Thanks for all the reviews and interest in the story. I'm glad you are all enjoying it so far.
Here's the next chapter
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Chapter 4
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Watchtower Infirmary
J'onn patted the damp cloth along Diana's sweat ridden brow, his mind trying to push through all the disjointed and painful thoughts currently spinning through his friend's mind to help ease some the pain, but he was struggling to do so.
Not long after they'd began running tests and treating her wound did she begin to become unsettled, spiking a high fever in the process. Neither he nor Leslie could understand why, there was, as far as they could tell no infection in her wound, it wasn't until they got Diana's bloodwork back that the problem revealed itself.
"Her fever continues to rise" J'onn said, ringing the cloth out of water before bringing it back to Diana's forehead
"I don't understand it," Leslie replied as she palpated Diana's wound, which didn't appear to be closing, even though she had stitched it. "There's no redness around the wound indicate a vital response, her meta healing doesn't appear to be kicking in"
Replacing the bandage, Leslie moved to pick up the tablet that held Diana's test results, her eyes once again scanning them to see if there was something else she had missed.
"It is possible whatever spell Circe put on the dagger is preventing Diana from healing"
"Is that even possible though?"
"I do not know"
"Don't know what?"
The doctor and the Martian both looked up to find a very concerned Batman and Superman standing just inside the doorway, both obviously hearing the tail end of their conversation.
Leslie could tell even through his cowl Bruce was struggling with his feelings for the injured heroine.
Unprepared for such unguarded thoughts, Bruce's emotions emanated from him with such ferocity it nearly knocked J'onn back off his feet.
He could feel a gambit of emotions from him ranging from anger to hurt, to love and at the current moment seeing his hand on Diana's forehead, jealously. J'onn could sense his friend didn't want anyone touching her in what he considered to be such an intimate way even if, deep down it was purely innocent.
"What don't you know?" Bruce said through gritted teeth, his anger obvious that no one was answering him.
Finally, Leslie stepped forward
"Diana's bloodwork shows a low white blood cell count, which means something is attacking her immune system"
"What like a virus?" Clark asked, coming stand next to Bruce
Leslie nodded. "Yes, like a virus, but…"
"But what?" Bruce asked, anxious, his body tense
"I don't know. I've never seen a virus like this before. It appears to have compromised her meta healing abilities, her wound isn't healing like it should and she's spiked a high fever"
"Diana should be able to heal any virus or wound, there had to be something else going on"
Bruce stated as he walked over to Leslie, taking the test results from her to see for himself.
"There is no way of knowing what's causing this, if it's a magical spell or if it's a biological virus"
"Can you synthesize an antidote?" asked Clark
"We can try but I don't know how long that will take and right now where to even start"
"We need to break the spell" mumbled Bruce, who by now had moved to stand next to Diana's bed
"I spoke with Zatanna, she and Dr Fate are trying but Circe is a powerful witch with many more years of experience then both of them combined" J'onn replied
Bruce felt as if he'd been punched in the gut, not only did Ares have a spell cast on the dagger he laced it with a virus as well. He clenched his fists tightly at his side, if he managed to get his hands on him, god or no god he was going to make him pay for what he'd done to Diana.
Bruce felt odds were, it was the virus keeping Diana from healing, Circe might be a powerful witch, but he didn't think even she possessed the ability to cast a spell strong enough to circumvent Diana's god given healing ability.
For that matter, he wasn't sure a virus could either.
There was something more, something they were missing.
"Where's Shayera?" Bruce asked to no one in particular, his gaze never leaving Diana's prone form, his hand itching to reach out and touch her.
"Shayera? I don't know, why?" Clark asked
Bruce hung his head and slumped his shoulders, the moment he'd hoped to avoid had already come
"We need her to go to Themyscira and tell Hippolyta what's happening, maybe she can help"
Clark looked at Bruce's back in shock. He hadn't expected Bruce to give up so easily knowing there was chance Hippolyta would come only to take Diana back to Themyscira with her.
He hoped the detective had something else up his sleeve, he usually did because deep down Clark didn't want Diana to go either.
