Chapter 25

Bruce frowned at his reflection in the mirror, unsatisfied with the tie that he'd picked out. He quickly began loosening it, the nervous stirrings in the pit of his stomach refusing to be ignored no matter how hard he tried.

With a huff of agitation, he ripped the tie off, throwing it on the floor with the previous five other discarded ties before it that had not met with his approval. He cast a quick glance at his watch, his frown deepening even further.

Diana was going to be here soon and he wasn't ready yet. "Alfred!" he bellowed, his nervous agitation apparent as he stormed towards his bedroom door, flinging it wide open. "Alf…"

His roar was abruptly cut off when he found his faithful butler standing outside of his bedroom, an eyebrow cocked in question and an expression of utter disapproval on his face, one that Bruce had seen several times over the years.

"Oh…there you are," Bruce sheepishly said, stepping back and allowing his none-too-pleased surrogate father entrance. "Where is my tie? I can't find it anywhere and Diana is going to be here in less than five minutes," he ranted as he plopped down with a huff on the edge of his bed to put his shoes on.

Looking up with a scowl that would make any hardened criminal wither and whimper in fear, Bruce found Alfred standing silently before him, holding out the tie in question. The butler's expression had somehow gone from critical to mildly amused by his charge's harried disposition.

"Thank you," the billionaire muttered under his breath along with a "show off" as he snatched it out Alfred's out-stretched hand.

"Might I inquire as to why you are in such a tizzy, Master Bruce?" Alfred questioned him, the corners of his mouth curled into a slight knowing smile.

"Diana's coming, remember?" he explained in exasperation as if the answer was as obvious as the nose on his face. "I just want everything to be absolutely perfect."

"And have you not already won the Princess's heart once before?" Alfred asked him as he stooped to pick up the forgotten pile of ties on the floor.

"Yes, but she doesn't remember any of it," Bruce growled, his anger over that fact more than evident.

There was still a part of him that wanted to make Luthor curse the day that he was born, but that part of him was steadily growing a little quieter the more Diana's memories improved. It was Luthor's only saving grace at this point.

"You managed to win her heart once, Sir," Alfred reminded him, "and that was even after everything you did to try to push her away. I'm sure you'll do a better job of capturing her heart this time around."

Bruce threw the elder man a suspicious glare. He knew there had to be some sort of compliment in there somewhere, but hell if he could find it. He was too worried about royally screwing this whole thing up and losing her for good to think about anything else at that moment.

"Can you go down and meet her in the Batcave for me?" he asked as he worked to fasten his tie. "There are a couple more things I need to do before she gets here."

"As you wish, Sir," Alfred tilted his head in deference. "It will be good to have the Princess here again. It hasn't been the same here without her and the boys have been a lot grumpier with her absence."

"Dick and Tim?" Bruce frowned as he adjusted his sleeves before slipping on his suit jacket. "Do I need to have a talk with them?"

"They aren't the only boys in the household that I was referring to," Alfred replied with raised eyebrows.

"I'm trying my best to fix this," Bruce groused. "Now, go. She'll probably run for her life if she appears in the Batcave all alone."

Alfred smiled fondly at his surrogate son. "I'm sure it would be quite a shock to one's system to suddenly find themselves in a dark dank cave with all that strange equipment. She'll probably think she's been transported straight into some sort of torture chamber."

"You're not helping build my confidence about tonight, Alfred," Bruce dryly told him as he ran his fingers through his hair. "She's already scared of me without making it any worse."

"You have nothing to worry about, Master Bruce," Alfred said. "Miss Diana loves you deeply. She just needs to be reminded why. I'm sure her memories will return in time if you can do that."

Bruce's shoulders momentarily sank, a sigh of insecurity escaping his lips. "I'm afraid, Alfred," he softly admitted in a rare show of fear and uncertainty. "What if she suddenly decides this isn't what she wants? We both know I'm pretty hard to handle, like a black hole sucking all the good and light from everything around me. What if all of this somehow makes her realize that I'm not worth all her effort?"

Alfred slowly approached the man before him, the scared little boy that he had raised so evident in the sky blue eyes apprehensively gazing back at him now. He placed his hand on Bruce's shoulder, giving it an affectionate squeeze.

