This story has morphed and transformed so many times as I write it that there are only small remnants of my original idea left. Suffice it to say that teamwork is the on going theme. Disclaimer: These characters (except Reverend Justice, whom I created) belong to DC Comics and Warner Bros. I have written this Fan fiction for fun, not profit, and as such, no money is being made from this fictitious story.

In all Watchtowers, the Quarterly Efficiency Drills were in full effect, supervised by the Founding Justice League Members. While Martian Manhunter and Mr. Terrific were diligent in keeping couples and existing teams together on the active roster, every Justice Leaguer had to be ready for the unexpected, including teaming up with unfamiliar partners.

The Efficiency Drills were in place to assure each Leaguer was fully prepared. Picked at random, put into teams, and then put through holographic simulations, each Justice Leaguer learned the values of teamwork and trust.

In the Auditorium 3 of Watchtower I, Green Lantern was evaluating a team comprised of Stargirl, Reverend Justice, Vixen and Orion, reviewing video playback.

"Great strategy in deflecting the plasma missiles away from the City Stargirl, a containment field would have made your idea even better, but kudos for quick thinking!" Green Lantern said, pointing at the monitor screen.

Stargirl smiled and nodded, watching the tape with the other members of her makeshift team.

The holographic simulation featured various members of the Legion of Doom or Secret Society, advanced weaponry and civilians requiring assistance.

"Good work in drawing Killer Frost and Star Sapphire’s attention towards you RJ. It allowed Stargirl to deflect the missiles and kept those two too busy to think about hurting the civilians." Green Lantern said, addressing Reverend Justice.

"No hesitation in stunning Killer Frost first, which was the right thing to do as she actually enjoys killing. Rendered unconscious, she was no longer a liability." Green Lantern continued, looking at his friend.

"Nice touch doing your hat trick with Star Sapphire to get her attention: throwing your hat at her caused enough of a distraction that her energy-blast missed Stargirl, but you also hesitated firing that stun bolt at her." Green Lantern put the playback on pause and zoomed in on the Reverend and Star Sapphire’s face-off. He rewound the tape and resumed playback on zoom.

"In effect, you ended up knocking each other out – you fired at each other at the exact same time. Like Hawkgirl once told you – those female Super Villains are deadly, never hesitate to use every means necessary to neutralise them, and never let their pretty looks fool you into taking it easy on them, Star Sapphire is definitely no exception." He said, zooming out.

Reverend Justice nodded. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Stargirl smiling at him, making him feel a bit uncomfortable.

"Come on Lantern, let’s be fair, Star Sapphire’s energy blast would have knocked me right out of the sky if the Reverend hadn’t distracted her, and the missiles would have hit the buildings! My manoeuvre succeeded thanks to him!" Stargirl said.

Reverend Justice tried to keep his focus on the video screen. "Oh please don’t tell me Blondie’s got a crush on me!" He thought, fearing the consequences if it were true.

Green Lantern put the video on pause once more.

"I didn’t say he did wrong Stargirl, just that his hesitation could have cost him his life had this been a real situation." Green Lantern’s expression was firm but friendly.

"Agreed, Star Sapphire’s energy blast would have had a stunning effect on him at worst, RJ has plenty of insulation through his Kevlar top and trench coat. However, as the footage shows, RJ didn’t have a chance to activate his n’th metal belt before he was hit, and was thrown off the rooftop. Incidentally, what’s the deal with your fixation with rooftops anyway RJ?" Green Lantern asked, with a smirk.

Everyone chuckled, except for Orion who seemed oblivious to the entire exercise.

"Perhaps Batman’s influence is rubbing off on me?" Reverend Justice said with a shrug, getting more chuckles from the team, "I needed a good vantage point to handle both Frost and Sapphire, the rooftop was my best bet. My bad for not leaving the n’th metal belt on."

He paused and sighed, resting his chin in one gloved hand, staring at the screen. He shook his head.

"Come to think of it, I should have skipped the hat trick altogether and just stunned her right away, which would have had the same result minus the fall…but my conscience had a problem with stunning Star Sapphire while her back was turned to me. Thus the hat trick, and thus my forced descent ... I guess one day I’ll learn." Reverend Justice concluded, wincing a bit at his own mistake.

Green Lantern smiled at him. "Don’t look now, but you’re learning already RJ, whether you realise it or not!" he said, and then turned his attention back to Stargirl.

"Had this been a real life situation, without the belt enabled, he would have hit the pavement hard, hard enough to be fatal or land him in a wheelchair. You have to agree neither prospect is very appealing. This is why we have those debriefings Stargirl, to see what we did right and what we could have done better." Green Lantern said.

She nodded, her eyes discreetly turning to the Reverend again, a subtle smile caressing her lips.

That man had selflessly put himself in harm’s way to protect her, and allowed her to save the City. Off duty, Joey was always soft spoken and kind, on duty, he was always the consummate team player.

"My ex could have learned a thing or two from him," she thought, her expression becoming dreamy.

She straightened herself in her chair, trying to regain her composure.

"You’re on the rebound Courtney, the Reverend’s just being nice to you…and he’s Hawkgirl’s boyfriend, enough said!" She thought, still unable to avoid looking at him again.

She saw Reverend Justice had noticed her looking at him. He was nervously trying to focus his gaze on the monitor screen; even Vixen was giving him a quizzical glance. His body language screamed, "Never mind Vixen, I’ll explain later!"

"Am I making him feel uncomfortable? He’s too sweet!" Stargirl thought, subtle smile turning to smirk.

Green Lantern restarted the playback.

"Vixen, great work handling Copperhead and Cheetah, you were too fast and too strong for either one of them." He said, unable to hide the loving expression on his face.

"Nice touch in restraining them both by wrapping that streetlight pole around them, and swift move catching RJ before he hit the pavement," Green Lantern continued, as Vixen and Reverend Justice gave each other a discreet high five, smirking.

During the drill, as she was catching him, Vixen had said, "We have to stop meeting like this!" to which Reverend Justice had replied, "People might talk!" after which she put him down and they teamed up to face Giganta.

Mari and Joey had become good friends; they knew they could rely on each other in battle. They were also both Godparents of a wonderful young boy named Rex.

"A bit too much show-boating as you and RJ teamed up to take Giganta down though." Green Lantern continued.

"Spoil sport!" Vixen mumbled, giving Reverend Justice the giggles.

Green Lantern cleared his throat, giving Vixen a look that meant, "Please don’t wise crack me in front of the team baby!"

Aloud, he said, "Great team work nonetheless – RJ threw Giganta off balance with an electrified Quarter staff shot behind the knees, and your jumping kick to the chest knocked her flat on her back. And the crowning touch, you kept her pinned down summoning the power of the elephant from your Amulet, allowing RJ to stun her unconscious."

"You were like a well co-ordinated tag-team, Vanity Fair, couldn’t have done better." He added, smiling in spite of himself.

Vixen and Reverend Justice chuckled at that comment; the Reverend could not put his pro-Wrestling background behind him.

Green Lantern clenched his teeth; the following team member had been showing more and more signs of becoming a Prima Donna, convinced he could do no wrong. He drew in a deep breath before resuming his review.

"Orion, you took down Toyman and Sinestro quickly and decisively, taking care of the missile launcher, showing zero hesitation and straight to the point; however…in so doing you catapulted said missile launcher right smack into a building; not giving the civilians a second thought." Green Lantern said, trying to detect any emotion on Orion’s helmeted face.

Orion just looked back, expressionless.

"The rubble from that damaged building went tumbling down on innocent people, killing many and severely injuring the others." Green Lantern said, turning his attention to the monitor, reviewing that segment of the tape.

"I realise you have always been the pragmatist type, but you must keep in mind that we fight to protect the innocent. Had this been a genuine attack, the casualties would have included women, children, and elderly people, and the next words out of your mouth had better not be ‘collateral damage’". Green Lantern said, giving Orion a stern stare.

Orion met his stare with a bored expression. Green Lantern almost expected him to yawn.

"A pointless exercise in futility," Orion said. "You ask me to treat a holographic simulation as if it were real life, impose an inexperienced team upon me; with whom by the way, I will likely never team up with again, and then give me a hard time over treating this waste of my time too lightly? If you need me, I will be in my quarters."

He shook his head, and then got up and left, without official dismissal, leaving Green Lantern, Vixen, Stargirl and Reverend Justice staring back in shock.

"Can you believe that pompous jerk?" Stargirl said in disbelief, gape-mouthed and arms crossed.

"Don’t let him upset you child; calling him a pompous jerk would be an insult to all pompous jerks in the known Universe!" Vixen said; shaking her head, her lips pursed.

"What did you expect? He's an immortal warrior revered as a god by an entire civilisation that relied upon him for their protection, son of Darkseid and forever frustrated by that very fact, convinced of his own godliness, stuck in this world with mere mortals…" Reverend Justice said, shrugging.

"That’s as may be RJ," Green Lantern said, looking furious at Orion’s outburst. "But in this world he is no god. In this world, the rules apply to him as well. This outfit requires teamwork, the Justice League does not revolve around what Orion wants or feels is worthy of his time. We show solidarity towards one another or we don’t show at all."

Green Lantern stopped the playback and turned the lights back on.

"I’ll give him some time to chill, and then I’ll have a long chat with him. I just hope I won’t have to call a meeting of the founding members to impose disciplinary action on him. You’re dismissed, get some rest my friends!" He concluded, smiling again.

They got up to leave. Stargirl grabbed Reverend Justice by his trench coat’s sleeve and gave him a peck on the cheek. He looked at her, with a mixture of surprise and embarrassment on his face.

"What was that for?" Reverend Justice asked, unable to suppress a blush.

"Just my way of saying ‘thanks’, for being a team player and for saving my buns during the Efficiency Drill!" Stargirl said with a smile.

She walked away.

"Why Joey, you stud!" Green Lantern teased, grinning.

"Hello, hello, guess who has a little crush?" Vixen added, grinning.

"Good Lord I hope not!" Reverend Justice said, "The last thing I need is some girl half my age acting all goo-goo eyed towards me, Shayera would break both our necks!"

Green Lantern and Vixen laughed good-heartedly.

"She has a boyfriend Joey, I’m sure she was just being nice!" Vixen said, snickering, putting a hand on Reverend Justice’s shoulder. "And even if she did have a crush on you, only her neck would be on the line, not yours!"

"Thank the Good Lord for that Mari! I really want to see my next birthday! Blondie’s a sweet girl but I’m spoken for!" Reverend Justice said, nervously chuckling along.

They walked leisurely to the lounge area, where Hawkgirl said she would be waiting for Reverend Justice after she would have completed her Efficiency Drill Reviews.

Vixen frowned, lost in her own train of thought. "Then again I might have a little off-the-record chat with her, just in case she does have a crush on Joey. The last thing we need is strained relationships because of an out-of-control crush; Courtney’s young and can be a little headstrong…" Vixen thought.

"Say, are you guys still on for Jam night tonight? My brother’s been looking forward to seeing you both again!" Reverend Justice said.

"You bet, barring some emergency I wouldn’t miss it for the world bro!" Green Lantern said, putting an arm around Vixen's waist.

"Same here, it’s been a while since John and I were able to kick back and have some fun! Will you be performing?" Vixen asked, smiling, putting her arm around Green Lantern's back.

"Oh, I’m sure my brother will try and trick me into it again, with my loving girlfriend’s complicity!" Reverend Justice said, chuckling. "Only this time I’ll come prepared, I’ve been practising whenever my schedule allowed!"

"I hear you’re expecting quite the turnout?" Green Lantern said.

"Better believe it: the whole gang who attended Jam Night the last time has marked their calendars well in advance to be there tonight. Wally and Linda have confirmed they’re coming, in fact, Wally told me Linda is very excited at the prospect. Like the most of us, it's not often they get to go out and have some fun." Reverend Justice said, with a satisfied smile on his face.

"Bruce and Diana enjoyed Jam Night so much last time they talked Clark and Lois into coming, and I’m waiting for Ollie and Dinah to confirm – they’re on active duty right now, but they too were quite clear they'd absolutely love to come along, kick back and relax. I also invited coach, I mean Ted, but he said he didn’t want to stag it." Reverend Justice added.

"Yeah, that does sound like our Wildcat!" Green Lantern said, chuckling.

Wildcat was burying himself more and more into work these days, and used every excuse in the book to avoid social gatherings; pretty much in the same way Batman used to.

None of them realised Ted was struggling with midlife crisis. Losing himself in his work helped him carry on.

They turned the corner and took the hallway that led to the Lounge.

"It dawns on me you’ll be the only 'official' Justice Leaguers present, since my brother invited Green Lantern and Vixen rather than John Stewart and Mari Jiwe McCabe. Good thing it’s common knowledge among my family and friends that Joseph Luca has good friends within the Justice League. The rest of us will show up as civilians." Reverend Justice said, smiling at them.

"Looks like your sister-in-law-to-be Sadie, is going to make a lot of business tonight!" Vixen said.

"She makes good business, we get to chill; everybody wins!" Reverend Justice said.

They arrived at the lounge. Hawkgirl saw them and walked up to them, smiling. She put her arms around Reverend Justice and they kissed.

"Hi guys! How did your Efficiency Drill go, Preacher?" She asked.

"I’d say it was satisfactory." Reverend Justice said.

"Oh, he’s being far too modest, "Vixen said, smiling, "He handled Killer Frost and Star Sapphire like a seasoned vet and saved Stargirl's butt in the process; and then he helped me take Giganta down!"

Green Lantern nearly blurted, "And Stargirl’s gone all goo-goo eyed over him over it!" But elected to remain quiet. There was really no point in upsetting Shayera over what may turn out to be nothing but a minor crush.

Reverend Justice shrugged with a smirk on his face, saying, "And Vixen saved my butt from hitting the pavement before we handled Giganta!"

Hawkgirl kissed him again and smiled at Vixen. "Thanks for saving my man, Mari!" she said.

Vixen replied with a wink, "All in a day's work!"

They chuckled.

"Which reminds me, I need to have a talk with Orion about team work, solidarity amongst Leaguers and compassion for the innocent…this may take a while; see you in a bit baby?" Green Lantern said, looking at Vixen.

"Take your time John, Orion’s behaviour has become more and more arrogant. I’ll relax in the sauna. Shall we meet me at your place afterwards? We can get ready for Jam night!" Vixen said, smiling.

"Sounds like a plan!" Green Lantern said, kissing her.

Green Lantern left for Orion’s quarters while Vixen headed to the Gym to use the sauna, but then decided to make a small detour.

"I may be wrong, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. If Courtney were developing a crush on Joey, it would be best to discuss it now and make sure it doesn’t lead to disaster. Courtney’s a sweet girl, but she must realise Joey is head over heels in love with Shayera. And that Shayera is extremely over-protective of Joey, territorial even." Vixen thought, looking a bit worried as she made her way to the living quarters, looking for Stargirl.

Back in the Lounge, Reverend Justice and Hawkgirl were relaxing, chatting about their day.

"How about you Angel, how were the Efficiency Drills you supervised?" Reverend Justice asked, as they both sat on one of the couches. Hawkgirl smiled, and put a hand on his lap.

