CH11: Viaduct

The Dark Knight's mind was flooded with conflicting thoughts as he used his grapple to descend into the alleyway. His cape shrouded him completely as he calmly stuck to the shadows looking for evidence of the escaped criminals from Arkham.

The multitasking in his mind was tediously overworking itself as he did his detective work and debated whether leaving Diana the five digit code was the wisest decision. Practically speaking he wanted to keep some distance between them to let the feelings simmer down a bit. But the emotional side of him which resurfaced during the whole ordeal craved for her to visit occasionally.

The Dark Knight traced with his fingers several claw marks that were along the brick wall and pavement near some abandoned cars. He saw them make their way from his position to the darkest part of the alley where even his keen sight had trouble adjusting to. From the blackness came a deep growl and the ground began to shake as the perpetrator charged with the force of a locomotive.

Batman's eyes widened as a massive reptile humanoid quickly cut the distance between them and made a swipe for his torso. Only a wedge of his cape was lost as he nimbly jumped onto the lizard's shoulders getting him in a headlock. He used all his body weight to flip him onto the ground shattering the pavement.

As he backed away to get his bearings he heard a faint hum from above that proceeded to get louder as it closed in. The alley lit up brightly as flames poured out from the sky and incinerated the ground Batman was previously atop. His costume was designed to be fire resistant but it couldn't take such heat head on. Thus a portion of his cape was caught in the blast leaving it singed and smelling of soot.

Batman watched the villain descend until he was next to Killer Croc who had just gotten back up. He wore a silver fireproof suit equipped with wings which allowed him to levitate at will. Strapped to his thigh was a holster for the flamethrower he carried which complimented the blood red eyes his mask had.

'Firefly.' Batman thought. "Where are the rest of the inmates?"

"Who cares. They ran like scared rabbits the moment we got out."

"They were the smart ones."

"Hey, it's not so bad for me and Croc. After all, having fried bat the day after Christmas is a good enough present for me."

Batman ducked behind the abandoned cars as Firefly unleashed another blast. The wind from the impact was hot against his skin and he knew staying behind the makeshift barrier would eventually be detrimental.

The blaze subsided but the relief was short-lived as Killer Croc lifted up one of the vehicles Batman was using for cover. He darted between the lizard's legs and threw a mini-mine at the gas tank on the underbody of the car.

(BOOM)

The explosion sent Croc tumbling down the alley as Batman dodged the large shrapnel pieces that were dispersing everywhere. He pulled out his grapple gun and shot it at Firefly who was in midflight hoping to avoid the chaos below. The steel cable wrapped around his legs but the Dark Knight's weight wasn't enough to bring down the insect.

"You serious? You know I could take you up to the upper stratosphere if I wanted to. In fact…"

Firefly ascended to the skies with Batman in tow but didn't make it far as the taser function in his grapple activated. The electricity coursing through his body made him flash in intervals like… a firefly. His flight controls were shot and he plummeted back to earth crashing into the remaining car in the alley thus breaking his fall.

Batman calmly glided back down to ground level and prepared himself to deal with a severely pissed off Killer Croc. The lizard smelled of gasoline and oil but only sustained minor injuries from the shrapnel due to his tough scales. Batman equipped the same electric brass knuckles he had used during the White Martian invasion and waited for Croc to make the first move.

The lizard tried to flat out bite Batman's head off but was much too slow for such a tactic. He instead got socked in the jaw and growled in discomfort as electricity discharged throughout his body. Batman followed up with several punches to his chest each crackling like fireworks before backflipping, inherently kicking the assailant in the throat.

Croc tried to regain his footing but his posture was sluggish and the electrical discharges were taking their toll. He tried to grab Batman in a hug-like lunge but was only greeted with empty space as he was socked on the ribs from the side.

Several more blows to his mid-section and torso were unleashed before Batman finished him off with an uppercut. Killer Croc flew backwards and landed on the ground sprawled out like a lizard skin rug.

'Two down…' Batman flashed back to his teamwork with Diana against Bane and wondered how much faster he could round up his adversaries with help. 'Who knows how many more to go.'

Lost in thought Batman didn't notice Firefly pull the trigger one last time on his flamethrower with him in the crosshairs. From the imploded car off to the side an inferno was about to consume the Dark Knight as he wrapped himself in his cape best he could before the inevitable roasting. Surprisingly the heat alleviated itself and was replaced with a cool breeze. Batman peeked and saw the Man of Steel himself using his super breath to blow out the flames and consequently encase Firefly in ice. Both villains were now down for the count.

