Disclaimer: I don't own Batman, Superman, or any of its characters. Big surprise there.
...
Title: Under The Cowl.
It wasn't unusual to find Commissioner Jim Gordon standing on the rooftop of the station in the dead of night, looking at the dark streets below as the Bat-signal light up the sky. Waiting. If nothing else, working with Batman had done wonders for his patience, much to the benefit of both his kids and his colleagues.
Most of their meetings were short and to the point, but sometimes they could afford the time to share a cup of coffee as they discussed business, and a few memorable occasions they even exchange something that could be considered small talk, at least between a vigilante and the Police Commissioner.
This time was different, though.
There was no special case that called for Batman's attention, no emergency needing to be dealt with. This was about Gordon's need to confront the man and ask the question that had been on the back of his mind for days now. His need to know.
He shivered violently as a particularly nasty burst of cold November air hit him head-on. He cursed under his breath, pressing his jacket tightly against his body before bringing the cigarette in his shaky hand to his lips.
Gordon was used to waiting by now, but that didn't mean he liked it.
And, for the first time in what seemed like forever, he felt unease about standing here alone. Maybe even scared. It was ridiculous, really, but there wasn't much he could do to change that.
Two cigarettes and a face totally numb by the cold later, he sensed more than heard the other man's arrival.
"What's going on?" Gordon demanded as soon as he saw the black-clad figure hidden in the shadows a couple of feet away.
"What?"
The figure looked just like it always did; tall, dark and imposing, but Gordon didn't miss the smallest hint of hesitance before the word was spoken.
"Where is he?"
"I don't-"
"Save it," He snapped. "I know Batman and you're not him. Where is he?"
The figure wearing Batman's suit hesitated, clearly torn between telling the truth or keeping the charade. Gordon hid his surprise and instead glared at him, making it clear he wasn't going to accept anything but the truth.
The dark shoulders slumped slightly. "He's missing."
Gordon pitched the bridge of his nose under his glasses. "How long?"
"Eight days."
Gordon cursed under his breath. Eight days. There had been a notable lack of tied-up criminals left for the police to find as well as files or evidence appearing magically on the station for three days last week, but he hadn't given it much thought. Batman tended to disappear from time to time, and then there were rumors of sightings and criminals trussed up on the streets again and there was no reason to dwell on it further.
It was only after he met with this 'Batman' twice in the following nights that he noticed something amiss. He couldn't put a finger on what it was exactly that tipped him off but watching the man's arms hanging uselessly by his sides, he had no idea how he didn't notice right away.
"You're looking for him, right? You got any leads?" Even as he asked the questions, his mind was already working on a way to help. He couldn't exactly handle this like any other missing person case, but that didn't mean he couldn't work on it. He could even get Stephens, Montoya, and Bullock to help.
Gordon was under no illusion of what they could actually accomplish, but he needed to do something.
"There are a few things I'm looking into."
He wanted to demand a better answer but didn't. Whoever he was, the man was wearing Batman's suit, his gravelly voice and movements close enough to the original to almost fool Gordon himself even after years of interacting with the Bat.
Batman must trust him a great deal to even give him the chance to get that close.
"Keep me posted, will you? And tell me if there's anything I can do."
"I will," The man promised with a nod before walking to the edge of the rooftop and jumping down.
Gordon blinked after him. Well, that was a first.
Gordon let out a sigh as he put his cup on the counter and filled it with the disgusting but effective sludge they called coffee. It was warm and had caffeine, which was all everyone in the station cared about. He was in for a long night of going over a few files and he was going to need the boost.
He should call Barbara and let her know he was going to be late, but with all the long nights he had been pulling lately, it made more sense to call if he was going home early for once.
The hot steam of the cup fogged up his glasses as he took a sip of the warm coffee, enjoying the bitter liquid in a way only someone who had been drinking it for years could.
He nodded and called back to the few officers and detectives that drew his attention as he made his way back to his office, a pile of papers tucked under his arm.
Gordon was so distracted when he stepped inside that it took him a moment to realize he wasn't alone, catching movement out of the corner of his eye. Only years of experience with a figure appearing out of the shadows stopped him from spilling the content of his cup as he saw the familiar form standing close to his desk, partially hidden by the shadows. Or perhaps not so familiar, but still close enough to the real Bat to pull the same tricks.
