TITLE: Reminder
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: An engagement party for Bruce and Diana leads to reminiscing among the Founders about how each of them discovered that Batman and Wonder Woman were dating, but will the engagement survive a fight? BMWW
Reminder
Dick knelt before Tim, a focused expression gracing his face. Tim huffed in restless frustration as he tried to wait patiently for him to finish. "Why do I have to wear a suit?" he bemoaned as Dick attempted to fix his tie for him.
"Remember? It's Bruce and Diana's surprise engagement party tonight," he told him.
"I know that, but why do I have to wear a suit and tie?"
"It's a fancy party," he reminded him. "Everyone is going to be dressed up. You have to be on your best behavior tonight too."
"Thanks for the reminder," he grumbled with a frown. "I'm not a baby you know. I'm thirteen now."
"Good," he said with a grin. "Then you can tie your own tie."
"How's it going in here?"
Dick and Tim looked up to find Barbara standing in the doorway of Tim's bedroom in a petal pink sleeveless dress. Dick whistled appreciatively at the sight of his girlfriend. "You look gorgeous, Barbara," he complimented her.
"Thank you," she replied. "You two look quite handsome yourselves."
Tim tugged on the collar of his dress shirt. "I think Dick's trying to choke me with this tie."
"Stop fidgeting," he told him. "It's hard enough trying to do this on someone else without you squirming."
Barbara laughed at the pair as she took a seat on the edge of Tim's bed. "How are they getting Bruce and Diana here without them knowing anything?"
"Alfred arranged for them to eat dinner with Clark and Lois in Gotham and then return here for dessert," he revealed. "Timothy Drake! If you don't stand still for one solid minute, I'm going to tie you to the bed!"
"Fine with me," Tim decided with a scowl. "Then I wouldn't have to wear this stupid suit."
"I think you look very manly in your suit," Barbara told him.
Tim puffed his chest out as his lips spread into a huge smile. "Really?"
"My word…yes," she confirmed. "You're not going to be able to keep the girls away."
"Not to mention that Bruce and Diana would be crushed if you weren't there tonight for their party," Dick added, giving Barbara a knowing smile.
Tim appeared disheartened with the thought as he considered it. "I don't want that to happen. I'm happy they're getting married. Bruce isn't as grumpy all the time and I love having Diana here."
"Diana has been a good influence on Bruce," Barbara agreed.
"The best thing that ever happened to him," Dick commented.
"Let's just hope that Diana doesn't change her mind about marrying Bruce," Tim said. "Because that would just suck."
Dick visibly shuddered as he finally finished with Tim's tie. It was like déjà vu, reminding him of the night they dressed up to meet Bruce's new girlfriend only to discover it was none other than Wonder Woman. That had turned out to be an awesome evening, far more enjoyable than Dick had thought it would be before finding out it was Diana that Bruce was dating.
"Bruce would be positively unbearable to deal with," Dick told them.
"Let's make sure that doesn't happen," Barbara decided.
"Come on," Dick said as he stood to his feet. "The guests should be arriving any minute now."
The trio quickly made their way downstairs to the ballroom to find Alfred putting the finishing touches on the massive buffet that he'd been secretly working on for the last two days. "My don't you three look positively fabulous," he praised them. "I dare say that you clean up rather nicely."
"Yes!" Tim excitedly exclaimed. "Canapes."
"Not so fast, Master Timothy," Alfred caught him by the arm as the young teenager attempted to dash past him. "You can eat once all of the guests have arrived including Master Bruce and Miss Diana."
Tim looked rather sullen only to brighten when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" he volunteered, running out of the ballroom.
"I think it best if I assist him," Alfred decided. "No telling how poorly he'll welcome our guests."
"Let's find some good music to dance to," Dick told Barbara.
"It's already been programmed," Alfred called over his shoulder as he exited the room much to Dick's dismay.
"That means it'll be boring," Dick whispered to her.
"You can't blast rock music at an elegant engagement party," she pointed out.
"I guess so," he reluctantly agreed. "The decorations do look great. I just hope Bruce doesn't suspect anything. You know nothing ever goes unnoticed by him."
