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Tell Me Lies By Ugly_Girl Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction
that infringes upon copyrights and characters owned by DC Comics and Warner
Bros. This author (nor anyone else) is making no money, nor receiving any
type of compensation for this work. This fanfic is based in
the Justice League animated universe. All bastardization of characterizations
is mine. Rated PG Part I Diana sipped her iced mocha, and decided to spend
her last few dollars on the entrance fee to the She’d had a wonderful day. Although she hadn’t
exactly fit in all the places she had visited – even wearing jeans and a
t-shirt she was too tall and too strikingly beautiful to go without notice –
she had felt comfortable, at ease for the first time in Man’s World since
leaving Themyscira. Since she had been exiled from Themyscira. Diana frowned and tossed the now-empty drink
container into a recycling bin before entering the museum. She wouldn’t let
those painful thoughts intrude on her day, she told herself. Today was to
discover more about Man’s World, not dwell on the past. She was a dollar short for the entrance fee, but
the man behind her smiled and offered her the money, flirting a little. She
decided not to get upset over his forwardness, but thanked him instead,
accepting the dollar but not returning the flirtatious smile. "Thank you," she said graciously. At
his expectant look, she added, "I hope you won’t feel offended if,
despite my acceptance of your currency, I tour the museum on my own." The man looked a little disappointed, but replied
easily, "Not at all, I’m just happy to help." "Thank you," she said again, and looked
at the museum map, deciding to visit the ancient Greek section first. As she
wound her way through the halls, she thought about the man, and how her
upbringing on Themyscira had not prepared her for
his, or any other man's, kindness. Yes, she had met men as evil as she had
been warned of, but she had also met very many good men: Superman, J’onn, Batman, Green Lantern, the
Flash. Thinking of Batman now, her mouth quirked into a smile. What would he
think, she wondered, if he knew that she was in his
city? She imagined his reaction: he would tell her, in as few words as
possible, that she should leave. "Get out," he would simply say, his
voice rough. Or, "Go back to the Watchtower, Diana." No, that would
be too many words, she thought, and chuckled under her breath. She knew that
he used his harsh tone to intimidate the rest of the league, but it never
intimidated her. She’d seen him care about too many people, save too many
people, including her; underneath that forbidding exterior, Diana was
convinced that Batman was a softie. A softie with a lot of secrets, and some
very dangerous martial arts skills, but a softie nonetheless. She looked down and consulted her map, turned a
corner, and ran into a very hard chest. She didn’t stumble, but the man whom
she ran into was knocked backwards a foot, barely catching himself from
falling by grabbing her arm for balance. Diana didn’t even think: she took his hand off
her arm, turned and threw him to the ground. He
landed on his back with a thud and a whoosh of breath; her eyes widened and
she went down on her knees beside him, immediately apologizing. "Oh, Great Hera, I
am so very sorry. It was an automatic reaction—are
you hurt?" She didn’t think she had used very much strength, but when a
move was instinctual like that, it was hard to tell. She began running her
hands over him, remembering all of the healing skills that she had been
taught on Themyscira. "Do you hurt anywhere?" she asked as
she prodded at his ribs, his wrist. "Here?" The man shook his head
and tried to sit up, but she held him down easily, her voice gentle but
brooking no argument. "No, don’t try to move until I make sure that you
don’t have any injuries. What I wouldn’t give for x-ray vision right
now." She muttered the last, but the man heard her. "I’m glad you don’t," he said.
"You’re getting far too good an idea of what my body is like as it
is." She jerked her hands back, a slight blush
staining her cheeks. She had been feeling him all over, without even asking.
She wondered briefly if she would be arrested for that; Man’s World was so
different from Themyscira – what had been an
innocent medical examination might be mistaken for sexual harassment or
assault. "I’m sorry," she said again, and helped him sit up. She
surreptitiously examined his face and eyes for any sign of head trauma, but
his color was good, and his pupils dilated normally. She thought she detected
a hint of exasperated humor flashing in his eyes before he blinked, and their
expression became slightly confused, and a full of male interest. "I’m fine," he said. "Just--"
He was interrupted by the sound of a woman
yelling, "Mr. Wayne!" The slap of high heels against tile echoed in
the hall; Diana turned to see a woman running toward them, a worried
expression on her face. "Mr. Wayne!" The woman skidded to a halt,
gave Diana a once over, then gripped one of the man's hands to pull him up.
"Are you all right?" The man's teeth flashed -- Mr. Wayne's teeth,
Diana told herself -- into a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, Valerie."
He shook off the woman's hand, then used it to brush
off his immaculate suit. "I trust that if you find any cracks in the
floor from the impact of my body, the check I've just written the museum will
cover it." He grinned as he said it, and Valerie laughed softly, her
posture changing into something Diana recognized as seductive. Diana bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud.
Women here were, she thought, ridiculous sometimes. Instead of just saying
what they wanted directly, they often played games, posing and preening for
attention. Not all women, of course, but a lot of them. She turned to look at
Mr. Wayne, trying to figure out what the woman was attracted to, and met his
eyes with her own. "And you are alright?" he asked. "Yes." Diana nodded. She thought the
man must be handsome by Man's World's standards, but she wasn't sure. He
didn't look like any of the movie stars she'd seen on the videos the Flash
often played in the Watchtower, but his features were regular, and pleasing.
Not boyish like Adonis, but sharper, more masculine. His eyes were a
beautiful blue, she decided; not unlike the Arctic sea. "I really must
apologize again; I'm afraid I wasn't watching where I was going." "Usually, when walking in the museum,
visitors tend to walk along the right side of the hall, not the left,"
Valerie said, not unkindly. "Oh," Diana said. The unfamiliarity of
Man's World, the strangeness of the little details swept over her, and she
suddenly felt very alone, and homesick. Valerie was tapping a fingernail against her
teeth, ignoring Wayne for the moment, closely examining Diana's features.
"Don't I know you? You look so familiar…Wonder Woman!" She snapped
her fingers in triumph. Diana gave a half smile, not exactly pleased that
she had been recognized so easily. Mr. Wayne gave a visible start, then his
expression changed into something Diana didn't recognize, something that
seemed almost…predatory. "Wonder Woman?" he repeated. "This
beautiful woman who is both my attacker and my healer is Wonder Woman? I am
Bruce Wayne, and I am pleased to meet your acquaintance." He had a slick, flirtatious smile pasted on his face as he leaned
forward and raised Diana's hand for a brief kiss on her fingers. She resisted
the urge to pull it away, kept smiling frozenly as more people gathered
around, calling her name. She looked at ********** Diana was in his city. He'd known it was her the second she had thrown
him to the floor -- there weren't many people who could catch him off-guard
like that, and once he had realized what was happening he had let her toss
him, or else raise her suspicions that a normal man could defend himself
against an Amazonian martial artist. But what was she doing in his city? Bruce calculated the chances that her presence in
the museum would deter the thieves that he knew planned to steal the Picasso
on loan from the Louvre that very night, and
realized that an entire month's work trying to crack an art theft ring might
be wasted if they got spooked by the appearance of a powered hero. So he
decided to turn on the Bruce Wayne charm, and get her out of there, one way
or another. Knowing Diana, rather than falling for his seductive attempts,
she would hit him and leave in anger. He'd take either option. A date or a punch, it
made no difference to him -- just as long as she left the museum, as long as
she got out of Until, of course, Valerie made him rush things
along. He noticed Diana's frozen expression upon being
recognized, said the trite lines that he said to nearly every beautiful
female celebrity that crossed his path, kissed her hand…then swayed. "Oh," he said, putting his hand to his
head. "Maybe I hit the ground harder than I thought." She reacted as he thought she would, scooping him
up and declaring, "I'm flying you to the hospital." "The closest exit is that way," Valerie
said, and pointed. Bruce moaned theatrically and Diana took off, gliding
smoothly through the halls and out into the open. Once outside, she paused
for a minute, and he realized that she didn't know where the hospital was. He
was about to speak up when she said, "Wonder Woman to the Watchtower.
Transport me immediately to the med lab." ******* Diana frowned, making sure that she understood
him correctly. "You weren't really hurt or dizzy?" She looked at J'onn--who had performed the examination--for
confirmation, and he nodded, then glanced away. She
thought for a second that J'onn was trying to
contain laughter, but then dismissed the notion. She turned back to Bruce
Wayne. "Why?" He at least had the grace to look abashed, she
thought, until he said, "I just wanted some time alone with you,"
he grinned, "to get to know you better." He raised an eyebrow as he
stressed the 'know you better'. "And now that I'm here and we have a
beautiful view of Earth, do you want to show me around the Watchtower? I'd
like to see everything: the recreation room, the Javelin…your bedroom,"
he said. Diana shook her head. "I don't think
so." This man was ridiculous, she thought, but she had to admire his way
of saying what he wanted from her. It would have been flattering,
if she thought he didn't say these things to every woman he met. It took only a few seconds to transport back to So he kissed her. She didn't push him away, or hit him as he had
anticipated; but neither did she respond. She was surprised, he could tell,
but more curious than offended. He pulled away and gave his best playboy smile.
"I'll be anticipating your return to "Don't hold your breath, Mr. Wayne,"
she said, but without anger. As she flew off, he heard her add, "I'll
never understand Man's World…" Bruce turned, pleased with himself, and realized
that a news camera across the street had caught the entire exchange on tape.
The reporter rushed over to him. "Mr. Wayne, Mr. Wayne! Was that Wonder Woman
we just saw?" Bruce did his best to keep his playboy face on.
"Yes," he said, and grinned wolfishly. "Would you like to comment on the nature of
your relationship with her?" The reporter pressed. And because he was being Bruce Wayne, the
playboy, and he had an image to maintain, there was only one thing he could
say: "Diana and I are sleeping toge--I mean,
dating." PART II "You were in my city today," Batman
growled. Diana looked up from the book she was reading --
The Iliad, Batman noted -- and arched an eyebrow. "So?" "Your presence at the museum nearly
jeopardized an investigation. Next time, inform me of your movements in Diana put the book down. "Was your
investigation compromised?" Batman could see that she was angry with him.
Good. Better she was angry at him than letting her get too close. "No,
but it might have been." "Then go stick a pole up your--" She
said something that she must have picked up from Hawkgirl,
and Batman's eyes widened in surprise underneath his mask, and he had to keep
himself from laughing. Hearing the beautiful, regal princess swearing at him
was something he had never expected, and he had to admire her guts on saying
it to HIM. "And," she added, "I'll come to He opened his mouth to reply, to let her know in
no uncertain terms that her behavior was unacceptable, but she held up her
hand, looking past him. She hit a button on the console, and a reporters voice filled the room. Batman turned to the television screen that they
used to monitor Earth's news, and saw footage of him--Bruce Wayne--kissing
Diana. "In other news, a romance is brewing between
the CEO of The news changed then, and Batman turned to look
at Diana, and felt swamped with guilt. She had her head buried in her hands,
her shoulders shaking. He wondered if the pressure of her exile, her
unfamiliarity with Man's World was suddenly too much, especially now with
Bruce Wayne destroying her reputation. He felt a pang in his chest at the
thought that it had been him to cause her that much pain. He had never seen
her cry. "Diana, I--" he began, his voice
gentler than it had been. But he stopped when she lifted her head and he saw
that she wasn't sobbing, but laughing. "Besides, Batman," she said, pointing
at the screen, "It looks as though I'll be visiting Hawkgirl burst into the room, saw Diana,
and screeched, "Bruce Wayne?! Diana, what were you thinking?" Batman watched out of the corner of his eye as Diana
put her book down once again, and said with real innocence, "Why? Is he
a villain? Someone I should have been fighting? J'onn
didn't seem to find him evil when I brought him here to the med lab." Hawkgirl shook her head. "No, silly,
he's just the richest man in the world, and a womanizer to boot. He goes
through girls like he does his ties, a different one every day." Not quite that many, Batman thought. Hawkgirl continued, "I can see why
he's interested in you, Diana, but you are not in his league at all. He'll
use you, then toss you away." But at least he tosses them away gently, Batman
mused. And with a nice bauble or two. Making a disgusted noise, Hawkgirl
said, "Sure, he's rich, but he's not in it for a relationship, Diana. He
just wants to get in your panties -- uh, uniform." You'd be surprised at how many women Bruce Wayne
never makes it to first base with, Batman added silently. "And," Hawkgirl's
voice dropped to a near whisper, "he's been cleared of all charges, but
he was a fugitive for most of last year for the murder of his girlfriend. He
may be crazy. Unstable." Crazy and unstable? Batman thought that over,
then decided that most people would agree with her -- but not in the way that
they thought. The real Bruce Wayne didn't kill women, but he did dress in
tights and beat up criminals. And keep away from nearly all human
interaction. "He didn't seem crazy to me," Diana
replied. "I found him charming, in a lecherous sort of way." Batman scowled, even though her response had been
exactly what he had intended when he'd first tricked her into believing he
was hurt, and then kissing her. "In any case," Diana said, picking up
her book once again, "you don't have to worry. The news blew the entire
incident out of proportion. We aren't dating. I think that Mr. Wayne was just
trying to be funny." "Or trying to convince everyone that he has
a huge penis by claiming to sleep with Wonder Woman," Hawkgirl muttered. Batman winced. Diana frowned. "How would claiming to be
intimate with me change the size of a body organ?" "It's symbolic, Diana." Hawkgirl laughed, and said, "You wouldn't believe
how many things make a man think he has a huge penis: fast cars, power tools,
lots of toys, pretty girls with big breasts." She arched an eyebrow
Batman's way, and said, "Hey, Batman, you have a fast car with a big
engine and a lot of other toys. Are you making up for anything?" "A lack of professionalism and confidence in
my teammates," Batman said, voice harsh. Diana and Hawkgirl
grinned at each other; Batman left as quickly as possible, before he became
the target of a female male-bashing contest. He passed the Flash in the hall.
