A/N: Well I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Remember to leave a review once you're done reading, it really helps to get feedback!
IsaacClark: I'm glad you liked what I did with Harleen (I try to use the name Harleen for the old Harley and just Harley for the new Harley), because she's going to be back in later chapters.
Chapter 10: The Party Begins
"Christian, this is a beyond terrible idea," Kara told him as he packed up his suitcase. Under the guise of a business trip, Christian was planning to travel to Trenton to give the state government a piece of his mind.
"You know they're already upset with you," Kara continued, "what do you thinks' going to happen when you kick down their doors and start smashing heads!"
"Joker's getting funding and resources from one of them, and I need to find out who it is before that madman strikes again."
Kara shook her head, "What are you going to do? Spy on them until you find which one has been contacting Joker?"
"Exactly, and once I do I'm going to break both his arms and maybe a couple ribs," Christian growled, slamming his suitcase closed. He picked up the case by the handle and called to Eve, "How long till we have to leave for the flight?"
"Fifteen minutes Mr. Wayne," she called back, "I have a hotel booked for a week already, is that long enough?"
"It should be fine, I own the place after all," Christian said, checking his watch instinctively.
"Alright, but then I have to come with you."
Christian gave her an annoyed glare, "When did you become my babysitter?"
"You're on high surveillance by the league; if I leave you alone they may take it as a signal to move in. You wouldn't want this fight jeopardizing your mission, would you?" Kara told him, arms crossed impatiently.
Christian sighed, "How quickly can you get packed?"
Kara smiled, and then suddenly disappeared in a streak. After three seconds flat, she reappeared with three suitcases, a carry on, and a new outfit. Christian rolled his eyes and asked, "Why do you need three suitcases? We'll only be there for a week."
"You aren't a girl so you wouldn't understand," Kara told him childishly, sticking her tongue out at him.
Christian just assumed she probably new best and carried his suitcase outside to the limo. Kara followed him, holding all three heavy suitcases with one arm effortlessly. Once they reached the car, Eve opened up the trunk and helped stuff all the bags inside.
"You sure you wanna travel with me?" Christian asked
Kara smiled, "Why? Worried you won't pick up as many women with me around?"
"No, I'm worried you'll look like my newest floozy."
Kara laughed, "You forget so soon that I'm a farm girl, I wouldn't be caught dead doing… whatever you do with your various assortment of bimbos."
Christian nodded and opened the door for her, and then nodded towards Eve to start up the car. Christian hopped in and closed the door behind him.
As they drove towards the airport, Christian looked out of the window towards Gotham and saw something that broke his heart. People were hiding in fear, fear for their lives. They hid in their homes, closed their stores, and shut off their lights. This wasn't how people were supposed to live, in constant concern for their lives. The Joker had changed the city's attitude; he even shocked the other criminals. Sources told him Falcone had left the city, for fear of getting mixed up with the clown. This wasn't a game for the ordinary, no it was a game for freaks and psychopaths, himself included. This sight only made him more determined to stop the Joker, never again would he take the lives of hundreds like he had the night of the gas attack. Never again, he swore to himself.
"So how do you plan to make this arrest," Kara asked him
"I've tipped off the commissioner to be in Trenton when I strike. Once I've beaten the tar out of the proper people, I'll leave the scum for the police. Jenna said if my hunches are correct, then she should have enough to make the arrest and push the trial. If we do this, hopefully the Joker's main cash flow will be cut off."
"And how will you not anger everyone with political power?"
"Some things can't be avoided," Christian answered. This would definitely push the envelope in the ever so delicate situation he was in with the league, but it was necessary if he was going to stop the Joker.
Kara sighed in defeat, there was obviously no convincing him otherwise. She knew this would end up being the last straw and all she could do was watch.
"You're going to have to be fawning over me."
Kara looked at him as if he had just said 'I like killing children'
"What do you mean?"
"To keep up my appearance, I need a blonde around my arm about everywhere I go. I was going to call that cute reporter Katie Vale, but now that you're here you can fill the part nicely."
"W-what?! I told you, I'm a country girl; I have morals! Do you know how disappointed Ma and Pa would be if I they saw this? You have a reputation Christian, and it's not one I want to be a part of!"
