Title: Where Do We Go From Here

Author: StarStorm

Pairings: Superman/Batman, Superboy/Robin

Ratings: R for strong language. Sorry, no sex yet.

Summary: Alfred, Oracle, Nightwing and Superman hold a meeting to decide what to do about the tensions between Robin and Batman as Kon and Tim grow closer together.

Warnings: Not this time, no death, no rape, and no singing!

As Nightwing slid quietly into Dick Grayson's apartment through the window, the vigilante's nose was assaulted with the aroma of cooking food. He changed out of the blue and black uniform and headed for the kitchen. It was weird having a roommate, but if he was going to feed him..hey, he could get used to it. It had been a week since Robin's breakdown in Titan's Tower, where he'd cried himself to sleep in Superboy's arms.

To Dick's surprise, it was Kon-El who handed him a mug almost as soon as he was in the doorway. "Hot, black and strong enough to peel paint. You look like you can use it."

"Yeah, thanks, but what are you doing here? Where's Robin?"

Kon pushed some slices of bread into the toaster. "Snoozing, I guess. Arrowette called, said something set the alarms off at HQ. Spent half the night chasing ghosts, then I brought him back. Figured you'd want to know."

"How'd he do?" Dick asked, adding cream and sugar and taking a few swallows of coffee. The younger man shrugged. "He's Robin. All you batboys get off on having that whole dark and mysterious shtick going on."

"Which means he did about as much talking as a brick wall."

"You got it." Dick's stomach grumbled then, causing a grin to come over the clone's face. "It's some kind of egg casserole from Alfred." Kon tilted his head at the oven.

"Alfred?" 'Kal must've called him' Dick thought. 'He's not speaking to Bruce either.'

"Does too old to be Pointy Ears, and talked like Rupert on 'Wendy' ring any bells?" The younger man looked at Dick closely. "Wonder let him in, so I kinda figured you both knew him."

"Yeah. He's like a grandfather to us. I didn't expect him, that's all. Did Robin eat?"

A quick head shake was his answer. "Don't think so. Nothing new's been opened, and Alfred cleaned the out the stuff that was growing roots."

Dick sighed and drank more coffee, ignoring the dig at his house cleaning skills. "I've got to get a shower, but we need to talk. Were you planning on staying for breakfast?"

"There's nowhere I need to be."

"Give me five minutes."

**

Precisely four minutes and fifty five seconds later, a clean and uniformed man made his way into the kitchen, to be greeted by a plate of food and another cup of coffee.

"You're a cop?" Superboy asked in amazement.

"You know the saying 'if you can't beat 'em, join 'em'?"

"Yeah."

"In this case, the only way to beat them is to join them."

Kon figured it out sooner than Dick thought he would. "Geez Louise," he muttered in disgust, picking up his drink. "That's low."

"People get off on the power." Dick mumbled around a mouthful of ham and potatoes. There was silence as Kon sipped his juice and Officer Grayson finished clearing his plate.
"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Kon asked, as the last crumb disappeared.

"Well, first, my name is Di.."

"I don't want to know."

"..What? Why?"

"Not my business."

"I'm making it your business."

"Red's pissed because the Bat told Spoiler his name. I don't want him mad at you, you're all he's got."

"I'm not telling you his name. I'm only telling you mine. It'll be easier for you to handle my landlady and neighbors that way."

"Why do I gotta worry about them?"

"Because I figure you'll be stopping by on a regular basis, and I'd rather it was as a Mundane."

Superboy looked down at his uniform. "Oh, uh, I didn't wear these here. My jeans and t-shirt're out on the couch. Left the jacket at the Lab, wore a baseball cap over the hair, and I walked in, not flew. Wonder's got me cavebroken, don't worry."

"Still, I've got nosy neighbors. They've seen Robin out of mask before, but not you. It'll go easier if you know who I am."

Kon sighed then stuck out his right hand. "Well, hello then. I'm Conaran Harper."

"Dick Grayson." They shook hands. "By the way, you wouldn't happen to know where the Redbird or the RobinCycle are, do you?"

"I can ask, but I think they're with Dark and Gruesome. I've either been playin' taxi or we've been using the SuperCycle since he started living at headquarters."