"I think you underestimate the Princess, Master Bruce, as well as yourself," Alfred gently yet firmly replied. "You captured her heart years ago and yet she never truly gave up on you or the possibility of a relationship with you no matter what occurred.

"Besides, Luthor's efforts to erase her mind couldn't possibly touch what has already been written on her heart."

Bruce slowly nodded his head, an affectionate smile gracing his lips. "Thank you, Alfred."

"Oh, don't thank me," Alfred smiled in return as he turned to make his way to the bedroom door. "You still have your work cut out for you, Sir. Best be on your most excellent behavior, Master Bruce, and be prepared to charm her red boots off."

Bruce shook his head in amusement as he watched him leave. Leave it to Alfred to encourage him and yet keep him humble at the exact same time.

The soft hum of the transportation pad alerted Alfred to the Amazon Princess's imminent arrival, her perfect form appearing in a soft glow of light. She looked positively radiant in a cream colored cocktail dress, a literal angel fallen from heaven and standing so regally before him now.

A broad smile slowly spread across his elderly face as he took a step forward, watching with great amusement as her curious yet awestruck gaze swept over her new surroundings, taking in as much as she possibly could before finally taking the three steps down to the cave floor.

"Greetings, Princess," Alfred formally welcomed her. "You have no idea how good it is to see you are doing better. We were all quite worried for you. My name is…"

"Alfred," Diana smiled warmly, pulling the surprised man into a fierce hug while being careful not to crush him. "I have some ssscattered hazy memories of you, but they always bring a sssense of great warmth with it."

Alfred couldn't help but return her embrace in earnest, feeling as though his household was finally whole once more. He just hoped that it would stay that way for everyone's sake, but most of all Master Bruce's.

Finally releasing his hold on her, the elderly butler stepped back, his hand still firmly on hers. "I'm afraid Master Bruce is running just a little late so you'll be stuck with my dreary company for a few minutes until he can come down and properly greet you."

Diana smiled at his English formality. "I'm fffine," she attempted to reassure him, but it fell flat even with him.

"No need to fib to me, Miss Diana," Alfred gently scolded her as he offered her his arm to lead her to the stairs that would take them back up into the Manor. "I can see that you're just as nervous as poor Master Bruce."

"Bruce is nnnervous?" Diana asked, taken aback by the nugget of information. "Why should hhhe be nnnervous? It's only mmme."

"Why indeed," Alfred wryly replied with a sly grin, his sidelong glance taking in the absolute perfection that was Princess Diana of Themyscira.

If Bruce didn't drop to his knees and pledge his undying love to her the moment he laid eyes on her, he'd be completely shocked. He didn't think that she'd ever looked more radiant than she did at this moment, but her apprehension was palpable.

"And how have you been fairing, Miss Diana?" he asked as they entered the Manor.

"It's quite fffrustrating, but everyone keeps tttelling me it'll get better," she sighed. "I…I must admit, it's been difficult, but Bruce has been wonderful trying to help mmme get my memories back. He's been more than patient with mmme. I don't know wh…what I would've done without his help."

Alfred couldn't help but smile to himself with her response. Patience wasn't always one of Master Bruce's more admirable qualities especially when he had his sights set on something that he wanted, but he was more than pleased to see that his charge was practicing it quite well where the princess was concerned.

He gently patted her hand that was draped over his arm as he led her into the library. "I know it's difficult, Miss, but I'm sure that everything will work out just fine."

"I ho…hope so," she murmured, her thoughts warring with her emotions as she looked about the library that suddenly seemed somewhat familiar to her. "I feel so lost lllike I'm adrift in a sea with no idea where I'm going or wwwhere I've been. It's vvvery unsettling."

"Trust your heart, Princess," he encouraged her. "It'll never lead you astray."

"Thank yyyou, Alfred," she smiled softly, those same words spoken by Clark just minutes ago still lingering in her mind. She slowly walked over to the couch, her fingers lightly caressing the arm as a forgotten memory struggled to break through to the surface of her mind. There was something special about this couch, a special moment spent with Bruce maybe? "I must ad…admit it fffeels like ho…home here for some rrreason."

