Second part of my series about an original take on BM/WW getting together. More info on the origin of the idea and everything in my first story "The Man Behind the Mask." I like to be original and this story I believe is just that something that I have not seen before.
Thanks a ton to MGD for betaing this and being a huge help in bringing this to life.
A/N: This story is told through the perspectives of BM and WW and I believe they are fairly easy to tell apart but Chapter 1 is through the eyes of WW.
Chapter 1: An Unlikely Pair
It was the graveyard shift at the Watchtower, and Diana was stuck with monitor duty. While most of the others would complain about being scheduled at that late hour, Diana found it oddly peaceful. Living fulltime on the Watchtower with J'onn did not offer much seclusion, not that J'onn was one to come and strike up a conversation. But sharing a home that was frequented daily by five other people at all hours of the day, it was hard to find some quiet time. Diana usually spent the time learning about the history of Man's world or just better acquainting herself with the cultures that she had to visit in her role as Wonder Woman. Tonight was very different though; tonight Diana just wanted to spend some time alone to try and wrap her head around the past two months since the Justice League went public.
She experienced many things in the past two months that filled her with a variety of emotions, and, quite frankly, she was glad to finally have some peace and quiet to sort them all out. In the forefront of her mind, there was her recent expulsion from Themyscira. She understood why her mother did it, but understanding did not dull the pain of losing her home and her family. The reality she would never see them again. The entire ordeal put her in what Flash would call a "Blue Funk", and she could not hide all the signs of her depression from her teammates. Even with the condolences of five of her teammates, the matter was never far from her mind. Five, the number made her boil with anger, since the sixth member, Batman, had offered no words of comfort or encouragement in her time of sorrow.
She was getting along very well with all of the League members but Batman. If anything, she grew to dislike him the more time she spent around him. His arrogance was unbelievable. She could still recall the day, not even a week after he accepted a part time membership, that each of them had found a formalized ethics hand book for the League in each of their rooms. To this day, none of the members were aware of how he had gotten onto the station without them issuing him the codes. Of course, he was extremely competent. She was hard pressed to imagine another person that she would want next to her in a difficult situation, but his lack of emotion was infuriating. Not once did he show concern for any of their wellbeing unless it affected their performance.
The main problem that she had with him was his complete lack of trust in them. Two months had passed, but his identity remained a mystery. In any of their missions, he prepared extra contingency plans for if they failed. He never had complete faith that they would carry out their assignments as planned, and the disrespect towards her felt like a slap in the face.
After her exile, she expected some type of emotion from him since he was the one who kept Flash from arguing with her mother and dishonoring her when she couldn't speak for fear of crying on the spot. No. Instead he acted like nothing had happened and treated her like it was any other everyday mission. While half of her was grateful, he treated her like nothing had happened, unlike the rest of the members, who constantly treated her like she would shatter like glass emotionally if they confronted her. The other half was furious at his complete and utter lack of any sympathy. She would never expect him to embrace her or protest in outrage about how unfair it was, but a word or two of comfort or encouragement would have been kind.
Diana found it very ironic that the person to actually pull her out of her mood was none other than the man Superman warned her so adamantly against, Bruce Wayne. Even though the banishment greatly affected her, she would not let it change her dedication to her mission. So, she continued to make appearances at fundraisers and charity balls. Coincidently, it turned out that most of the events that she frequented were also attended by the Prince of Gotham, Bruce Wayne. While his reputation as a lothario should have kept her interactions with him to a minimum, she always managed to say hello and talk to him for a brief time at each event. She couldn't help but smile remembering the meeting, where he helped her push past her depressed state and regain her positive attitude.
***********************************************
It was the fifteenth annual charity ball supporting the women's shelters in New York City. Diana attended to help boost the donations for the cause. While she was not taking a direct part in the fundraising, like being auctioned off as a date or a dance partner, the coordinators found her presence, more than enough, encouraged donors to contribute funds above the target sum by a considerable amount. Unfortunately, tonight, like the past two weeks, her inner turmoil concerning her recent expulsion from Themyscira preoccupied her mind from the ball.
Looking for a respite from the party, Diana found refuge on the balcony and leaned against the railing overlooking the city. She had trouble wrapping her head around the events that led to her exile, even though; she knew that she should stop dwelling on it. Feeling herself sink into a sad state, she wondered how much longer she had to stay before she could return to her room in the Watchtower. Suddenly approaching footsteps interrupted her thoughts, and she wished that whoever it was would leave her in peace. However, the footsteps stopped right behind her. She prepared herself to once again put a smile on her face and pretend to enjoy the conversation of some wealthy donor.
"You know, Diana, the balcony isn't exactly the most original place to get away from the crowds. In fact, it's usually the first place they look," the person behind her warned. Immediately recognizing the owner of the voice, Diana turned around with a dazzling smile on her face and greeted Bruce Wayne.