"What then?" Clark asked
Bruce turned to face his friend, "I need to speak with Zatanna, we need to get Circe to lift to the spell"
"How are we going to do that?"
"Circe always wants something in of value in return for doing something, no doubt Ares has promised her something, if we sweeten the deal…"
"Then perhaps she will lift the spell" J'onn finished
Bruce nodded
"Ok so what do we sweeten the deal with?"
"I don't know. That's why we need to find her"
Bruce took one last look at Diana before turning and leaving the infirmary in search of Zatanna, knowing she would be either in her quarters or one of the labs she used to try out her spells and potions.
Clark watched him leave, not sure what to make of this course of action, but at least it was something then simply watching Diana waste away and hoping Leslie and J'onn could come up with a solution in time.
"I'll contact Shayera, have her head to Themyscira immediately"
Clark turned to leave when J'onn called to him, making him stop and turn around
"He is struggling greatly with this, don't let him shut you out"
Clark sighed
"That's easier said than done, J'onn"
"I know it is, my friend"
With that Clark left the infirmary in search of Shayera, who he found in the training room, beating on a group of droids who didn't stand a chance against an upset Thanagarian. Word of Dianai's injury spread through the Watchtower like wild fire and upon hearing of it Shayera immediately put her mace through a computer screen… something he knew when he found out would only add to Bruce's current state of anger.
Since their trip to Tartarus the two women had reforged their friendship, something Clark and the others never thought would happen, but were extremely grateful when it did. Diana took Shayera's betrayal hard, Amazon's trusted deeply and for another woman, another warrior to break such trust cut Diana deeply.
After explaining the full extent of the situation to Shayera, she was more than happy to head to Themyscira in search of Diana's mother. She needed to do something she told Clark, and if she couldn't smash Ares head in then she would do this as a means to help Diana.
Even though she could fly, Clark made sure Shayera took one of the Javelin's in case Hippolyta wished to return to the Watchtower with her. He made it a point to let the Queen know she wouldn't need an entourage, they were willing to cooperate with whatever decision she made on how to help Diana, even if that meant taking Diana back to Themyscira.
Shayera wasn't exactly thrilled with the plan, knowing all too well a possible reaction from the Queen could be to whisk Diana away to Themyscira where they might never see her again. Although, deep down Shayera didn't feel that would happen.
After patching things up with her mother, Diana had been regular contact with her mother and one of the many things Hippolyta herself had come to see was how happy her daughter had become in Man's world.
In fact, Hippolyta too had begun embracing the outside world, allowing Themyscira to have an embassy which was involved in world matters, one of which was climate change. It was a huge step, one that brought mother and daughter even closer to together.
Shayera hoped this incident wouldn't set all that effort backwards.
xxx
Themyscira
Hippolyta had been praying in the temple when news of Shayera's arrival reached her.
Since breakfast the Queen had the unnerving sensation something was wrong, unable to place or shake the feeling, she decided to pray to Hera for guidance.
She had yet to receive an answer, which was so unlike the goddess, it only served to unsettle her even more.
Emerging from the temple, Hippolyta was greeted by her royal guard who had escorted Shayera from her landing area on the beach. Hippolyta couldn't help but notice and feel swell of pride at how her Amazon sisters treated their visitor with such royalty. Ever since she and Diana emerged from Tartarus victorious in their quest to reset the balance of power in the underworld, her fellow Amazons consider Shayera a champion of their people.
She too considered Shayera a true warrior, an Amazon sister.
"Your highness" Shayera said as she approached, bowing to show the respect due someone of Hippolyta's stature.
"Shayera" Hippolyta curtly responded, her concerned etched both in her voice and on her face, but she refused to let her concern show in front of her sisters so not to worry to them. "Please come with me"
Shayera nodded, stepping in stride next to the Queen
"You know why I'm here don't you?"
Hippolyta sighed. Her fears of something terribly wrong confirmed by the young woman's question
"Not specifically, but I had a feeling something bad happened earlier today. I've been praying to Hera for guidance, but my prayers have gone unanswered" Hippolyta stopped walking and turned to Shayera, laying a hand on her shoulder
"Tell me what has happened to my little sun and stars?"
