Chapter 7

Gotham; August 6th, 22:41 EST

Talia checked on her son once more, finding him fast asleep in his bed. She watched him for several moments, so proud of the boy that she and Bruce had created together. He was the actual personification of the love that she and Bruce shared with one another. She just wished that her beloved would see it that way too.

Instead, he was completely beguiled by his Amazon princess and the family they had made together. It made her nauseated as she remembered the way that he had looked at her, how he had put his wife before her despite the fact that she had just introduced him to their son. While they had been apart for the last ten years, her love for him had never diminished in the least, only growing stronger over that time. She hoped to remind him of that by the time they left Gotham.

Silently pulling his bedroom door closed, Talia turned, gasping sharply to find Batman standing there in her penthouse suite. His black cape was drawn dramatically around him, creating a very dark foreboding aura that caused her to momentarily take pause.

"What are you doing here?" she softly demanded to know once she had recovered enough to make her voice work. She straightened her shoulders and held her chin high in defiance, refusing to show the littlest bit of weakness before him. "You could have used the door, beloved. There was no need to break in. You know that you're always welcome here."

The white slits of his cowl narrowed as she slowly drew closer to him, her lips curving into an appreciative smile. She exuded such sexiness, but there was a deadly edge to it. "Where were you this afternoon?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Just answer the damn question, Talia."

She sniffed indignantly, her hands coming to rest on her hips. "If you must know, I took Damian shopping."

"All afternoon?" he questioned her.

"Yes, we left around eleven, ate lunch and spent the afternoon shopping and sightseeing in Gotham," she informed him, her gaze narrowing suspiciously. "What is this all about? Why are you here interrogating me like this?"

"It's none of your business," he growled darkly.

She tilted her head slightly as she studied him. She knew Bruce well. If he was this upset, then something had to have happened today that brought him here to interrogate her. "Did something happen to your Amazon wife?" she bit out with a slight smirk curling her lips.

"You told me all that I need to know," he said, turning on his heel to leave. "There's nothing further to discuss with you."

Talia quickly reached out, her hand capturing his wrist and stopping him from leaving. "Please…don't leave so soon," she told him. "We still have so much that we need to talk about…decisions that need to be made about our son."

"We'll talk once you are willing to tell me the truth about why you're really here in Gotham," he curtly stated.

"I already told you, beloved," she maintained, her hand falling from his arm. "I wanted Damian to meet his father, to get him away from his grandfather's influence before he corrupted him."

Batman's posture remained rigged, unwilling to fall for her tricks. "I don't believe you."

"Why not?" she snapped in frustration. "Is it because that Amazon of yours has blinded you to the truth of what you once felt for me? Has she brainwashed you so much that you can no longer think for yourself or believe the truth when you hear it?"

"I am not the one who is deluded, Talia," he evenly told her. "It's you. You chose your father over me, staying with a man who is the personification of evil."

"My father is not evil," she bit out through clenched teeth. "You're just angry because you feel I scorned you, but you gave me an impossible decision to make."

"It shouldn't have been an impossible decision," he reminded her. "Besides, this is no longer about whether you wanted to be with me or stay with your father. It's been over between us for years."

"Look, beloved," she replied with a sigh. "We're getting nowhere with this. We need to put aside our difference for our son."

"I agree," he said. "It should also start with you telling me the truth. What do you want, Talia? Do you plan on staying in Gotham forever or will you suddenly disappear on an errand for your father?"

She averted her eyes as she bit at her bottom lip. "I…haven't quite decided just yet," she confessed. "I'm not certain where I'll go, but I don't think I can bear to stay here and watch you sharing your life with the Amazon. My heart can't handle that, Bruce. You should've stayed with me and my father. We could have been so happy."

"That's in the past," he stated. "I'm not going to revisit it or question it. Diana is the one that I love and nothing you say or do is ever going to change that."

"Then, I guess there's no reason for me to stay here."

"So, you're just going to leave Damian here for us to raise?"

"I don't know," she murmured. "I don't think I can leave my son, but I can't stay here. I can't be near you knowing that you are married to another."

