To those who were upset that the Joker got away in the last chapter, it's because there's more to the story than just Venom killing unrepentant criminals left and right and Eddie getting in a relationship with several DC girls. There's still character development, conflicts and themes to build up.

The point is, the story is going to be split into several arcs, each with their own set of antagonists, with the Joker being the first, and it's going to take some time for me to decide how he's going to be killed off while deciding the fates of the future baddies. The Joker's death will come in time, but for now, sit tight.

Disclaimer: I do not own Venom or Justice League, which both belong to Marvel and DC, respectively. And the OC, Sean Kruger, belongs to Dragonlord0, which I am using with his permission, so check out his stories.

Enjoy!

Batcave

Bruce sat on the metal table exposed from the waist up. A large bruise covered his back and right side from where he collided with the car earlier. Alfred walked up to the table, setting down a tray with bandages and other medical supplies.

"I'm afraid you have one or two broken ribs, Master Bruce."

"I'll be okay. Just wrap it up."

Alfred sighed as he lifted a roll of bandages and began wrapping them around Bruce's chest and midsection. Bruce winced as Alfred tightly wrapped around his body.

"Venom was able to counter the effects of the Cannon with a gadget of his own, no doubt from Global Tech. Now they know everything we throw at them before we even plan on it." Bruce said as he walked over to the computers.

"Mmm. I may not directly participate in the field, sir, but… well… you and the League made the first move against them. You forced their hand, and they retaliated. Not just that, Venom questioned your principles and the logic of your code. Public opinion has been slowly turning against the Justice League and are questioning their effectiveness." Alfred spoke, giving his viewpoint of the situation.

"Our justice and code keeps people safe. And we don't become like the criminals we fight." Bruce responded as he replayed the footage once more.

"For a time. Yes. It has worked, but there lies a serious flaw in your code to consider. If evil is not appropriately punished and allowed to persist without true consequence, are we truly the solution to the problem? Or are we simply interfering with them, and giving them the chance to improve their technique and skill in destruction and death? Maybe, our way just isn't good enough anymore. People felt that men such as the Joker were not getting the punishment they deserved, so they turned to Venom to do what we refuse to." The loyal butler spoke in a somewhat dejected voice, sad to see what became of events, but also seeing the reasoning and logic behind it all.

"What do you suggest we do Alfred?" Batman asked with a sigh, hoping his oldest friend and ally's wisdom could help him.

"Discretion is the better part of valor in times like these, Master Bruce. We played with fire, and were severely burned. We should not make that mistake a second time. Perhaps the best solution would be to wait this one out until we find a better way to settle things?" Alfred offered, hoping to sway his charge from a self-destructive course of action.

"You're right. The ball is in their court right now." Bruce said as something else came on his mind. "I wonder how the others are taking this."

Diana's Apartment

Diana lay on her bed as her mind focused on her latest discovery. Eddie forming his own team with Sean's backing and funding. She never would've thought a simple reporter/vigilante would ask for his own team, backed by the whole government no less.

Adding to her shock was the recent broadcast showcasing the hostage situation at one of Gotham's clubs foiled by Venom, the Joker's escape thanks to Batman's interference, and the Dark Knight's subsequent humiliation at the hands of Venom, who then proceeded to publicly lay even more damage to the Justice League's reputation by questioning their morals.

The Justice League has received a bit of criticism in the past, but now it has become fierce now that Venom was able to add more fuel to that flame. In short, tonight wasn't a very good night, but at least it couldn't get anymore intense.

"Diana?"

She almost jumped from her bed as she saw Supergirl standing next to the open window, slightly calming down as her teammate walked towards her. "Oh, it's just you."

"Sorry, but I just caught the news." Supergirl said. "I've been thinking. What Venom just said… are we really helping people, or are we just making things worse just by holding back? People are going to start calling us the real bad guys just for that."

Diana looked at her with a similar conflicted look on her face. That was the same thing she thought about in her time with the Justice League, but that wasn't what she wanted to talk about. Not now at least.

