Disclaimer : I don't own these characters, I am not making any money out of this and copyright infringement is not intended.

Chapter Six

A Night to Remember

"I thought you left already," she tried to make conversation when they were airborne.

"I gave you five minutes. I would have left after."

Why you overbearing…ape! She was more irked at the thought that he knew she would change her mind. If she was not in the position she was now, homeless and looking a mess, and probably stinking of baby fluids too, she grimaced at the thought, she would have declined his hospitality. But now, being at a total disadvantage, she chose to handle everything with utmost patience and humility.

The rest of the short journey was spent in silence as neither one made the move to start another conversation that was more likely to end up in an argument. The silence was just broken when he called Alfred and informed his butler that they would be having a guest over tonight.

I wonder if he informs Alfred every time a guest sleeps over…maybe, maybe not, a thought occurred to her.

He climbed out of the Batwing immediately when they landed, not bothering at all to assist her. Anyway, if he did, it was likely that she would refuse any more help from him.

"Your highness," Alfred greeted as she came out. "If I had known you'd be our guest I would have made extra preparations for your arrival. But one…gentleman obviously neglected to inform me."

She smiled. "Thank you Alfred. But I assure you, you need not worry. All I care for is a nice bath…" She looked at her awful appearance and frowned. She knew that the old man was being polite by not making any mention of it, but if she were Bruce, she'd probably gotten a handful of lectures by now. "And a bed. That's all."

Bruce had already disappeared from her sight as Alfred led the secret passageway to the manor. "How about a late dinner, your highness? You seem to have had a tough night."

"It's late Alfred…I don't want to impose any more on you."

"Your highness, your presence will never be an imposition on me," Alfred chanced a glance and smiled. "Besides, I've already prepared dinner but unfortunately…no one seems to notice around here. I don't know why I even bother."

"Just between the two of us…" she whispered. "Don't bother cooking. Just reheat. I doubt if he'll notice."

"The thought occurred to me, Miss."

She laughed. Ironically, Alfred was a breath of fresh air.

"So, would her highness prefer to indulge an old man by taking pity on his cooking?"

"Alfred, your cooking can never be pitiful."

"Then it's settled. I will be bringing your dinner to your room, Miss. Unless, of course, you prefer the dining room."

Come to think of it…she was indeed hungry. "Well…if you insist," she replied. "I'll settle for room service, thank you."

They were already inside the manor and as they continued walking the quiet hall, she tried to search for Bruce, but he was nowhere in sight.

"Master Bruce has this habit of appearing and disappearing. I've gotten used to that trait a long time ago," the butler remarked even with his back to her. "You should too."

"Does he do it every---" She cut off her own inquiry when she understood Alfred's words. She felt the color creeping up her cheeks. "Oh…Alfred, this is not what you think…I mean, I just needed a place to…and the manor was…"

The old man faced her with a knowing smile. "I meant as a teammate, your highness. You don't have to be too defensive."

She knew she was blushing when they climbed the ornate staircase. A left turn revealed several rooms. He opened one particular door for her. As she stepped inside and marveled at the cozy interior, she wondered how many rooms were built in this big house, and just how Alfred selected the room for every woman that…She shook her head and kept jealousy at bay. But when she looked at the king sized bed at the middle of the spacious room, her mind was filled with thoughts that she immediately dismissed.

Alfred cleared his throat. "I've run a hot bath for you, your highness."

She turned abruptly. "Oh…thank you Alfred."

"Your dinner I will bring up later." The butler made the way to the door and then turned. "What about some wine, Miss…or better yet, some sinfully delicious lemon soufflé? I just slaved over one, but as I mentioned, no one seems to appreciate my…culinary prowess."

She smiled at the Butler's way of persuasion. "Okay…but just the soufflé. If you bring me the wine, I might just not get to dessert."

Alfred took his leave and walked to the door. But added before the door closed, "Just in case you were wondering, your highness…no one else has ever been in this room."

She was just about to say something to defend herself once more when the door closed.

Am I that obvious? She asked herself as she stared at the closed door. But when she heard the pleasant sound of running water, a smile appeared on her face as she approached the bathroom. All her apprehension disappeared as she delighted in the fresh and clean scent of the bath and hastily removed her uniform to indulge herself in a long, luxurious bath.

