Disclaimer: I do not own ANY of this.

Part I

Patrolling Metropolis late at night had become a regular routine for Clark. He would rather have been sleeping in his bed next to his wife, Lois, but crime never stops to sleep. With his new disguise it would be easy to work in the daylight, but being new at the whole superhero thing, he felt that the shadows of the night were a safer cover than a changed demeanor and a costume.

Leisurely flying above the rooftops of the city he listened closely to the sounds of Metropolis below him. It was quite compared to the nightlife of other cities. Thinking of cutting his trip short and heading home, Superman turned around. A slight movement on the rooftop of a four story apartment building whose landlord Clark and Lois had exposed as a money grubbing scumbag, made Superman look more closely.

What he saw was the figure of a man dressed completely in black standing tall and powerful on the edge of the roof. His face was masked by a thick black cowl with what appeared to be two ears sticking out at the top. Flying closer to the still figure he discovered a cape flowing out behind a very intricate looking suit. The man appeared to be watching Superman approach.

Coming to a stop forty feet above the ground and ten feet from the masked man, Superman folded his arms and planted a firm stare.

"I don't normally see costumed villains running around," He smirked.

"You haven't been to Gotham then." came the man's return in a low rumble. "And I'm not a villain. You must be the resident superhero, formerly known as The Blur?"

"In the flesh and your mention of Gotham makes me think you must be the Caped Crusader everyone is talking about?" Ever since Superman first heard about the dark vigilante who was taking Gotham back from the criminals, he had been interested in meeting him.

"That's right. I'm Batman," he replied.

"What brings you to Metropolis?"

"I'm in town on business and thought I would get to know the night life a little better," Superman thought it seemed like a straight forward answer, however, there was also a lot missing. "I get a little…"

"Wait," Superman cut in, "There is a silent alarm going off about three blocks from here."

"You can hear a SILENT alarm?" was Batman's skeptical reply.

"Silent alarms give off a very quiet hum that I have trained myself to hear easily. Would you like to come bust them with me?"

"Which way did you say it was?" Batman replied with a touch of interest that was not lost on Superman.

"Take my hand. We'll get there much faster if we fly." Reaching out his hand he could see Batman hesitating. It was clear Batman was more comfortable doing everything himself. But after a long pause he wrapped his hand around Superman's wrist and his was taken in return.

Superman raised Batman off the roof slowly at first so as not to break his arm or drop him. Then picking up speed, they flew over three streets and landed in a back alley behind a popular jewelry store. The back door was wide open and the light of a flashlight could be seen flashing around the building. Superman and Batman looked at each other, gave a nod and then swept into the building.

Standing at a display case of rings of all shapes and sizes was a fairly short man by comparison with a ski mask over his face. He did not notice anyone enter the room until Superman cleared his throat loudly. With a jump he spun around pulling a gun and pointing it straight at the man in blue and red.

"Regards from…" the last part was drowned out by the sound of the trigger being pulled and the gun firing. Superman did not bother trying to move out of the way. It was a bullet. But as it touched his skin he saw a glint of green. The kryptonite bullet ripped through his abdomen and deep into his gut faster than he could even move.

He grabbed the sudden wound and fell to the ground with a yell of pain. Through blurred vision he saw Batman rush the perpetrator, land a few blows and kick him through the window of the front door where he scrambled to his feet and took off at a dead run out of sight. Batman came back to Superman.

"Go after him. I'll be fine." Superman breathed, sharp pains shooting through his body with every syllable.

"Don't worry. We'll get him later. I thought you were invincible?" He said kneeling next to Superman.

"There are certain exceptions," was all Superman could say before groaning in pain.

"Come on," said Batman helping the wounded man to his feet. "We gotta get somewhere else where we can look at you better. Got anywhere we can go?"

"Yeah, Watchtower. But it's halfway across town. I can't make it that far on foot and I can't fly."

"We're not walking," was the Bat's only reply as a sleek black car came racing around the corner. Superman was in so much pain he did not think now was the time to question the timely arrival of an unmanned car. Batman helped him into the passenger's seat and then got in the driver's. "Show me the way."

Seven and a half minutes later the car pulled up to the back entrance of a towering building with a domed top. A ride several long flights up an elevator and they were emerging into a large round room full of electrical equipment. Across the room was a large round stained glass window that brought a certain beauty to the place.

Batman pulled off his mask and ran to find a light switch and some water. The Man of Steel was unconscious by the time they got halfway up the building in the elevator and getting him in the room had been a little difficult. But laying him down in the middle of the floor, he had sprung into action. Getting the bullet out was essential to Superman's survival. He had done an extensive research, but there were some things Superman had kept very secret, his weaknesses being among of them.

Batman worked for two hours getting the bullet out. Luckily it had not shattered into several pieces on impact. The bullet had a greenish glow to it. He had the feeling that the green substance was dangerous for the Man of Steel so he put it in a specially lined container he had on his utility belt. He hoped that would separate it well enough from Superman to bring him back to health.

After the bullet was extracted, waiting was the only thing left to do. Batman wandered around Watchtower. There was plenty of electrical equipment that could almost give the cave a run for its money. Batman had not been able to learn who this Superman really was, but he had not tried very hard. It was a secret he hoped to learn with trust. This Superman would be a great ally even for a loner like Batman.

When he had looked around the large room, he sat and waited for the Man of Steel to recover. He knew it would not take long and a doctor or hospital was not necessary. The bare chest of the man on the floor, for Batman removed his shirt to get to his wound, rose up and down with his shallow breaths. But the open bullet wound appeared to be healing slowly before Batman's very eyes.

He was mesmerized by the incredibly shrinking wound. This Superman was a real piece of work and lucky too. He could not even count the number of scars he already had from his night work and did not even want to think about the number of scars he would receive in the future. Being able to heal so quickly would be a godsend. Maybe that was how Superman felt about it.

Batman hoped this did not take too much longer. He was getting very tired and there was an early meeting tomorrow morning. Leaving Superman was not an option, however. In the first place it would just be wrong to leave a wounded man alone and second, he was really hoping to be on good terms with the Man of Steel just in case he was ever needed.

He awoke with a start and found himself lying on the floor of Watchtower shirtless with an ache that was quickly dissipating. He sat up with some difficulty and blinked. Looking around him he found the Tower partially lit and the dark clothed figure of Batman was sitting in a chair not far away perusing a magazine.

"What happened?" he asked feeling confused at his current situation.

"You were shot remember? I got you here and removed the bullet. Are you feeling alright?"

"I feel fine. Thanks." He stood and picked up his shirt. When he looked again Batman was at the window. "Wait, where are going?"

"We can get to searching for the guy who shot you tomorrow night. I put a tracker on him so it shouldn't be hard. I'll be in town for a couple more days. Someone has a hit out on you. Keep your eyes peeled."

"Thanks for your help. I appreciate it. Meet me here tomorrow night and we'll get started." With a nod Batman turned around and jumped out of the window. Rushing to the window Superman watched the Caped Crusader glide over several buildings before landing and disappearing.

With his health fully returned Clark was beginning to feel tired. With a burst of energy he flew home, stripped off his uniform and slid into bed next to his wife. It had been an interesting night of patrol and tomorrow night he intended to get to the bottom of it with little help from the newly arrived stranger.