The doors burst open as they wheeled her through. He followed them, though his slow, deliberate steps caused him to lag behind. Eventually, he stopped and stood in the middle of the room, watching them push her past another set of doors. He caught one last glimpse of her pale face before the doors swung back into place.

He heard someone come up from behind him He knew who it was by the sound of her wheelchair. "She looked like a corpse," Jason whispered.

"She's going to be okay," Barbara reassured.

Jason turned away. "Don't lie to me like that."

"Well we can't dwell on the worst," Barbara said. "That's when we start losing hope."

"Hope." Jason scoffed. "For the longest time, I hated that word. Hope paves the way for bigger disappointments." He turned back to Barbara and wildly swept an arm. "Look around you. Take a good fucking look, Barb. How can you say there's any hope?"

Barbara returned his glare with an unwavering gaze. "Sit down, Jason," she offered. "You've been through a lot tonight."

Jason shook his head, but knew she was right. He could feel all the events of the night catching up to him, filling his body with exhaustion and dragging him to the ground. But anytime he thought about slowing down, he felt that encroaching, horrible feeling of helplessness. "I can't," he said. "You're right. I've been through a lot. I've been responsible for a lot of things. What happened to you, what happened to her…" He trailed off. "I promised her I'd make things right. Now I think I know how." Raising a hand, Jason began calibrating something through his helmet.

"What are you doing?" Barbara asked.

"Adjusting the tracking data you sent me," Jason answered. "I'm going to find Bruce." He saw the look that quickly flashed over Barbara's face. "I know what you're thinking. But having your dad means that Scarecrow has leverage over Batman. We both know he'll do whatever Scarecrow wants him to. I'm aware of the twisted things Crane has in store." The calibrations were complete. A map and a blinking dot appeared in Jason's mask. It was moving fast. He was running out of time.

"Good luck, Jason," Barbara said.

"Let me know when she wakes up," Jason replied, heading for the doors. He couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu.

By the time she opened her eyes, it was over. She lay there in silence as the medics and officers explained how Batman had brought Crane into custody and eliminated his grasp over Gotham. Their faces were full of hope as they spoke.

Then she closed her eyes and went to sleep. When she opened them again, their faces were filled with sorrow. Their voices were barely more than a whisper as they told her that Batman was gone.

"What do you mean by that?" Jocelyn asked.

"He's just… gone," one of them replied in an unhelpful manner.

"Here, have a look at this," Barbara said. A small monitor mounted onto the wall lit up as she pulled up a video from a national news channel's website. The video had been uploaded 14 hours ago. It was titled WAYNE MANOR DESTROYED IN POSSIBLE ATTACK. Jocelyn watched with bleary eyes

It started with a male reporter introducing himself. Behind him, there were swarms of other reporters and cameramen.

"—only hours after the live broadcast from Arkham Asylum," the reporter was saying. "Bruce Wayne, now confirmed to be the secret identity of Batman, has yet to make any statements after the big reveal." The reporter's eyes shot to the sky. The camera followed suit. The Batwing passed overhead and slowed down over Wayne Manor, where it began to slowly descend. "There he is now!"

As the Batwing touched down, the reporters began flooding towards the manor's gate. The camera peered between the gate's bars as a dark figure emerged from the Batwing. As the camera zoomed in, the blurry figure's flowing cape made it obvious who it was. In an instant, the reporters began crying out, their voices mixing into a cacophony. Batman ignored them all as he headed straight for the manor.

It was only after he had entered through the front doors that the noise died down. The last shot of the manor was Alfred's face before the doors closed. The camera returned to the reporter. "It seems that Bruce Wayne has chosen to stay silent on the matter. However, given enough time, we may still be able to see—."

A cracking boom cut the reporter off. The camera shook as its operator stumbled. Screams rang out. People shielded their heads and ducked to the ground. In the next instant, Wayne Manor was on fire. Half of its structure had been blown away from the explosion. Barbara paused the video. Jocelyn stared at the still image of the ruined building and the wall of fire cascading from it.

