Revival Instinct [or: Keep 'Em Coming Back For More]

Author/pseudonym: J.C.

Rating: NC-17

Fandom: Superman/Batman crossover

Pairings: Superman/Batman

Series: The True Adventures of Batman and Superman (Story Six)

Feedback address: jazzedup@prodigy.net

Author's Website: http://internetdump.com/users/jayci

Disclaimers: All characters used in this story belong to someone else... but they still insist on hanging around me. And they're superheroes, after all, so nothing I'm doing seems to have any permanent effects on them.

Notes: Well, finally after much longer than I anticipated, here is the next story in the TABS series, which is based on the WB New Batman-Superman Adventures. It is the last of the ones that I originally planned, but I think I need at least one more, because the guys didn't quite deal with some things like I thought, and one more that will feature Nightwing. It will make much more sense if you've read the previous ones, and they can be found at the archive or on my website. This story contains spoilers for the episode, "The Demon Reborn" - sort of a retelling and then some. Sorry for the delay, hope you enjoy.

For 'rith: because one day she wanted some Bat/Supe sex in a *bad* way , although this is *nothing* like what she asked for.

And for Michelle: because she likes Batsex anyway she can get it.

Summary: A long day, a long night.

Warnings: None

There are probably easier ways of maintaining contact with someone other than miscellaneous acts of chaos and disorder, but that seems to be our way. Hazards of our occupations that have proven to supply an odd fringe benefit. Easier ways, sure, but none likely to work for us.

I can't seriously imagine a scene where I'm working late, trying to make deadline on my latest article, when I get a phone call -- "Clark, would you like to go out for dinner tonight?" or "Feel like company? I'd like to see you." Instead, after crossing paths and butting heads over Lois Lane, we've had: a fake interview, an alley ambush, that time when I just... *took* him, (okay, I think I did that twice, but one time we never made it to solid ground), all in between the constant battling of evildoers, and occasional moments of rescuing each other.

We have what we have.

Which for the most part has been a lot of fighting. Fighting villains, fighting each other, fighting our own inner demons. And really, that's not so strange -- modern warriors is what we are, fighting is what we do.

So, I probably should have been less surprised and less angry when he showed up...

A museum opening had taken a downward turn by way of a theft and a bomb planted on a train. Although I hadn't been particularly worried about stopping the speeding train, I had had to let the perpetrator escape; and if he was going to just show up on my turf in full Superhero mode, at least he could have had better timing. A little sooner and we could have had all bases covered. The girl, the artifact, *and* the runaway train.

Blowing into town, and definitely not to see me, but I can't say that I didn't appreciate that trick he pulled with the Batmobile on the railroad tracks.

"Just happened to be in the neighborhood?" I asked, failing to keep the edge out of my voice.

He started telling me about the group responsible for the latest mayhem to befall Metropolis. The Society of Shadows. 'More dangerous than Joker and Luthor combined.' Great. Like that little adventure hadn't been more than enough. He and I were still feeling the backlash of that one. I guess that's the one good thing that had come out of it. Though sometimes, I'm not too sure about that.

"All I know is that they were breaking the law in my town." Well, pin a badge on me; I'm the sheriff. I did mention that I was a little angry, right?

"Leave it to you to charge in with both arms swinging," he countered.

Obviously he hadn't quite caught on to the anger part, then again he likes to court danger. Or maybe he was trying to be funny, because face it, *he's* the forceful one, charging full steam ahead. I *know* my own strength. I usually don't have to be that aggressive.

But I wasn't laughing, because I wasn't happy at all about the damage that had been done by *another* vein of evil bleeding over into my territory, or that he'd had pertinent information, had been tracking them for weeks, and had never said anything to me. We're supposed to be on the same side... and it's not like we're exactly strangers, after all.

"If you were going to operate in Metropolis, you should have filled me in."

"Next time I'll fax you my itinerary."

Typical ticked-off Bat attitude. So, what else is new? Or maybe he was just focused on the case. Which brought me back to the fact that there was still the matter of a little crime fighting that needed to take place.

"I mean it," I said. "I'd like to help."

