Batman had never tested the underwater feature of the Tumbler. Fox had told him that it was possible for the vehicle to travel underwater and today was the day that he would finally test it. He only wished that it was under different circumstances. Using the Tumbler sonar and scanners, he maneuvered the large vehicle through the water until he was nearly below the large ship.

His heart sank when an image on the monitor flashed across the sonar of a fast moving object quickly descending to the bay floor. He grabbed a regulator from the seat beside him and stuck it to his belt before putting another one in his mouth. A moment later, he was shot out of the tumbler behind a lighted underwater motor. He aimed it towards the image on the sonar and was surprised when he saw Alfred struggling with ropes that were tied around his wrist and ankles. The man suddenly saw the light and continued to struggle to free himself as his air was quickly running out. Batman reached up to Alfred's face and placed the regulator over his face before proceeding to free him from the anchor.

Batman put an arm around Alfred's waist and together they rode back to the Tumbler.

The image of Alfred being pushed overboard and then disappearing beneath the surface wouldn't leave her mind anytime soon. She barely put up a fight when Crane's men began to tie her wrists and ankles to the sides of a cold, metal table. Emily finally allowed the tears to come to her eyes the moment she heard the door close.

"You should know that I didn't have any other choice," she heard Bill say from somewhere in the small lab.

"Then you're just as nuts as Crane is!" she spat angrily, as tears fell off her face and onto the table beneath her.

Bill pulled a chair over towards her head and sat down. She looked at him, seeing the drugged state that he appeared to be in.

"I'm not crazy," he told her softly. "I never wanted you to become involved, but unfortunately for me, Crane knows my weakness; you."

Emily turned her head away from him as she heard him let out a frustrated sigh.

"If you saw what this new drug does, you'd be amazed," Bill said, excitedly. "There's nothing else like it in the world. It shatters your inhibitions and creates a world in your mind where you are the ruler of your own destiny."

"And Crane is planning on drugging Gotham with it! Can you imagine what would happen if everyone in the city looses their inhibitions? The city would be destroyed. People would be killed and all because of this drug that you helped create!"

He scoffed as he stood up and walked towards his desk. Emily turned her head, angling so she could see.

"Crane has been manipulating you," she stated. "You've been drugged. This isn't like you."

"He's been helping with my Mom's medical bills. If I didn't help him, she'd no longer get the care she needs," he explained, before turning back to his desk. He wants to test this toxin once more before it is ready for dispersal."

"Don't do this," she begged, her voice cracking slightly. "Please. You know that there are effects that it could have on an unborn child."

Bill sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. The rational part of him was inwardly arguing with the obligational sense. It was nearly screaming in his mind. He turned and glanced at her stomach, the small bump more prominent as she laid on her back. She watched him run a fidgety hand through his hair before sitting back in his chair at the computer.

"Why don't you just let me go?" she suggested softly, her voice wavering as anxiety took over. "We could get away from this place."

Emily saw him turn his head slightly as she spoke, knowing that he was listening to what she was saying.

"I...I uh..I've had a change of heart," she told him softly. "I'm so sorry. I made the biggest mistake blowing you off years ago. I know that now. Let's just get out of this place and start fresh."

Bill turned in his seat, eager to hear what she had to say.

"What about Wayne?"

There was disdain in his voice as he spoke Bruce's surname. Emily shook her head.

"I can't go back to him," she said, her voice cracking as she said it. "Living with him is stressful. Life in the public eye is not what I expected it to be."

She saw him stand up and walk towards her. The glossiness in his eyes was being so obvious to her.

"We could raise the baby together and leave Gotham entirely," he suggested, as the thought was sounding more and more appealing to him.

Emily smiled.

"You mean what you said about leaving Bruce Wayne and Gotham?"

With tears in her eyes and regret in her heart, she nodded.

Taking a deep breath, he quickly untied her ankles before he reached over top of her and untied her wrists from the table, which allowed her to sit up. He smiled as she swung her legs over and sat up on the table in front of him.

"I've always wanted to hear you say those things," he said, shaking his head. "I knew that Bruce Wayne wouldn't make you happy the same way that I could. We have so much in common. We're both doctors and we've known each other for so many years. We have that chemistry, you know?"

