Chapter 6

Watchtower; September 23rd, 17:34 EST

Diana sat in the entertainment room of the Watchtower with Flash watching a movie that he swore to her was the best movie of all time. Of course to him, every movie was the best movie of all time. Instead of focusing on the action-packed fight scenes, though, she found her thoughts consumed by a certain man—a stubborn, infuriating, maddening mortal man that she wanted to pound at any given time of the day depending on what he'd done to provoke her.

The realization that had struck her like a bolt of lightning yesterday continued to swirl determinedly in her mind, refusing to leave her. It had hit her as sure as a fist by Giganta as she had touched his cheek and stared into his eyes. The anguish and the internal struggle that she had discovered swimming there had been startling to say the least. He was always so in control and resolved, masking his emotions behind a thick veneer of deprecation and cool indifference.

She had seen far more of the real Bruce in that singular moment than he had ever verbally revealed to her in the last three years. It was something that had been unexpected to say the least, a rare gift that he had given her. She didn't believe that he had meant for her to see so much, but she had and now she didn't know what to do about these newly recognized feelings she realized consumed her heart.

She had gone to him for some help on her case or at least that's what she had told him and herself. Deep down, she knew it had been far more than that. She had needed to see him, to check on him after what she had learned from talking to John.

Although he wouldn't come out and admit it, Diana knew that Bruce's visit to the future had affected him far deeper than she was certain that he'd ever admit to. It was going to be an uphill battle to attempt to get him to open up to her, but she was determined to at least try.

While she was hesitant to give what she felt for Bruce an actual name, she knew it definitely stepped outside the boundaries of just friendship or teammates. It was difficult to try to define it. Even though she felt an intense attraction to him, she wasn't certain now if it was something that should actually be acted upon.

Yesterday, she had been fully resolved to help him, to put together the broken pieces of the Batman. Now, she wasn't quite as convinced it was a task or a challenge that she was prepared to tackle. While she cared for him, she was a little worried about risking a broken heart or worse…destroying their friendship.

"Sorry I'm late."

Diana looked up at the sound of the familiar voice, a scowl instantly forming on her face. She shot a dark glare at Flash who was already holding his hands up in front of him as he backed away from his spot on the couch next to her as if to escape physical harm.

"Now, Wondy," he cautioned her. "I can explain."

"I didn't know that she was going to be here," Shayera icily stated. "I'll come back later."

"No, I was just leaving," Diana volunteered as she stood to her feet.

"Now, ladies," Flash said as he leapt to his feet, holding out a cautioning hand towards each superheroine in hopes of warding off a cat fight. "We were all the best of friends in the past. I know we can get to that point again if we just tried. You each just need to make an effort."

Diana and Shayera glowered at each other, neither budging from their spots. Flash zipped over to Shayera, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as he warily guided her towards one end of the couch. The Thanagarian went grudgingly, but willingly, the sour expression on her face not diminishing in the least.

"We are going to sit here together, eat popcorn, watch a movie just like we used to and we're all going to enjoy it," he insisted, his voice broking no room for argument from either woman.

Flash suddenly appeared at Diana's side, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as well to guide her to the other end of the same couch before settling down between the feuding heroines. Reaching forward, he picked up a big bowl of popcorn off the table, sitting it on his lap.

"Now isn't this fun?" he asked with a huge grin plastered on his masked face, looking at Diana on his left before glancing at Shayera on his right. Both women sat with arms folded and frowns fixed on their faces. "I don't think you missed too much of the movie, Shay. You should be able to pick up on what's happening pretty quickly."

Flash pushed play, the movie starting up again from the point he'd paused it at. The tension in the room was thick and oppressive, but Diana refused to leave. She wasn't about to back down or run away like a coward. Besides, she wasn't the one who had betrayed her teammates and endangered the world.

Diana leaned an elbow on the arm of the couch, propping her head up with her fist. She wished that someone else would join them and help diffuse a measure of the uncomfortable animosity that permeated the room. While Shayera had been one of her best friends, Diana wasn't about to make any effort to rekindle that friendship despite her former friend's attempts at redemption. Shayera needed to fully prove herself in her eyes and, until she did, Diana was not about to budge from her stand.

