Sequel to "The Changing Table"

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine - just borrowed from DC 
Comics/Time Warner. This is not for profit - just for fun.

Following Instructions 
by Chicago

"Do you want something, or would you prefer to lurk?" Batman asked, not 
taking his eyes off the monitor. 
 
Superman shifted. If he wasn't so sure that it wasn't Bruce Wayne covering 
the Watchtower, he might have hesitated. "How long did you think you 
could fool me?" he asked. 
 
Batman didn't hesitate, nor did he turn. "Two weeks." 
 
Superman's face settled into a scowl. "I didn't ask how long you have 
gotten away with it; I asked how long you thought you could." 
 
Batman slapped a command into the keyboard and finally turned.  "And I 
answered you. I thought it would take two weeks. I stepped in for Bruce 
almost a month ago." 
 
"A month..." Superman faltered. 
 
Batman turned back to the monitor. "I padded the suit up a bit at first, but I 
thought you'd notice the face. Or the voice." 
 
Superman's reply dripped with irony. "Oh, you've got the voice down." 
 
"Bat 101 - the first and hardest lesson." 
 
"Tim, stop it. This isn't you." 
 
Batman stayed silent. 
 
Superman sighed heavily and crossed to the second chair near the monitor. 
"Tim." 
 
Batman tapped at the computer, changing the camera views displayed on 
the monitor. 
 
"Tim, we can't run a team this way." 
 
"Has anyone else noticed?" 
 
"No, but they will, and -" 
 
"And they will deal with it. Or they will kick me out." Tim's tone reflected 
no emotion one way or the other. 
 
"Tim, this team - when Bruce came back - we agreed on full disclosure -" 
 
Batman's eyes narrowed as he turned again to Superman. "Mr. Kent - 
Clark. I have very specific instructions. Fill in as Batman for the JLA. I've 
been doing this for a month. We've had two major emergencies in that 
time. Have I failed to perform as Batman?" 
 
"No. No, I don't mean -" 
 
"You need a Batman. You've got one. Unless you'd like me to leave." 
 
"Tim, what -" Superman stopped. His tone changed. "You said your 
instructions. You don't want to be here?" 
 
"I don't want to be Batman. I never did. But now - maybe I'm realizing 
that there aren't enough people out there who care enough about Bruce to 
understand what it means that he asked me to do this."
 
A sense of shock settled over Superman. "Not care about - Tim, I -" 
 
"A month." 
 
A heavy silence settled over the two superheroes as Batman again focused 
on the monitor. Superman stared at the younger man, but if the attention 
troubled Tim, he gave no sign. Just like his mentor. Enough so that - 
Superman felt a creeping guilt. He had noticed that Batman seemed to be 
getting thinner. He'd chalked that up to the stresses of dealing with a new 
family on top of an already full schedule. He'd similarly dismissed the 
occasional slight smile as the irrepressible joy of a new father. And if 
Batman had seemed a tad more brusque and silent than usual - well, who 
could tell? It had taken a month for it to occur to him that the man behind 
the mask was *not* the same friend he expected to find there. What kind 
of friend would not notice such a deception? 
 
"How is Bruce?" he finally asked. 
 
"Bruce is fine. He is a doting father and husband and happier than we're 
used to seeing him. Batman has his city well in hand, and he's working 
better with Akins than I thought he ever would." 
 
"He's mad at me?" 
 
Batman shook his head. "No. You are acting about as he expected." 
 
Superman thought about that for a moment. "You're mad at me." 
 
"Hell, yes." Batman turned, the mask slipping for the first time. "I know 
Bruce can be a difficult pain in the neck sometimes, but - a *month*? 
C'mon. You're Superman. And you're one of a handful of folks who can 
get inside his defenses. He hasn't said a word, but -" 
 
"I haven't been there for you, have I?" 
 
Tim stopped short. "What?" 
 
"How many added layers of secret has this whole Batman thing been on 
top of your usual double life?" 
 
Tim sat back, his pose finally settling more into one that Superman 
associated with Robin. "You don't want to know." 
 
Superman shook his head. "But I do. Does anyone know? Aside from 
Bruce, I mean?" 
 
The glance Tim shot at Superman was faintly annoyed. "Well, yeah. 
Dinah, obviously. And Dick and Babs and Spud. And Cassandra." 
 
"Outside the family." 
 
Tim shifted. "Umm - J'onn." 
 
"And?" 
 
"Well, you - now." 
 
Superman sighed. "Tim, you're just too good at doing your job.  All your 
jobs. Do you want the JLA to know?" 
 
Tim hesitated, then shook his head. "Not just yet." A faint smile creased 
his face. "It's easier to deal with Aquaman muttering about me being 
sanctimonious when I can just pass it off as a comment meant for Bruce." 
 
Superman chuckled. "Probably wise. You know they'll figure it out 
eventually." 
 
Tim nodded. "Yeah." 
 
"They might gang up on you about it." 
 
"Let 'em. I'll just send them to Bruce." 
 
"Or me," Superman reminded him. 
 
Tim smiled finally. "Or you," he agreed. 
 
-end-