Christian waved her off, "Calm down, we won't be doing what I do with most my arm candy. It'll just be for the cameras."
Kara pouted, but ultimately ended up agreeing. Christian gave her the rundown on how to act and what to say while Eve snickered quietly up front. He was secretly a little curious to see what it would look like if Kara acted like one of the starry eyed bimbos. The Kents had definitely engrained their Smallville morals into her mind. He thought back on when he was dating Kara and he met Clark's parents for the first time. His city boy morals had not gone over well with the old folks, and the whole visit had ended with him being forbidden to see their little Kara again. Oh well.
When the car stopped, the press immediately swarmed the limousine. Eve got out calmly and opened up the door for Christian, ignoring the flashing cameras and question about insane rumors.
Kara was a surprisingly skilled actor, right as Christian stepped out of the car she was around his arm and whispering unspeakable things in his ear. The press, as Christian predicted, ate this up, leaving any questions about his reasons for travel or the fact that he was traveling at all out.
Kara would toy with her hair, run her finger down his chest, and occasionally act like she was kissing his neck. Christian hated to admit it, but he was enjoying the act a considerable amount. The two followed Eve through the airport, who at this point was considering chasing off the media with a dagger.
Christian merely shot them a golden boy smile and waved to them as Kara followed his lead. As they began boarding Christian's jet, the press finally began to peel off. Closing the door of the jet behind her, Eve slid down to the floor and sighed in relief. Kara immediately let go of Christian and looked at herself as if she needed a bath.
"Alright Mr. Wayne, shall we get moving?"
Christian nodded to her, so Eve stood up and walked into the cockpit.
"I didn't know Eve knew how to pilot a plane," Kara said, peaking over her seat towards the cockpit.
"She's incredibly overqualified for this job," Christian answered, pulling out some drinks from one of the compartments. As he poured them some scotch, he said, "You know you're a better actor then you think."
"Hmm, the life of an actress never really occurred to me," Kara joked, taking a sip of her drink.
Christian nodded and took a drink, "So is this the longest you've been out of Metropolis?"
"Probably not, I've had some pretty long shifts at the watchtower."
"How's that?"
Kara sighed, "Not too exciting, but it's necessary. If something happens we have to be ready for action."
"How about being on a team, do you like it," Christian asked, a bit curious about the other side of the spectrum.
"It's nice to know other people have your back, you should try it sometime."
Christian shook his head, "Being on a team is a liability. Other members could be captured and threatened just to get to me. I refuse to take the chance that someone could get hurt because of me."
"Christian, I'm bullet proof, have super strength, and I can fly. I'm not someone who is easily captured."
"Even if that is true, there are ways. In fact I'm pretty sure my dad has about eighty different ways recorded somewhere on that computer."
Kara raised her eyebrow suspiciously, "He did?"
Christian immediately regretted opening his mouth. Sometimes he forgot that Kara was almost as much of an enemy as the Joker was. While she may be on the side of justice, her association with the League made her a danger to the mission. It was to late to back out though; he had to find a way to escape.
"You know he was extremely paranoid. If the league were ever to turn, he needed defense protocols. They almost did turn on him."
Kara remembered the crises when Luthor had become president. Christian, of course, was completely unaware of the situation. He was off somewhere traveling, womanizing, and doing everything that he used to love so much. She was with the league trying to stop the madman. At the end of the battle, Superman almost did kill Lex Luthor, but was talked out of it by the Batman.
"As tempting as it was to kill Luthor, we never would. We could never cross that line."
Christian still didn't buy the act. It couldn't be that easy to just deny the temptation to end someone who could only cause the world harm. He was sure at one point Kara had almost crossed the line; maybe she had even crossed it before.
"Who has pushed you closest to the line?"
"Probably Lex, but lately you've been trying my patience," Kara told him with a wink
Christian smiled, "Wouldn't it lovely to be your first?"
Kara laughed, "Double entendres? Reverting to our old ways, are we Christian?"
"Must be the drinks," Christian responded, taking another sip of booze
"Careful, these jokes may cut into your brooding time."
"We wouldn't want that, would we?"
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Christian threw his suitcase on the bed and flipped it open, Kara watching over his shoulders.
