Hunter's Night

By Christy

A/N: First of all, HAPPY 10TH ANNIVERSARY HUNTER'S MOON SERIES! Can y'all believe it's been 10 years since I started this series? My goodness, how crazy is that. I've gone through so many life changes throughout this series - college, grad school, to becoming a freelance writer... It's been wild. And I just honestly can't thank each and every one of you enough for sticking with me through the years. Honestly, you have no idea how much it's meant to me.

I'm dedicating this special chapter to all of you. I hope you enjoy!

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"So let me understand this," I said, restlessly tapping my foot against the seat of our private jet. "Someone is targeting Black Mask... who we know is targeting us. How does Hush fit into all this?"

Bruce, looking even more haggard than I, dragged a hand through his hair and leaned back in his seat, his gaze locked out onto the ocean far below us. He was beginning to sport a good scruff at this point. "I wish I knew. At this point we still don't know who the hell Hush even is, or what he wants. Slade Wilson seemed to confirm it's a he without realizing it, so I guess that should narrow our list even a little."

"A little," I said dryly. "Right." I flipped through the gruesome images Jim had sent him the night before. Biting my lip, I glanced over at the other side of the private jet's cabin, where Dick and Cass sat, glum and quiet in their seats as they watched a show together. A strange illness flooded through me. "I wish we could've stayed longer," I murmured.

Bruce stared down at his tablet. "Yeah. Me, too. They, more than anyone, deserve a break. Deserve to be kids for a change."

"But Gotham calls, doesn't it."

A pause. "Gotham calls," Bruce echoed quietly.

Sensing a familiar despair rise over him, I reached over and slipped my hand into his, squeezing gently. He returned the action, but his furrowed brow remained deeply engraved in his forehead, even as he skimmed through photo after photo, analyzing each one in great detail. "Di, look at this," he said, zooming in on where the victim's face had been removed and reattached with someone else's. "Look at that precision work. This isn't some sloppy serial killer. This has intent. Has purpose. Someone is practicing, and knows how to handle surgical tools. Someone with experience. Someone..." He cut himself off.

"Someone in the medical profession, even?" I finished, even as he dug out his own phone and dialed a number.

Bruce glanced over at me, pressing the speaker button. "Exactly." When Tommy's familiar gruff voice rang out a "Dr. Elliot here," Bruce replied with a rather abrupt: "Tommy, it's Bruce."

A pause, then, "Bruce, my man! I heard you skipped town for a while. Romantic weekend getaway?" Dr. Elliot teased, lowering his voice for a moment.

"Something like that," Bruce said, more heavily than he'd intended. "Listen, Tommy - about that dinner... I'd like to take you up on that offer. You free - say - tomorrow night?"

"Monday... Sounds perfect," Tommy said jovially. "Far as I can remember, no one's got any allergies, correct?" When Bruce replied the negative, Tommy continued, "Good! I'll make it a surprise dish, then. I'm sure you and Diana will love it. Or, at least, if you don't - try to laugh at the bad jokes I crack throughout the night, yeah?"

Bruce snorted. "Can't guarantee anything, but I'm sure we'll try."

Tommy laughed. "That's all a man can ask. Monday it is. Make sure Alfred gets the night off so I can abscond with his kitchen, okay? Even your beloved butler deserves some time away from you, Bruce-man."

"He's better than I deserve, I'll give you that," Bruce joked. "See you then." He hung up, his countenance shifting back to its former shroud of intent, grim focus. Running a finger over his lips in contemplation, he stared hard at the nearly invisible seams attaching the man's skin to the rest of the head, just around the jawline, hairline, and right around the ears.

"You think he'd know of any possible suspects, then?" I asked.

He shrugged. "He's one of the most prominent surgeons in Gotham. It's hard to imagine he doesn't know everyone else in the field. Worth a shot, at least."

I regarded him carefully. "You don't really like him, do you?"

Bruce blinked, surprised. "I... I don't really know him well. Not anymore. He was just a kid when we he was shipped off to some other boarding school, right after his father died. But back then, no. He wasn't a nice kid. Something of a bully, actually," he admitted. "Although, with parents like his, one could hardly blame him."

