Thanks to Patty and Tammy for the beta reads. I hope you all enjoy this part. Char :-)

COURT MARTIAL: Part 17

"Yes. It will. The prosecution has to prove intent. That you intended for Tarantula to kill Blockbuster."

His blue eyes stared at her. His tongue pushed against his teeth as he thought about her statement. "But didn't I?"

Anger flashed across Barbara's green eyes. Taking her pen she feverishly scratched through his name on her legal pad. "You are off the witness list."

"What'd I say?" he asked throwing both hands in the air. He grinned as she glared at him. "No, I'm serious."

"That's what I'm afraid of," she retorted. "I'll tell you what ... why don't you just sit with Ted and John during the trial. If you're so hell bent on helping them, you might as well sit on their bench."

"Babs, look, when Catalina said she could stop him all I had to do was get out of the way. I did. I wanted Blockbuster stopped and I stepped out of the way."

"Stopped doesn't necessarily mean dead."

"Aren't we arguing semantics Babs? Blockbuster was telling me the only way to stop him and save my family was to kill him and that I couldn't kill him. She could and she did. And I stepped out of the way and let her. I could've stopped her. Everyone knows I could've stopped her, but I didn't. Isn't that all they need to prove intent?"

"Were you capable of stopping her on the roof afterwards?" Barbara steepled her fingers as she glared at him.

She might as well have punched him in the gut. Silently, they stared at each other. When he finally found his voice, he growled, "No."

"Well if you couldn't stop her then, what makes you think you could've stopped her earlier?" It was her turn to smile in the face of his glare. "Can't answer that one can you? You're seeing Dr. Midnight in the morning."

"Why?"

"Psychological evaluation."

"I don't need a --"

Barbara pulled her glasses off, thumping the earpiece on the table. "Dick, I'm the attorney. I'll decide what you need for your case. So you just sit back and let me be the attorney. I'm good at it. You just work at being the defendant. You're a little rusty on your part."


"Lawyers!"

Jean looked up from her laptop as John Stewart entered the conference room housing the prosecution team. "Gee, thanks."

"I didn't mean you," he said crossing the room. Dropping his leather satchel on the counter, he poured himself a cup of coffee before joining her at the table. "They actually want to make a deal with Tarantula to testify against Nightwing. Second degree murder. She'd be out in twenty-five," he snorted in disgust.

"I'm not surprised," Jean replied going back to her work.

Ted shook his head. "That's not right. I don't like that. Do they expect us to actually go along with that?"

John shrugged. "I don't like it either."

"It's standard ops for a D.A. to try and work out plea deals. Co-defendants testify against each other every day." Jean pulled her black glasses from her face sticking the tip of the right earpiece in her mouth. "Sometimes that's the only way to get the conviction."

"But what prevents one of them from lying?" Ted asked.

"Supposedly, their oath to tell the truth."

John snorted in disgust. "I don't share the system's faith in that."

"Neither do I," Jean replied. "You know there is a way. Something that would alleviate having to worry about that." She smiled when she saw she had Stewart's undivided attention. "We want to offer Nightwing a deal of our own." She watched as Ted braced himself for Green Lantern's explosive reaction. They were both surprised when it never came.

"What type of deal?" John queried.

Jean handed him a sheet she had typed out earlier ... her proposal. She waited as he studied it and then watched his brow crease as he thought about it, his internal debate playing across his face.

"Well," Ted broached.

"I ... I could live with this," John answered.

Ted smiled and nodded. "I guess the real question is, can Nightwing?"


"Clark," he said simply acknowledging the man's presence. Bruce didn't turn and other than his greeting had made no movements. He simply stared out the large windows in his private quarters at the planet far below them. His hands shoved deep into the pockets of black slacks he wore.

"It's always an amazing sight, isn't it?" Clark asked as he joined his friend at the window.

"Yes."

"You'd rather be down there looking up at the moon though wouldn't you?"

"Yes."

"But your people have Gotham covered," Clark reassured his friend. He tried to not roll his eyes when his only reply was a grunt. "Stewart met with some men from the attorney general's office. They want some assurance that this is going to be a legitimate trial."

"Assurance?"

"They want an observer. I objected. The reason we're holding this trial instead of them is to preserve confidential identity issues."

Bruce nodded. "What did they decide?"

"We agreed that we would allow one observer ... a reporter ... that the JLA would choose. And certain pieces of information would be considered classified and that J'onn would excise those memories from the reporter before he was returned to earth."

"You?"

"Who else?"

"I don't like this."

Clark sighed, his head bent and he studied the floor. He stared so hard, he saw beneath the floor and into the galley on the level below. "I don't either. I ... I brought him here because I thought it would be better than him turning himself in to the Bludhaven police. Lobbied for the Justice League to try him not just to protect your secret, but ... to protect Dick. And now --"

"It's spiraled out of control," Bruce finished, finally turning his gaze from the blue and white orb to his friend.

"Yes," Clark said, frustration emanating from every fiber of his being.

"So you expected the goody-goody's to just pat him on the wrist, say bad Nightwing, sit in the corner before you go home?" a new voice questioned.

