TITLE: Never Mind

AUTHOR: LOTSlover

CHARACTERS: Batman / Wonder Woman

RATING: T

WARNINGS: Author Chooses Not to Use Warnings

DISCLAIMER: I love Justice League, but especially Batman and Wonder Woman. Unfortunately, I do not own the characters and, if I did, things would be much different for them.

SUMMARY: Set right after the episode Shadow of the Hawk, Wonder Woman and Shayera end up finding a common bond once again. BMWW

Never Mind

Diana put the plate of salad on her tray, more than anxious to get her hands on an iced mocha. It had been a long couple of days full of missions that never seemed to end. Finally getting to sit down and have lunch sounded like the best part of her day so far…well, that and the dinner date she had with Bruce tonight.

He was taking her to the new French restaurant that had opened in Gotham. He had a surprise planned for after dinner, but he'd refused to give her any hints so far as to what that surprise actually entailed. She'd even gone so far as to try to pry the information out of Alfred but that too had proven futile. They were cohorts in whatever Bruce had up his sleeve.

Setting her glass on her tray, she turned, almost running straight into Flash. "Whoa there, Wondy," he greeted her, steadying her tray. "I was going to reach around you to get an iced mocha."

"Are you in a hurry?" she asked.

"Yah, I've got monitor duty in exactly one minute," he replied. "If I show up late, GL is going to kill me."

"Why?"

"He has a hot date with Vixen tonight and needs to make sure he has everything ready," he told her.

"He seems to have really fallen for her," she thoughtfully said.

"Yah, he's pretty in love," he agreed, filling a glass full of the icy goodness. "I'm happy for him. Shayera really hurt him, but now I feel bad for Shay because she has to see them together all the time. Well, gotta run. See ya, Wondy."

Flash was gone in a blur of red before the Amazon princess could even utter a response, leaving Diana standing there alone. She shook her head slightly, a small smile gracing her face. She began to make her way to the dining area, finding that it was rather empty save for Shayera and a couple of civilian staff members.

Diana drew a deep breath, debating whether or not to sit with the Thanagarian or by herself. She noticed that Shayera sat all alone in a secluded corner, looking rather forlorn. Her chin was held up with her hand, her elbow resting on the table as she poked at her dinner with the tines of her fork.

She made her way towards her, wondering what had upset her. She'd heard rumors about a mission that she'd been pulled into a couple of days ago, but never had the chance to get the details. She couldn't help the tug of concern that she felt inside as she drew near, the sadness that permeated the Thanagarian's face unmistakable.

"May I sit here?"

Startled, Shayera looked up to find Diana standing before her. She quickly looked around the mostly empty commissary, momentarily wondering why Diana would want to sit with her. "Sure," she softly said, her focus falling on her plate once more.

Diana slid into the chair across from her as she set her tray down. She and Shayera had been very close before the Thanagarian invasion, the only female members of the Justice League the catalyst for their friendship. Shayera had helped ease some of the ache of loneliness that had consumed Diana with being away from her home and then her subsequent banishment.

After Shayera's betrayal, that bond had been shattered, never to be rebuilt again. The mission to the Underworld to help Hades regain his throne had softened the animosity between them, leading to a slightly frosty friendship that both felt fairly comfortable with for the moment.

"Rough day?" Diana asked as she reached for her drink.

"Rough couple of days," she clarified.

"I couldn't help noticing you seem upset about something," she ventured. "Care to talk about it?"

Shayera looked up in stunned disbelief as she sat up straighter in her chair. "You really want to know about my problems?"

"Sure…why not?" Diana said with a shrug. "We're sort of friends, aren't we?"

"Yah…I guess so."

"Besides, it looks like you need someone to talk to and the only other person in here for that is Raymond, but he's busy cleaning tables over there," Diana lightly teased, pointing at the elderly man across the commissary. "I've heard he's quite a gossip so I would probably avoid sharing your darkest secrets with him."

Shayera's lips quirked with the remark, the sadness that had consumed her momentarily lifting. "Who do you think I go to when I need the latest news on the Watchtower?"