Wally began chattering about the part that Shayera had missed as he stuffed handfuls of popcorn into his mouth. Diana tried to focus on what was playing out on the large screen TV before her, but it was next to impossible. She had too much on her mind between the thief she was trying to catch and her bewildering feelings for Bruce. Adding Shayera into the mix only added to her stress.

She silently prayed for a mission to come up or something that would call her away and save her from this forced bonding time that she wanted no part of. The minutes seemed to drag by as Flash attempted to pull her into one conversation after another with little success, commenting on the action in the movie or how unrealistic a certain stunt move had been.

Finally unable to take it a moment longer, Diana leapt to her feet. "I'm sorry, Wally, but I have too much I have to do right now. I'll see you later."

"But, Wondy!" Flash cried, sitting up in a panic and nearly knocking his bowl of popcorn over. "We're only halfway through the movie."

"Yah, I have some things that I need to do too," Shayera decided, glaring at Diana. "Maybe next time, Wally."

"But…but…" he sputtered in dismay, looking back and forth between the two superheroes. "I'm not going to give up reuniting the terrific trio! We are going to do this again and you both will enjoy it! Do you hear me?"

Diana turned to the left while Shayera abruptly turned the opposite direction of the Amazon warrior, neither of them willing to meet in the middle. Irritated to the point of needing to hit something, Diana stormed around the corner only to plough directly into a muscular frame dressed completely in black.

"Sorry," she muttered as gauntleted hands automatically moved to grip her shoulders to keep her from falling. It was at that moment that she realized she had run directly into the man who had been occupying her thoughts since she had left the Batcave the day before.

"Easy, Princess," he rasped darkly, the slits of his cowl narrowing as he took in her annoyed demeanor. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," she snapped.

"Something obviously upset you," he pointed out, taking in her appearance. He wasn't the least bit impressed with the Metropolis Meteors sweatshirt that she had on. Clark had no doubt given it to her.

"Flash tried to get Shayera and me to make peace, but it won't work," she firmly stated, crossing her arms over her chest. "I can't just go back to the way that things used to be between us and act like nothing happened."

"You know she's a part of the League again," he reminded her. "You're going to have to find a way to get past your differences."

Diana's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Are you taking her side now?"

"I never said that," he countered.

"So whose side are you on?"

"I'm not on anyone's side," he maintained with a scowl. "Shayera is back and she's not going anywhere so the sooner you get over your grudge with her the better."

"It's not a grudge," she ground out with a sneer. "She betrayed the League and the world, helped to nearly destroy us. I'm sorry if that's not something that I can so easily forgive and forget like you can."

"She ended up saving us all in the end, Diana," he shot back, refusing to back down despite her tirade.

"No, you saved us, Bruce," she hissed, poking him directly in the armored chest a little harder than she probably should have. "You very nearly died because of her and that's not something I can forgive. If she hadn't betrayed us, you wouldn't have been forced into a suicide mission in order to save the world. I...we…would be struggling to find a way to get over your death right now."

Bruce was stunned by the scope of her anger but more so by the fact that she blamed Shayera for his near-death experience. He knew that she had been quite upset with him for crashing the Watchtower, but he thought she had gotten over it. He had obviously been wrong.

He watched as she visibly shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself. "Diana, I only did what was necessary to save the world."

"You might not have been forced into such a drastic measure if Shayera hadn't betrayed us," she countered, averting her eyes. "You could be dead right now, Bruce. We would've had to bury you…to move on without you. That's not something I can so easily forgive."

Without thinking, Batman reached out to touch her, his gauntleted hand coming to rest on her shoulder in an effort to reassure her. "I'm not, Princess," he replied. "I survived. I'm here and I'm perfectly fine."

"It could've been so much worse," she admitted as she drew a shaky breath, still refusing to meet his intense gaze. She'd revealed far more than she had planned to. He always made her react and feel things that she never anticipated.

"We can't think about what could have happened or second guess our decisions," he reminded her as he gently squeezed her shoulder. "We can only act and accept the consequences. Thankfully, I'm still here to annoy the hell out of you."

