Last chapter. Phiew, talk about a ride. I'm posting it early because -well, one, it's done, and second, I might not have the time to do so later. Many thanks to everyone who read this, reviewed, favorite-d and follow-ed!
I hope this wraps up things nicely enough :)
Un-beta-ed work, so all mistakes are mine, again. Enjoy the read!
Five Dates
The Fifth Date / Epilogue
The restaurant was buzzing with clients, which, in Hades's opinion, was a great thing. Out of the two series of restaurants he had opened, the Tartarus was his favorite –loud and noisy and opened to people from all over the city. The Elysium was a lot quieter, more reserved to the elite clientele. And while he was highly criticized for his rude manners, even socialites loved to claim they had stopped to eat at his place.
In ordinary times, he would have gone to the Tartarus and enjoy the loud music while grilling food over real fire. But tonight, one particular reservation had caught his eye and Hades needed to see for himself.
A young couple entered the restaurant a little before eight. A waiter welcomed them and led them to their table. They were both well-dressed in accordance to the etiquette of the place. He wore a tuxedo, tailored and perfectly fitting his broad shoulders. She wore an elegant dress that hugged her every curve, split at mid-thigh and falling just above her high-heels. Her hair had been tied in a low bun and her face bore the barest hint of makeup. She didn't need makeup, he thought, she was magnificent without it already.
The couple sat at its reserved table. Hades observed them for a while. They made a good pair; dark-haired, young and beautiful and smitten with each other. The young man's eyes barely left his date, even when the waitress came to take their order. The fondness in the young woman's eyes was genuine and her smile true. She had her mother's smile, he thought again. The Lymps' hair, but Hippolyta's smile.
They spoke quietly, holding hands above the table, fingers intertwined over the white tablecloth. He wondered if they had come here on purpose, if they knew he would be there tonight. He had no doubt the boy knew who the restaurant belonged to. He wondered if the girl…yes, she probably did too.
Hades returned to the kitchen. Cooks and others were running around in a very organized ballet. He didn't check what the two had ordered, didn't berate the cooks to do their best; they knew that any plate not rated 'amazing' would never reach the customer. Five years of training, another ten of building his empire –he had a dozen Elysium and another thirty Tartarus spread across the country, and his demands and expectations regarding his employees made him hated and respected at the same time. He preferred the restaurants he had in Gotham though. The people here were hard workers, eager to get out of their miserable lives and eager to defend their workplace. They grew up living tough and in spite of having lived the first part of his life amongst the privileged, Hades knew what it was like to be given the opportunity to start over. The difference between him and his employees was, he had the financial backup to do so. Many of his employees didn't and they knew that, while Hades was willing to give them a chance, one chance was all they got. Sometimes it was enough. Sometimes, he kicked them out himself.
Hades surveyed his team with a hawk's eye for a while before putting himself to work. The couple was just another pair of customers, he thought. He had no intention of meeting the young man face-to-face, least he might punch him in the guts. As for the young woman…well, he gave up that right the day he let Hippolyta go.
FD
Diana moaned in delight as the chocolate dessert melted in her mouth. She didn't miss Bruce swallowing heavily as his bore into her skull. Due to his recovery and the bruises on his face, he hadn't been able to walk out of the hospital until recently. His first action had been to make a reservation at the Elysium, one of Gotham's fanciest restaurants. Incidentally, her potential father's restaurant.
An amazing restaurant, she might add.
"Are you enjoying your dessert Bruce?" she purred, amused by the way his pupils dilated. He somewhat managed to get a grip on himself and nodded briskly. Again. During the meal, she had rubbed her feet on his leg, then up his thigh. She had chosen those high-heels because they were easy to slip in and out. Yet, his control had been admirable. Even when her toes had toyed with his crotch, he had merely tightened his jaw.
"It's good," he replied but his voice was strained. Diana busted into laughs and had to cover her mouth to prevent pieces of chocolate all over the table. She finished swallowing and grinned. Given his expression, her teeth must have some chocolate left on them. She hurriedly ran a tongue over them. Bruce cleared his throat and bit back a smile in turn.
They finished eating without further ado and Bruce paid the check. As a courtesy, he did not let her see the bill. As Diana had no idea how much her meal had cost –as there were no prices on her menu, she couldn't guess. But she was quite certain she had caught three numbers at the bottom of the ticket.
They exited the restaurant, him holding her arm gallantly.
"You weren't quite wrong," she finally said when they reached the car.
"How so?"
"Diner at candlelight is a bit boring," she admitted. "But it was hilarious to tease you."
He rolled his eyes.
"I gotta say, I did hate you a little tonight. I think the lady two tables down suspected something. She was glaring badly at us."