"Men can be like that," she replied. "So, it looks like you're stuck with me."

"I'm sure I could do much worse," Shayera said with a grin.

"Well, I'm all ears until five o'clock," Diana told her.

"What's at five?" she asked. "Hot date with a handsome billionaire?"

"Yes, and I'll need plenty of time to get ready."

Shayera rolled her eyes in disbelief. "Yah, right," she countered with a frown. "You don't have to worry, Diana. You could wear a gunny sack and still have men drooling all over you."

Diana frowned as she thought about it. "I don't get it," she muttered. "People get way too wrapped up in looks. It's about what's on the inside of a person that's important, not on their outward appearance."

"That's easy for you to say," Shayera retorted with a shake of her head. "You were created perfect."

"I'm far from perfect, Shay."

"You're telling me," the Thanagarian quipped with a smirk, catching Diana off guard. "You're stubborn to a fault and sometimes you come across haughty. You're also—"

Diana's gaze narrowed in annoyance. "Never mind that," she sharply stated. "Now, are you going to tell me what's wrong or do I need to beat it out of you?"

Shayera sat back in her chair with a huff, her gaze falling to her plate of uneaten food. She folded her arms against her chest as she weighed her words and how much she actually wanted to reveal. "Like you could," she responded in amusement, her expression abruptly growing serious. "Everything seems to be wrong."

"That doesn't sound very optimistic," she replied, taking a bite of her salad.

"I take it Batman didn't tell you what happened the last couple of days?"

Diana shook her head. "I've barely seen him since Wednesday," she revealed. "I've been called out on one mission after another the last two days. What did I miss?"

Several moments passed before Shayera finally spoke again. "Do you believe in destiny?"

"Of course," Diana simply stated with the utmost confidence. "I believe that Bruce and I were always meant to be together, but I know Bruce would tell you absolutely not. He can't stand the thought of someone else being in control of his life, so he adamantly dismisses the notion of fate."

Shayera smiled sadly as she gazed down at her plate again, remembering what Batman had said to her about not believing in destiny. "That's what I thought."

"Do you believe in destiny?"

"No…at least…I don't know," she admitted with a sigh. "I never thought I did."

"And now?"

"Now, I'm not so sure."

Diana frowned as she studied her friend, wishing there was something more she could do to help her. "Is this about John?"

"Maybe…I don't know," Shayera murmured as she tried to order her thoughts, her shoulders sagging in defeat. She felt more confused than ever since the appearance of Hawkman.

"Well, is it or isn't it about John?"

"Yes, it's about John," Shayera confessed, pausing to bite at her bottom lip. "But I met someone else a couple of days ago and I know I'm not sure about anything."

Diana's expression brightened as she considered this newest tidbit of information. "What's his name?"

The corner of Shayera's lips quirked slightly, her green eyes lighting up. "Carter Hall."

"So, tell me about this Carter Hall," she requested.

Shayera hesitated, knowing that what she was about to say sounded completely crazy. She was beginning to think that maybe she needed her head examined for even considering that it might be true. She had initially blown it off as false memories created by the Asbsorbacron, but now…now she wasn't so sure.

She drew a deep breath, steeling herself for the Amazon princess's reaction to what she was about to tell her. "He's supposedly my reincarnated Thanagarian lover from a millennia ago when we crash landed in Egypt."

Diana stared at her for a long moment, trying to wrap her mind around the unexpected revelation. "Do you believe him?"

"You aren't shocked?" Shayera questioned her, surprised by her friend's reaction.

"You do remember I'm over a thousand years old and created from clay," she pointed out. "Oh, and by the way, the god of the Underworld may or may not be my father. Also, have you seen my family tree?"

"Good point," Shay conceded.

"Do you believe that Carter Hall is your reincarnated lover?"

The Thanagarian's elbow rested on the table as she cupped her chin in her hand once more. "Honestly…I don't know what to think," she confessed. "The whole thing is just so crazy…"

"And yet, you can't help wondering if it's true."

"Yah…exactly," she replied.

"I take it you don't have any memories of this Carter Hall?"

