Chapter 3

Batcave; April 30th, 19:06 EST

Bruce lightly ran his forefinger back and forth over his bottom lip as he pensively stared at the results on the computer screen. The letter and the manilla envelope had produced no evidence that could lead him to the identity of the person who had sent it to him. They obviously knew what they were doing and who they were dealing with because they covered their tracks very well.

Even if Bruce wasn't Batman, he would still have high-tech equipment that would be able to analyze and identify the sender of the envelope and letter. Even trace evidence would've been discovered if it was there. Unfortunately, it wasn't.

This mysterious person was being cautious about protecting their identity until they were ready to reveal it. It was this individual's end game that worried him the most. Was he or she going for the big reveal or going for the jugular?

He didn't know how much this shadowy individual actually knew about him and his secret identity, but he couldn't take any chances that this was nothing more than a harmless hoax…a simple prank. There had been a few people over the years who had tried to connect him with Batman, but he'd been able to swiftly squash those rumors.

He was hoping this was one of those times, but something inside of him told him this was much more than just someone fishing for information or for blackmail money. His gut told him this was for real. Someone knew his identity and they were going to use it against him.

It could be Amanda Waller, but this was not her style. She was far more direct, subtlety not in her repertoire. If she wanted something from him, she'd come right out and say it to his face, Besides, she was far too busy trying to keep her Suicide Squad in line.

He ground his teeth as Lex Luthor came to his mind next. This could definitely be in line with something that Lex would do, toying with him in order to further his own plans. He'd learned all about Luthor's penchant for manipulation and meddling when he'd stirred up distrust and antipathy between him and Superman.

It ended up costing Superman his life. That was not something he would ever forgive Luthor for.

Luthor knew both of their secret identities, making it a very sticky situation. He wouldn't put it past Luthor to sell the information to the highest bidder. He'd had a feeling that something like this was a definite possibility, always tickling the back of his brain.

"Any luck?" Alfred asked as he appeared with more coffee.

"None," Bruce stated, punching the keys on his keyboard with growing frustration. "No prints, no DNA, no clues that could point in any particular direction. It was as if it had been sent by a ghost."

"Hmmm…" Alfred thoughtfully hummed. "Could it be one of our usuals? Maybe the Penguin or Two-Face has finally gotten wise to you after all of these years."

Bruce slowly shook his head as he sat forward in his chair, pulling up the letter that he'd scanned into his computer system for Alfred to view. "It could be, but I highly doubt it," he replied. "Something about this makes me think it's someone else…maybe someone new. I wouldn't be surprised if Luthor was behind it somehow."

"A new player in Gotham?" he repeated, an eyebrow cocking in question. "Good heavens. Don't we have more than enough craziness in this city as it is without any more joining the party?"

"I have a feeling we're going to have to wait for their next move," he told him, bringing up open cases in Gotham. "There's nothing more that I can do until then."

"You've never been good at waiting for your opponent to make their next move, Master Bruce," Alfred reminded him, taking a sip of his scotch before turning his attention to the new device he was creating for Batman to add to his vast arsenal.

"I'm being forced into it by whoever sent this letter whether I like it or not," he groused. "In the meantime, I have other cases to worry about in Gotham right now."

"And you loathe the notion of someone having the upper hand over you," Alfred agreed as he put his goggles on, picking up his handheld welder.

Bruce cast a glare at his longtime friend, a frown on his face. "It's not just that," he argued, pouring himself more coffee. "It's the fact that someone out there thinks they know me…that they know who I am and the life that I live. I have no idea what they are going to do or when they will strike next.

"I have too much work to do to worry about someone trying to play mind games with me. We have to formally get the Justice League up and off the ground before Darkseid invades the Earth. We're going to need a lot more members if we're going to stop Darkseid and his army."

"You'll have to be on your toes at all times," he said, inspecting his handiwork. "You can't let yourself get too consumed with Darkseid that you let your guard down."

"I always am, Alfred," he stated with a scowl. "I've had to be since the first moment I donned the uniform."

