A/N: This next chapter finds the League coming to an uneasy agreement about how to handle Darkseid, Bruce and Diana talk about their 'friendship,' while Edge makes a fateful call, and we also get our first glimpse of the 'new' Watchtower space station. I hope you're still with me and I hope you like it. Read on!

Chapter 10: The Brave and the Bold

Previously:

"Excellent." Superman turned to the police. "Gentlemen, thank you for your invaluable assistance tonight. Remember, we're here to help you in any way we can. You can contact us anytime. Good night to you all."

"Good night, Superman. And thanks again to the League. We just heard of the bust in Florida. Way to go, guys," the policeman said giving them two thumbs up.

"It was our pleasure," Superman said as they all lifted up into the sky and flew back east toward the Watchtower headquarters.

~o~o~

The Watchtower, later that evening:

Wonder Woman, Batman and the other members of the League were waiting impatiently for the other members to return from New Mexico.

"Bruce, do you have any idea why Superman called this meeting?" Diana asked her friend.

"He'll be along soon. Just be patient," Bruce said not wanting to upset her.

"You'd tell me if you knew, wouldn't you Bruce?"

He sighed. "It's best we wait and see what Clark has to say," he said asking her with his eyes not to push the issue.

Clark and the others entered the Watchtower at that moment. "Is everyone here?" Clark asked dispensing with formalities.

"Everyone is here, Clark," Bruce replied.

"Please everyone, take a seat. I know you're wondering why I called this meeting. This won't take long. But before we get started, I wanted to thank everyone on the great job with the shipments tonight. It's all over the news and Edge will be telling his gang just what they're up against. I received word that they're probably meeting at this very moment trying to come up with ways to stop us."

"I'd like to see them try," Bart said.

"Oh, they will give it their best shot," Clark said. "And that is why I called this meeting. I went to the Fortress earlier today hoping against hope that Edge wouldn't contact Darkseid. It's not in the cards, guys. My father confirmed that Edge has tried to contact him."

Diana looked at Bruce, but he wouldn't meet her eyes. She stood up then and began to pace. "Clark, what can we do to keep him from coming here? There must be something we can do."

"There is only one thing we can do, Diana," Clark said and went to her then, knowing how much this information would upset her.

"Well, what is it?" Diana pressed.

"I have to confront him. He's too powerful for the League. I am the only one powerful enough to defeat him."

"But that's crazy, Clark. We're here to help. Why won't you let us help you? Bruce, tell him we can help."

"Diana, you know as well as I that once Clark sets his mind to something, we can't change it," Bruce said knowing Clark was the most stubborn man he had ever met.

"But surely, with our combined powers, we can defeat him?" Diana asked convinced they could defeat him together if they had a plan.

"I have to agree with Diana, Clark. This is what we've waited for, isn't it? A villain we can put our combined efforts to defeat? We can do this," Arthur said.

"I agree, too," Bart said.

"Count me in," J'onn said.

"Guys, please, this is pointless. Look, let me tell you what Darkseid is capable of and then you can decide if we can defeat him together." Everyone waited for him to continue. "Darkseid possess powers similar to mine, including strength, speed, invulnerability, heat vision and flight. He also has the ability to manipulate energy, ranging from being able to absorb, convert and release various forms of energy as powerful blasts from his eyes and hands."

»These energy blasts can have an effect on your mind. He can make you do things you don't want to do. Believe me when I say, you don't want to be anywhere near him when he uses this power. Darkseid seeks to eliminate all free will from the universe and reshape it into his own image. He has tried this in the past and I was able to defeat him and send him away. Now he's coming back and I'll have to defeat him again."

Everyone listened and understood, but they would not be deterred. "Clark, you can go on and on if you want, but we will be there beside you no matter what happens," Bruce said, nodding toward the League.

"I seem to remember something about a democracy?" Diana asked and smiled at Clark.

"Now, wait a minute," Clark began.

"Everyone in favor of helping Clark, raise your hand," Diana said.

Everyone raised their hands. Clark just shook his head beaten by his own words.