"None whatsoever," she confirmed. "It just all seems so surreal. I mean what if Carter Hall really is my reincarnated lover and we truly are destined to be together?"

"You mean what does that mean for you and John?"

Shayera folded her arms on top of the table, her forehead coming down to rest on them. "Yes," she confessed.

"It's obvious you still love John," Diana thoughtfully replied, pushing her now empty tray aside. "I don't think that your love for him ever truly died when you left."

"It didn't," Shayera admitted as she raised her head to look at her friend. "My feelings for him only grew stronger while I was gone. I missed him so much, but I knew that he was no longer mine…and now he belongs to another."

"I don't know how much John belongs to Mari," she informed her.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's a little hard to miss the way John still looks at you," Diana offered. "I'm surprised Mari hasn't noticed it. It's kind of obvious that he still has feelings for you."

"You really think so?" Shayera asked, straightening up in her seat in surprise.

"You haven't noticed it?"

Shayera averted her eyes as she considered it. "No, I haven't…or I didn't want to notice it," she softly said, her voice trailing off as she thought back over the last several months. Had she just not wanted to see it?

"Are you upset that John is still with Mari or is there something more?" she perceptively questioned her.

"A part of me is, but I know that John is no longer mine," she explained. "I'm the one who choose to walk away from everything—the world, the League, my friends…John. I wanted him to move on and find someone that truly deserved him, but I didn't think it would hurt this much or be this hard to watch."

"So, where does Carter Hall fit into all of this?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," she agreed, watching as John and Mari entered the commissary.

John glanced in their direction, spotting Shayera sitting with Diana. His eyes lingered on her longer than necessary, a sense of longing flitting through those warm chocolate eyes that she loved. It felt as if a wealth of unspoken emotion passed between them in that moment before he finally looked away, Mari taking his hand in hers and breaking the brief connection they had just shared.

"Are you destined to be with Carter Hall or John Stewart?"

"That's the question that I'd love to know the answer to," she told her, her eyebrows knitting together in thought. "I feel like John and I share a bond unlike anything I've ever known before. He awakened things inside of me that I had never known were possible to experience.

"But then Carter showed up and he awakened some of those very same things inside of me. I was ready to brush aside his theories of us being past lovers, but he knew things about me, Diana. He knew things that I had never told him…things that only someone very close to me would know."

"I think you should go for it," Diana encouraged her.

"You really think so?"

Diana shrugged a shoulder as she took a sip of her iced mocha. "Why not?" she said. "If what he says is true, then maybe you are destined to be together. There's really only one way to find out."

Glancing to her left, Diana noticed John and Mari standing close together, talking softly about something or other as they held hands. It was obvious they shared feelings for each other, but just how deeply those feelings ran remained to be seen.

"Besides," Diana continued with an impish grin as she turned her attention back to her friend, "it's not like John is free to be pursued right now anyway. You might as well enjoy yourself. Maybe it'll help you decide who you want to be with. It might also force John to finally make a decision between you and Mari if he sees you with someone else."

"You might be right," she said with a nod.

"Wait a minute," Diana said, a thought suddenly occurring to her. "How did Batman end up in the middle of all this with Carter Hall?"

Shayera couldn't help smirking. "Your boyfriend put a tracer on my mace and followed me and Carter to Egypt."

Diana shook her head in disbelief. "Why am I not surprised?"

"I was mad at first, but it was actually kind of sweet of him."

"Yes, he does have that sort of effect on everyone," she agreed. "Annoying to the point you want to rearrange his face, but then it turns out to be sweet and you want to kiss that blasted smirk off his face instead."

"That's Batman in a nutshell."

XXX

Bruce adjusted his tie as he stared at his image in the mirror before checking his cufflinks. He smoothed his hands over the lapels of his suit jacket, finding himself more than anxious to see Diana. They'd had precious little time together over the last few days and he was eager to be alone with her.

He was almost to the point of reconsidering tonight's plans. While he was excited about taking Diana to dinner and the opera tonight, he was beginning to think a quiet dinner at home before settling on the couch before the fireplace sounded even better. Either way, he knew where they were going to end up.

