Nota Bene: This story is not canon. I don't follow the comics and only know the various stories from the movies and growing up with Batman cartoons, supplemented with internet research. As with my previous stories, this started with a dream and is combined with ramblings of my own mind. In this case, it is a little personal fantasy, too. Batman. Mmm. Hot.

Reviews, as always, are greatly appreciated.

Chapter 13

Just minutes later, a bomb blast rocked Gotham city. Scattered among the rubble, floating on the streams of blood that flowed out from beneath the floors of the collapsed building, was confetti in green and purple. Senseless, purposeless violence. It was meant to get his attention, nothing more.

It was the Joker, then. Batman hadn't been completely sure until then, but his instincts had been correct. The two of them had been squaring off for a decade and a half and Bruce knew him well enough to have guessed he was behind this latest spree. Somehow this had been different than any other time. In the past, Joker had been after chaos, money, power, destruction, or Batman's demise. There had been a clear goal that benefited him. Not this time.

This had been psychological warfare, carefully timed and executed to damage his mind. This change in tactics worried Bruce, but he didn't have long to dwell. The Bat signal illuminated the sky over the city, a flash of light in the darkness.

It was just after 330am and Bruce was bone-weary. After the intense emotions that had consumed him earlier tonight, starting with his encounter with Selina in the garden – Oh, God. Was that only hours ago? - followed by his fight to claw his mind out of the darkness, and the devastation and utter relief of thinking she was dead and finding her not only alive, but aware of his identity, he wasn't sure how much more he could take.

Dread weighed heavy in his chest. Not only was the Joker now well aware of Selina's identity thanks to his own irresponsible actions of sprinting to her apartment, but he also knew the extent of Batman's feelings for her. This was now a mental war, and Bruce had no doubt that Joker would do everything in his power to exploit Batman's relationship with Catwoman while still playing the pain and hatred he felt over Jason's death.

The escalation of the confrontations over the past week and this last massacre rang with a sense of finality. But there was no choice. No tomorrows for this battle. It was tonight.

Unable to do anything else, Batman drug himself towards the Batmobile. Gotham needed him again. When Selina started to follow, he grabbed her arm. "No," he growled. "Stay here, stay safe. I can't risk losing you twice in one night."

"I'm coming with you. Who knows what the Joker is up to. You're going to need my help." Selina would be damned if she left him to face the Joker on his own. She knew what state he was in. He couldn't do this alone.

"Selina, no. He's already used my feelings for you against me once tonight. It will be better for you to stay out of it. No distractions."

Bruce had a valid point. The last thing she wanted to do was provide an avenue for the Joker to hurt him again. But Selina also knew Bruce wasn't at his best - he was unsteady, emotionally drained, teetering right on that edge of the darkness. If there was ever a night that he needed help, it was tonight.

She stood defiant against his orders, a hand on one hip, her whip already strapped to the other. "I can move as quietly as you can, I can hold my own in a fight, and I'm faster and more agile than you are. He's already hit you mentally and emotionally tonight, you're going to need someone by your side with a clear head."

She silenced his final protests when she climbed in next to him and interlaced her fingers with his, squeezing gently. "I am not going to stand by and let you do this on your own. I'm in this with you now. We stand together."

xXxXxXx

Alfred, who had witnessed the interaction from the top of the stairs in the cave felt his chest tighten. It appeared that Bruce had found his match in Selina / Catwoman, but he, too, felt uneasy about the coming battle with Joker. He knew too well that Bruce's emotional state had been oscillating between intense darkness and surprising contentment lately. It was a dangerous pendulum that threatened to throw off the careful balance he normally maintained. Alfred needed to call Master Dick.

Jim Gordon met them both on the roof of the GCPD building. If he was surprised by the appearance of a newly-reformed super-villain with Gotham's savior, he didn't show it. Grim-faced, he simply handed Batman an envelope.

Breaking into it, more confetti fell to the ground.

It's a retirement party and you're invited! The theme of the party is "Heroes and Villains." Wear your best costume. Prizes awarded for the most blood shed.

When: Tonight

Where: 2817 Eastland Ct

RSVP: Who's kidding? We both know you'll be there

So this was it. Joker's last stand.

Batman handed the envelope to his long-time friend and growled under his breath. A cold wind blew and Commissioner Gordon turned his collar up against the chill.

"He and I have been playing this game for too long. We both know it. It ends. Tonight." Batman turned to leave, his cape billowing out from behind a frame hunched with fatigue. But then he turned back.

"Jim, far longer than I've been fighting that clown, you've been serving the city. If..." he paused and locked eyes with Catwoman for just a moment before continuing. "If things don't end well tonight, know that you are the true hero of this city. I've hidden in the shadows while you have boldly faced it all by the light of day. I'm proud to call you an ally and I've always considered you a friend." Batman reached up and pulled off his cowl. "It's time you know the truth."

Jim was stunned when he saw who was behind the mask all these years and pained by the haunted blue eyes watching him. He pulled him into a tight embrace. The revelation provided a sense of clarity and his heart was filled with pride. He could still see remnants of the devastated orphan he had helped years ago as a rookie cop at the scene of a senseless murder. He had always assumed Bruce's irresponsible behavior had been some kind of coping mechanism born of the tragedy. But now he saw it was merely a different kind of mask, carefully hiding his true purpose.

