DISCLAIMERS/NOTES

1. This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by DC Comics. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun.

2. My continuity branches off after the end of Season 1. So the last episode to occur was the two-part "The Savage Time". No Season 2. No JL Unlimited.

PART 3

He had been on top of the skyscraper for hours. He looked down on his city, seeing all the people he had sworn to protect; he heard all the voices that he tried to make sure were free of fear and unhappiness.

His heart was heavy. Usually at this time of year, he was joyous, excited at the happiness that was Christmas. But not this year. This year, for the first time, he wanted to forget about it, to forget the love and togetherness this season brought.

But he could not. He tried, but his heart would not let him.

He looked up at the rising sun. It was barely eight in the morning, and yet the sun was shining brighter than is usually did at this time of day, at this time of year. He remembered how the sun looked from his bedroom as a child, above the cornfields, the smell of fresh wheat in the air.

He closed his eyes and sighed. He had to forget about it. He had a duty. A duty to the world. To the people of Earth. They were far more important than anything he used to have. His friends, his family…

"Superman?"

Superman darted his head up and turned to see J'onn J'onzz hovering a few feet away. He straightened up from his crouched position as the Martian floated nearer. Superman sighed again; he must have really been distracted to not notice his teammate's presence. "Hello, J'onn," he finally said. "What brings you to Metropolis?"

"Things are… slow at the Watchtower," replied J'onn. "The Flash left earlier this morning to return to Keystone city. Green Lantern was called away to deflect a meteor shower on Araros IV. And Wonder Woman has stayed in her room all night, shortly after Batman returned to Gotham city."

Superman smiled. "So, you're calling Diana 'Wonder Woman' too, eh?"

J'onn raised an eyebrow. "I… overheard Batman call her that. I thought it seemed appropriate."

"I guess it is." There was silence for a few seconds. Finally, Superman said, "So, er, any plans for Christmas?"

"None at all."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

J'onn raised a hand. "It is fine. Infact, that is what I wanted to talk to you about."

Superman cocked an eyebrow. "You want to talk to me about Christmas?" He was surprised by this; it was OK for him to ask J'onn, but for J'ONN to come to Metropolis for the specific purpose of talking about the holiday season…

"You seemed unhappy lastnight at the Watchtower. I wondered if there was anything I could do to help."

Superman frowned. "Oh," he said flatly. He looked away for a moment, then turned back and said, "No. Thank you."

"I do not mean to pry," J'onn said, "but I sensed some pain in your mind, and I want you to know that, as friends, I and the rest of the Justice League are here for you."

Superman put a hand on the Martian's shoulder. "I appreciate it J'onn, but you shouldn't trouble yourselves. Really."

"Just remember that you have friends, Superman," said J'onn. "You welcomed me into your lives when I came to Earth, and I want to help in any way I can, if there is something on your mind."

Superman was silent for a moment. He pondered the situation. If J'onn wanted to, he could just read his mind and find out what was troubling him. That J'onn respected his privacy, but still showed concern for him, was admirable. After a few more moments, Superman turned to J'onn and began, "Well, actually…"

Suddenly J'onn put a hand to his head and groaned. His face creased and he began to lose his concentration on keeping adrift. Before he could fall though, Superman caught him and held him steady. "J'onn, what is it?"

J'onn took a few breaths, before saying slowly, "Flash… something's wrong with Flash…"

Superman forgot his own problems and flew J'onn and himself to the roof of the skyscraper. "What's wrong with Flash, J'onn?"

J'onn stared out blankly. "Confusion… pain… desperation… fear…"

Superman's concern grew, while J'onn's breathing returned to normal. Straightening up, J'onn simply said, "He is gone."

"Gone?"

"Gone."

/

Luthor was reading the latest chapter of his novel when he heard footsteps behind him. He put the bookmark in the book and put it on the table. Turning, he saw Copperhead standing in the entranceway. "Yes, Copperhead?" Luthor asked.

Copperhead pointed down the hallway. "He's awake. Figured you'd wanna know."

Luthor stood up. "Excellent. Let's go visit our guest." The two walked out of the room and went down the hallway, before reaching a closed door. Twisting the handle, Luthor opened the door and entered the darkened room. He flicked the light switch on and looked down at the floor. There, covered by a large pane of glass, was a ten foot-by-twenty foot pit, with no lighting of its own, coated with and a smooth, slick surface.

