I'd like to thank, D.J. Scales, futureforensic, AnotherChance, RebelByrdie, randomblueeydblonde...along with all the other people who have written reviews while I posted this story. Thank you all very much.

Batman & Benson 3

Chapter Seventeen

Bernie Romano stood on the dock, watching intently as the people got off the boat. As the warm tropical breeze blew over the beach, seagulls took flight in the air behind him--their laughter sounding harsh to Bernie's ears.

'And even if they really were laughing at me, they'd be right,' Bernie thought. 'After all, who am I kidding, standing here with my hat in my hand? I ran from Gotham City like a coward!'

Still, a hope-filled Bernie stared at each new arrival as they got off the tourist boat. They were mostly vacationers looking for a fun time in the Caribbean sun. Whenever he would see a young girl, Bernie would do a double take--until he'd realized that it wasn't Ellen and Darleen.

'That's it, then,' Bernie thought, once he saw the boat had emptied its passengers. 'They didn't come….'

Just before leaving Gotham City, after discreetly making sure that Ellen and Darleen were all right, Bernie had mailed them a letter. He explained in full detail what had happened, how he had become involved with Two-Face, and he had apologized profusely to both of them.

He told them in the letter that he had enough money squirreled away, and that if they wanted to come live with him, they could. Bernie left some of the money in the envelope for them to use for airfare. He gave then a specific time on a specific day that he would be waiting on the main dock of the island where he'd escaped to--it was a place that did not have an extradition treaty with the U.S. If they didn't show, then Bernie would know they no longer wanted any part of him and just move on as best he could.

He realized that he was taking a major chance in more ways than one--not only by being rejected by them, but also by leaving himself open to being captured by U.S. authorities. But Bernie had thought the risk was well worth taking. Ellen and Darleen were well worth it.

"…Bernie…!"

But they didn't come. Bernie was on his own, again. He would miss them terribly. But maybe it was better this way. He morosely began to walk away.

"…Bernie…!"

After all, he was just a dumb, good for nothing, son of a--

"…Bernie…Bernie…Bernie!"

He stopped walking when he thought he heard his name being called. He glanced up at the seagulls and shook his head. Of course. It was just these stupid birds.

That was when something slammed into the side of his leg. He glanced down and was stunned to see Darleen hugging him tightly.

"Hiya, Bernie!" she said, laughing joyously. She turned to stare down the dock. "Mommy, he was really surprised!"

Bernie was further stunned to see a smiling Ellen walking up to him. Clad in a cheerful summery dress, she lugged a pair of suitcases in her hands. Placing them down on the ground, Ellen planted a kiss on his lips and said, "We decided to take an early boat. Hope you didn't mind."

"Not at all," Bernie said. He was just extremely grateful to see them. "Listen, I just want to apologize again for what--"

Ellen hushed him with her hand. "You didn't even have to apologize in the letter, Bernie. Darleen and I both understood the situation. Hell, we were even taken hostage by that Two-Face monster! You're still a decent man. You were simply forced into a very bad situation, that's all."

"You don't hate me," Bernie asked. "Really?"

Ellen gazed meaningfully into his eyes. "We never hated you. I love you, Bernie. Darleen loves you, too."

"Do we have a house right on the beach, Bernie?" Darleen asked, as she excitedly hopped up and down.

"It's not right on the beach, but close enough to it," he replied. "Would you guys like to see it?"

"We'd love to," Ellen told him. "C'mon, Darleen, let's go see our new house!"

The three of them then walked down the beach, all holding hands like the family they had become. And Bernie could not help but cry tears of joy.

He finally felt free.

B&B

Bruce Wayne strode into Wayne Tech that morning as a man with a purpose. Now that Harvey Dent was in jail, and the crisis in Kansas had been adverted, Bruce had made a decision regarding a project at Wayne Tech that had been collecting dust--a project that would be of better use elsewhere.

"Morning, Bruce," Lucius Fox said, as Bruce entered the spacious office. They were both alone and the doors were closed. "Spectacular job--both with Two-Face and with the situation in Kansas."

"Thanks, Lucius, but the fact was that I had a lot of help with both situations," Bruce said, as he settled down behind his desk. "Which is why I'm here today."

"I've got to admit, I'm surprised to see you so soon," Lucius said. "After all that, you deserved some time off."

"I just wanted to come in to talk to you about something," Bruce said. "You know how, from time to time, I've 'borrowed' an item or two from Wayne Tech for use in my 'hobby?'"

Lucius nodded. "Of course. And I've certainly have no problem with that. As I've said to you before, Bruce, as far as I'm concerned, all this stuff is yours, anyway. So, what little item are you 'borrowing' for your 'hobby' this time?"

"The space station," Bruce said.

Lucius stared at him as if he were crazy. "Wait…what? The space station? You want…the space station?!"

"Yeah," Bruce said with a smile. "What's the matter, Lucius? You did say that everything here is mine anyway, right?"

"Well, yeah, that's right. But what, may I ask, does Batman need with a space station?"

"It's not for Batman, per se," Bruce said. "It's for his friends. See, they've decided to start a little club and, well--let's just say they need a clubhouse."

"The space station?"

Bruce nodded. "The space station."

"You're actually going to put it in space?" Lucius asked.