He didn't need to be told to keep his guard up. He wasn't a rookie…it wasn't his first year being Batman. He knew what he had to do and how to do it. This was definitely not the first person who had tried to unmask him, and it would certainly not be the last. He was just going to have to be quicker, smarter, and more prepared than his adversary.

"Perhaps it's Luthor trying to get revenge on you for threatening him in prison," Alfred suggested. "I'm sure he didn't take defeat at the hands of Batman and Wonder Woman very well. He's not going to go away quietly."

"Could be…" he murmured as he considered it. "I wouldn't put it past him."

"Past whom?"

Both men looked up to find Diana approaching, her heels clicking against the floor. Alfred glanced at Bruce, noticing his instantaneous reaction to her presence despite his best efforts. Very few would have noticed it, but he'd known the man his whole life and he knew his every look, his every reaction.

"No one," Bruce brushed it off with a shake of his head, not wanting her to know about the latest development. "What have you been up to?"

"I've been making a few phone calls and I'll be able to manage everything with one short trip to Paris," she informed them, wondering what the two men had been talking about before her arrival. She immediately got the impression that something was wrong, but she had no idea what it could be now.

"How were you able to accomplish that?" Bruce questioned her, pleased with the revelation, and yet he couldn't help the worry that spiked through him. Was he bringing her into the lion's den by having her live here at the lake house with them now that he possibly had a stalker?

"I called my boss in Paris to let him know that I planned on resigning, and he reminded me that I had at least two months of vacation time that I had not taken," she replied.

"She seems to be a workaholic like someone else I know all too well," Alfred dryly interjected, giving Bruce a pointed look.

"I take plenty of vacations," Bruce countered. "I was on a vacation just last month."

"Going to Europe for three days to follow up on a lead on stolen arms does not count as a vacation, Master Bruce."

Diana grinned at the two men's banter. "Anyway," she interjected. "He said that he hated to see me leave, but I didn't need to return to the museum to finish out my two weeks of resignation with all the vacation time I've accumulated."

"That's great news, Miss Diana," Alfred told her. "What about your apartment?"

"I'll go back long enough to pack up my things and have them brought to Gotham."

"When will you leave?" Bruce asked.

"I was hoping to leave for Paris tomorrow," she revealed. "I need to be back Friday night so I can meet Lois on Saturday morning in Metropolis."

"I hear you're a bridesmaid," Bruce said with a smirk on his lips.

"And I hear you are a best man," she replied.

"News travels fast," he responded.

"Lois told me Clark was going to ask you," Diana told him, "and I know that you can't say no to Clark."

"I believe she might just know you as well as I do," Alfred muttered, casting a look at Bruce who frowned in return.

"I can say no if I need to," Bruce tried to tell them with a disgruntled frown. "This just wasn't one of those times."

"I think it's nice that you're going to be his best man," Diana claimed. "I know it means a lot to Clark to have you stand up with him at his wedding."

Bruce smiled softly at her, wishing she didn't have such a profound effect on him. "When were you hoping to leave tomorrow?"

"I still have to call to book my flight, but I'm hoping to leave early tomorrow morning."

"Why don't I go with you?" Bruce offered, ignoring the surprised look he was receiving from his butler. "We can take my private jet. It'll make it easier to bring your things back here."

"Are you sure?" she asked him, her brow furrowing in question.

"Absolutely," he confirmed. "I can check on my subsidiaries in Paris while I'm there. In the evenings, I can help you pack if you want."

"That would be great," she readily agreed. "I hate to take you away from Gotham. Are you sure it's alright for you to be away from work?"

"It's my company," he reminded her with a shrug.

"I know that," she said with a chuckle. "I meant your work in Gotham as Batman."

"I can be away for two or three nights."

He liked to think that getting out of town for a few days would help calm things down a little and give him some perspective on who this mysterious person could be that was threatening him. With a little luck, he could draw this threat out when he returned from Paris before anyone got hurt.

