A/N: I don't own the characters or all that other stuff.
The flickering torches cast light on Hades' lined face, his severe features emphasized. Diana rapidly eyes fluttered shut in an atypical moment of hesitation.
"You are rather persuasive, child," the god said, ignoring her pained expression. "I initially imagined that you would relinquish something mundane… perhaps your immortality, your tiara, your bracelets, your lasso… but your offer makes everything much more intriguing."
"Get on with it," Diana spat. She could not allow herself to show fear; it was crucial that she prove herself here. Though thoughts of him dominated her mind, it wasn't just for Bruce. She felt obligated to make reparations for what had occurred in the past.
Hades raised his dark eyebrows. "For someone who is about to surrender something so precious, you are quite determined." Turning his head, he motioned to a glassy-eyed youth dressed in coarse, old-fashioned clothing. "In that case, we will, as you so eloquently put it, 'get on with it.'"
Without warning the young boy appeared behind her and pressed her forward towards Hades' throne until the god of the Underworld was an arms' length away. Holding his hand out, Hades leaned forward and whispered harshly, "All yours, Hippolyta's daughter."
Silently, Diana reached until her fingers grasped the contents of the god's palm. Now or never…
Hades grinned devilishly as he watched the heroine grit her teeth, throw her head back, and swallow six ruby red pomegranate seeds.
God, it had been ages since he had woken up feeling so… light. As if all the secret, childish desires that he had always denied had come true: he had his parents, he had Diana… he had happiness.
Peeking through the door, Alfred smiled good-naturedly at his ward. "Good morning, Master Bruce."
"Good morning, Alfred," Bruce replied with a grin.
"You seem to be in a pleasant mood today. Positively giddy."
Bruce grimaced. For all the change that had happened in the last few hours, he was still Batman. "No one calls me giddy, Alfred."
The twinkle in his eyes betrayed Alfred's words as he responded. "Duly noted, sir."
"Alfred, please cancel all my meetings today. I'll be heading up to the Watchtower now." Bruce swung his legs onto the hardwood floor and stretched.
"Is there an emergency, sir?"
"No, I just…" I just need to go see Diana. "I just need to make some necessary modifications to the security system."
"Of course, Master Bruce."
As Bruce walked down the cold stone steps to the cave, he began contemplating the irrationality of the situation. Thomas and Martha Wayne were dead. Dreams were merely cohesive manifestations of his mind's ideas. There was no way in hell that his parents had actually appeared in his dream. But then again…
He chuckled. For all his arguments for hard logic and reason, none of colleagues in the Justice League embodied anything really logical. Bruce sighed. He had a very successful history in the department of denying emotions. Perhaps now would be a good time to try something new.
Philippus was still chained to the wall, her head down and her limbs hanging limply in their place. Walking up to the Themysciran warrior, he taunted her by swinging a key in front of her face. "If you value your life and your princess," he breathed, "you would go back to Themyscira without trying to kill me." Unlocking the cuffs, he glared forbiddingly as she rubbed her sore wrists; he stalked after her as he guided her to the exit. "Don't forget to tell your queen how simple a task it is to kill one mortal man." Without another word, he disappeared back into the darkness of the cave.
Bruce smiled inwardly. That felt good.
Wally was bored. He tapped his fingers so rapidly that a dent was beginning to form in the cafeteria table.
"Diana…" he sang.
The Amazon was lost in her thoughts. She was barely aware of the iced mocha resting in her hand.
"Wonder Woman," he tried again.
Nothing.
"Hey sexy lady!"
Nothing.
"Wally, she's probably daydreaming about her new boyfriend. Leave her be," Shayera commented as she slipped into the chair beside Diana. The women sat in a comfortable silence.
Wally couldn't deal with it.
"You want to know something interesting?"
"No."
"Did you know that Donald Duck's middle name is Fauntleroy?"
"No, Wally."
"Fine, uh… did you know that armadillos can get leprosy?"
"How absolutely shocking… yet I still don't give a crap."
"Cranky lady. Hm... guess what?"
Shayera humored him. "What?"
"Summer ends tomorrow."
Suddenly, Diana's iced mocha tipped, splashing across the table and dripping onto the floor.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so clumsy…"
Wally looked at her incredulously. "If you're clumsy, then Batman is a teddy bear."
