The next morning
It was an exceptionally chilly day in Gotham, and Diana was glad to be inside as she made her way through Gotham City Police's central office space. It was relatively early in the work morning, and most of the desks in the office were empty. Diana didn't mind, though. For the first time in a while, she had gotten a full night of sleep due to a case wrapping up, and Diana felt relaxed and energized with the satisfaction of a job well done and an interesting new case to look forward to. Maybe I'm feeling good enough to even do… paperwork, Diana conceded with a sigh. She had a few hours free before she met with Gordon and Bruce to discuss more about training and logistics. Taking a seat at her desk, Diana began thumbing through some handwritten reports she needed to input into the computerized databases. Being a detective certainly had its challenges, but she found the bureaucratic aspect of it particularly tedious.
At least she wasn't a patrol officer writing traffic tickets anymore, Diana reflected, taking a moment to appreciate the unpredictable nature of her day-to-day schedule as a homicide detective. She knew the long hours and lack of routine would scare off most, but Diana loved how nearly every day of her job presented a new challenge physically and mentally. Well, most of the time, anyway. Sometimes on cold days like this she wished she was at home on a warm Themysciran beach, sipping wine with her sisters.
"Morning, Di," a bright voice chirped, interrupting her thoughts. Diana looked to the source of the voice with surprise, locating the petite blonde immediately. "Etta! How did I miss you on the way in? Are you feeling better?"
"I was just in the kitchen grabbing some tea," Etta responded as she held up her steaming mug, making her way over to give Diana a warm hug. "And I am basically fully recovered, thank you. Sorry, I should have mentioned that before I went in for the hug there. Not contagious anymore, I hope, or Steve probably would be sick by now too because of how much we ..." Etta trailed off.
"No thanks," Diana interjected. Though she was happy her two friends had found a great match in each other, Diana didn't necessarily need the details about the physical aspect of their relationship.
"I was going to say hold hands, yeesh," Etta grinned. "Anyway. I'm just glad to not be huddled in my bed watching Netflix all day. The first sick day was kind of relaxing, but by the second, I really just felt like I needed to get out of the house. How was kickboxing class on Tuesday? I'm so sad I missed it."
"I actually didn't make it this week either," Diana replied. "I was wrapping up the Torres case and didn't make it home until ten that day. Definitely could have used the workout, though."
"You seriously work too hard, Di," Etta laughed, "and please, miss Lara Croft 2.0. I think you'll be fine skipping one class. In fact, you could kick the instructor's ass, but don't tell him I said that."
"Who' Lara Croft? But," Diana smiled, "you're probably right about Michael."
"Seriously, Di. Bad-ass tomb raider, played by Angelina Jolie in the movies…"
Diana shook her head slowly. Etta continued, "I'll just add that to the list of things we need to watch when we both have free time. Anyway, that's a matchup I would love to watch, you and Mr. Booster Gold himself. Where did he come up with that name, anyway?"
"Hah. Who knows. And maybe next week. I still can't believe how much personalized workout gear he has. It's like he thinks he's some kind of exercise god."
"Ridiculous," Etta agreed. "So, what are you doing for lunch today? Cafeteria has some vaguely appetizing entrees today, if I read correctly on the way in."
"Miss Candy, Detective Prince," a deep voice interrupted, startling both women.
"Jesus, Wayne. How does a big guy like you sneak up on people?" Etta asked.
"Sorry, both for scaring you and interrupting." Bruce looked at Etta apologetically before asking, "May I borrow Detective Prince for a moment? I… need to speak to her privately, if you don't mind."
Etta's eyebrows raised in surprise before she shrugged and grabbed her mug of tea. "Sure. I have to make sure Gordon's schedule hasn't been falling apart without me, anyway. Di, text me about lunch today?"
"Sure," Diana replied as Etta left. "Hi, Bruce. You can call me Diana, you know." She noted that snow lightly dotted Bruce's coat and thick, dark hair, distracting her for a moment as she watched it melt. He looked rather… cute, actually, hair mussed and a hint of pink on his cheeks from the cold outside. Wait, what?
"Right. Diana. I just passed Gordon on my way in. He told me he wouldn't be able to meet us today for training, so he's calling it off and wanted me to let you know."
