I have been forgetting to tell everyone that I changed the undead Egyptian army from Anubis (movie version) to Set because of the fact that Set himself was a greedy being in real life; in one story, he sought the fertile upper Egypt and killed his brother Osiris for it, before he was defeated and sent back to barren lower Egypt where he belonged.

It's official: this is the last chapter, so enjoy. :D

Chapter Thirteen

Bruce regained himself after being thrown to the floor; damn, that hurt, without the armor present. He didn't know why he thought like this; he never used to care about these things, and with his injured leg from the fall that killed Harvey Dent...

That spiked tail was returning, and he quickly stood and jumped out of the way in time for it to knock over a bonfire that crashed in Talia's way, making her jump away. He wondered, as he continued to dodge attacks from snake-Ra's, how on earth such a woman could be the heir and current leader of the League of Shadows. She puts on the shell of a strong female, but in truth she hides to get out of the way.

Ra's hissed and roared as he surged his body, coiling around pillars as he tried to come after Bruce. He was hellbent on killing him for real this time; Bruce could tell by the blazing red eyes. He felt like one of the Jedi - he hadn't seen Star Wars in years, with Rachel when they were younger - as he found higher ground and climbed a fallen, crumbled pillar, jumping into the air and pouncing on the coiling of the serpent's body, bringing down the sword into the tough scales, eventually piercing through. Ra's threw his head back and roared in pain, unravelling his coils and lashing out, sending Bruce into the air once more...

...only to find his whole body engulfed and nearly suffocating in the end of the tail.

He squirmed and tried to break free, noticing his weapon lying innocently and abandoned on the floor only to be picked up by Talia, holding it up with an insolent smile, a silent gesture telling him that he'd lost this round. Bruce was then jerked forward close enough to meet the snake's face, staring deep into the sinister red orbs.

~o~

Being in an epic battle looks easy in the movies and in the stories, but for real is a whole different story. Real lives are lost for real, and there is sadness included within the victory.

Anna could see that they were near victory; less than half of their own were fallen, but they were nearing the end of the whole Army of Set. Set himself was associated with the pig, crocodile, snake, and other things deadly, so these creatures had the muscled bodies of men in the loincloths and dusted old warrior jewels, however with the exception of their heads, which were that of the creature Set himself was portrayed as: curved snout and long rectangular ears, known simply as the Set animal; it was not a known animal, but a mix of the jackal, aardvark, donkey, maybe the fennec fox. Either way, it wasn't pleasant.

Anna Ramirez had never been in an actual war battle, because her experience in Gordon's unit never fully landed her into actual combat, with the exception of the uses of a pistol and firearm. Her body was getting drained of energy, but she would not give up now. Not when the last Set warrior was coming her way with the gracefully curved sword ready to chop her off in a split second.

She brought her sword up as soon as said warrior - the leader of the army - neared her and was about to bring its weapon down on her...and its head was off like its fallen comrades, the whole body and the severed head collapsing to the ground and becoming one with the rest of the desert.

Cheers abruptly broke out into the air as the dead men rejoiced the defeat of the Army of Set, and Anna couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, smiling afterwards.

However, the fight was far from over, and Ra's al Ghul still had to be defeated. She could see Bruce engaging the Serpent King himself, and sent a message through the air, begging him to kill him soon.

~o~

The coils of the snake-form of the man who had been his onetime mentor turned enemy had him in a vicelike death grip, nearly suffocating him to death. Bruce tried his hardest to hold himself together and remain conscious, but Ra's' words were nearly fading from his ears.

"You may have defeated me then, Bruce, but you won't win this time," he hissed in Bruce's ear, his gigantic snout and mouth nearing his face, hot breath setting his flesh on fire. "You'll never have it in you the courage to do what is necessary. When I am finished with you, your son is the heir to my new kingdom on this earth once balance is restored, as you never gave me the chance to finish."

Using your grandson - my son - for your demented vision! Bruce wanted to choke out, only to feel the pressure get tighter and tighter, until a voice snapped him out of it, as well as the attentions of both snake-Ra's and Talia: "BRUCE!"