And believe it or not, I didn't even have to fight him on it.

......

He took me to the place where he knew the Society had last been, and together we went over it, searching for answers, him with a flashlight, me with my x-ray vision... and I swear the peek I took that time was totally unintentional. Though, I admit that I didn't immediately look away.

We didn't find much: just signs of a hasty departure, and what Batman thought were wheelchair tracks. Throw that in with the stolen artifact, a Shaman's staff that was one of the least valuable out of the entire exhibit, but that supposedly had mystic healing powers, and we just ended up with more interesting questions.

Afterwards, he slipped away with a quiet, "I'll be in touch," and I went home alone. To eat Chinese food out of the cartons while watching the assorted events that made up Metropolis' evening news.

......

Despite how my day had started out, I wasn't expecting it to get even crazier.

Every protective bone in my body sprang to life when a fast-breaking story showed Lois Lane hanging from the clock at the top of Luthor Towers. Superhero instincts aside, not to mention the flashes of resentment over how things are between her and Clark, and jealousy over how things were with her and Bruce, I don't think I'll ever break the habit of coming to her rescue. In a different life... under different circumstances... who knows what we might have been to each other.

I left instantly, arriving, as I often do, just in the nick of time, only to save another woman from falling to her death. Not Lois. *Tailia* wearing Lois' clothes. The female artifact-stealer and train-saboteur who had staged the whole crisis to get my attention.

"My father would like to meet you, privately," she said.

"Your father?"

"Ra's Al Ghul."

Surprise, surprise.

"And if I refuse?"

"Then, I'll have to insist." She reached into her clothes and pulled out the missing staff, and it started to glow.

I had just enough time to think, "So what? It's not Kryptonite," before I started feeling weaker. And once I reached for it, the bluish light faded to black as I hit the ground and was out like a light.

<<^^>>/ <<^^>>/ <<^^>>/

When I raced towards Metropolis, I had been a man on a mission. Chasing after the reoccurring specter of Ra's Al Ghul. Another demon from my past.

It seems like such madness -- I'm constantly fighting the same incarnations of evil over and over... spinning my wheels in the muck and mire of crime. I had always thought I would win out, not be forever engaged in periodic bouts of one-upmanship. My goal had been to answer illegal acts with a definitive 'check-mate', putting each perpetrator out of the game, not this endless cycle of 'do-overs' -- villains recouping and trying again. But I know that I'm doing what has to be done.

My latest intelligence had made me aware of activity from the Society of Shadows, the trail leading directly to Metropolis. But by the time I got there, the damage had been done, and all that remained were a little destruction and some unconscious goons.

And a pissed-off Superman.

It had been a while since I had seen him last, since that wild, crazy ride that he had taken me on one night, and this time I had been avoiding him. The closer the Society of Shadows led me to his city, the more I resisted contacting him. I was actually hoping that I could take care of things without him ever knowing that I had been around.

The odds were against me, of course, and sure enough we ran into each other. Literally.

Driving the Batmobile across railroad tracks, in front of a speeding train that even Superman was having a little trouble controlling, ended up being a lot more fun than telling him that I knew what was going on. Or at least had much more of an idea than he did.

I didn't want to explain, didn't want to answer for my investigation, and didn't want to feel the tiniest bit responsible for the destruction that had taken place.

But he started in right away, and I gave the information that I had about the Society of Shadows, and their leader, the criminal mastermind, Ra's Al Ghul.

It was easy to fall back into the familiar groove of sharp-edged dialogue, comfortable really, because I didn't want to need his help. Still, when he offered, I took it. I couldn't resist. When I looked down on him, after I had climbed up out of the wreckage of the train, I couldn't even think of one smartass remark.

Plus, there was an enemy sneaking around right under my nose, and I wanted him *badly*.

...<<^^>>...

I tried to concentrate solely on the task at hand as I took Superman to the Shadows' last known hideout. I didn't even flinch when I noticed that piercing gaze taking me in along with the rest of the surroundings. I let him look. Wasn't anything that he hadn't already seen anyway.

