CHAPTER 4 – ONE LAST CHANCE

The Bat Signal lit up the night sky. It was a beacon of light that seemed entirely out-of-place amidst the perennial grit and grime of Gotham City after sunset. In a matter of minutes, Batman was on the rooftop of the GCPD building. He'd lost count of the number of times he'd gone through this ritual: called by the signal to a rooftop rendezvous with Commissioner Gordon, where the two beleaguered crusaders of justice would trade words about the nightly horrors unfolding in the city they both called home. He saw the Bat Signal less often these days, since Jim Gordon had retired, but even now, that signal still had to mean something. But on this night, Batman was surprised by who was waiting for him.

"Hello Bats," said Harvey Dent.

And it was Harvey Dent, not Two-Face. His face, once horribly scarred by acid on the left side, was now completely healed, restored through surgery. At last, he looked whole again. He'd been through a lot of suffering over the past few years, and caused a lot of it as well. The days when Dent had joined Batman and Gordon up on this very rooftop, the three men sharing a common cause, felt like a lifetime ago. But seeing him standing here, his handsome features restored, Batman felt a glimmer of hope that Harvey Dent had finally put Two-Face to rest.

"Harvey, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I wanted to thank you," answered Dent, "For not giving up on me."

Dent began pacing back and forth. He was unconsciously clicking his fingers – probably a substitute for flipping his coin.

"And there's something I want to ask you, Bats," continued Dent, "The current District Attorney is leaving Gotham City. And I don't know why, but…but they're asking me to be DA again."

Dent flashed a ghost of a smile. He looked anxious, unsure of himself.

"Do you feel ready?" asked Batman, "Are you sure this isn't too much pressure?"

"No, I'm not sure of anything," sighed Dent, "But I really want this. After all the terrible things I've done, all the crimes I've committed as…as Two-Face, I just want one chance to make up for all that. I want to help Gotham City, make it into a better place!"

Dent looked over at Batman, a pleading look in his eyes.

"But I want to know that you're on my side, Bats," he said, "You helped me become me again, and I'm only going to take this step if I have your support."

There was a brief silence. It felt like an eternity to Harvey. All these years, trapped in this body with a monster, a powerless observer and a silent accomplice in his own atrocities. Perhaps he'd steeped himself too far in bloodshed to ever come back, burned too many bridges. He didn't want to think that, couldn't bear to. But it all depended on Batman. His last hope dangled on the thread of his response. At last, Batman spoke.

"Go for it," was all he said, before swooping off of the rooftop.

"Thank you," Dent said to Batman, even though he was already gone.

Back in the Batmobile, Batman began his patrol of Gotham City. He felt genuinely happy for his old friend Harvey Dent. Things really seemed to be coming together for him. Batman sincerely hoped it all worked out. If anyone deserved a happy ending, it was Harvey Dent.

…

Harvey Dent did become the new District Attorney. Apart from that, the next couple of weeks passed by with little incident. A few small heists and petty crimes averted, but no major threats cropping up. But throughout it all, Batman felt a small, sick sensation at the pit of his stomach.

He knew that The Joker was waiting, planning, laughing…