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 12
The Justice Leaguers were speechless. They all stood in a group, mouths agape and eyes wide. They were all completely shocked.
"What… what are YOU doing here?" stammered Superman.
Batman stood there, unfazed. "Last time I checked, I was welcome here."
They were still speechless.
Batman began to turn around. "I can leave if you want."
Diana suddenly rushed upto him and grabbed his shoulder. "No, please…!" She stopped and composed herself. "You're always welcome here," she eventually said, quietly. "It's just…" she looked at the others, lost for words.
Superman stepped forward. "It's just… we didn't expect to see you here," he said. "But it's great you're here, Batman. Please, have a drink."
Batman looked at the coffee and milkshake machines. "Do you have any lemonade?"
Flash cocked an eyebrow. "Lemonade? YOU drink lemonade?"
Batman stared at Flash. "Do you have a problem with that?"
Flash backed away. "Er, no, of course not. Wait right there." He whizzed to the drinks cabinet and returned with a glass and a lemonade bottle. He poured out some of the drink and gave the glass to Batman. Batman accepted it and took a sip. As he lowered the glass, he noticed that all his teammates were staring at him.
"What?"
The Leaguers began humming and harring, until Superman eventually managed, "It's nothing, Batman. It's just… this is the most sociable we've ever seen you."
"Yes, well…" Batman walked upto a table and set his drink down. He then lifted the suitcase he was carrying and placed it down on the table. "In the spirit of the season, I've acquired some presents for you all."
Everyone's eyes widened even more, if that was even possible, and there were a couple of small gasps. "YOU… are giving US gifts?" asked Lantern in a disbelieving tone.
"If you want them," Batman said flatly.
"Hey, course we want 'em!" said Flash. "Just that… I didn't get you anything."
Batman looked at each Leaguer's pile of gifts, noticing that all of them included a copy of Flash's autobiography. "I'll try and live with the loss," Batman said.
He opened the case and removed the first present. It was a big book. He handed it to Lantern. Lantern took it, then his eyes widened as he realised what it was.
"It's… it's The Marine Corps Handbook Vol. 1!" he said. "This is decades old! It's out of print and impossible to get! How did you get this?"
Batman remained stoic. "I have my sources."
Superman gave a knowing smile. "Good is it?"
"This is incredible," said Lantern. "This only ever had one printing. No stores I've been to have even been able to order it. Thankyou, Batman."
"No problem," said Batman. He returned to his case and removed a big, black ball. He handed it to Flash. "Here you go, Flash."
Flash took the ball and looked at it, confused. "Er, thanks Bats… but, er… what is it?"
"It's a Fortune Telling Ball."
Flash looked blank.
"Think of something you've always wondered, and shake the ball."
Flash appeared in thought, before shaking the ball rigorously. After a few seconds, the words "Don't Count on It" appeared on the sphere.
"Ahhhhhh man…" Flash groaned.
J'onn read the message. "What did you ask?"
"Er… Will I get a date for next week…"
Hawkgirl giggled. Diana put her hand to her mouth, hiding a smile. Lantern raised an eyebrow. Flash looked at Batman. "Why did you get me this?"
"You've never been good at making decisions, and you hardly ever listen to us," Batman replied. "I thought maybe you'd take notice of that."
Flash blinked. Batman remained unfazed. Eventually Flash said, "Right… thanks, Bats…"
Suddenly, Superman groaned. He held his head and his face creased. "What's wrong?" asked J'onn.
Superman shook his head. "I… I guess the kryptonite radiation still hasn't completely burnt out of my system. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go to my room for a bit. I'll catch you all later. And Batman, thanks for coming."
"I'll catch up with you later," said Batman.
As Superman left, Batman turned to Hawkgirl. "Now, Hawkgirl, I know you like releasing your anger, so I've got you…"
/
The Flash slurped on his milkshake as he watched the stars outside. It had been a pretty good Christmas. He had gotten some awesome presents from his teammates, and he would be returning home later and see his family.
He thought about why he changed his mind about spending the day with the League instead of with family. Of course, he had planned to visit the Watchtower at somepoint, but he did not plan on spending the night there, or spending the morning of the day with his colleagues.