Shayera took a deep breath, her own sense of failure at not being there to help and protect her friend weighed heavily on her
"This morning in Metropolis, Ares…"
"psh, Ares, a scorn in the side of Zeus" Hippolyta spat cutting Shayera off
"Isn't he Zeus' son?"
"Yes, unfortunately, but both Zeus and Hera forsook him many millennia ago, it's a long story. Please continue"
Shayera did her best to explain as much as she knew about what happened, all that Superman had relayed to her before leaving for Themyscira.
She told of how Ares lured a group of them to the city using an army of undead soldiers to attack civilians and while the others dealt with the soldiers Diana had gone, alone to confront Ares. Only it hadn't been Ares, it was Circe in disguise, meant to distract Diana long enough for Ares to get the drop on her.
She explained how he'd been able to pierce Diana's armor with a dagger Circe had cast a spell on and which the team later found out was laced with a virus and it now appeared one of the two was somehow negating Diana's healing abilities.
"How was he able to pierce her armor? That armor was created by Hephaestus himself and blessed by the gods"
"We don't know, we were hoping you would"
"It's not possible" Hippolyta mumbled, trying to wrap her mind around what tragedy had befallen her daughter
"And then there is her inability to heal, we don't know if it's Circe's spell or some kind of virus, but…"
"Eh, Circe. The gods never should've released her from prison"
"Why did they?"
"Overcrowding"
Shayera arched her brow "Seriously?"
"Yes. Even Hell gets crowded"
Shayera could only shake her head at the utter nonsense of it all
"I don't believe even she could cast a spell powerful enough to undo the god's blessings"
"Then a virus?"
"No, there has to be more to this… take me to your Watchtower, I wish to see my daughter"
Shayera smiled, relieved the Queen hadn't demanded she bring Diana to the island.
"Follow me, your highness"
The two women made their way back to the beach where the Javelin was waiting for them. Once there Hippolyta instructed Artemis she was in charge and to contact her only in an extreme emergency.
Even though the women had no use or desire for technology in their lives, they had embraced some, which included a small communication device Diana had given her mother, so they could talk to one another.
Not many of the Amazons knew of the machine's existence, or even how to use it, Artemis was the exception as she was the Queen's second in command.
"My Queen I must insist I be allowed to accompany you. You…"
Hippolyta held her hand up to silnce her general
"Will be fine with the Justice League. I need you here Artemis watching over Themyscira and our sisters in my stead"
Artemis relented bowing her head in respect of her Queen's wishes but Shayera could tell she wasn't happy with the decision.
"As you wish, my Queen. Please keep us informed of Diana's condition"
"I will"
Artemis bowed her head again as she backed away to join the other Amazon's who had gathered on the beach to see their Queen and guest off, worry for their princess etched on all their faces.
As she watched her home get smaller through the window of the co-pilot's seat, Hippolyta sighed sending up yet another silent prayer to the gods for strength and guidance.
"Thank you for coming to get me as opposed to merely calling"
"You're welcome, to be honest I had no idea Diana had given you the communicator, otherwise I would've announced I was coming"
Hippolyta looked at her in surprise
"Really? Diana said your Batman built the device specifically for us to use"
It was Shayera's turn to be surprised
"Did he now?"
Hippolyta nodded, explaining Batman built it small so it wouldn't be incumbersome upon their lives, but powerful enough to reach Diana at such a great distance away.
She could tell by the young woman's smile this was something Batman wouldn't normally do for everyone, but something he would do only for Diana. It touched Hippolyta's heart to know her daughter had found someone special to care about. Yet it deeply concerned her also, knowing from her own experience with Hades how deceitful and selfish men could be.
Not to mention how dark and brooding Batman was, another trait that reminded her all too well of Hades, leaving her with more concern for her daughter's wellbeing.
"Diana's in good hands your highness, if anyone can figure this out it's J'onn and Batman"
"I hope so my dear, I hope so"
The rest of the trip was made in relative silence with only a casual question or observation made by either woman.