"This is a three room suite, if you need anything Eve is right across the hall," he told her as he opened the secret compartment in his case and pulled the batsuit out of it.
"You're going out already? Christian we just got here," Kara said in a concerned voice.
Christian moved over towards the bathroom with his costume, "This is what I came here to do. If we're going to find Jimmy and the rest of the hostages I need to work quickly."
"Christian you should rest before you go though. Let me take the first watch, then you can go out tomorrow night."
Christian laughed, "No offense Kara, but your costume is white and bright red. Not exactly the most effective attire for a stealth mission."
Also, he needed to have minimal surveillance on him from the league as well as minimal questioning of his methods. One of those power hungry bastards was helping the Joker, and thus he needed to be punished. Christian could not tolerate the powerful treading on the weak; it was simply unacceptable. Those with power should be helping the less fortunate instead of filling their own wallets with meaningless paper.
Closing the door behind him, he began to suit up. As he pulled his Kevlar reinforced pads on, he thought of possible ways to expose the traitor to society. Christian pulled his gloves on and locked the gauntlets into place. Twisting the knob on the bottom of his wrist, he caused the edges on the side to spring out. Finally, he pulled the armored cowl over his head, transforming him into the demon of the Gotham.
Batman opened up the door, and saw Kara suited up.
"What are you doing," he growled, "I thought I told you to stay put."
"Well you don't have any authority over me, plus Jimmy is my boyfriend so I intend to help save him," she answered bitingly as she floated over towards the window.
Batman sighed in defeat, "Fine, but stay out of my way."
"I've been doing this for a while, longer then you have actually. I know what I'm doing."
Batman opened up the window, letting Kara fly out first. She offered his hand to him, but he quickly declined and shot out a grappling line towards an office building across from them. He was not going to be carried. Batman tugged the line to make sure it was secure, then swung out of the room, followed closely by Superwoman.
Once Batman got enough momentum from swinging, he expanded his cape out and began gliding off towards the governor's office.
"If you're going to be a part of this you have to do what I say," Batman told Superwoman as the two approached the large white building.
"Sure thing," she answered
Batman grunted in approval. "Then here's your job. Stay above the cloud line and tell me who enters and exits the building and from what entrance. If my hunch is correct, Joker should be sending henchmen in to pick up supplies for their operation."
"How do I know if they're working for Joker?"
Batman grimaced, "believe me, you'll know."
Superwoman took off above the clouds as Batman descended silently on top of the roof of the governor's office. Once he landed, he pulled out a small black remote from his belt and primed it. It was an EMP, designed to online take out security feed as to not raise too much suspicion. Batman clicked the button and activated the pulse, which as he predicted, took out all the security systems.
He swung inside the building, rolling silently under cover and past a patrolling security guard. Moving fluidly through the shadows, Batman made it out to one of the main hallways and jumped up to the ceiling. There he lay in wait for his target, which Kara would hopefully soon give him the signal for. Once he got his hands on the thug, he was going to beat the information out of him. When the thug finally gave him the name, he'd assess the situation from there. He knew it had to be someone who worked with the governor, but who?
"Batman, he's coming in," Superwoman reported over the intercom.
"Good," Batman answered, listening for the man entering.
He heard the click of the door opening and saw the shadow of a man entering the halls. As much as he wanted to, Batman couldn't immediately jump him. He had to wait to see what the clown was picking up, and THEN scare the shit out of him.
As he silently followed the unsuspecting thug, Batman sent a message to Jenna. The text told her to have policemen stationed outside for an arrest. If a criminal were caught being allowed into the building, it would instigate an investigation. Hopefully if he were under police pressure, the Joker's contact would crack. The convict reached what looked like a maintenance closet and went inside. Batman quickly followed through, allowing the door to close softly beside him.
What Batman saw, he could honestly say was stunning. Rows of chemical weapons lined the walls of the surprisingly roomy closet. This was it, the Joker was able to store some of his weaponry inside this place and get away with it completely. Not many searched government buildings, nor were they suspicious of mysterious locked doors.
The clown grabbed a couple containers of the joker gas and turned around. When he turned, he dropped the metal container and immediately went into the fetal position. Batman stood over him, glaring angrily at the unarmed thug.
