The utter deadness of the room only lasted a few moments before Ras spoke, breaking the silence with his strong accented voice. "Detective," he offered casually, "I must say your presence here tonight is quite unexpected." He nodded slightly to Nightwing in greeting before turning his eyes to the youngest member of the trio, "and you also brought Robin. Wonderful."
As Ras gazed at Robin with calculating eyes, both Batman and Nightwing tensed as they realised that he was plotting something. "Good evening Ras." Batman answered in an equally casual tone but his voice held a slight tension as he watched Ras eye up his son.
"You know why I am here Ras," he continued, "this has gone on for long enough. Leave my city and these people in peace tonight and we will continue this discussion at a later time. There had already been enough death."
"And you know that I cannot agree to that, Detective." Ras responded instantly. "This scum will pay for their crimes against me and my legacy."
"DAMMIT RAS!" Batman shouted from his position in the center of the room, "Talia's death is not the fault of these people. Put aside your misguided hatred and accept the truth."
"Truth?! What truth? They may not have fired the shot which stole her life but they created the conditions in which she perished." Ras hissed. "You are just as responsible for her death in my eyes but I am willing to overlook it if you allow me this revenge which I am long overdue! Not only do you insult me by preventing my vengeance but you have the shame to bring my grandson to this place to fight for those who were responsible for his mothers death!"
Across the room, Edward's eyes shot up in surprise. So the latest Robin was the grandson of the great Ras Al Ghul himself and he had somehow sided with the Batman over his own grandfather. His brilliant mind was quick to put together the clues and he assessed that Batman must be the biological father with Talia being the biological mother.
Despite the gravity of the situation he felt himself smile slightly, he did love a scandal.
"Robin!" Ras continued to shout as he anger took hold of him, "You stand with a man who shares the responsibility of your mothers death. Leave him and join me now and I will see that you become the next Demon's Head after I am gone. Help me to destroy these people, who have slighted the great house of Al Ghul and we will burn this city to the ground and build on its ashes."
At the words, Nightwing let out a hiss of fury and he positioned himself to stand defensively in front of Robin until the Batman pulled him back slightly.
To his credit, Robin did not even flinch at the offer. "I have a great respect for you Grandfather and our family name but I will not side against the Batman and Nightwing to fight with you. From what I understand you brought my mother to Arkham City and if not for your interference in the affairs of this city she would not have been present here to die. You also hold responsibility." He concluded and took a step backwards to show that he had made his choice.
At the obvious rejection, Ras issued a bellow of rage and tore off his cape before leaping gracefully towards the Batman and engaging him solely in battle. At the movement the fighting broke out once again as the remaining assassins concentrated their attacks on Nightwing and Robin, having clearly assessed them as the largest threats.
A handful of the rogues gave Edward questioning looks as they looked for advice on how to proceed. Noticing the glances, Edward threw out his cane and pointed it at the battling Ras and Batman whom everyone was giving a wide berth, "RAS CAME HERE WITH THE INTENTION OF MURDERING YOU ALL! THE WORST THE BATMAN WILL DO IT JAIL YOU! SO TAKE YOUR PICK!" He paused to gather a breath before bellowing again, "CONTINUE THE ATTACK ON THE LEAGUE AND WHEN THEY ARE FINISHED WE CAN DEAL WITH THE BAT!"
Nodding their consent, the rogues jumped back into their various fights with renewed vigour as they fought alongside the three heroes in their uneasy alliance.
x-x-x-x-x
Selina smirked as she watched the Batman face off against Ras. If there was anyone in the room who could succeed at taking down the maniac then it was definitely him. Moving to the left she was instantly confronted by a duo of blade-wielding assassins. "Ahh." She hissed out. One was difficult enough, two would be almost impossible and she glanced around her to see if anyone around could offer support but she came up short.
