A/N—Thanks to Hepburn for being my wonderful beta and helping me with this story and Chaosmob for his encouragement. Please read and review.

Spoilers—Secret Origins Part II

Disclaimer—All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.


Well how long, can I go on like this?

Wishing to kiss you,

Before I rightly explode?

This double life I lead isn't healthy for me

In fact it makes me nervous

If I get caught I could be risking it all

Baby there's a lot that I miss

In case I'm wrong

Well all I really wanna do is love you

A kind much closer than friends use

But I still can't say it after all we've been through

And all I really want from you is to feel me

As the feeling inside keeps building

And I will find a way to you if it kills me

If it kills me

If I should be so bold

I'd ask you to hold my heart in your hand

Tell you from the start how I've longed to be your man

But I never said I would

I guess I'm gonna miss my chance again—If It Kills Me by Jason Mraz

Chapter 7—If It Kills Me

Bruce was typing rapidly into the large Cray supercomputer. He had scanned all the information from both murders into the computer and now he was listing all the correlations from both cases. First of all, there was no forced entry into either murder scene. That could mean a few different things. One, that the victims knew the perpetrator, which is what the New York detectives believed, as they also believed strongly that Diana was the killer. They had focused their attention on finding evidence to incriminate her once they found witnesses placing her at his apartment a few days before the murder.

The Gotham police on the other hand where still investigating all possible suspects. Given that "John Smith" was staying in a seedy hotel in Gotham getting a master key into the room wouldn't be too difficult nor were any witnesses likely to come forward or be found given the transient and suspicious nature of the people how frequented the hotel.

Diana had never seen "John Smith" before as she'd stated when Bruce showed her photos of the victim last night. She had no connection to him and therefore no motive to kill him but there had to be some link between the two victims and Diana. He just didn't have enough pieces of the puzzle yet to figure it out. It would help if Barbara managed to identify "John Smith." Until then Bruce would continue listing all correlations.

His mind veered off task for a moment, as he thought of his guests upstairs. Bruce really did believe that the Manor was the safest place for them as he had state of the art security and nobody would think to look for them there. But he also had other motives for having them here. Since Diana had shown up in the Cave part of him had started hoping that maybe he would have an opportunity to win her back.

He was already figuring out logical reasons for them to stay at the Manor while he put the Batmobile on autopilot to return to the Cave and they transported up to the Watchtower after Flash's call. Bruce had felt something for the first time in years when he saw Diana in the Cave two nights ago, hope. He could feel her animosity linger under the surface of her polite facade but she had come to him for help. That had to mean something. Fate had been unkind to them before and he wasn't going to blow this second chance that fate had given him.

He loved her as much as ever. He had been forced to give her up once and he had lived fourteen years without her. He didn't want to do it anymore. He had devoted himself to the mission because it was all he had left that mattered, but at the end of the day he was lonely. He knew that soon the Bat would completely take him over and there would be no Bruce left. Then he would push everyone in his life away.

So he had nothing left to lose so why not try and win her back as well as clear her name. That is why he took her with him to see Goodson's body. He could've done that without her but he wanted to spend time with her and show her that he believed in her and the only way she would do that now was when it involved the case. Seeing her in the Batwoman outfit had made his heart race. He'd had it made for her shortly after they started dating all those years ago. It was a present that he'd planned to give her in Hawaii. He knew she'd wanted to patrol with him occasionally and he'd decided to indulge her. He had been unable to throw it in the incinerator after their break-up and had placed it in a hermetically sealed storage drawer in the Cave.

Now she was here like she should've been for years but she hated him. He knew he was going to have to work hard to get her back and he would have to be patient. He just hoped he had enough time. The phone in the Cave buzzed and Bruce looked up to see that Barbara was calling.

"Hello, Barbara. What do you have for me?" Bruce asked.

"Good Morning Batman," Barbara said cheerfully. "I have an I.D. on our "John Smith." It was actually a fluke that I was able to identify him so quickly. Dick had an old copy of Money magazine and I was leafing through it and I saw his picture. It was an article on Cale Anderson Pharmaceuticals and he was their chief of security, James Tibbet."

"Cale Anderson's main office is located in Dallas so what was he doing in a seedy motel in Gotham?" Batman wondered.