Shayera watched from the corner of her eye at one point where Hippolyta bowed her head in prayer, no doubt asking her gods again to help their champion in some way.
Shayera wasn't one for prayer herself, she preferred action, but she found herself silently sending her own prayer to Hera, asking her to help her friend get through this.
xxx
Watchtower- Zatanna's Lab
Zatanna was getting frustrated, no matter what incantation or potion she tried she couldn't seem to lift the spell from the dagger.
"Err, useless" she screamed as she tossed away yet another potion that had no affect
"You're never going to accomplish anything while mad"
Gritting her teeth, Zatanna turned to find Dr Fate floating in the same indian style pose he'd been in since she'd asked for his assistance and his lack of doing anything other than pointing the obvious was starting to frustrate her more than her lack of progress with the dagger.
"Perhaps if you helped me I wouldn't be so mad"
"Is that really true?"
Pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefingers, Zatanna fought hard to bite back a response that would do nothing to help their situation.
"No, it's not" she replied with a forced fake smile
"See"
Her last nerve finally snapped
"No, it's not the truth, you know why?" she asked as she stalked over to him "Because I hate Circe. I hate her for what she's done to Diana and Batman, I hate her for what she's done to magic in general and I really hate her because I can't, no matter what I do, break her damn spell… because she's that good and I hate it."
"Then perhaps that is the answer"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"He's referring to Circe herself"
Zatanna spun on her heel to find Bruce standing next to the pedestal where the dagger lay, wondering how long he'd been standing there and how much of her rant he'd heard. She knew Bruce hated it when league members talked about him and Diana as anything more than teammates and after seeing him in the earlier in the infirmary she honestly feared how he might react to hearing her of all people doing it.
She also didn't miss his silent "Batman like" appraisal of the mess she'd made of her lab
"What about Circe?" she asked putting her hands on her hips
"It's her spell, only she can lift it" Dr Fate said as he lowered himself to the floor, coming to stand next to her, "You said it yourself Zatanna, Circe is that good… only she can undo what she's done"
Zatanna mumbled something neither man could fully make out before replying with a statement they could
"So why didn't you suggest that earlier before I made this huge mess?"
"I thought perhaps the two of us together could get lucky and figure it out, but it wasn't meant to be. At least we figured out what the spell is"
Zatanna really bristled now, Dr Fate had wasted precious time when in truth he knew there was nothing either of them could do to break Circe's spell. She wanted to the smack the zen like attitude out of him so badly, but she knew that too would do nothing to help Diana, so she restrained herself, instead she turned back to Bruce
"We discovered the main spell is a 'harm' spell. They're only used in dark magic and by those who are truly evil"
"What does it do?"
"Literally what is sounds like. It causes constant pain. No matter what you do or what you give the person, the pain will never go away" Zatanna involunatrily shivered at the thought of what Diana must be going through and how truly angry Circe must be to cast such a spell.
"Then Fate is right, we need Circe to do undo it" Bruce replied
"So, what, we just ask Circe nicely to lift the spell? I doubt that will work"
"That's exactly what we are going to do"
Zatanna's mouth fell open but nothing came out.
"How do you plan to do that Batman?" Fate asked
"I'm curious of that myself" Zantanna said, her reply dripping with sacrasm
"Circe always wants something in return for lifting one of her spells, you need to find out what that is" Bruce replied looking right at Zatanna
"Me?" Zatanna asked shocked pointing herself "Why me?"
Bruce nodded
"Yes you, you're the only one who can enter her Amphitheater unannounced, I need you to go her and ask her what she wants in return for lifting her spell"
"And what if she doesn't want anything? What if this is simply about revenge?" Dr Fate asked
Bruce looked over at Fate, who he had to admit raised a good point, but Bruce had a feeling this went much deeper than just revenge for Circe. She's an opportunist, she saw in Ares plan an opportunity to get something she wanted for herself, all they needed to do is find out what that something is.