"Did you know it was going to happen?" Jocelyn asked.

"No. I don't think anyone saw it coming," Barbara replied.

"Gotham won't ever be the same."

"I think Bruce already knew that." Barbara backed up and wheeled herself towards the exit. "But I think he wouldn't have wanted any of us to blame ourselves. Just get some rest; you need it."

As Jocelyn lay back down, she asked, "Where's Jason?"

Barbara stopped. "We lost contact with him after he left," she answered slowly. "He went after Batman around 24 hours ago."

"When is he coming back?"

"He can't come back."

"What?"

Barbara turned around. "After they put Scarecrow behind bars, GCPD began hunting down everyone who was affiliated with him. Including the Arkham Knight."

Jocelyn closed her eyes. She took a deep breath. "I see."

"I'm sorry," she heard Barbara say. "But I know Jason can look after himself."

"Yeah."

A few uneventful days passed. Jocelyn often wondered what was happening outside of GCPD, but barely had the strength to stand. She was confined to the small room where the world was still.

The lights had been shut off for the night. There was no sound save for her slow, even breathing. The door opened a crack and quickly shut. A hand reached out and gently touched the sleeping girl's cheek. Jocelyn's eyes fluttered open. There was a dark figure looming over her. She took a sharp intake of breath, preparing to cry out in alarm.

"It's just me, Jo," he whispered. He leaned in closer so that she could see his face.

Jocelyn blinked her bleary eyes. "You shouldn't be here," she muttered. "You're not safe. There's a camera in here."

"There was," Jason corrected. "And I know. My little truce with GCPD is over. Not that it matters; I wasn't ever planning on being buddies with them like Batman was." His expression changed when he mentioned Bruce.

"I heard what happened," Jocelyn said.

"It doesn't matter," Jason said firmly. "It happened. We're moving forward. The city's still a shit show. We've got a lot of work to do."

"What are you planning?"

"I've got a bone to pick with Black Mask. I don't think it's going to be much trouble."

Jocelyn painfully pulled herself up. "I'll come with you."

"You're joking. Jo, you'd probably hurt yourself trying to walk out the door." He rested a hand on her arm. "Just stay here. It's the safest place in the city right now."

"I'll be fine," Jocelyn argued. "Just give me a few weeks."

"You're going to need three months at the least," Jason corrected. "Please, stay put."

Reluctantly, Jocelyn complied. With a sigh, she said, "And then we can go back to kicking ass together, just like the old days, right?"

"I'm looking forward to it." He straightened up. Jocelyn grabbed his hand.

"Jason, what happened to Verlix?" The look in her eyes told him that she was terrified of the answer. Jason sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled her to his chest.

"He saved my life," he answered quietly. Jocelyn shuddered as she let out a stifled sob.

"That sounds like him," she said tearfully.

"Are you kidding?" Jason teased, trying to lighten the mood. "It would be more like him to kill me like he always threatened." Jocelyn didn't say anything as she pressed her face against him.

"I just wish he didn't have to leave me."

"I know. I'm sorry." Jason pulled away and pressed a folded piece paper into Jocelyn's hand. "Listen, the guard is about to swing by here any minute. I know you don't want me coming back here, so I'll wait for you." He closed her fingers over the paper. "In three month's time, you'll know where to find me."

Jocelyn looked back up as Jason took a step back. "I've always loved you," she blurted out. Jason chuckled softly.

"That was so cheesy. You must be more tired than I thought," he said playfully. "I'll see you around, babe."

Jocelyn saw him back away into the darkness. "Wait," she mumbled groggily, but he was gone. Wondering if what she had seen and heard had been a dream or hallucination, she closed her eyes. The paper was still tucked snugly in her hand.

