CH7: Comfort and Joy

Bruce was outside walking down a small dirt road that originated from the mansion grounds and led to a hill a good distance away. The further he walked, the smaller his manor looked putting everything he still had into perspective. Truth be told, he would give up everything just to see his parents again.

"It's incredible how small we really are isn't it dad?"

Bruce had since arrived at the mausoleum on top of the big hill with a big engraving on it.

'Here lie Thomas and Martha Wayne'

"Hey mom, glad I could make it this Christmas. Thankfully the case I was working on was wrapped up this morning. I had… help."

Bruce stood in the cold with a thick trench coat and remembered the teamwork Diana and him displayed at the waterfront.

"When I was a kid, before the incident, all I had to worry about was my next tutoring session or tennis lesson. I would always ask questions on how the world worked, how cars ran, why planes flew, and you guys would always take time out of your day to explain it to me."

As the normally emotionless man continued the touching one-sided conversation, his voice began to falter, tears began forming in his eyes, and he clenched his fists like a vice.

"But one question I wish I had asked before you were taken from me, something I couldn't have cared less about as a kid, but matters to me now, is how you two met." He said weakly. "I remember you treated mother with the upmost respect and love, and always put us first, dad. No matter how busy you were with Wayne Enterprises, you always found time for your family. I remember mother would always coddle you even when you were in a bad mood, and you would get annoyed so she would hold you tighter. What made it work between you two?"

He approached the mausoleum and put his hand on the outer wall. The cold stone sapped away his body heat but he did not pull back.

"Granted, neither of you dressed in a costume to fight crime so I suppose it was a little easier for both of you to find common ground and commit. But even billionaires have some inherent danger attached to them just for being wealthy. They can be targeted for a hit, or kidnapped for a ransom, but you two pledged your lives to each other anyways, regardless of the risks…"

A painful flashback of the thug in the alley pulling the trigger on his father and mother came back to him. It was brief, but it was all it took for him to regain his composure. Bruce nullified his tears before they started streaming down his cheeks with his coat jacket and distanced himself from his parent's resting place by a couple feet.

"And look what happened."

The cold wind began blowing his coat dramatically as the tiniest snowflakes began to descend. One landed on his scowl which he wiped away immediately.

"The first Christmas without you was hard. I though I was prepared for it but I ended up becoming a complete mess that day. Thankfully Alfred was there so I wasn't completely alone. But I think that was all it took for the reality to settle in that you both were indeed gone for good. Since then, I have held high distaste for the holidays, a yearly reminder of what was taken from me…"

The billionaire dug into his trench coat and pulled out two simple roses which he placed in the concrete square at the base of the mausoleum designed to hold gifts.

"I miss you both very much."

With his personal venting out of the way, Bruce shifted the subject to a more pressing and somewhat humorous matter.

"Times like this where I could use some fatherly advice." He rubbed his neck nervously. "There's this… woman, a persistent woman, one who obviously cares for me. But the line of work we are in could make it detrimental should we start seeing each other. She doesn't see it, but I do. So I push her away and show no interest even though… I might. I mean she wouldn't be the first, but there is something about her that almost makes me regret the distance I put between us. We have fought together on multiple occasions, shared some intimate moments due to exigent circumstances, and we both have a passion for fighting for what's right. She's a remarkable woman, a warrior," Bruce remembered the humble little present Diana dropped off before they went on their mission, "and a kind friend. But it's too risky. I can't in good conscience put myself in a situation that is bound to be disastrous in the long run..."

Bruce was caught completely off guard when he heard the sound of boots squeaking in the snow. Through the light snowfall he saw a feminine silhouette approach and it took every ounce of his strength not to lash out at her. Didn't she get the message earlier? And yet she had the nerve to keep persisting all the way to his parent's grave site. The sheer disrespect was unfathomable to Bruce. He was in a mixed state of vulnerability with his parents and pure rage with his privacy being infringed upon.