"Speaking from experience, Bruce?" Diana joked in a playful tone. Overjoyed, she finally was talking to someone who didn't hold her on some symbolic pedestal.
"Well, occasionally the ladies tend to be a little smothering, and even I have to take a break from time to time," he responded joining her by the railing, "But I have this feeling that the people inside aren't really what's bugging you."
A little surprised by his insight, she curiously asked, "What makes you think something else is wrong?"
"I don't know exactly. There's something different about you tonight," Bruce scanned her form. His eyes moved from twist on the crown of her head to the satin heels on her feet. He tilted his head slightly to the left transfixed on her eyes.
"I don't know what you mean. My dress is new, but I'm still Diana, an Amazon, an emissary for my people, and a member of the Justice League," Diana rambled quickly shifting uncomfortably under his gaze.
"I can see it in your eyes; the spark is missing. Even when you are surrounded by men hitting on you, your eyes have this light that shows that you're happy to be here just to help others, but that light is gone tonight. I get this feeling that you don't want to be here even if it is for a good cause," Bruce commented without an ounce of his usual flirtatious tone.
For a moment, she was taken aback. Without so much as talking to her, he could tell something was wrong, but he also successfully deduced that it had a significant impact on her life. Sighing, she supposed that it would help if she got it off her chest. Taking a deep breath, she told her story, "About two weeks ago, I went on a mission with the Justice League to my homeland of Themyscira in order to stop a magician from opening the gates to Hades. After we successfully defeated him, my mother, the Queen, banished me from the island for violating Amazonian law. I broke a sacred creed by bringing men to the island. Now, I can never go back home." She would not let him see her cry no matter how it hurt.
"I'm sorry," Bruce whispered next to her. He didn't look directly at her but continued to lean on the rail looking at the city lights. After a minute of silence, she turned to look at him curiously. She wondered why he, unlike the others who knew of the matter, did not comment on the unfairness of it or how she should be proud of showing strength in impossible circumstances.
"There is this wonderful place on the corner of Lexington and 5th that has the best ice cream in the city. I figure that we've spent enough time here and can slip away without too much disappointment," he suggested with a sly smile. It was as if he didn't even hear what she just confessed.
Flabbergasted at his complete lack of empathy, she started to become angry very quickly. "I just revealed a deeply personal issue that I am going through, and you hit on me. I didn't listen to the rumors that you were a thoughtless womanizer, but I can see they aren't that far off the mark after that comment," she ranted with increasing volume to the point where she was practically yelling at him.
Without showing any fear that he had a demigod shouting at him from less than two feet away, he calmly and softly explained, "What would you have me say? To an extent, I understand what you're feeling, probably more than you know. Because of that, I know there is nothing to say that will erase the hurt." At this point, his voice went from calm to hushed tones. "Your life, as you knew it, has been completely torn asunder. I'm sure there is a part of you that wants to shut yourself away in a room and cry out your loss. But the truth is that no amount of days you spend by yourself or how much you think about what you lost, you can't change what happened." Finally, he turned to look at her, "You have a hole in your heart, Diana. There is only two ways to move forward: either you allow the empty space to fester, or you let me take you to ice cream. Maybe I can help you fill it back up."
Somewhere in his speech, she felt his words pull at the strings of her soul. She saw only understanding in his eyes, which seemed to mirror the pain she felt. Moved by his words, she replied, "I'll get my coat." It was a battle to simply say that without breaking down into tears.
***********************************************
Bruce took her for ice cream that night and picked her up at her hotel the next morning for coffee. Following a different event in Boston, it was a trip to a small Italian bakery and a baseball game around noon the next day. He took her out after the next event and the one after that until it became a ritual between the two of them. During each event, he would come up to her with his infamous smile and ask her to dance. While they danced, he would spring his next outing proposal on her.
Surprisingly, he never hit on her once, and his flirtatious behavior, which came out on occasion, was conveyed only in a humorous and non-suggestive manner. Best of all, she started feeling better. Slowly day by day, she began to smile, to laugh more, and to think about her exile less and less.
She began to circle events on her calendar in red looking forward to their next little adventure. It had almost become a game between them. He would give her the length of one dance to try and guess where he was going to take her that evening and the following morning. This encouraged her to spend some time researching events in the local area and what he could possibly concoct that would be fun for both of them. She would never forget the look on his face when she prompted him one night to guess where she was going to take him that night and the next morning.
The gossip columns started to imply that they were seeing each other and that he was inevitably cheating on her since he was seen with other girls on his arm at the parties, which she did not attend. She did not have any romantic feelings for him. Nor was she jealous of his trysts, only disappointed when he partook in them. Romance was a foreign concept to her. While she was beginning to understand it from television and what she saw in the world, she did not think she was ready for it, much less for Bruce.
