Epilogue: A Sight for Sore Eyes

"And so, ladies and gentleman, the date for the court martial of General Felix Mulligan has been set. Reports indicate that this initial trial will focus on his actions in Metropolis, particularly his forceful orders to launch the missile into the cloud despite being assured that the Justice League had a better way of handling things, a way that was working. That reckless act could have cost many lives, although reports increasingly suggest that this is something General Mulligan should be used to. Military police are still investigating the stories about the Carnicero del rio, gathering up facts and evidence before deciding whether to push ahead and charge the General with the deaths that have caused such public outcry. All in all, this is shaping up to be one tough week for a man who had prided himself on being an American hero.

"In other news and on a thankfully lighter note, the world got its first proper viewing of Wonder Woman today since the end of the cloud's attack, and the incident seen by just about everyone on the planet. She, Superman and other members of the Justice League were involved in a battle against a new bunch of rogues to the scene, and despite some resistance they were able to succeed and restore order once again. In these last days we had been hearing that the mental drain she went through during the cloud assault had caused her temporary leave of absence, but that recovery process seems to have come to an end. And for all of those gossip lovers out there, there was no sign of the Batman at her side. Instead he seems to be sticking to his crusade in Gotham City. Of course, this neither confirms nor denies the official position that that kiss between them shown to us by the cloud was merely a side effect of their then entwined mental state, but following the public reaction it sure would have been nice to see them side by side in action once again. Summer?"

The news anchor handed back to his compatriot there as they moved on to the next piece of the days events, but he had stopped listening at that point. He had missed out on plenty these last few weeks. You just couldn't get any decent staff anywhere these days. The boys and girls around there were the shoddiest of the lot. Weeks he had spent in solitary confinement after the latest little prank he had pulled. Weeks. As if that would work. As if that would change anything. Far better people than they had tried. All they wound up doing was boring him. That tiny cell they had him locked in just wasn't any fun.

And he had missed out on the big news of the decade. Until now. They had finally let him loose again, thanks to his 'good behaviour' in solitary. Truth be told he was just playing ball, waiting for the timing to be right for his next little scheme. Now he had seen this, he was already plotting it silently in his head.

Across the way, ol' Pammy moved as if to change the channel, but he snatched a hand out to stop her until the image on the screen changed. Poison Ivy scowled at him until he let go of her wrist, snatching her hand back as if to get away from him. She wouldn't be the first person to react in that way. However, he hardly noticed her.

The laughter was already building up in him as that image became frozen in his minds eye, the image of two of the core members of the Justice League locked in such a public personal moment. That image brought such a smile to his face. He didn't care what caused it, or how the newscaster tried to shrug it off. He knew. No one knew the Bat like he did. He knew his nemesis wouldn't be caught with his pants down by a cloud. He knew that what he was seeing was genuine. And boy did it open up some doors. Boy, was this going to be funny. Oh yes, he was definitely starting to plan for his greatest joke yet. He was even already starting to imagine the endgame, and how delightful it would be. He was even starting to feel that joy already, so much so that he couldn't keep it bottled up inside, regardless of who else was around. It came tumbling out of him in rhyme.

"Bats and Wondy sitting in a tree. Don't know they're being watched by me!"

And then the maniacal laughter burst forth, a laughter that could cast fear into anyone should they hear it up close. Heck, half the people in the TV room had already up and left, but he merely kept laughing, and planning his ultimate gag. Bats and his new squeeze would one day soon be getting a congrats on they're bonding that they'd never forget.

All delivered free of charge, courtesy of the Joker.

A/N:

And, at long last, it is done. This is the end. "Justice League: Above and Beyond" is a finished story. Hope you enjoyed it!

I promised a sneak peak at what's to come. Well here it is. It's time to send in the Clown. When the full sequel comes out, I intend to be fully unleashing Gotham on the Justice League. It might be relatively dark, but way back at the start of this journey, one thing that I always wanted to do was show just how dangerous the villains of Gotham can be, to everyone. The idea a lot of people bandy about that a hero with powers could take them down easy has always really annoyed me. In letting loose the likes of the Joker, I intend to prove how very wrong such a sentiment truly is. After all, a superhero tale that was all about powers and not at all about the humanity underneath (even if its an alien) would just bore the **** out of me. So keep your eyes open friends. "Justice League: Shadows in the Dark" is coming. I know how it starts, I know how it ends. I just have to write the bugger. But it is coming. It's just a matter of when.