I focused on what had been left behind in the abandoned warehouse, though it wasn't much. A bunch of things adding up to nothing, just pieces taunting me. Ra's Al Ghul was no half-wit. They wouldn't be back, and they wouldn't have left anything of value behind, not even anything interesting... except those tracks that I was sure belonged to a wheelchair.

I knew all about Ra's Al Ghul's recuperative means -- they had kept him going for centuries. A healing staff and a wheelchair offered an intriguing combination, and I was starting to get a picture that didn't make sense, or made sense in a whole new way.

Ditching Superman wasn't as difficult as I had thought it might be. I said, "I'll be in touch," and he let me go. I had a lot of thinking to do, and I wanted to do it alone. Somehow, I had to figure out the new puzzle I had been presented, or wait for something else to happen.

Of course, it turned out to be the latter.

...<<^^>>...

I had missed the news broadcast, but word got around soon enough, and I headed straight to Lois' apartment. The last time I'd seen her was when she said goodbye to Bruce Wayne at the Metropolis airport, and since then I had done some things that would make her hair curl. *And* had done them with the object of her affections. Although she would be, thankfully, unaware, I knew it would be awkward seeing her again. It made fighting evil villains seem almost *too* easy.

Her window was wide open, and I slipped in to find her lying on the floor, just starting to come around. By then, I already had a pretty good idea what had happened. When I tried to help her up, she fought me, still dazed and disoriented.

"Easy, Lois. It's me."

"Bruce?"

That was kind of a shock. Nobody calls me that while I'm in costume. Everyone else that knows the secret automatically switches into Batmode when I do. I'd been called 'Batman' while still wearing a designer suit a time or two, back when Dick and I had our 'episode', but no one ever calls Batman 'Bruce'. I tried not to think that the whole secret identity thing was getting out of hand, and stood up, giving her some space to collect herself.

"It's been a while," she said. "I take it this isn't a social call."

I ignored that; there was already enough dangerous ground between us to suit me. "What happened here?"

"I'm not sure. Someone attacked me, a woman dressed in black."

Confirmation of my suspicions. "Tailia."

"*Tailia*? On a first name basis, are we?"

I was starting to think that there might not *be* any safe ground where Lois and I were concerned.

"What do you think she was after?" she continued.

"Your clothes."

"Excuse me?"

"She needed to impersonate you to attract Superman."

"Ha! She's going to need more than that. Maybe my clothes and a nuclear disaster."

Her tone was bitter, and I had a sudden vision of our situation as a waiting minefield. I knew that she was upset. Not just because of her attack, but because of the whole twisted circumstances concerning her feelings for Superman and Bruce Wayne and, on the flip side, their alter egos. And she didn't even know the half of it.

I scraped up a bit of residue from her carpet. "I'm sorry," I said. "...that we're meeting like this." And I *was* sorry. I liked Lois, her spirit, her determination, the fact that she could feel something for a superhero... Maybe in a different life... under different circumstances... who knows what we could have been to each other. "Hey, *I* was the one who said goodbye," she responded. "Though I can't say that I haven't had second thoughts. Actually, there's been several times when I almost picked up the phone..."

I chose that moment to escape the same way I'd come in. Not soon enough to miss her added, "Maybe you've felt the same?", but quickly enough not to have to reply. I had a criminal to track down, and, it seemed, a Man of Steel to rescue.

Besides, she wouldn't have liked my answer, anyway.

...<<^^>>...

According to the spectral analysis results, the stain that I had found on the carpet at Lois' apartment turned out to be jet fuel of the private plane variety, and I knew exactly where to head next. I surprised a bunch of Ra's Al Ghul's shadowy followers loading up a plane at an airstrip outside of the city, and eight against one made it just about a fair fight. The one left standing, (well, not exactly *standing*) was more than happy to supply the location of his boss.

I only had to ask once.

<<^^>>/ <<^^>>/ <<^^>>/

Even in my worst nightmares, I had never been cuffed and collared and kicked awake by a rough voice saying, "Wake up, dog. The Master will see you now." Well, there had been that one time recently where cuffs and a collar were involved, and a dark figure standing over me that I called Master, but I wouldn't classify that as a nightmare.