"Hawkgirl and
Wonder Woman could use your help in the monitor room," Batman said. Their discussion of men like Bruce Wayne would
continue, probably with Flash as a victim, and Hawkgirl
would remind Diana why the Amazons didn't want relationships with men; it was
what Batman wanted, but he didn't know why the idea bothered him so much. ******** The park was nearly empty, except for a few
couples strolling here and there. Diana watched them; she didn't have any
illusions about relationships between men and women -- she knew that they
were as varied as the relationships between any two people, regardless of
gender -- and the couples in the park reflected that: some were obviously
happy together, some looked angry at each other, and some looked as if they
didn't care if they stayed with the person or left them. What they all had, though, and what Diana missed
most, was a connection with another person. The connection might be good or
bad, but it was a connection, nonetheless. She thought of her friends on Themyscira,
her mother. She missed them horribly. The Justice League had become her new
family, Superman and Hawkgirl very good friends,
but she was aware that the basis of their friendship was their job. And, she wondered about Man's World. She didn't
have any friends who lived on Man's World -- she spent most of her time in
the Watchtower, and it felt like the only time she came to Earth was when it
was in danger. And when she did come to Earth, most of the people she met
wanted to talk about what she did in the Watchtower -- they were interested
in Wonder Woman the heroine, not Diana the Amazon, the woman. Except for Bruce Wayne, and his interest in the
woman part of her had been shallow, at best. But still, it had been interest -- it was a place
to start. An idea formed in her head, and she turned the JL
communicator on, cued Hawkgirl. "Hawkgirl, are you there?" "I'm here, Diana. What's up?" Diana looked up before realizing what Hawkgirl meant -- she still wasn't used to American
slang. "How would you like to undertake a secret mission with me?" "What mission?" Diana took a deep breath. "I want to
go…shopping." ******* Bruce pasted a bored look on his face even though
he was acutely interested in the outcome of the meeting between The meeting was running late, so he looked at his
watched to give the board members the impression that he was impatient. He
didn't have a date lined up for the evening, but they probably assumed he
did. When the conference room doors burst open, he
leapt out of his chair like everyone else; but unlike everyone else, his
movement was to make sure that he had room to fight, or escape, depending
upon what had knocked the doors open, and immediately tried to list all of
the possible criminals who would try to break into a Wayne Enterprises board
meeting. He didn't expect it to be Diana. And he'd never expected Diana to look like she
did, standing in the doorway. She was wearing a red silk dress, cut modestly
but clinging to every curve on her body. Bruce saw each of the men's faces go
slack and dopey because of her outrageous beauty. Her eyes focused on Bruce. She smiled. "Mr.
Wayne," she said. "You've announced to the world that we are
dating--" She flew forward as she spoke, landing directly in front of
him. He could smell her perfume, sensual, heady. "--and so I would like
to go on a date. Right now." He didn't like to rearrange his schedule, but he
was surprised at the pleasure the idea of spending the evening with her
evoked. He weighed his options. "Let's go then," he said finally, put
his hand on the small of her back, and ushered her from the room. Part III "I also told the world that we are sleeping
together," Bruce said, his lips tilted in a rakish grin, "Does that
mean that you'll want that tonight, too?" "It would take a million more of these,"
Diana replied, pointing to her wine glass. She was relaxed, feeling more
confident of her decision. She had had hesitations about what she was doing
up to the point she had knocked open his conference room doors, but after an
evening in his company she was sure she had done the right thing. "You
know, you're not as awful a person as people say." He stopped with a forkful of rice halfway to his
mouth. "Oh? What do they say?" "Well, according to what I've heard about
you, I expected to be attacked in the limo within the first five minutes. But
you've been the perfect gentleman: keeping your hands to yourself, letting me
decide where we go and what we are doing." When
he had asked, she had said that she knew that most dates consisted of either
a movie, dinner or dancing. When she had told him that she wanted to do all
three, he hadn't complained. "Well, I usually only attack women after
midnight." He said, then wondered aloud, "If you thought I might
act like a lunatic, then why the date at all?" Her answer surprised him. "I wanted to know
what it was like to be a regular woman on Man's World. They shop, they have
jobs, they talk to friends, they go on dates. I
wondered what it was like." "And why me?" He and the other leaguers
probably hadn't realized the extent to which Diana felt alienated from the
world -- even Clark, who was Kryptonian, had a
family on Earth, co-workers who were normal, everyday people. And J'onn had his secret identities, too. He nearly choked on his water when she said,
"Because you are safe." She smiled at his reaction, then continued, "If you had attacked me in the limo,
I could have hit you into the next state. But also because I don't have to
worry about emotional entanglements. I will be just another girl in your long
list of girls, and your interest in me is shallow and physical, so you won't
get hurt or fall in love with me, and as for me--" She sighed. "--I
knew that I could never fall for a man like you, whose interest in me is so
superficial. And as for other men -- well, at least I know where your
interests are. I'm not tricked by you." Bruce stared at her. He was tricking her, but not
in the way that she thought. And as for his interest in her -- he had to
admit that it was far less shallow than she imagined. She was a fascinating
woman: beautiful, funny, smart, tough yet vulnerable. He felt a sudden desire
to have her closer. "Let's dance," he said abruptly. She nodded, and he took her hand and led her onto
the dance floor. He owned the restaurant, and had known that the music would
be slow, classy -- he'd had a feeling that she wouldn't be ready for one of Gotham's dance clubs -- and now he was glad that they had
come to a place where the dancing would be slow. He drew her into his arms,
and she stood awkwardly for a moment, and he realized that she didn't know
how to dance. "Dancing is different on Themyscira,"
she said, chuckling ruefully. He smiled. "Put one hand on my shoulder, and
the other on my arm, like this--" he showed her "--and just sway
back and forth to the music. We won't try any fancy steps." She watched the other couples for a moment, then finally relaxed against him, resting her head on his
shoulder. He breathed deeply of her scent, enjoying the way her body brushed
against his. The song ended, he thought, far too quickly. Back at the table, he noted with pleasure that
her cheeks were a little flushed, and that she didn't meet his eyes as easily
as before. So she was feeling some attraction, too, he realized -- only it
was so new to her that she felt uncomfortable and unsure of it. Wanting her
to relax again, he started with the safest topic he could think of: her plans
to try to feel like a regular woman. "So, now that you've done the date, what's
next? A job? Shopping? Talking with friends?" "I do have some friends -- they are all
league members, but they are friends, at least -- and I went shopping with Hawkgirl today for this dress." She sighed.
"And I've tried to get a job, but since my schedule is so hectic that
even a burger place won't hire me because they can't rely on me to be there.
And I've gotten offers from movie studios and modeling firms, but--" she
shuddered "--I just can't do that. And money's becoming a
necessity." She blushed a little, but added
honestly, "I had to use Hawkgirl's credit card
just to buy this dress." Bruce nodded. He couldn't survive as Batman
without his Bruce Wayne persona owning An idea struck him. "I might be able to help
you, Diana." Her eyes flashed. "I don't want charity, Bruce."
"No," he said quickly, "You'd work
for this." He pulled a business card from his pocket, wrote a name on
the back. "This is the name of the head editor of Wayne Publishing. If
you wrote a book about growing up on Themyscira,
they'd buy it in an instant. Interest in that island is very high, and no one
knows anything about it but you." Her face grew sad, and she shook her head.
"I couldn't do that. It would be like betraying them -- selling
them." He thought of the book she had been reading the
night before. "Then what if you wrote your perspective of certain works
of literature, like The Iliad and The Odyssey, and stories from Greek
mythology? To the general public, they are just myths, but to you, they are
history, and the gods are real people. You probably have an entirely
different interpretation than most scholars do. With your additional
knowledge, there wouldn't be a liberal arts professor in the world who
wouldn't buy that book, and others would buy it just because you wrote
it." Diana smiled. "My mother actually knew Homer
while he was writing the Iliad. She had a lot of stories about him. She also
knew Hercules, Achilles -- and I know a million stories from the rest of the
Amazons." "Stories that Wayne Publishing would pay you
a great deal of money for," Bruce said, and grinned. "And they'd
make even more money for." Diana hesitated. "I'll definitely think
about it." She checked the time, and said, "The movie will be
starting in a couple of minutes. Should we go?" Bruce nearly groaned. He hated the movies, but
two hours in the dark with Diana didn't seem so awful. "Let's go -- but
do we have to see "Daredevil?"' She grinned. "The idea reminds me of someone
I know," she said. "And I want to be able to tease him about it
later." Bruce realized she was talking about him --
Batman -- and nearly groaned again. Not only would he have to endure a movie,
but he'd have to endure her teasing him about it later, all the while
pretending that he hadn't been the one watching it with her, that he hadn't
been the one who had held her close while dancing. He decided to kiss her at the end of the date,
just to make up for all of the teasing he would have to go through. ******** "I saw a movie last night that I think was
based on you, Batman," Diana said as she wrestled the robot to the
ground. Batman grunted a reply, throwing a batarang at another robot's head. It exploded in a shower
of sparks. "Of course, they had to embellish a lot of
the details, since nobody knows anything about you," Diana said,
"but it was definitely based on you." She finished off the last
robot, and scooped Batman up, flying them back to the Javelin. "They
made him blind. Like a bat, get it? And they made him a lawyer." "I'm not a lawyer." Batman grated the
words out. Diana smiled to herself. She loved getting under
his skin. "Although I'm not sure how, just because his other senses were
enhanced, he could jump so far. Even you have to use a rope. Bruce
said--" "Bruce Wayne?" Batman interrupted. His
tone was disapproving. "Yes. Bruce said that it was the dumbest
movie he'd ever seen, and that Daredevil should have been hunted down by the
police for the letting all those people die, even if they were bad guys, and
that from what he knew of you, that you didn't let people die." "Bruce Wayne doesn't know what he's talking
about." "Oh, then you do let people die?" "Of course not." "Then apparently Bruce does know what he's
talking about," Diana said, trying not to laugh. "Does your sudden adoration of what Bruce
Wayne thinks mean that you will be in She had held Bruce close like this the night
before, first when they had danced, and later when he had kissed her. The
kiss had been wonderful, soft and searching. She had liked the entire night,
in fact. But she shook her head. "I don't think
so." She felt the sudden tension in his body, and realized that he
wanted to ask why, but of course wouldn't ask. He was Batman. So she
volunteered the information. "I had a wonderful time, but I'm not going
to see him again." "Did he do something wrong?" The words
seemed torn from Batman. "No," she said, biting her lip,
remembering. "He was a really fantastic person. But I'm just another
girl in a long list of girls; I won't mean anything to him in a year. But I
have a feeling there's more to him than he shows, and there's a real danger
that if I spend more time with him, find out what's beneath the surface, I
just might fall in love with him. And that would be horrible," she
finished, and set Batman down next to the Javelin, flying off again, leaving
him staring after her. Part IV Seeing Bruce on the news with another woman was
more painful than Diana had thought it would be, considering that they'd only
had one date. She tried not to care about his answer to questions about the
status of his relationship with her—after all, she was the one who had
decided not to see him again—but couldn’t help but listen as he told
reporters, "Despite being a princess, I found that Wonder Woman had a
desire to be more...common." He said the word distastefully. "And I
have no desire to be with a common woman. Besides," he grinned suddenly,
"who wants to be with a woman who can crush you with her bare
hands?" Diana frowned. Those comments didn't seem like
the Bruce that had taken her out, danced with her, kissed her gently. She
wouldn't have thought that he would be cruel when talking about her later. It
made her sad to think that she had misjudged him so badly. But – maybe she
had hurt him as well? Was he being cruel to hide any pain that her rejection
had caused? Her heart hurting, but curious, she searched
through previous news archives, compiling references that Bruce Wayne made
about the women he'd dated. No, she realized as she searched, he'd never been
cruel before. He didn't stay with one woman for very long, but when he
finally did leave her, he always faulted himself for the breakup, never
blaming the woman. Why had he acted differently with her? An alert screen popped up about a collapsing
bridge in When the alert window had come up, it had covered
only half of a picture of Bruce Wayne that had been up on the screen. The top
half. The only portion of his face showing was the bottom half: his lips, his
chin, his jaw. And Bruce Wayne with the top of his face covered,
Diana realized, looked a lot like Batman with his mask on. ******* Diana was avoiding him, Batman realized. She had