The older man sighed. "Does he have more than one uniform with him?"

"Nope. Some of his stuff I can get from Cadmus. Ain't the exact same thing, but close enough." A cough, then a casual, "If you stumble across more, what d'ya call it, jumpline? He needs that big time. Guardian can't figure how to make it."

"Get him to write a list and send it through Oracle. I've got tomorrow off, so I'm going to Gotham tonight and find out what the frack is going on. I can pack it up while I'm there."

Kryptonian blue eyes watched Dick carefully. "You and Batman are gonna go a few rounds over this, aren't you?"

"More than a few," Dick answered grimly. "Until Kal called me, and repeated what you told him, I had no idea there were any problems. Robin said Batman 'exiled' him from Gotham, but *nobody* told me about it. I would've thought someone other than the two of them knew what was going on."

"Spoiler does," Kon pointed out.

"True, though I actually meant Oracle. All seeing, all knowing, my ass." The cop looked at the clock on the stove. "Damn, I'm gonna be late for work. If you want to hang around, feel free." Quickly, Dick stood, snatching up his plate and dumping it into the sink.

"Thanks. If we're not here when you get back, we're at the Harbor."

"Gotcha."

*****

"Merciful Christ on a Cruise missile, what did you do to this place?"

Kon spun, the mop he was holding coming up in a defensive stance. Recognizing an unmasked Robin at the last second, he dropped his pose. "Frag it Wonder, you tryin' t' scare my ghost before I'm dead?!"

A faint grin crossed the shorter teen's lips. "I thought The Kid wasn't afraid of anything?"

Kon scowled. "I'm not. And don't you forget it." He studied his leader for a moment, as Robin poured himself a glass of water. "You sleep okay?"

"Yeah, I guess so." He took a sip, then asked. "Why're you still here?"

"You really think you're special enough for me to make a round trip?"

"Not even for a minute." Robin sighed tiredly, looking around the kitchen again. "I can't believe you cleaned."

"And I can't believe you didn't, ya neat freak." It seemed like a safe answer, since he'd hit himself with a cattle prod before he'd admit it was soothing to clean. It was the one time he could count on being left alone, since everyone else feared being drafted. "There's food in the oven. You hungry?"

"No."

"It's ham and potatoes. With cheese."

"I've had it before. I'm not hungry."

"There's cereal. Or fruit salad," Kon persisted.

"For the third time, I said I'm not hungry!" The Teen Wonder suddenly snapped, slamming his glass down.

"Untwist your tights, Red, you can't blame me for trying. I mean, you haven't exactly been a chowhound the last couple of weeks."

Robin ran his hand through his hair and sighed again. "Sorry Kon. I don't think whatever Tempest did to me has worn off yet. My control is shot."

Superboy raised an eyebrow. "Break out the history books folks, Batboy admitted he ain't perfect!"

A dark look was shot his way, which Kon ignored. "Listen, why don't you do the Jedi thing? Bond with the Force or whatever. It worked before."

A wry grin. "I can't sit still that long without falling asleep."

"Well then, vacuum the rugs," Kon suggested with a shrug. "Before the dust bunnies start ridin' around in dune buggies."

"Who are you and what have you done with Superboy?" Robin narrowed his eyes and studied the other teen carefully.

"I'm his good twin. Enjoy it while it lasts."

****
Hours later, the leader of Young Justice kicked his chair back from the security monitor and leaned over, putting his head into his hands. He felt a bit like the world had been taken off his shoulders, but also, oddly, like he should mourn. It was over.


>From his place near the ceiling, where he was rewiring a light, Superboy asked, "Find anything?"

Tim took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and drawing another before he answered. "Batman."

"'Scuse me?"

"Last night. Batman set off the alarms." He straightened up, hands sliding away from his face. Superboy floated down to the floor. "What d'ya think he wants?" he asked.

"The costume. He probably wants to give it to Stephanie."

"Stephanie? You mean Spoiler?" Tim nodded, wordlessly. "She's got her own gig. What's she need yours for?"

"It's always been Batman and Robin. I'm not his partner anymore, so I'm not Robin."

"Bullshit!" Kon exclaimed hotly. "You've earned that uniform. You paid for it in blood, sweat, and tears."

