Diana smirked as she watched Batman leave through the elevator. She turned back to the monitor station and the doors to the elevator hissed opened again about a few minutes later. Diana didn't bother to turn her head as she heard the footsteps coming towards her.
"Do you mind if we join you?" She turned to see Shayera holding Emma, who had grabbed a fistful of her mother's hair and gave a hearty tugged. "I could really use some company that doesn't try to rip my hair out."
Diana chuckled as the one-year-old giggled. "Of course you can Shayera. I don't mind at all."
"So was Batman just here?" Shayera asked as she dropped into a chair next to Diana.
"Perhaps," Diana responded and pretended to work.
"You're blushing Princess," Shayera pointed out as she attempted to detangle her hair from her daughter's grip.
"I'm doing no such thing," she protested but felt the heat in her cheeks and cursed Batman silently.
"Yes you are, spill," the Thanagarian demanded.
"Di spill," Emma repeated causing Shayera to snicker.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," she lied and continued to type.
"Liar but I can wait. Eventually you'll break," she looked at Diana smugly.
"I'm not having this conversation. I've got work to do."
"Whatever," she said and chuckled. "You'll break Diana."
"Di break," Emma repeated again.
"Yes good girl Emma, we're trying to break Aunt Diana."
"Who's breaking what?" Flash asked as he zipped over.
"Nothing Wally," Shayera said to him. "Just girl talk, wouldn't interest you."
"You girls and your gossip. I don't get why you guys like doing it," Wally tilted his head before shrugging, "Anyway can I borrow her for a bit?" He asked as he pointed to the half-Thanagarian sitting on Shayera's lap.
Shayera raised an eyebrow, "What for Wally? You never volunteer to babysit. What crazy idea do you have and how does it involve Emma?"
"Well...um...nothing really. Just wanna spend some time with my niece is all and give you a break," he flashed her a grin. He picked up the little girl off of her lap. "Please?"
Shayera frowned as she thought for a moment. "Alright fine Wally, she can go with you," she said and cracked her knuckles as she issued a warning. "But if anything happens, even if Emma's missing a hair when you give her back to me, I will kill you."
Flash looked like he was fighting the urge to gulp under Shayera's glare but instead just nodded, "Got it."
Diana thought that was quite wise. She wouldn't take Shayera's threat of resorting to violence lightly either, especially since it involved the Thanagarian's daughter.
"I promise. Hey, I'll even run slow when I go around using Emma to impress the ladies," he said earnestly.
Shayera's glare only intensified, "You're going to do what? Wally!"
"See ya!" He sped off.
"I would pummel him but it does give me a break," Shayera sighed and then looked back at the Amazonian next to her. "So about you and Batman."
Diana rolled her eyes, "You just won't let up."
"Not a chance," Shayera shook her head. "All I have to pass time up here is monitor duty, gossiping, John, and Emma. I need some new gossip so start talking."
"If Batman became the target of gossip about his love life he might just kill you Shayera."
"Maim perhaps but not kill Princess. It's against that ethic code of his. Plus I'd like to see him try," Shayera shifted in her seat as she reached out her arms over her head as she stretched her back, resulting in a cracking noise. The sound was punctuated by a surprised and annoyed yelp that the redhead involuntarily let out.
"What's wrong?" Diana asked.
"It's nothing," she waved her off.
"Your back is bothering you again," the Amazon answered the question for her. "Isn't it Shayera?"
Shayera shrugged, "Yeah a little, pregnancy sucks. I hate it and everything related to it."
"But I thought you said you loved being a mother?" Diana asked in a confused tone.
"Oh I love being a mother. What I don't love is pregnancy. I rather be thrown through a brick wall and have both of my wings dislocated than deal with it."
"And here I thought it was supposed to be a rewarding experience."
"It is Diana."
Diana gave her a confused look, "From how you're reacting it doesn't seem to be. All you've ever done is complain about it."
"Ok, look Diana it's exhausting but it's also amazing at the same time. Plus, until you have kids, you just can't imagine how much you could possibly love another being. It's not the same as how much I love John. It's on a whole different level," Shayera explained. "Besides Emma's also super cute," she added with a grin.
Diana chuckled, "So the adorable factor is what plays into it?"
Shayera shrugged as she lightly chuckled, "Partly but I'll give you another piece of life advice never get married," Shayera stated, making Diana's eyes widen involuntarily from the sudden statement, "And don't ever have children."
"Why?" Diana curiously asked. "You just got done telling me how wonderful it is to have a child and you're head over heels for John."
"Don't get me wrong. Emma is the light of my life and I love John with my whole heart. I wouldn't trade them for anything but apparently, when babies are born, husbands go deaf at night," she said with a small frown. "Even Batman would, trust me. Plus I don't think you would be able to go through pregnancy without going crazy from boredom Diana. That and I don't think married life would agree with Batman."
"I don't have to worry about that. There's no dating for the Batman. If we can't even date than there's no possibility of marriage or even a baby for that matter. He made that clear," Diana frowned as she glared at the monitor station in front of her. "Very clear."
"Really?" Shayera smirked. "Don't we sound a little...bitter?"
She sighed in defeated, "You know how he is. He's an emotional void most of the time."
The emerald eyes grew wide with anticipation as she leaned forward. "Details!"
Diana sighed again. "I always thought, maybe it was just me, but I felt that there was something."
"A connection?"
"Yes but you know him. He'd never say or admit to anything."
"Then what about yesterday?" Shayera asked, grinning at Diana who then blushed. "Did anything interesting happen, say on your date with our resident Bat in Gotham?"
"What makes you think I was with Batman?" Diana asked with a grin.