"It’s been a full week for sure, we founding members had to supervise and debrief so many teams that I’ve lost count!" She said, moving her hand off his lap to take off his hat and remove his mask so she could look in his eyes. He smiled back at her.

"There you are; there’s my Joey!" She said, caressing his cheek and ruffling his hair. His smile turned into an amused smirk.

"Honestly, no major surprises: members of established teams such as Fire and Ice, Stars and Stripes or Hawk and Dove are a bit awkward when separated from their usual team mates, but when public safety is on the line, they really step up to the plate." She said, now pulling his gloves off, stuffing them and the mask inside the hat.

"In my opinion, Vigilante and Shining Knight are among the most versatile members: you could team them up with any Leaguer and still have a cohesive unit. They’re like you: consummate team players." She added, putting his hat, mask, and gloves on the floor and then reaching for his hands.

"I’ve recommended Dr Light as a backup for J’onn and Mike for the roster assignments – they can use some time off. We all pitch in with monitoring chores and liaison at the Hall of Justice, but for roster supervision and co-ordination…J’onn and Mike can certainly use the help. Dr. Light has shown steady improvement since joining the League and has great organisational skills. She would be of great assistance in that respect." Shayera said, holding his hands. She pulled him a bit closer to her.

"Booster Gold and Elongated Man still come across as a pair of first-class buffoons. They’re kiss-ups and glory-hogs to the point of being obnoxious…but when they focus on the task at hand, they can be efficient and reliable." She said, slipping a wing behind his back, still pulling him closer to her by the hands. She smiled seductively, her face inches from his.

"We have such a great talent pool it’s a bit overwhelming, but then again it’s thanks to that talent pool we were able to spend time together on a Caribbean Cruise!" She kissed him, letting go of his hands and grabbing onto the lapels of his trench coat. He responded by gently putting his hands on her waist and kissing her back. They gasped a little.

"Agreed we shouldn’t forget our friend Bruce who got us on that Cruise in the first place!" She said, and they kissed some more, passionately, forgetting shortly where they were.

"Shall we reconvene at my place? Relax a bit, catch some dinner; casually get ready for Jam night…among other things!" He said, catching his breath, grinning.

"You’re bad!" She said, snickering, "and what pray tell, would those other things be?"

"Oh, let’s see… hot shower, soothing massage…" He said, jokingly counting on his fingers.

"Oh, those other things," She said with a nod, smiling teasingly. She stood up. "Sounds good to me…race you to the transport pads!"

She ran to the door, laughing, leaving him to pick up his gloves, mask and hat from the floor.

"Hey, wait a minute! That’s cheating!" He said, and ran trying to catch up with her. He finally did, near the lounge transport pads, also laughing. She put her arms around him, kissed him again, and helped him put his mask back on.

Aztec was turning the corner, making his way to the Lounge but stopped in his tracks when he noticed Hawkgirl and Reverend Justice flirting at the transport platform. He took a few steps back, giving them more privacy, repressing an urge to giggle.

"I love you Preacher!" She whispered in Reverend Justice’s ear.

"I love you too Angel!" He whispered back, putting his hat back on, and putting his gloves in a trench coat pocket.

As they dematerialised from the transport pads, Aztec walked towards the Lounge, smiling. "Indeed, Flash was not exaggerating, Shayera is so much happier these days; dating Joey is doing her good!" He thought.

Hawkgirl and Reverend Justice transported to Joey’s apartment and got undressed. They could have used the Jacuzzi, but there was something special about their shower ritual, something intimate. Using the Jacuzzi did not quite duplicate that same level of intimacy.

They showered, lathering each other up, kissing and caressing, and rinsing each other off.

"Oh, your wings are all soaked Shy, I wasn’t as careful as I should have rinsing your back!" Joey said.

"No worries Joey, it actually felt pretty nice! The feathers will dry quickly enough, just let me shake the water from my wings," Shayera said, shaking her wings and sending droplets of water all over the bathroom.

"Oops, I’m sorry Joey!" She said; looking at the water speckled mirror. Joey chuckled, wiping the mirror off with some paper towels.

"Will you massage my wings again?" She asked, "I never realised how nice it felt until you did it during the Cruise!"

"You only need to ask!" he said, kissing her. They went to the Master bedroom after towelling off. Shayera lay in bed on her stomach, smiling.

Using his fingertips, he proceeded the same way he did that very first time: small circular motions, starting from the top of her left wing and working his way down, letting her guide his touch.

She closed her eyes, feeling relief from the tension in her wings, with a blissful smile on her face. "Now there’s one healing method no Doctor on Thanagar ever thought of!" She thought.

He finished massaging her left wing and moved her mane of hair to the side to kiss the nape of her neck, making her moan. He continued massaging her: right wing, neck, shoulders, arms, hands, back, buttocks, legs and feet.

She inhaled deeply, smiling. "That was heavenly, Preacher!"

She snapped her fingers, grinning, pointing at the bed; indicating she wanted him to lie on his stomach. He chuckled and complied.

He let out a satisfied moan as her hands began kneading his trapezius, moving onto his shoulders, arms, hands, back, buttocks, legs and feet. When she was done, she flipped him on his side with ease.

"Good Lord she’s strong!" He thought, as she put her arms around him, hugging his back, kissing the nape of his neck.

He shivered. "Reverse spooning Miss Hol?" he asked.

She put her cheek against his left shoulder blade. In a soft voice, she said, "Do you mind if I’m the one doing the spooning?"

"Not at all, I like it…though I would also really like to kiss you right now!" He said.

She smiled and released her hug, allowing him to turn to face her, also smiling. They kissed…and made love.

They snuggled up, cherubic expressions on their faces.

"Five hours until Jam night," She said, "still plenty of time."

Joey chuckled. "Have you sneaked Curly Sue out of the apartment yet?" he asked with a wink.

"I resent that!" Shayera said in a mock hurt tone of voice. "Curly Sue’s in your guitar rack, right where you left her! I sneaked out your Variax this time!" She said, snickering.

"Why you sneaky little…" He said, grinning, grabbing her by the waist, and tickling her.

"Quit it!" She yelped, giggling, gingerly grabbing his wrists, minding her own strength. Their communicators chimed.

"Talk about good timing!" She said, still giggling.

They reached for their communicators. "Yes!" They answered in unison.

"Incoming emergency communication from Batman," Mr. Terrific said, "he needs to speak to you both."

"Sure Mike, patch him through!" Shayera said, leaning against Joey, smiling. He put his arm around her, and kissed her on top of the head.

Batman came on; the urgency in his voice had the effect of a block of ice in the pit of Joey’s stomach.

"RJ, Hawkgirl, I need you both in the Bat-Cave stat - Batgirl never came back from patrol last night, I’ll fill you in when you get here." Batman said.

"Copy that Batman, we’re on our way, Reverend Justice and Hawkgirl out." Joey replied.

They got up and changed back in their uniforms. He kissed her before stepping onto his apartment’s transport pad. She gave him a quizzical glance.

"Just in case, I have a feeling it’ll be a while until we can kiss again!" He said. She laughed.

They materialised in the Bat-Cave. Batman was sitting at the Bat Computer with his mask pulled back, Wonder Woman standing behind him, with her hands on his shoulders. Robin was lying on a cot, seemingly sleeping.

"Thank God you were fast," Batman said, with a worried look on his face. "Because of the League's Efficiency Drills, the Gotham Knights were short quite a few players: the both of you, Arrow, Canary and myself; Wonder Woman…but I figured Tim and Cassandra were experienced enough to handle last night’s patrols on their own."

"They are experienced enough Bruce, don’t forget it was a set-up; don’t blame them or yourself over this." Wonder Woman said. "Mr Batman still acts as if he doesn’t want to worry my pretty little head…but then again, I do understand how worried he is. Still, he should know by now he can count on me." She added, leaning over to kiss him, gently turning his face towards her.

She kissed him. He gave her a grateful smile.

"I apologise Princess, I didn’t want to interrupt your reviews until I was sure it was an emergency. As soon as I knew for sure I did ask for your help, didn’t I?" Batman said, putting a gloved hand on hers.

"As soon as I found out, I asked Wildcat to cover my reviews and joined him in the Bat-Cave." Wonder Woman said.

Batman cast a look towards Robin. "Poor Tim’s been worried sick; I had to sedate him so he could catch some sleep." He said.

"So what’s the scoop?" Hawkgirl asked.

"Chronologically: Batgirl stopped responding to Robin’s hails around 11:30 last night. He made it to her last known co-ordinates and found her communicator on the pavement, smashed to bits.

He immediately paged Oracle for police backup and the search began. A few hours later, Oracle had got reports that there had been a breakout at Arkham Asylum around 10:30 p.m. Only two inmates reported missing: The Joker and Harley Quinn; again.

Rather than reporting the breakout immediately to the police, the higher-ups at Arkham elected to first ‘assess the situation’." Batman said with a frown, each facial expression fully visible with his mask pulled back.

"Let me guess, they wanted to avoid a panic?" Reverend Justice said, shaking his head.

"Don’t they realise that if they had alerted the police right away, Batgirl would have returned home safely along with Robin? I’m assuming Joker and Harley are behind her disappearance?" Hawkgirl said.

Batman nodded. "After spending the night up trying to find and rescue his girlfriend; Robin finally paged me at the Watchtower in the middle of my first morning Efficiency Drill Review. The police searches were coming up blank and Robin was beginning to despair. I postponed my Reviews and asked Flash to fill in for me once he was done with his.

When I made it to the Bat-Cave, Robin was here, pacing, looking as pale as a ghost. I asked Alfred to pull out the cot and gave Robin a sedative so he could get some rest.

As Robin was lying down, I received a call from Commissioner Gordon: he had received a parcel to my attention. I immediately went to his office, to pick up said parcel. When I saw what the contents were, and who was involved; I paged Wonder Woman who joined me almost immediately." He looked up at her again, giving her another grateful smile. She returned his smile and gave his shoulders a gentle squeeze.

"And next I paged you both; as you will see you’re also concerned. The return address reads: Benito Alejandro Noriega de Escuelas, Arkham Asylum, Gotham City- not a known criminal, at least not at first glance... the contents of said parcel: Batgirl’s utility belt, a list of co-ordinates and this video tape." Batman said, pressing Play on the VHS player hooked up to the Bat-Computer.

They watched and saw Batgirl, tied to a chair and gagged, on the giant computer screen. Standing behind her was Harley Quinn, striking a pose like a Game Show Hostess. Joker came on screen, also very theatrically.

"Well, well, well, how the tables have turned and how the mighty have fallen! Let us see who we have here, shall we: Bat-brat! Got to give her credit Bats, she put up quite a fight, but she was severely outnumbered!" The Joker let out a blood-curdling laugh.

"Now here’s how this game is going to be played, Dark Klutzes: I want to face the Crazy Preacher who nearly threw me off a building, one on one, no help allowed. My secret collaborator, well, he wants you Batsey! You two dark-suited goons had better show up, and show up alone! Any shenanigans and the Preacher’s little sister gets it!" The Joker said, flashing his cold, sadistic grin as the video feed ended.

"That dim-witted buffoon actually thinks Batgirl’s my real sister?" Reverend Justice said, shaking his head, feeling a bit sick to his stomach.

Batman nodded. "I know you hate needles RJ, but you’re going to need this to face the Joker on your own," Batman said, pulling a syringe. "It’s the Smilex anti-toxin. That trick-flower on the Joker’s lapel changes frequently – it either contains acid or Smilex. I can bet you anything his new partner in crime supplied him with his old gadgetry, including the 10,000-volt joy-buzzer and the trick-flower. You know to avoid the acid stream from the trick-flower but once the Smilex is airborne, there is no ducking it."

"Just do it Bruce, shoot me up," Reverend Justice said, removing trench coat and gloves, and rolling up his sleeve. "I’m going to introduce that green-haired buffoon to my steel toe cap if I find out Cassandra was hurt."

Hawkgirl looked at Joey with pride as he rolled up his sleeve and took the shot, jaws clenched, without so much as a wince.

"Hawkgirl, I want you to Shadow RJ. Stay out of sight, but get in there if you see he’s outnumbered." Batman said.

"You got it; I’m not letting him out of my sight!" Hawkgirl said, putting a hand on Reverend Justice’s shoulder. Reverend Justice smiled at her as he rolled his sleeve back down.

"Princess, I need you to do the same: Shadow me. If my mystery opponent is who I think he is, I’m definitely going to need your backup." Batman said.

"Who do you suspect it is Bruce?" Wonder Woman asked.

"If my hunch is right – based on the name Benito Alejandro Noriega de Escuelas, and based on the damage done to Arkham Asylum…Bane. The man I’m about to face to save Cassandra’s life is Bane." Batman said.

"As in Bane, the steroid-boosted freak who nearly put you in a wheelchair, Bane?" Reverend Justice asked, looking worried, putting gloves and trench coat back on.

"The very same, which is why I’ll need your backup Princess!" Batman said.

"You got it tough guy, I’m not letting him hurt you!" Wonder Woman said. "Even if you do heal fast I’m not letting that creep hurt you!" She thought.

"The main issue is Cassandra," Batman said, "I seriously doubt she’s being held at either co-ordinates given to us. The first one of us to figure out her location advises Oracle immediately. Robin should come to in a few hours; I’d like to have some good news for him when he does."

The co-ordinates left for Batman led to the abandoned Varsity Stadium. The very same Stadium previously used by the Hypnos Consortium. This worked out fine, as there were plenty of places for Wonder Woman to Shadow Batman from the Bleachers, completely unnoticed.

Surprisingly, the co-ordinates left for Reverend Justice led to the Gotham Amusement Park. It was still open season and there would be a crowd, making that confrontation a bit trickier and a whole lot more dangerous. It would also make it that much harder for Hawkgirl to Shadow him.

Batman nodded. "You know what to do, let’s roll!" He said, putting his mask back on.

Batman drove to the old Varsity Stadium, knowing Wonder Woman was shadowing him from the sky. He parked and jumped the gate. He walked to the centre of the old football field and stood there. "Be ready to be jumped from behind," He thought.

"Bane, you want me, here I am! Come and get me steroids for brains!" Batman yelled.

Wonder Woman’s voice crackled in his communicator, "I don’t think it’s such a hot idea to antagonise him like that Bruce!" She said.

"Just wait for it!" he mumbled, smirking.

Surprisingly, Bane walked onto the field calmly, several metres away from Batman.

"You never fail to surprise me," Bane said; "I knew you’d figure me out sooner or later, but this fast? Bravo!"

"Benito Alejandro Noriega de Escuelas was a dead give-away," Batman said, "and very few people could have busted Joker and Harley out of Arkham so decisively."

"Then you know why I’m back old man," Bane said, "I want my honour restored!"

"I resent the old man comment!" Batman said, sounding dismissive, "besides you didn’t need to kidnap Batgirl to get my attention."

"Joker’s idea," Bane said, "he seeks revenge on that preacher character, and knew we’d get him involved if we kidnapped her, after all she’s family!"