Emily nodded and placed a smile on her face, as he rested his hands on either side of her and came up to stand directly in front of her. She was well aware of his close proximity and forced herself not to back away.

"I'll love this baby like it was my own," he whispered as he placed his hand over her stomach.

What surprised her next was when he leaned in and placed his lips on hers. Her initial reaction was to push him back, but she resisted. She fought the tears that threatened to fall down her face as she felt him wanting to deepen the kiss. Bill pulled her closer to him and the only thing that filled her mind was Bruce's face.

Feigning regret, she pulled back and smiled at Bill.

"Let's get out of here," she suggested softly, blinking away the tears in her eyes.

As though some sense had been unconsciously knocked back into him, he shook his head.

"Wait a sec. We can't," he said softly. "I can't. I have to finish my work."

"What?"

Emily was confused as to what was going on within Bill's mind. The drugs that he was under were wreaking havoc with his sense of right and wrong.

Before he had a chance to turn, Emily reached up and kneed'd him in the chest before punching him across the face. With a swift kick, she kicked him in the groin before he fell over in agony.

"I'm so sorry," she said softly, as she placed her hand over her stomach. "I also had no choice."

Emily slipped out of the room and into the hallway.

The ship was a maze and although she stuck to waiting in the shadows, she knew it would only be a matter of time before she ran into someone. Her heart beat fast in her chest as the anticipation was weighing on her. She cursed herself for not being more observant when she was brought through the ship.

Upon hearing the sound of footsteps approaching, she quickly lunged forward and surprised the man she was attacking and managed to kick and punch him before rendering him unconscious in a few seconds. It was the second man that caught her by surprise as he was about to shout out at her when he suddenly fell forward to the ground.

Emily let out a sigh of relief when she saw Batman standing behind him. Her mind didn't believe what she was seeing as he swiftly walked towards her.

Quickly taking in their surroundings, he stopped in front of her. The Bruce Wayne in him wanted to wrap his arms around her, thankful that he had found her, but Batman was keenly aware that they were still in the midst of Crane's thugs.

"Are you all right?" he asked as quietly as possible.

She nodded, feeling a lump in her throat. "Alfred..."

Batman reached for her hand. "He's fine."

Emily felt a weight lift off of her as Batman said those two words. It was visible to Batman.

"I'll explain later."

He quickly led the way down the corridor. More than once, they encountered someone in the hallway and with a swift punch or elbow to the head, the man dropped to the floor.

He told Emily to stay behind him as he fought his way through the men. It wasn't until they were surrounded that Emily no longer stayed hidden behind Batman. Using what Bruce had taught her, she managed to bring one of the thugs to the floor, but not without running out of breath. She felt Batman put his hand on her shoulder as he reached around her and quickly kicked the man in the chin, knocking him unconscious to the floor.

"Thanks," she said breathlessly. "I think I need to work..."

Batman's gloved hand suddenly covered her mouth as she felt herself being pulled backward under a stairwell and into an unlocked service room door. She didn't protest against the gesture since she heard the reason why Batman quickly hid them as they stood in the room.

"The block C team hasn't checked in yet," they heard someone say from the top of the stairs.

"They're probably still bitter that they were put in charge of below deck," another man said. "It's stifling hot down there. It doesn't matter right now anyways. Crane wants us on deck. He's going to fire off the toxin in five minutes and then we're abandoning ship."

"I don't know about you, but I can't wait to go ashore after hell breaks loose," he said. "I'm heading straight for Gotham National and then I'm leaving this city."

They heard the other guy chuckle. "You and I both."

Emily visibly relaxed upon hearing their footsteps move further away. Batman turned to her, about to speak when something behind her caught his eye. Emily turned to see what had his attention.

Dozens of black barrels, each one connected by a small wire, filled the darkened room.

"Oh my god," Emily breathed. "We have to get out of here."

Without another word, Batman pushed open the door and glanced down the hallway before making his way out with Emily right behind him. As they made their way along, he suddenly stopped when they heard voices coming in another direction. Against her better judgement, Batman went towards them with Emily trailing right behind him.

