Bruce walked down to the plaza below Wayne tower and sat down. They had agreed to meet here to discuss something. It was Diana's idea. His jaw was still a little sore.

Diana stepped into the open plaza and took off her sunglasses. She eyed a dark-haired man with a square jaw and a permanent scowl and knew it must be Bruce. She'd recognize that jaw anywhere. She made her way over to him, stepping confidently across the tiles. Her long coat concealed most of her outfit, but her bracelets peeked out from the sleeves, glinting in the sun.

Shortly after, Clark made his entrance. He was incredibly discreet about it, Bruce noted. Everything about him gave an air of discretion, as if he had custom-tailored his entire person to be inconspicuous, from the brown plaid shirt to the faded blue jeans to the ball cap, he seemed like an entirely different person. Still, there was no mistaking the broad shoulders, or the light intensity behind those thick-rimmed glasses. He strolled casually to the table and sat down quietly.

Diana looked at the two men and folded her hands on the table. "Clark. Bruce." She seemed calm, almost dangerously so to Bruce.

"Diana," Clark nodded, smiling politely as he set his ball cap on the table, straightening his tousled black hair. His demeanor was softer than the commanding, confident presence he presented in his other uniform. "Bruce," he said more brusquely to the other man. Diana nudged Clark in the ribs with her elbow, then picked up a menu cautiously. Clark raised one eyebrow silently, but followed suit.

Diana's eyes wandered across the room, then back to the two most interesting objects within, the men seated before her. "What's a cheeseburger?" she asked.

Clark smiled and leaned toward her slightly. "It's a hot sandwich. Ground beef and cheese, usually with vegetables like lettuce, tomato, and pickle, between two pieces of bread," he explained, pantomiming the construction of his favorite food.

She frowned slightly, brows furrowed. "Ground beef? It doesn't sound very good…"

"It is if you raise it right."

"Hmm… Maybe I'll try it. Although the salad looks good as well," she scrunches her nose as she reads.

Clark smiled to himself, then forced his mind from wandering back to the matter at hand. "Bruce, you've been awfully quiet," he said, his voice changing from his softer Clark Kent voice to the full, confident voice he used in costume. Diana peered above her menu and stared at Bruce, her eyes inscrutable.

"Was there a reason we decided to meet here?" he said, his voice low but undistorted. He looked up from the menu. "I don't mean to offend. I'm just curious."

"Because we can fly and you can't," Clark supplied with a shrug.

Diana smiled slightly. "I actually wanted to discuss some things."

"Mature," Bruce huffed, tired of Clark's lighthearted disposition already. He turned from him to Diana. "About?"

"Diplomacy."

"If it's about the whole incident on Themiscyra," Clark began, but thought better of it, and shut his mouth.

She glanced at Clark and then back to Bruce with a sly grin. "Hmm… As I was saying, I will be staying here in the United States acting as the diplomat for Themiscyra. I don't think it would be wise for me to be travelling back and forth so much. I was wondering if you both could arrange quarters for me."

"I could get you somewhere in DC," Bruce offered.

"That would be helpful," she nodded. "And what about us? How will we stay in touch?"

"Here," Clark handed her the spare earpiece he'd taken from the cave. "This way we can get in touch in case something comes up. It worked in Nanda Parbat, so I assume the connection is worldwide?" he directed the question to Bruce with a tilt of his head.

"Yes," Bruce looked back down at the menu. "You'll be guaranteed a penthouse within the next hour after I make a call."

Diana examined the earpiece before slipping it into her pocket. "Thank you, Bruce," she smiled and planted a kiss on Bruce's cheek. "Thank you, Clark," she leaned over and kissed Clark's cheek as well. Bruce remained stoic, while Clark blushed slightly and rubbed the back of his neck, a habit he'd picked up from his father. "Now, I shall try the cheeseburger, fries and a chocolate shake."

"Just what I was thinking," Clark nodded. He didn't need food; he got all his energy from the sun. Still, he enjoyed eating, and it would be rude not to. Diana folded her menu and smiled.

Bruce put down his own menu. "Two burgers, wings and fries. With ginger ale," he informed the waiter when he arrived. Then he looked over at Diana and Clark. "Don't tell Dick," he growled.

Diana chuckled. Clark laughed out loud. "Mum's the word," he said.