He had called his mother and informed her that he was going to spend the morning with the League, and she had fortunately understood. He promised he would be home in the afternoon and see his Aunt Iris and old family friend Jay. But - after what they had just been through - he did not think it would be right to ditch his teammates.
And he had had a good time; he received great gifts and he knew they loved getting his autobiography. And he was all set for the family get-together later; it would be a great end to an enjoyable day.
Flash went to the kitchen to make himself another milkshake. Once he got there, he saw Hawkgirl with a cup of coffee, sitting at the table. He went over to her. "Hi babe."
Hawkgirl slowly looked at him with a frown. It was a hard glare - even for her. Flash almost felt like backing away. "Er… something wrong?"
"No," Hawkgirl said sternly.
He blinked. "Are you sure? You seem kinda upset?"
"I'm fine," she replied, taking a sip of coffee.
Flash was not sure what to do. On the one hand, he did not want to upset Hawkgirl anymore than she obviously already was. But he did not like to see her like this; he cared about her more than he let on, and it hurt him to see her upset.
"Look," he said, sitting down, "if something's wrong, maybe I can help."
Hawkgirl was silent.
"Come on, what is it? Boyfriend troubles?"
She darted her head and fixed a hard glare on him. Flash immediately felt a pang of regret. Had he said something wrong?
There was an uneasy silence, before Flash stood up and went to the milkshake machine. After making himself a vanilla drink, he tried to change the subject. "So… er, kind of a surprise seeing Bats turn up, eh?"
Hawkgirl remained silent at first, but eventually looked at Flash and sighed. "Yes," she said quietly. "Yes, it was."
It was quiet again and Flash was not sure of what to do. After a few moments, he continued, "But I gotta say, I don't know what he was thinking when he got my present. I mean, I don't have problems making decisions! Look!" He took the lid off the milkshake cup lid off and took a sip. "See? I just decided to drink without a straw - all on my own!"
Hawkgirl tried to remain unmoved, but a small smile crept on her face. Flash immediately felt better. "Hey Flash," Hawkgirl said. "You got the time?"
"Sure, it's…" He twisted his wrist and pulled his glove back to look at his watch… and heard a splash.
He looked down to see him holding his cup in a horizontal position, the Vanilla contents spilt onto the floor.
"Hmph," he groaned. "Very funny."
Hawkgirl laughed. After calming down, she finished her coffee then stood up. "I did like my present from Batman, though," she said.
"Yeah, I'm sure you did," grumbled Flash. "A lifesize punching bag with a picture of me on. I KNEW I shouldn't have authorised them!"
"Well, I'm glad he got me it. I have to satisfy my need somehow."
Flash blinked. "Need?"
"Yeah, the need to punch you in the face."
"Ha ha," Flash scoffed. "You're a regular Prankster, you know that?"
She smiled. "Oh come on, I'm only…" she suddenly stopped and fell silent. He face froze, as she stared dead ahead of her.
Flash looked in the direction of her stare, and saw Green Lantern standing in the doorway. "Hey GL," he said. "Wanna drink?"
Lantern took no notice of him, instead looking right at Hawkgirl. She looked right back. Flash's head darted between the two, feeling invisible. Eventually he said, "Weeeeeelllll… I'm er… gonna get the mop to clean this drink." He then sped out of the kitchen as fast as he could.
Whatever was going on between Lantern and Hawkgirl, he decided now was not the best time to ask…
/
Superman rested on the bed, his cape folded on a chair. He was feeling better; the last of the kryptonite radiation had finally worked its way out of his body. He would be back at peak strength in a matter of minutes.
'Peak strength'. The words almost made him laugh. He knew it was false.
He had not been at peak strength for a long time. Too long.
He thought back to his talk with Batman a couple of days previous. Bruce had told the Kryptonian that he was making a mistake by turning his back on his Human life.
Was he right? Was he doing the wrong thing in giving up his identity as Clark Kent? That was, after all, who he thought of himself as for the majority of his life. It was only recently that he had given up his civilian life to focus on being Superman.
He used to believe that Superman was just a job, that Clark Kent was the real person. And he finally realised that that was true.