"You certainly didn't think this through very well before you ran away from Ra's, did you?"

"There wasn't a lot of time," she admitted as she made her way to the liquor bar. She poured herself a glass of wine before turning to face him once more. "I can't go back to my father but…I have no place to go. I'm on my own now."

"Let me know what you decide," he icily stated as he turned on his heel, heading towards the open balcony doors.

"How can you be so cruel after what we once meant to each other?" she angrily questioned him, trying to keep her voice down so as not to wake their son.

"You created this years ago when you decided to stay with your father instead of coming with me," he told her as he paused at the balcony doors, his hand coming to rest on the frame. "It's what you wanted, Talia. I'm just following your rules."

Talia watched as he disappeared from the balcony, leaving her all alone once more. Her lips curled slightly as she took a sip of her wine, knowing that something had obviously happened to the Amazon or he wouldn't have come here tonight questioning her whereabouts this afternoon. She was anxious to find out just what that something was. With a little luck, someone would do all the work of eliminating her from Bruce's life without her having to lift a finger.

Sitting down at the desk, she opened her laptop, pulling up the files that she had been working on earlier. The mission was going take place in two days and she needed to make sure that everything went smoothly. They couldn't afford any mistakes or mishaps especially since they were here in Batman's territory.

She knew that Bruce would increase security in the city with the diplomats' arrival, but he had no idea what was about to happen or the drastic turn that his life was about to take. By the time he figured it out, it would be far too late for him to do anything about it.

Gotham; August 7th, 00:52 EST

She walked down the deserted street, occasionally glancing back over her shoulder to make sure that she wasn't being followed. She tightened her grip on her cloak, doing her best to blend in with the shadows as she made her way through Gotham. The last thing she needed was to draw any unwanted attention to herself.

She tucked a golden blond lock of hair further into the hood of her cloak, wanting to return to her apartment as quickly as possible. She pursed her lips in frustration and anger, not at all happy with how her day had turned out.

Her mind was reeling as the events played through her mind like some distant dream that put a smile on her face. She was rather proud of how things were progressing, little steps that would eventually lead her closer and closer to their goal.

She quickened her steps, the growling in her stomach reminding her she hadn't eaten anything since lunch. She'd been far too busy with her assignment, making sure that everything was ready and in place for when the time came for her to act again.

Turning the corner, she found herself face to face with four large men who blocking her path. "Excuse me," she murmured, ducking her head slightly as she attempted to step around them.

Unfortunately, they had other ideas in mind.

One of them reached out and grabbed hold of her arm, dragging her to a stop. "Where do you think you're going, sweetheart?" he gruffly asked.

"Yah, you look like you're in quite a hurry," another commented with a gleam in his dark eyes. "Why don't you stay and keep us company for a while?"

"Let go of me," she hissed with a sneer as she glanced down at his vice-like grip on her arm.

"Hey, I think we got ourselves a feisty one here," the one holding her arm announced to his friends. "We were just talking about how bored we were and then you came around the corner."

"Perfect timing if you ask me," the third guy added with a grin, revealing several missing teeth.

"Great timing," the first man agreed, pulling her in close to him and wrapping his arms around her. "I think we could have a really good time together tonight."

"I don't think so," she spat out, her fingers brushing against the handle of her dagger sheathed at her waist beneath her cloak. "I'm going home."

"You're not going anywhere, babe," he told her as he turned and roughly pushed her up against the wall of a building, his three friends coming to stand on either side of him.

"I believe the lady said no."

All five turned to see the dark shadowy form of someone standing there with them, the glow of a street light behind him creating an eerie halo around him. They were unable to see his face, but there was no question about who was coming to the woman's rescue.

"It's the Bat!" the third guy yelled, taking off running only to be stopped by a bola wrapping around his legs and taking him to the ground.

The second guy pulled out a switchblade, a grin stealing across his face. "I ain't afraid of no freak in a mask."

The first guy joined his friend, pulling out a knife as well. "We're going to carve you up," he threatened him.