"I would say she wanted a show. I was just too polite to provide a proper one."
Bruce chuckled and kissed her temple affectionately.
They entered the car and settled in the back seat. Their fingers intertwined together as she rested her head on his shoulder. She didn't know if Hades had been there, would probably never find out. Thomas had called her 'Hades' daughter'. Bruce tended to agree when comparing pictures and so did she. But in the end, it didn't matter. Hippolyta was her mother and had loved her and raised her, and that was the most important.
"Can I stay over tonight?" she asked quietly.
"Your mother will agree?" he inquired.
"I'll just send her a text."
He kissed the top of her head. She felt his smile and smiled in spite of herself.
"As you wish."
Five Dates
Two weeks shifting around his restaurants later, Hades was back at the Tartarus of Gotham, grilling meat with sadistic glee. Persephone often told him he had a mad grin when he twirled it around the way he did. He had retorted he often superposed the head of his enemies upon the broach, to she had retorted she sincerely hoped their children wouldn't inherit that twisted humor of his.
"There's a cutie at table three," he overheard one of the waiters babble to another. "Think she's single?"
His coworker hummed as he checked out the client discreetly in turn.
"The dark-haired with the red top?" A hum of agreement later, he went on: "She's totally taken. I saw her the other day with her boyfriend, the Wayne boy. You're new but they often hang out here with their friends during the week."
Hades nearly dropped his broach.
"No shit!" the first one said. "She is the girl Charon had to kick out once because he caught her and her boyfriend canoodling in the bathroom? Like, obscene canoodling?"
"Obscene? In Gotham?" the second echoed. Hades frowned, wondering the exact same thing.
"Charon's words," the first one confirmed. "I swear man, I thought he was going to burn his retina or try to find a way to record what he'd just seen."
He'd have to have a little chat with his bouncer to find out exactly what had happened. Or, on second thought, maybe not.
"I understand the kid though. Babe like that is mine? I wouldn't keep my hands off her very long either." Pause. "Damn, here's the boyfriend."
Hades couldn't contain his curiosity any longer and put the meat on the side. He approached the two waiters, wiping his hands in the towel tied to his belt to get rid of the grease.
"You two done enjoying the view?" he growled warningly. The two men swiftly returned to waitressing and he got a good eyeful of what they had seen.
Diana had sat at a table closer to the kitchen than last time. The red top had a low neckline, sponging the curves of her generous chest and her narrow waist. Her hair was loose over her shoulders and she was currently laughing at something the Wayne boy said to her. She looked like an older version of Donna, his daughter, when she smiled like that.
For a brief moment Hades studied the boy. Bruce Wayne was a handsome young man, well-built and, according to Jack, smarter than he pretended to be. He didn't doubt any longer the two were family; the physical resemblance was uncanny. He would have given a furious call to Hippolyta for allowing her daughter to date Jack's brother, but since the latter seemed to have left Gotham to cause mayhem elsewhere; perhaps she did stand in the perfect place. Not to mention, if she was half as stubborn as her mother, she would never listen to reason.
He returned his attention on Diana. The girl was watching him.
Their eyes met. Time seemed to slow as he wondered what was going on behind them. Was she his daughter or his niece, he wondered again. At this point, he thought he was better off not knowing. Diana Prince was Hippolyta's daughter, and that was all he needed.
He broke eye contact and returned to the kitchen. Time to grill some meat, and this time, he thought Zachary's head would be a perfect substitute.
FD
Diana shivered slightly as the man vanished from her sight. Tall and dark, impressively huge. He could probably crush someone's skull with his bare hands if he put his mind into it. That was Hades Troya?
"You okay?"
She glanced back at Bruce, who looked genuinely worried for her. Diana smiled reassuringly.
"I'm alright," she told him, and she was. Seeing Hades hadn't provoked the inner turmoil she had expected and Bruce was there for her. "Sorry for dragging you out here every few days."
He shrugged in response.
"I'm not exactly into heavy metal music but there is no accounting for taste. Not to mention, their grills are the best."
To that she had to agree.
"We take the usual and then head back to your house?"
Bruce grinned wickedly at her. Diana blushed a little, but smirked back.
"All mine for the rest of the night again?" he teased. "You sure you can handle it?"
"So far, you've made it worth my time," she replied evenly, but the familiar rush in her loins and accelerated heartbeat was slowly getting to her. She cleared her throat and shifted in her seat, pressing her thighs together. There was a reason why she had favored a pair of pants instead of a skirt. No need a repeat of their last passage here. "Think you can keep your hands to yourself this time?"
Bruce made the scout's honor gesture and focused on the menu. It didn't stop him from eyeing her hungrily the whole time.