Batman grinned, "You really should be more careful choosing your allies Bane, Reverend Justice refers to his congregation as ‘brothers and sisters’. Batgirl is no blood relative of his." He said.

"No matter, she is meaningless to me." Bane said with a shrug, "I’m here for this!" Bane reached for the trigger to his Venom pump. Before he knew it, a Bat Shuriken severed the tube linking the pump to his skull feed, Venom derivate spewing from the tube onto the field’s grass.

He looked at Batman in shock. "Very impressive indeed, your reflexes have actually improved since our last encounter," Bane said, "but it won’t help you. I don’t need Venom to crush an old man!"

"Oh he’s going to pay for that second old man comment!" Wonder Woman said in Batman’s communicator. He could picture the smirk on her face.

Bane walked towards Batman, clenching his fists. To his surprise, Batman was closing the gap between them, walking towards him, quite self-assured.

"I’ll give him credit, he never backs down!" Bane thought, feeling respect for his foe.

To Bane’s stupefaction, Batman was actually speeding up his pace, making him hesitate, and stop. "What does he have up his sleeve? I’m 3 inches taller, 100 pounds heavier; I’m a great deal stronger and younger…" Bane thought, feeling nervous.

Batman was now running towards him, and delivered a jumping sidekick to his chest that sent him reeling, knocking the wind out of him. His surprise was such at Batman’s bold move he never even attempted to parry or block.

Bane steadied himself, gasping for air, still trying to figure out what had just happened.

"Well sunshine? You wanted Batman, I’m right here. What’s the delay big boy? What were saying about wanting your honour restored? You were unable to beat me back then, even after wearing me down with the worst Arkham Asylum had to offer! Without your precious Venom, you’re nothing more than another muscle-bound klutz who should have stuck to bodybuilding!" Batman said, goading Bane.

Bane growled and threw a roundhouse punch that should have decapitated Batman, but only hit air as Batman ducked. Batman followed through with a spinning Enziguri kick to the back of Bane’s head, which brought the big man down face first.

"Project Gilgamesh indeed, could the Federales have picked a worse candidate for their experiments?" Batman said, frustrating Bane that much more. He could hear Wonder Woman snickering in the communicator.

From a distance, she looked on with a sense of pride: the man she loved was using his smarts to take the bigger man down, playing mind games, frustrating the larger, stronger opponent.

Bane screamed, "This is a deception! You cannot be him: you’re too agile, your reflexes are too sharp!" He reached in a pocket, pulling out a small transmitter. "Batgirl will pay for this treachery!"

Out of nowhere, Wonder Woman’s tiara knocked the transmitter out of Bane’s hand, just like a boomerang. Batman crushed the transmitter under his boot.

"No she isn’t," Wonder Woman said, putting her tiara back on grinning, "and yes he is, the genuine article; I can attest to that!"

"You brought backup! You were supposed to come alone!" Bane screamed. He managed to grab Batman by the cape and pulled him closer. He hoisted him overhead like a human-shaped barbell.

"Batman!" Wonder Woman screamed, nearly blurting out "Bruce", flying towards the centre of the field with her fists clenched, aiming at Bane’s midriff.

"I’ll finish you off for good this time!" Bane said; about to bring Batman down across his knee in the same way that had injured his back many years ago.

Before Bane even realised what was happening, Wonder Woman’s fists were hitting him square in the stomach as she flew towards him at double-speed.

"Not in this life time you’re not!" She screamed, with her teeth clenched.

He doubled over, dropping Batman right into Wonder Woman’s arms. She put him down, and Batman delivered the final blow to Bane in a right hook to the jaw.

In a mock tone of annoyance, Batman said, "Why’d you have to butt in for? I had things well under control!"

Not catching on right away, Wonder Woman crossed her arms, giving Batman an annoyed look.

"Well you’re so welcome, always a pleasure to save your sorry butt, I didn’t realise getting your back broken qualifies as having things well under control, and…and… and you’re pulling my leg aren’t you?" she said, noticing the grin on Batman’s face.

She gave him a gentle punch in the arm as he handcuffed Bane.

"All right Benito, or whatever your real name is, answers, now. Tell us where Batgirl is and you might come out of this with all limbs intact!" Batman said.

Bane spat at him.

"We’ll have none of that!" Wonder Woman said, putting the loop of her Magic Golden Lasso – the Lasso of Truth- around Bane.

Bane’s jaw dropped for a few moments as the Lasso took effect on him.

"Now Bane, tell us; where-is-Batgirl?" Wonder Woman asked, dryly.

"Safe, for now," Bane said in an absent voice. "Harley Quinn is guarding her in the basement of the old WGTV Studios along with two of Joker’s old hired hands – Punch and Jody. Quite unnecessary really: we had no intentions of keeping her alive anyway. With Gotham free of Batman, Batgirl and Reverend Justice, I would have become the King of Gotham City’s underworld…after disposing of the trash that is Joker and his entourage…a means to an end is all, Robin alone would have been no match for me."

"What a monster!" Wonder Woman said, looking disgusted.

"You don’t know half of it!" Batman said. "Batman to Oracle, page the rest of the team – Batgirl is being held captive in the basement of the old WGTV Studios. She is under heavy guard, so no hasty moves. Also, please advise Commissioner Gordon we have a 300 lbs. oaf for his men to pick up at the old Varsity Stadium, Batman out."

Batman cast a disgusted look at Bane.

"By the way Benito, you’re the one who would have been no match for Robin. Even without Batgirl, the Reverend or me around, Robin has your number, and you can bet your bottom dollar Young Justice would have stepped in to help, as would have the Justice League and the Titans. Have you ever considered the consequences of our actions?" Batman said, looking at Bane with spite.

"Our deaths would have made you a marked man. Think I’m a challenge? Try facing a bunch of pissed-off Justice Leaguers, Young Justice Members and Titans seeking revenge for their slain friends." Batman said.

Wonder Woman cast Bane a disdainful look. Indeed, killing Batman, Batgirl and Reverend Justice would have had dire consequences. In fact, Wonder Woman would have wanted to beat the tar out of Bane’s hide herself, while Hawkgirl would have warned all other crime fighters that she wanted Joker for herself, so she could rip his head off with her bare hands.

He pulled a syringe from his utility belt and gave Bane a shot of sedative in the arm.

"I know the Bat-cuffs won’t hold him for long, but the cuffs and a strong sedative will keep him put until the police shows up. Let’s go Princess." Batman said, putting an arm around her shoulders as she recuperated her Lasso.

She smirked at the public gesture of affection and responded by putting her arm around his waist. Bane was out cold and could not see them anyway. They walked to the Bat mobile.

At about the same time Batman and Wonder Woman had arrived at the Varsity Stadium, Reverend Justice was walking through a crowd of curious onlookers at the Gotham Amusement Park.

"Got to love precise co-ordinates, "He mumbled in his communicator, "this is a big amusement park and there’s a crowd of people."

"No sign of anyone with green hair or a purple suit from up here Preacher, keep on looking, I have your back!" Hawkgirl said.

"Thanks Angel, I…" Reverend Justice’s attention was distracted by a clown selling balloons, "I’m getting paranoid – this dude’s too short and has the wrong body type!" He said in a low voice, for Hawkgirl only to hear through the communicators.

"Don’t sweat it," She said, "I know how worried you are, Preacher, and I confess; so am I. Cass is a sweet girl, I like her a lot. And I feel for poor Tim and Bruce."

Before he could reply to her, the Amusement Park’s public address system crackled, a familiar sadistic voice spoke up.

"Your attention please, the crazy preacher’s presence is requested immediately at the House of Mirrors, it is urgent, so don’t delay! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!"

Reverend Justice ran towards the House of Mirrors.

"Did you get that?" He asked Hawkgirl through the communicators.

"I did, I still have your back, but please be careful: monitoring you from in there will be pretty tricky." Hawkgirl replied.

"Roger that Angel, I’ll be careful, and I'll try to keep my temper in check!" He said.

"And I’ll be busting in there sending mirror shards flying if anything happens to you, stay in constant communicator contact!" She replied, her voice betraying the worry she felt.

"Will do, love you too mon ange, I promise I’ll be careful!" He said, with a smirk on his lips.

He got to the entrance of the House of Mirrors. Park Security had cordoned it off to the public but looked as if they were expecting him. The Security officer in charge looked at him apologetically.

"Reverend, thank God you're here! He said he’d kill Batgirl if we called the police, threatened to put a permanent smile on my face if we didn’t play ball…" the officer said

.

"No worries brother. He wants me, here I am, and I’m going to make him regret he ever laid his slimy mitts on Batgirl." Reverend Justice said, looking furious. "At least I know it’s the Smilex trick-flower. God please help me keep my self-restraint when I put my hands on him!" He thought.

From the sky, Hawkgirl circled the House of Mirrors. "Joey knows what he’s doing, I musn’t go all mother-hen on him…I need a better observation point though." She thought, fighting the sense of worry in the pit of her stomach.

She spotted the ride adjacent to the House of Mirrors and smirked. "Perfect!" She swooped down and landed on the roof of that ride, the Little House of Horrors.

Reverend Justice crossed the cordon and entered the House of Mirrors, letting the progressive vision of his mask adjust. "Better yet…" he thought, flipping a small switch at the top of his mask, switching to infrared mode, to detect Joker’s body heat signature.

"In position and beginning search Angel." Reverend Justice said in a low voice.

"Roger that Preacher, I’m right next door to you if you need my assistance. Just holler!" Hawkgirl replied.

Reverend Justice grinned in spite of the circumstances, "Oh you know I w…" Reverend Justice said, unable to end his sentence.

Strong stroboscopes began flashing; the Joker’s laughter filled the House of Mirrors.

"Getting a splitting headache yet, Your Holiness, or perhaps a seizure? I figured the House of Mirrors bit was growing rather stale; I’ve been through it with Bats and Bird Boy way too many times. So many broken mirrors, so many years of bad luck…so I decided to add a light show and refresh the routine! Enjoy!" The Joker said, concluding with a demented laugh.

Reverend Justice’s mask took a few seconds to adapt to the strobe, and finally picked up the Joker’s body heat signature. He moved forward; keeping his arms outstretched in front of him to make certain he did not hit a mirror face first.

"Oh how very heroic! The valiant preacher still makes his way towards his foe in spite of the confusion caused by the blinking lights and the mirrors! How about we add a little fog, to make things even more interesting?" The Joker said.

"If Batgirl’s life wasn’t on the line I’d rip the ugly grin off his face and show it to him!" Hawkgirl said in the communicator, sounding livid.

"Only if you promise to leave me some Angel," Reverend Justice replied in a low voice, as fog machines began pumping dry ice smoke in the House of Mirrors. "I’m just thankful this is actual dry ice fog and not laughing gas!"

"Talking to yourself there, Reverend? Having a Don Camillo moment talking aloud to The Good Lord, are you?" And they put me in an Asylum!" The Joker interjected, once more laughing maniacally.

Reverend Justice yelled, "Is that the best you can do paste face? You’re just delaying the inevitable, just come out already so we can get this over with!"

His gaze settled on a wall a few metres to his left. He smiled. "Almost got him, he’s right behind this panel, where the control booth is." Reverend Justice thought, with a smirk.

"The only inevitable thing is your demise, along with your little sister’s!" Joker said, as Reverend Justice leaned against the panel separating them, to test its solidity.

Reverend Justice smiled. "The support beam is right here, one good kick and I'll ring his scrawny neck in no time!" He thought, taking a step back.

"You’re a bigger dimwit than you let on Joker, Batgirl’s not related to me at all. She only calls me ‘big brother’ because when I preach, I refer to her as ‘Sister Batgirl’! And as far as demise goes…" Reverend Justice said, kicking the drywall panel right at the support beam, letting out a loud battle cry, a kick that would have made his old Sensei proud.

Joker let out a startled scream as pieces of drywall rained on him.

"You, b-but how did you find me so fast? You didn’t make it to the exploding floor panels or the flying glass shards! You…" Joker said, unable to finish his sentence as Reverend Justice punched him in the face, breaking his nose, the red blood in sharp contrast with Joker’s pasty discoloured face.

"Exploding floor panel? Flying glass shards? That grinning snake in the grass, if I lay my hands on him Preacher, I’ll..." Hawkgirl said in the communicator, fuming.

Teeth clenched, Reverend Justice grabbed the Joker by the collar and kicked the control booth door open, letting daylight in. He dragged the Joker by the collar through the door and threw him down the stairs. He caught up with him at the bottom of the stairs and picked him off the ground by the jacket lapels.

"Party's over Jack, time to pay the piper!" Reverend Justice said, in a cold, low voice.

From the roof of the Little House of Horrors, Hawkgirl observed Reverend Justice handle the Joker. She grinned, seeing how much Joey had progressed since joining the Justice League.

"Speak up spinach top; I’m in no mood for mind games, and I know my sermons are lost on you so let’s cut to the chase, where’s Batgirl?" Reverend Justice said, furious.

The Joker stood the best he could, his legs feeling like rubber. "That’s for me to know and for you to find out, Alter boy!" he said, grinning in spite of his bloody nose.

Green mist came out of Joker’s trick-flower covering Reverend Justice’s face. The Joker laughed, but soon stopped, tilting his head sideways in confusion: it was not working, the Crazy Preacher was still holding onto him by the lapels of his jacket with an iron grip.

"Eh? W-what gives? I formulated this batch myself! You should be agonising slowly with a permanent grin etched on your face, choking on your own saliva!" Joker said, puzzled.

"I'll get you yet!" Joker said, putting his right hand on Reverend Justice’s shoulder, using his electric joy buzzer. Once again with little effect, other than that the Reverend’s facial expression had gone from furious to livid.

"W-what’s going on? You can’t be human! Nothing hurts you! You…" Joker‘s rant was interrupted as Reverend Justice was now using his one-handed choke hold, slipping two fingers down Joker’s collar and jamming his thumb right under his Adam’s apple.

"Insulating suit and I’m immune against your Smilex you bumbling buffoon!" Reverend Justice thought, repressing a grin.

"Get this through your thick skull, Jackie-boy, I-can’t-be-killed!" he said aloud.

"Over here!" a kid yelled, "Reverend Justice is kicking the Joker’s butt!" A small crowd gathered around, cheering him on.

"Aw great, all I need now is an audience!" He said, more for Hawkgirl’s benefit than anything else.

"I see them Preacher, I’ll get park security involved." She replied.

"What’s the matter choir boy; don’t have the backbone to rough me up in front of the young ones?" Joker said in a rough voice, grinning in spite of the chokehold.

"Please, I enjoy the crowd appreciation!" Reverend Justice said, raising his right fist, threatening to punch him in the face again.

The Joker squirmed in terror at the Crazy Preacher who was once again threatening his life.

"I’ve paged park Security Preacher," Hawkgirl said in the communicator, "They’ll clear the crowd in a few moments." He nodded, taking his gaze away from the Joker ever so briefly, watching security clear the crowd.

