Alfred met Rachel just inside the gate, Mr. Fox right beside him. "He is in pretty bad shape." Rachel said, concerned that no doctor was there. "Perhaps you should call Dr. Andrews?"

Dr. Andrews was a friend of Thomas Wayne's and she would never betray Bruce or his secrets. There was also little chance that she could be bought off as there was little she wanted for.

"Dr. Andrews will come once we get his mask off and get him into his bed. No reason to make it obvious." Alfred informed Rachel, reading into her concerns.

Rachel, Alfred, and Lucius braced Bruce and then put him onto the stretcher. They wheeled him inside and then through up to the penthouse. "Hang in there." Alfred said, patting his face.

"Doctor Andrews please…. This is Alfred… as I said, Master Wayne got himself into a fight and…. Thank you… the penthouse…. I will open the private gate."

Rachel thought Alfred nearly flew downstairs to get the doctor. She was struck by the fact that he still looked elegant. "Thank you for coming, doctor."

"My plesasure." Dr. Andrews' eyes remained focused on Bruce. "The least I could do for Thomas's son. Needless to say, you can count on my discretion."

"Thank you."

"All right. Let's give us some privacy now. I will have to undress Bruce." She smiled at Rachel. "I don't think you need to see this either, Alfred." She acknowledged Lucius by smiling and nodding at him partially to indicate that she was not saying anything to him because she did not know him well enough to speak to him and especially to tell him what to do.

"I will excuse myself as well." Lucius said. He put a hand on both Alfred and Rachel's shoulder.

Rachel's phone rang when she was outside. "Harvey, it is too early to say anything. I will call you back as soon as I know… I love you too…. Good-bye."

Rachel sat next to Alfred in silence as they waited for Dr. Andrews to come out. Lucius sat on Alfred's other side. Rachel appreciated the concern on his face for both Bruce and Alfred.

Rachel stared at the wall of the penthouse. Her mind went down to her childhood. She remembered running through these very halls with Bruce. Both of them had been very active children and would run around. This meant that she knew most of the nooks and cranny's of the Wayne holdings. Dr. Wayne had been very good about treating her like Bruce and not the daughter of a hired hand.

She remembered when she first realized that she loved Bruce. It was his senior year of high school. The year that he had started to withdraw into himself. The only people who had seen the real Bruce were Alfred and Rachel. He allowed no one else into his shell, his anti-social personality. They had come here a lot that year as Bruce would also want to run from his constructed self. He would show her his latest design or invention and she would give him company and solace. He would sneak her to a movie. Her mind then turned to one glorious trip to Hawaii. Bruce had been so relaxed in Hawaii. That had been one of the only times since he turned ten that he was completely unveiled with anyone but Alfred. Because when he was in Gotham, she noticed, he would begin to slip into his constructed personality.

An hour later when Michelle still had no come out, she got up and then she got up to make some coffee. Alfred made to get up, but Rachel gestured him down. She came back with coffee, cups, and some biscuits. "take some, so Alfred will." She whispered to Lucius.

As predicted, Alfred made to refuse the coffee until Lucius poured himself and Alfred a cup. Then Alfred's social training took over and he drank some of the coffee as well. Lucius smiled covertly at Rachel who smiled briefly back before looking towards the front again.

Rachel's cellphone went off again. It was Gordon. "Commissioner." She said, struck by the fact that he was distraught, though he was obviously trying to disguise it as it would not be appropriate for the commissioner of police to look so concerned over the well-being of a vigilante. "The doctor is with him right now. She has not come out yet….. yes, I will call you."

They hung up and waited for another hour. As time went on Rachel found herself getting more and more nervous. "Well," the lawyer in her reasoned, "at least it means that he has a chance of survival, because if he did not, then Dr. Andrews would have been out here earlier."

Rachel looked at her watch and knew that she should get some breakfast foods together, but she knew that no one would eat and she also did not want to leave her place of vigil.