Diana looked up at the waiter. "I'll have a cheeseburger, fry, and a chocolate shake, please."

"I'll have the same," Clark said.

Up in the shadows of a tall building, Robin was keeping watch over the proceedings. "I see you, Bruce," he said, laughing before disappearing. Bruce scowled, then leaned back in his chair.

"Did any of you hear about the particle accelerator in Central City? There was a malfunction of some kind," he said.

"Oh? I hope no one was hurt," Diana frowned.

"I was there helping with cleanup," Clark said. "Didn't have too many casualties. But I did hear one of the detectives on scene talking about a CSI who ended up in the hospital due to some related lightning storms."

"Hera help him," Diana muttered. Then she saw the waiter with their drinks. "Oh my, that's larger than I imagined."

"Almost as big as the ones back home," Clark chuckled.

"Hm," she pulled it close and took a sip. Her eyes widened and she gasped.

"Good?" Clark sipped his through a straw to avoid a chocolate mustache.

"Amazing!" Diana laughed, then chugged it down quickly.

"Careful you don't get a brain freeze," Clark laughed.

Diana buried her head in her hands "My head!" she cried.

Clark laughed again. "I warned you!"

"This is a terrible pain."

Clark smiled, his hand on her shoulder. "You wouldn't think people like us would have a weakness like frozen dairy products, but no one is immune to the brain freeze." Bruce's scowl lightened slightly as he watched Diana learning about the outside world.

Diana was still in recovery. She shook her head. "That was awful… we don't have anything like that on Paradise Island."

"Then it's not paradise," Bruce grunted, drinking his ginger ale.

"For once, we agree," Clark smiled disarmingly. Bruce was unamused.

"I'm sure we have something better than this," Diana said, her head still leaned in one hand.

"Like all good things, it comes with a little pain if you do it wrong," Clark sipped slowly on his own milkshake. Diana drained the rest of her shake and frowned down at the bottom of the glass. "Here," Clark said, sliding his own shake over to her, "You can have the rest of mine."

"I cannot accept your gesture. The shake is yours and you should enjoy it," Diana said, moving the glass back over to Clark, though he could tell she was loath to release its chocolate contents.

"It's mine to give, too," he pushed it back to her. "You obviously liked it, and you clearly wanted more."

"Well yes… We shall share the remaining amount," she said with an air of finality. And small wonder, Clark thought. She is a princess after all.

All he said was, "Fine by me," with a smile.

The waiter returned shortly with the main course. "Burgers, wings, and fries for Mister Wayne," he said, placing a tray in front of Bruce, who up till this point had remained stoic, "And cheeseburgers and fries for the lovely couple."

Clark's ears and neck flushed deep red. "O-oh no," he stammered, "We're not a…" he leaned back slightly from Diana and shot her a look that screamed help me.

Diana looked up at the waitress. "This man is nothing but someone I associate with in the workplace. We are nothing more," she said, taking the rest of the shake and sipping it with a plain look on her face. The nerve of some people, she thought.

Clark sighed deeply. "Thank you," he said.

"Are you embarrassed of me?" she asked with a smirk.

"N-no, I just… I'm digging myself a hole here aren't I?" He smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck again.

"Yes. Yes you are," she chuckled and looked down at her food. "It smells amazing, but looks rather unappetizing."

Bruce checked his watch, then raised his hand to the waiter, apparently roused from his stupor. "I'm going to need this to go." He stood and fixed his tie. "Sorry to cut it short but I have a meeting."

"Anyone we know?" Clark stood with him. Diana looked up at the two standing men from her plate, where she had ravenously devoured half her cheeseburger already.

"Alexandra Luthor. Apparently she's getting desperate enough to offer illegal bargains to me so our companies can merge. Once I record it, I'll have solid evidence to back up the soft."

"I've heard of this Luthor," Diana stood. "The couple and I will need boxes to go," she said.

"She can't be happy with that," Clark said, placing his cap back on his head and pulling it down firmly.

Moments later, the waiter returned with several boxes. "For the happy couple, and for you, miss," he said. Diana accepted the boxes with thanks, and Clark shot her the closest thing to an icy glance she'd seen him deliver. It was made all the more effective by his clear blue eyes, eyes that seemed incapable of concealing the emotions he held in check so well otherwise. She planted a kiss on Clark's cheek, this time earning no reaction, and handed the waiter the money. "You may keep the change. Thank you both for lunch. It was quite… informative."

