Ok, so I have to say that I'm super excited about this update. More clues are revealed and I love how it turned out. Hope you enjoy it too! :)

Chapter 8

Gotham; September 26th, 00:36 EST

Batman stood on the rooftop across from the Gotham Museum, his scrutinizing gaze taking in the chaotic scene below him. He was furious that the thief had been there like they had predicted and yet they'd been unable to stop him.

As soon as Diana had pulled free from his hold on her, he'd quickly tracked down Selina. With his former lover in tow, they had begun a methodical search for the thief inside of the museum while Robin and Batgirl had arrived on the scene. Unfortunately, neither he nor Selina had been able to find any sign of the man. It was as if he'd just disappeared out of thin air.

He was positive that the thief hadn't stayed with the other guests. He would've been caught red-handed with the goods and his reign of thievery would've been over. He had definitely made his escape, but it remained to be seen what that escape route had actually been.

His gauntlets creaked as he curled his fingers, his jaw set like a steel trap. He wasn't certain what made him the most furious—the thief stealing right under his nose or the effect that Diana had on him that he just couldn't seem to control no matter how hard he tried.

He'd mastered his body's responses to all sorts of stimuli over the years, but a few fleeting moments of having Diana in his arms had practically rendered him completely at her mercy. He hated how she could strip him of all commonsense and logic with the simple press of her perfect body against him or her mesmerizing scent that always stirred things within him. It was always a desire for something that he couldn't have with her no matter how badly he wanted it to be different between them.

"Report," he growled without bothering to turn around.

He already knew that they hadn't been able to find much in the way of clues. Their ever elusive thief never left them more than he wanted them to have…which was nothing more than his calling card. It was a game with him, one that Batman was resolved to win in the end.

Batgirl sighed, not really happy with the situation either. "We didn't get anything," she revealed, sounding as frustrated as Bruce felt. None of them liked being shown up like they had tonight. It was a definite blow to the pride. "The only clue that had been left behind was—"

"A business card," Batman cut her off as he eventually turned to face his team.

Robin's expression grew incredulous. "How did you know that?"

"Because it's his calling card," he revealed. He'd kept details about this case to himself until now, mostly because there wasn't much to share at this point, but he was going to turn that around soon. He was bound and determined to break this case wide open one way or another.

"Well, Wonder Woman kept it," Batgirl continued. "She wanted to run tests on it."

"You didn't take it from her?" he questioned them with a dark scowl.

Both stared at the Dark Knight as if he had just grown a second head. "Are you kidding?" Robin finally retorted. "She's freaking Wonder Woman…a powerful Amazon warrior. You don't just take something from her unless she's willing to let you have it."

"Fine," he spat out, not in the mood to discuss it any further with them. He'd figured that Diana had found the card and would keep it in her possession. It only added to his growing fury about this whole case. She was resolved to keep herself firmly imbedded in this case whether he liked it or not…and he didn't like it one bit. "Go ahead and start your patrols."

"What about this thief?" Robin asked. "Don't you think we should continue searching for him?"

"No need," Batman rasped as he turned his back to them to continue his watch over the museum.

"What do you mean 'no need'?" Batgirl questioned him, her hands finding her hips as she pursed her lips in defiance.

She didn't like how Bruce always kept things to himself, rarely sharing what it was that continually circulated through his analytical mind. She'd long ago come to accept that was the way that he worked, but it still proved to be very aggravating at times to say the least.

"Just what I said," he snapped. "There's no need to search for him. We won't be able to find him."

Batgirl opened her mouth to give him a piece of her mind, but a silent hand on her shoulder caused her to abruptly close it. Robin shook his head with a frown, basically telling her to forget about it. She wasn't happy with it, but she knew there was little she could do about it either. There was more to this case than just this mysterious thief that was rankling him and she had a feeling it involved a certain Amazon princess.

"Let's go, Rob," she grumbled as they turned to leave. She glanced back over her shoulder at him, wondering how long he was going to stay there like that.