Joker took advantage of the crazy preacher's moment of distraction; pulling a small transmitter from under his lapel. From the corner of his eye, Reverend Justice saw the transmitter in Joker's hand. He unclenched his right fist, swatted the transmitter from Joker’s hand, and crushed it under his boot.

"Don’t get any ideas; you ain't getting in touch with your goons to tell them to hurt Batgirl, not on my watch. Now where is she?" Reverend Justice barked.

"I’ll never tell! Kill me if you like, she’ll die too! Come on badass, I see I can’t hurt you, but I’m no good to you dead! Are you willing to risk that innocent child’s life by putting an end to my misery? Go ahead, I dare you!" Joker said, in a maniacal voice, grinning in spite of his bloody nose and the chokehold Reverend Justice had on him.

"Oracle to Reverend Justice and Hawkgirl do you copy?" Oracle's voice chimed, "Batman and Wonder Woman have located Batgirl, neutralise the Joker and converge at the old WGTV Studios building."

Reverend Justice’s expression changed from angry to pleased, and smiled a grin that even a dose of Smilex could not have produced, chilling the Joker’s blood.

"Check mate chalk-face, time to go back to Arkham!" he said, throwing the Joker flat on his face and handcuffing him.

"Roger that Oracle; and we’ll need a one one-way ticket to Arkham Asylum for one bruised up clown please? The fuzz can pick him up near the side entrance of the House of Mirrors at the Gotham Amusement Park!" He said to Oracle through his communicator.

Oracle snickered in the communicators. "Roger that RJ, ‘fuzz’ is on the way!" She said.

"Oh, and request the bomb squad too, Joker booby trapped the House of Mirrors, he mentioned an exploding floor panel and flying glass shards before I began pummelling him." Reverend Justice said.

"Understood, I’m paging them right now. Good work Joey!" Oracle said, indulging in calling Reverend Justice by his first name.

Hawkgirl swooped down from the roof of the House of Horrors, landing a few feet from him. "Very well done Preacher, need a lift to the WGTV Studios?" She asked, with a smirk on her face.

"It’s always a pleasure to fly in my Angel’s arms!" Reverend Justice said, grinning, taking his hat off.

She put her arms around his chest and they flew. He enabled his n’th metal belt to reduce his apparent weight and allow her to fly faster. She gave him a discreet kiss on the nape of his neck.

"Oracle to all parties, Alfred just paged me, he went to the Bat-Cave to check up on Robin, he was gone and so was the Redbird. Robin may have intercepted the communiqué containing Batgirl’s whereabouts, and may be en route to save his girlfriend. He isn’t responding to hails, either his communicator’s switched off or he’s ignoring me," Oracle said.

"Understood," Batman said, clenching his teeth, "We’re going to hurry and make sure we get there first."

"We’re flying there ourselves Batman, we’ll make sure he doesn’t bust in there with his eyes closed – or at least blinded by revenge." Hawkgirl said.

"Robin is still likely under the effect of the sedative I gave him – I just hope he doesn’t get into a motorcycle accident trying to save his girlfriend." Batman said.

Yawning but fully awake as his anger and worry warded off the effects of the sedative Batman had given him, Robin was riding the Redbird at top speed, heading towards the old WGTV studios.

"I’m coming Cassandra, Batman wants me to rest up from the sleepless night I just had, but I can’t sleep, my place is with you!" Robin thought, pulling up to the curb near the old studios, removing his helmet.

"Batman paging Robin, do you copy? Robin, answer me damn you!" Batman’s voice crackled in his communicator.

Robin sighed. He had ignored all hails from Oracle, but ignoring Batman might have dire repercussions, such as having all of his gear confiscated, and facing suspension.

"Robin here Batman, I’m fully awake, and I couldn’t stand on the sidelines, not when she needs me." Robin said.

"You stubborn…I really do rub-off on people!" Batman replied, prompting Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl and Reverend Justice to giggle silently. "Where are you Robin? You’re in no condition to drive that motorcycle; you might get into an accident!" Batman said.

"No accidents Batman, I’m already parked in front of the WGTV Studios’ front entrance." Robin said.

Batman shook his head, smiling in spite of himself at Robin’s determination. "All right then, please do me a favour and wait for us there? Any hasty moves on our part and Batgirl might be hurt, or killed. We need to use our smarts to get her out of harm’s way." Batman said.

Robin’s stomach turned, his feet felt as if they were encased in ice. "No, please God, not my Cassandra!" He thought, before saying, "Roger that Batman, I’ll stay put until you all get here…but please hurry!"

"Wonder Woman and I are right around the corner Robin." Batman said.

"Ditto here little brother, Hawkgirl and I are flying right over!" Reverend Justice said.

The Bat-mobile pulled over next to the Redbird barely a minute later. Batman and Wonder Woman joined Robin. Not much longer after that, Hawkgirl landed near them with Reverend Justice in her arms, her mace dangling from the strap around her wrist.

"So what’s the plan?" Robin asked Batman.

"As far as the rest of Joker’s crew is concerned, RJ and I are ghosts, and Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl are still in the Watchtower oblivious to all of this. The order from Bane or Joker to terminate Batgirl is not going to happen, so we must use this to our advantage." Batman said, pensively.

"We need to finesse our way in there, and I think I have an idea! " Reverend Justice said, smiling, activating his communicator.

"Reverend Justice to Watchtower, come in? Yeah, Mr Terrific, this’ll sound off-the-wall, but do we have some generic custodian uniforms laying about somewhere in one of the Watchtowers?"

All eyes looked at him as if he had taken leave of his senses, but soon enough, Batman smiled.

"Punch, Jody or Harley Quinn won’t be as trigger happy if maintenance engineers lurk about in the building, good thinking RJ!" Batman said.

Reverend Justice’s communicator chimed, "Mr. Terrific to Reverend Justice, two uniforms located …and one Leaguer has insisted to bring them in person; transporting to your co-ordinates…now!" Mr Terrific said.

They looked in disbelief as Orion materialised before them, wearing one of the custodian uniforms, his ever present helmet left in his quarters. He smiled.

"Green Lantern had a long talk with me, saying I lack team spirit and compassion. According to him, I show no sign of solidarity towards my team-mates. I wanted to prove him wrong. The rogues holding Batgirl captive have never seen my face before, which makes me a logical choice." He said, with a subtle smile on his lips.

Batman nodded. Looking at Wonder Woman, he said, "Princess, since you’re the only one not wearing a helmet or a mask, would you like to do the honours?"

She grinned and took the second uniform from Orion. With Hawkgirl’s help, she put the uniform on top of her Wonder Woman suit, tucking up her long hair under the custodian’s cap, pulling it down to hide her tiara.

The suit looked many sizes too big on her, and her red boots stuck out from the uniform’s legs, but at first glance, no one would be the wiser. Batman could not repress a smile looking at her.

"Now remember Orion, Wonder Woman’s the senior member of that team, what she says goes while you’re both in there." Batman said.

Orion nodded.

"Just distract them away from Batgirl for long enough to allow the rest of us to come in and untie her…then we can wail away on Punch and Jody." Batman said, with a smirk.

"Good, some action for us!" Hawkgirl said, the rest of the team chuckling along.

"Just leave Harley Quinn for Batgirl," Robin said, "I have a hunch she’ll have a personal score to settle with her!"

Batman put a hand on Robin’s shoulder giving it a gentle squeeze.

"We’ll get her out of there alive and well and still make it on time for the first set at Sadie’s." He said, trying to put on a comforting smile.

Robin nodded.

Wonder Woman and Orion entered through the front door. They disappeared from view. After a few minutes that felt like hours, their communicators chimed.

"Wonder Woman to Batman, my enhanced hearing picks up a few more voices other than Harley Quinn’s Punch or Jody’s - not that they ever speak much – two other men, strong Latin accent." Wonder Woman said.

"So Bane didn’t lie to us but he did withhold some information." Batman said.

"The Lasso won’t force confessions unfortunately," Wonder Woman said.

"No worries Princess, if you or Orion could cause a commotion to flush out some of our goons, we could make our way inside ourselves." Batman said.

"One commotion coming up," Orion said, triggering the fire alarm, and in so doing unlocking the building’s fire escapes.

Batman smiled. "Good thinking Orion! Hawkgirl and RJ, you take the east fire escape and make your way to the basement. Robin with me, we take the west fire escape. Any goon coming our way must be dealt with quietly." He said.

They nodded and ran to their respective entrances.

Entering the building, Hawkgirl and the Reverend had to slow down to allow the progressive vision of his mask to adjust, as the lights were out. Smashed light bulbs were dangling from the light fixtures.

"They did their homework and made sure we’d stumble all over ourselves if we attempted a rescue." Hawkgirl said.

"Hold onto my arm Shy, this stairwell leads to the basement and I wouldn’t want you to miss a step and break your neck." He said, offering her his arm.

He felt her grip tighten on his arm to the point of soreness as they proceeded towards the basement.

"Easy Shy, easy," he whispered, gently tapping her hand with his gloved hand.

"Sorry Preacher…I’m just a bit claustrophobic…I get anxious in tight quarters." She said in a low voice.

"Angel, why didn’t you tell me before?" Reverend Justice said in a low, comforting voice, putting his hands on her shoulders. "This will sound like a silly trick, but close your eyes – it’s dark, so it doesn’t matter. Let me guide your steps. Visualise yourself outside; there are no walls, no ceiling, just a dark moonless sky, and me guiding you through the darkness with my mask. Breathe deeply and slowly. You’re okay baby. You’re okay."

Her breathing settled and she relaxed. Reverend Justice smiled.

"Thanks Preacher, I feel better now!" Hawkgirl said. He could see the relieved look on her face thanks to the progressive vision of his mask. Unable to resist, he kissed her.

"You’re bad, we’re on duty!" Hawkgirl said, now smiling, eyes still closed.

"Forgive me, I couldn’t help myself!" Reverend Justice said giving her a loving look. She snickered. He gave her his arm again and they proceeded in the darkened corridors.

Their communicators chimed, "Wonder Woman to team, Punch has been found and neutralised." Wonder Woman said.

"Orion to team, Jody has been found and neutralised as well." Orion said, seconds later.

"Great work team, Robin and I are attempting to locate the studio in which Batgirl is being held." Batman said.

"Same here," Hawkgirl chimed in, "Preacher had to snap me out of a small anxiety attack but I’m thinking clearly now."

"Wait up," Reverend Justice said in his communicator, in a low voice, "I think I’ve spotted one of the extra hired hands Wonder Woman detected earlier."

To Hawkgirl’s attention, he said, "You can open your eyes now Angel, there’s a bit of light here, and the quarters are larger than they look."

She opened her eyes. Still hidden by the corridor’s darkness, they remained unseen from the gunman guarding the door.

"Caucasian male, approximately 5’10", machine gun," Hawkgirl described in a whisper, keeping her focus on the gunman.

"Likely awaiting Punch and Jody’s return" Batman said. The fire alarm stopped. "And he’s likely to become antsy if they don’t come back soon."

"I’ll buy us some time," Hawkgirl whispered, removing her helmet and quietly putting her mace on the floor. She removed her boots for good measure and rolled up her tights to the knee. "May I borrow your trench coat?" She whispered in Reverend Justice's ear.

He nodded and removed his trench coat as she retracted her wings. She winked at him and put his trench coat on. She hid her mace under the trench coat, keeping it closed with her other hand. The illusion was complete: she looked naked under the long, dark coat.

She then walked into the light towards the gunman.

"¿Qué passa?" He said, noticing her, pointing his machine gun at her.

"Now then, you’re not going to shoot little old me now are you?" She said in a seductive voice, putting on a charming Southern accent. Reverend Justice looked at her in genuine amazement. "Good God she is good!" He thought, grinning.

"After all, all I’m wearing is this little old trench coat here … and I’m feeling mighty cold!" She said getting closer to the gunman who looked at her gape mouthed, pointing the machine-gun down.

"And I’d really, really like a strong man’s arms around me to keep me nice and warm!" She said, now face to face with the gunman. Disbelieving his own good fortune, the gunman opened his arms, ready to embrace the pretty redhead.

In a move to quick for the eye to register, Hawkgirl removed her n’th metal mace from under the trench coat and knocked the gunman out quietly, using an energy jolt from the mace.

Reverend Justice joined her, smiling, carrying her helmet and boots.

"And that strong man’s right here!" She said, grinning, looking at Reverend Justice. He put his trench coat back on as she put her boots and helmet back on. She gave him a discreet kiss and deployed her wings.

"Reverend Justice to team, gunman neutralised, we may have located the room where Batgirl is being held." He said.

"We’re right around the corner RJ, wait for us." Batman said.

"As are we, you might need us again as a distraction to get to Batgirl," Wonder Woman said.

"Roger that, we’re awaiting your arrival." Reverend Justice said.

They dragged the unconscious gunman away from the door and handcuffed him.

"I didn’t realise you sounded this good as a Southern Belle!" He said in a low voice.

"Why thank you so kindly Reverend, I do so try my best!" Hawkgirl replied, still using the same voice, batting her eyelids in a silly way. He chuckled, and resisted the urge to kiss her again.

A few moments later, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman and Orion joined them.

"Now if we could just eves-drop on them…" Batman said, reaching for his utility belt.

"Allow me!" Wonder Woman said, putting a hand on Batman’s arm, with a smirk on her face. She put her ear close to the door and concentrated.

She recognised Harley Quinn’s voice.

"I don’t like this Diego, neither Mister J or Bane have given us the signal yet, Punch and Jody are taking awfully long to come back from shutting off that fire alarm …I’m getting a bad vibe Diego, are you sure your brother can handle any intruders?" Harley asked.

"Quite sure Señorita Quinn, Paco could hit a fly at 20 metres. Perhaps you should call el Joker or mi patrón?" Diego replied.

"No Diego, as much as I would like to, Mister J was quite clear: no calls out, they could give away our location. And we don’t touch her until we know for sure that Batman and the crazy Preacher have been dealt with. I’m sure they’re both goners, but better safe than sorry. If we do anything to her and the Gotham Knights are still alive; none of us might make it to prison in one piece." Harley said.

Wonder Woman turned to Batman. "Do you know any Spanish?" she asked him in a low voice.

"I do, why do you ask?" Batman said.

She smiled. "Just trust me, yell ‘Diego help me!’ in Spanish and get ready to neutralise the second gunman, you stand here by the door with RJ and the rest of us will keep out of sight!" She said, grinning.

They cleared the doorway and Batman screamed "¡Diego, ayudame!"

They all heard the sound of feet stomping towards the door, which swung open. The second gunman came out, brandishing his machine gun.

"¿Paco, Paco que pasa hermano?" The second gunman, Diego, yelled back.

The door swung shut behind him. Confused, Diego turned around looking for his brother. He instead came face to face with Batman who had stepped behind him. Too shocked to react he turned around and saw Reverend Justice; also alive and well.

In a shaky voice, he said "¡Fantasmas!" and ran away in the direction opposite where the rest of the team was hiding, dropping his machine gun to the ground.

"Let me guess," Reverend Justice said looking at Batman, chuckling, "He thinks we’re ghosts?"

"That’s the just of it, yes!" Batman said, grinning.

Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, Robin and Orion came out of the darkened corridor, quietly laughing. Wonder Woman and Orion were now wearing their regular uniforms.

Looking at Robin, Batman said, "We have your back Robin, you’ve handled Harley Quinn before, and I don’t think the sedative I gave you is an issue any longer, but you know she can be as treacherous as the Joker. Go ahead, save your girlfriend but keep your guard up!"

Robin smiled and nodded. For good measure, Robin opened the door but stayed out of sight.

"Well then?" Harley Quinn said, "What’s the hubbub with your brother Diego?"

"Paco was the victim of his own passions, and Diego ran to the closest psychiatrist – he’s been seeing ghosts!" Robin said, stepping in the room, an old soundproofed voice-over studio.

Batgirl nodded, recognizing her boyfriend. In spite of the dim light and the gag on her face, Robin could have sworn she was smiling.

"YOU, how did you manage to pull this off on your own, bird boy?" Harley said, gape mouthed. Robin noticed she was unarmed. From the corner of his eye, he saw a Smith and Wesson semi-automatic sitting on the edge of the old mixing console.

With his reflexes seemingly unaffected by the sedative Batman had given him several hours earlier, Robin threw one of his R-shaped Shuriken at the gun, pinning it quite solidly to the console.

Harley Quinn’s expression went from shocked, to frightened.

"As far as Punch and Jody go, they came across some of my associates and are being shipped back to Gotham Maximum Security Prison." Robin said, taking a step towards Harley, who took a cautionary step back.

"Your precious ‘Mister J’ collapsed to an opponent who can’t be killed and is sitting in his old padded cell as we speak." Robin said, taking another step closer.

"You’re lying!" Harley Quinn shrieked, still backing away from Robin.

"Am I, really? As far as Bane goes, he learned the hard way not to under-estimate the Dark Knight. Unless I’m mistaking, he’s sitting in the cell adjacent to Punch and Jody’s right now." Robin continued, a few feet away from Harley, whose back was now against the wall, nervously grasping at the sound dampening curtain behind her.

She dropped to her knees. "You wouldn’t hurt a girl would you?" Harley stammered, looking flustered, "I was only following Mister J’s orders, and you know what would happen to me if I didn’t follow his instructions!"

"You had so many chances to leave that bastard yet you keep coming back to him! He cheated you, hurt you, humiliated you, but you just keep coming back because you ‘just so love him’!" Robin said, sounding angry.

"Just come along quietly and you won’t get hurt, face down arms sprawled Harley." Robin said, pulling a set of handcuffs from his utility belt. Harley slumped forward theatrically, seemingly crying. Robin shook his head in disgust.

As Robin reached for her left wrist, Harley Quinn grabbed onto him, pulling down with her left hand. Taking advantage of Robin being off balance, she delivered a low blow with her right hand, knowing that even if he did wear a protective cup, the compression would cause enough pain to debilitate him, enough perhaps to allow her to get away.

He was indeed wearing one, as she felt a bolt of pain shooting through her hand, which made her wince.

Robin let out a loud grunt of mixed surprise and pain, dropping the handcuffs to the floor, catching his balance on the adjacent wall. "Great rescue Drake, if the rest of the team wasn’t there, Harley would be getting away Scot free!" Robin thought, frustrated. He looked at Batgirl and proceeded to untie her.

Harley bolted towards the door and stopped in her tracks. She stared at the door in shock - Batman and Reverend Justice were indeed still alive and well, accompanied by Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, and a big muscular man she had never seen before- Orion.

"Okay, okay, I give!" Harley Quinn said, raising her hands.

While Harley Quinn fully realized she was heading back to Arkham, Robin had untied Batgirl and removed her gag. Batgirl hugged Robin, and whispered in his ear, "You came to save me boyfriend, I love you!" and kissed him.

She then walked up to Harley Quinn, tapping her on the shoulder.

Harley said "Aw, not again!" knowing what was coming next. She turned around and her chin connected with Batgirl’s knuckles. Harley Quinn collapsed to the floor.

Batgirl looked at her rescuers, looking embarrassed. "Thank you everybody," Batgirl said, "I was so stupid, walked right into trap…put Batman in Big Brother in danger!"

"Don’t beat yourself up," Batman said, "You were outnumbered and fooled into said trap by two of the greatest criminal minds on Earth. It could have as easily been Robin, or me or RJ falling into that trap. And we still would have all banded together for the rescue no matter what. We stick together Batgirl. We’re just all relieved you’re safe!"

Batgirl smiled and gave Batman, Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, Reverend Justice and Orion each a hug, thanking them all. Orion’s expression was a bit embarrassed, feeling humbled by her embrace. She then put her arms back around Robin.

"Why something like this always happen before Jam night?" Batgirl said, looking at Robin, prompting them all to chuckle.

"This time we have plenty of time to make it for the first set Little Sister!" Reverend Justice said. "And we’ll have quite a crowd too! Orion, you are welcome to join us!"

"I am honored Reverend. I take everything I said in the Watchtower’s Auditorium back; the Efficiency Drills are a necessity: they allowed me to gel with the rest of you and save this fine young woman’s life. Furthermore, I regret referring to you as inexperienced, Reverend, I know better now. I am honored, humbled, and accept your invitation!" Orion said.

Their communicators chimed. "Oracle to team, great work! Officers Yin and Morales just picked up one Diego Garcia a few blocks away from the WGTV Studios – he actually called the police to come pick him up claiming the ghosts of Batman and Reverend Justice were after him!" She said.

Everyone laughed.

"Incidentally Oracle, Diego’s brother Paco is still in the WGTV Studio’s basement, handcuffed to Harley Quinn. If Officers Yin and Morales are still in the area could they turn around and make another pickup?" Batman said.

"I’ll page them right away, see you all later at Sadie’s – I’m going with you guys. With or without Jean-René and on 5 hours’ sleep; I’m going. Could Tim and Cass pick me up?" Oracle said.

"You got it Oracle," Robin replied, giggling, "see you in a bit!"

They left the studios, smiling.

"You’ll need the club’s coordinates Orion," Reverend Justice said. "I don’t think you speak any French but that shouldn’t be an issue as the staff is fully bilingual – plenty of business coming up north from the States."

"Let me handle that part RJ," Batman said, with a smirk on his face. "We’ll also find some civilian duds for our friend Orion. Your brother is expecting to see Green Lantern and Vixen; thus John and Mari will show up dressed as such; but if we were all to show up under our "hero" identities people would start asking questions!"

"Cool then, everybody has the coordinates and rides to Sinful Sadie’s so; see you all at 8 p.m. for the first set!" Reverend Justice said putting an arm around Hawkgirl’s shoulders, who responded by putting her arm around his waist, smiling.

"Just be sure to specify you’re with the Luca party – the bouncers shouldn’t give you any hassles but give Preacher a buzz on his cell if they do, we’ll come to straighten things out personally!" Hawkgirl said, with a grin.

They all went home to change and get ready. Orion joined Batman and Wonder Woman to the Bat-Cave for a change of clothes so he could blend in.

Their first stop was the locker-room section of the Bat-Cave, where Batman once again became Bruce Wayne, changing into slacks and a short-sleeved shirt.

Wonder Woman spun a few turns, magically changing into the clothes she wore before leaving for the Efficiency Drill reviews earlier that morning: this time a white tracksuit with red trim, and a blue spandex top with matching sneakers.

"You will have to teach me how you do that Princess; it would save me so much time!" Bruce said with a wink.

"Well then, perhaps if you ask me nicely, I might!" Diana replied, with a teasing grin.

Orion cleared his throat, feeling a bit uncomfortable watching Bruce and Diana flirting. Bruce chuckled, leading the way towards the staircase, which led to Wayne Manor.

"Right this way Orion, I’ll get Alfred to help you with a suitable wardrobe for tonight, and in the mean time I’ll tidy up and change into clean clothes myself; I desperately need a hot shower!" Bruce said, climbing the stairs.

"As do I," Diana added with a subtle smirk on her face, following Bruce reaching for his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. Bruce discreetly returned her squeeze, wondering if Orion still felt uncomfortable seeing him and Diana flirt.

They got to the Study, and exited to the living room. Bruce went to an intercom.

"Alfred, where are you?" he said.

"I am in the garage Sir, polishing the limousine. I assume we will be taking it once again to get to the night club?" Alfred replied.

"That wasn’t necessary Alfred, but thanks for your efforts! Could you come in here? Our friend Orion will be joining us at Sadie’s tonight and requires some civilian clothes." Bruce said.

"On my way Sir, I will ask Wilfred to finish with the car." Alfred said.

"Thanks Alfred!" Bruce said.

Alfred joined them a few minutes later.

Bruce smiled. "Alfred, you have met Orion, he will need some civilian clothes to blend in with the rest of the crowd. Diana and I will go tidy up and change." Bruce said.

"Very well Sir. Please come with me Mr. Orion, Master Bruce has an extensive wardrobe he uses for his under cover investigations, I am quite sure we can find suitable attire for you." Alfred said, taking Orion to the spare room near the Study, which served as Bruce’s costume and makeup room.

Diana gave Bruce a knowing smile and they raced upstairs to the Master Bedroom.

She put her arms around him and kissed him, snickering like a Schoolgirl.

He returned her embrace and they kissed some more.

"Come on Diana, we don’t have time for this, we’re supposed to get ready for tonight!" Bruce said, smiling, unable to break his own embrace.

"Can’t we do both?" Diana replied smiling sensuously, in a voice that sent shivers down his spine. "Remember the showers in the Watchtower’s Gym?"

Bruce swallowed nervously. Yes, he did remember, vividly. They had made love in the shower, risking fellow Leaguers walking in on them. It was unusually exhilarating, exciting and satisfying.

"Our own version of Shayera & Joey’s shower ritual again, complete with the risk of Alfred or Orion walking in on us?" Bruce said, tilting his head sideways.

Diana raised her eyebrows at him, "What’s the matter tough guy, too chicken to make love to me in your own home?" She asked, teasingly.

Bruce gave her a defiant look, releasing his embrace, and removed his shirt, tossing it aside.

"Chicken huh? Your move your highness!" Bruce said, smirking.

Diana laughed and removed her tracksuit jacket and her spandex T-shirt, dropping them to the floor. She looked at Bruce sweetly and put her hands on his chest.

They looked into each other’s eyes for a moment…and ran to the Master bedroom’s bathroom. Bruce turned on the water in the shower. They removed the rest of their clothes and got in, kissing, caressing, lathering each other up and rinsing each other off.

Once again, they made love right there in the shower. Once again, they were fortunate enough that no one walked in on them.

They toweled off, laughing like giddy teens. They returned to the Master bedroom and changed into casual clothes, Diana remembering to put her hair up in a ponytail and to wear her own prop glasses, to hide the fact she is Wonder Woman.

They went back downstairs hand in hand. They walked to the costume and makeup room to see how Alfred was doing giving Orion a casual look.

"Yes, yes this look definitely suits you Mr. Orion!" They heard Alfred say.

They looked in and saw Orion dressed in jeans, a long sleeved T-shirt and running shoes. It gave him the look of a little league baseball coach, casual but clean, perfect for Sinful Sadie’s.

"Coach Orion I presume?" Bruce asked.

Orion gave Bruce and Diana a sheepish smile.

"We are very fortunate Master Bruce, Mr. Orion shares the same shoe size as yours, in fact most of the clothing we tried fits him with very little alteration. I did need to let the waist out on those jeans a little, but otherwise your clothes fit him fine."

Bruce nodded. "Let’s see if Tim, Cass and Barbara are ready yet, see if they need a ride." He said, pulling his cell phone from his pocket.

Meanwhile, Joey and Shayera were the first ones to show up at Sinful Sadie’s, a good 20 minutes early. They met with Marc and Sadie in the Club’s lobby.

"You’re going to have a full House tonight guys, Green Lantern and Vixen confirmed they’d be here," Joey said.

"Awesome!" Marc said, "I can’t wait to introduce you Sadie; you've already met Hawkgirl and Reverend Justice before, but Lantern and Vixen are especially close to my heart – they were my personal bodyguards for a few days!"

"And more friends of mine are pretty much confirmed to show. Some of them you’ve met already met: Bruce, Diana, Dick, Kory, John, Barbara, Tim and Cassandra, they all told me they were coming. Then there are my pals O..." Joey caught himself, nearly blurting out "Orion", "O'Rilley, Wally and his wife Linda, and journalists Clark Kent and Lois Lane-Kent…" Joey continued, counting on his fingers, a pensive look on his face.

Marc and Sadie looked at him gape-mouthed.

"Your brother has made a lot of friends he moved to Gotham City hasn’t he?" Shayera said, smiling and adjusting her prop glasses.

"He certainly did!" Marc said, chuckling.

"Wow, we’ll need a VIP section rather than a VIP table! I’ll ask Pierre and Bertrand to add a few tables to the regular VIP table and mark it off as ‘reserved for the Luca party’," Sadie said, "I’ll be right back!"

She kissed Marc and stepped into the club.

"That should accommodate about 30 people, should friends of your friends also show!" Marc said with a grin. They sat in the lobby’s chairs as the Bouncers assumed their post in front of the doors.

"That’s a distinct possibility, another colleague of mine named Ollie was interested in coming with his girlfriend Dinah but they couldn’t confirm due to professional obligations – I hope they make it! My trainer, Ted, is also invited but he keeps making excuses not to come. " Joey said.

"That reminds me of someone!" Marc said, casting his brother a teasing look. Shayera laughed. Joey jokingly punched him in the arm.

"And Dick told me that some of his and Kory’s friends may also show," Shayera said, "Garfield and Rachel were the names they gave me."

"Wow, too sweet! Do you think Dick will be able to sit in with us again tonight? He does a cool Paul Mac impersonation!" Marc said.

"We can definitely ask!" Joey said.

Customers began entering. Looking at the door, Shayera recognized the first members of their party.

"Look Marc, your bodyguards are here!" She said, smiling.

Marc got up, and with a happy look on his face greeted them at the door, giving them each a hug.

"Green Lantern, Vixen, come on in! I’m so happy to see you again! You already know my brother and his girlfriend Sheryl?" Marc said.

Playing along, John, Mari, Joey and Shayera shook hands, nodding, and smiling.

"Sadie’s making sure the VIP table can accommodate everybody, we’ll go in as soon as it’s ready." Marc said.

"You seem to have done well for yourself Marc, you definitely look a lot happier than the last time we met…how’s sweet little Babette doing?" Vixen asked; smiling as they all sat down in the lobby. Vixen had developed a soft spot for Marc’s dog Babette.

"Babette’s a fiendish little devil who chewed a hole through my third pair of shoes, and Sadie and I just adore her! I’ve become more and more involved with the Club business and I’ve never done this well financially!" Marc said, smiling, "Sadie deserves all the credit – she’s a genius managing this Club. I’m not only the House Bandleader, I’m part of Sadie’s team. I’ve been taking classes in advertisement and it’s really been paying off!"

"Well, congratulations Marc, I’m very happy for you; this place is pretty awesome from what your brother told us of it, we can’t wait to see the show and cut loose!" Green Lantern said, smiling.