~o~o~

Somewhere in Gotham City:

Morgan Edge liked Gotham City. Here in this crime-ridden city, there was more of the kind of element he was used to and best of all, there were no flying aliens, only a pesky caped crusader always messing in his business. As he stood at the head of the table facing the heads of his crime organization from all over the country, he was about to start the meeting when Frank came into the conference room and slipped him a note. As he read it, his face morphed into a furious scowl. He crumpled the note in his hand, went to the television monitor and turned it on.

One of the bosses looked around the table and wondered what was happening. He decided to speak even though Edge was not the type of man who liked interruptions. "Edge, we don't have all night. What's going on?"

"Just watch and listen. You may learn something," Edge said not feeling the need to elaborate. He turned the volume up on the national cable news channel.

The announcer spoke. "Superman and the Justice League have been very busy tonight. We have just received word from local law enforcement officials that on two separate incidents, the League was responsible for stopping two record breaking narcotics shipments from entering the United States.

»DEA officials have confirmed that Superman along with several members of the Justice League stopped two massive shipments of narcotics from entering the country. In a secluded and unknown area south of Miami, Florida, the DEA has confirmed that this shipment had a street value of over $45 million dollars.

»Also tonight, not an hour later on the border of New Mexico, Superman used his x-ray vision and was able to locate a shipment concealed inside a flatbed truck. Also there were several of his flying friends who also helped locate the truck. That shipment I'm told had a street value of over $30 million dollars.

Edge flipped off the monitor, turned and faced the highly placed members of his organization. "Well, I'm waiting. Can someone tell me what the hell happened?" Edge couldn't remember ever being so furious.

A few of the men finally found their voices. "We have no idea what happened. There must be a snitch somewhere inside the organization. There's no other explanation. I can't believe this. What are we going to do? That's $75 million dollars, Edge. We can't replace that kind of money."

Then, someone stood up, went to stand by the monitor and said the one thing Edge wanted to hear. "There's only one thing to do. We have to get rid of the Justice League."

"And how do you suppose we do that?" Edge asked wondering what plan he could possibly have to stop them.

"Well, we could ambush them. We could arrange another shipment, but it won't be narcotics they find, but a few … explosives and one tiny piece of kryptonite for our alien friend."

"It won't work. Superman can see through anything."

"He can't see through lead."

"But if he sees the lead, he'll become suspicious. I have another plan, one that will get rid of Superman once and for all. All we have to do is sit back and watch him take care of our little alien problem."

"Who?"

"Darkseid of Apokolips."

Everyone stared at Edge shocked and terrified. "Edge, I don't think that's such a good idea. He destroyed half the city the last time. There won't be anything left. We'd have to start all over again."

"There's no other solution. It has to be done."

"Edge, wait a minute. I know you have a grudge against Superman, but we can come up with another solution."

"There's isn't time. There are three more shipments next week, and it's too late to stop them. If Superman gets his hands on those, we're done, and starting over won't be an option." Edge pulled out his communication device, one he acquired from Lex Luthor. Lex wasn't completely insane. Edge had visited the man about a week ago, right after the conference and with Luthor's instructions, was able to find the device. He had made several attempts to make it work, but now as he pushed several buttons, and watched the device come to life, he knew there would be no turning back.

~o~o~

Meanwhile, back at the Watchtower:

The meeting room was quiet as Bruce and Diana worked at the computers, as they finished up assignments for the next narcotics shipment. Everyone else had left for the night.

"Why didn't you tell your story Diana? It may have swung the vote to let Clark go it alone?" Bruce asked.

"It wouldn't have made any difference. Everyone was determined to help him. You know I'm right."

"I know, but maybe talking about it may help. I couldn't help but notice your reaction when Clark said Darkseid was coming here again."

"Bruce, please, let's just finish this and call it a night," Diana said not wanting to talk about it.

Bruce stood up from the computer, went to her and touched her shoulder.