"Are you sure you can leave?" Alfred questioned him, thinking of the letter Bruce had received today.

"I'm positive," Bruce stated. "It'll be fine. If anything comes up, you can always call Clark or one of the others. Barry can be here in seconds and Victor is usually here if not at home."

Bruce's computer suddenly alerted him to an incoming message. "Finally," he murmured as he hit the receive button. "What have you got? Did you get him?"

"We're doing good," Arthur sarcastically responded with a smirk. "Thanks for asking."

"Did you find anything?" Bruce demanded to know as Diana approached, stopping behind his chair.

"Hey, Diana," Arthur said. "Still haven't taught this guy any manners yet?"

Unamused, Bruce growled a curse. Was he the only one who knew how dire it was to have Lex Luthor running lose? He needed to find him and find out if he was behind the letter he'd received today. He didn't have time for chit-chat. "Do you have anything or not?"

"Not," Arthur told them. "Mera and I checked every boat in the South of France. He's either not here or he's managing to stay one step ahead of us."

"Thanks for trying," Bruce grumbled, disheartened by the news.

"Let me know if you come up with anything else and we'll check it out," Arthur said. "In the meantime, we'll go on land and snoop around a bit…see what we can turn up. Maybe there's been some more sightings."

"Thank you, Arthur," Diana said. "We appreciate everything you two are doing."

"Welcome," he replied before ending the communication with that characteristic smirk of his.

Diana gazed at Bruce for a moment, her hands finding her hips. She couldn't help wondering what was going on that he wasn't telling her. He wasn't quite himself this evening. She couldn't help but wonder if something had happened at work today that had upset him or if there was a case in Gotham that had him tied up in knots.

"Well, there goes that lead," Alfred groused, removing his goggles.

"It was a solid lead too," Bruce told them.

"We'll find him, Bruce," she reassured him. "He can't hide from us forever. He'll slip up and we'll be there to stop him."

"Hopefully…before it's too late," Bruce murmured.

Diana's brow furrowed in thought. "What's going on?" she questioned him. "What do you know that you're not telling me?"

"It's nothing important," Bruce stated, tension settling into his shoulders as he leaned forward and began to type on the computer.

"Is it about Luthor?" she questioned him.

Bruce stiffened with the reminder of the villain. "You just worry about moving to Gotham. Let me worry about everything else."

Diana studied Bruce for a moment before casting a sidelong look at Alfred who was keeping his head down, refusing to make eye contact with her. She placed her hand on the back of Bruce's chair, leaning in close to his ear as she spoke.

"You know you don't have to carry the weight of the world all alone anymore," she whispered in his ear, the feel of her warm breath as well as her close proximity causing the fine hairs on the back of his neck to prickle in response.

Straightening up, she turned and walked away, leaving the two men alone once more. "You might as well tell her about the letter," Alfred encouraged him. "She might be able to help."

"There's nothing she can do about it so there's no point in telling her," Bruce retorted. "Besides, there's nothing to tell, nothing to go on. It could be a prank for all we know. There's no sense causing her to worry about something that's probably nothing."

"Or it could be Lex Luthor ramping up for his biggest scheme yet," Alfred pointed out.

"We'll deal with it if it turns out to be something more," he told him. "Until then, I'm not going to worry about it."

"Yes…right," Alfred sarcastically responded with a derisive chuckle. "And you're going to Paris with Miss Diana for fun."

"Can we please talk about something important?" he asked. "I'd like to focus on plans for recreating the cave in the manor."

"Are you completely abandoning the lake house once the manor is fully restored?"

"I haven't decided yet," he replied, pulling up his open case files in Gotham. "We'll have to see how things go. I'd like to keep business and home separate, but we'll see how it goes."

"Just take Miss Diana into consideration when you make your decision."

"Why?"

Alfred rolled his eyes as he reached for his glass of scotch. "Where did I stray in teaching you the fine art of romance?"

Bruce huffed in annoyance as he turned his attention back to his case files. "I don't need any help in the romance department, thank you very much," he retorted. "I'm doing fine on my own."

