IT'S FINISHED! I can't believe it, Batman Begins is finally done! We are moving on in the series and, in case you haven't noticed, I am so excited!

I need to stop for a moment, and sincerely thank you all. Thank you everyone, those who followed, those who favorite, those who reviewed, and those who simply read. Your support means a lot to me, and I know I tell you guys this time and time again. But it's true. Your reviews make me smile. Seeing the amount of views and visitors the stories gives me confidence. Knowing that there are people out there who enjoy these series has pushed me to keep writing and not give up on it. So thank you all.

Disclaimer: Ok, if I owned any of this, it would not be on fanfiction. It may not be actual tv/movies either, but an alternate universe episode of Castle wouldn't hurt either. So yea, not mine. And Roman Sionis' monologue was taken from Arkham Origins. If you haven't played that game yet, or watched the movie version of it on Youtube, you should. It is so awesome.

Here it is! The epilogue for Batman Begins!

February 27, 2006

Roman Sionis was in a panic. Word reached him that the Batman found out he put the bounty and was coming for him. Normally, Sionis wouldn't care, but apparently the Batman had already located two of his safehouses. And that meant that he would be coming to the third and last one, where Sionis was, next. As for who ratted him out, he wasn't too sure. What he did know was that he had to get out off New York. And fast.

He grabbed money, guns, and his ledger; everything he'd need during his time laying low. Then, hopefully, the Batman would be too busy with other criminals to go after him. And after a few months, Sionis could return and take back his empire.

Before leaving his hideout, Sionis made sure to grab his black mask, putting it on before he left. He was briefly aware of a presence behind him before he was smashed into a wall. He dropped his bag on impact, stumbling as he was grabbed again. This time, he was looking into the face of the Batman.

"I hear you've been looking for me?" Batman growled, his grasp tightening on Roman's jacket.

"You can't arrest me," Roman laughed. "I haven't done anything. And you're not a cop." The mobster sounded much more confident than he actually felt, and Batman knew that. He was slammed into the wall again; this time, his hands were forced behind his back as Batman cuffed him.

"Extortion. Murder. Counterfeiting. Drug trafficking. Hiring contract killers," Batman listed off. "Trust me; you're going to jail for a long time."

Sionis laughed as Batman began leading him away. "You know what's so great about you, Batman? Even when I lose, I win." He looked at the vigilante as they stopped walking. "Go ahead. Call the cops. They'll lock me up, sure. But my lawyer will have me out on bail before the sun is up. And you know what I'm going to do when I get out?" The criminal dared to step closer to the masked vigilante, staring him down. "I'm going to dedicate every waking moment to tracking you down and taking you out. And the best part is that there's not a thing you can do about it. Because that justice system you love so much? It's a scam. And you? Well… you're the mark. Because you keep tossing us in, and we keep bouncing right. Back. Out."

"No Roman," Batman countered. "That's how it used to be. But now things are different, and you won't be getting out for a very, very long time. You have my word on that."

The sound of police sirens made Sionis look over in surprise as more than five units pulled up in front of him. When he looked back, however, the Batman was gone.

Martha found her son in the lair, watching the news report about the explosion in Times Square.

"Thanks to the quick work of CIA scientists, most everyone who was affected by the toxin has made a full recovery," Vicki Vale stated. "However, there are a few criminals who are still at large. Slade Wilson and Jonathan Crane are just a few of the dangerous inmates who have escaped."

The official report was that the railroad collapsed, sending the vacant train crashing to the ground. As for the mass hallucination people experienced near Arkham Asylum, along with the release of the inmates, the blame was given to Dr. Jonathan Crane, who was being called 'Scarecrow.' Most news channels took the police report as it was, but a few reporters such as Vicki Vale questioned whether they were being given the whole story as eyewitnesses stepped forward.

"Mayor Weldon, we've heard reports that Crane was not stopped by the police, but by the Batman-" Mayor Weldon got up close to the camera, anger in his eyes.

