Summary: (SuperBats/Gender-Swap) Experimental fic exploring a potential romantic relationship between the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight. Includes, among other things, banter, fluff, a Harry Potter movie marathon and apple pies. Superman/Fem!Batman (Batwoman?)

A/N: This could either be a pretty cool idea... or a pretty sucky one. Let's find out which, shall we?

This is me trying something new. While I am (and always will be) a diehard, loyal and dedicated WonderBats fan, and as much as I adore Lois and Clark together, I admit that I have a soft spot for this particular pairing.

In essence, this fic is exactly as the summary explains. I wanted to see if I could write other pairings without inwardly cringing all while I'm busy with this. I'm not sure if this has been done before on this site (probably), but I'm gonna take a shot at it anyway. Besides, say what you will, Batman and Superman's relationship in the older comics have always kind of towed on the line between best friends and old married couple...

Alright! With that, please, please enjoy!

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns everything you recognize.

Immersion

Definition of 'Immersion':

1. A) The act or an instance of immersing. B) The condition of being immersed.
2. Baptism preformed by totally submerging a person in water.
3. Astronomy The obscuring of a celestial body by another or by the shadow of another.

[Source: The Free Dictionary .com]

-ONE-
An Encounter

The tie around his neck felt vaguely like a noose as a slender hand worked to tighten and straighten it properly. Shifting the weight on his feet awkwardly, Clark Kent looked everywhere except at the woman standing in front of him.

"Lois..." he began, reaching up to his collar, intending to adjust it. But, just as he could, however, the same hand that was helping him with his tie, swatted it away.

"You're not getting out of this one, Smallville," Lois said matter-of-factly and narrowed her eyes. "Suck it up, Clark, we - well, you - got a job to do."

Clark frowned. "But this isn't- Perry said I'd be handling politics-" He said, but held still as Lois finished her very hands-on inspection.

"I don't think you get to be picky on this, rookie." She said as she ran her hands over the lapels of his cheap navy jacket, smoothing it down, and adjusted his press pass. "If the Chief said you're covering this, you're damn-well covering it."

Noticing how his eyebrows knitted together, Lois sighed dramatically and stepped away. "Fine, it isn't what you signed up for, but stories like these still pay the bills. And if that doesn't convince you, look at it this way - you don't think that any of this has anything to do with politics?"

"It's a charity gala - or auction or something." Clark said, looking at her in confusion. "I don't think anyone here really cares about anything except what they're wearing or what appetizers they want."

Lois smirked before linking her arm with his and steered him away from their corner, patting his arm condescendingly. "Oh, Smallville, Smallville, Smallville... you're so lucky you have me to show you just how wrong you are."

Clark reluctantly allowed her to steer him out onto the crowded ballroom floor. "What do you mean?" he asked, adjusting his glasses.

"Stick with me, newbie, I'm going to pass on some knowledge here." She said and gestured out in front of her. "Rule one; always keep your eyes open. Do you know how many scoops I got just from trolling around at events like this for a few hours? Anyway, see that guy over there? That's the district attorney. And that guy on the other side of the room with the bad dye-job? The deputy mayor... With, who I can only assume is his daughter, or latest flavour of the week."

"Lois-!"

She rolled her eyes. "Skip the lecture - if I have to wear six-inch heels, I'm gonna snark. Besides, I'm only here to make sure you don't screw anything up."

"Gosh... thanks for the vote of confidence." He said, deadpan.

She grinned at him before punching his arm playfully and stepped away. "Look, it's easy enough - schmooze up to some dirty politician, play nice with a rich daddy's boy for a quote, and, for pity's sake cheer up! Drink some champagne, make conversation and use that farmboy charm of yours. Who knows? Maybe you'll snag yourself a pretty debutant while you're at it."

Clark hid his sudden discomfort with a scoff. "Don't be ridiculous."

"Oh, don't tell me there isn't someone in here who hasn't caught your eye yet. Your standards can't be that high."

He sighed. "Lois..."

