**This day is fragile,
Soon it will end,
And once it has vanished,
It will not come again.
So let us love,
With a love pure and strong,
Before this day is gone.**

"Superman? Can we talk?" Flash peeked into the small communication room located at the Justice League Headquarters.

"Sure, what's up, Wally?" Superman swiveled around in his chair to face the younger man.

"I…well, I just came back from talking to Nightwing…Dick…and we had a rather intense discussion about Batman," Wally stammered, as he took the seat next to Superman.

"Oh…and what exactly was said about Batman?" Superman probed.

"Well, Dick and I are like suppose to be best buds or something…so I just asked if he knew about those files. I mean, I would think Dick of all people would have told me or mentioned them. Doesn't he trust me?" Wally's voice began to rise slightly.

Prompting in a calm voice, Superman asked, "Did he know about the files?"

"He never answered me directly. Dick began to give me the third degree about how Batman never kept his distrust of others a secret. In fact, he even went so far as to say that any member of the JLA who didn't know or consider Batman having files on other members was only fooling their self!"

"What do you think?" Superman's blue eyes stared intently into Wally's green ones.

"…I…uh…You know, to be truthful…I think that's what hurt the most. Deep down inside, I knew. Heck, I think I even knew that Dick knew about those files. But as long as they were hidden out of the way, it didn't matter…kinda like that saying, out of sight, out of mind…I must have been in denial…I guess," Wally finished lamely.

"Same here," Superman said quietly.

"So do you regret…sending Batman back to Gotham? I mean, I could understand putting him on…probation or something like that…but to vote him out completely, especially after everything he's done for the team, is rather harsh." Wally looked Superman in the eye and frowned.

Taking in a deep sigh, Superman hung his head for an instant and then looked up at Wally. "What Batman did was wrong, Wally. No matter how hard it is he had to face the consequences of his actions. We voted. The decision was made."

"I just hope it was the right one," Wally muttered, as he got up to leave.

"Me too," Superman whispered back.

Batman sat in front of the large crays that filled a corner of the cave. Rubbing his head, he stared at the charts and diagrams before him.

"Are you sure, Oracle? There is no other data to dispute your findings?"

"No Batman. I wish there were! But my findings stand true. Whoever this new villain is, he's armed with a butt load of satellites and nuclear weapons to strip the Earth down to her core," Oracle answered. "Should I contact them?"

"Yes," Batman answered woodenly.

"They'll have to come to Gotham, especially since all of my data shows the transmissions are coming from the city."

"I know," Batman muttered. "Tell them that I'll rendezvous on top of Wayne Towers tomorrow night."

"Will do! Oracle out!"

Batman frowned deeply at the thought of having to face his 'friends' so soon after his expulsion from the JLA. Reaching over to his communication pad, Batman punched in a number. He waited for half a minute before his hails were answered.

"Nightwing here. What's up?"

"Nightwing…I could use your…help," Batman said quietly.

"When?" Nightwing's face suddenly appeared on the screen. Batman connected his own visual, returning the favor.

"Tomorrow night. Got plans?" Batman asked.

"Well, I have to work the nightshift…but if you really need me…"

"No…"

Nightwing really didn't know how, but Batman's face seemed to deflate even more with that simple word.

"What's wrong, Bruce? Something's eating you," Nightwing said.

"There's a…world wide threat…big threat…located here in Gotham. Oracle is calling in the big guns," Batman stated, as he fiddled with some papers on the table beside him, trying his best to look nonchalant. Nightwing grinned inwardly at the effort.

"Oh…look, I've got to go, Bruce. I'll talk to you later. Nightwing out!"

Wearily, Batman stood up and walked to the uniform vault. A few minutes later a very tired Bruce Wayne emerged and climbed the stairs hoping to find a confidant in his faithful friend Alfred.

"Meet us? What for? You can tell that backstabbing, sorry excuse for a team player that he can stand on top of Wayne Towers for the rest of his life for all I care! I'm not going to meet him there or anywhere!" Plastic Man's face was flushed from yelling.

Stepping over and laying a gentle hand on his friend's shoulder, Superman said, "Plastic Man, it is Gotham City and Batman did contact us…"

"No he didn't! Oracle did!" Arthur corrected.

"Batman requested that I contact you. He probably felt it was not his place to talk to you directly." Even through the computerized voice, the JLA members could detect Oracle's irritation.

"Just how urgent is this matter?" Wonder Woman questioned.

"From all the data I can gather, the controller of the satellites and nuclear weapons will have the proper alignments and tools necessary within the week. I believe that makes this an immediate threat." Oracle stressed each word carefully.