Michelle came out. Rachel grabbed Alfred' s arm seeing Michelle's expression. "He is pretty bad shape." She said, bluntly. "The next few hours are critical. I need some more equipment, and right now he is stable enough that I can go and get it. I am sorry the news is not better."

"Thank you, Michelle." Alfred said, getting up, looking old and haggard.

Rachel resisted the impulse to rush in. This was Alfred's moment. Alfred had stuck beside Bruce through everything. Through things that she as his best friend had not stuck by him for. He had been able to reach her when she, Rachel, had not been able to. Alfred had been able to get Bruce to channel his emotions, wealth, and most importantly, his capability for good, into productive uses.

Rachel instead sat silently with Lucius for twenty minutes and then got up. She walked in and took his hand. She marveled at how smooth it was despite his night job.

She moved her fingers within his. "Get better soon." She whispered in his ear.

She found herself having to stop herself from memorizing every line on his face and every scar. From savoring his presence. "You committed yourself to Harvey!" She berated herself.

Her cell phone rang again. It was Harvey. "Harvey Dent." She said, getting up, incensed. She walked outside, and was thankful that most of the walls of the penthouse were soundproof. "The Batman is lying here injured and you want to take credit for his work... that is not the point…. The point is that we should be better than that… you were the one speaking so highly of B-Batman when he was helping Gotham. Now that Gotham no longer needs him…" Rachel was shocked to the bottom of her core. "I know that. That is probably what he would say too, but that is absolutely not the point. We are supposed to be the ones fighting for everything that is good in this world. We are the ones that are supposed to be fighting for law and order…. I can't talk to you right now." Rachel hung up the phone and walked back inside to Bruce.

He was coughing. "Some of the shards must have pierced a lung." Lucius said, sadly.

Rachel knew she was being a bit unreasonable, but she could not help but blame Harvey for the injury to her Bruce….. wait, her Bruce? Rachel again pushed aside the thought, rationalizing that he was her best friend, so naturally she had some rights over him.

Rachel put a cloth on Bruce's forehead and waited as Alfred came in to check on Bruce. "Dinner is prepared. Rachel, go eat something."

Rachel was about to protest when Alfred raised an eyebrow and gave her a firm look which caused her to go outside.

"Now, Master Wayne. You need to get better fast." Alfred said, sitting next to Bruce.

Rachel found that Lucius was also sitting in the kitchen. She laughed, "Alfred has an amazing power over grown adults, doesn't he?"

The phone rang again. "No, Gordon, you are not imposing…. Harvey told me about the press conference…. Well, I think he has not gotten around to telling me about the time….i have to agree with you… what do you have planned." Rachel paused, she would be betraying her fiancé and her decision would have a large impact on his career. "I agree. We must do something….I am with you…. I know. You just get me the materials, and I will take care of the rest."

Rachel quickly finished eating and went back to Bruce. That firmed her resolve. He was lying here injured, having sacrificed everything for Gotham, her, Harvey, and Gordon and Harvey wanted to take the credit for everything that Bruce had accomplished.

Rachel waited until Alfred and Lucius came in again. "I have to do something." She caressed Bruce's arm. "I will be back soon."

Rachel made sure not to think about anything but Bruce and Gotham as she drove to the press conference. The setting sun nearly blinded her and she moved to block the sun with her hand and she saw the engagement ring on her finger. She opened the door and slipped the ring off of her finger, deliberately and sadly.

"Ladies and Gentleman of Gotham." Harvey said, standing in front of the podium. "It is my pleasure to announce that the villain known as the Joker is in custody."

Rachel stepped forward deliberately. "and the hero known as the Batman, in conjunction with GCPD and the rest of the Gotham governmental agencies, including the D.A.'s office played an instrumental role in his apprehension."

Rachel risked a glance at Harvey and saw that he was angry but still, to his surprise, slightly proud. But he was a consummate politician and he recovered quickly and took over. "Thank you, Ms. Dawes. Ms. Dawes has the images of some of the response scenario and we will end with a picture of the Joker in Arkham to assure the people of Gotham that this nightmare is over."