"Doesn't matter. It's his property, and I stole it. Now he wants it back." Tim laughed suddenly and cynically. "If it wasn't for his secrets, he could've had me arrested."

Silence, then, "Maybe he wants to apologize?"

Tim peeled off his mask, and met Kon's eyes with his own. "Yeah right."

"It could happen." Kon tried a grin.

"We'll see Superman in drag, giving the President a lap dance, before that happens."

"There's an image I could've lived without," the Teen of Steele muttered. Tim turned away, and Kon walked over to him, putting his hands on the his friend's shoulders. "Maybe he does want to apologize. Or maybe you're right about not being his partner anymore. Have you ever thought, you know, about leaving the nest?"

"What do you mean?"

"Dick was the first Robin. He grew up, changed himself into Nightwing. Might be time for you to do the same thing."

The body under his fingers went still. "Who's Dick?"

Kon cleared his throat uncomfortably. "He 'fessed up, Red. Nightwing told me what the Muggles call him."

"How nice of him." Tim's voice was cold as ice as he started to pull away. Kon stopped him by tightening his grip, enforcing it with his telekinesis. "Let. Me. Go."

"He didn't tell me who you are, Robin. It's still your secret."

The anger drained away, and Tim laughed, the same, cynical laugh as before. "Why bother? All it's ever done is cause problems. I got the hell beaten out of me because I couldn't show my fighting skills. A guy died for the same reason. And he just hands it to Stephanie on a silver platter. It wasn't even because my life was in danger, it was because he was too chickenshit to ask Alfred if he knew where I was." A noise that might have been a sob. "Why keep his secrets when he can't keep mine?"

"Because you're different from him. Fear, pride, they don't cloud everything you do. If you give away his secrets, it's going to be for a better reason than you being pissed at him. You're a better man than he is."

"You sound so sure," Tim murmured.

"It's the reason I'd follow you anywhere. If I didn't believe it, I wouldn't do it." Confident that Robin wasn't going to run, Superboy released his telekinetic hold, and lightened his touch. He knelt at his leader's feet, forcing Robin to look him in the eyes. "Your team trusts you with their lives, and you've never betrayed us. You've got files on us." He put his finger to Robin's lips to silence the protest. "Red, you pulled a kryptonite ring on me. You know how to put me out of action if you want to."

Superboy gently shook his head, but didn't break eye contact. "That's not the point though. The point is, you'll do anything to keep from using those files. You'll wait until the last minute before you go to extreme measures. To the Bat, extreme measures were the only way to go. Plus, I've not only seen your systems, Wonder, I helped you build them. One mistake, even from you, and it's past the point of no return. No stranger will ever find those files, let alone be able to crack them. You cover your ass better than he does, because you know you could screw-up. Batman thinks he's infallible. That's how Al-Ghul really nailed the JLA. Not because of the files, but because of the Bat's arrogance." At Tim's stunned look, Kon blushed bright red and finally looked away. "I'll shut up now."

"Now I really want to know what you've done with Superboy." Robin replied faintly.

Kon grinned, still embarrassed, but his voice was steady when he said, "He's done a lot of growing up lately. He's not the same person he was when he..got hatched."

****

It was close to midnight when Nightwing appeared in the window of Oracle's clocktower. "Anybody home?" he called.

"Dick? That you?"

"Who else comes in your window at this time of night?" he queried, hopping down. "Need to talk to you."

Barbara rolled in from the kitchen. "Sure, Short Pants. What about?"

"I want to know why Robin isn't living in Gotham anymore, and I want to know why you didn't tell me about it."

The former Batgirl blinked, hearing the knife's edge of anger in Nightwing's voice. "What do you mean, Robin's not in Gotham? Of course he is. His tracer is still active, and it's been all over the city. I've watched it move."

"*His* tracer? Not the one on the bike? Or the Redbird?"

"No." Barbara shook her head. "It's definitely his."

"Find him then. Right now. Show me where he is."

Barbara sighed, but her fingers flew over her keyboard as she asked, "You gonna tell me what's going on?"

"Soon as you tell me what I want to know."

The dancing fingers came to a halt. "There. He's in the warehouse district. Probably following one of Penguin's men."

