Note: This takes place before Final Crisis
Batman jumped from roof to roof trying to catch his prey. For the most part the night had been quiet, mainly because it was Christmas but still one inmate of Arkham had decided to not take the night off, good because Batman never does. “Alfred. The scarecrow is not on my eyesight, are you sure he went this way?”
“Affirmative Master Bruce. The scan shows that he is hidden in the building that is two roofs ahead in the 2 floor.” Batman smiled as he jumped through one of the windows, breaking the glass as he did so. When he entered the room though, he noticed that Scarecrow wasn’t anywhere to be found. Before he could ask for a confirmation of his loyal butler though the Scarecrow emerged, throwing his famous gas against the Caped Crusader. “Like my new gas Batman?!” yells the Scarecrow in excitement as he starts to punch Batman on the ribs. “It is a new variation. Hope you enjoy it!” yelled once again the scarecrow but now it didn’t sound as strong as before, like if the focus on reality wasn’t so strong anymore.
The scarecrow looked every second more blurry until everything went dark. Bruce Wayne woke up but he wasn’t on his costume anymore, more shockingly was the fact that he no longer possessed his adult body; he instead was a young boy once again. He then sensed a hand being placed on his shoulder, as young Bruce turned around he couldn’t believe who was behind him. “Mom?” he asked in astonishment, his detective mind instantly trying to find a logical explanation to what was happening. His mom was dead, had been for years. But what if she wasn’t? No, it had to be an effect of Scarecrow’s gas.
“You are right Bruce. Everything is happening in your mind, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true.” She said, trying to calm her son as she hugged him intensely. At first Bruce tried to do his best to not hug this hallucination, he really did, but it had been too long since he had felt the touch of her mother, every man is allowed one moment of weakness. When Martha Wayne separated herself from the arms of young Bruce the scenario had completely changed, they were in the Wayne Manor. They were there along with Thomas Wayne and the Elliots.
“You remember this Christmas Bruce?” she asked softly, Bruce simply affirmed with his head. “This is the Christmas before Tommy’s dad was murdered. The last one before we stopped being such close friends.” In front of them one could find a Bruce Wayne that was so different from the current one, joy and happiness was what covered the face of Bruce, not a cowl.
Then suddenly everything started to move faster, as if someone was flash forwarding a movie with a remote control. When the scene returned to the normal speed the scenario was still Wayne Manor but the Elliots were long gone, instead one could find the Waynes and Alfred enjoying the package of movies from el Zorro that Thomas had given Bruce for Christmas. “Between the two of us…” Martha started to talk as she cleaned the tears from her eyes. “Those movies were as much for you as for him. Your father was a hero but always wanted to stand for something bigger than himself or the reputation of his family, like father like son.” As she said this Martha deposited her hand once again in Bruce’s shoulder.
“This was the last Christmas.” Bruce started to say but couldn’t bring the rest of the words to his mouth. Martha made a compassionate smile and finished it for him. “The last Christmas before we died. The last Christmas before Batman was born.” Bruce stood still; the only movement coming from him was of the tears that ran from his eyes. He never cried, he never gave that benefit to his enemies or friends but next to his mom he didn’t need to be strong, because she was enough for both.
“But it still wasn’t the last time that you enjoyed Christmas.” Once again, the scenario started to flash forward in front of their eyes and yet again the scene took place in Wayne manor, but a different one. “Come on Alfred. He’ll be here any minute.” Said a little boy that looked a lot like a young Bruce Wayne as he dragged Alfred along to make sure that both the dinner and the Christmas tree was ready. “I’m not sure he’ll make it master Richard.” Says Alfred disappointed as he leaves the turkey on the middle of the table. “He will. He promised!” said Dick with great enthusiasm as he rushed to his room to search for the present he had gotten for Bruce. “This was the first Christmas I spent with Dick as my ward”. Says Bruce, completely surprised after the realization of how many years had passed and how much had Dick grown in those years.
Hours passed and all the food got cold but eventually Bruce arrived at the Manor, completely tired due to the action he had had that night.
“Told you Alfred!” yells Dick as he jumps using acrobatics towards the exhausted Batman. “Sorry I’m late.” Said Bruce with a smile that could barely be noticed due to the mask he wore. “Its ok, it’s Christmas.” Answered Dick as he gave his mentor and new father figure the present he had made for him.
