A/N: Hi. Please forgive me for taking so long with this chapter. I started my new story Countdown, and then came exams, and then my parents decided to clean out the attic and shanghaied me to help, and then more exams, and then I had to get this chapter just right.
Anyway, here it is, the cinematic battle royale to cap everything off. Plus the epilogue.
We shall see what happens to our heroes, the fate of Penguin, and Alfred's reappearance.
Please review.
Chapter 18: Salvation
It had been quite the ordeal, but Nick and Amanda had managed to get a good chunk of Gotham's civilian population onto the last remaining bridge out of the city. With the clatter of gunfire and distant explosions in the background, the crowd (with the Saint. Anne's orphanage in the lead) had converged on the barrier, a large strip of bare concrete blocked off at the north end by a barricade of Army troops.
"Do not cross!" yelled the 2nd Lieutenant, fresh out of West Point, manning the barricade.
"Wait here guys," Amanda whispered to the children as Nick broke the lock for the first chain link fence. Both were petrified as hell, but they knew that the only way they could guarantee the survival of these people was to get them as far away from the city as possible.
"Look guys, I'm Amaro and this is Rollins, Gotham City MCU. We need to start getting these people out of the city!"
"I don't care if you're Batman himself, no one gets across this bridge! Do you want the bomb to go off?"
"The bomb's going to fucking go off anyway!"
"If you take one step forward, we will shoot you! If you take two steps forward, we will shoot you and blow this bridge!"
The two looked at each other, clasped their hands together, and began to walk across the no man's land.
"Stop!" yelled the panicked Lieutenant. He didn't want to shoot them, but he didn't want to die in a nuclear blast either. "Fire at their feet!" he ordered his men, which they did. "I'm warning you two, we will shoot you!"
The bullets pinged around them but Nick and Amanda kept moving. "Well that's what you're going to have to do," replied the blonde.
"Shit, blow it! Blow it!" The panicked grunt complied.
Nick and Amanda both jumped back as the pre-set explosives blasted a neat, fifteen foot gap in the bridge, severing Gotham from the rest of the world. "You fucks!" yelled Amanda, her temper frayed. "You sons of bitches!" She began hurling more invectives at the guardsmen as Nick led her away. "You've killed us all!"
Once the anger simmered down, they began to help the kids back in the bus. "There's nowhere to go," the home director told them snidely. "What are you doing?"
"Protecting them from the blast," Amanda stated, shooing them into the bus. "Come on, let's go."
"We're a mile away at most!"
"We can't let them give up hope."
"It's a nuclear bomb Nick. The way I see it there is no hope." The two detectives didn't answer, afraid he was telling the truth.
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"Fox, have you reached the reactor?" asked Bruce, high above the skies of Gotham in the Bat.
"I have Mr. Wayne," replied the executive over the com link. "It's taking a bit longer than I thought to boot the system. Casey must have made some changes but I think I can re set it."
In the pilot's seat, Olivia let out a disgusted snort. She couldn't believe Casey betrayed them like this, but if she was the daughter of Don Cragen/Ra's al Ghul it did make some sense. The fact it was her, someone she trusted implicitly, who betrayed them to Bane and Dean infuriated her. "Good Lucius," she cut in. "Get it ready cause we're bringing the truck to you."
"Nothing like a little air power huh Mrs. Wayne." Olivia was certain she could hear the grin in Foxe's voice. "Fox out."
"There's the convoy, and I think I see Elliot coming out of the back."
"Kyle," Bruce shouted in the com. "Take up positions with officer Stabler and guide the truck to the reactor entrance. We'll help from the air."
"Got it," the thief's signature monotonous voice said over the link. "Try not to get shot down over." Bruce smirked. "I can see what Elliot sees in her." Olivia rolled her eyes.