"I'm glad to hear it, Miss Diana," the British butler replied with delight. "You are always welcome here."

"I appreciate th…that, but I'm sure Bruce ppprobably wouldn't quite agree with ttthat sentiment," she softly replied, deep in thought.

How many times had Bruce told her to leave when she'd stopped by the Batcave, giving her an icy shoulder and glare that could leave scars? She could only remember a couple of times, but had a nagging suspicion there were probably several more times than just that, more than she wanted to remember.

"Then I guess you don't know me as well as you think."

Diana spun on her heel at the deep baritone voice that seemed to speak to her soul, stunned to find the handsome billionaire standing there in the doorway of the library, his hands shoved into his pants pockets. She felt herself flush warmly both with his unexpected response as well as his sudden appearance.

The room seemed to suddenly grow much warmer, the air becoming thicker. Alfred looked from the Princess to the Dark Knight, quickly noticing how lost they already were in each other. He could feel the sparks beginning to fly through the room like fireworks.

"If you will both excuse me, I will go check on dinner," Alfred suddenly said, breaking the tense silence as he excused himself.

Bruce intently stared down the Amazon Princess as if she were his prey, his body already reacting to the very sight of her. She was positively breathtaking in the form fitting cream dress that accentuated her every asset, revealing a generous length of her shapely legs. His desire was already beginning to thrum wildly through him.

He was suddenly finding it difficult to breathe as he stared at her, her beautiful raven hair such a stark alluring contrast to her dress. Her hair was pulled up into a simple twist, revealing the slender column of her neck that he was aching to attack with his mouth.

He slowly made his way to her, his heated gaze never leaving hers as he approached. The sting of her comment about him not wanting her to stay here was swiftly pushed aside, knowing he only had himself to blame.

But he was about to right his wrongs, to make her know beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was the most precious thing in this world to him. Nothing was going to get in the way of him getting what he wanted most – her.

"You look very beautiful tonight," he murmured as he came to a stop before her.

The library was nearly crackling with the sparks of sexual tension that permeated it, surrounding them and wrapping them up in the intensity of their mutual attraction and need. It was suddenly as if everyone and everything in the world had just fallen away, leaving only him and her and the love that burned so brightly between them.

"Thank yyyou," she softly replied, her eyes becoming an even brighter shade of blue if that was even possible. "You look vvvery hhhandsome yourself."

The corners of Bruce's lips twitched slightly with her compliment as he made his way to her. He'd heard the compliment from more women than he could possibly begin to count, but it had never meant so much to him than it did coming from her.

The sincerity of her compliment rang true, born out of love and not a desperate desire to get into his bed or his wallet. Coming to a stop directly before her, he could see the longing she felt for him shining so brightly in her eyes that it made his insides tremble with a mutual need so powerful it was almost paralyzing.

Without a second thought, he reached out to her, his hand coming to rest against her cheek as he allowed himself to bathe in her cobalt eyes that were bluer than the Mediterranean Sea, submerging himself in the love that he found there and allowing it to calm his nerves.

"I'm glad you're here," he told her, her sheer beauty making him ache inside.

"Me to…too," she whispered.

His nearness, his masculine scent was making it near impossible to think straight let alone speak. The intensity of his gaze, the sound of his voice, and the feel of his hand as her face was making her lightheaded, her desire for this handsome man before her humming through her body like song that only he could sing.

Unable to control himself a moment longer, Bruce began to lean towards her, desperation rising with a need so fierce, a craving for just a taste of her sweet nectar, the now forbidden fruit that had once been his only to have her taken away from him.

Diana's breath caught in her throat as his mouth drew near, his breath suddenly becoming hers as his lips brushed softly against hers. She responded to his kiss with equal longing, her hand slipping up to wrap around his arm, his hand still on her face.

Bruce deepened the kiss, his tongue softly pleading for entrance as his self-control began to slip further through his fingers. She was the only one who could ever make him lose his formidable control like this, his iron will readily bending to her and humbly kneeling at her throne. It annoyed the hell out of him and yet captivated him beyond words how she was able to do that to him.

His arms swiftly snaked around her waist, drawing her closer as her lips parted, welcoming him in and allowing him to taste to his fill. He swallowed her soft moan that rose from her throat and mingled with his own, combing into a singular tortured sound of shared pleasure.