As Bruce opened it he noticed that it was a sketchbook, he could have never guessed what it had inside though. As he opened it he noticed hundreds of photos and short notes written by different hand writings, all of them thanking him for the time he had saved them. Dick smiled and then started to explain. “I’ve been doing this since the time we did the oath. Thought that even though you know that what you are doing is right you need from time to time to be reminded how important it is and how much we make a difference. This is the prove that Batman and Robin can change Gotham and that this ‘war’ you are fighting can be won. Because every time we save a life, we change dozens and that is why even though your costume is designed to inspire fear in your enemies it also enables the people of this city to hope. To know that when everything is said and done God hasn’t abandoned them, otherwise they couldn’t count on us.”
For the first time ever, Bruce couldn’t find the words to explain himself; all he could do was to hug Dick as tight as possible. Martha smiled from the distance, along with the young Bruce. “You know? All things considered you turned to be a great father. That Grayson boy counts with all your best current qualities like your sense of justice, your morals and your great will but he still was able to retain all the beautiful things you left behind when you became Batman. Why do you think is that?”
“I don’t know. But I’m sure that considering all my mistakes, I can rest assured that I did one thing right.”
Now the scene didn’t start to flash forward, instead it completely went dark again and Bruce blacked out. When he woke up he was once again his own age but wasn’t on the Batman suit. A strong hand extended itself to help Bruce get up, that one was too familiar, not only to Wayne but also to the world in general. “Need a hand?” offered the man covered in red and blue. “Clark?” Bruce replied, accepting the help to get up. “You are the spirit of the present Christmas? Of course you are…”
Superman simply smiled and picked up Bruce and started to fly all across Gotham city. “You know Bruce? With my telescopic vision and x-ray vision I can look at all of Gotham and one thing gains my attention more than any other.”
“And what is that?” questioned Batman, afraid to ask. Superman looked at Bruce with a sad face and then returned his attention to the front to make sure that he didn’t crash with anything. “Gotham is considered by many as hell on Earth. The most terrible place on the whole states and yet they all are able to enjoy Christmas, everyone but you.”
Superman then started to move from place to place, all of the various destinations they visited had one thing in common though, someone was there enjoying Christmas. As Superman and Batman moved from one place to the other they observed how the Gordons celebrated together the holiday joined by Helena Bertinelli. The next holiday show displayed the people that were closest to Bruce in the entire world. The scenario was yet again Wayne Manor and it featured Dick, Tim and Alfred having a Christmas dinner together and celebrating with great joy their current lives. They had all passed through many tragedies but right now they could let all that aside by being together in their new family. They only needed one person to have the group together.
“You do this every year Bruce” Superman mentioned to Batman with great sadness. “Christmas is that time of the year in which you should do the impossible to try to get closer to the people you care about, instead you prefer to work on your crusader forgetting completely why you started it in the first place. Batman wasn’t created to fight crime, not really. The real reason was to save and change lives. You used to enjoy Christmas Bruce. What changed?”
“The world became a lot darker” explained Batman. “That’s no reason to stop enjoying the good things about life.” Replied Clark immediately, then after a really short pause he continued. “The saddest part is that even your enemies enjoy the holiday more than you do.” Having said that Superman continued by taking Batman to Arkham Asylum. “Maybe you should be here”
“Heard that one before, let me guess. Because only a madman wouldn’t enjoy Christmas?” Superman simply smiled at the remark of his best friend and then helped him to look through the window. The view showcased an Arkham which was in complete ease. Joker, Harley Quinn, Riddler, Two-face, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy and more were sitting together on the halls of Arkham exchanging gifts and not hurting any of the security guards.
“Like I said, everyone is willing to forget about the other things to enjoy one night with the people they care about, everyone but you. How does that feel Bruce? If you continue this way then you won’t have anyone to abandon on Christmas.” Having said that the darkness once again came and when Bruce woke up he was in the same graveyard where his parents were buried. This time Bruce was once again on his Batman costume and the spirit next to him was a hooded man that looked a lot like Death itself.
“Who are you?” asked Bruce as he got up, the hooded man never spoke, instead he just signaled to the tombstone next to the ones of the Waynes. “Here lies Alfred Pennyworth. The greatest butler one could have, but more importantly the greatest dad one could gain.”