I frowned. "How do you mean?"

He cracked his neck, leaning forward in his chair. "Again, I was just a kid when his father passed - car accident - but I remember his mother more than anything. Conniving shrew of a woman. I don't remember a time when she wasn't sucking up to my parents every time the Elliots came over to Wayne Manor. Embarrassing, really. I still recall the last time I saw her. One wouldn't call them a happy family, unfortunately. I hope that changed before she died, but one never knows."

"She passed from cancer, he said?"

"Mmm."

I couldn't help but recall my own mother's years-long battle with cancer. Bruce may not have cared that much for him, but I at least understood his pain at the loss of a loved one, or close to it, at least. The recollection of my own mother's loss of immortality only reminded me of what Hades had revealed last night; my hands gripped the armrests of the jet's seat so tightly they began to bend under the strain.

"Diana." Bruce now regarded me with a keen eye. "What's wrong?" He glanced behind me, but the kids were engrossed in their show, each wearing a set of noise-canceling headphones.

Before I could collect myself, tears sprang to my eyes. I forced them down, even as my throat burned. "Bruce, I... I need to tell you something."

He straightened, his shoulders tensing.

"I... I need to find Zeus."

He blinked; that was not what he'd been expecting. "Zeus. The king of the Olympians, yes?"

"Yes. He... He apparently has gone missing."

"And we should care why?" The disdain and hatred for the Olympians could not be hidden in his voice.

I rubbed my eyes and faced him squarely. "Because he is the only one who can take away the mantle of the god of war off my shoulders... Along with the mantle of immortality."

I could see, rather than hear the wheels spinning in his brilliant mind. He didn't seem surprised about my revelation. I supposed with my declaration of being the new god of war implied that immortality came with the deal.

"And if he does take both those away..." Bruce's eyes narrowed. "Does that mean it will take away your supernatural powers as well?"

I started. I hadn't though of that.

"I don't know," I admitted.

He was silent for a moment. "Does that make a difference?" he said finally.

I looked away. "I don't know," I repeated quietly.

The journey back to Gotham proved to be more grim and moody than either of us had anticipated. Bruce and I had both been torn about returning to Gotham barely a day after getting to the island, but what could be done about it? Batman and Wonder Woman had a duty to Gotham. That city, however hellish, however gruesome and dark, was our home - the only home we'd ever really known. It had shaped us into the people we'd become, one way or another - for good or ill. And, most importantly, it had brought us together.

Now, I needed to ensure it would not tear us apart. Wonder Woman was a beacon of hope, the balance of light and dark that Batman could not be. I was not wholly within the darkness, but I understood it. I could go to that place if necessary. And in fact, I'd been spending more time in that darkness, the darkness within myself, than I had ever before.

I was no longer merely Wonder Woman, merely Diana, the exiled Amazon princess. I was the god of war. Immortal. Bringer of chaos and destruction.

Was that who I would become? Did the bloodlust inside control me - or would I control that fury instead? Standing over Bruce's chair back in the batcave, I wasn't so certain anymore. And worst of it all, neither was Bruce.

With the kids upstairs and Bruce and I fully suited up, we studied a holographic projection of the mutilated bodies, using the computer to analyze the bodies in fuller detail. The killer had been careful to not leave any fingerprints; or indeed, any evidence whatsoever, apart from a small prick of the needle where the killer had used to inject a lethal dose of insulin; in another it had been a purposeful overdose of magnesium. Common, hard-to-trace forms of poison. Whoever the killer was, he knew exactly how to get away with it.

For now, at least.

"This man... I know him," said Bruce grimly. "He's an associate of Black Mask. Voice recognition."

I stared down at the body, and then at the mugshot on my semi-translucent screen hovering over my wristband. "It's not the same man. His face... He's... it's not his face. Oh, gods... this face is from someone else."

"This is what Sage was on about," said Batman. "Not some random serial killer."

I shook my head, feeling ill. "Someone removed this poor man's face and put it onto a goon of Black Mask's. That's sick."

