Anything in Italic means the character is thinking to themselves.

The new threat and a rumor

During the analysis of the new formula Batman intercepted, Peter was restless. Doing sit-ups on every surface he could stick to. He could not stop thinking about the fact that he was about to fight this new stuff, but was also afraid of what he did because of the symbiote's leftovers, he needed to relax and exercise before he went insane. Barbara was alternating between watching Spider-man working out on the ceiling in his red and blue attire and watching the analysis with Batman.

As much as I appreciate the help from Peter, I can't stop but think of the coincidence of his arrival and the appearance of this new formula. Why would someone this strong appear just in time to help? I don't have many theories to work on except if someone sent him. In which case I must find out who. Bruce thought as he looked at the formula.

Suddenly Peter dropped from the ceiling and looked at the computer, what he saw startled him: some of the components in the serum were part of the Goblin formula, the rest of the core elements were from this "Titan formula" Batman spoke about.

It's impossible…how could Norman be here? He's pretty much the only one who knows how to make it, and the guy I fought was far stronger physically than the Goblin, he was fast though, faster than what he looked like anyway. I have some questions. At least I now know how to make that computer work, having a view from up high does help.

"Hey Batman, those titans you fought, were they conscious of their actions whatsoever?"

"Barely, but they were smart enough to do something else than blindly charge like the titan we fought. But they were slightly slower, I never saw a regular titan throw punches with such speed and accuracy. Even the computer doesn't recognize some of the components reactions if mixed."

"And that's bad?" Peter asked.

"Very bad, every formula known to man, this computer can identify. That means this formula is new to this world, I will have to speak to other heroes about this, some of them may have answers." Bruce said while thinking about the League. His chances for information were greater if he had extra-terrestrial beings as informants.

"What about…" Batgirl said before being interrupted.

"You are not coming with me, Spider-man and you can take care of this while I am gone. I won't be gone long, I have faith that you can handle this city for one or two nights. But before that, I have one last test for Peter." Bruce said gravely while pondering the pros and cons of leaving them on their own.

"Didn't I passed those already?"

"Yes, but I have something else in mind. Tell me, I saw you staring at the formula, did you saw it before?" Bruce knew he had him even with the mask on just from the lenses that betrayed his raising eyebrows.

"I have good knowledge in science, I recognized some of the core elements from various serums I saw before, I just did not really figure out how they could do such a thing mixed with another formula I was not familiar with." Spider-man tried to say for his defense, which was not entirely false.

"If you know some of these elements, can you enlighten me?" Bruce already knew Peter had some answers, nobody sounds nervous when saying they are good at something unless this something is bad. And science is not necessarily bad.

I have to be honest, the guy probably knows I'm hiding stuff anyway, I don't have to tell him everything…

"Part of this formula could be used as some sort of performance enhancer" Peter declared under the surprised stare of Barbara and the slight frown of Batman. He then moved to the computer and separated the elements from the Goblin's formula, almost creating a virtual image of the actual thing. "But if I would guess by this particular mix, it is too unstable and could not be used on humans without risks."

There, I hope it's enough for him…

"Interesting, you managed to understand in moments something the computer himself understood in several minutes. The titan formula is similar in the way of the main effects, but early computer simulations indicate the other elements were never researched at Wayne enterprise or in any known location in the world, which means you saw someone injected with it, otherwise you would not know the main effects." Batman almost accused.

Damn…

"Allright, you remember during your first mental test the guy I was fighting?"

"The one on the glider, yes." Batman said as he saw from the corner of his eyes Batgirl's completely lost expression.

"He had an accident, he was a brilliant scientist, head of a great company that sadly worked on a few military projects. He was working on it and it blew up in his face. He indeed got a great physical and mental enhancement, but it drove him insane. He created deadly weapons and became a criminal, and eventually one of my worst enemies, despite his costume, he is a monster. The serum eventually destroyed the man behind the mask and he became obsessed with killing me. He discovered my identity and killed…someone. That serum is extremely dangerous, you don't want someone like the Green Goblin here, there would be nothing you could do against him. The only thing that gave me an edge was his obsession and his rage, which made him careless sometimes."