But, unfortunately, it was no dream, though it was surreal, for Superman to be lying on the floor restrained while curtains opened up to reveal 'The Master' -- a man who looked to be literally on his last legs, being pushed in a wheelchair by Tailia.

Ra's Al Ghul. He'd definitely seen better days.

"I'm sorry we must meet under such circumstances." And oddly enough, he *sounded* sorry.

"You're not exactly what I pictured," I shot back.

"I'm not the man I was."

And that had to be an understatement. The man could barely talk without harsh bouts of coughing and frequent hits of oxygen. He explained about living centuries -- being restored to youthfulness over and over by immersing himself in 'Lazurus' Pits'. But evidently over the years, the effects had started lasting for shorter and shorter periods of time, until the waters of the pits had quit doing the job altogether.

"He's dying," Tailia interjected.

"What do you want from me?" I asked.

Foolish question.

When he answered, his weary eyes burned bright with fiery determination. "Your strength."

......

They took me to a place that Ra's Al Ghul called 'Mesa d'Oro' -- a lost city that he had known about since the time of the Conquistadors. One that had netted him a fortune in gold as the result of battle. The foundation for his present wealth, Tailia said.

I had heard enough... and had had enough of being manhandled by his little band of masked men, not to mention his daughter with that cursed staff... so I decided it was time to start putting up a fight. With laser vision, I dropped a few hefty stalactites down in Tailia's direction, getting the staff out of her hands, and then it was just a matter of breaking free and seeing to the old man's defensive guard.

It was going pretty well, until Ra's gasped and fell out of his chair, collapsing on the floor. While my attention was diverted towards him, Tailia regained control of the staff and, with a jolt, I was on the floor again.

As the blackness overtook me one more time, I heard a voice echoing around me, "It's too late, Mistress, the Master is dead."

......

It seemed that even death wasn't enough to stop Tailia. When I woke again, I saw Ra's strapped down to a table, and then the pain began. A *lot* of pain. I was manacled to a slab and that bluish glow filled the air, a constant drain on my powers. Eventually, over my screams, I could hear a resurrected Ra's Al Ghul, demanding more power, in what was definitely a much stronger, more vital voice.

"Don't stop. I want every ounce, every fiber of his strength."

I only had energy left enough to moan quietly as the torment continued.

The fact that it stopped suddenly was almost lost on me. I heard Tailia's surprised whisper of "Beloved", and soon after I heard Batman exchanging words with Ra's Al Ghul, and the unmistakable sounds of the battle between good and evil. Overcome by a wave of relief, I hung there, hoping that what had been stolen from me could naturally be regained. I had a feeling that the machine used for the power transfer in the first place would be a casulty of war.

In the course of the fighting, the slab that was holding me up got slammed hard, and I was knocked free. Slowly, I felt my energy returning and none too soon. Tailia had tried to intervene, as her father stood over Batman ready to deal a death-giving blow, and had gotten thrown aside for her trouble. It seemed like the new and improved Ra's Al Ghul didn't know his own strength. Batman came up swinging, and the Shaman's staff got flung in my direction. That was enough for me... I wasn't up to par, but I was back in the fight.

Before he could hit Batman one last time, I stood up wielding the staff.

"Ra's, you're forgetting something."

Like a dog after a bone, he dropped Batman and headed in my direction. And I took great pleasure in crushing the thing right before his very eyes. I had expected his reaction: an anguished "No!" as he lunged for me, but I wasn't quite prepared for the shockwaves that shook the cavern we were in. I heard Tailia scream, but I couldn't see what had happened to her because of the huge bulk of her father as he picked me up by the neck. Even though my powers weren't fully restored, my brain seemed to be in working order, and I quickly latched onto a plan. A gamble as far as plans went, but the best I could on short notice.

"The roof won't hold up much longer. Punish me or save your daughter. Your choice."

Thankfully, despite backhanding her earlier, the family ties were still strong, and he let me go to go save her. Not that it seemed to do any good. It looked like he was too late to save either her or himself because when he reached for her, they both went tumbling into a deep chasm in the earth.

