Disclaimer: I do not own any of the copyrighted material contained herein. They are the rightful property of their creators and associated companies. I make no money off of this whatsoever and do not plan on changing this at any point in the future. I write fanfic because it's fun and because there are those who enjoy reading my works. Therefore all of you about to press the speed dial button on your cell phones for your lawyers I'd greatly appreciate it if you stopped. I can promise you whatever you'd get from me wouldn't even cover a tenth of your legal fees.

PS-When certain characters make their appearances in this fic imagine the versions that appeared in the classic 90s cartoon rather the ones that appeared in the Young Justice cartoon.

A Little Over Two Weeks Later

Gotham City General Hospital, Early Afternoon

"Well Mr. Lensherr, while you'll still feel pain for the next month or so, you're body has healed up to the point where it's safe to discharge you," Dr. Foster said as he pulled his shirt over his head. "Here's a prescription for painkillers. Take two a day but no more than that."

"No problem, doc," he said with a slight wince as he moved his left arm the wrong way. "Contrary to what my own friends might say, I know when to listen and when not to and this is one of the times to listen."

"Good. Some patients I help don't understand that too much of what's supposed to help you can kill you just as easily," Dr. Foster said with a look of respect. "Now if you'll come with me, we just have some end of the line paperwork for you to fill out and then you can be on your way."

With that he followed the doc who'd been assigned his case out of his room and towards the nearest nurse station to fill out the paperwork. He was thankful that whoever had taken charge of the crime scene at the bus terminal had thought to make sure his stuff got brought to him ASAP because he had a feeling that if it'd gotten lost they'd have run a search on him. Depending on how good a job that business lady did on his fake ID, the cops might've gotten Lex Lensherr or they might have gotten Alexander Harris. He'd been a bit concerned about what they'd do if they found some of the stuff he'd hidden in various parts of his bags but fortunately Magneto's memories also included ways of concealing things so that those in power wouldn't be able to find them. Considering he wasn't on file with the local P.D and just saved two girls from a nasty encounter with an RPG, he figured they wouldn't look at him too closely.

It didn't take him long to finish the paperwork, ten minutes maybe, and then he was out the front doors of the hospital ready to see the silver lining around the dark city of Gotham. Looking ahead to the parking lot, he smiled as he spotted a head of blonde hair that had been unusually frequenting his life as of late. He'd been expecting to spend some time with Bette after he got out of the hospital but for some reason she felt some prep work for her tour was necessary. Every other day since he'd woken up in the hospital, she'd stopped by for an hour or so, showing him the various hot spots in Gotham, from ones shown in any tourist pamphlet to the ones only locals knew about. While he'd been tempted in the beginning to tell her to wait until he got out before dumping all the details on him, he gradually began to enjoy her company. In a way she reminded him of old Buffy, or Buffy classic as the Slayer would probably insist he label her, but there was a difference and it was the lack of the valley girl schtick. Buffy had once told him that both back in Hemery as well as in Sunnydale the 'valley girl' stuff had just been an act that had eventually become a part of her normal way of doing things. Back in her school in L.A it'd been a way of fitting in with the IN crowd and getting the attention of boys she found attractive. In Sunnydale, it'd been to make the vamps underestimate her while helping to maintain a cover when she was around other people. Bette had no need for either reason because she was a genuinely personable person who had a variety of interests that'd let her fit in without pretending.

Needless to say, after the fourth visit, he actually found himself looking forward to her next one since it beat trying to find something on TV or reading magazines that were easily four years old.

"Hey! Everything cool with the docs?" Bette asked as he got close to her.

"Yep. Got paper for some pain meds and while I won't be doing gymnastics for another two weeks or so, I'm perfectly capable of walking, talking and enjoying a night on the town."

"Good, because I've got your schedule right here in my hand," she said as she passed him what looked to be quite the full piece of paper. "But before we get into that, we've got to find you a place to stay."

"Well, I could easily get a room at a hotel," he said, believing accommodations wouldn't be hard to come by. "I might not be as wealthy as Bruce Wayne but I can afford a week or so no problem."

"It'll still be a bit pricy if you want a place that doesn't have its own roach population and that's assuming there isn't some convention in town taking up rooms," she said as they walked towards what he presumed to be her car.

"Usually this would be the point where I question the odds of that but I've learned that it's never a good idea to tempt Mr. Murphy by saying things like that out loud," he said as they stopped beside a 1995 Ford Contour that was a nice shade of red.

"Probably a good idea. For all I know there's some psycho out there who'll be going by that name next week," she said as she went over to the driver's side of the car.

"Yep! Could be the man that finally manages to beat Batman and Robin," he joked as he waited for her to unlock the door. "Causes their batarangs to break before they can be thrown and have'em trip over their own capes."

"Not going to happen!" she said after he'd slid into the passenger seat, "Batman would figure out some way to turn old Murphy's bad luck against him and then Robin would knock him out cold!"

That was another thing he'd come to accept about her: she was a complete Batman and Robin fan.

If they weren't talking about her tour of Gotham or the usual teenage stuff, they were talking about the dynamic duo of the city. While Robin had only been on the scene for about a year, according to her the Batman had been striking terror into the hearts of criminals for almost a decade. While some people might think that he was as bad as the criminals he captured, the more open minded people like himself knew that the law was limited. It had its flaws and, with a bit of research, some of the smarter criminals probably knew how to plan their crimes specifically so that they'd get off on legal technicalities or ensure that the evidence the cops really needed just out of legal reach. It was in these cases that costumed crime fighters like Batman were needed since they had a greater degree of latitude than standard law enforcers. Some scumbags, of course, tried to point out that the evidence was obtained illegally by someone not deputized by the government but that didn't last once the Justice League was formed. Once that happened, the United Nations officially recognized them as a law enforcement organization and, while they were required to abide by certain rules, any evidence collected from that point on was considered admissible in a court of law.

In any case it was clear that Bette was a fan and, while he liked superheroes, he didn't want them to be their only topic of conversation. Fortunately the blonde seemed to know that prattling on about her heroes too long was a bad move and found other topics to talk about.

"You're probably right," he said as she started up the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

From there they chatted about random things from the music playing on the local radio station to things they saw casually glancing out the window as they went down the street. Sometimes he pointed out a piece of gothic architecture and she'd give her opinion of it or joke about how the artist must've been inspired by the early sketches of Batman before newspaper photographers finally got a picture of him. Eventually, though, they arrived at the first stop on Bette's grand tour: Robinson Park.

As they walked through it Bette pointed out several of the most notable locations within such as the Forum of the Twelve Caesars and Finger Castle. While she did this, though, she kept one arm latched onto him as though he was blind and needed to be physically led towards the places she thought he should see. Was this a sign of something more than friendship or was he reading too much into things? He honestly didn't know but, for the life of him, he couldn't quite decide whether or not he'd mind the former. It'd been his intention up until now to keep away from emotionally potent situations that could possibly trigger the activation of his x-gene. While this wasn't a sure fire prevention method, it was the only thing he could consciously control so he went with it in the hope that it'd work. Now, though, when he looked at Bette, he wondered if it might be okay to test the limits of his emotional range a bit. From what he recalled of Magneto's memories, most newbie mutants were completely flipping out emotionally before their powers clicked on. Only a select few had their abilities manifest peacefully but he somewhat doubted it'd be that way for him.

Maybe if I double up on the meditation I can manage to pull off a Mr. Spock, he thought as Bette continued to lead him through the park. The guy is half human and has been known to show emotions, albeit restrained ones. So long as I don't let myself freak out, maybe something more than friendship could happen with me and Bette.

With that in mind he loosened the chains he'd put on some of the more troublesome emotions that held the potential to trigger a manifestation. He'd still be watchful of them but he was willing to see where he could go with them.

Hopefully it won't… oops, almost jinxed myself.