Finally figuring that they had found the bridge, Batman waited at the door until a voice was heard right behind it. He glanced at Emily, gesturing for her to wait there. Suddenly, he pushed open the door. It rammed right into the face of the man at the door, causing him to fall backward to the floor, his gun falling away from him. Batman slid forward and grabbed another man reaching around him and twisting his arm before bringing him to the floor.

Emily heard the commotion and saw the shadow of the man Batman hit with the door as he stood up. Realizing that the man was currently unarmed and his gun was ont he floor, she quickly raced into the room, and punched the man in the lower back, causing him to cry out.

Batman turned his head from the man he was engaged in a fight with and clenched his jaw when he saw Emily about to take on the man that was larger than her.

Emily backed up as the man turned, seeing the blood on his forehead from the hit off the door.

"You little..." he began as he lunged towards her. Remembering her training with Bruce and a similar situation, she swung around and reached for the man's arm, bringing it back behind him. The man let out a yell as she kicked him in the back of the leg, bringing him to the floor with Emily pinning him down on his back.

She watched the man struggle for a moment and was about to push himself up when she saw Batman suddenly come forward and punch the man in the face, knocking him unconscious. Batman offered his hand to Emily and pulled her up to stand.

"Well look who wasn't too busy on the mainland to show up."

Batman spun around, seeing Crane near the control panel of the ship, a gun in hand and aimed at them.

"I'm actually honoured that you'll be able to witness a new era for Gotham," Crane told them, looking out the window towards the front of the ship where Gotham was sitting along the water in the distance. Down on the deck was the weapon that he was preparing to fire. "It's unfortunate that you wont live long enough to witness my vision."

Emily noticed Crane's was about to speak to her when his attention shifted from her towards the door.

"And Doctor Dravis! I was just about to ask Dr. Tucker about you," Crane said.

It was obvious from Bill's face that he was in pain, as his lip was swollen and his left eye was beginning to bruise. What concerned Emily most was the gun that was in Bill's hand. His focus was only on her.

"I loved you," Bill admitted to Emily. "I was willing to leave this god-forsaken city with you. I can't trust a word you say anymore!"

"Bill, please listen..." she began as he aimed the gun towards her. Instinctively, she held up her hands towards him. Knowing how unstable his mind was, his actions made her incredibly nervous. "This...this isn't you. The Bill Dravis that I know would never, ever raise a gun towards someone."

"Bill Dravis is weak, ordinary, awkward and going no where in this world."

Emily shook her head. "Is this the crap that Crane has been feeding you? He's been drugging you, Bill. Don't you realize it?"

She watched as Bill looked at Crane, puzzlingly. He shook his head.

"That can't be right," Bill said.

"Shoot her!" Crane exclaimed from across the room. "She's trying to confuse you!"

With those words, Batman looked between Crane and Bill, uncertain who to be more concerned about at the moment.

Emily watched as Bill pinched his eyes shut and ran his free hand over his face and across his forehead.

"I need to know the truth," he said, taking a step towards Emily. "Why did you kiss me when I know that you're in love with Bruce Wayne? Did you mean anything that you said to me?"

Emily wasn't certain how to answer. Anything she said could easily result in Bill pulling the trigger.

"Bill," she began, her voice soft, almost pleading. "You kissed me. I had no choice. I said what I did so that I could save myself. I had to save myself."

"You lied to me!" he suddenly exclaimed, causing her to jump.

"Shoot her! She's done nothing but toy with your emotions and play with your mind!" Crane ordered. "She doesn't care about you! She's nothing to you!"

"No!" Bill watched as Crane suddenly raised a gun, aiming it towards Emily. Without a moment's hesitation, Bill shifted and aimed his gun and Crane and fired.

Emily jumped at the sudden sound of the gun shot and watched Crane's expression of shock at feeling the bullet hit him in the chest. Not certain what he was about to do with the gun in his hand, Batman lunged towards Emily, pulling her with him to the ground as Crane let off one shot before collapsing to the floor. The bullet hit the ceiling and ricocheted towards the window, breaking the glass. The glass shattered to the floor as the sea wind from the outside blew in.

