A/N: Greetings from 30000ft in the air. Currently writing this on a plane as a way to pass the time.
This chapter is for my newest reviewer, katechoco
To pick up where we left off, Olivia is very angry with Bruce, he's planning on turning himself in, and Alex is headed to the penthouse. Penguin is up to no good as always, and the Joker, who knows what he's up to.
Just remember, I'm changing the underlying emotional dynamic of TDK in order to fit with the plotline. Hope it works for you guys.
Disclaimer: Please Dick and Chris, can I have them please?
Review!
Chapter 14: Martyr
Riding the elevator toward the penthouse, Bruce leaned on the side of the elevator, a tear flowing down his cheek. The scion of the powerful and incorruptible Wayne Family was normally as tough as steel, but it wasn't every day that he felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest.
Sighing, he reminisced about his fight with Olivia earlier that evening after talking to Harvey Dent:
Olivia stripped off her suit, dropping it on the floor of the HQ with a thud, her face contorted in a snarl. He had never seen her so mad, not even with one of her child molestation cases. "Liv, please, talk to me."
"What is there to talk about?" she hissed, the venom practically oozing out of her voice. "You are breaking your promise to me and destroying your life for nothing. NOTHING!" The word echoed through the cavernous HQ.
Running a hand through his hair, clad in nothing but a t-shirt and tight-fit pants, Bruce's heart broke at the hidden sorrow beneath all the anger in his best friend. She might have been able to hide her emotions from most people, but he saw right through them. "I can't let more people die because of me. The Joker wants one of us, so let me give him what he wants so that some hardworking father can live."
"If you think the Joker will stop there you're as nuts as he is! Criminals like that don't just stop Bruce, it isn't in their nature."
"If I save just one person then it would have been worth it Liv."
Biting her lip as if trying to suppress a statement, she shut her eyes tight to prevent the tears welling in them from escaping. "Damn you Wayne," she said softly. "Why do you have to be so fucking selfless?"
"I do because my life is worth nothing. I have nothing to live for besides this."
Eyes wide, Olivia looked up with an expression of pure hurt on her face. "How can you say that? HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?" she thundered, her anger returning. 'How dare he say that!' "What about the people who care about you?"
"Alfred and Alex are better off without me Olivia. I've caused them nothing but grief." He looked away, not bearing to see Olivia's face. IT was true, but he cared about her too much to see her hurt.
"They love you Bruce. They would never want you to destroy your life." She saw him shuffle his feet, barely holding it together. Even now, when he was being so stupid, she didn't want to hurt him but had to ask. "What about me?" He looked into her eyes, a look of shame. 'Shame? What could you be ashamed of?'
"It's the same with you Liv, only more so. I've put at risk and I shouldn't have done that."
"I knew the risks when I asked you to join. You have no blame at all."
"No Liv, I've held you back from anything that could make you happy. You deserve a life, a family. You don't deserve a broken shell of a man like me."
"How could you possibly think that? I, I, I," she wanted to say it, but couldn't. For some reason she just couldn't. "I care about you," Olivia finally stammered. "You are my best friend. There is nothing I wouldn't do for you."
"It goes both ways Liv, and that's why I have to do this. You deserve a life and I'm giving it to you. If there's just a chance the Joker will stop hunting you then I'll take it. That's how much you mean to me."
The tears were threatening to fall now; he cared about her this much, so much as he was willing to destroy his life. It was all too much for her to take. 'But he loves Alex.' Her mother's voice rang in her head. 'You are nothing! No one will ever love the whorish spawn of a pervert! You are worthless trash and will always be treated as worthless trash!' No, she would not cry in front of him. Not after this, never after this. "I can't do this." Olivia turned around in one last attempt. "Please don't do this Bruce."
"I have to."
The words exchanged felt like it was being done in front of him. Deep down, despite his selflessness he knew that he was sacrificing himself to save Olivia, no one else. When it came down to it, she was all that mattered; he now knew that Alfred was right about his feelings. 'Is it love?' He shook his head in frustration. He just didn't know, but he could never act upon it. Olivia didn't love him back, and she didn't deserve him either. There was just no way.
With a ding, the elevator reached the private penthouse floor, accessible only to those with a key or permission from an occupant. Inside, standing by the window, was Alex. Although Bruce was emotionally and mentally exhausted from fighting with Olivia and physically exhausted from fighting with Penguin, he knew that this was a conversation he had to have. Taking a deep breath, he walked over to her.