Batman couldn't believe how sloppy he was. It was a stupid oversight that could have put him in recovery for months.

"Idiot!" The Dark Knight yelled.

"Excuse me?" Superman crossed his arms and gave his best friend a peeved look.

"No not you." He pulled out a communicator and alerted the police to their whereabouts. "I was handling things just fine."

"You're welcome." He smirked.

…

Back at the watchtower Batman practically stormed over to the main monitor and began looking up the precise number of Arkham inmates that broke out, doing his best to ignore a concerned Superman.

"You all right Bruce? It's not like you to be that sloppy."

Yea, sloppy. The mere thought of such a thing infuriated him beyond reproach. Bruce knew this was going to happen. His mind was elsewhere during battle and it nearly cost him. Diana really was affecting his ability to focus. The blame wasn't completely hers though. Having sealed off his emotions for so long he wasn't sure how to handle the overall affections. But it was indisputable that the emotions she ignited were clearly bleeding their way into other compartmentalized parts of his life.

Superman took the cold shoulder as a hint to drop the subject and instead brought up another one.

"So, how was monitor duty the last two days?"

"Uneventful." He obviously lied. His best friend saw right through it.

"Do uneventful holidays often result in bruising and fractured bones?"

"Goddammit Clark, that X-ray vision of yours will get you in trouble one day." Batman furiously typed.

"Oh it already has." He laughed sheepishly remembering a certain date with Lois not too long ago. "It's strange though, the bruises' source of trauma are not all consistent. The one in your mid section for instance…"

Batman's eyes widened in embarrassment remembering Diana riding him like a horse back at his place.

"Did Solomon Grundy accidentally sit on you or something?"

Batman grit his teeth as he felt his face turn into the color of Superman's cape.

"All right you know what? I need to focus and I can't do that with you asking me stupid questions every five seconds! Quit being so nosy!"

Batman's weird behavior worried the Man of Steel. He figured something out of the ordinary happened over the holidays.

He learned against the desk and crossed his arms in non-threatening manner. "You know you can tell me anything right Bruce?"

The dam that usually kept his emotions at bay was overflowing into the other aqueducts that were usually bone dry. A caring conscience was starting to contribute to his mindset, factoring in Diana's feelings when it came to his usual life of solidarity. What if he did let her in permanently? The subjective experiences he has had subconsciously made him make these guidelines which if followed would minimize danger to him and those close to him. Right? At the cost of ending up alone, was it worth it?

"How do you and Lois make it work?" Bruce asked sincerely.

"You mean besides the fact that we like each other?"

"The clear and present danger that comes with wearing that cape. Aren't you worried that's going to get her hurt one day?"

Clark thought about it. "There's always an inherent risk with heroes seeing other heroes or even normal folk. It's part of the job."

"Exactly. What if the job one day gets Lois…"

Clark managed to see the concern on Bruce's face even with his cowl on. But it wasn't concern for his relationship. Slowly he began putting the pieces together.

"You're seeing someone aren't you?"

"That is not the subject we are on."

"Something happened over the holidays with someone special and you're afraid to commit aren't you?"

Clark managed to earn a signature bat-glare, pure indication that he was right on the money.

"You dated Lois for a bit when we fist met, remember? Didn't you stop to think what danger you would introduce to her life? Or was your rationale clouded with hormones back then?"

"I was more ignorant before. Things happen and people change as a result…"

Clark wondered if Bruce's changed view on having a relationship on the side of crime fighting was a result of losing several of his close partners. "Barbara? Tim?"

Bruce just stared into space.

"It's true, people change. But unfortunately the inherent danger doesn't. There's always risk. The trick is doing your best to prepare for it."

Cocking an eyebrow the billionaire made his point. "How many times has Lois been kidnapped?"

Superman rubbed the back of his neck humiliated. "To be fair, she is a reporter. It's kind of her job to go look for danger." He cleared his throat. "But how many times have I brought her back safely? You can prepare for the danger, but you also have to be willing to face it should it come to pass."

Batman uneasily kept glancing to his right and Superman followed his line of sight spotting the present Diana brought on Christmas Eve. It was still sitting on the table standing out like a sore thumb with its atrocious yellow wrapping.

"What's that?"

"Nothing."

In a flash Clark was holding the gift and reading the tag on it.

To: Bruce

From: Diana

Bruce glared daggers as Clark cockily turned to face him again with the smuggest look on his face. It was as if a child was able to reach the cookie jar on top of the fridge, ate all the cookies, and didn't get caught earning him bragging rights.

"So, you and Diana huh?

"Goddammit…"