"Well, officially, Wayne Tech will disassemble the station and place it in permanent junk storage," Bruce said. "Which is what I'm hoping you'll set up for me on paper, Lucius."

"Ok," Lucius said--although he still stared at Bruce as if he were insane. "But, unofficially, what's going to happen?"

"The space station will be up where it belongs, in space."

"And if this will be done unofficially, then how do you plan on putting it up there?"

Bruce smiled again. "I know people. Placing a space station in permanent orbit above the earth won't be a problem for them."

"Sounds like some very impressive friends you've got, Bruce."

"They are, indeed. Which is why I'm going through all this trouble for them."

After a thoughtful pause, Lucius nodded. "Consider it done, Bruce. Hope your friends enjoy their new clubhouse."

B&B

"There she is!" Harvey Bullock shouted.

And with that, the entire SVU bullpen erupted into wild applause as Olivia entered with Alex.

"Oh God," Olivia said, shaking her head at the riotous applause. "C'mon, guys…really!"

"Nonsense, my love, you deserve it," Alex told her. She took her hand. "Come over here and see the cake."

"There's a cake?!" Olivia cried, amazed.

Alex showed her a large chocolate cake decorated with an edible starfish on the top. There was a little white icing word balloon beside the starfish that read: "Welcome back, Liv!"

"Oh my God!" Olivia muttered, placing her hands over her face. "I'm gonna have fun slicing up this sucker!"

"Olivia's told me that, since returning from Kansas, she's sworn off seafood," Alex said to the crowd, which generated much laughter.

Olivia happily hugged Linda and Renee in greeting--and she even gave Harvey Bullock a kiss on the cheek, to which he grumpily muttered something about how it was about time Olivia had returned to work, because it just wasn't the same without her.

Olivia had started cutting up the cake for everybody when Rachel, along with Jim & Barbra Gordon entered the bullpen. She had already seen them before--except for Barbra. And so Olivia stopped cutting the cake and exchanged a tight hug with the girl, whom she hadn't seen since that night in Two-Face's hideout.

"I'm so glad you're ok," Barbra whispered into Olivia's ear. "And I'm sorry for breaking my word to you, about going out again as Batgirl."

Olivia had wanted to talk to Barbra about how she came to team up with Catwoman again. But this was neither the time or place for such a conversation. "I'd like to talk to you more about that some other time, sweetie," Olivia whispered back. "Promise?"

Barbra nodded. "Promise, Liv."

"Sorry to drag you from the party," Gordon said. "But Rachel and I need to speak to you, in private."

"I'll take over cutting the cake," Alex offered. "You go ahead, Liv."

When they reconvened in Olivia's office, she couldn't help but note that both Rachel and Jim looked grim. "What's wrong? Metropolis won't turn over Graves?"

"No, we got Mercy Graves back in Gotham City police custody," Gordon assured her. He appeared very uneasy, and glanced at Rachel for help.

"The problem is what Graves and her defense team are up to," Rachel told Olivia. She looked very angry. "Graves must be Lex Luthor's favorite employee, because he just bought her a killer legal team to represent her in court."

"Let me guess," Olivia said. "She's taking the insanity defense."

Rachel shook her head. "It's much worse than that, Liv. Graves is claiming to have been under the mind control of Starro the entire time. Your kidnapping, the attempted murder of Lana Lang--it's all being swept under the same defense: that Starro made her do it."

Olivia shook her head, outraged. "You know that's a goddamn lie!"

"Of course we do," Gordon said. He sounded just as angry as Olivia felt. "And she's not going to get away with it!"

But the solemn expression on Rachel's face told Olivia otherwise.

Olivia just nodded grimly at her. "She is going to get away with it, isn't she?"

"Olivia, I'll prosecute this case myself, if I have to," Rachel promised her. "I'll do everything within my power to see that Graves gets justice. But you need to understand that the situation in Kansas was chaotic at best."

"You've got to be kidding me, Rachel!" Gordon said, stunned. "You're not actually suggesting…well, what the hell are you saying, anyway?"

"Jim, all of the people who were under the mind control of Starro have been granted full and complete amnesty by the Justice Department," Rachel said. "Now, that includes the people who directly fired upon FBI agents who tried to approach the facility, as well as the people who built the giant laser that nearly blew away the moon."

"But Graves wasn't at the facility when that happened," Olivia said.

"I know, and I'll argue that point in court," Rachel replied. "But, given this situation--where it's been made very clear that a mass of law abiding people were forced to commit illegal acts while under the mind control of a mutated starfish?" Rachel dismally shook her head. "As I've said, Liv, I shall do my level best with this case. But it's anybody's guess as to how a jury will decide this one."

"I understand, Rachel," Olivia told her sincerely. "Really, I do. This is whole new legal territory for you, isn't it?"

"You have no idea," Rachel said, annoyed. "Since the age of superheroes--and super villains--has dawned, the legal system has been in a constant race just to keep abreast of the latest developments. Now, of all things, it's mind control…."

"It actually makes you miss dealing with the regular, everyday scum," Gordon muttered.

"Speaking of which," Olivia said. "How's the case with Harvey Dent coming along?"

"It's not," Gordon said. "The psychiatrists at Arkham Asylum have completed their examination of Harvey, and they say that he's mentally unfit to stand trial."