The Kane Home, Gotham Suburbs

Two Weeks Later, Morning, Mary 'Bette' Kane's POV

"Bette? Bette? BETTE!" came the voice of her mother cutting through her nice little daydream.

"Huh…wha…what?" she asked as she finished re-entering the world outside of her mind.

"Well, I guess it's safe to say that whatever you were daydreaming about must have been something special… or perhaps SOMEONE special," her mother said with an impish smile on her face.

Her only response to this was to blush a bit but she quickly corrected things since she was determined to be the mature seventeen year old girl and not some immature gushing teenager like some of her classmates at Gotham Academy. After all, if she acted all mature, her parents would stop watching her every move and dropping pointers like clouds sometimes did raindrops. They'd instead just make one comment a day commending her on her mature choices but otherwise leave her to her own devices. Needless to say she enjoyed her moderate autonomy and would not see it reduced to minimal by losing her composure.

"Maybe. Speaking of Xander, we're going to go to the grand reopening show at the Monarch Theatre tonight," she said as she finished reasserting her facial composure. "We won a pair of tickets at the mall a couple of days ago."

It had been just your typical shopping trip with Xander kindly agreeing to serve as both bag carrier and a source of extra funds after she reached her monetary limits. Out of appreciation she did the best she could to keep her purchases to things that were light and came with bags that were easy to carry. It had been about an hour into their roving through the mall that they'd come upon a display being operated by people promoting the reopening of the Monarch Theatre. They even had a contest in which the winner would get two free tickets to the grand opening, so of course she'd dragged Xander over to the display to give the contest a try. The contest had been split up into three parts: a puzzle, a series of multiple choice questions and finally three darts to be thrown for the highest score possible. The contest would run all day and then whoever solved the puzzle the quickest, answered the most questions correct and got the highest score with the darts would be called to pick up the tickets. Needless to say by the end of the day she'd received a call on her cell phone to pick up the tickets, after which she'd contacted Xander at the room he'd rented to tell him the good news.

"Not a bad place for a date," her mother said as she went about her duties in the kitchen. "I remember when your father and I went there just a couple of months before the previous owner went bankrupt."

"What sent them under?" she asked out of mild curiosity from the dining room table.

"Well, I'd say that the starting point was probably the fact that Martha and Thomas Wayne were killed close by after seeing a movie there. After that the theatre became associated with tragedy as more than a few people died in connection to it," her mother replied with a look of recollection. "Eventually though they couldn't make ends meet so they filed for bankruptcy."

"Well hopefully the new owners will be able to make the old place shine again," she said as she picked up her plate to bring it to the kitchen.

"It'd definitely be a good thing to see one of Gotham's historical building get some new life breathed into it. So, what movies will they be showing?"

"Well, the big one they're highlighting is that new Robin Williams film 'What Dreams May Come' but they've also tacked on 'Rush Hour' as well," she replied before deciding to go up to her room to begin searching for the perfect outfit for her night out with Xander.

"Okay, but be sure to come right home afterwards," her mother said as she began to climb the stairs. "It'll be late when the movies are over and I don't want you two getting into any trouble."

"Yes, Mom!" she said as she reached the top of the stairs.

While she'd like to believe that Gotham wasn't that dangerous after sunset, she knew that, despite the progress that had been made thanks to the Dynamic Duo, criminals still thought they ruled the city. Crooks and super villains went about their business, day or not, but always acted bolder when the darkness was around to conceal their actions in. While the Monarch Theatre might not be in the worst part of Gotham, it wasn't in the best part either, so heading straight home after the show would probably be for the best. Still, even though it'd only been a little over a month since she'd started hanging out with Xander, she was finding him to be much better than a lot of the guys at Gotham Academy. For one thing, he wasn't forcibly putting the moves on her and genuinely seemed to appreciate her love for the city, so those were two major points in his favor. She didn't think that he'd clued into the fact that she liked him but she was willing to wait for him to finally clue in. She'd felt something the moment she'd looked into his brown eyes the day he woke up in the hospital and it wasn't just gratitude for saving both her and Kate at the bus terminal. As time went on and she visited him so that she could plan out their tour of Gotham, the feeling quickly grew into friendship and now… now she was wondering if she didn't want to make it something more than friendship. She knew she was moving a little fast, considering she'd known Xander for only four weeks or so, but in her mind there were some things you just 'knew' and this was one of them.

As she entered her room, she looked about it and began to think on what she'd bring with her in a year when she went off to college. She was in her final year at the academy and, once she graduated, she'd be off to Gotham University or perhaps someplace better if she could keep her grades high enough. She'd signed up for enough school positions to pad her transcripts and, as far as she knew, there weren't any blemishes on her record, so everything was pretty good.

Maybe she should ask Xander what his plans for the future were.

Shaking her head, she tried to dismiss what was too far away to worry about at the moment. Going to her closet, she began to look through her clothes to find something that was part appropriate for a grand reopening that looked like it was going to be something of a big deal while also attractive. She didn't think going in a dress she'd bought for the last dance at the academy would be quite right but showing up in just plain old mall crawling clothes wouldn't be right either. Maybe… maybe a combination of the two would work out better. She could wear the skirt part of her academy uniform and combine it with a formal blouse that her mother had her wear to job interviews as well as formal occasions. She'd leave a few buttons undone and maybe let it hang out rather than tucking it in beneath her skirt but it'd all be workable from her point of view.

Still need to experiment with the new things I bought, she thought as she threw her skirt and the blouse she'd picked out onto her bed. Not many people realize just how much work goes into finding just the right combination of clothes. I bet Xander thinks I just throw on whatever's available.

Maybe one day she should convince him to take her out to one of the fancier restaurants in Gotham, that way she could go all out with the clothes and make up to show him what Bette Kane looks like at her finest. Thinking on that a moment, she realized that debating the truth was no longer required since the moment she started caring about how she looked in front of Xander was the moment she knew she wanted more than friendship from him.

Now all I need to do is keep my parents from finding out anytime soon. She remembered what her mom and dad usually did with her boyfriends. Don't want them to scare him away with Dad's antique rifle. I think Dad's managed to get the whole 'sharpen the bayonet' thing down to an art.

Just Outside Monarch Theatre, 6:45pm

Xander's POV

"Ummm… something tells me I should've dressed just a LITTLE fancier tonight," he whispered as cameras flashed all around and fancy cars pulled up in front of the theatre.

"Don't worry!" Bette said as the line they were in moved forward a couple of feet. "The cameras will stick with the celebrities and we won these tickets fair and square. Just relax and try to enjoy yourself."

He really did want to do what Bette was saying but he just couldn't get his mind off the fact that he was standing on the red carpet to what seemed to be a major Gotham event and he was only wearing clothes that at best could be considered informal formal wear. When he'd seen the display booth showing that the Monarch Theatre was going to be reopening, he figured that maybe he'd have to dress up a little more than usual. He thought that maybe there might be ONE news van and maybe someone reasonably famous from the local government taking advantage of everything for a photo op. He was certainly not expecting what looked to be a who's who of Gotham City rolling up in their limos and fancy cars with cameras of every kind everywhere. While he might not be interested anymore in dodging his friends, considering what he'd found out, that didn't mean he wanted to be in the limelight any longer than he had to.

It was therefore fortunate for him that the clerk at the ticket booth was quite expedient in tearing off the part of the tickets he had to before the lady dressed in old fashioned usher clothes opened the door for them. Once inside, they went to the concession both and grabbed some snacks before entering the main part of the theatre to find seats that were both available as well advantageous for watching the movies. As was the usual case with theatres before the show started, people were talking amongst themselves, some being louder than others, while new arrivals were going up and down the aisles. It took some careful negotiating once they picked a row that was just the right distance from the white projection screen but eventually they sat down to await the lights going out. Looking about, he spotted a few faces he'd seen in newspapers as well as on TV but most of the people present were complete strangers to him. Then again he hadn't been in Gotham anywhere near long enough to get to know anyone either via the media or in person aside from the Kane family.

