TITLE: Runaway Bride

AUTHOR: LOTSlover

CHARACTERS: Batman / Wonder Woman

RATING: T

WARNINGS: Author Chooses Not to Use Warnings

DISCLAIMER: I love Justice League, but especially Batman and Wonder Woman. Unfortunately, I do not own the characters and, if I did, things would be much different for them.

SUMMARY: It's the day before Diana's wedding to another man. Is it too late for Bruce to tell her he loves her? BMWW. Two-part one-shot.

Runaway Bride

The ice in my glass clinks together as I down the last of the alcohol. I don't even feel the burn of the scotch anymore as it slips down my throat and into my stomach. I instantly reach for the bottle again, filling my glass full once more in hopes of forgetting everything including my own name.

Tipping my head back, I gulp down the contents of my glass in a desperate attempt to drink myself into oblivion, to burn away the raw pain that has been eating away at my heart for months now. It all started the moment I found out she was dating Jack Kempton.

I honestly hadn't seen it coming and I know that I should have. I'd pushed and shoved and cold-shouldered her enough that it was inevitable that she would give up and move on to someone else, someone who would truly give her everything she needed and deserved.

Jack and Diana had met at a charity function in Gotham eight months ago, hitting it off right away. I hadn't thought much about it at the time, brushing aside my jealousy and turning my attention back to my date for the evening. I had assumed nothing more would come from the meeting, but I had been very wrong.

Their relationship had only grown from there, leading to marriage proposal within months of meeting. To say that I felt blindsided would be the understatement of the century. I never believed that Diana would move on so quickly, giving up on me so completely.

It was foolish of me to think that she'd always be there, waiting for my appearance on the Watchtower or to grace her with a rarely seen smile. It was positively arrogant and selfish of me to believe that she wouldn't wait for me to deal with my issues.

The worst part of all of this is the fact that Jack is a good guy. He's a lawyer in Gotham, possessing a noble conscience and loved by everyone who knows him. Now, he has Diana's love as well. The thought nearly makes me insane with jealous rage, knowing that she has already given herself to him and not me.

I take another drink, wishing that I could forget…wishing that I could burn away the memories that refuse to just leave me alone. I don't want to remember her infectious smile or her jasmine scent that causes a fierce quiver in the pit of my stomach. I want to forget the way her sapphire eyes practically dance when she looks at me, the way that she makes my heart quicken every time she enters a room or how she makes the world a brighter and better place just because of her existence.

I never want to think about that silky raven mane that I'm aching to run my fingers through or the sound of her melodious laughter that melts the ice around my heart. I don't want to want her…to want to kiss her senseless or to know the intimate feel of her skin against every inch of mine.

Images of her giving herself to another man…a man that's not me…torments my sleep and inflames my jealous ire. She could've been mine if I hadn't been such a coward, if I hadn't been so consumed with fears and doubts and fierce demons too many to count.

Instead of me, she's marrying him tomorrow, building a life and making a family with him. I glance at the invitation lying on the desk, the gold cursive lettering glinting brightly off the cream colored paper. It should be my name that she's taking tomorrow, my bed that she graces, my name that she screams as she gives herself so fully to me.

With a growl, I throw my glass across the room, watching as it shatters against the wall. My chest is heaving and tight, the pain in my chest too much to bear. I grab the bottle of scotch, tipping my head back and drinking my fill until it's empty.

A cry of rage is torn from my chest as I throw the empty bottle as well, watching as it shatters into a thousand pieces and taking pleasure in it because that's how my heart feels right now. How many chances had I been given and how many times did I turn and walk away, foolishly believing that she'd always be there?

My vision blurs as I turn my dark glower to the fire crackling in the fireplace. I move to stand before it, my hands coming to rest on the mantle as I stare bleary-eyed at the portrait of my parents. The smiles on their faces seem less bright…disapproving in a way as if reminding me how I screwed everything up, losing the only woman who has ever truly meant anything to me.

My fingers curl tightly against the wood, the pain in my heart nearly buckling my knees. I hang my head with the weight of my grief, my body trembling. It feels as though I'm back in that dark alley all over again, a scared little boy whose world has just crumbled down all around him.

Sometimes it feels like I'm never going to escape that alley, never be free from the demons that continually drag me back there. It feels as though I'll never be able to fully draw air again, the chain that binds my heart never to be broken.

My chin falls to my chest as I attempt to draw a ragged breath, tears filling my eyes…tears that I haven't shed since I was eight years old. She's my light, my life, my heart and I've lost her. I love her like none other, with every fiber of my being and yet she doesn't know. She thinks I only care for her as a friend despite our years of flirty banter and teasing innuendoes, her subtle attempts to try for something more with me.

"How long do you plan on wallowing in self pity?"