There was a sudden commotion, and when Clark turned his head, he saw a dozen or more photographers flock to the doors. Just as he was about to ask what the fuss was about, the crowd parted, and a tall, dark-haired woman in a strapless black dress stepped in.

Clark watched as she lingered in the door for a minute, taking in her surroundings with an impassive stare until she was met with a barrage of flashing lights and catcalls.

The change in her expression was as dramatic as it instantaneous as she flashed the cameras a smile that belonged on the cover of a magazine, raising her head confidently and basked in the spotlight, completely at ease with the attention.

"Who's that?" Clark asked before he could stop himself.

Lois followed his line of sight, and when she did, she let out a short laugh. "Her? God, I forget you come from the middle of nowhere sometimes..." She said, shaking her head. "That, my incredibly lanky friend, is Brooke Wayne."

"Wayne? That... sounds familiar."

"I don't doubt that." Lois said, amused. "You've probably heard about Wayne Enterprises, right? They got a lot to do with computers, finances, communication - the whole shebang... and Brooke, well, she's in charge of all of that. As it is, she's one of the richest people in the world."

Clark blinked. "But she's so..."

"Young? She comes from old money, but she took over her family's company a few years ago, and word is she's a damn good CEO." She explained. "...Still, it's weird. I wonder what she's doing in Metropolis. She usually doesn't leave Gotham City."

"Since she's here, maybe she came for the event?" he suggested reasonably.

Lois looked sceptical but didn't argue with him.

For some reason, Clark looked over at Wayne again - really looking at her now, he couldn't help but notice that, despite outward appearances, her shoulders seemed tense and that cover-girl smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

Before he could dwell on this, however, he caught Lois staring at him.

"...What?" he asked self-consciously.

"I wouldn't get my hopes up too much if you wanted a 'quote', Clark," she said slyly. "I've heard a few rumours that would make even your toes curl. But, if you're into bad girls, power to you for trying."

"I don't think you have to worry about that, Lois," he said with a smile of his own, though he didn't quite rise to the bait. "I doubt I'm even in her league."

The way he said this, sobered Lois up and she stopped smiling. "Oh, c'mon, don't talk like that. Any woman would be lucky to have you, I mean you're..." she began awkwardly until she caught the amused look Clark gave her and cleared her throat. "There's an open bar with my name on it - I'll be there watching your back. Don't screw up, Kent."

Before she could leave, Clark reached out and touched her wrist. "Lois? Thanks."

A strange look crossed her face before she smiled slightly and nodded. "What are friends for?"

In hindsight, the evening itself played out exactly like Clark had expected, and though it wasn't horrible, per say, there were still enough awkward individual moments that made him wonder what he was even doing there.

If it wasn't for the fact that Lois had been watching him like a hawk, he would have left already - she wanted him to 'mingle' (whatever that meant) and was adamant that he talk to every person in the room at least once.

"You're never going to be a journalist unless you get out of your comfort zone, Smallville!" she declared matter-of-factly before she pushed him into the nearest group of people which lead to awkward individual moments three through six.

To his credit, Clark stuck in there longer than he anticipated, and by the end of it, he had enough quotes to write a fairly decent article, and had endured the small talk and idle chatter with the patience of a saint.

...Of course, it didn't mean that when the opportunity presented itself to get out, he didn't take it.

He did.

As soon as Lois looked away, he slipped thought the first open door he could find and found himself in a near-deserted courtyard. Letting out the breath he hadn't been aware he was holding, Clark walked up to the fountain in the middle before looking up at the sky.

Smiling to himself, he reached up and loosened the tie around his collar - when he looked down, however, he blinked in surprise when he saw somebody else standing on the other side.

Preoccupied with a sleek, black phone in her hands, when she felt eyes on her, Brooke Wayne's shoulders tensed.

She looked up at the moment the gushing waters receded, and for a split second when sky blue eyes met darker, midnight coloured ones across the fountain, Clark imagined she could see right through him.