Batman took a step forward, a shaft of light splashing across his face revealing a dangerous smirk that caused all three men to momentarily pause. "Bring it," he rasped something dark and otherworldly.

The woman stood with her back pressed against the building, watching with great interest as the three thugs lunged at the man dressed in the black cape and cowl. He fought with rather impressive skill, blocking strikes and delivering punishing blows. It didn't seem to deter the three men from still trying to take down the bat.

Batman shoved his elbow into the back of the third guy, dropping him with a grunt. He paused to cast a fleeting glance at the mysterious woman in the black cloak to make sure she was all right, her hood shadowing her face. A golden blond curl fell from her hood, one that was quickly tucked back inside. It had allowed him a partial glimpse of her face, one that pricked his memory bank.

She gave him a little wave of gratitude, before turning to leave. The wind caught her cloak at that precise moment, revealing the impressive handle of a dagger sheathed at her waist. Before he could pursue her, the other two thugs came to, jumping him while he was distracted and throwing punches in an attempt to take him down.

He threw the one man over his shoulder, slamming him into the ground. He grabbed the other by the arm, tossing him like a rag doll into the brick wall to his right. He swiftly incapacitated them with a rapid succession of kicks and punches. After tying the three men up, Batman looked around the area for any sign of her and finding none.

He turned to fire his grappling gun, pausing to look back over his shoulder once more before allowing it to carry him up and away to the top of an apartment building across the street. He swore he had seen that woman this afternoon on the crowded street in Gotham just before Diana had been stabbed.

Was she the one who had attacked Diana

And was that woman Aresia?

Wayne Manor; August 7th, 04:55 EST

Climbing the stairs to his bed and his wife that awaited his arrival, Bruce found his mind preoccupied with thoughts of the woman that he had believed he was rescuing tonight. The more he thought about it the more certain he was that she had been on the street outside of Wayne Enterprises this afternoon. It caused a worrisome sense of foreboding to settle over him, one that he wasn't going to be able to shake until he'd found her.

He had looked up and down that street for the rest of the night as well as every side street in the area. There had been no sign of her anywhere. He didn't know what she was doing in that particular side of Gotham, but he was going to damn-well find out.

Stopping by Nicholas's room, he quietly opened the door to find his son sleeping soundly, his beloved stuffed rabbit that Dick had given when he was born clutched protectively to his chest. He could hardly believe how big his son was getting. He was already four years old now and would soon be starting preschool.

It wouldn't be long before he would be begging to be the next Robin. His bedroom had already become a shrine to Batman, his favorite hero of the Justice League. He just recently started telling everyone that he was Robin. It made his stomach lurch just thinking about Nicholas being out there patrolling the streets of Gotham, coming face-to-face with the worst that his city had to offer.

Closing the door with a weary sigh, he made his way to Kaia's room to find her sleeping peacefully, her raven curls a wispy mess that brought an affectionate smile to his lips. She was tangled up in her favorite pink blanket, but didn't seem to mind it in the least.

There was such a peaceful expression gracing her face, one that warmed him clear to his toes. As much as Nicholas was like him, Kaia was definitely just like her mother…all fiery spirit and mischievousness wrapped up in a little body. She was like a firecracker that could go off at any moment. He had a feeling he was witnessing Diana when she was a little girl.

He knew they had their hands full with her, but he wouldn't have it any other way.

Retreating from her room, he finally entered his own bedroom. Seeing Diana asleep in his bed provided him with a sense of peace and comfort. She was the only one who had ever been able to do that for him, none of the other women in his past coming close to it.

He silently slipped in under the covers, sinking against the pillows and the soft warmth of the mattress. It didn't take but a few moments before Diana sensed his presence, snuggling against his muscular frame. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer to him. He tilted down to kiss the top of her head.

"How was your night?" she softly inquired, turning and pressing her lips against his chest.

"I'm not sure you want to know," he replied as he slowly began to stroke her hair, his fingers gently running through the silky strands as he thoughtfully stared at the ceiling.

"What is it, Bruce?" she asked, concern etched in her face as she propped herself up on her elbow to look at him.

