Title: Life Is Good

Author: DC Luder

Summary: The second addition in the Series of Three storyline. Set three months after his recovery, the Dark Knight is back with a vengeance.

Rating: T

Infringements: All recognizable characters belong to DC Comics, not DC Luder.

Author's Note: This chapter has been modified from its original version.

^V^

Maybe it was because I was standing thirty stories above Kramer Avenue, but for the end of August, it sure felt like the end of fall as the winds whipped my cape around.

After a fine Pennyworth dinner, something that I looked forward to after suffering Dana's concoctions all week long, Cass and I had headed down to the Cave. After a quick stretch and spar, I went about fueling up the cycles and the Mobile while Cass made her way to the costume vault. I joined her after ten minutes, donning my attire while she was preoccupied with stocking up her utility belt. Nearly an hour later after we had passed through the entrance, we had still been waiting for Dick and Bruce to make an appearance.

Most nights, it wouldn't have been a big deal, but ever minute that had ticked by had been torture.

Then again, it wasn't like most nights…

A year earlier, I had never thought that he would have been able to take back the cowl, let alone accomplish half of things he had. After being shot, I had accepted that his life as Batman had come to end, that the man I had grown up next door to and the hero I had worshipped was gone forever. Whether it was for better or worse, he had recovered and although the others seemed to think that it had happened in the blink of an eye, it hadn't. It had taken an entire year of him battling the odds, learning how to talk and read and walk all over again.

At first, I had been brave enough to help where I could, but as he grew into his new life and started acting completely different from the Bruce I had known, I had instinctually withdrawn. I had hated myself for it, for turning my back on him when he had needed me the most. To justify it, I had told myself that he had the support of everyone else, that they were better adjusted to his personality changes and were more capable of stepping up to the plate.

When he had finally recovered from the amnesia, he had sat me down to discuss all that had happened, something the real Bruce would have never done. I had used it as a confessional, letting loose all of the self-loathing thoughts I had been plagued with for months. Bruce had listened quietly and rather than tell me to push passed my fears and grow up, he had been understanding and even sympathetic. Bruce was back, but in a way, the other man that had lived in his body had stayed put. In the end, he had set a hand on my shoulder and told me that my reactions had been acceptable, given how young I was and how much I had endured in my short time with the Family.

He had forgiven me, but it still hadn't made me feel any less of a jerk.

After a summer of training with Dick and Cass, he had sat us down to explain his plan to return. How he needed time to adjust to the routine again and to immerse himself in the feel of the city. I had expected him to simply throw the mask on and beat the pulp out of every criminal in Gotham in a single night, but he had opted for the more cautious approach, preparing for what was to come. I had seen it before, when he had prepared to reclaim the cowl from Jean Paul, although this time there wasn't going to be a power struggle.

My eyes looked down at the street below, spotting all of the Gothamites enjoying their Friday night. For Tri-Corner, things were still pretty active, people dining inside and out of restaurants and bars while others made early evening commutes through the borough and towards the Theatre District. And then there were just the regular city people walking about, who never seemed to go anywhere at all. And of course, watching them from thirty stories up were the protectors. The vigilantes. Gotham's saviors.

Batgirl had been unwilling to sit and wait, opting to head south into the Bowery. I had checked in with Barbara ten minutes earlier and found out that she had already called in five pickups in less than an thirteen minutes. The thought of racing on foot after street thugs made my stomach turn as I was still digesting chicken parm and two slices of banana split cake.

At least I wasn't alone, I thought as I felt an elbow jab my arm.

"Think he's getting cold feet?" Nightwing asked as he pointed directly across the street at Gotham City Police headquarters.

Dick had somehow managed to channel Batman so well for so long that I had nearly forgotten who he was supposed to be under a mask. Having him acclimate to Nightwing had reminded me once again me just how different things had been. As he had started to don the black and blue suit more and more, I was amazed to see him shed the darkness that the cowl had cloaked him in.

The signal had flashed on our way into Gotham, leading us directly to GCPD instead of splitting up for patrols. While Cass and I had come down on the cycles, Dick had opted to once again ride along with Bruce in the Mobile. Once the light had seared the sky, the mobile had taken off, doubling the speed limit as it raced towards the St. James parkway. Cass and I had to dodge in and out of evening commuters just to keep up, resorting to using the shoulder and even outracing a state trooper. I knew Dick had wanted it to be a nice, quiet night for Bruce to get his feet wet but Gotham had decided to throw him back into the deep end. And truth be told, it was probably what Bruce preferred.

