big bag full of goodies just for you."

As soon as the door clicked open he shoved it open all the way, knocking Schiff back into the wall. He slammed the door behind him and set off quickly for his bedroom. He grabbed an empty duffle bag and headed for the bathroom, throwing things haphazardly into the bag as he walked. When he came out of the bathroom, Schiff stood in the doorway of his bedroom, rubbing his forehead.

"D-did you f-find her? What's going on?"

The Joker threw a few more things into his bag and zipped it up. He grinned as he looked at Schiff who was still confused. "Don't, uh, don't need to worry about her. She's as good as dead wherever she is. But, ah, I can't stay here. Not safe."

Schiff nodded. "Ok, so where are you going to go now, b-boss?"

He pulled the strap of his bag over his shoulder and walked quickly across the room to Schiff. He roughly turned him around and started pushing him towards the door to the fire escape. "That's where you come into the big plan, Schiffy. I, ah, I do hope you've got somewhere to live because I'll need to stay with you for a few days. Y'know, just to lie low for a couple of days until dear old Harvey Dent's memorial on Friday."

Schiff swallowed the bile that had risen in his throat back as he remembered his brief time that night with Harvey Dent. "You're g-going to his f-funeral?"

The Joker opened the door and shoved Schiff out in front of him. "Not exactly. But, ah, what kind of horrible monster would I be if I didn't make some sort of an appearance, hm? I can't let Gotham down at a time like this, can I?"


Friday morning was a cloudy, cool day. Today was the day the survivors of Gotham would come together to mourn the loss of so many of its citizens as well as their former district attorney, Harvey Dent. Gotham had seen hope in him that they hadn't seen for years and had trusted him. It looked like their long since fallen city was finally about to rise above the crime, devastation, and corruption. Dent had proved himself to them by single-handedly managing to lock up over half of the mob in one fell swoop. Something even the police had failed to do for years. Even their own mysterious so-called vigilante Batman had failed at this.

The security and hope they gained hadn't lasted long. All it took was one man; one deranged clown with a crimson grin to bring Gotham screaming to its knees and begging for mercy. People were dying; some of them highly ranked public officials. Gotham was scared and they clung to the only person they thought could save them - Harvey Dent. They clung to him with their last hopes and breaths, while they turned a hateful, blaming finger at The Batman. Gotham didn't need a vigilante running around when it had a figure like Harvey Dent to trust. Besides, perhaps it was The Batman's fault in the first place that The Joker was even doing this.

It seemed simple enough. All The Joker seemed to ask for was for The Batman to reveal himself to him. All he had to do was take off his mask and Gotham could be rid of the psychotic clown. Their lives and safety had to mean more to him than hiding behind a mask. The citizens of Gotham pleaded for him to surrender himself and surrender himself he did. Gotham took another blow when Harvey Dent, their White Knight, had turned himself in as The Batman. Now what?

Of course, it had been a ruse. Harvey Dent, despite the views of the citizens of Gotham, believed in Batman being what they needed to defeat The Joker. He had turned himself in as Batman, blindly hoping the real Batman would come through. He did come through, but as a direct result even more people died at the hands of The Joker. He had even succeeded in nearly killing Harvey.

That became the final straw. The Joker had all but extinguished the flame in Gotham. The citizens were sent into chaos and panic again as they watched him blow up an entire hospital. They had nothing left to cling to in the darkness. As a final insult, thanks to The Batman, The Joker succeeded in killing at least five-hundred of its citizens and their last hope was dead.

Today those who still remained in Gotham would gather, whether in person or from the semi-safety of their own homes. They would join together in laying to rest Harvey Dent and in laying him to rest they would bury their hopes and dreams. They'd lost so much and there was nothing left to believe in; no hope to cling to. They would mourn for Harvey, for their loved ones, and for their city. All of this while knowing he was still out there. This wasn't the end. The Joker was still out there somewhere and any living person left in Gotham wasn't safe.

Straightening his tie, Jim Gordon glanced at the sullen faces of the crowd. Walking to the podium his eyes caught the enlarged picture of smiling Harvey Dent. He had believed in Dent along with the rest of Gotham, but The Joker had won in the end. He got to Dent and turned him into what he wasn't - a vengeful murderer. He'd seen it with his own eyes, but it was something the citizens of Gotham would never know. They couldn't. Even with him dead, they still needed to believe in the good and hope that he stood for. Even if this meant condemning the one man who was out there every night fighting to save Gotham; Batman.