"I think I might have seen the person who stabbed you this afternoon," he gruffly revealed. "There was a woman being harassed by a gang. While I was taking on the gang, she smiled and waved at me before disappearing. I looked for her all night, but I couldn't find her."

"How do you know she was the one who stabbed me?" Diana questioned him with a frown.

"I remember seeing someone wearing a black cloak, but hadn't thought anything of it at the time," he countered. "Running into her tonight made me think it had to be her."

"I can't believe this," she murmured, stunned with the unexpected news.

She laid back against the pillows, her mind racing with questions that she had no answers to. Bruce rolled onto his side to look down at her, his hand moving to caress her cheek. "It's okay, princess," he attempted to reassure her. "We'll find whoever this woman is and we'll stop her."

"I just can't believe this is happening," she replied as she gazed up at him. "I'm relieved that she didn't try to attack you."

"I'm fine," he reassured her. "Right now, I'm more worried about your safety than anything else."

Diana's hand came to rest against the side of his face. "I'm alright, Bruce," she insisted as she sat up, gently pushing him onto his back. "I'm just glad that you're home safe. I missed you tonight."

The corner of his lips curled slightly. "Oh, really?" he responded with a husky rasp. "Are you going to show me just how much you missed me?"

"Yes," she replied, her hand caressing his abdomen. "You're too tense…too worried about everything. I need to help you relax."

"How is your wound?" he asked, trying to not focus on how her touch was beginning to turn him on.

"Why don't you check for yourself?" she questioned him with a sultry lilt to her voice and a smirk on her lips.

Diana shifted her body to straddle his lap, gazing down at him with playful mischief dancing in her blue eyes. Shafts of moonlight cut across her face and body as she reached down to grasp the hem of her tank top before pulling it up and over her head before tossing it aside, her panties quickly following.

Bruce's ravenous gaze roamed appreciatively over her feminine form that still drove him absolutely wild, his hands moving to firmly grip her waist. There was a red mark on her abdomen from where the knife's blade had pierce her skin, making him internally shudder with the ramifications of such a horrifying act. There had just been so much blood.

His right hand moved closer, her thumb lightly tracing over the mark that was already healing. He silently thanked her gods for her meta healing abilities, knowing that it had saved her life once again, keeping her here with him where she always belonged.

She gave him a tender, loving smile, noticing the fear that flashed through his eyes as he stared at the scar that would likely be gone by tomorrow. She bit at her bottom lip as his hand ventured higher to the underside of her breast, lightly dragging the tip of his finger along her sensitive skin and enjoying the reaction that he elicited with the barest of touches.

She shivered above him, her eyes momentarily falling closed as he repeated the action several times. He noticed how her nipple began to tighten in anticipation of what was to come, causing him to harden even further with growing lust and anxious anticipation of where he soon would be.

Impatient with his teasing, Diana took hold of his hand, moving it to cover her breast in an unspoken demand for more of his focused attention. Bruce smirked at her annoyance, knowing how she much she detested drawing out the foreplay when she was this ready for him.

She gasped sharply as he kneaded and stroked her breast, his eyes feasting on every flickering expression, every movement—the subtle shift of her hips as she ground against him, the way her head would tilt back with pleasure, the ebony waterfall of her hair cascading into his lap. It only made it that much harder for him not to just take her right here…right now.

Regaining a measure of control, she reached for his shorts, shifting off of him enough to free him of its confines. She slowly stroked his hardened length a couple of times, anxious for him to fill her and ease the pulsating ache that lived between her thighs.

Lifting her hips, she guided him to her entrance, rubbing his tip over her wet heat a few times and earning a throaty growl of impatience from her husband. She smiled wickedly as she gazed down at him, fulling in control now and enjoying every single second of it.

"You are so wicked," he rasped, doing his best to control his breathing, but she was making it next to impossible with the way she tormented and teased him.

Finally, she allowed him to slip inside of her, stretching her all over again and filling her so very full in one powerful downward thrust of her hips. They cried out their mutual pleasure with the union, both savoring the intense sensations that were skyrocketing through them. They took several moments to regain some semblance of control once more, attempting to catch their breaths.

