Chapter 27: Epilogue

"How's it going?"

Andi must have become used to Bruce's quiet entrance to the caves because she didn't even look up from where she knelt on the ground, sorting thick manila file folders into huge storage boxes. "Done!" she said triumphantly. "Case notes, autopsies, I've even managed to edit that incident with tracking the Joker so that it sounds like Gordon was behind most of it rather than you. The Batman's still mentioned in a couple instances, but your involvement shouldn't be recorded as really interacting with the police or being too important to killing the Joker. You'll be as faceless as ever to investigators."

"Good." Bruce took a seat on one of the boxes and watched as she kept meticulously filing the data. "What did Gordon say when he gave this to you?"

"Quite a bit. I hadn't talked to him since I pretended to poison him a week ago, so there was a lot to catch up on. Not to mention a lot of groveling on my part."

"You?" Bruce asked, "Groveling? What, did you say you were 'very sorry' instead of just 'sorry?'"

Andi didn't look up, but he could practically hear her eyes rolling in their sockets. "I've apologized before. I even did it to you once, when I still thought you were an enemy."

"And it looked about as painful as a root canal."

"At least you get anesthesia for those." She was still looking down at her papers, but Bruce thought he saw a corner of her lips pull up. "Anyways. No word on Harley and Ivy—they're well and truly off the reservation now. There are still a few hysterical 'sightings' getting called in on the hotlines but I have a feeling the two of them won't be found until they want to be."

"And the Joker?"

Andi shuddered. "He's dead, Bruce. I examined his corpse, and there were absolutely no vital signs. Just because they didn't find his body… it could have been any number of things. Harley coming back for him. Someone else walking in and deciding to get rid of the body. Cops who didn't think he deserved a funeral."

Bruce nodded, but he couldn't make himself believe it, and he could tell Andi didn't either. He'd accepted that the Joker was never coming back. He knew that with absolute, bone-deep instinct. But death and the Joker… the two words just didn't fit together in his mind. The Joker might never come back, never be seen again, but that didn't mean he wasn't still out there somewhere, laughing at all of them for their stupidity.

The thought was so unsettling he changed the subject.

"So did Gordon accept your, um, groveling?"

"He says he understands why I had to trick him. But…" Andi set aside the papers and took a seat across from him on her own box. Her voice was low but very calm. "But he doesn't want me back at MCU when he rebuilds it. Or even with those incompetents at county."

"Why not?"

"Several reasons. Ivy and Harley mostly. Gordon doesn't know what they're planning or how to stop them. Until they're caught… he wants me to go into hiding. He's offered to forge a new identity for me, get me whatever I need to start in another job, things like that. And, although it's hardly going to fool them, he's offered to help me fake forensic evidence to make it look like I died in that explosion at Arkham so I can avoid anyone else wondering what happened to me. After MCU was destroyed and Harley and Ivy turned, there shouldn't be anyone out there who will care enough to look into it too closely."

"Are you going to take him up on it?"

"Whether I do or not, he's not allowing me back into Gotham PD. He says that, after pretending to poison him and going behind his back in several instances… he doesn't blame me, exactly, but I've gone too far. Grown too much. He doesn't think he could really remain in authority over me after all that's happened."

It didn't answer his actual question and both Bruce and Andi knew it. He didn't push her though, and they sat there for several seconds, each lost in their own thoughts. For some reason, even thought they weren't so much as looking at each other, he was very aware of the woman sitting across from him. He would have liked it to last, but he'd come down here for a reason and slowly the need to speak built up within him like pressure growing behind a dam. Bruce darted a glance at her and saw that she was biting her lip as if struggling with her own thoughts.

"I wanted to—"

"There's something I—"

Both of them broke off, smiling a bit. Bruce motioned to her. "You first."

"Alright." For once, Andi seemed to have trouble marshalling her thoughts. "I… I suppose I should start with… with Pam and Leena. Not Ivy and Harley. My friends, Pam and Leena.