"Damn it I knew I should have brought a gun!" he whimpered as he shuddered on the floor.
"You're right," Batman growled, picking the man up by the collar and slamming him against the wall, "you should have."
"Fuck you Bat freak, I ain't saying nothing!"
"Not what I wanted to hear," Batman snarled. He pulled out three batarangs and stabbed then through the man's hand, pinning him to the wall.
The thug wailed in pain, but still wouldn't say anything; "Bats do you know what he'll do to me if I squeal? This is NOTHING!"
"Really? Well maybe if I try the other hand…" Batman slammed three more batarangs through the thug's other hand. Once he was pinned by his hands, Batman began punching the criminal in the stomach. With each punch he snarled "TELL. ME. WHO. SUPPLIES. THE. JOKER!"
With one last punch, the thug's will finally cracked, "Fine, alright! It's the governor; he's the one storing this stuff for Joker. He lets Joker keep some of his chemicals here and also experiments to improve them. J gives most of the money he makes on crime to help support his campaign for re-election!"
This was bad. If the traitor was the governor himself, getting to him without any form of backlash would be almost impossible.
"L-look Bats, how's about you let me go now, huh? I told you what you wanted," the man wailed in fear
Batman turned back towards the thug and sneered, "You aren't going anywhere. The police are outside to take you away right now."
Batman tore the batarangs out of the man's hands violently and put them back in his belt. Before he left the closet, he turned and said, "If I were you, I'd have those cuts on your hand looked at. Wouldn't want them to get infected."
Batman kicked down the door and shot his grapple out through the skylight and ascended through.
"There are police gathering outside, was this part of your plan?" Superwoman asked
"Yes, but I need a favor from you."
"What is it," she asked
"I'm going to shoot a grapple up towards you. I need you to grab it and carry me away," he told her grudgingly as he aimed his hook. Once he got a lock on her position, he shot the grapple up towards her. Superwoman caught it and pulled Batman away into the night sky just as cops began to surround the area.
Before he left, he saw Jenna get out of one of the police cars and look up towards him. Not uttering a word, she gave him a simple nod, then turned back towards the policemen and yelled, "Alright, search the place! If you find the Batman in there bring him in as well!"
Superwoman let Batman off on top of on top of their hotel and landed next to him.
"So the governor is working for Joker?" she said in disbelief
Batman nodded grimly, "he has him on the payroll. It's unbelievable…"
"So what are we going to do? Move in?"
Batman shook his head, "We're going to wait for the police investigation to progress. The thug wouldn't dare testify in court for fear of being offed by the Joker. We need to wait for him to produce concrete evidence."
"And that closet full of Joker venom isn't enough evidence?"
"That only proves it's one of the government officials, not that it's the governor himself. We need to be patient."
Kara stomped her foot on the ground impatiently, "Every day we wait the Joker gets closer to killing those hostages! To killing Jimmy!"
"I know that," Batman yelled at her angrily, "I know the delicacy of the situation! That's why this has to be done right! He has to know there is no escape once I interrogate him. He has to know that the police will be at the door with guns and handcuffs along with concrete evidence that he's the lowlife supplying the Joker!"
Kara sighed in defeat, "Fine, we'll wait."
"Good, just be patient Kara. We'll find him; no one knows that more then me. I will bring that psychopath to justice. Jimmy is one of my best friends, one of my only friends. I won't let him die."
Kara smiled, "Thank you Christian, this means so much to me."
Batman simply nodded and jumped off the building, gliding down to the window of his royalty suite.
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Christian and Kara stood out on the balcony of their suite and watched the sunrise together. It had been about three days since the investigation of the governor's office went underway. The two had been up all night and hadn't ended up getting any sleep, so they figured that watching golden sky might be relaxing.
When Christian watched the sunrise, it gave him hope. It reminded him that after even the darkest of nights, the morning still arrives. That eventually, the sun illuminates every corner of his vision. Gotham would rise from the darkness. The dawn was coming.
"What are you thinking about?" Kara asked him, keeping her eyes fixed on the city's horizon.
"Nothing," Christian answered, looking away from the horizon, as the sun hurt his eyes, "Nothing at all."
