Caged and Broken

Chapter 8: Epilogue

Five years later....

'This is Vicky Vale coming to you from Gotham City, where we are bringing you the five year anniversary since the cruel murder of Reyna Mary Grayson-Wayne.

Reyna was put to death by Anthony Zucco, the mob boss who murdered her family when she was six years old. He orchestrated everything just to bring about the death of one innocent little girl, and she suffered so much pain before she died.

Reyna did not die from the poison gas that had been tainted by fear toxin as many believed, it was released just earlier this week by Bruce Wayne himself that young Reyna had actually died from internal bleeding, which could've been treated had she not lost her will to live.'

Jim flicked the TV off with disgust, and he tossed the remote to the side as he ran his hand down his face. Taking a deep breath to keep what little composure he had left.

For today was one of the hardest days of the year, not just for him, but for everyone who'd been close to poor Reyna.

Barbra and Artemis had refused to go back to Gotham Academy after that day, and they'd finished up their schooling online. They had also suffered some pretty serious injuries as well and had been in physical therapy for six months afterwards just to regain control of their bodies.

Bruce Wayne had shut down, after suffering the loss of his daughter he had needed to go to therapy just to cope with the pain and guilt he felt for having outlived his child. However, he'd actually began healing once he adopted Jason Todd into his family two and a half years after Reyna had died, and the young boy had probably saved Wayne from trying to join his daughter and parents in the afterlife.

Jason Todd was a different story altogether, for he was living up to examples set by a dead girl. Society hadn't taken kindly to him, but he didn't let that stop him from living his life and trying to continue what Reyna had started. The young boy was actually bringing a lot of good to the city that had taken so much, and he was proud to be following in his sisters footsteps.

However, something that changed and never could be fixed was the Dynamic Duo.

A month after Reyna's death, the Dynamic Duo was declared to no longer be enemies of the state, and Gotham was anxious to get their resident heroes back, but, they never really did.

Sure Batman came back, but, they'd lost Robin.

The Justice League announced that the Girl wonder had been so affected by the death of Reyna that she'd acted recklessly, she wanted to redeem herself in her own eyes by going to stop Two-Face on her own. However, she'd been off her game, and Two-Face managed to kill her. He trapped her in a school and blew up the building, all to reach her a lesson.

Then, about eight months after Wayne began to heal, Batman finally began to heal as well. When he showed to the world that he had a new Robin fighting at his side. A Robin who quickly changed his name and began fighting as Nightwing only a year after he began to fight crime, and he said he was doing this to honor his predecessor by keeping their hero sane.

The boy was doing great work, and he even had a legacy of his own that he passed on to the current Robin. Sure they weren't the Girl Wonder, but, they were the hope Gotham needed for a chance that they could be redeemed for their actions.

Although Reyna's death was horrible, it had also brought the push Gotham needed to better itself.

Corruption was rooted out of the police force, it was rooted out of the justice system, it was rooted out of hospitals, and it was rooted out of the social services.

Orphans were finally given good places to live and actually getting adopted into good families, kids weren't being sent to Juvie anymore unless they were actually convicted of crimes, the cops were actually doing good in the city, people were actually getting sentenced for the crimes they committed by the courts, hospitals weren't losing their shipments and lives were being saved more than before, and people trusted their government to actually take care of them now.