Title: "Diana's Letter"
Category: Justice League, Batman/Wonder Woman
Rating: All
Word Count: 3,160
Summary: Diana struggles to tell Bruce that she'll be visiting Gotham
Spoilers: JL season 2, "Maid of Honor"... sorta
Author's Notes: This was inspired by LosingInThemyscira's angsty Batman fic, "Vigil of the Dark Angel," and is actually a prequel to it. Somehow, we've ended up bouncing plot-bunnies off of each other with this - completely unplanned, of course - and are having an absolute blast writing these. And, yes, there will be more. ;) Obviously, none of these characters are owned by me, since Warner Bros. and DC Comics make all the money. So, without further adieu...

Dear Bruce,

"No," Diana grumbled to herself, scratching out the salutation. "Too familiar. I don't want him taking this the wrong way." She tried again.

Dear Mr. Wayne,

"Wrong, wrong, wrong," she murmured, growing agitated as she scratched out the next attempt. Diana had been thinking about how exactly to approach the subject with Bruce for the last few days, and had finally sat down to battle it out on paper. How was she supposed to politely inform him of her unofficial visit to Gotham without him taking it in all the wrong ways?

Diana of Themyscira sends Bruce Wayne of Gotham greetings,

Diana screwed up her nose in an effort not to laugh at the high formality of the Themysciran greeting. It was simply too much for this type of correspondence. After all, she was simply going to Gotham to look at and appraise some Themysciran art that had been discovered by one of her Amazon sisters. Not to negotiate international commerce deals with Wayne Corp.

She crumpled the page containing her scribbled out greetings and shoved it to one side.

"Damn Areta," she grumbled to herself. "Why, of all places, did you decide you wanted to be in Gotham?" She dropped her head into her hands as her insides seemed to roil with her emotions.

On one hand, she was excited and anxiously anticipating the visit to Gotham – and not because she'd be visiting her long-unseen sister. But because she'd be in his city. Working with him in the Justice League was one thing, but she rarely saw him at work on his own turf. The one or two times she had captivated her completely. He knew the city so well – every street, every alley, every sound and shadow - the rhythm of it pulsed through him. When he was away from it, something was missing, different. Obviously, Gotham was never left unprotected, but she knew that his thoughts and his heart were always there.

On the other hand, she was unbelievably nervous and nearly dreading the visit to Gotham. And for exactly the same reason – she'd be in his city. And his city it was. Countless were the times that he'd turned down offers for help from Clark, from herself, and from several other Justice League members. He'd made his point perfectly clear and his extreme displeasure known when Clark had occasionally gone to help, regardless of his protests. Bruce had the cold, dispassionate gaze of a killer when he was angry, and more than once, Clark had come back from Gotham like a scolded puppy. And although neither one would ever admit it, Diana was fairly sure that Bruce had put Clark through a few kryptonite-induced beat-downs in the Watchtower's training room.

Frustrated, she sighed and stood up, deciding that a walk through the Watchtower, and maybe a short workout in the training room would do her some good. Instead of changing into her customary uniform, she left her quarters in the casual pants and sweater she'd donned earlier. For whatever reason, she'd been aware of the faint chill that was ever-present in the Watchtower.

- - - - - -

Walking quietly through the corridors, her thoughts turned inward, Diana let her guard down and allowed herself to feel the crazy effects her emotions were having on her physical self. The Watchtower hummed with its usual activity, but she stayed with the corridors that either took her out of the way, or out of sight. She was determined to actually get through her day off without jumping in to help with whatever crises arose. Granted, she hadn't initially wanted a day off, but Clark's argument that everyone take a day away from their duties once-in-a-while made sense to her (never mind that he'd practically threatened to lock her in her quarters). But the time alone gave her time to think – too much time to think – and her thoughts seemed to be focused squarely on one person.

Bruce Wayne.

Diana felt her abdomen tighten, and a smile stole across her features.

This is silly, she thought. Nothing but an adolescent crush. I just need to walk up to him and tell him what's going on, and when I'll be in Gotham. It's simpler, it's easier, and he'll appreciate it. Maybe.

