Hold On To Me By: Jade O'Neal

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. They belong to other people. Spoilers: "Wild Card" Rating: PG-13

Notes: Thanks for all the reviews. You all make me feel so happy! I'm glad that you like my work, and I appreciate all the comments. Keep 'em coming. You make me smile.

PS: If you're into HG/GL BM/CW or BM/WW stuff, check out my other fics. Coming soon, a Batgirl and Flash story featuring: Poison Ivy... HA HA HA

~*~

CH 4: ACTION, MISS KITTY

"Wakey, wakey Kitten," Joker's voice said as Catwoman slowly opened her eyes.

Her head was throbbing, and the room was spinning. She wanted to vomit.

"You have to wake up if you want to be on television," he cackled and ran his fingers over her exposed cheek.

She quickly pulled away. "TV?"

"That's right, puss-puss. You're going to be on TV."

"What is with you and television anyway?" she criticized, glaring at him. "What's your plan this time? You tried to televise Batman's demise with an electric chair, and that ended badly."

"Complements of Catwoman," he muttered.

"You wanted the audience to go mad when you had the Justice League search for those bombs in Vegas."

"You have to admit, that was entertaining."

"Now what?"

His devilish grin spread across his red lips. "Do you really want to know?"

She didn't respond.

"Not only do you get to be on TV, but you get to watch them all die one by one as well."

"You're sick."

"Thanks."

~*~

"So all three of them simply vanished?" Diana asked Superman. He had just told them that Batman's sidekicks were all missing.

"Pretty much."

"And he has no idea where they went or who took them?" Flash wrinkled his forehead. "Some detective Bats is. I'm beginning to think he's overrated."

GL shook his head. "They're well-trained kids, and he really didn't need to watch over them. Batman just let his guard down."

"J'onn, do you think you could reach them telepathically?" Flash questioned the Martian.

"They need to reach out to me. I have never met them, so I do not know whom I am attempting to contact," he answered desolately.

Wonder Woman stood from her seat and thought out loud. "Doesn't Batman use tracking devices."

"He does." Superman looked up at Diana. "Whoever kidnapped the kids destroyed Batgirl's utility belt and left Robin's in the water. We found his."

"And what about Nightwing?" Green Lantern reminded.

"He works on his own, but we think he was taken too."

Flash scratched his head. "Why, Supes?"

"Batman saw Poison Ivy in that news report about Croc; she was watching Nightwing."

"Oh. I met her in that other dimension with the crazy Justice Lords... She didn't seem that bad." When he received quizzical stares that he couldn't read, he added, "Didn't Joker break out of Arkham too?"

Lantern decided to leave the conversation and stood from his seat. He exited the room and passed the Caped Crusader in the hall.

"Batman."

"Lantern."

GL turned to ask the Gothamite a question. "Hey, do you know where Hawkgirl is?"

Batman slightly nodded as he continued to walk toward the kitchen. "She's in the television room, watching the news."

"Thanks." John made his way to where Hawkgirl was and lightly knocked on the door to get her attention. When he did, he walked inside. Instantly, he watched her lower her eyes.

Something was terribly wrong, so he sat down beside her.

"We need to talk, Shy." When she didn't say anything, he asked, "Why did you leave so abruptly this morning? You didn't even wake me to say goodbye."

"Let's just forget about it. We had some laughs. Let's leave it at that, John," she recommended miserably. The light that he had always seen in her gorgeous eyes had somehow diminished, and he couldn't help but wonder if he had put it out.

"No. I'm not going to just leave it like that. What we had last night wasn't just some one night stand." GL shifted his body so he could face her.

Tears welled in her eyes as she asked, "Then what was it?"

"Something much more, otherwise you wouldn't be crying." He took her hand in his own, but she ripped away from his grip. Suddenly, John got irritated. "You know, you really have to work on your attitude."

"My attitude? Are you serious?" She stood from the couch and crossed her arms over her chest. "What about yours?"

"Mine?" He stood as well. "I'm the one being honest. You won't even admit your feelings let alone talk to me."

"We don't fit, John! Look at us! Human. Thanagarian. We can't –"

"Shut up."

Her jaw dropped. "What did you say?"

"You heard me. You need someone to knock some sense into your thick head." Before she could react with a blistering reply, he shouted, "There!"

Hawkgirl closed her mouth and raised an eyebrow.

"Anger. That's real, like we are. Don't you see?" He gently caressed her face and witnessed her tears give way. Lantern needed to get her to snap out of whatever she was feeling.

He knew it too.

She leaned into his hand and placed hers atop it. Hawkgirl didn't want him to forget about her anymore than she wanted to forget about him. GL could see it on her face.

"Don't look at me like that," she pleaded quietly and once again moved her eyes to the floor.