Clark's eyes followed her out before he turned to Bruce. "That woman is going to be the death of us both, I can feel it."

"At this point I am sure the both of you will be the death of me," Bruce growled. "I'm getting too old for this," he grumbled.

"Still in good shape though," Clark patted Bruce on the back, just hard enough to make him check his footing. "I'm sure you'll do just fine," he chuckled with a twinkle in his eye. Bruce muttered something so low only Clark could hear, then turned and walked away. Clark set out for the waterfront, then leapt into the air faster than the eye could follow and soared across the bay to Metropolis.

Diana walked down the street, absorbing the sights and smells of the city around her. After several blocks, she turned into an empty alleyway and flew up, making her way to Washington. When she landed, she tested her comm. "Hello? Does this work?"

Clark's voice sounded in her ear. "I can hear you loud and clear."

"Good. Bruce, what was the address for the penthouse you had in mind?"

"215 I Street Northeast, in the Capitol Hill area."

"Thank you," she said, making her way to the building. She climbed the stairs and entered her loft. She set her bags down and sighed. It was smaller than her palace back home, but still spacious, and pre-furnished. "I expect our next lunch will not be interrupted, she said in her certain way. She explored her new rooms with a smile on her face.

"Provided there's no meetings, alien invasions, or child-sacrificing cults, I'd have to agree," Clark laughed over the earpiece. His voice was soft and gentle.

He must be among men, she thought. Why he would hide what he could do was beyond her, and she was confused by his insistence on a normal life. Bruce ran the company that provided his gear, that was understandable. But why a man who was as near a thing to a god as she had seen since coming to man's world would want to disguise himself as another mortal bore no explanation. He is not like them, she thought.

She undressed and looked out her window over the monuments men had built. "I'd rather take those than the speech I have to give to your Senate tomorrow." She ran the water in her shower, and went to check the news while she waited for it to warm. Her eyes widened and she dropped the remote when she saw what was happening in Metropolis. "Superman! I'm on my way!" She quickly donned her armor and opened the window, taking out and speeding towards the city.

Clark stepped into the planet, keeping his shoulders hunched and his eyes down. Just in time, he thought as Perry made his way through the crowded bullpen towards him.

"Kent!" his boss shouted, waving a wadded up paper in his hand. "What is this? I need that cult story and I need it yesterday!"

"On it, Mister White," Clark said, hurrying to his desk. He allowed himself a small smile. He had had a front row seat to that one. This shouldn't take long. He could see Lois eying him from over the cubicle. She had never trusted him, not since he had brought his debut interview with Superman to Perry. Since then, she had seen him as competition, though he had done his best to be friendly. "I trust our next lunch will not be interrupted," Diana said, and again Clark was reminded of the way she had of declaring things to be so. It made him chuckle.

"Provided there's no meetings, alien invasions, or child-sacrificing cults, I'd have to agree," he laughed.

"I'd rather take those than the speech I have to give to your Senate tomorrow."

Just as he was about to begin typing, the building shook. He caught his pen cup before it fell to the floor and looked around. The building shook again, and people went grabbing for anything to grab ahold of. Clark quickly ran for the roof and left his work clothes behind, flying up to look at the building. What he saw chilled him to the bone, and he felt an emotion he had only felt once before.

Fear.

"Dear God."

Doomsday had landed again, right in front of the Planet. It was now climbing the building, sending crumbling rubble falling to the ground below. Clark dove down, slam ming the monster away from the building. He kept up an unrelenting assault, driving Doomsday toward the bay. If he gave it even a second, hundreds, maybe thousands of people could die. He drove Doomsday through the air before sending him crashing into the water with a powerful blast of his heat vision.