"Gotham is a good place to go it you want to hide but what is even stranger is that no one filed a missing person's report or was even concerned that he was gone. He didn't have a wife or kids or any family nearby but I figured he had to have friends or that his work would have been concerned when he didn't show up. When I called the lady in human resources she said he had resigned a few days ago. She found a letter on her desk and he was gone without giving two weeks notice. She said it was a bit strange that he hadn't removed his personal items from his office but she figured that he must be busy and would pick them up later. I didn't tell her he was dead because I haven't been able to reach his next of kin yet." Barbara added.

"It seems he must have had something to hide but we don't know if it was in his personal or professional life. I am going to research to see if I can find any connection between Tibbet and Goodson. I will also ask Diana if she has ever heard of the name James Tibbet or had any dealings with Cale Anderson Pharmaceuticals. I will let you know if I find anything useful," Bruce said.

"Sure thing, Batman." Barbara replied before hanging up. Since she never mentioned anything personal Bruce assumed she was a work.

Bruce added the information Barbara had just given him into the file. Then he pulled up some notes from a meeting that he'd had with Lucius recently about a possible joint venture of Wayne Biotech and Cale Anderson Pharmaceuticals. Yes, they had a new heart medicine and they were looking for a better delivery system for the medication than intramuscular injection. He remembered discussing this topic with Lucius and thinking they should pass on the joint venture. Veronica Cale was a cold-hearted businesswoman and she wasn't completely ethical in her running of the company. Nothing illegal was ever proven but there was enough innuendo to make Lucius wary.

Now, this possible joint venture could give him a reason to legitimately go to Cale Anderson and check things out. Diana could come as his assistant. He called Lucius and had him arrange things. Lucius again expressed his concern about Veronica Cale but Bruce explained that the venture was still worth checking out and they didn't have to commit to anything to take a meeting. With Lucius setting up a meeting for the end of the week Bruce decided it was time to go upstairs.

The first thing he smelled as he closed the grandfather clock was freshly baked cookies, and then he heard laughter coming from the kitchen. The house hadn't been this cheerful in years and he felt his heart warming at hearing her laughing again in his home. Do her eyes still sparkle like diamonds in the sun? he wondered. He quietly approached the entryway and stood to the side to observe.

Thomas and Donna were sitting at the counter eating double chocolate chip cookies while Diana and Alfred were dropping spoonfuls of dough onto cookie sheets. Marcus was quietly unloading the dishwasher and putting dishes away but Bruce noticed him giving Donna surreptitious glances. Bruce couldn't really blame him. The soft moans that Donna was making every time she bit into her cookie would distract most men.

"Alfred I think I love you! Marry me!" Donna stated. "These are the best cookies on the planet and it has been eleven years since I've had any that you've made. Dick never has any left when I visit."

"Well I am glad you are enjoying them, my dear, after your ordeal yesterday you deserve some comfort food." Alfred said in the most cheerful voice that Bruce had heard in years. He sounded years younger and for a moment Bruce was transported in time to when Tim and Diana would sit at the counter and eat cookies baked by Alfred. Thomas brought him back to the present.

"Aunt Donna, Mom bakes you these cookies at least once a week. It is not like you never get them and I think hers are the best. No offense Alfred." Thomas stated defending his mother's baking and receiving a warm smile from her.

"None taken Master Thomas, as I taught your mother to bake these cookies and I quite agree that she does me proud." Alfred replied with a small smile.

Bruce saw Diana blush and smile at Alfred's praise and his breath caught at how beautiful she was. Even more beautiful than the day he had first seen her during the invasion of the Imperium. He knew that he needed to enter the room but he knew that when he did he would no longer see the warm light in her eyes and he was enjoying seeing her happy even if it was short lived.

Marcus noticed him standing there and asked, "Would you care for some cookies, Master Bruce?"

They all turned and acknowledged his presence. He watched as the cold mask descended onto Diana's face. He sighed and said, "No thank you but I would like some coffee if there is any."

"Of course sir," Marcus replied and quickly poured Bruce a cup and handed it to him.

"So has everybody settled in?" Bruce inquired to make conversation. The room seemed quieter now that they knew he was there.