"I've been thinking about that too, but it's also about something else." she said. "It's about Eddie. And Venom as well. I just found something in his home a while ago that might throw off the rest of the League if they found out."

"Really? What is it?" Supergirl asked.

Diana simply sighed, knowing what she was about to say next was going to be difficult to explain.

"Too put it nice and simple… they're forming their own team to get their hands dirty." she finished quickly.

"…what?" Supergirl spoke with a look of shock after a long moment of silence.

"What I meant is that Eddie's forming a team with Sean's help to take down criminals on a more permanent level unlike the League." Diana explained carefully. "I saw it in his journal when I tried to look for something that would at least get the rest of the League off of Venom's back. But I guess that it'll just encourage them more to try and contain him."

Supergirl just stood shocked at the whole notion of Eddie simply asking for his own group. "I don't get it. He's just a reporter with an alien attached to him that eats people's heads for a living. Why would they need their own team?"

"That's what I was thinking about too." Diana said. "We should go over and talk to him. See what we'll find."

Eddie's Apartment

In the kitchen, Anne was sitting across from Ivy, who was basically in shock.

"Wait, say that again." Ivy said as she brought her hand to her face.

'This is why I didn't want to explain this. Zatanna would be better suited for this.' Anne mentally cursed.

She backpedaled and said, "Eddie has a complex yet loving relationship with me, Zatanna, and much recently, Wonder Woman. At the same time."

"And you're also in a relationship with him? Everyone of you?" Ivy asked.

"With Eddie, it's not just friends with benefits. It's not meaningless to him, it's a… real relationship." Anne tried to explain. "Listen I know it doesn't make any sense. How can a man possibly love multiple women at once? Well, Eddie is just unique in that regard. Eddie is a man who understands easily. You don't have to be okay with it, just understand that we all care about him as much as he does us. It would break his heart to have to choose between any of us. And this way, he doesn't have to."

Ivy sat back in her chair, overwhelmed by the whole ordeal before she finally settled it.

"Now that you mention it, there's been a few times me and Harley have shared a man on our many nights out, though most of them were under the effects of my pheromones, so I hope you wouldn't mind. Though getting along with the magician and the Amazon might be tricky."

Everyone heard the door slam open, and turned their attention to a panting Eddie.

"Honeys… we're home!" he shouted before slumping against the wall.

"Eddie? What happened?" Anne asked in concern as she and Ivy walked over to him.

"Oh, you know. We stopped a mugging, ran into Catwoman, stopped Two-Face, then stopped Joker from gassing an entire club, gave Batman another good thrashing for letting the clown get away, you get the whole damn picture." he listed off rapidly, describing the night so far as a complete waste.

"Huh… sounds like you had a rough night." Anne said sheepishly as she took in the information.

"Ya think?" Eddie asked with a glare.

"Eddie, was Harley with the Joker?" Ivy asked worriedly, hoping to hear that her friend was unharmed.

"Yeah, unfortunately. But don't worry, we went easy on her, like you asked." Eddie assured her. "Though we did tell her that you wanted us to do just that."

Ivy's face fell into a frown at that. "Great. Now she'll hate me for siding with a hulking, head-biting alien that wants her so-called boyfriend dead."

The tendril with Venom's face emerged from Eddie's shoulder. "Don't feel so bad about that. Besides, we did much more than foil the clown's whole attention-hogging scheme."

"Hey! You guys might wanna see this!" Jason called from the living room, prompting Eddie, Anne and Ivy to walk over to see the news on.

"What was supposed to be a night of partying turned into a night of terror as the Joker threatened to unleash a bomb filled with Joker Gas all over the Heaven and Hell Club, only to be thwarted by Venom, who then immobilized a few of the Joker's henchmen or killed a few others." Vicki Vale stated in her report. "However, because of Batman's unexpected arrival, the Joker and his accomplice Harley Quinn managed to escape during the skirmish between the two vigilantes, with Venom coming out on top. As if to add insult to injury, Venom then proceeded to question the Dark Knight's methods in dealing with crime, which also extend to the entire Justice League. Witnesses on the scene have stated their opinions on this shocking revelation."