Glancing at his watch, he began to wonder what was taking his beautiful girlfriend so long. They were going to miss their dinner reservations at this rate. Of course, they had missed dinner reservations before because they couldn't keep their hands off each other long enough to leave the manor.

"Master Bruce," Alfred called to him as he approached. "I've taken the liberty of pulling the limo to the front drive. We will leave whenever you are ready."

"Thank you, Alfred," Bruce replied. "I'm just waiting on Diana."

"She's ready now."

"I'll start the car," Alfred offered.

Bruce looked up to find a breathtaking vision coming down the staircase, his breath momentarily leaving him as he became entranced by what he saw. Diana looked completely stunning in a wine colored, one shoulder, floor-length evening gown. Her raven hair was swept to the side to cascade over her right shoulder, exposing the slender column of her neck that he was suddenly aching to taste.

"Wow," Bruce uttered under his breath as he stood transfixed at the bottom of the staircase, everything around him falling away until there was only him and her.

"Never mind," Alfred murmured with a knowing grin. "I believe I shall go prepare a quiet dinner for two tonight instead."

Diana smiled softly as she descended the stairs, taking his offered hand as she came to a stop before him. Without the slightest hesitation, her lips found his in a heated kiss, her arms slipping around his neck to pull him close to her. She kissed him breathless, making sure he knew beyond any doubt that what she felt for him was real and true.

Reluctantly breaking the kiss, Bruce struggled to regain his senses, but she made it next to impossible. He could barely connect his thoughts, his chest rising and falling with exerted breaths. He readily decided that staying in tonight would be the better choice. He was definitely not prepared to let go of her now.

She smiled at him, her hand caressing his jaw. "I've missed you," she confessed, bestowing him with a slow, sensual kiss. "I love you, Bruce."

"I love you too, princess," he huskily replied. "Not that I'm complaining, but what was that for?"

"I was talking to Shayera today," she revealed. "We were talking about destiny. I know that you don't believe in it, but I believe in destiny, Bruce. I'm so very grateful that the gods saw fit to allow me the chance to be a part of your life, to love you, and to hopefully bring you even a little bit of the happiness that you've brought me."

Bruce was nearly rendered speechless by her words, his fingers threading through her hair as he lost himself in the blue eyes gazing back at him. They truly were windows to her soul and what he found there nearly buckled his knees. He'd never seen that look for him in another's eyes and he knew in that moment that he never would.

"I may not believe in destiny, Diana, but I believe in you and that's all I need," he swore to her, his lips finding hers in a heated kiss.

Diana retreated, her lips brushing against his once more. "We should probably be going," she reminded him. "We don't want to be late."

"I think we should stay in tonight," he suggested, kissing along her jaw to her exposed ear. "What do you think?"

"You mean I got dressed up for nothing?" she lightly teased, gasping softly as he kissed behind her ear.

"Definitely not for nothing," he huskily replied, pulling back to gaze at her with heated desire burning in his eyes.

"I do need to thank you for looking out for Shayera when Carter Hall showed up," she decided.

Bruce's eyebrow arched in question. "You two don't even like each other."

"Let's just say we've come to an understanding of sorts."

Bruce suddenly bent down and swept his lover up into his arms, carrying her back up the stairs. "You can tell me all about it later," he told her. "Right now, I have other plans for you."

Diana tilted her head to kiss him, starting with his mouth before planting a trail of kisses along his jaw to his ear. "And you can tell me all about how you put a tracker on Shayera's mace and followed her to Egypt."

"Just looking out for a friend," he murmured as he carried her to their bedroom.

"And when are you planning on telling her about the son she shares with John?"

"Not my concern…not my story to tell," he pointed out as he entered their bedroom, pausing to kick the door closed before finally setting her down. "You are all that I care about."

"Well then, I wonder if Alfred has ever served dinner in bed," she seductively purred as she began to remove his tie.

"Only one way to find out, princess," he growled as his lips captured hers, his fingers trailing down her bare arms before reaching around her in search of the zipper in her dress.