"We won't know until we ask her"
"Fine, I'll go speak with her" Zatanna muttered, crossing her arms defiantly. She wasn't happy about it and she had an uneasy feeling about it as well. Circe was up to something, she knew it. She just didn't know what… yet.
Zatanna stalked past Bruce to leave when he called out to her
"And don't do anything to provoke her, just find out what she wants and come right back here"
Zatanna stopped in her tracks, fists balled up at her sides
"Yes dad"
xxx
Mykonos- Circe's Amphitheater
Zatanna hated this place…bad memories.
Not to mention it creeped her out.
Seeing all the stone statues she knew were once real people sitting, frozen forever in time sent a chill down her spine and turned her stomach. Word had gone out on magic hotwire Circe had pretty much lost it, one of her performances having not been met with the level of appreciation she demanded from her audience, had set the witch completely off.
She'd stalked out of the theater, but later returned with her old cellmate Medusa who had promptly turned everyone in the theater to stone without a moment's hesitation.
She could conly imagine what these poor souls last moments and thoughts must have been like staring into the eyes of Medusa, hearing Circe's devilish laugh in the background.
It was no way to spend eternity.
Doing her best to stay focused, Zatanna made her way through the "crowd" toward the empty stage.
"Can I help you with something?"
Zatanna nearly jumped out of her skin, startled at the sound of Circe's booming voice coming from somewhere in the dark behind her.
Composing herself, she turned around to face the object of her mission… and hatred. The sound of Bruce's voice reminding her not to do anything stupid playing like a prayer mantra over and over in her mind.
"I think you know why I am here, Circe" she spat out.
She promised Bruce not to do anything stupid, it didn't mean she had to be nice.
Circe smirked
"Come to grovel for the Princess's life, have we?"
Zatanna bit down on the inside of her cheek until she tasted blood, this woman made her want to use dark magic, something she swore an oath never to do… that's how much she despised her.
"I'm not here to grovel, Batman…"
"Batman" Circe crooned
Zatanna's stomach churned at the way Batman's name rolled off the witch's tongue, it was almost seductive in nature the way she said it.
Another reason she wanted to slap the shit out of her.
"Yes, Batman. He asked me to come and find out what it is you want…"
"What it is I want in return for once again lifting the spell on his precious Princess" Circe said, again cutting Zatanna off as she sauntered towards her from the shadows.
Zatanna balled up her fists, her nails digging into her hands
"Stop cutting me off" she spat "And yes, that's exactly why I am here, so tell me what it is you want"
"No." Circe replied casually as she pretended to inspect her manicured nails.
Circe knew she was getting to the young magician, and it was fun to watch so she decided to take her time, draw out the moment before letting her know what she wanted
"No?"
"No"
Zatanna wasn't quite sure how to handle this, she hadn't expected this reaction from Circe. She had expected the witch to gloat, to show some anger towards Diana, even justify why she did it, but she most definitely had not expected to hear her simply say 'no.'
"No, as in you don't want anything or no, you don't want to tell me what you want"
"Such a hard choice to make" Circe replied as she tapped her finger on her lips, pretending to contemplate her answer
"Circe" Zatanna warned, her teeth tightly ground together
Circe laughed, "Fine, I do want something"
"Yes" Zatanna said between gritted teeth, her patience hanging by a thread
Circe slyly smirked, thoroughly enjoying the affect she was having on Zatanna, positive what she was about to request next would make the young woman fall over
"But I'll only tell it to Batman"
Bingo.
Zatanna's mouth fell open, her eyes wide with shock
"Wha…why?" she stuttered
"You don't need to know little one, all you need to know is that I will only talk to him"
"But…"
Circe's demeanor quickly turned "No more questions! If you want to save the Princess, go back and tell Batman he is to meet with me"
"Where?"
"What?"
"Where should he meet you? He's not going to come here" she replied waving her arms around her
"No of course he isn't." she giggled, her eyes rolling "Tell him to meet me at the spot where we first met, he'll know the place"
Zatanna narrowed her eyes, her mind racing, wondering why it was so important she meet only with Bruce, when suddenly it hit her… Diana. Bruce had offered his humility up to the witch to save Diana the last time, something the Dark Knight of Gotham wouldn't do for just anyone. No doubt Circe picked up on what everyone else had, that Batman cared deeply for the Princess… enough to sing in public. Well, as public as Circe's club was.