Without Clark Kent, Superman was a shell of a man, an empty person in red and blue. Going from one disaster to another, an endless life of misery. No home, no friends, no loved ones. The closest he had to friends now was Batman and J'onn. A man who preferred being alone, and a man who, inside, was always alone.
He remembered what else Batman said, about him not being effective anymore as the world's protector. He knew the Dark Knight was right. Recently he had lost focus on what his job was. In becoming Superman fulltime, he had left the people he cared for most.
And he needed them. He needed them to live. He had already lost an entire life on another planet. Now he had done so again. Only this time, willingly.
He had told Batman he lived by trust. That he needed the trust of the world to live. And that was true. But he also needed love. He had lived with love in his life for so long – his parents, Lois, Lana – that without it, he did not know how to operate. He was not like Bruce. He had been alone since he was eight: he knew no other way.
Unfortunately, the same was true for him.
He realised he needed companionship to function. He needed people around him, people who did not wear capes and masks. He needed normal people.
He hated his job as Superman. He always had. If he was not needed like he was, he would gladly give up his superheroic duties. He would have done so years ago. He had no desire to go out in his costume and battle supercriminals. His job as a reporter would have been sufficient.
But he knew he had no choice; as long as the world needed him, he would go out and do what he could as the Man of Steel.
But he longed for his life back. He longed for the love and warmth that his friends and family gave him. He had missed them for so long. Their faces were always in his mind, unwavering. He remembered every detail of them. He remembered every conversation, every embrace, every smile, every laugh, every kiss, every touch, every moment. Everything.
And now, when he had finally begun to consider going back to them, to his life… his life was almost taken away. He remembered being in the cell, as the electricity had coursed through his body. His mind had exploded with images of all of them. Lois. Lana. Ma. Pa. Perry. Jimmy. Kara. His feelings of loneliness had reached boiling point. He had to survive. He could not have died. He MUST NOT have died. He had to see them again. He HAD to.
But now? Now that the drama of the battle had passed, and all was peaceful? Now… he was back in denial. He had returned to the mindset that said leaving his life behind was the right thing to do.
But he knew, now, that that was not true. He knew that he had to return. But he could not bring himself to do so. He could not let the world down: he HAD to regain its trust.
Plus, would his loved ones TAKE him back? He had turned his back on them: would they do the same?
But despite the fear, he wanted his life back. He wanted it so much he could cry.
He needed a sign. A nudge; a final push to point him in the right direction.
He needed a sign.
"How are you feeling?"
Superman darted up on his bed and saw Batman at the doorway. "You snuck up on me," he said. "ME. How do you do that?"
Batman remained silent, but Superman could make out a faint smirk. He stood up as Batman walked into the room. "I'm… doing OK. I think the kryptonite is finally all gone."
"That's good," Batman said.
"How's your shoulder?"
"It's doing alright. It'll take a few weeks, but I've had worse."
Superman smiled. "I don't doubt it."
Batman briefly lowered his head, but then looked directly at Superman. "I didn't have the chance to give you your present. But I'm glad we can do this in private."
"Come to finish me off, eh?" Superman joked.
"Touché," Batman replied. "No… this is a… private affair. I'm sure you wouldn't want the others to see this."
Superman frowned. "What is it?"
Batman reached behind his back and revealed a small rectangular box. Superman tried to scan it with his x-ray vision, but the object was made of lead. Typical Bruce: mysterious to the end.
"I don't know if you'll NEED it," Batman said. "Just… see what it is, and make a decision."
Superman frowned in confusion. "Thankyou," he eventually said, taking the box. Batman turned to leave, but Superman placed a hand on his shoulder. "Wait, I have something for you too." He went over to a cabinet as Batman stopped his walk out of the room. Superman opened the cabinet door and removed an object wrapped in paper. Closing the cabinet, he turned to Batman and handed it to him.
Batman accepted and studied it. Superman shook his head. "Just open it, Bruce," he said. "I promise it's not a bomb."
Batman cocked an eyebrow, before slowly ripping the paper away. He then looked at his present.
It was a copy of the classic movie, The Mask of Zorro.
Batman's eyes squinted.
Superman noticed the change in expression and seemed a bit awkward. "Er… I hope you like it."
Batman closed his eyes, then opened them again and looked at the videocassette. Eventually he lowered it and said, "Thankyou, Clark." He had tried to keep his voice flat, but Superman noticed the pain in the tone.
