Superman/Batman [Blue Demon and Zitacamron95]

Clark Kent was what a lot of people would call a nerd, or even just a simple farm boy by the looks of him. His dark brown hair parted to the right and combed quite nicely out of the way, while his thick glasses hid his blue grey eyes from the world. He had a tendency to stutter and slouch, and wore dull colors. He was all around not too fascinating to most people, he rarely drew attention to himself and people thought he was quite easy to see through. Most people just defined him by his name, he was nothing more than Clark Kent, a reporter for Daily Planet and a simple farm boy from Smallville. He felt it was better that way, it left less questions for him to answer when he disappeared and didn't have an excuse for his sudden absence. It also made him quite unrecognizable to the public eye when he was out saving the day as Superman. He had thought about wearing a mask in his early years, when he was still getting used to his powers and decided that no one should know that Clark Kent was actually an alien being of a planet that was completely destroyed. He decided there were ways around the mask, and it worked perfectly as long as nobody took notice to him and saw Superman as someone else completely.

Superman wasn't even technically his other name, his real name was Kal-El. He was a native of the planet Krypton, but before his planet was destroyed he was sent out in a rocket ship that ended up on Earth. It wasn't like he remembered anything about his planet or even his parents, but that didn't mean he didn't feel quite lonely in the universe. He was the only Kryptonian, with the kind of morals he has, left in the whole universe, and he was left to study his planet on his own. It was quite a hard task when he was one of the only ones out there doing it, and there wasn't too much to be offered. He did already have the power to speak and write in Kryptonian language, but that wasn't too helpful when there wasn't anyone else out there that knew that language for themselves. There were others from the planet Krypton, but they were all evil and intended to do no more than destroy Earth, which Clark would never let happen. He had family here, even if they weren't his real family, he also had friends and a life that he wouldn't give up for anything.

At the moment, Clark was Clark, and was reporting for the Daily Planet. He had been sent to Gotham for a good while to write a story on some research center that was opening up in the area. He wasn't too excited about this new assignment, but it was the only thing available at the moment and he didn't get much of a choice. He just stood in the park early, which was unusual to begin with, taking pictures of the things around him. There was a stage already built where the famous Bruce Wayne was going to give some sort of speech before the opening of the research center. It was already all planned out, he was sure. He already knew that the boy who was ill and his sister were invited to come, if her brother was feeling well enough. It was just going to be a boring day in Gotham with nothing more than a few interviews with people that worked on the research center and others that had been part of the study of this young boy's disease. What was the boy's name again? Oh, yes, Samuel Harper, and his older sister was Lillian Harper, he had made sure to get names before he came, but it was a little hard for him to remember these names when he couldn't put a face to them.

Bruce Wayne. Playboy. Millionaire. Orphan. All were words to describe the same man. A single most remarkable man. At this particular moment he was standing next to a large stage. His broad back was to the world. It fit snuggly inside a form fitted, handmade, black suit. It screamed wealth to anyone who looked at him. He stood tall, at six feet two inches, and proudly. He didn't slouch, or lower his head. Yet, for all his manner, he was still approachable. His blue eyes were warm and inviting. He smiled easily and quickly. He always had a kind word to say. When he corrected someone, he was polite about it and didn't make a big deal out of it.

People loved Bruce Wayne. He gave money to charities. He started his own charities. He even gave money to individuals, boy homes, rehabilitation centers, you name it, and he’s given them money. This was the reason why he was standing in a suit next to a partially set up stage, talking to a man with a design of the area. His low voice was a soft rumble. His hand gestured to another man then back at the design.

"Of course. I see it. Thank you Mr. Wayne." Said the man with the design. "That could have been a serious problem." He nodded his head to Bruce then collected the other man and they went off. Heads together looking at the design.

Bruce took the moment to roll his head and try to shrug some of the stiffness out of his shoulders. Last night hadn't been a good night. He was used to working sleep deprived. He was used to working with a battered body. He was even used to working with them both together, but that didn't mean his body hurt any less or that he wasn't tired. He looked around to see if anyone else needed him at the moment. No one did, they weren’t even looking at him.

Very well. He'd take the time to look over the entire area. Not that he thought there would be anything untoward, but it never hurt to look. He hoped the Harper siblings could make it. The doctors were doubtful that Samuel would feel up to it, but Lillian might come. He hoped at least one of them could make it so they could see Gotham rally together for one of their own. It would give them courage and strength.

