Annnnd We are BACK! Well obviously, I'm not dead because you're reading this. I hope that you all are doing well, and that this new year has been treating you all better than it has me so far. Quite frankly? I'm not doing great. But? Them's the breaks. I don't wanna delay this any further. I'm already roughly outlining the next couple of chapters, but I am also working on some other stuff. Check down below for a longer A/N if it so please you. Until then, Let's GO!

GOTHAM CITY- GRANTS GYM/APARTMENT

June 26th, 2008. 1335 (1:35) PM EST

Jack's POV:

Four days.

He'd essentially been bedridden for four days now, just lying in his bed alternating between sleeping, or staring at the whitewashed ceiling as he waited to either have his next meal; or receive assistance to get to the bathroom.

'But then again… it's a lot better than being dead, right?'

That sobering thought didn't mean that he didn't hate every single moment of it though.

He'd been in a ping pong like state when it came to him trying to cling to consciousness since he'd lost the fight for about a day.

'And that I actually lost…'

His body had finally reached the point where it had quit on him after the beating he'd taken at the hands of Bronze Tiger.

He only had himself to blame, that much he had already known, even during the altercation.

'And if I didn't already know it I've got eight candidates to keep me thoroughly reminded about it.'

Mild light chiding echoed out at intervals in the back of his mind even now from a couple of the Vestiges at his mental consideration, though he wasn't pulled fully into his mindscape like the first time he'd been fully unconscious after the fight.

That particular thought actually had him cracking a small smile after a chuckle escaped him, causing him to groan a bit just as his midsection while no longer holding any cracked ribs; was still pretty bruised up.

If he had thought that Bronze Tiger was a ferocious opponent, then he was given evidence that Nana Shimura could match the level of intensity if not the skill; when she had accosted him as he'd fully arrived in his mindscape.

He'd gone on to receive multiple lectures in an almost monotone nonchalance that had outlined how close he'd come to death, again; from the second and third wielders of 'One for All'.

He'd been shouted at like he was an errant child at intervals by almost all of them.

But more than that he'd received embraces, pats on the shoulder, and was then asked after if he wanted to discuss not only the fact that he had lost; but what had led to him being so reckless as to go out in that degraded state in the first place.

The sentiment had been fully accepted, if albeit at a decidedly slow pace.

The Vestiges had full access to his memories, which meant they already knew everything there was to know that was going on with him, and it made him feel that talking about it was almost a waste of time.

But even still… Jack had finally opened up, appreciating the genuine concern from his predecessors.

He'd first sat and talked with Nana; the beautiful dark haired former heroine woman telling him, not asking, that they'd be talking about his feelings and how they were affecting him and his judgement.

'And how not to let it happen like that again...'

It hadn't taken long until he had finally let it all go.

Going back over not only his losses but Occults perceived betrayal.

By the end of it Nana had embraced him; allowing him to just vent the bulk of his pent-up angst, frustration, and sorrow; her own experience with this very situation making her the perfect person to vent to.

Not only over the circumstances, or his mistake of burying or concealing his feelings; but his bullheadedness in pushing himself headlong into the work to try and move past it all.

And… most importantly over his lingering grief, that made him feel as though he were alone.

FLASHBACK:

"Ya know, I did the same thing if it's any consolation Jack."

Jack found himself boggling at the woman's words.

"Wait…really?"

Nana chuckled just a bit, though it came off as sardonic, before she spoke.

"Oh yeah. I was...I was so angry. So consumed with it all. I was swimming in grief and anger, after my husband's death. 'All for One'…he found him and murdered him. Left a message to make it clear as crystal that it was Him that had done it. I…I was forced to put my son into foster care. I couldn't put Kotaro in the same position I'd inadvertently left his father in. But… that was the hardest thing I've ever done. He was my son. And I just…left him, hoping that he'd have a safer future. Without Me."

Jack watched as the woman let out a deep heaving sigh before continuing, her eyes shining a bit.

"As you well know by me sitting here now, 'All for One' killed me. So…you aren't alone Jack. I lost almost everything I loved before losing my very life. Not only are we kindred in wanting to be Hero's and our carrying of 'One for All', but we're kindred in the bonds of loss and sorrow."

At her words Jack flinched a bit as he turned his gaze away from the woman, feeling bad that his own unwillingness to face his grief could be causing Nana any undue stress or pain.

BONK

"OW!"

Jack quickly brought his eyes back up at Nana at her actions, her hand having still been up and out a bit after having hammer fisted him lightly against his noggin.

The woman immediately started shaking her hand at him in a "no, no." motion.

"Nuh uh. You're not gonna do that. My pain is Mine Jack. What happened to me? How that all played out? It's just that. Played out. It's already over, and you had no part in it. Does it hurt to talk about? Yes. I'm not gonna lie about that. But, you're looking at it all wrong ya know? Like I said, it makes us the same. I know a bit of that grief, that loss you feel. All of us do. You know that. There's nothing to be ashamed of in missing any of your old life. But now? It's time. Time to fully move into your new life. You're falling into the same trap so many people fall into without exercising a bit of wisdom and understanding. Moving forward doesn't mean forgetting Jack. It doesn't mean you're betraying anything, or anyone. If anything? You getting yourself killed prematurely because you aren't really willing to face your grief, is the thing that would disappoint not just us; but the people who love you that you've lost."

Jack smiled sadly at Nana's words, her gloved right hand coming to rest on his left shoulder.

"Never forget your Origin Jack. The things that motivate you, the people you've loved, or the lessons you've learned that have brought you here. That's what you'll find will keep you going, when you start to feel like you may not be able to go on anymore. That, and the hope that you'll be able to safeguard the future for the new people in your life."

FLASHBACK END:

That very same process had been replicated to a varying degree with Yoichi, En, and even the reclusive Hikage.

The rest of the Vestiges were not unsupportive, not by a long shot, but some of them were very much not geared toward a deeper kind of emotional support.

'Though All Mights speech, while cheesy, was very effective. And Nana…well now it's a lot easier to see why All Might loved and respected her so much.'

