Well, I know I've been gone for a good long while, and there is a reason for that. It is called "college", and it is the new bane of my existence.

Sadly, it has, and continues to, take up vast amouts of my time. Fear not, my unwritten-as-of-yet story, The Lions' Den- Redux is still a work in progress, and I have no intention of abandoning it, but I will have to wait until school is not such a priority. That most likely means you will get something this summer or the next, but I won't start posting until I have the whole thing written.

The challenge of this chapter is the challenge of all the chapters: that is, I want you to list, in order, the challenge of each chapter and its answer. If no one got the answer, you list no answer.
On that note, I will be changing the clue to Plan C, since no one got it anyway and it would make the challenge easier. The winner of this chapter's challenge will have this chapter dedicated to him/her.

Right here - This chapter is dedicated to:

I would also like to that everyone who stayed with this story, all the reviewers, Daisyjane, my Wonderful sometimes-beta, anyone who requested chapters, and yes, even you lurkers. Thank you all.

Finally, I know that no one requested this chapter, but that's because I've had it sitting unfinished on my computer for ages now- before I even started Enchilada. In fact, it was this little drabble- though I only just today came up with a fitting end- that inspired me to start this series in the first place. I thought it would be a little fitting that I end with it.

At that, yes, this shall be the final chapter, the very end, my Parting Words...


Clark Kent

Ollie Queen

Jason Blood

Dick Grayson

Tim Wayne

Jim Gordon

A journalist, a millionare, a knight, an acrobat, a college student, and the police commisioner. Most of them were costumed superheros. All of them fought for something they believed in.

The six men had one thing in common tonight: they would be the pallbearers at the Batman's funeral.

He had asked, in his will, for them to take the responsibility. They had all sorrowfully accepted.

The funeral began at twilight and went into the night, when it seemed most fitting. Every member of his 'family' was there, the Justice League was there, the entire Gotham P.D. was there, the Titans, the Outsiders, several solo heros, and suprisingly, some known villans like Riddler and Harley Quinn were there. Every one of them had dressed in black. Every one held a candle. Flags flew at half mast on no official order...

In the front row sat Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl, Catwoman, Commisioner Gordon and his daugher, Barbara, Zatana, an older gentleman who no one seemed to recognize or question, the pallbearers- people who were closest to the Batman.

There had been little dispute about who would give the eulogy. None of his adopted children trusted their own voices to be steady to speak. Gordon claimed too little knowledge of the man's actual life. Selina was too angry, Zatana too withdrawn, and Alfred, for all that he wanted to, could not go up in front of thousands of people and expect to go unrecognised. Magical enchantments simply did not protect that far.

Superman slowly made his way up to the podium. The mourners fell silent, still not quite use to the costume he had donned for the funeral. The black suit and cape, and the yellow bat underdeath his Kryptonian crest, was an homage that he had worn for the past week. Almost every one of the heroes present had altered their regular suits in the Batman's honor, promissing to wear them untill he had been laid to rest. A silent respect. One he could appreciate.

"First of all, thank you all for coming here toninght," he began, just as he had rehersed, "We are all here to mourn the death of a great hero. This has been a difficult ordeal for all of us. The Batman was... he was..."

He stopped and shook his head, deciding that this was not a job for Superman. Superman was confident and idealistic and to be honest, just a bit too preachy. No, this was somthing he needed to do as Clark. Clark was the one who wanted to give the truth. Clark was humble and genuine. Clark was Bruce's friend.

"No- sorry. Let me start over. I came here today with a speach planned out, and it was safe and eloquent and it really didn't say anything that mattered at all. Batman would've hated it and if he were here, he would have told me exactly how stupid he thought it sounded." he smiled softly.

There were stares and some of the crowd exchanged curious glances, wondering just what caused this noticable and immediate change in Superman. This wasn't the way he normally talked to them, he wasn't standing the same, and he had suddenly adopted a habit of reaching for the bridge of his nose.

"He was like that: no time for anything that didn't matter. Blunt and to the point. He never bothered to sugar-coat anything so you got the truth full force- and sometimes it hurt."

At that point he paused and took a breath, as if preparing himself to do something difficult.

"When one of the League's enemies came and asked us for help, I basically told them that their planet could blow up for all I cared. Batman- he told me to get over myself- I think his exact words were- heh- 'cry me a river'."

"He told me that we didn't get to pick and choose who was worth saving- that we made a promiss to help people, and we didn't get to make exceptions because we didn't like someone...
I was so angry with him. He was being all high-and-mighty, and he was *wrong*, and he wasn't *listening to me*. God, thinking back on it now, I realise how much I sounded like a whiny toddler at the time."

"I was a jerk to him for the next several days. I ended up breaking his shoulder, and even then he still had to literally drag me off a meteor about five seconds before it went nuclear, and I thanked him for saving my life by spending the next two weeks blatantly ingnoring him. When I finally started feeling guilty, and went to apologise, he told me all was forgiven."

"God," he started laughing, "he even made a joke out of it. Said, 'To err is human, afterall'. But that's just how he was, all of his life. Always doing the right thing, never giving up, on the world, on himself, or on his friends."

"I'll admit, sometimes he could be a downright pain. He was stubborn, disagreeable, pesimistic, sarcastic, and just plain cinical. He got on the wrong side of a lot of people that way. But I have no doubt in my mind, what every single one of those people wouldn't do to have him back."

He paused to adjust glasses he wasn't wearing, and stared at his boots for a long moment before going on.

"He was a great man. He had a family, loved ones, friends... I will miss Batman. The Justice league will miss him. Gotham will miss him,"

Then Clark steeled himself, and looked into the eyes of the crowd with unparalled conviction.

"But we will never forget him."

fin