"Harvey will now become a permanent resident of Arkham," Rachel said. "And I really can't say I have a problem with that assessment. The Two-Face case is finally over and done. I'm more than happy to just let it go."

Olivia nodded. "Maybe Harvey will finally get the help he needs now."

"True. But if he's ever cured of his insanity, he'll still have to stand trial," Gordon said. "He's responsible for the deaths of so many people, Liv."

"Alex was right," Olivia said, as she gazed at her lover through the office windows. Alex was busy serving cake to everybody in the squad. "We really lost Harvey a long time ago…."

Both Rachel and Gordon had to leave, thanks to having to deal with other matters in each of their respective departments. Olivia rejoined the party, and gladly accepted a piece of cake from Barbra. "Did you get a slice for yourself, hon?"

"I can't, I gotta go with dad," she said, gesturing at her father, who waved to her. Barbara then appeared hesitant.

"Is something wrong?" Olivia asked. She bent down as Barbra came close to her.

"I just wanted to tell you that I know all about how Bruce Wayne is the Batman," Barbra whispered into Olivia's ear. "I saw the Batcave under his house. But don't worry, Liv, his secret is safe with me."

Barbra then gave a shocked Olivia an affectionate peck on the cheek before she quickly left to join her father.

"What is it?" Alex asked Olivia with concern, after Barbara had left.

"Um, I'll tell you later," Olivia told her, as stood up and went to take a bite of her cake. Olivia couldn't help but notice that she got the piece with the "Welcome back Liv!" message.

'Welcome back…indeed,' Olivia thought, as she took a bite of her cake. 'Welcome back to Gotham City, and to all of its dark complexities….'

B&B

When Dick entered the Batcave, he found Bruce sitting at the main computer. He walked up from behind Bruce and viewed the headlines that were splashed across the screen.

"Catwoman steals valuable gem from museum!" screamed one of the headlines, while another read: "Bad Kitty!"

Dick couldn't help but smile at the front page image of Catwoman--taken from a video security camera--where she posed smiling broadly with the diamond held in her right hand, while her left hand waved right at the camera lens. It looked as if Catwoman wanted people to know that she was the one who pulled off this job.

"For a while there, I'd would have bet that Catwoman had chosen to work on the side of the angels," Bruce said.

"Yeah, but now it's obvious that she's gone back over to the dark side of the Force," Dick replied. "I guess she's our next Big Bad to hunt down tonight, huh?"

Bruce shook his head in the negative. "Catwoman is probably miles away from Gotham City by now. But I'll keep an eye out for her nevertheless." He glanced up at Dick. "And what's with this 'we' crap, anyway?"

Dick stared at him, stunned. "I thought I was helping you!"

"You are--you're helping me right here, in the Batcave. We never said anything about you actually joining me on patrol." He stood up and shook his head as Dick continued to stare at him in shock. "What? You go for one joyride with me and that automatically entitles you to out on patrol with the Batman? How do I know you can truly handle yourself out there, Dick?"

"Why don't you find out?" Dick said, annoyed. "Try me."

Bruce smiled. "Very well."

They went upstairs to the gym in the mansion, where they removed their shoes and stood facing each other on the padded workout floor.

"How do you want it?" Dick asked, as he assumed a combat stance.

"Just come at me," Bruce told him. "And don't hold back."

And so Dick did exactly that--he charged at Bruce with all of his fury.

And the next thing he knew, Dick lay flat on his back, staring at the ceiling.

Bruce stood over him, staring at him expectantly. "Again."

'What the hell?' Dick thought, as he got to his feet. He felt exasperated, as well as very uneasy--for he had no memory of Bruce even touching him, let alone being knocked down to the mat.

Dick attacked Bruce once more--and this time, he did remember it. Dick remembered how Bruce effortlessly blocked his attack, grabbed him by the neck, and flung him down once more to the mat.

As Dick lay in a heap, Bruce came over and said, "Very good."

"What?" Dick replied, staring up at him incredulously. "You can't mean me!"

"I do mean you," Bruce said, as he helped him up. "You can fight, Dick. You've got the basic skills down. Where did you learn it?"

"I was a child acrobat in a circus," Dick replied. "I was a boy who wore tights! I had no choice but to learn how to fight at an early age, Bruce. But not that that means anything to you. You've been flinging me around here like I was a rag doll!"

"You have no idea of the intense level of training I went through, nor the type of person who taught me what I know," Bruce said solemnly. "I was a good fighter even before I met Ra's Al Ghul, but he and his group raised my fighting skill up to the level of where it is today."

"Too bad that Ra's Al Ghul guy is dead," Dick said. "Or else he could have taught me some of what he taught you."

Bruce shook his head. "Trust me, Dick, you wouldn't have wanted to meet him. And while you can never learn his combat skills directly from him, you can still learn them--from me. You've got plenty of spirit, Dick. And, if you're willing, I'll be happy to show you how to take your fighting skills to the next level."

"Oh, wow!" Dick happily said. "Yes, of course! Thanks, Bruce!"

They grasped hands--but before they could shake on it, Bruce paused and said, "Robin won't be a fulltime job for you. You're still going to school, and eventually, to college, understand? I want you to keep your options open beyond this life."

"Yes, I will," Dick promised. "And thank you. I mean that."

"Not a problem. Welcome to the team…Robin."

