August 29. Gotham - The Revue. 8:37 am.
Diana sat in the booth across from Bruce, happily sipping on an iced mocha, as she watched Bruce stare at the tv in the distance. On it was a photo of Damian from his youth, his brothers by his side as they gave a speech in New York three decades ago. The news had been covering Damian's arrest and subsequently Wayne Enterprises for the last two days, and although it had been nice to get Damian finally behind bars, Diana couldn't help but want some privacy. News of this nature traveled quickly, so it had only been a few hours before someone had dug up the fact that Sterling was Damian's son and that Diana had been his long lost daughter. Soon the story of a sibling rivalry gone too far had graced the headlines, selling a record number of papers the next day.
"Come on," Bruce mumbled to himself when a photo of Diana flashed across the screen. "I want to know who leaked this," he said, his eyebrows furrowing as he took a sip from his own cup, letting the warm liquid hit his throat, giving him a sense of calm, before he continued to watch the footage.
Diana glanced over her shoulder at the television, a small sigh escaping her lips as video of Damian being walked out of the hospital played. "It doesn't matter how it got out," she whispered. "It's out there, and it's fine."
Bruce turned from the television when he felt Diana's hand rest on his. "We knew it would happen eventually, Bruce," she said with a small smile.
Bruce nodded his head, turning his hand so that hers rested in his palm, and gave it a small squeeze. She may have wanted all the privacy surrounding her life to be over, but some part of him still wished they could have a moment to themselves without being hounded by the press. He knew eventually the media would die down, finding some other story to busy themselves with, but until then he would have to count on these quiet moments between the two of them.
"I know, I know," he said. "I just don't like the idea of them dragging you through the mud as if you had something to do with what he did."
Diana only shrugged. "People are going to think what they want," she explained, letting her finger swipe the rim of her glass, collecting some whipped cream that had fallen off the side. "Let them." She carefully placed her finger in her mouth, letting her tongue lick the whipped cream from her fingertip, before she glanced up at Bruce, watching as he stared at her, fixated on her lips. "You're staring," she said, although she knew her statement would mean nothing to Bruce.
Bruce shrugged and squeezed her hand once more. "So how did your talk with Sterling go?" he asked. He had wanted to ask her how it had gone last night when she had come over for dinner, but when he had seen the evidence she had been crying, he knew she needed a few hours to think about things.
Diana let out a small sigh. On the day of Damian's arrest Shayera had told her Sterling wanted to speak with her, but she had been so anxious over her father's arrest, and what that would mean for his company and all his good working people, like Meredith, she had gone straight home and busied herself for hours. It wasn't until the next afternoon had she gone to the hospital and sought out the brother she never knew she had. When she had walked into his room, he had been surprised to see her, thinking she wanted nothing to do with him after everything he had done. A part of her had thought the same thing, wondering why she would want to talk to the man who had tried to put a bullet in her on more than one occasion, but she couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
"It went well," she answered, her eyes narrowing as she thought of everything the two had talked about. "He apologized for everything. Said he wanted to make amends before he went to prison."
Bruce nodded. "And did you believe him?" he asked as he let go of her hand to grab his coffee.
Diana watched as Bruce took a small sip of his beverage and nodded. "He seems genuinely sorry for everything," she answered. "And I wanted him to get closure," she began, waiting until he was done drinking and placed the cup back onto the table before she added, "with everyone."
Bruce raised an eyebrow. "What did you do?" he asked. He knew Diana well enough to know that she would move mountains for anyone, even someone as undeserving as the man who had tried to kill the both of them.
Diana let out a nervous chuckle. "I flew his mom out," she explained. "She deserved to see him before he goes to prison. And when she got there, he just broke down and cried, and apologized to her, and to me again, and-" Diana stopped when she felt tears start to form once more. Seeing Sterling with his mother had reminded Diana of her own, and when she had left the hospital, she had called Hippolyta, wanting her to know just how grateful she was that she had tried to shield her from Damian all her life.
"Hey, hey," Bruce began, sliding out from his side of the booth and joining Diana on hers. "You did something for the both of them that they will forever be grateful for." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close, a smile forming on his face when she leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. "It's one of the many reasons I love you," he whispered, kissing the top of her head, relaxing in his seat when he felt her release a content sigh.
"You two are so sweet, it's sickening."