Her hands found the back of his neck, stroking him and feeling the stress he carried in his muscles there. She slowly wound her fingers into his short black hair, keeping him near here. She finally broke the heated kiss, feeling her body's demand for much more beginning to take over.

She pressed her forehead against his, both breathing heavily and trying to tamp down on the hunger that raked through them. His hands gently caressing her sides were not helping to quell the flames in the least, but there was nothing that could make her break away from his embrace at that moment.

Her scent, the feel of her in his arms as well as her lips still so tantalizingly close to his had awakened a primal need in him that was growing more than difficult to ignore. He wanted to throw her down on the couch and ravish her senseless as his mouth began to search for hers once again.

Dinner had all but been forgotten by this point as well as his own name as he began to kiss her again, exploring her with a fierce vengeance. All the plans that'd so carefully laid out, all the rehearsed speeches were flung out the window as he lost himself to the rapidly heating moment.

A sudden throat clearing from behind caused them to break the kiss. Diana immediately pressed her face into the crook of Bruce's neck in embarrassment, her muffled giggle sending hot jolts of desire to suddenly sear through him.

He turned his head, pressing his lips into her hair before turning his attention to the intruding butler behind him. "Yes, Alfred?" he practically growled with annoyance and a fierce hunger that had nothing to do with food at that moment.

"Now that both of your nerves have been sufficiently calmed, dinner is about to be served," Alfred announced with a smile before turning to leave.

Bruce reluctantly pulled back, dipping his head and stealing another heated kiss before finally releasing his hold on her. He swiftly captured her hand, refusing to give her up completely. The radiant glow that permeated her face made his heart stutter as he made a solemn oath to himself to keep that exultant radiance on her beautiful face no matter what it took or how much it cost him.

"I guess we should go eat," Bruce softly said. "Alfred's been slaving away all day making your favorite dishes. I'm not sure who's happier to have you here – Alfred or me."

Diana's gaze thoughtfully fell to the leather couch again, her mind still struggling to reconcile the feelings that had surfaced with being in this room. Noticing her distraction, Bruce tightened his hold on her hand, drawing her attention back to him.

"What is it?" he asked, curious.

"I'm not sssure," she murmured as she shook her head, still lost to her thoughts. "This couch seems vvvery familiar to me…lllike there are pleasant memories aaassociated with it."

Memories of coming back from patrol late at night to find Diana curled up on this couch having lost the battle to sleep as she tried to wait up for him sprang into his mind. She always looked so angelic lying there under the blanket that he would just sit on the ottoman, mesmerized as he watched her sleep before finally gathering her up into his arms and carrying her up to their bed.

Bruce suppressed a sudden chuckle, remembering nearly getting clobbered by her casted arm as he'd taken the sleeping Princess into his arms. He internally shuddered with the memory of how badly injured she'd been after the Akusu attack, how close he'd come to losing her forever.

He struggled to figure out how much he should reveal about their past together now. He feared pushing her, but after the heated kiss they'd just shared he felt he should tell her something. "You've been here many times, Princess," he replied. "You liked to take naps here on this couch."

Diana looked up at him in obvious surprise, her eyes suddenly narrowing. "Did I live here bbbefore I lost mmmy memories?" she asked.

Bruce stared at her, his mind racing for an answer that would satisfy her and yet keep her from running scared from him. "You could say that," he finally said, his blue eyes boring straight into her, fearing her reaction.

She met his heated gaze a moment longer before finally looking away, trying to process it all and what it meant. She finally looked up at him again. "What aren't yyyou telling me?" she demanded to know.

"About what?" he innocently asked…or at least he tried to sound that way.

"About us?" she pressed. "You and Kal are hiding sssomething from me and I want to know what. Every time I try to aaask Kal, he gets all fidgety and nnnervous, tells me I need to tttalk to you. Are we married?"

Bruce drew a deep breath before responding, knowing he was only going to make things worse once he opened his mouth. He always did. Her question suddenly caused his insides to grow warm with excitement with the thought of being able to call her his wife.

