Bruce looked at the rock ledge about seven feet from where he was currently hanging. "Don't do it, Bruce!" he heard his friend, Harvey, call from below. "You'll never make it!"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Harvs!" Bruce shouted back with a smirk.

"I'm serious, Bruce. I don't want to have to call Alfred and let him know his foster son fell to his death over a stupid dare!"

"A fall from this height wouldn't kill me, Harvey," Bruce stated with an eye roll.

"I'm serious, Bruce. Come back down here so we can climb down the rest of this mountain and rejoin your billionaire buddies."

"I knew you only hung out with me for my money," Bruce laughed heartily.

"Well, it's not for your personality," Harvey placed his hands on his hips.

"I'll be down in a sec."

"You're lucky we don't have cell phone service this high up or else I would have already called Alfred."

"Shut up and let me concentrate!" Bruce shouted.

"Unbelievable," Bruce heard Harvey mutter. Bruce ignored him, his gaze on the rocky ledge. He could make that jump easy. He was Batman. He'd done this hundreds of times in the cave. Grant it, he was usually harnessed…or wearing a utility belt. But he wasn't Batman right now. He was Bruce Wayne. Bruce Wayne - Gotham's very own multi-billionaire, arrogant, playboy. And Bruce Wayne, being the arrogant and stubborn playboy that he is, left all of his climbing gear, including his helmet, with Harvey; who was standing on a nice sturdy ledge about 13 feet below playboy Bruce. Bruce inhaled deeply, then exhaled. He needed to remain calm and clear headed, as he had an important decision to make. Miss the jump, thus keeping the image of stupid, arrogant, stubborn playboy; or make the jump with the image of a stupid, arrogant, stubborn, lucky playboy. Decisions, decisions. "What's taking you so long?" Harvey asked.

"I'm trying to concentrate!" Bruce replied.

"Well, concentrate faster."

"Shut up!"

"If you die," Harvey asked, "can I have your Porsche?"

"Harvey!" Bruce exclaimed.

"It's a really nice Porsche," Harvey continued.

"I'm not gonna die!"

"Hurry up, or I'm leaving you!"

"Okay! Okay!" Bruce said. Harvey exhaled loudly in exasperation. Lucky billionaire playboy it was. Bruce rocked a couple of times before leaping to the ledge across from him. His hands came in contact with the rocky surface. Yes! He made it. He was only beginning to pull himself up, when he started to slide. "Bruce?" he heard the panic in his friend's voice. Crap! He miscalculated. The ledge looked a lot sturdier than it was. It began to give. He could feel the rocks crumble beneath his fingertips. He was going to die…or get injured really, really badly. Neither appealed to Bruce.

"Bruce!" he heard his friend cry louder. And then, Bruce was falling. "Bruce!" he heard his friend scream his name once more, in horror at the top of his lungs. This was going to hurt.

One second, Bruce was watching his life flash before his eyes; the next he was…soaring? He felt small, strong hands gripping his underarms as he sailed through the air. His brain couldn't register what was happening. His feet touched down on solid ground across from Harvey, whose face was a mixture of relief, fear, and horror. Bruce turned to face his savior. "Shayera?" he muttered in disbelief, his mouth reacting before his brain could. The winged red head looked at him questioningly with her vibrant green eyes as Bruce mentally slapped himself in the face. He had momentarily forgotten that she was the one founding leaguer who didn't know his identity as Batman. Well…ex-leaguer. "Are you okay?" she asked in her beautiful, husky voice.

"Yeah," Bruce replied, his blue eyes boring into her green ones.

"Are you sure?" she asked once more, not put off by his probing stare at all.

"I am. Thank you." She looked at him, at Harvey, and then at the ground where his climbing equipment lay. "You guys got it from here?" she asked, giving them a look that made Bruce feel like an idiot. Bruce turned to look at Harvey who just staring stupidly with his mouth agape. "We'll be fine," Bruce said, looking back at the woman formerly known as Hawkgirl. "Thank you, again," Bruce smiled hi billion-dollar smile.

She didn't blush or giggle. Her lips didn't quirk. The only reaction Bruce received was a stiff nod in acknowledgement from the female Thanagarian before she took flight. Bruce followed her with his eyes long after she was out of sight. "Dude," his friend said running to him. "Do you know who that was?" Bruce stared at the place Shayera had been standing seconds ago. "That was one of those bird people. I thought the Justice League kicked all of them off of this planet."

"I guess they didn't get all of them," Bruce spoke slowly as he began to put his helmet back on. The gears in his head were beginning to turn. "Is there someone we should call to, you know, report it or something?" Harvey asked worriedly.

"Why?" Bruce asked as he readjusted his carabiner. "She's not hurting anyone. And she saved my life. Maybe she's not one of the dangerous ones. Not all of the bird people were evil. And Hawkgirl did end up saving Earth in the end." Harvey seemed to ponder this. "Dude," Harvey said to Bruce, "what if that was Hawkgirl. How cool would that be? Man, I should have asked for a picture." Bruce chuckled at his friend, checking to make sure all of his straps and ropes were secure. "You ready?" he asked Harvey before beginning their descent.

"Can't wait to tell your rich friends," Harvey beamed. "I came face-to-face with a Hawk."


Shayera landed at the entrance of the dark cave she had been calling home for the past three months. It was dreary and moist. The only thing it had was a fireplace she only lit when it was unbearably cold…which was often. Her wings only did so much.

She began to rub her arms. It wasn't the wind chill that was causing her to tremble. It was the blue-eyed man she saved. The one who knew her name. His companion might not have heard him, but she heard him clearly. Shayera. It was strange. She hadn't heard her birth name in a long time. Hearing it spoken aloud for the first time in a couple of years…How had he known her name? His voice sounded a little familiar, but she couldn't place his face. Maybe she had personally betrayed him in the invasion. But…no, fear was not evident on his face when he looked at her. Shock? Yes. Recognition? Again, yes. But how? Hardly anyone knew she was still on Earth. The only people who knew were people from the small villages she sometimes visited. But they were so far removed from society…they were the only people who were kind to her. Maybe because they didn't feel the full brunt of the Thanagarian invasion.

Still, other than the very few rescues she performed here and there; she had no contact with anyone. Ever. She was alone in her solitude. She liked it. She preferred it.

Shayera moved further into the cave and sat on the hard, cold, damp floor. She brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her wings around her body, affectively cocooning herself. She was so pathetic and tired. When would it all end?