On the ground, Casey sat in the cab driver's seat of the truck, a contented smile on her face as she piloted the vehicle. After years of hiding, years of holding back her true identity and working her way up through the social circles of people that made her want to vomit things were finally culminating. Even if it would only be for eleven minutes she didn't have to hide who she was. She was Talia al Ghul, daughter of one of the greatest men there was, and the person who would carry out his last wish, the destruction of Gotham. No one, not the police, not the people, and definitely not Bruce or Olivia, the traitors, would stop her.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a figure wiggle out of the compartment. "Stabler," hissed Casey, a snarl on her face. "Dean, take care of him."
Porter grinned wolfishly, opening the door of the cab and climbing out, three Tumblers arriving to escort the truck. Watching Elliot drop onto the grate, his back turned to him, Porter laughed and punched him in the gut, enjoying the cry of pain the police commissioner gave.
A shock wave rocked the truck at that moment, knocking Porter off balance. He looked up to see the Bat hovering above, firing its Mark 19 grenades. A sneer on his face, Porter raised is wrist communicator to his lips. "Take care of them."
The mercs manning one of the Tumblers acknowledged, activating the battery of Stinger SAMs and acquiring a lock on to the Bat. "Fuck," muttered Olivia as the radar warning receiver hooted SAM lock. "We've got Stingers locked on. Beginning evasive maneuvers." She banked the craft upward just as the eight missiles fired, their flame jets streaking after the Bat.
Recovering his balance, Porter managed to stand when a right hook smashed into his face. He staggered backwards but his master and life in the pit made him strong. He looked up and saw Elliot, his eyes ablaze with anger. Porter smiled. "Stabler."
"Porter," Elliot repeated, readying himself in the standard USMC fighting stance. "You know, I always knew you were no good from the moment your arrogant ass strode into the bullpen.
The warrior laughed, his hand reaching surreptitiously behind his back. "Funny, I could say the same about you." With a guttural war cry Porter deployed his staff and lunged for Elliot, who only barely dodged the blade. Unarmed, he was undaunted however, lashing out with his fists and feet, keeping close to the League warrior to negate his range advantage in the narrow confines.
Out of nowhere a Hellfire missile shot out and hit one of the Tumblers, the vehicle brewing up immediately with a smoke ring emanating out of the turret. Dickie shot by on his Batpod, "Ok Kyle," he shouted into his radio. "I'm out of missiles; I'll distract them and you take em out with your cannon."
"Got it kid, good luck."
"Got to protect my future stepmother." Dickie grinned while Selina rolled her eyes.
"They're still on us Liv, bank."
Olivia cursed under her breath, making a tight turn around one of the buildings; she shot off several chaff rockets while doing so, eliminating all but three of the Stingers. "I know what I'm doing Bruce! Stop backseat driving!" she yelled.
"Now you know what I felt like in the Tumbler." He chuckled at the curses she leveled at him.
On the truck, Porter's blade tore a long but shallow gash in Elliot's side. Howling in pain, the police commissioner gritted his teeth and smashed his fists into Porter's abdomen, making him drop the staff to where it was out of reach. Breaking apart, the two studied each other closely. "It's a shame Stabler. If it wasn't for you and that bastard Wayne Olivia might have been fighting on my side."
Elliot's blood boiled at that comment. "Olivia would never have joined your gang of murderers Porter. She has too much pride for that."
The former FBI agent laughed. "Such a shame. The three of us, her, me, and Wayne all trained by the best; I was the only one who didn't turn traitor."
"What…" Elliot was confused at that but was forced to let it go when Porter charged at him.
Dickie weaved in and out of the sidewalk, dodging the 20mm cannon of the Tumbler that was banging away at him. "Come on motherfuckers, just a little bit more." He was currently out of ammo, but did hold a massive advantage in mobility over the hulking brutes which he used to great effect.
Out of nowhere two shells screamed in and smashed the Tumbler's rear wheels, forcing it to careen into a divider. From a side street shot Selina, using the overturned Tumbler as a ramp, her Batpod's wheels spinning as she righted herself. "You called the cavalry kid?" she asked with a slight smirk.
"Thanks," he grinned back. However, his face paled when looking at the truck. "Oh shit, dad's in trouble."
