Hunter's Night

By Christy

A/N: EEeaaahhh I know, I know! I promised I would update sooner! Life always gets in the way, sadly. But - I did finish my latest novel, so more to come on that! I'm very, very excited about it.

Also - who's bought Justice League yet? I got it mainly for the Bruce/Di moments, obviously, but aside from some minor issues, I really enjoyed it!

And because it was just Valentine's Day, and I really owe you guys... Here's a chapter with a bit of fluff. Y'all deserve it. The next chapter will be pretty much ALL fluff because this story has been getting pretty dark.

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Bruce Wayne

He'd been reading the same paragraph for the past ten minutes.

Bruce heaved a sigh and rubbed his tired eyes, downing another gulp of his now lukewarm coffee. He grimaced and leaned back in his enormous office chair, turning to gaze out his office windows at the dreary, foggy Gotham afternoon cityscape. This multi-faceted attack by Hush was starting to take its toll on him and Diana - in more ways than one. He hadn't been this on edge since... well, at this point he could hardly tell the difference anymore. He didn't really remember a time they weren't under some form of attack. But whereas Bruce Wayne and his cute, young fiancee were helpless and needed the police to protect them, Batman and Wonder Woman could handle it.

Well. Considering the frustrating lack of evidence on Hush, or any trace of the identity of the elusive mastermind entirely, maybe they couldn't handle it, either. Maybe the Great Detective had finally met his match, Bruce thought almost dryly, with no small hint of irritation. Hush was just playing with him, toying with all of them. Dangling hints and possible trails before them like carrots, like breadcrumbs, only to disappear into the shadows of Gotham without a trace. Hush didn't exist. Not to anyone. Or... people were just too scared to talk.

And Diana... Diana was sleeping even less than he was. When she did, she had nightmares. Worse than his. He saw her, felt her tossing and turning, moaning in her uneasy sleep. The last time he'd woken her up, she'd nearly clocked him in the eye. Irritated and frazzled, she'd stormed out of the room to sleep on the couch. Neither of them had gotten back to sleep that night.

She was being tormented, taunted. And there wasn't a damn thing he could do to stop it. Not even her own precious Olympian family seemed to be able to step in and help her from Athena's constant mental attacks. Diana was the strongest person he'd ever known, mentally, emotionally, physically. Stronger than he was, that much he knew. But... every day, he saw the dark circles growing, deepening under her eyes. The way she'd lash out unexpectedly, snapping at the people closest to her. He almost didn't want to separate on missions anymore. Afraid she'd snap. Afraid she'd lose control. Afraid she'd do something she'd regret.

It was almost as if... as if Hush were working with Athena. Bruce rubbed his jaw, that thought sending frissons of alarm through him. But what if Hush were working with Athena? Or for Athena? What if Hush was Athena?

Bruce finished off the cold coffee and dragged a hand through his hair. He loved Diana. He loved everything about her. But he detested those damn Olympians.

Either way, right now the trail was cold yet again. Even colder than this fourth cup of coffee he'd downed today.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. Almost unreasonably irritated, he checked the ID and hesitated before finally picking up. "Bruce Wayne," he greeted, already knowing the caller.

"Bruce, hey," Tommy's pleasantly gruff voice said, all too chipper.

Bruce wanted to hang up just at the sound of his old friend's cheery voice. If he was going to be this miserable and exhausted, everyone else should be, too, he thought with an internal grumble. He cleared his throat. "Tommy, what's up?" He tried not to let exhaustion seep into his forced drawl of ease.

A pause. Tommy let out a laugh. "Oh, man. What was it this time, Bruce? Gambling? Maybe a, uh, late night visit to a gentleman's club?" The implication was more than clear. "Don't worry, Bruce, secret's safe with me. Even if you do have a damn fine girlfriend. Men gotta hunt, right?"