It was about twenty minutes later that the lights went out and a spotlight clicked on showing a man in a tuxedo standing in front of the projection screen with microphone in hand.

"Welcome everyone to the grand reopening of the Monarch Theatre!" declared the man, sounding like he was doing his best to hype the event. "For years this building has stood as a vacant shell, abandoned by Gotham and its citizens due to a series of tragedies. Now, though, due to the hard work of city hall employees and contributions by several notable members of the community, this old gal can live again.

"Now, before we get the show started, I'd like to call up here the one man who did the most to make this night happen… come on up here, Bruce!" the man said before a second spotlight panned over the crowd before settling on one of the most famous residents of the city, "Bruce Wayne, everyone!"

While he didn't have the best vantage point, he could see that the rich guy was being polite but didn't necessarily want to do as he was being asked. However, as the clapping continued, the late twenties, early thirties guy got the message and worked his way to where everyone wanted him to go. After shaking hands with the guy who called him out to the front, Wayne took the microphone and waved a bit more before opening his mouth.

"Well, like Dave said, I've devoted a considerable amount of time and money to restoring this old building in the hopes that new memories can be created here for everyone," Bruce said in a very speechy tone of voice. "But that doesn't mean we should forget about the old memories. Some of them are good, like coming here on a date with the girl that you eventually married. Some of them are bad, like when I lost my parents after seeing 'The Mask of Zorro'.

"But those memories helped to shape who we are now and help guide us towards who we're going to be in the future. Therefore it is my hope that with this theatre reopened you will create memories that will guide you all to a bright future," Wayne said with a smile that must have been practiced in front of a mirror before he handed the microphone back to the first guy.

"Well, like my good friend Bruce said, this is a place where memories will be remembered and new ones forged every night from this day forward." The man spread his arms with a bit of a flourish, "Now, without further delay… let the first movie BEGIN!"

With those words the man left the small elevated area in front of the projection screen and the familiar light of the projector hit the white screen before the trailer previews started.

For the next three and a half hours he was treated to a heart wrenching story followed by some great action/comedy, leaving him feeling quite satisfied with how he'd spent his evening. Bette had cuddled up to him during the first movie and he'd be lying if he said that he hadn't enjoyed that period of closeness. Feeling her next to him, seeing the emotions flow across her face, the concerns he had about possibly manifesting his mutant power no longer seemed quite so important to him. It was a funny thing falling for someone when, before meeting with them, you'd decided not to let your heart become that involved with anyone. Even though the logical part of his mind continued to tell him to keep things at a strictly friendship level or to leave Gotham at the earliest opportunity, he just couldn't work up the resolve to actually do either option. He enjoyed Bette's company and his heart was already singing loud enough to almost completely muffle his rational mind. He'd always been one to follow his heart more than his head and, even with the info he'd inherited from Magneto, it still had him in a firm vice grip.

Guess this means I'll never learn.

As he got up from his seat, he was about to navigate his way to the theatre's exit when he noticed something rather odd going on that in his opinion did not bode well for anyone. From what he could tell the people closest to the doors that led to the front of the theatre were trying to open them but, for some reason, they wouldn't budge an inch. Looking at the other exits, including the emergency ones, he saw more of the same, making it clear that someone had locked everyone in. In any other city he'd just assume that someone had screwed up with the repairs or perhaps some amateurs had gotten it into their heads to hold everyone in the theatre for ransom. In Gotham City, however, he knew there was a much more likely scenario and he personally hoped that the person or persons responsible were female, beautiful and honorable enough not to kill everyone on purpose.

It was then that he spotted something that caught his attention in the worst possible way as a green liquid appeared on the projection screen and expanded, making it clear it was some sort of acid. That didn't bode well for anyone and it only got worse when enough of the screen was eaten away to reveal a large group of people behind it with two very recognizable people front and center.

My first encounter with one of Gotham's famous super villains and it just HAS to be HIM!

"Don't get out of your seats just yet, fellow Gothamites!" the Joker yelled as he stepped forward with his sidekick Harley Quinn sticking close to him. "This party's just getting started! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"You heard Mistah J, guys!" Harley barked as she pointed at all the exits. "Get mister and misses moneybags back to their seats! NOW!"

With that a group of muscled thugs that looked like a combo of Hells Angels bikers and participants in a clown parade began spreading out and heading towards each of the exits. Some simply tried to use their significant size to intimidate the other theatre patrons into returning to their seats. Others manhandled them all the way back to the nearest vacant seat. Personally he didn't really care so long as no one did anything stupid like try to stand up to the Joker and his crew because the clown prince of crime was notoriously nuts and his goons were likely petrified of what their boss would do to them if they screwed up.

"Now see here, you malfunctioning murderer!" exclaimed a woman who was just getting her grandma wrinkles a couple of rows in front of him. "I will NOT be treated in such a manner by a fool in a clown costume! Release us AT ONCE!"

Dammit, lady! Sit down, shut up and wait for the cops or better yet BATMAN to save the day! he thought angrily even though he wanted to yell at the woman.

"Well, lookee here! It's the great Miss Valerie Laydonn!" the Joker exclaimed as he began to make his way towards the indignant woman. "Owner of her own personal chain of fancy shmancy salons up and down the east coast! Harley's been wanting to go to one for YEARS now!"

"Yeah! But those people ya got workin' there won't even let me in the front door!" Harley complained from her position behind her boss/boyfriend.

"Of course not! My salons are only for the elite of society." Valerie said with much aristocratic pomp and arrogance. "Not for your piece of trailer park trash!"

"HEY! I'll have you know that I am a certified psychologist and an Olympic level gymnast!" Harley exclaimed in outrage at the rich woman's insult. "I haven't even BEEN to a trailer park!"

"Now, now snookums, I'm sure Miss Laydonn is just feeling a little stressed out at the moment," the Joker said with half-hearted kindness to his second in command. "Hey it happens to the best of us! But you know what always helps me mellow out? A good, hard, LAUGH!"

Then before anyone could do anything to prevent it, Joker reached up to the flower on the lapel of his suit and squeezed it, unleashing a plume of green mist that completely enveloped Laydonn's head. Fortunately you didn't need to see her face to get your first clue as to what was happening because her coughing changed to giggles before graduating to outright belly laughs. When the mist cleared everyone could see the sick smile growing on her face as she laughed, then she collapsed to the ground like a puppet that had just had its strings cut.

Not good! That means this has to end inside of an hour if she's going to have any chance of living, he thought as he recalled a newspaper article he'd read once. I hope to god that Batman and Robin get here soon!

"Now, I'm sure you're all wondering how we're going to spend the rest of the evening. What could possibly top those two touching and hilarious movies?" the Joker asked with mock friendship and approval. "Well, open heart surgery without the painkillers comes to mind but I'd hate to get blood on my new suit! You have NO idea how hard it is to get the stains out! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Here's hoping he doesn't get decisive any time soon. He thought as the Joker continued to toss out horrifying ideas only to pull them back just before people thought he'd go through with them.

Bette's POV

Ohgodohgodohgod! She thought as she tried to keep herself from completely freaking out.

The funny thing was that she wasn't sure if she was going to freak out because one of the most homicidal psychos in all of Gotham was holding her hostage or because there was a good chance she was going to see her heroes in the flesh tonight. Ever since she'd seen the first clear picture of the Dark Knight, she'd been intrigued by the idea of a hero straight out of the comic books actually existing. As the Batman continued to fight crime in Gotham, the number of clear pictures grew and some people even managed to get him on film for the local news stations. She quickly became entranced with the idea and how the caped crusader managed to do so much good for the city. Oh, she knew that the police and the district attorney's office did their part in trying to combat the criminals and the psychos but even those people would have to admit that Batman was in a league of his own.