"I don't think that he does," Barbara thoughtfully replied.
Dick and Barbara turned to find John Stewart entering with Mari on his arm and Wally West following close on their heels. "Wow," Wally gasped softly. "This looks amazing."
"Turned out better than we'd planned," John agreed.
"You know it's all because of Alfred," Mari reminded them. "It wouldn't have been pulled off without him."
"Well, it was the Founders' idea to throw a surprise party for them," Wally told her. "Alfred agreed to help us."
Shayera entered at that moment looking dressed to kill in a fitted black dress. "This turned out better than I'd imagined," she said as she took in all the decorations and food.
"Whoa…Shay, you look amazing," Wally complimented her, appearing by her side as his arm slipped around her shoulders. "Want to cut a rug with me tonight?"
John Stewart glared at Wally for hitting on Shayera, but he knew he had no right to be jealous. He'd made his choice and it wasn't her. He needed to stick by his decision. Still, he couldn't help wondering if he had made that decision with his head or his heart.
J'onn entered next with Zatanna who squealed in delight with how beautifully the ballroom had been decorated. "I so predicted this," she announced. "I saw this coming when Diana had been turned into Wonder pig. I just knew they were going to eventually head down the aisle."
"You did?" Shayera questioned her.
"Heck yeah!" she confirmed. "Bruce was a hot mess when Circe turned Diana into a little pig. There was nothing he wouldn't have done to get her back."
"When did you first realize something going on between them?" Flash asked Shayera.
"Not long after I returned to the League," she replied, a little smirk forming on her lips. "They thought they were being so secretive about their relationship, but I could see something was brewing between them."
"How so?" John questioned her.
"I'm a former detective, remember?" she reminded him. "I notice things the rest of you miss."
"The Queen has arrived with his woman," Oliver exclaimed as he entered with Dinah. "Let's get this party started right!"
"Bruce and Diana aren't here yet," Dick told him.
"We were just talking about when we figured out Bruce and Diana were an item," Wally said. "It was never really announced or anything. I think everyone just came to the same conclusion at about the same time."
"They didn't actually come out and tell us, did they?" Dinah noted.
"Everyone had their suspicions, but no one figured it out till a couple of months after they got together," John decided.
"I knew from the beginning," Wally claimed only to be smacked on the shoulder by Shayera.
"You did not," she insisted. "You told me you didn't know until John told you."
"Man, that has been the hardest secret to keep," Wally revealed with overt exasperation. "I wanted to spread it all over the Watchtower, but I couldn't without revealing Batman's identity. I'm never kept a secret like that before."
"He would've broken his golden rule and literally killed you," Oliver confirmed.
Wally shuddered with a grimace. "You know it."
"Actually, Clark found out about it and didn't even realize it until later," John informed them with a chuckle.
"What happened?" Dinah asked.
"Clark was coming out of his quarters on the Watchtower at the same time Batman was coming out of Diana's quarters early one morning," John told them. "He asked Bruce what he was doing, and Bruce gave him some lame answer about checking on Diana after a mission or something like that. It wasn't until we were talking about them over lunch a couple of months later that he put two and two together. The look on his face was priceless when the light finally turned on."
"Did he ask them after that?" Mari questioned him.
"Clark finally cornered Diana and she admitted they were in a relationship," John confirmed. "Bruce, of course, denied it to my face for months after that."
"So, who figured out they were engaged?" Zatanna asked.
"That would be me," Shayera volunteered, raising her hand. "Diana stopped by the Metro Tower soon after they got engaged and forgot to take off her engagement ring."
Dinah laughed. "I think that she was secretly dying to tell someone about it. That's why she 'forgot' to take it off."
"She's been over the moon since Bruce proposed," Donna confirmed as she walked into the ballroom looking fabulous in a one-shoulder red dress.
"Bruce has been too…or as over the moon as he can get," Dick added as several more guests from Wayne Enterprises arrived for the engagement party at that moment including Lucius Fox and his wife.
"Yeah, he's not as cranky as he used to be," Tim agreed.
