Epilogue

First things first, thanks to all the people who did and who will read this in the future. I would be lying if I said that I didn't enjoy writing this, call it a guilty pleasure, but I did. Remember, I always take requests, but ask that they be more than just one or two sentences. –N

He hadn't rested since the day they brought him home. People were asking questions, what had happened, who killed him and Gar, he did the only thing he could think of. Victor lied. He couldn't bring himself to tell the others what had really happened that night. He just kept repeating the same thing over and over. "Slade, he came and took them. We found them on our front step three days later." The city was in mourning, already talking about renaming schools and building monuments to the people the city had lost. What he couldn't handle was how Kori was acting.

From the second she returned to the tower, she had run to her room. He could hear her talking and screaming at someone in the room. He knew it was her language, and again, he was cursing himself for not learning it. Eventually, she came out and said that she was leaving Earth. It didn't surprise him when she explained why. She told him that she just couldn't live there anymore, that she had lost too many people she had cared about in too short a time. When he watched her leave, part of him wanted to join her. But he knew he couldn't, now that it was just him, he had to prepare the burials, and restock the tower with heroes.

It was easy enough to get temps to fill in at the moment. It seemed every member of the Titans wanted to come and help, and to say goodbye. He didn't stop them when they went to the medical wing to cry. If anything, it helped him convince them what had happened. That Slade had killed them and nothing else. Almost everyone who came to mourn believed him. Almost everyone.

When he sent the message to Gotham, he wasn't expecting the man to be at the tower on the same day. He was ready though when the man came. He knew what to expect from what Richard had told them. That he would give one or two word questions, and expect the truth immediately. Thankfully, he was somehow able to lie to the man. He tried hard though, to keep Richard there with them. He explained that he was Jump's hero, that he should be buried with his friends. But that man had none of it. He just loaded the body onto his plane and said that he would be buried at home, with his family.

Victor wasn't sure what he had meant by that, but knew that he couldn't stop him. What scared him though, was that thing would probably be coming to see him now. It will have known that they were burying Gar today, when it found out that Rick wouldn't be there, he shuddered at what it might do.

It was almost three AM when he felt it in his room. He knew that it was there, considering that all of the electronics around him were shutting down. He forced himself to remain still as he watched each bulb in the room explode and go out. Eventually, all the lights were gone, and the room was silent. He started to scan the room, but didn't find anything. He was ready to lie to himself at that point. That maybe he was just stressed and overworked, that that thing wasn't going to come. That the reason everything went haywire was because of a power surge. When it was sitting on his chest, he realized he could never be that lucky.

"Where is he?" He could see the blood still stained to its face. What scared him though was that it appeared fresh. He felt its hand push through the metal plate over his chest, and he couldn't stop the scream. Its fingers seemed to poke and prod anything they touched. He found himself able to breathe again when it pulled its hand free and showed him his blood. "I'll ask you once more, where is he?"

Maybe it was the desire to live, he wasn't sure, but he told it all the same. "The Batman took him away today, said that he was taking him home to be with his family." He felt the thing press its hands against the wound on his chest, and felt its power pulling metal and flesh back together.

"This is the final mercy I give you." He watched it rise off of his chest, and go towards his door. "If you ever try to find us again, I will come back, and personally turn you into a toaster, understood?"

He could only nod his head as the thing seemed to melt into the shadows, and he soon realized that it was gone. It might have just been a couple of seconds after it left, or even a few hours, when his mind suddenly locked onto something it had said. "Us?"

He still couldn't believe that the man he raised, the first of the robins, the person who he considered for all intents and purposes his son, was gone. When word reached him of what had happened, he moved quickly, determined to get there before anyone else. He found his teammate waiting with his body. The kid was quiet, and he knew that he was lying. He would find out what had happened later, but getting his son home was more important.

