Legal Bat 4 - (Batman: Wayne Family Adventures, Lawyer!SI)

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Bruce Wayne was many things, but overly-paranoid was not in his list.

There were times he had to overthink things when it comes to devious threats to society, but there has to be a limit to the opportunity to disbelieve the peace and quiet.

So, while many would have expected him to be particularly obsessed over the 'new' addition to Gotham 'socialite group', the rich man was not interested in him.

Not when first contact and ensuing controls had led to nothing dangerous or suspicious.

Jay Mercer was average in his background. His parents were alive and well, hardly faced any account of issues or disorders as a child, and the only oddity in his C.V. was his move against the Joker.

In fact, by all means, Jay didn't appear to be the kind of lawyer that would hit hard at a dangerous criminals such as the Crown Prince of Crime, but the reasoning behind this move was explained through a few key answers he delivered to journalists.

"I am not doing it for fame, just doing my job."

"In the long run, it would have been a bigger problem. This kind of threat only gets bigger and bigger."

"I am not here to change Gotham, I just want to put a stop to the worst before it is too late."

It was not a matter of glory. No, Jay was not seeking the attention as he was noted to be quite the reclusive fellow.

Instead, what Bruce was able to paint thanks to a few hours of research he split between himself and Oracle was that... Jay was trying to just contain a threat. And he did so by attacking the one thing that made the Joker a recurring threat - the Insanity Defense.

Without it, the deranged villain was now bound to get struck left and right with bigger trials that would result in bigger punishments. It wouldn't be a surprise if the Death Penalty was down the list for the Joker but...

At the same time, Bruce was not sure how to stomach this. It was brilliant. Simple and purely brilliant.

Not only the way this attack on the Joker's defense was approached was legal and it avoided getting any troublesome mafia-aligned individuals that had exploited the 'Arkham Turning Door' in the last few years.

With the Joker being the sole victim of this assault, it meant that he was the only one struck by this. This was good... up to a certain degree. After all, while it was just the Joker to deal with, that didn't mean Jay was now going to be devoid of issues in regard to the Clown's gang.

The police could do much and it was only with a few patrols in his flat's area that made things truly safe for him. Rotations were given and, unsurprisingly, Jason wanted the most chances to be there to check on the guy.

Him and... Harper.

If one was to ask Bruce if Harper Row was indeed part of the 'Bat-Family', he would really be unable to give a proper answer. It wasn't about Harper being unworthy of trust, but she was still 'a recent entry', and particularly childish in her admiration for 'The Batman'.

That put her in a very awkward spot from time to time and... her interest for the lawyer was unusual. Jason, Bruce could understand from what he knew about Red Hood and the Joker's past, but Harper was a surprise.

The fact she was also secretive over what they had talked about at the party made Bruce curious... but not actually suspicious of any foul play. In fact, much to his surprise, all the pointers indicated that Harper may have actually gotten a new friend out of this.

To think that the 'spunky Bluebird' would be willing to chat and have fun with someone with a desk job was outright perplexing. In an amusing way.

Poor Harper was nagged upon by Stephanie and Cassandra, a rare circumstance when the usually socially-experienced young woman was cornered by two inexperienced ones.

That being said, Bruce had nothing to note down on Jay Mercer's current profile beyond aligning him as a potential ally. Especially after-

"Batman? A necessity. Gotham's corruption and criminality can't be solved through traditional methods. That's not me calling the GCPD incompetent as I know they are doing the best they can with what they have, but the way crime has rooted in the city through inequality and other issues can't be ignored. Gotham has unusual issues and it needs unusual solutions. That solution is Batman and his companions. Godspeed, Dark Knight."

That put a smile on Bruce's face... for a while. Then it was time to address-

"So, he is not a threat," Damian's voice interrupted Bruce's thoughts, drawing the man's gaze to his son. "Like I suspected."

"For now."

"Debatable."

That being said, Damian's sudden appreciation for the attorney was a bit curious. And the way he defended the man after just a talk was particularly baffling.

"You sound very friendly towards him."

Damian was sitting on the chair in front of the bat-computer, spinning around mindlessly before Bruce move to stop it much to the boy's annoyance.

"He is smart, and he is honest- he means it when he says he doesn't want to play big and he doesn't want to be 'Harvey Dent the Second' or whatever that is."

Bruce opened his mouth to explain, but his son interrupted with a sigh, shifting out of the chair.

"I also think he knows... you know, that you are The Batman."

This peculiar guess had Bruce paused, the caped crusader now offering a surprised frown.

"How can you tell that?"

"He looks at you as if he was shaking hands with Batman," Damian remarked, then smiled. "Plus, he looked at me as if he already knew what I could do."

...

"Do you think it may be a problem?"

While Bruce had nothing to further confirm or deny Damian's assumption, it felt like something feasible with the reactions the boy had listed out.

"No. As I said, he doesn't want to be a gloryhound like Row. He is... a sideline fighter. By the law."

Bruce could only huff at this, then pause again as a new thought entered his mind and he narrowed his gaze at his son.

"By the way, shouldn't you be doing your homework right now?"

Damian opened his mouth and... paused. A little red hue by his nose as he skipped away from the cave.

"Ugh, just don't tell Pennyworth about this one... father."

Bruce bit back a smile.

His son may try to appear tough, but that only made him cuter to him and the rest of the family.

AN

A lil' interlude. What does the batman think? Also Damian being both a serious thinker and... a kid. What's new?

Next time, Jay's second case is locked in - and I will leave it open on who it may be.