Just Tonight

This is the prequel to another story. A one shot that involves the mystery of the Legion of Doom but also Diana and Bruce's relationship.

Batman wanted to scream in frustration. He wanted to bash in some thug's head into it turned to dust. He just wanted to do something to relieve his frustration. It was unfathomable. He, the greatest detective in the world, one of the most intelligent minds on the planet, yet he could not crack the problem on the screen before him.

He was sitting alone in the research room at the Justice League Metro-Tower, the other leaguers on duty were enjoying themselves in the lounge or on monitor duty. They were having hot coffee or conversing the day's hot topics but he was sitting in a chair, typing furiously into the keyboard.

To be exact, he was trying to find out why all those super-villains were working together. They seemed almost organized, like the Justice League, attacking in groups, forming systematic teams based on the situations. Yet, Batman couldn't trace why they were working that way. He couldn't understand who was orchestrating everything from the shadows. Since everyone they had interrogated seemed to shut down their minds before they could say anything, he was now working to find out himself. There were no mysterious disappearances of money, no wiring from some far away bank, nothing.

Whoever was doing this, he or she was good, very good. Batman began pondering if he should put Question on the job. It was a good idea, but he knew he would come under fire from the others. Still, Question was still better than even him when it came to finding out missing links and tracing back trails, digital and physical.

Batman crossed his arms over his chest, observing the data in front of him darkly. Perhaps it had something to do with Luthor's recent disappearance. Speaking of Luthor, Batman suddenly remembered the events that had taken place several days ago.

XXXXXXXXX

Key, using his key shaped gun, opened another locked case in the Metropolis Museum, slowly removing the case and setting it gently on the floor.

"Beautiful," Key whispered, reaching for the jade artifact on the stand. "Much easier then expect…" he didn't get much farther; a bola flew through the air, wrapping around the Key's body, knocking away his weapon and forcing him to the ground. His teammates, Killer Frost, Bizzaro, Star Sapphire, as well as Livewire, turned around and they saw four heroes emerge. Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow and Shayera were facing them down.

"Can't the bad guys just rob something besides a museum for once?" Green Arrow quipped, pulling out an arrow and his bow.

Bizzaro stumbled backwards, his body crackling with energy. Shayera swinger her mace at him again, the energized weapon making contact with Bizzaro's disfigured face.

"That hurt Bizzaro!" Bizzaro whined, rubbing his cheek in pain.

"Get used to it," Shayera said, swinging down her mace onto Bizzaro's head, slamming him into the floor.

Behind her, Batman was having a one on one fight with Star Sapphire. He moved gracefully around, dodging the blasts erupting from her fore head. He pulled out a bat-a-rang, flinging it at Star Sapphire. She created a pink bubble around herself, the bat-a-rang, exploding around it. As the smoke cleared, Star Sapphire retracted the bubble, looking around for her enemy. She had made a big mistake. She heard a rustling of fabric above and looked up to receive a punch to the face from an electro knuckle. She fell to the floor, Batman gently dropping to the ground. He reached toward his utility belt but he was interrupted by a blast of ice that him in the back forcing forward several yards away.

Killer Frost smiled smugly with accomplishment. She approached Batman, her hands surrounded by a frosty mist. Her hands were raised into the air, ready to strike but before she could, a golden lasso wrapped around her hands, pulling her away and throwing her into a wall. Wonder Woman retracted her lasso and put it on her waist. She helped Batman up, who said nothing, merely brushing away the snow off his costume.

She merely smiled at him and whispered, "You're welcome."

Green Arrow swiftly dodged bolts of lightning streaking across the room, the attacks hitting various things. Livewire scowled in frustration as she kept missing.

"Stay still blondie so I can hit ya!" Livewire demanded, firing out nother streak of electricity, which harmlessly hit the wall, leaving a large hole.

"Where's the fun in that?" Green Arrow asked, pulling out an arrow as he dodged another blast. He pulled back on the string of the bow, letting his arrow fly. The head of the arrow released, revealing a punching glove.

"What in the…" Livewire took the hit directly, knocking her backwards. Green Arrow smirked, drawing another arrow. He didn't get the chance as suddenly, Shayera was thrown into him, and they fell to the floor. Livewire and Bizzaro towered over them, ready to deliver their killer blows.

