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Wonder Woman inhaled deeply. She hadn't had much interaction with him since the incident. She wasn't avoiding him, but she would be lying if she said this wasn't going to be difficult.

She opened the door to the training room.

If she was honest, she had no clue what she should do. No one really knew what had happened to him or how it all started. But they all knew it was serious when a battered and bruised, not Batman but Bruce Wayne, came to the founding members seeking help. Ever since that day three weeks ago it had been an uphill journey, each day harder than the one before. No one knowing if or when they would reach the top.

Medically everything was fine, no broken bones, no concussions or lacerations. But only a few minutes of interaction would prove everything was not fine.

Diana stood and watched him from afar. He sat on the ledge of the light-created cliff working on something. There was sadness in the air. Her heart was heavy for him. What he had lost was something she knew he held in high regard. Now that it was gone, he hadn't been the same. It was as if he didn't know who he was anymore. She slowly released her breath through slightly parted lips and started to approach the Dark Knight.

She saw his body stiffen as she got closer. His head cocked to the side as he turned his ear to her. She could see him hide whatever he had been doing under his cape.

A plastered smile come across her face. It didn't reach her eyes, but she had to at least fake it, for his sake. Hera knew he didn't need anyone else's help when it came to self-doubt.

"I should have known you would hear me coming." She sat next to him. "I'm still in awe at your propensity to abscond from a situation. No one even saw you slip out today. Not that we ever do."

Silence.

"Abscond?"

Diana heard the uncertainty in his voice.

"Ability to escape a situation."

Though he was trying to be discreet about it, she saw him write the word down on some kind of notebook. He held the pen with his whole hand like he was gripping a hammer or a sword. His handwriting was large and childlike, not the crisp, short strokes to which she had grown accustomed.

"Propensity?" He questioned as he finished the first word.

"Natural ability," she informed.

He wrote it down and looked over the word, mouthing it over and over.

"It's spelled with a 'c', right?"

"An 's'."

"But it sounds like 'city'. Why is there an 's'?"

"I don't know. That's just how English works I guess."

"English is stupid."

Her mouth ticked up slightly. "Yeah. It was the hardest language for me to learn."

He pushed his cape back to place the notebook back in his utility belt. As he leaned back to get a better angle, she caught a glimpse of what he had been trying to hide earlier: a children's book of mazes.

He was still trying. Trying to stimulate himself. Trying to slow the effects of whatever was afflicting him. Doing what he could to help. It gave her a little hope.

"How did you know I was here?" he asked.

"I always catch you here."

He frowned. "Are you following me?"

"No, we just think alike. I try to come and train in the off hours, early in the morning or late at night, but your name is already on the check-in log."

He sat silently, nodding his acknowledgment to the truth.

"I get it though. It's serene, sometimes you need that. It's a quiet place that can help you escape your problems, think, be away from it all." Her mind went back to the last time she had come in here. Just a few nights ago when an all to real nightmare had left her in a cold sweat needing an escape. "I come here to think sometimes or to just escape."

"Where do you go?"

She smiled to herself. "Themyscira, cliché as it may be."

She placed a hand on his leg, rubbing her thumb back and forth across his thigh subconsciously. "You set it up by yourself?"

He shifted uncomfortably at her touch. He didnt want it to stop, but didnt know how to react with her doing so. "It's more muscle memory than knowing how things work. Kinda like how I knew you were here. After doing it for so long, you don't really have to think about it. Which works in my favor."

His gaze remained on the water in front of him. It was a replication of the scene where he spent many an hour lost in thought in Gotham. He didn't want to go home, it was too empty. Even if no one was directly with him, simply bring on the Tower gave him a sort of comfort. But he didn't want her here. He had been avoiding eye contact. He felt so exposed, vulnerable, and he did not like it.

He had noticed that she had not been around as much, but he didn't know what he felt about it. Confused by his feelings, just like he was confused about everything else these days. It was true that he didn't want her to witness him in this state, but he also wanted her right by his side. He wanted to tell her all about it, but wanted her to stay away.

Diana glanced at him before turning back to the water. She could tell his attention was far away. He had effectively zoned out.

"What were you working on?" She attempted to pull him back in. And despite knowing, she was hoping that he would still tell her. Be transparent and let her in.