Collecting myself as best I could, I went over to where Batman still lay, and picked him up in my arms, hoping our luck would run better than that of Ra's Al Ghul and Tailia, and took him safely to solid ground.

......

After a bit, I checked out the area, but got no conclusive results about the outcome concerning father and daughter.

"I see an underground river, but there's no sign of them, alive or dead."

And there was something else on my mind... a whisper of 'Beloved', a woman putting herself between Batman and death...

"I'm guessing you and that woman, Tailia, had some history." Not exactly subtle, but at least I didn't hit him with a barrage of my half-formed thoughts.

"Pretty much in line with all my other relationships," he answered.

I'm not sure what I had been expecting him to say, but I was a little taken aback by that remark. Seeing as how I was someone who happened to *be* in a relationship with him... or in *something* with him. He sort of changed the subject, and I let him. I knew there was no way we were going to have a 'relationship' talk, especially not then, not there... probably not ever.

"I have to admit," he said, "it was clever using Ra's devotion to his daughter to stop him."

"Well," I said, throwing an earlier comment back at him, "I thought as long as I couldn't charge in with both arms swinging, I better use my head." I watched him climb up into the Batplane, glad that at least there was no hostile tension between us, resigned as always to take what I could get. "You know, there may be something to this partnership thing, after all." It was just a stray thought, one I hadn't meant to voice out loud.

He looked at me, and said in a sarcastic tone, "Yeah, right."

But he smiled, and so did I.

The plane took off, and after a minute, I took off after it. I briefly considered following him, but in the end, I went my own way. I knew the score... I had taken him by surprise the last time... the next move would be totally up to him.

I wasn't holding my breath, but I'd be lying if I said that I wouldn't be waiting.

<<^^>>/ <<^^>>/ <<^^>>/

When I landed my plane at the specified place, the presence of a few men acting as lookouts let me know that at least I hadn't been given false information. I quickly dispensed with them, and swung deep down into the bowels of what looked like a remarkably reserved ancient city. I raced inside, not sure what I'd find, but ready for a fight.

What I discovered was a cavern, filled with equipment and glowing with a bright blue light that was almost blinding, and the stage for a grisly setup with Superman crying out in agony as he hung by his arms from a huge slab. And, as I watched, Ra's Al Ghul broke free from where he had been strapped down to a table, bigger and more powerful looking than I had ever seen him, calling for even *more* of that strength that he was evidently leeching from Superman.

It didn't take much to determine that the power source of the whole operation was the missing Shaman's staff, so I tossed a Batarang at the controls to the machinery, and I made my move, heading straight for the staff, successfully snagging it as I swung by.

Not that I expected that to be the end of it.

Ra's Al Ghul had acquired a taste for power and he was still hungry. He wasn't going to give up without a fight. Overgrown and with a bad temper.

"You were foolish to have come here, Detective. Give me the staff."

'Detective'... between that and Tailia's 'Beloved', I had a quick flash back to when I had first crossed their paths. Ghosts from the past... battles fought but never quite won...

"I think you've had your workout for today," I told him.

I was surprised to see what the transformation had done for him. I know what Superman is capable of, I've seen him in action up close, but also I know how much he tempers his strength. I've had to push him once or twice to get him to display it full force in the course of trying to apprehend various bad guys.

Ra's didn't need a push. He came after me with a vengeance. I tried to stay out of his reach while steadily holding onto the staff, but that didn't last long. When he caught up to me, it wasn't pretty. And besides knocking me silly, he knocked over the slab that held Superman, and caused enough damage in the process to literally make the earth shake.

The proof of how power-hungry he had grown came when, as I lay dazed on the ground, Tailia stepped in front of him, begging for my life, and with a roar, he tossed her aside. I heard the thud and her pain-filled gasp as she landed behind me.

Hoping to put an end to the situation, once and for all, I staggered to my feet and hit him a few good times with everything I had. It seemed to bother him about as much as a pesky fly might, and in the scuffle, I lost the staff. Struggling, and losing, against the strength of his grip, I thought Ra's Al Ghul's words would be the last I ever heard.

"Farewell, Detective."