As she got older, she decided to dedicate herself to being the best she could be so that she could help Gotham in her own way. In whatever activity she signed up for she strove to surpass all others and be considered the best in that particular area of expertise. Tennis, beauty pageants, gymnastics and swimming were just a few of the things she got involved in during her free time, with the rest devoted to topics that would help her help Gotham. She knew her parents wanted her to get involved in things like construction or perhaps city politics, but to her those things just weren't BIG enough. They didn't have enough of an impact on the elements that were trying to suffocate the decent people with their greed and unique breed of craziness. So she was going to focus her efforts on law enforcement either by being the prosecutor that put the scumbags away for as long as possible or as the cop that slapped the handcuffs on them. Until she went to college, though, she wouldn't be able to take the courses that she wanted, so until then she would excel at the ones she could take.

When she was all done, though, the creeps and the crooks of Gotham City would have a new enemy to contend with.

Assuming, of course, that I live through tonight, she thought as she watched Joker get closer as he picked out people he recognized from the crowd and approached them.

Deciding to occupy her thoughts with something other than the madman who could kill her at any moment, she began to try and figure out what the clown's ultimate plan was. She was no super sleuth and everything she knew about Arkham Asylum's most infamous inmate came from newspapers or television broadcasts but it was a distraction and that was all that mattered. The first thing she had to determine was overall objective, though, considering how fractured the Joker's mind was, figuring that out was the toughest of all the questions to answer. Thinking harder, she came up with three things that were almost always constants with the Joker's crimes: deaths, theft and telling sick jokes. Somehow she doubted that the clown prince of crime would be satisfied with the number of people he could kill with the gas in his flower or even with the number he could murder using every deadly do-dad in his suit. That meant he had to have something bigger and badder somewhere in the theatre and odds were high it was somewhere in the room. Why else would he lock all the doors to keep people inside here and not extend things into the lobby and concession stand area?

Looking about the room, she tried to see if anything was out of place and guess where would be the ideal spots for gas bombs or simple demolition charges. While she doubted that the Joker would bring the house down with himself inside of it, she wouldn't put it past him to have his fun and then press the button once he was a safe distance away. She couldn't see anything out of the ordinary so she instead focused on what the goon squad was wearing to see if it could give her a hint. One by one she checked them over and it was only when she saw a clown mask hanging from one thug's belt the wrong way that she was able to confirm a gas mask. That meant that whatever was going to happen, it'd involve Joker's death gas and that he expected his own people to be caught up in the middle of it. Refocusing her attention back on her surroundings, she looked for objects that matched the pictures she'd seen of the clown's usual gas bombs in terms of shape.

Nothing! None of the light fixtures or speakers are quite the right size!

It was then that something occurred to her that just made everything click.

The stage and the area behind the screen where the Joker made his big appearance!

If they planted something in the stage, then went it went off the gas would surge over the ground, dousing everyone with Joker gas in seconds.

Okay, now I have a pretty good idea of what'll happen but the next question is 'what can I do about it'.

That was something that didn't come easy since, at the moment, the isles were filled with Joker goons, making it impossible for her to leave her seat. Even if by some chance she managed to make it to the stage and found the bomb, she was no bomb disposal expert and, while her science classes might've taught her a few tidbits, she wasn't willing to risk her life trying to defuse the gas bomb. The best she could probably hope for is to wait until Batman and Robin arrived and then, while the Joker and his crew try to stomp the duo, find the precise location of the bomb. Then her heroes could defuse it before it detonated and the day would be saved with her having played a role in things.

Checking her watch, she saw that it had been a little over twenty-five minutes since Joker had shown up and so she wondered how long it'd be before her heroes showed up to save the day.

"Hahahahahahaha!" came laughter as it echoed about the room but, for the first time since the terror of the Joker began, it wasn't coming from him.

Immediately the Joker and his goon squad began to look around for the source of the laughter but, no matter how many eyes scanned the room, no one could spot anything definitive.

"While I appreciate good giggle as much as the next guy, it is a bit rude to not introduce yourself first!" Joker said with a sliver of uncertainty as he looked about.

In response to this a winged shape leapt from the darkest shadow in the room and, to all that had lived in Gotham long enough, they recognized it as the one person who could save them.

Batman and Robin had arrived.

With speed that prevented Joker and his crew from doing more than raising their respective weapons, the dynamic duo landed in their midst and began kicking some serious ass. For the moment she was content to wait until the fighting was over before telling her heroes about the surprise that the clown prince of crime had in store for them.

Xander, however, had other ideas.

"C'mon! With everyone focused on the fight we can take care of the real threat." Xander grabbed her arm and began to pull her towards the closest isle.

"What!? I'd consider a dozen armed thugs and the Joker a pretty serious threat!" she said as bad luck hit them in the form of a goon noticing them getting out of their row.

"Get back in yer seats, you little shits!" the goon said as he moved to block them. "The Bat might be here but the Boss is going to do him in properly this time!"

"You're dreaming, pal!" Xander said as he finally entered the isle only to have a fist bear down on him. "And since you're dreaming, you might as well be on your back while you do it!"

Then her… her future boyfriend did something that caught her by surprise when he laid out the goon with a single punch that she was pretty sure he broke the minion's jaw in the process. With that obstacle out of the way and with someone in her corner, she felt her confidence rise as she remembered that she was hardly defenseless herself. After all, with a desire to be a cop being one of her future goals, learning how to kick ass without weapons was definitely a must. Add that to the fact that learning some self-defense in Gotham was just plain common sense and it was no wonder that she signed up for some kickboxing lessons. She only had two years of it under her belt but, with the drive that she employed in learning everything she was interested in, her instructor had told her she had great promise. It was with these facts in mind and the moves she'd learned that she took up a support position beside Xander as the two of them made their way to the destroyed white screen.

Two goons later they were on the stage and through the hole that the Joker had burned in it with some kind of acid. Looking about, she tried to find out where the bomb could be and put any maintenance hatches or trap doors at the top of her list. Xander was of a similar mind as he began to carefully open any door where someone could hide a large bomb but strangely he seemed to examine each door carefully before opening it. Did he think that the Joker somehow rigged the bomb to go off the second someone found its hiding spot? Usually she'd say that the madman currently battling Batman and Robin was too scatterbrained for something like that but it'd probably be wise not to underestimate the clown.

Eventually the bomb was discovered when he lifted up a hatch in the floor and her eyes widened at the sheer size of it. It wasn't too big or need a pair of muscle men to carry but it definitely struck her as overkill given the size of the gas tanks, as well as what looked like additional explosives tacked on for the sheer hell of it.

"So…we found the bomb. What do we do now?"

"We try to use whatever's handy to disarm this thing because, as soon as Bats backs the Joker into a corner, the clown's definitely going to pull out this thing's remote detonator." Xander cast about the area looking for tools, "I plan to make sure that when he does press the button, all he gets is a single beep and nothing else."

Xander's POV

Not the most ideal tools for disarming a bomb containing enough laughing gas to leave everyone in the theatre with a permanent smile on their face but I'll take what I can get, he thought as he did his best to use the odds and ends Bette found to neutralize Joker's trump card. Plus, from the looks of things, the clown didn't think to make this thing too complicated. Must've figured by the time Batman found it, he'd have already pressed the button to set it off.

That was one of the few things he found he could count on when it came to big bads: they were almost always cocky. Sure, there were a few who had the sense to be careful and watch their plans unfold carefully but for the most part villains were just so sure of their own victory that it made them sloppy. Of course the same thing could happen to the good guys so, pushing aside any surplus confidence, he continued to work on the bomb. Fortunately for him Magneto had both made as well as defused quite a number of bombs in his day and, while he didn't have the Master of Magnetism's powers, the knowledge of what to do in what order was still inside his mind. The big blessing in all of this though was the fact that whoever had been hired as the electrician of the place had forgotten his toolkit and that gave him quite a few useful odds and ends.