She felt his leg twitch and the expression on his face looked frazzled. She knew whatever he was about to say next was a lie. I guess he had lost his ability to keep his calm demeanor and collected composure as well.

"Nothing," he lied, shaking his head way too hard.

"I see that your stubborn personality is still intact."

He shrugged his shoulders. "I guess."

No witty comeback. No comment about her own pigheadedness. He really wasn't himself.

Diana found herself between a rock and a hard place. She knew why he had come here to try and escape, but they had sent her to try and get him back hoping he would give her less resistance. He had been avoiding their temporary solution. And she hated being used as a pawn, but she couldn't bear to stand by and watch as his mind continued to deteriorate. She knew Bruce needed help now. He was getting worse faster than they had expected, and without the treatments, all that would be left of him was a shell of himself.

"You know J'onn and Kal sent me over to get you."

She could feel the deep growl resonate next to her.

"I'm not taking anymore serums," he stated definitively.

"Why not?"

"Because no matter how it's given to me, it hurts like hell. I feel it burning at my insides if I drink it. And if they put it in a needle, it feels like it's gonna rip my arm off. It's...painful."

It was a lame excuse. She knew he was hiding the true reason he didn't want the serum.

"The serum's the only way you're going to get better."

"Yeah? Well it's not working. I've been getting worse since we started. I can get stupider on my own, and I don't have to be in pain to do that."

"J'onn is doing his best. He hates it too. We all do, but we only want what's best for you, and right now, this is the only way we know how."

He slumped his shoulders. "I know. But that doesn't make me feel better." He jumped to his feet. "I should be helping figure this out. If I had, it probably would've been done by now."

"Are you suggesting you're the only one capable of finding a solution? That we can't function without Batman's help?"

"God, no. I'm saying that's my job on this team. That's how it's always been. I figure stuff out. But now I can barely figure out my left from my right. All I can do is sit on the side. I just feel so… I feel…" He struggled to find the word. He searched his mind frantically, but he couldn't find anything.

"Invalid," she finished absentmindedly. She hadn't meant to complete his sentence; she was only thinking aloud, understanding how he felt. Diana recognized it was part of the underlying reason he didn't want the serum. The medicine hadn't been working. There had been only slight changes for the better before a drastic slide downhill. It had seemed to plateau for the moment, but the fact was, he wasn't getting better. He was scared. Scared he would never get back to who he was. That he would never be useful again. Scared to get hopes up only for them to be pulled from under his feet. She was scared too. What if they couldn't get him back to the way he was? What would that mean for her?

He threw his hands in the air in exasperation. Why couldn't they just let him do it? He was on the verge of finding a word before she had just jumped in.

"Please, your royalty, tell me, a lowly simpleton, what does that mean?"

Wonder Woman turned to see him standing beside her, arms crossed with a great degree of attitude and displeasure. "Why don't you use context clues?" She questioned, bracing herself for the argument she could feel rising up. She watched him intently, still on guard. She could see him concentrating on the word.

"Useless?" He finally concluded.

"Yes," she nodded, still on guard.

"Then why didn't you just say that?!"

"Because you know that's not what you want." She challenged. Now she was standing too.

"And how would you know that?" he asked.

"People have been doing that to you this whole time. Over explaining things. Helping you write mission reports. Dumbing down what they have to say so it doesn't go over your head. Doing everything for you because they think you're incapable of doing anything for yourself. And you hate it. Stop me when I'm wrong." She added extra emphasis to the last sentence, daring him to deny it. Batman just looked off, avoiding her eye contact.

"I've seen your reaction. You visibly tense up and you get that same scowl you're giving me now. People are treating you different, and you don't like it. You know you aren't as smart as you were, but the fact that people are acknowledging it makes you furious."

She hated it as well. To see this mighty man reduced to a bratty child, it made her sick to her stomach.

She continued with slightly less annoyance in her voice. "I don't want you to feel like that with me. But if you want me to oblige you, then I will." She paused. "Oblige means do as someone wishes."

He snickered. "And how does that make you feel?" He asked.

"How does what make me feel?"

"Treating me 'the same'. You feel like you're doing me a favor?"

"No, I'm trying to give you a sense of normalcy."

"There is no more normal. But you acting like there is is your way of controlling me isn't it?"

