CH12: The Gift

Bruce tried to focus on his research but couldn't shake Clark's gaze which was tunneling a hole in the back of his head.

"What?"

"You going to tell me about it?"

"There's nothing to tell." He tried to continue working but kept making silly spelling errors due to his overwhelming irritation.

"Well, I can always ask Alfred."

The color drained from Bruce's face. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that Alfred saw Diana and him together as well as the current state of his living room. It looked as if a hurricane went through it matching the same level of destruction as the earthquake that shattered his marble bathroom. He knew how blunt the butler could be and he would be damned if any other version of how it happened slipped out to the team besides his.

"I knew I shouldn't have left that gift lying around…" He mumbled as he tensed up.

Clark just waited patiently, as if he had all the time in the world.

"There was some gang activity happening in Gotham. Diana merely accompanied me to help stop it."

"And afterward, the magic happened."

"It wasn't quite that simple." At this point the monitor just displayed random letters forming interesting gibberish. Irked the billionaire began hitting the backspace button monotonously.

The boy in blue still had his arms crossed with a smile on his face. He had never seen Bruce in such an awkward state over a woman.

"I actually was really harsh on her and hoped it would drive her away. But it didn't."

"She's a strong woman. And a stubborn one at that."

"You have absolutely no idea." Bruce remembered how she risked everything to bring the bouquet of roses to his parent's mausoleum. That simple act of kindness was what started to chip away at his ice encased heart. "I had a moment of… vulnerability. I pushed aside logic and gave into my affections. Something ignited inside me and I just haven't felt the same since."

"That's great!"

"No it's not! I can't focus on basic work, my mind is elsewhere during battle, and I can't get her out of my head."

"You're in love."

"Ridiculous. I haven't been in love since…." He ran down the list of women he actually had feelings for in the past. He remembered Andrea Beaumont who ended up being the masked Phantasm, Talia al Ghul who was quite pleasant to be around when her father wasn't trying to murder him or make him his successor, Lois Lane who was now seeing The Man of Steel, and Selina Kyle the burglar.

"Honestly you've dated so many women it's hard to keep track Bruce."

"Loved and dated are two different things. Not that you would know, considering you only discovered women when you moved to Metropolis."

"Hey I wasn't that clueless… I had Lana."

"Whatever. Point is having Diana in my life has proven to be dangerous thus far."

"More dangerous than fighting supervillains in spandex at night?"

"That's not what I… first of all, this is Kevlar body armor… Secondly,…"

Now Clark was getting annoyed. "Yea, you know Bruce, I think I've heard enough. You're not going to find anything positive unless you stop looking for reasons for why it couldn't work." He walked towards Bruce gift in hand. "So why not focus on how it could?"

"Keep that away from me."

The Man of Steel was puzzled as to why Bruce was treating the humble yellow box like it was his version of kryptonite. The closer he got the more uneasy he became. "Why are you so afraid of a gift Bruce?"

The billionaire remembered the sincere smile that came with that present, and subsequently the goddess it was attached to. Her raven hair contrasted her white skin tone which radiated beauty beyond comprehension. He couldn't stop thinking about her. "I'm not afraid of the gift Clark… I'm afraid of getting attached to the one who got it for me. This line of work doesn't allow for personal relationships."

"Speak for yourself." He quirked remembering Lois again. "You're always quick to use circumstances as an excuse as to why you can't be happy, almost like you don't want to be. To put it bluntly Bruce, this job has nothing to do with YOUR decision to avoid relationships. You choose to go that route, so what's really stopping you?"

Bruce remembered the Justice League's fight with the Justice Lords. Lady Wonder Woman had bested Diana in combat for the moment. In his effort to save her he was grabbed by the neck and flung to the ground like an insect. He would have been crushed had it not been for Diana making a comeback. If he couldn't keep up with her caliber of villains, what good would he be to save her should the need ever arise again? She was the second strongest member on the team, so if anyone was able to subdue her what could he do? Throw a batarang at them?

The real question was, how would HE fair against her rogues gallery should they ever decide to squash him to get to her? Compared to anyone else on the team he was easy pickings in terms of raw power. Giganta could flatten him without trying and Cheetah could tear him to ribbons. Ares the god of war himself is one of her main adversaries and he couldn't imagine taking him on.

