THE ULTIMATE JL SONGFIC

Part One of Many, I'm Sure

"Diana!"

Diana looked up from the tub of ice cream she was demolishing to see Batman at the galley door, gesturing to her urgently.

"Come on, I've got to show you something."

Diana frowned. Was that laughter she heard in his voice? Had the Joker done something to him?

"Hurry!"

Warily, she stood, followed him down the corridor to his quarters. She cocked an eyebrow as he entered. "Batman, I know that we've got this thing between us, but I don't think I'm ready for…" Her sentence ended on a cry of surprise as he jerked her through the doorway. "Batman! How dare…you…" Her voice faded as she registered the sound coming from one of the speakers in the room.

Was that Superman?

Batman hit a button on a bank of monitors, and each screen lit up with a different angle to the monitor womb. Superman was in there, alone -- but he wasn't in silence.

I can't stand to fly
I'm not that naive
I'm just out to find
The better part of me

Diana clapped a hand over her mouth. Superman was singing.

Batman grinned. "I have access to the security monitors in every room, just in case someone breaks into the Watchtower. I can observe them from here. I just happened to come upon this by accident." He didn't add that he'd been watching her eat in the kitchen for almost an hour: hamburgers, pizza, ice cream--the girl could really pack it away. He had hoped that after dinner she'd go to her room and shower…he had cameras in there, too…but then he'd seen Clark.

Ah, it was never a bad time to poke fun at the Boy Scout. Especially in front of Diana -- they had so much in common, like matching costumes and sweet dispositions, that Bruce was often afraid that he'd wake up one morning to find that Clark had stolen her heart.

I'm more than a bird…I'm more than a plane
More than some pretty face beside a train
It's not easy to be me

"More than some pretty face beside a train?" Batman echoed, and began laughing.

Diana frowned. "And why would he think that he's less than a bird or a plane?"

Wish that I could cry
Fall upon my knees
Find a way to lie
About a home I'll never see

Onscreen, Clark twirled in the middle of the room, his cape flaring outward. He lifted his hands as he sang. Bruce laughed harder.

"That's kind of sad, actually," Diana sighed. "It's true that he'll never see his home again."

It may sound absurd…but don't be naive
Even Heroes have the right to bleed
I may be disturbed…but won't you concede
Even Heroes have the right to dream
It's not easy to be me

Diana smiled. "Actually, I think that you might have the corner on 'disturbed'."

"Probably," Batman said dryly, his laughter finally under control. "'It's not easy to be me', though? Having all that strength and power must be real tough." He added sarcastically.

"Well…" Diana said, "it can be, sometimes."

He gave her a disbelieving stare. "X-Ray vision, superstrength, superspeed," he ticked off the powers on his fingers, "Super freeze breath -- what the heck is that? -- heat vision…he should try taking down five criminals carrying guns with just his wits and a batarang."

Up, up and away…away from me
It's all right…You can all sleep sound tonight
I'm not crazy…or anything…

"Not at all," Batman muttered. "It's perfectly normal to dance around a monitor room singing your lungs out."

"You aren't exactly one to talk," Diana said, her voice cold.

Batman turned to stare at her.

I can't stand to fly
I'm not that naive
Men weren't meant to ride
With clouds between their knees

"Don't you even understand what he's trying to say? He feels lonely, alienated from the world because of his great power."

Superman continued to twirl, then he danced over to the chair, leaning back against it dramatically as he finished the song.

I'm only a man in a silly red sheet
Digging for kryptonite on this one way street
Only a man in a funny red sheet
Looking for special things inside of me
inside of me ...... inside of me ...

Batman frowned. "You can't see the humor in this?"

"No!" Diana said. "It makes me sad for him." She turned, strode toward the door. "And I'm going to go pick up my tub of ice cream and take it to the monitor room to share with him. He needs a friend right now."

The sound of the door slamming melded with the final strains of the song. Bruce turned back to the monitors, watched without smiling as Clark spun around, lifted his arms as he bellowed out the final refrain:

I'm only a man in a funny red sheet
I'm only a man looking for my dream
I'm only a man in a funny red sheet

It's not easy ... wu.. hoo.. hoo..
It's not easy to be me...

"It's not easy to be me, either, Clark," he said as he watched Diana enter the room, her arms loaded with ice cream, and smile at Superman.

Superman smiled back at her.

Uh-oh.

Looked like he was going to have to do something drastic to win back Diana now -- something that included showing her how much he really did appreciate Superman.

He sat down on his bed to think, watching the two heroes compare the primary color schemes on their costumes. He looked down -- nope, he was going to have to stick with black.

That meant only one thing: singing to Diana.

Oh, god.

TO BE CONTINUED