Diana looked up at him trying to remember the last time they had actually touched each other as friends. It had been a long time. Diana sighed and began her story of that terrible time. Bruce listened to his friend tell him how Darkseid had kidnapped her, brainwashed her and made her turn against her friends.

"Diana, it wasn't your fault. I can hear it in your voice. You can't blame yourself for something you had no control over."

"I know that Bruce, but it doesn't make it any easier to remember all the things I did and said all because of Darkseid's sick obsession with me."

Bruce tried to lighten the mood. "Can you blame him? You are a stunning woman," he said smiling at her.

"Bruce, stop it," she said and swatted his arm. "It was a terrible time for me. Please don't make light of it."

"I'm sorry, Diana." He took her hand. "I never want to hurt you, Diana, never." He stared into her eyes.

Diana hadn't seen that look in years. She really didn't know what to make of it. "It's getting late, Bruce. We really should call it a night," she said removing her hand from his. She stood up to leave. Bruce also stood up, but he took her hand again.

"Bruce?" Diana asked now totally confused.

"It's alright. Here just, let me hold you for a moment, as a friend, nothing more," Bruce said taking her other hand.

Thinking a little comfort was a good thing, Diana went into his arms, but then she closed her eyes holding him a little tighter, and rested her head on his shoulder. She sighed realizing how much she needed the comfort.

Bruce closed his eyes after hearing her sigh and stroked her hair. She feels so good. Why did everything have to be so complicated?

They both pulled back after a moment. Diana touched his face feeling the heat inside the mask. Bruce wanted to kiss her, but he thought she might slap his face if he did, then she closed her eyes and moved toward him. His heart soared like never before. He kissed her softly. So sweet. She kissed him back for a moment.

Diana was the first to pull back. "Bruce, what are we doing?" She touched her lips more than a little shocked by what had just happened. "This isn't pity is it?" She backed up feeling ashamed.

"No, no, of course not Diana, you know I've always cared for you, but you know our lives, the danger, and the excitement. It's difficult for us to stop and really appreciate what's important in life."

She shook her head amazed at him. "Didn't I just say almost the exact same thing to you a few days ago? What really brought this on? Did someone turn you down? Is that what this is about?"

"Diana, no, that's not it and you know it."

"How do I know it, Bruce? I know you, remember? You said it yourself. I know how you live your life." She couldn't look at him, as she turned to leave, trying to hide her face. She didn't want him to see how much he had hurt her. "Look, let's just forget this happened. I'll see you in the morning. Good night, Bruce."

He let her go. "Good night, Diana." Bruce watched her go, but he couldn't help thinking. We're not done Diana. We never will be.

~o~o~

Gotham City, the next morning:

Bruce was in his office trying to work, but he couldn't help thinking about Diana and what their kiss last night could mean for them.

His intercom rang just then. "Yes, what is it Jane?"

"You have several visitors, Mr. Wayne. Mr. White and Ms. Lang are here for their 10:00 am meeting with you sir."

Bruce groaned to himself. "Send them in."

"Mr. Wayne, this won't take long," Lana said not bothering with formalities.

"I know what you're going to say," Bruce said standing up.

"Look, Mr. Wayne, Lana and I are involved, seriously involved. Please don't send her flowers anymore," Richard said.

Bruce held up his hands. "I'm truly sorry if I overstepped."

"If, what do you mean if? You overstepped, Mr. Wayne. I never for a moment encouraged you," Lana said getting upset.

"I know that, Ms. Lang. I'm trying to apologize. I'm sorry. No more flowers, I promise."

Lana and Richard glanced at each other feeling satisfied with his apology.

"Good, then have a nice day, Mr. Wayne," Lana said.

"Yeah, have a good day," Richard said as he escorted Lana to the door.

Then Lana suddenly grabbed Richard's arm to stop him from leaving and turned back to her employer. "Mr. Wayne, I have something else to say. It may cost me my job but I think you need to hear this."

Bruce sighed and sat down at his desk. "Please enlighten me, Ms. Lang."

Richard had a feeling he knew what she was going to say. He knew how much Lana loved her job, but he didn't think he could love her more than at this moment.

