Chương 101: Chapter 100
Jennifer had always been a strong, independent woman. Long before Bruce Wayne entered her life, she had established herself with unwavering confidence. Once she realized that Bruce's heart belonged to Rachel, she made the difficult but resolute choice to let him go. Although the way she distanced herself was, perhaps, unorthodox, it did leave her friend Kara criticizing her decisions more than once.
Despite her decisive nature, Jennifer wasn't the kind to fall into someone else's arms the moment things got difficult. Her loyalty ran deep. She could remain dedicated for years—even ten—because of her affection for someone. Jennifer's commitment was powerful.
And truth be told, Bruce Wayne had an undeniable charm. As both the suave, unrestrained son of Gotham's elite and the Batman, a hero driven by faith and a relentless pursuit of justice, Bruce captivated Jennifer.
Now, Bruce had finally parted ways with Rachel once and for all. The tipping point? Harvey Dent had taken Bruce's place at a press conference, publicly claiming he was Batman. Rachel felt betrayed, disappointed by Bruce's decision to step aside.
To Kara, Rachel's reaction seemed almost laughable. Did she really think Bruce and Harvey hadn't anticipated that the Joker would see through the ruse? After all, Joker's informants infested the police department, making it near impossible to keep a plan like that under wraps. Joker had likely known from the beginning that Harvey wasn't Batman.
Bruce, however, had finally come to terms with Rachel's true feelings and his own. He admitted to Jennifer that she was the one he truly needed. Rachel's disapproval of Batman had created a rift between her and Bruce. Jennifer, however, had always supported Bruce's mission without hesitation, understanding both sides of his life and respecting his ideals.
Rachel never grasped that Batman was not a mask Bruce wore but a part of him, born from his own tragedy. The night his parents died in that dark alley, a part of Bruce Wayne died with them. Batman was the rebirth of that part—a protector of Gotham.
But Rachel wanted Bruce without the Batman, and while making that demand, she herself had fallen for someone else. Bruce saw through the illusion; he finally understood that the person who could accept him completely was Jennifer.
Jennifer stood by him steadfastly, never clinging to him, never compromising his path. And now, ironically, Bruce found himself pursuing her—a role reversal that didn't go unnoticed by Kara, who saw them as "fated rivals." To her, it was no wonder that she'd eventually come to meet their future son, Damian Wayne.
Kara remained in Gotham for nearly a month to wrap up the final phases of the trial against Gotham's organized crime syndicate. A few gang bosses attempted retaliation, even targeting Jennifer, but their efforts proved futile. Under cover of night, these men and their associates vanished, each found hanged in their territory—an eerie message to the rest of Gotham's criminal underworld.
Only Jennifer suspected who was behind it: Kara. Despite her own declaration that she wouldn't act as a "second Batman," Kara had vigilantly protected Jennifer from the shadows. Taking advantage of this, Jennifer issued a stern warning to Gotham's criminals, urging them to accept justice willingly if they wanted to survive.
With Kara's assistance and Harvey Dent's relentless prosecution, Gotham's legal system gathered enough evidence to put away some of the city's most dangerous criminals. Even Commissioner Gordon discovered a mole within his ranks—a trusted detective who had compromised an operation to protect her hospitalized mother. After a full investigation, the detective was dismissed and sentenced to six months in prison.
Ironically, this same detective had overheard the plan concocted by Harvey and Rachel on the night of Joker's attack. Kara couldn't help but shake her head at their recklessness. Trusting as they were, Rachel and Harvey had openly discussed their strategy, all while knowing there was a spy in their midst.
In the end, Gotham's criminal infrastructure was decimated. The city reclaimed a significant amount of the syndicates' ill-gotten assets, and the citizens of Gotham rejoiced. Batman and Oracle, however, began to slip from public consciousness. As Joker had once taunted, without supervillains, Gotham would eventually view its heroes with suspicion.
For now, Bruce chose to let Batman's identity rest. Besides, he was preoccupied with something far more pressing—winning Jennifer's heart. With the tables turned, Bruce was now chasing Jennifer, much like she had once pursued him.
Kara found the whole situation amusing, often joking that if Bruce and Jennifer had sorted themselves out from the beginning, they could have saved themselves a lot of trouble. But then again, perhaps the road to their relationship had needed these twists and turns.
After the final criminal sentence was handed down, Kara prepared to return to Metropolis. As she said her goodbyes, Jennifer offered her the white bat emblem she'd left behind, but Kara waved it off with a laugh.
"Remember, you promised to come back to Metropolis someday," Kara teased Jennifer, throwing Bruce a sideways glance.
Jennifer held back a smile and nodded. "I'll think about it."
Bruce, on the other hand, was anything but amused. He watched the two of them with thinly veiled anxiety as they exchanged goodbyes.
Kara's brief stay in Gotham had been both exhausting and dangerous. Though the Shadow Warrior League had been a formidable foe, she knew Gotham's threat was different—Joker's schemes were intricate and psychological, unlike the brute force villains she'd fought before. Sometimes, stopping him seemed almost impossible.
As Kara left Gotham, she reflected on Joker's twisted nature. He wasn't just a mastermind; he was a force of chaos, an unrelenting "scheming boy" as she liked to call him. Taking him down would take more than sheer strength—it required constant vigilance, a role that Batman would continue to play. But at least, for now, Kara could leave, knowing Gotham was just a little safer.
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