"We'll be there," Superman confirmed.

**This day is fleeting,
When it slips away,
Not all our money,
Can buy back this day.
So let us pray,
That we might be a friend,
Before this day is spent.**

Batman arrived an hour early at the roof of Wayne Towers. He sat on top of a gargoyle looking down on the busy main strip of Gotham City. It was 9:00 on a Friday night. The city was full of the nightlife. Somewhere out there among innocent people, a mad man was lurking. A mad man with enough power to blast the Earth to oblivion.

"Batman? Mind if I join you?"

Batman did not turn around as he said, "Nightwing, I thought you had to work."

"I did. Called in sick. Guess I got homesick." Nightwing sat down beside Batman on the protruding gargoyle head.

Batman gave a half grin that soon vanished into an almost sad frown. "It's my city. My city that I'll be expected to turn over into their hands. The hands of a team that's been holding a grudge over me for a few months now. Of course, I can't blame them…can I? Was it wrong of me to be prepared? Is it wrong to question the possibility of a disaster? To ask, what if?" Batman turned to face Nightwing.

Nightwing thought quickly, yet carefully. He did not want to start an argument or try to sugar coat ugly facts. "Bruce, I understand why you made those files. You've taught me from day one to be prepared, know my surroundings, my enemies, and my teammates. I agree that…those of us who have no super powers…we have to take specific precautions to protect ourselves."

"Then I'm not guilty of distrust or deceitfulness?" Batman asked.

"Well, we have to turn this around and look at it from everybody else's point of view. For instance, what if I had been keeping files on how to defeat you? I kept it a secret, but worse, I got close to you and talked to you just for that sole purpose. You thought it was because I care…and maybe I do. But my motive behind my questions, my time spent with you, everything I've ever done with you is so I can find a way to bring you down…if I ever needed to. How would you feel?"

Batman hung his head. "Betrayed…"

Nightwing reached over and put an arm around Batman's shoulders. "We all make mistakes, Bruce. We can't take them back. But we can do our best to correct them. You and I will offer our help and resources to the JLA. Who knows? They may accept our offer. If they don't, we'll go find some of Gotham's scum to take our frustrations out on. What do you say, Partner?"

"Sounds like a plan." Batman stood up and stretched. Silence reigned for a long time. Then Batman shocked Nightwing and himself as he said, "Thanks Dick. I needed a friend tonight."

"No problem, Bruce. No problem at all," Nightwing answered back quietly.

"Batman. Nightwing." Superman's greeting was short.

Batman nodded once as he acknowledged the members of the JLA. Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Martian Manhunter, Plastic Man, Arthur, and Green Lantern stood across from the Dark Knight and Nightwing.

"Why are we here, Batman?" Arthur asked sharply.

"Nightwing and I wanted to…offer our services," Batman answered, looking the Atlantian King in the eye.

"Hey Wingster! How's it going?" Flash offered his hand out to his best friend. "No hard feelings, huh?"

"Not at all," Nightwing said, as he smiled easily at Flash.

"Wait a second!" Plastic Man's hand flew out and grabbed Flash by the arm. "Nobody said they could join the fray!"

"Well, I…uh…that is…I don't see what it would hurt," Green Lantern said nervously.

"Don't you have some green thing that you need to go conjure up?" Plastic Man shot back.

"How about a big fist to go 'POW' right in the kisser?" Green Lantern made a huge green fist with his ring for emphasis.

"We…You don't have time for this!" Batman growled in frustration. "Just go! But don't forget whose city your in at the moment." Batman shot off a line and leapt from the building. Nightwing glared back at the members of the JLA for a moment longer. Then he left, following Batman.

**This day we're given is golden.
Let us show love.**

Oracle had finally narrowed down the transmissions to a little warehouse on the edge of Gotham City. Still, she could find no data on who might be behind what seemed to be a sinister plan. Passing this information on to the JLA, Oracle decided to fill Batman and Nightwing in on the situation as well.

"Thanks Babs! You're beautiful!" Nightwing answered back after her report.

"Uh oh! No flirting while the boss is around," Barbara picked.

"I'm not his boss," Batman muttered.

"Hey, that's my line!" Nightwing protested. "He's not my boss!" Nightwing's voice was light with humor. Batman gave a half grin, as he continued to patrol the busy streets below.

"Lined with lead. I can't see through the walls." Superman sighed heavily, as he thought of possible strategies. "We still don't know who we are up against."

"Well, this is Gotham. Maybe it's the Joker…or Two Face. The Penguin?" Flash frowned in thought.

"That's why we should have let Batman come along! He knows what kinda crazies live in Gotham. He would know what to do…" Green Lantern said.