begun avoiding him two days ago, making sure that her monitor duty time
didn't run up against his, requesting to go on assignments or in groups that
he wasn't in, leaving a room quickly if he was in it. It didn't bother him
that she was avoiding him, he told himself, and ignored the painful twist in
his belly at the thought. The important thing was making sure that the
dynamics of the team weren't skewed. So he intended to find her, and discover why she
wouldn’t meet his eyes, or speak directly to him if she could help it. He wondered briefly if it had something to do
with their conversation the week before, about Bruce Wayne and her potential
feelings for him. Was she now embarrassed for opening up to him about the way
she felt about her date? Especially now that He grimaced. He’d been maybe too harsh with his
comments, but when she’d said that she might fall for Bruce Wayne, he’d
wanted to make sure that she never would go back to him again. And, he had to admit now, that he’d been a little
jealous of his alter ego. Diana had never spoken of Batman like she had Bruce
Wayne, and she’d known him much, much longer. It was ridiculous, he told himself. He had no
place in his life as Batman or Bruce Wayne for her, so there was no reason to
feel jealous – because nothing could ever come from his feelings about her. What those feelings were, exactly, he wasn’t
ready to ask himself. ****** Diana smoothed the business suit she had borrowed
from Lois Lane and had worn to Wayne Publishing, trying to control her
nervousness. If she wrote this book, as Bruce had suggested, would she be
bringing any honor to the Amazons? Would Man’s World really be interested in
what she had to say about Greek mythology, and classical texts? And would she see Bruce here? She shook her head. She still couldn’t believe
it, but she was almost positive that it was true – Bruce was Batman. Once she
looked into Bruce Wayne’s history, it had made perfect sense: his parents had
been killed at an early age, right in front of him. Diana’s heart had nearly
broken when she realized what drove the Dark Knight, why he pushed himself to
nearly inhuman limits every single day. She had combined the two men in her
mind, and she suddenly understood new things about him, admired him more than
ever...loved him more than ever. And she also understood why Bruce wouldn’t let
himself be with her, even if she hadn’t already decided not to date him
again. He must have been walking a tight line between Bruce Wayne and Batman
for years – and it must have been nearly impossible to keep his identity a secret,
never letting anyone get too close to him. Dating Wonder Woman would only
open up his life to more speculation, and possibly make him a target of
attack by supervillains, potentially revealing his
identity. So, she would let him do as he needed – she wouldn’t
get in his way, or try to make him love her back. To do so would be too
dangerous for him. But her love for him was real, and so she had
done her best to keep as far away from him as possible, at least until she
was used to this new feeling. She was afraid that if she was around him for
any length of time, her love would show on her face – and then he would feel
responsible. She didn’t want to hurt him like that, and she didn’t want to
hurt, either – so she simply kept away from him. And she would keep away, as
much as possible, until she could see him without her heart aching. But she couldn’t help but hope that she would see
him, even by accident, here at Wayne Publishing. "Miss Wonder Woman? Mr. Wayne and Mr. Lee
will see you now." Mr. Wayne? Diana's eyes widened, then she quickly
schooled her expression to reveal nothing, so that he wouldn't know how
pleased she was to see him without his mask again, and so he wouldn't see how
she felt about him. She wondered why he had bothered to meet with her – after
all, Daniel Lee was the head editor at Wayne Publishing, and could make any
decision about buying her book by himself, without Bruce's approval. Bruce was standing by a window, looking out over
the city, his back to her when Diana entered the room. He didn't turn around,
even when Mr. Lee began making introductions. Mr. Lee looked uncomfortable
because of Bruce's rudeness, but Diana quickly smiled, indicating that she
wasn't bothered by it, and took a seat in front of his desk. Bruce remained by
the window, looking at neither of them. Lee smiled. "Wonder Woman, I've spoken with
Mr. Wayne about the possible direction of your project, and let me just say
how pleased we are that you are considering Wayne Publishing for this
endeavor. I am positive that we will both be satisfied – financially,
academically, and professionally." Diana shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She
hoped that he – or anyone else – didn't think she was doing this purely for
financial reasons, or to suddenly be rich. It wasn't the money itself she
cared about, but the ability to support herself, not to have to borrow from
or rely on her teammates for everything in Man's World that required cash.
But she couldn't tell Mr. Lee that without sounding self-righteous, so she
simply nodded. "Have you thought about what your book will
contain?" Lee inquired. "I don't want to go into details about
Amazon society, or Themyscira," Diana said,
"but I would like to chronicle our version of history, as opposed to
what has been recorded by figures such as Herodatus,
Homer, Plato, and others. There are significant differences in the Amazon
version of the history of the war on "And anecdotes about the historical
figures?" "Yes," Diana said. She thought of Hippolyta, and had to fight a wave of sadness. "My
mother and the other Amazons knew several personally. I have heard many
stories." Lee clapped his hands together in delight.
"Wonderful! Between having your name on the cover, and the content,
there won't be a person in the world who won't want to buy this book."
He leaned forward. "I would be pleased to make you an initial offer,
Diana. What do you think, Bruce? Two? Three?" "Five," Bruce said, finally turning
around, fixing Diana with a cold blue stare. Was he angry with her? she wondered. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mr.
Lee's jaw drop. "But, Bruce, we've never paid that kind of
money for a book," Lee sputtered. "But, as you pointed out, everyone will be
reading it. I'm sure we will recoup our money." Bruce kept staring at
Diana as he spoke. "And, of course, that price will include all
promotional appearances, including broadcast specials should we decide to
televise parts of the book." "For five?" Diana said. Hundred? Or
thousand? If it was the latter, it was more than she had ever had before,
more than enough to cover all of her needs for years. She added hesitantly,
hoping she didn't seem greedy, "Five thousand?" Lee gave a sudden snort of laughter, and she
managed to surprise even Bruce, she realized, by the way his eyes suddenly
widened and then narrowed. "Five million, Diana," he said. He
sounded angry suddenly, and she wondered what she had done. "Oh," she said. "That is a lot. I
don't need that much. Five thousand will do." She saw the way his muscles tensed, and realized
he was getting angrier by the second. "Daniel," Bruce said calmly, hiding
from his voice the fury she could see in his body, "may I have a minute
alone with Diana?" "Of course, Bruce," Mr. Lee said
quickly, and exited the office. The second the door closed, Bruce stalked to her
chair and leaned over her, placing his hands on the arms of the chair,
effectively trapping her there, his face inches from hers. When he spoke, it
was through gritted teeth. "What the hell are you doing, Diana?" His tone sparked her own
temper. "I'm doing what you suggested, selling a book." She leaned
forward, pushed him away from her easily. "Selling it? Giving it away, more
likely." He turned, ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "For
God's sake, Diana, are you this stupid?" She leapt to her feet, shaking with her fury.
Stupid? How dare he? "I may not have been in Man's World long, Mr.
Wayne, but I am not stupid." Stupid for loving you, maybe, she added
silently. "Naïve, then," Bruce bit out. "Any
other company would be taking advantage of your innocence right now, giving
you a tiny amount for what they would make millions and millions for. How
could you be so stupid, and not research what a book like yours would be
worth?" She frowned, some of her anger fading. He was mad
at her, but because he was worried for her, that in her newness to Man's
World she would be taken advantage of. "Because it doesn't matter to me.
I just need enough to buy clothes and food now and then." "And you'll be able to do that, and more, if
you accept the five million we offer you." His anger had started to die
as well, she could tell. "You'll be able to do more with it -- take
classes if you want, give to charities, support women's shelters." "Oh," Diana said. "I didn't think
of that." "You need a keeper," he muttered. She bristled at that. "I can take care of
myself." "Physically, yes, but you have no idea what
kind of depths people would sink to once they realized how truly innocent you
are of how things work off Themyscira." "I've been managing fine on my own,"
Diana said coldly, trying to ignore the sudden pain in her heart. She felt
under personal attack, that Bruce had looked at her and found something
missing, that she wasn't smart enough, good enough to survive in Man's World.
"Only because of your friends in the Justice
League, and because you rarely venture into the real world," he said. Was this how he saw her as a teammate, too? Did
he think that she wasn't capable of holding her own without people around
her, guiding her, telling her how to interpret and act? Her chest hurt from the storm of emotions within
her, and she realized that if she didn't leave, she would end up sobbing like
a baby. She hid her pain, though, and walked slowly to the door. "Where are you going, Diana?" Bruce
said behind her, and in his voice she heard, for the first time, the
gravelly, commanding tones of Batman. How had she never noticed before? she wondered. Behind her stood the man she loved, and
right now she was so angry, so hurt by him – she didn't know what to think,
she only knew she had to get away. "I'm going to write a book," she said,
voice cool only through a massive effort on her part. "Send me the contract,
I'll sign it. And from now on, I only want to deal with Mr. Lee," she
added, and closed the door quietly behind her. ******* Bruce slammed his fist into the wall. He had
handled that completely wrong. He had been so frustrated for the last couple
of days because she had successfully continued to avoid him – Batman – that
when he had realized she had made an appointment with Wayne Publishing he had
demanded to be present at the meeting, even though there was no way, of
course, that he could talk to her about his and her roles in the Justice
League –and why she was avoiding Batman -- as he had wanted. He had just wanted to see her. And he had driven
her away. No, he corrected himself, Bruce Wayne had. She
didn't know he was Batman, so any conversation he had with her as Batman
wouldn't be tainted by the mess he had created here. He could fix things with her – at least get her
to stop avoiding him – by being Batman. He needed to fix things – he didn't
think he could bear another day of her evading him. He would never be able to be with her as he was
starting to realize that he wanted to be with her, but at least he would see
her, know she was alright, he told himself. It would be enough. It would have to be enough. Part V Diana was lost in the story of Odysseus when the
quiet knock sounded at the door to her bedroom suite. Assuming it was Shayera, who often brought in tubs of ice cream for a
'light midnight snack' over which the two women would often trade stories of
their day's battles, or their histories, Diana automatically gave the command
for the door to open, not bothering to put anything on over her short
nightgown. "Diana?" Her head snapped up, and she saw Batman standing
in the entrance to the room. "Batman," she said awkwardly, and
looked around for a robe. Ridiculous, really, she thought, since her uniform
covered much less than her nightgown, but her uniform was not nearly so –
feminine. Or romantic. She tried to imagine fighting supervillains
in silk and lace and had to hold back a nearly hysterical giggle. When she realized there was nothing on hand to
put on immediately, she sighed and decided that it would be far more
uncomfortable to have him wait around while she looked for covering, than
just remaining in what she had on. Showing the skin didn't bother her -- it
was just so…silky. Something to wear with a lover, not a teammate. She gestured for him to sit down on one of the
sofas, but he remained standing. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything,"
he said. He nodded toward the pile of papers and books next to her. She shook her head. "No, I'm just working on
the article." "Article?" he repeated, and she
reminded herself that, of course, he was going to pretend that he didn't know
what had gone on between her and Wayne Publishing. And she had to remember to pretend that she
didn't know that he knew. "Ah, yes. I'm doing a book for Wayne
Publishing, and right now I'm writing an article on Circe and the Odyssey to
be published in a journal before the book is released, to generate interest
in the book." "Oh, are you seeing I am now, she thought, but held her tongue. This
was so confusing. She had left Bruce Wayne that afternoon, upset and hurt by
him, and now Batman stood before her acting as if he didn't know what had
gone one -- and she couldn't remain mad at Batman, because then he would know
that she knew his identity. But she did, she realized, remain hurt by his
words. Those words that had said she couldn't function on her own in Man's
World, that she only managed because of her friends' help. "Why are you here, Batman? I know you don't
usually make small talk." She heard him take a deep breath. "Because,
Diana, there is a problem with the team, and right now you are at the core of
it." And she felt as if he had smashed her with a
twelve ton rock. Was she to be thrown out, exiled from the Justice League as
she had been Themyscira? And why was it always the
people she cared for the most -- her mother, Batman -- that had to pass the
sentence on her? ****** He couldn't take his eyes off her. He was glad, not for the first time, for the
lenses in his mask that helped hide the expression in his eyes, or she would
have realized that he had been struck dumb at the first sight of her tonight.