There was a long silence, before Batman eventually broke it. "If you'll excuse me…"
"Of course," said Superman. "Merry Christmas."
Batman stared at him, before turning to leave. Before he left the room, however, he said, "Merry Christmas, Clark." With that, he left.
Superman looked at the lead box. What in the world could be in there?
He slowly opened the box and looked inside. He reached in and took the contents out. Looking at it, a smile crossed his face.
It was a firstclass ticket to Smallville.
/
Batman walked down the corridor, his expression blank. He stopped and looked at his present from Superman.
The Mask of Zorro
.
The movie he went with his parents to see. The night they were…
He wondered why Superman had given it to him. There was no way he could have known the significance of it. Batman surmised that the Man of Steel must have seen the similarities between Zorro and himself and thought it was a natural gift.
He stood there in the corridor, thinking about the past week. A week full of turmoil, confusion and pain. But also… of joy. He had to admit it. The joy of being with Diana was as perfect as he had dreamed. Her touch, her smell, her feel, her taste.
But he could not allow him to be caught up like that again. He had to remain aloof. He had to remain the Dark Knight. He had to block all feelings he had of her, as he had done so for months. But it was getting harder and harder. Everyday he saw her, everytime he thought of her… his feelings grew. And he was finding it increasingly difficult to hide them.
He had already slipped up twice. He thought back to the times in the gymnasium and Luthor's hideout. About how he had revealed his feelings to her, and they had embraced. He remembered the moments as being perfect; they fitted together like they were made for eachother. Like they… belonged together…
But he had to let it go. He had to forget about her. He HAD to. He could not allow her into his world. He hurt everything he touched. He tainted everyone around him. He had interfered in Dick's life, steering him down a path he knew the boy should not have gone down. He had taken in Tim, knowing it was irresponsible to let an even younger child into his world. And he had accepted Barbara, eventhough he knew that by doing so, he was feeding her childish heroworship. He had even ruined Alfred's life, burdening the butler with his secrets, taking him for granted all these years, and never once asking him if he WANTED any part of it.
He had ruined lives left, right and centre. Dick. Tim. Barbara. Alfred. Andrea. Harvey. Selena. He had even created the Joker, which was the greatest burden of all. Everyone he knew had been hurt by his quest.
He could not allow Diana to be hurt because of him as well. She was pure, perfect… she had to remain so. He would never forgive himself if she was hurt… or… worse… because of him. He had to forget his feelings for her… or at least, come to terms that he could never be with her. He had lived without love for so long. He had accepted that.
But Diana was different. He had never felt like this about anyone before, not even Andrea. His feelings for Diana ranged from admiration to attraction, from lust to contentment. When she was around, the darkness in him became light, even for the slightest moment.
Also, with Andrea, he always had to choose. Her or his quest? With Diana, he knew he would not have that dilemma. She lived the same lifestyle; she knew what it was about and she knew how important it was. Andrea never accepted it; Diana was a part of it.
He sighed. He knew he had to make a decision. But what should he do? Remain protective, secretive, forever locked in his dark barriers… or should he follow his heart?
"Are you alright?"
Batman darted his head up and saw Diana standing a few feet away from him. He cursed inwardly. He did not want to face her. Not now…
"Batman?" Diana's face was creased in worry.
"I'm fine," he replied, as flatly as he could. "How are… things holding up?"
Diana appeared lost for words for a moment, before looking at him. "Flash is being his usual nonsensical self. J'onn and Green Lantern are looking at that Marine Corps book you got him. Hawkgirl's locked herself in her room. And Superman suddenly left. He said he had something to take care of."
Batman smiled. He hoped everything worked out for Clark.
Diana saw his smile and frowned. "What is it?"
"Nothing," he replied, the smile fading. "And… how are you?"
Diana crossed her arm over her chest, holding her other arm. "Oh… you know… I'm doing OK."
"I never gave you your present," Batman said, as quickly as he could. He wanted to get this moment over with, with the least amount of embarrassment as possible.
He reached into his utility belt and removed a long, rectangular box. He held it out to Diana. Diana, her face one of confusion, took the box and opened it. Her face lit up when she saw the contents.
