High above the Earth, approximately twenty three thousand miles up in geostationary orbit, flies a satellite. It is a satellite like no other, unique in many regards, not the least of which being its configuration, size, armaments, and crew. The official name of this space station is "The Watchtower". Its construction and upkeep is funded mostly by Wayne Enterprises as a publicity stunt, and in part by the UN, though for less savory reasons. The construction of the satellite concluded a scant two months ago, approximately two years since the official formation of the team.

In a special room at the peak of this satellite, nicknamed the "Hall of Justice", the members of the Justice League confer. In this room, the most powerful group on the face of the Earth meets biweekly to discuss important matters in privacy. The Justice League is comprised by the alien known as Superman, the vigilante known as Batman, the Amazon who goes by Wonder Woman, the Green Lantern of space sector 2814, the King of Atlantis, Aquaman, a kid whose body is now more machine than man, Cyborg, and Barry "the Flash" Allen, protector of Central City.

After months of cooperation, these seven trust no one more than each other. From the beginning, leadership among them always gravitated towards the trinity, capital 'T'. Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are the backbone of the Justice League, and they have shown extremely positive results when working together.

Anyone familiar with the Batman will note the oxymoron of putting 'Batman' in the same sentence with words such as 'trust' and 'teamwork'. The delicious irony is not lost on the other six, who are not new to the Batman's attitude. They know, however, that no one can deny his dedication to the team. Especially when all they have to do to see the results of it is look around them. Over the years, the group of superheroes have come to consider each other friends, even if Batman doesn't admit it.

That is not to say that partnership with the Batman goes smoothly, despite the positive results. It takes time to get used to his no-nonsense, direct to the point of rudeness attitude. He rarely speaks of anything other than business. One thing he has made very clear, however, is that he expects each and every one of them to "stay out of Gotham City".

This insistence has caused no small amount of frustration and confusion among Batman's self-proclaimed friends, who see him struggling alone against an endless tide of crime while stubbornly refusing any help. All six members deal with it in their own way. Some take Batman's words to heart and focus on their own territory, trusting that if Batman ever truly requires help, he will ask for it. Others, well…

It is a general rule that one does not push the Batman. Ever. This week's meeting, however, has many surprises in store.

What Do You See?

"…but it turned out to be just some whales. Yeah, sorry about that." Arthur Curry, King of Atlantis, gives a sheepish grin as he apologizes for the false alarm that had brought the entire League to mobilization. Groans and jeers followed his statement, some by Flash, some by Green Lantern, but most by the football spectators that Green Lantern just formed with his ring, all around the round table.

"Aw man! I had to ditch a hot date to—" Green Lantern's frustrated statement is cut off by Superman, ever the mediator.

"I'm sure Arthur will be more careful in the future, right, Arthur?" The Atlantean King nods his head, embarrassment forgotten and spectators dissolved.

"Are there any other matters to be discussed?" The Amazon princess' clear, regal voice restores everyone's attention to the matter at hand.

"Not that I can think of. We've covered this month's maintenance and expenses." The Kryptonian says. He turns to Cyborg. "Victor?"

"I'm not picking up anything of note on the net." The ever-connected cyborg replies.

"If that will be all, I suggest we adjourn this meeting. I have work to do. We'll reconvene in two weeks." The Batman's cool baritone is, as always, devoid of any feeling. He waits for no confirmation, instead immediately rising from his chair to leave the room.

"Wait, Batman." Superman's voice stops Batman a few meters from the door. He turns and looks at Superman expectantly, a frown on his face.

"I just wanted to say that…" An awkward pause. "I mean, we've all seen the news. About the recent wave of crime in Gotham."

"Gotham has had storms like this before. It will pass." His tone is deeper and carries an air of warning.

"We can help, Batman. Things are rough right now, the League should be able to deal with whatever the problem is." Superman knows Batman, he knows that he will refuse, and he can't help but let the frustration color his voice.

The Batman regards him for a few seconds, utters a single, "No," and turns back toward the door. He is stopped by the voice of an angry Amazon.