Diana couldn't help but chuckle with his attempt to lighten her mood, her anger diminishing somewhat. "What are you doing here?" she asked, tilting her head in curiosity as she finally met his intense gaze. "I thought you had too much going on in Gotham right now?"

"I do," he lied, "but I had some upgrades on the security system that had to be taken care of. Not to mention, there are some training droids in dire need of repair because of a certain immortal warrior's inability to control her anger."

She seemed to consider his answer for a long moment before finally responding. "I wouldn't have destroyed them if you hadn't provoked me in the first place," she pointed out. "Were you able to find out anymore about those blank business cards?"

"No, nothing more yet," he revealed. "I still have some more tests to run on them."

"I was hoping that they would help shed more light on these robberies," she replied in frustration, biting at her bottom lip.

Something in Batman's mind seemed to click with her words, an idea taking root. "You might be on to something," he muttered.

"What?"

Batman took off without an answer, heading straight towards his laboratory on the Watchtower. He could tell that Diana was following him, but paid her no heed. His mind was working overtime now on a possible idea that could break this case wide open for them.

Entering his lab, he went straight towards one of his work tables, opening a drawer and pulling out a lighter. He removed an evidence bag from one of the pouches in his utility bag, setting it down as well. He was mad at himself for not thinking of this from the beginning.

"What are you doing?" she asked as she came to stand beside him. "You aren't going to set it on fire, are you?"

"No," he bluntly stated as he carefully took one of the white business cards out of the evidence bag. He held up the business card in one hand, taking the lighter in the other and clicking it on. A flame erupted from the tip as he held the business card up in front of it. "I should have thought of this sooner."

Diana gasped as red letters began to appear on the white business card the longer Bruce held the flame behind it. "Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster."

"It's—" he began.

"Sun Tzu," Diana finished for him. "I know."

"You know Sun Tzu?" he asked, startled by the revelation.

"I've been doing quite a bit of reading since coming to Man's World," she replied. "It's not like I have places to go or things to do in my free time."

He felt somewhat guilty with her admission, not realizing that she might have been lonely these last two and a half years. "I guess our thief is a philosopher."

"What's the point of playing a game like this?"

"He thinks know no one can catch him," he replied.

Diana leaned forward, elbows coming to rest on top of the work table as she studied the card. "Like I said—arrogant," she readily decided.

"Egyptian artifacts appear to be his greatest weakness," Batman stated.

"I agree, but every time I think that he's developed a pattern, he does something completely out of character like stealing that sapphire necklace from your friend Veronica Vreeland," she commented.

Batman looked over at her as he set the lighter down, giving her a hard look. "How did you know that Veronica is my friend?"

Diana rolled her eyes, the corner of her lips curling with amusement. "She's very wealthy and grew up in Gotham," she explained. "It's not a stretch that you two ran around in the same social circles and probably have since you were children. Besides, when I first learned your identity, I did some research on you. There were several newspaper pictures of the two of you at more than one party and charity event."

A flicker of a smile passed over his face as he slowly nodded his head. "Not bad," he said. "There's hope for you yet, Princess."

Diana couldn't contain the grin that broke across her face, more than pleased with the praise. While it wasn't much, it was huge coming from Bruce. "Did I actually get a compliment from the big bad Batman?"

"Don't get used to it," he told her, removing the other business card from another evidence bag. "Now, let's see what this one has to say."

Placing the lighter behind the card, they watched as letters began to appear. "No one can confidently say that he will still be living tomorrow," he read out loud. "Great."

"Euripides," she murmured, deep in thought. "This just keeps getting stranger."

"Hopefully, he'll make an appearance at the Gotham Museum unveiling of the newly uncovered Egyptian artifacts," he replied.

"And we'll be ready if he does," she agreed.

"Diana…" he began, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Don't even bother telling me that I can't go," she retorted. "I'm in on this with you whether you like it or not."

"I don't," he bit out. "You know I work better alone, Princess."

"Well, I think it's time that you start learning to work with others," she decided. "Besides, you're little defense of working better alone is not true. We've proven to be a very formidable team on countless missions we've been on together."

