BATMAN BEYOND:
The Second Rebirth
EPILOGUE

Belle Reve Correctional Facility
A few weeks later

Donna Walker glanced out the window of her cell, and sighed. Her ex-husband and his accomplices had been arrested and incarcerated - he at Skryker's Island, some at Stonegate, others at different prisons. Their assets, as well as all remaining concealed assets that had remained of the prior Royal Flush Gang had been seized, all remaining safe houses found and dismantled.

There was nothing left, now. Once and for all, the Royal Flush Gang was finished.

In the aftermath, she had been transferred to Belle Reve - once a maximum-security prison, it had been converted to a medium-security facility following substantial renovations to Stryker's Island. The charges that had led to her incarceration at Stryker's had been dropped. As for the "break-out", no record of it remained.
She stood, and walked slowly into a communal area, where she was greeted by several other inmates. She returned the greeting and continued, until she reached her destination. She sat down, under close supervision by one of the guards, and waited.

Soon, the door on the other side of the room opened and a tall, elegant young woman entered, closely followed by a broad-shouldered young man, dark-haired and carelessly handsome.

Donna Walker stood and, for the first time in nearly four years, hugged her daughter. They both sat down, and she introduced the young man who had come with her as Terry McGinnis.

Then Melanie asked the question that had weighed on her mind for weeks.
- "Mom…I heard in the news that Dad's gang was arrested a few weeks ago, and you were there. Is that why you broke out?"
Mrs. Walker hesitated, glancing at the dark young man who sat by Melanie. "He knows, Mom." Melanie said. "About me - about us. I've told him all about it."

- "Yes, you are correct." Mrs. Walker said carefully after a while. "After you told me about your father, I decided to act on it. The breakout was staged, of course. Arranged as part of a deal with the District Attorney's office."

- "And your transfer here was a part of that deal." Melanie continued, visibly relieved. Donna nodded.

- "Now then, Melanie." Donna said. "Tell me about yourself."

"Well, Terry and I both work for Mr. Wayne." she said. She had given her two weeks' notice to Cal the day after the gang's capture, and now both worked for Wayne. Still, the Kitchen was one of hers and Terry's favorite places. They went there often. "We're both attending Gotham State, and we live together on-campus."

Donna was glad to see her daughter was happy, though it pained her that she could not be a part of it. Their conversation lasted at least an hour.

- "You were right, you know." Melanie said after a while. "That night all those years ago - do you remember?"

Donna nodded, uneasily. She remembered the night Melanie referred to. She had learned that Melanie had met a boy, and had criticized her decision not to introduce him to them. She had added that one day, Melanie would meet her King.
"But you were wrong, in a way, too - money's not what it's about." Melanie continued. "But when I met Terry, I knew he was the one. I just wish it hadn't taken me so long to realize it."

- "As long as you're happy, Melanie." Donna said with a sad sort of smile. "That's all that matters."

Terry and Melanie left not long after that, returning to Gotham.

Later, they stood on top of Wayne Tower, as the sun was setting.
Terry, of course, was still recovering, but soon his injuries would heal completely. And now, at least, she wouldn't have to worry about him anymore.

She smiled, and kissed him, slowly. Then they each pulled the black cowl over their face. Time to get to work.
But as they took off, she knew that they would always be together.

And that's all that mattered.