The next few hours in Diana's life were more hectic than her usual afternoons. However the look on Kate's face when she walked through the door was priceless. The mortal was failing in keeping her composure around the amazon, let alone with Donna standing next to her. She observed the reactions of the Gotham hero with probably a little too smug grin.
"Wh-what?" Kate stammered out, her eyes wide in confusion. Not only that she thought Diana was in room with her the whole time, but now she'd have to deal with two of them.
"Well…" Donna turned around and faced the princess.
"What...uhh, what is happening?" The redhead was half freaked out and half absolutely amazed by what was going on in front of her.
"Dear…" The heroine took last couple of steps toward the hospital bed and pulled the human closer to her, "This is Donna, my...childhood friend."
"Why is she here? An-and why does she look like you?" Kate looked back at the other amazon, "Why didn't you say something when I...when I started talking?"
"I wasn't allowed to."
"What do you me-"
"Kate. Look at me." As soon as the eyes of her partner met hers, Diana took a deep breathe and if they would be alone, the conversation would most likely end there; but somehow the goddess managed to control herself. "This, the way you look at me, if you didn't notice that it's not me...Donna can take care of Gotham for some time."
"Are you leaving again?" Her voice was showing a wide range of emotions.
"You're coming with me this time…" Wonder Woman replied.
Comfortable silence filled the room, Donna Troy was observing her long time friend and princess of Themyscira. It was very rare to see her this relaxed. Actually last time she saw her like this was back on the island, when they were training together.
"I'll stay here and protect the city until Robin and Batwoman recovers." Troy confirmed the plan that they prepared earlier.
"Thank you." Diana nodded at her friend, "Be careful."
"I will." With that, the amazon left the room.
"So…" Kate was still a little puzzled, looking after Diana's double.
"So?"
"At least you came in before it would get awkward…"
"Is that so?" Goddess smirked, softly nudging Batwoman's shoulder.
"Did you-uh-ever slept with her?"
"With Donna?" She raised her eyebrows, waiting for a clever response from her human companion.
"She's hot." Kate simply retorted.
"Uh...she looks just like me?" Bewilderment was coloring her voice.
"Exactly my point." The Bat shrugged, "So why does she need to take care of Gotham until I recover?"
"I figured that you could use some time off…" It was Diana's turn to shrug.
"So what you are saying is-"
"Is that you are coming with me to hide the magic items."
"But I am Batw-"
"You are also Kate and ignoring that is not going to help anyone, least of all...us."
"You should really work on not interrupting people."
"And miss that adorable pout you do every time? I don't think so." The Amazon slid off of the bed and stepped between Kate's legs, her arms resting around the mortal's neck.
"A-adorable...pout? Are you confusing me with someone else?"
"I don't think I do, but it's possible…"
"Is it?" Kate eyes flew wide open at the implication that Diana might be interested in other person.
"Of course not." The goddess shook her head and leaned in to give the redhead a small peck on the lips, "So are you free to leave hospital today?"
"Uh huh." She nodded absolutely lost in stealing little kisses from the heroine in front of her.
Conversation stopped for a moment, when Diana gave up on resisting Batwoman's attempts for a proper kiss. Her fingers immediately tangling in the red hair, gently holding the human close. Kate gasped when she felt Diana's other hand sneaking under the hem of her shirt. The Amazon trailed her hand softly from the stomach to the back and it didn't take long before she scooped up the frail body and moved it forward; their hips meeting for the first time. Kate felt her composure leaving quickly and since the door to her room were still half open, she managed to pull away from her partner. Both of them breathing heavily, lost in their own thoughts.
"You wouldn't believe…" Diana started talking. "How much I regret beating you. I-I could have stopped you differently...maybe with the lasso…"
"Hey." The redhead cupped her face, her voice soothing, "Don't go there. It's in the past and-uh-you have to let go of the past right?" She reminded the goddess her own words.
"That is a bit harder to do if-"
"Oh, this better be good. First official excuse from Wonder Woman."
"If all I want to do is not possible because of the injuries…" The Amazon finished, her eyes piercing into Kate's.
"Oh…" She smiled nervously, "Maybe we can...start with dinner?"
"There is a carnival, they have this really good ice cream...does that sound better than dinner?" Diana asked with a hopeful expression on her face.
"You just want the ice cream…" Kate laughed, "But...alright. I could use some cotton candy."
"Cotton candy?"
"Oh god." She narrowed her eyes, leaning away from the goddess, "You never had cotton candy?"
Diana just shrugged, pulling Kate off of the hospital bed. But, before the human reached the floor, the Amazon scooped her up and walked out of the room without a word. Expression on Bat's face was hard to guess for her, however it wasn't something the goddess would worry about. The looks they got from the hospital staff and even the mere civilians were making the redhead uncomfortable. Kate knew that since now she was officially dating Wonder Woman and she became more aware of the situation. Her body started shaking and Diana caught up on that before Kate could hide it. The pair of brown eyes looked down at her. They left the building and the whole street could now gaze upon the princess of Themyscira and her new partner. The mortal shifted in her arms, but Diana didn't let go.
