TITLE: One-Track Mind

AUTHOR: LOTSlover

CHARACTERS: Batman / Wonder Woman

RATING: T

WARNINGS: Author Chooses Not to Use Warnings

DISCLAIMER: I love Justice League, but especially Batman and Wonder Woman. Unfortunately, I do not own the characters and, if I did, things would be much different for them.

SUMMARY: Following the events of A Knight of Shadows, Bruce contemplates his deepest desires.

One-Track Mind

Batman attempted to stifle a groan as he sank into the co-pilot seat of the Javelin, his hand involuntarily moving to brace his cracked ribs. His Amazonian teammate picked up on his discomfort, smiling to herself as he tried to disguise it with a throat-clearing cough. She knew better than to ask him if he was all right. He would tell her he was fine even if he was bleeding to death.

Deciding to wait until later to ask him how he actually was fairing, Diana started up the Javelin's engines, preparing for the flight back to the Watchtower. She had to admit that she was feeling pretty sore herself, the battle with Morgaine Le Fay and her son Mordred draining even to her. She could only imagine how much more exhausting it was for Batman and yet, he never let it show or slow him down.

He was remarkable to watch in action, an enigma that she was trying her best to dissect, but he was proving extremely difficult to figure out. He was dedicated to his mission, almost to a neurotic fault and profoundly complicated. It was as if he had a one-track mine—justice and no room for anything else in his life.

She felt at times like she was wandering through a complex maze when it came to Batman, doing her best to find her way only to repeatedly come to a dead end. She knew, though; if she kept working at it, she would eventually get to the heart of what made this mortal man the infamous Dark Knight of Gotham. There were layers upon layers that made up the Batman. All she could do was carefully peel away each layer, climb every wall he put up until she got to the man hidden beneath it all.

Despite the constant confusion that he created within her, Diana couldn't deny that whenever she needed him, he was always there for her. She was beginning to notice a subtle pattern with him, one that seemed to show a measure of concern for her. He typically paired with her for missions, their monitor duty shifts corresponding or overlapping.

When she had first noticed it, she had been incensed by the thought that Batman didn't trust her or her abilities in battle. She didn't need her hand held nor was she some frail damsel in distress in need of protection. She didn't require some man to look out for her.

She was an Amazon, trained as a highly skilled warrior for more than a thousand years. She was the Champion of the Gods, blessed by her gods. She needed no man…least of all a mortal man with an ego the size of Athena's temple.

J'onn had sensed her fury a couple of weeks ago. He had opened her eyes to the possibility that it wasn't a matter of distrust, but maybe it was the fact that Batman actually did trust her so greatly. It had definitely given her a lot to think about after, constantly occupying her thoughts ever since that revelation by the Martian Manhunter.

She had asked J'onn what else he knew about Batman, but he had refused to reveal any more to her. He had felt it wasn't his place to expose secrets that were the Dark Knight's to reveal. On top of that, he'd informed her that he was unable to fully read the Batman's mind. It had left her to wonder what more he had discovered.

"Penny for your thoughts, Princess."

The deep baritone grate of his voice shook her free from her meditative state. She glanced at her teammate sitting to her right to find him typing on the computer on the console. "A penny?" she asked, confused.

"It's an expression," he clarified. "You seem lost in your thoughts. Something on your mind?"

"Not really," she replied with mild embarrassment at having been caught thinking about him. She bit at her bottom lip as she quickly averted her eyes for fear that he could actually see inside of her soul. "Just wondering how long before Le Fay will strike again."

"I think it'll be some time before we see her again," he reassured her with his typical confident tone, sensing that she was hiding something more from him. "She will be back, though. She's far too obsessed. She'll go to any length to make sure her son gets exactly what he wants."

"I'd like to get my hands on Mordred," Diana ground out. "He could use a heavy dose of discipline and a lesson in respect."

Batman smirked as he glanced at her. "I have no doubt that you could teach him all that and much more, Princess."