"That's what you think," Alfred mumbled under his breath as he returned to his work.

South of France; April 30th, 20:23 EST

"I still think this is a waste of time," Mera said with a frown as they wandered the streets of Marseille.

"Got any other ideas to find Luthor?" he asked, giving her a sidelong look.

"Not exactly, but there has to be a better way to find him than just wandering from town to town."

"If you come up with something, let me know," he told her. "Otherwise, let's enjoy the South of France. It's quite romantic, don't you think?"

The corner of her red lips quirked as she peered at him out of the corner of her eyes. "I suppose it is."

He slung his arm around her shoulders, drawing her closer to him as they walked down the street. "Come on," he replied. "The lights, the history…spring in bloom. What could be more romantic than this?"

She decided that there couldn't be anything much more romantic than here and now with Arthur. She wanted him to make a move of some sort, do something more than just flirt and look at her with longing in his eyes. She just wished she knew what was holding him back from taking their so-called relationship to the next level.

She lightly ran her teeth over her bottom lip as she lost herself in his dark eyes that were full of so much mystery and hidden secrets that she was anxious to learn. She leaned in to press her lips to his when someone appeared out of nowhere, their unexpected visitor's arms wrapping around them.

"What's up, guys?"

Mera swiftly pulled away, turning on her heel in preparation for a fight. "Who is this?" she demanded to know as she looked to Arthur for answers.

"It's just Barry," he told her. "He's harmless…sort of. Just don't stand next to him in a fight."

"I'm not harmless," Barry amended. "I'm a very dangerous superhero."

"Right," Arthur drawled as he folded his muscular arms against his chest. "If you can keep your feet from getting tangled up…or tripping mine up."

Barry turned his attention towards the beautiful redhead. "You must be Mera," he said, extending his hand. "I'm Barry Allen."

"You're the Flash," Mera replied, shaking his hand. "I've heard a lot about you."

"All good I'm sure," he said with a grin.

"I wouldn't go that far," Arthur interjected. "What are you doing here?"

"Bruce had me looking into another Luthor spotting in France," he told him.

"Did you find anything?" Mera asked, hope filling her voice.

"Nothing," Barry revealed. "If he was there, he's long gone now."

"If there were two separate sightings of Luthor in France, then he must be here somewhere," Arthur said.

"Yes, but where?" Mera asked. "Even with Barry's speed, we'll never be able to find him in time before he moves on again."

"He may have already left France for all we know," Barry agreed.

"Well, we can't just sit around waiting for him to make his next move," Arthur told them. "The sooner we can track him down the better. We don't need another Doomsday on our hands."

Barry visibly shuddered. "I have to admit I'm very relieved I missed out on that confrontation."

"I really need to work on toughening you up," Arthur decided.

"I'm tough enough," Barry insisted. "I'm just the sweet one on the team. I think it's my boyish charm."

Arthur gave him an incredulous look. "The sweet one?"

"Yeah," Barry said. "Bruce is the rich one, Clark is the strong one, Victor is the smart one, Diana is the hot one, and you're the scary one."

"Scary?" Arthur repeated with a scowl. "I'm not scary. I'm just direct and to the point. I don't beat around the bush."

Mera snorted in amusement as she averted her eyes, catching Arthur's attention. "What?" he demanded to know.

She gave him a narrowed look that spoke volumes about her annoyance with him as of late. "You don't beat around the bush?" she shot back.

"No, I don't," he insisted.

"That's laughable," she told him.

Barry looked from Arthur to Mera and back again. "Am I interrupting a lover's spat?"

"No," Arthur said at the same time Mera said 'definitely not'.

Each looked at the other with a glare, causing Barry to take a step back as he held his hands up in front of him in defense. "You know what," he muttered. "I think I'm going to keep looking for Luthor. I'll catch you two later. Nice to meet you, Mera."

With that, Barry was gone in a flash, leaving them alone on the quiet street once more. Mera turned on her heel and began to walk away. Arthur jogged to catch up with her, wishing he knew what was wrong with her. "We should probably find a place to sleep tonight," he suggested.