Her heart clenched at those words. "No," Selina breathed, gunning the Batpod to max speed.
The pain was overwhelming. Elliot fought hard but his opponent's strength, youth, and superior training were taking its toll. Sending a left hook, Porter batted it aside and smashed his knee into Elliot's gut, knocking the wind out of him as he collapsed to the grate.
Chuckling evilly, Porter grabbed his staff off the ground and hovered over Elliot. "I may die soon Stabler, but while I wait for the fire I want the satisfaction of knowing I ended your miserable existence."
Spitting at him, Elliot shot him a look of utter hate.
His opponent simply sneered. "Goodbye Stabler." He raised the staff above his head, preparing to skewer him.
"ELLIOT!" Elliot's head turned to see Selina throwing something from the Batpod to him. It was a Glock 9mm handgun, which he grasped in his hand. Swiveling his arm he pumped two bullets into Dean's chest before the other man could begin to thrust his staff.
The glittering steel dropping to the metal grate, Porter's hands drifted to the wounds, a look of shock and surprise on his face. Elliot smirked. "I guess the satisfaction will be mine Dean." The warrior didn't answer back, his body slumping to the grate dead.
Elliot dropped the gun, his body deflating from exhaustion and pain. Turing his head over, he caught Selina's face and smiled affectionately. He then wondered if he was hallucinating because he thought he saw her smiling back.
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Up in the skies, Bruce and Liv were having a tough time shaking off the missiles. "You need to shift the truck east," said Fox over the comm.
"We're in a bit of a jam here Lucius," Olivia deadpanned, banking widely which didn't have the desired effect. Biting her lip in concentration, Olivia decided it was time for something gutsy. Breaking into full speed, she barreled straight for a skyscraper; at the last minute she throttled down, pulled up, and spun 360 degrees over the top, causing the missiles to do the same thing, destroying two. Looking at her husband quickly, she grinned. "Piece of cake."
Bruce let out the breath he had been holding. "Wow, I won't be able to say any women's driver jokes anymore," he quipped.
"Thanks honey," she replied in a sweet voice, sounding like he was complimenting her cooking in their kitchen rather than on her piloting skills in avoiding SAMs bent on blowing them out of the sky.
Spotting the convoy below Olivia had another crazy idea. Plummeting toward the street, she flattened out at only ten feet off the ground, turned sideways, and just cut in front of the third Tumbler which the last Stinger hit. The Tumbler brewed up, causing Casey in the truck to lose control and careen headfirst onto Lower 5th Street. It skidded to a stop, the cab wrecked but the compartment (and Elliot) unharmed.
Staggering off the grate, the Batpods pulling up and Bruce and Liv jumping out of the now parked Bat, Elliot rushed over to the cab and opened the door. Casey lay sprawled on the driver's seat, a large shard of metal imbedded in her abdomen, bleeding profusely. It was a fatal wound, but she was smiling. "Fox told me how to operate the reactor."
Bruce and Olivia looked at each other, dread filling their stomachs.
Mirth filled Casey's eyes, as if she was enjoying pulling a fast one on the heroes. "Including the emergency flood."
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The sirens started hooting in the underground reactor room. "Oh dear," said Fox in the understatement of the day. Hearing the millions of gallons of river water begin to gush inside, He hurried to the emergency ladder, climbing up just in the nick of time.
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They all stared at the dying Casey Novak, horror in their faces. "There is no way to stop this bomb from going off." Her voice was fading as was her life. "My father's work… is … now… done…" She faded away, succumbing to the blood loss.
With barley a second's hesitation, Bruce and Olivia ran to the Bat and began to drag a cable to the bomb. "What are you going to do?" asked Selina.
"We're going to fly it out over the bay."
"So you're going to hook it to the Bat hand have it fly off."
"Nope, no autopilot," Olivia answered. Before Selina could reply, Olivia leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Take care of Elliot, make sure he doesn't get into any trouble." They jogged to the craft leaving Selina just standing there, her mouth gaping like a fish.