He blinked twice, wondering if he was just imagining things. But no, she was there. "Rachel?!" he managed. But how? She was dead...she was dead...

He felt himself being released and thrown to the side, hitting the ground once more - what was with him getting thrown around a lot today? He must be getting old now - and saw the serpent slowly advance towards her, in no rush to kill her, but he was going to. "You're dead." The disbelief was evident in his voice as he saw that the daughter which had been sacrificed for his rebirth was alive again.

"The Book of the Dead," Rachel answered. "Father." Jonathan, Sinéad and Damien were right behind her when she spoke.

Ra's sounded bemused. "So, you know."

"I know everything," she answered. "And it ends here."

"For you and your friends, maybe," Ra's slithered.

"Bruce, catch!" Jonathan, with such speed that amazed him despite the slender man's build, raised his arm and threw out at him the Blade of Life. He didn't know how he'd acquired it, not that it mattered at the present. Bruce saw this as his opportunity to leap through the air with the last of his speed, grabbing it and evading another lash of the tail, prepared to kill him, only to be lashed out at again by the tail, this time being struck backwards...and heading straight for the chasm which he had crossed to get to Talia and the gong earlier.

"NOOOO!" Rachel screamed as she began to run for him, only for Talia to restrain her with a gleeful smile; Ra's was moving in for the kill, and Bruce had the weapon in his hands, more than ready for what came next.

As soon as his footing caught the edge of the pit that led to beneath the earth, snake-Ra's leaned in only to get himself impaled deep in the tender, unscaly front side of his body. He howled in pain; the blow wasn't fatal, but it sure hurt like hell.

Talia came to her father's side, screaming the Arabic word for "no" in despair, collapsing to her knees beside him and looked on for the rest of the time, knowing there was nothing more she could do for him. And being in the League for some years taught Bruce another thing: failure is unacceptable, and you either die a hero or live long enough to be the villain and outcast. She'd be returning to her followers a failure, and being a woman, she would no longer be looked up to by them.

Bruce looked up into the pain-filled red eyes, seeing the life slowly leave them. "Go to hell, and take your friends with you!" he roared before pushing the sword all the way to the hilt, and that final blow forced another inhuman bellow from the Serpent King, and his whole body blew up into black smoke that filled the entire room.

~o~

When Rachel felt her body return back from the other side, she thought she was having an out-of-body experience, but it was also wonderful to wake up and see her son and two of her friends over her. To know that Talia's priestess had backstabbed her into bringing her back from the dead was surprising enough. Now she was standing in the doorway to the battle chamber in which she had just witnessed her lover against her father for one final time.

He did it, she thought as she gripped the side of the doorway as their surroundings began to rumble and shake, very much like an earthquake cracking the earth and taking homes and other structures down with it. And take us with it.

The black smoke within the room had cleared and resulted in the explosion of the temple that had not yet fallen but would in a matter of time. But there was still Bruce to rescue. He was on the edge of the great crack in the floor that showed the lost souls of the underworld which were so hungry for taking him down with them. And Talia was right beside him; no surprise there because she'd done so much wrong she didn't deserve another chance. This wasn't revenge, either. It was justice.

Bruce's voice snapped her back his way. "Rachel, no! Get out of here! Just get out of here!"

She shook her head furiously. She didn't come back from the dead to lose him herself. No, she transformed into a wildcat and dashed through the falling debris just to come to his rescue, and when she finally succeeded, Rachel grabbed his hand and pulled him forward; he hauled himself up the rest of the way. Once they were safely away from the hell he would have unwillingly fallen into, they looked down to where the evil woman herself was still holding on for dear life, leering at them. "You don't need a hand, do you?" Rachel found it in herself to taunt her as she had to them, receiving a baring of the teeth.

"You honestly think I would return to my people a failure? My father's resurrection has been in vain, and all his work has been for nothing. I have no reason to go on living as a joke to my followers." And with that, she let go of the edge and vanished deep into the red cavern which was hell.

