An Unhealthy Obsession

A/N - Hahaha, I guess a lot of people don't read my author notes (which is COMPLETELY understandable since my messages are like an energizer battery...they just keep going and GOING), because a lot of you seemed to think that A) chapter twelve was the end of the story or B) that Rachel was dead, hehehe. FOOLED YOU! :-P But yeah, I've included a summary at the end of this SUPER short chapter about my sequel, which I can happily say that I've started writing today. Hopefully it'll be up by either tomorrow or Monday evening. :) Anywhos, on with the show!

CH 13: Dust to Dust

"Ashes to ashes and dust to dust, the Lord bless her and keep her, the Lord make His face shine upon her and give her peace..."

Gripping at the handle to his umbrella, Bruce glared darkly ahead of him as Rachel's casket was lowered into the earth, his hand interlacing with Miranda's as she continued to pitifully weep at his side. He hadn't been able to save her...he'd been tricked by a madman, and in so doing had been forced to pay the ultimate price. A life without Rachel Dawes wasn't worth living, and yet...

Bruce glanced apprehensively over at Harvey. God, how could he actually be wishing that he'd found Rachel, instead? Harvey was a good man, and his endless devotion to Rachel proved it. After the fire had been cleared from the warehouse, he'd ordered every single man present to search for her body. Alas, they hadn't been able to find hide nor hair of Rachel's corpse, so Harvey had taken it upon himself to fill her empty casket with her favorite CDs, trickets, and an empty carton of Ben and Jerry's. This last item had made Bruce laugh amidst his sorrow, but only because he knew Rachel was smiling down at them for being such smart-asses.

Shivering as a strong gust of wind blew pellets of rain into his face, Bruce held Miranda's hand tighter as she also gripped onto Harvey's arm for support. Although she'd always struck Bruce as an admirably strong woman, something about her current disposition reminded him of a porcelain glass doll. There was clearly a crack in her composure, and she was now just a hollow shell of the woman she'd once been.

As he and the rest of Rachel's loved ones tossed a clod of dirt onto her casket, he then knew that, just like the dirt, his desire to be Batman was now as fleeting as the wind. From that moment forward, he vowed to turn in his cape and cowl and live like a normal man... He would live as Bruce Wayne.

INDIVIDUAL THANK YOU'S

Ceres - Yay, well I'm glad! :-P And yeah, I know...Mr. J's a big meanie, but we all still love him. ;)

Sabriel - Awww, I know, me too. :( A lot of people hate Rachel and love that part for some reason, but I, too jumped in surprise when it happened. I was completely floored, just like when Gordon "died"...I kept going "No, no, that can't be right! They wouldn't kill them off!" So that's one of the reasons why I needed to see it again, cuz I was so dang distracted by the "Wtf, NO!" thoughts going through my head, hahaha. And no, Rachel is NOT coming back as Madame Two-Face, cuz that's be stupid, but then...you might think my idea's stupid, so who knows? XD

Jia - Aww, don't be nervous...I think you'll be pleased to know that Rachel's not going to be some social outcast or anything, hehe. And yay, glad that makes ya happy...in all honesty, I usually update about once a month, but something about you guys and your reviews made me crank the chapters out like crazy! So thank YOU! lol And noooo, I am NOT going down the "it was all a dream" route, hahaha, cuz I've learned that that doesn't tend to get a good reaction. ;) Trust me, I've done it before. lol

A/N - Heeey, you know how certain celebrities or movies/musicals have fan names for themselves? Like Deppheads, Claymates, Phans, Bleeders, etc., what can we Joker fan girls call ourselves? Scar Faces? Smileys? Hostage-Wannabes (cuz we ALL know every fan girl wants to get kidnapped and have Mr. J play knifey with them)? Or better yet, Mr. J's Ho Bags? lol Sorry, just a random thought I had while in the shower ('cause ALL normal women have random thoughts like that in the shower lol I'm a sane, logical-thinking adult, I swear!). Speaking of fan girls, I bet everyone would've been envious of my latest dream, 'cause the Joker and Sweeney Todd were chasing me. Oh em gee...it was scary. :-P

Here's my ORIGINAL idea for an ending...kinda lame, but whatever. Basically all that was going to happen was the Joker would get arrested and dragged off to Arkham, and as he was being dragged away, he'd turn to Rachel and say "Until we meet again", thus tying in everything from the very beginning. Lame? Unimaginative? Anti-climatic? Yes, yes, and yes. lol So anywhos, I decided to continue this story with a completely different angle. Below is the summary for "An Unhealthy Attachment", which should be posted shortly if all goes according to plan. :)

SUMMARY FOR MY SEQUEL - Three years after Rachel's horrific accident, the scene is set in the rainy city of London. An anonymous donor has been paying for her care despite her being a comatose patient, but one day she awakens and can't remember who she is or how she came to be hospitalized. Rachel had been burnt beyond recognition after the accident, so she had several reconstructive surgeries so that she could live a normal life; because of this, it makes it extra difficult to recognize herself. Her doctor, Colleen Dandridge, knows her real name is Rachel Dawes, but the anonymous donor urges her to call Rachel Harleen Quinzel. I'll let your little imaginations take it from there. ;)

P.S. I suck at summaries :-D

P.S.S. Visit me on youtube at KendraLuehr...I've posted several TDK parody vids, as well as vids dedicated to Jokachel. :) I'd love to hear your thoughts!