Gotham wasn't a bad city. It was full of people trying to do the right thing. But with any city, there was also people who only thought of themselves. Criminals. Bruce rubbed his side discretely. His mind was hours away. Bruce, for the moment was replaced by the Batman. Then he was back just as suddenly. There was someone who he hadn't noticed before. He didn't stop, but kept an eye on the man. He was tall. Black hair. Glasses. Clean shaven. Nerdy looking. Badge over his right breast. Reporter than.

Bruce, satisfied that the man was allowed to be there, turned back to examining the area.

Clark had gotten so bored that he was taking pictures of random trees with different settings on his camera. He needed to make a mental note of never being this early again, and just stick with being on time for everything. He didn't intend to interrupt the people that were already working, he knew how irritating that could be. They all seemed too busy and it was better if he just continued to be in his own world rather than bother the others while they were working on getting the stage put together. He didn't have any important questions anyways, and it wasn't like his boss really cared about this story at all. Clark had a feeling he was just sent to do this story so that he would be out of the office for a few days. It was a little troubling for him to actually leave Metropolis, but he was sure he could manage, and it wasn't like it took him that long to fly back if there was any trouble at all. He expected that everything would stay under control though, Luthor was off on some sort of business trip somewhere else, and all the other supervillains Superman faced were safely locked away.

He wondered how well Batman kept the streets of Gotham safe. Superman knew better than to go into Gotham, he knew how Batman would rather work alone, and he figured it was just better to leave the vigilante to do his job. Clark hadn't gotten out of his own thoughts until he felt a tap on his shoulder, it had startled him enough to make him jump into the air. He heard a slight heavy exhale of breath as if someone was trying not to laugh at such a reaction. He spun around and glared for just a moment at the person behind him, until he realized that it was just an accident. A young woman stood before him, her long brown hair was up into a mess of a pony tail and her brown eyes had the dull effect of someone that was sleep deprived. She was of average height, and there wasn't anything amazingly different about her that would set her apart from the crowd at all.

"Excuse me, I was just wondering if you had the time? It seems I'm early and I was just wondering if I had time to get something caffeinated." The young woman spoke quietly, as if she really didn't want to be noticed at all. She seemed quite uneasy and ready to leave at any excuse she could find.

"Oh, uh...I think there's a good half-hour...sorry, I don't wear a watch." Clark smiled apologetically, "Are you sure you're in the right area?"

"Yeah, I'm...well, I'm Lillian Harper. I only came to see how things were going, I don't think I'll be staying long. My brother is in the hospital and I'd rather be there than here," Lillian explained.

Clark nodded, "I'd want to do the same if I were in your shoes. I'll go ask someone the time then, you just stay here and try not to pass out." Clark looked around quickly and realized that there was only one person that looked like the person to ask about the time. He really never wanted to have to walk up to Bruce Wayne and bother the man in the middle of important business. He didn't have a choice though, so he just walked up to the richest man in Gotham and smiled as politely as he could. "E-excuse me, M-Mr. Wayne, but would you happen to know the time?" He asked, in his usual stutter, he pointed to Lillian, "She wants to know if she has time to get coffee before things get started." Clark had no idea why he had to explain, it just sort of came out with the question. He was actually trying to get the attention of someone else on Lillian, since she looked like she wasn't in the best condition herself and he just wanted to make sure that wasn't normal.

Bruce had finished his rounds after being stopped once or twice. He didn't mind the interruptions. He happily helped with whatever was needed. Everything was coming together nicely. All that was left was some last minute touches. Soon people would start arriving. People other than reporters and lookie-loos that was. These people would be the ones to donate money to the Samuel Harper Foundation. To give money to find a cure for Samuel's unknown disease.

"E-excuse me, M-Mr. Wayne, but would you happen to know the time? She wants to know if she has time to get coffee before things get started."

Bruce half turned as someone started talking to him. His eyes flicked up and down the man. It was the reporter from earlier. Bruce kept a smile on his face. He didn't care much for reporters. Handy though they might be, most of the time they were a nuisance. He watched as the man pointed back from where he had come to a girl. No. Not just any girl. Lillian. Bruce straightened even more if that was possible.

