A/N: Good amount of phsical contact in this chapter. Diana's dream is pretty descriptive about physcial intimacy.

ENTER THE WICKED WITCH

JLA Headquarters, Training Room, Monday, 7:56pm

"Diana, that is the thirteenth time," Batman spat. They had been sparring for nearly an hour. He was growing more annoyed with each pass. He had taken her down a total of thirteen times. The last five passes had almost been easy to win. Plus she had still not confirmed her plans with Wayne. He was aching for a real fight. The look that she flashed burned into him. The warrior was not going to give up. She was crouching near the ground with her right leg extended in a lunge. Her hand reached for the staff that he knocked out of her hand. She definitely was not giving into reason. Dam stubborn woman!

She charged at him full force amplifying her speed. Normally, he would have taken a step back, defended, shot flash grenades in her face, etc. Tonight, he took her brute force as she drove them towards the wall. Diana dropped the staff and embraced Batman into her body as they approached the wall. Turning her body into the wall, she took the force of the hit. "Are you done, or do you have to knock yourself out first?" Batman accused as he climbed out of her hold.

Examining the dent in the wall, she leaned back and ignored his extended hand. "I'll take that as a yes," he squatted down to look her over for injuries, "You're exhausted. Usually, we spar on an even par. Tonight, Impulse could take you down."

"How can you say that? That boy does not have the Amazon training," Diana began to yell.

"Princess, I not looking for a fight. The point is that you are not fighting even close to your usual ability. It is never this easy to take you down," he cut her off.

"I may not be doing well. But I could defeat that child anytime or anywhere with my eyes blinded," she growled narrowing her eyes at him.

"You're so sure?" he pressed.

"Absolutely. He would be so busy staring at me that I could have him hog-tied before he put his tongue back in his mouth," she said smugly.

"You may have a point," he laughed at her strategy. "Diana, we need to fix this. You're a danger to the league and yourself. What's going on?"

She looked around the room uneasy. "I would rather not explain in such a public setting. May we retire to a private location?"

"Follow me," he offered his hand again. After standing up, they exited the training room and headed to the private quarters sector. She was surprised to stop in front of the room that Batman kept in the Watchtower. As far as she knew, no one had set foot in the room.

He keyed open his dorm with a typed numeric code and voice command. She followed in behind him and was stunned when he flipped on the light. She was expecting the room to just like him, impersonal and sterile. The pictures on the desk, the framed JLA induction letter, extra uniforms in the closet, the black rope hanging on the hook, and the martial art weapons mounted on the wall beside the bed shocked her. Who was this man? The pictures grabbed her attention first. The ones hanging on the wall were the different incarnations of the league, but the pictures on the desk were of family. Granted all the people in the pictures were wearing bat costumes, but this was personal.

There was a picture of Robin looking adoringly at a red-haired Batgirl. Another picture showed Nightwing holding the newest Robin in a headlock. The most surprising was the oldest one, where Batman held his arm around the original Robin holding two thumbs up. It was first time that she saw him in any picture outside the league roll call pictures. She picked up a picture of a teenage boy dressed as Robin performing a handstand on parallel bars with a smile that went ear to ear. Next to him in the same pose was a raven-haired girl smiling just as brilliantly. "That's my favorite picture of him," Batman said looking at the picture over her shoulder.

"I have never seen her in a picture like this. Normally, Donna is the one behind the camera. I don't think anyone has ever captured her smiling like this," Diana beamed at the sight of the two children seemingly so care-free, "They seem so young and free in this picture. It's hard to believe what they were capable of at such a young age."

"If you like the picture, take it. I can make more copies," he offered. Her eyes shone with surprise and drifted back to the picture.

"Thank you," she whispered trying to hide the watering in her eyes. Kindness. It was what she needed now, and strangely she had found it with him.

"Diana, back to the issue at hand, you have been having dreams. Dreams that are so intense you are waking up several times in the night," he dropped back into detective mode. She nodded to confirm the description.

"I prayed for release from the dreams before meeting you here tonight," she informed him.

He continued his questioning, "So, you petitioned your gods for reprieve. It seems like someone is trying to either distract or manipulate you through these dreams. They could be trying to wither you down with exhaustion making you an easy target. Since no one else in the league has been affected, we can eliminate the usual suspects and assume this is a personal attack on you. Who can do this to you?"