"Diana, we…"

"Dinner will be positively ruined if you two don't move it," Alfred scolded. "You can continue whatever you're talking about in the dining room. Now, scoot!"

"Sorry, Alfred," Bruce replied, tightening his hold on Diana's hand and leading her out of the library. "Come, Princess. We can talk over dinner."

"But yyyou haven't answered my questions yet!" she exclaimed in annoyance as she followed him.

"Patience, Princess," he murmured as he led her to the dining room.

Alfred could barely contain his excitement over how well everything was going so far. If everything continued to go this well, he just might be making breakfast for four tomorrow morning.

Entering the dining room, Diana found a beautiful candlelit dinner for two waiting for them. The aroma of the various foods Alfred had prepared especially for her filled her senses, reminding her how hungry she actually was.

Leading her to the table, Bruce pulled her chair out for her, scooting it back in once she'd sat down. He leaned over, reaching around to take her cloth napkin for her. Folding it neatly, he placed it across her lap, his lips pausing to nuzzle her ear and kiss her temple before reluctantly leaving her to sit in his own chair.

"Alfred, this looks mmmarvelous," Diana smiled brightly at the elderly man beaming with great pride. "You shouldn't have go…gone to all of this wwwork just for mmme."

"It was no work at all, Miss Diana," Alfred bowed his head. "It was my great pleasure and you are more than worth it."

The pure joy that lit Alfred's face didn't go unnoticed by Bruce. It warmed his heart how much his family loved Diana. Tim and Dick had been near beside themselves when she'd lost her memories and went missing. It was only after he'd ordered them to stay away from Luthor that they'd finally, albeit grudgingly, gave up the idea of going after Luthor themselves.

He definitely owed them for covering Gotham for him while he helped Diana, trying to aid in her recovery. Being able to spend this time with her meant everything to him after nearly losing her again. He honestly didn't know how much more his heart could take at this point.

Diana waited patiently as Bruce filled her plate full with all of her favorites, a giggle of amusement springing to her lips. "Bruce, what are yyyou doing? I can't possibly eat aaall of th…this."

"You need to regain your strength," he told her.

"I feel fffine," she insisted. "In fact, I th…think we should ssschedule a sp…sparring session for tomorrow."

Bruce frowned with her suggestion, clearly disapproving of the idea. "You are far from ready for that, Princess," he snorted as he poured her a glass of wine.

"You won't kn…know that until wwwe try," she pointed out. "I personally th…think you're just af…afraid to face mmme."

Bruce looked up sharply from his glass as she took a bite of food, nearly spitting his wine out. "Is that what you think?" he smirked, her sass and spirit turning him on even more.

"Well, seeing how I can't rrremember any of our past training sssessions together, it's the only logical conclusion I can cccome up with," she smirked in return, quirking a raven eyebrow at him in challenge.

"Ok…you're on," he shot back, leaning towards her. "Under one condition."

"And what's th…that?" she asked, suddenly suspicious. The heat from their kiss in the library still made her lips tingle. She internally shivered with what he had in mind now.

"Stay with me at the Manor," he said, his azure eyes suddenly making her pulse race.

Her heart wanted to say yes, but her mind was screaming no. She feared getting her heart broke again, afraid that he'd pull her in just to suddenly change his mind and cut her out again.

Bruce's heart sank as he watched fear flash through her eyes. He knew it. He was pushing her too much. It had been idiotic of him to make her stay here with him against her will. He had just ruined everything.

He couldn't force her to trust and love him again no matter how badly he wanted it.

"Alright," she said with a seductive smile that both stunned and dazzled him as she leaned in even closer to him. "But I have a cccondition of mmmy own."

It was now Bruce's turn to be suspicious. "And what is that, Princess?" he huskily murmured.

"If I win our mmmatch tomorrow, you have to tell mmme what yyyou're hiding from mmme…all of it…even if it's something that yyyyou don't think I want to hear. I need to kn…know, Bruce."

Her voice grew softer at the end, almost broken, her fears and uncertainty evident in her face as her gaze fell back to her plate of food. She felt a sudden hand covering hers causing her to look up and find him suddenly so close to her that it caused her heart to skip a beat.

His intense blue eyes sparkled as he practically devoured her with his gaze alone. "Deal," he said.