"This guy's right! Batman just doesn't wanna see the big picture!" a man stated firmly.

"He wanted the Joker to get away like he always does!" another citizen stated.

"If he were caught, he'd just break out and do it again like the rest of the Arkham freaks!"

"Why do we even trust the Justice League when they don't even give us real justice like this Venom guy does?"

'What a way to win a consolation prize.' Venom mused as his host smirked at their little victory.

"That's just typical." Jason said, disappointed that his murderer got away, though satisfied that his former mentor got publicly humiliated as he turned off the TV.

"Yeah, sorry we couldn't get the Joker in time, Jason." Eddie said.

The former Robin simply shrugged. "Eh, no big deal. There's always next time. And hey, once we get our hands on him, I say you, me and Ivy tear him to shreds."

"M'kay. That makes us feel better." Eddie mused before his phone started ringing, which he took out of his pocket to answer. "Hello?"

"Eddie, you alright? Just caught the news." Sean spoke. "Sorry that Batman helped the Joker get away. You could've saved a lot of lives if he had just shown up a little later."

"Yeah. Batshit just couldn't have any of it. But at least we did some damage to his big fat ego in front of everyone, so there's something we should be happy about." Eddie said as he heard Sean groan over the other line.

"Ah well, there's always next time. Anyway, I just finished gathering the last of the recruits, so you should go home and get some rest. You might wanna get ready for your big meeting with the President tomorrow morning."

"Got it. See ya tomorrow." Eddie said, ending the call before turning to his friends. "You guys all set?"

"The rest of your stuff's already in the van, so we're good to go." Jason said as he grabbed his helmet from the table.

"Alright then." Eddie said as he looked around the room. "I guess we gotta say goodbye to yet another apartment. At least it was more quieter and spacious than the last one."

'You're right. I think I'll miss this one the most.' Venom mused.

And with that, the four (or five in Venom's case) exited the building and entered the van, with Anne taking the wheel as usual before they gunned it.

Later

The rest of the drive back to Eddie's mansion wasn't long, as Anne drove her car at the right speed before they finally arrived. As soon as they got there, they were all surprised to see Wonder Woman and Supergirl standing outside with suspicious looks on their faces.

"Eddie? Were you expecting any light night visitors?" Anne asked uneasily, completely not expecting the two members of the Justice League to be back.

'Guess the rest of the League got the hint already.' Venom used.

"Wait here." Eddie whispered before he got out of the van and walked over to the two heroines. "Hey, Diana. Didn't expect to see you and Supergirl back here. Bet you both saw the news? Not our fault Batman didn't listen."

"Drop the act. What are you planning?" Diana asked.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Eddie frowned.

"You know what the hell I'm talking about. You're forming your own team to do what the Justice League won't. I saw it in your journal a while ago." Diana said, causing Eddie to sigh and rub his forehead in frustration at having been found out.

'You just had to leave your little book out for a little late night reading, you idiot.' Venom hissed at his host.

"Listen… let's just head inside and we'll talk about this." Eddie insisted as the van's doors opened. "Oh, and before we do, don't freak out."

"Freak out over what, exactly?" Wonder Woman asked.

As soon as she asked, both her eyes and Kara's widened as they saw the sight of Poison Ivy exiting the van with a young man on the other side of the vehicle. Before the two heroines could charge at the eco-terrorist, they were suddenly held back by two tendrils that shot from Eddie's arms.

"We told you not to freak out!" Eddie hissed as he held the two.

"You didn't tell us you had a dangerous criminal with you!" Wonder Woman barked.

"Hey! Let's just all calm down so we can discuss this, alright?" Anne spoke out as she got in between them.

"Alright, if we let you go, you promise not to make a move?" Eddie asked both heroines calmly.