On a similar note, there were no takers for the interim "handed over" stories idea I proposed several chapters back. I'm a hundred percent fine with that as I get that everyone who wants to write something wants to do their own thing - I would if roles were reversed. However, despite saying the opposite before, I've wound up being unable to just sit back and let two of these smaller tales live on plotted out but not done. Therefore, before the full blown sequel comes out, there will almost certainly be two stories published on here set in the time gap between Above and Beyond and Shadows in the Dark. Without giving any plot points away, Batman and Wonder Woman will both be the stars, albeit in two separate yet concurrent stories (published separately but set at the same time). They'll be shorter than this beast, the original "Shroud of Fear" and the coming main sequel, but everything is relative, and they certainly won't be lacking in plot. "Justice League: War and Peace" and "Justice League: Bloodlines" will be their names, so watch out for those too, particularly as I may have to work in some crossover between them to get a certain pair of characters interacting...

Before I go away, I feel I also need to stress that my fellow fans out there keep the faith. This is something important to me that's been bugging me for quite a while. Even though I only read the true classic trade collections, most of which were done many years ago, I'm well aware that there's plenty of dissatisfaction for a wide array of the currently published DC comic books. I can't really comment on that, but I think its important not to let that dissatisfaction spread to the upcoming film series. I'm seeing plenty of negativity towards those films on 'tinternet before the first truly "shared universe" one is finished, which I think is frankly ridiculous, especially as most of the complaints I see are based on pure speculation or simply plain nonsensical points. Besides which, there is far too much buying in to the idea that the Marvel way of doing superhero movies is the only way to do it right. Personally, I feel the Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the most overrated franchises going, as bar the Avengers itself I have been so disappointed with all of them that I've seen (which doesn't include the latest two, so no spoilers in any return comments as I will give them a chance), and I love superhero stuff. Far too much attempt to turn them into sitcoms too often, poor villains and/or poor, dull plots. There is a place for films like that, and that is the Marvel way, and I do get why some people like that even if I don't. But its also important that the DC universe does its own thing. DC have always been more adult, while Marvel's more for the teenage/twenty somethings. That's why DC films shouldn't be a gag a minute, should be darker, should have good villains to truly test the heroes, should take more risks, shouldn't be afraid to show that in the realm of superheroes and such epic fights many people will almost certainly get hurt and bad things will happen - you can't always save everyone. Long story short, my opinion is that Man of Steel is one of the best superhero films that weren't directed by Christopher Nolan and gets far too harsh a treatment - and I really hated Superman until I watched that film. I'll defend it to the hilt as most complaints about it can be argued away. I admit, the odd bit of Alfred style dry wit to slightly lighten the moment at times wouldn't have been amiss, but you can't always have everything.

So keep the faith people! Trust that Batman v Superman can pull it off and give us the DC film universe we deserve. If at the end of the day its released and is crap, complain then. Just don't give up on it before its even begun. After all, Warner Bros. aren't stupid enough to ditch Amy Adams now, not when people love seeing her opposite Cavill. As long as she's there, the biggest obstacle for even the most minor BatWondy scenes is very firmly out the way with Supes taken. These films won't be hitting us with the most ridiculous and boring idea comic books have ever seen. I have great hope for what's to come. Everything I see and know about this film tells me that it's at least worth a very firm chance. So let's all give at one, and not write it off and slag it off well over a year before its released and before a trailer's even come out. We owe that to the characters if nothing else.

After that rant, just a few more things to say. First up and from a legal point of view, I reiterate the declaration regarding how I don't have ownership of any of the pre-existing characters or settings (or any other trademarked element) used in this story.

Been aware of the website batmanwonderwoman dot com for a while now, and now that this story's finished I'll probably have to put it on there with the rest of the series so far. Held off in order to keep my reviews etc. in one place while this was still a work in progress, but there's no more need for that now. It's a great place to find all manner of fanfics about the pair, as well as for fellow fans to gather and chat. If you haven't done already, I suggest a lot of you go check it out.

Comments on what I've been saying here are more than welcome, as are discussions if they're wanted. You can do it via the reviews or a PM. Just don't let it be heated. We're all friends here.

Now its time for me to put up my customary request for reviews. Both for the epilogue and for the story overall. Constructive points are just your own opinions. I'll take 'em all.

And of course, a massive thank you to all those who have reviewed, favourited or followed up til now and in all the time to come. If it weren't for you guys, I wouldn't be posting on here. I might still end up writing it as I love the characters and the story potential, but the whole reason of posting it is for you guys to read it and to hear back from you. So thank you all once again for calling shotgun on this epic ride.

An epic ride that's now done. Can't say when I'll be posting again, but it will be in the next few months, with a guarantee of three more fics coming set in this universe of mine. I sincerely hope that's news to your ears, and I hope to see you there having a read again when the time comes!

Until then, have a Merry Messy Kweznuz (kudos if you get that) friends! And thanks once again!