Luthor saw the occupant of the pit and smiled. The imprisoned man, wearing red and gold attire, looked up. He was visibly groggy. As he comprehended what he saw, the man in the pit sluggishly spoke. "So… it's you. Whassa matter, Luthor… don't wanna be alone… for Christmas?"

Luthor began pacing around the rim of the pit. "My dear boy, I admire your humour even in the most dire of situations. What a pity you won't live very much longer to provide more witticisms."

The Flash blinked a few times. "What are you upto, baldy… ?" He tried to stand, but his legs gave out on him and he fell to the floor, unable to balance himself. "Oh man…" he groaned.

"Having a bit of trouble standing, Flash?" asked Luthor. "That might be because, while you were out, we pumped you heavily with drugs. You won't be moving with your usual grace for quite sometime. Not that it would matter." He waved his hand and Flash's eyes followed them to what seemed to be airholes on the walls of his pit. "Those airvents are continually pumping tranquillising gas into your 'hole in the ground'. It won't knock you out or kill you - it will just keep your mind cloudy enough so you can't think of escaping. And the walls have been coated with a slick wax, meaning that in your weakened state you won't be able to run up the side to the top. Finally, your glass roof is several inches thick, meaning it will be very hard to break."

Flash tried to get his senses together. "You slimey…"

"Now now, no need for foul language," mocked Luthor. He stepped onto the glass and knelt down, so his face was inches from the transparent material. "You see, your friends will come and rescue you, and when they do… we'll be ready for them."

Luthor stood up and went to leave the room. He heard Flash shouting as loud as he could, but he was still woozy. "You'll never get away with this… we'll stop you. You'll be back in prison before you can say 'Merry Christmas'…"

Luthor laughed. "Oh please, give me a break." He turned the lights off, exited the room and closed the door behind him, leaving Flash alone in the dark.

/

The Joker flew his head back as he maniacally laughed at the magazine he was reading. "Ha ha ha ha – oh, look at that Snapper Carr's hairstyle! Doesn't he look like a moron, pooh?"

Harley Quinn angled her head to view the magazine. There was a picture of news reporter Snapper Carr, who was being interviewed. "Er… right, Mr. J," she said, "I guess so."

Joker spun on his chair, then tore the magazine to pieces. "You're right Harl! I mean, look at me – the picture of style." He slicked his hair back. "Everyone should definitely have green hair! Green never goes out of fashion. Purple neither." He stood up and began pacing across the room. "Harl, put it down on my To Do list – I must educate Mr. Carr on the fashions in hair!"

Harley rolled her eyes, then went to her handbag and rummaged through, before finding a small notepad. She leafed to the back and wrote down Joker's idea, word-for-word.

"Oh Harl, remind me again, what's the first thing on my list?"

"Er…" Harley flicked back to the front of the pad. "'Kill Batman'." she read.

Joker's face fell. "Oh yeah," he mumbled. "What about number two?"

"'Kill Batman'."

Joker smacked his head. "Uuuugghhhhhh. Harley, what's the next thing, and don't tell me it's 'Kill Batman'!"

Harley read the third item on the list and smiled. "Nope, it's 'Maim Batman'!"

Joker shook his hands in the air, then quickly turned and squeezed his flower on his lapel. A flow of acid sprayed out, destroying the notepad. Harley threw the disintegrating pad to the floor before the acid got to her hands as well.

"Yipe!" cried Harley, but Joker appeared unfazed.

"Oh calm down, Harl," he said, "you sound like a little girl!"

Harley sat still on her seat for a few seconds, then turned away and shook her head.

Joker swivelled on the spot at the sound of the door to the room opening, and saw Luthor walk in. "Ooh Lexy, how's our visitor?"

"He's sitting well," said Luthor. "He's putting on the usual brave face, but I can tell he was scared out of his wits. Not that that's saying much…"

Luthor paused as Joker let out another roar of laughter. When the clown had finally finished, he continued. "My plan worked perfectly. Star Sapphire and Solomon Grundy softened him up, then Harley Quinn delivered the knockout blow. I'm pleased."