"Distraction? The nature of the dreams does not imply a personal attack on me. They seem to be a," Diana searched for the word while avoiding eye contact, "suggestion from the gods."

"What is the nature of the dreams?" he asked.

She sighed. She knew this question was coming. He was always so dam painstakingly thorough. Taking a deep breathe, she looked at him and explained, "They started shortly after I began to spend time with Bruce Wayne. In the dreams, we consummate our relationship. The dreams are not unpleasant; they are quite pleasurable . . . incredibly pleasurable actually. However, they are shorthanded. We never complete the act of consummation. During this course of the dream, I wake up. My assumption was that the goddess Aphrodite intends for Wayne to be my partner."

Batman remained completely still listening intently while an alarm was screaming 'Danger! Danger, Will Robinson!' in Bruce's mind. Diana saw him as a partner. What kind of partner? For how long? He pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind and focused on the discussion. He countered, "Are you sure that it is Aphrodite? I don't see your goddesses encumbering on you to the point that it endangers your life."

Diana growled, "Donna said something similar to me. Maybe someone is invading my dreams, but don't count out the gods. It could be Morpheus or Ares. Dr. Psycho is another possibility, but he has never exhibited the powers to invade someone's subconscious before."

"We should look into those possibilities. I can trace the last known whereabouts of Psycho. You are going to have to handle the 'gods'. Is there anything else I should know about this before we proceed?" he inquired.

Her eyes widened again. She turned away placing the picture back on the desk. Batman smirked again. She was blushing bright red. "I started to dream of another person," she said so softly that he barely heard her.

Moving in behind her, he growled in her ear, "Who?" When she answered, he hit two points on the side of her neck rendering her unconscious. You. She said you. Less than ten seconds ago, he was contemplating fifteen ways how to drive this new bastard from her life. Now, he was trying to figure out why the news thrilled him. She didn't know that he was Batman. It was still another man. He shifted her unconscious form in his arms and pulled her over to the bed. After he laid her out, Batman called out to J'onn through the telepathic link.

"Yes, Batman."

"I have Diana secure. Can you place the barriers around her mind?"

"Done."

"Block her mind for seven hours. She needs the rest. Then, drop the barriers and see if you can trace any presence in her mind."

"Done. Do you wish to bring her to the medical bay? I can monitor her here."

"Not necessary. I can keep an eye on her. Just keep watch on her mind."

"Gotham?"

"Nightwing has it covered. Contact me once you have something." Batman shut off the mental link and sat down at the desk reviewing the crime files that Robin had sent him.

JLA Headquarters, On the other side of the mirror in Batman's Quarters, 4:36a.m.

"Intriguing," the witch, who was watching, murmured. She tapped her fingernail on the armrest of her chair three times. A black spider descended from the ceiling on a silk thread until it landed on the floor directly in front of her. " ," she waved her hand in the direction of the spider. Instantly, the form of the spider shaped into a short bald man. His eyes bore into the witch searing with hatred and anger. Her throaty laugh sent shudders through his body.

"Our darling Princess is out for the night," she told him, "It's time to play in her mind, again." She began rambling words off in a language that he found more sickening with each day. Then, the shooting pain gripped his mind as the witch forced him to haunt the Amazon. Suddenly, the pain had gone. Was he finally free? Could he use his powers on this dam woman and play in her mind?

"Someone is protecting her. I can't enter her mind. It seems we may have to wait awhile," the witch smiled turning the man back into a spider.

JLA Headquarters, Batman's Personal Quarters, Diana's Mind, Tuesday, 6:37am

They had been sparring for sometime. Diana could hear the increased pace of Batman's heartbeat, but his breathing was still remarkably even. His body was toned beyond human perfection. She gazed over his form imaging what lay beneath. Where did the armor end, and where did he begin? Biting her bottom lip with anticipation, she chastised herself for thinking about her teammate in such way. 'He is not eye candy' repeated in her mind. Then, she smirked. Why not? It's not like he knew what went on in her mind.

"Something on your mind, Princess?" he teased emphasizing her title. Her glare intensified; she hated it when he did that. He could not read minds, but he seemed to deduce what everyone thought. His body spun around hiding his arms and legs behind his cape. As the cape drew back, he unleashed a series of razor-sharp mini-batrangs at her mid section. She deflected the objects looking at him as if there never was any challenge. Then, smoke exploded in her face. Dam! The last one was a gas pellet.

