You Shouldn't Have Done That -
ONE:
Who knew loving someone could be so painful?
Who knew fighting alongside the man her heart longed for could bring her so much agony in the end?
This was one of the few times since being banished from her home world that Diana, Princess of Themyscira, wished she'd never left.
It would've been much easier to have stayed with her mother and sisters than to be here, now, bending over the lifeless body of Bruce Wayne, the man hidden behind the suit of the bat, in the pouring rain.
Thunder roared and lightening struck in the dark grey sky above where she sat in the street, cradling his lifeless body in her arms; it was as if even the heavens were mourning the loss of the Batman.
The noise from the storm and the muffled shouts of her fellow comrades fighting off the remainder of the villains who escaped Arkham, acted as white noise in the background of the heartbreaking scene Diana currently played a part in.
Frustration built up inside of her at the idea that Bruce had been right about caring—no, falling—for a fellow team member.
It was messy.
It hurt.
It ached.
Even when he'd been fine, alive, breathing, she constantly found herself worrying for his safety.
Anytime he returned from a mission with wounds or injuries beyond typical human tolerance, she found herself practically ill with worry and praying to her gods for protection over the man she loved with all of her heart and soul.
She felt foolish for allowing herself to fall for a mortal, a man.
It was in her brokenness, as she stared down at his lifeless body, her star-spangled uniform covered in his blood, the blood she desperately tried to stop from oozing out of the wound in his side, where she finally understood the weakness of falling for another, of allowing her heart to get in the way of her mission to the earth.
Oh, but it ached to see the man she inevitably fell for, laying here, not a single breath left in his body for her to cling to in hopes he may survive.
No, he was gone... dead.
Curse this mortal world for drawing her into it.
The attack happened so fast there was nothing she could've done to prevent it. The reality of what happened to Batman didn't stop Diana from blaming herself. She should've found a way to get to Bruce while he was fighting off the Joker.
The disgusting, stomach lurching humor of the entire situation was how he died. It was so... mediocre compared to what they'd all faced before. It had been a stabbing... the Batman was stabbed to death.
Out of all the "close calls" they'd faced, this situation was never one to have crossed her mind as even a remote possibility of how it could all end.
It began when the Justice League was called to an emergency situation in Central City where a heap of criminals they'd caught and convicted and sent to Arkham escaped, wreaking havoc amongst the innocent civilians.
The Joker was one of the many who joined in on breaking out of prison. He lured Batman away from the group by capturing a small child and whisking her away into the shadows of an alley. Diana noticed Bruce run after the Joker, making a mental note that once she finished with Cheetah, she would go and lend him assistance.
She did exactly what she planned to do, only to find that Bruce had it all handled on his own. He had the Joker's wrists restrained when she arrived. Bruce made a comment to Diana about getting tired of arresting this 'nasty piece of scum', and how one day he would finally go against his better judgement and finish him off.
The Joker grinned his wide, stomach-turning grin, letting out a soft yet villainous cackle.
"Don't worry, Batman, you won't have to worry about me for much longer," he said, unlatching himself from the restraints and taking out the knife he had, stabbing Bruce in the side. "Or much else for that matter."
The Joker stepped back, releasing the knife and watching in wonder as the Batman struggled to come to terms with what just transpired.
Batman attempted to press forward, but with a painful gasp, he couldn't move. His knees looked as if they were buckling, and he began to lose his balance.
"BATMAN!" cried Diana as she watched the love of her life fall to the ground with a string of curses leaving his lips and holding desperately to his side as it oozed with blood.
Diana sped over to him, placing her hand on top of his gushing wound. "No, no, no..." she furiously cried, angry tears burning in her blue eyes.
She pressed on the wound, hoping to stop the bleeding, but his blood continued to spill. Her mind was foggy, shock filled every part of her.
Another cackle, a louder one this time, escaped the Joker's lungs. He looked up to the heavens; lightening roared, thunder struck and rain poured down. "Victorious at last!"
"Ding, dong! The Bat is gone! Haha, hehe! I'm finally free!" He danced around in a circle, completely amused with himself.
If Bruce wasn't laying there, helpless, she would take care of the sick, twisted man herself.
"Bye, bye," he sang, flashing a wide grin and a giddy wave before skipping off down the dark streets of Central City.
Diana vowed to take care of the Joker the next time the opportunity presented itself. For now, though, she wouldn't leave Bruce alone. She would get him to safety.
She went to wrap her other arm around him, prepared to whisk him away to the nearest hospital, but his hand came up to grip her arm and he shook his head.
"Diana..." he barely whispered, a slight hint of a smile spreading halfway across his lips as he spoke her name, almost like he knew he was about to leave her forever. With one last heavy inhale and exhale, his eyes closed, and... he was gone.
Diana's own heart felt as if it stopped beating.
She placed her ear to his heart: nothing.
"Bruce," she whispered, knowing she shouldn't say his name but couldn't help herself in the wake of him laying there.
Hot tears bottled up in the corner of her eyes until her sockets couldn't hold them any longer and sent them rolling down her reddened cheeks, leaving a burning sensation behind.