"I do believe Batman would pummel you into the ground for your comment, Flash," came J'onn's voice from above them. He turned to Diana. "Diana, I just wanted to inform you that Batman just contacted the Watchtower and requested your presence in the Batcave."
Diana whipped her head up, forgetting about her spilled drink. She had never before been afraid or intimidated by Batman… but at this moment, she prayed to the gods that this inevitable conversation between the two of them could be delayed.
"Sounds like a date to me," Shayera commented teasingly.
Diana didn't have the heart to offer a cheeky reply as she left the room.
The peaceful sunset clashed with the turmoil inside Hippolyta's head. Small waves lapped at the beach and pinks and purples were reflected into the water. Amidst the calm, it was difficult to fathom the severity of what she had done, and the hatred her daughter seemed to have for her.
"You seem rather preoccupied, Queen Hippolyta."
Hippolyta quite nearly lost her composure at the sight of Persephone strolling towards her on the sand, similarly gazing at the setting sun.
"Themyscira is so beautiful. The image of this paradise is something I cherish and grasp onto when I am in the Underworld with my lord."
"Our island is honored by your attention and your presence, my queen."
Persephone sighed. "On a brighter note, my lord has notified me that I will have a new handmaid tomorrow when autumn begins. I suppose she can aid me in planting flowers in my garden. The gods know how forlorn I become when Hades is off… governing the realm."
The words were mindless jargon to Hippolyta's ears. She couldn't have known that her one daughter had willingly chosen to serve Hades' queen in the Underworld for the rest of her immortal life.
As she became accustomed to the dank, lightless cave, Diana was disarmed by a barely discernible, uncharacteristic smile on Bruce's face emphasized by light emitted by the monitor.
"You're welcome to explain the truth behind what happened last night," he said coolly.
Hera, help me. Diana opened her mouth but turned her head away. What could she tell him? That she loved him enough to make a deal with the god of the dead? That she was trying her hardest to make amends for her mother's despicable actions? That now, the roles were reversed, and she felt she would always be undeserving of his affections?
Before she could string together her thoughts into words, his boots appeared in her line of vision.
"Princess…"
She closed her eyes. She had spent so many years trying to charm him, persuading him to love her back… and in the end it seemed to be all for naught. Would he push her back, or bombard her with a torrent of angry accusations?
"I…" Bruce cleared his throat. "I just want to know… was it real? Or have all the years fighting the Joker finally gotten to my head and made me delusional?"
The disparity between his gruff voice and obvious tentativeness was endearing, and her love for him bloomed all the more. His desire for it all to have been real was nearly tangible, and this was one of those moments, few and far between, when Bruce wasn't in complete control of his emotions. Still, she kept her head down.
"It was real, Bruce. I promised you I would try my hardest to fix everything. I know it doesn't make sense to you, that your mind's running at the speed of light trying to process what you've dreamed, and what I've told you, but—"
Her breath caught in her throat when she felt his lips press against hers in a soft kiss. This time, there was no teasing, no battle of the wits or engaging banter. One hand came up to stroke her cheek while the other wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer. She smiled against his lips. It seems he's forgiven me. Diana decided not to question Bruce's generous decision, and instead forgot about her impending departure as she basked in the satisfaction of being loved.
Bruce pulled away slightly and pressed his forehead against hers in a moment of mutual contentment. "Whatever happened in the past," he breathed, "is not your fault. I've never been the one to rationalize my parents' deaths, but… it's already happened. All I can do is to continue to protect Gotham for their sake."
When he stopped talking, she opened her bright sapphire eyes to meet his. He was surprised to see them glistening with tears.
"Are you alright, Princess?"
"Yes, just… Thank you."
For the next few moments, they let their instincts take over. She attacked his mouth with her own, running her tongue across the seam of his lips and moaning when she felt him open his mouth. Diana was the aggressor, and while Bruce was by no means passive, she was the one who needed to feel him against her, to know that his hands were really running along her arms and her hips, that her fingers really were dancing over his handsome face, that Bruce was really holding her and that he really cared.
Diana was reluctant to vocalize her farewell, but at least she could let him know she would always be there for him with this goodbye kiss.
After all, she would be returning in six months.
A/N: I apologize for the time between updates. I'd been very deliberately avoiding Harry Potter fan fiction... but I recently discovered Dramione. Not surprisingly, I got distracted.
Anyway, thank you very much for reading, and please comment!