I squinted to see that Batman stood behind the spotlight, waiting for the opportune moment to make his presence known. On the other side, Gordon stood with his arms crossed, his eyes never leaving the sky. The signal had only gone off a handful of times while Dick was in cowl, before and after he had confessed everything to Gordon. Even though he knew Bruce had recovered, he had no way of knowing what Batman was going to answering the call…

"Oh, there he goes," Nightwing said softly, his voice tinted with excitement.

Batman had moved from behind the spotlight, his cape billowing behind him. Regrettably, he blocked Gordon with his form and we were left wondering.

"Damnit," Nightwing sighed, "He never lets us have any fun…" Nightwing picked up a few chipped pieces of gravel off of the roof and began to juggle them slowly.

Physically, he had been in top condition since July, his combat skills were razor sharp and his deductive mind was clear as crystal. He'd studied every case that Dick and I dealt with while he was out of commission and had even solved a few that we weren't able to. However, his determination had not been without a cost. Before, he had only needed to worry about balancing his own two lives. Now, Bruce had Selina and Mattie.

Physically, mentally and rationally he was Batman.

But maybe he wasn't emotionally…

His split life between Bruce Wayne and Batman had always worried me. Dick had managed to maintain distinct and separate lives, but they both shared common characteristics. As Tim Drake and Robin, I was able to exhibit similar qualities as well, just in different quantities. And for Cass, she reminded me of the obsessed Bruce I had briefly known who had dedicated everything to the cowl.

I was about to contact Oracle to see if she had been able to unblock Batman's comm. link but was distracted when Batgirl suddenly appeared beside me.

"Showoff," I muttered.

"Muggers," she replied softly, "Nothing fancy."

"What'd you do with them?" Nightwing asked as he added another two cement bits to his juggling.

"Trashed them."

I smiled. She had seen Bruce throw street scum in garbage dumpsters a while back and had been quite taken by the concept. Now, she regularly threw those she deemed worthy into dumpsters after giving them a good beating. I had tried to tell her there were better calling cards then leaving the suspects amongst bags of used diapers and inedible food but she seemed to think it was the best.

Nightwing rose suddenly, allowing his entertainment to fall to the roof. I followed his gaze, finding Batman was on the ledge preparing a grapple. It connected solidly with the stonework ten feet away and he soared effortlessly across, retracting the line with timing mastered long ago. When he landed on the rooftop, a few feet away from us, I nearly smirked seeing the familiar grim look on his face.

Watch out Gotham. Here we come.

^V^

I had just dared to call it a night when the phone on my desk came to life, yielding a call from Arkham. Although I had tried to listen intently to the voice on the other end, my focus was cut off after the words, "… Harvey Dent has escaped."

For two years, we had gone without incident at Arkham Asylum, finally putting faith into all of the security measures that had been finally upgraded. No breakouts, no riots, nothing but blissful order and peace for the incarcerated, criminally insane. All of the motion sensors temperature sensitive floor tiles in the world couldn't prevent a gambling addicted security guard from accepting a hefty bribe from the former district attorney.

At ten of eight that evening, Harvey Dent was safe in the confines of a psychiatric institution that was often mocked for having a revolving door.

At ten after eight, he was presumed to be at large and was to be considered extremely dangerous.

What a way to start the weekend…

After hanging up abruptly with the director of security at Arkham, I had immediately called into dispatch to have every available officer sent out to start canvassing the area. As with many inmate escapes from the facility, we rarely publicized it in the first fours hours, waiting to see if an apprehension could be made in order to limit the panic. My next act had been to race to the rooftop of GCPD, throwing the switch on the spotlight. Illuminating the signal brought back thousands of memories of waiting for my old friend on hot summer nights and blistery winter eves. If I allowed myself to think back too far, I would have recalled meeting with Batman and Harvey Dent, coming together in order to bring down the mob.

If I had allowed myself, that was.

Batman's response rate was around sixty percent, not out of apathy but simply because whatever I had needed him for, he had already known about it.

In the last year however, it had risen to ninety-two percent.

Bruce's eldest had done a superior job keeping the city safe during his convalescence. It had only been a few months since I had learned of Bruce's full recovery, but I was fairly certain it would be much longer before he personally answered the Signal. Not only was he occupied with work and coming to terms with what had happened, but he was learning to adapt to family life as well. I had visited the Manor a number of times throughout the summer, relieved to finally see the look of recognition in his eyes. At social functions, he once more had a beautiful woman on his arm although for the first time it wasn't for show.

He wasn't pretending to be happy, he finally was.

After all he had suffered, he would have to think long and hard before giving that up.