Batman then collapsed to the ground, the sorrow he was feeling went beyond anything else that he had ever felt, Alfred, the man that had raised him after his parents’ deaths was now dead. “How?” finally Bruce was able to ask to the hooded stranger, the man still didn’t speak. Then the hooded man once again raised his hand to signal the Gotham General Hospital that was a few meters away. After both of them entered the hospital they noticed how many nurses and doctors rushed to a single room, inside that room one could find an aged Bruce Wayne, possibly 80 years old about to pass away. One could hear the machines and the doctors as they did their best to save the life of Gotham’s favorite son but in the end nothing could be done to save him.
The scene once again started to flash forward and now they were at a funeral where only 2 people remained. Dick and Tim, both of them having aged a lot with the years that had come for them. Once the father finished giving his speech he turned around for the two boys and asked if any of them wanted to give some final words. “None father.” Dick replied and then both of them abandoned the place. “This feels weird. We hadn’t spoke to Bruce literally in years” mentioned Tim as he got on the car. “Bruce was a complicated man Tim; in the end he couldn’t retain any connection to the people that cared the most about him.” And with that said the car of the new dynamic duo was gone.
“Years?” asked Batman as he turned to the hooded man. “Neither Tim or Dick had any contact with me for years?” a single tear finally was able to pass Bruce’s usually calm behavior and stone like toughness. He then noticed the tombstone that had been made on his honor. “Here lies Bruce Wayne. Gave so much to this city but always forgot to spare some for himself and for his loved ones.”
“Is that it then? No return? No more chances? The people that I care the most about eventually get tired and move on with their lives without me?” as he said that Bruce got down to face the tombs of his parents. “Mom, Dad, Alfred. How could everything go so wrong?” then the hooded man started to shake and his hands covered his mouth until he couldn’t stop the impulse anymore.
“Ha….haha……Hahahhahahahaha…….hahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahaha! Talking about missing the spirit of Christmas!”
“That voice…” with that Bruce got up and grabbed the hooded man in one single movement, then uncovered his face to reveal that it was the Prince of Crime himself, the Joker. “Just like that? No mistletoe? Hahaha. What’s the matter Bats? Can’t deal with a little critic?” then the clown of crime was thrown to the snow by the furious Batman.
“My my, what a terrible mood for someone who is in the happiest time of the year!” said the Joker as he cleaned his tunic and started to get up. “Tell ya the truth. I tried to remain silent through the whole process, I really tried but I couldn’t help myself. ‘Mommy, Daddy, Alf, help me make friends!’ I just couldn’t contain it anyore!”
“Besides, why hit me anyway, you already know this isn’t real only goes in your head.” Then Joker made a gun figure with his fingers and started to move it in circles. “All of this just the product of the sick imagination of yours, what a troubled individual. Just like me! Haha kidding bats, I’m unequaled after all.”
“Besides this isn’t the moment for laughs, truth be told this little tale of your life is so sad that not even I can laugh….Ok I can but I won’t pinkie promise see?......Hahahahahahha. Couldn’t help myself. Everything in this story is taking place in your mind, but you know full well that everything taught to you is real. You were born with everything in the world, then it was taken away from you. But when the time came for you to gain your happiness back you decided to turn it away and so lonely you were born and lonely you will die.”
Then the blackness came once again. Batman woke up, again on his costume but surrendered by the lights of the police and Commissioner Gordon trying to wake him up. “Batman! Batman are you alright?!”
“I’m fine Jim. Where’s Scarecrow?” as Batman got up he noticed that the madman was being taken into custody by the members of the Gotham Police department. “Gave a fight but we were able to subdue him, how are you?”
“As fine as one can be after receiving an attack of Scarecrow’s gas.” Jim smiled both by happiness and surprise. “Was that a joke? Anyway you should take the rest of the night off, go to sleep to clean the effects of the gas.”
“Can’t do, have a place to be. Merry Christmas Jim” Having said that Batman grabbed the gauntlet and left the crime scene. “Yeah well me too, merry Christmas Batman.” Then the phone of Jim started to ring. “Dad where are you? Helena is already here.”
“Will be there in a minute Babs.”
Batman descended in front of an enormous building, the most magical one in the entire Gotham City and the only place where he could be tonight. Batman took away his costume and guarded it on a small safe spot, making a mental note to ask Alfred to pick it up later. Now as Bruce Wayne he opened the door of the building and entered through the front door, in the halls three men were having dinner. “Dick, Tim, Alfred. I’m not late for dinner this time am I?”
And for the first time he wasn’t, it was a Christmas miracle
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