"That's different," he maintained without making eye contact. His focus was solely on the mysterious business cards.

Diana leaned her back against the edge of the work table, crossing her arms as her eyes narrowed. "I don't see any difference."

"Missions to defeat an enemy are different than doing a full-fledged investigation into tracking down a thief," he claimed.

Her frown deepened as she studied him, wishing that he would at least look at her when she talked to him. "I see no difference," she insisted. "If we work well in League missions, it will translate well into working together in many other ways."

As much as Bruce wanted to miss it, he knew her words could be taken in more than one way. It was something that he had admittedly considered as well, but he refused to dwell on it at that moment or even comment on it at this point.

"I still don't like it," he stated.

"I'm sure you don't, but I'm not going anywhere, Bruce," she firmly said. "The sooner you accept it the easier it will be for both of us."

"Working with me is never easy, Princess," he told her with a smirk. "Just be prepared for the worst."

Diana chuckled softly, causing Bruce to look up at her. "I believe you'll find you've met your match in me," she said before walking out, leaving him all alone.

"I have no doubt about that," Bruce muttered to himself with a sigh.

Unfortunately, his solitude didn't last long, further prickling his annoyance. "Batman, you're here," Superman greeted him as he entered the lab. "It's good to see you back on the Watchtower again."

"What do you want?" Batman demanded to know as he began to run another test on the calling card the thief had left behind.

Superman brushed off his brusque demeanor, knowing that it was just Bruce being Bruce. The fact that he was here at all spoke volumes. Things were finally beginning to get back to normal around here. "I heard you were on the 'Tower and came to see how things were going."

"I'm busy," he stated. "That's how things are going."

Superman appraised him for a long moment, considering his words. "I passed Diana," he commented. "She said that you two were working together to track down our mysterious thief."

Batman bristled with his words. Squaring his shoulders, he straightened up and turned to fully face him. "She thinks she's working with me," he told him. "I'm working alone."

Clark gave him a disapproving look that told him he was in for a lecture. "Bruce, you need to let Diana help you," he began. "She's been working very hard on trying to find this thief. You can't just shove her aside now that the thief has stuck in Gotham."

Bruce crossed his arms against his bat emblem, giving Clark a dark glower. "I told her I could handle it, but she seems to think that she needs to help me. I don't need help."

"For once in your life, let her in…let her help you," Superman beseeched him.

While he knew that it would take a miracle of grand proportions, Clark was determined to help his two best friends find happiness with each other. Now that it had been pointed out to him by GL and Flash, it was painfully obvious what was brewing between the two heroes. After his initial shock, it had taken a little time for him to adjust to the idea of Bruce and Diana as a couple, but now he could see nothing but that outcome.

"You better than anyone else ought to know why I can't let her in, Clark," he snapped.

"You've let others in," Clark pointed out. "Dick, Jason, Barbara, Tim, Alfred, Leslie, Selina…need I go on?"

"Yes and look what happened to them," he growled.

"Even though Jason died, they have all benefited from knowing you," Clark countered. "I'm sorry, Bruce, but you have done absolutely nothing to convince me or anyone else that you're a horrible monster or that you're some dark void that sucks all the good and light out of the world."

"You just don't understand," Bruce gritted the words out.

His gauntleted hands were placed firmly on the work table with his head bowed in angry frustration. Why couldn't Clark see that it wasn't easy for him to keep Diana at arms' length…to try to shut off these feelings for her that refused to obey him? He wanted nothing more than to have a life with her, but it was far too dangerous.

"Then explain it to me," Clark demanded, standing his ground and refusing to back down. "Does this have something to do with your trip to the future?"

"I don't have time for this," he stated, his patience finally running out. "I've got work to do."

Before Clark could press him further, his commlink went off. "J'onn to Superman."

"Go ahead, J'onn," he responded.

"You're needed in Metropolis," he informed him. "Atomic Skull and Livewire are running rampant."

"On my way," Superman confirmed, turning his attention to his friend. "I've got to run. Look, just think about what I said. No one deserves to be happy more than you, Bruce."