She had been reading when he'd come into the
room, the tiny nightgown she wore clinging softly to her skin. Her hair had
been tucked behind her ears, tumbling down over her shoulders, as dark as
midnight, as silky as a cat's. Her face had been framed by that hair, her
features too perfect for words, her brows drawn together in concentration as
she made notes in her book. He had watched her every movement, her every
expression since he had entered, so he didn't miss the multitude of emotions
that flitted across her face when he made his statement about the problem
with the team: anger, hurt, fear, sadness -- and acknowledgement. He frowned. "You do know what I'm talking
about?" She hesitated, turned her face from him before
whispering, "You think that I might be endangering the team." He relaxed. So she did know that her avoidance of
him could cause a problem. If the team felt that two of the members were at
odds, their trust in each other was not as absolute as it should be, given the dangerous situations they were placed in nearly
every day. "Yes," he confirmed. Her shoulders drooped a little, and he wished he
could make it easier for her, but this had to be done. "Have the others
noticed? And do they agree?" Batman thought back to the expressions of
surprise on the other leaguers' faces whenever she requested an assignment
separate from his, remembered how Superman had, earlier that day, tried to
ask if anything had happened between he and Diana to make her avoid him like
she had been. "Yes, they've noticed. And they are concerned as
well." She bit her lip. "Why didn't anyone else say
anything?" Batman's eyebrows drew together in confusion.
That was an odd question, but he tried to answer it as truthfully as he
could, "Because it's a personal matter, and a potentially painful one. Diana's breath hitched, and for a second he
thought she might be crying -- but no, her face was blank, if a little tense.
"I'll fix it," she said. And then she took him by surprise, walking
forward, pulling his head down for a kiss. Her lips touched his, soft and
moist, and he couldn't think, but just let himself deepen the kiss, inhaling
her scent, holding her closer, letting his hands run down her strong, slim
form. She pulled away first, and turned from him. He tried to catch his breath, recover from the
shock and pleasure of the kiss. He reached a hand out to her, wishing she
would turn so he could see her face. "I don't under--" She interrupted him. "I'll fix it,
Batman." She took a deep breath. "I would like to be alone
now." Batman nodded, even though she couldn't see his
movement. He would leave her alone -- for now. He hadn't found out her
reasons for avoiding him, but if her kiss was any indication then she was
done evading his presence. He would find out what had caused the problem in
the first place tomorrow. Then he would talk to her about the kiss. He couldn't stop the tiny smile from reaching his
lips as he left the room. ******* When the door slid shut, Diana sank to the floor,
her chest aching and breath shuddery. But she didn't let herself cry. They were kicking her out. The league had decided
that she was endangering them -- because of her unfamiliarity with Man's
World. Her naivete. She knew that they respected
her as a warrior, but obviously her lack of knowledge about how people think
and how things work in Man's World were considered a danger. Well, she wouldn't endanger them anymore. She controlled her breathing, and stood, looking
around the room. She didn't have many things -- just the few items she had
brought from Themyscira, and a couple of books and
gifts from the other leaguers. It would take her no time at all to pack. As she gathered her things, she wondered what
Batman had thought when she had kissed him. When she realized that to fix
things she was going to have to leave, she hadn't been able to help herself. She had just wanted to touch him one last time. ******** When Batman came into the conference room, he
immediately noticed two things: Diana wasn't there, and the rest of the
league looked confused and sad. He sat in his usual position at Superman's right.
"Where's Wonder Woman?" Superman shook his head. "We don't
know." Batman frowned. "What do you mean?" Superman slid a note to him. Dear friends, I am afraid that my presence is causing a problem
within the league, and that I am endangering you all by staying. So I must
resign my position in the Justice League. I wish you all the best of luck and
safety, and hope you understand my need to leave. Love, "It's ridiculous! Endangering us? Where
would she have gotten such a preposterous idea?" Hawkgirl
banged her fist on the table, obviously upset. Everyone in the league except for Superman and
Batman began talking, their voices mixing. "Why would she do this?" "Is she being controlled by someone?" "What happened? She seemed happy here
yesterday." The conversations and questions continued until
Superman held up his hand. "The question is," he said, "Do we
go after her?" Five heads began to nod, but Batman's voice cut
harshly through the room. "No." Six heads turned to look at him. "We will respect her wish to resign. If
Diana feels that she can not be with our team, then we should not force her
to come back into a situation in which she is obviously uncomfortable." "You're right," Superman said, and
sighed. "I just wish she hadn't gone." The others agreed, and Batman stood. He needed to
leave, to be by himself. As he walked away, one thought ran through his
head, tightened his chest, created a sinking feeling
in his stomach: Diana had resigned rather than forcing herself to be around
him. She had left rather than stop avoiding him. She had left because she couldn't stand him. The knowledge nearly tore him apart. Part VI Bruce dragged his hand through his hair,
frustrated, then decided to make the call. Daniel Lee picked up almost immediately. Bruce forced himself to speak in a light,
careless tone, as if the information he wanted meant nothing to him.
"So, Daniel, I hear that Wonder Woman's article is out on stands today?
Any word on sales and the initial buzz for her book?" "According to all indications, Bruce, we are
going to make a killing on this thing. The journal is flying off the stands,
and we've already got pre-orders for the book – more than I've ever seen
before." Sounds of ruffling papers came over the phone. "Speaking
of which, I've just received the first draft from Diana. From what I've read
so far it's absolutely brilliant." "Did she leave a return address this
time?" Bruce hadn't intended to ask the question – he'd had a million
chances over the last couple of months to investigate her whereabouts but
hadn't let himself – but this time his curiosity about her got the best of
him. He wouldn't admit that he missed her. She had
chosen to leave, and that was that. "A PO Box in
California," Daniel said. "A small town -- Hillsport. I guess when she left the Justice League she
decided to live quietly for a while." Daniel chuckled. "She's
becoming a recluse just like any writer." "Uh-huh," Bruce said absently. His mind
was racing – did he own any businesses in Hillsport?
Was there an excuse he could use to go there, to check up on her? "Anyway, Bruce, I have to go – I have a
meeting in five minutes with a professor from Harvard who is very interested
in Diana's assertion in her article that Odysseus' wife Penelope was an
Amazon, and that Circe had tried to destroy their marriage when Odysseus
arrived back home. Diana's story changes the entire ending of the epic. I'm
trying to set up a meeting with Diana to talk with the professor – it's just
a matter of getting a hold of her." "I'm sure you will," Bruce said
cheerily, and hung up. He sat back in his chair, brooding. Diana had been
gone for nearly two months now, and he had resisted any impulse to look her
up, to find out what she was doing. He stood, stretched, and walked casually over to
a panel in the wall. He hit the secret button in the molding, and a computer
linked to the Batcave slid out. "Hillsport,"
he muttered, and began searching. ******* On an island in the
Mediterranean, thousands of miles from Themyscira... I hear their voices, calling my name. Not loudly,
but quietly, as if speaking in Athenian libraries or classrooms. I hear my name, I hear my story – the true story. The story I have
tried to forget in my endless sleep. How dare they? My name has been spoken many times over the last
three thousand years, but never at this rate, at this volume. And I am
beginning to awaken. They call for me – I should come. They say my name – I
should answer. And I should destroy the one who has said the
truth, who has besmirched my name, who has told the lies of the Amazon,
Penelope. Penelope, who stole my love from me – and now a new Amazon makes me
relive my pain, my humiliation through the voices of others. I will make the Amazon pay. ******** Diana set the two plates of food down in front of
the customers, turned, and froze. Bruce. What was he doing here? Would he recognize her?
Her hand automatically went to her hair – the blonde wig that she wore during
her hours at work. It was in place, her fake eyeglasses were on, so maybe she
would escape notice from him. Escape notice from the Batman? A
little voice inside reminded her, and she sighed. No, there was no way that
she was going to get out of this without him realizing who she was. In fact,
she'd place bets that he knew she was here before he came. She frowned, and filled a cup of coffee. So why
was he here? Was he checking up on her? Making sure she kept out of trouble?
If he was here as Bruce Wayne then it wasn't for Justice League business. Bruce's table was in her area, so she was
eventually forced to go over to him, order pad ready. She pasted on a fake
smile. "What can I get for you?" "A cup of coffee and about fifteen minutes
to talk to you, Diana," he said. She blinked. So he wasn't going to pretend that
he didn't recognize her, either. "Why, Bruce?" He sighed. "I need to talk to you about your
article, and your contract with Wayne
Publishing." She had to fight the disappointment that he was
there purely for "Daniel had other meetings, and since I was
out on the West Coast anyway, I volunteered to stop." "Oh," Diana said, then
added, "I get off work in half an hour. I can talk then." She went
back to the kitchen. Once inside, she leaned against the door, trying to get
hold of her roiling emotions. She had seen him in newspapers, on the
television since she had left the Justice League, but seeing Bruce again in
person had thrown her. She wondered if her feelings for him would ever
fade, if she would ever be free of him. She worked quickly over the next half hour,
keeping her mind as busy as possible, trying not to think of the man in the
corner booth. Finally, she was done, and she slid into the seat across from
him. "Do you want to talk here?" she asked. He shook his head. "We'll go out to my car,
then to your place." She nodded. "Just let me get my
things." ******** Bruce caught Alfred's look in the review mirror,
and fought a smile. The older man was convinced that he was here for personal
reasons. But I will keep it strictly business,
he promised himself. What he had told Diana hadn't been a complete lie – he
did want to talk to her about her book. But Daniel could
have made it out to She sat next to him in the car, staring out the
window, giving Alfred directions now and then. Not that Alfred needed them;
Bruce had discovered nearly everything to do with her time in Hillsport before he'd left the office yesterday. She
worked at a small café even though she didn't need the money anymore – the
advance she'd gotten on the book made her a very rich woman – she rented a
small house by the beach, and kept generally to herself, only purchasing
groceries and small items locally. She didn't have transportation – she
probably discreetly flew wherever she needed to go – and every weekend she
made purchases in larger cities. Sightseeing, he imagined. And the crime rate in her small city had gone
down to nothing. There had been reports of a woman who had stopped several
crimes, but no one had gotten a good look at her. Bruce knew it was Diana, though. She would never
completely give up crimefighting – her sense of
responsibility was too high. She would feel guilty if she didn't actively use
her powers for good, protecting the people around her. They arrived at her home, and they decided to sit
on the balcony with a view of the ocean. Diana invited Alfred inside, but he
said that he preferred to remain with the car. "It'll only take a little while
anyway," Bruce added. Diana changed out of her work uniform and met him
on the balcony, dressed casually in a yellow sundress. She had removed the
wig and the glasses. She looked, Bruce decided, incredibly beautiful.
He couldn't think of one model or actress that he'd dated that looked half as
beautiful, and they had used a lot of makeup, had the best personal trainers
and dieticians. Diana's beauty was completely natural. She gazed out over the ocean. "Being here
reminds me of living on Themyscira," she said
softly. "The sea right here at my back door, the smells of the
ocean..." Bruce's heart twisted for her – he knew that she
missed her home, her family. And now, without the Justice League, she was
almost completely alone. He knew that feeling, the despair of losing one's
family. But, unlike him, she had been exiled from her family. They were still
alive, she just couldn't be with them on the island.
He wondered if in some ways that was worse than what he had gone through. In some ways, but not in others, he guessed. Realizing that his feelings for her were in
danger of rising to the surface, he pushed them back, focusing instead on
what he had said he'd come to do. "Daniel wants to you to return to the
East Coast for a while, to give a series of lectures and talks on your
upcoming book. There are several professors from various universities that
would like to talk to you as well, and Wayne Publishing would like you to
participate." Diana sighed, and nodded. "It is part of my
contract. If you give me times and locations, I'll be there." Bruce looked at her in surprise. He hadn't
expected it to be that easy. He searched for something else to say. "I
also have an edited copy of your manuscript in the car." "Good," Diana said. "I'll get back
to work on it right away." A strange expression passed over her face
fleetingly, and then she asked, "Did my leaving the Justice League
damage potential sales of the book? I would feel bad if the book didn't sell
now. I could give back the money, if it doesn't." Bruce shook his head. "If anything, it made
you more popular, since you have become mysterious." And, because he
wanted to hear her say it, no matter how painful the truth might be to him,
he asked, "Why did you leave the Justice League?" He already knew –
she couldn't stop avoiding Batman, couldn't stand to be around him. But he
wanted to hear it from her own lips, even if she
thought she was telling Bruce Wayne, not Batman. Her eyebrows drew together, as if in quick anger.
