Harvey slipped into the MCU late that night. It was easier than he expected; apparently, he was such a normal figure around their offices that no one spared him even a first glance.

He took the stairs up to the roof. He had told Gordon to meet him there. They could have talked anywhere but…the roof had felt right. Gave him courage.

Hopefully enough courage.

So much had happened. Too much. Gordon suspected, Rachel…

He forced his thoughts away from her. Her decisions were her own, and Harvey had to admit, he'd known it in his bones as well. There had been a reason he'd kept hesitating to ask her.

He hadn't been sure he could trust her with the truth of what he'd done. And if he couldn't do that, then he couldn't let her rope her life to his without knowing. He'd known that.

He'd just wanted to pretend a little while longer.

With a sigh, Harvey leaned against the roof's railing, trying to contain his nerves as he waited.

And jumped about a foot in the air when he finally registered that he was not alone.

Bruce Wayne was casually reclining on the wall, watching him.

"What are you doing here?" Harvey asked, striving to sound unruffled. Going by Bruce's twinkling eyes, he didn't think he succeeded.

"Gordon called, said you'd wanted to meet."

Did Wayne know, too?

..

Bruce supposed he should have come to this meeting as the Batman. They were on the roof of MCU, and if observed, Bruce Wayne had no logical reason to be here.

So, maybe he should have worn the mask. But he hadn't wanted to. Not now, when he didn't have to. He hadn't known how alone he'd felt until the amount of people who knew who he truly was had almost doubled.

And unlike Rachel and even Mr. Fox, these two supported him wholeheartedly.

Gordon, he'd never doubted, and Harvey. Well, in recent days, Harvey had proven himself pretty spectacularly.

They'd wondered what Harvey had wanted to meet with them about. Well, with Gordon; he hadn't asked Bruce. And that alone had given them suspicions.

Harvey wanted to figure out exactly what Gordon knew, trying to see how he would need to cover up his trail, worried about what Gordon would do with whatever information he already had.

Of course, all their speculations presupposed they had connected their dots correctly. There was always the (remote) possibility that they'd taken a few coincidences and then gone blazing off on the most elaborate wild goose ever to be chased.

But, judging by Harvey's nervousness and overall demeanor, Bruce didn't think they were wrong.

Although, he did look more…drained than he'd expected. There was something else.

"What's wrong?" Bruce asked him.

Harvey rested his arms on the wall with an exhausted sigh. "Rachel resigned." A mirthless laugh. "And broke up with me."

Yeah, that would explain it. "I'm sorry."

Harvey paused, looking at him. "You knew."

"She hinted."

Harvey's expression turned slightly wary. "You told me before that you loved her."

Bruce had to grin. "I do. But she has the same problems with me that she has with you."

That made Harvey laugh, and he gave Bruce a commiserating clap on the shoulder. "Never thought I'd have so much in common with a billionaire."

..

The door to the roof opened and Gordon joined them. Harvey's eyes immediately snapped to him. He nodded a greeting but Harvey found his mouth had instantly gone dry.

This was it.

Gordon was, as always, direct. "Harvey. You wanted to talk to me?"

Harvey glanced between the two of them. "Yes. I just…" he steeled himself. "I wanted you to know that…I won't be seeking reelection."

"What?" they said simultaneously, puzzlement obvious. Yeah, he'd surprised them with that.

"I'll finish out these three years," he explained, "but I won't run again."

Bruce cocked his head as he considered his words. "You think that's the right move?"

"I think…it has a modicum of decency." You kill a man, you don't get to continue indefinitely in power. Not quite justice but some sort of peace offering.

The two of them were quietly studying him. Harvey shifted.

"What will you do after that?" Bruce continued to question him.

Harvey shrugged. "Haven't thought about it."

Gordon spoke quietly. "We'll be sorry to see you go."

Harvey looked at him, wondering if it was true. Wondering how much Gordon truly knew or just suspected.

Gordon gave him a smile, small but relieved, and Harvey could almost see the burden lift off him, lift off both their shoulders.

They'd known. They'd known and they'd planned to keep his secret.

But there had been guilt in their planned silence, and now, with Harvey's modicum of decency, he'd given them an out. Three years to show them he wouldn't let his one immoral act destroy his entire character. Three years and then he'd take his bows and walk voluntarily into the sunset.

He'd prove Rachel wrong.

Yes, he'd suspended democracy. Yes, he'd taken the power to protect the city all into his own hands.

But he hadn't died.

And now he would give up his power.

And he wouldn't become the villain.

Bruce grinned at him. "Who knows, in three years, maybe we can all retire."

Harvey laughed. "I don't know about that." He turned to Bruce, a smile playing at his lips. "Have you heard the other big news yet?"

"I'm guessing not. What news compares to this?"

Harvey just stared at Gordon. "Lieutenant?" he asked expectantly.

Gordon fumbled with his glasses. "The mayor's asked me to be the next Commissioner."

It took a moment for Gordon's quiet words to register, but then Bruce was practically beaming in his joy. "It's about time. Oh, Gordon, congratulations."

"Congratulations," Harvey echoed. "It's well earned."

Gordon just twisted his glasses around in his hands.

"And you don't think you deserve it," Harvey interpreted, long-suffering.

"Gordon," Bruce's voice was filled with surprise. "Of course you deserve it."

"It's a big responsibility; I've only been a lieutenant for a year and a half. Others are surely more qualified."

Harvey wanted to roll his eyes at the man. "Gordon, I know you and I know the other lieutenants, and I've seen all of you in action. You were more qualified than the others when you were just a sergeant."

"Harvey's right. Loeb is a decent man, and some of the other lieutenants aren't that bad. But you. I've known you were the best cop on the force since I was a kid."

Gordon looked at Bruce. "Since you were…?"

Bruce shifted.

.

In the silence that followed, Bruce dimly registered Harvey moving away, giving them their privacy.

Gordon finally spoke into the silence. "I didn't think you'd..." he trailed off self-consciously.

Remembered. Gordon didn't think he'd remembered. And yeah, if he thought about it, Bruce Wayne, the carousing, irresponsible billionaire, had never even hinted at the slightest of recognition. So it was logical that Gordon had thought the eight-year-old had grown up and forgotten the faces of strangers he'd met for mere minutes.

But somehow, he'd thought, that of all the disguises he'd worn, Gordon would always have been able to see through that one. Would have known that even at his worst, the playboy would always remember him.

"Of course I remembered," he began, his voice unable to get above a whisper. Clearing his throat, he tried again. "You helped me get through that day."

"I didn't do anything," Gordon protested, and Bruce could see the man's self-loathing in his eyes.

Oh, Gordon.

"You helped. For a few moments, the world wasn't ending. And I wasn't alone."

…

"Well, Commissioner," Harvey finally reentered the conversation, after giving them some time to collect themselves. "Shall I do the honors?" he asked, gesturing to his left. Gordon shook his head at his theatrics but nodded.

With a whine, the floodlight jumped to life, the dark outline of the bat beaming out into the night sky.

They were silent, all three looking at the image. Harvey didn't know what the other two were thinking about, but for him, all he could focus on was the first time all three of them had been on the roof together. The first time Harvey had met the Batman, needing him to get Lau from Hong Kong.

Harvey sighed. "You were right back then, Gordon. Things did get ugly."

So ugly. Dark, long months.

The Joker had tried to tear the city apart, and he had succeeded in getting many of them to call for the Batman's head. So many times, this small team they'd created had almost fallen apart.

But they'd endured.

And now.

The dawn was coming.