"Facial recognition would never pick him up. It's genius. Sick, but genius." He reached down and examined the man's fingertips. "Diana, look. Same thing here. Fingertips have been covered over with someone else's skin in a graft. This would take extraordinarily careful work. Someone who knows the human body inside and out, and isn't afraid to do this kind of thing. Someone neat, clean, and understands how to kill someone without getting caught."

I'd seen and even had a hand in my fair share of bloodshed. But this... I swallowed back bile. "Batman," I said softly, "I think... I think until this person is caught... We should bench the kids."

He hesitated, but nodded slowly. "I agree. But what about us? As in Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince? Deadshot was after us - hired by someone."

"The assassins after the Wayne family?" I rubbed my temples. "We can't just keep the kids confined to the manor. It is the safest place, without a doubt, but we can't keep them on lockdown for the next... however long it takes us to figure this whole thing out."

"But if they go after Dick at school, or if you and Cass are out in downtown Gotham -"

I bristled without realizing it. "I can protect her, Bruce."

"That's not what I'm saying," he said sharply. "They shouldn't be put in the crossfire in the first place."

"So... what, we keep them here? Who knows how long it will take us to bring these bastards down, Bruce. Dick is a capable young man, and you know that Cass can more than handle herself."

"They're still children," he growled.

"Children trained by the best warriors in the world. Children who could easily kill a man with their bare hands. And have done."

"And is that the future you want?" he demanded suddenly, ripping off his cowl to glare at me with those icy-blue eyes. "You want them to join your force as soldiers for the god of war?"

I blinked, stunned. Even he seemed to be startled at the words emerging from his mouth. My cheeks burned, my fingers curled into fists. I couldn't believe he would say that. And yet... I could. Forcing down the urge to shove him, to scream at him, to let myself go, to let the anger blossom and unfurl from within me, I instead bit down hard on my lips, drawing blood.

"Diana -"

"No." I cut him off quietly. "No. You do not - do not get to say those things to me. From the start, you and I have been a team." So many bitter words rose within me, but I pushed them down with great effort. "You and I have known from the start that our lives would be different. You can't put Dick and Cass on the same playing field as other children. From the start, our lives have been ruled by pain, by loss, by suffering... and by war, whether you're willing to admit it or not. I was born a warrior, Bruce. I was born out of Hippolyta's bitterness and rage - and so was Batman. We have been at war from the very beginning, since the night you lost your parents in Crime Alley, since the very night I was moulded from clay. We are soldiers, whether you like it or not. Even Alfred was a soldier, Bruce. You can't help it anymore than I can. Of course our children would end up being moulded by the same dark world we have been."

He looked away, his face half-shrouded in shadow.

I released a long sigh and straightened my shoulders. "Cass never had a chance, Bruce. You know that. The least we can do is give her love she never had - the family she never had. And the same with Dick. He would channel all of his anger in some way, and you know it wouldn't come out to his own benefit. He's still a lost, scared kid, Bruce. Just like you."

Now his eyes darted back to me, filled with sharp fury - and that ever-lingering pain.

Unable to stop myself, tears sprang to my eyes, and I took a step towards him. Then another. "I can't control what I am, Bruce. I can't help being an Amazon. If you want my answer, then yes: would take away all of it in a heartbeat if it meant you would look at me the way you did before. If it meant you wouldn't be tiptoeing around me, afraid I would burst at any given moment. But right now, I can't without Zeus - not until I find him. I will do whatever it takes to remove this title of blood and death from my shoulders. I would give up my powers in an instant it if meant I would no longer be the god of war, Bruce. And that is the truth."

I was almost more surprised at myself that I actually, really meant it. I would give up everything for him, for my family. For them, I would do anything.

Wonder Woman was more than gifts from the gods. I could still be Wonder Woman. I could still protect Gotham without the help of supernatural gifts. I would still be Diana, underneath it all.

His shoulders finally relaxed, and he sank against the back of the computer chair, haggard. The shadows carved out dark hollows under his eyes, his lips. "Diana... You know I would never want that. I know who and what you are. You're a Princess, a god of an immortal society of warriors, and I'm..."

"A rich kid with issues?" I said dryly.

His lips quirked up. "Lots of issues."

A short pause fell over the cave, only broken by the screeching of a bat echoing in the caverns above.