"Don't you know--?" But she stopped herself, smiled slightly as if
reminding herself of something. "No, of course you don't know," she
muttered, then continued at a normal tone, "Well, Bruce, the Justice
League had the same concerns about me that you did once – that I wasn't
familiar enough with Man's World to take care of myself, and that was a danger
to the team because I don't know how people on Man's World think. Batman
himself told me this the night I left." Bruce was shocked, and opened his mouth to
correct her mistake when he realized that he couldn't. As Bruce Wayne, he
wouldn't know what Batman was supposed to have meant. So instead he had to
choke out the words, "Then it was probably right that you left, if you
felt you were endangering the team." He saw her flinch slightly, and told himself that
he would make it up to her, that as soon as possible he would return as
Batman and clear up the misunderstanding. And he felt something else, too – elation that it
hadn't been because of him that she had left, but because she had
misunderstood his meaning. She would return to the Justice League, then. She had to return. He...missed her. He stood, already making plans to come back as
Batman within a day or two, and pretend to know nothing about this
conversation, and convince her to return. She walked him to the door, where he smiled
boyishly and flirtatiously. She didn't know he was Batman, after all, but
thought he was Bruce Wayne, notorious playboy. So as Bruce Wayne he kissed her, allowed himself
to pour all of his emotions into the kiss, emotions that he could never show
her when he was Batman. She clung to him, lips moving softly against his. He broke away, smiled again. "Nice to see
you again, Diana," he said carelessly, hating the act he had to put on
as Bruce, as if she was just another woman that he kissed casually. She touched her lips, looked away. "Goodbye,
Bruce," she whispered, and he turned and met Alfred at the car. But he would be back, and he would make things
right. ********* Diana got up early, still thinking about Bruce.
She tried to put him from her mind as she began working at the café, until
the news came out over the television: We have exclusive footage of the woman who
captured the Justice League. Calling herself "the Sorceress", she
seemed to use some kind of magic to incapacitate the league, and then vanished them to an unknown location. Diana watched in horror as the TV showed a purple
haired woman raising her arms, shouting a spell and the Justice League –
including Batman – falling before her. The tape caught the final words of the
sorceress before she disappeared: "Bring me the Amazon, or these heroes will
die!" Circe, Diana realized. The news continued. Experts agree that the
Sorceress is asking for Wonder Woman, the Amazon who resigned from the
Justice League two months ago. No one knows where to find her, though, so we
can only hope that she will hear of this woman's crime. We need Wonder Woman.
Diana ripped off her wig and glasses,
heard the gasps of the other waitresses and customers as they realized who
she was. "I'm sorry," she said to her shocked
employer, "but it seems I have to go." She flew out the door to the
sound of her boss' voice telling her she was more than happy to give Diana
time off as she needed it. Diana flew east, to find Circe – to find the
Justice League. Part VII Batman woke slowly, still groggy from whatever
magic had put them all to sleep, and looked around him. He was in a room that
vaguely reminded him of Themysciran rooms – high,
arching ceilings, marble columns and statues decorated it,
and was furnished by deep, sumptuous sofas and pillows. Despite the luxury of the room, he was chained to
the wall. He pulled ineffectually on his bonds, then
realized that he couldn’t even pick the locks of the cuffs – they weren’t of
metal, but of some kind of amorphous, probably magical, substance. He tried
getting out of them anyway. He stopped his struggles when he heard footsteps
outside the hall. They stopped near the door to the room, and it swung open. Revealing Wonder Woman in her red, gold and blue
uniform. "Diana," he began, then
jerked his head toward the bonds, "I can't get out of these." He
watched as she walked slowly toward him. "Have you found the others? Are
they safe?" She smiled, and the expression chilled him.
Diana's smile was usually warm, open. This smile was predatory. "Oh,
they are fine, Batman." She placed her hand on his chest, fingertips
trailing over his emblem. Every muscle in his body stiffened, trying to avoid
her touch. "What's the matter?" she asked. She
leaned forward, her breath mingling with his. Her eyes were wide, innocent,
but there was something...unfamiliar about the expression in them. Had the
Sorceress affected her somehow? Had Diana attempted to rescue them, but only
to get a spell put on her as well? He told the truth. "I don't think you are acting
like yourself, Diana." She leaned forward to kiss him, but he turned his
head so that her lips landed on his chin. Wonder Woman leaned back and pouted.
"Batman, don't you want to kiss me? You know I love you." Under his mask, his eyes widened in surprise,
then narrowed. As much pleasure as the idea of those words coming out of her
mouth gave him, something was very wrong here. "You don't love me, Diana," he said
harshly, and saying the words twisted something painfully inside him. She smiled, then her lips twisted, and her eyes
filled with hate. "Oh, but I did, Batman. Then you threw my love, and
me, away when you told me that I didn't belong in the Justice League." "Diana, I didn't mean—" "Lies!" she cried out, and slapped him
suddenly. His face turned with the force of impact, his cheek stinging.
"All lies!" She leaned forward, her face angry. "And you
and your friends will pay for your lies, Batman." She turned on her heel
and left the room. Batman stared after her, certain of one thing –
that was not Diana. That was not the woman he loved. And if it was, he had lost her forever. Because
even if the spell on her was making her act uncharacteristically, some of
what she had said was true: He was the reason she had resigned from the
Justice League, and there was no way she could love a man who she thought
would do such a thing to her. Who had caused so much hurt in her. He wondered if it was true that she had loved him
once, and then stopped loving him. And he wondered have to do to get over the pain
of knowing that he had lost her love. ********** Diana was too worried about the Justice League to
be nervous, or to even think twice about what she was doing. She remained floating about ten feet in the air –
she wouldn't touch the island's soil – and called to her mother through the
queen's chamber window. "Mother!" She wondered if she would be
attacked by her sisters, by her own mother for breaking the rules of her
exile. It would break her heart if they did, as surely as it had hurt her to
be exiled – but she couldn't do anything else. She had to have the Amazons' help to save the
League, to save Batman. That was all that mattered now. Part VIII "Diana!" Hippolyta
exclaimed. Diana saw the surprise, joy and love in her
mother's eyes before Hippolyta changed her
expression with visible effort, becoming the Queen of Themyscira
once again, not Diana's mother. "Diana, you are in violation of your exile.
Give yourself up immediately to my guards." Diana sighed. She had known that her mother would
react that way – she was queen, there was no other way to respond to her but
as one diplomat to another. Diana bowed respectfully in the air, and said in
her strongest voice, "My queen, I apologize for coming back to Themyscira against the wishes of the Amazons. But I come
not as an Amazon, but as a representative of the Justice League, which direly
needs your assistance." Her mother's voice remained cold, although the
expression in her eyes softened. "Why did you not send the other female?
Hawkgirl?" "Hawkgirl has been
captured, along with the rest of the Justice League, moth...my queen,"
Diana hastily amended the last words. She had to remain in the role she had
chosen – not of daughter, but of ambassador. To do otherwise would be to insult
Hippolyta by ignoring the decree of exile. "And why is this the
concern of the Amazons? We have no business with Man's World." But Diana could see the interest in Hippolyta's eyes, the concern. The Justice League had
saved the Amazons once, and Hippolyta would not
forget that, and Diana knew that the queen respected the heroes who had come
to their aid. Diana took a deep breath. "Because, Queen Hippolyta, it is Circe that has captured the
league." She heard her mother's gasp, knew that the chances of getting
help from her mother were very good now. "And I need two things from the
Amazons before I can face her, and save the league: Penelope's bow and
arrows, and the Amulet of Tiresius." "Yes, the bow..." Hippolyta
whispered. "That was how Penelope defeated her before – the bow is
magical, designed to break through any spells that the witch has cast. When
Penelope shot her with it, the witch's illusions were revealed, and she had
not choice but to escape and tend her wounds, or face death. Even though history
recorded that the bow was Odysseus', it was always Penelope's." "Yes." Diana flew closer. "And the
Amulet of Tiresius, so that I may find the
sorceress's island. It has been hidden by her magics,
so only the seer's amulet can help me save them." Hippolyta nodded. "Yes. Come with me,
quickly, Diana. We will get you these things, and you will rid the world of
that witch forever with them." ******** Batman felt like screaming, but he didn't make a
sound. There wasn't a part of his body that didn't hurt, didn't make him want
to writhe in pain. But he was still and silent, not letting her know how much
she had hurt him. Diana was doing this to him. He had been in pain before – a lot of it –
tortured before by the Joker, or any other villain that somehow managed to
get their hands on him, broken bones, gunshot wounds, knife wounds. But never
hurt by someone he cared about, never by a friend. It's not her. He tried to remind himself of that,
but knew that the pain was bringing on hallucinations. No one, not even he,
could function normally under this kind of torture. He repeated it in his brain to remind himself, to
focus on anything other than the agony sweeping through him. Not Diana.
Not Diana. Not Diananotdiananotdiana. In front of him, Diana smiled wickedly and
applied the rod she held to his chest, and it felt like a severe electric
shock, a heavy blow and a stabbing at the same time. He clenched his teeth,
wondering how much more he could take. He tried to kick out at her, but the
strength in his legs was gone. He narrowed his eyes, ignoring the red haze that
swam in front of his eyes, trying to examine the rod she held. It was some
kind of torturing device, probably working because of a spell since he could
see no electrical parts on it, a device that inflicted incredible pain
without causing any real damage. Although it felt as if he had been tortured
mercilessly, he knew that his body was fine. He held onto that thought. She touched him again with the rod and pain
ripped through him, and his control broke for just a second. "Please, Diana..." The words were
barely a whisper. "Stop." Diana raised an eyebrow, looking at him
impassively. "Why should I stop? Do you know how much pain you've caused
me? It feels like you've ripped out my heart." And she applied the rod
to the area over his heart. He closed his eyes, unable to bear it. When he
caught his breath and pushed the pain out of his mind for a second, he opened
his eyes – and Diana wasn't there anymore. Instead, it was the purple-haired
sorceress who had captured them. "You..." he said, barely able to form
the word. The sorceress looked at him, concerned. "By
Zeus, what has she done to you? Let me help." She reached forward and
unclasped the loops holding him to the wall somehow. He fell forward, and she
caught him gently, walking him over to one of the sofas and lying him down. She lifted a rod, brought it close to his chest,
and he drew back with the little strength he had left. "No," she said soothingly. "I
won't hurt you like she did." The rod touched him, and instead of
hurting him it healed him, the pain washing away like it had never existed.
"I brought you and your friends here because I knew Wonder Woman would
attack you soon, but she obviously got to you when I was off the island,
looking for her. For that I am sorry." Batman tried to sit up, but he was still too weak
even though the pain was gone. He watched the woman suspiciously. "Why did you think Wonder Woman would attack
us?" "Because she is an Amazon," the woman
said simply. "And Amazons are always vindictive when their love is not
returned, or if they have been rejected. When she resigned from the Justice
League, it was only a matter of time until she felt rejected by them. And
since she loved you, I knew her revenge would be very bad." She looked
down sadly at him. "I am sorry for your torture." Batman tried to get up again, was able to move
simply through the force of his willpower. "No!" the woman cried out, and pushed
him back. "Sleep and recover your strength," she said, and touched
him with the rod again, and it must have been spelled to make him sleep
because he knew nothing after that. ******* The bow felt warm in Diana's hands, the magic
still running through it after thousands of years. This was how she would
save Batman, and the league. She turned, preparing to leave – hating that she
had to leave her mother without resolving anything between them, without
being able to talk to her as a daughter instead of an ambassador. "Thank you, your majesty," Diana said,
and looked at her mother one last time. "My daughter...wait.
I won't keep you from your mission, but give me a moment, as mother to
daughter." Hipployta held out her arms
pleadingly. Diana's heart filled with joy, and she finally
ran to her mother, hugged her tightly. "I have missed you, mother."