Rachel spaced out for the rest of the conference. "Harvey." She said, putting her hand on his arm. "Let's talk."

Harvey nodded briefly. "Just a moment."

She watched as Harvey shook hands with key members of the press and the Gotham elite. She marveled at how great he was at his job.

She waited in her car for him to come in. She hugged him. They drove in silence for awhile then Harvey said, "I understand why you did what you did. You feel an affinity for the Batman. He has done so much for Gotham, and you have stayed here through so much. I completely understand."

"Harvey… Harvey, you don't get it."

"Gordon helped you, didn't he." When she didn't answer, he said. "It is all right, it is the only way you could have gotten some of the images that he did."

Rachel let her silence do the talking there. Harvey then noticed that she wasn't wearing her ring. Rachel saw where his gaze went. "Harvey. We rushed into this. I don't think we know each other nearly well enough."

"There is someone else, isn't there."

"Harvey." Rachel said, firmly. "this is about us. Not anyone else. I don't even know if there is someone else."

He looked disappointed. "Give me a hint?" She recognized his typical bravado and DA mannerisms coming through.

"Harvey." She answered. She gave him a hug and got out of the car. "I will take the bus. Just drop me at the bus station."

"I cannot even drop you home?"

Rachel laughed. "Of course." She did not tell him that her final destination was not her home.

She grasped Harvey's hand and then got out of her car briefly. She showered in her bathroom to relieve her tension and to immerse herself in the feeling of ownership and personal space until her phone rang. She rushed outside. "Alfred asked me to call you." Lucius's voice came through.

"Oh no." Rachel said, her heart breaking in her throat.

She raced downstairs and then raced to her car. Before she got outside though she noticed Harvey's car outside. Her respect for Harvey dropped a few notches further. "What is up with the men in my life?" She muttered to herself.

However, she had also been slipping Bruce's tails. She slipped out the backdoor and crawled through the woods behind her house to her other car. She snorted at the fact that she still felt the need to do this and the fact that she could pull this off. She had the distinct honor of being one of the only people who could pull the slip on Batman.

Rachel pulled into the familiar driveway and rushed upstairs. Alfred's expression did nothing to ease her fears. If anything he looked more haggard than when she had left.

Rachel rushed to Bruce's side. "Come on. Please." Rachel begged, leaving dignity aside. Alfred was like a father to her, after all, and Lucius was trusted by both Alfred and Bruce.

Michelle gently gestured that Rachel should move. Alfred took Rachel by the shoulders and escorted her out. "Let's let Dr. Anderson work."

"But." Rachel protested feebly.

Michelle came out thirty minutes later. "He is stable." She reported, to everyone's relief. "He is a fighter, just like his father. He is going to be just fine."

Rachel let out a breath that she was not even sure that she had been holding. "He is pretty badly bruised up. Make sure he stays in bed rest for at least two weeks."

Alfred and Rachel exchanged amused glances. That was going to be hard. Bruce had always been active, but becoming Batman had exacerbated that. "He will sleep until the morning. I will come back to check on him tomorrow evening."

"I have guest rooms prepared for both of you."

Lucius excused himself promptly, giving Bruce's room one last look. "I will probably head out to Wayne Enterprises tomorrow, someone needs to keep running the company. Do keep me posted."

"Thanks, Lucius." Alfred said.

"Rachel." Alfred said, when she dawdled.

"Alfred?" Rachel said, laughing, pointing out that he had not moved as well.

Alfred laughed. "I will go to bed if you do."

They both headed up to bed, but Rachel snuck downstairs again.

"I love you, you know. I have always loved you." Rachel whispered to the still unconscious Bruce.

She knew she was being cowardly, telling him when he would not remember, but there was so much history now. There were so many obstacles. Could she truly live this double life? But he did. He did it everyday for Gotham. How could she not support him? How could she not join him?