The gas blocked her vision, but the sound of a grapple firing echoed in the room. Blocking the lines with her braces, she smiled smugly until she felt the line wrapping around her legs. Before she could react, her body was yanked to the floor, where Batman was perched. He pinned her arms once she hit the floor. Looming over her face, he drew near and asked, "Yield?"

"What do you think?" she sneered back, "New toy?"

"It releases two bolas attached to decel lines. The angle can be changed depending on the height of the person," he grinned viciously.

"You and your toys," she said just before she flipped his body over her head propelling him with her legs. Pinning his hips to the mat with her knees, she secured his arms above his head. "Your turn to yield," she smiled as her eyes glowed with victory.

"Not quite, Princess."

"Do I have to put you in a chokehold again?"

"You can't unless you intend to release my arms."

"You planned this. You tied my legs on purpose. It seems that we will have to wait this out."

"Do you doubt my ability to get out of this?"

"I plan on preventing any attempts to escape. I was blessed with the patience of the hunter goddess Artemis. You will not break my hold on you."

"Who said that I intended on breaking the hold?" his grin grew even more wicked. Tilting his head up, he ran his tongue along the flesh that hung inches above his mouth. He licked from the red bodice to the center of her breastplate along the entire top of her right breast. Her eyes sealed shut when he reached her flesh. As a groan escaped her lips, his arms escaped her weakening hold. Soon, their positions were reversed as he pinned her arms above her head.

"I don't recall that move from any of the martial arts training that you have shown me," she mouthed huskily, "I still will not yield."

"I'd be greatly disappointed if you did, Princess," his voice somehow had grown more gravelly and deeper. His head dipped down again to the place, where his tongue had left her flesh. Then, he ran his tongue across the swell exposed above the breastplate before kissing the space between her breasts above the eagle. "In fact, I don't intend to stop until you're screaming for me to yield . . ."

JLA Headquarters, Batman's Personal Quarters, Tuesday, 6:42am

Her morning routine began as usual. She woke up trying to catch her breathe and calm her pulse. That was the last familiar part of the routine. Instead of waking up on the fine silks of Themysciran bedding, she rubbed her head on Kevlar-Nomex weave. When she raised her head, she came face to face with a flushed Batman. He was lying on his back with his arms wrapped around her waist. During the night, she had found her way into his embrace. She slept with her leg nestled between his legs and her head over the bat symbol on his chest.

They were both panting and staring each other in the face. Without thinking, Diana sealed her lips over his mouth running her leg along his right thigh. Then, she felt herself being pulled on top of him, and his hands caressing the bare section of her back before they ran through her hair. Once his hands were settled on either side of her head, he ran his tongue along her bottom lip. The kiss deepened. He rolled her over on to her back . . . Diana.

"Batman," she answered breathlessly.

"Diana?" Batman had stopped moving over her. She watched him roll away and stand up.

"Where are you going?" she cried in outrage.

"Didn't you hear J'onn? He called us. It seems someone is playing with you, Princess," he replied. She roared and ripped a pillow in two.

JLA Headquarters, Conference Room, Tuesday, 6:45a.m.

"What is it, J'onn?" she sneered at the Martian upon entering the conference room with Batman following behind.

"I believe that I detected a presence in your mind during your dream," he responded in his deep calm tone.

"Really? How did you? When did you?" she sputtered before turning around to glare at the Dark Knight, "What the hell did you do to me last night?"

He smirked at the lack of composure that she was showing. It was a good sign; she was feeling better. "I arranged for J'onn to contain your mind for several hours last night so that you would be able to rest. If you are feeling better, we should be able to active you back to full status."

"Oh," she suddenly looked embarrassed, "Thank you."

"J'onn blocked your mind off from invading presences for seven hours. After the seven hours, he monitored your mind for any suspicious activity. I assume that you called us because you found who is doing this," he focused his attention on J'onn.

"Partly," he acknowledged, "I was unable to locate any presences in Diana. However, I did find a small fading presence in your mind."

"Explain," he asked while Diana shot her face towards him looking for an explanation.

"Any presence in Diana's mind is completely covered or cloaked from me. However, during the dream cycle your minds became linked. A faint presence was calling out to me in your mind. It was asking for help."