Dropping into a fighting stance, she prepared to take on the duo but before she could land a single blow an inhumane screeching caused her to wince as Man-Bat descended from his position on the chandelier. Using his unnatural strength, he sunk his claws into the shoulders of one of the attackers and, flying high, shot out of one of the upper story windows. Grinning at the save, she sank back into her stance and leapt gracefully to attack the remaining assassin.
x-x-x-x-x
Bouncing about the ballroom with her natural grace, Harley was having a grand time as she used her mallet to smash any assassin who got too close. She had taken a sharp cut to the forearm but before she could fight off the assassin who had harmed her, he was attacked by some mutated vines which wrapped themselves around his legs as he was dragged off the battlefield. Harley grinned as she thought of her warrior girlfriend, Red somehow always knew when she needed help.
Spinning in place, she saw an assassin about to plunge their sword into someone's turned back and she brought her mallet down harshly, knocking them to the ground fully unconscious. The person she saved whirled around and Harley was surprised to see the blue and black figure. "Guess ya own me one now Birdwing!" She puffed up with pride.
Nightwing smiled and nodded his thanks to her, "Thank you Harley. Also, it's 'Nightwing'."
"Whatever Nighthawk." She giggled as she went to go check on Red.
x-x-x-x-x
Keeping his attention on the battle Edward was pleased to note that the assist from the Bat and his two spawn had definitely started to turn the tide in their favour. Everywhere he looked, assassins were being knocked unconscious or outright killed and he could not have been more proud. He wondered how Ras was doing now and he sought out the madman who must now be feeling the pressure.
He was surprised to find that Ras was already watching him from many meters away.
Locking eyes with Ras, Edward felt a cold thrill of danger as Ras started to approach him, ignoring everything else around him as he started to hunt down the genius. Glancing around to find the Batman whom he knew Ras had been fighting, Edward was disappointed to find that he was nowhere to be seen. His eyes fell on the fresh blood which was decorating Ras's ornate sword and he felt a stab of fear that Batman may have actually been defeated. If that were true, then they were all doomed.
Reaching the stairway, he started to back up the wide stairs until he found himself falling backwards as he tripped over a body which had been discarded carelessly. Grumbling as he righted himself, his complaints were instantly ceased as he looked at the fallen body.
His breath caught as Jervis Tetch's unseeing eyes gazed back up at him.
An absurd well of emotion rose up within him as he stared at the small pool of blood which was still leaking out from beneath the corpse of his on-again off-again friend.
Jervis did not deserve this. To be left here like a dead stray while the battle raged on around him. Leaning down, Edward pulled his eyelids down to give him what little decency he could in the current situation before he quickly started to continue his upward descent.
As he continued to climb, he wondered if Jon knew. Of all the rogues, Jervis was one of the very few which Jon shared a genuine sort of friendship with and Edward suspected that this loss would have quite an affect on his emotionally-stunted partner. Pushing his sadness to the side, he knew that he had to keep his mind on the fight at hand as he reached the upper balcony and away from the still advancing Ras.
Stepping out onto the outer balcony he took in a few precious gulps of fresh air as he tried to work out how he was going to escape this situation. The balcony itself was too high to jump from and such a cowardly action seemed somehow beneath him. He tightened his grip on his cane, his gun had been lost in an earlier encounter, since it was now his last and only line of defence. He inhaled deeply as Ras finally appeared at the entrance to the balcony.
Edward narrowed his eyes in thought, "Unless I am mistaken I can hear the Batman calling you from the main room. You should return and continue your battle with him."
"Still making jokes, even at the end," Ras said evenly, "the Detective and I will settle our disagreement on a different day."
So the Batman was alive, Edward felt a small burst of hope as he thought of Jon, Selina and the other remaining rogues. Even if he were finished, the Bat should be able to help them at least. "You can kill me if you wish Ras but we both know that I am not responsible for what happened that night."
Ras raised his sword and pointed it at Edward, "You and your kind stole a life from me and tonight I will steal it back." The sounds of the ongoing fight within the stronghold continued to break out from the open balcony doors and Edward strained to pick up any new cries or announcements. "You will also die for being a common thief. You slithered like a snake into one of my private spaces and stole from me one of my most precious assets, this alone was a death sentence for you."
"To be fair I did have a brain tumour," Edward smiled hollowly, "can we chalk my actions up to the slight misjudgement of a dying man?"