"I keep going over it in my head. Before… all this… if anyone had asked me which of the three of us was the least likely to ever hurt someone, I'd have told them Leena. And if they'd asked which was the most likely to be a martyr, to fight and suffer and die before giving an inch in her ideals, I would have said Pam."

"It's not your fault that they didn't act like you expected." Bruce said. Andi stared at her hands.

"Maybe," she said, sounding out the word as if she'd never said it before. Given how certain she always acted, it might well be. "Maybe not. I think I could have done more. Should have done more. But then I would have had to sacrifice other things, and who knows how it all would have turned out then? I keep telling myself that. But that's not my point."

Of course not. That would be the natural train of thought, and Andi's mind never worked like you expected it to. "Then what is?"

"My point is that they turned. They did and I didn't. And I keep coming back to the question of… why? Why me? I was the mediocre one of the bunch, I didn't have Leena's purity or Pam's courage. If anything, I'm the cold, calculating one; I should have given out first. But somehow I'm the one who stayed with what was right. How did it turn out like that? What was so different in my situation? And the one thing I can come up with, the one thing I had and they didn't was… you."

Something twisted in Bruce's gut. "Andi—"

Damned woman's intuition. She heard everything Bruce wanted to keep hidden in that one word and when he stood she did too, inches from him. Her hand tentatively reached up, brushed through his hair and came to rest on his cheek, just like Rachel's had when she left him. And just like that time, Bruce couldn't move away, couldn't listen to the little voice in his head that told him this was a bad idea.

Andi kept talking, oblivious. "You told me if I ever meant it you'd be there. And when Ivy and Harley had you on the ground, and Harley asked me if I loved you—" she closed her eyes and swallowed. "I didn't lie Bruce. It's taken me the loss of two best friends, the destruction of everything else I've relied on in life, but I want to be with you. I want to help you as the Batman and to be with you as… more."

Bruce's hand came up, caught her by the wrist and pulled her hand down. His face was inches from hers, the desire thudding through his veins. It took more willpower than he'd thought he possessed to not lean in towards her and—

"Andi I can't."

"Yes you can. We can."

"Andi… no." Bruce pulled himself away from her, far enough that he could at least pretend the temptation wasn't so strong. "That's what I was going to tell you. I know what you want. And, God help me, I want to be with you too. But we can't."

Her eyes snapped open. "This is about the danger isn't it? About your heroics and the worry that I'll get sucked into them."

"Yes—no—something like that." Bruce took a deep breath. "It's true that I don't want you to be hurt Andi. And if I loved you, can I put you in danger?"

"Of course not!" Andi tossed her hair. "But it's not like I'm going to be safe without you Bruce. In fact, with Harley and Ivy around, I think you're probably the best protection a girl can get."

Bruce couldn't think of anything to say to that and Andi was relentless.

"You need to be fair here Bruce! You worry about the danger for me, but I'm going to be just as worried about your safety. Do you think it will be easy for me to learn to live wondering every night if it'll be the one that some criminal or policeman makes a lucky shot, or the time you're not quite careful enough and your mask slips? The time you're going to die saving someone? It's something we'll both have to deal with, something we'll both learn to get through. Together."

She missed her calling in life, he thought ruefully. She would have made a great lawyer. Like Rachel. The memory was enough to jolt him from his silence. Rachel. Dead because of him. He refused to do it to another woman.

"I'm not saying it's fair, Andi. And I'm not saying it's logical, but it's there. But maybe you're right. Maybe if that was the only thing stopping me I'd even be willing to try, but it's bigger than that."

"Then give me the whole thing!"

Bruce couldn't look her in the eyes anymore. He stared around the cave instead, ruthlessly reminding himself of what it was here for, why he existed in the first place. "You'd be in danger because of who I am. The Batman. And that… my identity… that's the real problem.

"It's not even a job, Andi, not really. It's a life. One that I have to put before everything else. Everything Andi. And that means, if I agreed, Gotham and the Batman would still have to come before you. That if I'm forced to choose between saving the city and you… You don't deserve that. To be second priority. And you wouldn't want that place if I offered it."