"Of course." Bruce rumbled, glancing down at his watch. "It's a quarter ‘til the event begins." He turned and hailed another young woman. She had short blond hair, dyed, and a nice dress suit on. "Mrs. Smith, could you get Miss. Lillian Harper a cup of coffee. Black I think. Grab a few packets of sugar and milk. If you could."

Mrs. Smith smiled at Bruce as he spoke. Then she batted her eyelashes. "Of course Mr. Wayne. I'll have it over in a few minutes." She walked off, swishing her behind. Bruce ignored her for Lillian. If Lillian didn't look so weary, he might have watched. Bruce liked his women. It was good for his persona of Bruce Wayne. He always ignored the little part of him that said he had always liked men better.

Bruce walked over to Lillian. He smiled brightly. "Lillian. How good of you to make it. How is Samuel?" Bruce extended his hand. "How are you doing?" The poor girl was trying her best to put herself through college and find a cure for her brother when Bruce found her. Now he was putting her through college and giving whatever and whomever she needed to help her find a cure. But that hadn't stopped her drive for doing whatever she could for her brother.

Clark looked at Bruce for a few moments, wondering what was going on in the mind of the play boy millionaire everyone practically praised in Gotham. It wasn't like it was his business to actually care, but it was his curiosity that the better of him at that point. He always questioned what would make someone just so helpful to so many people when they had that much money. Then again the only other incredibly rich person Clark knew was Lex Luthor, and that really wasn't someone to compare other people to, not even the other rich people out there. Clark placed his camera in his pocket, deciding now wasn't the best time to be playing with it or even ask for a picture of Bruce and Lillian. The girl looked exhausted and it just didn't seem right to act like a reporter in these sort of situations. He did follow Bruce back to Lillian, but he was mostly just there to help out and make sure that she was actually up to even be in this place.

Lillian shook Bruce's hand absentmindedly, and looked up at him with that same look of desperation she always seemed to have. "Sam's fine, he's going to be discharged from the hospital later on today..." This wasn't an unusual thing since Sam's disease had this interesting effect of going away for a few weeks and then suddenly appearing once again to force the child back into the hospital. The only reason they allowed Sam to go in and out of the hospital was because Lillian knew how to treat Sam herself at this point and knew exactly what to do when an emergency came about. "I could be doing better, while I was working late at the college there was a bit of an...incident." Lillian shook her head, "But, just don't worry about it Mr. Wayne, everything's fine, Sam and I will be fine."

Clark thought about the way the girl had tried to describe what had happened as an incident, it took her a moment to even come up with that word. He thought that something might be wrong with Lillian and she was happier with keeping everyone out of it. "Are you sure you should even be here then? Maybe you would like to go back home, I wouldn't mind driving you there," Clark offered. It looked to him that it would be better if the girl got some sleep and actually had the strength to get her brother home later. It just didn't seem right to have her stay here in the park anyways.

Bruce kept a smile on his face when Lillian replied to his questions. Her mind was a million miles away. On something that was troubling her. Of course she wouldn't tell Mr. Wayne. After all he was just a playboy millionaire. No one who can handle... problems. But Bruce wasn't home at the moment. Batman looked over the girl. Being tired meant she hadn't been sleeping well. Maybe even before the 'incident'. The way she avoided talking about it made him think there was more going on then she wanted anyone to know. Tonight Batman would be busy.

"If you're sure." Batman pretending to be Bruce was going to say. However the reporter got his words out first. Batman turned his attention back to the reporter. If Lillian was in trouble, it could be anyone. Even a helpful reporter. The reporter was not taller than Wayne because he was slouching. However if he stood up straight... He could be anywhere from six foot to six four possibly. At a slouch the man stood a little under six foot, maybe five eleven. Up close he was able to see the styling gel in the man's black hair. All neatly done. His glasses didn't hide his blue eyes at this distance either.

The man had muscles under his shirt. Nicely toned, nothing blatantly obvious. But nothing you'd get from just working out at home. Either he went to a gym or to a class to keep in shape. The reporter's badge said his name was a Clark Kent. He was from Metropolis according to the badge, working for a place called the Daily Planet. Batman had heard of the newspaper. It was the best when it came to sighting and getting stories on the vigilante, Superman. In fact this reporter had been tied to a few of those stories. Interesting.

Batman turned as he heard someone approaching. "Mr. Wayne." It was the coordinator.

"Yes." Batman didn't take his eyes off Kent, Lillian, or the coordinator. "How can I help?"