"Good luck, old friend. We will see each other again." Jim was sure of it.

As Batman and Catwoman neared the address, he grimaced and felt the adrenaline intensify. His hands shook. Jason had died just one block away. Much of the rubble from that night was still piled up; backhoes and dump trucks littered the site. Batman tried desperately to block the memories, but for a moment, all he could see was Jason, broken and bloody, all he could feel was the warmth seeping out of his body.

Catwoman felt his tension and again reached for his hand. "C'mon, Stud. It's time to end this. It's time to see Jason avenged and stop the madness."

Selina took and deep breath and readied herself for the coming battle. She was here for only one reason: to protect him. He was everything to her. She would do anything for him.

They abandoned the Batmobile just around the corner from the warehouse and settled on the neighboring rooftop to conduct surveillance. Batman was displeased, but not surprised when Nightwing showed up a few minutes later.

"Ready to kick some clown ass?" Nightwing quipped. "Ronald McDonald doesn't stand a chance against us."

"Now Dick, watch your language. There's a lady present. Don't make Bruce here send you to your room without dinner. Alfred would be so disappointed" Selina admonished, never taking her eyes off the warehouse.

"Selina?" When she lost that sensual purr she normally spoke with, he recognized the voice immediately. "Shit! What the fuck?" Dick lowered his voice when Selina reached out and punched him just a little too hard in the arm. "I guess this explains the recent family dinner. What, did Bruce and Selina end up in the sack one night and manage to recognize each other? I should have known what was going on all those times you told me to run off and "gather more evidence."

"Dick, shut it. Now's not the time. We've got work to do." Batman growled.

There were roughly two dozen henchmen in the warehouse with Joker and Harley Quinn and they were holding at least that many hostages. Despite the sense of terror that was close to engulfing him over the possibility he could lose either of them, Batman was oddly relieved Dick and Selina were here with him. He was going to need the help.

Sirens screamed as GCPD surrounded the building. "Make sure Jim and the police stay out of this. We don't know what other traps Joker has set and we don't need any more casualties. And you two, stay here," he barked. When they both began to protest, he cut them off. "For now. No need to let him know you're here until you're needed." Batman stood up and tossed his binoculars to the side, unholstering his grappling gun and prepared to make his entrance.

"Bruce, wait." Selina grabbed him and pressed a fierce kiss to his lips. "I love you."

It was the first time she had said the words and it meant everything to him. Bruce drank in the intensity of that kiss, the feel of her body against his, the warmth that spread through him at those words he had yearned to hear for so long. With nothing but a nod, he shot the grappling gun and swung away. He could have nothing in his mind at that moment, save the Joker and what was to come. Selina's pride stung that he hadn't said the words back, but vowed to make sure he made it through the night, if only so she could give him a piece of her mind later.

A second later, Batman crashed through a window in the warehouse and landed with a thud, broken glass showering down around him. He slowly rose from a kneel and raised his head, eyes glowing with hatred and the need for vengeance.

Joker clapped slowly, laughing manically. "Very dramatic, Batman. Too bad you've just given all these people false hope. You may be the Dark Knight. But this is the last night any of them or you see. Where are your precious side-kicks? No big birdie or little kitty here to help you?" When Batman remained silent, Harley cackled brightly. "Aw, Puddin' he's all by his lonesome!"

"Not quite." Nightwing stepped out from the darkness. Of course Dick had ignored his orders. That kid hadn't listened to a word he had said since he hit puberty.

In an instant, a melee ensued. Batman engaged with the Joker and Quinn, distracting them as Nightwing began to pick off goons, one by one. Quietly, Catwoman crept in through a back window and started grabbing hostages in small groups, leading them out of the building to the waiting police force outside. Her stealth couldn't last forever, and tt wasn't long before she was spotted and struggled to protect both herself and the hostages from the henchmen.

After she managed to get the last of the hostages out, she heard shots ring out. Twelve in rapid succession. "No!' she screamed, adrenaline and fear pumping her legs faster and faster, terrified at what she would find. Batman. Nightwing. She had to get back to them.

Catwoman couldn't process the sight before her. Nightwing lay on the pavement, blood seeping slowly around him, as Harley stood there, gun in hand, beaming at the Joker. "I got the birdie, Puddin'!"

Catwoman leapt over Nightwing, grabbing her whip and deploying it in mid-air, wrapping it around Harley's neck. When she landed, she pulled back, hard, pulling Harley off balance. As she stumbled, Catwoman kicked her in the head, knocking her out cold.

She ran to Nightwing, kneeling next to him, pressing her fingers to his neck. Thank God for all their body armor. There's a pulse. She drug him outside to Jim Gordon was anxiously pacing.

"Get him an ambulance, NOW," Jim shouted, officers scrambling for their radios.

But Catwoman stopped them. "No. No hospitals." Catwoman reached into Nightwing's utility belt and found a remote to the Batmobile and pressed the button. A minute later, Nightwing was on his way to Dr. Leslie Thompkins via the autopilot capabilities of the Batmobile. "Leslie will take care of him. He'll be ok and his identity will be protected."