Now Bruce's temper rose. "If you're implying I'd cheat on my fiancee, I'd thank you to keep your mouth shut," he snarled. "If you hadn't noticed, I apparently have damn assassins hunting me and my family down. If that's not a reason to be tired, I'm not sure what is."

"Whoa, whoa, Bruce, take it easy," soothed Tommy. "I'm just messing with you. Of course you'd never do that to Diana. I'm just trying to lighten the mood."

Bruce grit his teeth and didn't respond. Silence would do the talking.

"Or... not," Tommy said, a laugh still in his voice. "Listen. I know you and Diana have been going through some tough shit, so I wanted to try and cheer you both up if I can. I was able to switch my week for being on-service, and I didn't know if you were up for me cooking for the both of you sometime this next week. I'm a mean cook, I promise. I won't burn Al's precious kitchen, if that's what he's worried about."

Bruce wasn't in the mood for company, but it was a nice gesture from an old friend. "Sure, Tommy. That sounds good, thanks. I'll text Diana, ask her what works for her."

"Sounds like a plan. Let me know. No one's allergic to anything over there, right? No gluten allergies? Vegans?"

"Uh, no. I don't think so."

"Perfect. I'll bring everything - except the wine. I'm pretty sure your parents left you a pretty damn fine wine cellar, if I'm not wrong."

Bruce really wanted to hang up. "That's fine. I'll let Diana know and get back to you about the time. Thanks, Tommy."

"Not at all," Tommy said, pleased. "I'll touch base later. Get some rest, Bruce. You sound like you could use it."

"Don't count on it, Dr. Elliot," said Bruce dryly, and hung up.

He leaned over his desk, staring down at his phone. His fingers hovered over the keys, about to text Diana.

He didn't want to spend time with Tommy. At all.

There was only one person he wanted to spend time with.

Feeling a sudden burst of energy, he threw on his suit jacket and hurried out of his office. "Jess," he told his assistant, "Cancel all my meetings for the rest of the week. And delay any incoming calls. If anyone needs me, they can talk to Mr. Fox. I'll be out of the office unexpectedly."

Jess gaped, going pale. "Uh, yes, Mr. Wayne." He could already see her deflating.

"Oh, and -" He paused in the elevator. "You're getting a raise."

He hid a grin at her eyes widening. The elevator closed on her beaming smile.

The dreary afternoon was already getting off to a more promising start. He touched the keypad on his phone again and waited for the other line to pick up. "Hey, it's me, Alkyone. No, no, everything's fine. Listen, I want to surprise Diana, and I wonder if you could me a favor..."

One. Two. One. Two. Again. Again. Harder. Harder. You're too slow. She's already beating you. She's already got her claws in your flesh. Digging. Dragging. Your heart's racing. Faster. Faster. You're losing. You're losing, Princess. You're losing.

"Hey, don't break that-"

I rammed a furious punch into the punching bag, startled, and sent it flying across the gym. It landed against the wall with a crash and dropped to the floor with a resounding thud. I winced, turning to face a dour-faced Ted Grant.

"What'd I just say?" he demanded. "You're lucky your boyfriend's rich enough to replace that. Hey, while you're at it, maybe you can pay for my insurance, considering I'm training a couple of damn Amazons." He stomped off, grumbling to himself.

Despite everything, I found the exercise had, in fact, released some of the long built-up tension, and I laughed. "Consider it done, my liege," I teased, knowing it would bug the hell out of him. I wiped my brow and tossed the towel at him.

I could see why Philomena liked him. It was easy to see she had more than a little crush on the man. He wasn't exactly a silver fox, but he wasn't bad looking. Bad-tempered, definitely, but then Philomena had always enjoyed a challenge. For myself, I found I was actually enjoying his gruff temperament. He played it straight with me and didn't take anyone's shit - even mine - which I appreciated and respected.

Mena came over to me, a jump rope slung around her shoulders, her golden skin gleaming with hints of perspiration. "You know, I've been thinking, Diana," she said. "About this whole situation."