"The doe-eyed look on your face when I first walked in here and that he had just left was a big tip-off, that and you forget who I hang out with," Shayera said, grinning even broader now. "Wally said he saw you leave the Watchtower way too happy and wearing a dress last night. That and you were teleported down to Gotham."
"That doesn't prove anything," Diana said quietly, still smiling herself. "I was just...following a lead."
"Right. Wally had the midnight shift. He left at precisely midnight and the record logs don't show you appearing back at the Watchtower until ten this morning. You were out the whole night, weren't you?" She half-accused, her emerald eyes bright.
Diana's blush only became more pronounced which only encouraged Shayera's suspicions.
"Tell me everything!" Shayera demanded. "You don't know how much I need this Diana. If I don't get something new to gossip about soon, I'll go crazy."
"You're so incorrigible Shayera," Diana said before smirking. "Well if you really insist. I helped him on patrol. We took down some criminals together."
"I doubt you fought crime in a dress. What did you two do before that?"
"We...may have went out to dinner beforehand."
"I thought you said Batman didn't want to date," she raised an eyebrow at the Amazonian. "You're horrible at lying Diana."
"I didn't lie. I went out on a dinner date with Bruce Wayne not Batman. I can date Bruce Wayne all I want but not Batman. Bruce is rather...romantic and charismatic. He was very caring and tender as well."
"You two kissed at the restaurant, didn't you?" Diana slightly blushed as she looked away and Shayera smirked. "Ok, now we are getting to the good stuff."
Diana chuckled, "Yes he did kiss me."
"And?"
"And it was," she paused momentarily. "Nice."
"Nice? Just nice?" Shayera raised an eyebrow. "Look, me getting a back massage from John is nice. Getting kissed by your brooding, dream guy had to be more than just nice."
"I don't know how else to describe it. It was very nice though," she looked back at Shayera. "It was brief but pleasant," she shrugged as she then slyly smiled at the Thanagarian. "And, if the opportunity arose, I wouldn't mind kissing him again."
Shayera laughed, "You're priceless Princess."
Batman frowned as he skulked down the halls of the Watchtower and made his way to the gym. Upon arriving he found Green Arrow, Green Lantern, B'wana Beast, and Vigilante. The four had obviously finished whatever workouts they were doing and were idly chatting with each other.
"Oh look guys it's tall, dark, and brooding," Green Arrow quipped.
"Come to join us regular folks?" Vigilante asked.
Batman glared at him before turning to John, "I need to talk to you...alone."
B'wana Beast laughed. "Someone's in trouble."
John rolled his eyes, "Knock it off. What do you need Batman?"
"Follow me," he turned around and began to walk down the hallway again.
John raised an eyebrow as he followed him. After ten minutes of silence he finally spoke, "You mind telling me where we're going?"
Batman ignored him as they stopped in front of the founder's conference room. He typed on the keypad and entered the room with Green Lantern following him.
"I need to ask you something," Batman turned to him as the door closed. "Something personal."
"About?"
He narrowed his eyes as he looked down, "You and Shayera."
"What about us?"
"How are you able to do it? How are you able to work in the Justice League with her and not worry every second about her? How doesn't it cloud your judgement?"
John's eyes widened a bit, "This isn't exactly what I expected to hear you ask Batman."
"I'm not asking as Batman," he removed his cowl. "I'm asking as Bruce Wayne. Your wife is already interrogating Diana."
"Why would she be interrogating Diana?" John paused. "Wait a second. You and Diana?"
"We went on a dinner date last night. I already told her before that Batman is off limits but..."
"But Bruce Wayne isn't," John finished for him. "You want to know how to make this work with her."
"As Bruce Wayne I do."
"Look there isn't a second that doesn't go by that I don't worry about Shayera and it's the same with her worrying about me. At the same time we know how well the other can fight and that we wouldn't willingly let ourselves die without a hell of a fight. It comes all down to trust Bruce. You need to trust her."
"I don't do the whole trust thing too easily."
"Yeah we all know that. You're going to have an Amazonian princess as a girlfriend. She could snap you in two if she wanted to. I don't think you need to worry about her. It's more about how much she's going to have to worry about you."
Bruce looked at him, "That's my issue. Next to Clark she's probably the second strongest being on this planet. Then you have me. A rich kid with lots of issues dressing up as a flying mammal who uses gadgets to fight. You can see where I'm going with this."
John nodded, "Without this ring I'm just a normal guy too and Shayera knows that. That's what worries her the most, that I'm just a regular human going against all of the dangers we face."
"There's no way around it I take it?"
John shook his head, "No, you can't stop them or yourself from worrying about each other. Even Lois worries about Clark and he's invulnerable."
Bruce nodded, "I have one last question as Bruce Wayne. Jewelry or flowers?"
John chuckled, "Shayera hates flowers and those two are similar with their warrior mindsets. I'd say go with jewelry. Women love jewelry, even Shayera."
A/N: Think it's pretty clear that outside of HGGL that the next ship that I adore, due to their chemistry, is BMWW. I do have a plotline for them that would work for the Batman Beyond timeline and why we don't see them together at all. And no it does not involve death or divorce. If I actually had time and enough ideas to write that Apocalypse of '09 story then parts of that storyline would be started in that but that most likely won't happen. I most likely will just litter the BMWW plotlines in here in future chapters perhaps if I can get them to fit in.
Also in regards to last chapter.
frozen-in-change: There's no introducing a third kid...at all. Not happening. Plus I don't think Shayera would like the idea of having two girls. Higher potential for having one of them turning out to be a girly-girl which I don't think Shayera would be able to handle lol.