Three and a half months were a long time to wait. But Gotham had no short supply of villains eager to rise up and take advantage of the absence of Batman. Most of the time, he let the others handle it—Nightwing and that other kid. He had long put the hero business behind him. Oh sure, he took care of a few crime bosses here and there, but that was because he wanted them gone. And not 'behind-bars gone.' That was the one place he differed from Batman: they both took the law into their own hands as vigilantes, but Red Hood did it better. He made sure that a criminal's latest offence was their last offence.

Tonight the air was cool and damp. The day had been peppered with soft drizzles of rain. Then, as the sun sank into the horizon, the clouds parted. The night sky was alight with stars and the solitary moon.

He kicked at a leaf, and then leaned back onto the dusty old billboard. It had been years since the thing had displayed any advertisement. When a project swept over the city that converted old billboards into digital ones, this one had been forgotten and left behind. Its faded white surface, stained from rain, faced a large hospital building. It was going to be a long night, just like every other night. Still, he had to wait. He had promised.

After a few hours, another light shower came raining down. He stayed where he was, arms crossed with his back against the billboard. His eyes moved up and down as he watched trails of water run down his mask. He'd wait a little longer, and then leave. And then come back tomorrow.

But that wouldn't be necessary. Above the rainwater, he heard footsteps. Red Hood pushed himself upright. And there she was. There they were. At the exact same place all those nights ago. But she wasn't the same. Her left arm ended right at the base, her right arm held the cracked helmet with one blue light broken, and her suit had two holes in the abdomen. But he couldn't have seen a more beautiful sight.

Before he could say anything, she dropped the helmet and raised a worn piece of paper up. "Meet me where it all started," she quoted. "That would've actually been the Batcave, you moron."

"Well that wasn't the most romantic of all meetings," Red Hood replied. "I tackled you to the ground, remember?"

"Yes, and I tried to cut your face open with a knife, so the feeling was mutual."

"God, I've missed you."

"So 'Red Hood' is the name I've been hearing on the streets," the Specter remarked casually as she tilted her hips and placed her hand on them. "He wouldn't happen to be this red-masked fellow in front of me, would he?"

Red Hood threw his arms open as he stepped towards her. "It took me a while to put this whole get-up together," he said, wrapping his arms around her. "You like?"

The Specter traced the lines of his chest plate. "I do," she mused. "But I can't help noticing a few design flaws."

"Care to point them out?"

"Well there's this mask right here," she said, sliding a finger over it. "Really gets in the way of that kissable face, doesn't it?"

"Right." Red Hood pulled his mask up. "How's that?" The Specter answered by leaning up and pressing their lips together.

When they parted, the Specter continued, "Then there's this suit…"

"Let me guess: it's in the way?"

"You're just on top of things, aren't you?"

"And I'm about to be on top of someone," Red Hood replied slyly. "Right after this." He brought up a paper between them.

The Specter took it. "More papers?" she mumbled in an exasperated tone. "What is this?"

"A wanted poster for a not-so-pleasant individual," Red Hood answered. "He's really a piece of work. Weapon smuggling, human trafficking, drug dealing, and I bet he kicks puppies too. He and his lovely gang just took over a territory I cleared out a few days ago. How about we go find your arm and knock a few heads together?"

The Specter looked up from the paper. "Sounds like a date."

Addendum: Bam. We're done.

I didn't realize until recently how long it took me to write this final chapter. Life snuck up behind me and grabbed me by the balls. And I don't have any, so you can imagine my surprise.

Anyway, this story has finally reached its conclusion. Thank you so, SO much for sticking with me through this entire thing. And an ESPECIALLY big thank you to Erik-is-my-angel1234 for all your reviews and feedback! Love ya, bae.

Also, I'm planning to start an Avatar (the bending one) story in the near future, as I discovered it a few months ago and have been hooked ever since. That will take a while since I have two exams coming up, and I have never felt more like crying.

And if you're wondering about when I'm continuing my Ace Attorney story, well... uh... I'm sorry, I'm not available now. Please leave a message after the beep...