"You might want to hurry, Xander," Bette said from her place behind and to the right of him. "Joker's down to his last two minions and then it'll just be him and his right hand girl."

Feeling the tension rise within him, he mentally tried to split his attention between defusing the bomb, of which he was a little past half done, and using what meditative techniques he'd learned to calm down. It was difficult but thankfully his patrolling with the girls had taught him how to multitask because otherwise he'd screw up someplace for sure. As the sounds of battled dimmed even further, he knew it was coming down to the wire and, just like he'd expected in the beginning, it all came down to two wires, one of which needed to be cut in order to save the day. Normally he'd be able to solve the issue in seconds but there was just one little obstacle getting in his way: he had no idea which one to cut. He had a wealth of techno knowhow in his head that had helped him get this far but his own unique brand of luck chose this moment to make itself known by fuzzing up the memory he needed to disarm the bomb.

Well, it can't be that difficult! He backtracked through his inherited knowledge for something that could point in him in the right direction, One red wire and one blue wire. One will successfully disarm the bomb and the other will give me a face full of ha-ha gas. Decisions, decisions…

He decided to put his faith in red and, before he could second guess himself, he snipped the red wire. Seconds ticked by with no change but he wasn't willing to let out the breath he was holding just yet because he just knew that Murphy would pounce on him the second he did.

"Harley! Why isn't this thing working!?" Joker yelled from the main area of the theatre.

SCORE!

"I see the problem right here, Mr. J." came a slightly high pitched voice in a strong Brooklyn accent. "Got us a pair of wannabe heroes messin' with our surprise."

"More people who'd prefer to see old age then wannabe heroes, actually," he said, trying to keep both him and Bette out of the hero column as he turned to face the Joker's second-in-command. "If we thought we could've just snuck out the door, we probably would've but I'm guessing your boss found a way to lock them so that was out. Didn't really have much choice, ya know?"

"Then too bad fer you that I don't have much choice neither," Harley said as she took aim at the two of them with what LOOKED like a toy gun but he had a feeling it packed a serious punch.

WHACK!

Or it would've if a thirteen year old kid hadn't done some kind of flip crescent kick to the back of her skull, knocking her out and causing the gun to drop to the ground.

"Fortunately I didn't have any choice either," Robin asked once he made sure the painted young woman was really unconscious. "You two alright?"

"Yep. Bomb defused, crazy chick taking a nap and I'm guessing one clown from hell all tied up makes us just peachy. Right, Bette?" he asked, turning to the blonde who'd accompanied him to disarm the bomb.

When he didn't hear anything from her, he turned his head and saw her just looking at Robin and realized that she must be in awe of seeing one half of her favorite superhero duo in front of her. He gave her a few seconds to snap out of it but when that didn't work, he waved a hand in front of her face hoping that by breaking the line of sight she'd snap out of it. When he saw her blink and then shake her head, he knew he'd succeeded but figured it'd probably be best if he spoke on her behalf or she might say something embarrassing like he did when he'd first spoken to Buffy.

"Sorry, my friend here's a bit of a fan of you and your pointy eared boss. Seeing you live and in person has knocked her for a bit of a loop."

"Yeah, well, me and Batman have taken care of the Joker and his crew," Robin said, apparently not knowing what to do. "We should be able to open the doors no problem so you can all go home."

"Sounds good," he said as he helped Bette rise from the wooden floor of the area behind the projection screen. "But I have a feeling we'll be a little late since the cops'll probably want a statement or three."

"Probably," Robin said before turning and leaping to the side of his boss.

Not much happened after that that he didn't already know was coming. By the time that he and Bette got out of the theatre, Gotham P.D was there waiting for them and definitely asked for statements before letting them go. He told the story of what happened from start to finish to some detective named Bullock and, based on what the large man said, it was pretty clear he didn't like the dynamic duo. Fortunately, though, the guy was also not a fan of paperwork because, after getting the basic gist of what had happened from him and Bette, he let us go without any further trouble.

It didn't take them much effort to get a cab and the two of them sat in silence for a time no doubt pondering what they'd just gone through. He knew he was marveling at what he'd just been through as well as taking pride in the fact that he managed to keep his head cool enough to keep his powers from turning on. Deep in his heart he knew he was only delaying the inevitable and that sooner or later a new Master of Magnetism would be born but he did his best not to think about it. Instead he was determined to do his best to stay an ordinary Joe America and tonight proved to him that, so long as he kept up with his meditation, he could keep his emotions under control. Knowing now that he needn't worry as much about forming connections and enjoying as he'd previously thought was a weight off of his shoulders as well as a light on the horizon.

"So… do you think they know?" Bette asked turning to him as the taxi entered a street lined on both sides with houses and the odd apartment building.

"Know what? Who?" he asked, not quite sure what the blonde was talking about.

"My parents, that's who!" Bette declared as though it was obvious what she was thinking about. "I bet what happened is already all over the news! They're never going to let me go out at night after this!"

"They'll probably be a little upset and might be all protective for a couple of weeks but I wouldn't call that forever," he said, trying to calm her down and reassure her. "It's natural parental instinct to freak out a little when their kid's in danger."

"I suppose," she said before a thought seemed to strike her. "How'd you know how to disarm that bomb? You don't strike me as a geek and you said you'd just gotten out of high school."

"Well I've got some interesting friends and one of them got me interested in the science behind some of my favorite movies," he lied since he doubted she'd believe the truth. "Once I got started, I got hit by the science bug and I've been learning ever since. I doubt I could hold my own against the eggheads of S.T.A.R. labs but I know for a fact that I can think circles around your average high school science teacher."

"And all that told you how to disarm a bomb made by a nutcase?" she asked, sounding like she'd only half believed his story.

"Pretty much. I mean, the way I see it, all bombs that're more complex than a hand grenade follow the same basic rules. Plus I kinda got lucky there at the end."

"Lucky? You mean you didn't know which wire to cut!?" she exclaimed in surprise at the revelation. "Then why'd you cut the red one if you weren't sure which was the right one?"

"Three reasons: One red is the same color as superman's cape, it's obviously one of the clown's favorite colors given he dresses Harley in an outfit where it dominates and in 'Lethal Weapon 3' it was the blue wire that Riggs should've cut." To him it was a perfectly sound line of logic.

"You based your decision on the color of two people's clothes and a movie!?" she asked rhetorically in shock. "And why did you cut the red wire if Riggs should've cut the blue wire?"

"Well I figured that a guy like the Joker would probably get a kick of switching things around and giving either Batman or the bomb squad a surprise when they tried to disarm the bomb."

"I guess so. Next time, though, how about you use your science smarts to get a door open. Okay?" she asked, sounding like she'd had a little too much excitement for one day.

"Probably a good idea," he said with an encouraging smile as the taxi pulled up in front of the Kane residence. "So, do you want me to come in with you so your parents will split their attention between us?"

"No. As tempting as it sounds to get them to split their lecture between us, it'd probably be best that they just focus it on one person," Bette said as she opened her door and got out. "Call me tomorrow? I figure by then I'll be allowed phone privileges."

"Sure thing," he said with a smile that he hoped would help her through the smother mother and the dedicated dad she was about to face in her house.

"I'll count the hours," Bette said before turning and walking away.

As will I, he thought letting his mind explore the options the test he'd passed tonight had opened.

As he gave the cabbie the address of the room he'd rented, he came to realize that he had more to look forward to from here on out than he'd originally anticipated.

Four Days Later, Gotham Academy Library, Noon, Bette's POV

I've gotta be crazy just thinking about this! she thought as she looked down at the drawing she'd been working on sporadically since the night at the theatre. Trouble is I just can't let go of the idea.