She reached into the box and took out the solid gold necklace. The gold was carved with an intricate flowing design, with a star etched into the centre of the pendant. "Oh Batman," sighed Diana. "It's beautiful."
"Open the star," Batman said.
She pressed a button on the side of the pendant. The star shape opened up to reveal a small picture of the sun, from outer space, surrounded by bright stars.
"It's from your nickname as a child," Batman said, the words coming difficulty. "I believe your mother used to call you her 'Little Sun and the Stars'."
Diana looked at the pendant, and a tear fell down her face.
Batman's eyes widened. He did not expect that response. He walked over to her. "I'm… sorry. I thought you'd like it…"
She wiped the tear away. "I love it…" she said quietly. "Thankyou, Batman."
They stood facing eachother, millimetres apart. They looked into eachother's eyes as their heads leaned ever so slightly forward. Their feelings had taken over the moment again…
Suddenly, Batman pulled back and sharply turned his back to Diana. He took a few steps away from her, but was stopped by the sound of her voice.
"Batman, we need to talk."
He sighed. He did not want to have this conversation, but knew avoiding it was pointless. The sooner he got it over with, the better it would be. The better SHE would be.
"Fine," he said quietly. "Follow me."
He walked over to a nearby room and opened the door. He let Diana walk in, then entered the room himself and closed the door behind him.
Diana opened her mouth to speak, but was beaten to the punch by Batman. "I believe we've been under alot of stress these past few days," he said quickly. "I also believe that the stress has made us… do things… that…" He was lost for words. After a few moments, he continued. "We were obviously… not thinking straight, and I…"
"I'm in love with you."
Batman blinked at Diana's interruption. Over the past couple of days, he had known how she felt about him. After their two encounters, how could he not? But still… to actually HEAR her say the words…
Diana looked down. "I've always loved you, Batman," she whispered. She closed her eyes, and Batman's heart ached. "I've wanted to tell you for months… but… I was afraid. Afraid that you wouldn't feel the same way." She looked up at him. "Do you?"
Batman stared at her. He was put on the spot. He wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and never let her go. But his quest… his stubborn refusal to let his feelings out was stopping him. He had never revealed his feelings before. Could he start now?
Diana kept her eyes on him, unwavering. "If you don't…" she said slowly. "I'll understand. But after these past few days… I… I need to know. I can't hide my feelings anymore. I just want to know… do you have any feelings for me at all?"
Batman remained silent. The silence lasted for an eternity, the only sound being the ticking of a clock on the wall. They stared at eachother, Diana's question hanging in the air forever.
Eventually, Diana's head sunk and she closed her eyes. She slowly turned around, facing the window and the stars beyond.
Batman lowered his own head. He hated himself. He hated his life, he hated his secrets, he hated his need to protect everyone around him from getting close to him. But he could not allow her to be close to him. Everyone who ever got close to him got hurt.
He noticed the Zorro videocassette, which he was still holding.
Everytime he thought of that movie, he thought of his parents…
His parents.
They would have wanted him to be happy.
He could be happy…
With Diana.
Diana stared out the window… then a hand delicately touched her shoulder. She turned around slowly to see Batman standing inches away. He raised his arm and lifted her head up. He then looked at her and smiled.
"I love you, Diana."
Tears ran down Diana's face. She smiled and they stared at eachother.
"Am I dreaming…?" she whispered.
"No," he said, shaking his head. "I love you so much, Diana. I've always loved you…"
He leaned closer to her, she mirroring the action. Their lips touched and they pressed against eachother, their bodies melting into eachother. They kissed passionately, and they became inseparable. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he put his arms around her waist.
They kissed for an eternity, never wanting to let the other go. After what seemed like forever, their lips parted, and they smiled at eachother. Tears were streaming down Diana's face, and Batman slowly wiped them away with his hand.
They stared at eachother, never wanting to miss a moment. But Batman's smile then fell, and he closed his eyes.
Diana's face fell with concern. "What is it…?"
"There's one more thing," he breathed. He released her and took a step away. She looked at him, her concerned expression turning to worry.
Batman slowly put his hands to his face.
Diana's eyes widened.
Slowly, Batman began pushing his cowl up over his head…
THE END