"Oh, okay," Diana responded, slightly disappointed as she had felt so ready to seize the day just a few minutes prior. The meeting with Bruce and Gordon would have given her a deeper understanding of what the upcoming assignment was going to entail, as Diana was slightly nervous about the details of her first undercover case. It seemed she now faced a rather unfulfilling day of typing up reports.
Bruce seemed to notice her expression and continued after a moment, "But, if I'm not intruding on your plans with Etta, perhaps we could discuss it a bit over lunch? There's a new cafe on 8th that has an excellent mocha. My treat."
Diana looked at Bruce with surprise, but there was no hint of guile in his clear blue eyes. From her observations, he didn't seem to socialize with other officers much, and had never made much of an effort to talk to her in any non-professional manner. Then, there were those rumors about his supposed party lifestyle, but she didn't quite buy it, not with how seriously he seemed to take his job.
Bruce met her gaze expectantly. After a pause, he continued, "I understand if you had plans with Etta, Gordon'll likely reschedule-"
"No, it's fine," Diana interrupted. "Etta and I can catch up anytime." She smiled at him, actually intrigued at how this would go. "Lunch and some more espresso sounds lovely. Is my love for mochas that obvious?"
"Just a little. Considering you drink at least three every day," Bruce said with a half-smile, and Diana was surprised at how handsome he looked in that moment, an almost playful expression spread across his strong features. What are you doing, Prince, she thought to herself. Flirting with your handsome coworker is not a good course of action. Especially one you'll be working with directly.
"Well, I guess I'll have to have a fourth, then," she responded lightly after a beat, turning back to her desk to face the computer screen and hide what she thought might be an oncoming blush. "See you at noon," she continued cheerily, keeping her eyes steadily trained on the screen.
She could see him move away from her desk in her periphery. "All right. See you then," Bruce said before turning away and leaving. Diana looked away from the screen at last, to find he was gone. After a moment, she picked up her phone and typed in a message. sorry, etta - lunch tmrw or later this week ? something came up.
The response came a minute later. sure, no problem. tell mr. tall dark and handsome i say hi ;) . Diana took a moment before deciding not to respond. With a hint of a smile playing across her lips, she closed her phone and set it on the desk.
"Mmm, that's delicious," Diana murmured into her mug, licking a bit of mocha foam from her lips a moment later, and Bruce was again reminded what a stupid move this was on his part. Incredibly stupid.
Instead of simply allowing Gordon to reschedule their meeting, Bruce had rather irrationally decided to ask his intelligent, independent, and gorgeous coworker out on what was basically a lunch date. And since when did he do irrational? Stop acting like a schoolboy with a crush, Bruce told himself. Of course it was normal to be physically attracted to her. What guy wouldn't be?
Bruce cleared his throat, watching a lock of Diana's dark hair frame her face as she lowered her lips to the edge of the mug yet again. "I'm glad you think so. I know the owner, actually, so I might have had a bit of bias in choosing to come here today."
"Oh? An old friend? Well, an excellent choice. I might have to start coming here instead of Gotham Grounds to get my mochas in the morning," Diana replied.
"Well, sort of. A few years ago Kabir's restaurant was robbed at gunpoint, and I happened to be on call in the area. I apprehended the burglars as they escaped, and got all of Kabir's money back. Since then Kabir's been able to expand his businesses, it seems. This was a while ago, though, back when I was a patrol officer."
There was a bit more to it than that. After apprehending the criminals, Bruce realized they also fit the description of perpetrators behind an unsolved string of serial robberies targeting immigrant businesses. After further investigation and some time in the interrogation room with the suspects, Bruce helped to successfully recover several thousand dollars of Gotham business owners' money before it made its way into the black market. It was one of the early highlights of his career, a factor in aiding his promotion to detective, and an accomplishment Bruce was proud of.
"That's amazing, Bruce," Diana said sincerely, and Bruce's stomach tightened at the genuine warmth in her voice. "Just a typical day on this job, huh," she said with a wry smile.
"Right. Speaking of a typical day on the job, let's discuss the case," Bruce said, trying to steer the conversation to a more professional, logistical discussion of something he had already studied. That, he could handle. "Did you get a chance to read through the file yet?"