He embodied some traits that she found to be very endearing such as charm, humor, understanding, compassion, and generosity. However, he lacked discipline, a warrior's spirit, dedication, and the desire for self improvement. Bruce was an incredible friend with a big heart, but he seemed to be floating along in life without any direction. She knew that when she was ready to try a relationship that she would not be able to be with a man like that. Until then and even after, she was more than happy to stay close friends with him enjoying his company. Also it would be a little odd considering he was the first person to update her view on romances between men and women. She couldn't repress the smile that came to her face when thinking about the day he told her about equal opportunity relationships.
***********************************************
It was the morning after a fundraiser. Bruce introduced her to the concept of a "county fair" about forty minutes outside of the city of Cleveland. While dropping her off at her hotel last night, he warned her to dress as casual as she possibly could and to make sure she wore comfortable shoes that she didn't mind getting dirty. At the time, she was confused by his instructions, but she was immensely grateful for his warning when they got here.
She was surrounded by farm animals as far as she could see. Horses, goats, cows, and others were led through crowds of people to various events or competitions around the fair grounds. The paths mainly consisted of either dirt or hay thrown over dirt and had animal droppings mixed in to the point where it was like navigating a mind field. Children ran and played through the crowds. Rides whizzed and whirled in the center of the fair. Games lined the pathways with promises of prizes for those willing to try.
Horsemanship competitions were held on one side of the fair while something called a "tractor pull" was on the other. Barn doors were open, so she could roam through looking at the different horses and petting them as she pleased. For the first time since she left home, she got to drink goat's milk without it being artificially enhanced. She adored the horses and loved the jumping competitions. Her gift from Artemis, the ability to commune with animals, was being used to its fullest today as she roamed through the barns stopping to pet horses, rabbits, chickens, and, even to Bruce's amusement, the pigs. It immediately ranked near the top of her list for most enjoyable places in Man's World.
Best of all, no one recognized her in her simple outfit. She wore the classic outfit of jeans and a t-shirt just like most people in the fair crowd. Her raven tresses were bound in a ponytail poking out the back of a Gotham Knights baseball cap, and dark sunglasses hid her bright blue eyes. Bruce had given her a long-sleeved flannel shirt that covered the telltale sign of her heritage, the metal braces that donned the wrists of every Amazon. Bruce was likewise just another face in the crowd, and they moved around unhindered by flocks of adoring fans.
She had to hand it to Bruce. Not only did he go along with her, but he also dragged her around a fair amount as well. He took her to see men making sculptures out of wood, women showing off their handmade quilts, and a troop of Irish dancers performing on a stage. All the while, she peppered him with questions about what she was seeing. As they were walking down one of the main avenues surrounded by people playing games, she noticed a boy trying to pop balloons with darts while a girl cheered him on. "Bruce, why is that boy trying to pop those balloons? Why is that girl cheering him on so hard?" she didn't quite understand for the life of her the excitement the girl was showing.
Turning his head, he looked at them for a minute before a smile came to his face, "Oh them. He's trying to win a prize for his girlfriend, and she's probably cheering him on to get her a big one."
"What's so important about him winning her a prize? Why doesn't he just buy her something?" she pressed on noticing that the boy was spending more money trying to win one of the stuffed animals than they actually cost.
"Well, it means more to them if he wins something. Anyone can buy those little bears, but both will remember this for weeks if he wins it for her using just his skill. It's more about making a memory together than the actual object. Plus there is the whole romantic stereotype of the big strong man winning glory while his woman, who couldn't have done the same, cheers him on," Bruce summarized ending the last sentence with a smirk on his face.
Punching him lightly in the arm, Diana laughed at his explanation and couldn't help adding, "So, does that mean I should go win you a little stuffed bear while you cheer me on as the big strong champion?"
Bruce added between laughs, "Usually, that's the man's job, but recently society is all about equal opportunity. Why not go give it a whirl, my treat." Before they left, she dragged him to a booth and won a prize on her third try as he cheered her on the entire time. Together they walked out of the fair laughing and talking about the things that they had seen that day while Bruce Wayne, longtime bachelor and womanizer of Gotham, left with a little teddy bear in his arms.
***********************************************
Since Bruce took her out for ice cream, she noticed that the pain and sadness of her exile from Themyscira was no longer as unbearable as it had been. When she thought about it, it still hurt. Yet, it was easier to look back with fondness and not regret or sorrow. Her trips throughout Man's World with Bruce began to show her the more intimate side of the world. She started to think that making this new world her home would not be such a bad idea.
Suddenly, an alarm cut short her musings. Looking quickly up on the screen, she saw the alert about an attack on a city in Eastern Europe that had a population just over 20,000. Scanning the information, she discerned that the attackers were robotic in nature numbering just under thirty with each capable of the destructive wrath of a platoon.
Quickly, she activated the microphone to contact all Justice League communicators, "Wonder Woman to all Justice League members, there is an assault on a city in Eastern Europe by approximately thirty robotic entities. All League members' assistance is requested. Uploading coordinates to all communicators now." With that statement, she switched the computers to remote alert and headed towards the hanger hoping she could get there in time to prevent the any loss of life.