Again, a small smile worked its way onto Jack's face at that particular thought.

One would think that All Might, Toshinori himself would have been slightly recriminating against Jack.

But after all had been revealed to him in one of his longer stints of consciousness, all of the pieces began to fit together.

It changed the way that not only Jack looked at the situation, but the way that the Vestiges had as well.

That had been the only reason that he wasn't dressed down to a far greater effect than he already had been by the previous holders.

'That, and Toshinori's just a pretty positive guy, and it's really infectious.'

That entire situation that he'd run headlong into had been stacked against him.

He still didn't know for sure who the other two people were, that had inserted themselves into that entire dramatic scene, but the descriptions that he'd gotten from Selina about the two men still niggled at the back of his mind.

'I feel like I should know who they were…but the memory is so vague…only way to figure it out is to either rack my brain or run into them again and pray it finally comes to me.'

That...and the why his abilities had been on the flux.

None of the Vestiges could understand it either, though they said it felt as though something had been pushing back against their very being.

It was odd to be sure.

'Though thankfully, it may play out a little differently next time if there was something causing that.'

As Jack attempted to sit up in his bed for what felt like the thousandth time as his entire body protested against the motion, he couldn't help but go over all that had happened again.

Ted had called on Eva in his stead due to his condition that night.

And Eva wasn't the only one that he'd called on.

The other person that Ted had actually made contact with, was a name that Jack was relatively familiar with, just yet another person that Jack had never imagined he was going to meet.

'Though…I didn't actually get to have a real conversation with the woman, now did I?'

Ted had called upon Dr. Leslie Thompkins, and the group had quickly taken him to her, which thankfully at that time had been close by.

Jack knew of the woman due to her interactions with Batman through DC media, though she was very much a background type of character, and those thoughts brought him to remember that it was more that she had a tangible albeit distant kind of relationship with Bruce Wayne himself.

Not with the Batman…though they did oft cross paths.

Whether or not this version of the good Doctor was in the know about who the Batman truly was, was anyone's best guess.

The whole thing had been surreal, and unfortunately it was one of those moments where Jack knew some things, but where his total knowledge was; was most probably lacking.

Jack hadn't been conscious when they'd first brought him to Dr. Thompkins free clinic, and when he'd finally woken for a significant amount of time for the very first time; he'd feared that the woman now knew his secret identity.

Hindsight had given him the chance to analyze his own dispensing of his secret identity since his arrival to this world, and he'd decided that he would try to do better with keeping it mums the word; and the thought that his identity had been outed without his consent rankled him.

'Even though this time wouldn't necessarily be considered my fault…nor would it have been considered avoidable really.'

His concerns however, had quickly been waved off by both Ted, and surprisingly Eva.

'That they didn't remove my helm, and that Eva blatantly used magic in front of and on the poor lady…'

Not only had Eva been the means by which that they'd gotten Jack to the free clinic quickly and quietly, but Eva was also the reason that Dr. Thompkins was a none issue when it came to his secret identity.

The young woman had eased his worries while also raising his ire, and the internal battle he'd had over the entire thing had needed to be squashed quickly so that he could simply be grateful towards the young magical practitioner.

Dr. Thompkins had helped right him as best as she could.

The rest was left in Eva's capable hands afterwards, which she'd also done by making Dr. Thompkins forget a good portion of the encounter.

"Popular media kind of got it right when they talked about hings like memory charms ye ken? A little wham bam, and the good Doctor's none the wiser to who she actually just helped. Granted your helm never came aff- which she was spittin mad aboot, citin' possible concussion issues and all that. She didnae seem tae want tae take my word for it when I gave ya a wee scry to prove your heid was right as rain."

While unable to immediately banish all of his wounds, a collection of potions and salves had been retrieved/supplied by Eva, and coupled with all that Dr. Thompkins had done for him at her clinic; Jack was already in a mostly workable condition again.

'Though Ted still doesn't want me going out until I'm 100%. That…and I'll have these scars from now on.'

When Bronze Tiger had cut through Jacks uniform with his slashes and stabs, each wound had gone deep enough that it would leave a lasting reminder.

Even with the stitches that the Doctor had done, and Eva's magical intervention, Jack would bare the reminders of that fight; as light and minor as they would be with time.

In truth…it didn't bother him one bit.

He would take them as they were, a lesson to make sure he was fresh and as vigilant as possible at every engagement so as not to have a repeat of it.

Jack had spoken not only with the Vestiges over all of it, but with the Ted as well.

All together Jack had suffered a staggering amount of injuries, though thankfully none of them had been fatal.

The gunshot wound to his thigh was what came the closest, while the broken wrist, the dislocated shoulder, and the stress fractures in his hand from overclocking his output with 'One for All' were only heavily debilitating.

That was the list of what had been the worst of his wounds accumulated in that protracted bout, with everything else that he'd sustained falling into more of a background kind of area as to their severity.

The aches, pains, and breaks were only a single half of it all though.

The Vestiges had made use of their time to dress Jack down.

But they weren't the only ones looking for their pound of flesh when it came to verbally assaulting Jack.

Helena had been confused, and quite frankly wroth with him when he'd finally woken up for an extended period of time; and while he'd been able to assuage her fears he knew that she'd be keeping a close eye on him for a time going forward.

"I leave you alone for one second and you go off and do something stupid."

Eva had had her own words for him, though they had been quite muted… while at the end of it -in her irreverent manner - she had offered him a drink...

Jack had laughed at that, while politely declining said offer.

She'd then gone on to once again make fun of him for being too uptight or strait-laced about the whole thing.

The absolute worst of the dressing downs had come from Ted, which was unsurprising.

FLASHBACK:

He didn't know how long he'd been asleep for, but upon coming back to consciousness, he immediately became aware of the weight on the right-hand side of his bed.

He looked up after wiping his eyes of the crust from his sleep, before slightly trying to get up; pain assaulting his senses as almost his entire body ached.