It had started out when she'd gone to bed after her parents had given her a thorough check up to make sure she wasn't hurt and she'd had time to think over what she'd just been through. It had been scary. It had been thrilling. Most of all, though, it felt… right, and that feeling hadn't left her the entire night, nor had it left the following morning when she'd woken up. While she'd been more than a little clouded mentally after the theatre, once her head cleared she couldn't help but smile at the memory of how she and Xander had joined together to help stop the Joker. It'd made her think that maybe, just maybe, she'd found her real calling in life rather than the more traditional routes she'd been contemplating. After all it wasn't the police that took down the super criminals of Gotham more often than not: it was Batman and Robin. Plus, if the real life police were anything like the cops on television or in the movies, then they were often bogged down by bureaucratic bullshit. Sure, she understood the whole concept of checks and balance and the fact that the bureaucracy was in place to make sure everything stayed legit but you only had to look at the Gotham crime rate for the past fifty years to see how effective it was. Since he first appeared on the scene, Batman had managed to reduce the crime rate by fifteen percent and that was much greater than any new policy/innovation/upgrade associated with the police had done before or since then.

It was obvious to her that if she wanted to make the maximum difference in Gotham, it wouldn't be in the courtroom or dressing up in police blues.

Looking down at the red and gold outfit she'd drawn up on the notepad, she came to believe that fighting crime wearing this and following in the footsteps of her heroes was the way to go.

The only downside, though, was that, unlike the dynamic duo, she didn't have any cool gadgets and, if the rumors were true, the costumes her heroes wore weren't made of spandex but rather some kind of durable military grade fabric. Not something she could get from a local fabric store. Still, the resolve that had seen her through so many challenging classes would not let her be stopped by even these considerable obstructions.

It was as she tried to figure out a way past the two obstacles that a moment of inspiration hit her that made her smile the smile of the victorious. She could get XANDER to help her! He said he was pretty science savvy and, seeing how he'd managed to disarm the bomb more or less on skill alone, there was a good chance he might be able to put some stuff together for her. It didn't have to be anything too fancy, maybe a grapple gun and some protection woven into her costume, so she couldn't see how he'd have any problem with it. Plus, if her guess was right, then her boyfriend was pretty well off money-wise. Not Bruce Wayne rich but she doubted that making her tools would bankrupt him or anything.

The question is how do I ask him. She began drawing a few more details into her costume idea, I can't just walk up to him and say 'hey, do you think you could Q-Branch to my Jenny Bond'.

She knew the moment that she told him her desire he'd immediately freak a bit and tell her she was crazy for wanting to join the spandex crowd. That would mostly be due to the fact that he cared for her and didn't want her to be hurt by some of the crooks and psychos in this city. While he might not have admitted it to himself yet, she knew that he saw her as someone important and most likely his soon to be official girlfriend. However, even knowing how dangerous it'd be, she still wanted to do everything she could to help this city, even if it meant risking injury or… or, if necessary, her life. Police officers worked every day knowing that death could be waiting for them around the next corner or in the next alleyway. The lawyers employed by the city knew that, just because they weren't armed, it didn't mean that the crooks would spare them or refrain from targeting them. The big difference between those two occupations and being a costumed crime fighter was that the criminals knew where to find a cop or a lawyer but they wouldn't know where to find a crime fighter unless the person got sloppy.

With the right training, she'd never allow herself to get sloppy.

The direct approach with Xander would probably be the best and, if he tries to talk me out of it, I'll just show him how strong my resolve is, she thought as a steel ball of determination formed within her. Even if he doesn't agree to help me, I'll find a way to make my dream come true.

With that in mind she brought up a fresh page on her notepad and continued to design elements of her hero costume, even if it was only in terms of appearance. A cape was a definite must for her since it added dramatic flair for what she wanted plus if she was going to stick with a bird theme, then she'd need something to represent wings. Gloves would also be a necessity because, until she gained some credibility with the local police, they'd likely try to arrest her if they found her, so leaving fingerprints was a bad idea. As for the mask idea… she'd pretty much decided that she'd avoid anything that might give her a case of helmet hair since a perceptive person might pick up on that and get suspicious. That meant a domino mask like Robin's or something that'd cover most of her face while leaving her hair free to do what it would.

"Maybe something that'd wrap around my head like Kid Flash's mask," she muttered before drawing such a mask onto the notepad to see how it'd look on the rough oval human head.

After finishing, she had to admit that having something akin to Kid Flash's mask would work better even though she might have to cut her hair since long hair might interfere with the mask. After another minute of consideration, she decided that perhaps putting some sort of lenses on the eye holes of the mask might be a good idea as well. Not only would it provide a measure of protection against liquids, lights and gases but it'd also made it harder for her to be identified since no one would be able to see her eye color clearly. Taking a moment to draw the lenses in using a lighter shade of orange over the eye holes, she moved on to the next part of the costume: the utility belt. A definite must for any hero who doesn't have super powers that were versatile and had many useful applications. Lock picks, mini-flashlight, communicator and other such things would likely go onto the belt as well as anything else that might prove useful.

Now, do I want it to be tight around my waist or let it hang at an angle? She tried to imagine what either possibility would look like on the finished product.

Now, if she wanted the belt purely for practical and functional reasons, she'd make sure the accessory was strapped tightly around her waist to make sure she didn't get caught on anything. However there was a certain flair that came with letting hang on an angle around her waist and it spoke of confidence to some people while others saw it as sloppiness. She pondered the pros and cons for a good ten minutes before finally deciding against letting it hang loose since confidence could come later, once she'd firmly established her reputation.

Looking over her sketches a bit more, she decided that most of the costume was all drawn out since she'd already decided on what the main body of it would be. Despite what some wannabe heroes would choose, she wasn't about to wear something that left parts of her skin exposed since that was just plain stupid no matter how cool it looked. That was why she'd gone for the whole body stocking rather than something sexier and, if she could get some seriously durable material, then she'd have some protection against the weapons the criminals would bring to bear against her. Not guns or explosives but hopefully enough to provide her some protection against blades or broken glass bottles. If some padding was put in the right places along with perhaps some metal, she could add protection against blunt force attacks from baseball bats and metal pipes. The problem, however, was that any metal plating she tried to put into her costume had to be tough enough to take the hits but light enough that it wouldn't slow her down. Considering lightweight durable armor plating was something that just about every military on the planet was after, it was doubtful she'd get anything impressive at the local junkyard or building supply store.

Still, some protection was better than no protection.

RRRIIIINNNGGGG!

Well, that's the end of lunch hour. She closed up her note pad and dropped it into her school bag, Better get to English class.

Hopefully Miss Sarenson wouldn't choose something too BORING for them to do this time.

Warehouse District, Newly Purchased Warehouse Owned by Forge Industries, One Week Later

Xander's POV

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this," he said, shaking his head as he watched the last delivery truck disappear from sight.

"Oh, c'mon! You know you're looking forward to the tinkering with the stuff," Bette said with a smile on her face as she looked at the various pieces of equipment that'd been dropped off. "Besides, this'll really help me out with crime fighting."

"And the reason you want to run around in skintight clothes while being shot at is…?" he asked, wanting a reminder of why she'd want to do something so potentially lethal.

"Because there's too much red tape in being a cop or a lawyer and Batman's done more good for this city since he showed up than any cop," she replied in a perfect casual manner consistent with someone who'd won this argument already.

He couldn't really argue with that since she'd already shown him computer print outs clearly illustrating the effect Batman had had on the local crime rate since arriving on the scene. When compared to the success rate of new police procedures and policies, there really was no comparison to be had. When added to Magneto's memories of how bothersome and sometimes ineffectual the bureaucracy could be and he had been left with no choice but to agree that maybe the spandex society of America might be onto something. That still didn't do wonders for the images he had of Bette in various perilous situations where her getting hurt was a definite possibility. Fortunately he had a plan to minimize the odds of that but he just hoped that she'd go for it or he'd have to start walking on some potentially thin ice with his now official girlfriend.