"Hey," she whispered. "Harvey just called. He said the Batman was willing to turn himself in alone to the Joker."
"I have enough blood on my hands Alex. I don't want to have more or to have any spill onto Olivia."
"Do you seriously think the Joker will stop?" she inquired, keeping her tone soft. Alex could tell that Olivia had already given him a browbeating, and knew the best way to get answers of her own was to be gentle.
"Not especially, but I know what I'd have to be and what Olivia would have to be in order to stop men like him, and it scares me. If this is the only chance to save Liv and the people of Gotham from this madman and the terror he brings to all then I will take the risk." He sifted his gaze from her to the skyline, willing himself to ask the question he needed to ask. "Right after the Narrows Riots, when you said that we could be together when Gotham no longer needed Batman, did you mean it?" Honestly, he hoped she said no; she deserved more than him just like Olivia did, and if what he felt for Olivia was love then it was an evil act to string Alex along. If she meant it though, then he couldn't break her heart; it wasn't him.
Alex looked into his eyes, seeing the pain in them. She still wasn't sure; she loved Bruce but seemed to be falling in love with Harvey, but couldn't let this man suffer. He needed to know love from someone, and she was willing to bite the bullet until the day came when he found it somewhere else. "I did mean it Bruce."
Looking at her, he stepped forward and took her lips in a tender kiss, all the while wishing it were Olivia. She didn't love him though, he was sure of it, and he couldn't bear the thought of breaking Alex's heart. Ending the kiss, he strode off to bed, his mind a jumbled mess.
Alex's mind was going haywire as well. 'Did I do the right thing?'
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The jet black Lincoln towncar swerved into the unmarked warehouse. A guard opening the door for him, Penguin hobbled out, a bit winded from his fight with Batman. No one expected him to be good at hand-to-had combat, and that was his advantage in everything; he could fly under the radar as some freak, and no one was the wiser to his true intentions. "They're all fools," he muttered to himself, waddling into the warehouse.
"Evening Mr. Cobblepot sir," said the manager, a man who Penguin was fond of.
Now though, he was in no mood for pleasantries. "Cut the fucking greetings Jim. Has it come in yet?"
The manager beamed, motioning to a large container in the center of the room. "She just arrived this afternoon, straight from Sevastopol. You must have quite the pull in Russia."
"Well, let's just say that Aleksayev and Bushido will do anything to stay out of jail, Waugh, Waugh, Waugh." He snapped his fingers to the guards, motioning for them to open the doors. Doing so, he grinned at the sight inside; it may have been obsolete in its original function, but it would do nicely for the clown's plan. "Excellent; the Joker will be pleased, as am I.
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The bright expanse of the HQ seemed chillingly empty to Bruce for the first time since setting it up, even though they had only used about a tenth of the available space. As he packed away his and Olivia's armor and gear, he realized it was because Liv wasn't there anymore. Though she had never realized it, Bruce knew that his best friend always managed to lighten up even the darkest moods (unless she was in Badass Benson mode, in which case all bets were off). Remembering the pain on her face, he felt a stirring of guilt within himself. 'No Bruce, this is to protect her. If that psychopath gets one of us, it should be me.'
"Should I burn the logs as well sir?" asked Alfred, in the middle of tossing files into a massive furnace which would heat them to a fine ash.
"Yes, all of it. Get rid of anything that could lead back to Olivia, Alex, or Lucius. They don't deserve to suffer for my mistakes, especially Liv."
"Understood sir," said Alfred with a disappointed edge in his voice, something that wasn't unnoticed by Bruce.
"People are dying Alfred," he stated rather pleadingly, trying to make his surrogate father understand. "What would you have me do? It's either Olivia or me."
"There's a third option here Master Bruce, you can endure. Don't give in to this outlaw and neither should Olivia. Both of you should hold the line; stay firm against the inevitable storm. The people will hate you for it, but that's the point of Batman and Batgirl. They can be the outcasts, the dark antiheroes, and the ones society shuns but needs. That gives you two freedom to make the choice that no one else can make, the right choice. You think there's a false dichotomy between sacrificing yourself and sacrificing Olivia, but you're wrong. Find the Joker together and break the walls he had imprisoned you with."