"What are you talking about? I'm trying to help you."

"Help, is that what you're calling it? It seems more like dependency to me. But you'd like that wouldn't you? For me to be dependent on you?"

"I'd like for you to just accept help and stop fighting us on this."

"To be vulnerable and open?! To be weak?!"

"To allow someone in so you don't have to carry it all yourself? Yes!"

She just stared at him angrily. "Why are you doing this? You're acting like you don't want to get better. Is that it? We're giving you a way to fight whatever is going on with you, and you just don't want it."

"I want you to stop babying me! I don't need you or anyone else looking after me. I can do it myself! I've gotten this far on my own, without help, I don't need it now."

"When you start acting like the man you're supposed to be, we won't have to help you. When you stop throwing tantrums like some spoiled child we can help you get back to where you want to be."

"Don't you think I'm trying?! You think it's just that easy like flipping a switch? And the constant bothering and always being around to check in on me doesn't help. It just...just...uhhh!" He stormed around fuming, frantically trying to get his mind to work, to find the thoughts he needed. "It stresses me out!"

"So that's it huh? Your decision is final? You want us to sit here and just watch you waste away?!"

"Yes! No. I don't know. Just... stop. Just…"

He sat back down. His face became very somber changing as quickly as he took off his mask. He absolutely abhorred what he had become and how people now saw him. Like a puppy with three legs. Those same people he used to intimidate and garner respect from now only looked down at him with pity. He didn't want it from them, but above all, he didn't want to see that same look of pity from her. He didn't know if he could take that.

"You're right, okay? I hate it. I just wanna be me again. I can't do my job good if I can't keep coming up with plans to...to…" He pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly frustrated. "I can't even keep my train of thought."

He took a deep breath.

"I'll keep taking the serums," he acquiesced. "But I'm gonna have to stop being Batman for a while. Maybe forever."

Diana frowned at him. "Why?"

"Everything that makes me a good hero is gone. Deep down, I've always felt like I wasn't good enough to be teammates with you guys. Like I've always had to do more to carry my weight. And I can't even do that now. I can't solve any crimes 'cause I'm not smart enough. I don't know how to use half my gadgets. I can't even fight."

"It doesn't take a genius to throw a punch Bruce."

"Yeah, but it does take intelligence to win. Yesterday, Robin and me sparred. He beat me...bad. Seven times in a row. And the only reason he stopped was because he felt sorry for 'taking advantage of me like this.'" He slumped even further in his seat. "I mean, what good would it be for me to go on like this?"

Her response wasn't instant, but what she said surprised him.

"I guess when you put it like that, you're right."

"You're… agreeing with me?" He knew he truly looked dumbfounded now.

"If you can't see you're more than your money, gadgets, and mind, then yes, I agree with you wholeheartedly," she replied.

Batman sat in stunned silence. What else did he have? What was he missing? What was she implying? How was he supposed to know what she was thinking? She confused him at the best of times. Now he was just totally lost.

Wonder Woman just watched, hoping he would be able to figure out what she meant by her statement. That he was so much more than what he believed he was.

"I think Gotham could run without Batman. They still'll have Batgirl and Robin. And Robin can be Batman when he gets bigger. A lot of people don't even really like Batman. I'm sure they would probably agree with us," he finally said.

She sighed. The point had gone over his head.

"Bruce, that's not what I was trying to point out."

"Maybe not, but it's still true. No one seems to care."

"You know that's not true. Everyone is doing what they can to get you back."

"No. No. I mean no one cares he's gone. They all are working to get the old me back, but in the meantime, they don't miss him." He faced her head on. His cerulean eyes a storm of unclear emotions, desperately searching for something to steady them. She tamped down on the pity inside of her, so she could empathize with him.

"People...like me better when I'm the dopey, rich boy all the time; when he is me instead of an act. And I'm not gonna lie, it's kinda freeing. I can kinda just be myself more or less.

"Like earlier this week, I gave Plastic Man $600 to pay his rent. He told me he never saw my 'nice' side, and that maybe he shouldn't feel like he was gonna have a stroke when he has to ask me something."

"You know O'Brien talks before thinking," she explained.

"Doesn't make him wrong," he said more to himself before continuing.