Batman stood silently at his work desk long after Superman had left, staring at the evidence lying before him. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to bury the things that Clark had said. His words kept mingling with Barbara's, filtering through his mind over and over again.

His life would've been so much easier if he'd just been strong enough not to fall in love with the Princess of the Amazons.

Gotham; September 24th, 03:37 EST

He drove down the dark, winding road, following the directions on his GPS. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel of his rental car, his anticipation growing as he drew closer to his destination. He was anxious to get a glimpse of the famous home and to scope it out as best he could.

He had done considerable research and had learned that it had an extensive security system, one that was quite advanced. He couldn't help wondering why. There had to be something in there of great value that required such a high-tech system.

His mind wandered aimlessly as he thought about what he already knew that he possessed. His curiosity was definitely piqued as to what was being housed inside there, the treasures that were no doubt on display that he couldn't wait to get his hands on.

While he had his favorite articles that he preferred to steal, he wasn't beyond broadening his horizon or picking up some unique finds along the way. There would always be a buyer out there looking for special relics and jewels. Besides, it was the thrill of the hunt, the sweet rush of victory that always came with escaping with his prize.

Stealing wasn't about the money that he could get for the countless treasures that he'd stolen over the years. Heaven knew that he had enough money to live a life of leisure and comfort until the day he drew his last breath. For him, it was the risk…the danger as well as his personal reasons for stealing the things that mattered to him.

He pulled the car off the road near a heavily wooded area to help conceal his presence. Wayne Manor was still about a mile away or so, but he wanted to go the rest of the way on foot in order to avoid any sort of detection by the security system.

There had to be some priceless pieces being kept there. Either that or Bruce Wayne had a secret that he didn't want anyone to find out about. He was more than anxious to discover what that secret was or get his hands on the valuable treasures hidden inside.

Pulling his black mask over his face, he silently exited the car, his equipment carefully stowed away in his bag. He glanced up at the night sky, thankful for the thick cover the clouds provided. At the same time, it also made visibility practically non-existent.

He put his night vision goggles on allowing himself a moment for his eyes to adjust before proceeding on through the dense foliage. He carefully navigated around thorny bushes and over protruding tree roots, wanting to keep the area as undisturbed as possible.

He wanted no trace of evidence of his presence to be left behind. It made it that much harder to connect him to any crimes especially if no one caught sight of him. The longer that he remained an enigma, the longer he could continue his hobby.

He paused to crouch beside a large tree trunk, one that was likely a couple hundred years old or more. He glanced down at his monitor on his wrist to check his vital readings. Heart rate sixty, respirations twelve, body temperature ninety-seven degrees.

He didn't know why he bothered checking his vitals every time he went out on a job. He'd learned to master his bodily responses to stress, fear, or any other useless emotion that only got in the way a long time ago. He supposed it was just pride now that had him checking or maybe habit. Regardless, Aadarsh would be proud of him.

His eyes softened some as he thought of his Guru Aadarsh. He found he missed his old friend. Memories of his time spent in Nepal flooded his mind. He only allowed himself to indulge in the memories for a brief moment before pushing them away and burying them deep.

With the fond memories, heartache and anger was resurrected along with it—the screams…the crash…the constant blare of the horn…the blood. There was just so much blood. It was all over…splashes of bright red blood everywhere.

He squeezed his eyes closed against the horrifying memories that assaulted him. He refused to relive that night again. He did it enough every night in his dreams. He wore the events of that night like a second skin that he couldn't shed no matter how hard he tried.

He didn't want to be reminded of the past. He only wanted to focus on his future and getting everything that he deserved in life. Having everything loved in life stripped away tended to make a person even more obsessed with seeing that future come true.

He hardened his heart against the emotional pain that attempted to sear through him like a branding iron. He would not fall victim to those emotions again. He hardened his gaze into a stony glare as he spotted the manor sitting silently on the hillside like a silent sentinel standing guard over the expansive property.

It was nothing but a black shadow against the night sky, the sound of water breaking against the stony shore filling the air and creating an eerie companion to his mission tonight. The grounds almost seemed haunted in a way, the ghosts of the past clinging to the property.

