Wow, I never expected to get such an overwhelming response to Shattered! I think that, as of right now, I really have no choice but to continue this story. So, I hope you enjoy the continuation of Shattered!

Note: The first half of this chapter is a flashback, but I didn't want to italicize the whole thing, so I left it alone.

Chapter 2

"Hey, Bruce, so, what's up with you and Diana?" Wally West, otherwise known as the Flash, asked me as I absentmindedly checked the Watchtower's monitors. Nothing was really popping out to me, so I contented myself by clicking through the different feeds at a steady pace, in the slight chance that I would chance upon an emergency. Not that I really expected to find anything. Actually, I was hoping that my display would make Wally realize that I wasn't in a talking mood, and set him on his way.

But, like the best-laid plans had a tendency to do, things went astray.

"Come on, Bats, you know that I am a professional in the laws of attraction. And trust me, I can see that you're attracted to her." Wally continued, despite my silence, which evidently was not enough of a hint for him that he should probably stop talking, if he valued his life.

"Diana is a colleague, and a teammate. That's all." I replied curtly, not wanting to discuss this topic any further, least of all with Wally.

"Seriously, Bats, it's not that hard to approach her. She's from an island of women. How hard can it be to give her a pick up line and a hint that you want to hit that?" Wally asked, while I answered him with a death glare.

"This topic is closed." I growled, standing up from my seat at the monitor, needing to get away from Wally, and any thoughts of Diana.

Unfortunately, though, I knew that Wally was right. Imagine that, Wally was actually right about something, for the first time in his life, and it just so happened to have to be concerning the secret that I had been harboring for some time.

Yes, Diana was an amazing woman, and I wanted to enjoy her company as more than just friends. But not at the expense of Clark.

The three of us had been lumped together, unfairly or not, as the Trinity upon which the Justice League had been formed. And I wasn't about to sacrifice the fragile bonds that bound us together as teammates, and as friends. I would never admit it, but working together made us so much more powerful than we were as individuals.

I could not sacrifice this solidarity and collective strength for my own personal happiness. If I pursued a relationship with Diana, I would effectively be shutting Clark out, and he was as important a part of our group as there ever could be. No, a relationship was completely out of the question.

I walked off to the commissary, intending to find someone willing to take Wally off of my hands, when I realized that everyone in the room was gathered towards the television monitors.

"What's going on?" I asked, expecting to see some large-scale destruction, or maybe an alien invasion on the screen.

What I didn't expect to see was a picture of Clark and Diana, locked in an embrace above the clouds, lips smashed together.

"Bats, I'm sorry…" Wally said weakly, "I had no idea."

"Neither did I." I replied swiftly, before I turned and walked out of the room.

I frowned as I took a sip out of my mug. The coffee was tasteless, and was as bland as plain hot water as it swept over my tongue and down my throat.

"Not to your liking, sir?" Alfred asked as he noticed my expression. I knew that it had not been any fault of his that I couldn't taste a thing. He had gotten up as he always did, and prepared a fresh pot. The problem was me, as it usually was.

"Not at all, it's just…" I sighed, not knowing what I could say to my most trusted confidant, who probably already knew what, or who, was responsible for my current state.

I settled for silence.

What was I to do? Admit that Diana had plagued my dreams all night? While it was a welcome diversion from the usual nightmares, I knew that it was only marginally less painful for me to think of her, rather than my parents.

God, I needed another mug of hot water.

"Morning, Bruce." Diana greeted as she walked into the kitchen, noticing Alfred's presence as she did so, "Same to you, Alfred."

"Miss Prince." He replied with his standard brand of feigned excitement. Unflappable as always, he swiftly poured out a mug of coffee for Diana as well, who accepted the drink with a soft, "Thank you."

"Feeling better?" I asked Diana, who looked at me in surprise at my question. Evidently, she had not been expecting me to speak up, especially after our mostly mute encounter the night before.