He reached the podium and pulled out the wrinkled paper that he had scrawled his speech for today on and laid it out in front of him. He adjusted his black framed glasses and looked out at the crowd and cameras facing him.

"Harvey Dent was many things. He was a good district attorney, a good friend to many, and he was… a hero. Not the hero we deserved - the hero we needed. Nothing less than a knight. Shining…"

The audio to Gordon's microphone cut off and a high-pitched squeal was heard before a deep, loud laughter echoed from the speakers. Gordon watched as the faces of the crowd turned ghostly pale as sharp gasps escaped some of their mouths. No, damnit. Not now. Not today.

"Such a lovely speech, Commissioner. But, ah, not true. Y'see Dent wasn't what you people thought he was. In the end, y'see, he was, ha, he was quite two-faced. And look at you all mourning him like he was some kind of saint. How very, hm, pathetic."

Panic was starting to set in. People were starting to push each other, trying to get away. Screams were ringing out as Gordon and the rest of the police tried to take control of the situation.

Bruce Wayne sat in his chair, his fingers curled tightly around the sides of it. It was taking every bit of restraint for him to sit there and listen to the voice coming out of the speakers. He wanted desperately to get out of here as fast as possible and suit up. As Bruce Wayne he was useless, but as Batman he could do something to help. He could track The Joker down. He could end this. But he couldn't leave. Not yet.

The Joker's deep laughter echoed from the speakers again. "Now, now. Calm down. There's, ah, there's no need to panic. Not yet. See, I have a little bit of, uh, unfinished business tobtake care of with Batman. Now, all I ask is that, ah, he meets me at midnight tonight inside of the old warehouse by the west docks. Alone. Simple, isn't it?"

Bruce's eyes went from the panicked crowd as they stopped to listen and fell on the speakers. He clenched his jaw tight and swallowed, preparing himself for what came next.

"Now, if, ah, if Batman doesn't want to come out and play then I'm sorry to say that things get a little tricky for the fine people of Gotham. See, if, uh, if Batman doesn't show up by midnight… then every minute that goes by I will blow something up. I'm ready tonight to send this whole city into a fiery grave piece by piece. And, uh, I've already got it all set up so if I was you… well, I wouldn't try leaving. My fingers might accidentally start triggering things early if you do. See, we're all in this together, Gotham. Every last one of you, The Batman, and me. We're in this together until the very end. And that end is now up to all of you and, uh, most importantly Batman.

So, I believe that concludes everything that I have to say. May, uh, Harvey Dent rest in peace. As for the rest of you? Have a good day. Remember to laugh. It may be your last. And, uh, Batman? I'll see you at midnight or I'll see you in hell."

The screams and panic grew louder as Bruce stood, his yes still on the speakers. Another round of bone chilling laughter echoed from the speakers before the audio cut out again. He turned his head to see Gordon, sweat beads on his forehead, doing his best to calm the crowds with the rest of the police. It was in vain. The Joker had pulled the last thread that was holding Gotham together today. He was surrounded by pure chaos, hopelessness, and insanity.

He made his way through the crowds, gliding and pushing through them like an empty ghost. He had to get out of here. He had to take his true form. He had to be Batman. As Batman he was Gotham's last hope at putting the pieces back together. He was all that stood between the end of everything and The Joker. It all ended tonight; one way or another.


AUTHOR'S NOTES -

Yeah, wow. I could sit here and make excuse after excuse for what took so long to update this story, but I don't want to bore you all with all the details. I'll just apologize for taking so long to update.

Thank you to all of you who are still reading, have read, and are maybe just now reading. I appreciate all of you. Whether you're reviewing or not - I'm just glad you're reading (especially after my hiatus). I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I can promise you it won't take too long to get the next chapter posted. I know this because I have a good portion of the next chapter already finished. : ) And other than an epilogue this next chapter will be the end of this story. And it's an end that I know should have come a long time ago, but sometimes life has a funny way of throwing you curve balls and then when life isn't throwing you punches, well, sometimes other ideas creep on you and demand to be written. But I finish everything. I promise.

Thanks again for reading and hope you enjoyed!

Much Love,
foxotr