"People are dying in Gotham! Why do you refuse help that you need? The League can help in Gotham just like in any other city."

Batman only turns his head to bring Wonder Woman into his line of sight.

"This is not a negotiation. This is a rule, my only rule. Stay out of Gotham, or there will be consequences. Not the least of which will be the immediate withdrawal of my membership and funding from the League." With that parting statement, he walks out the door.

Never one to back down from a challenge, the Amazon jumps to her feet angrily and follows after him, yelling at him to wait.

The doors close, and the rest of the superheroes look at each other awkwardly. Flash breaks the silence, whistling.

"Well, that could have gone better," is Flash's statement.

"Ya think?" is Hal Jordan's sarcastic retort.

"I'm sure Batman is fully aware of the situation in his city, and we should probably trust his judgment." King Arthur has no special love for Batman. Respect, however, he has in spades.

"Yeah, you're right, Arthur. Well, that's it for this week, people. Let's hit the cafeteria. The supply shuttle just arrived yesterday." Superman's statement is met with approval and cheer, as the group of superheroes exits the Hall of Justice.

Kal-El puts a hand on Barry Allen's shoulder. "Not you, Barry. Someone needs to mind the monitors."

"…You suck."

~W~

Batman's crisp walk has already brought him halfway to the Transporter Room by the time Diana catches up to him.

"Wait already!" she exclaims as she grabs his hand and turns him around forcibly. He stares at her, then down at her hand still gripping his. Slowly, his other hand takes the offending appendage and extricates it from his own hand.

"What do you want?"

"Why won't you let us in Gotham? Innocent people need help. Let us help. Let me help."

"Not this again, Princess." His pet name for her carries none of the humor or flirtatiousness that it usually does. That, if nothing else, is a sure sign of his annoyance.

He turns and starts walking again.

"This is not up for debate. Stay out of Gotham."

"Bruce, stop. Wait." He freezes. By calling him that, she is cashing in on their mutual chemistry, and last two years of on-and-off flirting, in order to get a serious discussion. It is a gamble, but she is willing to take the odds.

He turns again, he seems to be doing that a lot today.

"Speak, Diana." She doesn't flinch at his tone. She is an Amazon, and she will show no weakness in front of a man.

"I understand that you have trouble trusting meta-humans, but surely you don't think that we'd be detrimental to the city. It's not like the criminals will fear you any less if we take down some of them or save a few people." Her frustration is nearly overwhelming her. Why won't this stubborn…man accept her help?

"The city needs to see that Batman and the GCPD can take care of things. Outside help will hinder that. Besides, this is as much for your protection as theirs. Gotham is a rough place, Princess. Leave it to me."

Maybe he does not mean to anger her, but he's doing a damn fine job of it.

"So that's it? We're too weak to deal with Gotham's villains? What would Harley Queen do against Superman? What chances would Poison Ivy or Penguin have against me? Oh, I'm sure Two-Face would have no trouble dealing with Green Lantern, right? Don't underestimate us!"

If he were a lesser man, the Batman would have been intimidated by the angry Amazon's tirade. As it is, he just shakes his cowled head.

"You don't understand how Gotham works. You don't understand its criminals." She has heard this all before, and she won't have any of it.

"Bruce, I respect all the work you're doing for your city. You are the most capable warrior I have seen in Patriarch's World. But you are just one man. Let us help, and we can do so much more." She knows that she has made a mistake by the immediate frown that forms on his face, by the way his posture goes rigid for half a second. She curses to herself. This is not how this was supposed to go. Batman regards her for a few moments, and she meets his gaze defiantly, though she says nothing.

"You won't give this up, will you?" She isn't sure what he's trying to ascertain with this question, but she does know her answer to it.

"No."

Eventually: "Alright." This catches even the proud Amazon off guard, and for a moment she looks lost, which Batman's incredible mind idly notes is incredibly cute.