"You know the sunsets always remind me of my time living in Kansas," Kara said dreamily, "the animals, the rolling hills, the golden fields…"
"That must have been nice. Why leave it for Metropolis?"
"Because," Kara answered, "I love that city and it needs me. Metropolis is one of the sunniest cities I've ever seen. So many people wearing a smile, it's a pretty surprising attitude for city folk."
"Yeah, Metropolis is a shining beacon for society. A paragon of a city," Christian remarked bitterly. He was honestly jealous of Metropolis's situation. If he had been in that city, his dad and sister wouldn't have been killed in cold blood. While the nights lasted longer then anything in Gotham, it seemed to always be day in Metropolis.
Kara seemed a little hurt by the comment, but decided it was best not to start a fight with him. "So how long are we going to wait?"
"Hopefully not to much longer. Eve has been keeping me updated on the case, along with Commissioner Carmen. From what I've heard the governor is already sweating, but we don't have any concrete evidence yet."
"Well, I guess we just continue to observe silently," Kara sighed, pulling out a cigarette from her pocket. Christian eyed the thing judgingly; this was pretty out of character for her.
She used her heat vision to light the cigarette and then took a puff, then slowly exhaled.
"I didn't know you smoked," Christian said a bit condescendingly
Kara smiled, "Well since I'm invulnerable to just about any gases or smokes unless they're laced with kryptonite there aren't any health repercussions. Just don't tell Clark, Ma, or Pa; they'd flip one if they found out about this nasty habit."
So the Smallville angel smokes, Christian thought, nothing isn't tainted these days.
Kara took another drag and exhaled, "I don't do it that much, but it helps me calm my nerves. You want one?"
Christian denied, "I'm not an all powerful alien, I can actually get cancer. If I'm going to be at the peak of physical condition, I can't pick up any bad habits, except for drinking. It's kinda too late for that one."
"Alright, just remember this is our little secret," Kara laughed
Christian nodded, "Don't worry, I won't tell a soul."
The sun had finished rising, peaking overtop the tallest buildings in Trenton. Christian hoped with all his might that this would be the day the governor cracked under the pressure. All he needed was one slip up, one word too far, and he could be on the scum like a tiger. He just needed that slip up.
While they were there though, the two had decided to attend the annual governor's address to the police of New Jersey. Each year, the governor would give a long winded speech honoring the state's finest and all their hard work, in Christian's eyes it was practically mockery.
"So why are we going to this thing again if all it's gonna do is make you brood," Kara asked playfully, laying her head on his lap as the two reclined on the couch.
"Because if he's most likely to slip up during a public event, and I want to be there when he does. The police can't get the information out of him, but I can."
Kara sighed, "Christian how can you be sure he's even going to crack? What if he doesn't slip up at all?"
"Oh he will. I know his type, and he's weak. He is a coward who is nothing but an ordinary criminal, and ordinary criminals ALWAYS crack." Christian told her confidently.
"Well then let's grab a bite before we head off," Kara asked, toying around with her bangs.
Christian thought for a bit, and then answered, "Can't, I have to continue surveillance of the governor's office."
"No!" Kara yelled, causing Christian to jump a bit, "you haven't eaten lunch in literally three days Christian. You need to eat."
"There's time for eating once we've brought the Joker in."
Kara shook her head, sitting up from his lap, "Christian believe me, you can't let this consume you. We both want to find Jimmy, but starving yourself isn't going to do it. Please, just eat."
Christian put his hands up in surrender, reluctantly deciding that she was probably right. He hadn't eaten normally for a while, and he was starting to get pretty hungry. Plus, if it wasn't Kara nagging him, it was going to be Eve, which was probably worse. Kara smiled and pulled him off the couch. Dragging him towards the door, she began naming off possible restaurants they could eat at. After some arguments between the best meal and the fastest meal, they agreed on a deli down the street.
As the two walked to the restaurant, Christian couldn't help but wonder how she was so calm about the situation. If it was someone he loved, he knew he wouldn't eat or sleep until he had found her. Maybe it was his lack of experience that triggered this response, or possibly just his fragile psyche. Either way, he couldn't help but feel jealous of her sturdy mind. Christian knew he was insane, and he hated it.
