8.57AM,S.T.A.R Labs
One Week Later
Steve was having one hell of a week.
Literally every major news network in the country was blowing up the hotline almost non-stop requesting interviews or more information, the White House was bombarding him with more or less the exact same requests, civilians were happy that their lives were saved but they were also extremely pissed off at the destruction of their city, workplaces, and vehicles. They wanted to know what was being done about it.
Perhaps worst of all, Batman had completely ignored Federal summons requiring him to appear before a special committee made up of senators and Supreme Court justices, to answer questions on how he breached a government facility and stole extremely expensive, sensitive, government property.
Steve really thought they should just leave it alone.
He returned what he stole, and he only stole it in the first place to stop a deadly, destructive threat. All of this was nothing but an embarrassed government lashing out in any way it could.
But he couldn't think in that way anymore. He was now The System.
It was an understatement to say he was feeling pretty stressed out.
He hadn't shaved in days, and he couldn't remember the last time he had eaten a proper meal at a table, with actual cutlery and crockery. He hadn't slept much either, mostly shuttling between home and work only to change his clothes and maybe have a quick shower. He had taken to sleeping in the car or on the plane during long trips. Sometimes it got so bad he slept at his office. He hadn't even seen Diana. They talked on the phone when they could but that wasn't nearly enough. Both of them were very busy with their duties. He should have foreseen that. But things were so peaceful just a few weeks ago.
Stupid. You of all people should know the shit always has the potential to hit the fan at light speed.
He almost missed the days when his biggest worry was not dying.
Almost.
He ran into someone with a lab coat on his way out of the building. A bald, chocolate skinned man with eyeglasses.
"Colonel Trevor."
"Yes." He droned as he marched down the corridor.
"Sir, it's about the TV in the rec room-"
"Look, I'm sure you're a nice guy, Mr..."
"Dr Irons. John Henry Irons."
"Right, Dr Irons, unless this is about something very important happening right this second, I really don't have time for it. And I don't even think I'm the right guy for that sort of thing. I have some very important things to do today."
"Um.. Ok, I guess it can wait. It's not that important. I didn't think of that, sorry. You must be under a lot of stress."
Steve turned to him, his eyes nearly watering at the empathy extended to him by another human being, a complete stranger. It was a simple act, but it meant a lot. He smiled tightly and took a deep breath before stepping outside.
As it had been everyday of the week, there was a gaggle of reporters standing outside the steps. Thank god there were no camera's. He didn't know how Diana managed all the cameras. And the flashing. God the flashing. Even in the daytime.
He made a mental note to have a gate with a perimeter fence erected. And heavily armed guards manning the entrance.
"Colonel Trevor, what can you tell us about the restoration efforts for Metropolis?"
Finally. A question he could answer authoritatively. He actually stopped walking, surprising the reporters.
"I just received word this morning that Lex Luthor and his company Lexcorp have pledged all their resources in helping the government rebuild Metropolis. They will spare nothing in the way of technology and equipment, manpower in the form of engineers and technicians, and of course much needed billions." This last part elicited some laughter. Time to slip away while it was still good.
"If you'll excuse me, I'm very busy right now-" He practically sprinted to his car and slammed the door shut.
He sighed with relief and leaned back in his seat.
"Drive." He said tiredly.
"Where to sir?" asked a female voice. His eyes shot open. He sat up.
"Selina? What the hell are you doing here?"
"Wow. 'Hell'. You must really be stressed out if you've resorted to using such foul language."
"This isn't the time to kid with me Selina. Where were you? Where have you been all this time? IS this about last week? You know I couldn't send you and Katana out, you would almost certainly have died. That thing gave the most powerful beings on Earth a hard time. Is that what this is?"
"God no. When have I ever complained about not being given a job to do?"
"Then what is it?"
"Let's take a ride Steve. You and I need to have a little chat." She put the car into gear and sped off, leaving skid marks on the tarmac.
Gotham City, Wayne Enterprises
"Mr Wayne."
"Yes."
"There's a... Clark Kent here to see you."
"Who?" He said, feigning ignorance.
"Clark Kent, from the Daily Planet. He says you know him."
"Oh yes, that Clark. Tell him I'm not in."
She frowned at him and opened her mouth to speak.
"Alright alright. Send him in. I don't want stale coffee and dry bagels for the rest of my life."
Clark walked into the room with an amused expression on his face. Naturally he had heard every word. He was dressed simply, in a white t-shirt and red lumberjack shirt with the sleeves rolled up, faded jeans and a pair of black sneakers. He was wearing glasses. Bruce couldn't place it but he looked... different somehow.
He sat down.
"No."
"How about 'Hello Mr Kent, how are you this morning? or 'What can I do for you Mr Kent?"
Bruce stared back with a deadpan expression. Clark continued smiling. Finally Bruce sighed, leaning back in his seat.
"Look Kent, I'm a very busy man. Make this quick."
"I can see that." Clark said, his eyes lingering on the pile of magazines beside the table.
"I think you know by now that I'm not what I seem to be. Even the people in this building know that I'm not a complete idiot."
"Yes. I'm sure they really do know the real you."
"It's not going to happen."
"Don't you find it strange that I haven't actually raised anything for you to deny?"
"What else could you possibly be here for hm? A job interview?"
"No, though I am out of work for a while until my office is repaired. I... This is embarassing. I lost the commlink. It's just... It's so small y'know?"
Bruce was silent for a few moments. "I see. I thought-"
"You thought I was here to try and convince you to join? Something so heavily backed by the government? I think it's pretty clear, to everyone, what your stance on such matters is."
"I returned the damn thing, didn't I? I don't see the point of going before some 'committee' to walk them through what I did, all so they can try and save face by looking like they're being proactive."