"So what do you want to do, then?" I said finally. "With the kids."

Bruce rubbed his eyes and sank into into the computer chair. "I still don't want them in the field with Hush around. But... we should continue to try and let them live their normal lives. However normal it is. Keep training them. Keep them active. But bench them - for now, at least. Until we find out more about this Hush."

I nodded. "Works for me. They won't be happy about it, but..."

"They'll manage," he said dryly. "At least for a while." He reached out and took my hands in his, running his fingers over my skin almost contemplatively. "You don't think they'll try and sneak out to follow us, do you?"

I snorted. "How well do you know our children?"

He shook his head. "I was afraid of that."

Cassandra Cain

She couldn't believe it. Benching her. Right when she'd just begun her nightly routine.

No matter how angrily she signed to her parents, no matter how many angry huffs emerged from her otherwise silent lips, it didn't matter.

Early in the morning hours, she crept along the halls towards Dick's room, hoping to find him awake so they could sneak off together. But as she sneaked along the corridor, she heard a shuffling noise from the bedroom nearby; she ducked back around the corner just in time to see Myrto emerging from her bedroom, decked out in full workout gear. Apparently Mom and Dad weren't the only ones who kept late hours.

She'd have to leave her brother behind.

Donning a maskeshift mask using one of Mom's old black ski masks, she sneaked outside. Creeping along the rushing river, she ducked through the waterfall and coded in the back entrance to the cave - an entrance only the family knew about. She knew her parents would eventually figure it out, but at least for tonight she would stretch her legs and hopefully stop a few bad guys. Her parents wouldn't punish her too badly, right?

Cass ducked inside the back seat, curled herself up into a little ball, and waited.

Finally her parents came along, each jumping into the Tumbler. Cass held her breath, hoping they wouldn't be able to hear her thundering heartbeat. After a long moment of their quiet discussion, Dad started up the Tumbler and backed out through the waterfall, racing along the secret passageway into the streets of outer Gotham City. She waited until they'd found a place to park the Tumbler before finally unlocking the doors from the inside, locking it behind her, and creeping out into the night.

But after several hours of her own patrolling, after taking out two muggers and ending a small gang feud by simply rendering everyone unconscious within seconds, she couldn't stop feeling guilty about the deception. Her parents were only trying to protect her and Dick - a measure of love her own biological mother never would have even considered. Lonely and tired of hearing her own thoughts rumble around in her head, Cass decided to head back. But when she finally alighted on the rooftop adjacent to where the Tumbler had been previously hiding, her heart sank.

Oh, no. She should've known. The Tumbler was gone.

Dejected, Cass tried to figure out what to do without revealing herself. She couldn't go to Gordon. But Artemis was working tonight - she could get her back home! And hopefully none the wiser...

As she sneaked along the rooftops of Gotham, she found herself in a familiar alley looking across at a familiar window. The light was dark, but maybe...

Cass leapt across the alley and onto the fire escape. Peering through the window, she saw a familiar boy curled up in bed. To her horror, he was sporting yet another bruise on his cheek. Her eyes narrowed, and she unlocked the window with ease, slipping into his bedroom without a sound. Knowing that she shouldn't be spying, she still looked around, picking up various objects around the room - a dented Batarang, various action figures, a few well-worn comic books...

"That one's my favorite issue."

Cass glanced sharply over her shoulder. Tim sat up, black hair askew and green eyes shining. He rolled out of bed, clad in old, ratty PJ's, and padded over to her, pointing to the cover.

"It's called Ninja Kid. This is the one where The Mad Professor tries to lock up Ninja Kid, but Ninja Kid gets out of it, as always. It's a good one. You can borrow it, if you want."

Cass removed her makeshift mask and smiled up at him, signing: "Thank you. I'll give it back when I'm done."

Tim shrugged, smiling. "No problem, Cassie. But, uh, what are you doing out here? Without... you know." He motioned to her mask.

"I have to go find my aunt at the police station and ask her for a ride back home," Cass signed, realizing she had no other option.

"I'll walk with you," Tim offered. "If you want."