His hand froze over his tie and he wondered, not for the first time ever, if the blue of his suit stuck out underneath his button-up shirt.

Wayne regarded him for a minute with cool indifference before the tension in her shoulders lessened and she turned her attention back to her phone.

To be polite (and to hide his initial discomfort at her scrutiny), he spoke up. "Some night, huh?"

There was a subtle arch of an elegant brow as she looked up from her phone, but there was little else in way of a response from the woman.

Clearing his throat and turning his head, Clark missed the small, involuntary curve of her lips.

"I mean, it's not raining for once." He said, trying and failing to play it cool.

In the overwhelming silence that followed, Clark could almost imagine Lois standing next to him, applauding his faux pas, "Smooth, real smooth."

"I just- it's clear." He explained, catching himself. "You can actually see the stars for once."

The sensible voice in the back of his mind told him to stay quiet, until a different voice spoke up instead.

"You're not from the city, are you?" she asked, her voice quiet but not unconfident, and made him think of silk and whiskey.

Clark allowed himself stare a little before he replied. "Is it that obvious?"

Wayne shrugged. "You don't look like you belong here."

"I don't." He said before clearing his throat. "...I'm Clark by the way, Clark Kent."

She nodded crisply. "Brooke."

"I know," he said before he could stop himself and winced internally at the look she gave him. "I saw you coming in earlier. That was, uh, quite the entrance you made."

A quite scoff escaped Wayne despite the slight tug at the corner of her lips. "You should see some of my others..." She said mysteriously before her eyes fell on the press pass pinned to his jacket. "You a reporter, Clark?"

"I am - I work at the Daily Planet."

"Have I heard of you?"

"I doubt it - I only started a few months ago."

"You don't look like you're a gossip columnist either."

"Actually, I usually write about government-related issues in the city, cover public announcements, that sort of thing... and I do some editing for Lois occasionally."

This seemed to pique her interest somewhat. "Lois? Lois Lane?"

He nodded. "The one and only."

"I've heard the legends." Wayne said dryly.

"Wait until you experience the person..."

Her mouth twitched in amusement. "...If you don't mind me asking, why are you out here?"

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Oh, well, I'm talking to you right now."

Another bout of water rose up between them, and while he couldn't see her face, he could almost hear her roll her eyes. "That's not what I meant."

"I know." He sighed. "I was... persuaded to come tonight."

"Sounds like there's a story behind that." She said mildly.

"Not really, but 'coerced' doesn't make me sound any better, so..." He trailed off. "But, what about you?"

The smile on her face was wane at best and had a subtle, rueful edge to it, but before she could say anything, there was a sudden vibration in her hands.

Looking down at her phone, something cooled in her eyes. "I'm afraid that's a long story, Mr Kent." She said vaguely, slipping her phone into the clutch she had with her. "One, which I don't have time for."

Clark could only blink at her just as the fountain waters rose up again and turned his head when he heard his name being called.

When he turned around, he saw Lois standing in the door. "Over here, Lois."

"Well, what are you doing just standing around in the dark all lonesome? Get that cute butt of yours back in here, Smallville."

He felt heat rise up in his face, but by her tone alone, he could tell she was slightly tipsy and sighed. "I'll be there in a minute, I just have to-" He looked over his shoulder and blinked saw that he was alone. "-say goodbye... Huh..."

He didn't hear her leave.

Once the night finally started winding down, Clark stood on the sideway with Lois, trying with limited success to hail a cab.

After about the third car passed them by, Lois finally lost her patience - shooing him to the side, she whistled sharply and waved at an incoming taxi, flagging it down.

"So, where you heading?" she asked when she opened the door.

"Just home - I have a story to write, remember? Why?"

She shrugged, one foot already inside the cab. "It's still early, and I thought if you're feeling up to it we could get a nightcap, celebrate your first big boy assignment and all that jazz."

He smiled slightly. "That's nice of you to offer, Lois, but-" It's just as he said this, that he heard it, a high-pitched wail of an alarm not too far from where he was.