Alfred's voice cuts through the torment that besieges me, causing me to raise my head slightly. "Not now, Alfred," I growl in warning.

"So you've just given up?" Alfred asks me. "You're not even going to try to find her and tell her how you feel?"

"It's too late," I bite out, rage right there beneath the surface snapping for release. "The wedding rehearsal is going on right now."

"The rehearsal…not the actual wedding," he points out. "She's not married yet, Master Bruce."

"She's happy, Alfred…happy without me," I ground out. "How can I go over there and tell her how I feel knowing it'll only ruin her happiness?"

"Or it might just be what she needs to hear in order to make the right decision," he counters.

I hang my head for a moment, trying to shove aside the fog that occupies my brain from the alcohol. "I…I can't," I weakly try again, finally turning to face him. "I had several chances and I walked away from her every damn time."

"So you're just going to walk away from her again? Give up on her?" he demands an answer. "Don't you think that it's high time you got your head out of your arse and stop walking away from her…to go to her this time instead of turning your back to her again?"

"What do you want me to do, Alfred?" I cry.

"Stop being a coward and go tell her how you feel about her before it's too late," Alfred evenly states in a tone that broke no room for argument.

"It's not going to change anything," I tell him, my shoulders sagging in defeat. "She doesn't love me…not anymore. She's in love with him."

"You don't know that for certain until you actually talk to her," he gently says.

I stare at him for a long moment, my mind and my heart coming to a mutually agreed upon decision for once in my life. "Fine…I'll go," I softly reply.

"I'll drive you," Alfred informs me. "You bloody hell aren't in any shape to drive yourself."

I swallow hard as he hands me a cup of coffee to drink to help clear my head somewhat. I'm not a drinker, but since Diana got engaged to Jack, scotch and I have become constant companions. It's not something that I'm proud of, but I know that it's not the answer to my problems.

I'm tired of running—running from my issues, running from me, running from her.

I down the coffee in one gulp, running my fingers back through my hair in hopes of making myself appear somewhat presentable. I can't believe that I'm actually going to do this, but I know that I have to try. Alfred is right. I've been a coward, but it ends tonight.

I'm going to tell her how I feel no matter how much it hurts, no matter if she ends up throwing me through a wall. At least I will know that she will walk down that aisle tomorrow knowing that there is another man out there that loves her with all that he has.

XXX

I enter the church to find it decorated in shades of plum and cream. It looks absolutely beautiful…so much like Diana in every way. I can see her touch everywhere I look—from the flowers to the tulle, the ribbon and the candles. My throat constricts as I realize this could have been our wedding that she had been preparing for, making my legs feel like lead.

I stay in the back in the shadows, sagging against a wall as I watch Jack talking with Clark and John. My eyes drift around the sanctuary over various people before finally falling on the object of my search standing on the far side with Shayera and Dinah.

She looks positively stunning in a plum colored dress, her hair pulled up into a twist. She's laughing and talking excitedly, the sparkle of her blue eyes reaching me even from here. I'm completely mesmerized as I watch her, my heart hammering as her eyes finally meet mine.

Her expression shifts from happy to stunned and I instantly feel guilty for being the reason for it. She murmurs something to Shay and Dinah before making her way towards me. Furrow lines form between her eyebrows as she draws near me, a telltale sign that she's worried. I find myself wanting to kiss away those worry lines, to put the smile back on her face.

"Bruce," she greets me with a look of concern. "What are you doing here? Is everything all right?"

"Can we talk?" I ask, finding it difficult to breathe let alone make my mind work now that she's standing right here before me.

"Of course," she agrees, leading me from the sanctuary and outside into the night.

I follow her to a small garden right beside the church and I have no idea how or where to even begin. "Thank you for talking to me," I mutter as my gaze falls on the large diamond engagement ring on her left ring fingers. It makes my stomach lurch knowing that ring wasn't from me but another man.

I quickly my hands into my pockets to stop the tremble that trills through. The air is cool against my face, my breath creating tiny puffs of vapor. I've never felt so lost or so vulnerable in my entire life and all I want to do right now is run away, but I refuse to do that to her this time.

"Bruce, what's wrong?" she asks again, her hand coming to rest on my forearm. "You're starting to scare me."

"I'm sorry," I reply, finding it difficult to meet her compassionate gaze. "I just…I had to see you tonight."

"Please, talk to me," she tells me. "You're my friend, Bruce. You know there's nothing I wouldn't do for you."

I shake my head in frustration, my jaw clenching as I pull my hands free from my pockets. "I don't want to be your friend, Diana…not anymore."

"What?" she asks, stunned by my words and my sudden inability to tell her what I mean.

"I mean I want to be your friend, but I want more than that, Princess," I say, my hands finding her upper arms to either keep her from running away from me or to keep me upright on legs that suddenly feel like rubber. "I know that I've pushed you away time and time again and I have no right to even be here let alone to say this to you now after everything we've been through."

