Epilogue

Considering what she had been doing on and off for the last six years, it took a very remarkable sight to impress Faith. The Batcave would have done it, even if she hadn't known that she was only the sixth individual to ever be invited inside. She still wasn't entirely certain why she had been brought down here, though she had least understood why there was so much security around her as she had been escorted along the way.

"Impressed?" Batman asked, as he walked up, not making a sound.

Faith would have jumped if she were any other person. Even with all of her enhanced senses and Slayer training, and that she could pick up on a vampire at twenty yards, she still didn't know he was there until he said something.

"Well, you have to remember, the most exotic place I've held court in was a high school library," Faith said with a small smile, looking up at the giant playing card that hung in one corner. She still didn't know the full story about the dinosaur, she really would need to ask one of these days. "But, I guess you need a crib like this to keep Gotham together."

"It's worked well for a long time," Batman told her. "But given what I'm facing now, I may need to expand."

Faith looked around, and even arched a brow. She was starting to get the impression that the Bat cave went down several more stories, and he was going to need more room? How many more stories did one need for stakes? Then again, given the way he worked, he was going to be stocking up on incendiaries. She looked Batman straight in the eye, and despite everything, lowered her voice. "I imagine the good people at WayneTech will be more than happy to fork over the dough to spread out."

Batman's poker face did not change, but Faith could tell that he had been taken by surprise. "How did you know?"

"The technology that was developed to mass produce the chemical we used the poison the vampires could only have been produced by a couple of places in this town," Faith told him. "Andrew found one of your company's trademarks on the packaging. Add to that, Spike told me that Wayne Manor has some of the most extensive underground tunneling he's seen in nearly a century of maneuvering underground," She shrugged casually. "I was never much for book learning, but even I can do some advanced connect the dots. Either you're Bruce Wayne, or you're both pretty chummy."

Batman moved closer. "Do I have a problem, then?" he asked.

"No one outside the three of us know," Faith looked at him. "And believe us, we know as well as you do the importance of maintaining a secret identity."

"I imagine you do," Batman admitted. "I've spoken with Barbara."

"How is the Commissioner?"

That was, in fact, a very valid concern. "According to Gotham PD, he's only taking a sabbatical," he said slowly. "But Barbara says he still hasn't been sleeping well, and he's more jumpy than she seen him in awhile. It may be awhile before he comes back." His voice was sad as he concluded the statement. "If he does come back..."

"Not many people hold up well living in a Stephen King novel." Faith was reluctant to bring up the next question, but it was the nine-hundred pound elephant in the room. "You told him about what happened to the Joker?" she asked gently.

"I understand how Jim feels," Batman said in as strong a voice as he could manage. His eyes showed nothing but the light of the cave around them. "There have been nights where I have wanted nothing more than to… " He trailed off, perhaps realizing that he'd said too much. "But we can't give into the lesser angels of our nature. If we do that, then we are no worse than the evil we're trying to stop."

At a basic level, Faith understood. Had Buffy carried out the horrible plan when they had engaged in their battle royal five years earlier, she would never have had a chance to reform. But she also knew that the world was not the black-and-white that Bruce Wayne seemed to see it as.

Her main reason for not arguing with him was simpler than that, though. Yeah, Joker was comatose, and without the restorative abilities of a vampire or Slayer, he would probably spend the remainder of his life under heavy guard in the Saint Horace's Hospital.

Still, Faith had seen too many horrible things--- had been at the center of too much--- to think that it was impossible for the Joker to return, bad as new. But for now, they knew where he was. And, if she wanted to take justice in her own hands, there was very little the Gotham police could do to stop her---- or Spike, if it came to that.

The Batman, however, didn't have to know that. "What else did you discuss with Oracle?" she asked.

"Gotham City will never be the same again," he told her bluntly, his voice as hard as ever again, suddenly. "Nicholae and Kotaski may be gone, but the roots they lay in this city are deep. It will be years before the undead problem in the crime syndicates is solved. As well, once the Riddler, Scarecrow, Two-Face and the other monsters of Gotham City discover a way to manipulate those creatures we'll be dealing with a whole new set of problems."

Faith blinked. "You're kidding, right? Normal people control vampires? Get outta here."

Batman cocked his head ever so slightly, and she thought that, for a moment, he might possibly be amused when he said, "You haven't had to deal with most of the normal problems Gotham encounters on a day to day business. In a direct confrontation with our usual criminals, without Nicholae's maneuvering, I wouldn't be able to tell you who would win. Tackling Poison Ivy alone would test whether or not vampires would last long enough to become fertilizer, and Mr. Freeze is another difficulty entirely. And I wouldn't wish to discuss Bane."

"Who?"

"I bring this up because I have been taught by the past few months when to admit I am in over my head."

Faith cocked her head, surprised that he sidestepped the query.

He looked at Faith. "When I spoke with Barbara earlier, we discussed several matters other than the undead, Faith." He paused a moment, taking a breath. "She has agreed that if you want to, you may become the new Batgirl."

Faith was surprised how much the gesture touched her. She knew they need her help, but it was almost too much. However, she already knew what she had to say.

"That means a helluva lot, coming from her…" Faith said, "…and I would be honored to fight alongside you and Dick and Tim, but we have to have a few ground rules."

"Such as?"

"I don't replace anybody," she told him bluntly. "I tried that at Sunnydale, and it drove me to murder, then nearly to suicide. I'm glad Barbara wants me to wear her costume, but I was never big with hand-me-downs even before I became a Slayer. Besides, I don't need a secret identity." She looked at Batman. "The things that go bump in the night, they need to know who I am."

"I see," Batman said simply.

"Man, you're talkative tonight," Faith said with a small smile. "However, you could give me one of those modified belts. The stuff you carry, it really could help...I'm even going to write back to LA and see if anyone's interested in doing some variations. And maybe one of those bikes that I've seen you ride. One of those would be bitchin'"

Batman nodded. "I believe that can be arranged without too much difficulty, Faith. You are certain you do not want a costume?"

"And what would my icon be?" she asked facetiously. "A red cape with a giant 'S' in the middle? Pretty sure that's been trademarked."

This time, she actually did get a smile from him. It lasted only a split-second, but he smiled.

"You certainly have the mindset for this," Batman said.

"I was born for it, " Faith said, and began to walk away. "Now we need to get out there on patrol. The undead don't go out on mid-winter break."

Batman knew she was right, and started moving towards the Batmobile.

"I never thanked you," Batman said.

"All part of the service B-man. It's in my blood," Faith said.

"Don't call me B-man."

Faith looked over her shoulder and grinned at him. "You'll get used to it."