Lois looked at him strangely, oblivious to what he had just heard. "Earth to Clark - you there, rookie?"

Clark snapped out of his mini-daze with a start before he turned back to her. "I have to go."

She frowned, confused and, for a split second, almost disappointed. "Okay, fine, don't have a drink with me - at least let me pay to drop you off at your place."

"That's okay, Lois," he said quickly, turning away as he did. "I'll see you tomorrow at the office."

She didn't get a chance to say goodbye, and just as she opened her mouth to do so, Clark had already disappeared among the crowd.

"Did he just blow me off...?" Lois asked to no one in particular before she shook her head and got in the cab. "Farm boys..."

Meanwhile, once he was some distance away, Clark ducked into the first empty alleyway he could find.

Looking around, he notice an old phone booth standing next to a pair of trashcans and blocked from view by a dozen or so cardboard boxes.

Making sure no one was watching, he was little more than a blur and a sudden rush of air as he slipped into the booth for a split second and darted back out and up into the sky the next.

Once he was high enough, just above the clouds, he closed his eyes and listened, wincing at first when the sound of the city hit him like a tidal wave. Taking a deep, steadying breath, he blocked out the noise and incessant chatter as he focused in on the sound that drew him in the first place.

When he heard the alarm on the other side of the city, he opened his eyes and straightened up, and with that, Superman sped off.

He arrived at a lone, unsuspicious white building near the harbour and took a quick look around before his eyes flashed and looked through the concrete walls. From the look of the layout and the equipment he found inside, it was some kind of research centre.

Superman turned his eyes down and looked deeper until he found a dozen or so people moving around on the lower floors. Several were on the ground and had their hands tied up behind their backs while the rest were armed and moved around, haphazardly peering into drawers and then turning them out, obviously looking for something.

There was an armed man standing in the middle of it all and looked like something out of a cheap horror movie as he wore a metal harness, a pair of clawed gauntlets and a gasmask over his face. He seemed to be the one in charge and was pointing all over the place.

Frowning, Superman counted the people on the ground before he looked for the best way inside.

He went through in the back and down the stairs until he reached the door leading to where the men were and took a moment to listen - over the sound of glass breaking and metal drawers being yanked out roughly, he heard a voice like nails grating against a chalkboard.

He peered through the wall and saw the man in the mask leaning over towards one of the hostages, running a clawed finger up the man's throat to just under his chin before letting out a twisted little chuckle.

The man in the mask stepped away when he heard one of the gunmen call him over.

Superman took that as his cue, and once most of the thugs were preoccupied, he slipped in and in a blink of an eye, swept away and stowed two of the hostages safely on the roof.

If the thugs didn't notice this at first, they when two more vanished into thin air moments later and another just after that - they drew their guns, but just as they did, the last two hostages were gone. His shoulder clipped the corners of one of the desks when he passed, sending it tumbling back and spooked three of the gunmen into open-firing.

"I'd really put those down if I were you, fellas," he said, speaking up for the first time. "They wouldn't do you any good."

Like one, the thugs turned to him, guns aimed as he hovered midair, arms crossed over his chest.

"Wh- what the hell are you supposed to be?" one of the gunmen demanded.

"Somebody who doesn't like what you're doing. Now, I'm only going to say this once, lay down your weapons and surrender - the alarm's been tripped and the police are probably on their way now."

There was that twisted laugh again, and when Superman looked, the man in the mask stepped forward. "Do you really think that matters?" he asked. "I already have what I came for, and by the time the police get here, they won't be able to do a thing... and neither will you."

Superman looked down at the man, raising an eyebrow. "So I take it you're in charge?"

"Why, yes, I am, and I take that you're the 'hero' I've heard so much about in these parts - faster than a speeding bullet? The man who can jump a tall building in a single bound, and all that?"

That was a new one. "Apparently."

His answer and reaction seemed to interest the man. "Fascinating... simply fascinating. I wonder, what does a man like you fear? If you are a man, of course - but tell me, what are you afraid of?"