Five Dates
Hades hummed contemplatively as he compared the two different fruits at his disposal. He needed inspiration for this week's dessert and he was inclining towards something tropical, though he was still hesitating between experimenting with mango or-
Someone bumped into him, breaking his concentration.
"Watch out," he growled as he twirled around to face the annoying passerby.
It had to be fate, or she had turned into a serious stalker. Diana stood frozen behind him, eyes wide open like a deer caught in the daylights. Apparently, she had no idea he was there either.
"I'm sorry," she blurted. "I swear I didn't mean-"
Hades sighed and made up his mind. He put down the two fruits and made a mental note to return later. The shop would still be opened when he returned.
"It seems we keep running across each other lately," he said calmly. "Why don't we talk around a drink?"
Diana hesitated a moment, then she nodded.
The headed to a café he had planned to take Persephone a little earlier. They ordered and remained silent for a while. Until the waitress brought them their order, they kept staring and studying each other in silence. From up close, he recognized Hipoplyta's eyes, her full lips. The shape of her face was elegant and her back was straight, almost aristocratic. Her hands had calluses. Hippolyta must have been training her to manipulate the sword.
"You know who I am then," Hades eventually said. She nodded. "Who told you first?"
"Mother did," Diana replied, and he realized he had never actually paid close attention to the sound of her voice. She had a light accent, typical of Greek speakers. "My boyfriend told me where you worked."
"I take it you two have decided to keep dating," he muttered. Diana's eyes hardened.
"That is no-one's decision but my own," she declared icily.
"Given the stories my bouncer reported to me last time, it seems that others are privy to your…affairs."
He meant it as a tease to lighten the tension. It came out sterner that he would have liked and Diana shifted uncomfortably. Hades decided to stop toying with her and went on neutrally:
"I promised your mother to never try to reach her once our wedding was cancelled. Even when echoed of your birth reached me, I kept my distance. Believe me when I say I would have helped Hippolyta had she asked for it, but she did not and I respected her space. Now, what do you want from me, Diana?"
She pressed her lips into a thin line and her eyes narrowed slightly.
"I…" she started. "I don't know. I just thought…I don't know what I thought, actually. I just knew you were there, that there was a probability and mother doesn't seem to hate you as much as she claims. I guess I'm just curious about you."
"Do you want my résumé?" he offered with a hint of humor. Diana shrugged but didn't seem opposed to the idea. He decided to humor her. "Well then. I am a chef, at the head of my own chain of restaurants. My wife, Persephone, is my accountant. I have two children with her; a girl and a boy." They both look like you, he added mentally, but didn't dare voice it aloud.
Diana nodded and went on, encouraged by his willingness to open up:
"Why did you move to the States? Mother said you walked away from the family business."
Hades snorted. It had been a while since he had remembered that part of his life.
"Fate made me the eldest, but after what happened with my younger brother, I knew I was not made for this whole charade. I could have thrived in politics, but I would have hated it in the long run. And when I realized they would not allow Zach to be prosecuted, I walked away before becoming as corrupted as the rest of them. Anything else?"
She took his question seriously and pondered a while.
"Did you love my mother?"
Hades hummed. He leaned back in his chair, considering her inquiry carefully.
"Hippolyta is a woman I respect profoundly," he started slowly. "Even in her younger years, she had her own brand of…uniqueness that I think was quite attractive. To claim I loved her would not be the right term." A short memory returned to his mind. "There is one thing she said the night we separated that might help you get insight on how things worked between us: 'we could have never fallen in love, but we might have eventually been happy together'." He smiled a little. "Had I not met Persephone, I would have been content sharing your mother's life. Fate decided otherwise, and I am not unhappy so far."
He became silent, contemplated the young woman seated in front of him.
"You have your own life to live, Diana, just as I have my own. Warning Hippolyta about the dangers surrounding the Wayne boy was the least I could, after what happened. Keep in mind I feel no obligation towards you. I have a family now, and I would appreciate if you stopped seeking me out."
Diana flinched. Hades stood from the table, didn't glance twice when she didn't imitate him.
"I hope you live a happy life," he said before leaving. "Just, do not include me in it."
FD
Diana crossed the gates of Wayne Manor in a sore mood. Since Alfred was out of town, she went through the backdoor using the second set of keys Bruce has left her a few days earlier. She found him in the living room, working on some new project on his laptop. She always suspected he still followed breadcrumbs his brother left behind –and she didn't blame him. If her sibling was a mental psychopath testing her occasionally, she'd want to catch him too.
When he saw her, she watched him save his work and close the computer.
"You spoke to him?" Bruce asked. She nodded. "It didn't go well?"
"It could have gone worse," she admitted. "I have a few answers. Not the type I was wishing for, but at least he spoke to me."
Her boyfriend set aside his laptop and opened his arms to her. Diana fell on the couch, rested her head on his chest and cuddled him happily. Nothing beat being held by him after a bad moment.
"Hey Di," he whispered after a moment. She hummed, indicating she was listening. "I love you."
Diana closed her eyes and smiled. The first time he had told her, they had been entangled in a mess of limbs, sweaty and breathless under his sheets. She had returned the words, ensuring another intense moment between them. She sought for his hand, intertwined their fingers together.
"I love you too," she replied, and let herself drift away.
Bonus scene dedicated to Archergreatestsecretagent for finding out who was the 'villain' :) :
Diana didn't exactly hate graduation day. It was a new step in her life; no more high-school, college in view…it was just so long and boring. Parents had gathered together, waiting expectantly for their child to finally say goodbye to their carefree life and hello to a more serious step in the real world. Diana thought she had seen plenty of real life trouble lately. Bruce was sitting in the back rows, and when she turned around to spot him, she smiled at his brooding expression. Vicky Vale was trying one last time to make a pass at him –as not many students' last name began with 'V's and 'W's in their year, she was dangerously close to his seat. Her boyfriend finally snapped something at her and Vale looked shocked and hurt. Given the surprised stares of the other students sitting around, he must have been vicious.
The headmaster finally finished his speech and proceeded to start the name calling. The dull applause began; the waltz of teary smiles –more or less genuine depending on the student -triumphant smirks and relieved expressions went on. Diana applauded politely most of the time. She did clap when Etta stepped on stage, halfheartedly when it was Arthur's turn. Charlie, Sameer and Chief had her support. When her name was called, she was in a hurry to be over with the whole thing. The headmaster gave her the diploma with a plastered smile and tired eyes –he had been up for a while –she thanked him and left the stage under applause. She cheered wildly when Ollie made a funny face upon walking on stage but didn't make a sound when Steve's turn came. Bruce, of course, had the catcalls of half the school. He didn't show off as much as she expected him to though.
The ceremony came to an end soon after. Diana left to look for her family. Her mother and her aunt were in the back of the crowd, not eager to mingle with the overly proud parents and family of the other students. She thought she should feel…grateful they took the full day off to assist to her ceremony. Had it not been for her persistence, she would have likely spent her scholarship at home.
She found Hippolyta and Antiope in deep discussion with none other than Alfred. The two women interrupted the chat long enough to congratulate her and then send her on her way. She spotted Bruce in the afar, waving at her to join him. Seeing that her mother and aunt were most likely to leave once the deal done with his butler, she threw her ceremonial robe over her head and folded it underneath her arm.
"Finally gotten rid of Vicky?" she asked with a tease. He rolled his eyes and pulled her closer. Normally, he was the center of attention wherever he went. Today, too many people were busy to take notice of them.
"Not my proudest moment," he shrugged. "But she won't bother me anymore. Won't bother us."
"She's leaving for San Francisco anyway, right?" Diana pointed out before reporting her attention on the unexpected trio they had just abandonned. "What could my mother possibly want with Alfred?"
"I suspect they wanted to talk about our living arrangements," he explained. "They think Alfred has a say in what I decide to do –or not."
Diana chuckled, amused by their assumption. Though Alfred was his legal guardian, Bruce had always done whatever he wanted.
"They're still not over us going to New York together?"
"Your mother made it clear what she thought about having you and your boyfriend bunk in the same apartment for the next few years," he nuanced and kissed her cheek. Diana grinned and took his hand. Their fingers linked together. It was an old habit by now.
"Scared you'll knock me up?" she teased.
"Something about corrupting your bright mind and turn you into a housewife, especially if Cassie comes to live with us once she's out of the hospital," he replied with a grimace. "Like that's ever going to happen."
"Nah…You'll turn into a househusband long before that."
"Probably true. Or you will get bored of me and meet a handsome guy who'll swipe you off your feet."
Diana frowned at his words. He claimed he wasn't serious when he spoke like that, but she always spotted the split second insecurity that crept in his eyes. Before she could speak, Ollie interrupted them.
"Hey lovebirds!" he shouted. "We're going to the Tartarus for some after graduation ceremony celebration –thanks for getting us hooked up to that place Di. You coming?"
"Be there in a minute!" she promised before turning back to face Bruce.
She gave him a short but sweet kiss, the kind she knew made his toes curls and butterfly flutter in his stomach.
"Let's not keep them waiting," she whispered. Bruce looked dazzled to speak, so he merely nodded and followed.
They would address the matter later. Time was something on their side now.