"The pre-checks will be ready to be taken in fifteen."

Batman nodded his head as he looked at his watch. "I'll be there." He patted his left side. "Got my speech ready and everything." He smiled at the man who smiled back. Then he turned fully back to Kent and Lillian as the coordinator left.

"No, I won't be able to get anything done at home. I already cleaned the whole place, and sleeping isn't an option. Thanks for the offer though, Mr. Kent, I appreciate it," Lillian sighed. She looked at the stage they already had prepared and everything that was going on around her, she wasn't even sure if it was safe to be in public at the moment, but she was certain home wasn't a good option either. She would just have to hope the cops that were going to be around during this whole event were competent enough to take care of any issues that may arrive. She was certain that she would be safer during the day, but it was hard to tell what could happen at the time being, Gotham wasn't exactly the best place to live for anyone, especially the ones that got an overabundance of attention.

"Alright, if you say so," Clark shrugged, "Mr. Wayne was nice enough to have someone get some coffee for you, as well. Is there anything else you need?" Clark wasn't really sure there was much he could do for her if she didn't want help. He could always check things out later as Superman, he was concerned that someone was giving her a bit of trouble, and it could have been anyone in Gotham. Clark didn't even know Gotham that well, but he did know the chaos that was in the city, the insane criminals, the mobs and any other selfish person that thought they could get away with crime. It was hard to keep everything straight, he had no idea how Batman did it on a regular basis though it was one of the many things he admired about The Dark Knight.

"I'll be fine," Lillian assured, "Thank you, Mr. Wayne, and Mr. Kent. I just don't like crowds too much, that's all." It was true that she hated crowds, but it was quite a lame excuse for how nervous and shaken she seemed.

Clark nodded and looked at Bruce, as the other reporters started to swarm in trying to get a good seat near the stage. "I better go, if I don't get a good seat my boss will kill me. I'm sorry for bothering you," Clark said as he went to push through others for a spot, though he was sure he wasn't going to be doing much pushing and would probably let most people shove past him like always. He never was as ambitious about these newspaper articles, at least not as much as Lois was. He figured that Bruce Wayne would be able to handle the situation anyways, if there was anything to worry about at all. If not, he'd try to figure things out on his own, when he wasn't being a reporter for the Daily Planet.

Batman watched Kent and Lillian talk. She seemed to be trying to leave. Even though it appeared she came here to hide. Was she worried the problem would follow her here? Or was she worried no one here could protect her? Or was there really a difference? Batman didn't care. She was still a kid and he wouldn't let her handle this alone. He'd keep her here under his watchful eye. Then tonight he'd visit the college and see what he'd scare up.

Batman smiled at Lillian. "Crowds can be rather daunting." He chuckled. "Especially when giving speeches." He leaned in closer to the girl. "Don't tell anyone I said that. I'd be bad for my reputation." He winked at her.

Batman nodded at Kent has he turned to leave. He dismissed the man. Not totally mind you. There'd be a new file in the Batcave tonight after Batman visited the college. In said file there'd be everything anyone ever knew about a reporter named Clark Kent from the Daily Planet. And hopefully a file for whoever was harassing Lillian.

"If you want, you can sit back stage. No crowds to see. It's not bad back there, if a little unsightly. We didn't dress it up back there." Batman gestured to the stage. The reverse side was exposed with wires and other gear they’d use for the fund raiser. A police officer had taken up a stance near the stage and another one a little further off. If Lillian desired protection, hopefully that should be enough of an invitation. "And I'm sure Mrs. Smith will be back soon with your coffee."

Lillian smiled lightly when Bruce talked about the crowds, but it disappeared as quickly as it had arrived on her face. She just wasn't too much in the mood to deal with anything, it wasn't like she had much of a choice though. Though, to her, it felt like Bruce was just trying to cheer her up, which meant he would try in anyway possible even if that mean lying about things. She really didn't mind, it wasn't like she wasn't used to it anyways. She had to deal with certain people like Bruce her whole life, even if they weren't rich or paying for her college tuition. She was able to manage dealing with the people that tried to cheer her up with little attempts like relating to a fear or even just agreeing with a fear to make it seem more rational. The people she couldn't manage were the people that thought they knew what she was going through, knew what her life was like and thought they had a similar past. There were things she just didn't bring up that people didn't know, her parents may have died, but that was all they knew about them and that's all anyone would ever know about them.