"That is not the case now," Clark quietly announced to the group of superheroes as he approached with Lois, a grim expression on the Kryptonian's face as his hands slipped into his pants pockets.
The heroes turned to look at Lois and Clark to see the unhappy couple, everyone feeling a sudden panic washing over them. "Oh no," Dick murmured, trying not to let on to the other guests that something was wrong. "What happened?"
"They're not speaking to each other at the moment," Lois revealed, "or when they do, it's pretty heated."
"No," Tim groaned. "The wedding is going to get canceled."
"No, it's not," Donna stated. "Let me go see what I can do. Just keep the party going."
"I'll help you," Shayera said, following her out of the ballroom in search of the couple.
Exiting the ballroom, they almost ran into Alfred who gave them a grim look of disapproval. "Where are they?" Donna demanded to know.
"They're in the kitchen," Alfred informed them. "I'm afraid it's not good."
"Get the party going," Shayera told him. "We'll be right back with Bruce and Diana."
"I wish you the best of luck," Alfred said with a disheartened sigh. "You'll need it."
The duo took off towards the kitchen, entering to find Bruce leaning his back against the kitchen counter with a bottle of water and a dark scowl on his face. Diana was standing on the other side of the kitchen with her arms crossed and an equally furious expression on her face. The tension was so thick it was almost suffocating.
"I sent you a reminder, Bruce," she icily stated. "How could you forget?"
"I didn't forget, Diana," he spat out. "I have a lot going on right now. The world doesn't revolve around you."
"I never said it should," she angrily ground out. "All I asked for was a little consideration."
"This is worse than I thought," Donna whispered to Shayera.
"You take Diana and I'll take Bruce," Shayera whispered back.
"I don't always have the time to give," he shot back with a piercing glare. "I don't know what you can't get it through your head. You were blessed by Athena, weren't you?"
"Are you calling me stupid?" she hissed, furious with his insinuation. Her blue eyes flashed with an ire that bordered on dangerous.
"No, but you don't seem to grasp the fact that I only have so much time in my day," he heatedly stated. "I can't always jump every time you call."
"If you don't have the time for me, then maybe we shouldn't be getting married," she softly said with an air of sorrow as she fought back visible tears that shimmered in her eyes.
"Diana…you can't mean…" he sputtered in shock, stopping short when he saw Donna and Shayera standing in the doorway of the kitchen.
"Can I talk to you, Bruce?" Shayera asked, walking towards him.
The Thanagarian didn't bother to wait for a response from him, grabbing him by the arm and practically dragging him out of the kitchen before more hurtful words could be spoken. He really needed to know when to speak and when to just keep his mouth shut.
Donna approached Diana, immediately wrapping her arms around her sister. "I'm sorry, Diana," she whispered.
Diana returned her embrace, struggling to keep her tears at bay. "I don't…I don't even know how it got to this point," she choked out.
"What happened?" Donna asked, pulling back to gaze at her sister.
"I sent Bruce a reminder about our dinner plans tonight with Clark and Lois and he completely blew me off," she revealed. "He didn't respond to any of my text messages or phone calls all day."
"It looks like he showed up for dinner, though," Donna pointed out, gently hooking a curl behind Diana's ear.
"He was over half an hour late," Diana angrily bit out. "He didn't even apologize or anything. He hardly looked at me or talked to me during dinner."
"He probably had a really bad day," she attempted to reassure her.
Diana wiped away a stray tear as she averted our eyes. "He didn't even remember that it's the anniversary of when we started dating."
"Oh, Diana," she murmured, cupping her cheek. "I'm so sorry. I know it hurts, but please don't give up on him just yet. It's not worth throwing away everything that you have together over this."
"I don't know, Donna," she replied with a shake of her head. "Maybe he's too busy to be a husband. Maybe this is some sort of sign that we're not meant to be. Everyone thinks that we're not right for one another. Maybe they're right."
"They are not right," Donna adamantly insisted. "You've never been happier since being with Bruce…and I know that Bruce has never been happier since letting you into his life. I've never seen two people more in love and more right for one another than you two."
"You think?" she whispered, almost afraid of the answer.
