Answers to reviewer's statements or questions"
treyalexander63917: While that is a good idea I'm afraid I won't be doing that kind of crossover with these two stories. The others and future ones however… I may try it out and see how it goes
Disclaimer: I don't own any Marvel or DC characters seen, mentioned or used in this story
Peter was currently in the co-pilot seat with Batman as they made their way back to Gotham City with the Joker and Harley. The ride was silent and tense as both men had to deal with the fact that arguably their most dangerous rouges had just nuked Metropolis by tricking Superman to kill a pregnant Lois Lane.
"Batman… the child that Lois had… it was Superman's wasn't it?" Peter asked after a while
"…Yes" Batman said as he adjusted a few switches on the Jet's dashboard as they passed through a field of clouds
"So that means that Lois was Superman's-"
"Wife. For over four years" Batman finished with a sigh
Peter nodded at the answer "Funny, Diana never mentioned that the big blue was married"
"It wasn't her place to tell" Batman said carefully
"I know but she didn't seem to mine telling you about me is all. Flash mentioned that she talks about me a lot" Peter said with a shrug as he looked out towards the passing clouds "I assume she also told you about my time with the Ultimates when they were still around?"
"She did, but I already knew by then and Martian Manhunter obviously since he was a member" Batman said as he turned his head to look at Spider-man "Peter… she's never told us anything private if that's what has you bothered. She never told us who you were, why she married you or what she went by outside of the League aside from Diana. Not to me, not to Superman, Green Lantern or anybody. I myself didn't find out she was even married to you until the incident with Circe and Electro over two years ago, the same with the rest. But when she does talk about you it's been nothing but praise and admiration of your actions"
"I know it's just… she's never talked about you guys before. I never asked for personal information, just what you guys were like is all. If any of you had a sense of humor or were the strict serious types" Peter said as he twiddled with his thumbs
"If it helps, most members of the Justice League are unaware of the other's identities unless told by them." Batman said
"So the Flash doesn't know who you are beneath that cowl of yours or who Hawk Girl is? But you, Diana, and Superman know all of theirs…" Peter asked
"Correct" Batman nodded as he saw Gotham come into view
"What about the Teen Titans? Their mostly made up of your guys 'hero support' and well their teenagers. Teens gossip… a lot" Peter stated
"So far nothing too revealing such as their mentor's identities has been revealed, as far as I can tell" Batman responded
Several moments of silence passed and it wasn't until they began to fly amongst the city's skyscrapers that almost rivaled Manhattan's that Peter finally broke it
"Hey Bat's I was wondering…" Peter started off uncertain with how to approach what's been bothering him
"What?" Batman questioned
"Did it seem a little unsettling on how quickly Superman was coming apart when he found out that Lois was missing. I mean I understand the freaking out and all that… but he nearly compromised his identity in front of a non-Leaguer and some random scientist that for all we know helped Joker and Octavius steal the Kryptonite in the first place" Peter pointed out
"It did catch my attention" Batman agreed also troubled by his teammate and friend's actions
"Was… was she like his crutch or something? Like the one thing keeping him tethered to the world?" Peter probed as the jet began its descent towards the GCPD building
"We're discuss this later. Right now we have a clown to interrogate and a mad scientist to locate" Batman stated
"Right" Spider-man nodded as they both exited the craft as Jim Gordon and several of his officers appeared to help take the Joker and Harley into custody
…
The destroyed remnants of the city were cast in a tragic orange glow as fire, smoke and dust filtered through the air of what was once a beautiful city. The sun light that could make it through seemed hazy and pale and caused the dark shadows casted by the skeletons of what were once buildings to look all the darker
It didn't take long for Diana to spot Clark's bright red and blue color scheme as she saw him kneeling on the ground clutching Lois's body. Diana slowly landed behind the man of steel and approached the grieving man. She gently placed a hand on his shoulder to get his attention
"Clark" Diana said gently
Clark looked towards her with tears pouring down his face, he looked so broken and lost. Diana couldn't blame him, he just quite literally lost his entire world in the span of a few seconds all because of the actions of a bunch of mad men
"D-Diana?" Clark said uncertain
Diana also made out a small still bleeding scar on Lois's chest, the location of the trigger placed in her by the Joker. She held in a grimace at the sight
Clark cradled his dead wife's body as his hand rested on her stomach where their child was "I killed them… I-"
"No" Diana said as she crouched beside her friend "Clark those monsters did this. This…" she gestured to what was left of Metropolis "…wasn't your fault Clark"
Diana watched as Clark sat there in silence for what felt like hours before he finally stood with Lois in his arms "Diana… will you hold her? Will you keep them safe?"
Diana nodded "Of course"
She slowly took her deceased friend in her arms and watched as Superman began to rise into the air
"I'll be back soon" Clark said before he shot off into the sky
"Clark! Where are you going?" Diana called out worriedly
Diana looked down at Lois's still form and felt a small stream of tears come down her face "I'm sorry we couldn't save you in time Lois…"
Diana than looked up into the ash filled sky with a sense of foreboding in her 'This era of heroes and peace may be finally coming to an end… Peter… please stay safe'
…
Spider-man stood in the corner with his arms crossed over his white spider symbol as Batman questioned the Joker
Batman leaned forward into the Joker's face and growled out "Why?"