Now that Nightwing was on his way to medical attention, Catwoman turned her attention back to the warehouse. Batman was still in there. She took off at a sprint, desperately seeking him.

By the time she made it inside, all the goons were tied up or otherwise incapacitated. It was just Batman and Joker now.

Batman's emotions were raw, his mind unsteady. He had thought he had lost Selina earlier and now Dick was hurt. The still-rational part of him knew he was in a bad state, right on that precipice between maintaining his sanity and tumbling off into the abyss of madness. He held Joker against the concrete floor of the warehouse, his fist smashing into his face.

"Aw... Jeez... I hit Robin a lot harder than that." Joker paused and laughed. "His name was Jason, right?"

Batman screamed, his hands grasping Joker's lapels, slamming him over and over again into the pavement. His mind was clear of everything but rage, he saw nothing but the bloody face of Joker before him. Mindlessly, he reached next to him to grab a metal pipe. Batman hit him once, and was further enraged when Joker continued to laugh.

"That's right. Bats in the belfry. You've got them!" Blood was pouring out of Joker's head, his eye swollen closed, jaw broken.

It's almost over. Batman raised the pipe one final time.

"No, Batman! Stop!" Out of nowhere, Catwoman tackled him, knocking him off Joker, who continued to cackle, albeit it weakly and between bouts of coughing up blood. The two struggled as she took the pipe from him.

"Can't you see he's right?" Batman roared. "It's all my fault. Every death in Gotham since I first put Joker in Arkham is my fault. So many people. Jason...he'd still be alive if not for me. I wasn't willing to do what was necessary and he paid the price for it. Scarecrow, Two-face. If I had just killed them, they couldn't have escaped to kill anyone else. If I kill him now, he'll never harm another person."

Catwoman grasped Batman's fist in both her hands. "That's not true. He'll harm you. This isn't you. You're a vigilante, but you never cross that line. If you do this, if you kill him, you will never be Batman again. You will change. You are the Dark Knight. Gotham needs you. You aren't Harvey Dent, the White Knight of Gotham, who could do no wrong. After the accident, he went mad. He went from one extreme to the other. You've never been that extreme. You've been the balance. Don't let yourself be like them."

Batman heaved in breath, struggling to get oxygen into his system.

"You may not believe it, but you're a good man." His eyes finally met hers as the fog slowly began to recede from his brain. "You are a good man. None of this is your fault. None of it," she repeated. When his mind finally cleared enough to hear her words, Batman dropped the pipe to the ground with a clatter, shaking with rage and pain. He wavered, his legs barely holding him up.

She reached over and hugged him. "You've even managed to reform the Catwoman, lead her away from her life of crime. I've practically been your side-kick these days," she smirked. She broke the embrace and grabbed his hand, pulling him away from the scene behind them.

The Joker laid there, bloody and bruised, but still alive, and watched Catwoman walk Batman back from that cliff. So close. Almost there. Just a little further.

"See, Batman. I knew it. You can never kill me. You need me. You need all of us. How can you continue that farce of being the rat with wings without us? You aren't really a hero. You're just another crazy in a mask. Just like us."

Batman stiffened, started to turn, his entire body vibrating. Catwoman could feel the rage shimmering off him in waves. Desperate to get him back, she grabbed his head in her hands. "Come on, Bats. Come back to me. Focus. Let's let Jim Gordon pick Joker and these thugs up and go check on Nightwing."

Joker continued to cackle. Nice little kitty. I see how it is now. "The cat is chasing the rat with wings. What will you do when you catch him, kitty cat?" Catwoman ignored his comment and kept moving, hand in Batman's.

No, Joker thought. I almost had him. I almost broke the Bat. I could have driven him insane, it would have been the ultimate legacy. That miserable weakling of a side-kick getting his head smashed in almost did it. Joker had seen his rage explode when Nightwing had been shot. It would only take one more thing to send him over edge. And he knew just how to do it. He glanced around and saw a gun by the unconscious body of one of his henchmen.

"Here, kitty, kitty, kitty." Catwoman whirled around and reacted in a split second. Joker leveled the gun at her, but before his finger could even twitch on the trigger, she closed the distance, grabbed the weapon and pivoted. In one fluid motion, she tucked the gun into her belt, twisted behind the Joker's back, hooked her arm around his neck and used momentum to pull him off soon as he began to move in one direction, she reached around with her other arm to pop him back in the other direction. His neck snapped with a sickening 'snick' and his body collapsed to the floor with a thud.

Catwoman watched him crumple lifelessly to the floor. "You'll never break him. You'll never hurt him again."

And just like that, it was over. Selina stood, stunned by her own actions, unable to process what had happened. What had she done? Could he forgive her for that? She had always been a thief, but this was different. Could he be with a killer? Whatever happened, she would not regret it. She couldn't let him hurt Bruce again.

Catwoman slowly looked up and locked eyes with Batman, registering the pain and confusion on his face. There were no words. Only silence.

Finally, his face changed. Relief, then acceptance. He turned and walked toward the door, holding his hand out for her.