Star Sapphire, Copperhead and the Prankster walked up to them, as the Shade continued watching a magic special on television. Grundy meanwhile, was gazing out of the window at the stars. "Ooooooooh, Grundy like pretty stars…"

Sapphire crossed her arms. "Well, I'm glad you're happy. Now if I could get paid please, I'd be a happy girl too."

Luthor shook his head. "Remember the bargain. You don't get paid until the entire League is in our hands. This isn't a pay-as-you-go operation. You'll get your money once this is all over and done."

Prankster pointed his finger at Luthor. "Look, Luthor, we worked hard to get Flash, we deserve at least a seventh of our money now."

"This entire operation has cost me the entirety of my remaining fortune. You have no idea how much I've invested into this. The base, the holding pit, the transportation jet. You'll get your money – just have patience. It is a virtue, you know."

The Prankster grumbled under his breath. Sapphire looked angered, but walked off. Copperhead nodded his head, appearing to be fine with the arrangement. Luthor walked over to Harley. "Besides," he said, "Harley did most of the work." Harley turned to look at Luthor and smiled.

"Thanks, that's swell Mr. L!" she said.

Luthor raised an eyebrow. "Well… yes… anyway." He looked back at the rest of the room. "However, the Flash will be the easiest to defeat. The other Leaguers will be far more difficult to capture, and I'm certain that they have by now learnt of their friend's defeat. We must be ready for them. Thanks to the scrambler I attacked Flash with during the battle, he will not be able to communicate with his teammates, so we still have the element of surprise on our side." He picked up a nearby mug and held it up. "Don't worry," he said, "soon, very soon, the Justice League will be gone forever!" He threw the mug at the wall, and the object shattered into pieces.

Joker clapped his hands. "Ha! No more Justice League! HA HA HA HA!"

Luthor looked at him and rolled his eyes. "Yes… exactly."

/

Diana looked around the meeting room. All of her fellow Justice Leaguers were there, apart from two. One was the reason they were meeting. The other was ALWAYS late.

Usually at meetings, Diana would look longingly at the entranceway, waiting for the Batman to arrive. She would occasionally look away and make smalltalk with her colleagues, but would soon return to gazing at the door, until the man she loved walked in and she could relax.

However, this time was different. They were missing a teammate. Flash had not been heard from for over four hours. Usually that was not a cause for concern, as only rarely would the entire League be together. But Flash's disappearance, coupled with J'onn's telepathic link allowing him to feel his distress, unnerved the entire team.

Superman walked over to the meeting table and cleared his throat. "If I could have everyone's attention?" The small conversation in the room ceased and all turned to the Man of Steel. "Thank you. I think we should begin this meeting as soon as possible. The quicker we get this done, the quicker we can look for Flash."

Diana frowned. "What about Batman?" she asked, turning her head back to the door hoping for the Dark Knight to appear.

"We haven't got the time, Diana," replied Superman. "Flash is our top priority."

Diana sighed. As worried as she was for the Flash, she still found Batman's absence incredibly painful.

"Now," continued Superman, "I suggest we go to Keystone, see if we can find some clues. We saw on the news that he was attacked by Star Sapphire, Solomon Grundy and the Prankster. At least, that's what eyewitnesses reported, as news crews didn't get to the scene in time."

"I could use my ring to find some heat traces, maybe some footprint residue," suggested Green Lantern. "Also, witnesses claim that they heard a loud noise, like a jet engine, minutes after the altercation. Perhaps I can trace the trail left in the air, see if there was a plane nearby."

"Good thinking, John," said Superman. He turned to J'onn. "J'onn, can you reach Flash telepathically?"

"I have tried several times," replied the Martian. "Although I cannot find him, I am sure that he isn't in Keystone city. Infact, I do not think he is in any city at the moment; most likely, he is in some remote part of the country. If his captors do indeed have a jetplane, he could very well be anywhere in the country."

"What's his condition like, J'onn?" asked Hawkgirl.

"He is anxious. Nervous. He feels weak and not in control. He is almost certainly in a less-than desirable environment. I am sorry that I cannot find anything else. I shall continue to try and locate him."

Superman put a hand on J'onn's shoulder. "You're doing your best J'onn, we know that. Thanks."

Diana took another look at the entranceway; still no Batman. She was not worried for his safety or anything; she just wanted to be with him always, to never be away from him. She felt empty, incomplete, without him around.