"Clark, I don't have any powers…" His voice that was usually so authoritative was humble and uncertain. "So I have to be careful with who I let in, and who I keep out. If my enemies ever found out I had someone special, they wouldn't rest until they got to me or my family through her. Not to mention the atrocities they would most likely do to her in the process…"

His best friend understood where he was coming from. Both Tim Drake and Barbara Gordon were perfect examples of how bonds can be exploited to inflict agony.

"If I allow myself to be happy with someone, there is a good chance one of us will undergo unimaginable pain, or worse."

Clark sighed deeply. He knew firsthand what it was like to be stripped of his powers and feeling helplessly human. His Kryptonian abilities were a driving factor in many of his successful battles when it came to saving the world or rescuing someone he cared about. But when it came to his best friend he knew that it was up to Bruce to instigate his own happiness.

"Look Bruce, I'm not your relationship therapist. What happened between you and Diana, it's none of my business. But maybe, it's quite possible you found happiness for a brief moment and are afraid to commit, frankly, because you aren't used to it. It's not just about the danger. But Diana has shown clear signs of interest for a while now which you have blatantly ignored… until recently. It's not good for either of you having a fling here and there. You're not just hurting yourself, you're hurting her as well."

Bruce remembered one of the special moments of serenity between Diana and him. They were on the couch in front of the fireplace just holding each other, talking about anything she could get him to be open about. And quite honestly, it felt liberating being able to talk about his feelings, not just towards her, but his parents as well.

"There is no right approach to your situation." Clark continued. "You may not like what I have to say, but you need to hear it. If you're not going to commit, don't lead her on. It could be more destructive than if you two actually got together. So, at least for her sake, open the gift. Then give her closure."

He placed the gift carefully off to the side of the workstation.

"I'll open it when I'm ready." Bruce got back on task.

"I don't think you'll ever be ready. Sometimes, you just have to force yourself. And who knows… you might be surprised by what they have to offer."

The Man of Steel exited the monitor room leaving the bat with the gift. He continued to work trying to keep his mind occupied but it kept distracting him. The bright color always managed to catch his eye and the size of it ignited his curiosity as to what was in it.

'Fine.' He meandered to where the gift was placed and picked it up. It was surprisingly light. He shook it gently trying to get a feel for what was inside but it didn't make much noise hitting the sides of the box.

'Idiot… Just open the present.' He removed the aesthetically pleasing bow and peeled off the wrapping paper gently revealing a plain carboard box. He ripped the sealing tape off and popped open the flaps.

He stared through the cavity and looked at what was inside. His heart stopped as he pulled out a plain teddy bear with a top hat. Most adults would regard the present as childish, but to Bruce it meant so much more.

He remembered when his family would attend the Gotham Fair and he would ask to play the fun carnival games at the stands which of course were rigged. One game in particular he would spend hours at trying to knock the stacked bottles over with a ball, but there would always be at least one left standing. No matter how much money his father Thomas threw at the host he couldn't win the top tier prize which was the bear. They would leave with other minor trinkets such as key chains, Hot Wheels, and those fun inflatable hammers you could bop people on the head with, but not the prize Bruce wanted most.

"We'll try again next year Bruce."

Little did the Waynes know what tragedy would befall on them in the coming months. There would be no 'next time'. The murder of Bruce's parents came to pass and he could have cared less about that trivial bear, until now.

Sure, neither he nor his parents managed to win it, but holding the memoir in his hands reminded him of all the other fun things they did together at the fair. The rides were thrilling, the food was deliciously overpriced, and above all it was one of the last fond memories he had of them before they were taken from him.

'How in the world did she know…'

He slowly removed his cowl and nullified the tears that were about to trickle down, setting aside his Batman persona to appreciate the gift as the boy who was never given the chance to be an adolescent. He inhaled deeply and shakily opened the card that came with the fuzzball.

Dear Bruce,

In a world where there are gods among us, Where heroes have powers beyond understanding,

Time and again, You stood out from the rest.

Merry Christmas.

Love,

Diana.

The Amazon's neat handwriting highlighted her affections towards the caped crusader and the reason behind it. There was nothing mushy that would make even a love fanatic roll their eyes nor was there an outpour of reasons why they should be together. She merely spoke her mind, delivered one hell of a gift, and left it at that.

'She truly is a remarkable woman.' Bruce's serious composure crumbled as he felt a smile form across his face. He placed the bear on the desk and pulled up the coms on the monitor highlighting the one with Diana's thumbnail on it. After a bit of hesitation he finally made the call.

"Hey, it's me…"