"Even so, yesterday, after I shadowed Flash for my monitor duty, he asked did I wanna hang out. And we went to a Cici's Pizza and tried their eating challenge. He beat me of course, but I still finished in time. But it was the most fun I've had in a long time. This morning, I overheard him talking to GL. He said I was a lot more fun like this. That when I lost the intelligence, I lost the stick in the mud too. I know he was kinda joking with it, but still."

"Flash can sometimes have a crude sense of humor."

"They're not the only ones. I hear the mumblings. Like I said, they don't really care that he's gone. And I guess I can't blame them. In my periods of lucidity, I reflect a bit. Old me was a Scrooge. Mean and unlikable. But that speaks more on me than anyone else. Who would want to be around someone like that? I mean look at the way I treated my friends, how I treat you. I know you even like me better like this right?"

She didn't say anything. He was hoping that she would say something, anything. Confirm to him that there was something redeemable about his former self. That she would give him a reason that he should continue fighting. But she didn't. She just sat there silently looking at the expansive space in front of them.

"Yeah. That's what I was thinking," he said.

"You're no different to me," she answered. She paused again. "You just don't see it do you?"

"See what?"

"That this is how I see you all the time."

"What? A rich, middle-aged man that dresses in a bat suit to deal with his issues?"

"A hero who puts his heart on his sleeve because it's too big to fit in his chest."

His face was riddled with surprise.

"You are a brilliant man. Hands down, the smartest person I know, and you use that to your advantage. You make gadgets and inventions that make you just as powerful as Superman. You always seem to make the right decision because you use logic to filter down to the best possible thing to do. You use your head to help make decisions of the heart since the heart can be brash, impulsive, and headstrong a lot of the time. I know that from experience. But a lot of the time, people confuse that with you being heartless because they only see the scowl and the stern exterior. But now the Kevlar is off, and everyone is seeing what I've seen all along. You are the most caring, kind, courageous person I know. You don't make it easy for me, but I recognize it. And even though you have this limitation and you want to quit, I don't think you could. You're a hero deep down. You always will be.

"The only thing different about you right now is that you're acting a little freer because you don't have that voice in your head to overthink and overanalyze decisions. No, you're not as smart as before, but you're still one of the greatest heroes Earth has ever seen. I have no doubt that when there's trouble, you'll jump in to help. It might be headfirst, but you can't sit on the side.

"You're more than the sum of your parts. It's not the superpowers, not the gadgets, not the fighting ability that make you who you are or even make you a superhero. Yes, they help, but it's that humongous heart that you have that makes you a hero. And your limitations only serve to make you a better hero than any of us with powers hope to be. I know you inspire me to do better."

She grabbed his hand. "You'll get through. Whatever the outcome, no matter what gets in your way, no matter how smart you are, you'll get through it. You always do, you're too stubborn not to."

He didn't say anything for a while. She thought he had zoned out again. Tapping his arm, she tried to capture his attention.

"I heard you. I was just trying to think of the right words to say."

He took a breath to gather himself before he spoke again. "So I guess, if I'm gonna get better and master my current capabilities, I have to accept my current limitations."

"Exactly. That was… really astute Bruce."

"I know." He smiled smugly.

"You know what that word means?"

After thinking it over for a second, he answered, "Profound."

Diana smiled. This time it genuinely reached her eyes. "Looks like someone is taking a turn for the better."

He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Thank you."

"For?" She couldn't help the girlish grin forming on her face, her hand going to rub the spot gingerly.

"For keeping me from falling over the ledge. For showing me I'm more than… how did you put it? More than... the sum of my parts."

"You're welcome."

She composed herself once more. "So, are you going to let me help you with those mazes, or do I have to keep pretending I didn't see them?"

He acquiesced, and pulled the book out. "I haven't been able to figure out a single one."

"Well, we'll just have to fix that won't we?"

He nodded his head. "After I finish with J'onn," he smiled.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." He replaced his mask and stood to his feet, but paused before heading to the door. He extended his hand to her. "You'll come with me?"

She took his hand and landed a small kiss to his cheek as she reached a standing position.

"Always," she smiled.

The two walked out the training room together sharing a feeling that everything would be okay. And even if it didn't, they would always have each other.

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed. See yall on the next go round.