Epilogue

This is how it happened

Bruce Wayne's Gravestone

Terry visited Bruce's Gravestone which was in front of the Wayne Manor on Fathers' Day. It was almost the evening and it was raining. He kneed down in front of the gravestone and read the words on it.

The words read

Bruce Wayne
May 1st 1960-August 16th 2045
"Always three steps ahead of everyone"

"Hello Bruce. Happy Fathers' Day." Terry said. He put flowers in front of the gravestone. "I got Dick, Barbara, and Tim to help me protect Gotham." Terry stopped speaking for a while. A long moment of silence came upon him. A tear came out of his eye. "I wanted to say thank you, thank you for all that you've done. I know you are my father. I wish I knew that when you were alive. I know things between you and I would have been different, maybe better. I'm sorry for the way I treated you on your last few days. I just wanted to know if you were truly my father. I'll regret it my whole life. The only way I can feel better about it is to protect Gotham like you did. I will put fear in criminals' hearts like you did. I'll finish what you started. With everything you showed me I am confident I could do so."

Terry got a call from Barbara. "Come down to the cave. We need to get ready for patrol." Barbara stated.

"Ok, I'll only be a minute." Terry said. Terry turned to Bruce's gravestone. "Thank you Bruce, for all that you've done." Terry ran down to the Batcave to get ready.

Patrol
Terry McGinnis P.O.V.

This is how it happened, this is how the Batman died. My father, my biological father at least, once told me that criminals were a cowardly, superstition lot. And that the only way to beat them was to give them something to be scared of. I understand now. When his world grew darker, so did ours. When his war ended, our lives could begin again. He set us free, to live, to love. There was an inquest of course, everyone heard his last words, why were they "ha"?

It's simple, he was flawed. He never liked to look at his own death. He only thought of preventing it. But the last few days I know he had to look at it many times, in many ways. My hope was- and always has been- that somehow, seeing it; understanding it, would lead him to find a better way out. I've always known he'd never quit, but perhaps at least, he might find some greater prevention. Some escape... But that's foolish. And it's why Joker was mistaken when he tried to tempt Batman into all these happy endings in the past by eliminating him. It's what he never really understood about Batman, with his temptations to kill him. It's the thing that Bruce knew to be true about Batman more than anything else. The thing we all know, deep down, but don't like to admit, that the story of the Batman is, and always will start of as a tragedy. Bruce would never have let it be anything else. But Bruce just because it starts off as a tragedy doesn't mean it has to end like one. Batman could live forever. He could escape. But he doesn't. He dies. Just like everyone of us, even though he doesn't have to. That's his flaw. But it's also his greatest strength, the very thing that makes the Batman immortal. He says we're in this together. He says, live bravely in the time you have and smile at the void.  That's why the note says what it does. Why it only has one word. Why Batman's last message will always be HA.

So what's next? Criminals are a cowardly superstitious lot. What happens when they have nothing to be afraid of? Who will protect Gotham, now that Bruce Wayne is dead?

It's simple, Batman isn't just a man, he's a legend. He's a immortal. Batman lives through every single one of us. Like Bruce Wayne said, we're in this together.

NORMAL P.O.V.

A wealthy couple walked out of a movie theater. They were happy, they must've seen a good movie. They looked to the red skies. It was a beautiful night.

The father had suggested that they take a shortcut down an alley. So they did. Two Jokerz were behind them, following them. The father turned around and saw that the Jokerz were pointing guns at them.

"Hey, whoah, whoah, whoah." The father said as the Jokerz approached him and his family.

A Joker whacked him in the face with the back of his gun. The man fell to the wet ground. It was enough to knock him out. The other Joker pushed the mother and the boy against the wall.

"Help me!" The mother screamed.

"No one's coming lady." The Joker said. The Joker grabbed the mother's pearl necklace of her neck and broke it as he detached it. The pearls hit the wet ground and bounced up and down. "Grab his wallet."

As the other Joker went to approach the father's body, he looked up. That got the other Jokerz' attention too. They saw four human silhouettes. They looked like bats.

"Hey freaks, maybe you missed the news! The Batman's dead." A Joker yelled to the four silhouettes.

"Yeah that look don't scare us no more!" The other Joker yelled.

Suddenly the four Bat silhouettes came down on the Jokerz. All Jokerz saw was darkness. In the corner, there was an old man covered in shadows. Only his mouth was visible. He was watching as the Bat silhouettes saved the family. As he was watching he smiled. After the Bat silhouettes we're finished, they grappled away. The old man walked out of the alleyway and put earbuds in his ear. He played the theme, "The Batman Animated Series Theme."