When she emerged almost half an hour later covered in a dark blue towel, she excitedly tiptoed along the carpeted room to the silver trolley that was just beside the bed. She peeked inside one of the stainless trays and the very delicious scent of cooked meat made her stomach growl in anticipation. But when her eyes settled on the bed, the allure of the white, silken sheets under the dark, plush comforter that covered the enticing king sized bed was harder to resist.

Gingerly, she sat on the edge of the mattress, feeling the soft fabric with her hands. Then, she lifted both her feet and rested her head on the feather soft pillow, loving the feel of the smooth material against her cheek, her still wet tresses making watermarks on the pillowcase. A few minutes later, she was blissfully asleep.

It was the best sleep she had in days, nuzzling on the very warm and comfortable pillow, draping her smooth and slender left leg for more comfort. In her blissful and contented slumber, she nuzzled her neck to feel the soothing silk fabric caress her face.

But instead of softness, she felt something hard against her forehead and something warm under her cheeks, hand and leg.

Something warm…humanly warm.

A feeling of panic made her awake now, though she dared not open her eyes. Her senses were also becoming fully aware of her predicament. Her face was nestled between a face and shoulder, just in the right place that if she moved the slightest, she would be kissing someone's neck. Her hand was embracing someone's torso, and a naked torso at that, her palm resting just below the breast. But what was more disturbing was that her left thigh leg was draped possessively over someone else's and that, with a little more upward movement, she would be brushing against dangerous territory.

The thought of brushing against someone sent shivers down her spine. And when she stirred the tiniest bit, she felt the warm feeling of a hand softly pressing against the small of her naked back, somewhat embracing her.

It was as if they had just…made love.

She closed her eyes shut, thinking that there were only two males that she knew of at the moment in the whole manor. Who would she prefer waking up next to?

Her eyelids fluttered as she chanced a peek. Despite the dark, her eyes had adjusted immediately and she could see several scars lining an otherwise perfectly muscled chest, flat stomach, well defined abdominals and…she was relieved that a blanket was covering a part of him that she dared not look at. Or did she?

But her relief was short lived when she realized that only the outstretched arm and some of the strands of her hair were left covering her bare bosoms as her own blanket was dangerously teetering from revealing more flesh below her hip. Wherever in the world is that towel? Wide eyed, she abruptly turned on her back, grabbing the wayward blanket and covered herself.

She could swear she heard a faint chuckle as she slowly shimmied her way near the edge of her side of the bed.

And that meant he was awake all along.

Her mind started working overtime, wondering how in the world could this have happened, that she could sleep so soundly that she never felt him sneaking up beside her. But then again, he was Batman. He could sneak up…

Instantly her hand shot to her hip and felt for covering.

"Don't worry Princess…nothing happened," he stated, somewhat amused. "At least, nothing of what you are thinking."

She remembered something. Her head turned sideways to look at him, almost glaring. "What…are you doing in here?"

There was a sensual grin playing at the corners of his lips. "This…happens to be my room."

Alfred! "Oh…Well! Of all of the many vacant rooms, you had to sleep in here?" She sat up the covers falling from her, but she was quick to cover herself.

"Funny…I should be asking you that." He turned away. "And let's be adults here, Princess. I am as tired as you are so let's just both sleep."

At a loss on what to do, she debated with herself whether to turn on the lights and search for her uniform, while he made mockery of her modesty or, do as he said and wait till morning to sort things out. Searching for her uniform won, but she had to make do without turning on the lights.

She gave the cover a soft tug and was relieved that, at least, they had separate blankets. She hugged the silk around her and soundlessly went to the dresser.

"If you are looking for your uniform, Alfred took care of it." The bored voice cut through the dark. "It's in the other room, along with your bracelets and tiara."

It took great patience to keep from throwing a pillow in his direction. But she had to remember that she was a guest in this house, and if the host had absolutely no manners whatsoever, she had to retain her regal upbringing and not stoop to his level. With that in mind, she swallowed her pride to be the one to leave and walked over to the door. She gave the knob a soft turn, and it did not give an inch. Another, less softer turn, still no change. Evidently, to her chagrin, it was locked. For the third time, she gave it a small nudge, applying a small amount of her strength but careful enough not to break it.

"Diana…what are you doing?" He was sitting up now and she could see the sculpted muscles on his chest. Self consciously, she turned away.

"The door…it's locked." She was able to find her voice.

She did not dare look when he rose and stood up beside her.

Primate! She almost called himwhen he did not even bother to have the common decency to cover his body. Is he doing this on purpose?