He'd read all about Bruce Wayne and how he'd lost his parents in that brutal attack in an alley outside of a movie theater. He identified all too well with the billionaire businessman who was a well-known womanizer and party boy. It was almost a mirror image of his own life.

He silently continued to draw closer, wondering how much further he could go before the occupants were alerted to his presence. Right now, he just wanted to scout out the landscape, make certain there were no dogs or other things that could deter him in his mission.

He crept closer with stealthy ease, pausing every few feet to listen for any alarms or dogs. The night was still…so very quiet. He felt as if there were eyes on him, watching his every move, but he'd detected no security cameras yet.

He felt the fine hairs on the back of his neck prickle as he surveyed the area. He didn't have a good feeling about this at all, his instincts telling him he needed to leave. Still, he wanted to get some pictures that he could study much closer when he returned to the comfort and safety of his hotel suite.

Setting his bag down, he took out the long distance lens for his camera. He began to take several pictures, capturing images of the manor itself as well as the horse stables, a couple of out buildings, and an extravagant garden that no doubt extended far beyond his point of view.

His head turned slightly as the sound of a car in the distance caught his attention. He decided that he'd pushed his luck as far as he dared to for one night. He quickly put his things away before retreating back to his car. He wasn't certain where the car he'd heard went, but its engine could no longer be heard. Still, he wasn't going to hang around here only to be caught.

He had big plans for Gotham, starting tomorrow night at the museum gala.

Batcave; September 24th; 4:24 EST

Bruce exited the Batmobile, immediately reaching up and pulling his cowl back. It had been a rough night that had started off with a double homicide only to be followed up by a rape and murder. To say it had been an emotional night would have been an understatement. Even as hardened as he was to the things that happened in Gotham, there were nights like these that still hit him hard.

He was having a very hard time getting images of the raped woman out of his mind. She had looked similar to Diana, but she hadn't possessed the rare beauty that could only be found in the Amazon princess. There was just a certain light that Diana carried that no one could ever duplicate or replicate.

He closed his eyes, trying to suppress the images. He could still see her cold gaze staring up at him, the vivid blueness of her eyes devoid of life. Her black hair had fanned out around her like any inky pool. It had made him nauseated to find her there, her clothes ripped off her body. She'd been discarded like she hadn't mattered at all.

It had awakened a need in him to see Diana, to make sure she was all right. He knew that she was fine, but he couldn't seem to temper the need to see her for himself at that moment. The things he'd learned from his future self only seemed to fuel that fear even more.

"Don't make the same mistakes I did with Diana…you'll regret it for the rest of your life…"

Shoving aside the words of his elder self, Bruce began to pull up the security feed on the Watchtower when he noticed that his own security system had been tripped. There was someone on his property. He ripped off his gauntlets with a curse, tossing them aside with an angry scowl as he quickly brought up the security camera on the grounds as well as all motion detectors.

He caught a brief glimpse of some sort of movement in the woods that separated the west end of the property from the main road. He slowly scrolled through the recorded footage, enlarging the picture to find someone there with a telescopic lens taking pictures.

He sat back in his chair with a glower on his face. It was probably just more paparazzi trying to find out why he'd been absent from the social scene for the last several weeks. He needed go out there to make sure there was nothing more going on in the woods, but hopefully he could allay everyone's suspicions tomorrow night at the museum gala.

Thinking of the special gala made him think of Diana all over again. He needed to make a few calls tomorrow to make certain that tomorrow night's event went as planned without any interruptions. He knew that she would be livid with him if she found out, but he knew it was for the best. She wouldn't see it that way, but it was of no consequence to him. This was the way that it had to be.

Getting up to change his clothes before going out to the woods, he couldn't help the apprehension that still clung to him after the night's events with the murder-rape of that woman. He was certain that it would follow him into his sleep. He rubbed the back of his neck in frustration, wishing for a different outcome.

With any luck, maybe Diana would visit him in his dreams tonight instead.

A/N: Hmmm...what is this thief up to? Up next: the museum gala. Will things go as Diana expects?

Also, be looking for a Suspicious Minds update real soon! :)