Wonder Woman interrupted him abruptly. "We can get along fine without him, Kyle! Hera! I would think you would show a little more confidence in the rest of us!"

"I do have confidence in our abilities. I just know that Gotham is Batman's city and he knows how to deal with things here," Green Lantern argued.

"Maybe we should ask Oracle to call him back?" Flash asked.

"Batman would not help us. Not until he is sure only he can defeat this enemy." Martian Manhunter revealed.

"Why is that, J'onn?" Superman asked.

"He felt your anger towards him. He knew that it would serve as a distraction. However, it seems we are allowing our emotions to continue to distract us, even in Batman's absence."

"Oh…well, then we need to clear our minds and focus on the problem at hand," Flash stated.

"Easier said than done, Flash. But you are right. We need to focus on this threat, not on ex-teammates," Superman said.

"So what's the plan?" Plastic Man looked eagerly at Superman.

"Let's talk out what we know and work together…" Superman started, as the other members gathered around to listen.

Oracle continued to cross-reference all data containing to the nuclear weapons and satellites. She was about to give it a break when a company's name caught her eye.

"Oh my! What is this? Babs, you have hit pay dirt!" Immediately, Oracle began to hail the members of the JLA via com-link.

"Superman here. Go ahead, Oracle."

"Superman, I know who's behind this nuclear threat."

"Who?"

"Your old buddy, Lex Luthor."

"You have evidence to back this up?"

"Well, it would seem he went to a lot of trouble to hide his involvement. But like every rat, he left a trail. When I cross-referenced, I ran across the company INFOSource."

"Which is a subsidiary of LexCorp!"

"Exactly. But why would Lex want to blow up the planet?" Oracle wondered allowed.

"Maybe he doesn't. What if he just wanted the threat of a nuclear war? When he takes office, suddenly there is a nuclear threat. How better to take tight control of the government than to actually be able to manipulate a world wide threat?"

"And if he is the savior in this world wide threat, he gets world wide attention. Suddenly, I feel like I'm in a bad episode of Pinky and the Brain."

"Pinky and the who?"

"Never mind, Superman. Just be careful. Lex has got to know that the JLA could get wind of his scheme. He probably has that place full of nice traps for each of you."

"We'll be careful, Oracle. Thanks. Superman out."

Oracle sat thoughtfully for a minute. Then she reached a decision and contacted Batman.

"Batman? Oracle here."

"Oracle, this is Nightwing. Batman's busy at the moment."

"Doing what?"

"Oh…beating up a would be rapist. What's going on in your neighborhood?"

"Just wait till you hear who's behind our nuclear threat…"

**This day is ours for one moment.
Let us show love.**

"Batman, are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, we did promise not to interfere…didn't we?" Nightwing looked down cautiously at the warehouse where the JLA were located, as was the computer that controlled the nuclear threat.

"I never said that I would not interfere. I offered my services. I left. But I never said I would not interfere," Batman growled.

"Well, you gave the impression that…"

"Nightwing! Now that I know who is behind this little scheme, I know how to handle the situation. The JLA can pack it up and head back to the moon for all I care." Batman moved forward and then turned back to Nightwing and asked, "Well, are you with me?"

"Yeah, I'm right behind you," Nightwing muttered.

As the members of the JLA split up and advanced on the center compartment of the warehouse, silent alarms were set off. A prepared chain reaction was activated. Soon each hero found him/herself under attack. Lasers, bullets, wires, metal cages, floor traps, and all kinds of disasters surrounded them. None of these were life threatening for the super powered heroes; however, each of these weapons and tools provided an aggravating halt in the search.

Batman and Nightwing watched from an air conditioning vent above. Batman motioned Nightwing to continue moving. Soon the pair was entering the mass hysteria, fighting alongside the others.

"Batman? I thought you were going to let us handle this?" Green Lantern sounded more surprised than irritated.

"Gotham City is my town. Do you actually think I wouldn't keep a watch on how things were going? Besides, I figured you might need some help after all," Batman grunted as he continued to dodge laser beams.

"Hey! Wouldn't you think that the big computer looking thing over there is the control?" Flash stopped momentarily to point at the huge crays.

"Wally, I do believe you are becoming quite a little detective!" Nightwing grinned at his friend.

"It's about time you started to recognize my excellent potential," Flash quipped.

"So what do we do with it?" Plastic Man stretched his head to get a close look at the huge machine.

"We need to disable the nuclear weapons." Superman headed toward the computer when a warning cut onto the screen.

"WARNING! This computer console is set to self-destruct in 10 seconds after the nuclear weapons have been activated or de-activated. The explosion is a result of kryptonite and hydrochloric acid being mixed with these chemicals." A list of chemicals filled the rest of the screen.