Standing on the rooftop, eyes skyward, I tried not to think about the faces behind the masks and attempted to focus on the task he would be facing. Dick's revealing their identities to me had certainly been off of the path his mentor had followed for over a decade. Having already lied to me that the original Batman had died from his injuries months earlier, the young man had been unable to stomach the guilt any longer. Even after years of theories and musings, it had still been a shock, finally being able put a human face to those that had been covered.

That had been the difference between Dick and Bruce, he cared about how they would be hurt emotionally instead of just physically.

The fluttering of a cape caught my attention. I knew it wouldn't be the Batman that I had been with since the beginning, from the Chelsea Hotel to the earthquake that leveled the city. And although his eldest protégé had done more than his share of work in the last year, I couldn't help but long for a night when I would turn around and see my old friend once more.

Each time that I had called forth his son in order to help the city, I had lost more faith in his return. Giving up on the closest friend I had after he had given up so much for me…

The wind had picked up considerably, causing my slacks to flutter and my tie to take flight. I heard his footsteps softly approaching, letting me know he was there. Another thing his mentor had never-.

"Jim."

That was something Dick had never done, he had always referred to me as the Commissioner. Or Sir.

Turning slowly, I found myself only able to take two strides towards him, my eyes never leaving his face. I swore his lip twitched in the hint of a smile.

It was him.

It couldn't be…

"Batman?" I asked stupefied.

Without waiting a beat, he inquired in a low gravelly tone, "What have you got, Jim?"

With a smile breaking on my face, I shook my head in disbelief. Gone from his city for over a year and he was back as if it had been a mere weekend. There was nothing more that I wanted to do but ask him how long he had been back without my knowing but I knew he wouldn't answer. Not on a rooftop, not like that. I had never met a man that made so little sense while at the same time being the most logical individual in the world.

A hard swallow sent my heart back down my throat and into my chest. After another moment of simply staring in awe, I answered him, "Two-Face escaped from Arkham. They called me directly instead of dispatch."

He growled, barely able to put the words into an actual sentence, "How long?"

"Over an hour. He bribed a guard to let him loose, somehow got his hands on some serious cash."

"Any casualties?"

I shook my head, "No, thank goodness. I know he has had no communication privileges for nearly a month, so whatever he arranged, it's been a long time in the making. I have Special Crimes already reviewing all of his telephone calls and correspondence before they were revoked. Last I knew, most of his flunkies were still in Blackgate."

"His last escape was two years ago, some of them would be on parole by now."

"For what, good behavior?" I sighed, letting my eyes finally drift from his face and towards the city skyline, "I'll have them review that as well… He's been out for an hour it's already a damned nightmare… I've got every available unit out there, knocking on doors, scanning lots, patrolling the streets…"

"And now you have us."

When I looked back to him, he was already gone.

Naturally, some things never changed.

^V^

"Damnit," I muttered as I spilled coffee on the counter of my workstation.

My day had being going swimmingly. I hadn't made it to bed until after four in the morning, brought on by my inability to turn down an request from J'onn J'onnz. It hadn't been much, just to fix a programming error on the surveillance feeds in the monitor womb of the Watchtower. Instead of automatically bringing up media coverage on specifically targeted names and places, it was turning on to MTV. I had a feeling that Wally and Roy had something to do with it but I had kept my mouth shut.

Following a fitful five hours of sleep, I woke with a headache, reminding me that I drank too much coffee and not enough water. From there, it seemed to be one thing that went wrong after another. My vacuum cleaner broke while I was cleaning the living room, my washer refused to cycle completely with a load of towels in it and when I went to run some errands around town, my check engine light came on.

With Cassandra in the training bay pretending to clean and Dick in Bludhaven working the beat, I had turned to the next best person to vent to. I had been pleased when Selina told me to drop all of the things I felt I had to do and come with her for a day on the town. What had started out as a miserable morning quickly gave way to a pleasant afternoon, shopping for baby and grown up clothes and lunch at Bitto's, both on Bruce's tab.

Much better than taking my vacuum apart and trying to put it back together…

Although I had been invited to dinner at the Manor, I just couldn't motivate myself to make the trip out to Bristol and then back to get ready for the night's activities. Dick had promised to bring home some of Alfred's fine cuisine but I had told him not to bother and that I would settle on leftover Thai from the night before. He had then informed me that he planned on suiting up at the Cave and heading down in the Mobile with Bruce. A ride that must of turned very interesting when the Signal flared over the city skyline.

