Epilogue: Those You Leave Behind

"You found her?"

The words hung in the air. Superman, Batman knew, needed less than an hour of sleep a night—but he looked like he wasn't getting even that. There were dark circles beneath the Man of Steel's eyes, which were red and bloodshot. His skin had the sallow, waxy texture that told the Dark Knight that Superman wasn't getting enough sun—too many operations late at night.

"Yes," Batman said. "But the situation is...complicated."

"Who has her?" Superman said, clutching his right fist in his hand, visibly struggling. "Where is she? Was it Luthor? Wherever she is, we can—"

"Kal," Wonder Woman slid her hand onto his shoulder. "Calm down. Bruce is trying to tell you something. Let him speak."

The hero's head sagged between those mighty shoulders.

Batman took out an envelope and slid out the photos he had taken over the last few days. He hated to do it, because it made him feel like one of those private eyes showing proof of infidelity for a divorce.

There was Harley Quinn, with the beginnings of her baby bump. Poison Ivy, naked except for her gardening gloves. Lois Lane, paler and with longer hair that Superman remembered her, naked and with some sort of vine sticking out of her crotch. Superman pawed through the photos...they were laughing...kissing...touching one another...and then...

"I don't...I don't understand. It has to be some kind of trick...mind control, or..." The Man of Steel said.

"I'm not entirely sure what's going on," Batman said. "But she's been calling herself 'Lotus' Lane, and there's evidence she's in an apparently consensual sexual relationship with both Ivy and Harley Quinn. Harley at least is pregnant. Lois may be as well. I found evidence of pregnancy tests for both of them in the trash. There are also signs that Lois now has similar plant powers to Ivy."

The Last Son of Krypton trembled with emotions he could not name. Wonder Woman shared a look with Batman, and then placed both hands on his shoulders. Few woman on Earth except the Amazon had the strength to knead those muscles, but slowly Superman relaxed.

"Are you saying it is consensual?" He asked.

"I'm saying I don't know yet. I'd like to make contact with Lois—privately. Draw her away from the other two. Hear her story. I'm not ruling out that she's under Ivy or Harley's influence. But if it is...consensual..."

Superman raised his head. Puppies have given that look, after receiving a harsh kick, hurt and sorry but not knowing what they've done to deserve it.

"Thank you, Bruce. I'll...I'll leave it up to you. Let me know how it goes."

Batman nodded. He gathered up the photographs and left Superman alone with Wonder Woman. Diana's hands had shifted up to rub his neck.

"You don't look so good, Kal. You know you aren't going to be any good to anyone if you don't take care of yourself. It's sunny out, and I was going to sunbathe on the roof. You could join me. Even a short nap in the sun will do you wonders."

Superman was too emotionally numb to disagree. Diana smiled as she led him along...and wondered how he would respond when he learned that Amazons sunbathe in the nude.

Ivy and Harley were out tonight on a job. Lotus Lane sighed. She didn't particularly care for the life of crime, but they needed to eat...and the former reporter was wondering if they couldn't come up with some more above-board operation. Something where they wouldn't have to steal to make ends meet.

It was a few moments before Batman quietly coughed to let her know he was there.

Lotus turned. Her mind reached out to the plants around her, but Batman made no move. He stood there, in cape and cowl, utterly still, like a piece of the night had detached itself and rooted in their greenhouse.

"Lois Lane," he said. "Superman asked me to find you."

She paled a little, which made the green come out in her face a little more.

"How is he?" She asked.

"Worried about you. It's been three months since you disappeared. Dropped out of your old life entirely. Your job. Your friends. Your family. Care to tell me why?"

"Harley and Pam..."

"Will be occupied for a while tonight. We have time to talk." Batman's eyes were two white voids, because of the mask, but Lotus could hear the concern in his gruff voice.

She took a deep breath. "It all started twelve weeks ago. I had gone to the club, to investigate four women who had gone missing..."

The story came out in bits and pieces...and yet the more Lotus Lane spoke, the more her ould journalistic instincts came to the fore, to string together a narrative...and her eyes widened as she came to realize the kind of life she'd been living, what it had been like to leave her old life behind...and maybe a part of her wanted that, all along.

"...so I'm pregnant...and Harley is pregnant...and here we are." Lotus Lane finished. She rubbed her arms. "I can't go back to my old life. I can't be Lois Lane again. Can you make him understand that?"

"I'll try," Batman said. "But Lois...Lotus. Just because you've found a new life doesn't mean you can just walk away from your old one. You have people that care about you. If you're going to forge a new life, you still have to reckon with your past."

"You're right," she said, and sighed. "You're right. I just don't know how Superman is going to take it."

The sun burned overhead. Wonder Woman could feel the heat building on her black hair, as her head bobbed up and down. Superman was laying naked in the sun, looking better already as he sucked up those rays.

"Diana...we...we shouldn't..." he groaned.

With a wet slurp, the Amazon took her mouth off of his super-shaft. Her blue eyes drank in the sight of his body, like the marble statue of a Greek god made flesh.

"You know, I wouldn't do this for anyone else but you, Kal," she said. "But you're too pent up. You need this. Let me take care of it for you. There's nothing wrong with two friends helping each other out, is there?"

Before he could answer, Diana grabbed his cock with both hands and recommenced slurping on the swollen head of his shaft.

It was high time, in her estimation, that he forgot Lois Lane.