Cass waved him off, but then thought better of it, and nodded. She could do with the company; and if anyone tried to attack them, she'd handle it quickly and quietly. She wasn't afraid; she didn't recall being afraid of anyone in a long, long time. The only fear she ever had, lingering, always in the background, was knowing that her mother was still out there. Still waiting for her to return to the League of Assassins. Waiting for that fateful day when Cass would have to fight her own mother - and either kill her, or be killed herself.

She shook herself out of those thoughts as Tim began questioning her about her family. She answered most of them as vaguely as possible, but there wasn't much he didn't know already. He asked her how she liked being homeschooled, how she got along with Robin, and the like. Signing back as quickly as she could, she discovered that they'd arrived at the Gotham precinct even before she realized it. She enjoyed talking with Tim, someone who wasn't her brother or parents or Amazonian aunts. A friend, she hoped.

Tim surprisingly kept up with her quite easily, even climbing up on the rooftops after her. She grinned down at him and alighted on a windowsill of the precinct, peering inside. Ah, perfect. She rapped on the window lightly, hoping to get the person's attention.

Finally, Artemis, her odd blonde head buried in police reports, looked up sharply and did a double take. Her eyes narrowed behind her glasses.

Cass gulped. Maybe this had been a bad idea.

"She looks... uh, scary," Tim muttered.

"You have no idea," Cass signed miserably.

Artemis waited until she was certain no one was watching and stormed over to the window, throwing it open and sticking her head outside. "What do you think you are doing?" she hissed. "And without your -" She glanced over at Tim sharply. "Who are you, boy?"

"He's a friend," Cass signed quickly. "And he knows. It's all right."

Murder flashed in the Amazon warrior's eyes. "It most certainly is not, young lady. You are supposed to be at home. Your parents are going to have my head if they find you not at home."

"Can you... take me back?" Cass signed, pleading. "Please?"

Artemis glanced over her shoulder and shook her head, cursing in Themysciran. "Only if you promise to never do this again, Cassandra."

Cass nodded hastily.

"Wait there." Artemis slammed the window shut and stormed away.

Tim stared at Cass, wide-eyed. "You weren't kidding. She's even scarier than Wonder Woman."

"Like I said," signed Cass, "You have no idea."

When Artemis rolled her car around, Cass jumped off the windowsill, with Tim following right after her.

"You, boy. Where do you live? I'm driving you home, too, I suppose," Artemis snapped.

Tim paled. "Oh, no. It's okay. I can walk."

Artemis just glared at him; Tim gulped and hurried to slide into the back seat. "I'll, uh, tell you where. I don't think it's on the way, though."

"Perhaps you should have thought of that before you decided to follow this troublemaker out onto the Gotham streets in the middle of the night," Artemis said stiffly. "Care to inform me how you know Cassandra?"

"It's, uh, a long story. I mean, I guess not that long," Tim amended hastily, likely realizing the Amazon's patience was wearing scarily thin. "Cassie was out, uh, patrolling I guess, one night a while back. I, uh, I knew who she was. Underneath the mask, I mean."

Artemis cast a quick, almost accusatory glance to Cass, who shrugged helplessly. It wasn't her fault Tim was brilliant.

"It's not her fault," Tim said, quickly reading the Amazon's gaze. "I knew before we met. I just haven't told anyone, obviously. I wouldn't do that."

Artemis muttered something in Themysciran that sounded suspiciously like: "We'll see about that."

Dinah Lance

Avoiding Harvey was next to impossible. She worked with the man, for heaven's sake. They were partnered as close as two partners could be in the professional workplace; but that didn't stop Harvey from attempting to apologize every second they were alone. It didn't make things any easier that the trial was merely days away now; the entire office was in an uproar, with paralegals running about, from assistants to bolting around, sloshing cup after cup of coffee to deliver to exhausted lawyers - her head was spinning, and yet oddly focused all at once.

But it would've been much easier without Harvey, she had to be honest. Harvey just made her jumpy, frazzled, on edge.

If Ollie were here... Well. He'd be cracking dumb jokes. Sending her stupid memes or even incredibly cheesy Hallmark cards with those horrible musical stuffed animals he knew she hated. He'd try every which way to calm her down, to set her at ease. He'd even sometimes, on rare occasion, be wise enough to know just to hold her - or stay out of her way, if needed.

