AN: A new chapter after only a week? Why yes, yes it is.

Disclaimer: Don't own.

John scrubbed a hand over his face to try and clear his exhaustion, the day had been too long already and was hardly over with yet.

First had been the rude wake up call followed by the breakout and dealing with the police and making an official report on the sequence of events as well as he knew them- no one seemed to believe that he, Sebastian and Irene had been attacked BEFORE the breakout, they just thought them all addled from the excitement. It hadn't helped that their rooms had been trashed and there was no sign of their attackers.

Next had come dealing with the Administrator basically dumping all responsibility for the HSW on his shoulders, including meal deliveries. Surprisingly it had been easy to set up a catering schedule, most of his patients had people on the outside willing and ready to do as they say, even for something as simple as take-out delivery.

The afternoon, when he'd thought he'd get a chance to rest, had been taken up in a drawn out argument with his patients, and his staff, over sleeping arrangements. Not theirs, his. They were worried about his safety and wanted him closer so they could keep an eye on him. It seemed that where the police didn't believe them concerning the attacks on them the criminals they were in charge of had no problem doing so.

The argument came to an abrupt end when he found his possessions had been unceremoniously moved into one of the unused cells while he'd been distracted. Irene just grinned at his glare as she helped Ivy and Harley to set up his 'new room', hers and Sebastian's on either side of his like before.

Finally there had been a short meeting with the Administrator about security- John had had to bite back a few choice comments during that meeting about 'security'- and how John would be the only one authorized to meet with the delivery staff at the Gate for all meal deliveries to the HSW, so if John wasn't there to meet them on time then they would be turned away and his patients would starve.

Sebastian had quickly noted how easily an ambush could be set up with such a long walk and set schedule and had volunteered to accompany John for each meal run to 'help him get it all in while it was still warm'.

No one doubted at this point that the Administrator was behind the recent breakout, or that he wanted the Rogues to escape, but they still had no proof the police would believe so could do nothing official. Though it did make the Rogues a bit happier, knowing they were pissing someone off by not leaving.

So now here John was, exhausted and standing by the Gate as Sebastian helped some very intimidating looking men load a bunch of Chinese food onto a trolly for the long walk back up to the HSW, and wondering how it was that he always ended up in the middle of power plays by dangerous individuals.

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Batman lay along a rooftop, eyes pressed to a set of binoculars and a speaker on his belt tuned to his one remaining bug- he was glad these two didn't seem as efficient as Dr Watson in finding and removing them- when a cool breeze blew across him. He didn't bother looking up or away from where his targets were entering the kitchen and... making tea.

"I thought you couldn't get away from Metropolis."

"Lois got herself arrested for causing a disturbance at a restaurant while trying to get an interview with that dignitary, so Perry demanded I head home before I got myself implicated and he lost both of his top reporters in one fell swoop. I decided to swing by and see how things where going here instead." A beat of silence passed between them. "There seems to be two of them."

"And no telling which one is the one frightening Luthor into drinking and diving off high-rise balconies."

The pair of Heroes watch for a few minutes, each in their own way, as the pair in the Penthouse silently went about their task. Once it was obvious they weren't going to see anything useful anytime soon Batman stood up and turned to face his friend.

"I have the place bugged, if anything comes up I'll let you know."

"Thanks. And if I manage to learn anything more on my end I'll pass it along." The man in black nodded before jumping off the side of the building. Superman gave the pair in the Penthouse one last assessing look before flying away.

Neither realized that there had been a discussion being held that they hadn't been privy to, but that they had been a central part of.

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It was early evening when Jim's phone vibrated with an alert. With a smirk he strode into Luthor's, now Sherlock's, secret lab to bother the other man.

"Want to mess with a Hero who likes peeping in on people?" Sherlock made a few more notations to his notes before nodding and standing up to follow Jim into the kitchen, the place with the best view of the surrounding rooftops and the only active bug left.

Jim got the kettle out and began filling it while Sherlock got the cups out, he tapped one absently and with no pattern but Jim heard 'How did he find us so quickly?' anyway.

Jim huffed a breath, ran a hand through his hair and looked around the kitchen lazily. Sherlock took that as 'Obviously Luthor said something to tip off Superman, and we both know how heroes like to gossip.'

Sherlock snorted in amused agreement to that assessment even as Jim's phone buzzed with another alert.

Jim looked at it then slowly let his eyes wander to the windows to trace dust motes floating in the air. Sherlock took that as 'Our observer has just been joined by the flying annoyance.'

Sherlock sighed as he pulled out the tea bags from their cupboard and set them in the cups, pushing the one with the black lable towards Jim while pulling the blue labled one towards himself. 'If they become a problem then you deal with Batman and I'll take care of Superman.'

Jim poured the water into the cups slowly while raising a brow. 'I'm fine with that, but are you sure you can handle him on your own?'

Sherlock just gave Jim a very pointed Look. 'I wouldn't have offered if I couldn't handle him.'

Jim smirked before then throwing Sherlock a wink. 'Then we have a deal, just don't mess it up.'

Sherlock scoffed. 'I would never.'

Jim rolled his eyes as he took up his cup just as his phone vibrated twice to signal the all clear.

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Bruce, though tired after being up for going on forty-eight hours, made his way to and inside Arkham, hoping to learn something useful about the breakout after the flop of a stakeout he'd just left. He had barely made it to the HSW level when he turned a corner and found a frowning John Watson waiting for him.

"I've had a very long day and do not have the patients to deal with your cloak and dagger routine right now." John said pointedly while leveling Bruce with a Look that he'd only ever seen on Alfred's face after he'd made a mess and not picked it up. "We are about to sit down for dinner, you will either join us or go home and get some sleep as I doubt you have gotten any either. There is no third option so don't go trying to find one." With one last pointed Look, John turned on his heel and resumed heading for the Common Room.

Bruce, shocked by the order, followed Dr Watson out of instinct as he contemplated his choices: either join his enemies for dinner and possibly gain some intelligence, if he surrvived, or leave. The third option of skulking around and eavesdropping wasn't really an option do to the good doctor's uncanny ability to know when he was there.

Before he was ready to decide they had reached the door to the Common Room and Bruce could hear the low chatter coming from inside of a large group of people getting ready to share a meal together. A group of people who had all tried to kill him at one point or another.

John stood in the open doorway of the Common Room and looked back at his silent shadow with a raised brow. When the other man didn't move John let out a sigh and stepped back into the hall to gently take the armour clad man's arm.

"Come on, then, nothing to be worried about tonight." John said reassuringly as he led the taller man inside.

With only mild reluctance, and telling himself he wasn't comforted by the jumper clad man's reassurances, Bruce let himself be led into the lion's den for dinner. And hoped he wouldn't become said dinner.