"Alright? You mean-"

"I will make you a bet." Oh. This is slightly less outrageous than the notion of him just accepting her help, but only just.

"A bet? You?" Apparently, he doesn't share her mirth at him doing something so uncharacteristic.

"Yes. Follow me." And his crisp walk resumes, this time to a different direction than before. Diana follows him, unsure of the situation. She is still unaware of many things in Patriarch's World, and this man in particular is a walking, breathing paradox to her. She has made no secret of her attraction to him over the months. Although he keeps rebuffing her subtle advances in equally subtle ways, she is an immortal blessed by Artemis, the goddess of the hunt herself. She, too, enjoys hunting. Plus, she is certain the attraction is not one-sided, though they never let it interfere with missions.

Her musings of the black-clad enigma are interrupted by the hissing sound of a reinforced door opening. Batman leads the way into… "The training room?" she asks, incredulous. "What is this bet you spoke of?"

Batman unclasps his flowing cape from his shoulders and hangs it up near some equipment. He removes his cowl and places it with the cape. Though now devoid of the Batman visage, his handsome face is no less steely. His serious expression helps her ignore the fluttering in her stomach and focus on the present. He walks to the center of the room, and turns to look at her. He cuts an impressive figure, even without his cape. Especially without the bulky cape. With his skintight Kevlar and after many months of generally being around him, she knows his body is the embodiment of physical perfection.

"If you can take me down, you have my permission to come to Gotham and do as you please. You have ten minutes."

"What? This is a bad idea Bruce, I don't want to hurt you." This time, she is the one shaking her head. Of all the stupid things to—

"If I take you down or the ten minutes pass, you never ask again." It's like he didn't hear her.

"Bruce, this is a bad idea. I could kill you." She really doesn't want to hurt him, and though he impresses her every time they are in the field with his technique and quick wits, he is still just a mortal.

"Are you scared, Princess?" he taunts her. Taunts her! She is Diana of Themyscira, and will be taunted by no mere man.

"You asked for this, remember that."

"The ten minutes start now," is his dry reply.

She wastes no time in closing the distance between them, and aims a hard punch directly to his jaw. He deftly flicks her hand to the right with his left, making her miss. A lesser fighter would have stumbled, but she just draws her fist back and blocks his own strike towards her face. She aims another punch, this time to his gut. They exchange strikes and blocks for a few seconds, seemingly at an impasse.

Suddenly, Bruce lets out a noise of frustration. Diana is surprised to see him grab her left hand at the wrist and twist it. She is forced to turn along with the movement, and this brings her jaw into perfect position for Bruce's vicious punch. With a crack, she is thrown backwards a few feet from the force of the strike.

She jumps back to her feet and glares at him as she rubs her jaw. He glares right back, ignoring the slight pain in his knuckles, even through the gauntlet.

"Stop holding back!" he hisses at her angrily.

"Bruce, I really don't want to hurt you. You know how strong I am." Even though her jaw aches, she is all too aware of the damage she can inflict on mortals. She hesitates to put her inhuman strength behind her blows.

Bruce shakes his head in disappointment. "You keep underestimating me. That is a mistake." He unclasps his utility belt and throws it aside, holding up a single, normal batarang and a small metallic sphere, which looks like one of his smoke bombs.

"This is all I will need to take you down," he says, with absolute confidence.

Diana's attraction to him is a fact. Her hesitance to hurt him is also a fact. None of them matter as she tries to process this. What an insult! He would discard his vast arsenal and claim to be able to take her down without it? She is Diana of Themyscira, Princess of the Amazons and blessed by the Olympian gods. This insult will not go unanswered.

"Have it your way. But if you forsake your main weapon, I will do the same." With that said, she removes her Lasso of Truth and sets it aside. Her glare would make petty criminals wet themselves, Bruce, is sure. She draws her sword and attacks him.

He is no stranger to swordfights. His scallops can easily withstand the force of the sword, and the batarang on his right hand can also block it. After a few blocked swipes and jabs, he manages to block the sword with his left gauntlet at just the right angle to bring his right arm crashing down on the flat of her blade. Although the blade doesn't snap, it does crack where Batman struck it.