Elliot and Dickie joined them at the Bat. "Let me just tell you that it was an honor to fight with you," said Dickie, saluting.
"The honor was ours young man," replied Bruce, Olivia simply beaming at her defacto nephew.
"I never cared who you were," Elliot started.
"And you were right."
"But shouldn't the people know who their heroes were?"
"That's the point, the heroes could be anyone. Even someone who did something as small as to put a coat around a young boy's shoulder to let him know the world hadn't ended."
Elliot stared at them confused, so Olivia decided to put him out of his misery. "Thank you for everything El. I really did learn from the best."
He was momentarily confused yet again until Elliot's eyes widened in understanding. "Liv?" Dickie's mouth dropped at his father's statement.
Olivia smiled warmly and kissed Elliot on the cheek before starting up the rotors.
The two Stablers began to back away. "Bruce Wayne?" Elliot whispered as the Bat began to take off.
Selina jogged up to him. "So I take it you know huh?" Elliot nodded, still shocked to his core. "Why did they do that? They could have gone anywhere, done anything. Yet they chose to come back."
"You came back," he answered honestly, still gazing at the Bat.
'Hell with it!' "I guess we're all suckers then," she replied. Without warning she grabbed the back of his head and pulled his mouth against his in a passionate kiss. He was taken aback but soon reciprocated, deepening the kiss, Selina moaning into his mouth.
This continued until the wine of the rotors drew both of their gazes as the Bat sped away, the bomb dragging behind it.
Piloting between the buildings, Olivia targeted two of the Bat's missiles to blast a pathway for them through one right by the river.
Seeing the explosions, Amanda shouted, "Get down this is it!"
"Wrong," replied Calvin excitedly, "It's Batman and Batgirl!" The kids cheered as the Bat shot over the bridge, Nick and Amanda looking at it in awe.
Setting a curse for the middle of the bay and gunning the throttle, Olivia looked over at Bruce. "I love you."
Bruce smiled, taking his wife's hand in his. "I love you too." She squeezed his hand.
"Ready?" she asked.
His father's voice popped up in his head. "Why do we fall Bruce?" He smiled at her. "Yep."
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The boarding had gone smoothly, all occupants exiting the sub and onto the merchant ship with no hassles. Penguin sat on the deck of the ship, puffing away on his customary cigarette holder. After enjoying the nuclear atomization of Gotham it was smooth sailing to Dubai where a $25 million penthouse apartment and a harem of beautiful women awaited him. He could plan his new business ventures with both anonymity and impunity. "I love it when I win, Waugh, Waugh, Waugh," he chuckled to himself. 'Ten, nine, eight…'
In the corner of his eye, a small speck was approaching the ship. Straining his eyes, he made out to what seemed like Batman and Batgirl's new helicopter, with something attached to it with a line. "Is that?"
His eyes widened in understanding. "FUCK!"
The warhead detonated fifty feet from the ship, incinerating everything in a five mile radius. It was twelve miles offshore.
Everyone cheered at the victory, the NORAD men, the citizens, the GPD which had subdued and captured the remainder of the GPA. They had won, all thanks to the Dark Knights.
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One month after the blast
A small gathering of people were on the grounds of Wayne Manor, listening to the service for Bruce and Olivia Wayne, presumed dead. Elliot was giving the eulogy, surrounded by Selina, his kids, Kathy, Lucius Fox, Nick and Amanda, Father Michael, and a weeping Alfred, who had arrived from England for the funeral. All wore a solemn expression on their faces as they honored the memory of their friends and loved ones, buried in the family plot next to Thomas and Martha Wayne, their parents and in-laws.
Once they were done, each of the mourners (all of them knew the true identity of the couple, the only ones left alive that did) said their condolences to Alfred, who just stood in front of the headstones, tears cascading down his cheeks. "I'm sorry," he repeated over and over, voice choked with grief. "I failed you." He was not only speaking to Bruce and Olivia, who were the closest thing to children to him, but also to Thomas and Martha. "You trusted me, and I failed you." He collapsed onto his knees, sobs wracking his frame.