A light makeshift ace wrapping was around his right wrist, and the deep pain that assaulted that area had him immediately buckling, falling back onto his back as he went to cradle the appendage.

"Easy. Easy. Eva said that all the breaks and sprains will basically be healed by now, but that you'll need to take it easy for a couple of days so that the tenderness goes away."

At the end of his words, Ted gently but firmly hooked his own arms underneath Jack to help prop him up against his pillows; after arranging them slightly up more against his headboard.

"You okay?"

The worry in the man's tone as always warmed Jack.

"Other than that soreness, I'm fine. Thanks."

"Good."

SMACK

…

The blow hadn't had any real force behind it, but once again Ted had proven that he was a force to be reckoned with, as Jack hadn't even seen the man's hand move.

Let it be known that Ted Grant was a large man, and his thick hands had a solidness to them that couldn't be understated.

One would think that someone of his size and stature would not be as fast as he was, but the man was now, even still; a powerhouse

The right side of Jacks head had stung as a slight ringing had assaulted his ear at the smack, his trainers hand having encompassed a large portion of the right side of Jacks head and face.

…

The shock from the blow quickly faded away, indignation quickly sparking in Jack's chest.

"What the hell Ted?! That hurt!"

"Good! It's a good reminder that you're still breathing you little jerk!"

The words actually brought a flinch out of Jack, though he did his best not to hunch in on himself.

"I know well enough what just happ- "

Ted quickly and decisively cut across Jack, again his voice slightly raised.

"I sure as fuck hope you do, god damn you!"

Finally, Ted's tone made it difficult for Jack to hold eye contact, the clear and present frustration tinged with worry.

"You may understand on a certain level Jack, but…god damn you; you really just don't get it."

Jack looked back up into the man's eyes and attempted to speak, but Ted didn't let him.

"No! I'm talking now. You're gonna sit there and listen to me dammit."

Jack shut his mouth lightly, fighting against the slight bit of agitation he felt at that, because he knew he needed to let this happen, if not for his own sake than for Ted's.

"Jack I…I don't know what I woulda done if I'd lost you. We got lucky with this…You got lucky with this, this time. If we'd have been even a second slower getting there? God damn you; you wouldn't be here for me to be pissed off at! I know…I know that you're hurting, and you've got every right to be. I get that. I respect it. But I expect you to remember this, okay? How close you came, because this is different from those other times. This didn't need to happen this way. You had no control over this, and I get that. But, if you'd have been fresh, this may not have gone down this way. I Hated seeing you this way. Ya know…it hasn't happened all that often, but the few times I've seen you in a bad way it reminds me that you're very much human; and that scares the crap outta me Jack. If you aren't in it, up here (pointing to his head) then you shouldn't be out there (pointing out the window). Period."

Jack knew deep down that Ted was right, and the emotion in the older man's voice banished the slight agitation he'd felt at the admonishment, leaving Jack contrite as he reached forward with his bandaged hand; setting it on top of Ted's own right hand which was on his knee as he sat looking at him.

FLASHBACK END:

After that things had shifted focus towards Jacks obvious need for more rest so that he could finish healing, and he'd done just that from then on keeping any gripes or complaints to himself.

There was no mistake to be made, everyone in Jack's circle of trust was still largely upset.

Not so much at him anymore, though he was still catching slight admonishments here and there.

But no…it was at the situation itself that everyone was angry at.

Jack had relayed to them that Bronze Tiger had made it clear that Sofia Falcone had hired him and David Cain.

The fact that the woman had hired those two, expending the kind of resources she'd have to commit for such a thing…was quite sobering for Jack.

Between that and the niggling thoughts over the other as of now unknown group, Jack had taken up to writing down some theories in one of his own notebooks.

It was clear Sofia Falcone had sicked the two mercenary killers on him because of what had happened back with Grundy, the woman probably under the belief that Jack had killed her nephew.

While that wasn't what had happened, at the very least Jack could easily understand the woman's motivations.

Jack gingerly got up from his bed and walked to his desk with the one notebook in hand, before setting it in line with the gathered others; while plucking one that he used specifically for tracking his own training up.

Now that he was better rested, and in a far better place mentally than he had been previously, Jack could focus on the thing that was bothering him most.

The skill gap that had been demonstrated by Bronze Tiger when they'd fought.

Jack could only shake his head lightly as he looked at the written drills for movements, combos, and acrobatics/parkour that he'd put together.

Helena was by far the more agile of them both, her flexibility outstripping his own to a very high degree.

While they both could jump quite high, Jacks own strength giving him a greater height advantage that he could reach, Helena tumbled and performed far better recoveries than Jack; though he was getting better with the technique and had his enhanced durability to fall back on.

Looking at his own list of skills, Jack closed his eyes, doing his best to mentally put himself back into the fight to watch Tiger's moves.

The man's fluidity was off the charts, as well as his speed.

The man was technique, precision, and speed personified.

The strength he had coupled with the force he was able to put out, came as an afterthought, and that was scary in a different way all its own.

Jack had his Muay Thai, Tae Kwan Dao, Boxing/Kickboxing, and the light Capoeira he knew to fall back upon.

Bronze Tiger had studied with the absolute best of the best, was probably a master of dozens of martial arts or more, and it showed in every aspect of their fight.

'It's a simple fact that while I could have taken him if I'd just pushed a little harder at the right point, or if my abilities hadn't been on the fritz, I would have won. But…that's not what bothers me. What if this happens again? What if my powers aren't there? At all? What if I don't have any of my gear? My Shield? I'm decent, maybe even good. But I wouldn't call myself a spectacular fighter, or a master. I need to focus on getting better for a little while. I need to close that gap to that kind of recognition. There's a whole list of people that I'll need the right application of skill to stand against. I can't let myself fall into this kind of situation again.'

That thought kept Jack occupied for a moment, as some of the things Ted and he had talked about came to the forefront of his mind.

Ted had stated that he believed Jack was good enough, and that it was just time that he needed to polish the skills he did have.

But Jack felt differently.