Diana disengages and looks at her blade. With a snarl, she tosses it aside. Bruce motions for her to attack him. She doesn't disappoint.

~W~

Meanwhile, in the cafeteria, the remaining members of the Justice League are deep in conversation. Superman and Cyborg are talking in quiet tones while Hal and Arthur are exchanging stories of their conquests and laughing loudly.

Suddenly, Flash blurs into existence between them.

"Batman's fighting Wonder Woman!" With that said in the span of a single second, he vanishes again, back toward the Monitor Womb.

Conversation ceases. The heroes look at one another. Superman vanishes in the blink of an eye, already at the Monitor Womb. Seconds later he is joined by the rest of the team. Flash brings up the camera feed from the Training Room to various terminals around them. They show Batman, sans cape, belt, and cowl, holding off an angry Wonder Woman with a sword, and promptly cracking it.

Flash whistles. "I got ten on Wondy."

"Twenty," Hal joins in.

Superman sighs dramatically. "Well then, I guess it can't be helped. Fifty says Bruce wins."

Hal looks at him, incredulously. "Seriously? She looks really pissed. I think Bruce is in for a world of pain." Superman shakes his head at this.

"You don't know Batman like I do. I just hope he doesn't hurt her too much." With that, everyone turns their attention back to the monitor.

~W~

As Diana lunges at him with the speed of Hermes, Bruce hides the batarang and sphere in his gauntlet. In her fury, she fails to see his slight smirk. Just as planned.

This time when Diana attacks, it is much less one-sided. Bruce's technique remains vastly superior, but a single direct hit will be enough to, at best, knock him out. He is forced to parry all of her blows, knowing that if he takes even an indirect hit there will be broken bones. Any type of hold where she has leverage to use her strength is also out of the question.

He knows that at this rate he will tire and make a mistake long before the ten minutes are up. As time passes, Diana's rage gives way to the calm and collected fighting style being raised an Amazon gave her, and she will soon manage a blow that will either break a bone or slow him down.

Thankfully, he plans to take her down long before that. As Diana comes at him again he steps backwards, grabs her extended arm and pulls her towards him. Immediately he steps to the side and trips her. She manages to turn her fall into a roll, just as any decent fighter should. He can see it in her eyes, the thrill of a good fight. She knows he can't evade her forever, she believes she is slowly cornering him.

Time to correct her.

She suddenly uncoils from her crouched position and flies toward him, intending to slam him to the wall behind him. He deftly avoids her by rolling to the side, retrieving the tiny metal sphere while he does it.

He aims and throws in the second it takes for Diana to turn toward him. The sphere is directly aimed at her face, but she feels no fear against a smoke bomb. It will buy him maybe three seconds, and then she'll be on him again.

She sees Bruce tightly close his eyes, and understands what is about to happen a split-second too late to react to it.

The flash-bang goes off right in front of her eyes, blinding her in its white light. The disorientation is immediate, her ears ringing so badly that she loses awareness of up and down, while her vision is completely gone. Disoriented as she is, she feels Bruce yank her forward and sweep her feet from under her. Head swimming, she slams down hard, face-first, on the rough metal floor and feels Bruce's weight settle on her back.

Just as her senses reorient themselves, she feels a series of flashes of pain, which she recognizes as slashes from a sharp object. His batarang! She feels slashes at the tendons of her feet, similar slashes on muscles on her thighs and shoulder blades, while both her arms are twisted behind her back and pulled to a painful hold. All of this happens in the span of three seconds.

Now able to see and hear again, she tries to apply her vastly superior strength to escape from his hold. All she accomplishes is a stab of pain at the slashed muscle of her shoulder, leading to her arm. Her other hand yields the same result.

She is red in the face, but it is neither from exhaustion nor the pain. The sheer humiliation of being beaten by a mortal man and held down is almost too much for the proud Amazon.