"Any possibility I could change your mind rookies?" Nick and Amanda turned to see their former boss looking at them. "You guys are good caps. It'll be a shame losing you."
Nick looked fondly at his girlfriend. "You remember what you said about structures becoming shackles? You were right."
Elliot nodded, his reputation only above water thanks to his part in saving the city. Hearing a soft whistle, he turned around to see Selina smiling at him, winking as she entered the passenger seat of his car. There were far more important things than reputation in his life now. "Well then, good luck to you both." He shook their hands warmly and left.
"So," Amanda said as they walked hand in hand to their car. "What's next for Nicholas Caesar Amaro?"
Nick smirked. "I don't know, but I do know that it'll be the same as what's next for Robin Amanda Rollins," he grinned sheepishly at the glare she sent him. "I don't understand why you don't like your real first name."
"I just don't, so let it go Amaro."
"Alright, alright." He looked at her. "I heard that Wayne Manor has a few caverns underneath it; might be worth checking out."
She furrowed her brows. "Eh, what do we have to lose?" He smiled at her, leaning down for a kiss that she happily accepted.
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Two months after the blast
"I don't know why you want us to check this software Mr. Fox. This autopilot program is obsolete," the technician told him.
"Please," said Fox softly, "I just want to know what I could have done to fix it." It had been a terrible time for him, spending most of his days jetting around the country lining up decent buyers for Wayne Enterprises. Eventually a conglomerate of several men such as Charles and David Koch and casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson bought majority stockholdings over the company, making sure someone like Bart Ganzel or Casey Novak could never worm their way in again. However even with this good news he still lived with the knowledge that thanks to his failure Bruce and Liv had died.
"But sir, nothing's wrong with the autopilot. It was patched up two months ago."
Fox's eyes bugged out of his head. "What's the signature on the patch?"
"Bruce and Olivia Wayne." Fox stared, dumbstruck until a grin appeared on his lips. Those two were still giving him grief even now.
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Four months after the blast
Selina stood in the bathroom of her new apartment, brushing her hair when the sounds of faint footsteps behind her reached her ears. A smile crept across her face. "If you're trying to sneak up on me, don't bother."
Her fiancée mumbled an obscenity, wrapping his arms around her. "I swear I'll get you one of these days Selina," Elliot said, kissing her neck.
She tilted her head to give him more access. "Mmm, keep telling yourself that." For the life of her she couldn't place how her life turned out like this, going from a solitary criminal to the love-struck fiancée of the Gotham City Police Commissioner, but she wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. 'If Wayne were here she'd never let me live it down.'
"So honey. Are you ready for the special evening I have planned?"
His fiancée giggled, a rare sound from the former thief but one he alone managed to elicit. "How could I say no to a free date Commissioner?" He grinned, kissing her on the lips. He still remembered the night one month before when he proposed to her. It had been a whirlwind romance, but he had a feeling that it would work out. Elliot only wished Olivia were here.
"I'm glad you feel that way, but Dickie asked us to appear at the 1-6. He wants to show us something."
She looked at him quizzically. "Do you think we have time?"
'You little minx,' he thought with an inward smirk; Elliot knew his beautiful fiancée was just trying to make excuses to hide the real reason she didn't want to go to the precinct. He glanced at his watch, a present from Selina (when he asked where she got it, the former thief hand laughed and batted her eyes). "Yep." Seeing her staring at him, he laughed and wrapped his arms around her. "Don't worry baby," he said, kissing her forehead. "I'll take you up the back way."
"Good," she murmured. While the clean slate worked, it wasn't a good idea for the former criminal to be seen as the fiancée of the Police Commissioner. However, with Gordon taking the reins within the month and Elliot's plan on retiring to a nice sandy beach somewhere, she was looking forward to casting off the shadows finally for the first time in her life.
"Hey there guys," Dickie said once they arrived at the precinct roof, greeting his dad and soon-to-be stepmother. "You have got to see this." He led them to the former Batsignal, which had been fixed. "Behold."