Without warning, Wonder Woman slammed into Bizzaro, knocking him into a pillar, the structure collapsing as if it were a sand castle. A bat-grapple coiled itself around Livewire, throwing her to the floor nearby.

"Look's like they got them, I'll take Frosty here and you take Pinky," Green Arrow told Shayera, getting up swiftly. Shayera nodded and flew off.

Wonder Woman uppercut Bizzaro straight in the chin, sending him upwards toward the ceiling. Stopping himself, he quickly returned a dropping kick that forced Wonder Woman into the floor, creating a small crater.

"You're pretty," Bizzaro said as he looked closely at Wonder Woman's features.

"Sorry," Wonder Woman said as she grabbed Bizzaro's ankles, "I'm taken." She then threw Bizzaro into the air and followed up with a powerful slam straight into Bizzaro's chest.

Meanwhile, Green Arrow quickly dodged more blasts of sharp ice whilst he prepared his bow. He sidestepped another blast, never losing focus as he did. He drew a bow from his quiver and launched it straight at Killer Frost, who raised a shield of ice, blocking the arrow that exploded. The attack shattered the shield and Green Arrow took the opportunity to launch another arrow through the smoke. Killer Frost raised another shield just in time. The arrow had produced a grapple that had pierced the wall, the grappled emerging from the other side.

"That all you got?" Killer Frost asked with a confident smirk.

"Maybe," Green Arrow said in a foreshadowing tone. The grapple had suddenly shot out of the arrow tip, the grapple forming a three pronged hook. The hook slammed into Killer Frost, sending her into the wall and knocking her unconscious. "I got one!"

"Give yourself a gold star!" Shayera snapped, dodging another one of Star Sapphire's blasts. She weaved gracefully through the air, her wing barely grazing another beam of pink energy.

"You can't keep this up forever," Star Sapphire said as another blast emerged from the jewel embedded in her mask's forehead. Shayera blocked it with her mace, the shot ricocheting harmlessly to the floor. Star Sapphire launched an even more powerful attack, one which Shayera had no choice but to block. Star Sapphire sustained the attack, leaving Shayera in a helpless state.

Green Arrow drew another arrow, reading it on the bow string. He aimed right for Star Sapphire, his right eye closed for better accuracy. Steadying it, he let go of the bow string and the arrow flew. It hit its mark, exploding right into Star Sapphire, who was knocked back.

Shayera charged her mace up, and flew for Star Sapphire, who was recovering. Sapphire raised a bubble shield, just in time to stop Shayera's mace from hitting its target. She swung it again and again, keeping the assault up for more then 20 seconds. Star Sapphire and her bubble began to falter and soon, Shayera broke through the shield and Shayera swung her mace right at Star Sapphire. She swung it about three more times and the villain finally fell to the floor, her protective aura gone. Shayera approached the fallen villain, who looked at her, silently pleading for mercy. Shayera smiled and punched Star Sapphire squarely in the cheek, knocking her out.

Batman took cover behind a pedestal, a bolt of electricity destroying its top hal as he did. Another bolt came and Batman quickly ran from his cover, his cape flowing behind him. He outran each and every blast, frustrating Livewire immensely.

"You're even more annoying than Superjerk!" Livewire complained as she missed her target again.

"Glad to know," Batman remarked as he threw to bat-a-rangs right for Livewire. She retaliated with a simple flick of her hand and she electrocuted the two black weapons, obliterating them. She then threw another blast of power and it hit Batman in the chest. He screamed in pain, flying several yards away, landing on his stomach.

"That's all folks," Livewire said with a deadly finality, her hands alit with electricity. Batman, however, was not as out of it as he seemed. He threw out three black balls that let out a foamy chemical that covered Livewire entirely. "What the heck! I lost my charge!"

"You're not as dumb as you look," Batman said before he punched Livewire unconscious.

Bizzaro was now the only one left, who was still facing off against Wonder Woman. She blocked another one of Bizzaro's punches, walking backwards to keep her distance from the idiotic brute.

"Diana! Catch!" Batman called out as he threw something green. Wonder Woman caught it easily and looked at what it was. It was the small piece of kryptonite that Batman always had with him.

XXXXXXXXX

The villains were led into the paddy wagon one by one, each in their own suits designed specifically for them. The only one that wasn't there was the Key. Instead, he was hanging from 20 stories in the air by his ankle, which was held by Batman.