Not so much in that that path was the wrong one, but that doing it here may be the wrong way to go about things.

The truth of the matter was, Jack was comfortable.

They all were.

Jack had come to know both Ted and Helena's fighting styles, quite well, one would say too well.

More often than not now, spars weren't about Jack developing his skills with Helena but allowing Helena to push harder against an enhanced opponent to find and then surpass her own limits; while Jack slowly but steadily tried to increase the length of time and strength/control he had over 'One for All'.

Ted would always be a benchmark for Jack to chase in his own opinion, though Jack had gotten much better in their fights.

Ted had begun saying lately that the only thing he really felt he had left to teach Jack was his studies with Capoeira; as everything else just required time, patience, and honed instincts in the midst of the fight.

Other than that, his trainer/confidant believed that it was only a matter of time before Jack would eclipse him in skill entirely.

That in itself was what bugged Jack, leading to the conversation that he and Ted had had yesterday; in which Jack had said that maybe he needed to find someone new to train with.

It was in no way a way to say that he didn't appreciate the routine or training that he already had with Ted.

'But…maybe I need a new perspective. A new way to go about the way that I fight. A fresh teacher could also pick apart the way I do things a little easier, as opposed to Ted who's fallen into that same comfort as Helena and I. That…and maybe Hikage had it right.'

The final reminiscing bit of that thought brought Jack back to the words uttered by the Fourth wielder of 'One for All' when he'd asked for the Vestiges opinions on what he could do to better himself, his worry over the possible rut/complacency he'd fallen into bugging him.

"Perhaps you should do what I did? Take some time. Real time, away from all of the crime fighting you do, so as to cultivate not only your strength with 'One for All', but your skills in battle. When I felt that I was unprepared and unable to take the fight to 'All for One', that is what I did. Perhaps that avenue would work for you as well? Of course…not to the same extreme that I did."

The thought was one that Jack couldn't shake.

It made sense.

If he took some time to focus solely on training, solely on getting his technique to a more refined level, then the chances of there being a repeat of his most recent incident plummeted to almost zero.

Jack had already gone over the scenario enough to know that he could have and probably should have run.

'But then…there's no guarantee that I would have succeeded in that either. If my powers failed at the wrong point during that, there's a couple of different ways that I could have just as easily died. No. Better now to understand that I won't make the mistake of going into something like that as exhausted and mentally divided, while also making sure my technique is better refined. That's my path forward.'

But that left the question of just how to do it?

Ted after getting over his own slight affront to Jack's thoughts, conceded that it was a possibility that they'd all fallen into that very obvious trap.

It wasn't in an overt way, but they'd all disarmed themselves.

Their overall victories had defeated them.

The conversation had actually progressed quite well after that, and Ted had even claimed that he may have an avenue forward for Jack, but that it would require a level of commitment he may not be willing to give.

Jack had asserted that he would give it if it meant that they'd have a greater chance of not facing this kind of situation again.

Ted had then gone on to say that he'd make a call, and that when Jack was back to 100%, they'd make an effort at pursuing it.

'The fact that he was really vague about it is interesting though.'

Jack had already been thinking about any possible teacher that could press him hard enough to see results, and unfortunately, he just couldn't see how he'd go forward.

At least not easily.

Most of the greater warriors he could think of that would actually be beneficial towards his own growth as a fighter were either heroes, or villains.

It wasn't as though he could simply find and train with an MMA coach and reach for what he was looking for.

But with that being said, the list of people that he felt he could train with was sparse.

He certainly couldn't train with any of the villains that would come to mind.

'And trying to enlist with one of the heroes wouldn't work out well either. They've got their own lives, patrols, and not to mention sidekicks. I'm not giving anyone the idea that they've got a right to dictate how I'll do things going forward as a hero. The only people who get a say in that are in our little existing group, and that's advisement. This is my journey…and I have to own it. Even the mistakes. Especially the mistakes.'

Jack was pulled from all of his thoughts as he could hear slightly raised voices echoing out from the open living area of the apartment, and Jack gingerly walked forward until he could almost press his ear to the door to listen to what was being said.

"I'm here to put a stop to it Grant. This most recent incident shows that things are escalating. It needs to end."

"That's not up to You, ya sonova bitch! Who the hell do you think you are just comin into my home?! I should put you through my coffee table, before I toss you out on your butt! Teach ya some manners!"

Jack took a steadying breath, before stepping back a bit, before he opened his door and stepped out to join the discussion proper.

Now standing just beyond his room's doorframe, on his right was his assembled group, in pretty much its full capacity.

Ted, Helena, Eva, and even Grundy were in the apartment; each of them baring a look of slight shock that was intermingled with indignation as he stepped just beyond the threshold of his room.

A chorus of exclamations echoed out at him as he looked at them.

"Jack! /Jack!" –Ted and Helena.

"Oi!" –Eva

"Shield Boy!"-Grundy

Jack smiled slightly at all of them before turning slightly to his left.

'Welp…here we go.' Jack thought, as he gazed at their visitor.

"All Might."

The graveled and slightly growling voice of Batman echoed out at him.

On the inside, Jack was equally waring with himself.

Part of him hated that this was happening, that he had known it was going to happen and that it was unavoidable.

But another part was absolutely thrilled, to be honest.

Batman had been the very first superhero that he'd ever known of, and he'd loved him.

Dark, edgy, strong, suave, he was everything that a young and impressionable Jack had wanted to be when he was a younger kid growing up.

But then there was that other side…and the light frown on the visible part of the man's face reminded Jack exactly where he was, and why he didn't particularly care for the fact that one of his favorite all time heroes was now standing before him.

Batman had a reputation for being prickly, and that was the nicest way of saying it

He didn't care for people with abilities and took every avenue he could to deal with them as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Jack respected the hell out of that…to a point.

But Batman tended to skirt over the line of decency with it, if only a little bit, in the way that he would look at his own colleagues and friends with distrust.

'Like breaking into the apartment instead of knocking. An excellent example of crossing boundaries.'