I had been in the process of warming up my computer for the night when an alarm had gone off indicating the use of the Signal. The network instantly scanned all major and minor frequencies for police and emergency dispatch calls. When nothing came up, I couldn't help but let a cold feeling settle in my gut, knowing it was standard protocol to keep singular asylum escapees on the down low. I tentatively worked my way into the security network at Arkham Asylum, my fears actualized upon discovering they were under lockdown after being unable to account for Harvey Dent.

While waiting for any verbal responses on the comm. link, I made a quick trek to the kitchen of my apartment to prepare for a long night. Returning with my coffee to the work station, I was pleased to find that signal had finally shut off, announcing that Batman had reached his destination. Again, the dark knight that loomed over the city of Gotham at present wasn't the one who left the commissioner waiting without reason.

Surrounded by the hum of electricity, I noted that the previously blocked comm. link was open and promptly asked, "Quite the night we have in store, hunh, pointy ears?"

"What did you just call me?" a dark and cold voice replied.

Feeling the heat of embarrassment wash over me, I quickly corrected myself, "I thought Dick was-."

Batman replied curtly, "I want lists of recent associates, hideouts, everything you have on him. I want it yesterday."

"Will do." I closed the connection and allowed myself to blush while I switched over to Nightwing's line.

His laughter filled my speakers, "You called him 'Pointy Ears'! Babs, you crack me up."

"Shut up. It was an honest mistake."

"Yes, indeed, almighty Oracle who knows all."

I left him in silence, which encouraged him to drop the subject. He sighed as he began to move on foot, "Sorry. But you should have seen his face… And Robin's still giggling."

From the diligent work of my fingertips, my monitor flooded with lists and files on Harvey Dent. Last known cohorts, locations, hideouts and unfinished plans, along with possible targets both physical and human. For Harvey, everything had always been based around duality, often with a touch of justice added in for good measure. A vast majority of Harvey's efforts had been directed more towards Bruce over the years, expected considering they had once been crusaders for Gotham. I still recalled Dad talking about Harvey, before and after he had been scarred.

Bruce hadn't been the only one who lost a friend in that courtroom.

Not only was the former District Attorney stricken with disassociate identity issues, he still retained the cunning intelligence that had once helped him get Gotham on the right track. He also knew how to rub Bruce the wrong way, how to hit him where it hurt the most. In Dick's first year as Robin, Harvey had kidnapped Batman and a judge, hanging them up in nooses in order to force Robin to decide who lived and who died. Too much of a novice to see passed Harvey's wordplay, Robin had been fooled and lied to, ending with the judge dying and Batman to watch helplessly as his young partner was nearly beaten to death.

Although where having the Joker or Zsasz loose on the streets of Gotham meant that hundreds or even thousands of lives were danger, Harvey was more apt to focus on particular victims. With his trusty silver dollar aiding in his selection, his scaled down schemes were as meticulously planned as they were executed. In the madness of No Man's Land, when he had felt betrayed by my father, Harvey had put him on trial in the dilapidated court house. With the intervention of the ever loyal Renee Montoya, Harvey had eventually put himself on the witness stand, mercilessly interrogating himself until finding the defendant not guilty.

With Bruce back in the cowl, it was only fitting that one of his oldest friends and enemies had decided to make a comeback as well.

Focusing on the work at hand, I skimmed the material on the screen, "All right, Night-light, I've got about thirty possible hideouts, mostly defunct businesses, but only a dozen are ideal for Harvey, especially considering he will need to have easy access to rounding up thugs and money."

"Lay them on me, sugar."

"All right, Deuces Wild Club, Two to Tango… and Gemini Loans, all in the East End, notorious for shady business dealings…"

"What do these people do, name their places so he can use them as hideouts… Come to Tony's Two Timing Café, used and abused by Harvey Dent…"

I smiled and continued listing them, simultaneously sending addresses to the computers in their respected vehicles. Given that there were four of them, it would be easier to canvass the city and bring Harvey back into custody before he was too reacquainted with society. He had been incarcerated since No Man's Land and after three years in confinement, he was certainly going to want to stretch his legs and put his coin to use.

With the quips out of my system, I opened the line with Bruce, "Boss?"

Although he had literally just received a list of possible locations and had only been suited up for running on thirty-five minutes, he curtly replied, "It's not the building on Essex. Get me a twenty on Lyle."

Although I had a general idea as to where the former Two-Face thug turned snitch might have been, I noted, "It's going to take a minute, he doesn't exactly keep in touch."

Click.

With the speakers silent, I muttered, "Welcome back."

^V^

I rocked slowly in the nursery's chair as Mattie alternated between whining and wailing in my ear.