The smile melted away, and she felt her brow furrow.

Or maybe not. What if he decides to argue? What if he decides that I'm trying to invade his territory? What if he thinks that I'm spying on him?

She stopped in the middle of the corridor and felt the clench of her abdomen turn to butterflies in her stomach. For a moment she could only stand there, doubts flooding through her. Then her senses snapped back into place.

"What are you doing, Diana? This is ridiculous," she scoffed at herself. "You're an Amazon princess, for Hera's sake! Go talk to the man."

Rolling her eyes, she started moving again, this time at a faster pace. She wrapped her mind around her determination, focusing on the task… and tried desperately to ignore the waves of apprehension her mind sent through her body. He was a reasonable man. He'd understand.

"Relax," she breathed.

"It would be easier to do if you unclenched your fists," the soft, deep baritone came from mere inches beside her ear, startling Diana. She felt her whole body jump in surprise, and gasped before she could stop herself.

"Br—Batman!" she exclaimed, as her gaze finally registered his form.

A small, amused grin flickered across his face at her reaction. "Didn't mean to startle you, Princess," he said.

"No, no—" she stammered. "Not at all. I just… I… well…" She felt her face begin to flush.

Genuine concern crossed his face this time, and in the back of her mind, Diana realized that she must look at him a lot if she could decipher all of this while he was still wearing his cowl.

"Diana," he started, his voice soothing. "Relax."

Diana took a deep breath, counted to five, and then exhaled, hoping that he couldn't hear the tremble as she did. Still, it helped a little, and she felt the heat on her face begin to cool.

"Sorry," she muttered, glad to feel her pulse slowing back to its normal pace. Much of the anxiety about approaching him also left her, as it usually did when she was finally around his physical presence. But small butterflies still drifted around beneath her ribs, making her unusually giddy at times. Focus on tasks and crises was currently a blessing, since it kept her head where it should be anyway – squarely between her shoulders.

"You don't usually startle," Batman declared, solidly in his detective mindset.

Diana swallowed. "I have some things on my mind," she replied, lamely.

"Ambassadorial duties," he stated.

She took a moment, wondering if her visit to Gotham actually fell into that category. "Not this time, exactly," she decided out loud. Batman somehow conveyed a raised eyebrow with his expression. "I've been invited…" She fidgeted. "…Well, asked… to—" DAMMIT!! her mind screamed. He's reasonable! There are no ulterior motives! She felt her face start to flush again.

But before she could continue, he stepped in closer and placed a hand on her shoulder. Diana, stunned by the completely out-of-character gesture, fell silent.

"Think it through, first," he said. "Don't ever feel obligated to do something that makes you uncomfortable. Ambassadorial duties shouldn't mix with your personal life." His gloved hand drifted down the length of her arm to the base of her elbow.

Speechless, whether from the amount of words he'd just said, or the fact that his touch was sending shockwaves through her, she nodded. And before she could regain enough control to speak, he bowed his head, turned and disappeared down the corridor.

"But this is personal," she whispered to herself, once he was gone.

- - - - - -

Batman,

Two days later, Diana stared at hero-name on the paper, and sighed. "No," she groaned, scratching it out. "How do I do this?"

Dear Batman,

Her eyes almost crossed looking at that one. Somehow, putting the endearment and the hero-name together made Kryptonite seem like a good birthday gift for Clark. The sound of her pen scribbling over it quickly followed. Then, in a fit of self-deprecating humor, Diana found herself writing down:

My dearest love, Batman,

…and laughed at the ridiculous sight of it. For as out-of-place and NOT her as it was, seeing it made the butterflies thrill around her stomach again. It was soon followed by two more salutations that were just as absurd, and she found herself grinning and laughing like some of the senseless teenage girls she'd met since leaving the island to embark on her life's mission.

"Now I won't be able to hand him the letter without laughing," she groaned through her smile. She reached for the small lighter she kept at her desk for lighting ritual prayer candles, and promptly set flame to the page. "Better that this one doesn't even have a chance of being mistakenly discovered."