B&B

Several weeks later, Olivia sat in the viewing stand of a courtroom in Gotham City. A pensive Alex sat next to her--and next to Alex sat Lana Lang and Chloe Sullivan. On the other side of the wooden railing, seated at the prosecutor's table was Rachel, along with Donald Reyes, her Second. At the defense table sat Mercy Graves and her crack team of attorneys. Graves, who was clad in a conservatively-styled dress, with her blond hair grown long and in twin pig-tails, sat serenely reading her copy of the bible.

'Some piece of work you are!' Olivia angrily thought, as she glared with disgust at Graves. Every single day of the trial, Graves had shown up in her little goody two-shoes outfit, clinging to her bible like it was her one lifeline to God, who was her best and only true friend.

Seated behind Graves and her team in the viewing stand was Lex Luthor, who had performed his own little song and dance earlier this week at the Congressional hearings that sought to find out what went wrong at the Warehouse 15 facility. To the chargrin of state and federal investigators--as well as to Superman and the other heroes who fought so bravely there--all records at Warehouse 15, both digital and printed, had mysteriously vanished.

When questioned by the senators about the presence of J'onn at his facility, Luthor had pleaded ignorance, blaming the Martian's captivity--along with the cloning of those terrible creatures from him--all on Starro. The son of a bitch had really turned on the charm in the televised hearings, and the senators, along with most of the media, ate it all up. Luthor walked away from the senate hearings completely absolved of all blame in the Starro incident.

'And now he's trying to help his little thug bitch to beat her rap as well,' Olivia thought with scorn.

Elliot leaned forward from behind Olivia and Alex and whispered, "I've been looking at old chrome dome over there, and wondering if I should just shave off what's left of my meager hair. What do you think, ladies? Would the Luthor look be good for me?"

"No, don't encourage him!" Dani said, scowling. "I like your hair the way it is."

Olivia just grinned back at them. Both Elliot and Dani had come to Gotham City for a case, but they stayed on to lend Olivia some much-needed support on this, the last day of her kidnapping court case.

When she glanced back at Elliot and Dani, Olivia saw Gordon, Montoya and Bullock standing along the walls at the back of the courtroom.

Finally, the judge took his seat on the bench and announced that the jury had come to a verdict. Once the jury had been seated, the forewoman stood up to read the verdicts.

"How do you find the accused on the charge of the attempted murder of Lana Lang?" the judge asked.

"Not guilty, your Honor," the woman said primly.

Lana just sat there, shaking her head, while Chloe placed her arm around her in comfort. But there was still one more verdict to be read.

"And how do you find the accused on the charge of kidnapping in the first degree of Inspector Olivia Benson?"

"Not guilty, your Honor!"

"Looks like Starro's taking the blame for this, too," Olivia said glumly. Alex steadily held her hands in support. "Hope he's got good lawyers."

Elliot reached out and affectionately squeezed Olivia's shoulder. "Don't let it get to you, kid. Graves is nothing but a pure scum of the earth; she'll get caught again."

"Thanks, El," Olivia said, as she got up from her seat. "Having you and Dani here means a lot to me. And you, too," she added, giving Alex a hug. She glanced at a disappointed Lana. "How are you holding up?"

"Better than I thought," Lana replied. "I was half expecting this outcome, anyway."

A distraught Rachel came up to them. "Liv, Lana, I am so sorry…."

"No, it's not your fault," Olivia told her. "Don't blame yourself."

"She's right," Lana added. "You put up a great fight."

"Inspector Benson," Luthor cordially said, as he and Mercy strolled past her. "It's good to see you've made it through the Kansas crisis safe and sound."

"Yeah, no thanks to you," Olivia shot back.

Luthor merely smiled. "Looks like I'll just have to get used to that sharp wit of yours from now on, Inspector. Nice to have finally met you."

They watched as Luthor and Graves continued to walk out of the courtroom. Then Graves paused by the doorway, where she dumped her bible right into the garbage pail. She then turned towards all of them and blew everybody a mocking kiss before strutting out the door.

"Low class bitch," Montoya snarled, as she, Bullock and Gordon joined the rest of them by the front of the viewing section.

Yet, despite that obvious flaunting of her win by Mercy, something else bothered Olivia even more. Something that Luthor had said to her. "What did Luthor mean when he said he would have to get used to my wit from now on?"

"We've been meaning to tell you," Lana said. "Chloe undercovered evidence that LexCorp is opening an office here in Gotham City."

Chloe nodded. "And not only that, but I've heard that Lex is even in the market to buy a home here, as well."

"Lex Luthor is moving to Gotham City?" Gordon said. "Good God, as if we don't have enough problems…."

"But why?" Rachel asked. "What does he think we have that Metropolis doesn't?"

"It's what you don't have," Chloe replied. "Superman."

"At least you know ahead of time," Lana said, "so you can all be on guard for him when he finally does arrive."

"If only there was some way of preventing him from moving here altogether," Alex said.

Olivia glanced at Gordon. "This looks like it might be a case for our mutual friend."

Gordon just smiled knowingly at her.

B&B

Lex Luthor had a smile on his face as he hung up the phone. It was a smart move for him to leave Mercy behind in Gotham City to set everything up. And, according to her, the big move was going according to plan. She'd reported that Gotham City was fertile ground for them to set up base. She had already made contact with several people in the Gotham underworld who would be of big help to them. Once again, Mercy had proven herself to be a viable asset for Luthor. She was well-worth the time, money and effort it took to get her off the attempted murder/kidnapping charges.