Batman knew they had left without having to turn around and look. He continued watching the museum and the shadows that surrounded it, his mind systematically working through the events of the night. He couldn't help wondering if the thief had stuck around after he had escaped from the museum to watch the chaos that he had created. A lot of criminals enjoyed sticking around to watch and to enjoy their handiwork. For some reason, this thief didn't strike him as someone who would do that.

It wasn't the flurry of activity or the trouble that he'd created. It wasn't necessarily the attention that his robberies were beginning to garner, although there might be an element of that to it all. For this thief, it was the excitement of the hunt, the danger that surrounded it. He was a person with a compulsive desire for excitement and adventure. He probably didn't even need the money that his robberies generated. He would go so far as to surmise that the thief was probably as wealthy as he himself was, a billionaire who could live in comfortable wealth without a single worry about the future.

This was about what he could accomplish, how long he could get away with it before anyone could catch him. It was about trying to outsmart every police officer, every detective, every crime fighter, proving himself to be the master of the game.

Little did this man know that he was now dealing with the World's Greatest Detective.

"Thanks for disappearing on me tonight," her beautiful yet unmistakably agitated voice cut through his thoughts.

He instantly stiffened with her presence, angry with himself for not being aware of her presence before she had spoken. He'd been too lost in profiling this criminal to pay attention to his surroundings, causing him to miss her arrival. He'd never admit it to her that she had actually managed to sneak up on him for the first time in her life.

"You had it handled."

His clipped, flippant response only further ignited her already simmering fury. She closed the distance between them, coming to stand several feet behind him. "You left me to handle everything while you were out gallivanting with your cat girlfriend. I did not appreciate it."

The corner of Bruce's lips twitched minutely with her retort. He knew that she would eventually track him down tonight and he knew that she'd be absolutely furious with him, but he'd never guessed she'd be jealous. It was unexpected, but not necessarily unwelcomed.

If truth be told, he found it to be quite vindicating to know that he could rattle her as much as she got to him at times. It also reminded him that there were still unconfessed feelings between them that he was trying desperately to run away from. However, his elder self's words refused to be forgotten and were a constant reminder to him.

He couldn't deny, though, the way that his body flushed hotly with the knowledge that she felt something for him that extended past the restrictions of just friendship. He did his best to smother these feelings as he finally turned to face her.

His breath caught in his throat for the second time that night as he found her standing there in her evening dress and not her uniform as he had predicted. She hadn't changed. Dammit. Why hadn't she changed?

"Selina is not my girlfriend," he ground out in response to her accusation, his lips twisted into a sneer. He hated having to explain his actions to anyone. It was why he liked to work alone. "I asked her to be my date to get a thief's perspective on this guy in hopes of gaining some new insight into the case."

Diana weighed his words for a moment. Even though she didn't like it or want to admit it, it had been a good idea. She just wished it hadn't been Selina or that it hadn't bothered her so much to see them together. Being forced to watch them kiss had been unsettling for reasons she didn't want to think about. Their connection to one another was quite obviously still there even if they were no longer together.

She wanted to point out the fact that Bruce certainly didn't seem to mind Selina pressing her body up against him or had any trouble returning Selina's passionate kiss, but she wasn't going to stoop to such a level. Her Amazonian pride wouldn't allow it. Still, she wasn't buying what Bruce was telling her for one second.

"Were you two able to find anything?" she asked, allowing her displeasure with him to show through.

Despite himself, he looked away from her icy glare and recognizable resentment. Of course, she couldn't see that with his cowl on. "Selina said that he's very good…better than she'd ever seen," he confessed, his eyes focusing on her once more. It seemed to help soothe a small measure of his own fury burning within him. "He's probably been doing this far longer than we think. She said that she wouldn't be surprised if he started as a young teenager."

Diana's expression grew sorrowful with the thought. She bit at her bottom lip as she thought about this new theory, her forehead creasing. "What kind of life must he have had that would've led him to this?" she murmured more to herself than to him.

"I'm not so certain that he had as hard of a life as you're imagining, Princess," Batman replied, his tone gentler. Her compassion truly knew no bounds. It was one of the things that had attracted him to her from the very beginning.