Diana had to chuckle in agreement despite how Le Fay and Mordred had stirred her anger. "Spend any amount of time with my mother and you'll understand why. Amazons are rigid when it comes to discipline and respect."

"I've met your mother," he curtly responded with noticeable anger lacing his voice. She detected the sudden tightness in his jaw, the flexing of the muscles. "I'm afraid I was not impressed."

Diana sighed softly, a frown forming on her face. "It…it was something that she had to do," she said, her voice reflecting the lack of confidence that she felt at that moment.

"As your queen…maybe," Batman stiffly conceded. "As your mother, not in a million years."

Diana turned to look out her window on the left, her throat tightening with the emotion welling up inside of her. This was the most that she'd actually talked about her banishment with anyone since it had happened. She hadn't even talked to Kal about it, deciding to fully throw herself into her mission of peace and her duties instead.

Batman could feel her pain, immediately regretting his response. He didn't mean to hurt her, but his anger with the whole situation had escaped before he could rein it in. He wanted to lighten the mood once more, to get back to their post-mission banter that he enjoyed with her.

"So what did you think of your first meeting with Etrigen?" Batman asked with a slight upturn of his lips.

Diana snorted, a lilting laugh following the derisive sound. "He's certainly…interesting."

Batman chuckled at her choice of words. "He's definitely an acquired taste," he agreed. "Jason Blood is a good man and Etrigen…well, he has his issues, but his intentions are good."

"He needs a lesson in diplomacy," she stated, pausing to look over her shoulder to see that Flash and J'onn were lost in conversation in the back of the Javelin. "He treated J'onn badly."

The smirk returned to the Dark Knight's lips. "You seemed to handle him just fine," he told her. "That was some slap you gave him. It's a wonder you didn't dislocate his jaw."

"I wish now that I hadn't held back as much as I did," she angrily confessed. "He deserved every bit of it and much more."

"You have to admit he redeemed himself in the end," Batman said. "He talked some sense into J'onn and kept him from resigning from the League."

"That was Jason Blood, not Etrigen," she pointed out with unmistakable disdain. "I swear by Hera that if I ever see that vile demon again, he's going to regret it."

Batman smiled to himself with the princess's rant. Her fiery spirit was one of the things that had initially drawn him to her. She was full of such passion and fortitude. "Like I said…Etrigen is an acquired taste."

"Like you?" she teased, flashing him a mischeivious grin that seemed to make her eyes sparkle.

Batman snorted in amusement as he returned to his typing. "I never went into this to make friends," he admitted. "I don't have the time or the room in my life for friends. Gotham and the Justice League keep me busy enough."

Diana turned a thoughtful eye on him, a perfectly sculpted eyebrow arched in question. "Are we not friends?" she asked him, the sparkle gone from her eyes and replaced with something akin to sadness.

He turned to meet her almost hurtful gaze, realizing what he had just said and how cold it had sounded. "Yes, we're friends," he told her. "I just meant that my mission in Gotham comes first. It leaves little time for socializing."

"Maybe if you allowed a little help in Gotham once in a while, you'd have more time for friends."

"No…no help in Gotham," he adamantly stated with a razor-sharp edge to his tone. "I can't have the League sticking their nose in Gotham. It'll undermine everything that I've accomplished so far. Everyone will think I'm incapable of handling my own city. I can't have that."

"I don't believe that for one minute," she retorted. "You have proven your skills and abilities as Batman more times than I can begin to recount. Besides, there is nothing wrong with asking for help once in a while."

"It is when you're a mortal man," he snapped.

Diana sighed in frustration, wondering how things had gotten so far off track. "Just because I'm blessed by the gods doesn't mean that I don't need help at times. None of us are completely invincible or can we handle everything that is thrown at us in every situation. It would be arrogant to think otherwise."

"I have enough help in Gotham," he evenly maintained, pausing to moderate his tone slightly before continuing. He felt the inexplicable need to reassure her. "If you ever need backup, I'll always be there, Diana."