As for Gotham City itself--well, Luthor couldn't imagine why he didn't consider moving his operations there sooner. The place was almost as lawless as the Old West, only it was on the east coast. Granted, there were the usual do-gooders who were working to fight against the rampant corruption--the very same corruption which Luthor had found so attractive--but he had plans to deal with them all one by one.

Starting with the Batman.

Luthor stopped to admire himself on the HD TV in his office, which played a recorded session of him as he spoke before the senate hearing earlier this week. Luthor nodded in approval, thinking he did a great snow job on the gullible senators, who were actually dumb enough to believe everything he said.

He glanced at his watch, and realized that he was a few minutes late for the meeting that he had scheduled, which was just as well. They will be still there, waiting for him, no matter how late he was. Because he was the man with the money. Luthor would be meeting with a dozen of the most lethal men in the world. A cadre of mercenaries, ex-commandos and free-lance assassins whom he had collected to go on a bat-hunting trip in Gotham City.

Lex Luthor was no fool. He knew full well that he couldn't just open up shop in Gotham City without expecting trouble from the so-called Dark Knight. So he figured the best thing to do would be to get rid of Batman by making a hard and fast first strike with a team of professional hunters and killers. And then, once Batman was out of the way, it would be all too easy for his men to pick off the other do-gooders in Gotham: like Gordon, Dawes, and that dyke Benson.

'It's just like taking candy from a baby,' Luthor smugly thought, as he strode into the airy conference room. Taking a deep breath, he turned to face his little lethal army. "I'd just want to thank you all for c--"

Luthor froze up in fear at the sight before him.

The men--his carefully assembled collection of killers, human hunters and assassins--all lay sprawled out on the floor of the conference room. There were assorted weapons that lay scattered around their bodies, and Luthor even saw several bullet holes in his walls.

And then he heard it.

The sound of a man crying, or whimpering….

Luthor slowly, fearfully, peered around the corner and saw Jock Bellacoe, an ex-SAS commando who had become a legendary killer for hire, on his knees in a darkened alcove. A shadowy figure had its hand on Jock's throat, holding him there. When the shadowy figure's head turned towards Luthor, he saw it had a pair of bat ears on the top.

"Lex Luthor," the shadowy monster said, in a cold, demonic voice, "just the man I wanted to see…."

The shadowy figure released Jock, and the burly man instantly collapsed to the floor like a limp sack.

The shadowy figure spread out its arms--which exposed its vast bat wings--as it gestured at the army of men who now all lay defeated on the floor. "Is this the best you can do?"

"OH MY GOD!" Luthor shouted in terror.

He spun around and ran back towards his office as fast as he could.

But Batman was faster.

Luthor felt a pair of hands grab him from behind in an iron vise-like grip, and he was slammed against the wall by his desk. Before Luthor could even feel the pain, Batman grabbed him by the throat and hauled him out onto the patio.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN GOTHAM CITY?!" the Batman bellowed right into Luthor's face. "IN MY CITY?!"

"Oh Jesus! Oh Jesus!" was all Luthor could think of saying. This wasn't Superman; this wasn't some overgrown boy scout who was constantly hampered by his own polite, farm boy manners. This…this…thing was an unstoppable, unrelenting monster that can't be reasoned with, or simply ignored. And from the looks of what was left of Luthor's little army in the conferenece room, it also appeared that the Batman couldn't be killed, as well. "Oh Jesus! Oh Jesus, please!"

"Jesus?" Batman asked. Then he nodded. "If you're going to declare war on me, then you'd better pray to Jesus. Because you'll need all the help you can get."

With that, the Batman casually tossed Luthor right over the railing of the patio. Luthor let out a horrified cry as he rapidly fell away from the safety of the patio--and then he abruptly stopped in midair.

Luthor stared up at the cord that was tied around his ankles--the other end of which was attached to the patio railing. He didn't know when Batman had the time to tie it to him, and he didn't really care right now.

Batman hunched over the railing and glared down at him. "This is your only warning, Luthor. Stay out of my city! If not, when we meet again, I won't be as kind and tender as I was to you tonight."

The Batman then dove off the patio. Luthor, thinking he was going to attack him again, cringed in fear. But, after a few minutes, he realized that the Batman was gone.

He was relieved, but there was another problem. Luthor presently dangled upside down about one hundred stories over the Metropolis streets. He normally wasn't prone to a fear of heights, but he couldn't help but be very worried right now.

It took the better part of a half an hour before members of his security team--during a regular sweep of the office--found him. It may have been only a half an hour, but to Luthor, it felt more like he'd dangled out there for years.

After they'd hauled him back inside, Luthor took a seat at his desk. His entire body was shaking, and it wasn't from being cold.

"You can leave, now," Luthor told the security men. "I'm fine."

Before they reluctantly did so, Luthor gave them one more order: "There's a bunch of unconscious gentlemen in the conference room. Please escort them off the premises."

The security guards all gave each other puzzled looks as they went to do Luthor's bidding.

As Luthor sat at the table, he thought long and hard about what he was about to do. But, no matter how he tried to rationalize it, the plain fact was that if the Batman was able to get to him now, he'll be able to do it again. Luthor simply had to admit to himself that he had seriously underestimated the Dark Knight.