With the odor of burned paper fresh in the room, Diana stood up and stretched. The last several days had passed rather slowly, since she'd been called out on relatively few missions. A new round of recruits was currently being trained, and for whatever reasons, she hadn't been needed yet. It wasn't to say that she hadn't been busy – several hours in the training room each afternoon found her teaching and sparring with the new heroes, and several older ones as well.

Bruce, in particular, never missed afternoon combat if he had a choice.

Diana smiled and then firmly shoved the thought from her head. She'd just spent the last hour making a private fool of herself over the letter and her visit to Gotham. There was no need to continue doing so, although, time was becoming short, since she was due to meet Areta in only a few days. She was also still of the opinion that just talking to Bruce would be the best way to go about informing him of the situation. But knowing it was one thing – actually doing it, especially now, was completely different.

Putting away her writing supplies, Diana made ready for her shift in the Watchtower's control room. She didn't change into uniform yet, though, since her stomach was insisting on something to eat first. She was also anxious to try out the new battle change method that Athena had finally divined to her. She'd only tried it twice in the privacy of her own quarters as of yet. But before she could cross the room to the door, the visitor chime sounded.

"Identify," she said, quietly. The small viewscreen next to the door revealed a red hooded head adorned with gold lightning rods. Diana groaned. "Not Flash."

"Heya, Princess!" he waved at the camera lens standard on all the doorframes of private quarters. "Was hoping that maybe you and I could grab some grub together before I head back to the mundane life for the evening... wha'd'ya say?"

Diana held perfectly still and didn't make a sound. There was no way Flash actually knew she was there, unless he'd been stalking her. But she didn't want to risk triggering the response mechanism either. Dinner with Flash required patience and a mood that she wasn't about to attempt tonight.

"Princess? Are ya there?"

A slight twinge of guilt pricked at Diana's conscience. She quashed it immediately.

"Aw, c'mon Diana. We haven't had dinner together in eons!"

It's only been a week, she thought, but remained silent. Flash continued to wait at the door.

"Okay, I can wait," he grinned into the lens. "Go ahead and break your other dates first. Let 'em know that The Flash is your man." He winked and pointed at the camera.

Diana suddenly needed to break something. She'd asked around a bit and knew that lurking around someone's doorway was just as unacceptable in man's world as it was on Themyscira. Friend or not. And right now, Flash was quickly falling into the "not" category.

"Diaaaaaaaaaannnnnaaaaaaaaaa," he sang to the lens a moment later.

She clenched her fists.

"Beat it, red," a voice growled from beyond the camera's view. And Diana felt her lips stretch into a wicked grin.

"Flash, what are you doing?" came a second, friendlier voice. She focused her full attention on the viewscreen and watched as Flash turned, looking surprised.

"Oh, hey guys," he greeted, casually. "I was just trying to see if Diana wanted to grab some dinner with me."

"For five minutes?" the first voice accused.

Flash blushed and grinned at the same time. "Sometimes she's shy," he shrugged.

"No, she's not," growled the first voice, again.

"Flash, anyone else, and you'd be slapped with harassment complaints. Now c'mon," the second voice appealed. "Do you really want to be on the wrong end of an Amazonian temper?"

Diana stifled a laugh as comprehension dawned on his features.

"Oooo… hadn't thought of it that way," he admitted.

"You don't think much at all," came the growl.

"Alright, that's enough," the friendly voice cut in. "Flash, get moving. You have a life to attend to, if I'm not mistaken."

Flash hesitated, still not moving from the camera's view. "Can't I at least say hello?" he protested.

"GO!!" the first voice commanded.

"Alright, alright." Flash turned back to the camera. "Later Princess," he flipped a half-hearted wave toward the lens as he walked off.

A moment later, once she was sure he'd had enough time to get into the next corridor, Diana breathed a huge sigh of relief. She heard the second voice chuckle.

"You can come out now," Superman grinned into the camera lens. "Batman and I have something that the three of us need to discuss anyway."