Superman hovered over the water, searching the depths for any sign of movement. Some editorials had accused him of thrill-seeking in the past, searching out danger because he liked the fear. That was the furthest thing from the truth. He hated fear. No matter how great the odds, he never let himself be afraid. But Doomsday wasn't odds. He was death incarnate. He got his sign. Doomsday came roaring out of the surf, slamming straight into Clark. They hurtled back to shore, trading blows powerful enough to shake the air itself. "Superman!" He heard Diana cry, "I'm on my way!" He was too busy to reply. He picked himself up out of the sand and clashed with Doomsday again. It tackled him to the ground. He managed to throw it off and rise before its claws crushed him, just in time to see Diana land behind it and draw her sword. "Diana, stay back! I've faced this thing before."

"Don't speak to me like that, Clark," she said, closing ground with the monster. It turned at the sound of her voice and bellowed.

Clark didn't have time to nurse her stubborn pride. He charged Doomsday, slamming into its back. It whirled and pounced, hoping to catch him on the ground again. Clark shot back out of its reach, and a heavy claw buried itself in Doomsday's back, lifting him helplessly into the air. Bruce had arrived, and was now towing the monster with the Batwing. "We need to take this out of the city," he growled. Diana agreed, and Clark nodded his assent.

"I can go faster," he said, grabbing Doomsday from behind and flying north. When it finally broke his grip, they fell to the ground in the northern territories of Canada. Clark pushed himself to his feet, shaking glacier from his hair. He and Doomsday collided in midair, the thunder of their blows booming off the mountains. They battled back and forth across the glacial valley, plowing deep troughs in the ice and snow and rock. Just when Doomsday seemed to gain the upper hand, it was whipped from its feet and whirled around by Diana, who had just caught up. She had wrapped her lasso around it, and was spinning it overhead. She released, hurling the monster into a nearby mountain.

Clark gave chase, pounding Doomsday deep into the belly of the mountain. The earth rumbled and shook as they fought deep inside, then suddenly the mountain seemed to erupt, as Superman flew through the air to land by Diana, with Doomsday leaping out close behind.

Bruce swerved to avoid the blue and red-caped figure flying from the mountainside. Well, I found them, he thought wryly. He strafed the monster, firing missiles to keep it distracted as Superman picked himself up. He was battered and bloody, and his suit was torn in a dozen places, but he was still fighting. Bruce was impressed. He had matched this unholy force of nature at every turn, and kept him contained on the ice sheet. The monstrosity was even looking worse for wear, despite seeming to be even stronger than Superman. And more than that, it had him scared. From what he had seen, Superman had never been scared in a fight before. He always wore that confident air, even when he was losing. If it was enough to scare Superman, it was worth worrying about.

Diana threw her shield at the beast, then leapt into the air. She had fought monsters before, and this was no different. The shield hit it in the face, distracting it as Diana's sword cut into its ankle. Clark was struggling with this? Maybe the Man of Steel isn't as strong as I –

Doomsday cut off her train of thought with a clawed fist, swiping down and nearly burying her in the ice. Then it turned its attention to Batman, leaping up at the Batwing with a roar. Bruce maneuvered the Batwing just out of the monster's grasp. He ejected out of the seat and glided down, planted both feet on Doomsday's horned head and kicked off, flipping and landing next to Superman.

Doomsday roared and charged, but Clark cut it off with a punch to the jaw that rattled Bruce's teeth and brought it to its knees. It struggled back to its feet but Clark hit it again. And again. And again. And again. He kept hammering on it until blood dripped from his knuckles, pooling dark red around his boots. Finally, Doomsday ceased moving. Without a word, Clark picked the monster up and flew it up and out into space, tossing it back the way it came, far away from Earth as Bruce and Diana watched them rise. He slowly floated back down to Earth, looked at both of them, and managed a weak smile. Then he collapsed to the ground, suit in tatters and blood seeping into the snow.

Diana knelt beside him and checked his vitals. He was alive, but barely. "We need to get him to a hospital."

"His identity would be vulnerable there. The cave." Batman knelt beside her.

"Can you fit him in that plane?" Batman nodded and they lifted him up, carrying him to the copilot seat. Diana hovered up into the air and waited to follow as Bruce sped back south, towards Gotham.

As they passed over the border, a squadron of F-22 Raptors fell in behind them. "You are entering United States airspace. State your intent or be fired upon," one of the pilots said on Bruce's comms.

Diana looked back at the jets. "Bruce, you keep going," she said. "I'll handle things here." Bruce didn't say anything in response but the Batwing picked up speed, outpacing even the advanced fighters. Diana kept a slow pace in front of the jets. One of them fired a warning shot, apparently not happy at being ignored. She didn't even blink as the missile flew past her and detonated.