Hell, she missed him so much.

Harvey was pretty much the exact opposite. He was puffed up, over-confidence masking his own insecurities and panic, and yet demanding, in-charge all at once, and making sure everyone knew that he was in charge. Barking orders to junior staff, snapping at poor interns without warning or good cause, and just seeming to be on the verge of exploding at any given second. His formerly gelled hair was wildly askew, and his eyes...

Dinah hid a shiver. His eyes, she had to admit, made her more than a little nervous at times. She just wanted to do her job, do what was best for Gotham, and focus.

"Look, Harvey," she said after he cornered her the fourth time that day, "Apology accepted. Let's just move on and focus on the trial, all right?"

Harvey looked incredibly unhappy but nodded all the same. "Right, fine. The trial. Sure."

Dinah held back a few choice words at his immature tone of voice. She opened her mouth to say something rather sharp, when her phone buzzed. She checked the number and froze. All but leaping from her seat, she muttered, "I have to take this," and bolted to the door.

"What are you - Dinah? What is it? Dinah!" Harvey shouted after her. "I thought you just said we need to focus?" His voice rang out in disgruntled accusation, which she chose to completely ignore.

Dinah flew outside, her ear already glued to her cell. "What is it? Is everything all right? Is she okay?"

"She's fine, Dinah," the woman on the other line answered, attempting to soothe her. "She just wanted to say hi."

Dinah felt all the tension release from her shoulders. She kicked at the ground, hoping to calm her racing heart. "Oh, okay. Put her on, thanks."

After a moment, the little girl she'd grown to love as her own daughter came chirping on the phone: "Hi, Dinah! I miss you!"

Tears sprang to Dinah's eyes; she smiled. "I miss you, too, bean. How are you? I hope you're listening to Auntie Tam?"

"Yeah! But guess what, I just got this new Pokemon game! When are you coming home to play with me?"

Dinah swiped at her eyes. "Soon, baby, soon. I'll come to visit, I promise. I just... I need to make sure you're safe with Auntie Tam."

A pause.

"I know. But I want you here... I miss you."

"I miss you, too, Sin," Dinah murmured. "So much. I promise I'll come visit soon, and eventually... You can come live with me. Here, in Gotham. It'll be soon, I promise."

"Good," said the little girl stoutly.

"Good. Now, I have to go, but I'll call tomorrow to check up on you, all right? You stay good for Auntie Tam."

"Okay. Love you," said Sin brightly. "See you soon!"

"Love you too, bean." Dinah waited until the call disconnected before hanging up herself. She hesitated, not wanting to return inside. Glancing up at the imposing skyscraper towering over her, she just felt entirely, wholly alone. She located a discarded box nearby, plopped herself on it, and buried her head in her hands.

Harvey would never understand. How could he? And how could Ollie? How could either of them truly understand what she was going through? What she'd gone through to get here, in a slightly normal state of mind? What she'd done to save that beautiful little girl from her abuser, what she'd had to do in order to save Sin's life...

Neither of them would ever understand. Not even Ollie. Not really.

And yet... she'd spilled her secret to the Batman himself, no less. The Batman, who was partners with Wonder Woman, who was working with children - children they obviously loved, as well as each other. An odd little family unit, especially considering they fought the worst criminals Gotham could deal out, but still... a little family.

In an odd way, they reminded her of Diana Prince's family - the odd little construct of Diana, the strange and ever-elusive Bruce Wayne, and their children... not to mention all of those women living there... Women who spoke a language she'd never even heard before. They were an odd little family, what with the supposed womanizing Bruce Wayne and his sweet and supportive girlfriend, their two adopted children, one of whom she'd never even seen or heard of before visiting them at their home. Poor Dick Grayson she knew about - that poor boy's parents brutally murdered. A situation eerily similar, in fact, to that of Bruce Wayne's. No one in Gotham was unfamiliar with the brutal, shocking murder of the beloved Waynes. Her father had worked the case for years; she'd seen it on TV for months.