"I'm sorry Alfred; today, I realized what Batman can't do. He can't endure this, watching as innocent citizens die and the ones I care about suffer because of my faults. Today, I guess you can say I told you so," he finished with a sad smile.
It took all of Alfred's inner strength to keep himself together. "Well today Master Wayne, I don't want to." Smiling and patting his ward on the back, the two men walked toward the vehicle lift that would take them to the surface. "But I did bloody tell you."
"You did Alfred, you did."
"I suppose they'll lock me up too sir, for being your accomplice and all."
"Are you kidding? I'm going to tell them that this whole thing was your idea."
"In that case, at least tell Miss Olivia not to put the handcuffs too tight. These wrists aren't what they used to be." Bruce chuckled at that.
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Staggering into the penthouse, Olivia looked like hell. She hadn't put on any makeup that morning, and her eyes were bloodshot from the crying and the booze she had guzzled to try and forget the pain and anguish from last night. 'Why Benson? Why couldn't you tell him you love him? He might have abandoned this ridiculous plan.'
"Olivia? My God you look awful." Olivia looked up to see the reason of her hedging last night, her cousin and the woman Bruce was in love with, Alex.
"Trust me, I've been through worse." She smiled weakly, knowing it was a lie. The truth was, she had never felt worse in her entire life, even when she found out Bruce was missing ten years ago. "So I take it Bruce told you about the subject of today's joint press conference?" The media had been briefed beforehand of the DA's Office and MCU's plan to let the Batman turn himself in at One Police Plaza at three PM, where Lt. Benson would make the arrest.
Alex grimaced, knowing how sensitive the subject was to Olivia and wishing to avoid it. "Yes he did. Are you planning to go to the conference?"
"Well, when your boyfriend," she stressed the last word, "Asked me to be there, how was I to say no?" The dripping sarcasm and anger in her voice didn't bother her one bit. She was pissed at everyone, and beyond having to give a damn about how they thought of her.
Sighing, Alex stepped up to her cousin and gave her a hug, knowing that Olivia needed comfort more than she did (Bruce was in fact her best friend; no one denied the bond those two shared). The truth was, Alex hadn't slept either the entire night, agonizing over the decision she made last night. It tore at her conscience knowing that she wasn't entirely truthful to Bruce, knowing that while she did mean that she and he could be together before, now it might not be true. The entrance of the suave, dashing, and principled Harvey Dent changed everything, and Alex was sure that she loved him as well. Only the thought that it spared Bruce pain allowed her to keep her resolve. "It's ok Olivia, let it all out."
Not able to contain herself any longer, the usually proud Olivia Benson burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably in her cousin's arms. "Why does he have to do this? Doesn't he care about his loved ones or his friends?"
"He cares Liv, but Bruce knows that the lives of the innocents matter more. He's being selfless."
"No Alex, he's being completely and utterly selfish!" she spat, the rage in her voice muffled by Alex's shirt and the still raking sobs. "He has to know what he's doing to the people who love him, what he's doing to me…"
Alex's eyes widened in shock, completely stunned at that declaration. From Olivia's panicked gasp and her wrenching out of Alex's hug, she was petrified she said it too. "Liv. Are you in love with Bruce?"
The career police officer, cornered in a situation she was terrified to experience, bit her lip and gazed at the floor. "No, of course not," she said hesitantly.
The EADA wasn't buying it for a second. "Don't lie to me Olivia. Tell me the truth."
"I, I, I can't," Olivia stammered before turning and fleeing the penthouse before Alex could stop her.
Still stunned by her cousin's revelation, Alex collapsed on the couch. "Shit," she whispered, knowing this complicated an already fucked-up situation. 'Or did it?' Now that she thought about it, it made sense now why Olivia couldn't make a relationship work. It wasn't anything she was, but that her heart already belonged to another man, Bruce Wayne. Thinking back to last night, it was now obvious to Alex that Bruce loved Olivia as well, but those two fools were too stubborn to admit it. She should know, they grew up together.
It was now apparent that her original plan was the completely wrong thing to do. There could be nothing but terrible repercussions if she allowed herself to string Bruce along any more. She knew now that though she loved her friend, she was in love with Harvey and no one else. Though Bruce would have been devastated and broken if he did in fact love her, Alex knew that he loved Olivia instead and probably was denying it to protect her and thinking that Liv didn't deserve him (he had always had a bit of an inferiority complex ever since Skinner killed his parents). Everything was fucked up but Alex knew she had to fix it. Walking into Bruce's study, she grabbed a pen and paper and began to write a letter, knowing it was best to tell her friend on paper rather than in person.