Without a word, Dick picked up the phone and dialed. "This is Nightwing. Put Robin on the line."

"^Sure.^" Dick wasn't positive which of the girls answered, but thought it might be Arrowette. Oracle watched him with a puzzled look on her face.

"^Robin.^"

"You alone?"

"^I can be.^"

"No no. I want witnesses. Count three, breathe, count four, then say hi."

"^Okay.^" He was worrying the kid. Oh well, had to be done. Nightwing handed the phone to his friend. "Here."

Babs accepted it, putting it to her ear in time for Robin's "^Hi.^"

"Robin?"

"^Oracle. What's going on?^"

"Where are you?"

Before he could answer, Dick snatched the phone out of her hand and asked, "Superboy there?"

"^Yeah.^"

"Put him on."

Clicking noises from the other end, Dick hit the speakerphone button as Superboy answered. "^Wassup?^"

"Got some bad information on this end," Nightwing explained. "I'm proving how bad. Can you put someone else on?"

"^No prob, I'll ask later. Hey Cis, it's all yours.^"

"^Um, hello?^" The same voice that answered the first time. Nightwing was pleased he'd guessed right. "Arrowette, where are you?"

"^The Harbor,^" she answered cautiously.

"And Robin's flesh and blood, right? Not a machine?"

"^I guess so. I didn't exactly check.^" She had a thread of nervousness in her voice, but otherwise sounded calm. Robin had a good team.

"Nightwing, that's enough. I believe you," Oracle snapped. "Quit scaring the kids."

"It's okay Arrowette, nothing's wrong. Robin or Superboy will explain this later. You can hang up now."

"^All right.^" Confusion replaced nervous, but the archer did as she was told, and the dial tone buzzed through the room until Dick disconnected a few seconds later.

Barbara's temper had crashed as quickly as it had risen, leaving guilt behind. Damnit, she *knew* what Bruce was like, she should've checked on the kid more often. "You're the only one I see on a regular basis. Bruce just blows in whenever he feels like it or when the JLA needs something. I haven't seen Tim in a month, and I never thought anything about it. As long as that tracker was moving around, I was content it was business as usual."

"Did you ever see it go to his house? Or to Brentwood?"

She sighed. "Brentwood is closed for summer vacation. I did see him go to the house a few times, but he never stayed more than five minutes. Since Jack and his new wife are in England trying to save Drake Industries, I figured Tim was staying at the Manor."

Seeing the genuine remorse on his old friend's face, Dick relented his anger towards her. He sagged into the chair next to the phone and leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "I'm sorry Babs. I just found out about everything a couple of days ago, and I'm beating you up because I can't beat myself up."

"How'd you hear about it?"

"Kon-El..Superboy..told Kal. The Kid's smarter than I ever gave him credit for. He started smelling something fishy in Gotham, called in the one man he figured wasn't afraid of the big bad Bat to check it out."

"And since Kal doesn't get involved in 'family' business anymore, he buzzed you."

"Got it in one."

"So who have I been following all over the city the last five weeks?"

"My best guess would be Spoiler."

Green eyes widened in surprise. "Spoiler? Clue Master's brat?"

"You've met." It wasn't a question. Dick brought his head up to look at Barbara.

"Oracle has. She's..a lot like Huntress. I don't trust her."

"Bruce trusts her enough to tell her who Tim is. And if she's been to the Cave, she probably knows the man under the Bat too."

"Oh, for God's sake, has he finally lost what's left of his mind?!"

Dick peeled off his mask and rubbed his eyes. "I haven't talked to him yet. Just got into town and headed here first. I wanted the facts I thought you had."

Barbara wheeled over to him, putting her hand on his arm. "Short Pants, if I'd known anything, you know I would have told you immediately. I'd've never kept you away from Tim."

"Yeah, I know," he gave her a weary grin. "I'm just tired of standing in the middle of everything he does. Azreal, the take down files, now I'm between him and Robin. The other two, I could step away from, but not this one. If I do, and Tim.." He swallowed hard against old pain. "If I walk away from this one, and something happened to Tim, like it happened to Jason..." Dick looked at Barbara. "I can't take that again."