"What do you mean?" she asked, thoughtfully tilting her head. She pulled a raven curl out of her line of sight as the wind abruptly picked up.

Bruce watched in abject fascination as the wind gust caused the skirt of her royal blue gown to billow and swirl around her. It made her look like she was being carried on an ocean wave as she closed the distance between them. She looked like a goddess of the sea that he wanted so desperately to wrap his arms around and hold onto with all his might.

He felt his right arm begin to lift away from his body to touch her when the words of his elder self from the future filled his mind. He immediately dropped his arm, allowing his cape to drape sinisterly around him instead as he stiffened with the reminder of what the future held in store. He couldn't take that risk…could he?

"Just a theory I have," he gruffly responded, his jaw clenching and tensing.

Diana couldn't help but notice the abrupt shift in his mood. "What is it?"

"Nothing," he dismissively snapped. "Where's the business card that he left behind?"

Her mouth curved into a frown, not appreciating his stubborn determination to drive her away from him all the time by ordering her around. He was going to find himself spitting his teeth out of a bloody mouth soon regardless of how she felt about him.

"I have it," she calmly replied, though the glint in her eyes spoke of her simmering fury.

"Give it to me," he demanded, holding his gauntleted hand out to her.

"No," she firmly stated, her fingers reaching into the top of her dress to pull enough of the card out of her bodice to give him a glimpse of where she was keeping it. "If you want it, you have to come and get it."

Bruce went rigid as he gazed tantalizingly at her full breasts that were beckoning him as well as the corner of the white business card that he wanted to get his hands on. He was fairly certain that she meant the card, but the double meaning of her challenge wasn't lost on him. Things had gradually been escalating between them against his better judgment, their sparring sessions growing more heated.

He ground his teeth, his nostrils flaring with anger. He didn't have time for these games of hers. He had a thief to catch and he needed the clues left behind on that card. Deciding to call her bluff, he took a definitive step closer to her, a smirk on his lips.

He half expected her to take a step back away from him, knowing that she was untouched by a man. The thought caused a tremble of desire to race through him and settle into his groin. Instead of backing away from him, she stood her ground, not even flinching under his penetrating glare.

They were in a standoff, a fierce battle of wills that would no doubt end in a stalemate at this rate. The Bat part of him wanted to just reach out and take the card from her, but the man in him that cared for her wouldn't allow him to do it.

Besides, Alfred would have his head if he dared behave toward her like that. He had been raised to treat a woman with a great deal of respect and, staring at her now, he was reminded that she was definitely all woman…a woman who could shatter his arm before he could begin to retract his hand from her cleavage.

"I promise I won't bite," she teased him with a flirtatious grin.

He spun on his heel with a growl of frustration, his cape whipping behind him. "I don't have time for this."

"Good…neither do I," she replied, relaxing minutely.

She hadn't been sure that he wouldn't go for the evidence she'd kept safely hidden in the bodice of her dress. She was a little disappointed that he didn't, but she could tell that she had definitely gotten to him. Little by little she was going to push to see where things might actually lead between them. She just had to be careful not to push too hard.

"What do you want?" he demanded to know.

"First, I want to change my clothes," she began, holding up one finger before allowing another finger to rise. "Second, I want something to eat. I'm starving. I haven't had anything to eat all day. Third, I want to go back to the cave to see what we can find out about this card."

"Anything else?" he growled.

"Yes, actually there is," she decided as she stared at his back. She knew she was likely pressing her luck, but decided to go for broke as she silently closed the distance between them again. "You ever pull a stunt on me again like you did on the Watchtower and you'll be extricating your utility belt from your ass."

The corner of Bruce's lips curled with her threat. Did she have to be so desirable even when she was threatening him? "Fine," he bit out, not allowing her to see the effect she was having on him. "Go to the manor. Alfred will get you something to eat. I'll be there as soon as I finish patrol."

"I'll help you," she offered, somewhat taken aback by his willingness to give in to her demands.

He snorted in response as he looked back over his shoulder at her, pulling his grappling gun from his belt. "No, you won't," he stated, his voice broking no room for argument. "Go to the manor. I'll be there in a couple of hours."