"Bruce, what are you talking about?" she asks, her voice growing softer as realization begins to fill her eyes.

"I know you're going to marry Jack tomorrow and I had my chance, but I walked away from it…walked away from you," I try again, my thoughts coming out in a rambling mess that makes no sense. "I hurt you, Princess, and I'm so sorry, but you have to know that I never meant to. I care deeply for you…more than I have ever cared for anyone else and—"

"Wh…what are you saying?" she murmurs, tears brimming in her eyes as she stares into my mine, searching for the truth of my words.

"I love you, Diana," I softly tell her. "I've loved you for so very long, but I couldn't tell you. I was so afraid of letting you in, terrified that I'd end up crushing your spirit or worse driving you away. I couldn't live with myself if that happened."

Diana slowly begins to shake her head, silent tears beginning to fall and I want nothing more than to take away the pain that I know that I'm causing her. It was a mistake coming here tonight, telling her something that I should have told her five years ago.

"You…you can't…you just…I'm getting married tomorrow," she stammers, her bottom lip trembling.

"Shhh…please, don't cry, Princess," I murmur, leaning in and kissing her face in a desperate attempt to erase her pain as well as her tears. "I love you so much it hurts."

I wrap my arms around her, pulling her close as my lips lightly ghost over her cheek, her chin…her jaw before finding her lips. I kiss her softly at first, tentative and filled with apprehension, but the pent up desire that has consumed me for so long takes over in a blink of an eye and my passion for her flares hotly in my core.

Before I realize it, I'm kissing her like a man dying of thirst, she my oasis and survival, my reason for living. She begins to return my kiss, her fingers fisting in my hair. I taste the saltiness of her tears on my lips and I kiss her even harder, trying to make up for the pain that I've caused her and silently praying that she'll give me just once more chance.

Diana suddenly shoves me away, breathing hard as she stares at me in stunned disbelief. Her eyes are wide in horror at what she has just done and the pain in my chest returns with a fierce vengeance and nearly taking me to my knees. Anger replaces the anguish that swims in her eyes, the palm of her hand connecting with my face.

It stings, but it's not as bad as it could have been. I could be picking my teeth up off the ground right now. "Diana, I'm so sorry," I apologize as I slowly shake my head at what I've just done. "I had no right to kiss you."

"Hera, Bruce!" she cries. "For five years I've tried to get you to admit that there was something between us and for five years you pushed me away…made me feel as though I meant nothing to you past teammates. Now, you show up the night before my wedding to tell me that you love me…that you've been in love with me this whole time?"

"I'm sorry, Diana," I tell her again, my eyes falling closed with the weight of my guilt. "I didn't mean to hurt you, but I had to tell you. I know that I missed my chance with you, but I needed you to know how I feel about you."

"Well now that you have, you can leave," she grounds out, hands fisted at her sides.

"Diana?"

I look behind me to find Jack entering the garden, concern on his face. "Hi, Jack," I greet him, averting my eyes.

"Is everything all right?" he tentatively asks.

"Yes, Bruce was just leaving," Diana tells him.

Jack looks from Diana to me and back again, knowing there is far more going on. The tension is near suffocating, both of our emotions raw. It's more than obvious that there's something there between Diana and me, but he doesn't ask. "Are you coming tomorrow, Bruce?"

"I'm afraid I can't make it, but I wanted to wish you and Diana all the best," I reply, glancing at Diana who is glaring furiously at me. I can hardly blame her, though. I just ruined what was supposed to be the best moment of her life.

Even though I feel better confessing my love for her, I feel worse for causing her so much heartache. All I have done tonight is hurt this amazing woman, bringing her pain at every turn. I don't deserve her and if she never talks to me again I know that I'll have no one to blame but myself.

"Thank you for coming, Bruce," Jack tells me, his shoulders sagging a little.

I silently nod, forcing a small smile to my face as I turn and leave, knowing that Jack suspects more is going on than what either of us has revealed. As I walk away, I hear Jack talking quietly to Diana, barraging her with questions and yet trying to comfort her.

I want nothing more than to march back there and take her into my arms, to whisk her away from here and live out every single dream that I've ever had about her. I'm sure she hates me now, though. I've just destroyed her heart and her happiness, leaving her reeling with something that I should have told her years ago.

I return to Alfred and the waiting car, my heart nothing but jagged pieces lying in my chest. Alfred doesn't say a word as he opens the back door of the car for me. I get inside, sagging back against the leather car seat. I close my eyes as we drive away, tears that I'd been holding in for years finally slipping free.

XXX

Standing in my library, I gaze out over the grounds of Wayne Manor, my thoughts miles away from here. Diana will be getting married in an hour and I know that my life is in effect over. I'm going to die all alone just like the old Bruce that I had met in the future, without knowing her love or being able to fully love her in return.