"Oh, and sweetie, tell him to come alone. This is just between us" Circe drawled, winking
Zatanna felt a shiver race down her spine, she didn't like how Circe phrased that last part one bit.
As she exited the Amphitheater and called on Mr. Terrific to transport her back to the Watchtower, Zatanna had a gut-wrenching feeling Bruce would be called upong to do more than sing to Diana's earn freedom this time.
xxx
Watchtower
Feeling the hum of the transporter faded, Zatanna found herself on the familiar safe ground of the Watchtower, where she let out a long labored breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding this entire time.
She felt as if she needed shower and to hit something, not necessarily in that order either. There was nothing like making a deal with the devil to make you want to be clean and assault something.
As she stepped off the transporter pad she asked Mr. Terrific if he knew where Batman was as she highly doubted he would still be waiting in her lab, asking Terrific would be much quicker than her trying to guess where he may be.
Terrific's face grew impassive, almost sad even, giving Zatanna somewhat of a clue where Bruce might be. Diana was liked and respected by everyone in the league, not just because she was one of the founding members or the trinity as many of the junior members had begun to refer to her, Batman and Superman but because the Amazon genuinely touched and respected everyone equally.
She was an amazing woman, she had to be to capture Bruce's heart.
"Batman is in the founder's infirmary, he asked me to tell you to go there when you returned"
"Has there been any change in Diana's condition?"
Mr. Terrific shook his head
"Not as far as I know"
Zatanna sighed, she'd hoped by some miracle Dr Fate had somehow found a way to reverse Circe's spell while she away, therefore making her visit unneeded, but deep down she knew she'd been deluding herself to think such a thing
Making her way to the founder's infirmary she thought what Circe's real motive behind wanting to meet Bruce alone could be. It was obvious she wanted to humiliate Diana one final time but how would Bruce fit into that?
More to the point, how was she going to make Bruce fit into that plan? Zatanna's stomach rolled at what Circe might have in mind for him, what trick she would try to use to get him to do what she wanted.
As she entered the outer section of the founder's infirmary she came across J'onn who was intently studying something on the tablet in he held, Diana's test results no doubt she thought. Glancing from the Martian to the frosted windows of Diana's room her heart fell further.
The frosted windows meant a founder, or another league member was inside, mask off, their true identity exposed.
It told her Bruce was at Diana's side not as Batman the Dark Knight but as Bruce Wayne the man.
It broke her heart. Bruce had finally found someone to care about, someone he could fully open himself up to and be not only Batman but Bruce Wayne as well and Circe and Ares were threatening to take all it all away. She wasn't sure he would survive losing someone else he cared so deeply about.
Staring at the door to the room Zatanna knew she needed to go in and speak with him, but she found she couldn't move, didn't want to move.
"He's been waiting for you to return"
"How is she?"
"She is no better"
Zatanna slumped her shoulders
"But she is no worse either"
It was a small consolation J'onn knew, but he could sense Zatanna's anguish and hesitation, it was almost as powerful as Batman's. J'onn contemplated leaving the infirmary, going to another lab to study Diana's test results but he felt with Leslie down on earth at her clinic he needed to be close by in case there was a change in Diana's condition.
But Zatanna's arrival was making him strongly revisit the idea.
Zatanna hesitantly pushed the door to Diana's room open, sticking her head in like a kid who stuck her head in her parent's bedroom on an early weekend morning to see if they were awake.
Stepping inside she was shocked to see the amount of computer and lab equipment that had been moved into the room, it looked like one of Bruce's labs not a hospital room. She knew why, Bruce was determined to find a way to help Diana and while he trusted J'onn and Leslie implicitly, he wasn't going to leave the research to anyone else and he wasn't going to do it far from Diana's side.