And to do so again may well be disastrous.

Luthor reached for the phone. His hand was shaking, but he ignored it and sped-dialed Mercy's number. When she answered, he said, "Cancel everything. Suspend all operations in Gotham City."

After a pause, she said, "Very well. I take it you'll want to use the legitimate presence of LexCorp to cover our operations here?"

"You don't understand me, Mercy," Luthor said, his tone sounding dangerous. "I want to suspend all operations in Gotham City, everything! Scrap the LexCorp offices, as well as the undercover projects. And after you've shut down everything there, I want you and the others back here in Metropolis, ASAP. Gotham City is hereby off limits to all LexCorp employees, myself included."

"Uh…yes sir," Mercy said, sounding very confused. But she knew better than to openly admit it. "Right away, sir."

"If Batman loves that rat-hole so much, he can have it!" Luthor said, just before he slammed the phone back into its cradle.

B&B

When Barbra Gordon was invited by Olivia over to Wayne Manor for a pool party, she braced herself for what was to come. She knew full well there remained a confrontation of sorts since that night when she went out as Batgirl--thankfully, it was averted at Liv's welcome back party in police headquarters. But Barbra realized that it had been merely postponed…until now.

However, once she arrived at Wayne Manor, Barbra was treated with nothing but kindness and respect by everyone. If Olivia, Alex, Rachel, Dick and Alfred were angry at her for going out as Batgirl, they never mentioned it. Bruce was nowhere to be seen, and when she asked where he was, Rachel answered that he was still asleep.

"He had a late night last night," she had said. "He'll join us later."

And so Barbra spent the next few hours splashing in the pool with everyone else--all except for Alfred, who seemed content with serving them whatever drinks and snacks they required on this hot summer's day.

After a while, Alfred came out and told everyone that Master Bruce had awakened, and would very much like to see Barbara--in the Batcave.

Barbra, who had been having fun in the pool playing a game of Marco Polo with everybody else, stood there in chest-deep water, staring at Alfred in shock. This was the first time she had heard him mention the Batcave, and Barbra wasn't used to hearing him say it in such a casual manner.

Rachel quickly excused herself from the game and got out of the pool. She hurriedly dried herself off as she anxiously ran into the manor.

Dick and Alex gazed at Barbra sheepishly, as if feeling sorry for her, while Olivia slowly got out of the pool by ascending the steps. Grabbing a towel and drying herself off, Olivia glanced back at Barbra and said, "Hey Babs, c'mon!"

Barbra got out of the pool with the air of a condemned woman heading to the gas chamber. She mechanically dried herself off with her towel, worriedly wondering about what Bruce was going to say to her. Was he mad? There was no indication of that from Alfred or the others.

"Um, Babs? You might want to put on a shirt, hon," Olivia said, as she slipped on a loose, Moroccan-style top over her two piece bathing suit. "It can get a little chilly in the Batcave sometimes."

Barbra pulled a t-shirt on over her one-piece, and then followed Olivia and Alfred into the manor, and down the secret passageway the led to the Batcave. Once they emerged on the second story ledge that overlooked the Batcave, Barbra's fear at facing Bruce was momentarily replaced by the awe of seeing the Batcave once more.

Bruce sat at a workstation on one of the platforms, with Rachel standing next to him, still clad only in her bikini. She was arguing with Bruce as passionately as she argued her cases in court, and as Barbra walked to the elevator with Olivia and Alfred, she overheard part of their conversation.

"She's just a kid, Bruce," Rachel said. "Please bear that in mind when you speak with her. Ok?"

"Rachel--" Bruce had started to say, and that was all Barbra heard before she stepped into the elevator.

"Um, Rachel told me that Bruce had a late night last night," Barbra said, trying to make conversation in order to gauge the mood. "Was he out as Batman?"

Alfred nodded. "In Metropolis…delivering a message."

Barbra's eyes grew wide at that. "Did whoever he was sending the message to get it?"

"Oh yeah!" Olivia replied, laughing. "You could say he got it loud and clear!"

The elevator door opened and they stepped out into the Batcave proper. Rachel and Bruce abruptly stopped their heated conversation when they saw Barbra approach.

"Hello, Barbra," Bruce said. "Or should I call you Batgirl?"

Barbra felt her face blush with embarrassment. "I'm sorry!"

"Come here," Bruce said gently, as he pulled out a chair for her. "Have a seat."

As Barbra took a seat across from him, both Rachel and Olivia hung over them, both looking anxiously at Bruce--until Alfred strode up to them and said, "I was just thinking of polishing the giant penny, and was wondering if you two ladies would like to help me?"

They both glared angrily at him, knowing full well that he was angling to give Bruce and Barbra some privacy. But they still left with him anyway.

"Barbra, you don't have to explain how or why you became Batgirl to me," Bruce said. "But please answer me one thing: do your parents know?"

"No," Barbra admitted in a small voice. "And I don't want them to."

"Are you planning on going out again as Batgirl?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Good. Then there's no reason why they should be told. Don't get me wrong; I really appreciate the fact that you tried to help me, and I thank you for your help. But what you did was very dangerous. Your father is one of my best friends, and I know it would kill him--as well as your mom--if anything bad were to happen to you."