"Like what?"

"Like you love me."

"Why not?" he softly questioned and lifted her chin with his index finger.

She explained, "Because when you love someone you're willing to die for that person... The thought of you giving your life to save mine scares me to death."

He could feel his own eyes getting watery. "Is this what it's all about? You can't change how I feel or how I'd react. You've known for a long time that I'd die for you."

She shook her head. "That's just the tip of the iceberg."

"Then give me the whole damn chunk."

"I want to, but I..." Her voice trailed off, and she whirled around to face the television. GL did the same.

A maniac was on the screen.

"Hello boys and girls. It's your old friend, Uncle Joker, and I have some very exciting news. First, I want to give a special shout out to Batman and the rest of the Justice League. I really hope you're watching."

"Holy shit," Lantern muttered.

Hawkgirl reacted differently.

"Batman," she said into her com-link. "You've got to get down here."

~*~

The Green Lantern thanked him and headed in the other direction. Batman kept on his path to the kitchen and snatched an energy drink from the fridge.

"Good. Now we can have a team meeting," Flash told the others.

"Lantern and Hawkgirl aren't here," Diana reminded with a puzzled expression on her striking face.

He nodded. "I know. We need to have a discussion about those two."

"I think there are some things best kept private," Batman interjected with a glare in the kid's direction.

Flash overlooked it. "Am I the only one noticing that they've been acting weird lately?" When no one responded, he rolled his eyes. "You guys must be blind if you don't see it."

"See what, Flash?" Diana questioned sternly.

"Has anyone figured out that they've hooked up?"

Both Batman and J'onn shook their heads in disbelief.

*Hawkgirl didn't want us to know,* Batman thought loudly in his head.

*I know,* J'onn replied.

Superman scolded Flash, "Maybe they wanted to keep it private."

"C'mon. GL's my man. He would've said something sooner... or later."

Diana narrowed her blue eyes. "You mean he didn't tell you himself?"

"Well, not exactly."

"They why are we even conversing about this. It is their own personal matter." The princess left the room with an angered posture. Sure enough, everyone but Flash did the same.

"Batman," Superman called as he pulled the Dark Knight aside. "I told the others about your team."

"Did I ask you to?"

"Well, no. I just figured –"

"That I needed help?"

Superman's face grew solemn. Batman had caught him.

"I'm fully capable of taking care of myself and them."

"Bruce –"

Batman raised a hand to silence Superman when he heard Hawkgirl's voice over his com-link.

"What is it, Hawkgirl?" he asked.

"It's Joker. He's on the television... again."

~*~

Hawkgirl glanced at Batman and then back at the TV screen. The detective had no sign of emotion on his face, and that worried her. She knew he had to be feeling something.

"Batman? Are you watching? I hope I didn't interrupt you while you washed your tights." Joker cackled. "Anywhoo, how's the gang? Are they all with you?"

She moved her eyes to look at John and Superman. They shared the same look of aggravation on their faces.

"Enough about The Justice League. How are the kids, Batsy?"

Still, Batman's expression hadn't changed.

"You have no clue, do you? Well, they're alive, for now. The funny thing is that their lives lie in your hands, but why don't I just show you? Let's send if over to Harley. Harl?"

The screen switched to show Harley Quinn behind a control desk.

"Hey, Mr. J! I'm here watching over Batman's junior partners. They're located at three discreet locations, awaiting their bleak fates." She smiled. "Before I reveal the locations of these so-called 'heroes,' let's inform Bats of the rules."

"Rules?" Hawkgirl mumbled to herself.

"That's right," Harley answered unpredictably. "Rules that need to be followed or they die. Rule one: only two people can team up for a rescue at a time, but the rescues can occur simultaneously. Rule number two: we call the shots. We don't care if they're dead. So, if you break a rule or piss us off, all three will go to meet their maker. Finally, rule three: there's a time limit, so don't go over."

Hawkgirl hated stupid regulations and hated the fact that Joker had leverage over them. He was crazy enough to kill them all without hesitation.

After all, he had killed John once...

Joker's face appeared on the screen again. "Wow. Sounds like The JL needs to watch every step they take."

"That's right, Mr. J," Harley told when her face covered the monitor. "But let's go see how the youngest sidekick is going to suffer."

Robin was tied to a table and a nasty-looking blade hung over his head.

He was strapped a guillotine. It looked like a scene straight from the history textbooks.

Suddenly, the blade moved.

"As you can see, the extremely sharp and very large knife lowers two inches every minute. It sits ten feet above Robin's tiny neck. Have you already done the math, Batman? That's one whole hour. I'd be shakin' in my little bat-boots right about now."

Hawkgirl looked at Batman. His teeth were clenched.