She had been selfish earlier. She had been selfish in hurting Bruce and adding to his hardships by telling him that they could not be together when he had to be Batman. What did it matter that the public and press would see her as another of his trophies and say that she sold herself to the playboy billionaire, the image of Bruce Wayne. She knew he was a great person inside and that he was doing all of these great things. Shouldn't that be enough for her?

She shook off all of these thoughts. They were unimportant at this point. What was important was that Bruce got better and that no one realized that he was Batman. Lucius and Alfred would have to come up with a very good cover story so that the public did not realize that Bruce and Batman were out of commission at the same time.

"I also need to get to bed. I have to work tomorrow morning and I should leave from my house so Harvey does not realize I gave him the slip."

She slept in the guest room, leaving early after stopping in to see the still unconscious Bruce. She did not want to explain to Alfred that she had left in the middle of night because of Harvey.

Harvey came to her desk and snorted. "It must be nice to be as rich and privileged as your friend Bruce. To be able to just take off in the middle of the work week and cancel all of your appointments to go to Cancun."

"So that was the story Alfred and Lucius had devised." Rachel mused. "At least people were buying it."

"Yeah, sometimes I wish I could do that." Rachel said, smiling at Harvey to indicate that he was not the reason she wanted to take off in the middle of the week."

"Don't we all." Another ADA said, walking by them.

Rachel smiled at her tightly. Her eyes were always on the clock she wanted to be done here so she could go back to sit by Bruce's bedside.

"Nice to see you here." Bruce said, hoarsely when she arrived.

Rachel smiled, tears in her eyes. She was not surprised to see that he was up and waiting for her. As Dr. Anderson had said, Bruce was a fighter and he would work as hard as he could to always beat the odds.

"How long have I been out?"

"Four nights."

Bruce tried to get up in alarm. "I need to go out. Call Gordon, see what the situation is…"

Rachel pushed him down. "You, Mr. Wayne, are not going anywhere. You are on a strict bed rest regime."

"But…" Bruce tried to feebly protest.

Rachel gave him a stern look. "Just rest. Please."

"Rachel." Bruce said, looking earnestly into Rachel's face. "If I am going to do this. I have to do it well. Batman has to be seen tonight. Otherwise many of the crime lords will be emboldened. This would set me back at least a few months. Also, people need hope. They need reassurance."

Rachel was conflicted. She had just promised herself that she wouldn't get in his way as Batman. "Tomorrow." She said, finally. "Just show yourself on some rooftop somewhere. Don't tell Alfred."

Bruce chuckled weakly. "I will tell him I snuck out if he finds out that I was seen."

As promised the next day, thankfully after a stellar report from Dr. Anderson, Rachel helped Bruce into his Batsuit. He drove the Batpod to a rooftop in a residential area and stood tall atop a building, waiting only for a few minutes until he heard an awestruck voice, "Batman!"

Batman inclined his head and then walked down to where Rachel was waiting with the Batpod.

"Thank you." Bruce said, his voice conveying how grateful he was.

"Anytime." Rachel said, softly. "But don't think this means I am going to let you fight or patrol. This was just because I knew you were right that Batman had to make an appearance." She wagged a finger at him.

He laughed. Rachel found that she had missed his laugh.

Epilogue:

(two weeks later)

"The Joker is gone. But the mob is getting uppity again." Harvey said to Gordon.

"Well, they have less to fear right now." Gordon purposely paused. "the Joker frightened most of the mob as well into keeping a lower profile, as did the mass arrest. We have pinpointed the big money sources. They are working out of the Gotham Trust Bank."

"-and we can't get a search warrant because we don't have enough information to use to tie McClain to the mob."

"I will get you the needed information." A husky voice said.

"Batman!" Both men jumped.

But Batman had flown off.

"That man is incredible." Gordon muttered to himself. "Coming out here so soon and without a grudge. He truly is the hero that Gotham needs and does not deserve."