Lana walked up to Bruce's desk and let him have it. "I know why you do the things you do, Mr. Wayne, especially to women."

"Oh, this should be good. Please continue," Bruce said leaning back in his chair and smiled.

"Well, I think you're hiding ... hiding from the world, hiding from your feelings, and hiding from who you really are."

"And who might that be?"

"The person who wants love, needs love, but doesn't know how to go about it."

Bruce stood up then, not really appreciating Ms. Lang's interference even though her words rang true in his mind. "Thank you, Ms. Lang, I'll definitely think about what you said." He tried to sound sincere. "I mean it, Ms. Lang, I do. Thank you both for coming today."

Richard and Lana left feeling assured they had gotten through to him in this one small way.

After they left, Bruce went to window thinking about Lana's words. He dialed his assistant. "Could you get Diana Prince on the line, please? Thank you, Jane." I could use a friendly voice right now. At least I hope we're still friends. That thought gave him pause. I can't lose that.

~o~o~

Diana Prince's office in D.C.

Diana was in her office catching up on her assignments with the agency and trying without success not to think about Bruce and what happened between them. She sighed giving up as she realized it was lost cause. She didn't want to lose their friendship. They've been friends for so long, and just the thought of loosing that friendship sent a lancing pain in her chest, but in spite of that, the promise in his eyes spoke to her heart. She couldn't deny how her heart raced just thinking about it.

Her phone ran just then. "Hello, Diana Prince here."

"Diana, it's me," Bruce said hoping she wouldn't hang up on him. "Can you talk for a moment?" Silence followed his question. "Diana, are you there? Please answer me."

Diana knew she was being silly. "Yes, Bruce, what is it?"

"I wanted to call to see how you were."

"I'm fine, why?"

"Well, after last night?" He paused. "We should talk."

"There's nothing to talk about. I thought I made that clear last night."

"I know, but I can't forget what happened. Can you?"

Silence again. Then, "no, I can't."

"Can you meet me at the new station?"

"The station? Is it ready? I thought it wouldn't be ready for another month?"

"I decided to speed up production. Ever since the League went public, we do need the security and distance from those who would do us harm."

"I agree, Bruce. Your plans were brilliant."

"Well, will you meet me there in an hour?"

"I'll be there, Bruce, and I agree, we should talk. I'll see you in an hour," Diana said wondering why she was putting herself in this position, but she couldn't help the way her heart rate sped up at the thought of seeing him again.

"Bye, Diana, see you soon," Bruce said and hung up. He stared at the phone wondering if this wasn't a bad idea, but his heart didn't agree.

~o~o~

The Watchtower Space Station:

Bruce arrived at the station first. He had given all the members of the League instructions on how to use the teleportation device installed at the Watchtower headquarters in Metropolis. As he magically materialized in "The Hall of Justice" or the conference hall where the League would meet and plot their strategies, his mind wandered again to Diana and what he was going to say to her once she arrived.

As he walked over to the round table, he knew the League would be pleased with this new and more expansive table. Seven of the seats were reserved for the 'core' members, while the JLA symbol was prominently displayed in the center. This table was much larger and would hold more members as the League grew its ranks in the future. He turned then when he heard a noise behind him. Diana was standing there just inside the main hall watching him. He decided the station was a safe topic for now. "Well, what do you think?" Bruce asked as he made a sweeping motion with his hand.

"First of all, let me sit down for a minute. That was some trip up here. How long was I in there? It's hard to tell with my head spinning in circles."

Bruce went to her and helped her to sit down. "Sorry about that. The ride is about five minutes. The dizziness should stop in a few moments. It's the one small kink my scientists are still working on. There, is it better now?"

Diana tried not to be affected by his nearness, but her mind and heart refused to obey her.

Bruce could sense her tenseness, so he went to sit beside her to give her some space. "We can take a tour when you're ready."

Diana shook her head as the dizziness went away after a moment. "I think I'm ready now."

