2. The Explanation

"I want us to have sex"

"What?" Batman narrowed his eyes at Diana, his mind running combinations and listing possible foul plays. It was very unlike Diana to come out and demand something like that, and that too from a man….not just any man. From him.

"I thought we had had this discussion," he started. "I cannot…."

"Spare me your useless and completely cowardly excuses," her tone and words cut right through him. She had never called him that. She had always respected his abilities and skills, his….

"Before you go and put any pressure on that puny mortal brain of yours," she pushed further, her voice even and blunt, not even a tinge of emotion seeping into it. "Let me give your some respite and tell you that, although you are a formidable warrior and ally and even a respectable colleague," she threw his words back at him. "You are a coward when it comes to your personal life, Mr. Bruce Wayne." The use of his complete name shocked him even further.

"Not here," he gritted out. "Here, I…."

"I know, I know," she cut him off yet again, her hands gesturing animatedly. "Here it's the almighty dark avenger, the knight of Gotham, the scourge of the villains, the great Batman."

She was on the offensive now. If he had thought and prepared his reasons well, so had she. Over the years, she had studied him, learned from him, about him. She had thought that maybe he would like it and it would assist them in coming together. This sort of coming together wasn't even on her mind then.

-----

"Diana," Batman began, hi gloved hand reaching for hers.

Realizing that he would just to coddle her, reason with her as he had done so many times before, Diana yanked her hand back, leaving him grasping only empty air.

"Don't. Diana. Me," she spoke each word coldly and calculatedly. "I am talking as Wonder Woman and I am talking to Bruce Wayne. He who sleeps around with anyone, fucks anything that walks, anyone….except someone who cares about him," her voice slightly cracked, but she handled it easily. She had practiced this speech many times and was feeling quite proud that she had been able to carry it off, complete with that awful swear word. It sounded so foreign, even to her own ears.

"Wonder Woman," Batman spoke tersely. "What Bruce Wayne does in his personal life, is none of your business. It would be advisable for your to keep your distance from him."

"You know what Bruce," Diana jerked her hand to his cowl, causing him to instinctively reach up and guard it. "You can't even face me without this," she gestured to his Batman costume. "You are nothing. Just a shell, who has nothing, feels nothing, loves nothing."

She knew her words were hard, hurting and would cause him to further retreat into the Bat, until he was completely lost to her. 'Not today,' she resolved. 'Today, I am going to pull him out and bring him into the light.'

"If I feel nothing," he answered predictably. He was going behind the big-bad Bat, just as he had with every event in his life. "….Then why are you wasting your and my time by proposing to have sex with me."

"Oh," Diana chuckled at his words, her humorous laugh infuriating him even further. "Did you think that I am proposing just you? You just happened to be the first one I approached. I have a whole list of league and non-league men to 'take care off'," she added menacingly. "You are just here, that all. It might as well have been Wally or Oliver or Arthur….or Kal," She knew that the last name would hit him the hardest.

"Arthur and Clark are married," the detective reasoned. "Olly is with Dinah and Flash is with Linda. I don't think they or their partners would appreciate your selling yourself to them."

"I am not selling anything Mr. Wayne," she tilted her head up, looking like the demi-goddess she was. "I am gifting it away. Moreover, I am sure Oliver would be more than happy to take a small break from Dinah to have a go at the biggest prize of them all. Don't you think?" she asked sweetly.

"I don't," was his blunt answer. He had realized that whatever game Diana was playing, she was ready and prepared to field any questions he might have to put up.

"You know what," she went in for the kill. "Maybe I should ask Nightwing about what are his views about this."

"You leave my son alone," he jerked up in his seat only to be pushed back by her superior strength.

"Don't flatter yourself," she lifted a heeled leg and placed it between the space between his thighs, right in front of his groin. "I don't believe in cradle robbing. I had loved you once. Your son…s….I can't even think of about them in that way. I care about the feelings of the people who are near to me and care about me. Not like you. I don't want to be left alone, all alone and lonely, with everyone who tries or tried to come near me, give up and run miles away from me…..like Nightwing ran away to Bludhaven."

"Diana," Batman's tone was threatening, his heart aching at her words. She had always been the one who had applied soothing balm to his wounds, both physical and emotional….and today; today she was digging each and everyone of them out and bringing them out into the open. What had happened to make her so hard, so cold, so distant….so….'so much like you', his conscious chuckled at him. 'You have turned yet another innocent soul with the darkness within you. You wanted to keep her away, stay away from her. Now you should be happy. You have achieved all you endeavored for.'

"Shut up," he cursed at himself under his breath, her sensitive hearing catching each word.

"Shut up," her impassive exterior cracked. "SHUT UP. Is that all you have to say?"

Batman didn't answer her, just looked away, not able to meet her eyes.

"Batman," Diana's voice lost all emotion, all fight, all the anger. She seemed to be giving up, Batman thought, encouraged by this development. Maybe she was under the affect of some magic or mind control. She would be well soon.

However, her next words laid waste to all those thoughts.

"You have until tomorrow night, 2200 hours, watchtower time to reach a decision and come to me," she lifted her leg from the chair and straightened to her almost six feet height. "Otherwise…." She let the words hang in the air.

"Otherwise," the white slits of the cowl narrowed.

"Otherwise….there are many other fish in the sea."