She could feel his fingers digging deeply into her hips as if holding on to her for dear life. Any other woman would have been badly bruised from his death-grip, but she was definitely no ordinary woman. Gazing down at him, she slowly ran her hands over her abdomen before finding her breasts, further teasing herself as well as him.

Bruce moaned deeply as he watched her, her hips beginning to rock and grind against his in a slow, steady movement that soon had his head spinning. Any and all worries that he'd had about her wound were quickly thrown out the window as she began to raise and lower her hips.

He hungrily joined in, meeting her every downward thrust, their hips crashing together with a frantic need. One hand moved from her hip to settle on her backside, squeezing and kneading her flesh. His breaths were coming in hot, short pants as she continued to ride him, her own breathing ragged as her chest heaved for more air.

A thin sheen of perspiration glistened on her skin as she continued to work them both into a heated frenzy, neither knowing or caring where one started and the other ended. They were just one continuous motion of heated need and passion being shared in the still darkness before dawn, connecting with one another body and soul as they expressed the love that they only felt for each other.

"Diana…"

Her name was a long, drawn out moan of building ecstasy that was pounding through his entire system as she rode him fast and hard. Any lesser man wouldn't have been able to handle such a vixen, a powerful Amazon blessed by Aphrodite herself, but he was not some lesser man. He was fully willing and able to go toe-to-toe with the beautiful princess, satisfying her in ways that she never dreamed possible.

He proudly wore the bruises and scratch marks she left on his body, badges of respect and the love that she gave him and only him. She belonged to him, this amazing creature that truly deserved to live among the gods and goddesses of her pantheon.

His orgasm hit him fast and hard, the feel of her inner walls like a vice gripping him and milking him only prolonging his ecstasy to an almost painful end as his body arched and spasmed. He gulped in deep breaths in an effort to calm his hammering heart, his entire body thrumming with pleasure.

Diana sprawled on top of him, placing languid kisses along his chest. He brushed her damp raven hair from her face, pulling her up for a bruising kiss that only seemed to ignite their fire for each other all over again. His tongue danced with hers for several long moments before retreating.

"I love you," he murmured as he caressed her cheek.

"I love you too," she softly replied with a lazy grin. "Now, do you believe I'm fine?"

"You're more than fine, princess," he teased her with a smirk, his hands stroking along the contours of her back to caress her backside.

"I'm glad you think so," she lightly teased, pausing to nip at his bottom lip. "Did you check out the embassy again tonight?"

Bruce was having a challenging time connecting his thoughts as she kissed and nipped a path along his jaw and down his neck towards his chest, his hands cradling the back of her head as she tortured his nipple with her mouth. "Yes…it was…it was fine," he finally managed to utter. "I couldn't find any problems."

"Good," she practically purred against his chest. "And Talia?"

"She…she was with Damian all day in Gotham…I double checked her story."," he muttered, pressing the back of his head deeper into his pillow as he bucked his hips.

Diana's lips curled against his chest as her fingers stroked his sides. "I had no doubt that you would."

Her hand came to rest on his breastbone, her chin settling on top of the back of her hand. She gazed up at him with affection, her expression growing serious. "I'm sorry all of this is happening, Bruce," she softly said. "I know how much seeing Talia and finding out about Damian has upset you. She hurt you deeply years ago and she's doing it all over again, reopening old wounds."

He stared into her sapphire eyes, amazed once again that he was lucky enough to be on the receiving end of all the love and beauty that she possessed. With all that was happening to her, she was still more worried about him and how he was dealing with the unexpected arrival of Talia and their son.

He ran his fingers through her damp hair, his emotions shimmering right there in his eyes for her to witness. "I thought she meant something to me at one time," he found himself opening up to her. "Since meeting you, I realize it was just a fleeting infatuation. You've taught me so much about what love is and what it is not, princess. What we have together goes so far beyond just the boundaries of love. You're somehow a part of me."

Diana surged forward, capturing his lips in a sultry kiss that rapidly began to heat his blood all over again. Unfortunately, she broke the kiss far too soon for his liking. "I feel the same way about you," she confessed. "Have you been able to figure out why she's here after all this time?"

