This Gray Weather Will Fade

Nora was beginning to feel the little sanity she had left slipping away, like tiny pebbles falling down a cliff side. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how she would be in a few days time, or how distant from reality she would be within the few weeks she’d be kept in the walls of this place. If she even made it that long.

He was dead. The man who had been with her through the thick and thin, the one whom she’d loved and promised to spend the rest of her life with. They kept it a secret, mainly for this reason, so that when situations like these presented themselves, loved ones would be kept out of harms way.

How the Joker had managed to figure this out above everyone else over the years was beyond comprehension, and Nora knew that most likely she would never find out. But as the Joker’s blade came across his neck in a swift motion, Nora realized for the first time that nothing was ever going to be the same.

The man who had sent her away to learn a lesson needing to be seen, was gone. And there was no way Nora could ever get the moments she shared with him back. The torture of constantly being reminded of everything was laying in front of her, the body cold and white as snow, unmoving and unreachable.

If she would have just listened to them all from the beginning. If she wasn’t so stubborn and naive. If she had her eyes open to the truth, none of this would have happened. Nora was causing the chaos in the city from the start, the Joker was after her from the beginning, everything was her fault.

“You know,” The Joker hadn’t left her since, watching her carefully as she sat in the silence, her mind in a whirlwind of emotions and thoughts that would ultimately, in his eyes, bring her to her fall. “You were, uh, right all along.”

Nora narrowed her eyes, finally growing tired of his constant mockery and hollowness. She turned her head towards him, her back against the wall and her knees brought up in front of her as he continued to speak. “So many frauds in Gordon’s unit. So many of them, uh, easy to switch over. And you tried to warn him didn’t you? But he, uh, he just didn’t want to listen.” He scrunched up his face, creasing the paint covering his features.

Nora didn’t respond, and continued to listen to what he was going to try and manipulate her with. “If he would have just listened to you, none of this would have happened. Your husband would still be alive, I would be behind bars, and you would be home, not, uh, not worrying about any of this mess.” He clapped his hands together and rubbed them, licking his lips and locking eyes with Nora.

“You’d, uh, you’d think he would have learned from what happened before.” The Joker leaned back casually in his chair, shrugging nonchalantly as he did. “It’s funny, actually.” He stifled a giggle, “Gordon went to you for help for everything. And the one thing that seemed to uh, seemed to matter was that specific warning.”

“And it makes you wonder,” He deepened his voice, pushing out his lips in thought, “The Batman was working for him the whole time, was he behind it all too?” He raised his hands in question, slapping them down on his thighs, “There are so many conspiracies in this city, I wonder if, uh, we’re just in the brunt of it all.”

The door suddenly slammed open, recoiling loudly as one of Joker’s men frantically came in the room, “He’s here.”

The Joker jumped up, looking at the man and then back to Nora, diverting her gaze onto the floor as he approached her. He took her chin in his hands, bringing her focus back to him, “Think about it doll-face, why else wouldn’t they have paid more attention?”

“You make me sick.” Nora whispered with all her energy.

Sounds of men collapsing onto the floor echoed throughout the building, getting closer and closer with every second. The Joker stood up and faced the door, still pouting his lips and peering into the dark hallway. He spun quickly, unmistakably seeing the intruder coming towards him. He knelt down towards Nora for the last time making his final statement before he left her, “You’ll see it my way soon.”

-

Bruce lay down the beaten body and covered her with the sheets of his bed. It didn’t matter now, whether she saw him without his mask or not. She already knew, her and his secrets both were out.

Fox came to the side of Nora, checking her vitals and making sure everything was okay. Bruce had gotten there just in time, he saw how her eyes no longer sparkled as she sat there in silence, unmoving even when she realized she was finally free.

“She’ll be fine, but it will be awhile before she’s fully recovered, physically and mentally.” Fox whispered, looking back and forth between her weak body and Bruce, who was not taking his eyes off of her for even the slightest moment.