"The Batman was not at all involved in the events of that night!"

"I had my gas mask on, and my partner and I were hiding out, waiting for back-up to arrive," a rookie SWAT officer said. "Then I see the Batman fighting a group of ninjas, and it's all BAM! KA-POW! BOOM! All the guys are on the floor; KO'd!"

"I can't remember much because of the toxin," a middle-aged woman admitted, "but I do remember seeing a large bat flying below the train."

"He was fighting a man with a gun, and took him out in one go!" a young man stated. "I may have been a little out of it, but I know what I saw! The Bat's real!"

"I saw him!" a little boy exclaimed.

"Yea!" the little girl next to him grinned. "Batman was fighting a group of ninjas, and he kicked their butts!"

"From these statements, my suspicion that the Batman was indeed the force on the scene during Scarecrow's attack seems more than valid," Vicki Vale stated in the newsroom, "And this city should be thanking him for it. New York could have been destroyed if it wasn't for this man, who is not so much a vigilante, but rather a hero."

"I'm a cop," Detective Kate Beckett said. "I can't condone his actions." Her eyes flickered from the reporter to the camera. "But I can be grateful that he's doing it."

"This is Vicki Vale for Gotham News at 11."

The tv shut off, making Martha look at Castle. Lowering the remote, Castle leaned back in the command chair, face thoughtful.

"Well," Martha stated after a few moments of silence, "looks like the NYPD may start to warm up to the Batman, considering he saved the city and all." She looked at the newspaper on the console. ROMAN SIONIS BEHIND BARS "And it looks like there's no need to worry about assassination attempts anymore?"

Castle looked up at his mother, forcing a smile. "The more popular Batman is among the NYPD, the less criminals like him," he explained. "I can't get too comfortable."

Martha patted his shoulder. "Of course not." She let him go and began walking towards the staircase.

"He wasn't who I thought he was," Castle finally said, making Martha turn to him. She was confused, but Castle didn't allow her to question him. He just kept talking. "Ducard. He wasn't who I thought he was. He…" Castle shut his eyes. "He was the exact thing we were supposed to be against."

"What did Ra's al Ghul say about that?" Martha wondered after a moment of silence. She didn't expect the humorless laugh that escaped her son.

"He was Ra's al Ghul," he said. "The League was something akin to a terrorist group, with Ducard - Ra's - being their leader."

That was yet another thing Martha had not been expecting. She walked back to Castle as he turned the chair around to face her. "What happened?" she asked.

"He told me the League's true mission; to destroy crime by destroying its sources, including humanity." The writer looked away. "I spent time with him. He trained me, and I couldn't see the kind of person he really was."

Martha sat on the other chair they had at the console and faced her son. "Richard," she began, taking his hands into her own, "the man rescued Alexis. It was only natural for you to put him on a pedestal." She paused, thinking over her words. "From what you've told me... I believe that he truly did care about you. He took you as his student, personally. For being the head of a terrorist organization, that means he saw something in you."

Castle smiled weakly. "Like what? The potential to destroy the world?"

Martha shook her head. "The potential to change it," she countered. "He just didn't realize that it wouldn't be in the way he imagined."

Castle remained silent, thinking. "He's dead," he finally stated. "I left him on the train just before it exploded." He looked up at his mother. "I just left him there to die and I... Did I kill him?"

Martha's heart broke at the tone of his voice. "No, Richard," she insisted, squeezing his hands. "You gave him a chance to stop what he was doing. He didn't, and created his own fate." She looked at him intently. "A man like him, with his influence and power, is better off dead than alive."

Castle knew she was trying to make him feel better. But he knew Ra's death was something he'd carry with him forever. And whether or not it was his fault was something he'd always question.

As if sensing his inner turmoil, Martha reached over and grasped his hand. "Your father would be very proud of you," she said softly. "Just like me."

Castle looked at her with wide eyes before a small smile came onto his face.