"Come on, let's get out of here!" Jonathan yelled over to them, Sinéad grabbing Damien and hoisting him up into her arms with all her limited strength due to her body build, turning and already running out, Jonathan following her, stopping only to make sure Rachel and Bruce caught up.

However, once they ran down the halls and took up a vast flight of stairs as fast as the group could travel, they discovered not only was the pyramid about to collapse and returning to its original sandy form, all of the green Oasis outside was being sucked into the heart from whence it came before Imhotep's existence. We're going to be sucked in! Rachel thought in horror as she continued the journey up with her lover, their son and friends, until they reached the very top of the pyramid where the mentioned golden statue with the great diamond was, shining brightly in the sky. That, too, would soon perish with this place and be no more.

"Bruce, we're trapped!" Rachel yelled over the great gushes of wind. She held onto him, Damien in between them, prepared to die with them as a family; from the corner of her eye, she saw Sinéad cling to Jonathan, happy to go with him than being alone, and he the same. At least he would die a happy man with her.

Suddenly, a great shadow loomed over the group, and their worries of death died right away, but it would return soon enough if they weren't on board the dirigible that came right on time. "Alfred!" Bruce yelled over the thick air.

~o~

Finally, Alfred to the rescue, Bruce thought happily as his son hopped into his arms for him to get on first at Alfred's constant "Hurry up, I haven't got all day! I haven't come all this way to wait to get yourselves on this!"

Bruce got Rachel on not long after, followed by Sinéad and Jonathan - who now had the diamond in his arms that he tossed on board first before himself, and Bruce shook his head as he climbed in after them, so Alfred started the engine and took them off just as the last of the pyramid vanished into the suctioned greenery, ultimately folding deep into the golden sands of the desert so that it would be all that remained.

The hot-air dirigible flew away into the distance just as what used to be the Gold Pyramid and the Oasis of Ahm Shere blew up like a volcanic eruption, or maybe a space supernova. Either way, they had cleared the end of the Sacred Desert's mythical tomb where the fight for the fate of the Earth had taken place.

Bruce collapsed to the floor in exhaustion, right beside Jonathan who still held the diamond. Never too early to say he could donate it to the museum, since that had to be what the former psychiatrist had in mind. He managed to look up and see Alfred at the engine and controls, glaring down at him with the attempt of a smile. "Master Wayne, you could have had your old man killed!"

Bruce laughed. "Yeah, well, at least you didn't suffer a heart attack along the way."

The butler laughed, too, slapping the wheel playfully. "So, tell me, what have all of you been up to this time?"

Bruce winced, managing to pull himself up to join him. "Oh, you know, the usual. Ritualistic sacrifices, pygmies...giant snakes."

"Oh, Alfred, thank you!" Rachel went up and wrapped her arms around the old man's neck and kissed his cheek, making him chuckle. Damien pounced forward to be received with opened arms, too. While the family took time to reunite, Bruce turned towards Jonathan and Sinéad, seeing them walk up to him; the girl smiled at him and hugged him. He found it in him to vocally thank her for everything. Pulling back, she looked up at him with a puzzled expression.

"For what?"

"For bringing my family back together," he answered. "And for helping me with all of this." Then his mind darted back to the sacred blade and realized he'd lost it. "Unfortunately, the sword..."

"Oh, no." She shook her head and laughed. "My grandmother said once its task was finished, it would return to its rightful place. It's no problem, Bruce."

Jonathan ignored him then, and Bruce wondered what his problem was, before it dawned on him that he knew he was the Batman. Perhaps he shouldn't be surprised; he knew the man's brilliant mind would pick up sooner or later. He was distracted by Rachel beside him, and both of them looked down below where a figure sat on a certain brown-spotted cream horse, saluting them and smiling. "Looks like Anna knows her work is done here," Rachel murmured, placing her hand on his arm. "She's done with Gotham and will move on elsewhere."