Dear Bruce…
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"Good Afternoon Mr. Wayne."
Bruce, leaning back against one of the square columns of One Police Plaza, was jarred out of his thoughts. He turned his head to see the smiling redhead glancing at him. "Miss, uh, Novak right?"
"Yes Mr. Wayne, what are you doing here though? You aren't a reporter, a cop, or a city official. Why would you have an interest in being here in person rather than just watching it on TV?"
"You are very perceptive Miss Novak; I'm here for the same reason you are."
The redheaded philanthropist smirked. "And what do you suspect are my motives?"
"Protecting your investment, same as me. We both donated to Harvey's campaign and want to see our donations not go down the drain in case he does something."
"You think the great White Knight will try something silly?"
"He's more of an idealist than a politician, so it's not a fair assessment."
"Point taken Mr. Wayne, but no; I'm here because I'm genuinely curious as to who the Batman is, and if he is willing to turn himself in."
Bruce's gaze never left the stage as Harvey and Olivia walked in. "I think he will."
Casey's eyebrow raised up. 'And how do you possibly know that?" she asked genuinely.
"I've been told I'm very perceptive, as have you." Noticing Casey didn't respond, his eyes shifted to Olivia, who was doing quite a good job of being stoic, but Bruce could see right through her. Despite the anguish he felt at seeing the woman he may have loved in pain, he reminded himself both that she couldn't have loved him back that way, and that he was doing this for her.
"Ladies and gentlemen," began Harvey, cutting off all conversation in the room. "Welcome to 1PP and thank you for coming. I called this press conference for two reasons. First is, to assure you and the public that Major Crimes and the District Attorney's office is doing all in their power to respond to and end the Joker Killings." The scoffs and eye rolling coming from the audience belied their doubt and skepticism. Taking a deep breath, Harvey continued, "Secondly, I want to announce that the Batman is willing to accept the Joker's offer and turn himself in, but let's think about this for a moment." Both Bruce and Olivia raised an eyebrow, looking at each other, having a conversation with their eyes.
"What is Harvey doing?"
"I have no idea Bruce."
"Do we really want to be seen giving in to this terrorist's demands? Wouldn't this invite every nut and psychopath to kill publicly in order to receive something from the government?"
"Are you saying that you would protect outlaw vigilantes over the lives of citizens?" asked a reporter from CNN. A chorus of clapping showed the crowd was on her side.
"I agree, the Batman and Batgirl are outlaws, but that's not why we want one of them to turn themselves in. We are doing it now not for reasons of law and justice but rather out of fear. We have been happy to let them clean up our streets until now…"
"Things are worse than ever!" shouted another reporter.
"The night is always darkest just before the dawn. One day, the Batman and Batgirl will answer for what they've done, but on our terms, not the Joker's."
The room was quiet for a moment, letting the words sink in. For a moment, Olivia thought that Harvey's speech swayed the crowd. "No more dead cops!" chorused a protective uniformed detail.
"He should turn himself in!" cried anther reporter.
Harvey, his jaw tensing, nodded and stepped away from the lectern. "Ok then." He turned toward Olivia. "Lieutenant, take the Batman into custody." All were a bit confused, none more than Bruce and Olivia. Sensing the mood, Harvey turned to once again face the crowd. "I'm the Batman." The media uproar was instantaneous as Olivia, completely confused yet relieved by all of this, cuffed the DA.
"Mr. Dent, is this a ploy?"
"What motivated you to put on the cape?"
"Who is Batgirl?"
"I did not expect that," said Casey. "What is his plan?"
Bruce took a moment to collect himself before looking at the philanthropist. "You don't think he's telling the truth."
"Dent as Batman, I don't see it. Whoever the caped crusaders are, they should thank the DA for this."
Looking at Olivia, who was leading Dent away, Bruce was determined now to get the Joker once and for all.
Olivia smiled, seeing the fire in Bruce's eye. Her friend the Batman was back.
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"Alfred," shouted Alex, slinging her handbag over her shoulder.
"Miss Cabot," replied the butler, stopping what he was doing. "I take it you saw the press conference."