The two turned their heads to see Rylie standing beside the booth, her hands on her hip as she looked at the two. Diana only smirked as she sat up straight and scrunched her nose at the younger woman. She had forgotten there were other people around, but when she was with Bruce no one else seemed to matter. "Don't you start," Diana warned as she pointed a finger at the young waitress.
Rylie only chuckled as she moved over to the next booth and cleaned off the table with a fresh rag, glancing out the window, wanting the day's shift to end so that she could meet up with Jacob and Emma. "Jacob says hi, by the way," she said over her shoulder to Bruce, who only nodded and smiled, still keeping his relationship with the young man a secret until absolutely necessary. It drove both Diana and Rylie crazy.
"Tell him thank you," Bruce said, lifting his coffee mug to his lips and draining the last of the liquid, before he carefully placed the cup back in the center of the table. "But for now," he began, turning to Diana, "we have to get to work."
Diana glanced at her watch, her eyes widening when she realized the time. She had chosen to stay the night at her own place, wanting to spend as much time with Shayera before she moved as possible, but breakfast with Bruce had become a habit she had come to love. So Bruce had suggested they meet at her favorite cafe, wanting to get some alone time with her before their nine-thirty meeting with the board, finalizing a few more things before the carnival in October.
Bruce slid out of the booth and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, opening it up to pull a few bills out, and handed them to Rylie, before he turned and offered Diana a hand. She placed her hand in his and let him help her slide out of the booth, before she adjusted her pants, smoothing the creases with her hand. The two waved goodbye to Rylie and walked out of the cafe toward Wayne Enterprises, letting the sun hit their tired faces.
"So when does Shayera move out?" Bruce asked casually. When Diana had returned home from Greece, after Shayera had given her final answer to John, she had explained her roommate was leaving Gotham in a few months. Bruce could see it saddened Diana to see Shayera go, but he also knew she was happy for her and John. They both deserved happiness.
"A week after the carnival," she answered. "I think they're going to go look at a place next week."
Bruce nodded. "So what are you going to do after she moves?"
"I don't know," Diana answered truthfully. "I was thinking-" Diana stopped when the two turned the corner and saw the same news crews that had been stationed in front of the building for the last two days. "You'd think they'd get the hint," Diana said under her breath.
Bruce chuckled. "Just trying to do their job," he explained. "Come on." He placed his hand on the small of her back and pushed her toward the front door, watching as cameras turned to watch them make their way toward the building.
When they were a few feet away the questions began.
"Mr. Wayne, what's next for Wayne Enterprises now that Damian Kyrios is in prison?"
"Ms. Prince, how long have you known Damian Kyrios was your father?"
"Mr. Wayne, what exactly is the relationship between you and Ms. Prince?"
Bruce stopped when he heard that last question, his heartrate quickening as he glanced over at Diana. They had agreed to go public once everything had died down, but with the amount of time they had been spending together outside of work, and not being so careful about who saw, they knew that time was fastly approaching. "I've got one statement," he said, watching as a half dozen microphones were shoved closer to both his and Diana's faces. "Wayne Enterprises will be moving forward without the help of Damian Kyrios nor his technology. We have some exciting projects coming up that I can't wait to share with you all. But for now, we have a meeting to get to." He grabbed Diana's hand and pulled her up the stairs leading to the building, waving at Paul and Lucius, who stood inside the glass doors, watching to make sure the media stayed outside the building.
When the two reached the top step, Bruce looked at Diana and raised an eyebrow, silently asking her the question that had been on his mind all morning. Diana only sighed and nodded her head, knowing it had to happen eventually, before Bruce placed his hand on her hip and pulled her close. Without another thought he leaned forward and kissed her, smiling against her lips when he heard the chatter amongst the reporters begin, and the flashes of cameras. Diana mirrored his smile as she looped her arms around his neck, letting his hands grip her waist as he tried to deepen the kiss. "Bruce," she whispered against his lips. "We're at work." She knew he was getting too caught up in the kiss. There were dozens of eyes on them, and soon many more people would be witness to this kiss. She didn't want everyone to know exactly what went on between them in privacy.
Bruce pulled away from her, smiling as she shook her head with a smirk, before he turned to the press and waved goodbye, flashing them a smirk that was all too reminiscent of his playboy days. He grabbed Diana's hand and walked into the building with her, stopping only to look down at Paul. "Press doesn't come here for the rest of the week," he said, watching as Paul nodded at the order, before he turned to Lucius who only chuckled and rolled his eyes.