"I-I can walk?..." It was something between statement and question.
"You have to rest." The Amazon refused.
"Everyone is staring at us…" Kate's voice was merely above whisper.
"Let them."
"Wha-why?" The whole situations seemed absurd to her.
"Because my dear, now they all know, that you are with me…" Diana locked her arms tighter around the human and smiled. It was that friendly, radiant smile that left Kate without breath.
"Did-uh-did you just publicly claimed me?" Her eyes flew wide open and the surprise colored her voice.
"Maybe?"
"Asshole." The redhead softly punched Wonder Woman's shoulder.
"Is that so?" Diana chuckled as her eyes landed on the mortal again.
"I...I mean...no?" The Bat nuzzled closer to the Amazon. Familiar warmth proceeded to calm her nerves a little.
When the goddess jumped and left the ground far behind them, Kate threw her arms around Diana's neck and closed her eyes. Last time the flew like this, Batwoman was barely conscious. And before, she pushed the Amazon away. Now she was hoping to never leave her side. Wonder Woman made her feel safe. Most importantly, Wonder Woman made her feel. It didn't take long and Kate could see the jet. It was one thing to see the princess in a fight, but seeing her stand next to the now not so invisible jet was a completely different experience.
"All the magic items are inside, we just need to visit an old...friend...and deliver them to the place." She vaguely explained the plan.
"Place?" Kate asked as she managed to find some balance when Diana put her back on the ground.
"Shadowcrest."
"Great…" The Bat scoffed. She did hear about the hugely magic castle that belonged to the Zatara family, but she wasn't too keen on the visit.
"Don't worry," The Amazon grabbed Kate's chin and pulled her close for a quick kiss, "You are coming with me just to keep me company. No fighting…"
"I'll try, but no promises." The redhead smirked and steppen into the jet.
Batwoman walked around, her eyes scanning everything around her. Kate never thought about being on Diana's ship. Yet somehow it still was just like she'd imagine. The princess was putting directions into the computer, soon after they jet lifted and moved forward. Communication device on the ship went on and the monitor in front of her lit up.
"Where is Kate?" Annoyed voice echoed through the jet, forcing the Bat to follow Diana into the pilot cabin.
"Beth? Wha-?"
"Let me say hi to her!" Somewhat familiar voice could be heard from background.
"Is that?" Kate's voice was full of disbelief.
"Hi! Oh I didn't see you for so long, cousin." Bette Kane appeared next to Beth and smiled.
"What are you two...doing together?"
"We are going to help, until you return." Hawkfire explained.
"Or until we get bored…" Beth added, her interest in suddenly turning Red Alice into a hero was unknown to Kate.
"Hey I see you made a new special friend, will you introduce us?" Bette grinned, not caring if she made things awkward for her cousin.
"Well, this is Bette Kane, my cousin and also...Hawkfire." The Bat looked at Diana, trying to look calm. "And this is Diana, Wo-"
"Wonder Woman!" Bette interrupted her, "So nice to see you... I've heard a lot about you." She winked into the camera and Kate mouth stayed wide open in shock.
"Really?" The Amazon focused on the woman next to her. Her eyes following Kate's every move.
"Yes really." Beth jumped in, "She wouldn't shut up about you." Her expression was pretty much unreadable. Batwoman's on the other hand was crystal clear. Green eyes looked up at Diana and the amount of emotions which flooded Kate's mind was almost overwhelming. She was pulled out of her head by a finger that started gently copying her jawline.
"O-okay... That's-uh-I am happy to hear that?" Kate offered, losing her train of thoughts.
"She's not paying attention, Bette…"
"I want to say that it's good?" Diana pressed the button and ended the call without saying anything.
The atmosphere in the room was tense. The human was sure that even a slightest action will get a response from the goddess and she couldn't decide if she was up to the challenge. For a moment her mind wandered back and she made a note to get back on Barb for putting her sister and cousin up to this. Kate knew for a fact that she never mentioned Diana to Bette. After few minutes, the princess moved forward, leaving the cabin and tugging on the mortal's arm. Fortunately, her human companion was smart enough to get the hint and Kate followed the Amazon into the cargo bay. Without a warning, she was pulled right into Diana's arms. The Bat gasped in pain, when her muscles reminded her about the previous events. Groan escaped past her lips as the goddess momentarily forgot to keep her strength in check. Kate bit by bit relaxed and leaned most of her body weight against the Amazon, hoping to relieve some of the ache in her stomach. Wonder Woman's arms were helping the Bat to stay on her feet.
Diana began to question her decision about bringing Kate with her, especially after that fight near the museum. Human body probably needed more time to recover from a clash with a goddess. But leaving Batwoman in Gotham would make them both vulnerable. This way, the Amazon had at least some control over the situation. What she didn't think through, was the size of her ship for this trip. Kate needed to lay down and rest and there was no space. She picked the mortal up and carefully walked back into the cabin, putting her down on one of the seats. The Bat groaned again when Diana moved away from her, trying to provide her some space. She was pulled back by a surprisingly firm arm. Squeezing next to the Gotham hero seemed impossible, yet their bodies fit perfectly together. Kate exhaled and her lips started curling up more and more with every passing second. The Amazon didn't have a special plan for Kate's recovery, but she decided to take her to Themyscira after this mission.