Clark spun and watched Selina Kyle emerge from the kitchen, a martini glass in her hand. "You're Catwoman."

She smiled wickedly, tilted her head in Bruce's direction, and said, "He's quick. You should make him an honorary detective."

Bruce rolled his eyes slightly as he moved to join her at the sofa. "Selina is staying with me for the duration of the trial." He sat, taking her hand in his. She curled herself into his body and smiled up at Clark, before gesturing for him to have a seat.

Clark gladly took the seat and looked at the scene before him. If one did not know better, they seemed a perfect example of domestic bliss. The Bat and the Cat. The world was definitely topsy-turvy. "I honestly don't know what I was thinking. I was trying to protect ... Nightwing."

Selina took a sip of her martini as a feral smile crossed her soft features. "Dick," she winked at him.

Clark raised an eyebrow and nodded as Bruce spoke. "The Justice League is supposed to stand for justice and you were trying to help everyone involved ... especially Dick."

"I've been subpoenaed."

"Barbara expected as much. Don't worry about it. Barbara believes that you will be helpful to Dick's case."

Clark nodded. "I'll talk to her in the morning then. Bruce ... the Titans -- "

"I know. I'll speak with them."

"How's Lois? Anyone toss her off a building lately?" Selina said, giving a wicked grin.

Clark's mouth fell open and he gaped out her. "Ms. Lane is fine."

Selina sipped her drink. "Really? Good to know. You know, if I was married to a superhero, I'd at least take his last name," she rested her head on Bruce's arm and gazed up at him. A slight laugh escaped her lips as his body fidgeted beneath her.

"You ..." He turned to Bruce. "You told her?"

Selina cocked her head, "You know you look a bit like a fish gasping for air when you do that."

Bruce shook his head, "Not really. She heard me call you Clark, she knows that Superman and Lois Lane are close and Clark Kent and Lois Lane are married. She's an honorary detective too."

Selina grinned, "You pick up a thing or two playing cat and mouse with the bat in Gotham."

Bruce looked over. "I always caught you."

Selina purred, "I always let you."

Clark smiled. "Lois will love this side of you. We all have to have dinner when this is over."

"No." Bruce shook his head, but it was simultaneously countered with Selina's, "YES!"

Clark grinned.


Barbara stretched her arms over her head. She needed a good workout to relieve her stress. The type of workout she hadn't had in years. If she could just ... kick ... something or someone ... just this one night. Her eyes moved to the dinette table covered in files and print-outs. She couldn't look at it anymore tonight.

Tapping a few keys, her screen connected with the Cave's computer. "Hey Timmy, how's it going?"

"Pretty good Babs. Batgirl took out one of Penguin's operations over on Eighth Street and managed to bag Firefly. Canary and Huntress handled Scarecrow's latest Arkham escape. On a scale of one to ten, it's been a 6 on the busy side. How's Dick?"

Barbara smiled at him. "He's okay. Doing a lot better. Thanks for filling in for Oracle this past week. You're good at it."

He blushed. "I'm just glad I talked Dad into letting me. I was surprised, but he knew I had to do something. This was ... a good compromise." He watched as she nodded at him. "Do you ... think ... maybe I could ... you know ... come see Dick. Sometime, before the trial starts?"

"I don't see why not. You know how to beam yourself up, Timmy."

"Yeah ... I do. I will. Tell Dick, I'll come see him after school tomorrow. If that won't ... you know ... interfere with your work."

"It will be fine. You may be the exact medicine Mr. Grayson needs. A friendly face will be good for him." She turned from the screen as the door to her guest quarters chimed. "Company. Gotta go. I'm here if something comes up that you --"

"I can handle this Barb. You just work on freeing Dick." The connection terminated.

Barbara wheeled herself over to the door and used the video feed to survey the corridor before opening the door. "Ted?"

"Hi Barb. Can I come in?"

"Why?"

"To talk. About the case ... and us. Our friendship."

Barbara glared at him. She rolled back slightly. "Come in." Her eyes followed him as he entered. She pressed a button and the doors slid closed. "What about the case, Ted?" she asked, her arms folded across her chest.

He moved over to small desk sitting against the wall. He grinned at the Oracle screensaver floating across the screen. "Doing a little Oracle work?"

"No. Robin is filling in while I'm otherwise occupied." Her voice was steely as she moved closer to him.

Ted lifted his head from the screen at the sound of Robin's name, his eyes twinkling as he thought of something he had forgotten.

Barbara looked at him, "What?"

Ted shook his head, "Nothing, just remembered ... something. I came to talk to you about-"

Barbara's eyes narrowed, "The case. What is it?"

Ted pulled a chair and set down opposite her. "Yes, the case and our friendship. I just-"

"Ted, I'm not doing this. It's late and I don't want to delve into personal relationships tonight. What. Is. It."

Ted sighed and nodded. "Okay. But I just don't want you hurt anymore. I care and-"

"Ted."

"Okay…I think there maybe a way to keep you from getting hurt." Barbara crossed her arms and Ted held out his hands. "Please, just hear me out."

TO BE CONTINUED . . .