Though his hold of her hands is almost painful, it is the feeling of his taut body pressed firmly against her backside, holding her in place, that is making her face flush. There is a rush of heat, one she will never admit is anything more than anger at her humiliation. Nevertheless, she is suddenly very thankful that she is facing the floor.

"H-how?" Speaking from such a position is hard, even for her. Though her pain threshold is high, she is aware that he could dislocate both of her shoulders or even break her arms at his leisure.

"I have studied you, Princess." He breathes in her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. "I have watched your battles. Your invulnerability is not physical like Superman's. Yours has its source in your gods, and it has certain things that trigger it. Blunt force trauma, for one. It is why you shrug off such powerful blows. Extreme temperatures also trigger it. Projectile weapons increase your reflexes so you can deflect them with your bracers, but you have no defense against piercing weapons, such as knives and swords. Or the sharp edge of a batarang."

He moves slightly, pressing more of his weight against her in order to safely free one of his hands, now holding both of hers on his left, between their two bodies. Even through the pain, the heat on her face and nether region intensifies.

"You also have a high healing factor. From past injuries, I estimate that it will take another thirty-six seconds for these cuts to heal, and you can freely use your strength again. So…" He brings his free hand to her neck, and taps her carotid artery with the edge of the batarang. This signals the end of their fight, with Diana the 'dead' person.

He slowly releases her hands and eases off of her. He gets on his feet and watches with hidden fascination as her skin knits itself back together. She slowly brings her hands back forward, obviously in pain.

He cannot help but feel a twinge of guilt about hurting her. He offers his hand to help her up, but she slaps it away and rises on her own. Flushed and beat-red, she looks angrily at him. She is probably angrier at herself for falling for his tricks, he thinks.

After a tense silence during which she reigns herself in, she bites out, "You know this strategy won't work on me twice, don't you?"

He does.

"I have others," he says, his voice showing none of what he feels.

"Of course you do." She sighs. Now that she's had a few seconds to cool down, she can't be angry with him anymore. She lost because she got careless and assumed he would use a smoke bomb, since he likes them so much. It was no one's fault but her own. He had won the bet. Hera, he'd probably planned this whole fight step by step. If nothing else, she can, and will, respect that. She vows to herself never to underestimate Batman ever again.

~W~

Back in the Monitor Womb, speculation is heavy.

"Ok, how did he do that?" the sole Atlantean of the team asks. It is Superman who explains why the screens suddenly went blank, as if the signal was lost.

"Batman's flashbangs emit a low-powered EMP that disables camera devices in the nearby vicinity. I've seen it at work before."

"Well, he's the one paying for it." Victor says, shrugging.

"So ... who won?" Hal Jordan asks in mirth. This is the most fun he's had in the Watchtower since ...well, ever.

"Hang on, let me check." Superman's eyes gain the distinctive blue hue of his X-ray vision. It is only his perfect control of every single muscle in his body that keeps his face blank, but he can hardly suppress the faint flush on his cheeks.

"Batman won. Definitely." He coughs awkwardly, immediately cancelling his X-ray vision.

Though he could do without the image, he just won money, so he supposes he should thank his two friends for their impromptu fight. Hal and Barry's groans as they hand over the money is music to his ears, and he smiles.

~W~

Batman returns to his discarded equipment. He fastens his utility belt, puts on the cowl and snaps his cape in place. He looks at her, but she is staring ahead, almost unseeing.

He hesitates for a few seconds, but eventually heads toward the door. "Stay out of Gotham." He means for these to be his parting words, but it is not meant to be.

"Bruce…" Her soft voice stops him in his tracks. It is a tone he has never before heard from her. She usually exudes confidence and strength. It is one of the many reasons he likes her as much as he does. But this time, she sounds defeated, uncertain about herself.

"Why…why won't you let me help you? I…I thought…" His heart stirs at that. She is taking his refusal personally. She thinks he doesn't want her help, she doesn't understand why he does what he does.