Her thoughts were broken by Hawkgirl. "Diana?"

Diana spun her head around and blinked a couple of times, before registering that Hawkgirl was looking at her with a concerned look on her face. "Yes, Hawkgirl?" she eventually asked.

"You were very silent," answered the Thanagarian. "Is something wrong?"

"No… nothing at all," replied Diana. She took one last look at the doorway, then turned back to her teammates. "So," she finally said, "what's the plan?"

"We're going to go to Keystone," replied Superman. "See if we can find a clue that might help. However, Hawkgirl found something else that we need to consider. Hawkgirl?"

"We've tried to contact Flash through his communicator," said Hawkgirl. "However, we've been unable to reach him. Also, witnesses report a fourth attacker at the scene and that he attacked Flash with an electric shock. Perhaps that's what shorted out his communicator. It would help if we knew who the fourth attacker was, but so far, we don't have any…"

"Lex Luthor."

All heads turned to the entranceway. Batman stood there, cape wrapped around him. Diana felt her heart rise; just seeing him brought her immense joy. She gave a big smile, but it quickly fell when she saw Batman's face. Even for him, he looked grim.

"Luthor?" asked Superman.

Batman walked upto the conference table. "I ran a scan on the readings of Flash's communicator. Before it shut down, there was a huge foreign signal in the circuits; it was the electric shocker used to disable the communicator. I ran a diagnostic on the traces left of the scrambler; it had a unique energy signature, one developed, and ONLY developed, at LexCorp."

"The scumbag," Hawkgirl growled. "When I get my hands on him, radiation poisoning is gonna be the least of his worries…" She raised her mace as way of finishing the sentence.

Superman walked to Hawkgirl and put a hand on her shoulder. "Let's all keep calm, people. We can't afford to rush in. We need a plan." Hawkgirl lowered her weapon and Superman continued. "If Batman's hunch is right…"

"It's not a hunch," interrupted Batman.

Superman paused for a moment before continuing. "OK, if Batman is right…"

"I am right."

Superman sighed. Finally he said, "If Luthor is involved, it appears that he's reformed the Injustice Gang. I suggest we split into teams. I'll pay a little visit to their old hangout, see if I can find anything. Green Lantern and Hawkgirl, you go to Keystone and find out what you can. J'onn, can you continue to try and reach Flash telepathically?"

"I shall do my best," said J'onn.

"I'm going to go check out LexCorp," Batman said. "See if I can find any trace of the technology Luthor used to disable Flash's communicator. I might even find some blueprints for his armour."

Diana stood up. She did not know what gave her the courage to say it, but she asked anyway. "Shall I come with you?"

Batman paused for a moment, then eventually said, "I work alone."

Diana felt a pang of sadness at Batman's rejection, but pressed on. "You never know what you'll find at Luthor's old base. You might need help."

Batman stared at her for a few moments. After what seemed to Diana to be an eternity, he said, "Very well. Let's go. The Batwing is in the hangerbay." The Dark Knight turned to leave.

Superman looked at the others. "OK, meeting adjourned. Let's go people - we've got a teammate to find."

As the meeting room emptied, Diana sprinted after Batman, her heart lighter now that she was with him.

/

Batman released the grasp on his line and let himself fall, his cape opening up behind him. He landed on the roof and crouched, letting his feet take his weight. As he stood up, he looked above and saw Diana glide overhead, before she floated down and landed next to him on the roof.

Diana walked to the edge of the roof and looked down. "So," she said, "this is the place?"

"Yes," Batman said. He went up to her and stood by her side. Across the street was the LexCorp building, recently closed down after Lex Luthor's arrest. The lights were on on some of the levels and there were several large trucks at the building's back entrance on the ground. Batman removed his binoculars from his utility belt and put them to his eyes. He zoomed in on the ground to see people taking large boxes, and even some crates, out of the building and putting them in the trucks. He then panned up and looked at the highest level, seeing more people packaging machinery and office equipment, then taking them to the large elevators, which where going to the ground floor, so the equipment could be loaded into the trucks.

"What's going on?" asked Diana.

"The building is being cleared. Without Luthor, LexCorp has gone bust. His arrest injured the company beyond repair. The building is being cleaned out, ready for the new owners of the building."