"I understand," she said.

"Well, you know my secret now, and--by the way, how did you find that out?"

Barbra explained how she found the Batcave on the night when Bruce and Rachel had been abducted.

"Looks like I also have to thank you for protecting my secret from your dad," Bruce said, when she was finished. "Tell me something else: how did you come to team up with Catwoman?"

Barbra explained their initial meeting, as well as the second time they met, when she got lost. "Catwoman offered to help," she said, with a shrug. "And so, I let her."

"And she helped you to free the hostages that Two-Face held captive?"

Barbra nodded. "She doesn't seem to be that bad…."

"You're right, Catwoman may not be as bad as some of the other criminals I've pursued," Bruce said. "But she's still a criminal, and not somebody whom you should hang out with on a regular basis, understand?"

"Oh yes!" Barbra said, as she nodded her head vigorously. "In fact, before we parted ways that night, I warned her that, if I ever saw her again, that I would consider her an enemy and turn her in."

"And what did Catwoman say to that?"

"She just laughed at me!" Barbra said, looking irritated. "She can be really annoying, you know?"

Bruce had a slight smile. "Yeah, that sounds like Catwoman, all right."

"I am so sorry, Bruce, if I caused you any trouble," Barbra said. "Like I told you before, I just wanted to help."

"You still can, but not as Batgirl," he said. "You know that you're always welcome here at Wayne Manor, Barbara. And now, that welcome extends to the Batcave, as well. You can help out here, in the Batcave, with research or whatever else Batman might need. What do you say?"

B&B

"You know, this is ridiculous!" Olivia said, as she and Rachel stood polishing the huge penny with rags that Alfred had given them. She turned to Alfred, who stood behind them, inspecting their work. "You wanted to get us away from Bruce and Barbra so they'd have some privacy. We get it, Alfred. You didn't really have to--"

Alfred abruptly pointed at a section of the penny. "You missed a spot, Liv."

"Oh." Olivia obediently turned and scrubbed hard at the section that he had pointed out--until she caught herself. She glanced over and saw that Rachel actually stood on tiptoe as she tried to reach a higher section of the penny.

"You're the district attorney of Gotham City, and I'm the commander of one of the city's elite police units, and look at what we're doing here!" Olivia said, as both she and Rachel burst into laughter at the absurdity of the situation.

Alfred was smiling broadly as the took the rags from them. "Thank you very much, ladies."

"You sure you don't want to get a ladder?" Rachel asked, grinning. "We haven't done the top half…."

"Don't give him any ideas!" Olivia told her.

"Oh, gawd, yes!" Barbra suddenly cried. "I'd love to! Thank you, Bruce!"

"I guess that went well," Olivia said, as they watched Barbra shake Bruce's hand vigorously.

After Bruce gestured for them to come over, he told them about the arrangement he'd made with Barbra, who would now have access to the Batcave, and would help out here whenever she could. Even without this arrangement, Barbra had firmly agreed that her days gallivanting around the city as Batgirl were over.

Alex and Dick emerged from the elevator. "So, have we decided what we're going to do with Babs?" Dick asked Bruce. "Throw her in the crocodile pit, or roast her on the flame-broiled spit?"

"Neither," Bruce told him, as he gazed affectionately down at a smiling Barbra. "I figure we'll throw her back in the pool for a while and let her marinate for a bit, first. And I think I'll join you guys this time."

"Hey, Liv," Dick said. "I've got another idea for a name for you."

Olivia just shook her head. Ever since she had returned, Dick--who was impressed at how Olivia handled herself in both the Two-Face and Starro incidents--had been inundating her with various ideas for a superhero name. "Oh, will you please knock it off, Dick!"

"Listen, just listen," he insisted. "How about this for your superhero name: the Huntress!"

Olivia was about to tell him just how crazy the whole idea was until the main computer began to beep an alarm. On the main screen flashed: "INCOMING MESSAGE."

When Bruce went over and punched some buttons, the following text message appeared on the screen: B, It's on for tonight. \S/

"Looks like the Batman will be attending a special occasion tonight," Bruce said. He glanced at Olivia and added, "You doing anything later, Liv?"

B&B

They stood under a moonless night in an open field, just a few miles away from Wayne Manor. The Batmobile, in which they both rode to this seemingly empty destination, was parked nearby and covered in its protective armored plating, looking like a dark armadillo that was hunched low on the ground.

Olivia shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe this is happening."

"It's happening, Liv," Batman told her. "Tonight's the first official meeting, and you're invited."

Olivia gazed all around her in the vast, open field. "Here?"

"No, this is the pick up point."

"Who's picking us--oh!"

Olivia was startled to see the emerald and black-clad man fly towards them. He stopped, hovering just over them, and smiled. "Welcome aboard Green Lantern airlines."

A large green bubble formed from the ring on his right fist. It was slightly translucent, with a doorway that slid open.

Olivia stared at this, then gave Batman a mortified look. "Are we supposed to go in that?!"

"Would you like to be present at the very first meeting of the Justice League?" Batman asked her. "Then you have to step inside the big green ball. It's perfectly safe, Liv."

"All right," Olivia muttered, as she reluctantly stepped inside the bubble with Batman. Standing inside it felt weird; although the surface was slightly transparent, it was also luminous.