His analytical mind takes it all in. The situation, her probable thoughts, his own thoughts and emotions, and in the span of two seconds he makes a decision. It is the best he can think of.

"Diana…" She turns to look at him, but he is still facing the door, away from her. "…if you want to understand…come with me." With that, he opens the doors and leaves. There is no doubt in his mind that she will follow him.

She does, and soon they have reached a room adjacent to the training room. It is a room designed to take the form of different environments and places using a combination of holograms and mind manipulation.

For Batman's needs, the holographic services will be enough.

"What are we doing here, Bruce?" she asks as he begins furiously typing at the control terminal.

"I'm going to show you Gotham," he says cryptically. He gives her a sideways glance. "You will not like it. Clark did not like it when I had to show him what I'm about to show you." With that, he presses the final key and the room starts changing, blue holographic lights slowly taking the shape of the program Batman selected.

"What you need to understand is that the supercriminals in Gotham are not your usual fare. They are not people who you can just find and beat up, like Giganta or Cheetah or Metallo. They are psychotic and calculating murderers and mobsters. You will need evidence to bring in Penguin and Two-Face, which is not easy to come by. You can't just beat them up and deliver them to the station. They will even sue you if you do that.

"Then there are the truly sick types. The types that leave a bloody trail of death behind them while never showing their face. Joker, Zsasz, Deadshot, Croc, Riddler, and many others. Speaking of Riddler…"

By now the room has finished transforming. Diana looks around and sees a very strange room. It is wide, probably a warehouse. Over by the opposite end, a man is tied up and hangs from the ceiling. Strange machinery fills the building.

"What is this?" she asks, uncertain.

"This is one of Riddler's usual tricks. This particular room I had to face three weeks ago. There is the hostage over there. What do you do?" His question is tricky, she is sure.

"I go and untie him. I cannot just leave him there!"

"You just stepped on a pressure sensitive tile on the floor. The hostage is dead within four seconds. Try again."

Diana scrunches up her face in thought and looks to the ground in surprise. She looks around the room, this time noticing several booby traps. By how obvious they are, she guesses they are just decoys for the real thing.

"I would fly over and help him."

"A decent guess. On your way there you activate motion sensors four and six. The hostage is dead and poisonous fumes flood the room. Try again."

"Break in from the ceiling?"

"Hostage dead before you get to him."

"Cut the rope from a distance?"

"Same problem with flying, only the hostage falls on electrified floor and dies faster. Any more guesses?" She looks around the booby trapped room wildly, her eyes finally settling on Bruce. He had solved this?

"This is one of Riddler's many death traps. He is better than the others, in the sense that if I solve his riddles I can usually save everyone. That is not the case with people like the Joker, but if I don't try even more people die. These are not enemies who fight you head-on Diana. It takes a certain kind of person to operate in Gotham."

"Like you?"

"Yes."

"But not like me?"

"No."

She is reluctant to give up.

"Even still Bruce, I'm sure we could help somehow."

"Stop. You still don't understand," he says, and goes back to the terminal. His fingers fly over the keys, loading a new script. Diana can barely hear his next words as the room changes around her. "I'm sorry for this." She doesn't have the time to contemplate what he means, because she sees it.

Diana's hands fly to her mouth in horror. It is a room, wide and high, and empty save for a few old boxes. And the blood. Blood is everywhere. On the walls, all over the floor, even the ceiling is splashed. Pieces of gore are strewn about. Between organs, intestines and bones, the biggest part is probably a piece of a small head with blond hair on it, now matted down with blood. A sole boot lies among the gore.

"What in Hera…what is this?" The horror in her voice is mixed with disbelief, like she can't believe how this can be possible.

"This…is all that remains of Anastasia Connor, age 13. She was found like this two months ago. Tell me, what do you see?"

She doesn't understand his question. What is there to see, besides the horror of this world's injustice? Besides the realization that there are monsters in this world just as bad if not worse than Hades' demons?

"Why…why are you showing me this?" She tears her eyes away from the gruesome sight, instead focusing on Bruce's stern face. Her eyes are wide, her breathing rugged.