"Batman? In the middle of the afternoon during a work week? Are you 100% sure you weren't noticed? Because that may just raise some concerns for Ted and I…ya know considering it's a little odd that you'd just happen to drop by."

…

It was subtle, but Jack had seen the ever so slight shift at the bottom of the left corner of the man's mouth.

The lingering silence that had built up, was broken by Eva of all people, after Batman failed to react to Jack's words as she bellowed out a cackling laugh before speaking up.

"He's got you there tall, dark, and broodin'! You're no exactly the hardest thing tae miss in broad daylight, are ye?"

A quick glance back at his friends showed Jack that at the very least the tension had notched down a bit, though Ted's thickly built arms were still crossed over his chest as his face was still looking mulish.

Jack refocused on Batman and turned his profile more in the direction of the Dark Knight, before gesturing at him slightly.

"Would you care for something to drink?"

The reactions all around were varied.

His own group vocalized their own thoughts quite clearly, and in a quite the predictable manner.

"Jack! Are you kiddin me?!" -Ted

"Huh?!" -Helena

"You're offerin em' a drink?" –Eva

"We have drinks? Can Grundy have snacks?"

Batman himself barely reacted, what he was thinking beyond Jack's guess.

"You're serious."

Not a question, a statement.

'Jesus this guy needs to learn to relax, fast.'

Not wanting to give Batman a chance to rally, Jack responded.

"Yes. My Ma raised me right. You may not have had the manners to ask to be invited in, but you are standing here. I live here. I take guest rights pretty seriously. Manners matter. So, again, would you care for something to drink? More to the point, how about you take a seat, because I'm going to as I'm still very sore. As this isn't your house, you won't be standing over me."

A few seconds passed, before an almost inaudible grunt of affirmation sounded out from the Dark Knight, and the man slowly started to make his way forward from the door that would lead to the fire escape.

Jack quickly turned and moved towards the kitchen area, walking just a bit faster than he would on any given day in the apartment, though the effort to do so was annoying.

"Grundy you can take a place at the couch, okay? The rest of us are gonna need the coffee table. T.V. is yours, but keep it low, okay? I'll bring you a bowl of chips and a soda here in a minute. Tea or Coffee Batman?

A bit of silence hung in the air as his friend's faces reflected their undisguised bafflement at his own handling of the events, but Jack pressed on.

"Coffee. Black."

If Jack was in a cruder kind of mood, he had the perfect joke to rib the man with at that response, but he decided to keep it close to the chest.

He did, however, hear light mingled snickering in the back of his mind at his thoughts.

'Pipe down in there guys. I've gotta keep it together here, and if you make me laugh, I lose my position.'

The voices quickly cut down after that.

Right now, was all about position.

Whether Batman was sitting down and accepting the beverage was because he was genuinely responding to Jack's crack about manners, or simply because he was humoring him, was at this stage irrelevant.

Jack already knew why the man was here.

His job now, was to keep Batman off balance as best as he could so that he could argue, or more to the point counter argue any possible stance Batman would take to try and site that he shouldn't be operating as All Might anymore.

Whether it be in Gotham, or at all.

'That, or any attempt to put me under his or someone else's direct supervision.'

Such a thing would untenable, especially with Jacks plans already going forward with the Mayor.

As Jack lightly bustled about the kitchen, his friends seemed to be lingering around the coffee table, though only Eva was currently sitting, leaning on the back legs of the chair with her flask already open and in her hand.

Within a few minutes Jack had brewed some coffee and pulled out a tray putting together a few assorted muffins and Danishes that he kept on standby.

That, and a two liter of coke with a large bowl of BBQ chips.

The second set was delivered to Grundy first, who was currently sitting watching 'Get Smart'.

"Thanks, Shield Boy."

"No problem, Grundy."

Jack patted the large zombie on his left shoulder as he walked back into the kitchen area, grabbing the two trays of coffee and dessert, before bringing them to the table so as to take his seat: at the opposite head place of Batman.

Surprisingly, the man opened with a line of conversation that Jack didn't expect.

"I'm surprised that you're keeping it around. With your abilities and adding on the history, I didn't think you'd be inclined to do that."

Jack felt a bit of irritation spring up at the man's remarks but took a slow deep inhale through his nose before responding, seeing out of the corner of his left eye that Grundy had slowed in the eating of his chips as he'd clearly heard Batman's words.

"He. His name is Grundy. He's a friend. I'm not keeping him around because I have him do any kind of 'heavy lifting' for me. Make no mistake. He's been a valuable asset, but that's not why he's here now. More to the point, he spends most of his time with Eva and John Constantine. I'm always happy to have him, but he's not exactly what you'd call inconspicuous."

Jack had kept his voice level and his gaze steady, though it took a great deal of effort.

He was wise to what Batman was doing now.

Provoking an emotional response, especially one where Jack would activate his abilities, was most probably what Batman was gearing for right now.

It was a subtle manipulation tactic to gear the pace of a conversation.

As far as Jack was concerned, it was dirty poker.

If Batman could get Jack to commit to such an action, he'd have even greater ammunition to use in an argument to tell him that he wasn't emotionally/mentally stable enough for hero work on his own.

Jack didn't plan to give him what he wanted.

And more to the point, Jack didn't need to react overtly either, because a slight slam echoed out as the two front legs of Eva's chair came back down as she thrust her right pointer finger out slightly at Batman over his words.

"OI! You haud your tongue! Grundy's not some attack dog we sick on our problems! He may be a bag e' bones, but he's our bag e' bones, and I'll no have you speakin' aboot him like he's just some thing!"

Eva's Scottish brogue came out slightly thicker, a clear showing that her own fiery temper was now raised.

Jack picked up right where his friend left off as Ted and Helena both deigned to finally sit, for which Jack was quite thankful, as them standing up nearby reeked of anxiety; and that tension in the air was a small win that Jack didn't want Batman to have.

Another pregnant pause filled the air, before Batman nodded at Eva's words, though he never shifted his focus from staring directly at Jack.