Batman and Emily pushed themselves up off the floor and stood up. Bill stood by the door, in surprise and dropped the gun to the ground at his feet before backing himself up against the wall.

"I killed him," Bill said softly, to himself. He looked down at his hands in horror and shock as they continued to tremble. "I killed a man."

Batman glared at Bill before making his way towards Crane, only to find the man had already died. Quickly, he turned to Bill.

"How do I turn off the weapon?"

Bill seemed to be entranced with the gun that had fallen from his hands onto the floor. Batman took a step towards him.

"Doctor Dravis!"

Bill jumped, as though he was shaken from his drugged stupor. He shook his head.

"It's on an automatic setting. It was set that way so that we could leave the ship before the weapon was fired and the ship exploded. It can't be stopped."

After thinking for a brief second, Emily rushed over to the helm.

"We need to move the ship further out to sea and turn it so that the it will fire away rather than over the city," she stated urgently.

Silently agreeing, Batman walked towards her. He saw Bill walk over to the controls and began the process of starting up the engines. He caught Batman's eye and paused.

"I helped to start this," he told him. "I want to help end it."

Batman turned to Emily, putting his hands onto the helm.

"The ship is going to explode," he said, softly. "You need to get out of here."

He grabbed a device from his belt and held it out towards her. "Once you're in the water and far enough away, press it and help will come find you."

Batman didn't have to know that she was about to protest his suggestion. He could already see it in her eyes. There was no way he would back down.

"I'm not leaving," she insisted.

Batman shook his head. "I don't want to argue with you on this one. You need to get off this boat now."

This time he saw the tears in her eyes.

"No," she stated, her voice barely audible. "I can't...I can't leave without you."

Without saying a word, Batman reached forward and put his hand on the small bump on her stomach. Emily quickly covered his hand with her own, squeezing it slightly.

"I need you go, please," Batman said, his voice softer.

"Here," Bill's voice suddenly said from behind her. Emily turned and saw him holding a gun in his palm towards her. "Take this in case you run into anyone."

Taking a deep breath to steady her emotions in front of the man, she took it. "Thank you."

"There's a rear, lower dock at the back of the ship. If you go along the deck and keep going aft, you'll come to a staircase down to a lower level. Turn right and then keep going and you can't miss it."

Emily nodded.

Bill turned to go back towards the control station. With everything they had been through, he didn't expect anything more from her.

"The engines are on," Bill told them from the station. "We're ready."

Emily turned back to Batman and watched as he didn't even look towards her. His eyes were focused on the night sky outside the front window with Gotham in the far distance. She knew that he wasn't going to look at her. He had placed that emotionless wall; his mask over his face.

Shaking her head, she reached forward and took his head, forcing him to look at her once more.

"Emily, you.."

She quickly placed her mouth over his, feeling every emotion pour out of her as she kissed him as though it were the first time all over again. Except she knew that this could be the last. When she felt that wall fall, the tears fell from her eyes. Finally, Emily broke the kiss, looking him into the eyes once more.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you," Batman told her, although they were said with Bruce's voice.

Looking into his eyes once more, she quickly turned and went towards the door. She looked towards Bill as she passed him and nodded her thanks before disappearing through the door.

Emily managed to easily make her way to the deck. The ship appeared to be deserted as she had yet to encounter anyone. She looked over the edge of the ship towards the dark water far below her. It was enough to send her fear of heights on overload. She'd have a tough time convincing herself to jump it if she wasn't pregnant.

It took her some time but she finally found the lower dock. She made her way out along the water and saw that no boats remained. The sound from the engine room echoed into where she was and she could already tell that they were moving further out to sea. She tossed the gun into the water and with a quick breath, she jumped into the water and swam away from the boat.

It felt like she was swimming forever. Her legs were getting tired and finally, Emily paused and looked back at the large boat moving further away. She turned and saw the lights of Gotham lit ahead of her and she continued to swim towards it. When she knew that she couldn't swim much further, she pressed the button on the device Batman had given her.

Emily only had to wait for a brief few minutes when a dark mass emerged from beneath the waters just a few feet behind her. It took a moment for her eyes to realize what she was looking at. She heard the sound of the door sliding open and could barely make out a figure standing up to look out.