Wonder Woman and Supergirl looked skeptical at first, but they both calmed down as the tendrils lowered them and released them from their grip before retreating back into Eddie's arms.

Eddie let out a sigh of relief… until Diana tackled him to the ground and pressed her arm against his neck, surprising the others, who didn't know whether they should help or just watch.

"I thought you said you wouldn't make a move!" Eddie gagged.

Diana smirked as she found a loophole through that promise. "I didn't say I wouldn't make a move on you."

"V, do something!" Eddie shouted to his other as the Amazon continued to strangle him.

'Why? This is getting too kinky!' Venom hissed with excitement at the notion of being strangled by a powerful woman.

"Should we do something?" Anne asked as she kept on watching, causing Ivy to look at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Well he's your boyfriend." Ivy mused.

Wonder Woman continued strangling Eddie until Supergirl pulled her off of him, allowing him to gasp for air. As soon as he caught his breath, he stood up and rubbed his throat for a moment.

"Looks like your relationship with the Amazon's going well, Brock." Jason said with an amused smirk.

"Can it, Todd." Eddie glared.

"Todd? As in Jason Todd, the second Robin?" Supergirl asked in surprise.

"Yeah. Why? Am I just another urban legend like the old man?" Jason asked while having the look of amusement still plastered on his face.

"No, we heard about you. Batman just never talked about you much." Diana said before turning to Eddie with a questioning look. "Why are these two with you?"

"What? I thought the Justice League believed in second chances and all that. Ivy here just wants plants to thrive without us stomping all over them. Plus, we promised to help her get Harley out of her relationship with the Joker once we kill him. Secondly, Jason here wants the Joker dead as much as we do. You can say that we all hate the clown for more reasons than one."

"But why form a team?" Supergirl asked. "You've kept San Francisco's streets clean alone before you moved."

"Look, San Francisco may be our home, and our city to be exact, but we can't always protect it alone if there's a criminal stronger than us, even when the police are helping us. Unlike Batshit, we're not gonna turn down any help from some other vigilante when we need it. I'll explain more when we get inside."

Diana wanted to keep the conversation going, but gave in as she and Supergirl walked with the group towards the front door.

As everyone walked inside, they were all surprised to see Zatanna near the entrance to the living room, who had the same look of surprise.

"Zee! I was hoping you'd still be here." Eddie said. "Where's Sean?"

"Oh! Um, I sent him home a while ago so I could tend to some of the… guests." Zatanna said nervously before she composed herself. "Speaking of which, before you come in, don't freak out."

"Come on. What could possibly be as bad as what happened a minute ago?" Eddie asked when they got to the living room… and everyone stopped at what they saw.

A whole collection of villains, ranging from assassins Deathstroke and Deadshot to metahumans Volcana and Livewire, who didn't even look surprised as they saw who entered.

"Eddie? Care to explain before I kick your ass so hard that Venom's gonna need a new host?" Diana asked kindly, though it was obvious she was pissed that Eddie had invited a group of the Justice League's greatest adversaries to his house.

"Yup. This has been a rough night." Eddie said calmly.

'You think?' Venom asked, his equally calm tone hiding a hint of fear at Diana's threat.

Aw, yeah! The whole team's finally assembled!

Sorry for the long wait. I just had so many things on my mind that I didn't have the time to write another bigger chapter, but hopefully this will do. I hope you all had a great late Fourth of July!

As for the other villains/anti-heroes who are on the team, their names will be shown in the next chapter, so sit tight. I don't wanna spoil things.

In the next chapter, Eddie finally explains his reason for assembling the team while also revealing how he had come to resent the Justice League, which will put Wonder Woman, Supergirl, and Zatanna's loyalty to their allies, and their morals, to the ultimate test. Then, the team will get the approval they need with the help of an unexpected ally that you all might be familiar with.

In the meantime, what do you think the name of Venom's team should be? Leave a review so I can pick one and why I should choose it. Stay tuned!