"I know so," she promised her. "He loves you, Diana. Don't give up on him yet."
XXX
Bruce scowled as he jerked his arm free from the Thanagarian's grip as they entered the library. "I'm not in the mood for this, Shayera," he snapped. "Besides, you'll only take her side over mine."
"I'm not here to take sides," she evenly stated. "I'm here to keep you from making the biggest mistake of your life."
Bruce whirled on his heel, pointing an angry finger at her. "She is the one who wants to call off the engagement, not me," he growled. "Diana said it. She was the one who brought it up. I never…I didn't…I don't want…"
All the fury seemed to sputter out at that moment as Bruce suddenly sank onto the couch with a wave of pure panic, leaning forward to holding his head in his hands. Shayera made her way towards him, sitting down beside him on the couch.
"It's not over, Bruce," she reminded him, her hand coming to rest on his back. "Diana still loves you."
"You heard her, Shayera," he said without lifting his head. "She said that we shouldn't get married."
"That's not exactly what she said," she pointed out. "She said maybe. She wasn't being serious. She was just giving you an escape if you wanted one."
"I don't want to escape her," he insisted, lifting his head to look at her with very real fear reflecting in his eyes. "I don't want to lose her. I've never loved anyone in my life the way that I love her."
"What happened today?" she ventured.
Bruce released an angry breath as he flopped back against the couch cushions, his gaze focused on the ceiling. "What didn't happen today," he uttered with a grimace. "It was a horrible day filled with one disaster after another at Wayne Enterprises. Diana found the most inopportune times to try to get a hold of me. I'm afraid that she didn't get any attention from me all day.
"Then, I was running late to dinner tonight. I could tell that Diana was angry with me. Instead of talking to her, I ignored her to keep from having a confrontation right there in the restaurant. Of course, Lois and Clark could tell that something was wrong between us which didn't help."
"That's a bad day," she agreed.
"What am I going to do, Shayera?" he asked.
"You need to talk to her."
"Maybe she's right," he muttered. "I don't have the time to give to her. Between work, Gotham, the League, Diana only seems to get what's left of me lately. She deserves so much better than me. She deserves someone who can give her everything that she needs and wants."
"She wants you, Bruce," she reminded him. "Have you never noticed the way that she looks at you or the way that she lights up every time you walk into a room? That's how I knew that you two were together. Diana was practically walking on air and you…you were actually happy."
"I don't know," he murmured, shaking his head.
"I know," she assured him. "No two people love each other more than you two do."
"I love her more than anything in this world," he confessed. "I'd give everything I had for her."
"Come on," Shayera said, standing to her feet. "There is a large room full of people waiting to see you and congratulate you two. We can't leave them waiting."
"I don't know if I can do this," he admitted. "I might have just lost her for good."
"Get to your feet, Bruce Wayne," Shayera stated in no uncertain terms. "You're going to go in there with a smile on your face even if you have to fake it. We've been planning this party for weeks and you're not running away now."
"Yes, ma'am," he grumbled as he reluctantly got to his feet.
They exited the library, reaching the hallway at the same time that Diana and Donna did. Diana dipped her head slightly, uncertain what to say to him. Bruce shoved his hands into his pants pockets, glancing at his shoes as he struggled with what to do next.
Shayera shoved him from behind, causing him to stumble a couple of steps towards his fiancé. He turned and scowled at the Thanagarian, not the least bit happy with her interference. He turned back to Diana to find Donna glaring at him from behind her sister.
Donna gave Diana a little shove towards Bruce, Diana cursing softly in Greek as she shot a deadly glare at her sister. She swallowed hard, fiddling with the diamond bracelet on her wrist that Bruce had given her for her birthday last year. Did he still want to be with her?
Deciding enough was enough, Bruce pulled his hand free from his pocket, snatching hold of hers. "Come on," he said. "We have an engagement party to attend."
Diana smiled softly, reluctant to go to the party being thrown in their honor. She still had no idea where she and Bruce stood. Were they just going in there to keep up pretenses that they were still engaged and going to be married in another six months only for him to break off the engagement as soon as the last guest left?