When they lifted off from the ground and shot into the night sky, an overwhelmed Olivia clung to Batman, who held her firmly. But as much as she wanted to close her eyes, Olivia kept them open--and, in the end, she was glad that she did.

The space station was a marvel. Five stories tall, it floated like a sentinel in the inky blackness of space. Green Lantern brought them right into the docking bay, and once the massive doors slid shut behind them, and the room pressurized, he opened the door of the green sphere.

Olivia stepped out, amazed to be on board a space station that was actually in orbit above the earth. She wondered if this trip technically made her an astronaut.

Even the Batman looked surprised. "There's gravity here…."

"Yes, thanks to Superman," Green Lantern said, as he landed on the floor. "He augmented the satellite with Kryptonian technology. Come with me."

They rode up in an elevator, and when the doors opened, Olivia was further stunned at the sight before her.

It looked as if the vast meeting chamber was filled with just about every superhero Olivia has ever seen--including a few she hadn't seen before. Superman stood speaking with Wonder Woman and the Flash. Green Arrow and the Black Canary chatted with the Hawks, while Olivia was stunned to see Spider-Man crawling upside down on the ceiling. Taking note of her, Spider-Man waved hello. Olivia, smiling weakly, waved back.

"You've met Spider-Man?" Batman asked.

"I've heard of him," Olivia said. "This is the first time I've seen him."

Olivia saw a man in a blue and gold outfit with a helmet speaking intently to another man and a woman. The other man had black hair with a mustache, and wore a cape over his elaborately designed outfit. The young woman was dressed in a tuxedo that was designed for her figure, with fishnet stockings and a top hat.

"That would be our magical contingent," Green Lantern said, smiling. "That's Dr. Fate, Dr. Strange, and Zatanna."

"And who's that guy?" Olivia asked, nodding at the man who stood all by himself in the corner. He appeared to have no face under the fedora he wore.

"He's known as The Question," Green Lantern said. "Don't let him corner you, or else he'll go on and on with his conspiracy theories."

They joined Superman when he waved for them to come over. "Welcome Batman, Inspector Benson. Glad you could make it."

"Wouldn't miss this occasion," Batman said. "Looks like quite the turn out here."

"More are promising to join," the Flash said. "Iron Man would have been here, but he was busy." He suddenly waved at someone. "Hey! The Red Tornado made it."

"I'm very pleased to see you, Batman," Wonder Woman said. "Especially since you once told us that you worked alone. I was just wondering--what changed your mind?"

With a glance at Olivia, Batman said, "Let's just say that, since then, I've learned the value of having good friends to depend on."

As the meeting went on, Olivia drifted over to the window, where she spotted someone familiar, J'onn J'onzz. After greeting him with a hug, he told her that he had been staying at Superman's Fortress Of Solitude.

"I wish to stay here, on Earth, and help in anyway I can," he told her. "To that end, I've joined the Justice League."

"That's really great, J'onn." Olivia's attention was diverted to the view outside the window. It was the surface of the earth, which was half covered in clouds, and it looked beautiful.

"We are coming up on the east coast of Africa," J'onn told her. "I've learned some of your geology while at Superman's fortress." He pointed. "That's Madagascar coming up now."

But Olivia was struck at how, from up this high, you could not make out the boarders of countries. Floating from this angelic perspective, the various regions of the entire earth just blended peacefully into each other without discord or turmoil. If every single human being saw the world like this, as a single, united globe, Olivia wondered if all the wars would vanish overnight. If nothing else, it would certainly offer people a different outlook to think about.

When she told J'onn this, he nodded. "Hopefully, that kind of world peace is what this new group will help bring about. That, and plenty of good-will, which is certainly not lacking in this room."

"It seems like you're all off to a good start already," Olivia said, smiling.

B&B

When Olivia and Bruce returned to Wayne Manor later that night, they found everyone--Alex, Rachel, Dick, Barbra and Alfred--watching the news in the main living room. Overwhelmed by questions about how the first meeting of the Justice League went, Olivia and Bruce tried to answer them as best they could--until Alfred suggested they all take their conversation into the kitchen, where he had both tea and coffee brewing.

Everybody gladly filed into the kitchen, all laughing and talking…and completely forgetting that the TV set had been left on.

The evening news continued playing to an empty room with the sports (the Gotham Knights reported for their training season next week) and weather (more sweltering heat and humidity; which wasn't surprising, since these were the dog days of July). Then came the final, "light news" report.

"And finally," the anchor said, "Nancy Werner, our 'What's Weird in Gotham' reporter, has uncovered a real strange case in Gotham City's Southside. Nancy?"

The image changed to a young woman who, despite the summer heat, was still stylishly dressed. "That's right, Bob. While the rest of the city melts in this summer heat wave, over here on East Kane Avenue, they got…snow?"

The picture changed to a panning shot of a sidewalk that was covered in a thin sheet of white. "By the time we got here," Werner continued, "it had already mostly melted away, but residents of this Southside neighborhood tell us that the entire street was covered in almost a foot of snow and ice, as if it were a winter's day!"

"Nancy," the anchor cut in, "do they know what caused the snow?"

The image returned to the perky young reporter, who flashed a million dollar smile at the camera. "No idea, Bob. But it sure looks like old man winter has come early to Gotham City this year!"

The End…for now.