He saluted the Hispanic back just in time as the balloon began to take off and take them back home to Gotham where they could all live in peace. Bruce smiled as he turned his attention back to the beautiful face framed by short, bouncing brown curls once long and flowy, a face he'd thought he would forever lose for sure back there. Now she was back with him, forever. Before it had been impossible to be with her, and now the hard parts were over. "I thought I almost lost you back there," he whispered, ignoring the eyes of the others behind them.

"Just for a moment, and not four years this time," she answered. "Do you want to know what heaven looks like?"

Bruce laughed and shook his head. "Later." With that, he leaned down and captured Rachel's sweet lips with his own, earning groans of "Oh, please" from their son and the others.

~o~

Dear Rachel and Bruce,

I'm so sorry we couldn't stay any longer to attend your wedding on this day, but Jonathan cannot bear to live in Gotham anymore, and my task has been finished that I feel I should return to Ireland and take him with me. We are going to start over fresh as you should do the same with Damien, be the family you deserve to be. I do not know yet what is in store for Jonathan and I here in the country of my birth, but it is peaceful as I remember it, lush and green, carefree and undisturbed. This is a perfect place to start a family someday and continue my line of work, and to help Jonathan get back on track. A job at a bar is clearly not his cup of tea, as you already knew. However, if the time ever comes, we will return to Gotham for a visit, and you'll find us happier than ever as we find you and your family so. As the Irish saying goes, "May the roads rise up to meet you, and good night and joy be to you all."

Sinéad

Rachel gave a small, sad smile as she reread the note that had been given to her just yesterday afternoon. This was the third time reading it; earlier had been before the wedding ceremony just as she'd been admiring herself with her bridesmaids in gold sparkles. Rachel never took herself for luxury despite growing up in Wayne Manor with Bruce, but that had been exactly how she'd always envisioned herself on her wedding day. The gown was a luxurious A-line with a trailing cathedral train, various fabrics together from tulle with exquisite lace over satin, the whole bodice and some of the lace details beaded with blinding crystals. Her hair was in a sleek but mildly loose style with a diamond-and-pearl, almost Arabic hairpiece attached with a tulle, single-layered veil sewn with a floral lace similar to her dress. She enjoyed being treated like a queen for the day since it hadn't been her lifestyle before, and to walk down the ceremony aisle, surrounded by the classic gold and ivory fantasy that went on into the reception room set up in the grand ballroom, until she met up with Bruce and took their vows as husband and wife, the sapphire band now on her finger marking her as Mrs. Bruce Wayne now.

Now she was in her second dress, simpler than the first but still elegant. It was rich, soft-shimmering white satin in a relaxed mermaid silhouette, reminiscence of red carpet limelight; the bodice was ruched all the way to the skirt with a sweetheart neckline, the skirt hem bubbled, and a Swarovski crystal motif to the left side.

The door to the dressing room was knocked on, and none other than her husband and son were let in. Bruce, handsome as ever and the million-watt smile in place, and Damien gasping and simply stating, "Mommy, you're pretty!" before running over to her and hugging her around the skirt, making her laugh. Looking up, she saw a square-shaped black box without a lid to show her what Bruce had gotten her.

"God, Bruce, you shouldn't have..." she tried to say.

"Richard Burton showered his Queen of Hollywood with this, so now it's from me to you," he stated simply, taking it out and draping it around her neck. Turning around to look at herself in the mirror, she saw a woman devoid of the wedding hairpiece so her short bob was free, her dress symbolic of a now-married woman, and the extra-spectacular necklace around her neck and above the valley between her breasts.

It was the world-famous Taylor-Burton diamond; however, that one had been sixty-nine carats while this one estimated to be about fifty. It was still pear-shaped like the original, sparkling with true beauty that you don't see anymore. This was her life now, the life she'd always dreamed of: being married to Bruce, having his babies and being the lady of the house. This was the fairytale she'd always wanted, and to hell with those who said that type of love didn't exist. Yes, love was complicated, but if you fought hard, the end results are always worth it, and Rachel Wayne knew that as she shared a quick kiss with her husband and joined him and their son in the ballroom with their guests, sharing a silent sadness that two most important people couldn't make it.