Naturally, having your teeth rip through your gums was painful, but after a two weeks of vicious teething, my nerves were rattled. Of course, the night I was alone she was inconsolable and crying endlessly. A little after eleven, Alfred had come up to check on us but I had assured him we were okay after nearly convincing myself that my daughter was finally settling down.

That was until I had laid her in the crib.

We had just finished walking the halls for a half of an hour, something Bruce had always done to help her sleep. Apparently, even that wasn't what she needed as her cries only echoed the expansive corridors. Not wanting to wake Alfred, I had returned to the third floor nursery, reverting back to letting her chew on a cold, wet washcloth and the rocking. It had seemed to be working until I made any move to get up from the chair.

At least Bruce wasn't the only one who was going to have a sleepless night…

On the nights that Bruce had been out with Dick over the last week and a half, he had been home shortly after midnight, ready to help soothe our daughter's woes. Mattie had surely provided the distraction that I needed, keeping my worry and jealousy over Bruce at bay. He had returned each time, not worse for the wear, kissing my cheek and taking Mattie into his arms. All without the stink of antiseptic, the intense look in his eyes and the palpable exhaustion lagging his form.

Before, I had never minded the long nights waiting for him, but then I had usually been out myself. As much as I hated to admit it, I had been so consumed with Bruce's recovery and having Mattie that worrying about returning to my former life had been cast aside. There had been rare nights over the summer when I had wondered if permanently stepping down had been the right thing, practically accepting domestication. I had never openly discussed with anyone, knowing full well it would lead to questions that I had no answers for. But after seeing Bruce step back into his mantle, I had a question of my own.

If he could do it, why couldn't I?

As Mattie quieted, I looked down at her thinking, That's why….

Rising from the chair, I opted to give up trying to rock her to sleep and walked towards my bedroom. Rubbing Mattie's back as her fingers loosely clutched my shirt, I kissed the top of her head. I hit only one of the overhead lights, keeping the room fairly dim in case she did decide to surrender to sleep. Before settling on the bed, I walked into the bathroom, rewetted the towel before giving it back to her. I sat on the edge of the bed before scooting up against the pillows, sighing to see the alarm clock only ready quarter of midnight.

When it read ten after, she was miraculously asleep.

I nearly dared a call to Barbara to check in as I had the previous nights Bruce had been out with his protégé but didn't want to risk waking Mattie. I had called her earlier in the evening to find out that the signal had gone up for a valid reason as Harvey Dent had managed to finagle his way out of Arkham. Unlike Bruce, I had only known Two-Face, my knowledge of the actual man limited to his campaigns and limited time as the DA of Gotham. The complete opposite of my relationship with Bruce, Harvey had turned from friend to foe.

Although risky, I rose from the bed after an hour of watching Mattie sleep in my arms. Tiptoeing down the hall, I silently made it to the nursery and settled her into the crib. After twelve minutes, I was certain she had finally tired herself out enough to at least sleep for a few hours on her own. I turned the baby monitor on before returning to my bedroom, smiling at the small monitor on Bruce's nightstand to see her still motionless.

Collapsing onto the bed, I stared up at the ceiling. The soft patter of paws leapt onto the duvet and I allowed myself a smile as Isis began rubbing her chin on my foot. The peaceful moment was suddenly cut short as the bedside telephone rang sharply. I leapt up and grabbed it before the sound traveled to the room next door, "Hello?"

"How is she?"

I was honestly surprised that Bruce had called seeing how he hadn't done so on his previous outings. Earlier in the week, I had reasoned that he didn't want to interrupt his focus by slipping out of the dark façade, even for a moment. At least he had taken the initiative to drop the growl in his voice.

"Just got her down," I replied, also keeping my tone in check, "Tylenol didn't seem to do anything for her, but as long as I rocked her and gave her that washcloth she eventually settled."

Bruce sighed quietly and suddenly I thought that even though this was my first night alone with her, it was just as hard for him to face his first night away.

I found myself trying to distract him by asking, "So, Harvey, hunh?"

His voiced seemed rougher when he replied, "Nothing yet. Just left Arkham, nothing in the visitor logs or his therapy sessions in the last few weeks to indicate an intent to escape. Robin and Batgirl are looking through possible hideouts, Nightwing is covering target locations… I'm off to question previous associates."

"So, a late night then."

I expected him to grumble a reply, I hadn't expected him to grunt, "I'm sorry."

"You only need to apologize if you come home in more than five pieces."

Bruce grunted something before saying, "Four it is."

He hung up without another word. I sighed, returning the phone to its cradle before looking down at Isis. After a moment, I reached out at stroked her scruff, "His pillows are all yours, my dear."

She purred in response.

^V^