Diana had said she didn't want to hurt him. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't exactly true either. Suffice to she'd definitely been on friendlier terms with him.

Batman stood five feet across from her, his gaze giving away nothing. His stance was not that of a fighter, but rather an observer. His hands were tucked away in his cape. She could tell that he wasn't going to be the one who initiated contact.

Which left the job to Diana. She hopped forward, winding up for a punch but then altered her body in mid-swing, swiveling so that she could launch a kick from her built up momentum. It was a classic deception, and one that would have worked if Batman had fallen for the fake punch. He hadn't however, this tactic being nothing new to him. He could have blocked the kick, but was content to simply step casually back, letting it fly harmlessly in front of his face instead of risk trying to stop the momentum entirely. In that span of seconds, there was any number of counterattacks he could have employed, yet he held back. He wanted to see what else Diana had.

The Amazon squared off, then silently launched another kick, this one a jab aimed straight at Batman's chest. This time, one of his hands left his side, coming up to tap the kick just far enough to the left so that it breezed scant inches from his shoulder. Diana followed up with a flurry of punches, mildly annoyed now. She was growing more irritated by the second though, as none of her punches seemed to be able to connect with her teammate/opponent. She hopped back and reassessed her strategy. Strong as she was, he was a master of using her own momentum against her to affect the angle of her strikes.

"You going to do anything?" Batman asked.

"No, its your turn to go on the offensive," said Diana.

Batman nodded, then, hands still in his cape, executed a perfect aerial summersault, twisting in midair to land behind Diana. The bout would have been over then and there had the Amazon been a bit slower with her backwards elbow jab, which nearly connected and forced the Dark Knight to roll back and out of harm's way. He sprung up, hands never having left the folds of his cape, and launched a side kick of his own squarely at Diana's chest. She turned to block, her hand not getting up in time and the strike glancing off of her collarbone. What surprised her was that it actually hurt.

She was able to block the next kick, a high one aimed for her chin. She pirouetted and delivered a roundhouse that Batman blocked. He shifted his balance, moving in closer and hooked his elbow under her leg in the space of a few milliseconds. Before she even knew what had happened, he snapped his arm straight, and flung downward, sending Diana crashing to the floor.

Batman looked apathetic. In truth, his forearm was throbbing from blocking his fellow Leaguer's last kick. There would definitely be a good-sized bruise there by tomorrow - he could already feel it forming.

Diana was rarely floored, even in matches against her fellow Amazons. It occurred to her that if they could see her now, they'd be rolling in laughter. Diana, Princess of the Amazons beaten by a human man . . .the idea itself was ridiculous.

She flipped back onto her feet, finding that in the time she'd been down, Batman had distanced himself a bit, not doubt to protect against any immediate attacks she might launch.

She drew him out with a jab that was packed with just enough power to have an effect if it connected and little enough power to serve its purpose, which was a feint. Batman stepped to the side and out of range, unwittingly opening himself up for a back kick dead in the center of his chest.

He had been kicked hard before by all types of lethal fighters ranging from Lady Shiva to Bane, even Catwoman had gotten in a good blow or two the few times they'd tangled. Being kicked by an Amazon though was a completely different experience. He felt a moment of weightlessness as his body was thrown into the air, barely having presence of mind to launch two batarangs before slamming unceremoniously into the ground and bouncing once or twice.

Diana saw the projectiles coming and did what came naturally to her-blocked them with her bracelets. Had they been bullets or even regular batarangs, this method would have sufficed. Unfortunately, they were specialized batarangs, built to come apart into a bolo with a triple-reinforced titanium weave cord. In the blink of an eye, Wonder Woman's bracelets were bound up tight by each bolo. Even with her super strength, breaking the bond would have been at least somewhat challenging.

Her super strength, however, was fading. Seeping away as the bolos tightened. Every super being had his or her weaknesses, whether it be superman and kryptonite or Martian Manhunter with fire. One of Wonder Woman's was that if her bracelet were bound together by a man, her strength would desert her.

As the Themyscarian princess stared helplessly down at her bound bracelets, Batman rose groggily to his feet. "You pack quite a kick, Princess."

"Just get these abominations off of me," Diana said, her voice seething with anger at having been incapacitated.

Batman nodded, pressing a button on the keypad built into his right gauntlet. The bonds fell away almost instantaneously.

"That was low," said Diana once she was freed.

"It was improvisation Princess. Just be glad I didn't end the match while you were still bound."

"How did you know that I would lose my strength?" Diana asked.

"I know a lot of things," replied Batman.

"About me." Diana clarified.

"About you."

"Yet you are angry that I for once discovered something about you. Is that logical?"

"Perhaps not," said Batman. "Then again, as I've told you, my identity is all that I have."

"I sincerely doubt that," said Diana, a smile touching her lips despite her mood. "You acquit yourself well in combat, and have demonstrated how to take out an opponent who has you physically outclassed. You have much more than a mere secret."

"What were you doing down here anyway?" asked Batman, changing the subject. "Or better yet, why were you crying?"

Diana stiffened, even as she thought ruefully that it was pure fantasy to pretend that a master of interpereting body language would not have picked up on such a simple thing. "It was a moment of weakness," the Amazon finally answered. "There was something, something silly, that I had . . .hoped, only to find out it would never happen. I . . .suppose even Amazons aren't invulnerable to childish dreams." She sighed. "Anyway, what's the situation on earth?"

"It's been better. Lucas has Lantern and Hawkgirl, and I haven't heard any transmissions from Flash, Superman, and the Martian."

"What should we do?"

"Wait. For now. We don't know enough about the situation as of now and are thus in no position to take any rash actions. I wouldn't get too comfortable though, I have a feeling that this situation will escalate fast." He swiveled on one foot and began walking towards the exit. "You pack a mean kick, Diana."

He'd just left the room when she realized that he'd called her by her first name.

"He's a lunatic," said Hawkgirl. "Bonkers, a bona-fide psycho. How in the world did you end up working for him?"

"Careful, winged one. I am a patient woman, but you are extraordinarily annoying. Dere are several Adepts outside who are quite displeased at de damage you inflicted upon deir sisters. I suggest you do your utmost not to displease me, or I may let dem deal wit' you as dey please."

Shayera scowled, but said nothing.

Triumphantly, Aja turned to John who had so far said nothing since Lucas's address. "And what of you, John Stewart? What did you think?"

"Remember when I said Shayera speaks for both of us?"

"Yes?"

"I still mean it."

Aja glanced back and forth between the two captives, anger darkening her features. "You will learn to dink differently," she said simply. "Brahna, Kathre, escort de bird woman to an isolated holding cell, and John to my own quarters. I-"

"Whoa!" John interrupted, "If you think I'm gonna-"

"Not to worry, Aja cut in, "There will be more than enough time for that after the ceremony. As for now dough, we must get you prepared for de ceremony." She turned to Hawkgirl. "You too, bird woman."

Shayera frowned. "Why?"

"Its simple. You are de maid of honor, or at least its equivalent here. You will be present at de ceremony and you will look your best, although I doubt if dat is saying much. Any questions?"

AN: /Well, here is chapter nine of my JL fic, if anyone is still interested. I know I have not updated in a looooong time due to a combination of many reasons, but I hope now that can be rectified. Anyway, here it is. Feel free to give me comments or constructive criticism.

-Godfather