"We really need to have a serious talk about you giving me orders all the time," she spat out.

"Add it to the list, Princess," he smugly responded as the grappling line carried him away from her.

He could hear a string of Greek curses being aimed in his direction as he left her standing alone on that rooftop. He was going to have to accept the fact that he wasn't going to be getting rid of her any time soon or at least until this case was solved.

Gotham; September 26th, 02:08 EST

He carefully laid out the Egyptian arm band one by one on the black velvet cloth that he'd already spread out on the table before him. His eyes glistened with the rush of excitement that always came with a successful hit like this. His smile broadened as he removed the collar necklace from his bag, appreciating the exquisite design.

He lightly ran the tips of his fingers over the precious treasure, knowing how much his mother would've loved this particular piece. Thoughts of her made his throat clench painfully, further deepening the gaping cavity in his chest. Even after all this time, the pain had yet to truly diminish in the least.

He feared sometimes that he'd never be rid of the pain that he carried with him on a daily basis. Twenty-five years had done little to ease it. Not even all of his travels abroad, the extensive teaching and training he'd participated in had fully lessened it or erased the nightmares.

Straightening his shoulders, he ran through a quick meditation exercise that he'd learned in Nepal. He felt a small measure of the ache subside just enough to allow him to breathe a little easier again. Turning his attention to the arm band, he picked one up to better inspect it, noting the craftsmanship. It was amazing to him that crafters in Ancient Egypt could create such magnificent pieces with the limited tools that they had.

He ran his thumb over the emeralds and lapis lazuli, noticing how perfect each jewel appeared to be. He was anxious to return home so he could add it to his collection. Glancing over at his day planner on the table, his eyes fell on the invitation to the Leo Vanover estate. He could hardly wait until the auction. There were going to be some very valuable pieces missing by the time the auction took place.

He sat back in his seat with a smug smirk on his face as he reached for his glass of wine. Stealing what he wanted from the Leo Vanover collection would be even easier than stealing from the Gotham Museum tonight. Wonder Woman's appearance had given him pause, but only momentarily. She was far more beautiful in person than the tabloids could ever impart. He'd actually been a little apprehensive about talking to her.

To think that he'd been able to steal several items with her being present right there at the gala. She was a founding member of the Justice League, a warrior and the embodiment of virtue, truth, and justice. He could only imagine how she must have reacted once the guests had been searched and discovered that it was far too late to recover the missing pieces.

He had to admit that he wouldn't mind another encounter with her in the future, but he needed to stay on schedule. If he was to stay on schedule, that meant no returning to Wayne Manor no matter how anxious he was to find out what was being held inside that fortress. He had been enticed by the prospect of conquering that particular security system. Unfortunately, that encounter would have to wait for another time.

Setting his wine glass aside, he turned his attention to his day planner. Pulling it to him, he crossed the museum gala off, looking at his next hit. He had hoped to spend more time in Gotham, especially at Wayne Manor, but a recent announcement of an unveiling in Chicago had captured his attention.

He gazed at the pictures that he'd downloaded onto his laptop from the big reveal planned for two days from now. He slowly raked his teeth over his bottom lip as he stared at the sapphire necklace that was among the collection that was going to be on display.

"Ava is going to love it," he thought to himself as he brushed his thumb over the intricate necklace that had caught his eye.

Releasing a weary breath, he set the pictures aside before standing to his feet. He stretched, rolling his neck a couple of times before making his way to the bathroom. He turned on the hot water before stripping off his clothes. Climbing into the shower, he began to wash up, his thoughts still circulating around Wonder Woman.

He couldn't help wondering if she had been there for reasons other than the unveiling of the rare Egyptian artifacts. He'd read the newspapers the day after his job at The Met in New York City, noticing the picture of Wonder Woman standing on the front steps of the museum talking to the police. She had been there that night too.

Was she on to him? Had she found the hidden clues that he'd left behind?