She almost closed her eyes when he stepped forward to give the knob a turn, as if he can do anything about it. Though the view of his behind is something else…

"It's locked."

"That's what I said," she whispered in the dark.

She heard him sigh as if giving up, a sound that she seldom heard. "I'm sorry…this house is old, antique…and I'm afraid, so is everything about it. The doors sometimes have the tendency of locking you in."

Antique, meaning a relic, a work of art. There went her chances of breaking down the door.

"Does Alfred have a key?"

He went back to the bed. "Talking to Alfred this time of the night…would be like talking to that door to open by itself." It was strange, but she could detect an amount of humor in his voice. "Princess…the most sensible thing to do now is rest. We had quite a day."

She heard a soft rustle and chanced a look at his direction on the bed and was relieved he was decently covered now. He was patting the empty space beside him. For added assurance, he placed a pillow in the middle. "I promise not to try anything. Besides, you can break every bone in my body before I can even scream for Alfred."

In the dark, she gave the matter a quick and careful consideration. He was right.

With a somewhat defeated sigh, she slowly walked to her side of the huge bed. Lying silently on her back, studying the architectural merits of the ceiling, she silently called on Morpheus to bless her with sleep. She closed her eyes, and tried. But unfortunately, it seemed that her deity was busy to hear her. How in Hera's name could she sleep now, now that her body and all her senses were very well aware that he was a mere touch away?

The recollection of his naked, sculpted chest, the enticing view of his firm behind only made her more awake. She remembered once from Kal that if he could not sleep, he would count sheep from one until…he fell asleep. She tried. She was on her six hundred twenty eighth sheep when she felt a subtle glow from the bedside lamp and a soft movement as he shifted on his side to face her.

"Alfred will be very disappointed that you did not eat what he prepared."

Oh, no! He's still awake. "I meant to…but I was too sleepy. Your bed was too inviting."

"Really?"

Me and my big mouth. "I meant that not in a Wally kind of way." Defensively, she turned to face him. But when she saw how the light reflected his come-hither face, her mind seemed to have this naughty habit of reminding her of how he looked earlier, remembering that underneath the sheets he had nothing on and felt warm in certain places. She had to change the topic and turn away again. "What about you, did you eat dinner?"

The change of topic was not lost on him. "I also meant to…but the bed looked very inviting too."

Did I hear him right? Is he flirting with me?

Alarms went off everywhere in her mind. "You know…you should make an effort to appreciate Alfred's cooking once in a while. If you don't…I'm on the market for a man who can cook."

"Ah…so a man has to know how to cook to win your favor…I see." He was playing with her.

Two can play the game. "Of course." She turned to him with a smile. "It's one sure way to win my mother's approval."

He smiled in return, the faint light showing her just how handsome he was. It was one look, that if she was blessed with the ability to paint, she would capture on canvass to immortalize because it was a side of him that she rarely had a chance to see.

"Then…Alfred has beaten me by a long shot, I'm afraid."

She laughed and in that one short and fleeting moment, their smiling eyes met and stared at each other. It was an enchanting moment, a dangerously enchanting moment. She willed herself to turn away, but an unseen force seemed to pull her towards him. Be careful…her own voice reminded her silently. She turned away and later heard him take a deep breath.

"Diana…you should be debriefed."

Am I not already? Aren't you too? She thought naughtily again. And though he was dead serious, she started cracking up with his use of the word.

"What's so amusing?" He was studying her closely now, propping himself on his left elbow.

"Debriefed?" She could not even say the word while keeping a straight face. He moved closer, as if to see her face better and she was only too aware of his proximity that she sobered up. "About Shayera?" She did not bother answering his inquiry.

"Yes."

She turned her face to him. "It's just simple really. She needed, urgently needed my help and I put aside everything else and…helped her," she shrugged. "I would have done the same thing for my friends, for my teammates, you…Kal…"

"Who else did you tell?"

A brow rose. "Is this an…interrogation?"

He did not bother with a reply. Instead, he was looking at her intently, unnerving her. And she noticed that his eyes seemed to have acquired the tendency to travel from her face to her neck and…below.

"Kal…I told Kal." She turned her face towards the ceiling, thankful that it was dark and he could not see the blood coloring her cheeks. "Strange things have been happening to me…and I wanted someone to be there if I could not."

"And you tell him."

"Of course. Kal could help me." Her fingers were fidgeting with the sheets.