Ras shook his head, "You have been living on borrowed time then. How fitting that I am the one to bring it to an end." He lurched forward and Edward jumped to the side to avoid the swinging blade, only his injection from Ivy giving him the necessary reaction time to do so. In the same movement, Ras struck out with his foot and knocked him to the ground. Hitting the balcony floor hard, Edward was fully winded as he stared at Ras who was now lifting his sword to deal the killing blow.
Clamping his mouth shut in anticipation of the pain ahead, he was stunned when a black figure flew from over his head and tackled Ras harshly, forcing them both to slam into the stone barrier which surrounded the balcony to prevent people from falling to their deaths.
Scrambling to his feet, Edward was again stunned to see that the Batman now had Ras's throat clenched in his hand and his sword hanging loosely in his other hand. "IT'S OVER RAS!" Batman roared as he threw the stolen sword over the balcony, "YOUR PEOPLE ARE ALMOST FINISHED AND SO IS THIS FOOLISH PLAN!"
Edward felt a wave of relief sweep through his system. Batman has the advantage over Ras. He exhaled slightly at he realised that this was it, Ras was about to be defeated.
Ras snarled savagely, "Be that as it may, Detective," he grunted out through clenched teeth as his hand disappeared into his robe, "but i will not leave here empty handed."
All Edward saw was the flick of Ras's hand and a small flash of silver before he felt a searing pain in his stomach. Glancing down, he saw the small handle of the silver dagger protruding from his abdomen and he fell to his knees in shock.
x-x-x-x-x
Finishing off yet another attacker with his scythe, Jon was impressed with how well Ivy's serum seemed to impact on his stamina. He was barely breathless as he swung the blade around with ease, creating a comfortable space in which no one could enter without being slashed. His actions halted as his instincts suddenly started to tell him that something was wrong and he turned to locate Edward amongst the remaining fighters. He was nowhere to be seen and he felt a small panic start to bloom in his system.
His sharp gaze picked up on Ras advancing the far stairs and although he was unable to see exactly whom he was following his intuition was telling him that it was Edward. Using his long legs to his advantage, he started to weave among the ongoing battles as he attempted to catch up with Ras. Ducking under a blade, he continued his run, only being momentarily distracted by the Batman who swung over his head and landed many meters ahead. Following the Bat's path he arrived on the balcony just in time to see the small silver dagger fly from Ras's experienced hand and launch itself into Edward's clearly unprotected chest.
x-x-x-x-x
Having thrown the dagger, Ras pulled another from his pocket and slashed at the hand which was holding him in place. In pained surprise, Batman let go of the throat in his grip and shoved at Ras's body to keep the next attack away from him.
Unprepared for the push, Ras staggered for a moment before falling backwards against the stone which had been weakened by their earlier struggle. The stone made a loud creaking noise and before anyone could react the small section which Ras was leaning against crumbled under his weight and both the stone and Ras himself fell into the darkness below.
"NO!" Batman screeched and dove into the darkness after the falling man, leaving Jon and Edward alone on the balcony.
x-x-x-x-x
Still staring at the dagger in his stomach as though it were somehow offending him, Edward barely felt it when Jon grabbed him from behind and laid him out flat against the ground. He did not protest the move since the pain which was coursing through him would not allow him.
"Are you serious Edward?" Jon hissed furiously, his voice a little desperate as he inspected the dagger, "why did you not dodge out of the way?"
Edward coughed and the motion sent a new sharp bolt of pain through his system, "I must apologise Jon. I thought being stabbed in the stomach would be an excellent way to end my fight." He offered sarcastically before his voice lowered a notch in fear, "How bad is it?"
Jon watched the slowly growing patch of blood which was issuing from the wound with calculating eyes. Edward was losing too much blood, even with the dagger left in place. "It's not good," he confessed before continuing in a detached voice, "you are bleeding out too quickly, you will soon go into shock and your body will start to shut down."
"Oh joy." Edward muttered sarcastically as he pulled off his gloves with his teeth before placing his hand atop Jon's as it lay gently on his upper chest. "How is our army doing? Can you check please?"
Jon disappeared from his side and Edward concentrated on trying to keep his breathing steady and his heartbeat down in an attempt to delay his fate.
It took less than a minute for Jon to reappear as he knelt by Edward's side again, placing one hand against the pulse point in his neck and the other on his chest.