"Is anyone there!?"

She knew that voice. An excitement bubbled within her.

"Alfred! I'm here!"

Emily began to swim towards the tumbler.

"Oh my goodness," he said as he reached as far over towards her as he could and grabbed onto her hand. "Emily, are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she replied as he helped her out of the water and into the cockpit of the tumbler. Emily slid into the passenger seat and was greeted with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

"You're soaking wet," Alfred commented, with a laugh before hugging her.

Emily wrapped her arms around him. "I thought you had died until Bruce told me otherwise."

Alfred leaned back and looked at her. "Where is Master Bruce?"

The bridge was silent as the boat was slowly turning. Batman noticed the shift as Gotham appeared further and further out of view from the bridge. His mind drifted to Emily, hoping that she was all right and that she had made her way off the ship by now.

"How much time is left?" Batman suddenly asked.

"I'm not certain," Bill replied. "A minute, maybe less. It looks like we'll be able to clear Gotham's skyline."

"We need to get it further out over the bay and away from the city."

Bill nodded. "The engines are at full. A few more seconds and we can just abandon ship."

He looked up at Batman as the man stood at the helm. He appeared intimidating but seeing Emily kiss him in front of his eyes and the exchange that he witnessed just prior to it sent Bill's mind spinning.

"You really were the right man for Emily," Bill said aloud. "It takes a great man to be able to live with her."

Batman simply turned his head slightly at the acknowledgement. Bill continued.

"You were exactly who she needed and she met you at the right time."

Batman heard Bill let out a light chuckle. "And now it makes so much sense. You gave the anonymous donation months ago."

There wasn't any point in denying it to a man who had seen the truth with his very eyes.

Batman nodded. "She helped me out. The best that I could do is do the same."

The conversation was quickly ended as a loud blast from the deck below them caught their attention as a rocket was fired off.

"Time to go!" Batman called out as he quickly turned from the helm and ran towards the door with Bill.

The tumbler rocked as a loud rumble was felt within the small space.

Emily gasped when she realized what was happening. She reached over Alfred in the cockpit and pressed a button to open the top access. With Alfred protesting, she stood up and looked over the edge at the scene in front of her.

Oil fires danced on the water surface as the largest chunk of the ship remaining began to fill with water and sink. Debris floated in the water all around them. In the darkness, she could barely see through the smoke.

Emily's eyes darted back and forth, trying to find anything moving, anything familiar in the water.

"Is anything showing up on the sonar?" she asked.

Alfred shook his head. "There is too much debris in the water and the fires are throwing off the infrared."

He looked at the screen, seeing the moving dots on the radar coming towards them.

"We need to get out of here," Alfred said. "The coast guard is on their way."

Emily turned to look towards the harbour and saw a group of 4 boats speeding towards them. Taking one last look at the sinking ship, she ducked back into the tumbler and allowed the rooftop to cover them before disappearing beneath the surface.

Silence filled the tumbler as Alfred maneuvered the machine away from the sinking debris and towards the mainland where they could exit without being noticed. Neither one said a word on their way back to the cave.

Alfred let out a sigh of relief once the tumbler came to a stop within the cave.

"I never thought I'd see the day where I'd be required to drive this thing," he quipped with a slight smile. He glanced over at Emily as she climbed out of the tumbler.

Alfred followed as they made their way up to Wayne Manor.

"Master Bruce will probably be along later on tonight," Alfred added as they stepped out from behind the bookshelf and into the study. Emily simply nodded and gave a small smile. "I'm certain that you're probably tired, but can I get you anything to eat?"

Emily stopped in the hallway and shook her head.

"I'm not very hungry right now," she said softly. "I think I'll just get some sleep and wait for Bruce to come home."

Alfred smiled weakly and nodded as he watched the woman walk away from him towards the stairs. He didn't find it easy to keep being optimistic about Bruce's survival. He had seen the destruction of the ship with his own eyes. For anyone to survive the blast, it would be a miracle. It wasn't something that he was ready to admit verbally to himself. As he watched Emily make her way up the stairs, he couldn't help but think that the unborn child within her would never know its father.