I know that I'll never love another woman. Diana has my heart…has had it for years and it'll never really be mine again. I try to tell myself that I should be happy for her. She's marrying a good man that will take care of her and love her like she deserves, but it's more than difficult.

I feel as though a piece of me is dying inside, losing a part of myself that I can never get back. I have no one to blame but myself for losing the only woman who has truly meant everything to me. Of course, I haven't lost her because she was never truly mine to begin with.

I take a sip of my coffee, trying to push the pain away, but it consumes every fiber of my being. I didn't even bother going out on patrol last night. I couldn't bring myself to put on the uniform…to become the very reason that I continually drove her away. Besides, I was too afraid I'd take my pain and rage out on the poor, unsuspecting criminals that had the unfortunate timing to cross paths with me.

Sleep hadn't come either, my mind racing with things that only made me ill to my core. I couldn't stop thinking about her being with Jack, picturing what their children would look like, imagining being forced to sit through Founders' meetings beside her knowing that she married to another.

I'm not sure that I can handle being around her any longer, going on missions with her and fighting by her side. I've already decided to resign from the Justice League effectively immediately. I'll continue to fund it, but they don't need me up there skulking about or brooding over what could have been.

I'm just going to focus on Gotham now, hoping that I'll be able to forget her in time, but I know that I won't be able to. She's a part of me, owning my heart. She's touched me in so many ways that I hadn't even noticed until now that she's going to belong to another.

How do I always manage to screw up everything in my life? I can track killers, solve complicated cases and take on the worst that the world has to offer, but, when it comes to matters of the heart, I'm completely inept and incapable of navigating those waters where emotions are involved.

I draw a ragged breath, thoughts of getting drunk drifting through my mind, but I quickly banish it. Alcohol is not the answer to my problems. My life has been on a downhill slide since Diana began dating Jack and I need to get myself back on track. Throwing myself fully into Gotham is the only thing I know how to do to fix that, burying myself in work and shutting off my emotions.

I momentarily close my eyes, images of Diana crying in that garden outside of the church last night piercing my heart all over again. I know that I shouldn't have kissed her, but there was just such an overwhelming need in me to make it better, to show her how much I love her.

Alfred had thankfully let me be after returning home. He hadn't asked any questions, hadn't barraged me with empty words meant to comfort me. He could see from the look on my face that things hadn't gone well; knowing that nothing in this world could possibly erase the heartrending pain that is attempting to crush me.

I told Alfred that he should go to the wedding, knowing how close he and Diana had become, but he had refused to leave me. He's been giving me my space this morning, allowing me to brood and try to work through all of this on my own.

I glance at my watch for the millionth time this morning. She should be walking down the aisle in half an hour, no doubt looking more beautiful than I've ever seen her. She'll be shining that dazzling smile on Jack as she walks towards the front of the sanctuary, moving with incredible grace and regality that is just a part of who she is.

I hang my head with overwhelming grief. It should be me up there waiting for her, me that she is walking towards. It should be me slipping that wedding band on her finger, me that she kisses as the minister pronounces us husband and wife.

I swallow back the thick knot of tears that lodge in my throat as the doorbell rings. I set my coffee cup down as I exit the library, yelling to Alfred that I'll get it. With heavy footsteps I make my way to the front door, not really wanting to see anyone right now; however, I know I can't hide in the manor or my cave forever no matter how desperately I want to.

Opening the door, I'm stunned senseless to find Diana standing there in her white wedding dress, my breath catching at the sight of her. Three quarter length sleeves cover her arms, a fitted bodice hugging her feminine curves like a second skin. The full skirt is white tulle with white appliqué flowers. Her raven curls cascade over her shoulders and down her back, her sapphire eyes storming with so much emotion that I can't look away. To say that she's breathtaking would be an understatement.

"Diana," I breathe her name, unable to make my mind work let alone my voice at this moment.

"I love you too," she confesses as a tear slowly slips down her cheek.

My arms circle her waist, my lips capturing hers in a heated kiss before either of us can say another word. Her hands settle on the back of my neck, pulling me closer as I deepen the kiss, both of us kissing each other with a frantic need that's finally been unleashed. I crush her to me with a fierce possessiveness that is unmistakable, picking her up and bringing her inside.

I kick the door closed behind me without a second thought as I continue to kiss her, more than thrilled that she is here. She is here with me and she is mine…my runaway bride…and I'm never letting her go.

A/N: Okay, so this hit me out of nowhere and I wrote it in like three hours. It was going to be a one-shot, but by the time I got to the end of it I decided we needed to see Diana's thoughts and what happens after Bruce brings her inside the manor.

Working on a Suspicious Minds update so be looking for that in the next week or so.

Thanks all for reading! Leave a review and let me know what you think! :)