"T" rating, guys…"T" rating. As in tequila, tension...and tease. :-p


You found eternity / This could shatter your heart / The reflection of your soul / Was a vision of me / Take all that I could be / Take all I should be / May faith lead your way / Did you know it was me - Temple - Beverly Klass


The alarm sounded loudly in their ears, and both jumped away from each other, ready for battle. Diana disengaged her legs from Bruce's waist and landed into a defensive crouch. Bruce swung around, fists ready to destroy anyone he encountered. Instead he saw the experiment he had been conducting earlier had burned through the steel container, and was slowly eating away at the glass enclosure.

Cursing under his breath, Bruce ran over to the computer console by the containment unit. Pressing a series of buttons, a second enclosure descended over the unit, containing the dangerous element. Next, a tube lowered over the container, suctioning the entire box into a hatch in the ceiling. Finally, he punched a red button on the console, jettisoning the unit into space.

Bruce stood there breathing hard. He was disturbed to find that he was trembling. Between the roaring arousal he still felt, the jarring surprise of the alarm, and the adrenaline from the danger, his body was confused at what it was supposed to feel. He bent over the lab table, leaning on his elbows, and held his head in his hands. After a few seconds of composing himself, Bruce glanced over at Diana.

"WHAT IN HADES WAS THAT!" Diana relaxed out of her combat stance, but supported herself up against the bulkhead, bracing her body that was about to give out. She was breathing hard and her skin flushed.

He slammed his fist down against the table in frustration. Bruce laid his head onto his arms, willing his heartbeat to slow down. "That, Princess, was an experiment that I let go too far. Damn it, this shouldn't have happened. If only I had been more careful. Stupid! So goddamned stupid..."

He heard Diana gasp. When he turned to look at her, she was staring at him with a stunned expression. He could have sworn she had tears in her eyes. She quickly wiped her face and started stomping towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Bruce turned, confused by Diana's reaction.

Then it dawned on him - what he said...what she thought...

"Wait, Diana, don't go!" He rushed over to her and gathered her into his arms to stop her retreat. She paused when he touched her, but her body felt rigid and her shoulders bunched. Bruce took her hands in his and was disturbed to find them curled into fists. He brought them up in front of them, holding her by her magic bracelets.

"Calm down, Princess, calm down." She flinched as if she wanted to tear her arms away from him. He snatched her arms back to him. "Power down, Diana. Breath. Let me explain." He was relieved that she didn't recoil again, but she hadn't relaxed yet. He had to fix this, now.

"I'm sorry, Princess. I didn't mean you. I shouldn't have left the experiment alone without containing it somehow. It was a careless move, and it may have caused more damage if the alarm hadn't sounded. I thought it was sufficiently inert. Obviously, I was wrong."

Bruce held Diana's hands between them through his explanation. He willed her to relax them out of fists, to show him that she was listening. When her fingers loosened out of their curl, he cupped her hands in his own and kissed her knuckles. He felt guilty when she expelled her breath in relief.

"I thought," she paused, leaning her forehead on their entwined hands. "It sounded like you regretted what we did and were pushing me away again."

"I don't think that's possible now. Things seem to have escalated to a whole different level. We can't ignore this as if it was some random party joke. I don't think I want to, either."

"I'm so sorry, Bruce. This was all my fault. I just wanted to talk and spend some time with you. But one thing led to another, and you were forced to show your feelings for me. When you held me and accidentally brushed your hand up against my lasso, I felt its power leave right before you kissed me. But I didn't want you to stop. I thought for once, I was going to see how you really felt about me."

"Diana, I..." She placed her hand over his lips to halt his explanation.

"Bruce, no matter what you're going to say I'm going to speak my mind at least once. I want you. I've wanted you for years. And if it took some stupid bet to catch your attention, so be it. I don't regret that the lasso made you show your feelings, I just hope you'll admit that you have them. You'll probably retreat, again. I mean, I know how much your self-control means to you..."

Bruce captured her lips with his own, abruptly interrupting her confession. He continued the kiss until he felt Diana completely relax against him. When he finally parted from her, he ran a thumb along her chin to keep her from looking down. He wanted to look into her eyes when he spoke next.

"I'm going to do this only once." He wrapped his hand around her lasso as he held her. "I don't regret what we did. I was sorry for possibly putting you in danger, but I'm not sorry for anything else. If you want to know more, you'll have to find out in the normal course of things, just like everyone else. But let me make it clear - I would have continued to seduce you if we weren't interrupted, because I want you, too."