"And I, you." Hippolyta
pulled back, looked at Diana seriously. "I can
not change the order of exile, Diana. Unless..." Her voice trailed off. "Unless?" Diana wondered. Was there
some way to return to the Amazons again, to be able to visit again? Some
trial or feat that she had to accomplish? She would do it in a heartbeat. "Unless you returned, and agreed never to go
back to Man's World once you have saved your league. Only if you leave all of Man's World behind can you return." "Mother, I—I..." Diana stammered,
unsure of what to say. What to choose. Here was a chance to be with her
family, her sisters again – but what about the league? What about the joy she
found learning about Man's World? What about her feelings for Bruce? Could she bear
never seeing him again? Hippolyta touched her daughter's face
tenderly. "What keeps you from us, Diana? What fascinates you about
Man's World so?" A wise, knowing look entered her eyes. "Or is it
not a something, but a someone?" "There is the league. They are all my
friends," Diana said, then added honestly, "And...there is a man." Hippolyta smiled sadly. "And does he
love you, as well?" Diana's throat tightened painfully.
"No." Leaning forward, she kissed her daughter's
forehead. "Then do not stay and pine over him, daughter. Return to us,
and be happy again." Diana remembered the years of pleasure on the
island. She thought of the league, and how she wasn't a member of it any
longer. How her feelings for Bruce might never be returned. Did she fit into
Man's World? Was her place on Themyscira? She turned, grief welling in her heart. How could
she decide? "I'll...think about it, mother," she
whispered, and flew off into the night. The Amulet of Tiresius
would guide her to Circe's island, and she would save the league – and then
she would make her decision. If there was any hope that she could return to
the league, or if Bruce would feel something for her – then maybe she would
stay in Man's World. Otherwise, she would return to Themyscira. Forever. Part IX Batman awoke because of a sharp slap across his
cheek. He was bound to the wall again, Diana standing in front of him. "So I see that Circe tried to help you – but
she is too late. I'm back to finish the job I started earlier." Diana
waved the rod in front of him. The sleep had let him regain some of his
strength. He kicked out viciously, knocking the rod from her hand, sending it
flying across the room. His other foot caught her across the face, and she
fell backwards, smacking against a chair. "You bast—"
she began, but cut herself off, rose and smiled. "You may struggle,
Batman, but you will not get away from me." She retrieved the rod,
walked back to him. Batman narrowed his eyes, finally convinced of
one thing: this was not Diana. He had seen her hit by forces much greater
than his kick without falling down, or being the least bit hurt – no, somehow
the purple haired witch – Circe – had created the illusion of Diana over
herself. He wondered if she had tried to trick the other Leaguers in the same
way. Suddenly, two more bindings popped out of the
wall, capturing his ankles in their unbreakable grip. Safe from his kicks
now, she held the rod to his stomach, holding it there longer than ever
before, until he was gasping for breath, feeling as though his insides had
been ripped from him. She pulled the rod away, stared at him consideringly. "You know, if you do one thing, I'll
stop the torture..." He lifted his head, but didn't give her the
triumph of a sound, not a word. She sighed, and continued. "You just have to
tell me how much you love me, and beg my forgiveness for hurting me." Batman opened his mouth to comply, anything to
get out of the bonds so that he could finally fight back, finally escape, but
the words were trapped in his throat. He couldn't say it. He couldn't ever say it to anyone but the real
Diana. So instead he prepared himself for more pain, and
said, "I could never love you." With a scream of rage, she hit him with the rod
again. "Say it!" He grated the words out between clenched teeth,
barely able to catch his breath long enough to form the words. "I could
never love you." And she tortured him again. And again. And each time, he said the same thing, until he
didn't have enough strength to form even those five simple words. And he wondered how long it would take him to
die, or even if the rod would let him die, if the pain became bad enough. ******** With the amulet, Diana had no trouble locating
Circe's island, but she took a few extra minutes to do surveillance before
charging in. The landscape was dominated by a huge palace,
and no other buildings as far as she could tell. It ended up being almost ridiculously easy to
enter the palace – there weren't any guards, and since she was armed with
Penelope's bow and arrows, Diana wondered if they had allowed her to pass
through any magic barriers that Circe may have placed around the palace. The
bow's resistance to Circe's magic would, Diana realized, come in very handy
if that was the case. She flew warily down the halls, checking rooms,
going deeper and deeper into the bowels of the palace. It took her nearly an
hour to find the room in which the Justice League was being held – all of the
League except Batman. They were all bound to the wall, asleep, and
Diana notched an arrow into the bow and went from hero to hero, using the tip
of the enchanted arrow to slice through their magical bonds. Then, gently,
she woke them up by touching them with the bow, breaking the sleep spell
Circe had put on them. And found herself pinned
to the wall, Superman's hand wrapped around her neck, choking her. She
dropped the bow, clawing at his hand. Behind him, Hawkgirl
looked at her in hate, swinging her mace. J'onn and
GL stood, staring at her warily, their eyes showing the same emotion as Hawkgirl's. Flash disappeared for a second, but then
returned a second later. "I found Batman, but I can't get him out of
the bonds." He paused, then glared at Diana.
"He looks like he is in awful shape. I'm not even sure he recognized
me." Superman leaned forward, and Diana was certain
she had never seen him more angry. And it was
directed at her. "I'm sure Diana can get him out, can't you?" His grip on her throat didn't let her speak, so
she mouthed the words: "Yes." Her heart was aching. Did they hate
her this much? Did they blame her for Circe's actions? After all, Circe was
obviously after Diana – did they think it was her fault they had been
captured? She closed her eyes, fighting for breath,
fighting tears. Here was a clear indication, she thought, that there was
increasingly no place for her in Man's World. She had no friends here. "Superman..." J'onn
frowned. "I think that we may be making a mistake. You should let her
go." Green Lantern scowled. "A mistake? She's
been torturing us for two days. I say he should tighten that grip." Torturing? Her? Eyes wide, she looked wildly at
Superman, trying to tell him with her expression that, no, it hadn't been
her. J'onn put a hand to his head. "No,
I think that she may be innocent. It's hard to...this island is messing up my
telepathic capabilities." Hawkgirl took a step forward. "But we
all saw her, Manhunter. I didn't believe it
at first either. None of us did." She looked at Diana caught in
Superman's hand, cocked her head as if considering. "But after two
days..." Her voice trailed off, and she addressed Diana directly.
"Diana, you were my best friend? Why?" Superman's grip was easing, and Diana was finally
able to croak, "Not...me. Please...believe..." Superman closed his eyes, came to a decision.
"All right." He let her go, and she fell to her knees, gasping for
breath. "Now isn't this a touching little
reunion," a voice said from the doorway. Diana looked up and saw ... herself. "Great Hera,"
she said. Part X Diana groped for the bow that had fallen when
Superman had grabbed her. "Oh, great," the Flash said, looking
from one Diana to the other, "How do we know which one is which? Which
one is the good one?" Green Lantern firmed his jaw, nodded at
Circe/Diana. "I say, let's not trust the woman with the torturing
rod." Hawkgirl nodded in agreement. Circe smiled, then said a word, waving her arm
and gesturing to the group of heroes, even as Diana finally touched the bow. Immediately, everyone in the room froze. Except
Diana, who was protected by the enchanted bow. She
stood, and saw Circe's expression of surprise. "How—?" Circe began,
then laughed. "It doesn't matter, little Amazon. You can never defeat
me." "Penelope did," Diana said, her voice calm. "Ah, but you are no Penelope," Circe
said harshly. "You could never be half the woman she was." She
lifted an eyebrow, and added cruelly, "At least Penelope could make the
man she loved, love her back." Diana's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by
that?" Circe smiled and examined a fingernail, as if she
wasn't the least bit concerned by the arrow Diana had ready and pointed at
her heart. She probably hadn't realized that it was Penelope's bow. "Your
darling Batman thought I was you, and yet he wouldn't admit love for you,
even under torture. Even when it would stop the torture." Torture. This woman had tortured Bruce. Fear
gripped Diana's heart, even as a different pain ripped through it – Bruce
wouldn't admit love for her, even to save himself. He must really hate her. Circe continued, "At least Penelope won the
heart of Odysseus. You are worthless, even for an Amazon." "Perhaps I am," Diana said as she let
the arrow fly. It hit the witch in her chest, instantly ripping through the
illusion that she had created to look like Diana. Circe screamed, and tore
the arrow from her chest. Blood streamed out; Diana could see that she was
mortally wounded – perhaps. There was no telling what the Sorceress could do
to heal herself. Hands to her injury, as if holding the blood
inside, Circe cried, "I'll be back for you, Wonder Woman." She
laughed, gurgling, and added, "You think you have won, but you will soon
discover that I am the victor here, and you are nothing" and then
disappeared in a flash of magic. Diana stared at where the witch had been. Last
time, it had taken her three thousand years of sleep to recover, to come
back. She hoped it would be the same this time. Suddenly incredibly weary, Diana waited for a
full minute, trying to control her emotions and gather her thoughts before
unfreezing the other Leaguers with the bow. As did, the others looked at her, then around
them. Confusion reigned on their faces. Finally, the Flash asked what all of
them were thinking: "How do we know the right Diana won?" Diana tried to smile, but failed. She held up the
bow. "This is a bow designed to break Circe's spells. I shot her with an
arrow, and it broke the illusion, injured her, and she disappeared." She
sighed. "And if you really need me to prove it, I'll stab myself with
one of the arrows." Superman quickly shook his head. "That won't
be necessary, Diana. We believe you." All the others nodded. J'onn added, "The disturbance from
the island has disappeared. I can see that you are the true Diana." Then
he looked at her carefully, and said, "Why don't you go get Batman?
Since you have the bow which can break his bonds, you are the obvious choice.
The rest of us will make sure that the witch didn't trap anyone else here,
and then we'll meet at the north beach and leave." J'onn had probably sensed her worry and
love for Batman, Diana realized. Her voice was grateful as she replied,
"I will." She turned to Wally. "Where was he?" "Two doors down." He smiled. "It's
nice to have you back, Diana." Hoping that he meant that, but not yet sure that
she truly was back, Diana nodded and left the room. She hesitated at the door
the Flash had indicated, unsure of what she would see-- …tortured… --and steeled herself before pushing it open. She
felt an incredible relief when she realized that, like the others, he had no
real physical injuries -- the pain that Circe had inflicted on them was
mostly mental, spelled to make them think it was real. She ran to him, unsure if he was sleeping or
unconscious, and quickly cut his bonds with the tip of the arrow, catching
him as he fell. She laid him gently on the floor, running her hands over his
body, checking for invisible injuries, remembering when she had done the same
when she had run into Bruce Wayne in the Gotham
Museum, although she hadn't known then that Batman and Bruce were one and the
same. Satisfied that he was physically fine, she
touched him with the bow, and he began to stir. But, she realized, he was too
weak to wake fully. She suddenly understood the extent of the torture that
Circe must have put him through, to make someone as strong as Bruce so
incredibly weak. "Oh, Bruce," she whispered, placing her
hand on his cheek. "Why didn't you just tell her what she wanted to
hear? Why didn't you just say that you loved me, even if it was a lie?" His lips moved, and she had to lean close to hear
the words coming from his mouth. "…could never…love…you…" She gasped as if he had kicked her in the stomach,
so painful was it to actually hear the words, even though she had known them
before. She closed her eyes, barely able to look at him, until she forced the
pain away, and she was left with … nothing. Her heart felt as if it had been
ripped out, replaced with a cold, dead lump. She picked him up carefully, cradling him in her
arms. "Don't worry, Bruce." She said, and she didn't recognize her
own voice. It sounded emotionless, dead. She wondered if she would ever feel
alive again. "You won't ever have to love me, Bruce. Soon enough, I'll
be gone, and you won't have to deal with me in your life ever again."
And she flew toward the beach, where the others were waiting. ********* Batman watched Diana carefully. Two days had
passed since he had recovered from the torture on Circe's island, and he'd
spent most of those two days watching her, although she probably hadn't
realized it. She…had changed. Once, she had been the most joyous woman he knew.
Even through the pain of the months following her exile, she had smiled,
laughed, her eyes had sparkled with life and fire. Now, it was as if that
spark of life had been extinguished. She answered when spoken to, did her
monitor duty without question, but…something was missing. When she wasn't out
on a mission or on duty, she spent her time in her room, curled up on her
bed, staring at nothing. The others had noticed, too. They'd had a secret
meeting while Diana had been sleeping, discussing the possibility if
something had happened on Circe's island, if perhaps they had been mistaken
that this Diana was the real one, or if perhaps in her fight with Circe she
had been badly hurt, or a spell put on her. J'onn had simply looked sadly at Batman
throughout the meeting, then finally said, "I'm
positive that she is the real Diana. She is just … hurting emotionally."
The others had demanded to know what pained her,
how they could help, but J'onn had remained silent,
except to say that it was Diana's private business. Then he had given Batman
another long, sad look and left the meeting. J'onn came into the monitor room, and
Batman turned to him, gesturing toward the screen that monitored Diana's
bedroom. "She isn't getting any better, J'onn."