But in typical 'just in the nick of time' style, I heard Superman's voice reminding him about the staff. I was extremely grateful for the tagteam effect. Him down, me up... Me down, him up... whatever worked. Ra's dropped me like a hot potato and went after the chance for more power.

Once again I found myself lying on the ground, and it sounded like the room was collapsing in around me. I heard Tailia screaming, and before I could even shake off the aftereffects of being the object of Ra's attention, I was being carried out of there, in what was becoming an all too familiar set of arms.

...<<^^>>...

Not our best fight, I guess, but it got the job done. Sort of. There was no sign of either Tailia or her father, no telling what had really happened to them. Like always, it was just over for the time being.

But not quite over for Superman. I had hoped that my connection with Tailia would slip by unnoticed. Having Lois mention it had been more than enough... I wasn't ready to go there with him. I tried to play it off, and only realized how poorly I had done so after seeing the expression on his face. I wasn't together enough to try and backpedal or explain further, and I didn't want to anyway, so I just moved on.

A compliment as a diversionary tactic. Works on most everyone. Including, to my benefit, the Man of Steel. Easing back into more comfortable territory was as simple as him tossing my words back at me in a smug tone. And even though he threw me by making a comment about ' partnership', I kept up the banter, giving my response the appropriate sarcastic edge.

And I didn't dwell on the fact that he might actually be right.

<<^^>>/ <<^^>>/ <<^^>>/

I let out a breath that I hadn't realized I had been holding as soon as the large shadow blocked out the moonlight that had been streaming into the room. I willed myself to lie still, breathe slowly, not shiver as he made his way inside. I had been sure that he wouldn't come, not that night, but still I was naked under the sheet, my customary pajamas lying unused on a chair, and I had been watching, anticipating, despite myself, unable to sleep.

I thought that he knew I was awake. As he moved further into the room, the light fell directly across the bed, but he started a little when I spoke.

"You could have come to the door and knocked. I would have let you in."

He didn't answer, just moved closer.

"You could even have come back here with me earlier."

Even closer. The night in motion.

"You could have told me weeks ago about the whole thing, and..."

He stood over me, cape fluttering slightly in unison with the curtains from where he hadn't closed up behind him. My throat went dry, and I was reminded of the first time we'd kissed, me against a wall, him just darkness and heat. I'd never known I could be so easy, but I was pointing at him from under the covers, and it wouldn't take a kiss, or even a touch. I was sure that if he just spoke at that moment, turned his Bat voice on me, I'd come instantly, hard enough to shoot a hole through the soft cotton draped over top of me.

Without a word, he pulled the sheet back, and took a long moment just watching me. I lay as still as possible, not moving a muscle except for the twitching and throbbing between my legs. I kept my eyes on his, inscrutable in the dark even to my keen eyesight, and waited. All thoughts of the time that had stretched since the last time we had been together were gone, swallowed up in the reality of his presence.

Just when I thought that I was going to have to grab him, or simply implode from the building tension, he reached out, darkness shifting and tracing a line down my torso. I didn't come, but my cock pulsed frantically, jumping in the direction of his touch, leaving a sticky puddle on my skin. His finger trailed through it, smearing a line across my hip, and I wondered if he were going to spend the whole time silent and in full costume.

Not that it would have been a problem, just as long as he *did* something.

Still not speaking, he slowly began undressing. He left his cape and cowl for last, and I reached for him as he stood there, looking even harder than I felt. His erection was hot and steely to my touch, and I pulled on it, making it grow, making him groan. Somehow, that seemed better than words. I leaned up, still holding on, and took him into my mouth. His hands immediately went to my head, but he didn't guide me, just held my head as I moved gradually along his length until it was tapping the back of my throat, his hairs tickling my nose. I worked the muscles of my throat around him for a minute until his grip tightened, fingers tangling in my hair. Then I pulled up, using suction, quick licks, suction, quick licks, over and over until his legs were shaking, and he was growling as he tore himself away.

It was only my second time, but it seemed like I had gotten the hang of it.