Drawing a shuddering breath, she allowed Bruce to lead her towards the ballroom, Shayera and Donna high-fiving each other from behind them. "We can hear you, you know," Bruce growled.
Bruce and Diana smiled brightly as they entered the ballroom to a chorus of cheers, both feeling a gnawing despair in the pits of their stomachs. Neither really knew where the other stood, both feeling emotional and vulnerable and ready to run if given the chance.
"Is everything alright?" Dick asked as he quickly approached them, handing them each a glass of champagne.
"I hope so," Bruce softly said, releasing Diana's hand without looking at her as he took the offered glass.
"I guess so," she murmured, taking a drink.
"Are you surprised?" Barbara asked Diana, linking her arm with hers.
"Yes, it's absolutely beautiful in here," she told her. "I don't know how to thank you for all of this."
"We just want you to come and party with us," Barbara replied, taking her by the hand dragging her away.
They spent the entire evening mingling with friends and those they considered family, laughing and sharing stories about the couple. Bruce often found himself looking for Diana, warmth filling his heart every time their eyes met. She would give him a gentle smile and he would give her that tiny smirk he always saved just for her.
Many times, Diana would be talking to a friend or a teammate, her attention captured by the booming sound of Bruce's laughter that caused her insides to tingle and she would remember all over again how much she loved him. She would find herself staring at him from across the crowded ballroom, getting lost in his smile and his eyes.
The women cornered the bride-to-be, dragging her onto the dance floor. They danced until they were all breathless with laughter, Diana practically glowing as she pulled loose strands of hair out of her face. Looking up, she found her Dark Knight walking straight towards her, a predatory gleam in his eyes that caused gooseflesh to ripple over her skin.
"Do I get to dance with the bride-to-be?" he asked with a husky quality as he offered her his hand.
"I thought you'd never ask," she softly said, her hand slipping into his.
The music was light and romantic, the perfect set of songs to sway to in someone's arms. Everyone around them seemed to fade away as they danced through one song after another. Bruce held her close to him as they danced, his eyes falling closed as he savored the feel of her in his arms. He inhaled deeply, savoring her jasmine scent that drove him wild.
Diana laid her head on his shoulder as they swayed to the music, losing herself in the masculinity of the man who had stolen her heart. Even though she was the most powerful woman in the world, she felt so safe in his arms…so loved and treasured like a priceless work of art.
"I'm sorry, Bruce," she whispered in his ear, her lips lightly grazing the lobe and causing him to shiver in response.
"Me too, princess," he softly said, caressing her neck with his lips. "I love you more than you know."
"I love you too," she replied.
"Happy anniversary," he murmured against her ear.
Diana pulled back slightly in stunned disbelief, her nose brushing against his. "You remembered?"
"How could I forget?" he asked her with a lop-sided smile, kissing her softly. "You're my constant reminder of when my life truly began again."
She smiled softly as she caressed the back of his neck, her forehead coming to rest against his as her eyelids fluttered closed. "And you're my reminder that true love actually exists."
Donna, Shayera, and Dick watched as the couple continued to hold one another as they danced, oblivious to the friends around them. It was as if it was only him and her in the world and no one else existed. It was a sweet moment to witness after the near-disaster a few hours ago.
Dick shook his head as he watched them dance. "I still don't know how you two managed this," he told them. "From what Alfred said, it was turning into World War III in the kitchen."
"They're in love, Dick," Donna replied with a shrug. "In their eyes, there is no one else for them. They had momentarily forgotten that."
"All it took was a little reminder," Shayera added.
A/N: So, this is probably one of my favorites in this series. Also, we're nearing the end of the JLU episodes, but I'm going to continue this fic! I'm going to keep adding my own in-between scenes like this one and include animated movies like Under the Red Hood, etc with the Wonderbat twist. :)
DON'T FORGET THE WONDERBAT EVENT COMING THIS WEEKEND. JOIN US ON 5/14 AND 5/15 TO CELEBRATE THE ZSJL MOVIE WITH SOME WONDERBAT LOVE ADDED IN.