*La Magia de Un Beso - The Magic of a Kiss


Love, Tears, Heartaches & Devotion (Instrumental) - B-Tribe - iFiesta Fatal!


"I'll meet you in the cave later? Good, I can't wait. I'll see you then. I love you."
"I love you, too."
-Two Days, Chapter 4: Trinity - Friday Morning


Bruce doesn't pace. He's usually moving towards something: a goal, a piece of information, even towards an enemy. Pacing is an unnecessary movement that wastes energy. Yet, he found himself pacing around his cave headquarters; more specifically, in front of the transporter pad.

He knew he was early. Diana wasn't supposed to transport down until 1900 hours. It was 1830 hours, and she had half an hour left until she was late. Not that she ever was; as royalty and an international ambassador, she knew how important it was to keep schedules for propriety and appearance sake. But there were other factors that could play into her not showing up on time.

An emergency mission could come up, negating their plans and calling them into action. A call from her embassy could have her detouring to New York City to take care of some business. A message from her mother's palace could summon her back home, where she would be out of contact, possibly for days.

She could have changed her mind and had second thoughts about being with him.

Pace...pace...pace...pace...

Bruce tapped his communicator in his hand while walking a rut into the cave floor. He needed to talk to someone, but didn't want to bother Alfred over his personal life. He hadn't told his father figure about his relationship with Diana yet. No one knew except for the senior League members. He wanted to keep it that way for a little while.

He and Diana just told Clark about their relationship this morning, finally giving the poor, clueless hero a chance to know what was going on around him. Bruce almost didn't want to tell him, but he followed Diana's lead and they confessed together. He had to admit, the whole episode was quite amusing. He'll never forget the look on Clark's face when he kissed Diana in front of him.

Now he was calling upon his friend for a bit of moral support. "Friend"...that's a word he didn't use lightly. But even though he felt Clark used that word a little too easily, Bruce didn't deny that's what the Kryptonian was. And as friends are wont to do, he was supporting and annoying Bruce at the same time.

"Seriously Clark, I know you're on the 'Tower. It just takes a quick second for you to get around the station. Its not like you're traveling from Metropolis," Bruce muttered to himself while reading the texts received from Superman. He asked him to go to the transporter room so he could make sure Diana's arrival to the cave was kept secret. He had to check in three times until he received confirmation Clark had made it there.

"Good, good," Bruce nodded to himself. He continued to tap the communicator in his palm. Another thought came to him...

::Great, thanks. Did you see her?:: If Clark saw her along the way, then she could be on her way there. Or having second thoughts. Maybe he could get Clark to make sure she's coming.

Text...text...text...text...

::BRUCE! STOP IT!:: Bruce held the communicator away from him, indignant at Clark's attitude.

::Did you just yell at me?::

::If you don't stop, I'll keep her here. Away from you!::

"Oh, you didn't just say that to me." Bruce tapped furiously away, as if it was the communicator's fault that he was getting grief from his friend...

::Don't you dare. Have kryptonite. Will use it:: Chime!

::That threat is losing its power. Find another one::

"Oh really? Alright, how do you like this..."

::Okay. I'll tell Lois you didn't know about Di and me:: Chime!

::You're a mean bastard, you know that?::

Bruce chuckled to himself. If anyone else had heard him, they would have thought evil incarnate inhabited in the cave. Or more accurately, evil's archenemy.

::Gotta use what I have:: "Just another tool on the utility belt."

The levity of the moment sobered, and another thought invaded Bruce's mind. He really didn't like revealing his feelings to anyone, let alone someone who could use his weaknesses against him. But he needed assurance. He needed a friend. Typing a text...

:I'm nervous, C. What if I mess this up?:: A few more seconds passed, longer than the texts before. What was Clark thinking? Was Bruce about to get a lecture? Chime!

::She loves you, very much. You'd have to be a complete idiot to mess it up::

Bruce paused at that message. "What the hell, you ass! Watch if I come back to you for support." Texting back...

::Thanks. I think:: Pace...pace...pace...text ::Is she there yet?:: Chime!

::Yes, she just got here. And she's more beautiful than you've ever seen her:: Bruce's heart leaped in his chest. She's there! She's actually coming! Hey...Clark got to see her first? Not fair! It disturbed Bruce to feel his heart beating faster. His hand was having a hard time holding the communicator steady. Concentrating on the simple movement, he typed back...