No one had found the clues since he began leaving them over three years ago. He had feeling, though, that if anyone was going to put the clues together it would be her. She was reportedly blessed with countless gifts including great intelligence. Would it take a woman blessed by the gods to finally catch him?

It was another reason that he needed to leave Gotham. While Wayne Manor was next on his hit list, the fact that Wonder Woman could possibly be on to him made his decision for him. It was time to leave Gotham and head to Chicago, especially if Wonder Woman was involved now. Besides, staying in Gotham increased his chances of running into the infamous Batman. That was an encounter he wanted to avoid at all cost.

The thought caused the corner of his lips to quirk in amusement as he shut the water off. Grabbing a towel, he began to dry off. He was definitely intrigued with the notion of going head-to-head with the stunning Amazon, a battle of intelligence that he was certain he would win.

She may be intelligent, but he was even more so.

Turning off the bathroom light, he made his way to his bed, pulling back the covers and sliding in under them. A soft sigh escaped his lips as his head sunk into the feather pillows beneath him. He closed his eyes, hoping for once the nightmares would be held at bay. Maybe this once he could dream of something else, something much more enjoyable like a beautiful Amazon.

Batcave; September 26th; 04:42 EST

The Batmobile followed the twisting roads through the country that would lead him home and to her. He had actually been rather surprised that he hadn't heard from her once while he had been out on patrol. It had taken far longer than he had anticipated, and the princess was not a patient person by nature when it came to waiting.

He clenched his teeth near the point of cracking as he thought about her. Thanks to his future self, he couldn't help thinking about the event that he had been told about every time he thought of her. The two now came hand-in-hand and yet were so directly opposed in the emotion that they each created within him.

His throat felt thick and dry, his head spinning with words that he wished that he hadn't heard…words that had haunted him every minute of every day since he'd heard them spoken in his own voice. Why couldn't his future self just keep his mouth shut and respected the timeline?

Instead, his cantankerous elder self had defied the most important rule when it came to the future and time travel, revealing something that never should have been spoken about. Now, he couldn't forget it, leaving him with a horrifying burden that he wasn't meant to bear. It was a tragic event that he never wanted to happen, but he knew he had to respect what was to come or risk the consequences of tampering with time.

At the same time, could he truly let what was going to happen become a reality?

His mind told him he had to; his heart told him he wouldn't survive it.

He tore through the hidden tunnel of rock, the roar of the engine echoing loudly as he entered his secret sanctuary. Parking the car on its turnstile, Bruce sat there for several long moments, staring straight ahead as he allowed the full weight of what had been placed on his shoulders to consume him.

"You have to save her…"

"Don't be a stubborn fool like I was…"

"She loves you…"

"Let her in before it's too late or risk losing her forever…"

Bruce suddenly raised his fist, slamming it hard against the dashboard and fracturing it, but he didn't care. He had a dreadful choice to make and he had no idea what to do. It was either save Diana and risk an even worse cataclysmic event or let Diana die and be forced to live his life without her.

He'd seen what that the terrible loss had done to him, how it had destroyed the man that he had once been. He'd already been heading down that dark path as it was with all that he'd been through. Diana's death obviously caused him to hurtle down that path with no hope of ever being saved, cementing his life with unbearable pain and rage.

If he saved Diana, what would that mean for the world? What if saving her altered things and initiated a catastrophic string of events that they could never recover from?

Bruce yanked his cowl back, rubbing his face with his gauntleted hands. He couldn't imagine a life without her, but what right did he have to be so selfish as to save her and possibly sacrifice the world in the process?

These questions and so many more had besieged him day and night ever since returning from the future. Now nearly two months later, he was no closer to figuring out what to do. What was worse was the fact that his elder self never told him when it was going to happen or the events leading up to it.

"When will this happen?"

"I'm not going to tell you," Bruce revealed with a dark scowl.

Batman's head jerked to the side, stunned by his decision. "Why not?" he demanded, his fingers wrapped so tightly around the stone ledge of the old roof it was beginning to crumble beneath the death-grip he held on it. "You tell me I have to save her, but you refuse to tell me when this will happen?"