"My apologies."

The lack of change to Batman's tenor clearly rankled the group, but Jack did his best to affect his own irreverent air, lightly shrugging.

"No harm no foul. Grundy's with us, and we understand that his previous iterations have a reputation. Rest assured, Grundy's doing good work when he's out in the field."

Jack watched as Batman took a light sip of his own steaming cup of coffee, before placing his hands over each other on the table in front of himself.

"That brings me to the reason that I'm here. It needs to stop."

…

Jack maintained eye contact and allowed the open-ended statement to hang for a moment before responding.

"I'm not quite sure what you mean by that. Grundy hasn't been operating in- "

"I'm not talking about Grundy, and you know that. You need to stop."

The rebuttal had been quick, and it had been the one he'd been hoping for; because if Batman wanted to play dirty poker with his jabs…then so would Jack.

Throwing on a lighter conversational tone, Jack opened up.

"Ya know? For a grown man, you're very rude. We've never met before, and yet you come into our house, our space, and this is the state of your manners? Cutting people off when their speaking? Referring to people as things? My Ma clearly raised me right, but what about yours? Or your Father for that matter?"

Jack watched as Batman's shoulders slightly pulled back a bit, the fingers on his gloved right-hand tensing just a bit inwards.

Was it wrong to take a shot like that? Knowing what he knew?

Probably.

But at this moment, Jack didn't have any cares for his own propriety considering Batman's aim with this conversation.

So, he again pressed forward, still in the same vein.

"Whoever it is that saw to teaching you about manners must have abysmal one's themselves, because this isn't acceptable."

Again, not right, and on that one Jack had to withhold his own flinch: as he just taken a shot at Alfred Pennyworth.

'And Alfred is a saint. Eh…I'll make it up to him if I ever meet him.'

Jacks' words, while nasty and a bit below the belt considering Bruce's past, actually had an effect.

Batman seemed to pause for a moment.

Jacks' intent had been to keep Batman on the back foot…

It was clearly working, because of what came next.

"I apologize. You're correct."

Jack unfortunately couldn't help his eyebrows raising in the shock he felt.

Whether or not Batman was truly trying to play five chess moves ahead with this conversation was something that could be debated about for another time though, as whether or not Jacks reaction provided the opening; Batman pressed forward with a new line of attack.

The man's tone actually softened, to something one would call fond.

"I have a ward, my sidekick Robin, as I'm sure you're aware. I'm under the impression that the two of you are of an age with each other. Though you're just a bit older?"

'You've got no idea Brucey boy…' Jack thought, as he processed the man's words.

"With that being said, you can understand my reluctance to have you operating out on the streets alone."

Jack did his best to temper his own thoughts at the man's words, before responding.

"With all due respect Batman, Ted trusts me to do the job. I'm not your sidekick. Which means I'm not your responsibility. So, while I appreciate the thoughts, that makes me wonder why you're really here?"

A quick glance out of the periphery of his eyes, told Jack that he was doing quite well thus far, if Ted's light smirk was anything to go by.

Helena and Eva's own faces were not nearly as subdued.

Eva was had her left hand gently set underneath her chin and looked about a moment away from guffawing out loud.

Helena looked a strange mixture of proud, vindicated, and vindictive. Her countenance was slipping towards what Jack knew was the arrogant sneer she'd throw at people during a spar that she'd trounced them in.

Batman's own visage barely twitched, showing that once again the man's commitment to self-control was so strong that he may as well be carved from marble.

'Gotta respect the hell out of it. The only two reasons he's probably not going off is because of said control, and that he's probably reading everyone's micro expressions.'

Was Jack being a little over the top with that consideration? He didn't believe so.

He was proven correct when Batman spoke next.

"I have to give credit where credit is due. Your very skilled, and your argument is well thought out. I'm going to level with you All Might, or would you prefer Jack? I don't want you in my city."

A light growl had slipped into the man's countenance at the end, and Jack reached out with his right hand slightly to get Ted's attention, as the shift in tone seemed to set his mentor closer back into attack mode.

"People with abilities have a tendency to escalate the conflicts in which they operate. I truly do have to give you credit where it's deserved. Much like the Flash, you do tight and efficient work, and you can choose to believe me or not when I say it; but you have my respect for that."

Jack decided to take his own analysis of their conversation off the table for a moment, to simply enjoy the fact that he'd heard Batman not only apologize, but compliment him, which is something he never believed he'd get the firsthand pleasure of having.

"However…"

'And there it is.' Jack thought, his bottom lip twitching in a combination of humor and annoyance.

"Your presence in Gotham sets a dangerous precedent. There isn't a vast abundance of Meta enabled villains in Gotham's limits though there are those worth mentioning but let there be no mistake. My own work with the Justice League paints a large enough target upon this city, that's already drowning in its own problems. The variables that do exist, that exert that kind of force upon the situations that this city faces, are simply force multipliers. They're dangerous, and they need to be contained. Your visible presence in Gotham could very well attract even greater variables to an already overly complicated problem. It needs to end. I won't ask you to stop your activities as a Hero outright, as I have tangible data. That praise was given to you in good faith. I believe you're a truly beneficial and budding force for good All Might. But you need to do it elsewhere. Not in my city. The most recent incident is a perfect showing of not only that, but the danger that you personally face. Not to mention, your exploratory mission in Chong Mai. Both of these incidents could have led to your untimely demise. This leads me to believe that you should have greater supervision. Ted should be taking the reins more. Whether or not he chooses to relocate with you or take the lead in the field is ultimately up to him, but that's where things stand."

The looks upon Jacks compatriots faces all shifted to something decidedly more hostile at the end of Batman's speech, with Jack having to cut across Ted, as the older Hero had finally had enough.

"Listen here you- "

"Ted. It's alright. Let me handle this."

Ted locked eyes with Jack at that, his face pinched with frustration; but Jack simply shook his head lightly at that before turning his gaze back to Batman's own.

"How would Robin have handled those things, Batman?"