"Yes." She replied with a weak nod, letting me know that she wasn't being entirely truthful with me.

"Master Bruce, I think that the plants outside could use a watering." Alfred announced suddenly, giving me a nod before he walked out of the kitchen, leaving me alone with Diana. I didn't bother with pointing out that we were subjected to a rainstorm last night.

Diana bit her lip and refused to look in my direction, "Look, Bruce, I know that you don't want me here, but do you mind at least pretending that you don't hate me?"

"I don't hate you." I replied.

I wasn't lying. As much as I wanted to, I knew that I could never raise a finger against Diana for any reason. Not when one simple look from her could turn my knees to jelly, and make my heartbeat quicken uncontrollably.

Diana shifted uncomfortably as I turned to face her, "Then can I ask you one thing?"

I raised an eyebrow, "Sure."

"Would you have left me? To live a normal life, I mean." Diana asked, taking a drink from her mug.

"No." I replied bluntly, "I'm a rich kid with serious enough issues that I need to dress like a bat and fight crime. I think that I've already given up on a normal life."

"Fair enough." Diana said softly.

"Bruce, one more question."

"Go ahead." I shrugged.

"Why did you stop answering my calls?"

I instantly froze at Diana's question, my veins turning to ice and my chest tightening uncomfortably.

Before I could answer, and before Diana could prod any further, we were interrupted by a sudden ringing. Nearly having a heart attack at the surprise intrusion, I took a moment to compose myself before I realized that it was coming from my phone.

Putting the receiver up to my ear, I heard the familiar voice of a certain son of Krypton.

"Bruce, can I talk to you?" I heard Clark's voice from the other end. He sounded just as haggard as I felt right now. I doubt that he got much sleep last night either.

"Clark," I began, noticing that Diana's face fell as I said his name, causing a pang of pain pulse through my chest. Even now, she missed Clark. Another knife wound found its place alongside the other scars I had already received from Diana.

"Is it about Diana?"

I heard Clark hesitate on the other end, "So you know, huh?"

"She's in my kitchen right now." I replied, finding myself met with a shocked silence.

"Look, Bruce, you have to understand where I was coming from. Diana was amazing to be with, but I want to be able to live a normal life. I want to be Clark Kent, and not just Superman. Lois makes me feel…" He trailed off.

"Human." I finished for him.

"Yeah. I guess you could say that." Clark replied.

"You know that she's struggling right now." I said softly, although I'm sure that Diana heard me, despite my best efforts. If she did, however, she showed no indication.

"I was afraid that she would. I didn't mean to hurt her, but I guess that I did anyways." Clark sighed. I knew that he didn't have any ill intentions. But at the same time, I felt a flash of anger at his excuse. He, who had known Diana, when I could only dream of such a relationship with her, wasn't content. It was maddening, and yet, for the second time in two days, I couldn't find it within me to just hang up the phone and rebuff him.

Why was I so weak when it came to these two?

"I just hope that you don't regret your decision." I said, settling for an amiable ending to this conversation. It would do me no good to be angry with Clark, when I myself was to blame for the current situation. I had been too afraid to take a chance with Diana, and now, I was paying the price for it.

"I hope so too." Clark said after a long pause.

So, I hope that you guys are intrigued by this chapter. And I hope my little splashes of humor weren't too out of place in an otherwise serious and angsty story. I am going to be at something called Boys State for the next week, where I don't have internet access, so I did rush to finish this chapter, and I didn't really see any reason why I should take those parts out. Hopefully, you guys enjoyed it all the same.

If you guys still want to keep on reading, let me know! I'm definitely now thinking about where this story can go, and there are definitely a lot of routes, all of which end with a Batman x Wonder Woman ending, so don't worry about that aspect.

Please, if you guys have any thoughts or comments on this, let me know with either a PM or a review. I really enjoyed reading everyone's thoughts after the first chapter!

Thanks for reading!