"Christ! Are you trying to give me a heart attack too?"
The thought of someone other than Batman getting the drop on him wasn't particularly reassuring, but there was nothing he could do about it.
"I'm sorry."
Gordon blinked. That was not the reaction he had been expecting, but it was one more detail to remind him this wasn't the Batman he knew. He only hoped he wouldn't have to get used to it, no matter how much he had wished before for more than a few words from Batman outside business.
"It's fine," He dismissed, throwing the file on the desk and putting his cup down. "You have any news?"
"That's why I'm here," The figure growled. "I found him."
Gordon let out a relieved sigh. Just like he had expected his own little investigation had turned up nothing, forcing him to leave Batman's fate in the hands of a stranger. Thank God it worked out.
"Good. And how's he?"
"He's fine."
He arched an eyebrow. "Batman's version of fine or the real one?"
The man's lips curled up in amusement, taking Gordon by surprise yet again. "He will be out of commission for a few weeks, but he's going to be just fine."
"I don't suppose you can tell me what happened or where he was?"
"I can't disclose that."
"Fair enough," Gordon said with a nod. "So, is this goodbye or are you planning to stick around until he gets back on his feet?"
There was a pause. "That's something I will have to discuss with him."
"I see. Well, thanks for keeping me informed."
The man under the suit tipped his head in acknowledgment, once again letting Gordon see him leave.
He looked back at his desk once he was alone, pondering the idea of going home for the night. The files would still be here in the morning anyway.
Clark took off the cowl as soon as he entered the cave, getting out of the Batmobile and going straight to the showers to wash away the lingering scent of leather and the grime of the city before going upstairs.
He made a short patrol after his visit to the Commissioner, feeling linger than he had since he returned from a mission off-world four days ago to find Bruce missing.
The mission in Eitania was important, and his participation was crucial given that the planet's old diplomatic relationships with Krypton were a decisive factor in their acceptance of the League's interference. Even so, he would have come back to Earth in a heartbeat if he had known Bruce was in trouble.
Not that it mattered anyway. Bruce was safe now and that was the only important thing.
Clark borrowed a pair of sweats and a t-shirt from the clothes carefully folded in one of the lockers. The clothes belonged to Bruce so they were a bit short and tight respectively, but they were comfortable and smelled faintly of the fabric softener Alfred used.
Before leaving the cave, he paused to take one last look at the suit he had been wearing the last few days. Clark wasn't sure he could put a name to what he felt at that moment, but whatever it was made him tip his head slightly in deference. He honestly hoped to never have to put it on again.
He went straight to Bruce's bedroom, pulling the door open softly and slipping inside without a sound.
Bruce was still where he left him; eyes closed as he lay on the large four-poster bed, his broken leg propped up on a pillow as bruises and gauze covered far too much pale skin for comfort. It wasn't a pretty sight, but a very welcome one after days of frantic search.
He floated to the chair at Bruce's bedside, wanting to be close but unwilling to disturb him.
"What was the emergency," Bruce said, eyes still closed.
"I thought you were sleeping," Clark accused lightly as he turned to look at him. Bruce's tired, but sharp blue eyes looked back with an eyebrow slightly arched. "Emergency?"
"You left in the middle of the night without saying anything."
"So, you weren't sleeping then either." He let out a sigh. "I went to see Commissioner Gordon."
"What happened," Bruce demanded, his attempts to sit up stopped by Clark's hand on his chest even if he received a glare in response.
"Nothing happened," He assured him, knowing the words would be far more effective than trying to restrain him. "I promised I would keep him posted so I went to let him know you were safe."
"Hn." A grimace of pain crossed Bruce's face briefly as he settled down again.
Clark blinked. "You're not mad?"
"Should I be."
"I just- I thought you would be because I let him figure out I wasn't Batman."
Bruce considered that for a moment. "Gordon and I have been working together for years now. It would be absurd to think he doesn't know me well enough by now to notice the difference. Besides, he's a damn good detective."
Clark smiled softly. He knew how hard it was to earn Bruce's praise and the Commissioner not only had that, but also his respect and trust. Commissioner Gordon certainly deserved it, and Clark was thankful to know Bruce had someone like him at his side.
"What."