His words caused an unexpected flutter in her chest, one that she didn't quite know how to handle. She smiled softly as she hooked a raven curl behind her ear. "I'll always be there to back you up too…if you'll let me that is."

"You came when I needed help with Morgaine Le Fay," he reminded her.

"Yes and I'm feeling every bit of it too," she replied. "Thanks for that."

"By the way, you're on your own if Le Fay electrocutes you again with her magic," he informed her. "Touching you turned out to be quite a shocking experience."

"Oh, Hera, I think I may faint," Diana groaned. "Do my ears deceive me or did the cantankerous Batman just crack an actual joke?"

"There's a lot more to me than you can possibly begin to imagine, Princess," Batman flirted with her.

"And here I thought you had a one-track mind," she quipped.

"I do think of things other than Gotham at times," he said.

"Like what?" she asked with a grin. "Criminals? Case files? How to build a better Bat-trap?"

"Funny, Princess," he responded with a soft chuckle. "I may be Batman, but I'm still a red-blooded male."

He couldn't help but notice the faint blush that suffused her cheeks with his insinuation, appreciating the glow on her beautiful face. He was all male indeed as sensuous thoughts about his teammate began drifting through his mind, stirring things deep inside of him long believed buried and locked away.

He scowled to himself, wondering where these unwanted thoughts were coming from. He didn't have feelings for the Amazon, couldn't afford to feel anything more than friendship with her. He needed to be careful about letting their flirtatious banter go too far.

The sound of Flash's boisterous laughter filled the Javelin, cutting through the sexual tension that had unexpectedly developed between the Bat and the princess. Diana looked behind her, relieved to see J'onn actually smiling at whatever Flash had told him.

"I can't help feeling great sorrow for J'onn," she revealed, changing the subject. "He's lost everything and yet he continues to push on despite everything that he's been forced to endure."

"You're lost everything too, Princess," Batman softly pointed out. "You have continued to uphold your duties despite your exile. The way you've handled everything has been admirable."

"Yes, but I can go on knowing that my mother and sisters are alive and well on Themyscira," she continued, her voice laced with sadness that made Batman's heart clench in sympathy. "I can hold onto the hope that I can return to my home someday. He doesn't have that luxury."

Batman became immersed in thoughts of his parents as well as everything that he had lost over the years. The eternal pain that lived in his soul expanded, nearly choking him as he tried to tamp down on the rapidly escalating emotions. Even though he trusted Diana with his life, he was definitely not ready to reveal his identity or divulge his life history.

Sensing his sudden melancholy, Diana continued. "When I went to see Harvey Stickman in order to get the Sorcerer's Stone, I was angered that he had used its power for such selfish gains. He had wealth, fame…women. It was reprehensible."

"You can't tell me that if you had the chance, you wouldn't have attempted to restore your position among the Amazons," Batman supposed.

Diana tightened her grip on the handles as she piloted the Javelin towards the Watchtower. "No, I would not have." Her clipped response revealed her indignation with the very assumption, angered that he didn't know her better than that. "I broke Amazonian law and deserved the punishment I received for my actions."

"If it weren't for you, your mother and sisters would still be nothing more than statues decorating your island," Batman shot back, his anger flaring once more. "You had no choice, Diana. Your mother and sisters should be thanking you for being alive instead of banishing you from the only home you've ever known or had."

"I know, but it would be selfish of me to use the stone for my own desires when there is so much hurt and injustice in the world," she replied, turning her attention from the controls to the Dark Knight sitting beside her. "If you could have used the Sorcerer's Stone, what would you have used it for?"

Batman instantly bristled with her question; the immediate answer that danced on the tip of his tongue was a simple one…obvious to anyone who knew his true identity. He would give everything he had to have his parents back, to erase the heart-rending anguish that had punctuated his life since he was an eight year old boy.

He swallowed hard, sitting up a little straighter in his seat. "We're here," he stiffly replied instead. "I'll file the mission report."