Turning to her left, she saw Bruce sitting at Diana's bedside, his back to the door, and even with his head slumped down she could tell his cowl off. As she approached the bed, she could feel the tears begin to well up when the new angle exposed Diana's limp hand resting tightly within his.
xxx
Bruce stared at the limp hand in his own, waiting, willing it to move, but nothing happened.
A groan from Diana drew his attention to her sweat filled face, contorted and twisted from the pain she was experiencing.
Reaching to the table next to her bed he grabbed the damp towel, squeezing out the excess water he brought it to her face and gently blotted it along her cheeks and brow.
At the feel of the cool towel on her skin, Diana's head began to sway back and forth, as if to avoid the sensation of being touched.
It was obvious she was uncomfortable
"Easy Princess" Bruce gently whispered
To his surprise Diana not only responded to his cooing but her eyes began to flutter as if she was going to open them. Seeing this Bruce leaned forward, his eyes intently locked on her.
"Diana?" he called
Through the haze of fever and pain Diana could hear a familiar voice calling to her, but she couldn't focus her thoughts enough to discern who exactly it was and no matter how hard she tried her body wouldn't cooperate, her eyes refused to open.
Hearing her name called a second, more impassioned time her brain finally kicked in, it was Bruce, but why did he sound so far away? She wondered and why couldn't she open her eyes?
"C'mon Diana, come back to me"
Seeing her eyes flutter, Bruce leaned in even closer, his heart soaring at the notion she could be coming around, coming back to him.
"Bruce"
Her voice was a hoarse whisper but being so close Bruce heard it loud and clear, it was like music to his ears
"I'm here" he quickly responded his hand tightening around hers, excitement flooding through him when he felt her fingers tighten slightly around his
Diana's eyes fluttered open just a crack, Bruce could see they were hazed over, barely focusing but they were open
"Bruce, wha…" Diana mumbled before losing consciousness
Bruce watched as she slipped back into unconsciousness, her head lulled to one side as her eyes fluttered shut.
"No, no, Diana stay with me" he softly pleaded but to no avail, her hand once again limp his own.
Bruce felt his chest tighten, as he watched her fade back into unconsciousness. He hated seeing her like this, so weak, so frail. She was one of the strongest among them, almost as strong as Clark. To see her like this tormented him
He'd worked so hard to keep her from getting close but somehow, she had managed to do just that. She'd wormed her way through the blockade he'd put up around his heart easier than anyone he'd ever encountered in his life. And after some time, he wasn't sure when exactly, he found he'd stopped fighting it, fighting her.
At the time he felt that would be enough. By admitting to himself he was in love with her he felt could protect himself better. He would be prepared for when she made his heart skip a beat, or his stomach twist into knots but he soon found out there was no protection from the emotions Diana was able to elicit within him.
Hearing the door to the room creak open and soft footsteps approaching he quickly reclaimed control of his emotions.
"What did Circe say?" he asked, not breaking his gaze from Diana's unconscious form.
Zatanna sucked in a gasp of air at how raspy his voice was, his emotions openly flowing out in front of her had caught her off guard.
It left her unable to find her own voice for a moment, but when she did, it was just as raspy, and emotion filled as his.
"She wouldn't tell me what she wanted"
Bruce turned in his seat to look at her, his eyes narrowed, his detective mind already working out possible scenarios
"She said she'll only speak with you, she wants you to meet her… alone"
"Did she say why?" He asked, turning his attention back to Diana, a pretty good idea what the answer was already forming in his mind
"No"
"Where?"
"The place where the two of you first met, she said you'd know where"
"I do"
A heavy silence fell between them before Bruce abruptly stood up, pulled his cowl back on and turned around to face her
"Stay with her, let me know if there is any change"
Zatanna nodded
"Yes, of course"
Bruce started to leave when she called out to him
"Be careful Bruce, she's up to something I can feel it"
Bruce stopped but didn't turn around
"I will, keep an eye on her"
And with that Bruce slipped out of the infirmary, his determined feet carrying him toward the transporter room.
As he turned the corner, he skidded to a stop, his body rigid and tense in retaliation to who now stood before him.
"Your highness"
xxx