"Jason was not your fault." Her hand tightened where it rested on his wrist. "You didn't know, you couldn't help him."

"Jay worked with the Titans once, did you know that?" He didn't wait for a response, just let the words continue to flow, like water from a cracked dam. "When Brother Blood had me. Donna told me he really handled himself like an adult out there. That he was a good kid and did the Robin name proud."

Blue eyes were lost to remembering. "Then Alfred started telling me that Jason was going rebel on Bruce. That he was getting careless. I should have stepped in, Babs, I should have taken him up to the Tower, let him work with us for a while. Just given both of them some breathing room. Instead, I took my anger, my..jealousy, out on Jay. I ignored him, never once tried to bond with him. I pretended he and Bruce didn't exist anymore.

"Alfred called me, said Jason was dead. Kal called about the Joker being responsible, and I ignored him too. Only he came down and got in my face about it." He grinned without humor. "You ever had a strip torn off you by the Man of Steel?" Barbara shook her head silently, not willing to speak.

"You'd never know it, but he's one vicious son of a bitch. I almost pity Bruce when Kal gets through with him over this."

"I heard them fighting once," the former Batgirl almost whispered. "When Bruce told me not to see you anymore. Kal chewed him out for it."

"I didn't know that."

She licked her lips. "Yeah. He told Bruce that you had a right to decide what to do with your body. That you'd earned that right every time you went out on the streets clad in red and green, hiding your face behind a mask. He said that since Bruce risked getting your heart physically blown away, you had a right to risk getting it emotionally broken. That you had scars other people put there, and it might be time you added a few yourself."

Silence, then, "I think that was what made Bruce start to turn away. He doesn't like people telling him what to do, partners that he can't control. Kal is many things, none of them submissive."

"Tim wouldn't be a doormat either if he could just find someone to believe in him. Counteract everything that worthless, bastard father of his has done over the years." Nightwing lurched to his feet and began to pace. "He's brought down the Joker, he's brought down Poison Ivy. He's brought down Metallo. That whole mess with Bedlam. Four kids saved the world, and who led the charge? Robin. What thanks does he get? Oh yeah, Batman ditching him for some brat who wants to play hero, 'cause she's sorry about her daddy being a bad man." Dick's mouth twisted.

Again, there was silence in the tower for a few minutes. "So where do you want to do this?" Babs finally asked.

"The Cave. We can kill each other down there and still be able to get the blood off the walls."

"You want me to go with you?"

"No. Yes. I don't know."

She nodded, "Do you want me to call Alfred?"

Dick thought hard, and sighed heavily when he'd made his choice. "Yeah. All of us, including Kal, need to talk, figure out what's going to be the best route to take. We go in with too much force, Bruce'll shut down, and we won't get anywhere."

"Well, I happen to know that neither one of them sleeps, so I can ask them to come down now, if you want."

"Yeah." Nightwing nodded decisively. "I'm not willing to wait another night."

****

There was a tangle at the front door as Alfred, Kal and "Nite Owl Pizzeria" arrived together. Barbara met them at the door, ignoring Alfred's indignant look in favor of greeting the delivery boy. She gleefully inspected each of the three pizzas that were placed on her lap, and peeked into the bag that was set on top of them, before paying the bill and giving the young man a hefty tip.

Oracle preceded the men to the elevator, deftly hitting the call button with the hand that wasn't holding the food in place. Alfred took the lead out of the elevator, going straight to the small kitchen for plates and utensils.

Kal bit his lip to keep from chuckling. "He's still as predictable as a clock," he muttered to no one in particular.

"It's nice that someone in this family is," Dick answered pensively as he cleaned magazines off the coffee table. Babs gave the pair a look, then rolled into the kitchen after Alfred.

Kal walked over to the young man, touching his shoulder, and Dick turned into the embrace he knew was being silently offered. "You need sleep," Kal's voice rumbled in his ear.

"I always need sleep," Dick retorted, unashamedly indulging in the hug he'd wanted at Titans Tower, but had been denied by their respective uniforms. Superman couldn't cuddle, but Kal could. "Occupational hazard."

Wisely, the Man of Steel kept silent, and they parted after a moment. Babs, peeking from the doorway, called out, "Hey, Big Blue, you still drink Soder?"