"We don't have time for this. Leave them," Bruce said over comms. Diana rolled her eyes and flew straight up into the air, leaving the less maneuverable jets behind, and flew back to Gotham unhindered. She reached the cave to find Bruce already at work treating Clark, who seemed to be healing somewhat, but still out. "How its he?"

"He'll make it." His cowl was off, lying on the stool next to him.

"Thank Hera," she said, walking to the table.

Dick walked into the cave holding a half-eaten donut, not seeing Bruce. Bruce, likewise, was too absorbed in his work to notice his protégé. Dick looked to Diana and mouthed "cover me" to her before stuffing the rest of the donut into his mouth. Diana chuckled and walked over to the Batcomputer. "Is this how you know everything?" she asked.

"Don't touch it," Bruce grumbled, not looking up from the Kryptonian. She set her hand on one panel. He sighed and walked over.

"What do you have here on me?" She asked.

"Nothing you shouldn't already know," he said.

"Ah," she sat down in the big chair. Batman looked at her, one eyebrow raised. She spun around it, a taunting smile on her face.

"You're having too much fun."

"Must be hard for you to watch, then," she smirked and stood back up.

Bruce scoffed. "The strongest being I'd ever met is lying nearly dead on the table over there after a fight with the new strongest being I've ever met. Now is hardly the time for childish antics." He turned to Dick, who was trying to sneak into the Batmobile, as if he had sensed his presence. "No!" he barked. Dick hung his head in defeat and marched back upstairs.

"He's a good child. He should meet Donna."

"No. Girls," Bruce growled. "Not until he's eighteen."

"What's wrong with girls?" Diana raised her eyebrow and put her hands on her hips.

"He'd be distracted."

"I'll introduce her to him next week after her training session," she said, walking past him with a smirk.

"You will do no such thing."

"He needs friends."

"He is not your pupil to decide who or what he needs. I am training him. He has what he needs. Don't meddle."

"You don't count as a friend," Diana leaned against another desk. "Are you sheltering him, Batman?"

"Where it's appropriate," the Dark Knight replied firmly, folding his arms.

"That's what my mother did for the past hundred years," Diana said coolly.

"And look at you now."

Diana raised one eyebrow. "Oh? What do I look like now, hmm?"

Bruce simply smirked and turned his back. He pulled off the top of the batsuit, hanging it in its slot. Diana laughed and called for Dick to come back to the cave.

"What's up, pretty lady?" Dick said, sliding down the railing.

"How old are you?" Diana smiled kindly at him.

"Twelve," he looked up at her.

"Would you like to have a playdate with my little sister, Donna?"

"Play date? I don't want to babysit a five year old girl," the boy crossed his arms, looking remarkably like a miniature Batman, albeit one with donut crumbs still on the corners of his lips.

"She's not five. She's eleven. I can tell her to bring swords."

"Swords? Eleven?" Dick grinned, then stuck his tongue out at Bruce. He looked back at Diana with an innocent look on his face. "That sounds fine," he said, hiding his excitement.

"I'm glad. Promise me you'll not hurt yourselves too much?"

"Promise."

Bruce scowled. "Go study with Barbara," he said firmly. Dick nodded and scurried back up the stairs.

Diana walked back over to Bruce, trailing a hand over his shoulder. "Checkmate."

Bruce pulled on a white shirt and leaned against the desk. "Don't undermine me in front of him. For someone from a military background, I should think you would know better." He sighed. "Fine. It could be good for his morale to socialize."

"I just don't want Donna to go through the same things I went through," Diana said.

"Fair enough." Bruce walked back to the computer, pulling up a series of blurry photos and CCTV feeds. "There's other people out there like you and Superman."

"I know."

"We may need their help. It can't be the three of us against the world."

"You don't think we could take the world if we needed to?"

"If today was any indication, no. Not alone."

"I see."

"I wasn't joking about that space station."

"So I won the bet?" Batman only nodded. Diana folded her arms. "In all seriousness, what is your plan, Bruce?"

"Bring these people together. Make them a team."

"You? The Batman wants a team?"

"Not me. The world needs a team. There's unspeakable things growing that we can't beat alone."