"Are we getting separate rooms?" she questioned him.

"If that's what you want," he told her.

"It is," she stated, chin lifted.

Arthur kept his disappointment from showing, wishing that he could figure out what was wrong with Mera. Things had been going well between them after they'd had their first kiss, but things felt strained and tense as of late and he had no idea why.

What had he done wrong to upset her?

He would have to figure it out later. Right now, they had to worry about tracking down Luthor and stopping him before he could cause any further trouble for them.

Gotham; May 1st, 01:34 EST

Batman delivered a jaw-shattering punch, knocking his opponent out. He cuffed him to a light pole, leaving the bag of money that the thief had stolen tied to his waist. Hitting a button on his gauntlet, he sent out an alert to the GCPD to come to pick him up.

Straightening up, he paused, his entire body tensing. He had the feeling that someone was watching his every move. His hand surreptitiously reached beneath his cape, pulling out his grappling gun. He swiftly turned and fired it, allowing the line to take him up and away from the scene and hopefully out of sight.

From the safe perch on top of a gargoyle on a bank rooftop, he quickly scanned the area for the source of his nagging sensation. Someone was following him, and he didn't like it one bit. He whirled around on his heel, his black cape whipping around him as he pulled a Batarang.

"Hey, it's just me," Diana said, holding up her hands in front of her.

Batman relaxed minutely as Wonder Woman approached him, her sword and shield strapped to her back. "Have you been following me?" he demanded to know, his tone sharper than he'd intended.

"No, I spotted you when I was flying over Gotham," she revealed, looking around them. "Why? Do you feel as though you're being followed by someone?"

"No, it's not important," he quickly dismissed her question. "You should head home. We're scheduled to fly out of Gotham Airport at six o'clock."

Diana's hands found her hips as she pursed her lips in frustration. "You should head home too then," she challenged him.

"Can't," he firmly stated. "I have more rounds to do."

"Then, I'll help you," she stubbornly said. "Where do you want me to start?"

Scowling, he turned his back to her. He needed to get her out of here if he was being stalked. "I can handle it myself. Really…I'm fine."

"I'm not asking if you can handle it yourself or not," she pointed out. "I already know you can. You've been doing it for years. I'm only offering my help to you."

"I appreciate it but it's something I need to do," he tried to tell her, knowing he was being more uptight than usual for him.

Diana drew closer, her hand coming to rest against his back. "Something is going on…something that has upset you," she replied. "I wish you would let me help you."

He drew a deep breath before turning to face her, steeling himself against the warmth he could feel coalescing in his core. "Thank you, Diana…really," he responded a little gentler this time. "It's just something that I need to handle on my own."

"I understand," she softly said, appraising him. "I'm here if you need my help, but I can't force you to accept it."

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "Letting others in isn't exactly my strong suit. I'm used to doing things on my own."

She gave him a half-hearted smile. "I understand that all too well," she confessed as she crossed her arms against her chest, looking away. "I'm still working on that as well. Sometimes, it's a daily struggle."

He gave her a slight smirk in return. "I think you're doing rather well…far better than me," he told her.

Diana chuckled, her arms falling to her sides as she finally met his intense gaze. "You know that's not saying much, right?" she teased.

Bruce pretended to be wounded by her comment, his gauntleted hand clutching his heart. "Ouch," he moaned. "Nothing like kicking a guy when he's down."

"You wouldn't be down if you'd let me help you," she reminded him, poking him forcibly in the chest over his bat symbol. "Teammates and friends shouldn't have secrets, but I understand if you're not ready to share certain parts of yourself yet. I hope someday you will feel comfortable enough with me to do that."

He snatched hold of her hand, pulling her closer without realizing what he was actually doing. They stood there for several heartbeats, sharing the same breath as they became lost to each other and the tense moment. It was Diana who broke the unexpected intimacy that was steadily building between them.

"Are you sure there isn't something I can do to help you?" she murmured as she stared into his cowled face.