"Most, but not all of it yet."
"Okay, no problem. Well, there's a lot to cover, and some of this we'll need to discuss with Gordon. But I guess we can begin with the basics. Can you give me a general idea of the extent of your experience undercover?"
Diana bit her lip, and Bruce allowed his gaze to linger for just a moment on the brief, hypnotic sight. Focus, Bruce, he willed himself.
"This will actually be my first undercover case," Diana admitted quietly, looking down at her plate. "I'm not sure if Gordon realized when he assigned it to me."
"Really?" Bruce couldn't hide his surprise. "With your success rate, I assumed Gordon would have given one to you long ago."
Diana looked at him in the eye. "I'm not terribly good at hiding my emotions, I think. Etta has told me that I, what was it?" She thought about it for a moment before continuing, "Ah, I wear my heart on my sleeve, she said. And I guess I can't do that if I'm going to be effective undercover."
Bruce wanted to deny her statement, but she was right. Bruce had noticed that Diana's emotions were often easily apparent, in a stark contrast to himself. Her outspoken nature was refreshing, often surprising - but it would potentially be a problem on the field if their covers depended on it. Bruce resisted the urge to offer her false placations.
"Unfortunately, you're right. From my experience, the key to undercover work is most often maintaining neutrality and composure," he responded honestly. "But it's something we can work on." Bruce definitely knew a thing or two about reining in what emotions he did have. He considered it one of his finest traits as a detective, the ability to process information logically and impartially. Though Alfred might disagree on whether or not that made him an emotionally healthy person.
"We can start with some basics," Bruce continued. "For one, the whole op can be blown if anyone recognizes you either as a civilian or as Gotham PD. Do you have any acquaintances, no matter how irrelevant, that might be attending GSU or have business being in the university district?"
"I'll need to take some more time to think about it, but no, not any off the top of my head."
"Excellent. Next, there's the business of establishing-"
"What about you, Bruce? You don't have any… off-duty friends from around town that might be in school?" Diana regarded him pointedly. Bruce was thrown off for a moment before realizing what she might be thinking.
"If you're referring to my personal life, I make it a point to not mix business and pleasure," Bruce replied, watching the way Diana scrutinized him.
"But don't you, Bruce? Or so I've heard, anyway," she countered. "I don't mean to be rude. But as you said, it's important to consider for the case."
The truth was Bruce did frequent parties and bars with other GCPD officers. The trick was in just enough feigned drunkenness to make an impression, perhaps a bit of heavy-handed flirting with waitresses or bartenders, to maintain a reputation of a bit of a sleaze. Occasionally he would leave with a girl to the quiet cheers of the other officers before politely but promptly dropping her off. His reputation established a superficial camaraderie that made the officers amiable with him, but prevented anyone from getting too close. But Diana didn't need to know all of that now.
"It's not a concern," Bruce responded brusquely. Knowing that Diana had been fair in her assessment, he softened before saying, "It's a valid point. But no, I don't think it'll be a problem either."
Diana nodded, seeming to accept his answer. "All right, if you say so. What did you say we needed to establish?"
"Right. Our covers. We'll both be posing as transfer students for the fall semester. Given that we know the drug has a link to the football team, Gordon wants me to try to get on the team to get closer to Garrison's friends and acquaintances. Since there isn't a women's team, however, your cover is a bit more flexible. Any ideas? My tip would be to keep it simple, it's easier to remember and maintain."
"Hmm," Diana pondered. "Makes sense. If you don't mind, I'll need to think about it more too. I attended an all-women's college in Themyscira, so things are probably a little bit different at an American university."
"Sure. We'll likely retain both of our first names, again, so it's easier to keep track of." Bruce shifted a bit in his seat before continuing, "There's also the factor of our cover relationship with each other. Since we know each other and will be communicating with each other often, we'll need to establish some sort of pre-existing relationship. Friends from high school, I think, should do the trick?"
"Seems fine to me. I suppose I could pretend to be your friend," Diana smirked.
"Thank you so much, Diana," Bruce huffed exaggeratedly with a small smile. "Your extreme sacrifice for the cause is noted. I'll be sure to tell Gordon of your bravery, becoming friends with a guy like me."