Grinning, she stepped over to the door and let it slide open. The two heroes stood side-by side. Superman looked amused, Batman looked annoyed. Diana felt a laugh of relief escape her at the sight of them.

"Thank you," she smiled.

"Actually, thank you," Superman replied.

"For what?"

"Not beating him to a pulp."

"I was about to," Diana replied, sincerely. "It takes a certain day to deal with him. Today is not one of those days."

"Your heartbeat was pounding," Superman admitted. "The only other time I pick up on that is when we're all in battle, so I knew he was treading on fragile ground."

Batman grunted. "I would have."

Superman looked to the masked crusader, and Diana smirked. "We know," she answered, sending him a wry grin. "So, what is it that we all need to discuss?" she asked, purposely turning the conversation to business. The butterflies had started flittering around her abdomen again, and it didn't help that Batman had quirked one side of his mouth up into his half-smile at her comment. Distraction was good.

- - - - - -

Diana sighed and leaned back into the plush leather seat of the car. Her heart felt like it was up in her throat, and her entire body was tense. But she forced herself into assuming a relaxed posture to avoid attracting any extra attention from the driver. Everything over the last few days felt unbearably slow as her anxiety and her excitement warred against one another. But it had been the wrap-up of the previous day's mission which brought the full awareness of the situation slamming into to her again; she had completely run out of time to talk to Bruce. And the note still hadn't been written.

In the rush to get things packed and finished, she finally came up with a simple solution, and kept the wording brief and simple. Reaching into her handbag, Diana pulled out the simple note card, and gave the result one final look before sealing it into the envelope.

B-

In Gotham on personal business to assist another prodigal daughter of Themyscira. I'll be in town for two more days, but my nights are free.

In case you were wondering…I'm still waiting for that dance.

-D

It was the best she could do, and was far better than any of her previous attempts. It would be up to him whether or not he would react defensively.

A few minutes later, the driver pulled up in front of the hotel, and got out to open the door for her. Diana inhaled deeply, quietly composed herself, and worked to summon her focus. Areta was approaching the car, and it simply would not do to present an uneasy impression.

The door on Diana's right side swung open smoothly. In the last instant before moving out of the car, she silently promised herself that she wouldn't look around or up at any of the surrounding buildings. I'm here to help Areta, and I'll only look guilty if I start searching the rooftops.

She stepped from the car, and felt an immediate tingle as the Gotham air brushed against her cheeks. Areta stood before her, smiled and welcomed her in a familiar expression of respect, asked after the quality of her journey, and finally reached out to embrace her. Diana was glad for the exchange, and was finally able to feel pleased to see her fellow Amazon.

"Let's get you inside and settled… And I hope you don't mind, but I've already taken the liberty of checking you into your room, Princess," Areta finished, turning to walk beside her.

"I need to deal with another matter first, if you will excuse me a moment." The woman nodded and Diana made her way to the ornate and astoundingly ostentatious front-desk placed strategically in the most visible, and least obtrusive section of floor. "Excuse me," she said to the gentleman on the other side. "I need to have this delivered…" Diana held the envelope out toward him. "Can you assist me?"

"Yes ma'am," the concierge smiled, politely removing it from her grasp. "Where would you like it sent?"

She slipped the calling card from her pocket and handed it to the man.

Upon reading the information contained on the card, the concierge grinned, and pulled out a clipboard to record the transaction. "If you'll just sign here, please," he finished, pointing to the blank space next to the description he'd just written. "And we'll have that sent over right away."

"Thank you," Diana nodded slowly as she graciously acknowledged the man's discretion.

When she turned to walk back toward Areta, she found that the woman was already closing the distance between them. "Was everything taken care of to your satisfaction, Princess?"

"Yes, of course," Diana breathed. It was done and out of her hands, now. The rest of her trip was purely academic. She smiled at her Amazonian sister and asked, "Let's see what it is that you've found this time, Areta."

Areta's eyes lit up. "Oh Diana, I think you'll find it well worth the trip to Gotham."

Diana chuckled softly. "I'm sure I will."