"Great." He stood up and walked around the table. "Now, this room is called 'The Hall of Justice.' As you can see, this table is much larger than the one in Metropolis. It's large enough just in case if we decide to add more members in the future."

"That's smart thinking, Bruce. I like it," she smiled as she saw all the different insignias of the core members on their chairs and on the table.

"There's a lot more to see," Bruce said as he held out his hand to help her to stand.

Diana glanced at his hand and for a second, she wanted to accept his offer of chivalry. She looked at his face and he immediately dropped his hand, feeling embarrassed. "Bruce?"

"Come on, Diana, I want you to see all of it, then … we can talk."

"Sure, what's next?" Diana asked, not wanting to talk right now, but knowing they had to clear the air at some point. She didn't like this distance between them.

"I don't know if you noticed, but we're at the very top of the station. The lower levels contain a monitoring center, which houses the communications network. I had no trouble getting volunteers to come up here to work different shifts to keep this station running twenty-four seven, communicating with all the League members as well as with NASA."

As Bruce spoke, they toured the monitoring center and a promenade area, large enough for special ceremonies and for large assemblies for visitors and other meetings that would require more space. He also showed her their living quarters, a training room, an armory/hanger, which housed smaller craft for space travel, laboratories, and the med-lab. He indicated that there was a physician, several scientists and several retired NASA astronauts ready and willing to live on the station for several months at a time. The last area he showed her were the emergency teleportation tubes strictly for emergencies if they had to leave the station in minutes if needed.

Diana was amazed and so thrilled, she didn't know quite what to say. "Bruce, everything is just amazing. It appears you've thought of everything. You should be congratulated. We must have a welcoming party or something to make it official. I don't know. What do you think we should do?"

Diana had her back to him. He looked her up and down. His mind suddenly conjured up all kinds of things they could do to officially launch the station, but he kept them to himself. "Well, a party sounds good. Maybe we could have some food, champagne, nothing too elaborate. We do have a problem hanging over our heads right now, but once that's taken care of we can do it up right. What do you say?"

She turned to face him. "Sounds perfect to me," Diana said and smiled.

"It will be perfect," Bruce said meaning something else entirely. Then he became bold and walked towards her. Diana watched him come closer, and she couldn't move if her life depended on it. He took her hand. "Diana, I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable when we kissed, but I'm not sorry I kissed you. It was wonderful. You know I care a great deal for you." He held up his hand when she tried to speak. "Let me finish, please? When you told me the other day how I let my chances slip through my fingers, you meant us, didn't you?" She nodded not knowing what to say. He looked at her hand and then he squeezed it. "Diana, would you be willing to give us another chance?"

Diana stared at his face, trying to believe this was the same man who told her the other day how all relationships would end badly, no matter how hard you may want it to work. They just didn't work out. "Bruce, what changed? I don't understand."

He sighed and tried to explain how he felt about himself and his life. "It wasn't until … a friend told me that I was the one afraid, afraid to look inside myself, afraid to face the fact that I had no idea how to find love, and if I did find it, I wouldn't know what to do with it, that in all likelihood, I would throw it away." He touched her cheek. "I have no right to ask this, but would you give this old stubborn, pig-headed, and blind as a bat (pardon the pun), friend to the death one more chance to get it right?"

Diana laughed. "Oh Bruce, you know what I think?"

"No, what do you think?" Bruce asked hope shining in his eyes.

She came into his arms then. "I think this place needs to be christened properly," she said and then she kissed him. After a few moments, she pulled back and looked into his eyes. "Come with me," she smiled and took his hand and led him to the window. He came up behind her, pulled her close to his chest from behind and kissed her cheek. "Wow, what a view," Diana said.

Bruce wasn't looking at the Earth, the Moon or the Sun. He felt as if he had captured all of those things and more and they were all right here in his arms.

TBC!

A/N: Bruce and Diana crept up on my Muse, but I like them together very much. We'll see how it goes. I hope you liked it. Thanks for reading. Please take a moment to leave a comment! I will respond. Remember, reviews are love.