"YES I WOULD!" Andi cleared her throat and obviously tried to moderate her voice, but it was still furious, tinged with desperation. "Or at least I'd be willing to give it a shot."

"No you wouldn't." Bruce looked down again and saw that she was blinking furiously. The pain in his chest had nothing to do with the lingering bruises from the Joker. He had to say it. "I know you Andi. You give your whole heart and soul to what you love. And you demand nothing less from others."

"I don't care! Maybe I would with most people, Bruce, but I would know why you couldn't give me more, and I'd be alright with it. Bruce, please—"

"You'd be alright with it? Do you mean that? Could you live with a man who was in constant danger, who—"

"Soldiers' and cops' wives do it all the time!"

"And you're not like them! You're too involved in this; you'd demand to be allowed to share in the dangers, and I can't let that happen! You just aren't strong enough to deal with it."

She stared at him as if he'd slapped her and then something in her gaze turned deadly. "What does that mean?"

"Maybe I misspoke," Bruce backpedaled. "It's not that you're weak. Not in the least. It's that you're… you're too tough, too independent to commit yourself to this sort of life."

"Commitment issues? Sounds like weakness to me."

"Think it through Andi. Think! It's impossible to be with me in public. Ivy and Harley would figure out my identity as the Batman the minute you were seen by the press with Bruce Wayne. And I… Andi I know you. You can't be some secret lover or whatever. It's just not in you. Not when I have to remain Bruce Wayne the Billionaire. Could you deal with that? With allowing me to drag different barely-dressed women around in public, maybe even back home a couple of times, while still dating you?"

Andi stared at him and for the first time Bruce saw the beginnings of surrender form in her face. It sickened him, but he made himself press his advantage.

"And what if we wanted to go farther Andi? We never could. No going out in public, no children, and if we ever married it would be a secret, hidden event as if I was ashamed of you! Tell me that that doesn't bother you."

"It doesn't—"

"No! Not like that, dammit. You look me in the eyes and tell me."

Her eyes were glassy with unshed tears, but she met his gaze without flinching. "Alright then. It bothers me Bruce. Of course it bothers me. But we brought down the Joker together, we've fought and won against biological attacks and drowning and explosions and all sorts of other near death experiences. We can work this out. Just—just give it a chance. That's all I'm asking. I can't… Bruce, I'm begging you. There's no one else out there. No one who will even care enough to collect my 'remains' from autopsy. And I can't be alone anymore. Not after what I've done."

It was the hope in her eyes that was the worst. The hope and the desperation, the same expression you might see in a woman hanging onto a cliff's edge, expecting you to reach out a hand. Bruce couldn't bring himself to answer, couldn't make himself say the words out loud. He watched instead, unable to keep her from falling, unable to turn away.

Her expression changed, crumpled. She turned away from him and stared blindly at the waterfall. Bruce didn't think he was supposed to see the tears that were tracing down her face. "Andi, I'm—"

"Don't say it," she said flatly, not even turning towards him, "Don't you dare say you're sorry. You've chosen."

She folded her arms and glared forward, still talking to the waterfall rather than him. "If that's your decision then fine. But I want you to know, Wayne, that if you're out, you're out. I don't want to be involved with you. And I don't want you involved with me—not professionally, not emotionally, not even as friends. I'll let Gordon get me a new identity, and I don't want you to follow it. Now let me finish sorting through this. I have a lot to do before I leave tomorrow."

Was it cowardice or bravery that made Bruce turn and leave? All he knew was that, either way, it was one of the hardest things he'd ever done. He tried to block out emotion, but the minute he passed out of eyesight he heard an inhuman shriek, something crashing on the rocks, and then the only slightly quieter sound of her sobs.

Alfred was waiting in the study. Perhaps he didn't know the particulars of what had happened, but he at least caught on to Bruce's mood and waited for him to speak.