Elliot frowned. "This is what you guys are spending the taxpayer dollars on?"
"I didn't do this dad, here." He handed Selina a note. "It was taped to the signal."
Selina read it, soon shaking her head with a smirk. "Those two, I should have known."
Elliot took it in his hand, quickly reading it.
I hope the kidney deal is still in place Stabler.
His mind flashed to the story he had told his girlfriend long before.
"What blood type are you El?"
"A positive."
"Ah, same as mine."
"So I'll give you a kidney."
"Not if I give you mine first."
He couldn't help the wide smile that appeared on his face. "And I thought it was cat's that had nine lives, not bats." The three laughed.
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Six months after the blast
Alfred Pennyworth walked along the sidewalks of Florence, trying to enjoy the last few days of his extended vacation. The months preceding it had been a whirlwind of legal activity to settle the last remnants of the Wayne Estate. He was named executor, so Alfred vowed to get it done just the way Bruce and Olivia would have wanted.
He remembered each moment of the work in each grief-filled detail.
"Though Mr. and Mrs. Wayne hadn't altered their will to reflect their more modest means, there are still considerable assets to be handled. As dictated the contents of the Manor are to be sold to settle the estate's accounts, with the remainder to go in its entirety to Alfred J. Pennyworth and the children of Elliot J. Stabler.
The house and the grounds are to be turned over to the city with the stipulation that it be turned into the Thomas and Martha Wayne Home for Abused and Orphaned Children.
He sighed. The estate had netted him quite a large amount of money after settling the debts and setting up trusts for the Stabler kids. Sure there were a few things missing (Olivia's pearls for example), but he felt he did a good job respecting his former wards' wishes. A tear cascaded down his cheek; the sadness at losing them would never go away, for it never had regarding the elder Waynes.
Sitting at the café he frequented every day in his vacation, a waiter arrived; instead of taking his order, the man dropped a small envelope on the table. "The lady and gentleman insisted I give this to you."
Confused, Alfred opened the envelope and removed a Polaroid. On the back were the words:
Thanks for not giving up on us Alfred.
He turned it over to see a sonogram of what appeared to be triplets. He looked up and immediately a smile broke out at the sight before him.
"So Liv," Bruce said, patting his wife's thirty week pregnant belly. "We have both Alexandra and Elliot named, so we need one more to even everything out."
"Hmm, how about Thomas, after your dad."
Bruce stared at his wife in disbelief. "You want to name him after my father?"
Olivia smiled at him. "Of course Bruce. I loved your parents almost as much as you did."
He pulled her to his side and kissed her. "I love you Liv."
She snuggled into his side. "I love you too Bruce."
Alfred watched this with joy on his face. His gaze was eventually caught by the happy couple, who both smiled and nodded at him.
The old butler nodded back, turning away to leave. "Good show Master Bruce," he said to himself, tears falling once more, this time with happiness. "Good show."
The End
A/N: WOW. Ten months, nearly 250,000 words, and sixty total chapters. What a result from a decision on a whim. Please review with what you think of the ending.
I decided to write this story since I love crossovers and lament the lack of descent ones that aren't Harry Potter, the Avengers, Anime, or Twilight. I found a crossover series still out there but immediately backed away since it was AO. Come on, one of the best parts of crossovers is the ability to create relationships between the different fandom characters. I am usually EO or death but with crossovers the rules can be ditched, like I did with Bruce and Liv, Selina and El, and Alex and Harvey. So, after ranting for about an hour straight I said, "I could write a better crossover between the two." As a writer, never challenge a writer to write something, especially yourself. The result was this, LOL!
I'd like the thank thejokersbrother, LaceNLeather24, Marcus S. Lazarus, MariskaSVU4life. MissOperaGhost, the stargate time traveler, Jessie 33, 18lazytowner, and all the others who stuck by me to the end. You guys are the reason I write.
This doesn't mean I won't keep writing. I still have Prey and Countdown, plus a lot of ideas that are forming in my head. I hope to see you all again :)
God Bless
The Congressman