~o~

It's finished, Sinéad thought happily as she beheld the sight of her latest masterpiece that had taken weeks to prepare, mostly due to brainstorming and the growing love between her and Jonathan that she knew today she would never regret. He was the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, so today she'd finished it right after their brief ceremony out on the cliff where their home was located, overlooking the sea near where she'd been born.

Sinéad had incorporated her blood into this dress she was still in, and her wild-flying ebony hair. She wore a simple but still sexy glowing white dress inspired by the Dark Age, the neckline between square and round, intricately embroidered there and around the natural waistline, and the sleeves stopping at her elbows while behind, still going long and past. Her hair was set beautifully with a smooth, scrolling moonlight silver crown draping on both sides with clear crystals and pearls. She didn't go anywhere without her beloved Wild Irish Rose charm around her neck, so there it was above her heart.

And now for the ring, which Jonathan had gladly spent nearly his last just for her. The ring was meticulous and contemporary yet timeless with the Trinity knots. She had not gotten paint on it or her dress as she finished it on a blue day with silvery clouds not even close to rain. The dark-haired couple in this black, fiery-set canvas were both nude, sexually so with certain parts showing for both of them, below them being more fire and displaying the phoenix and the mermaid together despite their different elements - the woman's left breast was seen from the side as she wrapped both her arms around her partner's neck, and his strong arm around her hip, nearly touching a certain region that wasn't her hip; their eyes were closed and their expressions were of pure, blazing desire as they molded into one in a certain way she and Jonathan would do soon enough. She was extremely nervous.

Sinéad thought she knew what consummation was, choosing to go by instinct instead of reading it up because Rachel had once made it clear that reading never prepared you for the best. "A book is the worst thing that can happen to you when it comes to intercourse." Jonathan had never been through it in this sense which they were heading; his had been only empty and in need of money to keep himself alive. It had taken them weeks to finally get him to kick that habit, and he'd wanted to get physical with her, but she had kept herself pure for marriage all this time because of the long-held belief of no premarital sex.

The familiar warmth of Jonathan's body against hers made her shudder delightfully, and there was the feeling Rachel talked about: hot surge of electricity igniting her nerves and her blood on fire like gas leaking from a car. "It's perfect for us," Jonathan purred into her ear, kissing her neck and making her giggle. "Ready for it, now?"

He spoke of it as "it", as it was. She had little experience to know how to refer it, but she shoved her thoughts to the back of her head and instead focused on the beginning of the loss of her innocence to her husband. It was going to be painful, but she was more than ready for it; with pain also came pleasure. Their house was isolated, on the outskirts, and it would be just the two of them consummating their marriage and their love on the green of Ireland, before the ocean and under God. Sinéad had long since removed her hairpiece, letting Jonathan slip her out of her dress, and she in turn unbuttoned his shirt and let him remove it; at the same time, she undid his pants so she could free him from the confides of his slacks.

Jonathan laid her down on the earth, capturing her lips in a soft, searing kiss as he swiftly entered her, making her cry out at the anticipated pain of losing her virginity, but soothing her down, he kissed the tops of her breasts, even the little mermaid above her left one, as he began to move in and out of her without any trouble, making them both happier than they had ever been and starting this next step of their life together in nature's embrace.

WHOO! I have to say, I gotta call it a work of art. XD Not to give myself credit, but after two or three years, it finally gets to have its life with the others I've published. I have no regrets, as usual, and no matter how much time passes, it stands. :D

Who isn't familiar with the on-off Hollywood duo that was Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor? XD Seeing that necklace online rook my breath away as well as the story behind it. And what better than to begin the consummation of the love between Jonathan and Sinéad than on an Irish cliff, and after finishing a painting? (The actual one was based off a real one online, the name and source I no longer have, but certain aspects changed such as the side view and the creatures at the bottom of the couple)

Reviews appreciated, as always.