"Why did Bruce and Olivia let Harvey do this?" she asked angrily. She loved Harvey and didn't want him hurt even if it was the right thing to do.
"Perhaps Master Wayne, Miss Olivia, and Mr. Dent realized that Batman and Batgirl are more than just masks, able to be manipulated at the whims of a terrorist Miss Cabot, even if the world hates them for it." Though he wished the two people he considered his children would try and find a life beyond their personas, he was proud of them. "They're not being heroes, but something more."
"Yes," replied Alex sarcastically, "Letting Harvey take the fall is not heroic at all." Inwardly sighing, Alex knew she wasn't really mad at Bruce and Olivia. Deep down she knew they'd find a way to save the day as always. Her anger was with Harvey, for risking his life before she had the chance to give him the answer to his question. Alfred however, didn't realize any of this (A/N: Very important; remember). "You know them better than anyone besides the other. Will you please give Bruce this for me," she handed Alfred an envelope "When the time is right."
"How will I know?"
"Don't worry, it's unsealed; you'll know the right time. Goodbye Alfred." Alex hugged him and left to confront her boyfriend.
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Alex burst into the bullpen of the 1-6. "Where is Lt. Benson?" she asked the first detective she saw, at this time being Jim Gordon.
The detective looked up from tying his bootlaces, difficult to do when clad in full SWAT gear. The Lt. didn't want the convoy traveling without one of their own, so naturally the rookie drew the short straw to ride with the prisoner van. 'Barbara is going to be so pissed when she hears about this,' he thought, convinced he was about to become Joker chow. "She left to handle some personal business. Sgt. Briscoe is in charge, but he's downstairs."
"No problem," replied the EADA, happy to know Olivia was on the case; "personal business" was her code for Batgirl business. "Where is Harvey?"
"The DA is in the holding cell. Detective Beck is bringing him down for transportation to County right now."
'Shit!' thought Alex, the Joker was bound to get them now.
In the corner of her eye, Harvey appeared, led by Dani to the elevator. "Hey baby," he grinned, flashing his awe-shucks look. "Sorry I couldn't tell you of this in advance."
"What do you think you are doing?" she asked, running to keep up.
"Getting transferred to central holding in County," he replied to his obviously angry girlfriend as they went down the stairwell to the loading dock. "The Joker will come out of hiding to get me, allowing the Batman and Batgirl to take him down, a simple baited trap."
"Yes Harvey, but I don't want you to be the bait." Emerging onto the loading area, Briscoe and Fin led about half of the cops in a round of applause for the DA, while the rest simply shook their heads at how stupid he was being. "I know they'll try to save you but what about your safety? What about the people who are depending on you to clean up the city and to do it honorably…"
The DA cut her off with a passionate kiss, not sexual but merely an expression of his love for her. "I know you worry," he panted after thy broke apart, needing to breathe. "But trust me, I'll be fine." He tipped her a wink.
"Harvey," pleaded Alex, "Just tell everyone the truth."
"Heads I go through with it." He grinned and flipped his coin, Alex catching it in her hand as it landed on heads.
"This is your life Harvey. You can't leave it to chance."
"I'm not…" he said as Gordon shut the rear door.
She inspected the coin, finding out it had two heads; classic Harvey. "You make your own luck," she smirked, praying he'd be alright and that Bruce and Olivia would find him before the Joker did.
Jim Gordon jumped into the front seat opposite the driver. "Ok buddy, the escorts are ready and the streets are blocked off. You ready?" The driver gave the detective a thumbs up. "Let's hit it!"
'With luck,' thought the driver, his face concealed behind a gas mask, 'The Joker would show up.'
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The traffic control officer had just about had it with the asshole behind him. Manning the roadblock on 5th street, not five minutes after setting it up did this eighteen wheeler waltz in and blare his horn, doing it nonstop for the past fifteen minutes. 'Polite be damned.' He got out of the squad car and stormed to the driver.
"Hey, you wait your turn like everybody else pal!"
The Joker appeared out of the back chambering a shotgun, firing a load of buckshot into the officer's chest.
A/N: And BOOM goes the dynamite. Hate to give you a little taste of the action to come, but it was just too much fun. MMWWAAHHAAA!
What did Penguin get for the Joker? Who's the driver? And how will Bruce and Liv fight with two Batpods instead of one? Find out next time.
Please review!