::Hope she knows how to perform CPR. Might need it::

::Gonna talk to her for a sec. Don't die yet::

"What!? Oh, come on. Now you're making me wait on purpose." TYPE...TYPE...TYPE...

::HURRY UP!:: Bruce put the communicator back in his pocket. He hoped that Clark would have mercy and keep his conversation brief. He wasn't exactly known for short speeches. He sat down on the bottom step to the transporter platform to wait.

He felt the transporter activate before it started to light up. Bruce jumped to his feet, turning towards the noise above him. He braced himself on the stair, handrails on either side of him, a foot on a step above the ground like he was ready to run up to the platform itself. He waited as the energy coalesced into a familiar, curvaceous figure.

It was like watching Aphrodite herself emerging from a heavenly light.

He stopped breathing when he saw Diana standing there, getting accustomed to her abrupt change in surroundings. She looked around the cave, as if searching for something. Then she looked down, straight into his eyes...and smiled. Heart, don't give out on me now.

He finally remembered to breathe; the dizziness he felt reminded him of his body's need for oxygen. He opened his mouth to greet his princess when she put a shushing finger to her lips. He blinked at her in confusion, but did as she ordered. She slowly started descending the steps towards him, delicately placing a foot on the metal stair below her.

She moved so slowly, so sensually, that he took the time to really study her appearance. Her dark hair flowed freely, framing her face and falling around her shoulders, unhindered by her tiara. Three thin red straps adorned each shoulder, attached to a well-fitted bodice filled with her perfect breasts. She didn't need jewelry to complement her flawless skin. Only her magic bracelets and a shimmery silver shawl contrasted her alabaster arms.

She took another step down from the transporter.

The dress hugged her curves in all the right places. He loved that color red on her, and couldn't help imagine the smoothness of her skin underneath it. The fabric clung to her figure until it reached her hips, where the skirt flared over the inviting swell. The cloth fell in gentle waves down to an inch above her knees. He knew what her skin felt like there; he'd touched it before. Not seeing it made him want to explore the area again.

She stepped closer to him, two more stairs to go.

He dipped his sight lower and found that he wanted to kneel down to her. That's what you're supposed to do for royalty, right? Or to a goddess? He realized that he rarely ever saw her without her knee-high boots. In this outfit, her strong, round calves were in full view. He wanted to touch them, see if she was ticklish there. Right behind the knee...

Step. Closer.

His head was now fully bowed to her. It was a movement of deference to her divinity, to her perfection...

She had beautiful feet. It was like she showed up almost nude, only a small bit of fabric covering her delicate parts. Each foot was encased in a barely there strappy silver sandal, enough to give each appendage a lift and cover the sole. Sculpted ankles curved down to a gracefully rounded heel, which dipped into the inviting nook of the arch, lifting around the ball of her foot and ending in perfectly proportioned toes...

Bruce never thought he had a foot fetish. There was always time to start. Now would be good.

He realized that she had stopped descending the stairs. She stood on the step above the floor, putting her on equal height with him. She placed a finger under his chin to lift his eyes back towards hers. Feet...calves...knees...covered thighs...hips...small waist...ample breasts...long alabaster neck...luscious red lips. Sparkling blue eyes, glancing down to his mouth...

He reached for the kiss just as she leaned into him. He could have sworn he already kissed her that day, but he already missed the feel of her lips on his. He had to close his eyes – if he tried concentrating on the sight before him, he would collapse from sensory overload.

Her greeting continued as she invited him to deepen the kiss. The slight parting of her lips was the only indication he needed that he was allowed to taste her. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him, the other arm holding onto the stair rail beside them. She touched her fingertips to his face, tilting her head to allow for an even deeper kiss.

He really didn't want to start devouring her right there. He wanted to show that he could actually control his reaction to her, and didn't need inconvenient interruptions to stop him from making love to her every time they kissed. He was Batman, he had dominion over every aspect of his life...

Except he wasn't in uniform now. He had dressed for dancing, and his dress shirt and slacks were a lot more pliable than the armor he had worn during each one of their encounters. He could feel her every curve pressed up against his body, her softness contrasting against his hardness. Come on, Bruce. Do...not...push her down onto the stairs...