"What do you want from me?" The Key asked, his face full with utter fear.

"Answers," Batman answered darkly. "You were with Luthor when he robbed that island several weeks ago. You were also teaming up with other villains from around the world. Is Luthor lanning something?"

"I'm not going to tell you that," the Key answered, trying to keep cool.

"We'll see." Batman dropped Key and let him fall. The villain screamed in fear as he approached the ground, expecting the worst. Just before he hit the ground, a bat-grapple wrapped around his ankle and hoisted him back up. The Key looked up to see where the grapple line had originated from. Batman was holding the grappled steadily but he looked ready to drop him any second. "I'm only human, I can't hold you forever."

"Alright, alright. I broke Luthor out of prison so he could join the Le…" They Key suddenly screamed in agony, his pupils going blank. After about 3 seconds of screaming, The Key went limp, dangling in the air as if he were dead.

Minutes later, The Key was being thrown in with the others into the paddy wagon, a tendril of drool creeping down his cheek.

"So Luthor is involved," Green Arrow said to the others, watching the doors to paddy wagon close. "But in what?"

"That's what I intend to find out," Batman said quite professionally. "Somebody's brining these villains together. I many not know who but I'll trace him."

"You realize that could take days," Shayera said with her arms folded across her chest.

"It's better than being kept in the dark, waiting for something bad to happen." Batman explained. "I'm not going to let that happen again."

XXXXXXXXXX

Batman stopped reminiscing and got back to work, just as an Amazonian warrior had entered the room silently but Batman was quick to notice her presence.

"Diana," Batman greeted neutrally, not bothering to turn around to face the beautiful woman.

Diana did not say anything at first; she merely leaned against the computer's counter and looked directly at Batman. "Bruce," Diana finally said.

"What do you want?"

"For you to sleep," Diana said simply, propping her hands onto the cold steel of the computer. "You've been here all day. You won't be fit to do anything tomorrow if you don't sleep.

"I've had worse princess," Batman said, his eyes still focused on the giant computer screen. "You should know."

"I know but that still doesn't mean I won't be concerned with you. This really is more of Question's specialty," Diana reasoned. Batman stirred a bit; the woman had a point.

"I though you didn't like the idea of Huntress and Question running around doing 'hero' work without League approval," Batman said, stifling a yawn that would've surely add fire to Diana's argument if she saw it.

"That may be, but when I want something, I'm willing to make sacrifices," Diana whispered soothingly. Batman stopped right there. He swiveled around in his chair to face her.

"We've talked about this before."

"Don't give me that. You haven't given me a single good reason that we shouldn't begin a relationship," Diana said, frustrated. "I'm more than enough to handle super villains. I showed you that four days ago."

"We're still too different," Batman tried to explain but Diana didn't listen.

"Look at Huntress and Question. She's a dangerous woman that uses her weapons one too many times. He's a paranoid man that believes girl scouts make crop circles. They're more than different." Shot down again.

"You heard J'onn. The League isn't a dating service."

"That may be, but he never said that anyone couldn't fall in love. He never tried to break up Ollie and Dinah, or John and Mari." Batman seemed to tense when Diana ha said the word love. "Besides, I had my eye on you long before the League was expanded. Any more reasons you'd like me to shoot down? Or did you not get enough time to practice them?" Batman cringed. It was true. He had been practicing reasons for them not to go out. In fact, Dick teased it about him once when he caught him in the process.

"It won't last Diana," was all Batman could say. This time, Diana didn't have a response. "I'm only human Diana. I'll die long before you do. Then what?"

"I'm not sure, I'm not sure at all. But I'd rather have a relationship now, before it's too late. You know the saying."

He knew it well indeed. He had learned the lesson far too many times. Perhaps Diana was right. Perhaps it was time to expand their relationship. The one that they still had the opportunity to make. The one that he feared to lose…

But even true love cannot stop hero work. "I have a lot to do princess. Finding out what's going on is too important. Even this." Even though Diana had not wanted that answer, she knew that Bruce had caved, even if he didn't show it.

"You can let Question worry about that. But for tonight, let it just be you and me. No interruptions." Diana put her hands over his, stopping him form typing and smiled gently at Bruce. This time, Bruce decided not to argue.