"Who are the new owners?"

Batman smiled. "Wayne Enterprises."

Diana looked at the smile on his face. "What is it?"

He looked at her and quickly dropped the smile. "Nothing," he replied.

He lowered his binoculars and looked at Diana again. He was momentarily caught by her beauty. She looked stunning; her hair blowing slightly in the breeze; her shoulders highlighted by the lights below and around them in the surrounding buildings; her face a picture of perfection. She had an aura of strength and confidence that radiated from her body, which Batman never failed to be awed by. He wanted nothing more than to hold her in this perfect moment, to embrace her and never let her go. He wanted to tell her how much he loved her, how much he wanted to be with her, always.

But he could not. He looked away from her and faced the building across the street. He tried to concentrate on the task at hand, but could only think of her.

"So, what's the plan?" asked Diana.

Batman was silent, then realised she had said something and looked at her. "I'm sorry?"

Diana looked confused. "I said, 'what's the plan'?"

Batman turned away, trying to cover the embarrassment he felt. He sighed, before saying, "We're going to do a level-by-level search of the building. We start at the top and work our way down."

"But there are still some people on the top floor," said Diana.

"We're going to have to wait until they're gone. They don't have too much left to clear out, so we'll go in when they've left." Batman turned away and walked to the middle of the roof, leaving Diana by the edge.

After a few moments, Diana said, "So… I guess… we're going to be here for sometime."

Batman grunted.

There were a few minutes of silence, before Diana spoke again. "I'm… sorry about yesterday."

Batman stopped and stood still. "About what?" he asked.

"When I… made you uncomfortable in the kitchen. I didn't mean to do that."

"You don't have to apologise, Diana," said Batman. "I understand."

Her voice went soft as she spoke with uncertainness. "I just… I've been abit lonely lately. I have no home, no family. I've lost them. Ever since I was banished from Themyscira, I've felt empty."

Batman closed his eyes. The sound of her pained voice made his heart ache. He could not stand to have her in pain. He tried to say something comforting, but could not think of anything. After a moment, he slowly said, "You know… just because I didn't say anything at the time, it doesn't mean I wasn't outraged when you were banished from your island."

He cursed himself. That was pathetic.

"Thanks," she said weakly. "I'm sorry to bring this up. I just…" Her voice trailed. "I…" Everytime she paused, Batman ached even more. He wanted to do something to make her feel better, but he could not. He could not think of a thing. He wanted nothing more than to comfort the woman he loved, to make her feel happy, but he was too afraid to. Afraid of how she would react. Afraid of… rejection.

A minute went by, a minute of silence that seemed to last days. Finally, Batman said, "You have a home with the League, Diana. Friends that… care about you. I know it's not the same, but… our lives would be emptier without you, Diana."

He sighed. That was the best he could do. He felt like an idiot; the woman he adored had opened up to him, and he sounded like something out of a clichéd romantic drama.

There was silence again for a moment… then Batman heard slight sobbing. He quickly turned around to see Diana with her head in her hands, tears running down her face. He clenched his jaw and closed his eyes. His heart ached incredibly. Instead of trying to make her feel better, he had made things worse!

He strode up to her and looked directly at her. "Diana… I'm sorry." He saw her pained face and his feelings were engulfed in sorrow. He had never seen her like this and it hurt him beyond description.

"It's… it's OK," Diana stuttered. "I'm just… you don't know what… that means… to hear that. To… hear you say that…"

Batman's held her shoulders. "It's true…" he whispered. He carefully took her hands in hers and removed them from her face, to see tears pouring down. He closed his eyes, trying to control his own pain. Eventually, he placed his hand under her chin and slowly lifted her face up. "Diana…" he said, "Please… you have no idea…" He stopped himself. He could not bring himself to say it. But the look in Diana's eyes pressed him on. "I… you… mean alot to me… us, Diana. You have no idea how much you mean to… us…"

Diana's eyes closed and she threw herself at Batman, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face on his shoulder. Taken aback, Batman froze, then eventually, slowly, put his arms around her and held her close. As she released her pain and cried more and more, Batman instinctively tightened the embrace, attempting to take away as much of her pain as he could.

The two stayed there, holding eachother, for a long, long time…

TO BE CONTINUED