"In another part of town, Batgirl is awaiting her watery grave to fill."

The shot changed to Batgirl standing in a clear, hollow tube of glass. As it loaded with water, she punched the walls that surrounded her. She just wasn't strong enough.

"Isn't she cute when she struggles?"

Batman was breathing loudly now.

Batgirl tried to climb the eight-foot cylinder by stretching her legs to wedge herself against the sides; this way, she wouldn't fall. She then pulled something from her hair: a hairpin.

"Takes after her boss," Hawkgirl remarked.

The girl continued up the container and tried to pick at the opening. Nothing came of it.

"She also has an hour, Batman," Harley confirmed.

The scenery altered. Nightwing was bound to a chair, slipping in and out of consciousness. He had been beaten pretty badly. His jaw was bruised, and he hung his head to the side.

Harley's voice then stated that he sat on a bomb, set to blow in fifty-four minutes.

Batman crossed his arms over his strong chest.

"And now, Mr. J has a surprise for you, Bats! Puddin'?"

Joker screeched with delight. "We've got the surrogate son, the daughter, and the younger brother. But where is the woman of the house? I thought long and hard and decided to track down the next best thing. Guess where I found her?"

The clown walked over to where a female was tied to a chair. She wore a cat suit and looked slightly dazed. He touched her face, and she tried to pull away from his hold.

"It's your old feline companion, Catwoman. Doesn't Selina look radiant this evening?" The camera zoomed in on Selina's masked face as Joker said, "When are you going to find them? You've got fifty minutes. You best get a move –"

Batman let out a cry and punched the screen with his gloved fist.

Joker had finally gotten to him.

Instinctively, Hawkgirl raced to Batman's side to take a look at his hand. He was enraged, and she knew she had to keep him calm.

Hawkgirl turned to face Lantern and asked, "Could you two gather the others?"

They both nodded, but Superman flew out of the room alone. John waited a second so he could make eye contact with Shayera.

At that moment, she realized that even without words John could stabilize her thoughts. He was a rock, and maybe he was her rock. She sent him a quick smile, and he returned one before following the Man of Steel.

Hawkgirl gently touched Batman's hand to see if he had cut it, but he roughly tore away from her. His teeth were still clenched and his eyes still slanted, but he had cooled down.

"You have to pull yourself together. You're the only one who knows how Joker thinks."

He kept silent, and his eyes were gazing past her.

"Are you listening to –?"

He interrupted, "We have fifty minutes. We'll have to split up."

~*~

Batman watched the others from his seat on the Javelin. They were all keenly listening for his plan.

"So where do we start?" Superman asked from the driver's seat. He was the only one who dared to speak.

"You heard Joker," Batman answered. "Two per captive. I caught a glimpse of their surroundings. They're all in Gotham."

"I guess it's a good thing that you're an observant little bat," Flash remarked from the back of the ship.

"J'onn, I want you to stay with the Javelin so you can treat them when they're found."

"Understood," the Martian responded from his front seat.

"Robin's in the warehouse district by the docks. Joker had a few hideouts there a couple of years ago. Green Lantern and Diana, I want you to check those places. Here." He handed Diana a list of addresses.

"We were there yesterday," Superman reminded. "Why didn't I see him then?"

"Because they had been moved to their locations within the past three hours. I have a feeling that Joker isn't alone in this." Batman turned to Hawkgirl. "You and Flash head to the rainforest exhibit of the Gotham Zoo. Batgirl's being held there."

"Any suggestions?" Hawkgirl asked.

"Watch out for swinging vines. I still feel that Poison Ivy is involved."

Flash raised an eyebrow. "You sound pretty sure. Ivy got a thing for the clown or something?"

"No," Batman snapped. "She hates him, but she's close to Quinn."

"And they all hate you," GL added.

Superman spoke again. "What about Nightwing?"

"I have to disarm the bomb, and I'll need you to get me there. I don't have time to get to the Batwing." Batman looked away from the others and out the window.

Diana then questioned, "Isn't Catwoman being held captive as well?"

"She'll be safe for now," Batman assured. "Joker will save her for last."

Five minutes later, they landed the Javelin-7 in Gotham City. The Justice League had forty minutes to save the people Batman cared for the most...

~*~

Lantern landed beside Wonder Woman and shook his head. The two buildings he had searched had been empty.

"Same here. We're left with the fifth warehouse," she told.

"Why is it always the last building we check out?" GL questioned, not expecting a reply. He followed the princess inside the old, abandoned warehouse. When they entered, the door slammed shut behind them. The room was pitch black, so Lantern used his ring as a flashlight.

"Riddle me this. Riddle me that," a voice said from the shadows. "Who was sent here by the big, black bat?"

John narrowed his eyes and continued to explore the darkness with the help of his ring.

