AN: Thank you so much for your patience! I meant to get this chapter out earlier, and for the past few days, I've been feeling pretty nervous. I have testing for my next belt coming up tomorrow, so I'm anxious about that. And that's assuming the stupid tropical storm doesn't get classes canceled. (growls) So, mini-rant aside, here's my next chapter!

Chapter Twelve

Batman shot after Two-Face like a bullet. Anger simmered through him, and he allowed it. He was going to need all that anger for what he was planning to do. Only once before had he deliberately allowed someone to die. Ra's got what he deserved, and Batman knew that even if he had been allowed to live, he would have only tried again. It was the only way to stop him from destroying Gotham. Right now, killing Dent may be the only way to keep Kaitlyn safe. He was more than willing to sacrifice his morals, to break that one rule he lived by, if it meant his daughter would be safe. And once again, all hell would break loose because of his decision. For once it would be truly his fault.

Harvey Dent made to the elevator shaft before Batman caught up with him. He grabbed the man's arm and spun him around, away from the empty shaft and back down the hallway. Dent skidded to a halt five feet away from Batman, anger and hate simmering in his eyes. "Why is it that you, who let Rachel die, are now so attached to a little girl?" Dent snarled. "You obviously didn't care much for a woman, so why should a girl be any different?"

Batman almost flinched at that. "I did care for Rachel." he said quietly. "It was my stupid mistake that let Joker kill her, but that doesn't mean I didn't care for her."

Harvey thought that one over for a minute. "I suppose that makes sense." he said finally. "You are, after all, only human. If you were anything more you would have saved both of us." He drew his gun. "You still have to die."

Once again, Batman found himself resisiting the urge to pound his head against the wall. Why, why was everyone out to get them? "Now what kind of sense does that make?" he protested. "This doesn't have to end badly you know."

"Yes it does." Dent said calmly. "These are the roles we play. No matter how much we may wish otherwise, we are enemies. I am too far gone to be saved now."

Which may be true, Batman mused darkly, but that didn't mean he wanted to have a fight here and now. He wasn't quite sure what to do next - Dent wasn't quite as insane as he thought, but at the same time, he wasn't willing to just stand by and let him go, either. The need to fight, to get it done and over with was strong. Kaitlyn was dying, and while he trusted Gordon to take care of her while he dealt with this, he wanted to get back to her. "Then let's end this."

"Let's."

Gunshots rang out, and Batman went into action. It took some fancy footwork to dodge most of the barrage, and even then one bullet clipped his leg. Luckily the armor there was strong enough to deflect a glancing blow. It threw him off-balance, but not terribly so. He was still moving, still evading. There couldn't be that many bullets left in that gun.

He was right. About twelve shots later, the gun clicked empty. Dent calmly ejected the magazine and put in a fresh one. "These things carry about twenty bullets." he informed Batman casually.

Batman made sure he was fully concealed in the shadows as he answered. "I know."

"I have five full clips."

Batman rolled his eyes. "You do have a point, I assume?"

"You can't keep evading me. Even if you can, I'm not going to let you." Dent was too calm; he had that air about him that meant something bad was about to be spoken. He held an ace Batman hadn't seen yet. "You see, I'm going to keep moving this way, and I'm going to keep firing bullets so you can't get me. By the time we catch up with the others, I'll have just enough bullets left to finish the girl off."

Batman glared daggers at him. "You are determined to die." he said thoughtfully. He knew one thing for certian - just as he would not kill Joker, he would not kill Two-Face either. And if he was going to kill anyone, he thought darkly, it would have been Joker and it would have happened long ago. There had to be something he could do to just bring the man down and keep him away from Kaitlyn's room.

Suddenly another voice spoke from behind Dent. "You are still scheming."

Dent didn't turn around, keeping his gun trained carefully on Batman. "That's what I do, Joker." he replied simply. "I have to have a plan."

"And if you have a plan," Joker observed, "then I have to destroy it." At Dent's annoyed grunt, Joker smiled. "That's what I do, Two-Face. Just ask Bats here. He knows me better than anyone."

"Better than I'd like to." Batman admitted.

Dent ground his teeth together. "The thought of you two working together sickens me."

"Who said we were working together?" Joker protested lightly. "Think of it as a temporary truce. We have a common interest right now. As soon as you die, we'll go back to being bitter enemies." He was once again twirling his switchblade. "So what do you think? Can you get past both of us?"

Dent smiled. "Absolutely." He fired off six shots as he spun around, forcing Batman and Joker to take cover. By the time the two were on their feet, he was already halfway down the hall. Batman cursed, Joker said something he didn't quite catch, and both were after the former district attorney once more.

"This sucks, Bat." Joker huffed. "When did he get a second wind?"

"When we gave him a challenge." Batman grunted back. With slight difficulty - he wasn't quite used to doing this while running - he sent another thrower after Dent.

"Who taught you to aim?!"

"I wasn't trying to hit him!'

A gunshot rang out, and Dent fell to the ground gripping his now-shattered leg. As Batman and Joker caught up, they saw Gordon guarding the door, a smug look on his face and his gun barrel smoking from the recent shot. Behind him, and a bit unsteady on her feet, was Kaitlyn. Batman could see the blood that soaked her shirt and still oozed through the makeshift bandage Gordon had wrapped around her waist. Gordon himself was missing his shirt and was now wearing only a jacket. He turned to Batman.

"I thought he'd be coming back this way." he said, motioning to the wall. The thrower was sticking out of the sheetrock.

Joker's eyes widened. "You could not have seen that from the other side of the room."

"I wasn't on the other side of the room." Gordon pointed out dryly.

"He was guarding the door." Batman added. Joker simply stared at both of them for a second, then shook his head.

"I think you both are insane." he muttered. "Insane people understand each other."

Gordon shot him a look. "This coming from a serial killer who tried to destroy the city."

"Which begs the question of what do we do with them?" Batman wondered. He reached down and pulled Kaitlyn into his arms. She hooked her fingers into his armor, getting a firm grip as she buried her face in his chest. "We can't let either of them go."

"True." Gordon flashed him a vicious grin. "But I know how to make Joker come quietly."

Joker began to back away. This wasn't good. . . .

/--/

AN: Sorry about the long wait. This chapter hates me. (sighs) Well, the storm is passing over us, almost gone, and I'm willing to place safe bets karate has been cancelled tonight, which means no testing. Oh well. Be nice and review, and in the next chapter I'll explain what happens to Joker! (laughs)