"Who did you have in mind?"

"A test pilot out in New Mexico named Harold Jordan. He came into contact with some kind of alien tech a few months back, now he goes by Green Lantern. A high school football star turned cyborg named Victor Stone. I worked with his father once. There's also this man," Bruce pulled up video from a submersible drone at a shipwreck that showed a bearded man swimming out of the ship without breathing apparatus. "No name yet, but he's capable of breathing underwater, and he's got the durability and strength to dive anywhere we can send a submarine, at least."

"And you want us to protect the planet? Together?"

"When necessary."

"Some sort of pantheon." She raised her eyebrows, both of them for once. "A league."

"Yes. We can't be scattered, unfocused. As a team, we'll be more effective, fighting for a common cause."

"I assume you want to stay in Gotham, though."

"We aren't all going to live together, so yes."

"You don't think residency in this space station would be beneficial?"

"It would be, but not 24/7. I certainly wouldn't use it often. Some of the others might, though."

Diana pondered for a moment, chin in her hand. "I will have to think."

"Fine," Bruce said, typing at the computer.

"When will he wake up?" She said, leaning on the back of Bruce's chair.

"That's up to him."

Minutes ticked by, but the wounded alien still slept. Suddenly, he stirred slightly, then shot straight up on the table. "Doomsday!" he shouted, eyes burning red as his head whipped around. Slowly the gleam faded as he realized he was no longer on the ice sheet. "Where is Doomsday? Where am I?" he said more quietly.

Diana hovered to him "Clark, you killed him and sent him into space. You're in the cave. You're safe."

"I…" Clark shook his head. "No. Doomsday can't die. It's what makes him so dangerous. He'll only be stronger next time. I just sent him away from Earth." Her eyes met his, deep and blue and as sad as they were bright. "How did I get here?"

She gripped his hand and pulled him down to the ground. "Batman brought you here."

He winced as her hand squeezed at the deep cuts in his own, but said nothing of it to her. "You have my thanks, Bruce." Bruce simply grunted, engrossed in reports on the computer.

Diana helped him back onto the table. "You need rest."

"I need the sun," Clark rose, pushing against her. He walked to the exit of the cave. "You're welcome to join me."

She smiled and followed him at his side. "I'd love to."

Clark stepped up into the setting sun. "That wasn't nearly as bad as last time," he said, closing his eyes as the sun washed over him.

Diana stood beside him and relished the sun as well. "You need to be more careful next time."

"I can't afford to be. You, Bruce, the whole world. He'd have killed you all."

"I could have taken the creature on, easily," she stated with a smirk.

"No, Diana," Clark turned to her, his eyes deadly serious. "You couldn't have. You don't know Doomsday like I do. Last time we fought, it nearly killed me. Hell, I think it might have, for a little bit."

She crossed her arms. "You don't think I could handle such a creature?"

"I know none of us could have without all the others," Clark said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "You have to put aside your pride and think with your head, Diana. Doomsday isn't just another monster you can fight with sword and spear and shield. Doomsday is death."

She pushed his hand away and crossed her arms. "I do think. I think about many things, Clark." She turned her back to him. "I'm sorry if I seem empty-minded."

"Not empty-minded. Just proud." Clark placed his hand back on her shoulder. "You and Bruce, you're the closest thing to friends I've met since I started. I don't think I could bear losing either of you." Diana stepped away and glanced back at him. "I just…" Clark sighed and hung his head. "I'm sorry."

"Are you feeling better?" she said stiffly.

"Slowly but surely," Clark replied, suddenly reticent.

Diana sighed. "Clark, I'm sorry."

"You're right though. I was being unfair. But that doesn't change the fact that I was even more scared for you than I was for myself out there today," he said, looking back up at her. "And Bruce," he added quickly.

"You're sweet," she met his gaze. "But you're right. It takes a team to destroy something of that scale."

"Why do I have the feeling Bruce is already working on that?" Clark smiled ruefully.

"He is. It's not a bad idea, either," she looked up at him.

"Then let's go ask him about it," he said, holding out his arm for her. She hesitated taking it, and so he smiled and let his arm fall back to his side and walked in. She followed, and looked back at the sun just as its last rays peeked over the horizon, and felt a twinge of homesickness.