"Show yourself, coward," Diana ordered heatedly.

"Did you hear that, Harvey? The little lady has challenged us," the same voice remarked.

Another, much deeper voice laughed. "Maybe we should take that challenge."

"What does your coin say?"

"Hit the lights. I can't see a damn thing."

Suddenly, the entire room was lit, and GL had to wait for his eyes to adjust. When they did, he realized that gunmen surrounded him and Diana, and Robin lied on the opposite end of the warehouse.

~*~

"So, what do you think?" Flash asked Hawkgirl. They stood just outside the rainforest exhibit of the zoo.

"I think they know we're coming, so we might as well just walk through the front door," she responded.

He shook his head. "No. Not that. I was talking about GL."

Hawkgirl glared at Flash. "What about him?" she snapped.

"Well, he really cares for you, Hawkgirl, and I don't think you should push that aside."

"Who said I was... Wait. Did he tell you anything?"

"No. He didn't say a word."

Her jaw dropped. "Batman told you?"

His did the same. "You told Batman?"

She rolled her eyes and headed for the exhibit's doors. Without being cautious, she opened them and stepped inside. Flash raced to join her.

"You want me to go first and recon?"

"They want us to split up," she explained. "We'd be easier to kill that way."

"Hey. Look." The Flash pointed to one of the poisonous snakes behind the glass. "That's a boa."

"Eh. Let's keep away from the –"

"Look out!" Flash warned and quickly knocked her away from where she had stood. At that same moment, something large whizzed by his shoulder, grazing it.

They both looked up to see what it had been. It was an umbrella that stuck to the wall behind them.

"Who throws an umbrella? Honestly?"

"Do you really want an answer?" she asked Flash and then moved her eyes to the man who had thrown it.

The Penguin stood before them, holding another umbrella, which was aimed at her head.

"Oh my dear," he cackled. "Feathers will fly."

~*~

"How'd you know it was the basement of the Gotham Hotel?" Superman asked as they raced down the stairs and to the cellar.

"I've been to more banquets here than in my own house," Batman shared. "I know this place from top to bottom." He glanced across the room and spotted the bruised Nightwing sitting on top of the bomb.

Batman sped to his side and bent down to examine the bomb under the seat.

"Be careful," Nightwing's groggy voice urged. "It's big enough to blow the hotel and the entire city block."

"You've got thirty minutes to evacuate the hotel, Superman," Batman told calmly.

Before he could go, he was knocked aside a large amount of what looked like mud. It was Clayface. The mass of sludge turned to face his nemesis and smiled, forgetting about Superman.

"Since when do you team up with the Joker?" The Dark Knight stood and pulled out an electric baterang. "I thought you disliked loons like him."

"You forget that I hate you more."

"Let me guess. He's not even paying you anything."

Clayface laughed. "That doesn't matter to me, Batman. I just want you dead."

"What if I do something?"

"What can you do?"

Suddenly, and on cue, Superman plowed into Clayface, sending him through the wall and into the next room.

"That," Batman answered to no one and turned to face his former partner again. He cut Nightwing out of the seat and started to defuse the bomb.

"I'm going to find Barbara," Nightwing stated.

"Hawkgirl and Flash are there." He then ordered, "Get out of here."

The kid shook his head. "Then I won't leave you."

"You're not even steady on your feet." Batman cut the green wire first and followed with the blue. The clock was still running, and he had both a red and a yellow wire remaining. If he picked the incorrect wire, the whole block would be a crater.

Superman flew across the room and into another brick wall, leaving an imprint of himself behind. He had been weakened somehow, and the answer walked through the hole in the wall. With Clayface trailing behind, Lex Luther strolled in with a glowing, green rock in his hand.

Nightwing's eyes grew wide with terror. "I thought you said you had the Kryptonite!"

"I don't know where he got that one." Batman returned his focus to the bomb. "Shit."

~*~

Joker laughed and clapped his hands when he saw Lex pull out that rock.

Catwoman rolled her eyes in disgust. "Amused, Bozo?"

"Perfectly," he replied and slid away from the TV. "Popcorn?" he offered and held out the bag for her. When she just glared at him, he said, "Jeez. You're just like him. You're no fun at all."

She ignored the comment. "You're killing Superman."

"I know. Isn't it great?" He crowed again.

"You sick bastard," she labeled.

"Look out, Sherlock. Catwoman is well on her way." Joker laughed even harder. "You don't really believe that they'll get to you, do you? Superman's weakening, Batman's confused, the Flash and Hawk are cornered, and the Lantern and Wonder Woman are surrounded. It's over."

She closed her eyes. She couldn't die like that. Batman wouldn't let her die like that. She knew he would come for her.

He'd come for Selina.

~*~

We're rolling right along...