Clark Kent sat on the couch as he held his new son in his arms, his wife sleeping with her head on his lap. The boy wasn't really their son, well not yet anyway, but H.G. Wells had left him for them to take care of. Lois and Clark in the future had just given birth to him and something catastrophic was threatening the Utopia that they were trying to build, so they had asked Wells to bring back their son JP for Lois and Clark of this time to take care of him. Wells hadn't told them what the JP stood for, and they weren't going to ask. They knew that when the time came, they would know what they were going to name their baby boy. They hadn't even asked how far in the future JP was brought back from. They were just happy to have him here with them now.

JP stirred in Clark's arms, opening his eyes and looking up at his father. Clark smiled as the little boy reached up, trying to grab at his nose. Clark took the tiny hand in his gentle embrace and pulled it up to his lips, kissing it gently. Lois started to stir on his lap and Clark looked down to her.

"Ready to go to bed?" Clark asked quietly. "I think this little guy's about ready to turn in for the night."

Lois smiled, sitting up beside her husband and reaching her hand out to run it smoothly over JP's head. "I'll get a bottle," Lois said, yawning. Clark nodded his head and Lois gave Clark's shoulder a quick kiss before repeating the act on JP's forehead and standing up off the couch, walking into the kitchen.

Clark heard a knock, but not at the front door, at the window, turning his head to look at it oddly. His enhanced vision let him see through the curtains to see a figure standing there in black. He hadn't expected him to be coming by, and since it wasn't a telephone call, he knew it wasn't about work. Bruce Wayne had just acquired the Daily Planet in his newest line of acquisitions from the Luthor Empire, and he had been working very closely with Perry, Jimmy, Lois and Clark, getting to know the ropes. But it wasn't Bruce Wayne standing outside the window. It was Batman. Clark opened the window and the Caped Crusader stepped in, shutting the window behind him. He shortly looked down at the baby and back up at Clark.

"I need a moment of your time. Is Lois here?"

Clark looked toward the kitchen and then back to Batman. "She's making JP a bottle."

Batman nodded curtly. "Take the baby to her. I need a moment of your time, Superman."

Clark sighed. So much for a quiet evening a lone with his wife. He nodded assuredly at his compadre. "I'll be right with you," he told Batman before turning and walking into the kitchen with JP in his arms. "Lois," he said as she turned around to face him.

"Oh, no..." Lois knew what the look on his face meant, and Clark knew she did.

"Batman is in the living room. He needs to speak to Superman."

Lois reached out, taking JP from his arms. "Go ahead," she spoke softly, giving him a soft smile.

Leaning over to her, he kissed her lips softly. "Don't wait up for me," he told her before spinning into his Superman outfit and winking at her before heading back to the living room.

"What is it?" Clark asked Batman as he was coming into the room.

Batman had just opened the window so they could leave. "Not here." He stepped out onto the ledge and took out his proppeling grappling hook, aiming it at the top of the building across the street. Looking back at Superman, they both nodded at each other and Batman ejected the hook before giving it a tug to make sure it was secure and pressing the release button for it to bring him zipping up to the top of the building. Superman stepped up onto the ledge and flew up to the top of the building, the force of him flying out shutting the window behind him.

Once on the top of the ledge on the building across the street, Superman turned to Batman. "What's going on?"

Batman stood, facing away from Superman. "Something is happening, Clark."

Superman narrowed his eyes in on his friend. Usually he didn't refer to him as Clark when they were dressed as their alter egos. But he had said he needed to speak to Superman and now he was addressing him as Clark. Clark knew that this had to be a grave matter.

"Superheroes across the globe are banding together. Some are forming teams. Others are alligning out of necessity not in any formal groups, but they all know something is coming. Something huge. Something everyone knows they cannot defeat on their own."

Superman didn't understand. Why hadn't he heard anything about it? He worked in the news media so that he would know when things were happening. And what could possibly happen that superheroes couldn't handle it single handedly. He knew some superheroes that were pretty powerful, some quite possibly even more powerful than him. Superman had his weaknesses and it was common knowledge to the whole world. Of course, they didn't know his biggest weakness, and it was that above all else that he had to protect. Nothing would ever bring him down as much as if someone found out he was Clark Kent. Then they would use that to get to Lois and everyone he cared about against him. He would never let that happen, not in a million years.

"I don't understand," Superman told Batman, coming up to stand beside him, looking out into the night sky, trying to figure out what the Dark Knight could possibly be looking at or for, but even with his superhuman eye sight, he saw nothing.

"The Avengers have intelligence that something is coming from out there that none of us can fight on our own. It will take groups of us, if not every single person in the world with superhuman abilities to fight against whatever it is that is coming."

But Superman was an inquisitive man by nature. That's why he had become a reporter. He liked to know everything he could about anything. "But do we even know what is coming?"

Batman shook his head. "No, but it is enough of a threat that everyone, even the most confident of superheroes are concerned."

Superman nodded. If others were concerned, then he should do what he can do to help the others and the world. "What can we do?"

Batman turned to Superman, grateful he asked without him just having to come out and say what they should do. He wanted Superman to be onboard 100%, and be willing to do this with him without feeling like he had to. Serving the world, making it a better place was a choice, not an obligation. "We form a league of our own. A league of superheroes with the common goal of making this world a better place. I've already spoken with the Green Lantern and a few others, but most have not replied yet. I assume they are as concerned as we are, but they don't know what they can do to help. If they see that it is you and I who are heading up this league, I am sure that they will fall into line sooner rather than later."

Then Clark asked the one question Bruce wished that he hadn't. "Have you contacted Diana?"

Batman turned away from his friend, not wanting him to see the clouds forming over his eyes. "I have not spoken with Wonder Woman."

Superman knew that the two of them had been involved years ago, the whole world knew that Batman and Wonder Woman had been together. It was huge news. Never before had two superheroes been so closely involved with each other. Of course, there was Scott Summers and Jean Grey, but the world didn't even like to think about the mutants as superheroes, but the rest of the superheroes in the world did. They had superhuman abilities, which made them superheroes. And as much as Bruce hated the limelight as Batman, his and Diana's relationship was all over the newspapers, magazines, tv shows, it was everywhere. It was part of that that made Bruce end it. Diana had pleaded with him that they keep their relationship as Bruce and Diana secret, just as their secret identities, but Bruce wouldn't have it. He cut her off, and since then, they haven't spoken a word to each other.

"I will go see her, Bruce," Clark said silently.

Bruce nodded shortly. He had hoped that Clark would offer to do that for him. He didn't want to see Diana, even if she accepted Superman's offer of allegiance, but he knew he would have to swallow his pride and work side by side with her. "Thank you, Superman."

Superman nodded his head. "Of course. I'll fly down first thing in the morning."

Batman nodded again. "Very well."

Superman nodded. "Good night, Bruce."

And with that, Batman activated a rocket to come out on his toolbelt before rocketing off of the rooftop. Superman shook his head. Batman was never one for goodbyes. Superman flew around the neighborhood, just to make sure everything was calm before heading back home, finding Lois asleep in bed. He got ready for bed himself and slipped beneath the covers behind her, wrapping his arms around his beautiful wife. Without waking up, she snuggled back into his embrace. Clark knew what ever was coming, he would do whatever it takes to protect the life he had made here for himself, above all else. Yes, the rest of the world was important to him, but nothing was more important than Lois and the life they made with each other.