Diana laughed, and Bruce felt a small thrill to be the cause of that lovely sound. Bruce thought about her comment. Were they friends? Coworkers, certainly. Case partners, soon. But friends … it didn't seem quite right, given they didn't interact much, a bit purposefully on Bruce's end.
"Well, Bruce, I wouldn't call it-"
"Mr. Bruce," a booming voice called across the room. Kabir, wearing a bright maroon turban and sand-colored kurta, made his way over to their table to give Bruce a hearty slap on the back. He looked as vibrant as ever, though with a bit more paunch in his belly and gray in his thick beard. "A joy to welcome you to my newest venture, this espresso café. A bit different from New Delhi Palace, eh? And who is this vision," Kabir grinned, turning towards Diana and extending his hand to her. "Welcome to my cafe. I owe a large part of my success to your lover boy," he winked.
Diana flushed red. "Um - we're not dating, actually, just coworkers," Diana replied, though she returned Kabir's handshake. "I'm Diana." Well, good to know where she stands, Bruce thought.
"Oh? I am sorry to make you uncomfortable, miss Diana. I surely thought you were the beauty Bruce spoke so highly of though-"
"Kabir, congratulations on a packed house. You must be very busy." Bruce avoided Diana's eyes, willing Kabir to drop the topic. He had forgotten he had briefly mentioned an intriguing and beautiful co-worker to Kabir when Diana had first joined the force, given Kabir's sometimes relentless questioning about Bruce's personal life and efforts to play matchmaker.
For his surprisingly sharp memory, Kabir thankfully forgot about his earlier line of questioning. "Yes, Mr. Bruce. I am now the owner of two good businesses in Gotham, can you believe? Please, help yourself to anything. It is all on the house, here at my cafe and at New Delhi Palace. You will never have to buy Indian food or a coffee in this town, if I can help it."
"Thank you, Kabir."
"I will leave you now to enjoy. Please, stay here for hours if you wish," Kabir finished, winking at Bruce before going to greet another table.
"He's adorable," Diana said after Kabir left.
"Yes, he's a good man," Bruce agreed, adding after a moment, "Sorry if he was a bit much. He's been wanting me to date his daughter Meera nearly since we've met," Bruce chuckled, though he noticed Diana didn't grin as widely as he thought she might.
"It's no problem," Diana responded. "You were saying about the case?"
Bruce was about to mention that she had been about to say something, but dropped it. They continued discussing strategies, as much as they could without delving too deeply into things that would need Gordon's input. Some time later, Diana glanced at her watch, and sat up a bit in surprise. "Oh! I'm sorry, Bruce, but I need to get back to the office to finish up some paperwork."
"Oh, sure," Bruce responded as he too glanced at the time. Almost two hours had easily passed in between them eating and chatting. It had been quite an extended, yet engaging lunch break. "I'll likely stick around a bit to catch up more with Kabir, but I might see you at the office later."
Diana stood up to leave, but looked at Bruce thoughtfully. "Thank you," she told him.
"For what?"
"For being patient with me and my questions. I won't lie, I was nervous about how this might look. But I'm excited to work with you, Bruce."
Bruce was surprised with the sincerity in his voice when he responded, "It was my pleasure, Diana. See you."
As she exited the cafe, giving him a smile and a wave, Bruce felt a growing excitement that he hadn't in a long time. It's because this will be an interesting case, he told himself. Right. It definitely didn't have anything to do with his intriguing new partner.
A/N: Oh dear! It's been a while, eh? Thank you, thank you, thank you, for your continued favorites and follows and reviews, even a few months after I published the last chapter.
Any kind of response I get to this story is highly encouraging to me, just to know that people actually are paying attention. A reviewer helped me improve my last chapter with a simple word fix, and since this is unbeta'd I appreciate any suggestions you might have to offer (though no guarantees if I can manage to write them in!)
I did re-upload a slightly edited version of the first chapter; nothing major, but you might want to give it a read to acquaint yourselves with the details, especially since it's been so long since I've last uploaded.
Thanks again. Hope to hear from you soon, my inbox happily awaits you.
-R