"Nothing. I was just thinking." Clark grabbed one of his hands and interlocked their fingers. "Do you think he knows who you are?"
"There have been times when I've been certain he knows, but he's never said anything." Bruce's brows were knitted together. "I can't know for sure."
"Would you mind if he did?"
"I wouldn't want him to have to carry the burden of this secret along with everything else, but no, I wouldn't mind. I trust him."
Clark lifted Bruce's hand to his lips and kissed the knuckles softly.
Jim Gordon stood once again on the rooftop of the GCPD building, hands wrapped around a cup of warm coffee as he looked at the dark streets below. Above him, the familiar shape of a bat shined among Gotham's murky sky.
Gordon wasn't expecting Batman to show up tonight, but he hoped he would. Even with the reassurance of the other one, he needed to see the real Batman to make sure he truly was alright.
This wasn't the first time Batman disappeared for a prolonged amount of time, but somehow, seeing someone else wearing the suit had hit him hard. Had made it harder to push his worry aside like he had done in the past.
There were scattered rumors of Batman sightings and a few criminals left trussed up in dark alleys, but Gordon was almost certain that was the work of the replacement even if he hadn't seen him again after that night in his office.
If the real Batman were back on the street, Gordon was sure he would have seen him by now.
He went up to the rooftop every other day to light up the signal, but only as a way to remember Gotham's criminal element that the Bat was around at large. At least the first couple of weeks. After that, he fully expected Batman to appear out of the shadows as if he never left.
And it wasn't just wishful thinking. Gordon had seen Batman get shot, stabbed, drugged, and beaten in different occasions, and he always came back well before anyone else could have the time to recover. It made him wonder sometimes whether Batman truly was only human.
The thought never lasted long, though.
At least things in Gotham were calm- or as calm as they could ever be in this city. No major Arkham escapes, no new villains with ridiculous gimmicks crawling from under the rocks, and no big showdowns between rival gangs or mob groups. That was something at least.
Most of his coffee was gone by the time something happened.
There wasn't even the smallest noise to betray the vigilante's arrival, but the change in the air was enough for Gordon to realize he no longer was alone on the rooftop.
One look was all it took to know the man before him was the Batman, but Gordon took a moment longer to study him. The full body armor and darkness that cloaked the figure didn't make his inspection of the man's condition easy, but he tried anyway.
If nothing else, the fact Batman managed to appear up here looking as stoic and imposing as ever was a good sign.
"It's good to have you back," Gordon offered after a moment.
His only response was a small movement of the cowled head. Yep, this was his Batman alright.
"You okay?"
"I'm fine," The dark figure growled.
He nodded before taking a sip of his now lukewarm coffee. He hadn't expected a different answer, and he truly hoped the long weeks Batman had been absent were enough for a full recovery.
They fell into a comfortable silence. It was nothing strange for their little late meetings, but Gordon made sure to keep his eyes on Batman the whole time, not wanting to give him the chance to disappear like he always did.
"The guy you left in your place did a pretty decent job," Gordon commented quietly. "You trained him well."
Maybe all the missing hours of sleep were finally catching up to him. That was Gordon's first thought when he caught a glimpse of the amused twitch on the Batman's lips. It wasn't the razor-sharp smirk that made people shudder and look away, or the tiny tug at the corner of his lips that came up on the rare occasions things went their way.
Once the surprise passed, Gordon could fully appreciate the trust showed with that brief display of emotion.
"I'll tell him that the next time I go to Metropolis."
It took Gordon a second to remember what he said in the first place and even longer for the meaning of Batman's words to hit him. "Wait. That was Superman?!"
There was nothing but air where Batman had been standing. Gordon cursed under his breath.
So, Superman had been here in Gotham pretending to be the Bat. Somehow, Gordon wasn't that surprised. Only a super-powered alien would have the skills to pull off a convincing Batman.
Gordon chuckled quietly on the empty rooftop. Trained him well indeed.
...
a/n: I'm still in a bit of a 'Jim Gordon appreciation mode' and since I got some pretty nice comments on my first try writing him I decided to work in another idea I've had in my head for a while now. Because I love the Gordon-Batman friendship too much. I also added a little SuperBat as well because why not. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did :D
English is not my native language, so any tips or corrections are welcome.