Kyoko: You guys asked for it, so I'm dishing it! The next chapter to "Can't Stop Loving You" is right here for your reading pleasure. Arigato minna-san!
…
Bruce stood and kissed her hand with a wolfish "Brucie" grin since they were still in the earshot of people.
"Princess Diana, what a pleasant surprise. Welcome to Gotham City." He smiled in a conversational tone.
"Why thank you, Mr. Wayne." Diana fell into the role-playing game as well.
"Can I get you anything to drink?"
"No, thank you, I'm fine."
"May I at least have this dance?"
She nodded and smiled warmly.
"Certainly."
Gently taking her hand, Bruce led the princess past the multitudes of jealous Gothamites to a clear spot on the floor. Although part of him was happy to see her, there were still unanswered questions to be answered.
"What are you doing in my city, Princess?" He rumbled in her ear as they slow-danced smoothly across the floor. His voice was back to the usual Batman edge and she fought the urge to wince. She blinked, brow furrowing in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"You know exactly what I mean."
"No, I don't. I thought you invited me."
His voice was dry with sarcasm. "Oh really?"
" I got a call saying I was personally invited."
The gears in Bruce's head got to turning and came up with a name almost instantly.
"Alfred…"
Diana smothered a fit of giggles and couldn't help but smile.
"It appears we've been set up."
"I'll have his head for this…"
She raised a perfectly arched eyebrow at him, a mischievous smirk touching her lips.
"Do I cause that much of a disturbance for you?"
He jerked almost guiltily. "No…"
She leaned forward and spoke with a low, husky voice dripping with seductiveness.
"Then I guess I'll have to try harder."
Bruce froze and hot blood surged to his face and other places. Fortunately for him, the band finished their song and allowed him to catch his breath and applaud.
Now apart from him, Diana could clear her mind and think of what to say, remember why she'd come. She began to backtrack to one certain moment during the day only minutes before she'd received the call…
'She had been flying the Javelin-7 back up to the Watchtower II, mind slowly, absently, drifting on insignificant thoughts. She was slightly bored and decided to amuse herself with some American music. After all, some members of the League did have the habit of leaving CDs in the player.
The track that played instantly made her think of Bruce.
"Am I blue?
Am I blue?
Ain't these tears in my eyes telling you?
Am I blue?
You would be too
If each plan with your man done fell through…"
'She had never really thought about the words before, but listening to them now made her feel nostalgic, wistful, almost dreamy. She had never felt this way before. She was consumed with curiosity, frustration, passion, pain, lust, anger, and she didn't know how to handle it, when to express it and where. Did he love her too? Was it just a fling, a hopeless flirtation? Why did he hide it? Why did he keep protecting her? What was he protecting her from? It was just too complicated.'
"Was a time I was his only one
Now I'm the sad and lonely one
Ooh, was I gay
'Til today
Now he's gone and we're through
Am I blue?"
'He had even given her clear, concise reasons for not dating and they made sense but yet he'd nearly gone to impossible lengths to get her back to the way she was after Circe's trap. He was sending a mixed message, one that confused her more and more every day. He was like a puzzle that kept changing before you could solve it. And yet there were moments, gestures, and accidental brushes between them that had too much electricity not to be real. She didn't want to lose him. He didn't want to lose her. Ever.'
"Was a time I was his only one
Now I'm the sad and lonely one
Ooh, was I gay
'Til today
Now he's gone and we're through
Am I blue?
Am I blue?"
…
Diana snapped out of her reverie as Bruce stepped back into her and laced his arm around her waist. The song began, another Ray Charles selection, and she sank into his shoulder, inhaling the soft, deep scent of his cologne and the scent of him, his body, underneath it. It startled him, but he managed to relax and allow the fragrance of her own perfume caress his nostrils. 'Jasmine,' he noted; a calming, infinitely beautiful smell that pooled a reflection of the Amazon princess perfectly. The regret from earlier resurfaced again and made his heart heavy as the lyrics to the song began.
"I awakened this morning
And I was filled with despair
All of my dreams turned to ashes and gall
And as I looked back on my life
It was barren and bare
And without love
I have nothing
I have nothing at all…"
Both sensed the unrest in each other and Diana began.
"Bruce…I…"
"I know, Diana. I know."
"What…what should we do?"
"I…don't know."
"You don't know or you don't want to say it?"
"Both."
Diana pulled back enough to meet the sun-warmed sky blue of his eyes, face wiped clean of emotion, mirroring his. But no matter how blank his expression was she could still see the pain, the hesitation, the fear, and the uncertainty in his eyes.
"Once I had, oh, a sweetheartWho loved only me
There was nothing that she would not give
But I was blind to her goodness
And I could not see
That a heart without love cannot beat…"
"Bruce…you don't have to be afraid anymore. I know the risks. I know the hardships. I don't care. All I care about is you. Can't you stop being selfless just once in your life and be happy?"
He couldn't meet her eyes as he spoke.
"When I chose this life, I chose to give up my happiness."
She cradled the side of his face, voice even lower than before.
"But would your parents want you to be cold and miserable and unhappy?"
He froze in realization of the truth in her words.
She was right.
"Oh, without love I have nothing
Oh, without love, friends, I have nothing at all
Oh, I have conquered the world
Tell me what did I have?
Without love
I have nothing at all."
His lips had found hers at the end of the song, a burst of music that was so sweet it drenched the audience in ecstasy. Before the kiss could deepen, Bruce pulled away, voice husky with both restraint and desire.
"Not here. It might cause too much of an uproar."
Diana nodded and followed him out, high heels clicking across the floor as fast as her heartbeat.
…
A/N: Final Chapter is next, the grand finale of Bruce and Diana! Thank you SO much for all the reviews and stay forever devoted to Justice League! Bye!
-Kyoko