"That's right," the old man stated, folding his arms defiantly against his chest. "If I tell you that you have two years or five years or even ten, you'll take every single second of that time to avoid doing anything about what you feel for her all for your damn mission. You need to tell her now."

Batman's cowled eyes narrowed to dangerous slits as he turned to face the elderly man. He folded his arms against his chest in a mirror image of his elder self. "How long do I have?" he seethed, his words being spat out like venom.

"I'll give you eight weeks," he ground out. "She's safe for eight weeks after you return to your time. After that, you had damn well better do whatever it takes to let her into your life and save her or I guarantee your life will sink to a fresh new level of hell and suffering that you've never even dreamed could exist."

Batman's jaw tensed, the muscles tightening. He didn't like being forced like this nor did he appreciate having the timeline tainted with information that he wasn't supposed to be privy to. "Why are you telling me this? You're breaking a rule that we firmly believe in. You know we're not a romantic at heart so it's more than just the fact that we love her. What changed you?"

The older man closed the distance between them in three long strides, standing toe-to-toe with the younger version of himself. A glower unlike anything Batman had ever witnessed before formed on the weathered face glaring darkly at him with that penetrating gaze. It almost made him flinch and look away. He had no idea that he was even capable of such a ghastly glower such as this. It went beyond anything that he'd ever seen in himself before.

"Once she dies in your arms maybe you'll finally understand what I've been trying to tell you," he hissed, his chest heaving with emotions so raw and deep that nearly overwhelmed him. "Or maybe it will take her using her last breath in order to tell you that she loves you and that she'll be waiting for you in Elysium before you'll get it through that thick, stubborn head of yours. Of course, by then, it'll be too late for either of you."

Batman dug the heels of his hands into his eyes, wishing that he could stop the sound of his own voice that continually filled his head. His heart and his mind were in a mêlée the likes of which he'd never experienced to this degree before and he had no idea what to do.

Time was swiftly running out. He only had a few more days and then it could happen at any time. His elder self never went into the circumstances surrounding her death or where he actually was when she was initially injured. He knew he was in a no-win situation. There was no way out of this without possible dire consequences.

Bruce finally got out of his car, knowing that he couldn't avoid her forever. If he was going to do this, he was going to have to watch over her, protect her at all cost every time she was anywhere near him. The thought brought him only a very small degree of comfort knowing that he would protect her with his life if necessary. If someone was going to die, he'd rather it be him than her.

Coming around the car, he drew a deep breath, running his fingers back through his black hair. It was eerily quiet in the cave, almost too quiet. Maybe she had fallen asleep at his desk or Alfred had escorted her to one of the countless guest room upstairs to sleep until he had returned.

He quickened his pace as he made his way to the platform, his frown deepening along with his worry as he found his workstation empty. There was no sign of the princess anywhere, not even something that indicated that she'd ever been there.

He knew that she'd been furious with him tonight for multiple reasons starting with his attempts to keep her from going to the gala and ending with Selina. Of course, ordering her to return to the manor to wait for him to finish patrol had only tossed gasoline on a blazing fire. Maybe she'd just returned to the Watchtower.

Hearing footsteps behind him, Bruce turned to find Alfred approaching, dressed in his bathrobe. "Where's Diana?" he asked with unmasked worry.

"I haven't seen Miss Diana," he replied with a furrowing brow. "No one has been here since you left for the museum."

Bruce cursed under his breath as he dropped into his chair and started up his computer. "Batman to Watchtower."

"This is Watchtower," Black Canary responded. "What can I do for you Batman?"

"What's Wonder Woman's current location?" he asked as he swiftly typed, searching for her location.

"She was sent to Metropolis with Flash to help Superman," Canary informed him. "Granny Goodness and the Furies are tearing through the city. Flash just called in for more back up."

"I'm on my way," he stated as he got to his feet and raced to his Batwing. "Batman out."

He didn't give Canary time to confirm, but he didn't need one. Diana was possibly in trouble and he wasn't going to take the chance that this was the moment that he'd been dreading these last several weeks. His time for brooding was over. Now, it was time for him to act.