Still in Batman Beyond Timeline
Diana sighed with mix nervousness and anticipation; the last time she was here was so long ago. She did not even recognize the manor now. It seemed empty and a little more sinister instead of the warmth it once offered. Maybe that was because it was night, or maybe because there was no Alfred to greet her. She made her way up to stairs toward a faint source of light.
Diana had left Man's World a few years after Batman resigned from the League. Her mother rescinded her banishment and offered her to return home. The League itself was downsizing anyways, not much global threats anymore. She felt it was time for her to retire and be with her family for the rest of her immortal life. Besides there was not much worth staying for anymore.
Well that was not totally true; there were her friends among the founders. But most had settled down and found happy lives. She could not be with her friends while they raised their families and she remained alone. It was time to move on.
Now she was back here again for the first time in ages. More bad omens had appeared, and the Queen did not trust Diana's replacement as ambassador, who was selected by the gods, to handle it so she sent her daughter instead. Diana at first objected, the gods had already selected their champion, but Hippolayta was insistent. Diana had a feeling her mother was trying to get her to reconnect with Man's World again.
When Diana returned to Thermyscara, the Queen noticed she was not as happy. Eventually the Queen deduced her daughter missed her friends in Man's World. But Diana was too stubborn, her friends had moved on and so had she. Finally though the Queen was able to get her to go by revealing the threat that mankind would be in its darkest hour again. Diana may have moved on, but she still had a great love for earth and man's world.
She had already met the New League since she returned. It was not as glorious as it had been in the Golden Age, but it still was respectable. Kal was still running things. In fact that was pretty much his whole life without Lois. The two never married. She ended up in an abusive marriage with a man she divorced after ten years and moved out of Metropolis. It broke Kal's heart. That saddened Diana. He deserved to have settled down and have a happy life as well.
What interested her the most was the new Batman. Never in all her life did she expect Bruce to allow someone to replace him. But when she talked to Terry she learned that he became Batman by stealing the suit after he stumbled upon it by accident. Diana chuckled at this story.
She had been with the League investigating the threat for three months when she overheard Terry and Kal talking about Bruce. She thought he had died a long time ago but learned he was still alive. But from the conversation she overheard, he did not have much time left.
Of course she was angry at first that no one bothered to tell her that her old friend was still alive, but then again she remembered that Bruce had rejected all his friends.
She felt a mix feeling of dread and anxiety as she inched along the hallway. She could back out now but she was an Amazon. She would never back away or retreat from anything. Slowly she crept to the room with light pouring out and gently knocked on the door.
Immediately she heard violent wheezing and coughing. If it was not for her super hearing she would not have heard a weak voice say, "Come in Terry."
Summoning up all her courage she opened the door and gasped at what she saw. Bruce had been shrunken, his body feeble and entire muscle mass all gone. His head was bald and covered with liver spots. His limbs looked like thin sticks that could barely move. She realized that he was bedridden. The only thing that stood out was his eyes. They still had that deep shade of blue which were glaring back at her.
"He still has that at least," she thought to herself.
"What are you doing her Diana?" growled the ancient man.
"What is wrong with me visiting an old friend?"
"I mean here. You departed from Man's World fifty years ago. In fact fifty years ago from today."
She was shocked that he remembered the exact date. Her heart fluttered a bit. Did she still mean that much to him? But then again he once was Batman, he knew everything.
"Checking up on me?" she grinned putting her hands on her hips and smiling haughtily.
For the first time in a while Bruce smiled. He remembered that night. It will always be a special night for him, their short dance in Paris, him interrogating a Kasnian soldier, and then sneaking into the room to be sure she was alright. But those days were gone.
Diana herself was shocked by his show of affection. She was still unsure but she was willing to bet now that she still meant a lot to him. Her little cloud of hope was interrupted by a sigh of sadness from Bruce.
"It has been a long time."
Diana nodded sympathetically, "It has. Last time I was in Gotham actually was for a charity date auction."
When Bruce looked confused she answered, "Shayera, Zatanna, and I were auctioned off for a charity auction. Some creepy man Powers bought us."
Bruce smirked. "So I guess that asshole's father was telling the truth that he had one date with Wonder Woman. Never believed him. I once missed an entire auction because I was passed out and hung over. I really did not get involved in the social events after my res-"
He stopped right there and closed his eyes. That event pained him greatly. His eyes were filled with regret. Diana on impulse reached her hand out and grasped his weak one and gripped it tightly.
"We all have regrets Bruce. Sometimes we just have to live with them."
"I regret a lot of stuff Diana. My whole life is all about regret. I thought I could never be allowed to be happy so I made sure I was miserable. I pushed people away to avoid hurting them and myself, when in reality everyone got hurt. It finally took me to be dying right now to finally realize how wrong I have been."
Diana's eyes welled up with tears. He was a good man he did not deserve this fate.
"But now Diana I am at peace now. I still regret a lot of things, but I can die now for once in my life content that my parents' legacy was remembered. Batman will live on forever."
Diana smiled. She made up to leave her friend spend his final hours alone but his hand still grasped hers.
"Diana…" he whispered before coughing again.
Diana looked at him uncertain what would happen next.
"I am sorry for all the pain I caused you and that I was too big of a stubborn idiot to have realized that I could have…" he started coughing again. But Diana knew what he meant to say. She, with eyes still welling with tears bent down and kissed him on the forehead.
"I am sorry too Bruce. For being too proud and giving up on you."
"Stay with me?"
Diana felt uncertain and nervous. She did not want to be around and see her friend slowly die, but he needed her now.
"Of course," she smiled and sat in a chair next to his bed holding his hand.
Bruce managed to live throughout the night. It was when the sun rose in Gotham his heart finally stopped beating. He had died peacefully in his sleep. Diana put her head on his heart just to make sure it was not beating and made up to leave. She decided she would just fly out the window; she could not bear walking thru the whole manor again. As she opened the window, the warm morning air greeted her.
As in a moment of irony, she started crying. Her whole grief had finally come pouring out. She always was very open about her emotions, but when it came to crying she usually was more reserved and too proud to do it. But for Bruce she would make an exception.
"Good-bye Bruce," she said tearfully before leaving her friend for good.