His knees buckled ever so slightly, his body at war with his mind. It didn't help that the movement pulled the goddess in his arms more firmly against him. He could really feel her now.

STAND UP, MAN!

Reluctantly, he pulled away from Diana's embrace, just enough to break the kiss and put some space between their bodies. He opened his eyes to see Diana looking into his face, a tender expression radiating from her. Her lips parted into a smile.

"Hi," she whispered. Her smile grew into a grin as she studied his face.

"Hello," he answered. "I think that was the best greeting I've ever received."

"Mmmm...going to have to try harder then. I was going for a full body ravishing here." His eyes widened at her statement. And I stopped from taking her on the stairs because...

"You're teasing me again, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am. You better get used to it, too. I love your reactions."

"You better watch it, Princess. You're going to push me too far, and I'm going to take you up on one of your offers. Remember, I've done it before." She answered him with a self-satisfied smirk. Oh, you want to play it that way?

"Or how about I start teasing you back. I wonder how you would like that." Pulling her back close to him, he made to lean in to kiss her. But when she moved to meet him in the middle, he pulled his head away from her. She dodged in again, he moved away. A delicate line appeared between her brows.

He leaned down to kiss her along her neck. She lifted her chin to give him better access. He brushed her skin, but stopped the contact letting only his breath caress her ear. He allowed his hand to travel down her hips, but moved away when she tried to press up against him. Was that a slight growl coming from her throat?

You're going to love this one, Princess. He reached down to her leg, just above her knee. Curling his fingers, he lightly scratched his nails upwards. He could feel small goose bumps raising on her skin. He angled his hand to travel up her inner thigh. He slowed the movement, watching her reaction. Her eyes were half lidded, the pupils dilated with desire. Her breath was coming in gasps, her lips parted. He inched his fingers higher, caressing the delicate skin at the top of her leg with just his fingertips. Just a little higher and he would touch her in a very intimate place indeed...

He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, set her on her feet and walked away. He turned so he could regain control himself, having been affected by the teasing himself. Sure he had his body and smile under wraps, he turned back to her to inspect his work. Diana stood there, breathing hard, looking like she was about to pounce on him.

"How are you feeling, Princess? I'm feeling great. I am sort of hungry, though. You ready to go?"

"That...was wrong, Bruce." Her cheeks were red, and she looked very frustrated.

"Are you okay? You need something? Maybe a bolt of lightning?"

"Argh, Bruce! Don't te..."

"What was that? I didn't quite get what you said." Her pout was adorable, making him walk carefully up to her. He crossed his arms over his chest, daring her to say it.

"I said, don't tease me. Okay, I won't do it anymore." She lowered her head in embarrassment. "By the way, you look very handsome. I always liked this dark blue on you." She walked up, adjusting the collar on his midnight blue button down shirt, smoothing away the wrinkles as an excuse to run her hands across his broad chest. "And are those the slacks from your charcoal suit?"

"Yes, they are." He reached out and brought her into a hug, forgiving her for being the tease that she is. She really couldn't help it; she tempts him just by breathing.

"Nice. Hmmm...you smell so good let me go or I'm going to jump you right now!" He opened his arms and let her step away from him. He felt a degree of satisfaction that he could affect her the same way she affects him.

"First things first, Princess. We need to get going or we'll never leave the cave. And as much as I would like to explore the different ways we can ravish each other here," he glanced suggestively around the subterranean headquarters, pausing on the Batmobile for a few seconds longer, "I think we need to have a proper night out first."

"Right," she confirmed. She ran her fingers through her hair to shake off the tension. "So, how are we doing this? You said that you had something that will make sure we had a great night. Unless you can disguise us, I don't know how you're going to pull that off."

"Well, it works kind of like that, and it doesn't."

"You've been hanging around the Riddler too long. What exactly does that mean?"

"Ha, funny. Anyway, the night of the derecho, I paid our friend Zatanna a visit. She offered me a favor if we ever actually got together. Seems she's a romantic and a sucker for a good song." Diana smiled his mention of the song he sang for her. She didn't realize he had such a great voice. She'd need to get him to do it again sometime.

"You must have really wanted to go out with me. I thought you didn't like magic."