"Kal…" the name passed through his lips. "Do you always refer to him that way?"

The inquiry made her look at him. "Of course, that's his name."

"Do you hear anyone else besides you and Supergirl call him that?" It was his turn to stare at the ceiling, the turning movement pulling the blanket further down, revealing more of him.

It was disturbing her concentration. "Is this about Shayera…or about me and Kal?"

"Are you aware that there is a running bet on the watchtower…who's the favorite couple." His face turned to her again. "You and…Kal are on first place."

"With all the much ado about nothing, plus the tabloid write ups…I'd be disappointed if we made second." She almost laughed at her own statement.

"What is he exactly to you?"

The question caught her off guard. "He is my friend. My best friend. Don't tell me you also think…"

"It's not hard to think that when I am a witness myself."

It was exasperating to think that all of the rumors had not died down. "What do I have to do to prove that there is nothing of what you are thinking is going on between me and…Superman." She deliberately opted not to say Kal again.

There was something else in his expression. "I can think of several ways…"

It's official, he's flirting with me. "I'm not that desperate…yet."

She allowed herself the comfort of a nervous laugh. But the comfort was short lived to be replaced by the nervousness as he gazed at her face intently, his eyes trying desperately to remain focused on her face but failing by trailing downwards to where the fabric covered her breasts. The knowledge that he was trying desperately to keep his urges in check sent delicious shivers up her spine.

And in this moment, she came to terms with herself. She was still deeply in love with him. And she wanted him to know just how much. She was ready to give him the assurance.

"You…Bruce, of all people, should know."

"Know what?"

She sat up and looked deeply into his eyes. "That there is only one person that…I love."

Her voice was trembling, and so were her hands when she slowly let the covers fall from her, finally revealing herself to him, showing him what he wanted. She felt him fight for control, then losing as his eyes devoured the beauty that lay naked before him. And everywhere he looked, she could feel tiny pin pricks of tingling sensation, warming herself even more. He sat up, fronting her, as if to get a better glimpse.

His eyes finally returned to her face. "Diana…" His voice was thick with feeling.

"Bruce…if this is the only way to convince you…"

She leaned over, lifting her right hand to caress the side of his face. His own hand covered hers as his face turned sideways to plant soft, wet kisses on her palm. The touch of his lips was like fire to her, emboldening her to lean even more to feel his lips on hers.

"No." It was a weak protest from him.

"Bruce…" She called out to him in the dark. When he made no move, she boldly kissed the side of his neck and felt him tense at her touch, as if searching for the last remnants of control.

When she brushed herself against his chest, she heard a sharp intake of breath. "You don't know what you're getting into, Diana."

"I know…and I don't care," she answered huskily against his ear. Then she moved away to look at him. "Make love to me, Bruce."

It amazed her how, in one fleeting moment she could almost swear he would give in. Then, it was as if there was this cloud over his face, a cloud of momentary uncertainty, to be finally replaced by cold conviction.

"No." It was not a weak protest anymore, but more of a warning. And his voice had this frank and almost rude finality to it. And to stress his point further, his hand took hers away from his face.

She had slapped him once, and she wanted so desperately to knock some sense into him once more. But, she had to admit, she knew in her heart that he was right. She did not know what she was getting into, a moment of passion, that she would probably regret afterwards. And no, he did not he say he loved her too, did not return the confession. Maybe because, plain and simple, he did not love her. That should have made her think twice before letting go of the covers and her pride.

And with all that was left of her tattered and torn self respect, she slowly rose from the bed, not bothering anymore to conceal her nakedness as she walked to the door. Before turning the knob, she allowed the last moments to say what she needed to tell him.

"Bruce…if you don't want me…then I beg you to have the decency to let me go. Because…" she turned to him, he was still in the position she left him, facing sideways from her. "Admit it or not, for some reason I don't know why, you are holding on to me."

She continued in his silence. "I can't do this dance with you any longer." Her voice was sad. "Two steps forward, two steps back…right where we started. I run after you…you place this wall around you to keep me out. I turn away and try to move on…" She shook her head. "But just when I do, you pull me back and I am at a loss on why."

She turned to the door. "Please…have little faith that I can live without you, whether be it with…Kal…or anyone else." She placed her hand on the knob and gave it a twist that made a painful crunch as the knob fell out and the door was finally open, setting her free. "You can bill me for this later." She threw the broken brass knob on the bed before leaving the room.