"So the city is saved, and Roman's behind bars," a feminine voice purred. "Looks like you got your happy ending."

Batman turned to see a woman standing behind him. She was dressed in a black leather cat-suit, with heeled boots, and a domino mask on her face. Her hair was long and brown and the smirk on her lips was so familiar…

"Miss Kyle?" Batman questioned in slight surprise. She shook her head.

"Catwoman," she corrected, walking closer to him. At this, Batman frowned, now noticing the cat ears she wore. "What?" she questioned. "This city has a bat-man. Why not a cat-woman?" She stalked past him. "Besides, there are perks. I can walk down the street without worrying if my face got caught on camera during a job."

"So you're going to keep stealing then." It wasn't a question.

"Girl's gotta eat," she teased. Batman wasn't fazed.

"You saved my family," he pointed out, and at this, Catwoman tensed and she turned to him.

"Listen, just because I helped you out does not mean that we are friends," she hissed. Her reaction amused him, and she noticed. Regaining her cool, she shrugged. "But, you owe me now." She stood closer to him. "And I fully intend to cash in."

Batman went to reply, but Catwoman's change in facial expression stopped him. She was no longer looking at him, but over his shoulder. Following her gaze, he blinked at the sight. In the sky was a bright light― a light that was coming from the ground. And it was in the shape of a bat.

It was his symbol.

"Well, I guess they know how to contact you then, don't they?" Catwoman mocked. Batman looked at her, his expression impassive once more.

"Duty calls."

"Yes it does," she smirked. "You aren't the only one with work to do." She turned and began to walk away. "See you around."

And that was the first time Batman didn't doubt her word.

He tapped on the metal of the signal light, grabbing Montgomery's attention. A small smile was on the vigilante's lips. "Nice," he commented.

Montgomery shrugged. "Well, I couldn't find any mob bosses. Figured this would be the next best thing." He shut the light off. "Gotta say, you really surprised me with all this. Been a cop for about ten years, and I never thought things would change."

"I didn't do it on my own," Batman countered, looking at the Captain pointedly, but Montgomery wasn't having it.

"You sure did start in on your own."

"And now?"

"Now the NYPD is finally getting its act together and protecting this city," the captain answered. "Dirty cops are running scared, and there's finally some hope on the streets."

Batman stared at Montgomery for a moment. "But?" he prodded, knowing there was more.

Montgomery sighed. "We still haven't been able to pick up Crane or half of the inmates from Arkham that he freed."

"We can," Batman assured. "We will bring all of them back."

"What about escalation?" Montgomery questioned. "If we start to carry semi-automatics, they'll go and get automatics. When we started wearing Kevlar, they bought armor-piercing rounds. And then… Then there's you."

Batman blinked in bemusement. "Me?"

"Yes you," Montgomery insisted. "With your mask and the whole jumping off of rooftops thing… Roman Sionis went on trial today. He had that mask of his melted onto his face. Started referring to himself as 'Black Mask.' The media is calling Crane 'Scarecrow.' So what happens when all the other crazies start taking up alter-egos?"

Batman thought about Selina Kyle, who also joined in on the 'costume party,' as she had called it. This had the potential to be really bad, but… "We stop them," Batman promised. "We always stop them."

Seeing that the cop had nothing more to say, Batman turned to leave. He was prepared to launch off of the roof when Montgomery spoke again.

"I never said 'thank you.'"

At this, Batman paused and looked back at him. "And you'll never have to." He nodded once before leaping off the building and gliding into the night. Montgomery smiled from his vantage point. The city had been saved, but there was still a lot of work to do.

But with the Batman on their side… they could do it.

Cue triumphant-heroic-Batman music! Yay!

Again, thank you all so much for reading. I'll be seeing you guys in about a week or two for the start of World's Greatest Detective: Genesis. Again, you can check out my tumblr (knightofthecastle) for updates and info and maybe some sneak peaks!

Love you all,

Katrina Castillo