Bruce quickly let go of her lasso as Diana attacked him with a kiss and shoved him up against the lab table. He was having a hard enough time concentrating without being magically forced to tell the truth. Her kisses were starting to short circuit his brain again. He reluctantly pushed her away, placing his hands on her shoulders and pulling back from her lips.

"Sweet Aphrodite, I'm insatiable!" Diana walked a few steps away. She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to shake off the lingering lust between them.

"Not a bad quality to have, Princess," Bruce rubbed the back of his neck. "Though perhaps we should slow down a little bit."

"True, but it's hard to think that way when I want to throw you on a table and have my way with you." Bruce's eyes widened at the visual, and he could feel his cheeks warming up into a blush.

"I'm kidding! Aaaah, I need to stop voicing what I'm thinking. Its going to get me in so much trouble. But I agree with you, Bruce. We need to slow down."

Still reeling from the image she had given him, Bruce stepped back towards the forgotten liquor and shot glass. He poured the golden liquid into the glass.

"What's that for?" Diana asked.

"I need a little help coming down from that awesome picture you just put in my head." Diana crossed the distance between them, took the glass from his hands, and promptly took the shot herself.

"Holy Shit! This stuff is strong! I can't believe I just swallowed it all."

"That's what she said."

Diana took a swipe at Bruce, who swiftly dodged out of range. He grabbed a lime wedge and handed it to her. She promptly took the fruit in her mouth, sucking on it as she had seen Bruce do earlier.

"Oh, yes, that's much better. Thank you."

"And on that note, that is the last shot happening today." Bruce placed the top back on the bottle. It was like closing the lid on Pandora's box. Diana nodded, her hand on her stomach, still trying to process the liquor she just drank.

"So, now what?" they asked at the same time. They smiled at each other, acknowledging the new dynamic between them. Bruce crossed his arms across his chest and leaned up against the table.

"What are you doing this Friday evening?" he asked.

"I'll be here. I have monitor duty..."

"No, you don't. You'll be out with me, letting me give you that dance I've owed you for a while."

"I will, will I?" Diana grinned from ear to ear.

"You won the bet, right? Looks like you'll have some time off for the next few weeks. I can think of some things to do with that time, can't you?"

"I sure can," she answered seductively. "Just as long as it involves nothing stronger than iced tea."

"I think I can arrange that." Bruce looked up thoughtfully. "Do you trust me?"

Diana shot him a suspicious look. "Sure," she said, only slightly reluctant. She watched him arrange the drinking supplies on the table beside her. He reached into his utility belt and brought out some breath mints, handing one to her.

"You really are prepared, aren't you? What else you got in there?" Bruce smirked at her questions. He refrained from telling her about the condoms in the back compartment. They were for liquid collection...honest...

"How are you feeling? You alright for the rest of the evening?"

"I'm okay, just a little dizzy. I'll just get a mocha later."

"Drink some water, too. It'll get it out of your system faster." She nodded at his advice.

Bruce reached for his cape and cowl, hooking the cloak to his uniform but keeping the mask off for the time being. He angled his head upwards. "Computer, voice recognition Batman-zero-two, security authorization alpha. Disengage Lab Two lockdown. Unlock lab doors, return security camera feeds to this location and reconnect all recording devices. Initiate main security protocols authorization bwbm-91939-execute."

After the computer confirmed his orders had been fulfilled, Bruce flashed Diana a mischievous glance. He swiftly walked up to her and pinned her to the table's edge. He bent down and quickly kissed his princess, putting as much fire into the touch as he could. With her sufficiently preoccupied, he reached behind her and pushed a button that started the recording system. He slid the salt-covered napkin over the button's blinking light.

Bruce could tell that the kiss had caught Diana by surprise. She seemed pleased that he felt comfortable enough to casually show her how he felt. As he stepped away from her, she let her hand run down his neck and chest. He smiled warmly at her caress. The smile slowly fell away to a smirk.

"Bruce, what are you thinking?"

"Just want to make sure there's no doubt that you won the bet."

Diana grinned. "Be gentle. We need them for missions." Bruce shrugged his shoulder, not committing to anything.

He watched her expression as he placed the cowl over his head, slipping into a whole different persona.

"Let's see about handing out some payback." Diana flinched at his growled statement. She knew Bruce had left the room. The Bat was out, ready to play.