"Diana?" Weak voice brought her back to reality.
"What is it, darling?" She answered smiling at the woman in her arms.
"How do you drive this thing?" Kate asked, her eyes trying to assess the control panel in front of her.
"Really?" The goddess raised her eyebrows, "You could have asked anything...and yet this is what you want to know?"
"I might want to borrow it?" The Bat retorted.
"I don't think my jet was designed to achieve revenge on your family members, my dear." Energetic laughter echoed through the ship and Kate couldn't help but stare up at her in awe.
"Was it that obvious?" She managed to choke out.
"Or maybe I can read minds?" Wonder Woman was focusing all of her energy on keeping a serious face.
"That's...I didn't know…" The human was struggling. Her mind was flooded by everything that she definitely wouldn't want to make public between them and Kate failed in keeping all of it in order. She also never heard that Diana would have abilities like that. "Are you making fun of me?"
"I would never do that, Kate!" Princess pretended to be offended, but her grin sabotaged the attempt to stay serious.
"Funny…" The Bat rolled her eyes, "So...you can't read minds?"
"I don't need powers to read yours." The Amazon shrugged.
Wiggling out of the chair was harder than Diana expected. Especially because Batwoman was stronger than she should be in her current state. However, keeping Wonder Woman in one place was a task that even the strongest mortal couldn't achieve. Their conversation was left unfinished as Diana left the cabin to check on the cargo.
Kate was alone with her thoughts for a moment. She still felt bad about falling under the influence of Klarion's curse, but right after the redhead closed her eyes, her mind wandered somewhere else. Everyone was covering for Batwoman. Kate Kane finally got some time off. Bruce's voice echoed through her head. You definitely deserve this, Kate. Just relax, everything is under control. Young Gotham hero didn't notice the Amazon entering the cabin again. She was too busy replaying the fight with Diana in her head. It was hard, because Kate felt like the memory belonged to someone else. However, it was hers. The pain in her stomach reminded her that much. Batwoman could have died that night. She fought a goddess and she should be thankful that her heart was still beating; but Kate didn't feel thankful. Sudden change of direction of the jet pulled her out of the memory, her green eyes opened and her gaze settled on Diana's unreadable face. Before any of them could say anything, the jet turned again and Kate almost ended up on the floor. The Bat managed to lower the impact of the evasive maneuver with her arms. Nonetheless she couldn't stop the painful groan building in her throat. If Kate wouldn't know better, she would seriously started to doubt Wonder Woman's ability to drive this jet. Autopilot was leading them around a massive storm and the Princess of Themyscira started hoping that this mission will be over soon. She tried to figure out what Kate was thinking about before, but as soon as Diana could hear the painful whines, her heart sank.
"What's going on?" The redhead asked, not missing a single change on Diana's face.
"You're in pain."
"It's not that bad…"
"Kate, not only that...I did this to you, but now I also brought you with me. I didn't consider your comfort at all."
"Well-uh-sooner we get this done, sooner we can get back to that carnival?" The Bat smiled.
"I am afraid it won't be possible, my dear." The Amazon refused and her eyes were focused on something outside; far behind the horizon.
Kate narrowed her eyes, trying to understand what that meant. She wasn't successful in that, but Diana didn't bother to help. There were several logical explanations, either Wonder Woman realized she made a huge mistake by picking Kate, or she was needed somewhere else right after this mission or maybe, maybe she has something else planned for them. The Bat couldn't tell and at this point she was too afraid to ask.
"I didn't think that one sentence is all it takes to make Batwoman scared." Diana moved toward Kate, grabbing one of her hands, "I want to take you to Themyscira... instead of the carnival...if-if that's okay?"
"Whoa...I-"
"You said you would like to have a proper training. I can show you the training that I went through. Well, to some degree." Princess corrected herself immediately. It was pretty obvious that a human would not survive.
"But, what about Gotham? Batman is not there and-"
"I found a plenty of people to take care of the city. Plus, if they will need help, I will personally fly you back." The cabin was silent for a moment. This offer was something Kate couldn't refuse. No human was ever invited to the Paradise Island. Except that one lucky guy who brought Diana out into the world. Also apparently everyone was willing to lend a hand to Wonder Woman so Gotham should be safe.
"Diana?"
"Yes?"
"Can you even do that?" Kate asked, leaning toward the Amazon.
"Do what?"
"Can you bring a human there just like that?"
"Darling…" Her voice dropped to the lower range, "I am a Princess of Themyscira and you definitely aren't just some mortal."
"Using social status to get a vacation. Noted." The Bat chuckled and closed the distance between them; humming when her lips met Diana's.
"First we have some work to do." Wonder Woman smirked and leaned back, hesitant to look away from Kate's face, "We are here."