"Not yet," he replied with a sigh, "but she's made it abundantly clear she wants Damian to take over the role of Robin."

"What?" Diana exclaimed in stunned disbelief. "You're not considering it, are you?"

"Not at all," he reassured her. "The role of Robin belongs to Tim for as long as he wants it."

"Did you talk to Tim about it?"

"I talked to him and warned him to watch his back around Damian," he revealed. "Tim didn't seem too bothered by it. I know he can take care of himself, but I still want to keep a close eye on Damian."

"I know you're worried about me and these threats, but I'll be fine, Bruce," she tried to reassure him. "If it's really Aresia, I can handle her."

"Just please promise me that you'll be careful," he pleaded with her. "The thought of being immortal and being forced to live without you is not something that I can deal with."

"It'll take more than some disgruntled Amazons to get rid of me," she lightly teased, brushing her lips against his. "I'm afraid you're stuck with me, Bruce Wayne."

"Assuming this really is Aresia, do you think she's working alone or with other Amazons?" he questioned her with a frown.

It was more than difficult for him to think clearly with her nude form lying on top of him, her very feminine parts touching him in all the right places. It definitely didn't help when she wiggled her bottom against his groin every time they kissed.

"It's hard to say," she said with a frown. "I can't imagine anyone else but my sisters going to these lengths to try to get the embassy shut down. Not all of them are happy about my mother opening up Themyscira like this. There are some that are staunch believers in the old ways including Aresia."

"But they're not responding the way that I would've guessed Amazons would," he countered, his hands stroking the curves of her backside. "I would've thought they'd be more direct and open about it."

"It depends actually," she thoughtfully said, her fingers caressing his hair as she considered it. "Most of the time we are very upfront and direct, but we can also be very sly and stealthy if we have to be…like a predator or hunter. I'm sure those who are against the embassy opening have already shared their concerns with my mother, but she's the queen and what she decides is law. To go against her would be like signing your own death sentence."

"They would be executed?" he questioned her, surprised.

"Depending on the extent of the offense," she explained. "It could be something as simple as losing your rank among the Amazons to permanent banishment from the island. If it was viewed as a severe enough offense, death would be the punishment. To us, though, banishment is akin to death, being separated from our sisters and the only home we've known for thousands of years. It can be devastating to an Amazon."

Bruce's expression grew tender as he felt her shudder on top of him, but his eyes were hard with resentment. "I knew you were hurt deeply after your mother exiled you. I just didn't know how to help you or how to make it better for you. I almost went back to Themyscira to force your mother to change her mind."

"There wasn't anything anyone could've done," she admitted. "Mother would've had you killed the second you landed on Themyscira. It was just something that I had to learn to come to terms with on my own."

He lost himself in the ocean blueness of her eyes as well as the wealth of feelings that she always managed to awaken within him only to find them reflected back at him in her gaze. "My strong, beautiful princess," he murmured, burying his fingers in her hair as he pulled her in for another kiss.

Wrapping his arms around her, Bruce rolled her onto her back, pinning her to the mattress with his body. He loomed so large above her as he propped himself up on his elbows, hunger permeating his penetrating blue eyes. He pressed his lips to hers, kissing her deeply as he pressed his hardening arousal into her.

She moaned as she threw her head back, wrapping her long legs securely around his waist. Hera, she loved this man. It never ceased to amaze her how their love for one another had only grown and deepened over time. As his hands and mouth began to explore her body all over again, she knew in her heart that he felt the same way too.

A/N: Whoo-hoo! Sexy times for Mr. & Mrs. Wayne. What is Talia up to and who is thy mysterious blond woman in the black cloak?

UP NEXT: The ambassadors arrive for the peace summit at the Themyscirian Embassy and Bruce comes home early from work to spend time with Damian, but how will it go?

Thank you all for the reviews and follows. Your support for this fic honestly means the world to me. This has been the biggest fic I've ever undertaken as far as so many characters and plot threads. I really hope I can do a good job and create a high-quality fic worthy of your time! :)