The girl nodded when Bruce offered for her to sit backstage, "I think I'm going to take you up on that offer. As much as I would love to watch you make this speech of yours, I'm sure seeing me fall asleep half way through is going to look very respectful. I'd rather not read what made up stories the reporters will have the next morning because of it." Lillian then made her way tot he back of the stage where she found a place to sit and her coffee was brought to her after a little while longer. She busied herself with other work, calling the doctors and talking to them about Sam's return home. She wasn't too sure she wanted him to come home, but the doctors insisted that they make room at the hospital while Sam was feeling better.

Clark had made his way, somehow, to the front. He had no idea how he got there really, it seemed like a series of other reporters pushing to the same and him trying to get out of the way landed him a spot dead center in the front. He really didn't want to be in such a spot, but at this point there was no way to get out of it. He just had to be ready for Bruce's speech, take a few notes and pictures and call it good for the time being. He was more worried about the young girl that was now gone, than he was about getting a story to his boss for The Daily Planet. There was much more to worry about than his small job that was just for his job as being a regular human. It may have made his parents a little more happy, but he did have a job that was a little more worthy of his thoughts. He'd make sure that whatever was bothering Lillian, would stop soon enough. At least, while he was around.

Once the whole thing was done and over with, and Clark had a few good things to go off of, he waited for the rest of the crowd to disperse. He did want to make sure that that everything else was going fine as well. Though he could already hear soft snores coming from the back of the stage and figured that was Lillian, asleep. Clark had to figure out what was going on, and he figured one of the best ways was through the one person that had been helping her out for a long while now. Clark spotted Bruce, somehow, and quickly ran over, "Excuse me, Mr.Wayne, do you by any chance have an opening for a small interview tomorrow?"

Batman watched the girl move to the back of the stage. He was worried about her. If Batman had a soft spot, it was for children. Maybe that was why he took in little Richard after his parents died. He would help Lillian and Samuel as both Bruce Wayne and Batman. But right now, they needed the help of Bruce. Batman could only work under the cover of darkness.

Once the girl was safely backstage Bruce turned toward the stage. He took a second to straighten his suit and check his hair. He took a deep breath before advancing. He hadn't been telling falsehoods. Bruce was a facade for Batman. And Batman was more comfortable in the shadows, not in front of crowds giving speeches the entire city would be watching. It went against Batman's low profile. But without Bruce's availability, personality, and wealth, Batman couldn't do what he did best.

So Batman as Bruce sucked it up and calmly went on stage. He smiled at the crowds and the reporters. "Thank you all for coming out today." Bruce began his speech. He talked for a long time. A little about Gotham and its citizens always being kind and giving. A little about the Harpers. A little part of his speech was directed to wealthy individuals who had already given to the Samuel Harper Fund. He talked mostly about what the Samuel Harper fund was and what its purpose was and how it would help others, not just Samuel.

By the time Bruce was done, Lillian was sleeping, the crowd was cheering, and the wealthy were lined up to give him money. Bruce discharged the rest of his duty by talking individually to everyone he could. It took a long time, but eventually that was over. The crowds had thinned out by this point. There were only a few people left, most reporters. The other people were part of the crew and they were already hard at work taking the stage down.

Bruce rolled his shoulders once he was reasonably sure no one was looking at him. Soon he'd go back to the manor and do some research while he waited for the sun to set. Then Batman would be free to visit the college. Pity his plans didn't include a small nap. But time was od the essence. He didn't want to go anywhere blind. And if he slept, he wasted time he could be using to help Lillian.

Batman turned as someone, no, Mr. Clark, called his name. Mr. Clark ran over to where Bruce was standing. Batman placed Bruce's friendly smile back on his face.

"Tomorrow?" Batman/Bruce mused. If all went well, things would be solved tonight on Lillian's end. On Bruce's end, there was just the usual running Wayne Enterprises, WE. (Their slogan was 'WE are working toward a better future today'. Not something Bruce came up with himself. It was the advertisement department.) "I should be free in the afternoon. Best check with Mrs. Smith though." He chuckled. "I'm not allowed to be in charge of my own day. Mrs. Smith said I'd waste it with sleeping and running amok I think." All courtesy of his playboy image. And Mrs. Smith would get rid of reporters for him. She didn't much care for reporters of any kind. Especially those who sought interviews without being invited first.