The giant Martian frowned. "No, and she
probably won't, not here." J'onn sighed,
deeply. "She is actually trying to find the strength to leave
again." Batman clenched his jaw. "I thought that we
had convinced her upon her return from Circe's island that we did need her,
that her unfamiliarity with Man's World was not a drawback. For god's
sake," he added angrily, "if she hadn't been raised on an island of
women, we would never have known how to stop Circe. None of us would have
known about the magic bow. Her kind of knowledge is invaluable to the
League." J'onn nodded. "I know that, and she
knows that now, too." He hesitated, then seemed
to come to a decision about something. "I shouldn't tell you this, since
it is her private knowledge that I know only because I had to scan her mind
to make sure she was the real Diana, but Hippolyta
has told her that she is welcome back to the island. But if she goes back,
she can never return to Man's World." Something in Batman's chest twisted painfully.
Diana had the chance to get her family back -- he knew that if he had the
same chance, he'd take it in an instant. But to never return? "Then why
does she need 'strength' to leave?" He wondered, surprised at the bitter
tone of his own voice. "Surely she wants to see her family again beyond
all else. It seems like an easy choice for her." "No. There are people here, friends…people
she loves here." J'onn put extra stress
on the last words. "And it is difficult for her to leave them, no matter
how much she misses her home, no matter that she has convinced herself that
they don't love her back." Batman frowned. "But who does she--" "That's not for me to divulge," J'onn interrupted, then changed the subject abruptly.
"Are you fully recovered after the ordeal with Circe?" Batman clenched his jaw, wanting to ask more
about Diana, but able to see that J'onn clearly
wasn't going to give him any more information. "Yes," he grated
out, "I have a few missing memories, some time gaps especially around
the time of my rescue, probably an effect of the torture, but otherwise I'm
fine." "Would you like me to replace them for you?
Your mind remembers them, I just would have to make
the connections." Batman considered that. He hated someone messing
with his mind, but he hated not having memory of something -- even torture --
more. "All right," he said slowly. He remembered the slow brush of something against
his cheek, then Diana's soft voice. No! not Diana!
It is Circe! his mind warned him. She was speaking,
"Oh, Bruce, why didn't you just tell her what she wanted to hear? Why
didn't you just say that you loved me, even if it was a lie?" He felt
her hand gentle on his cheek, but didn't have the strength to move away from
it. And he said the words that he had said to the witch every time that she
had demanded that he say that he love her: I could never love you. He heard
his own voice speak the words, barely loud enough to hear, and waited for the
pain that inevitably would follow. But he didn't feel pain; instead, he heard
a gasp, then silence as he was lifted into two strong arms. Strong arms,
strong like Diana, some part of his mind told him. And then Diana was
speaking again, but her voice was changed, emotionless, telling him not to
worry, that, "You won't ever have to love me, Bruce. Soon enough, I'll
be gone, and you won't have to deal with me in your life ever again."
And then the sensation of flying, and then nothing again. "That's all of the missing gaps,
Batman," J'onn said. "No," Batman said, trying to deny what
he now knew: Diana not only knew that he was really Bruce Wayne -- how long
had she known? -- but that he had accidentally told
her, the only woman that he would ever love, that he could never love her.
And that this change in her, this joylessness, had come after he'd said those
words. And now she was leaving, going back to Themyscira never to return. He couldn't let her, wouldn't
let her leave now, not like this. His eyes flew to the monitor, but Diana was no
longer in her room. Suddenly, Flash burst into the room, and Batman and J'onn looked at him. "Hurry," the Flash said, his face
panicked. "Diana is leaving, and she wants to say
goodbye to all of us. She's calling a meeting and then taking off." He
looked at each of them, searching for answers. "We can't let her go! How
can we convince her to stay?" Batman didn't answer, but swept by the Flash,
heading for the conference room. "I'll convince her to stay," he
said softly to no one but himself. "I have to. I don't think I can live
without her." Part XI She wouldn't look at him, Batman noticed. Even as
she told them she was leaving, that she wouldn't be able to return, she
wouldn't look at him. Instead, her face had the same blank expression as
before, her eyes still dull, her voice monotone. Had he done this to her? Had his words turned her
into this automaton? Did that mean that she loved him, too? He realized that he didn't know. As far as he
knew, she hated him for lying to him about being Bruce Wayne, for taking her
on a date, kissing her twice without revealing who he was. She might think
that those were not the actions of a loyal teammate, no matter his reasons
for not revealing the truth. So he wasn't certain that she loved him; he
couldn't count on using that to make her stay. What would work then? How
could he play upon her sense of morality, her honor, so that she felt
obligated to stay? "I care for all of you dearly," she was
saying. "But I need to take this opportunity to go home. It may be my
only chance." "We respect your wishes, Diana,"
Superman said, "but we will miss you. You are an important part of this
team. Your abilities have been instrumental in helping us save lives over and
over -- I wish you would reconsider, continue to use your powers alongside
us." Diana shook her head, still emotionless. "I
know my powers help, but between all of you, you are more than capable of
protecting Man's World. If you ever need my help, I will try to come, of
course. But only if the consequences are very dire." Batman scowled. So appealing to her honor as a
hero obviously wouldn't work. What else? And suddenly, he knew. He stood. "If you would all excuse me, I'd
like to talk alone with Diana for a moment." There were looks of confusion and protests from
the others. "Leave." He said, ignoring them.
"Now." Grumbling, they did as he asked. There were
benefits to being Batman at times, he thought. He waited until the door slid shut behind
Superman, staring at Diana. She was still looking blankly at the table. He
walked around to her chair, lifted her chin, forced
her to look at him. And then he slid his cowl back, revealing his
face. For the first time in days, an emotion flitted
across Diana's expression. Surprise. Good, he thought, surprise was better
than nothing. He wondered if he could evoke other emotions in her as well. He
hoped so. "What are you doing?" she asked. His voice was harsher than he intended, but he
couldn't help that. He was too full of conflicting emotions to control it.
"Let's be honest here -- you and I both know that you know who I am. And
since I am Bruce Wayne, I am reminding you that you can not leave until you
complete your contract with Wayne Publishing." Diana frowned. "I talked to Daniel Lee
yesterday. He said that my edited draft looked good, that it was almost ready
for printing. I have given them the book, then." "But you haven't done your tour, or
publicity as agreed," Bruce pointed out. "If you leave now without
fulfilling the terms of your contract, I'll let everyone know that you broke
your word. That an Amazon can't be trusted. You will need to stay for at least
a few more months in order to not breach the contract." Her eyes flashed. Anger, he realized, and almost
sighed with relief. She pushed herself up from the chair, slowly, until she
was face to face with him. "Are you blackmailing me? Threatening me and
the good name of Amazons?" "Yes," he said simply. He would do
anything to snap her out of her emotionless state, even if what she felt was
anger. And if in doing so he blackmailed her into staying a little longer, so
be it. But then the anger in her eyes turned to hurt,
and she sat back down. His gut twisted with guilt. He wanted her to feel
something -- anything -- but he didn't want it to be pain. She looked at her hands. "Why?" She
whispered the word, and he could see the tears glittering in her eyes. He had
never seen her cry before. "Why can't you let me go home, and try to
find some happiness?" He had to swallow past the tightening of his own
throat. "Because I can't," he said finally, waiting for her to ask
him why he couldn't, but instead she merely nodded and said: "Alright then. I'll stay until my contract
is done." "Good," he said, because she had agreed
to stay, and because she was no longer staring dully around her. Instead, she
looked almost … normal, if a bit upset and angry. At least she had snapped
out of that, he thought. Then, because he didn't know what else to do,
didn't know what else to say, didn't know if he should tell her now that he
loved her, he pulled on his mask and left the room. "She'll stay for a while longer," he
announced to the others as he walked by them, and ignored their whoops of
joy, their questions of "How long?" Long enough to for me to convince her that she
should stay forever, one way or another, he vowed to himself. And he
transported himself to the Batcave, and began
planning. A plan to make Diana fall in love with him. Or
back in love with him, if she had ever loved him once. And, above all, to
help her find happiness on Man's World. He only hoped she would find it with him. ********* Diana stared warily at the invitation. It had
arrived not long after Batman had left, inviting her to join him -- Bruce
Wayne -- at a play the next evening. Hawkgirl's eyes had widened when she had seen
it. "I thought you broke up with Careful not to give away Bruce’s secret, Diana
lied, "Maybe it is some publicity stunt for the upcoming book." In
truth, she didn't know what Bruce was doing. "Maybe he's had the hots
for you this entire time, and he just can't resist your charms anymore,"
Hawkgirl mused, her eyes twinkling with humor. Diana's heart twisted at Hawkgirl's
unknowing jab -- she knew Bruce could resist her charms just fine -- but she
smiled anyway. Hawkgirl grinned back. "It's good to
see you back to normal, Diana. You were walking around here like a zombie.
I'm not sure what Batman said to you, but I'm sure grateful to the guy for
bringing you back from the living dead, and convincing you to stay a little
longer." Diana ran her finger back and forth over the
expensive invitation. She would never tell Shayera
the real reason she was staying, so she joked instead, hiding the pain she
felt, "He told me that if I put in a few more months, I'd get free iced
mochas for life from Starbucks," she said, and listened to Hawkgirl's laugh. When Hawkgirl quieted,
she said, "So…are you going to accept Diana nodded. Was Bruce playing with her, or was
there some other reason he'd asked her? "I'm curious about why he
asked," she said truthfully, "so I will go. I'm flying to Themyscira tomorrow to return Penelope's bow, but I'll be
back in time to meet him to see the play. I'll tell my mother then that I'm
still deciding, that I could use a few more months to make my choice, then I'll be back." "We should go shopping for the perfect dress
then," Hawkgirl grinned. "With your book
contract, you are fabulously rich now. We should go to Diana grinned back. Maybe such an excursion was
exactly what she needed: she could get away from the Watchtower, try to
escape from all thoughts of Batman for a couple of hours. In a way, being
around Hawkgirl was like being around her Amazon
sisters. It helped her forget, for a little while at
least, how much her heart was hurting. ********* Batman entered the monitor room, saw Hawkgirl at the console. She was speaking over the
intercom to Diana, whom Batman could see on screen in the hangar area. "All systems are 'go', Diana," Hawkgirl said. Batman frowned. There were no alerts, no planned
missions. "Where is she going?" "Themyscira,"
Hawkgirl said. Batman's heart dropped, and his head swam. He
turned quickly and left the monitor room, running for the hangar. She was
leaving anyway. Could he stop her in time? He couldn't let her go. He couldn't bear the
thought of her leaving, the thought of life without her. His heart pounded in
his chest, his stomach twisted in pain at the thought of losing her, not
getting to the hangar in time. The engines were firing as he burst into the
hangar room, and he leapt forward, into the Javelin seconds before the door
closed. He rushed to the cockpit, where Diana turned to look at him in
surprise. He slammed the ignition button closed, and the engine died. Silence filled the cockpit for a moment, as Diana
stared at him, stunned, and as he tried to figure out a way to tell her… "You can't go," the words tumbled from
his mouth, unplanned, harsh. Her eyebrows drew together in confusion.
"Yes, I can. I have to." He closed his eyes, felt his throat tighten, forced the words past it. "You said you'd stay,"
he said, his voice accusational. No, his mind
screamed, this isn't right. You are going to lose her. He couldn't. He had to
tell her… "I know what I said. I just have to
go--" "I love you." The words were hardly
more than a hoarse whisper. "You can't leave. I … need you here." Her face paled, and her hands dropped to her lap.
"But you said you could never love me." He shook his head, dropped to his knees in front
of her seat, taking her hands in one of his. "I told Circe that. I knew
you weren't her, that I couldn't say those words to
anyone but the real you." He slid his other hand over her cheek,
threaded his fingers into her hair. "I thought she was you when I said
those words." Tears formed in her eyes, slid down her cheeks,
and he panicked for a moment, wondering if he was hurting her again.
"I'll make you happy, Diana, I promise. I'll teach you to love me…"
"You could never do that," she said
softly, and everything in him suddenly shut down. She could never love him. He untangled his hand from her hair, got numbly
to his feet. He had gambled, and lost everything. He turned away, searching
for something to say, suddenly desperate to leave. "I'm … sorry,"
he said. "I won't bother you again. I hope you are happy on Themyscira." He took a step, and she grabbed his hand. "No, Bruce," she said, and he saw for
the first time that the tears in her eyes weren't of pain, but of…joy?
"I meant that you couldn't ever teach me to love you." She
sighed. "Because I already do, so very, very much." His eyes widened in disbelief, and happiness like
he hadn't felt since his parents had died swept through him. He pulled her to
him suddenly, held her against him, breathed in the perfume of her hair.