"Our rooms are lovely Bruce." Diana said politely and with absolutely no feeling. It drove him nuts when she talked that way to him. He remembered the woman who arrived from Themyscira who never hid her emotions, even her fiery temper.

"Master Bruce, I have taken the liberty of ordering clothing for our guests as most of theirs was destroyed in the explosion. I did it under a one of your aliases and Marcus will pick them up later so that the purchases won't be tracked here." Alfred stated.

"Excellent Alfred, though I may need you to order some more clothing for Diana, I'll let you know." Diana gave him a curious look but said nothing as Bruce continued talking, "Diana would you mind joining me in my study as I have more information on the case to go over with you?"

"Of course, Bruce," she said politely and Bruce nearly shivered at the chill in her voice, but was satisfied when she followed him.

"Barbara was able to identify "John Smith" this morning." Bruce began once they were ensconced in his study. "His name is James Tibbet. Does that ring any bells?"

"No, I have never heard of anybody by that name." Diana replied.

"Well that is his name and he was head of security at Cale Anderson Pharmaceuticals. Have you had any dealings with them?" he asked.

Diana thought for a moment, as the name seemed familiar. "I guess you could say that. I am on a committee for the World Health Organization. We are trying to decide on a pharmaceutical company that can supply W.H.O. with quality generic pharmaceuticals to use in third world countries. Cale Anderson is one of the companies being considered."

Bruce's brow furrowed as he considered what Diana had just said. "Were you against them getting the contract?"

"Why yes I was. Their treatment of their test animals in their foreign subsidiaries is appalling. It makes me question their ethical standards and I think the company who gets the contract should be very ethical and humane," she stated.

"I agree with you Diana but that is not how it always works. So basically you blocked them from getting the contract?" he inquired.

"Not quite, they had enough votes to get considered as one of our top five choices. We are not going to decide until next month who is getting the contract, but it looks like I may have to miss the final vote because of the trial." Diana said as a look of worry crossed her face.

Things started adding up in Bruce's head. Veronica Cale wanted that contract and Diana stood in her way. While Veronica was a shark, Bruce didn't think she would be so heartless as to have someone murdered and a person's reputation destroyed to get a contract. Cale Anderson Pharmaceuticals was now at the top of his list of places and people to investigate. It was just too coincidental that Diana was on a committee that could give them a highly lucrative contract that she was opposed to them getting.

"Wayne Biotech is considering a joint venture with Cale Anderson. We are going to use this fact as our ticket inside the company. I want you to come along as my assistant and you will probably need to be Batwoman again. Do you think you can manage an undercover mission?" Bruce asked.

Diana looked at him with cold eyes and said, "I can manage any mission if it clears my name and I can get back to my normal life." And out of here, Bruce thought as she glared at him.

"Good, I have already set up an identity for you and you will spend the next few days at Wayne Enterprises as one of my new assistants. You can research and find out whatever you can about Cale Anderson." He walked over to the desk and opened a drawer and pulled out three boxes. "I had Zatanna prepare these for me last night. They are necklaces that are charmed to create a glamour. You can change your hair color, eye color or skin tone. It will help disguise your looks. I had ones made for Thomas and Donna as well. They need to wear one if they go outside or somebody comes over that is not in Dick and Barbara's family. I think they should claim to be Marcus's sister and nephew. We don't want to take any chances."

Diana stared at him for a moment with a hostile look in her eyes before saying, "It looks like you thought of everything Bruce. I don't even get to make a decision because Batman is making all the plans. You know that the only reason I agreed to stay here is to protect Thomas and Donna. Don't get used to us being here because we will be gone as soon as it is safe. I won't have you taking over our lives."

Bruce felt anger rising in him at her statement. He had gone out of his way to help her and she was being completely ungrateful. "Of course Princess, why would I want you to be here any longer than that? I have a life that I am putting on hold to help you keep your squeaky clean reputation. The sooner this is finished the better for all of us." he said in a harsh voice.

Diana angrily returned his glare and in a cold and imperious voice asked, "Well is this all we need to discuss for now? I am going to need to brief Donna on my duties at the embassy since I am going to be busy with this mission."

"Yes," he said angrily as his chest tightened as she stalked out the door. Her attitude really stung but he pushed the pain away. He knew getting her back wasn't going to be easy but he was going to do whatever it took because living without her was killing him.