"Alfred has quite the pair on him to tell you where I am. But the utter audacity you have to come on this sacred hill, UNINVITED!... is a complete violation of my…"

Bruce's yelling stopped in its tracks when he saw Diana. She was still in her heroine costume due to the fact that she left her winter outfit on the watchtower. Snow trickled onto her cheeks, cleavage, and exposed shoulders, melting on impact. She also was in a mixed emotional state consisting of confidence blended with pure fear. She knew she was risking everything by coming uninvited, and yet here she was. She carried a fresh bouquet of roses which radiated in the snowfall due to the bright red color.

The closer she got, the more Bruce felt… funny. It was a humbling feeling, completely opposite of what he felt when he first saw her approach. The sensation was complimented with warmth every time he focused on her gorgeous face. After all the lectures, the yelling, the intentional hurtful things he has told her, she was still bearing a simple, heartfelt smile.

Diana placed the bouquet next to his own pair of roses and then stood right by Bruce. She didn't take advantage of the situation to coddle his arm or put her head on his broad shoulder. Instead she observed the Wayne's resting place with him respectfully in silence. After a while she finally spoke.

"If you ever need to talk, when you're ready, I'll be here." Diana kissed Bruce on the cheek goodbye and began to make her way down the hill. The gesture wasn't embarrassing like the one she gave him in Gorilla City nor was it flirtatious in intent. The sweet purpose of bringing the bouquet for his parents, the respectful silence she granted him during this time of mourning, and the departing act was having an unexpected impact. It was as if literal layers of ice were melting around Bruce's cold heart.

He looked at Diana as she started to disappear in the snowfall, her footsteps in the white substance fading as the snow settled. She was a sweet person with good intentions, and he was letting her walk away. With guilt in his heart he faced his parent's mausoleum one last time.

"Would you have let mom walk away if it meant keeping her safe that night?"

Bruce let out a deep sigh into the cold, the warmth of his breath puffed up like a cloud as he finally swallowed both his pride, and concern.

"No, you would have loved her anyway and accepted the consequences… right dad?"

Bruce began to walk quickly down the hill in hopes of catching up to Diana. He had no idea what he was going to say but he sure was not going to let whatever they had end like this. His parents would have wanted better for him. And although he had no intention of giving up the cowl, he was willing to at least compromise a little.

Would a relationship be risky? Obviously. Assuming that the pair would end up together that is a danger any hero cannot avoid. But it didn't mean they couldn't prepare for it. As the logical man Bruce was, he knew a relationship wasn't the best way to go right off the bat. But repaying a kind gesture with kindness instead of a cold demeanor would be a good place to start.

Bruce could see the princess's figure appear through the flakes as he caught up.

Thirty meters. Then twenty.

To his dismay the Amazon began to fly off into the winter storm and he knew once she was out of range there would be no seeing her until the next Justice League mission. He wasn't about to let that happen.

'Dammit.' He thought as his fast paced walk turned into a sprint. "Diana!"

She stopped midair and had a confused look on her face when she saw the billionaire out of breath on the ground. She descended quickly wondering what was wrong.

"You alright?" She asked.

Between his heart racing and the cold wind chilling his throat, Bruce struggled to create a concise sentence.

"I umm, that is…" He began to manifest a nervous sweat. The playboy philanthropist of Wayne Manor was having trouble talking to a girl. "I wanted to say, I'm sorry."

Now having more of an understanding of what Bruce has been through, Diana managed a smile of empathy.

"And… my place isn't too far from here..." He continued.

Diana lifted a curious eyebrow as she turned to see that the mansion was literally within walking distance. Awkward statement right?

"What I meant to say," Bruce finally managed to spit it out, "Is if you would like to stay for Christmas dinner?"

Diana's smile of sympathy evolved into one of joy as she beamed with happiness. She grabbed Bruce's hand in both of hers.

"I'd love to."