"I'm sure," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper.

Realizing he was still holding her hand, he reluctantly released it, forcing himself to take a step back. The backs of his legs bumped up against the cement ledge of the roof, bringing him back to the reality of where they were and what he still needed to do before they left for Paris.

"Get some sleep," he told her. "I'll return home in a couple of hours. There's a case that still I need to follow up on before calling it a night."

She tilted her head curiously, wishing he would let her in, but knowing deep down it was useless to push him. It would get her absolutely nowhere and only cause overt frustration for both of them. She'd learned long ago that pushing him was the least effective way to get him to lower his defenses.

"Fine," she surrendered as she took a step back. Turning around, she looked over her shoulder and gave him a mischievous little smirk. "Call me if you need help. Otherwise, don't wake me when you get home."

With that, she took off into the Gotham sky. Batman stood there for a long time just watching the night sky she had disappeared into, a slight twitch of amusement in the corner of his lips. He had never met another woman like Diana, and he knew that he never would again.

Turning, he looked down at the street below, wondering if his follower was still out there waiting for him to make his next move. He wondered if it could be someone hired by Luthor to keep track of him. The thought made him angry.

If it wasn't Luthor, perhaps it was the same person who had sent him that letter at Wayne Enterprises. The thought only caused his fury to burn hotter. He did not take being toyed with like this very well. He needed to get to the bottom of it as soon as possible or risk damaging not only his reputation but that of the newly formed Justice League.

He didn't want to bring any undue focus on the team that they'd just created. There were some who were already wary of them as it was without adding to it. The United States government and the United Nations had been quite grateful for their help in defeating Steppenwolf and his Parademons. At the same time, he knew there was an underlying guardedness that remained.

He knew it was going to take time to build a bridge of trust between them. It would come in time, but in the meantime, he didn't want to stir up any trouble or strife that would further add to that suspicion. As for whoever was following him, he was going to make it harder for them to find him.

Batman suddenly fired his grappling gun, swinging off into the night. He moved from rooftop to rooftop, working rapidly across the city in hopes of losing his shadow. He wanted to keep the attention on him, not Diana and not the League.

XXX

Deathstroke watched as Batman took off, smiling to himself. It was obvious that Batman had picked up on the fact that he was being followed. No matter, though. Deathstroke had accomplished what he'd set out to do tonight as well as getting more information than he'd hoped for.

He'd been able to get to Batman on a level that very few had ever been able to. Normally, he'd shoot his victim and move on to the next job, but this particular job was different. This was Batman…the man that he hated most in this world and was anxious to see buried six feet under.

While he wanted nothing more than to put a bullet right between his eyes, he was going to take his time making Bruce Wayne and Batman suffer for what he had done. In doing so, he would systematically dismantle the man and the Bat, stripping him of everything he knew. Only then would he finally put him out of his misery.

Making Batman suffer in every way possible was now his number one mission in his life. He was going to attack both Bruce Wayne and Batman, breaking him down mentally and emotionally…and he just witnessed one of the best ways to do it.

Wonder Woman.

He had taken a few photographs of Batman and Wonder Woman standing close and looking cozy, Batman holding her hand. Even from this distance, it was apparent that something was going on between them. The best way to get to him was through the Amazon warrior.

It appeared that Lex Luthor was correct in his assumptions that something of a romantic nature was going on between Batman and Wonder Woman.

New plans were taking shape in Deathstroke's mind, plans that included Wonder Woman. She was going to be the key in Batman's demise. Joker had already started that process when he had killed off Robin. Now, Wonder Woman could prove to be the final blow needed to finish him off.

His lips curled into a wicked smile as he turned to walk away. This was turning out to be better than he had dreamed it would be. It was time to amp up the pressure and see just what it was going to take to destroy the Batman once and for all.

A/N: Hmmm...this isn't going to be good.

UP NEXT: Mera and Arthur continue to argue, Luthor brings in another big gun while Bruce and Diana grow closer. :)