"Andi—Andi will be moving out. Tomorrow, or maybe tonight even. Help her pack, and make sure you supply her with enough money. Hide it in her suitcase; she won't take it willingly. And tell her I said good-bye."

"Yes sir."

Bruce nodded and turned to leave, where he didn't quite know, but his butler stopped him. "Master Wayne—"

Whatever the elderly man had been about to say, it died on his lips as Bruce met his concerned expression with a deadpan stare.

"Batman, Alfred. Batman. It's all I am, and all I ever will be. I should have stopped pretending otherwise a long time ago."

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," she muttered as red and blue lights started to flash behind her, matched by the loud wail of sirens. She cast a hopeful glance around the dark road for another lawbreaker, but she'd been the last one through the changing light and everyone seemed to be sticking to their lane.

Panic fluttered in her chest, but she wrestled it away and pulled the car onto the shoulder. This would have come sooner or later, and maybe it was best to just get it over with. She rolled down the window, shut off the engine, and switched the lights on inside the car, then placed her hands back on the wheel. Police in Gotham were understandably jumpy and might suspect she was pulling out a gun rather than a vehicle registration if she reached inside the glove compartment before asked. Better to wait.

The officer looked vaguely familiar even in the dark, and as he bent down to peer inside her car she felt a jolt of recognition. The rent-a-cop from the Palisades? Gordon really must be scraping at the bottom of the barrel to replenish his forces. And for all that, he still won't hire me back.

"Ma'am? May I see your license and registration please?"

She had to fight the instinct to hide her face as she obeyed and pulled out her wallet and the other papers. Her disguise wasn't very heavy; it couldn't be if she was going to live with it day in and day out. Hair dyed to a shiny jet black, meticulously straightened instead of her natural soft curls. Make-up to accentuate the slight slant in her eyes, the angles in her face, contacts to darken her eyes. She'd always foregone her Asian heritage in favor of the Hispanic and, while she had been pretty impressed with the result of changing it around, this was its first real test against someone from her former life.

He peered closely at the license, but she knew it would hold against any but the most in-depth background check, and the registration was completely legitimate. Gordon was very thorough when it came to protecting his people. The officer still frowned at something on it.

"Miss Kayla… Eng… Guy…"

"Nguyen, officer. Pronounced the same way as 'When was the California Gold Rush?'"

He paused and cocked his head at her. After a moment she decided to have pity on him. "1848 to 1855."

"You a history buff?"

"Teacher. At Gotham High."

He snorted disdainfully and handed back the ID. Despite the fact that the man was looking her full in the face, he obviously still didn't know her. She allowed herself to relax a bit. "Well then, Miss 'When,' do you realize you drove through a red light at that intersection? I'm going to have to ticket you for that."

She was considering being a brat on the issue and demanding to see his dash cam, but before she could make up her mind there was a cacophony of sirens on the road behind them. At least four cruisers zoomed past, chasing after something. Instinctively, her eyes turned to the sky, searching for—

A moving shadow leapt from building to building, then stretched his cape and plummeted, swooped down into the night and disappeared. She stared at the darkness where he had been long after he'd vanished into the dark, then swallowed past the lump in her throat. He left you. He left you like everyone else and he's not coming back. Now get your head out of the clouds. He's gone, just like the rest of them. He left you. He left you. He left you.

The officer cleared his throat and when she turned her attention back to him, she saw that he looked vaguely panicked. He must have glimpsed the Batman. She gave the plump man a shaky smile, as if she too had been frightened, but it didn't seem to soothe him.

"Ummm… never mind Miss. I'll let you off with a warning this time." He scuttled back to his car, leaving her alone on the side of the road.

She very deliberately did not hesitate, did not waste time on trying to catch her breath or hold back tears. Instead, she made herself pull back out onto the lanes and drive on, carefully obeying the traffic laws this time. He left me, she repeated to herself. But just like when Pam and Leena left me I can learn to live through it. I am strong enough. I'm strong enough to survive alone.

That didn't stop her from glancing back at the spot where he'd vanished just before it passed out of view.