"You mean you don't know?" The tone was playful, even slightly mocking. "Yeah, Delphi, I still drink Soder."

"Delphi?" Getting no answer from his inquiring look at Kal, Dick watched Barbara as she and Alfred came out of the kitchen, carrying the necessities for dinner.

"Long story," both members of the JLA chorused.

Once dinner was laid out on the coffee table, Dick settled himself on the couch, leaving the armchair for Alfred. Kal sat down next to Dick, with Barbara closing the circle.

"One of these days, lady, we've got to get you a decent table in here," 'Wing joked.

"Why bother?" Barbara asked without thinking as she reached for a slice of pizza. "Dad and Dinah are the only ones that have dinner with me anymore."

Dick flinched, Kal looked anywhere but at her. Alfred, picking the meat off a chicken leg, pretended to have gone deaf. He loved Dick and Barbara, but felt it wasn't his place to be in their lives, now that they were grown.

Barbara realized what she said in the sudden, uncomfortable silence. "Oh God," she said miserably, "Dick, I'm sorry."

Before she could say more, Dick muttered, "Truth hurts." He shrugged and spoke louder. "I'm not over here nearly as much as I use to be. I don't call as much either, and all I can do is claim, 'I'm too busy'. I think we know how lame an excuse that is."

Kal toyed with his drink bottle. "Clark has no business in Gotham," he said quietly. "And Superman is forbidden to step foot here, unless requested. Bruce has forgotten I exist, that I have other reasons for being here than a story or a fight." He looked at Barbara, sadness in his eyes. "*I've* forgotten those reasons too."

"It was a rather unpleasant separation the two of you had," Alfred commented, his voice neutral. "Perhaps you don't want to think about it any more than Master Bruce does."

The Kryptonian snorted in derision. "I'm a master at forgetting the past, so I don't doubt it."

"Damnit!" Barbara suddenly shouted, breaking the silence that had, again, fallen like a funeral shroud. "We can't keep letting *him* interfere! We were a *family*, and *one man*, one stupid fucking *man*, has ripped us to pieces!" She flung her plate onto the coffee table. "Look at us. Just look at us! We can't even *talk* to each other unless it's about work. Secrets, silence, that's not the world we grew up in! Not with each other!" Green eyes locked with Dick's blue ones, then they tore away to lock with Kal's. "*You* gave us The Talk! You bought me my first box of Kotex! Hell, you bought Dick condoms when you found out we were sleeping together! That's some of the most embarrassing shit that can happen between parents and their children, and we lived through every minute of it! Yet here we sit, unable to share a stupid *meal* without hurting each other!" Angry tears streamed down her face, and she ripped a napkin out of the holder to wipe them away.

"I'm not your father," Kal answered softly. "I didn't have a right..."

"Don't. You. Dare. Say. You didn't have a right!" Barbara snarled. "I don't have a mother, I couldn't tell my father I was Batgirl. Bruce only saw me as her, he never saw Barbara. Alfred, God love you, but you were never someone I was comfortable discussing tampons with." She sniffed, snatched another napkin. "If it wasn't for you, Kal, I don't know what the hell I would have done. Who I could have vented to before I lost my mind from the stress. You listened to *everything,* even the stupid stuff."

Kal was silent, having nothing to say to that. Dick spoke up. "We can't blame everything on Bruce, Babs," he reminded her quietly.

"We can blame him for most of it," she shot back. "It's not his fault I'm a paraplegic, but he pushed you away until you moved out of Gotham entirely, and most of the times I see you now are over the computer. He pushed Kal so hard that Kal lives in the closet and I only see Superman over the monitor. Hell, the first time I'd seen Kal in years was when I called the Fortress after Batman was tossed out of the JLA four months ago." Barbara looked down at her lap and muttered, "If Superman had been less shocked by what Batman did, I doubt the mask would've cracked."

"I'm lucky I'm not still wandering around in a daze," Kal responded. "It hit me on every level, in places I didn't even know could be hurt. Does Al Ghul know about my parents? About Lois? How could Bruce do this to me? How could Batman? I thought.." He shook his head, not finishing the thought.

But Dick did. "I thought he loved me."