Batman pondered his words, he was now sure Peter came from very far, since someone like this Goblin character would obviously be known somewhere. He would have to ask other things to the League about this. He could not even imagine what this formula could do to someone like the Joker…

I'm still worried he did not do anything to really give himself away, he normally does everything in his power to make sure I know it's him. It's not his style to rely on others like Penguin, he wants to kill me himself, like he wants to. He would never allow someone else to do it. Batman thought while assimilating Peter's words.

Peter's origins can wait for now, I have enough experience to be sure he does not come from anywhere I know. First, the League then the formula.

"Right, then before I leave, follow me Peter." Batman started walking out of the room and Peter followed after a last look at the formula displayed on the screen, reminding him of his enemy and what he did.

After a while he saw Batman was guiding him outside of the cave, even if the night was almost over.

"Huh Batman? The sun is almost rising, your shift is done, no?"

"Not this time, you have fought dangerous criminals, endured many things. But I think you rarely had to fight someone with actual experience, no?"

"Most of the guys I fought were indeed not the brightest light bubble, but some were geniuses. Well, crazy ones, but still." Peter was starting to wonder where this was going.

"You have experience then, but I still have to make sure you can adapt." He made Peter follow him to a high rooftop and turned to face him.

Peter now realised that Batgirl did not follow, he did not really expect Alfred to climb buildings.

I'm not sure why we're here but…Spider-sense!

Peter quickly ducked and saw some sort of bat-shaped shuriken go over him.

He's making me fight him?! Is he crazy?

Batman did not utter a word and continued throwing batarangs, Spider-man continuously dodging without much effort. Suddenly the batarangs started making small explosions mid-air, forcing Peter to jump higher and sometime using his webs to drag him a little farther. At some point Peter felt the burn again for a second but concentrated on the task at hand.

He's good for now, I'm curious to see how much he can take before making mistakes… Bruce thought while changing strategy and throwing a bola towards Peter who was caught off-balance and got tangled.

Spider-man was surprised with the toughness of these bolas, Kraven's never resisted for more than a second or two. His thought was interrupted when he received a powerful kick which sent him a few feet back. When he recovered he felt weird again. He broke through the bola and blocked the next punch that came his way. For the next few minutes, Spider-man spent his time dodging and blocking without hitting back.

I have to push him, he won't fight back against me if he is not angry, at least that's easy.

"Not fighting back? Well if you don't have the guts to fight me how can you save anyone?" He knew that mentioning that would have some effect, he just didn't know how much.

Spider-man reeled back and threw a punch that sent Bruce several meters back, he got back up and ducked just in time to avoid a web-ball, he did not expect that. He rolled to him and then the fight started being serious, Peter was fighting back a little. Bruce could tell he did not practice any martial art he knew, if any, but that was his advantage since he had trouble predicting Spider-man's attack.

Peter on the other hand was slightly angry that Bruce made this remark but still held back since he suspected it was part of the test. He did not want to hurt Bruce but every fiber of his body was telling him to fight back. After several minutes Batman threw a smoke bomb on the ground.

Bruce sliently jumped out of the smoke cloud and was about to throw an explosive batarang when he heard movement.

"Your smoke can fool my eyes, but not my Spider-sense!" with these word Spider-man jumped out of the cloud and delivered a powerful kick to Batman who was not prepared for that. Kick which almost made him fall of the roof. He recovered and did not see Peter anywhere.

Where is he?

He focused and rolled away from a punch that came from above. He heard his hard breathing and the sound of the wind on his suit. He was lucky he had so much experience and technology, a normal human would not last very long against Spider-man. After a few minutes of close fighting, Bruce backed away and talked.

"Enough, you passed."

Spider-man stopped as he was about to jump and tilted his head a little.

"What was this anyway?"

"I was trying to see if you could fight someone who had years of fighting experience, I was also trying to analyze your fighting style and most importantly your ability to restrain yourself and adapt. Tell me, why did you not make puns during our fight?"

"I talk mostly to make my opponents angry, they make mistakes if they are angry. Very useful against guns. I had no intention to really hurt you, and I knew that making you angry would be too hard and it would jeopardize our partnership anyway."