The Joker was quite for a moment as he idly looked around the interrogation room with no emotion on his face. He then turned his attention back towards Batman and quirked an eyebrow at him "Why? Do you really need a reason when it comes to me? Heh, Bat's we've been playing this game long enough to know that I rarely need a reason to do the things that I do. I just…do"
The Joker than leaned back in his chair and shrugged "But if you're so desperate for a reason well… it's probably the same reason why I beat that cute little puppy to death last week with a small kitten that I found"
'Jesus Christ, this guy is every bit as fucked up as Cletus is and that was before he became Carnage' Peter thought as the Joker continued on
"You see fellas when the howling and the meowing stops, your left with this mess of fur, bones, blood and well… you just can't beat that warm glowing feeling inside" Joker said in a fond tone
Batman than grabbed the Joker and held him up "This has always been about us! Why did you team up with Octavius and go after Superman?"
The Joker seemed to think on the answer before shrugging which was a bit difficult for him in his current position "Well you see, every time you and I play I end up losing and usually in a body cast. Well except that one time with Robin 2.0 and poor little Barbara Gordon though to be honest that last one was more aimed at old Jim-bo than you…"
Peter watched Batman tense at the mentioning of his second partner that was from what he's gathered killed before returning as the Red Hood and the daughter of the Police commissioner that they handed Harley off to earlier so she can be transported to Arkham
"So I got bored and decided to try playing this game on easy mode and see how it would go" Joker said with a smirk as he patted Batman's wrist "And so far, I'm loving it!"
"You mean to tell me" Spider-man said pushing himself off the wall and approaching the Joker "That you nuked an entire city, tricked Superman into killing an innocent pregnant woman… all because you got tired of being beaten by Batman?"
"Well yeah, but to be honest the big blue boy scout wasn't even my original choice Spidey! No you can thank Otto for that" Joker said with a smirk "I was originally planning to mess with the Teen Titans but that octopus was very convincing, and told me that I should switch focus to something with a much more interesting outcome"
"What do you mean?" Batman questioned as he shoved the Joker back into his chair
The Joker huffed as he brushed his shoulders "Manners seem to be in short supply now a days. Especially amongst you hero types"
Spider-man slammed his fist on to the table, causing it to dent "Talk clown or so help me I'll rip your face off!"
Joker paused and looked at the dent in the table before slowly raising his eyes to the wall crawler and smirked "…You see, the good doctor approached me before I set out to go and play with the Justice League daycare center and revealed to me something rather interesting and after telling me the plan he had in mind with some adjustments made by me, I couldn't resist"
"What did Octavius reveal to you Joker" Batman demanded
The Joker looked at the two men before him before he began to chuckle "My dear Batsy… don't you find it odd that of all of the people that me and Otto could have kidnapped and done this to it was Lois Lane that we chose… especially now of all time?"
Spider-man and Batman stared at the man in tense silence as he started to chuckle again "Superman wasn't the only one that the dear doctor figured out, he had one on each of you too and he was kind of enough to show me! And just to show that I'm not lying…"
The Joker leaned forward on the dented table and pointed a finger to Peter and smiled cruelly "Diana Parker…" then to Batman "Alfred Pennyworth…"
Peter's blood ran cold at the mentioning of his wife's name and out of the corner of his vision he could see Batman tense to the point he looked as still as a statue at the mentioning of the other individual's name. The Joker laughed at their reactions
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Batman was still for a moment before he grabbed the Joker by the neck and lifted him up and glared into the man's eyes. The Joker stopped and gave Batman a curious look
"It's interesting to see how people will react when they experience one bad day isn't it? I mean look at you, you lost your parents, your second son and you ended up becoming a ball of punching, kicking and angst. Spidey here, well I can tell he's reaching his limit even if he won't admit it. I mean losing two sets of parents, a girlfriend or two and possibly a child with one of them…" the Joker trailed off with a shrug "If when he was in that black suit of his is anything to go on, he'll turn into something that even will have you pale in fear Batsy!"
The Joker chuckled a bit before he continued "Now imagine if someone like Superman had one bad day. What do you think someone like him will become? He's a God that tried to delude himself into thinking he's nothing more than a man with a humble upbringing. I wonder what he'll turn into… demon comes to mind to be honest"
"There are some things even you can't corrupt Joker" Batman said confidently but even Peter and no doubt the Joker could see the faintest flickers of doubt in his eyes
"Heh, oh Batsy your so adorable with that misguided faith in the goodness of humanity. But let me let you in on a little secret" The joker leaned into the caped crusader as best he could "Superman isn't human…"
"Superman is stronger than you give him credit for Joker!" Batman said with his eyes narrowing the doubt fading a bit "He will grieve, but he will stay one of the best men that I've ever known"
Peter began to feel his spider-sense begin to tingle ever so slightly. His body tensed at the feeling as he began to look around
'What the hell is going on?' Peter thought worriedly as a dark pit formed in his stomach
"No Bats… I think it's going to be a whole lot funnier than that" Joker said with a knowing smile and a hint of finality in his voice
Peter felt his spider-sense flare to the point that he almost winced in pain. He turned to Batman "We got tr-"
KOOOM!
Suddenly the wall exploded and Peter just barley dodged the shower of concrete and steel sent flying towards him by sticking to the ceiling. What he saw caused his heart to skip a beat
There standing in the whole in the wall was Superman with a dark glare on his face as he started at the Joker and Batman.
'No no no no no no' Peter mentally shouted as he dropped in front of Superman and held out an arm "Look Superman lets ju-"
Peter in the blink on an eye felt a slight pain in his chest as he found himself crashing through the one way viewing glass and through the wall and land on a startled officers desk. Peter let out a groan of pain as he felt the computer monitor's glass and the interrogation room's dig into his back
"Okay oww" Peter groaned out as he tried to stand and raised his head in time to see Superman pull his hand back while he held the still smirking Joker in his hand
"Superman don't!" Batman yelled
The Joker looked at Superman with a dark smile on his pale face as he began to laugh manically
"HEHEHEHEHE-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Superman than to both Peter and Batman's horror plunged his hand into the Joker's chest
And done