Sadie came back to the lobby rolling her eyes.

"Sorry for the delay you guys, Pierre had misplaced the keys to the stockroom!" Sadie said, shrugging, "The table’s ready, please come in! The first set starts in 10 minutes Marc!"

"Coming chérie, let me introduce you: Sadie, meet Green Lantern and Vixen, the two wonderful people who saved my neck!" Marc said.

Sadie smiled, giving Green Lantern and Vixen each a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you so much for saving my man’s life!" Sadie said.

"Joey’s like a brother to us, his family is our family!" Green Lantern said, smiling.

Joey smiled, it was hard to believe that he had once been at odds with Green Lantern.

They entered the club.

"Will your brother be performing tonight?" Vixen asked, looking at Joey with a grin.

"Oh you bet he is Vixen!" Marc said, as they walked to the VIP table.

Joey gave Shayera a mock-annoyed stare, which made her laugh. He also laughed and they kissed, sitting down.

"I guess I should do the sound check too then!" Joey said, as Tim, Cassandra and Barbara joined them at the VIP table.

"Come back soon Joey!" Shayera said with a wink. He kissed her again and followed his brother to the stage, high-fiving Tim, Cassandra and Barbara on his way.

Sadie looked at Shayera, "Any chance of Joey permanently joining the band Sheryl?" She asked, "I find he and Marc bring out the best from each other!"

Shayera smiled, "Sometimes I wish he could! Agreed, his schedule has become a lot lighter with MCW, but his duties with Wayne Enterprises ended up hogging most of his spare time, I feel lucky spending any time at all with him!" Shayera said, hoping her little white lie would change the topic of conversation.

Sadie smiled and nodded, "A shame, I often tease Joey he’s too responsible for his own good; that he needs to relax more. But I can see where he’s coming from, some responsibilities can’t be avoided, don’t I know it managing this club!"

"Trust me Sadie, I personally see to it Joey relaxes!" Shayera said, with a wink.

Barbara, Tim and Cassandra laughed along, as Joey and Marc’s voices came out from the speakers, saying "Check, check – 1, 2…" and as the band’s bassist and drummer were hitting random notes and beats.

During sound check, Bruce, Diana and Orion-newly renamed O'reilley by Joey- Shayera discretely advised them of that; made their way the VIP table, shaking hands with their friends.

The next ones to arrive at the VIP table were J’onn in his John Jones form, Lois and Clark. Not long afterwards, Wally, Linda, Ollie and Dinah showed up. Lastly, Dick, Kory, Rachel and Garfield arrived.

Sadie leaned over to Dick, grinning, "Of course you realize you’re on the hook to play the keyboards again this evening!" She said.

Kory looked at Dick, smiling.

"My pleasure Sadie, I was surprised how well we gelled last time!" Dick said.

Kory leaned towards Rachel and Garfield and said, "She just talked Dick in to playing along with the band!"

"Why Dick, you’ve been hiding talents from us?" Rachel said, with a smirk on her face.

"That’s right; you never did see the video Dick took of their last visit to Jam night at Sinful Sadie’s!" Garfield said, "He’s pretty good, they all are!"

Dick looked at his friends with a happy smile. He was glad Raven and Best Boy had decided to give their relationship a second chance, the same way he and Kory had.

Seeing Rachel this happy was quite refreshing, and seeing Gar behaving himself, sans bad jokes or puns was almost unbelievable to behold.

"Love the new look Rachel, Jimmy Dean and his biker babe!" Dick said, marveling on the spell Raven had cast on herself and on Beast Boy.

"I have my moments don’t I?" She replied, winking at Dick and Kory.

"I am very happy for the two of you," Kory said, "you give each other happiness, and that makes me happy as well!"

"Rach makes sure I behave, the poor girl constantly has her hands full because of me!" Garfield said, smiling sheepishly.

Rachel gave him a loving look and kissed him, which made Dick and Kory look at each other in surprise – what a sight!

"It’s a labor of love…you animal!" Rachel told Garfield, grinning. Unable to help himself, Garfield kissed her back.

The lights grew dim. Marc’s voice came over the PA system, and in both languages, he announced, "Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen to Sinful Sadie’s Jam Night, I’m Marc Luca. Tonight our hard working band is comprised of Denis Lacasse on drums, Alain Desrosiers on Bass guitar, François ‘Frankie’ Lefebvre handling saxophone and harmonica depending of the song; my brother Joe on guitar, bass and vocals depending on the song…" applause arose from the VIP table making Joey chuckle.

"And on vocals, guitar and keyboards, depending on the song, we have my brother Marc!" Joey said in the microphone, prompting another round of applause.

"And to our guests at the VIP table, keep an eye on Grayson; make sure he doesn’t try to get away!" Joey added, with a grin, prompting laughter as Bruce, Kory, Gar and Rachel stood up and grabbed onto Dick in a comical way, restraining him to his chair.

A bouncer stepped up to the VIP table and got Sadie’s attention. She frowned and turned to Shayera. "He says there’s a Courtney Whitmore at the door, claims she’s with the Luca party – do you know her?"

"Stargirl is here?" Shayera thought. "Yes, Sadie, she’s one of my co-workers, I wasn’t sure she’d show up, let her in!" Shayera said.

Sadie nodded at the bouncer and said something to his ear. He nodded back and escorted Courtney to the VIP table.

Vixen looked at Courtney in shock as she walked to the VIP table.

"Is she insane? She told me her boyfriend had broken up with her a few days before the drills. She confessed having a minor crush on Joey, nothing serious, but that she wouldn’t do anything to come between Shy and him…then what on earth is she doing here?" Vixen thought, as the band began the intro of the first song.

Courtney sat between Vixen and Clark Kent who gave her a puzzled glance. Grinning, she said in Vixen’s ear "What? Aren’t I entitled to see the show too?"

Vixen rolled her eyes.

Shayera looked at Sadie and said, "Part of our duties entail assisting Justice Leaguers with their research; that’s where Courtney knows Vixen from." She said. Sadie nodded.

In his John Jones form, Martian Manhunter cast Courtney a disapproving glance.

"You have nearly compromised your secret identity Courtney, be very careful of what you do or say for the rest of the evening." J’onn said, telepathically. She looked across the table and saw the stern look on J’onn’s face.

She looked down, blushing. "Sorry…I wasn’t thinking! I should have known better than to show up uninvited, but Joey did say the more the merrier…I should have checked with him first, not the smartest move was it?" She replied, telepathically.

John Jones’ expression softened. "Don’t sweat it. Shayera has covered for you – you are a co-worker of hers and part of your duties is assisting Justice Leaguers with their research. That is where you know her from, as well as Joey, Green Lantern and Vixen. Just refer to them as GL and Vixen and you’ll be fine." He replied.

She smiled sheepishly, giving Shayera a thankful look, for covering for her. J’onn had made sure his thoughts had leaked to Shayera, John and Mari so everyone could relax and enjoy the evening.

"Is anything troubling you my sister?" Diana asked in Shayera’s ear, with a curious frown.

"No Diana, we’ve straightened things out, everything’s cool. This will be a fine evening!" She replied, smiling at Diana.

As the first set began, Ted Grant, the man also known as Wildcat, was entering his apartment, carrying his Wildcat suit in a duffel bag strapped around his shoulder, and a six-pack of beer in his left hand. Like many other Leaguers, he spent most of his time in his Watchtower quarters. Seeing his apartment was like taking a holiday.

Covering Wonder Woman’s Quarterly Efficiency Drill reviews had kept him busy all day and he did not mind. He was seeing less and less field action, and fewer recruits were coming in for him to mentor and train, so the reviews were a welcome challenge.

"A few beers, watching the fights on the tube…relaxing will do me good." He thought, shutting the door and locking it. He then noticed something peculiar. The kitchen lights were on, and he could have sworn he had left them off before leaving for the Watchtower.

He quietly put the duffel bag and six-pack on the floor and walked cautiously to the kitchen, clenching one fist. The intruder he found there left him staring in disbelief. His intruder was an attractive, statuesque woman, a woman who once was his lover.

She was sitting at the table, enjoying a cup of tea, reading a magazine. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Finally, you are here! Diana told me I might find you here if you were not at the Watchtower!" She said.

"Your Highness, how on Earth did you get in here without the key? And to what do I owe the honour?" Ted replied.

"Please Ted," She said; rising from her chair and walking towards him, "We can do away with all the ceremony. You were once my lover; I once shared your bed. Please call me by my name." She said, looking into his eyes. "As far as how I got in here…I am Queen of the Amazons, I have my ways!"

She put her hands on his chest, grinning seductively. Ted could feel his pulse racing.

"You ask me for the reason of my visit…is it not enough that I miss you? That in spite of what you may think, I have never stopped loving you?" She said with a disarmingly charming look on her face, so unusual for the Amazon Queen.

"Hippolyta," he said, feeling confused, "I thought it was over between us; that your obligations as Queen of Themiscyra forbade you to have a life mate…unlike your daughter."

"My daughter is a free woman Ted," Hippolyta said looking at the floor, "her decision to take Bruce as her mate effectively revoked her Themiscyran citizenship and disqualifies her as my heiress. She is still an Amazon mind you; welcome to visit but no longer allowed to live among us in Themiscyra." She looked up at Ted, tears beginning to form in her pretty eyes.

"I am very happy for her and Bruce, be assured of that; as I am for any of my Sisters who can find a man worthy of true love. But being Queen of the Amazons has its obligations, taking a mate would mean abdication, and if I did that, the entire Themiscyran society would collapse." She said.

Ted noticed her teary eyes and began feeling a lump in his throat.

"Believe me Ted; if a man ever was worthy of my love, you are that man. Not one day passes that I wish there were a way, any way for the Queen of the Amazons to have a consort… " Her voice trailed off, tears coursing freely down her pretty face.

"I could never ask you to make that sacrifice, abdicate your throne for me; an ageing, over-the-hill has-been. Not when you are looking at eternity." Ted said, trying his best to make his voice soothing, yet his face betraying the bitterness he felt.

"Stop being so hard on yourself; you are warm, sweet, kind and selfless; more than worthy of my love. This is why I could never stop loving you. This is why the urge to see you secretly; unseen by my Amazons still overtakes me. I need you Ted; please do not turn me away." Hippolyta said.

Ted swallowed hard. She recognised her old lover’s body language – he was trying hard to hold his own tears back.

"Grey-haired or not, I love you. I always will. Thanks to you, the teachings of Aphrodite began making sense. Hades and Herakles both broke my heart; soured me on all men until I met you! Please Ted…" She said, putting her arms around his waist, laying her head on his chest.

"My Queen," he said in a shaky voice, also putting his arms around her, "I am but a foolish human, dealing with issues of ageing and feeling less and less useful to the rest of the world…" he shook his head, finding solace in her embrace. "I’m not sure how comfortable I feel with being your secret lover, but I also know how empty my life has been without you. If being your secret lover is the only way to have you in my life, then so be it. If you’ll have me back Hippolyta…"

She kissed him, hard.

"Of course you silly mortal, would I be here waiting for you if I didn’t want you back into my life?" She said, smiling. They kissed again. She took him by the hand, leading him to the bedroom.

Embarrassed, he said, "I must apologise, I fear my bedroom is a shambles…the lifestyle of a hardened bachelor…deprived of the woman he loves…" he stopped, mad at himself for letting let that last part slip.

To his relief, she giggled, blushing a little. "I have slept in tents on battlefields; dealt with lice, fleas and other parasites; I believe a messy bedroom won’t scare me!" She said, pulling him closer. They kissed again.

"Any more objections before we go to your bedroom Mr Grant?" she asked, with a teasing smirk.

"None at all, your Majesty; lead the way!" He replied with a grin. She led him by the hand to his bedroom. Old lovers had rekindled their flame; they made love.

He lay on his back, smiling, his right arm wrapped around her. She laid her head on his shoulder, smiling, and put her right hand on his chest.

"You see? You’ll never be too old to love me!" she said, with a teasing grin.

He looked her in the eyes and replied, "You keep me young!" They kissed.

He then chuckled. "What?" Hippolyta said, smiling.

"Let the young’uns have their fun clubbing and drinking; I’ll take this kind of fun over it any day!" Ted said.

"I am flattered!" She said, gently running her fingernails from his chest to his navel, and then back up, giving him goose bumps. "Does this mean you won’t take me out then?"

"But of course Hippolyta, I’d be honoured to take you out, I was just saying…" he said, sounding flustered. She laughed good-heartedly.

"I was only teasing, my love, though if you were to ask me out I would accept!" she said, kissing him again.

"Well, there is this place north of the border…one of my trainees invited me but, well, I was too busy brooding to accept. I’m not sure the style of music will be quite your cup of tea though." He said.

She smiled. "Yes, Sinful Sadie’s. Diana has told me a lot about it – the friendly staff, the nice atmosphere…she said the music can be a bit loud at times, but that they have a decent wine list and a good menu, vegetarian and non-vegetarian alike. I’d love to go!" She said, looking into Ted’s eyes.

He chuckled. "Trying to make this grumpy old Wildcat more civilised huh?" he said.

"That wouldn’t take too much work! You can be quite sociable, I’ve seen it firsthand!" She said, snickering.

"Very well then, if you’re coming with me, I’d love to go too! We might make it on time for the band’s second set!" Ted said, smiling sweetly. "Er, did you bring any civilian clothes? You might draw a lot of attention to yourself dressed in your toga and sandals … and with your Royal Tiara!"

She snickered some more. "Like I said earlier, I am Queen of the Amazons, I have my ways! Diana’s not the only one who can magically change outfits by spinning a few turns!" She said.

She slipped on her toga, and to prove her point, spun a few turns, magically changing into a denim shirt, black jeans and black sandals. Her hair was in a ponytail, a very long one that extended to the small of her back.

Ted looked at her in genuine amazement, "That look suits you! Your hair, wow…I knew it was long, but like this…it’s so sexy!" he said, gape-mouthed.

"Why thank you so much! You’re not so bad yourself!" She said, smiling. "Now how about you also get dressed? Remember, you said you were taking me out?" She gave him a teasing grin.

He got up and complied, blue jeans, cowboy boots, and a denim shirt to match hers. He kissed her. "We may need a bit of high-tech help to make it there on time though." He said, reaching in the gym bag containing his Wildcat suit. He pulled out his communicator.

"Wildcat to Watchtower 1, come in?" he said.

It was Dr Light’s turn on monitoring duty. "Watchtower 1 here Wildcat, what’s up?" she said.

"I’ve decided to accept Reverend Justice’s invitation …is there a way to quickly get there?" He said.

"There’s a special path given – if you get in your car we transport the car to an abandoned side road near the Club, and you can drive from there; you can’t miss it." She said.

"That’s great Dr Light …shall I page you once I’m in the car?" He said.

"By all means Wildcat, I’ve done that transport so many times tonight I can do it with my eyes closed!" She said. Ted could picture her smiling face.

"Very well, page you in a bit! Wildcat out!" He said. He turned to Hippolyta and with a charming smile, courteously offered her his arm and said, "Milady; shall we?"