"Bruce..." she barely cried out in a broken whisper. "...Please, don't leave me."
This was where she found herself, now: sat beside the lifeless body of the Batman, holding him close in her arms and replaying the last few minutes over and over in her mind, wishing she would've done so many things differently... said so many things that had been left unsaid.
The rest of the Justice League finished taking care of the remaining criminals and crooks and now stood a few feet away, silently mourning the loss of their fellow team member and friend.
Diana's heart began pounding violently in his her chest; the sound roared in her ears. Her breathing was quick and heavy, as all of her emotion rose within her like wildfire.
A gasp escaped her lungs at the feeling of a firm hand gripping her shoulder, breaking her attention from Bruce for just a moment at the sound of Kal's voice, saying softly, "Diana," as if implying they needed to leave.
Diana shook him away, gripping the suit of the Batman tighter, returning her attention solely to him.
"Not yet, Kal," she responded uncharacteristically dark. She wasn't ready to move, breathe, or go on. "Not yet."
She stroked the stubble forming on the exposed area of Bruce's jaw, the part of his face uncovered by the mask. She wanted nothing more in that moment than to remove his cowl completely to look at his face, but, even in death, Bruce's identity needed to be protected. As reporters began showing up to the scene, now would not be a good time to expose the true identity of the Batman.
Diana leaned forward, her forehead pressing against the fabric of Batman's cowl. Her hair, dripping wet, fell around his face, acting as a shield to the rest of the world, so that she could have one last moment alone with him.
More tears burned and trickled down her cheeks. "I should've been there... I'm sorry," she barely breathed. "I'm so sorry."
She ran her finger along his lips, wanting to kiss him and tell him how much she loved him, but she couldn't bring herself to speak the words left unsaid... it ached too much.
A world without Batman was a world Diana wanted no part of. A world without Bruce was a place only for the worst of nightmares. Her worst of nightmares had now become her reality.
Diana's brows furrowed, anger boiled within. "No," she whispered firmly, unwilling to accept this fate of the man she loved.
And in that moment, she knew what she had to do...
Everyone knew Diana was formed by the gods who blessed her with all of her powers and abilities, allowing her to be the woman of wonder she was. What most didn't know, but was known amongst all those who held the gift of immortality, was that the one who held such a special gift was able to give it up for the life of a mortal who died.
The ability to do so was not to be taken lightly and often looked down upon by most immortals. During her days on Themsycira, before she befriended the Justice League, Diana often questioned if the opportunity ever presented itself, would she be able to give up her immortality for a mere mortal, having no comprehension at the time what it meant to fall in love with a human.
There was no longer a question in her mind about giving up her immortality after meeting Bruce. The love she held for this man was beyond any love or feeling she'd ever held for another, even her mother and sisters. Bruce captured a part of Diana she hadn't even known existed. The thought of having to live in this world, fighting for justice without him alive and breathing was something she couldn't bear.
Bruce would reprimand her for even entertaining the thought of giving up this precious gift granted to her by the gods for him, a mere mortal man. To Diana, he wasn't just a man. He was the brave and fierce Dark Knight of Gotham, the most selfless human being she knew. A man who could've spent his life stewing in his sorrow without making a difference in the world. And though Bruce was the brood of all broods, he still sacrificed his life for the good of mankind.
Diana could not sit by and let his death be in vain. She could not deprive the world and Gotham of Batman, not when she held the power to bring him back to all of them.
She could hear his response to her giving up her immortality for him. "You shouldn't have done that," he would bark indignantly, send a scowl her way, leaving no room for any argument she may have as to why it was necessary to save his life. She could feel herself becoming frustrated with the stubborn image of his response in her mind.
Hera, this man made her a complete train wreck of emotions.
Even if he would never give into her desire for them to be together, she didn't care. None of it mattered, not anymore. All that mattered was that he was here, with her... alive and breathing, and fighting for the greater good of mankind.
She wasn't sure what the repercussions would be. She knew she would still have her powers, but this would definitely alter things. She could hear her mother chastising her for acting completely mortal, thinking absolutely irrational.
Diana didn't care. Her mind was made up.
She moved her crimson-stained hand from his wound to his heart, keeping her forehead rested against his. She prayed the silent Greek prayer to her gods, giving up her immortality so his life could be spared.
She pulled back in order to lean in and press her lips against his.
Diana kissed him. She kissed him something fierce, drawing forth all the passion and love she could muster.
She released his lips when a wave of overwhelming weakness consumed her. It felt as if part of herself was being pulled out of her.
She sucked in a breath as the heaviness and the weight she felt came crashing down. It was unlike anything she'd ever experienced before.
A light filled the air around her and Bruce. It started dim but only shone brighter as it grew until it began to surround them entirely, shutting out the world around them and practically blinding her in the process.
She heard the muffled shouts of the team calling her name, but they sounded so far away.
She felt tired and worn more than ever before as the light surrounding her turned to darkness and the world around her went black.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Reviews are appreciated. :D Part two will be posted soon. Cheers!
*please be patient as I'm still learning about the Justice League. (: (all my stories will be based off of the animated series)
*for those of you reading "Finding Home" it will be updated in the next few days (: