S/N: Everything is back on track yet not the same as before.
"I don't think this was a good idea," murmurs Diana.
It had been her suggestion and I merely made it much more sensory than anything else.
"You said let's try something different," remarks Bruce.
Strange conception of different yet is scary at first except his voice is enough to ease my mind.
"I didn't mean a blindfold match in the Batcave," pips Diana.
Surprise in her voice, so rare to do that, but dare I think the word fun.
"You have to rely on your other senses, I already had my brush with blindness years ago."
He is being coy and instructive at the same time, so like you my love.
"When you were facing the direction of that explosion," continues Diana.
She has been reading more of the old files than I thought.
"Yes that, now hit me if you can," commands Bruce.
He is asking for it, he knows I could wipe the floor with him.
"You sure you want to tempt me?"
She is perhaps overconfident of her restored abilities yet let this be humility for both of us.
"I can take of myself."
He always sounds sure of himself yet there are always hints of uncertainty in his mannerisms.
"And what about me?"
She always uses that tone to slip through my defenses except it does not always work on me.
"We'll see soon enough."
She swings at him, he dodges, she tries kick, he catches her leg then pushes her back onto the mat, and she jumps backup alerting him to the fact that she is no longer laid up on her back. She keeps trying and getting awfully closer except he keeps avoiding or dodging as if his senses and awareness are so sharp that almost nobody could get through them. As they continue, their clothing gets torn as she finally manages to land a few hits. She fortunately wore a strapless top today except it still got tears especially in the chest are, which made her gasp audibly as he never made such a move even in bed, well almost except when he did that is was more gentle like.
His defense is aggressive and her offense is relentless yet of course in time very little is left of their clothes. She finally pins him except he gets out of it before she can count to ten so she must try again and again, she starts the count, but never gets to ten at least not until she manages to land on his back. However her legs quiver to be in such a position with a blindfold over her eyes because she can feel hips beneath her spread legs and finally she counts to ten except as she does, her voice betrays her increasing arousal. He purposely presses his hips against her more so by the time she utters seven.
She flips him over and rips away what is left of his sweat pants and she aggressively makes sure he cannot force her to stop. However he is too drawn into her directness to end the match early. It feels more than just erotic to do this with blindfolds and he hears her moans despite the occasional sounds from the bats hanging from the ceiling, in daytime they are asleep, but one wonders if certain sounds would rouse them from their sleep. He however instead reciprocates her aggression by pulling away her top by ripping it, they had enough money to get more or have Alfred sew it back together.
"I take back what I said earlier, I actually love this blindfold idea."
"Well we are both experiencing this act of working each other over without being able to see."
"All reaction is coming through other senses and how the body is reacting to it with the lack of seeing for the moment."
"Well feel this one."
She turns on him and slides her hips down from his chest to his stomach to his waist yet slow the movement after passing the waist. He actually moans in an utterly pleasant way so she keeps doing it as there are no objections on his end. He eventually flips her onto her stomach then uses a combination of his lips, his fingers, and gently breathing on exposed skin. She sighs profusely and often moans for several minutes. It is fortunate that the new soundproofing prevents anyone from hearing what is happening down here. However the words sparring match between Bruce and Diana is enough to put pictures into nearly anyone's heads if they care to imagine what these two physical lovers are up to down there.
He works her over for awhile before she takes back the lead instead of letting him control the movement. What remains of their clothes are in a pile near the tub typically used in the past to reverse the effects of Mr. Freeze's cold gun except nobody had seen him since that last attempt to Gotham into arctic wasteland several years ago. In the moment they use it for a hot bath together after rendering each other too sore to walk up the winding stairway to the Master bedroom.
"I think you need to make a secret elevator shaft connect to somewhere close to this spot."
"It'll be costly yet I could 'logistical' advantages to it."
"More than one bath tub is always good in my mind."
She always glistens so much when wet even in the lowest lighting in the Batcave. It made her shine and the way the water runs down her skin. He felt like he had finally given into the idea that he had been ogling her for years and just like that makeup sex they had more than a year ago, he felt that the passion between them would burn in them for the rest of their lives. It is relatively fortunate that neither of them is privy to the time lines or realities that Donna had been through yet when everything seems to sync back; it is not exactly the same. One new twist is Linda getting pregnant by a briefly resurrected Wally for starters. She whips her wet hair in his face and he sputters just a little then she rests her damp body against his equally damp body.
She eventually climbs on top of him and they gently shift in tandem because this is what they do that goes along with their creativity in terms of physical intimacy as well as the fact they are pressing the boundaries of what they can do to each other especially if there is no bed. He reaches for a towel as he climbs out several hours later, he had grown used to the temperature temperament of the cave yet it is still new for her. He quickly puts a robe around her yet leaves it open to rub her stomach, she sighs feeling quite a bit warmer to his touch then after awhile she ties the robe's belt.
She takes her time dressing for dinner as they are expecting a full showing of their 'family' so she does want to look her best especially for him. He silently watches her dress yet she knows he is watching her, she had sort of known that first time in Paris too. She had taken to wearing that red number again with red stockings that would leave him to guess about what is on her legs as she had been facing away behind the wardrobe mirror. Next she puts on sling back heels before going to watch him dress, it is rare for him to have an occasion to look his best in a suit other than the Bat suit. He does look rather dashing plus she made him wear the suit she got him as engagement gift. It is quite contrary in colors for him as it is white chino plus a blue button down shirt to almost match his eyes as a striped tie.
"This is your idea of a dinner suit?"
"I had some help plus you rarely wear a suit that isn't dark, not that dark looks bad on you."
He smirks except it looks more like a boyish grin. She steps up behind him as he is fiddling with tying the tie, it had been age since he did that too yet she had pointers from Alfred on that, count on the paternal butler to know these things. They kiss; she'll have to reapply her maroon red lipstick before heading downstairs to greet the first guests, which are Dick and Barbara who have brought Cassandra along to go in the children's dining area. She will have company from the Queen twins, Warren, and much to everyone's surprise Helena had a son with Vic during their rather lengthy absence following Near 09.
***
The boy takes after his father according to Helena and as an explanation she shows them his connect the dots drawing from a couple months ago. His name is Felix, he is given his father's surname, he is a Sage after all. Vic had already gotten the kid into patterns by the time he could walk, being a father made him a little softer on the edges, but his conspiracy philosophy never takes a backseat to anything else except his son. He is kind of a prodigy at the age of two. She too had been pregnant during Near 09 except it did not show until they went off together alone.
She had such hesitation to tell him despite the fact that their relationship had gotten a lot more physical after he broke her out of Hardcastle's internment facility in Arizona. Hardcastle would not survive long enough to regret his conduct at the time simply because the more extreme elements of Cadmus had put out a hit on him through Galatea. Eiling on the other hand had his life force drained by the certifiably demented Ra's Al-Ghul. If not for the Outsiders, now called the Watchers, the world not be on the path to a more benign future, but of course not everyone shares the sentiment hence Cadmus remaining wary of costumes in general despite some leading members supporting the Watchers.
Faraday's organization nicknamed the Insiders had done its best to shield the families begun by various Watchers in order to prevent things like Templar Initiative from recurring yet since their disbanding nobody had seen a trace of their de facto leader who was codenamed Ace. In truth, she had been hiding and running from the elements of Cadmus that want her back as their weapon against the costumes after the perceived monumental failure of attempting to clone or engineer their own super powered operatives. She had by genetics alone the evolution or mutation that had given her great capacity in mind power, in telepathy, in telekinesis, but the powers had a fatality factor to them that Waller had learned of recently. However so long as she does not use the powers to the point that it could kill her and thus kill anyone within range of the backlash then it would be for the lack of a better word safe.
***
She had anyway found Donna due to the nightmares that the aftermath of her time travel escapade left her with even though she is very happy with Kyle, there is still too much of that future that could still happen, she wants to believe all the bad stuff ends with this reset. Some part of her is not believing that hence the infrequent nightmares. She had been late getting back to her apartment where Kyle is waiting to fly with her to the manor. Something draws her to the ground, to this funhouse, and once inside is where she meets the same woman that Anika had seen before the shifts made all the constant alterations to the time line.
"You wish to forget don't you?" she asks Donna.
"Not all of it, just the bad memories," answers Donna.
"The two are stuck together, good and bad is hindsight, so I ask again forget or live with all of it forever."
"If that is what it takes to end these futuristic nightmares then so be it."
Donna's eyes glow then she is sent on her way unaware she had been here at all and then she takes her time to don her dinner dress. She feels the elation and rush from Diana through their bond figuring her and Bruce must have another of those before dinner loving the other's body sessions. It made necessary a really long cold shower. After she dresses herself and her wet hair shines in the sunset as she playfully flies the way with Kyle yet they are good about concealing their movements simply because Cadmus could be anywhere except they'll try to enjoy the evening regardless of this. Their entire lives would not be offset or rule how they spend their time with each other. They were still people underneath those guises, but of course the paranoia is the same, afraid of what they would do if they loss someone again.
The crucible of costume heroics, what happens when 'too much' goes 'wrong', what will the costumes do then, but of course 'epic fails' are intolerable. They could only hope that enough still believe in them, and fortunately they do, without forgiveness, without trying to accept the seemingly unacceptable then one never moves, because one must move on.
***
Donna had decided she must forget all those possible histories for now as the nightmares kept on waking her from even an almost peaceful sleep. They had their place and purpose yet not now, now she had to live for herself as her sister is doing with Bruce. Inara brought a pregnant Linda as requested to this dinner too and the four await Diana after Inara rang the bell.
Diana, looking every inch the future blushing bride of Bruce Wayne, greets them at the front door with Zatanna who is rarely seen in a dress is now wearing one with light blue nylons. Her date for this occasion is one Jason Blood, who is also an old acquaintance of Bruce Wayne and quite amazed that Wayne is intending to marry after all these years. However even had seen Bruce had been faking the whole womanizer thing for too long and the time after the Justice Lords tenure had come to an end, was one of the darkest times in his life as well as for the morality and purpose of costumed heroics.
Jason to say the least had history with Morgaine Le Fay specifically Camelot yet this is general knowledge at least among the Watchers who have 'met' Jason or Etrigan. Zatanna had however come to see a softer side to this man with a literal inner demon. At any rate, the gathering share drinks before Bruce arrives in a decidedly lighter color than he is typically known for wearing, which certainly gets all the women noticing and whispering to each other. Some of the men spew or choke a little on their drinks before questioning what's with the different color.
"I'm in a good mood tonight, so don't say anything about it okay," demands Bruce.
"You look fantastic in that," comments Zatanna.
"Suits you more in this light than a Bat suit," remarks Barbara.
"You do shine up well in a new suit," says Shayera.
"Seriously where did you find this suit Diana?" asks Dinah.
"I'm curious myself," continues Helena.
"I believe the store is called something like Banana Republic."
"I'll definitely be shopping," chuckle the women among themselves.
The guys all look rather concerned by this clamor about Wayne wearing a new suit bought for him by his fiancée, by the woman that will be his wife in only a few months time. It is one thing to change a man's fashion to suit yourself, another simply to find him something a little different for him to wear, this is the latter.
"Dinner is served," calls Alfred from the dining room.
Alfred sets out to look after the hungry children next and it'll be another family night.
Diana will engage in something she learns about called footsie with Bruce during dinner, which prompts him to do the same to her. The two hide it well yet it makes a strong urge for their own private variety of dessert that would have to wait for later though it would be worth the wait just the same. As for the dinner, the usual excellence from Alfred yet he gets some help with dessert from Martha Kent who sent him the recipe for a kind of chocolate he had never tried before and of course everyone seems to react rather happily too. As if leaving the manor with unmistakable grins or smiles were not enough. It would be to say the least not a lonely night for anyone.
In fact it would be more the hot and restless variety because chocolate is aphrodisiac.
A/N 1: Bruce and Diana like this reality/time line is more or less what it was before albeit some things are different. It starts off with them sparring in the Bat Cave then kind of moving onto much more physical intimacy before having to get ready for another 'family' party.
A/N 2: Donna still has nightmares of that really bleak future and wants to forget it and so this reality's version of Ace offers to help her 'forget'.
A/N 3: I know I'm not spot on about keeping track of time between chapters, but this time line approximates what one presumes to be the initial. Oliver and Dinah still have twins, Vic and Helena have a son who is something of a prodigy for his age. Cassandra is the toddler age range, Warren is getting up to talking and walking, and as for others its moving along every so steadily too.
A/N 4: Jason Blood, an interesting character insofar as his dual identity of Jason and Etrigan. He was initially voiced by Billy Zane in TNBA episode The Demon Within and later replaced by one of my favorite actors Michael T. Weiss. As a man who employs both magic and a supernatural alter ego, I thought maybe I could pair him with Zatanna, well maybe.
A/N 5: Chocolate is what I wrote it is at the end of the segment and I'm admitted chocolate addict myself.