Kal took a deep breath, swallowing hard. "Exactly."

"Yet you could kill him now. You told me that," Nightwing reminded, speaking of the conversation they'd had in Titans Tower the week before.

Kal nodded, to Barbara and Alfred's surprise. "I meant it," he said seriously, locking eyes with the younger man. "He told me that he loved me, as much as he could, but he all ever offered me was a slow, excruciating death." Kal's eyes glowed with a slow burning fury. "I trusted him, not only with my life, but with my death. I trusted him to make sure I died well. And he showed me how much that trust was worth." He moved his head a little to the left, then a little to the right, a deliberately negative motion. "Nothing scares me more than the possible repeat of what happened in Lantern's apartment. The fear isn't something I can control anymore. I will either kill the person responsible for making me that afraid again, or I'll kill myself, whichever one is easier."

"What about your vow to never take a human life?" Alfred asked, breaking Kal's stare down with Dick. "I know that that is very important to you."

Kal turned that smoldering gaze onto the former Wayne butler. "It's important to Superman. Not necessarily to me."

"Unlike Master Bruce, you are the same person, no matter what you are wearing," Alfred replied firmly.

"Am I?" A smile that never appeared on Superman, or Clark Kent's face, appeared on Kal's. "Clark Kent became a mask the day I leapt, unmasked and without a costume, into the sky and saved that shuttle. He put on his first pair of glasses, stumbled over his own two feet, and stuttered for the first time when he was nervous, because Metropolis found a hero and wanted a piece of him. He went into the closet, just in case anyone ever found out he was Superman. The world wasn't ready for a gay superhero then, and it's still not ready, even though I'm bi." The smile widened, a ghastly slash across his face. "You spend enough time playing a character, Alfred, and part of you stays that character. You do things in one mindset that you'd never do in the other. Soap opera stars walk onto the set, and they move differently. Accents may disappear, or appear. Habits change. It's well documented, especially in stars that have played the same character for twenty or thirty years. Like I have.
"

"You're talking as if you have two personalities. I refuse to believe that."

"Believe whatever you want," Kal shrugged. "I know that Superman and Clark won't kill and I also know that I almost choked a dirty cop to death when I was a teenager because he threatened to expose my secrets."

"Almost only counts in horseshoes," the elder man scoffed. "You didn't kill him."

"Only because killing him wouldn't have ended his threat," Kal replied coldly.

Several times, the Englishman opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. It was a first. Finally, he managed to ask, "What about Lex Luthor? If you're able to kill, why not destroy him? Certainly, he's as much a threat to you as Batman is."

A shadow crossed Kal's eyes. "I've already killed Lex. His body just hasn't figured it out yet." He went still for a moment, then glanced at Nightwing. "None of this is going to help Tim, and I thought that's what we were here for."

Dick nodded slowly, understanding the call for help. "Yeah, you're right. We did kind of wander off topic." He deliberately took a bite of his pizza before he spoke again, giving himself, and everyone else, a chance to change mental gears. "I told Babs earlier, if we go in there with guns blazing, Bruce'll ignore us."

"I agree. He believes that he's done the right thing concerning Master Timothy, and is not likely to change that opinion."

"Even if he did change his mind, the damage has been done. I think we're going to have to make Bruce realize that he needs to stop acting like a general, and be a father. As such, he has to explain the reasons for what he's done, and apologize." Kal observed.

"We might as well ask the moon to turn into green cheese," Barbara muttered darkly.

"If you go into this with that attitude Barbara, it won't work," the Kryptonian responded. "He's raised one ward, he can raise another."

"He's had two wards and one of them is dead," she shot back fiercely. "He's not fit to be a 'parent' anymore, and hasn't been for years, if he ever was. The best thing we could do for Tim is cut the apron strings, and make it Nightwing and Robin."

"Don't you think that's a bit drastic, Miss Barbara?" Alfred interjected.

"No. I don't. Bruce gave a mentally unstable person the responsibility of being Batman. A mentally unstable person whom we knew *nothing* about, I might add. Now, he's brought in someone else we know nothing about except that her father is a criminal. I honestly don't think Bruce is in control of his senses anymore."

"Then who's senses am I in control of?" Batman asked from the doorway.