"You heard about Lexcorp?"
"Yes."
"What are you going to do about it?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing? Really? The thought of working in a building repaired by the guy who tried to have me killed is...sickening. The same guy that stole your tech and almost succeeded in killing us all with it. And now he's going to look like the greatest, kindest, most benevolent man ever."
"I know."
"You're not much of a conversationalist, are you?"
Silence.
"You'll get another commlink in your mail this afternoon. Try not to lose this one." It was a dismissal. But it was more than he had expected.
He was about to rise from his seat when Bruce spoke.
"You're going to join them, aren't you?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"I don't really have a choice. If I want to keep doing what I do without being hounded by everyone and their grandmother, I'll have to join them."
"You know you don't have to."
"Yes I do. We can't all be like you...Bruce."
"They fear me too."
"Yes, but they don't fear you like they fear me. You're the great unknown. The Bogey Man. I am the overpowered alien that's just one bad day away from turning completely evil and taking over the world."
"Fair enough."
Clark rose to leave. When he got to the door Bruce spoke again.
"Kent."
"Yes, I know, stay out of Gotham-"
"Next time, let me know beforehand when you plan on coming here. The details to that will be in the mail too."
"Alright." Was all he could say before he left the room.
Definitely more than he expected.
Bruce swiveled his chair around to watch the street below. He waited until Clark stepped out of the building and got into a bus, then he waited until the bus drove completely out of sight. Only then did he turn his chair back around.
He picked up the phone and called his property manager.
"Phil, hello! Oh, you know, same old, same old... Yes, I went there the other day... Ha! You don't say? Nooo... He didn't...Brown shoes with a black suit? Criminal. Absolutely criminal... Anyway, I was wondering if you could look into the owner of this building in Metropolis..."
"...so you see Steve, you know and I know this superhero gig just isn't for me. Steve? Are you here?" she snapped her fingers before his face.
"I hear you Selina. And I completely understand. But what do you want me to do? I can't make miracles happen. I mean it's not like you signed a contract, but you can't just leave, y'know?"
They were sitting outside a small coffee shop.
Steve had no idea where they were, except that it was somewhere on the outskirts of Metropolis.
It was a fairly quiet place, the few people there were glued to a smartphone or a tablet.
The air was woody and fresh with the scent of pine needles.
The atmosphere was very relaxed. It was hard to believe Metropolis was just a few miles away.
"You can make miracles happen. You're the one who put this team together in the first place, then you found a leader for it, then you got it authorized. What happened last week was huge. If it wasn't for the JLA who knows what would have happened? Maybe we'd all be attending a memorial service for Superman."
Steve smiled sadly.
"Somehow I doubt they would have held a memorial service for him."
"Stop deflecting compliments you idiot. Now is not the time to be humble Steve."
"This is exactly the time for that. The JLA may have saved the day, but they wrecked everything first. That's on me."
"Yeah, well, someone once told me sometimes things get a lot worse before they start getting better."
Steve sighed.
"All right Selina. I'll see what I can do. With any luck I can finagle a pardon and have your prior sentences completely revoked. Maybe this is for the best anyway. A fresh start for you. I don't want anymore people getting hurt because of me." He sounded sad.
"Look, I'm not very good at helping people up when they're down, but I will tell you this... We're not kids Steve, we're not mindless automatons either. Each and every one of us knows what we're doing, what we're getting into. You're not some evil puppet master pulling all the strings. Don't be so hard on yourself. At the end of the day you're just another soldier following orders."
"You're right. You really are bad at picking people up when they're down." Steve said with a grin.
"Ugh. There's the Steve I know. Sadly."
He placed a few bills on the table. "I need to use the bathroom. Be right back." He went inside.
When he returned, the table was empty and the car was no longer in the parking lot. He went up to the barista to ask if he had seen anything.
"Oh, your daughter? She left. Said you'd catch a bus." He sounded extremely chilled out.
"My daughter? Do I really look that old?"
"No...It's just, you gave off a real paternal vibe, y'know? Or big brother like, y'know? And she's like, really petite, y'know? Anyway, she took the keys and drove off almost as soon as you went into the john."
"And you didn't think this was strange?"
The barista ran a hand lazily through his shoulder length hair and shrugged.
"Of course you didn't.." Steve mumbled under his breath.
"What?" the barista asked lazily.
"I said when's the next bus back to town?"
"At least an hour man."
"Great. Just great." He reached into his pocket to call a cab. Except there was no phone. Selina had incredibly light fingers.
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot, she told me to give you this. She also said to take it easy, and to 'not die of a heart attack because of some overpaid government fat-cats.'"
Steve turned.
It was a cup of coffee with a heart drawn over the top cream, and a blueberry muffin, his favorite.
"Th-thankyou." He stammered. He could feel his eyes almost watering again.
Jesus. All this Chair-force stuff is making me soft and sentimental.
He held the coffee and muffin in his hands.
When did she even learn his favorite flavor? She was more observant than he thought.
How about that. He would actually miss her when she was gone.
Steve sat down to enjoy his coffee and muffin in peace as he waited for the next bus.
A/N: I really enjoyed writing this chapter. I don't think Selina would fit in such a setting, or be comfortable in it. I'm sure almost everyone will agree. She's not an out and out supervillain but she's not a hero either. Just a good person who does bad things more often than she does good things. Don't worry though, this doesn't mean her character is gone.
And yes, Batman will take a great deal of convincing in both words and deeds.
I remember in the Animated Series how he was always such a reluctant member of the League, showing up mostly when they really really needed him. That interpretation has always stuck with me.
I am truly humbled that people love this story. That really means a lot.
Read and Review.