Summary: Harvey Dent did not die heroically, which meant he was destined to become a villain.

A/N1: So we've reached the end...of 2008, of this collection (well, sort of), and of the world. Harvey's world, that is. I was going to end things here, but you guys, my awesome readers (props to Alice's Restaurant and Lady Slone for the latest reviews), have convinced me to add a couple bonus chapters. After all, it wouldn't be fair to Lucius and Alfred to leave them out. I'm keeping my title so their vignettes will not be about falling, which incidentally is appropriate. They are the ones who keep Batman grounded. There are a couple things I want to say about Harvey, but I'll wait until you're done reading. We don't want to give everything away now, do we?
--Hana Li

Disclaimer: I don't own the Batman movies or anything in the franchise. I also don't own "The Second Coming".

Everything Falls Apart

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"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,"
- William Butler Yeats, "The Second Coming"

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Dawn came, and there was no Rachel. She would never be just outside the doors, waiting. It didn't matter that the Joker had been arrested and that Gotham was safer. A brighter tomorrow meant nothing without Rachel.

Harvey Dent used to act as though he were untouchable. However, even a small two-headed coin was subject to marks– scars that forever changed one side. Harvey had made his own luck, and he ran out. Now he was scarred and changed forever.

The damage to his face would serve to remind him of the important lesson. No one was infallible; no one could be trusted. Everybody had something to hide: Wuertz, Ramirez, Gordon, Batman. Even he had a darker side (hence the nickname at Internal Affairs). Only Rachel was pure, and she had die.

The pain was agonizing, refusing to give him a moment's respite. He wasn't talking about the third degree burns. They produced a pain that was trivial when compared to the pain deep inside his heart, devouring his soul. This was the feeling one got when one lost everything; this was how it felt to be powerless.

There were two casualties last night: Rachel Dawes and Gotham's "white knight". It was only appropriate for the city that betrayed him to experience a loss as well. Harvey saw his world fall apart, and his work was coming undone. Everything man built eventually crumbles to the ground. Thus Gotham would fall back into darkness, and Harvey didn't really give a damn.

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A/N2: Even when I was watching Batman the cartoon as a kid, I felt bad for Harvey. He really got screwed over. Still I have to wonder if how he earned the nickname "Two-Face". It could've been mere name-calling, but The Dark Knight Harvey seemed way too perfect compared to his animated predecessor. I also wonder about how much he knows. Did he know that Rachel kissed Bruce? (In this fic, he doesn't.) Did he know that Batman had expected Rachel? Did he know that Batman/Bruce had feelings for Rachel? Well, I'll leave you with these questions. Happy New Year!