"I don't trust magic. It gives some of the wrong people too much power. And it has a way of turning around and biting you back. But in this case, I'm a little more motivated to use it than usual."

"Don't worry, Zatanna likes you. I'm sure what ever she gave you has all the right intentions. So, what did you get from her?"

"I asked her for something that would disguise us so we could go out into public without being bombarded by press or recognized by our enemies. She said that with glamours, there was always a chance that it would break down and reveal who we are. She said that lies and half-truths were hard to maintain, so they were moderately useful spells at best. She did, though, have a better suggestion."

Bruce reached into his pocket and brought out two silver charms attached to spider web-thin silver chains. He handed one to her, and kept the other. Diana inspected the charm closer, finding a blood-red opal imbedded in the middle. She moved to put it around her neck when he reached out and stopped her.

"Not quite yet. There's a specific way we have to do this. Zee prepared the spell and had me memorize it so I could activate it when it was time. She wanted the spell cast at the moment it was needed so the power would rebound back stronger, giving it more strength. I think she just wants to hold it over my head that she made me cast it."

"And what kind of spell is this exactly?"

"An ultra-truth spell. She figured that by uncovering the most secret parts of ourselves, the parts we keep hidden, those who think they know us wouldn't recognize us. So those who think they know me only really know the billionaire or the playboy, or even Batman. But what they can't see is who I really am. Just Bruce."

"And for me that would be like expecting to see the Princess, or the ambassador, or Wonder Woman. But truthfully, I'm just Diana."

"Exactly." He reached out to push her hair away from her shoulders, as if all he ever saw was just Diana.

"So how do we activate this spell?"

"First we have to place the charms around each other's necks. That way, we indicate who we want to share the spell with. Just in case any untruths hide us from each other." He reached over to place the charm around her neck, moving her hair out from under the chain. Then he ducked down for her to hang her charm around him. She adjusted the charm on his chest, placing her hand over his heart. A subtle glimmer of light appeared in the middle of each opal.

"Then while holding the charms together between us, we have to tell a secret that we've held from each other, something we haven't revealed before."

"Are you sure? That seems to be a lot to ask for a simple spell. I know you hold your privacy close to you…"

"No mask, no cowl – I don't want to hold anything back from you anymore. Are you comfortable with this?"

"Yes. I've been ready to share my heart with you for a while now."

Bruce took Diana's hand into his own, holding the charms in his palm. He took a breath and closed his eyes.

"I was afraid of loving you because I knew I was going to grow old and die, while you would be forever youthful. I couldn't stand it if I had to watch you leave me for someone younger, or worse, for Clark." He opened his eyes but had a hard time looking at Diana. He felt her touch his cheek, and he looked into her face. He was startled to see a tear run down her cheek.

"I am willing to give up my immortality, my power, and my youth to stay with you. You won't have to watch me leave for anyone." He took their entwined hands and kissed her fingers. When he opened his hand, they found that the opals have lightened in color; Bruce's to violet, Diana's to lavender.

"Seems we have something to talk about later, huh?" He wiped the tear from her cheek.

Diana smiled at Bruce's observation. "Seems that way. Okay, what do we do next?"

"Zee said that magic often happened in threes. There's us, and then there had to be a third person, related to us in some way. I had to help that person reveal a truth about themselves. Something they kept hidden very well and hope to keep secret for good."

Diana immediately thought of a specific mutual friend. "What did you get Kal to show?"

"Hmmm...thought you'd think it was him. But no, the man's an open book; he doesn't have too many things hidden that we don't already know about. But there is someone we both had dealings with that holds many secrets close to her chest."

At the mention of a "her", Diana knew who he was talking about. "Shayera." His nod confirmed her statement. Their opals lightened in color even more. "What did she say?"

"This was an absolute surprise to me. Seems she was following my civilian life as a way of checking up on the League. She derived from my actions how well the Watchtower was taken care of, if the senior leaguers were kept safe, and even our relationship status, or lack thereof. It was a very thorough and subtle way of taking care of her homesickness. She missed us."

"That's really sweet, in a stalkerish kind of way." Diana resisted the urge to rub her bracelets. The feathers hidden within were another indication of what they meant to Shayera.