“Thanks Lucius.” Bruce nodded, finally turning away from her and walking Mr. Fox to the door. “I’ll call you if anything comes up.” Fox nodded to Bruce, then to Alfred who was carrying a dish towel and had come up behind them as Lucius was leaving. Shutting the door, Bruce turned and past Alfred as he made his way to Nora once more, sitting down at the edge of the bed and leaning on his hand.

“I’ve prepared a little supper.” Alfred spoke in his thick english accent, breaking the unforgettable silence. When Bruce didn’t reply in the slightest, or even turned away from Nora to look at him, Alfred nodded and shifted away saying, “Very well then.”

“Alfred.” Bruce spoke, his voice hoarse.

“Yes Master Bruce?” Alfred turned towards him once more, waiting for the exact remark he had heard so often.

“It’s all my fault.” Bruce answered, looking down at the pure white sheets Nora was covered in.



“No, not in the slightest bit was it your fault.” Alfred said sternly, shaking his head at him.

“I had the chance to stop her when she told me she knew where he was. I didn't.” He said.

“Sir, if I may, you are always going to find a way to link the outcome of a situation to yourself. But the decision was hers, and Ms. Gray knew it when she went and looked for the trouble.” Alfred told him.

“I just feel like it’s Rachel all over again, but it’s worse with Nora.” He said, “She is going to remember it for the rest of her life. I can’t do anything to help her not to.”

“I’ve said this before Master Bruce, and I will continue to say it when necessary, things were always going to get worse before they got better. You have yet to forgive yourself for Rachel’s death, and until now, I have kept this from you since then.” Alfred reached into his jacket pocket and handed Bruce a white envelope, his name written on the front in unmistakable hand writing, a letter from Rachel. “She’s not coming back, Bruce. But Ms. Gray is here, and I what you feel towards her.” Alfred cocked a smile before Bruce faced him.

“Respect?” Bruce asked.

Alfred shook his head and smiled, “No Master Bruce, love.”

-

A few slow days past, Nora still sleeping as she regained her strength. And as the days went on, Bruce eventually found himself a routine as he peered inside the room every morning and night to see if she was awake. But as the fourth day began it’s decent with the sun disappearing beyond the horizon, Bruce glanced inside the room and noticed one thing was utterly wrong.

Nora was gone.

Bruce walked with haste into the room, searching every nook and cranny of his bedroom thinking that there was someway she still might be there, that she wasn’t really gone. He raised his hand sand rested them on his head, eyes shut with panic and flash backs to the past of Dent mysteriously disappearing from the hospital.

Bruce dropped his head and rested his hands on his hips, praying to God it wasn’t what he thought it was leading to. As he opened his eyes, a single piece of paper rested with ease on the wood floor. Picking it up, he scanned it quickly before running down the hall to find Alfred.

-

Gordon was parked in the alleyway behind his house, his head resting on the steering wheel, wondering how anything could get even remotely worse with everything that’s happened over the years. Hearing slight drops of rain on the windshield was what made Gordon snap out of his daze and bring himself to open the door and climb the steps up to his apartment, ready to greet his family the best he could after days like these.

Reaching out and tugging on the defiant screen door made him give himself a mental note that it needed to be fixed soon, it had been months since it first started to act stubbornly for him. As he finally managed to force open the door, a folded piece of paper hung in the frame, dangling slightly before Gordon reached for it and brought it down for him to examine it.

Unfolding it, he read it with ease at first glance, but then soon frantically read through the rest, crumpling it into his coat pocket as he ran out the door without a second thought and driving back to the station. There, he climbed the stairs two at a time with haste before finally reaching the top and throwing open the door to reveal the rooftop of the building, vacant for the time being.

Taking just a mere few steps out onto the cement, he breathed heavily as he came face to face with the Dark Knight, who stepped out of the shadows masked and ready.