And Bruce Wayne was no stranger to the press himself, what with his strange disappearance for several years, only to return triumphant as the Prince of Gotham, playboy, billionaire, and mystery wrapped up in one handsome package. But with Diana by his side, living his house... Dinah knew that they'd known each other for years, so either Diana was a saint to put up with his fooling around, or maybe there was even something else...

And adopting two children? It didn't really seem like a playboy's modus operandi.

Dinah returned to her office, relieved to find Harvey had gone. Sitting back down at her desk, mid-sip of her third coffee of the day, she mused over the Wayne family and abruptly let out a scoffing gasp, choking on her coffee. Coughing and spluttering, she hastily wiped off her computer screen, cursing her own clumsiness. Setting her cup down, she pulled up a quick search of Bruce Wayne. Batman never stuck around for pictures, but she didn't need those. Casting a wary glance through the glass door of her office, she placed one hand over the top half of Wayne's face and let out a snorting laugh.

Well, damn.

I knew Cass had escaped to secretly patrol with us the other night. Artemis, try as she might, couldn't keep it from me. Not that I'd been sleeping much, anyway. Cass tried to look as innocent as possible, but I knew. I hoped Artemis had convinced her not to try something like that again, but... with Cass, I didn't know. I hadn't actually realized she'd been hiding out in the car, our little stowaway, until Bruce and I had gotten the alert that someone had unlocked the Tumbler from the inside - and had disappeared. By the time we'd gone back, she was nowhere to be found.

Hmm. I'd have to have a talk with her. We weren't keeping her and Dick from suiting up for no reason.

I rubbed my temples and smoothed another of Bruce's shirts down on the ironing board. I balled the fabric within my fists, willing it to be the hearts of any one of our enemies. Blinking, I shook myself out of that particularly violent vein of thinking, disturbed. I smoothed the shirt back down.

"Diana." Bruce stood behind me, an odd look on his face.

I turned, frowning. "What is it? Did something else happen?" I scrambled to imagine any number of possibilities - Hush, Maroni's impending trial, the kids, Jim...

"Diana... Nothing is going to change, will it." Not a question. "Gotham will always need a Batman. It will always need a Wonder Woman. After everything we've been through, with us, with the kids... Nothing, in the end, will change who we are or what we do. We will never be able to go on vacation like normal people. We will never not have to look over our shoulders - or worry that someone will come after our kids - one of whom has already killed a man before the age of ten. We will never be normal, and we will never be able to leave this city. It is tied to us, as we are tied to it. You and I will never be able to live normal lives. Neither of us have ever been normal, Diana."

I tensed, attempting to clamp down on the flash of fear rippling through me. Distracted, I touched my engagement ring, circling it around my finger. "What's your point, Bruce?"

He slipped his hands into his pockets. "I need to ask you something. Something I should have asked you a long time ago."

Harkening back to our previous conversation - or rather, confrontation - I straightened, letting the laundry drop from my hands. "Ask me what?" I tried to keep the wary tone from my voice, and failed. Was he saying... Did he mean that we should go back to being mere partners? Call off the wedding, whenever the hell that was supposed to happen? Was I overreacting? Or did he finally come to his own conclusion that my identity as the god of war was too much for him to bear?

Bruce hesitated for a moment, and met my eyes with his own steely gaze. "Marry me, Diana."

Heartily puzzled, I glanced down at the engagement ring twisted on my finger. "What are you-"

"Tonight."

I stared at him, now agape. "You - what?"

Bruce drew suddenly closer, resting his hands on my arms, sliding them down to clasp my hands between his own. "I've waited too long for this. I don't want a ceremony. I just want our family, and you. Only you. Will you marry me now, Diana? Here, in this house, tonight?"

I was only stunned into silence for half a second.

"Yes," I said.

Thoughts?

Why do I love writing Dinah so much? I say that about all these characters, but she and even Helena just really are so much fun to write. I love developing their stories alongside Bruce and Diana's.

Also - I know everyone's going to kill me for this ending. I know this chapter was super angsty compared to the last one, even. I know it's been a hard time for our favorite couple, but things will get better... before they get worse.

Yeah, that doesn't really help my case.

Leave a review, shoot me a message on my Facebook page, etc. I love to hear from all of you! Thanks so much!

Christy