"What in all the great Pacific?" Aquaman exclaimed.

"It's another trap…" Nightwing started to say when a sudden movement beside him caught his eye. "Batman! No!"

Batman broke away from the madness across the room and was in front of the computer. Quickly he searched the control panel and found the switches he needed to de-activate the nuclear weapons.

"Everyone take cover! Flash get Nightwing out!" Batman yelled at the top of his voice as he threw the switch. He was relieved as he saw a blur of red rush out with a black and blue streak. Batman ran as fast as he could, away from the huge computer.

KABOOM!

**This day is frail.
It will pass by.
So before it's too late,
To recapture the time,
Let us share love,
Let us share God,
Before this day is gone.**

All the way outside, Nightwing fought against Flash.

"Let me go! Wally! Let me…" The loud explosion cut off Nightwing. "No! Batman!"

Slowly, each member of the JLA appeared from the rubble. Green Lantern had been able to throw up a green bomb shelter around Plastic Man and himself. Superman had reached Aquaman in time to fly him to safety. Wonder Woman and Martian Manhunter had each gotten out quickly too. However, there was no sign of Batman.

Nightwing broke away from Flash and ran to the crumpled warehouse. "Stupid thing to do, Bruce. Stupid thing to do! Why would you do that?" Nightwing mumbled under his breath, as he searched through the wreckage.

A slight movement and low groan caught everyone's attention. Nightwing rushed over and removed debris away from the black costumed form underneath.

"Batman?" Nightwing asked quietly.

Batman opened his eyes and tried his best to focus them on Nightwing's face. "…Nightwing…everyone okay?…"

"Yeah, everyone's fine. Just be still and rest. I'll get you home," Nightwing managed to say.

Superman knelt down next to Batman. He used his X-ray vision to see the damage to his friend and did not like what he saw. "Batman, why did you do that?" Superman admonished lightly. "What were you thinking?"

"…Lex used kryptonite…would have killed you…fire from explosion would've hurt J'onn…"

"Shhh…it's okay, Batman. Don't try to talk," Nightwing tried to calm his mentor.

"…yellow light from the chemicals…would hurt Kyle…dry heat might've killed Arthur…" Batman closed his eyes against the pain. Still muttering, he finally blacked out.

After dropping Batman off at Leslie's clinic, Superman and the rest of the JLA stood out on the roof talking to Nightwing.

"I'm glad to hear Batman will recover." Superman smiled gently.

"In body." Nightwing knew he sounded bitter, but at this point he could care less.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Arthur challenged.

"It means that after all he has done for each of you, you still don't understand him or his actions. Not only that…you don't even try! He risked his life for you today. Don't you see?"

"You've lost me, Nightwing," Plastic Man said, a bit sarcastically.

Glaring at the team before him, Nightwing stated as clearly as he could manage, "Lex was prepared to take out any member of the JLA through that explosion. It was a trap…no matter which one of you de-activated the nuclear weapons. Batman figured that out. He took the place for each one of you. Batman was ready to die for each of you. What does that tell you?"

Silence reigned for a full minute before Nightwing continued. "Batman told you tonight that you are his friends…He loves each of you and cares about you. No, he did not use words to say it. He used actions. Sometimes actions speak louder than words. In Batman's case, you better be paying attention to his actions since he doesn't usually say a lot."

"But what about those files?" Wonder Woman pointed out.

"Didn't those files save your butt tonight?" Nightwing shot back. "Batman knew what would hurt each of you in that explosion. If he didn't, he might would have suggested one of you go stop that computer. Then it would be one of you lying hurt or dead. He did not make those files to hurt, maim, or destroy you. Those files were made to protect his friends, as well."

"Thank you Nightwing," Superman said quietly.

"For what?" Nightwing snapped back.

"For helping us understand Batman's intentions a little bit better. I'll check back in with you later." With that being said, Superman and the rest of the JLA left.

Back inside, Nightwing sat down beside the resting form of Batman. He reached over and gave the cold, exposed hand a squeeze.

"You know, I have to do everything for you!" Nightwing laughed lightly at the thought.

"Like what?" came a weak reply.

"Oh…teaching you how to jump from roof tops into passing batmobiles, wrapping your Christmas presents for Alfred, going to Blackgate to fight a roomful of criminals, and getting you back into the JLA."

"JLA?"

"It's not official yet…but I think I straightened them out." Nightwing gave another little squeeze to the hand in his.

Batman squeezed back as he whispered, "Thanks, Dick."

"No problem. No problem at all."

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13

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