Diana's shoulders slumped slightly; disappointed that she had once again hit another dead end when it came to the complicated maze that was known as Batman. Hopefully in time, he'd feel more comfortable about sharing parts of himself with her, opening up a little more to her.

"I'll help you," she offered as she landed the Javelin. "There are some things that I want to get down in the report while they're still fresh in my mind so we'll be better prepared next time we meet up with Le Fay and her son."

"Are you sure you're up to it?" he asked, unbuckling his harness. "You took quite a few vicious hits."

"And J'onn told me you have a concussion and cracked ribs and yet you went right back into battle against Le Fay," she countered.

"Touché," he said as he stood to his feet, noticing once again how much alike they actually were beneath the surface.

Diana stood as well, her hand automatically reaching out to grasp his forearm to keep him from leaving as J'onn and Flash exited the Javelin. "I hope in time you'll feel you can trust me enough with your secrets," she softly said to him, meeting his cowled gaze. "I'm sure even the enigmatic Batman needs a good friend to talk to once in a while."

Batman stared at her for a long moment as he lost himself in her compassionate gaze, her words warming him clear to his toes. He gave her a curt nod as his lips thinned into a grim line. He was afraid to test his voice, didn't trust himself not to react to her touch or her close proximity at that point.

His emotions were too raw from everything that had happened, being forced to grapple with his own deep desire to have his parents back in his life once more. It had left him feeling a sense of vulnerability that he absolutely detested. He didn't want Diana to see that in him. He had to prove himself strong and in complete control at all times, especially in front of her.

He turned to exit the Javelin, Diana following close behind. She knew that she shouldn't have expected any more of a response from him than what she had received, but was still a little disappointed. Nevertheless, his brusque manner had done little to deter her curiosity about him or the fact that she was becoming little more enamored with him. She refused to put a name to what she was starting to feel for him, choosing rather to just enjoy the adventure for now.

Batman turned to find Diana turning down the hall instead of following him to the Monitor Womb to file their reports. "Where are you going?" he asked, disappointed she was no longer following him.

"To the kitchen to grab an iced mocha before we start," she replied. "Go ahead and start. I'll be right there."

"Bring me one too," he unexpectedly requested with the slightest twitch of his lips.

Diana graced him with a warm smile that only seemed to brighten even more as she nodded in agreement before turning on her heel to head to the kitchen. Batman watched her until she disappeared around the next corner before he continued to make his way to the Monitor Womb.

His thoughts were still consumed with everything that had happened today, but were now intermingled with thoughts of the Amazon princess. J'onn's words also continued to echo in his mind and lingered within the gaping hole in his heart that his parent's death had carved out.

"I'd sometimes do anything to see my loved ones again. You can't imagine how that feels."

If J'onn only knew that he understood exactly how that felt, far more than the Martian Manhunter could possibly know. Bruce knew that he'd be lying if the thought of getting his hands on the Sorcerer's Stone hadn't crossed his mind, but he'd resolutely banished that notion.

Like Diana, he refused to use the stone for selfish motives despite how desperately he wanted his parents back. Her selflessness served to further cement his notion that he had done the right thing. It seemed that when things were darkest, her light brought shined brightly on the truth.

Sitting down at one of the computer workstations, Batman began entering his login information, thoughts of his female colleague floating through his mind. When they had fought Morgaine's demon army, the first person he had turned to in order to make sure everyone was all right was Diana. And when Diana had been electrocuted by Morgaine, he hadn't thought twice about racing to her side, fearing the worst as he had reached out to touch her.

He sat back in his chair, folding his arms against his chest as he stared at the computer screen. He had always prided himself on his ability to compartmentalize things, keeping everyone at arms' length so he could keep his focus on his mission to protect Gotham and keep his promise to his parents.

Diana had said that he had a one-track mind and she had been more than accurate in that assumption. Unfortunately, he was beginning to find that his focus on his mission was starting to waver, his attention being pulled in another…one that was far more pleasing, one that he had not anticipated nor did he have a contingency plan for.

How in the world did his one-track mind become derailed by a certain Amazonian princess?