"What do you see?" he repeats. She can't stand to look again.

"I see death, crime, injustice. I see that someone will pay dearly for this." The rage in her voice is unmistakable. "What do you see?" she snaps back at him.

His gaze is unforgiving as he surveys the room.

"Evidence."

"…What?" She must have heard wrong. She must.

"Look at the boot. Stuck underneath it is a piece of a rare flower that can only be found on the south side of the Gotham Botanical Gardens. She must have been grabbed around there. The dirt and water on the boot suggest she was taken down to the sewers. This room itself is underground. A closer examination of the victim's hair yields saliva. A DNA scan identifies him as Waylon Jones. Killer Croc." He says all this in his usual unemotional voice.

Diana gets his point. She froze, he didn't. While she was lamenting the loss of life, he had already figured out the perpetrator, and a possible place to find him.

"Did you catch this monster?"

"I did. Jones has a condition that's turning him into a human-crocodile hybrid. It gets progressively worse, to the point where he is more animal than man."

"Please…stop this." He understands and shuts down the program. Diana is hugging herself, trying to free her mind from images of the mutilated girl. Batman knows that she will have nightmares about it, and he is sorry that he had to do it.

He wraps his arms around her shoulders and pulls her towards him in a rare show of compassion. Diana grips his armored chest tightly, trying to wrap her mind around it all and fighting back tears. What does this mean for Gotham? What does this mean for Bruce?

"You are a good woman, Diana," he says softly, "and a great hero. But Gotham isn't for you. I've no doubt that you and Superman could help, but it would change you. In ways that you should never change. You have enough responsibilities as it is. Leave Gotham to me."

There is nothing for her to do other than nod her head. She now understands what Bruce was trying to say. It is clear now. When Bruce says 'Gotham is my city' he isn't simply being possessive. He claims responsibility for it, he bears the entire burden of its horrors alone, except for his small band of similarly-minded helpers, so that others won't have to go through what he does.

If possible, her respect for him rises. She does not completely agree, but she finally understands. And she will respect his wishes.

"I'm sorry…for pushing you to do this. I know you didn't want to." He stiffens at her words, but says nothing.

Composure fully regained, she extricates herself from his arms. She doesn't doubt that, later on in the evening, she'll be horrified, embarrassed, and at the same time thrilled at how…close they got, throughout all this. She now understands Bruce Wayne better than she did before, so she'll take this as a victory. If anyone can pull Gotham out of the darkness, it will be him and his family of Bats.

"Thank you, Bruce. I'll see you around, yes?" Giving him a small, sickly smile, she turns to leave. She has a lot to think about.

His calling out her name stops her just as she has reaches the door. The irony is not lost on her. She turns her head to look at him, recognizing the small smile on his face.

"You are welcome to visit Gotham…off-duty." She doesn't let her surprise show, mainly because she is too numb to feel it, yet. Did he just…?

"But I've never been to Gotham for a social visit. I wouldn't know the first place to go." His smirk only widens at her playful tone.

"I'm sure something can be arranged. It is only proper that I show you around, after all."

A brilliant smile brightens up her face. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind, Mister Wayne."

She leaves the room, grinning ear to ear.

~W~

~W~

~W~

Disclaimer: All the characters, organizations and places mentioned are the property of DC Comics and associates. I claim no ownership or profits from this work of fiction.

Acknowledgements: All must pay homage to our Lord and Master, Dinasis. Go read his stuff, and pester him for updates.

Notes: This story is mostly based on The New 52 comic series. Though the backgrounds of the characters are as redefined on The New 52 event, I reserve the right to use situations, characters and places from other media, such as video-games, movies, TV-series or previous comics that have since been retconned, branded non-canon, or otherwise deleted. Also expect a heavy dose of AU wherever I feel it is necessary.

Though I'm using the team roster from the New 52 Justice League, I can't in good conscience recommend that anyone reads that particular comic.

In fact, don't.