I took a swig of water. "Oh?"

Behind Mena, Ted was showing Dick and Cass how to properly box. Poor Dick. Cass was twice as fast as he was, even with his trapeze artist training. She ducked a punch and knocked him to the ground. Dick let out an irritated huff, but then swept a foot under her legs, and down she went after him, giggling.

"Hey, enough," Ted grumbled, as the two began to laugh helplessly on the mat. "Back up, both of you. Unless you want to do suicides across the gym?"

That was all it took for them both to jump right back up.

"Thought so." Ted smirked, satisfied. "Again."

I shook my head, smiling, and returned my attention to Mena.

"Yes." Mena reached back for the raised boxing ring and leaned back against the railing. "I've been thinking that we might be going about this all the wrong way."

"How so?"

"Well," she said, "you've been searching out this Cheetah, yes?"

"Right."

"But you know it's Athena who's the culprit."

"Right... But how am I supposed to find her?"

Mena started to unroll her hand wrappings. "Diana... You killed Ares, didn't you?"

"Yes," I said, growing frustrated. "But what's that got to do with-"

"Only a god can kill another god, Diana." She paused, trying to let it sink in. "You were born of clay, yes. But you were created by a god nonetheless. You are his child."

I felt the breath leave my lungs. "You're saying..."

"You are a goddess, Diana." She stepped closer, reaching out for me. "Which means you have more power than you know."

I turned away, reeling. A god. I was a god. Like Hades, or Zeus, or Athena. Or Ares.

"But there's also something else." She bit her lip as I glanced over my shoulder. "Something... you should also know."

I didn't care for the hesitation in her tone. "What is it, Mena?" I reached out, touched her arm. "Tell me."

She didn't answer for a long moment. "I thought Alkyone might have told you sooner. Or... I thought you might have known yourself. Maybe you do, already. Deep down."

A growing knot of anxiety tugged at my chest. "Know what?"

Mena shut her eyes and took a step closer, letting out a short sigh. She opened her eyes, and I knew, somehow, that she could see me just as if she'd never gone blind. "Diana. You killed Ares. The god of war. What did you think would happen when you left that gap in the Olympian heavens?"

No. No. No no no no no no no.

No.

I pulled away, already shaking my head. "No. Stop it."

"You know the truth, Diana. Now that Ares is dead... You have taken his place."

"You're lying," I said desperately.

"You know I'm not. You are the new god of war, Diana."

I said hardly anything to the kids on the car ride home that dreary afternoon. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and a haze of thick fog loomed over the whole of Gotham, stretching out into the Palisades, rolling onto the hills, through the woods, and beyond.

Mena had decided to give me some space, knowing my near catatonic state. She'd stayed behind to have dinner with Ted. He'd take her back home afterward.

Even Dick and Cass had quieted down, seeming to understand my sudden change of mood. I'd gone from smashing punching bags across a gym to complete silence.

But it made complete sense, even as a cold, dark thread of knowledge trickled down my spine and settled, curling up in my stomach. It made perfect sense. It would explain my reactive behavior of late. My bursts of anger, of pure rage. The bloodlust. The uncontrollable bloodlust always lingering just underneath my skin, but ready at any moment to fire to a boil inside my veins and entirely overwhelm every other sense I had. It was a frenzy, almost. And it was growing worse by the day. Even Bruce could see it. I saw the fear in his eyes.

Fear. Of me. Or rather - for me.

He saw what I was becoming. What I was being moulded, pushed, twisted into.

And now... it all fit together.

I was Diana of Themyscira. Daughter of Hippolyta. Daughter of Hades.

God of War.

I hadn't even realized I'd parked the car or entered the kitchen, in such a daze, that I jumped when Mom nearly shouted my name. I blinked, realizing that I'd been standing in the middle of the kitchen, staring at the floor. "Uh, sorry, Mom. I guess I spaced out. What?"

Mom cast me an odd look. "You need some coffee?"