"We have won. With their master gone, what remains of the assassins are either fleeing or being taken out by the rogues and both Nightwing and Robin have disappeared to help Batman deal with Ras. Many of our people have fled too, afraid of being captured by the Bat should he return I think. That said, most of our closest allies still remain although I was unable to see exactly who."
Nodding at the information, Edward shuddered before speaking lowly with a slight hint of teasing, "Do I have time left for one final riddle?"
"If you insist?" Jon rolled his eyes in a poor attempt at humour, trying to put Edward at ease even as his heart clenched at the words. Edward had accepted his death it seemed and it filled Jon with a hollow feeling of helplessness.
"It caused the destruction of Troy, the worst of tragedies and numerous maladies, yet it is chased, desired and fought for: What is it?" Edward muttered seriously.
Jon chuckled despite the sadness in his eyes as he interpreted the answer, "You do not love me Edward. If you insist on making a deathbed confession at least try to be honest and avoid typical cliches. You are better than that."
"Maybe I don't love you," Edward admitted with a pained smile, "but I would if I could. We have been through a lot together Jon, and in total honesty, if I could love anyone it would be you." Slightly embarrassed by his words, he avoided Jon's eyes and went back to staring at the dagger.
"Do you remember that day in the kitchen after I almost killed you?" Jon asked suddenly, the mild desperation in his voice deepening, "When I told you that if you were to die I would not seek companionship with anyone else?" Edward looked up at him and nodded. "My words were true then and even now, facing the possibility of life alone, I still feel the same. If I could love, I would also choose you. Above everyone else." He tightened his grip on Edward's hand at the confession to emphasise the sincerity of his words.
"Fucking Ras Al Ghul," Edward hissed, his momentary rage overpowering his aversion to cursing, "I really do hate that man."
"He will get what is coming to him," Jon's eyes flashed as he thought of the man who was responsible for Edward's injury. Edward could see the utter darkness which was now being reflected in Jon's hateful eyes and he realised that whatever Jon was planning was unlikely to end well for him.
Lifting his arm slowly, Edward placed his open palm on the side of Jon's face to grab his attention, "Do you recall when I allowed you to willingly inject me with toxin?" He waited until he felt the nod of confirmation, "Do you also remember what you promised me that day?"
"A request," Jon answered instantly, "One request which I would have to follow no matter what."
"Given the situation I have decided to call in my one request, here and now." Edward felt his legs start to go numb and he spoke quickly. "Do not seek revenge for me. You will not attack Ras Al Ghul, challenge the League or do any other form of action which will place you deliberately on their radar. No crazed suicidal rampages. No revenge. That is my one request."
He could see the defiance in Jon's gaze as he prepared to argue the demand but his words were cut off as Edward felt his weakened hand slip from his face, unable to keep its grip.
"If that is what you want then I will do my best." Jon agreed softly as he grasped at Edward's hand, which was colder than he would have liked.
He was going to lose Edward.
The one person in this cesspit of a universe who had been able to worm their way through his considerable defences and still further into his actual affections, a feat which he had thought impossible. Edward was the one person who had seen his true face and chosen to remain with him despite the danger.
He had literally gone to war for the man beneath him and this is how he was being rewarded.
It was not fair.
He could not lose Edward now.
His throat tightened as he leaned down and placed his warm forehead against Edward's cool one, "You know I am a selfish man Edward," he started slowly, "but I want you to know that there are few things in this world I would not give up in exchange for you to stay with me now. The thought of returning to our apartment without you, of feeling your presence in there constantly and yet being unable to actually see or hear you, is unacceptable to me."
At the confession, Edward felt an odd wetness on his face and he realised that at some point during Jon's short speech he had shed a tear. How embarrassing, he mused. "Riddle me this," he started in preparation of making some witty response but he was cut off by a loud coughing fit which prevented him from speaking as white spots danced at the corners of his vision. Feeling the weakness in his body reach a new peak, he found himself unable to continue to fight off the darkness which was attempting to consume him.
As his vision faded to black, the last thing Edward heard was a series of hurried footsteps approaching the balcony and a small, pained moan, which sounded suspiciously like it came from Jon, and it made his heart clench just as his eyes closed fully and he fell into the welcoming darkness.