"Right. Okay, I'll see what I can put together but I got some ground rules you WILL agree to or else I'm not lifting a finger to help," he said in his best no nonsense 'I am not budging' tone of voice.

"What rules?" Bette asked, sounding like she'd listen before actually saying anything.

"First: you won't do any crime fighting AT ALL until I've finished all your gear and your uniform no matter how much time it takes to make everything." He looked her right in the eye so she'd know he was serious and she swallowed a little. "Second: I'm also going to come up with a training regime that'll make sure you're as ready as you're ever going to be for crime fighting. That means hand to hand combat, stealth training, evasion training and anything else I can think of. You won't be crime fighting until I'm certain you're at a high enough level to stand a chance out there. Lastly you need to inform at least one other person about what you'll be doing."

"WHAT?! Why?!" she exclaimed, unable to figure out why they couldn't keep things between the two of them.

"Because we don't know what's going to happen and you're going to need more than me as back up," he replied without raising his voice in the slightest. "Gotham is a big city where a lot can happen. I don't want anything to happen to you because I'm stuck in a traffic jam or being kept behind the yellow tape by the GCPD. Having at least one other person in the know about your plans means one more person who can pick your cute butt out of the fire when I can't."

"You think my butt is cute?" she asked before turning said backside towards him and looking over her shoulder to take a look at it.

"Nice try to change the subject," he said, making it clear he wasn't falling for her redirection. "I'll leave it to you to figure out who you want to bring in on this scheme but I think it'd be best if you brought someone who'll have a pretty freed up schedule. Don't want them manning the cash register at McDonalds when you're in desperate need of a pickup. So, do we have a deal or not?"

He really hoped that he didn't need to have a drawn out argument because, if there was one thing that he knew, it was the more you argued with a woman, the longer she'd give you the cold shoulder. It'd happened a few times when he and Willow had had a difference of opinion on something and could his best bud be chilly when she wanted to be. He knew that Bette was dead set on this hero thing just by looking at her but he hoped she realized that he was just trying to make sure she was the best she could be for her big debut.

"Deal. So when do we start?"

"I'll need some time to get all this stuff set up and running," he said, looking at the various boxes and pieces of machinery. "Give me three days and then come here dressed for a workout. By then I'll have a decent enough training area set up for us to get started as well as the computer set up running right."

"Sounds like a plan!" she said, sounding like she was looking forward to it. "It'll be nice seeing you get all hot and sweaty!"

"Likewise," he fired back and chuckled when he saw her blush a bit.

With that his girlfriend trotted off to catch a cab back to her place and that left him with lots to do, starting with moving some of the heavier machinery around. When she'd originally told him of her plan and he'd grudgingly given in he'd begun making a mental list of everything he'd need to properly outfit her for her war on crime. For some of it, all he needed was a decent electrical workbench and a few key hand tools but for others he needed more specialized equipment of the larger variety. It was his intention to pattern the fabric of Bette's costume after the same materials used by Xavier in the creation of their uniforms. While he didn't have everything he'd need simply due to a lack of tech and materials, he was confident that he could make something close enough. The uniforms of the X-Men were as pliable as cloth yet more durable than some of the best body armor used by big budget law enforcement agencies in Magneto's universe. He should at least be able to make her outfit more durable and tough than anything the local PD had and maybe better than what the state troopers. With protective armor of that quality, it'd take something pretty specialized to pierce through it, meaning either super powers or energy based weaponry.

Hopefully Bette will know enough to make herself scarce if that kind of hardware pops up, he thought as he got on the forklift he'd rented and began moving things around.

Splitting his mind between organizing the warehouse he'd bought for the sole purpose of being his girlfriend's HQ and thinking up new ideas for her gear, it took him until sundown before he'd finished arranging everything just the way he liked it. He'd still have to uncrate the some of the stuff and assemble a few things but first he was going to take a break. Walking over to the cot that'd been dropped off with the rest of the gear, he sat down and popped open his not very healthy but definitely filling fast food.

Picking up the notepad that Bette had left him, he began pondering the feasibility of what she wanted with what he knew he could provide. The lenses for the eye holes wouldn't be a problem, any costume designer could do it, but he was thinking of juicing up the idea bit more. He would not be able to turn the lenses into mini-HUDs but he was pretty sure he could rig them so that they could be both makeshift flashlights as well as give off flare-like flashes that'd blind the crooks temporarily. He might take a look at a few news clips of Batman to get some inspiration for the things he could put into Bette's utility belt. He already had a design for a wrist-mounted grappling hook and, since some of the stuff he had in mind required power of some kind, he was thinking about installing tazer-like needles into the palms of her gloves. If he did that then she might be able to knock out a crook with a single slap.

Not that he expected Bette to actually slap a crook or anything because that'd be just too girly for a superheroine and he was never going to tell her that he thought that.

Should probably see if I can put communication earpieces into her mask so we can talk and so she can monitor the police band for any crimes in progress, he thought as he remembered the numerous times Magneto had installed communications devices into his own helmet as well as improved on previous designs. Given the sheer number of times the guy's helmet had been destroyed or otherwise lost, it was safe to say that he'd be able to come with something workable in no time at all. He might have to also include a way she could send him pictures or files but that wouldn't require too much extra hardware even with the technological restraints he was under.

Time to see if all that science stuff I got from Magneto is as good as I think it is. He finished his burger and tossed the wrapper in the trashcan nearby.

Four Days Later, Forge Industries Warehouse, Makeshift Gym Area, Afternoon

Bette's POV

"Why can't I beat you!?" she growled as once again her boyfriend managed to block one of her kick's.

"Simple: real life experience." He threw a punch at her head, "We had something of a gang problem back home and… let's just say the cops always seemed to be a little late in showing up. Because of that I learned a little bit about fighting."

A little bit would be both accurate and seriously understating her boyfriend's skill.

From what she could tell his fighting style seemed to bear a strong resemblance to what was used in some of the more realistic military action films where the star actually knew what he was doing without help. However there were elements that didn't match anything she'd ever seen before and it was throwing off her ability to come up with a plan for beating him.

Well, that and he looked so HOT in his tank top and shorts combo!

She had no idea that he was so MUSCLED underneath his usual clothes and this just made him all the more attractive to her eyes.

Jerking to the side just before a rather nasty elbow would've hit her, focusing her mind on the fight rather than the fighter standing across from her. Bringing her kickboxing skills to the bear, she delivered combo after combo on him, trying to use the advantage of speed that she had on him. However, as fast as she was, he somehow managed to be faster but at least he hadn't been able to score any major hits on her either, so it was pretty much a stalemate. In an effort to break it, she decided to do something that her instructor in kickboxing had always told her not to do but that she'd learned anyways, which was clinching. Much like in boxing, if you tried clinching in kickboxing, the referee immediately broke it up and if you did it too often despite warnings, you wound up disqualified. However since she was going to be fighting criminals and not competing in a contest of any kind, she could pretty much do whatever she wanted so long as it worked. After executing an elbow technique she immediately unfolded the same arm, grabbed the back of his head and thrust her right knee up with the intent of nailing him in the stomach.

Her intentions proved to be insufficient as Xander somehow managed to slip from her grasp, evade the knee thrust and then grab her lifted leg before bringing it too high for her to stay on her remaining foot. This caused her to fall back but, in an effort not to completely lose, she kicked out with her free leg just as it left the ground, nailing her boyfriend in the shin. Not prepared for this, he was brought down in the direction with the most weight on it, resulting in her landing on her back and him landing on top of her. She grunted as they collided but fortunately for her Xander had put both his arms up so she didn't get hit with all of his weight.

Not that he was fat but he was definitely heavier than she was and it was most likely all muscle.

Correction. DEFINITELY all muscle, she thought as she became aware of their somewhat… intimate positioning.

"Yo…you okay Bette?" Xander asked when she stopped resisting.