"Must you make everything into a production, Bruce?"
Bruce only shrugged and looked at Diana. "If you had this beautiful woman, wouldn't you want to show her off?" he asked, forcing Diana to smack him lightly in the chest.
"Fair point, Mr. Wayne," Lucius said with a grin, before he turned and led the two down the hall and to the elevators.
October 4. Wayne Enterprises. 13:42
"I'm sorry, what?"
Bruce looked up from the opened file on his desk, watching as Paul's eyes widened at what he had just asked. It had been a little over a month since he and Diana had gone public with their relationship, and although he was glad the secrecy was over with, he knew Diana was still having to adjust to everyone knowing they were a couple. He heard the snide comments every now and then, but he was quick to shut those down. Diana, on the other hand, stayed quiet, trying not to let people bother her. Instead she buried herself in her work, focusing on reorganizing security after what Sterling had done to the team. Not to mention the carnival she and Andre had put their all into.
Last night Diana stared in wonder as each meticulous detail she had planned for months finally came to life, watching with a smile on her face as the children who had called Gotham's Children's hospital home for any amount of time, finally got to feel like a normal kid. She played with children in wheelchairs, laughing the night away. She had danced with kids who had spent more time within the walls of the hospital than their own homes. She had even taken time away from the grandeur outside and had spent time with those who were too sick to leave their beds.
Diana made a promise not to leave until each and every child in that hospital had a smile on their face. And she had accomplished that and more, staying well into the night to finish tearing down booths and cleaning around the hospital, making sure she was the one to personally give Dr. Thompkins the check that would insure dozens of other children got the care they needed.
"Shouldn't Diana be here?" Paul questioned. He wrung his hands nervously at his waist, uncomfortable with what Bruce was proposing.
Bruce only shook his head and glanced at Lucius, who casually sat in one of the cream colored chairs, a stark contrast to the nervous man that stood beside him. "Mr. Whitaker, you've come to know Diana fairly well." He waited for Paul to give a small nod, before he let out a small chuckle. "Then you know why I haven't brought her into this meeting. Now please, take a seat. You're making me nervous."
Paul glanced at the man with uncertainty, shifting his eyes from left to right before he sat in the chair in front of him. "But if you're saying what I think you're saying….." He stopped when Bruce's phone vibrated on the desk, watching as Bruce glanced at the message, a smile on his face when he saw who it was from, before he flipped his phone over, not wanting any more distractions. "You want me as the new Head of Security?" he questioned.
Bruce nodded. "Yes," was his answer. He knew Paul had wanted the position the moment Walter had spoken to him about retirement, but they both knew he had not been ready. He needed to find his footing first, learn how to trust his intuition. A man who looked only to please others was not ready to lead. But he had learned from Diana. He had learned how to be confident in his decisions. He had learned how to lead without listening to the opinions of others who did not matter. He was now ready for the job.
"Is Diana quitting?" Paul asked.
"No," came another short reply from Bruce.
Paul only raised an eyebrow. "Is she getting fired?" he asked, his eyes widening once more. "Or is she stepping down because the two of you are, you know, dating?"
Lucius broke out into a small fit of giggles beside Paul and placed a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "No, no," he said.
"Because the guys and I don't think that way at all," Paul said, interrupting Lucius. "She does the job, and she's wonderful at it, and-"
"Paul," Bruce said, stopping the man's blabbering. "Diana will be fine, trust me. Take the job. You deserve it."
Paul continued to look at Bruce, uncertainty on his face. "Only if Diana is okay with it."
Bruce nodded. "I'll take it," he said, offering the man his hand. He watched as Paul cautiously shook his hand, a smirk on his face.
The three continued to discuss the job offer Bruce had just given to Paul, going over the duties and expectations. Bruce was adamant that Paul not say anything to anyone, his wife included, until they formally announced it. Paul, still hesitant, agreed, quickly walking out of the office before he was cornered into something else he was unsure of, leaving both Bruce and Lucius in the office.
"He's loyal," Lucius said. "That's good."
Bruce nodded, grabbed his phone from the desk, and opened the text Diana had sent during their meeting. "Yeah. He'll do well."
Lucius nodded. "So, about Diana. What are you going to tell her?"
Bruce placed his phone in his pocket and let out a sigh as he rubbed his hand over his face. "I don't know," he answered truthfully. "I just hope she's ready for this."