"If you had to defeat me to save someone, would you do it?"

"If I had no other options I would, but let's just hope it does not come to that, I hate fighting my friends." Batman slightly raised a brow when he said "friend" but he said nothing. Judging it was somewhat appropriate.

"I have to go now, you and Barbara take care of this city while I'm gone, don't act rashly without knowing what you're getting into first."

"Yes sir!" Peter said while putting his hand on his forehead, lightly smiling under his mask at his joke.

Later, during the day…

Barbara was at the GCPD again, she was slightly angry that since the failed kidnapping and the attack, her father insisted on keeping tabs on her from time to time. She was tired and she needed some action, she did not have a solution right now but she almost wished something would happen so Spider-man would show up and she would have an excuse to leave the place and go home until the night.

"Barbara, can you tell me what's up with these rumors?" Her father suddenly asked while looking at some files and holding a phone under his arm.

"What rumors?

"People are saying you and Spider-man…"

"Seriously dad? The guy saved me and I'm grateful but there is nothing between him and me."

"From what I saw during the attack, HE may think otherwise." Gordon declared before everyone heard a knock on the main door.

An officer opened it and it revealed Spider-man, one hand on the doorframe.

"Hey everyone! Is the commissioner here?" Gordon went to him and made a sign to the officer who went back to his work.

"What are you doing here Spider-man? Meet me on the roof." He closed the door, leaving a confused Peter at the door for a few seconds before he went to the roof as well in his own way.

When they were on the roof, Peter noticed the weird way Gordon was looking at him. It was making him uncomfortable. He knew he had to speak first.

"Well thank you for seeing me on such short notice Commissioner, I have…"

"Why did you change the other day?" Gordon asked directly.

Of course he would ask me that first…why does life hate me so much?

"I was angry because this monster almost killed dozens of good people because I was not serious in the first place."

"Don't give me that, your little display was not like anything I ever saw, even Batman does not look so scary when he fights, and now that I think about it, where's your black suit?"

"Oh it can change color at-will, but for the other thing I was just angry, there's nothing really. I have some…"

"Looks like I will have to ask directly: Do you have any interest in my daughter?" Gordon dead-panned. Neither of them aware that Barbara herself was watching them from the stairs, hidden in the shadows.

Peter scratched the back of his head for a second then spoke up.

"I know I can be honest with you, I heard good things about you, you are one of the only good people in this city and I will not lie to you." Barbara held her breath when she heard that. "I do have feelings, but don't worry, I won't…"

"I don't really care, I just wanted to know. I know you are a good guy and you won't do anything to hurt her, if this means she has another protector, then so be it. She is all I have and I can't count how many times me and my family has been threatened because of what I do." Both Peter and Barbara were completely dazed by what he just said. "I must warn you though, and I will only warn you once: you do anything to hurt her and there is nowhere in this city you can hide."

"I would never, what kind of hero would hurt her? Hurt anyone for that matter?" Peter asked rhetorically. The commissioner made a small nod.

"No one will know, don't worry hero. Now what is the reason for your visit in the first place?"

It took a few moments for Peter to assimilate everything then wiped out some sort of small silver spider from his hidden belt.

"This is a small gift for you, should you ever need me, press on the back of the spider and I will know you need me. I made a few spares so I can keep track of a few people, and some to put on antennas, if you press the belly of the spider it opens so you can wear it like a ring."

"Antennas?"

"Yeah, they catch the radio frequencies so I can hear what the police and the emergency broadcast are saying. I just stick them to every big antennas and I get free cable!" Peter laughed at his own joke and Gordon smiled a little.

"Thanks for the gift Spider-man, I still have trouble believing someone your age can be so responsible…"

"With great power comes great responsibility." Peter declared. "That's my life's rule."

Gordon smiled then went down the stairs, closing the doors behind him. Peter was about to jump away when his radio beeped up, he turned it on before swinging away after the next antenna he had to mark.

When Gordon got back to the office floor, everyone was looking at him. He stared back at everyone then spoke.

"People, the rumors are false. Also we have work to do, stop staring at me and resume your work." Everyone got back to their work.

He went to his daughter who was sitting in front of a computer, unaware that she heard the whole thing and was completely baffled. And put the small spider beside her.