He moved with urgency, the last bit of his costume hitting the floor, a quick rummage in my nightstand drawer, and he was between my legs, slick fingers entering me, and a determined grip stroking me. I was clutching the sheets, trying desperately not to dig the stuffing out of the mattress, or clench too tightly around his fingers.

It wasn't until he was spreading my thighs wider apart, positioning himself that he spoke to me.

"Are you okay?"

I could see his eyes so clearly, see the genuine concern, and I was startled by the naked emotion. It was like an unexpected gift that sent a rush through me, and it made me want him more.

"Fine. Seem to be fully recovered."

His hands rubbed up and down my thighs in a soothing caress, and he gave a small smile. "Good."

His lips moving in that slight upwards curve slightly made want to kiss him, and I realized that we hadn't kissed since he entered the room. Reaching out, I pulled him down full on top of me, and attacked his mouth as if my life depended on it, and like every time before, it sent fire sizzling through me.

I didn't let him get up, but I shifted so that he could feel his way around, get himself inside me, and the tight grip of my arms around him didn't interfere with the furious pumping of his hips. I wanted to kiss him some more, or feel him hot and hungry around my fingers like the last time we were in my bed, or have him stroke me as fast as he was driving into me, but I just held on and let him take us over the edge.

Hard and fast like a freak storm ripping through me. A force of nature in my bed... in me. Leaving me sweaty and panting and satisfied.

He rolled off and got out of bed, and for a minute I thought he would simply jump into his costume and leave, fading back into the night. Instead, this time he was the one who made a quick trip to my bathroom, coming back to clean us both, before settling next to me, pulling the sheet up to cover us.

I fought sleep because I knew that when I woke he would be gone, but it had been a long, exhausting day, and I was feeling relaxed beyond words, and I drifted away with the weight and heat of his body making its presence felt along my side.

And I awoke to its absence.

When I opened my eyes, he was still there with me, sitting on the edge of the bed, his cape and cowl in his hands. He was still naked, a magnificent study in form, hard and soft, light and dark... man and bat, I guess. A man with a mission in life. A man that seemed to have something on his mind. I didn't know if he just wanted to leave but hadn't wanted to sneak out, or if he wanted to talk about something but *didn't* want to talk about it. I was glad to see him still there, sorry to see the familiar distance.

"It's late..." I offered.

He nodded, "I should be going."

I had actually meant, 'It's late, let it go 'til morning and come back to bed.'

He stood up, still holding the folds of fabric in his hand, and looked down at me. I could see the reversal process taking place -- me lying naked, him standing beside the bed, costume in hand. Soon he would be in full gear, making his way back outside. Like a weird film loop of our evening playing backwards.

Except, he stepped forward, leaned over, and kissed me. Not softly, but vigorously, touching me only with the force of his teeth and lips and tongue. When he stopped, I bit back words that might sound like a plea for him to stay, and concentrated on breathing normally.

And when he lay back down beside me, I swallowed my surprise, ignored the strength of my relief, and lay awake for a long time, rubbing his thigh with my thumb.

<<^^>>/ <<^^>>/ <<^^>>/

I flew home to Gotham... and lasted about twelve minutes before I took off in the Batmobile and headed back to Metropolis.

I dropped in on him, entering the usual way, and saw him asleep on the bed. I actually considered standing there and just watching him for a while, then leaving. He was naked, just a sheet covering the lower half of his body, but I could see the contours of his chest in the moonlight, and the long lines of his legs showed clearly under the covering as did the semi-hard length lying along his thigh.

I guess I hadn't been paying as close attention to his eyes, because it startled me when he spoke, and I realized that he was awake.

He commented on why I hadn't knocked... or simply gone home with him... or just come to him in the first place about Ra's Al Ghul. I didn't answer. It was easy to ignore the words while in full Batgear, blending with the shadows, while he lay naked on a bed. Easy to just keep silent and move closer.

Until I was at his side, feeling at once both troubled and relieved. And very aroused. My body responding to his, heating up, getting hard as his did the same. I watched him, watched his need make itself known beneath the sheet, and that thin layer was suddenly more than I wanted between us. With a quick motion, I pulled it back, and took my time, getting my fill of the sight of him, laid out, waiting, a reminder and a promise. Subtly calling me with a throbbing insistence that I could feel as an ache in my groin.