"Tell me about it. She told me she liked the way I dressed." He left out the part about how she knew he used his playboy tactics on Diana, the same he used on his dates. "I also helped her see that she was prosecuting herself for her people's actions, something she really didn't have much control over. I told her it was okay to let it go."

"Wow, Bruce. You just forgave her for her part in nearly getting you killed. That's some pretty powerful karma."

"It didn't seem right to use her for this spell with that hanging over our heads. She did help us get together. I'm fine with that trade-off. I thought she needed to know that we trusted her now."

"This seems to be building into quite the powerful spell. Why are you blushing, Bruce?" She was angling her head to catch his eyes, but he kept moving out of sight.

"I, um, also had to share something secret about all three of us. Something that we shared and kept close to ourselves, a common bond as she says." Diana thought about what they all might have shared recently. Understanding dawned on her face.

"You told Zee about the body shot dare, didn't you." He ducked his head onto her shoulder to hide his embarrassment. His nod was lost in her hair. "Couldn't find anything else to tell her, could you?" He shook his head. The opals were almost pearlescent by now. She laughed, more over his reaction than at the secret he told. "How much did you tell her?" She watched his neck become even redder. "That much, huh? What did Zatanna do?"

"She laughed so hard, that stupid hat of hers fell off her head." He raised his head off Diana's shoulders, the blush on his cheeks only then starting to subside. "Though she said that it gave her a good sign on what the catalyst for the spell should be. It's what would bind all the elements of the magic together into one single truth.

"Don't laugh at me as I recite this. I had to repeat it numerous times before I could say it without stumbling." He pulled Diana into his arms, and looked directly into her eyes. She was caught in the intensity of his gaze, unable to look away if she wanted to.

"Something sweet and salty, tart and tangy, and entirely magical, this is what I share with you. See me as I am, without saying a word, knowing what I feel for you." Diana became breathless at his incantation of the spell. It was like Zatanna pulled the spirit of their love out of their hearts and put it to magic. She knew exactly what was needed to complete the spell.

She met his kiss with an eagerness of her own. A tingling sensation tickled her skin, starting from her chest and swirling around them in a whirlwind of energy. If they had been looking, they would have seen a blinding white light, laced with two ribbons of dark and light blue, flow from the charms and spin around them from head to toe. By the time they had parted, their opals glowed like moonlight. Slowly the glimmer subsided, but a small pulse of energy could be felt. Like a heartbeat.

Sapphire eyes met aquamarine eyes. "Wow," Diana breathed. "I definitely could feel something happening. Do you think it worked?"

"Guess we'll find out in a few minutes." Bruce held her a little longer before letting her go. He tucked his opal under his shirt. He could feel the power emanating from the charm. Diana let hers rest upon her chest, now a glittery piece of her outfit. "Now, we have a very difficult and possibly dangerous maneuver to perform. Do you think you're up to it?"

"Whoa! Who thought going out on a date with you would be so risky. What do we have to do?"

"Somehow, we need to travel from this cave to the garage on the top-level without the big boss and his minion knowing we're leaving."

"In other words, we need to avoid Alfred and Tim, right?"

"Exactly."

"Well, it's dinner time so Tim has Alfred well occupied in the kitchen, talking his head off. I think we can use that as distraction on the way out."

"You could be an awesome sidekick."

"Cute, Mr. Wayne. For that, I get to choose which car we ride in." She was eyeing the Batmobile a little too interestedly...

"Oh no. Don't even think about it, Princess. That's not going anywhere tonight."

"I was just looking. Okay, fine, whatever is in the garage upstairs."

"As long as I drive."

"What? Why? I can drive."

"One, my car. Two, I haven't seen you drive. Do you even have a driver's license?" She shrugged. Not a good sign. "And three, I've seen how you pilot a Javelin. No way you're driving."

"Just get moving, Mr. Wayne. I'm getting hungry."

"Yes, your highness. Let's go. Your chariot awaits." He hooked her arm around his in a very gentlemanly way. "You should hear what Zatanna had to tell me to even get the spell to work..."


**"Opal is a stone of inspiration, which enhances the imagination and creativity as well. It helps one release inhibitions and enhances the memory. Opal is also said to be a very spiritual stone, and can help one be 'invisible' in situations where they don't care to be noticed. It has been known to bring happy dreams, and also to ease the process of change."**