"Small gift from him: Push on its back and Spider-man will come, push on its belly and you can wear it like a ring he says." Barbara looked at it then at her father.

"Dad I…"

"No argument, you need it more than I do, I can't always be there, Batman is only there at night and you won't have access to a phone at all time. You are in trouble, you call him." With these words he left and resumed his work, happy that a little stress was finally lifted from his shoulders: he did not have to worry about her being defenseless. He did not like the idea of Spider-man having feelings for her, but if it meant her safety, he could live with it.

Elsewhere…

"So this Spider-man defeated the new titan? I am impressed."

"He humiliated me twice! I will get rid of him!"

"No Cobblepot, I think this new hero needs to be reminded who is who in Gotham. If my informant is to be believed, our new titan is recovering now. Spider-man will fight him again, Batman won't be there to save him this time."

"My men will assist the titan to make sure your experiment does his job. It is you after all that made this new thing that we injected into the titan."

"We will squash this spider, but not without destroying his image and his heart first."

Hours later with Peter, during the night…

Finally done with these freaking antennas, never thought there was so much crime in this city, I must've spent more time webbing people up than swinging. Peter thought, exasperated by the ridiculous amount of thieves and potential killers he captured during one single day.

"I swear I wonder how Batman can live like this, and this conversation with the police commissioner…" He thought while laying down on the high roof of a building overlooking what he think would be the ocean in this world.

"I always wonder why you think out loud…"

Peter turned back to see Batgirl looking at him a few feet away.

"You Bat-people like to sneak up on people like that huh."

"It's our thing. You did incredible work today, the GCPD's cells are almost full. Many lives were saved, again thanks to you." She walked to his side and took in the view.

"Why did you search for me? Not that I don't like the company, but you're the night expert. I'm mostly a day hero."

"You pretty much cleaned the entire city today, can't find a single criminal. How you manage to swing like that all day is beyond me."

"Superhuman durability. Trust me, sometimes I wish I had an excuse for taking a break. This city is completely filled with criminals."

"What did you talk about with Gordon?"

"Oh…uh…I gave him a spider-tracker so he can call me if he needs help and we spoke a little about his daughter." Batgirl faked surprise and looked at him.

"What? What did you say to each other?"

"Uh…He asked me about my reaction during the attack, I reassured him and he seemed content with my answer." Peter half-lied, not really wanting her to know everything, completely oblivious that she already knew.

"You know, there are rumors in the GCPD that Spider-man and Barbara Gordon have a relationship. Dad did not tell you about that?" She was trying to pry the answer from him, but he was resisting so far.

"Yeah I heard, what do you think about them?" He took her by surprise with this question.

"I…I don't think they are true, how could a superhero have feelings for the daughter of a cop anyway?" Peter was smiling a little under his mask, her hesitation betraying her intentions.

She's trying to make me spill the beans, two can play at this game...maybe it's time to tell the whole truth…

"Why would the daughter of the commissioner have feelings for a vigilante?"

Both did not speak for a moment before Peter stood up and turned to look at her.

"What I'm about to tell you will sound very crazy, I come from…" Before he could finish he was interrupted by his radio intercepting a message.

"The titan escaped! We need backup now! He recovered and is currently trying to smash his way out of the asylum!" The broadcast informed. Peter raised a brow at this.

"Asylum? Why would they send this monster to an Asylum?"

"They are supposed to have one of the best security, more like revolving doors from our point of view since every single criminal that ends up there escapes…"

Spider-man was almost thankful that this happened so he could postpone this conversation a little longer.

"Well then, no time to waste Batgirl, to the asylum! Lead the way I have no idea where it is!" He added at the end which made both of them laugh a little before she grappled away and he followed. He had a bad feeling about this fight, but nothing will stop him from saving this world.


A/N: This is the 9th chapter everyone hope you enjoyed and see you in the next chapter!

To answer a question i was asked by a few: Yes, other member of the DC universe will be mentioned/appear even if Batman and Barbara will remain the priority.

Leave a review it always help and thanks to everyone who followed the story since the beginning, I had no idea my very first fanfic would be a success.