"Definitely." I rubbed my eyes and sank onto a bar stool at the counter. "Are the kids with Alfred?"

"Mmm-hmm. He has them finishing up some homework." Mom poured a steaming mug and set it in front of me.

I dumped half the creamer in it and gulped it down greedily. "He's such a saint. That's great, Mom, thanks. I just... Yeah. I guess that working out wore me out more than I thought it did."

She arched a brow. "Working out. In a gym?"

"I was sparring with Mena, too," I said defensively.

Liar, liar, liar.

"Hmm. Well, try that sleeping aid I got you," she urged. "The naturopath said it should help you have a dreamless sleep."

I scoffed into my mug. "Do they have something special I can take to ward off Athena, too? Maybe an anti-Olympian remedy?"

Mom gave me a dirty look. "At least try it."

"Fine, fine." I finished off the mug. "More, please?" I batted my eyelashes at her.

She took the mug and turned to pour me another cup, when new footsteps practically bounded into the kitchen, and a pair of warm, strong arms wrapped around me. I inhaled deeply as Bruce pressed a warm kiss to the side of my neck, then to my jaw.

"Hey, you," I greeted, curling up into him. I clamped down on the feelings of guilt gnawing at me. Tell him, tell him. Instead, I just leaned forward and kissed him again, longer, deeper, wrapping my arms around his neck, dragging my fingers through his thick dark hair, until a low, pleased murmur from him alerted both of us to a loud cough from my mom. We pulled back, embarrassed.

Mom held up her hands. "Leaving, leaving." She hurried out of the kitchen.

Bruce shook his head, watching her go, and then placed his hands on either side of the counter, trapping me in my seat. The heated look that swept over me sent pleasant shivers down my spine, only intensified when he reached up and stroked a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Bruce... why aren't you at work?" I said, dazed.

He grinned, and leaned in closer. "Nice to see you, too, Princess." And he slid a hand up my neck and buried a hand in my hair, crashing his lips onto mine. As I rose up to meet him, he nipped at my lower lip and sent a shock of icy heat tingling through my body. He tilted his head, deepening the kiss, moulding my lips against his, until I was dizzy, drowning, not knowing where I ended and he began. Wave after wave of timeless warmth washed over me, and it wasn't until the clock chimed one, two, three, that he finally dragged himself away, breathing just as heavily as I. He rested his forehead against mine for a long moment; I reached up and cupped his face, running my fingers gently over the shadowy scruff of his jawline.

"I did mean to tell you something," he said, humor laced in his labored voice.

I let out a breathless laugh, feeling nothing but adoring heat sinking into me as he pressed gentle kisses over my face. My forehead, my nose, my eyes.

"I thought you wanted to tell me something," I mumbled as he kissed me again once, twice.

"You're too beautiful," he murmured against my mouth, and kissed me again.

Finally, he pulled back, licking his lips. "I did have something I wanted to tell you."

"All right, then." I tried to look serious and failed, grinning.

"You need to pack."

My eyebrows shot up. "I what?"

"Right now, Di." He smirked. "Pack for a long weekend. Maybe longer."

I stared at him. "Why?"

"Because you, me, and the kids... are going to a private island I may or may not have recently purchased," he said. "In the Bahamas."

I gaped. "The what?"

"You heard me, Princess."

"But - but... What about us?"

"Like I said," he said with exaggerated patience, "Private island."

I punched him in the shoulder, lightly. "Stop it! You know what I mean, Bruce Wayne! What about Batman? And Wonder Woman? We can't just leave the city high and dry -"

"Sage and your friend Huntress will watch out for the city for a few days," he assured me. "Worse comes to worse, we'll have one of the Amazons step in as you. I'll even ask Queen to keep an eye out if that will make you feel better."

He'd really thought of this.