Another long pause settled upon the assembled group, with only Grundy's viewing and eating being overly audible for a few moments.

"I'm not following."

"You referenced both of the instances in which I've faced considerable danger. Life threatening danger at that. Yet, those questions, that are lobbied at mine own ability and handling; could easily be levied at another. So, I'm asking you, how would Robin have handled either of those situations?"

Jack watched as his words seemed to roll over Batman, the dark Hero now mimicking Ted, as he brought his arms up to cross over his chest.

"I don't see how such a question is relevant. Robin would never have been in either of those situations to begin with."

Jacks' rebuttal was almost instantaneous.

"So, you're saying that all the people that were saved at Chong Mai would have died? So, you're saying that you are in fact omnipotent? So as to be able to stop Robin from ever being in a situation where someone plots to have him attacked and assassinated?"

Jacks framed rebuttals saw his own compatriots glancing at him in curiosity, while Batman's visage remained steadfast.

"According to that stated logic, Captain Atom would have been the only person to go and deal with the Brimstone mech. Which, I'm relatively certain that he too came to find out what it was like to come close to certain death during that incident, ergo; your saying that even if Robin had had the chance to do something to help you wouldn't have allowed it. Leaving Atom to die alone, on foreign soil, trying to combat an event that shouldn't have ever happened."

Jack's friends began to ping pong their eyes back and forth as Jack spoke on, trying to take in both Jack's and Batman's looks.

"Then there's what just happened the other day. That was a focused and isolated incident. That was targeted…against me. I've taken down plenty of criminals since beginning my career, though I can't say I've ever crossed paths directly with Sofia Falcone. According to your words, Robin would never be in that same said position to begin with. But how could I have possibly known that Ms. Falcone was going to hire not one, but two of the world's greatest assassins to come for my head? How could I have possibly known that they would stage a bombing to set up necessary rescue efforts to draw my attention? In case you're wondering Batman, I'm not like J'onn Jones, I'm not a psychic."

The visible part of Batman's face tightened a bit, as a frown slowly began to creep across his features.

"The sarcasm in unnecessary. While you do have valid points, the most important of mine, still stands. This is a clear sign of escalation. I won't have it. Not in Gotham."

"You have an arch nemesis that has literally attempted to Gas the entire city. I think your understanding of what constitutes as escalation is a bit skewed."

At that rebuttal that Jack threw, his group looked at him with two parts incredulity, and one part barely unrestrained humor and approval.

Batman's look increased by a small margin in its apparent severity.

"Regardless- "

At that, Jack reached one of his own established levels of patience.

"There is no regardless. You yourself have stated that you have criminals in this city that have unchecked abilities. It's true, as the news articles exist to outline the dozens of events that have taken place involving them. The escalation already existed Batman, and a bit of a fun fact that you've so obviously overlooked; is that it will always be there so long as the opposition remains. The opposition? Being you. In case it's escaped you, your ability to use common sense should be what's telling you that, not me. People are people. Bad people? They're always going to do bad things, because they believe that they can. Escalation exists because people like us stand up and say 'enough'. Does the potential exist that someone will see me, and consider it a challenge? Absolutely. But the same exact thing applies to you Batman. That's a fact."

Jack was now waring with himself as he spoke, because his passion for wanting to do what was right was fighting against his respect for Batman, while a large and indignant part of him wanted to rise up and be unkind to the dark Hero sitting before him.

"You're one man, Batman. One. One man, in a city of millions. Your one check against a metaphorical dam that's littered with cracks. I respect you, and almost all that you've done for Gotham. But it, you, just aren't enough. I don't know if anyone's ever had the guts to spell it out for you like that, but there it is. This city? Doesn't belong to you. Just like it doesn't belong to the scum that have made it so bad that it's as unlivable as it is for the common person. This city belongs to its people, and unfortunately over the years in the hustle and bustle of life, the common people forgot to utilize their checks and balances to fight against the budding corruption."

Jack had stopped paying attention, but the look on his friend's faces had shifted.

"It's the job of every citizen, every person to try and make their home a better place. Somewhere along the way the momentum shifted so drastically that now? The common man is a slave to the almost impervious machine that is the way that our society runs. The American dream has become polluted, distorted, and worst of all perverted. You can decry me all you like, claim that my presence will only make things worse, and maybe your right. But there's a couple old sayings that are important here in regard to all this. Evil men flourish when good men sit back and do nothing, and, that sometimes things have to get worse before they get better."

Jack stopped for a moment and took a breath, before taking a sip of his own drink before speaking again.

"I won't just sit back and do-nothing Batman. This city? Has become my new home. I have the power to make a difference, and so long as I have that power, so long as I have the breath in my body and the will of my mind; I will always fight for a better future. In any, and every way that I can. So, I'm not going anywhere. Gotham needs her avenging angel; there's no doubt about that. But Gotham doesn't just have that anymore, it has a Shield to stand behind. So long as I'm able to carry it? I'm gonna do just that. You don't have any right, or grounds to try and stop me."

Only a second went by, before the silence was broken by Eva.

"Fuckin' Aye!"

At that Jack took the time to look at Ted, Helena, and Eva respectively.

Each of them had a smile on their face, each one of varying size, and each of them showed a level of determination.

Jack felt himself warm at those looks, before locking eyes with Batman again.

The Dark Knight's response was concise.

"I can stop you."

At those words, the warm feeling that had built up was dashed as it felt as though ice water had been dumped on the group.

Ted was at his feet in a blink, his hands coming down roughly onto the coffee table in an almost slam.

"What the hell do you mean by that huh?!"

Jack maintained his staring match with Batman, before standing to his own two feet, crossing his arms over his own chest as he straightened all the way up.

"Okay then. Do it."

The group collectively looked at Jack as though he'd grown a second head.

Helena for the first time since Jack had come out of his room spoke.

"Jack, what do you mean?"

"He means that he'll out my identity."

The group turned collectively gob smacked looks upon Batman at Jack's words.