When he arrived back at the cave, he moved quickly to the surface, and met Alfred at the entrance. While he showed no emotion, he knew that the butler was suffering as greatly as he was. He was grateful that the man was remaining professional for the moment; they would both grieve after he was finished. Navigating through his property, he found what he was looking for.

It was a small door that he had carved directly into the earth himself. Entering, he quickly found what he wanted. He had built the room as a final resting place for the Bats, a home where heroes could be laid to rest if they had nowhere else to go. He wished though, that he would never have had to do this. No father should ever have to bury their son. Almost robotically, he dressed his boy in his suit he designed. Nightwing, son of the Batman, was dead. When he finished, he didn't stick around to wait for his friend to speak. The rage and loss he was feeling needed to be quenched.

The man was begging for him to just take him to prison, not to fight him. He knew that he should, this one wasn't going to resist him; he was the intelligent one. Looking around, he realized just what he had done. The first, he had broken his shoulder, and struck several nerve clusters in his back, he might be able to walk after a few days. The second, he wasn't sure if he would walk again, at least not without a crutch or cane.

"Batman," he turned from the broken men, and faded into the alley.

"Go ahead Oracle." He could hear the sounds of sirens echoing behind her, and ran to the car. Something was happening at home. He wouldn't lose someone else, not so soon after Dick.

"Something has happened in the Cave." He was already returning and he didn't care what happened to those around him; he just needed to get home.

"Seal it off, call Alfred down, and activate the defenses. Don't let anyone get down to you two."

"Bruce, the alarms aren't coming from this cave," if it was possible, he began to drive even faster. "It came from the other cave."

"Stay where you are, do not move." He was already moving along the private drive to where he left Dick. He would not lose his son. Whoever was there would truly feel the wraith of the Batman.

The door was still shut and the locks were engaged when he approached. He quickly entered the override code into the door, and ran to where he left his son. "He's gone." Looking to the slab of stone, instead of his son, he saw something worse. The rabbit looked like it had been dead for several hours at least. He could see that someone had cleaned it, and put it on the stone, next to his son's mask and an envelope.

When he came closer, he could see that the person, whoever it was, had left several organs still inside the creature. Ignoring it for the moment, he opened the letter.

Batman,

Your son, Richard, was a truly great man. He took me in when no one else would, and made me a part of something. He showed me that I wasn't just a demon, that I was a person. Eventually, I came to love him, but never had the courage to tell him.

I was taken from him when we were still children, and he went to hell to bring me back. That showed me just how much he cared about me, and just increased my desire for him. It was on my birthday when I decided to actually tell him how I felt. Sadly though, I died that day. But apparently, he realized what I meant to him that day.

He brought me back once again; I promised myself that I would never lose him. I have taken him with me, and we will live a long life together. Do not attempt to find us, and that would make me very angry. We will visit, because I know he would want you to meet someone.

Take a good look at the creature, it should be the only hint you need. If not, let's just say that this way was more exact, Grandpa.

Raven

He looked up from the paper to the creature on the stone. Lifting the corpse, he opened the wound, and after inspecting it, was confused. Slowly though, his figured it out. "Richard, I'm so sorry."

It was easy enough to retrieve her Richard. He was hers, and she wasn't going to lose him, ever. After getting his body, she almost joyfully left the letter and the animal for his guardian to find. It would be quite easy for her to bring him back; she had slashed her wrist and was pouring her life into him. Soon, he would react and they would leave. Watching his face, she absently rubbed her hand across her stomach. "Richard, you have to come back," she smiled when she felt his body beginning to move. "After all, my daughter deserves to be raised by her father."

Blood on her skin

Dripping with Sin

Do it Again

Living Dead girl

I hope everyone enjoyed the ending. I know I did. For those of you who don't know, before pregnancy tests could be bought at home, doctors would inject the urine of women into rabbits, and if the animal's ovaries started to produce estrogen, that meant you were pregnant. Thanks again for all the reviews and for taking the time to read this through.

Take It Easy,

-N