And I answered, at first with just a touch, moonlight striping my hand as I trailed my finger straight down his body, starting between his nipples, ending at the indent of his navel. A tremor went through him, concentrating in his erection, which jumped and drooled fluid just below where my hand had stopped. I touched it, and the smell made my nostrils flare, but with my gloves on I couldn't feel it cooling, couldn't feel it slippery on my fingers.

I decided it was time to remove some of my own layers... Looked like I was going to stay awhile after all.

I took off my costume, but before I could get the cape and cowl off, he reached out and took me in hand. It felt so... good. Simply good to be enclosed in that grip, and my pleasure escaped in a groan. But that was nothing compared to his mouth -- hot, wet, and I was flying, though this time we stayed on the ground. I put my hands on his head, just in case, and held on as he sucked me as if he had been doing it all of his life.

As good as that was, I wanted more, so I pulled away, more difficult than I thought... not just because of the pleasure, but because super suction is something that has to be handled carefully. In a minimum amount of time, I was totally nude, between his legs, preparing him. More for my benefit, I suppose, though he seemed to enjoy it, along with my fist milking his hard-on. And I had something better. For both of us. I was ready, and wanted him ready, too.

And then I remembered that he'd had a tough day, a draining day... literally. That I had no idea whether there had been any lingering side effects. And I needed to know. He assured me that he was fine, and I didn't let it bother me that I felt a huge rush of relief.

Then, he was kissing me, pulling me down so that our cocks lined up, and our lips met in that oral battle that seemed to be our way. I could feel the excitement zinging through my system, and I was willing to settle down into just that alone. But then he cocked his hips, tilted a bit and I seized the opportunity to be inside him.

It was a good thing that he had recovered, and an even better thing that he had that superhuman strength, because I went at him fast and hard, not trying for restraint, but reaching for climax. Dragging him along with me as he held on tight.

And we ended the same way, coming hard, falling fast, him even tighter around me as I lost total control.

When I could breathe through my nose again, I got up and went to the bathroom to do the honors. Warm wet cloth, dry hand towel, which I used to get rid of the mess we'd made. I lay down beside him, just for a quick rest, telling myself it would only be for a little while.

It was very late, or very early, when I suddenly awoke, realizing that I had stayed far longer than I had planned. I eased out of the bed, going around to collect the pieces of my costume. Better to leave before there could be questions.

But questions filled my mind. I sat down stiffly near the foot of the bed, holding my cape and cowl. The symbol of Batman. All that I was. A demon in my own right. A dark ghost that haunted Gotham striking fear into those that dared to cross me. And that didn't always fit into what life was to other people. I'm sure that it wasn't what Alfred would have chosen for me. It definitely wasn't something that Dick could live with. And even though we shared similar goals, I wasn't sure what it all meant to Superman.

I needed to leave, but I wasn't ready to go. I didn't want to talk, but thoughts were forming in my head. Things I should probably say, but never would. Things that I wished I could say, but hadn't yet found the voice.

I thought back a few years to a certain four-week period. Four weeks where I had made some of the worse mistakes of my life. As a guardian, as a friend, as a man, as a lover. Four weeks that had never died for me, even as I killed them on a rooftop. For Dick's own good. For the good of the cause. Four weeks locked up tight, not to be discussed, not to be relived.

The past was chasing me, the present seemed too large and too close, and I needed some air...

"It's late," he said suddenly from out of the darkness, sounding wide-awake.

That was true, and a good cue, so I simply answered, "I should be going."

But when I stood up, looking down on him just as I had when I had first entered the room, I wanted to kiss him. Just a goodbye kiss. As close to normal as I could get. The minute I touched my lips to his, it wasn't enough, and I channeled my restless preoccupation into a forceful attack on his mouth. It left me breathless. It left me depleted.

It left me in his bed, with his thumb stroking a calming rhythm on my thigh.

I stayed there until the sun was about to rise, and before I left, I woke him to say goodbye.

*The End*