Ted's chair was kicked back slightly from himself as he turned, his arms coming down to his sides, his voice taking on an even deadlier edge than it had before.

"Oh yeah tough guy?"

Jack drew Ted's attention back, knowing that he had to, to avoid things potentially getting ugly.

"Ted, it's okay. You heard what I said Batman. Do it. See how that works out for you."

Jack's own shift in tone changed things, as every set of eyes was now on him again.

"…and what exactly do you mean by that?"

It was one of the only major tone shifts that Batman had had in his words since coming in, and while Jack wasn't sure of it, he'd call it wary; though there was an obvious level of challenge in it.

'As he damn well should be, because I'm calling it.'

Throwing both of his arms up slightly in a shrug, Jack pressed on.

"You can do that. Go ahead and out my secret identity."

The silence that followed that statement, was broken by Helena.

"Jack, are you nuts?! He can- "

"He can't do it. And he knows it."

Jack's words not only cut across Helena but cut through the tension that had ratcheted his friends in place, leaving the three of them with speculative looks upon their faces.

"Batman wants me to do what he says. But the problem is, is that he knows I'm right. He has zero right to be ordering me around, and no leverage to coerce me. Oh sure, he could put me in traction if he really wants me to stop going around as All Might. But how would that look to Black Canary? Who is close with Ted? How would Batman outing my secret identity look to her? More importantly, how would that look to the Justice League?"

There had been plenty of pauses, and silences throughout the talk, but this particular one almost felt deafening.

"I'm calling your bluff. Have at it. See where it goes. Though I'm willing to bet? That it doesn't go over so well with the League."

Jack had done his best to inflect every level of 'Done' he felt in his tone with that last bit, because that's exactly how he felt.

…

The silence stretched on for a bit longer, before Batman stood to his feet.

"…Once again I have to admit… I'm impressed. All of it is very wise thinking, beyond your years even."

"Well, I'm an 'old soul', what can I say. Trauma tends to do that, and I've got plenty of it to talk about, though don't get confused. I don't mean with you."

What came next at Jacks response, was once again something that surprised him.

Batman snorted ever so slightly…as if fighting off a laugh.

'…Did I just stroke out? What was that?'

Jack didn't get much longer to consider it, as the Dark Knight spoke again.

"Well reasoned argument or not, I am not happy. There are variables in this city that you have yet to run up against, variables that are beyond dangerous."

Jack nodded slightly at the man's words.

"I don't have firsthand experience no, but I appreciate your concern all the same. That being said, I'm not stopping. Not for you, not for anyone. Not until I say I'm done. That, or when I'm dead and gone."

Batman turned slightly away from the table, though he was looking side-eye at Jack still.

"I hope for your sake, that it's not the second one. Never the second one."

Jack appreciated the words, but felt the need to say what came next, because this and something from a bit earlier spoke to the trauma that Bruce himself carried; and it was something that Jack understood intimately in a few ways.

'Even though it's not nearly on the same level.'

"If that happens, then it does. If it did happen that way? Then it's not on you Batman. You do a lot already. You may not be doing as much as you could from one perspective considering all the toys you've got, but between what I'm sure you're doing in your spare time plus what you do when wearing the cowl? You're doin plenty. So, you should learn to take a breath and give yourself some grace. Nobody's laying every bad thing that happens in Gotham at your feet. If they are? Then they should have their heads examined."

Batman once again grunted almost inaudibly, before slightly nodding at the collective.

"You'll need to up your training if you're planning on running headlong into a fight with someone like Bronze Tiger again."

At that, Ted intervened, his voice decidedly unfriendly.

"Not that it's any of your business, but we've already got it handled."

One final grunt came before Batman turned fully to face the backdoor of the apartment.

"Know that I'll still be watching."

At that everyone kept their silence as Batman made his way towards the door leading to the fire escape.

When the man was only a foot or so away from it, Jack called out to him.

"Batman!"

When the man finally turned back around a bit, Jack flooded his system to 10% of his Full Cowling, the light greenish-blue sparks dancing around his body, as his eyes lit up in their half-moon style of brown and green glowing.

"Next time? Call ahead or Knock First."

After a moment of silence, Jack got a single nod before Batman walked through the threshold, back out into the light of day.

Jack sat down after the door shut, his body slightly protesting at him over the use of his power.

When he brought his eyes up, both Ted and Eva were smiling at him, the young Scot just a bit more manic than his mentors.

"Tha' was pure bloody gold!"

Jack could only chuckle at the girl's enthusiasm.

Any further thoughts he may have had were delayed at the question that came out of Helena's mouth.

"What training are you gonna be doing?"

At her question, Jack turned his gaze upon Ted.

"What were you thinking old man?"

Ted's own face then took on the interesting look, a combination of something reminiscent, while the other part made him look almost wolfish.

"I've got somebody that I think you should meet."

Annnnnnd FIN! That's the latest guys. So, to nip this in the butt early. Eva is a Scot and has a bit of an accent. I know that may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I feel she deserves her distinction. As the story progresses, and I mean really progresses, the spelling may shift to show that she is becoming more accustomed to 'Americanized' English. But make no mistake, when she's upset or angry, she'll slip right back. I'm not gonna go into full details with this personal stuff, but I've been battling depression. For a long time. The negativity in the real world, and on here, don't help considering I operate in a high stress environment. For those of you that have been, and will continue to enjoy the story? I am forever grateful. I've heard from a few people that Jack should have more spotlight on him. This is my first real attempt at doing that, but I need to be clear. A lot of characters need their spotlights to move the plot along in a meaningful way. But Se la Vie. If you don't think you'll continue reading? Then that's fine. It's only FREE entertainment. I honestly love doing this, and love all of you that read, enjoy; and give Constructive criticism. Other than that, I don't have much else to share. I AM excited for the new Captain America movie. I hope I'm not the only one. Until next time: I hope you all stay safe, happy, and most importantly healthy. Because how could you be any of the others without that? See you in the next one folks. This is Sojiro, Signing Off. Laters Gators!