"Absolutely kind sir!" She replied, smiling. They went to the parking, proceeding towards Ted’s car. He gallantly opened the door for her. She embarked and buckled up.

Ted sat behind the wheel and activated his communicator. "Wildcat to Watchtower 1, we’re ready for transport Kimiyo!" He said.

Ted often felt odd referring to her as Dr Light, since there also was a Super-Villain with the same name.

"At least you didn’t refer to me as ‘Miss Hoshi’ or as ‘Doc’," she said, at first sounding annoyed, but then stifling a giggle. "Transporting, now, have a good time you two!" She said.

As they materialised on the abandoned side road, Ted gave Hippolyta a puzzled look. "Now how on earth did she know…" he said, and then shrugged. "Never mind, let’s just get there."

She smiled. Tonight, she would leave the Queen of Themiscyra title behind, as briefly as it may be. Tonight was the beginning of a brand new relationship with the man she loved, be it a secret one or not. Diana and Bruce could be trusted, and so could their friends.

They drove to the Club’s parking Lot. They walked to the entrance and Ted stepped up to the head bouncer.

"Hi I’m with the Luca party, my name is Ted Grant, that lovely lady here is with me." He said, smiling at her.

The bouncer looked at his list and smiled, nodding

.

"Yes, I have you here on the guests list Mr Grant, please follow me." The bouncer replied in broken English.

As the bouncer led them to the VIP table, Ted recognised Joey on stage, performing an old Beatles favourite with the House Band. The shorter man on stage with the family resemblance had to be his brother Marc. Ted and Hippolyta took their seats, next to Ollie and Dinah.

Diana noticed her Mother sitting at the table with Ted, and smiled. "Finally, Hera be praised, my mother has decided to follow my advice and rekindle her relationship to Ted!" She thought, nodding at them.

The song ended, Joey acknowledged his coach with a nod and a smile. He then took a good look at the VIP table and noticed Tim sound asleep with Cassandra’s arm slung around his shoulders. He turned to his brother, unable to resist playing a prank on Tim.

"Hey Marc, look at the VIP table, is he asleep?" Joey said, smirking.

Playing along, Marc looked and noticed Tim sleeping as well.

"Why Joe, you’re right; our pal Tim’s fallen asleep on us!" Marc said, grinning.

The guests at the VIP table giggled as Tim seemed oblivious to the teasing coming from the stage. The lack of sleep from seeking out Batgirl the night before rescuing her was finally catching up to him.

"I realise the lyrics say I’m only sleeping, but come on!" Joey said, making Cassandra giggle even harder.

Joey looked at Marc, and looking back at the VIP table, yelled in the microphone, "Timmay!"

Tim bolted awake to general laughter, shot Joey a puzzled look; and then shook his clenched fist at him, looking annoyed.

"I’m only pulling your leg buddy! Poor dude’s been up most of last night studying for his finals, we can forgive him for nodding off!" Joey said, smiling.

The members of the Gotham Knights sitting at the VIP table had to smile and nod at Joey’s quick thinking. His little white lie would also avoid many questions.

"Okay, how about one more song before we take our intermission, a wake-up song?" Marc said, with a wink.

The crowd responded. "For those of you who don’t like loud music…cover your ears, I promise you’ll still hear us!" Joey added, grinning.

The drums started out.

"Come on everybody, clap your hands! And those who know the words sing along!" Marc said.

Marc, Joey, Alain and Frankie sang, "He-e-e-ey, yeah!"

At the VIP table, Dinah smiled, "Oh, I love that song! Ollie, come dance with me!" She said, grabbing Ollie by the hand.

From the stage, Joey noticed with a bit of amusement Dinah dragging Ollie to the dance floor, followed by Rachel and Garfield.

Both women really enjoyed that particular song, and danced while mouthing the lyrics with their eyes closed, while Ollie and Garfield danced along tentatively, looking a bit embarrassed but smiling.

"Man! Look at Dinah; she’s really getting into it!" Shayera said to Diana, smiling.

"So is Rachel! Ollie and Garfield seem to be a bit out of sorts though!" Diana said, grinning.

The song ended, both couples returned to the VIP table, Dinah and Rachel laughing, Ollie and Garfield chuckling along.

Marc and Joey joined them at the VIP table, smiling.

"You guys, that’s the first time I see people dancing the bump on a Kiss song!" Joey said, chuckling.

Dinah laughed, "Kiss Army 1984!" she said. "I was only a little girl then, but I just found them to be so cool with the leather and the makeup! That was before I found out they’d given up the makeup…but I was a fan of their makeup years for sure!"

"And me, I’ve always been in the whole Goth scene," Rachel said, grinning, "Kiss, Ozzie, Alice, Sabbath … I’ve always dug them!"

Joey was about to translate to his brother, but Marc put up his hand, "That’s okay, I got them, my English isn’t that bad!" He said, with a wink.

Joey turned to face Tim, "I was only kidding back there Tim, don’t be sore!" He said, smiling.

"I know, Joey, I know, we’re cool!" Tim said, chuckling, giving Joey a high five. The DJ took over the PA system. A slow song started, Joey looked at Shayera.

"Shall we?" Joey asked.

"Absolutely, I’ve been waiting for the set to end so I could put my hands on you!" She said, smiling, kissing him.

All couples walked to the dance floor, including J’onn who once more took Barbara to the dance floor in his John Jones form. Courtney looked at Orion who was sitting on his own, looking a bit awkward. She smiled at the big man who was making an effort to blend in and mingle. She stepped up to him.

"Dance with me?" Courtney asked.

Orion smiled at her, "I fear I don’t know how!" He said.

"I can teach you!" She said, returning his smile.

Orion stood up and offered her his arm. "Please, I would like that!" He said.

"I guess deep inside, Orion’s a nice guy after all!" She thought, smiling. They walked to the dance floor.

On the dance floor, Lois said in Clark’s ear, "I like this place; relaxed atmosphere, cool house band…but did you have to wear a suit and tie SmallVille? Bruce did say casual dress!" She grinned teasingly.

"I hardly think the flannel shirt and blue jeans look would have quite made it either," Clark replied, with a wink, "I keep telling you: you need to help me update my wardrobe Lois!" They kissed.

Elsewhere on the dance floor, Ted asked Hippolyta, "Not exactly your musical style huh?" He smiled.

"Loud but invigorating!" she replied, smiling. "Let it not be said I am narrow minded and unwilling to try new things!"

They also kissed.

Green Lantern slow danced with Vixen.

"Thankfully, the world knows Green Lantern’s in love with Vixen!" He said, looking around the dance floor.

She smiled and kissed him, then laid her head on his chest.

"I can see what the buzz is about this place," Vixen thought, smiling, "there’s something here that makes you feel at ease, here we’re allowed to be a bunch of friends going out for a good time, and enjoying ourselves for a change! Sadie and Marc have done wonderful work!"

Marc danced with Sadie, Joey with Shayera, Dick with Kory, Bruce with Diana, Garfield with Rachel, Ollie with Dinah and Courtney was teaching Orion to slow dance, while J’onn "danced" with Barbara as they had done the last time.

Tim danced with Cassandra, looking tired but happy. Cassandra had her eyes closed and smiled angelically. Bruce caught a glimpse of them as he danced with Diana.

"Hard to believe that the first time I met Cassandra, she could not speak a word and her only purpose in life was to kill me! How her life turned around!" He though, smiling then looked at Diana and kissed her. She smiled and kissed him back.

As she danced with Dick, Kory looked in genuine amazement at Rachel and Garfield as they also slow danced. "It is hard to believe they were once two of the unhappiest and loneliest people I knew. Time really does heal all wounds!" She thought, smiling. She kissed Dick.

Dinah danced cheek to cheek with Ollie, eyes closed, smiling. Ollie could not remember the last time when he and Dinah were able to have some fun. He was thankful for this chance, and happy they had taken Joey up on his invitation. He moved his face closer to Dinah’s who met him halfway. They kissed.

Ollie noticed Courtney teaching Orion how to slow dance and had to smile. Orion was hard to take at times and Courtney could be a downright brat. It was refreshing to see those two make their peace.

The happy look on Shayera’s face was hard to miss as well. She and Joey danced and kissed as if the world around them did not exist. She noticed Wally and Linda dancing and chuckled.

Joey smiled at her. "What baby?" He asked.

"It’s Wally and Linda," Shayera said, "the world’s fastest man dancing a slow…sort of struck me as funny!" She said, snickering.

Joey chuckled along. "I’m just happy seeing my friends have some fun for a change!" He said. "Shall we share this sunrise Shy?"

She held him tighter and whispered in his ear, "I love you Joey!"

They kissed. "I love you too Shy!" He whispered back in her ear.

The slow songs ended, they returned to the VIP table to chat a bit before the beginning of the second set.

Marc and Sadie sat in the middle with Joey and Shayera sitting at their right. Green Lantern and Vixen also sat in the middle at the opposite side of the table from Marc and Sadie, with Clark and Lois sitting to their left, sitting across the table from Joey and Shayera.

Wally and Linda sat at Marc and Sadie’s left, and across the table from them sat Bruce and Diana. At Bruce and Diana’s right sat Dick and Kory. Ollie and Dinah sat across the table from Dick and Kory. Sitting at Joey and Shayera’s right were Tim and Cassandra and across the table from them sat Gar and Rachel.

At one end of the table sat Courtney and Orion, as well as Ted and Hippolyta, while at the other end sat Barbara, flanked by J’onn in his John Jones form.

Marc and Sadie were busy talking shop with Green Lantern and Vixen, how they were planning to expand Sinful Sadie’s to accommodate more people and hire an actual Chef as opposed to a cook.

Joey, Shayera, Tim, Cassandra and Barb were discussing the virtues of R & R in a balanced lifestyle as J’onn listened on with a smirk on his face. Rachel was wiping the sweat from Gar’s forehead with a napkin, giving him a teasing grin, while Lois and Clark ordered some drinks.

Bruce, Diana, Wally and Linda were involved in a discussion on who would have the guts to volunteer to sing a number during the invitational jam during the second set, while Dick and Kory were ordering platters of nachos and chicken wings.

Ollie, Orion, Dinah and Courtney were trading training secrets while sipping beer. Ted and Hippolyta kissed discreetly as the waiter walked to them to get their order.

At the end of the intermission, Marc said, "Okay, time for the invitational jam, do we have any volunteers at this table?"

Wally, Courtney and Dick raised their hands.

"That’s great, I knew Dick was on the hook already, but we have more volunteers!" Marc said.

A few more songs, a few more drinks. After the invitational jam Marc and Joey returned to the VIP table for the second intermission. Ollie and Dinah stepped up to Joey, Marc and Sadie.

"We have an early day tomorrow, but man, thank you so much for inviting us here, it was a blast!" Ollie said.

"You can bet we’ll be back, thanks for the invite Joey, and thank you for having us Sadie and Marc!" Dinah said.

"You're welcome here any time you like my friends!" Sadie replied.

"My brother’s friends are my friends, like Sadie said; you’re welcome here any time you like!" Marc said.

"See you guys at work!" Joey said, with a wink.

They shook hands, and Ollie and Dinah took their leave.

At the VIP table, Lois told Clark, "This is a sweet place, I don’t cover club reviews at the Daily Planet but this Club deserves a review!" She said.

"I can see it now: 'There’s this place north of the border, where the beer is cold and the food is hot and so is the music.'" Clark said, grinning.

Lois smiled and continued the imaginary review, "Sinful Sadie’s is run as a family business by owner and manager Sadie Stevens and her partner Marc Luca, who doubles as band leader and publicist. "

"With plans of expansion including the addition of a full-time Chef and a full kitchen staff, the already successful Sinful Sadie’s will soon accommodate more customers. It is this journalist's opinion that Sinful Sadie’s is the place to go to relax, kick back and have some fun." Clark concluded.

"Sounds good to me!" Bruce interjected, with one arm around Diana’s back.

Joey kissed Shayera, who leaned on him, smiling.

In a low voice, Lois added with a wink, "Trouble-makers beware, with the endorsement of the likes of Green Lantern and Vixen; Sinful Sadie’s is likely to become the place par excellence where Justice Leaguers hang out when they're off duty!"

Clark smiled at Lois and kissed her.

"The Club is winding down Marc," Sadie said as they sat down, "How about we give the band the night off for the third set and just let the DJ take over?"

"That sounds wonderful Sadie!’ Marc said.

"Sweet, more slow dancing with my girl!" Joey said, looking at Shayera, comically rubbing his hands together. The remaining guests at the VIP table laughed, as Shayera puckered up Joey with her left hand, kissing him.

"Just let me make a pit stop at the bathroom, I’ll be right back!" Joey said, massaging his jaw to his friends’ amusement. Shayera nodded and gave him a wink, then began chatting with Marc, Sadie and Vixen as Joey walked away.

Green Lantern, Bruce, Diana, Dick and Kory were listening with great interest to an anecdote Lois was telling about Clark who sat there looking sheepish. Courtney dragged Orion back to the dance floor. Ted, Hippolyta, Wally, Linda, Gar, Rachel, Tim, Cassandra, J’onn and Barbara followed suite.

Tired but happy with the prospect of slow dancing some more with Shayera; Joey walked to an empty urinal stall in the Men’s room. Through the mirror, he noticed a man walking in. An expression of disbelief covered his face as he recognised the man who had just entered. "Him, here, now?" He thought, confused.

"Do not be alarmed Preacher, I did not come here to seek revenge or cause any trouble." The man said.

"Henri Ducard I presume, what brings you to these humble surroundings?" Joey said to Rà’s al Ghul, keeping his cool.

Rà’s gave Joey a courteous smile. "You are well mannered, I appreciate that. You will note I am no longer referring to you as lackey." He said.

Joey nodded. "And I appreciate that." Joey said, keeping one eye on what he was doing and another on the unwanted visitor.

"You impressed me the last time we encountered. You remained focused the whole time I was playing mind games with your team, in fact, you turned the tables on me playing mind games of your own! You then found a way out of your restraints; and I must say you have quite a kick." Rà’s said.

Joey looked at Rà’s head tilted sideways, frowning. If it were not for the very real surroundings of the men’s room and the reason he had come there in the first place, Joey would have thought that was just a bad dream.

"And I recall a few slaps and a punch on the jaw from you while I was still shackled you old bastard!" Joey thought.

Rà’s grinned, "Not very talkative tonight, are you? No matter, Lady Eden told me of your recent encounter, and has conveyed your thanks to me. You say my Ultra G antidote has made you stronger. You are very welcome, but while I would love to take all the credit, you owe your thanks to your Detective employer who managed to retrieve the Ultra G antidote from what was left of my Lab."

Joey smirked, zipping up and walking to the sink to wash his hands.

"So you came all the way to this no-man’s-land to tell me all of this? I am very flattered; after all, my employer speaks very highly of you." Joey said, being careful not to let "Batman" slip, should another patron walk in.

"You were very well trained Preacher, you have amazing self-control. We may be on opposite sides but I like you!" Rà’s said, nodding. "I assume you have already experienced some interesting side-effects to the antidote?"