"Why would you care?"

"Oh, the same old reasons - scientific curiosity and all that. I'm a psychologist, you know." He said matter-of-factly before he seemed to reach for something. "Ah, but it doesn't matter now."

"And what makes you say that, Dr...?"

"Oh, there isn't a Dr anything anymore, these days, everyone just calls me... Scarecrow." He said and dropped what looked like a small canister at his feet, much to the thugs' immediate dismay.

Without warning, the canister let out a low hiss as moments later, there was a heavy, sickly scent and vapour in the air.

Unimpressed at first, there was a split second after that, that the room seemed to tilt on its axis just a little for some reason - confused, Superman blinked as his sight seemed to dim and bright around the edges, and everything else in between shudder.

He wasn't sure how long he stood there, but he didn't realize he was back on his feet until a sudden flash of silver drew his attention. What happened next, however, was a distorted blur - whatever the silver flash was, it sent the man in the mask, the 'Scarecrow', and his men into a frenzy as alarmed shouts rang over the sound of the shots being fired.

His heart was racing, pounding in his ears, but in his daze, Superman could make out a large black shape moving in and out of focus, occasionally catching a glimpses of sharp edges and more flashes of silver.

His head was spinning, and that feeling of the room tilting came back full force when he felt himself stumble back.

The black shape stopped moving just then before it came closer and he got a better look at what he'd been watching exactly. It was a face unlike anything he'd seen before, grim and dark and menacing, and while exact details were either warped or out of focus, two white slits narrowed at him.

He heard a voice, but couldn't understand what it was saying as only bits and pieces got through. What did register, however, was that the voice belonged to a woman... a very angry woman.

"Where- ... -e go?"

It then struck him that the voice belonged to the black shape looming over him, and he shook his head, willing himself to focus. "W... what?"

The face came into focus, slowly, but when it did, he realized he was looking at a mask.

"Where did he go?" the woman demanded harshly with a voice like gravel.

Superman stared incomprehensibly until the woman stepped forward and gripped the front of his uniform.

"Scarecrow!" she said angrily. "He stole from this facility tonight. Where did he go?"

He stepped back, out of her grip and tried to look through the walls and floors - still disoriented, his x-ray vision cut out and he ended up with a headache.

"I'm sorry-" he said, rubbing his temples.

The woman released his uniform with a disgusted sound.

"Wait," he began. "Who...?"

She ignored him as she turned on her heel with a dramatic sweep of her cape. He managed to stand up straight, but when he tried to reach out and stop her, she dropped what looked like a handful of grey pellets on the ground and disappeared between a rising haze of smoke.

Covering his mouth and nose with arm, once he was sure he could, Superman rose above the smoke and looked around the room - the smoke was already beginning to dissipate, but other than the unconscious bodies of several of the gunmen lying on the ground, there was no sign of the woman anywhere.

He was about to leave when he heard police sirens in the distance, but before he could, a glint of silver caught his eye on the ground.

Touching down, he blinked when he knelt down and picked up a single silver disk in the shape of a bat.

-TO BE CONTINUED-

A/N: Alright, alright, alright... so there's that. I actually have this whole thing planned out, so this fic won't be longer than four or five chapters... still, I hope this is okay, and I haven't lost anyone's attention. I think, personally, my favourite scenes were the ones with Lois in them - she's just fun to write.

Now... because there will be questions about this, the reason I wrote Bats as a woman is NOT because I don't like or disapprove of slash-fiction (hell, I ship Iron Man/Captain America and SpideyPool like it's crack and am brainstorming a Skyrim fic with a girl/girl couple as my main pairing), but mostly because I have a hard time picturing a really macho, manly-man like Bruce Wayne actually together with someone as equally masculine as Clark in that sense. With that said, I've kept Bats in character as much as I could... or well, I will in the next chapter when the characters interact with each other more.

Up Next: Clark goes bat-hunting...

I'd love to hear your opinion! Leave a PM or a Review and make my day :)

Until next time,
GoddessofDawn out.