"Oh, I'm definitely alright!" she replied before snapping out of her happy place. "I mean… is that the best you got?!"

She struck him in the head, dazing him and allowing her to push him off without too much trouble and then she was back to her feet, ready to resume the sparring session. Xander wasn't long in regaining his footing either but he had a smirk on his face that let her know he had a pretty good idea of where her mind had been. A bit flustered and determined to make up for her lapse in concentration, she went on the offensive, hitting her opponent with a barrage of kicks randomly aimed high or low, depending on her instincts. She could only smile as 'instinct' proved to be more successful than actually planning things out since, of her seven kicks, four managed to successfully hit their marks. This drove him back and forced him to tighten his guard as he no doubt figured he had to think up a new plan of attack to deal with her lethal feet.

"What's the matter, Xan?" she asked after she got a little impatient. "Is that all you got?"

"Nope. I got a lot more. I just don't want to leave any bruises on that fine body of yours."

This caused her to immediately blush at the compliment but it also caused her to let guard down, allowing him to charge in, grab her arm and put her in a pretty solid arm lock. It used her joints and her muscles in such a way that trying to use brute strength to force her way out would only do more damage. Fortunately for her, though, she had another hand to play and it was one that all men were vulnerable to unless they took some specific precautions against it. Being careful to make sure that her move didn't dislocate something, she brought her foot forward a bit and then swung it back with about as much speed and force as she dared.

She didn't want to hurt that area too badly after all.

However her move was only partially successful because, while it did cause him to let go of her arm, returning her freedom to her, the kick didn't land in his family jewels like she'd planned.

"Nice," he said as he backed away and brought both arms back up. "You already know the first rule of real fighting: there are no rules. The crooks don't have any and you only have to follow the ones you want to follow. Personally I'd prefer to fight clean but I'm not above fighting dirty if I have to."

"Same here," she agreed. "Something tells me I'd better leave the dirty tricks at home when they ask me to join the Justice League."

"My, aren't we getting ahead of ourselves," he said mockingly before her the 'come get some' gesture. "Before you drop off your application at the Hall of Justice, you've gotta prove you can kick my butt. Bring it!"

"Consider it brought!" she yelled before going on the offensive once more but with both her fists and feet this time.

Despite how sore she figured she was going to be come this evening, she was really enjoying herself and as long as Xander kept things interesting, she wouldn't mind letting things drag out for a bit.

After all, she wanted to make sure she had all her 'moves' worked and 'practice' made perfect.

Morning, One week Later, Forge Industries Warehouse, Xander's POV

Just a little more… just a little more… he thought as he carefully moved the tool in his hand to the right. Have to connect this just right or I'll have to start from scratch.

It was delicate work applying Magneto's knowledge to tech he could afford but, after a few failed tries, he'd eventually gotten the knack for it. He was making good progress that had more to do with the fact that he had so much time on his hands rather how fast he was working. That was not to say that he didn't get out every once and a while to stretch his legs but, between his training of Bette and his work on her gear, he spent most of his time in the warehouse. It was probably for the best given the circumstances, since his girl couldn't be with him all the time to keep him from the bad parts of town. He'd rather not stumble into some gang's territory by mistake and his jobs in the warehouse were important enough that he didn't mind being kept inside for most of his waking hours. Bette's life was depending on work being perfect and working precisely the way it was supposed to work without any glitches.

There! Connection solid and… he thought before testing it with the device, …functional. Another hour or so and I should have the electronics for her head gear ready.

He was about to begin work on the special feature he didn't think would be possible originally when the buzzer for the front entrance of the building pierced the silence. Setting down his tools, he walked over to the computer and brought up the security camera feed for the front entrance to see who it was. When the image came up, he was shocked to see the redheaded relative of his girlfriend waiting to be let in and looking a bit impatient. Pressing the button that'd buzz her in, he didn't have long to wait for her to make her way inside and, when he had direct line of sight to her face, he knew he was in for a grilling. Obviously Bette had chosen her cousin to be the one person outside of the two of them to be informed on her career choice and, unless he was mistaken, she didn't look like she was in favor of it.

"So this is it, huh? This is where you plan on setting my cousin up to die?" Katherine Kane asked, sounding like she'd already made her judgment about him.

"I'm not planning on letting anyone die, least of all Bette," he replied, doing his best not to take offense in her words. "She'd already decided this on her own."

"And you didn't talk her out of it? Some boyfriend you turned out to be!" she snarled with contempt at him.

"Look, you know her better than me but everything I've learned about her since we met tells me that even if I had told her not to do it, she would've done it anyway." He was taking a firm stance with her and it showed. "At least with me providing support, her odds of coming home safe are higher than if she went at this solo."

"So you got lazy and gave up the second she batted her eyelashes at you!" she snapped, sounding like she was seconds away from bringing the whole thing to an end.

"Like hell I did!" he yelled at her, finally having enough of her hostility. "I argued with her for almost a full two hours but she hit me with enough logic and 'it is my choice' comments that I knew there was no budging her. That's why I bought all this gear and why I have been busting my butt trying to make sure she's as ready and equipped as I can make her! Hell, I made her promise not to do a single thing until I said she was ready and I'm damn serious about it! You don't believe me!? Go over to the computer there and look. Every file there is either a record of her training sessions or specs for the gear I'm putting together for her!"

"Fine! I will!" she said before she stormed over to the computer and sat down in the chair that was next to it.

He didn't need to give her the password since he hadn't logged out of the system and there wasn't anything there that was so secret that it needed to be kept from her. Let Kate take a good, long look at everything he was doing to try and keep Bette safe and then he would see if she was still willing to ride him about not making her cousin back down.

While she did that, he checked on the automated processes he'd put into motion on the heavy machinery he'd ordered. Basically it was a high tech spindle and loom that was putting together the main parts of Bette's costume while incorporating things like Kevlar, chainmail made out of the toughest stuff he could buy and a few other things using his Magneto knowledge. It'd taken some time to program and in some cases customize the machinery, so it did what he wanted it to but he'd managed. From what he could see everything was coming together nicely with no sign that the machine had screwed up anywhere along the line. It'd still be a while before the process was finished and everything could be stitched together but at least he wouldn't have to start from scratch.

"AHEM!" came Kate's voice from behind, prompting him to turn around.

"Yeah? You see what you need to see?" he asked as he turned towards her in somewhat of a bad mood.

"Yeah. You think you can really build all that shit?" she asked, sounding less snippy than she had beforehand.

"I wouldn't have designed it if I didn't think I could make it."

Silence followed as the two of them stared at each other and neither of them were willing to back down from their positions. He wasn't backing down because, while he understood her concern for Bette, the redhead clearly thought he didn't give a shit about his girlfriend. That was both a lie and an insult that he would not stand for. He loved his little blonde bombshell and anyone who said otherwise was going to get the shit kicked out of them and the only reason that he wasn't doing that to Kate was because Bette would not be pleased.

"Good, because I promise you that if anything happens to Bette, you're going to get ten times worse from me." Kate said with a glare that was very impressive by his standards.

"If something happens to her, I'll save you the trouble," he said in a way that was more of a promise rather than a statement.

It was the truth. His feelings for Bette had grown to the point where if anything happened to her, fatal or not, it would tear him up inside and he'd do whatever he had to in order to keep her safe.

If that meant popping his mutant cork… he wouldn't do it the first time something serious happened but rather as an option of last resort. Odds were high that if he powers did click on, his control over them would be at best shaky, meaning what he might do was unsteadily toss metal or bend it in a jerky manner. Just because he had Magneto memories didn't mean he'd be able to use the powers like his predecessor could. That kind of skill would take time and training just like everything else.

Watching Kate leave, he seriously hoped that the redhead would believe him and not blow the whistle on the whole thing or else he'd be lucky if he ever saw Bette again.

It'll all work out. Just gotta keep optimistic.