"Indeed I have: enhanced sensory perception during adrenaline spikes, mostly. While I have experienced increased speed in brain activity naturally a few times in the past, it seems to happen more frequently since being exposed to Ultra G and being administered the antidote." Joey replied, wondering after the fact if disclosing that information to a known foe was a major blunder.

"Fascinating, for myself I often experience premonition and enhanced sense of smell. Then again, I was not exposed to Ultra G concentrate the way you were. You have experienced no premonitions as of yet?" Rà’s asked. Joey shook his head.

"Then I must give you a glimpse, before I go. This one’s on me Preacher, I have a feeling the next time we meet, the circumstances may not be this friendly." Rà’s said, putting a hand on Joey’s muscular right shoulder.

Perhaps it was the alcohol in his system impairing his judgement; or perhaps it was the fatigue stemming from the Efficiency drills followed by tangling with the Joker to rescue Batgirl earlier that day. Or perhaps it was plain curiosity that let Joey allow Rà’s al Ghul to proceed that far.

"Clear your mind Preacher, feel every breath flow through you like the mighty Nile. Do not fear the blurry vision nor the ringing in your ears, they are signs that you are being transported, moved to a small point of your future …do not fear it. Embrace it, learn from it." Rà’s said in a hypnotic drone.

Feeling rather disoriented, Joey’s vision cleared, just as Rà’s had described. He found himself in a dusty, stony landscape …complete with ancient ruins. He was wearing his Reverend Justice suit, minus the hat and mask.

He could feel searing pain from his left shoulder to his left wrist, his chest and head throbbed …and looking down … "oh no, this is too horrible!" he thought.

In this glimpse of the future, he was cradling Shayera in his arms, bruised, bleeding and dusty. "Not my angel, please! Stop this vision Rà’s!" he tried to scream. Shayera looked dead. Joey began crying uncontrollably, and his vision became blurry again.

He came to in the men’s room looking into the mirror. Rà’s was gone.

"Joey, are you all right?" a familiar voice asked.

Joey turned his head. In his John Jones form, J’onn had come to the rescue. He had sensed Joey’s vision from the dance floor and excused himself to come to Joey’s aid.

"I’ve been better my friend," Joey said, splashing cold water on his face. "Our old acquaintance Rà’s al Ghul just paid me a visit. As it turns out, the Ultra G antidote has yet another interesting side effect – premonition. I take it you’ve witnessed my glimpse into tomorrow?"

"Indeed I have, frightening, and quite upsetting." J’onn said.

Joey shook his head. "It can’t be true can it? I mean he is one of Batman’s greatest nemeses. That 'premonition' may be nothing more than another one of his elaborate mind games, a post-hypnotic suggestion." Joey said.

"It may very well be. Either way, you must remember this Joey, the future is not etched in stone, and it is what you make it. If indeed this is a premonition, you can take the appropriate steps to change your future." J’onn said, trying to look comforting. "Now let us go back to the dance floor, it’s not nice to keep your girlfriend waiting!"

Joey smiled, and gave J’onn a friendly punch in the arm. J’onn responded by clapping Joey on the shoulder, minding his strength. They returned to the VIP table. Joey took Shayera by the hand and they walked to the dance floor.

"You took an awfully long time in there, were you sick?" Shayera asked, teasing.

"Would you believe me if I told you I had an unwanted glimpse into the future while I was in there?" Joey said.

Shayera looked at him in disbelief. "You really have to ease off on the beer; it’s giving you a bad case of the DT’s!" Shayera teased some more.

Joey held her closer as they danced, hugging her a bit too tight to be comfortable. She gave him a surprised look. "You weren’t kidding, were you?" She said, looking worried. She took him by the hand, leading him towards the Club’s lobby, where the music was not as loud.

They sat on one of the couches adjacent to the chairs facing the entrance. Shayera took Joey’s right hand and held it on her lap. "Talk to me Joey! What ever happened in there really upset you!" She said.

Joey drew in a deep breath. "J’onn witnessed my vision, he qualified it of frightening and upsetting. I'd rather see it as nothing more than an elaborate mind game …God I hope that’s all it is!" he looked up at Shayera and forced a smile.

"Before J’onn came to fetch me in the men’s room, I had a visitor. Our old acquaintance Rà’s al Ghul came to compliment me on my self-control, focus and powers of deduction during our last encounter in the Himalayas." Joey said.

"Rà’s? Joey, we need to get a search party going we must..." Shayera said, standing up, looking upset. Joey held onto her hand.

"And then what, blow our cover? Cause a panic in the club? He’s gone baby, please sit." He said. Shayera sat back down giving him an incredulous look.

"As it turns out, the Ultra G antidote supposedly has another interesting side-effect: glimpses of premonition, or so says Rà’s. He ‘guided’ me through a session … more likely he tried to hypnotise me. I had a vision, very upsetting to say the least, Shy; I was holding your dead body in my arms. I was crying uncontrollably, like a child…" Joey said. Shayera let go of his hand and put her arms around him.

"Of course you realise that was just another one of his mind games don’t you? Better people have tried to kill me baby, all failed. As long as we stick together and watch each other’s backs as Leaguers…I'm in this with you for the long run!" She said, looking in his eyes, smiling. They kissed.

"I don’t know what I’d do if I ever lost you Shy." He said, once more on the verge of tears.

"Not going to happen, do you hear me?" She said, kissing him again.

He nodded, "I’m just letting an old foe mess with my head, I should have known better than to even listen to him." He said.

She smiled; wiping her own tears, and kissed him again, holding him. They walked back into the club.

Several hours later, all had returned home. Shayera and Joey had seen another sunrise together, snuggling in the cool breeze, and then made their way to bed.

"Thankfully we’re both on night rotation and can sleep in. I want you to forget what Rà’s showed you Preacher. Lay with me, hold me." She had told him before going to bed.

The molecular belt was feeling a bit uncomfortable after their night out, so she decided to sleep with her wings deployed. They slept on their sides, facing each other.

Joey would wake up every now and then, feeling anxious. He would see her sleeping next to him, peaceful and serene. He would relax and fall back to sleep, with a sense of relief, and a subtle smile on his lips.

When they both finally woke up, many hours later, she was in his arms. She had switched positions and now slept with her head on his chest, her right wing covering him as if to keep him warm. The feathers from the top of her right wing tickled his nose.

He tilted his head a few times trying to repress a sneeze but was no longer able to hold it back. Covering his mouth and nose with his left hand, he sneezed. Shayera snickered.

"Gesundheit!" She said, giggling. "Was I tickling you?"

"Oh, just a little!" He replied with a smile. They kissed. Their communicators chimed. "Not again!" Joey said, rolling his eyes. "Luca here, what’s up?"

"Sorry to cut your rest time short," Mister Terrific said, "but Martian Manhunter needs to see both you and Shayera right away."

"On our way Mike," Shayera replied cutting in the conversation, "Just give us a chance to have some breakfast and get dressed."

"Roger that Shayera, you both report to Boardroom 1 of Watchtower 1 when ready." Mr Terrific said.

"Will do Mike, Shayera out." She said.

"Boardroom 1 eh? Gee, I wonder what that’s about?" Joey said, rolling his eyes, reaching for his Reverend Justice suit.

"Don’t jump to conclusions Joey, for all we know he may have found out your vision was indeed a post hypnotic suggestion Rà’s al Ghul planted in your brain, or he may have figured out a way to filter out the premonitions if they are for real." Shayera said, getting dressed.

Joey nodded, "Only one way to find out for sure huh?" He said.

"Then again, it could be about something entirely different." She said, now dressed as Hawkgirl.

Joey nodded, now fully dressed as Reverend Justice.

They had a quick bite to eat and transported to Watchtower 1.

Many hours earlier, in another part of Gotham City, Bruce Wayne was staring at the ceiling of his bedroom in Wayne Manor. He could not fall asleep, a fact his life mate Diana had not missed.

"What's wrong Bruce?" Diana asked.

"I'm just a bit puzzled. The way J'onn ran to bathroom to fetch Joey, as if he'd sensed danger, only to return to the table with him as if everything was normal. And then the way Shayera took Joey aside from the dance floor...and started acting all over protective of him." Bruce said, rolling on his side to look at Diana.

Diana rested her head in her right hand, facing Bruce.

"Something happened in that bathroom Princess, and I don't mean the obvious. Something frightening enough that J'onn sensed it, and upsetting enough that Shayera started acting all over-protective of Joey. They're all being tight-lipped about it, which only reinforces my gut feeling something wrong happened. Agreed no one was hurt but..." Bruce’s voice trailed off.

"But we were probably not told to avoid compromising our cover and avoid a general panic in the Club." Diana said, looking Bruce in the eyes. Bruce smiled. While he was the one dubbed the world’s greatest detective, Diana’s own power of deduction was more than respectable.

"Joey and J'onn likely had things well under control and didn't see the point in ruining everybody else's evening, though I do admit Shayera was acting as if Joey had received some devastating news, and was trying her best to comfort him." Diana said, returning Bruce’s smile. "I’m sure they would have shared if it was of concern to the rest of us."

Bruce put his arms around her, holding her closer. "You're right Diana, I guess I'm not used to be out of the loop. What ever happened was in all likelihood handled by J'onn and Joey, discretely and professionally." Bruce said.

"Now go to sleep young man!" Diana whispered, with a smirk on her lips. Bruce kissed her, as they made themselves comfortable in the large King sized bed. They both fell asleep.

Hours later, Diana bolted awake.

"Princess, what’s wrong?" Bruce asked, stifling a yawn.

"Telepathic summons from my mother, she hardly ever uses that means of communications, so there must be a dire urgency." She replied, getting up from bed.

"What did she say?" Bruce asked, also getting up.

"It wasn’t a verbal summons per se, more of a transmission of knowledge, with a great sense of anxiety. The balance of power is shifting in Olympus Bruce, Themyscira is already feeling its effects." Diana said, slipping on a clean pair of jeans and matching top. "It’s only a matter of time until the rest of Earth is effected, and for the ripples of that shift in power to extend to the rest of the Galaxy.""

Bruce nodded, and proceeded to get dressed. Neither he nor Diana was surprised when their Justice League Communicators chimed.

"Bruce, Diana, J’onn here. We have three eminent visitors from Olympus in Boardroom 1 of Watchtower 1, your presence is required." Martian Manhunter said.

"Let me guess," Diana said, "Hermes, Artemis, Athena…" Diana said, a resigned look on her face.

"More like Artemis, Athena and Aphrodite, Diana." Martian Manhunter said. "Mister Terrific is already assembling a team, from a list written by the Fates themselves. But the three of us are the only three the goddesses have requested by name." Martian Manhunter said.

Bruce took a deep breath. Anything dealing with the supernatural made him feel nervous. But he owed a personal debt of gratitude to Aphrodite; she was the reason Diana and he could be together. It was not so long ago that Diana, J'onn and himself had helped rescue Hermaphrodite and Salmacis; he would gladly help again this time, any way he could.

"Roger that J’onn, give me a chance to gear up, we’ll be right there." Bruce said.

"Very well my friends, Martian Manhunter out." Martian Manhunter said.

"Won’t you have any breakfast?" Diana asked.

"I’ll grab a bite from the Cafeteria on my way to the Boardroom." Bruce said. "Unfortunately, it still takes me longer to gear up than you do."

Diana laughed and spun a few turns, changing into her Wonder Woman suit. "Would it be faster if I helped you gear up?" She asked, grinning.

"I’d appreciate the help!" He said, chuckling, slipping on a pair of slacks and a short sleeved shirt. They made their way to the Bat Cave. He suited up, becoming Batman once more. He smiled at Wonder Woman and kissed her.

"Batman to Watchtower 1, two to transport from the Bat-Cave." the familiar buzz of the transport beam engulfed them both, re-materialising them in Watchtower 1, a few meters from the entrance of Boardroom 1.

Martian Manhunter was waiting for them. "Please follow me, our guests wish to address us privately before briefing the whole team." he said. "I have taken the liberty of bringing coffee and croissants from the Cafeteria to Boardroom 1 as I anticipated neither one of you would have had breakfast."

"This is one occasion where I will not complain about your telepathic gift my friend!" Batman said, Wonder Woman nodding with a grin.

They entered the Boardroom, where goddesses Artemis, Aphrodite and Athena were waiting.

"Please my children, sit down, have some food. I fear that once more we are in dire need of your assistance." Aphrodite said.

"We will preserve your status as Amazon initiate confidential from your friends Batman; Hippolyta has warned us of the complications that could occur if that secret should be revealed." Artemis continued.

Batman nodded, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"We have much to discuss and even more to explain to your team." Athena said.

"I am curious, which of our friends will join us in this venture?" Wonder Woman asked, reaching for a croissant.

"The Fates are quite categorical about this; other than you three, they say Superman must join you, as do your winged sister Shayera, her dark-clad lover Reverend Justice; the creature they call Etrigan, and the one they call Wildcat." Artemis said.

Wonder Woman smiled. "Even on Mount Olympus Joey is known as Shayera’s lover!" She thought.

"I can understand being asked to join as my initiation has granted me enhanced reflexes and fast healing..." Batman said.

"As well as slow ageing!" Wonder Woman interjected, with a smirk on her lips.

"...but I fail to understand why the Fates requested Wildcat and Reverend Justice, they have no special powers, they would be rather vulnerable!" Batman finished.

"The one you call Wildcat is the object of Queen Hippolyta's affections," Aphrodite said, "and she has expressed desire of fighting this war by his side."

Wonder Woman nodded, smiling again in spite of herself.

"The other one, Reverend Justice, has a few hidden gifts he is not fully aware of yet." Artemis continued. "He has only begun to scratch the surface recently. He can foresee glimpses of the future."

Batman, Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter exchanged a knowing look.

"So that’s what happened last night J'onn? Joey experienced his first premonition?" Batman thought, for J'onn only to hear.

"Indeed." Martian Manhunter replied, unwilling to share the details of Joey’s vision.

"Still, your Grace, with all due respect," Batman said, looking at Artemis, "Etrigan has fully developed power of precognition as well as immortality, invulnerability, multiple powers… why risk two mortals? Perish the thought I might displease Queen Hippolyta or Shayera, but…"

"Your demon friend will have his hands quite full sending Ares’ minions straight to Tartarus …or to Hell as you call it. Believe me Batman, the Fates would not budge on the selection of team members, I questioned their choice of mere mortals with no apparent special powers … but I have learned through millennia never to argue with Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos." Athena said, looking pained.

Aphrodite and Artemis both put a comforting hand on their Sister’s shoulders.

"As far as vulnerability is concerned, a protection spell will be cast, protecting those of you with no special powers. You will all be safe, you shall all be returned to your world safely, you have my word." Athena said trying to put a comforting look on her face.

The intercom beeped. "The team is assembled," Mister Terrific's voice said.

Martian Manhunter looked at their visitors. "Your Excellencies, shall we send them in?" he asked.

The three sisters looked at each other and nodded.

"Very well Mike, send them in." Martian Manhunter said.