"But you were leaving…" he said. "I had to return Penelope's bow," she
replied against his neck. "I was coming back." She pulled away
slightly to look him in the face. "Why didn't you tell me this before?
Why did you blackmail me?" "It's … hard to tell you how I feel,"
he began. "I've pushed people away, since my parents…" His voice
trailed off. Diana nodded. "I understand." And he could see that she did. He pulled her
close and touched her lips with his, a soft kiss that quickly deepened in emotion
and passion. When he pulled away, he was out of breath, an
unfamiliar condition for a man as in good shape as he was. He smiled.
"So, did you get my invitation? Will you go out with me tonight,
Diana?" She stared in wonder at his smile, so unfamiliar
was it to her. She knew the smile was for her. Her eyes sparked with humor,
and happiness. "I would, Batman, but I've already decided to go out with
Bruce Wayne. He's taking me to a play." "That spoiled playboy," Batman growled.
"He'll just treat you badly and tell you lies,
Diana. I'm the much better man." She laughed, delighted by his joke, then quieted when he kissed her again. "I love
you," she whispered when he finally lifted his head from hers.
"Both of you," she grinned. "Good," he said shortly, in typical
Batman fashion, and calculated that the space in the Javelin was just large
enough for him to show her how much he loved her back. More than two men,
more than a million men. And he locked the Javelin's doors, just in case. ********* "Oh. My. God." Hawkgirl
said. The Flash looked over her shoulder at the screen
showing the Javelin. He could see, through the front windows of the plane,
Diana and…Batman? "Oh. My. God." He echoed. "Is
that…?" "Yes." "And they are doing what I think they are
doing…?" "Yes." Hawkgirl
studied the screen. "Batman's usually not this forgetful. His mask is
going to come off at any moment. Along with everything else." They looked at each other, temptation reflected
in their eyes. "Should we…?" The Flash wondered. They stared at each other for another second,
then Hawkgirl said regretfully, "We really
shouldn't" and switched off the monitor. "No," the Flash said mournfully,
"but we may never get this chance again." He grinned. "To see
Diana, totally naked, I mean." Hawkgirl laughed and slapped his arm, then stared at the blank monitor and mused, "I
wonder if Bruce Wayne will be disappointed. I still think he had the hots for her." The Flash shrugged. "Who cares? He's just a
rich boy with too many hot women anyway." "Yeah," Hawkgirl
said. "I warned Diana about him from the beginning. Batman is a much
better choice." She paused, then added, "A
strange choice, but a better one." *********** In the Javelin, Bruce Wayne held Diana close. He
had managed, somehow, to get the most beautiful woman, the most intelligent
woman he knew to love him, and he loved her more than he'd ever dreamed
possible. Despite Hawkgirl's
musings, Bruce Wayne was not disappointed. And neither was Diana. Epilogue (because
Kooky is such a sweetie) Hippolyta sat on her throne, looking down at
her daughter. Diana kneeled before the Queen of the Amazons, placing the bow
and quiver of arrows at her mother’s feet. "Rise, Diana." Hippolyta's
words were gentle. As Diana stood, she examined her mother's face, saw the
hope and anticipation that the queen was doing her best to hide behind her
regal expression. Diana took a deep breath. She was going to
disappoint her mother once again. "The Justice League thanks you for
your assistance, Queen Hippolyta. Circe was
injured; hopefully she will not return nor be a threat to Man's World for
another three thousand years, if ever." Hippolyta inclined her head in
acknowledgement. "Circe is an enemy of every Amazon, as well as Man's
World. If she should reappear, we will be happy to offer our help once
more." She rose from her throne, held out her hand to Diana. "That
is enough of that, daughter. Tell me of your decision." Diana clasped her mother's hand. "Mother...I
have chosen to stay in Man's World." Hippolyta closed her eyes and sighed.
"I was afraid this would be your choice." Tugging on Diana's hand,
she began walking toward the temple's exit. "Come with me, Diana, to the
armory. Bring Penelope's bow and arrows." The armory. Diana's heart clenched; it was from
the armory that she had stolen the uniform she now wore. The uniform of the
champion of the Amazons. Did her mother now seek to take it from her? It was
probable -- why would the Amazons want an exiled member to wear their most
prized clothing? Diana hadn't realized how attached she had become
to the uniform, and for what it stood. It seemed a connection to her sisters
in Man's World, before and after her exile. Her fears seemed to be realized when her mother
began to speak. "Diana, you know our history, that long ago the Amazons
were prophecied to have a great champion, one who
would uphold the ideals of Themyscira, and bring
the Amazon's message to the outer world." They walked past the temples
and columned buildings, Diana's feet and heart growing heavier with each
step. "When the time presented itself, we were to have a great contest,
and our best warrior would become the Champion of the Amazons, and deliver
this message to Man's World, wearing your uniform." Hippolyta
paused. They had reached the doors of the armory. "Mother, I--" "Silence, daughter." She looked Diana
up and down. Diana felt like squirming under that gaze, which held the
combined power of both queen and mother; but she faced her mother squarely,
didn't flinch from the examination. Finally, Hippolyta
continued. "When the gods gifted you to me, a child of clay endowed with
special powers, I knew that the Amazons had found their champion. As you
grew, and your skills surpassed every other Amazon on the island, I knew that
the time for you to leave us was coming." Hippolyta
sighed. "And I did everything in my power to stop it." Diana frowned. "But, Mother, you did nothing
to--" "That is exactly the point, Diana," Hippolyta said. "I did nothing. That day, when we
rode our horses on the beach, we both knew that times
in Man's World were changing, and that they might need assistance from the
Amazons. You had no responsibility beyond that; I, on the other
hand, did. I should have held the contest at that point. But I knew that even
if I forbid you from competing, you would find some way to enter the contest
-- you are too clever, too determined, not to. And I knew that if you entered
the contest, you would win, and I would lose my daughter." Shaking her head, Diana said, "You would never
have lost me, Mother." Hippolyta laid a hand on Diana's cheek.
"But I did. For you took fate into your own hands, and when you finally
returned, I had to exile you." She turned, pushed open the doors to the
armory. Diana blinked as her eyes adjusted to the dim light inside. "And
you will have to leave again, soon," Hippolyta
added as she walked toward the empty pedestal that once held the uniform. Diana's throat was tight, and she had to force
the words past the constriction. "Do you want the uniform back,
Mother?" Hippolyta's gaze was even, calm.
"Yes." Diana nodded numbly,
began to remove the tiara. "But only for a short time," Hippolyta added. She froze in the middle of the movement, her
hands alongside the tiara on her forehead, sudden hope rising in her chest.
"What do you mean?" Hippolyta smiled. "That it is time the
Amazons held that contest." Speaking softly, almost afraid to hear the
answer, Diana asked, "Will I be able to compete?" Hippolyta raised an eyebrow. "It seems
only fair to me, the Queen of the Amazons, that the former wearer of the
Champion's uniform should be able to defend her position, no matter how she
came by the clothing, don't you?" "And what of my exile?" "If you win, it would hardly make sense that
the Champion of the Amazons would be forbidden access to Themyscira.
And if you lose--" Hippolyta's amused look
betrayed her doubt of that happening "--there is nothing that forbids
me, your mother, from visiting her exiled daughter in Man's World." Diana threw her arms around the other woman,
burying her face in her neck. "I love you,
Mother." "And I, you, daughter." Hippolyta pulled away. "Now, change out of that
uniform, and we'll begin the contest immediately. The others have already
begun preparing for it." Smiling, Diana began removing her clothing.
"Mother, if I had decided to stay on Themyscira,
would you have held the contest?" she wondered. "Probably not," Hippolyta
said. "But I knew that your choice would be to remain in Man's World.
You feel too great a responsibility to use your powers to help
everyone." She gave a wry smile. "And I felt certain that this man
who you said did not love you would admit feelings for you. Who, after all,
could not fall in love with you?" Diana blushed. "Mother, please!" Hippoltya pretended to be offended.
"What did I say? I know it is the truth." She handed Diana a toga,
watched as her daughter covered herself. "Which one was it? The
handsome, tall one with the red cape?" Diana bit her lip, shook
her head. Hippolyta frowned. "That's unfortunate.
I was sure it must be him. Then it must be the strong man with the green
ring?" She noted Diana's expression, tried again. "The noble
Martian?" Hippolyta gasped as Diana shook her
head again. "Not the clown in the red bodysuit? He could barely keep his
hands off of Menalippe and Mara." Laughing, Diana said, "No, not the
Flash." "Oh, Aphrodite." Hippolyta
sighed. "That leaves the one in the dark costume. The Bat-Man." "He is a good man, Mother," Diana said.
"But must he be so...gloomy?" Diana smiled and linked elbows with her mother as
they walked back into the sunlight. "That is part of his charm,"
she joked, then added seriously, "He is a complex man, but he is not
completely surrounded by the darkness." "If he loves you, then that must be true,"
Hippolyta stated. "I just don't want to see
you hurt as I was, Diana." Grinning, Diana said, "He is a man, not the
King of Hell as Hades was, Mother. Trust me to have a little better taste
than that, and to learn from your mistakes," she teased. She noted the
sudden determined expression on her mother's face, said in growing horror,
"Oh...no...Mother -- you may not come to Man's World just to test
Batman." Hippoltya smiled. ***************************** "She was supposed to return three days
ago," Hawkgirl said. The Justice League, with the exception of Diana,
sat in their chairs around the conference room table. "Could she have changed her mind?"
Green Lantern asked. J'onn shook his head. "She was
determined to come back." "In any case, she would have returned the
Javelin. But it's been hovering over the island the entire time." "Do you think those women...did something to
her?" Flash's tone indicated that the thought wasn't entirely unpleasant
to him. Batman remained silent, but J'onn
picked up on his thoughts, voiced the question that they had all wanted to
ask. "Should we determine if she needs to be rescued, then if so, attack
the island?" "No need for that," a tired voice said
from the doorway. Stunned silence greeted Diana's appearance. Although bathed
and dressed in her uniform, bruises and small cuts decorated her face, arms
and legs. Batman's fists clenched. Noting his barely perceptible reaction, Diana
hastened to smile and add, "I'm fine. Everyone stop looking at me like
that. I would have waited until I healed to return, but I'd already been gone
so long that it seemed imperative to come back before you..." She
grinned. "Well, before you began storming Themyscira." "Diana, what happened?" Superman wanted
to know. "Just a little friendly competition between
Amazons," she said. "I won." Hawkgirl smiled and leaned back in her
chair. "And you didn't invite me?" Diana slid into the empty chair next to Batman, gave his hand a reassuring squeeze under the
table. "Maybe next time," she promised. ******************* "You should have let us know," Bruce
growled, but his tone was proven false by the tender kiss he pressed to a
bruise on her arm. "Even I didn't know," Diana said. Her
injuries were quickly fading, but she didn't mind the extra attention that
they were garnering her. Especially not this kind of attention. A cut on her thigh got the same treatment.
"So your exile is over?" he asked. She smiled happily. "Yes." He frowned over a slash on her abdomen. "How
did you get this?" Diana looked down. "One of the challenges is
to dodge spears thrown at you by the sisters." "You weren't fast enough?" "Well, there were a couple of hundred of
them, all thrown at once," she said. "All of the Amazons had to do that?" "Just me." Diana smiled, remembering.
"My mother decided that the difficulty of my challenges should be in
proportion to my powers." Bruce nodded. "That seems fair." He put
his lips to the injury, gently kissed it. She pulled him up against her and stared into his
eyes. "I'm all better now," she said, smiling. "Not yet," he said. "But as long
as the BatSignal doesn't light up anytime soon, you
will be shortly." "That sounds wonderful," Diana said,
then slowly frowned. "What is it?" "Bruce...if the BatSignal
ever comes on, and you find my mother waiting for you...fight her." He gave a short laugh, pulled back to study her
face when he realized she wasn't joking. "Are you serious?" Diana nodded and grinned. "Just consider it
a friendly Amazon competition -- fueled by a mother's protective
instincts." He bent his head, kissed her. "All
right," he said when he was out of breath. "I'll fight her." "And you have to win," Diana warned.
"You can't go easy on her." "Oh, I'll win," Bruce said, watching
Diana as she lay across his bed. "Just look how easy it was to take down
the Amazon Champion -- her old mother can't be too much more difficult."
Diana narrowed her eyes. "You're in for a
fight tonight, Batman, and it is not with my mother," she said. He lowered his voice, became the Bat. "You
don't have a chance, Amazon. I'll win." She rose to the challenge. "No, I'll win,
Batman." In the end, they both won. The End (II) |