He opened the door for her, just as all Wayne gentlemen did, and then followed her inside to a booth. It looked as if the restaurant's theme was old America, which was right up Kara's ally. Kara smiled and picked up a menu. Christian just watched her as she read through; it reminded him of when they used to date.
No, he thought to himself, it's over. I cant' get attached emotionally. I won't let people get hurt because of me.
"So what do you think you want?"
Christian's attention suddenly snapped back into reality, "I don't know. Let's just get this quickly so we can go back to work. I have preparations to make."
Kara tilted her head skeptically; "I hope it doesn't involve angering everyone with political power in a twelve mile radius."
"Have to crack some eggs to make an omelet."
"Christian," Kara warned, "you have got to be careful here. Please, just try to do this in the least graphic way possible."
"That'll be the governor's choice. If he tells me where Joker is the first time I ask, I'll let him get away with just a broken arm," Christian told her, putting down his menu and turning his attention to the approaching waitress.
"Hello, may I please take your…" The waitress then noticed whose order she was taking and squealed, "Oh my God, Christian Wayne?"
Christian shot her his best playboy smile, "The one and only."
"Oh my God! Wow, this is so cool!" she said excitedly, "Oh, I'm sorry, what do you want to eat Mr. Wayne?"
"I'll take a Ruben and the lady will have a…" he looked over to Kara, who answered
"I'll just take the west Virginia."
The waitress nodded, "Will that be all Mr. Wayne?"
"Yes it will, and please, call me Christian," he said smoothly as Kara rolled her eyes.
The waitress giggled with joy and responded, "OK Christian, your order will be ready soon!"
The girl ran off, leaving Christian alone with Kara again. When Christian turned around, he noticed Kara was shooting him a nasty glare.
"What," he asked, genuinely confused by her anger.
"Do you really have to hit on everything that moves," Kara asked him angrily, crossing her arms.
Christian shrugged, "I told you, I've got a reputation to uphold. The more shallow and stupid I look, the less I'm suspected of being Batman."
"Yeah, well just tone it down some," Kara said with a huff, "It's really sad to see women throw themselves at you like that."
"What can I say, it's the Wayne family charm."
Kara punched him lightly on the arm and stuck her tongue out at him jokingly. Christian laughed; she sometimes acted like such a kid.
After a couple minutes, which seemed like hours to Christian, their food came. Christian's mouth began to water when he saw the delicious sandwich put out in front of him. He had forgotten how hungry he really was.
With a large bite, he began to scarf down his lunch as fast as he could. As much… fun… as this was, he needed to keep constant surveillance. Since Eve was at the preparations for the speech, she wasn't able to cover for him. How was Eve doing? Could she be in trouble?
Christian shook his head, Eve knew three different martial arts and was surprisingly good at them. If anything happened, she could hold her own. But still…
"Christian, calm down," Kara told him, taking another bite out of her sandwich.
"What makes you think I'm not calm," he said, quickly finishing up his meal and washing it down with a drink.
"I know," she answered, "because I can hear your heart beating a million times per second. I swear, one of these days you're going to give yourself a heart attack."
"Yeah, wouldn't that be funny…" Christian said to himself, reminded of how his dad's business and bat life was ended by heart problems. He imagined the strain of his work was probably what would get him in the end.
"So, am I invited to this speech thing," Kara asked as she wiped some food off her lips.
Christian hadn't really though of that. Should he let her tag along? Kara was part of the justice league, and was assigned to watch him. If things went as he predicted they would, it would just add fuel to the fire between them. Though, if he turned her down, Conner may just decide that Kara isn't making any progress and roll in with the cavalry.
"I guess you can, but none of this can go to the league," he told her seriously
Kara bit her lip nervously, "What are you planning to do?"
"It's not what I'm planning on doing, it's what might happen. Things never go according to plan, and improvising may turn out to be… messy."
"I'll go behind the league if you can do one thing for me. I need you to make sure that psychopath doesn't hurt Jimmy no matter what." she told him with a determined glare.
Christian nodded and took Kara's hand in his. Gripping it tightly, he said, "Kara, I swear no matter what, I will save him. I won't let you down, I promise."
A/N: Thanks for reading! Remember to leave a review and if you really liked it, a favorite. Feedback is what helps me decide where people would like the story to go or where I can improve, so please leave some!