A/N: The first part is a Flashback to when Luthor was torturing Bruce. Hence why it's mostly in italics. I'm...Sorry...if this bothers anyone.

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"Are you curious about the drug I just injected into your system Bruce?" There was no answer, but then again Lex hadn't really been expecting one. The body laid in front of him unmoving, his blue eyes focusing on him with frightening intensity, considering that he was drugged.

Ran his smooth hands along his skin which was covered in blood. Marveled at his work. "It's a truth serum. One I've been working on." Lowered his lips next to Bruce's ears, whispering, "I'm going to ask you questions. And you're going to tell me everything. The Justice League's secret identities, codes to the tower, weaknesses...you're going to completely betray the very teammates you've worked along side for years." Here is where he smirked. "And there is nothing you can do about it."

It was then that Bruce's mind went into overdrive, trying to figure out his options. It was hard, with the drugs working against him. Focus. Focus on the facts.

Truth serum.

One Luthor had been working on.

Stronger than most.

Time. It'd break him eventually. Yes.

Luthor was going to know everything he knew once he broke.

Everything he knew.

Their secret identities, the contingency plans he had...

Everything.

'Unless I forget.' Bruce thought weakly.

That didn't make any sense. Forget?

How could he forget years of training? All the information in his head—forget? Just like that? Impossible.

'Go deep. Bury yourself into Bruce Wayne's mind.'

"Superman." The name was whispered to him, and immediately several sentences threatened to break free from his lips. "Where does he go when he's not saving the world?"

He had been prepared for the temptation to speak up. What he hadn't been prepared for was the blinding pain that practically slammed into him, causing him to gasp out.

Lex let out a harsh laugh. "I did say I made it myself, right? I'm going to keep it simple. If you don't talk you'll feel pain. A lot of it. And it'll only get worse as time wears on."

Using every mental trick he knew, he forced himself to concentrate. First things first. He needed something to focus his eyesight on. His eyes landed on the ceiling. More importantly, a crack. Raked his eyes along the crack, taking in how long, wide, deep, where it branched off into other little cracks.

Luthor was asking him another question. One about Green Lantern. No. Don't answer. Don't.

Focus on the crack. Look at it.

This time the pain exploded in his head, causing stars to appear in his vision. Deeper. He had to go deeper.

"Bruce, Bruce, if you keep refusing to answer...the pains only going to get worse. I don't know what type of side effects the drug might have. I've never tested it before."

He sounded like he cared.

Yeah right.

Another question.

Don't.

Where was he going to hide? It had to be deep if he needed to forget. Deep.

Even Bruce Wayne had valuable information.

So deeper.

'My childhood?'

Before the accident. When things were full of innocence and child-like wonder, the world so wide...

So carefree...

Yes. That would do.

More pain sounded out. But that was okay. Because Mama and Daddy were there to make it better.

'Oh Bruce, look at you. I swear, I can't leave you alone for five minutes.' Mama was saying.

'Mama? Where did you go? I was alone for a long time Mama...'

'Oh sweetie, I didn't go anywhere. I've been here all along.'

'It hurts Mama. I'm tired of hurting.'

'It only hurts for a second dear. After that, the pain goes away.'

'But mama--'

'Don't focus on that right now. Come on, we'll have Alfred mix us up some hot cocoa.'

There was a shadow in the back of little Bruce's mind, as he watched his mother enter the kitchen. Something that told him that all of this was wrong. His mama had gone somewhere. And he'd been alone. But...but she was here now, right? So that made everything okay right?

'You coming, Bruce?'

Right?

It was wrong. Wrong.

The pain was coming back.

'Try not to remember so much, Bruce.' His Mama was saying.

He followed her into the kitchen. It was wrong, yes. But for now, he'd go along with it.

After all, he didn't really want to remember anyway.

It was much less painful to forget.

()

When they got word that Bruce had finally woken up from the surgery, they had all stared at each other with uneasy eyes. J'onn was in there and he was quiet for the most part. So that meant something good. Right? Or did it mean something bad? They weren't really should.

It was Green Lantern, who had entered the room first, and the followed after him, filing into the room with their pulses pounding in their ears.

They had expected to see...

Well, they really didn't know what they were expecting. Everything about the situation was backwards and they weren't really sure what to make of anything anymore.

Because usually, when Batman was in the hospital, he was antsy, irritable, and in a hurry to get out so he could go back to doing what he did best. But...

The blood..the bruises...the drugs...

Not to mention the lost of eyesight.

No one could go through all that and come out of it completely normal. No one.

Not even Batman.

However...

They hadn't expected to walk in, and see him laughing and smiling as he chatted away to J'onn, who was nodding as if listening very carefully to whatever it was he was saying.

As if he didn't have a care in the world.

Just like a child.

Diana left the room.

So did Clark.

()

Soooo how'd I doooo?