"I mean... okay," I stammered. "But - but why? I mean, Maroni's trial is just around the corner, and Hush-"

"No," he said, his eyes gleaming with all seriousness now. "Diana, you need a break. A long break. And so do I. Even a few days will do us some good. We haven't been spending enough time with our kids - as us. As Bruce and Diana. We need a vacation, and so do they."

He was right, of course. But still. There was something else in his eyes he wasn't saying.

But I was one to talk.

So I simply smiled. "I'll go up and get the kids packed."

The corners of his eyes crinkled. "We leave in a couple hours. You'll enjoy it. I promise." His husky voice resonated against my own as he pressed a long, leisurely kiss to my lips. I melted underneath his touch.

I swallowed back that thread of knowledge still curled up in my chest.

Liar, liar, liar.

God of war.

That was the last thing he needed to know right now.

Alfred Pennyworth

He'd been watching Diana for some time now. He saw things after being in various branches of the British military that others wouldn't. And what he saw from the young woman he considered a daughter disturbed him more than he cared to admit.

He watched her enter the kitchen. He watched as Bruce came in, haggard and exhausted as she, but strangely excited as he announced a surprise trip to an island in the Bahamas - an island he'd bought only weeks ago, as a secret for her. But Alfred saw, underneath Diana's excitement, underneath that pleasing brightness returning to her dulled eyes, he saw something else that nagged at him. Whispered to him.

Something she was hiding. Hiding from Bruce.

That was a sign of trouble by itself. He'd never known Diana to be secretive about anything. She was the honest one, the open one of the family. And yet... There was something in her countenance that Alfred just knew was elusive, strange. Not entirely herself. He waited a long time to finally speak. He waited until the whole family had been packed up and off to the private airfield to jet them away to the island, and he waited until the other Amazons were out of hearing range.

He poured a cup of tea for Alkyone and then for himself, stirring in the quiet, dimly lit kitchen. The clock had just struck eleven at night.

"My dear," he said finally, "Have you noticed something... odd about Diana today?"

Alkyone raised an eyebrow. "Only today?"

"Hmm. Yes, well. I think we both know she's been under considerable stress. And torment. But that's not what I'm referring to. It's something else. It's..." He hesitated. "Perhaps I'm wrong. You know her better than anyone."

"No, go on," she urged.

"I simply thought I saw... something in her eyes. Something she was possibly hiding."

Alkyone frowned, running a hand over her head. "I guess I must've missed it. But she did look... odd when she came back from the gym. Like she was in a daze. Almost catatonic, now that you mention it. Not even like how she's been over the past few months. No, I think you're right, love. I think there was something off about her today. But what could she be hiding? And why?"

"You don't suppose..." He hesitated, certain it wasn't true. Still, all the same. Might as well rule it out. "She couldn't be expecting?"

Alkyone went red. "No, no. I mean... no." She frowned. "She would've told me. They would've told us."

"I thought as much." He sipped his tea. "It's something else. Something is... haunting her."

Alkyone rubbed her temples. "I know."

"And your gods cannot help her?"

Alkyone looked away. "They haven't been answering me. I don't think..." She bit her lip, playing with the rim of her teacup. "I don't think they're my gods anymore, Alfred."

He stared at her and grasped her hands, covering them with his own. "My dearest..."

She bent down and kissed his hands. "No, it's all right. Just... don't tell the others. They won't understand. Or maybe they will. But even Diana has been on edge, and was surprised when I told her of my doubts. After everything that's happened, after everything with Ares, and Athena, and even Artemis, I... I just can't condone or support gods who are so petty and vengeful that they are trying to ruin the lives of good, honest people."

"I would have to agree with you."

"But this question of Diana still needs to be answered," Alkyone said grimly. "And I'm not sure how. If we ask her, she might just shut down. You think she might tell Bruce over the weekend?"

Alfred sighed heavily. "I can only hope, my dearest. But even I am not sure of anything anymore."

Thoughts?

I bet a lot of you suspected.

Still!

I really hope to update sooner! I mean it!