8. Suspicions Rising

"….Everything will work out."

Bruce waited the next day for Diana to contact him, either by calling him in the day at his office or at the watchtower during his daily visit to the Justice League headquarters. Externally he was as unemotional and hard as ever, but internally….internally he was as jumpy as a roasted pea bouncing on a taut drum.

However, no such thing happened. No phone call, email, communicate or personal message. In fact, he did not even get a glimpse of the ethereal beauty. He waited until the last moment to return to Gotham to begin his nightly patrol.

The day after that, the same thing….and the same the day after that one. Soon a whole week had passed, and the only time he had seen Diana was during the executive meeting, where she sat next to him, but avoided eye contact the whole time.

------

"Good morning Master Bruce," Alfred roused him from a fitful sleep, rolling in the breakfast trolley, the newspaper lying alongside it.

"Morning Alfred," he wished back as he sat up and rested his back on the head board. "Anything interesting in the paper?" he inquired as the butler handed him his first coffee cup of the day.

"One might say so," the older man responded with what seemed like the slightest hint of sadness.

Shaking the last remnants of sleep out of his head, Bruce opened the newspaper, his eyes widening at the front page side-panel news.

'WONDER WOMAN INVOLVED WITH BILLIONAIRE PLAYBOY'

What surprised and stunned Bruce wasn't the news, it was the Playboy Diana was reportedly involved with. It wasn't Bruce Wayne, but the only other superhero billionaire playboy in the Justice League, Oliver Queen.

Setting the coffee cup away, he started reading the news clip.

'In what has been termed as the biggest 'conquest' of the century if not of the decade, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen has been reported to be dating Diana of Themiscyra, better known as Wonder Woman. They have been reported to be seen 'hanging' out together, even going on dinner 'meetings', as shown in the picture…."

Bruce flipped the pages to the one specified in the article.

'Continued from page 1. …..printed below.'

Sure as day, the faces of the couple in the picture were the familiar ones of Green Arrow and Diana.

Reading further….

'This reporter was lucky enough to get a private interview with the elusive Wonder Woman and her newest beau Olly Queen.

Reporter – "Wonder Woman, do you mind answering a couple of questions?"

WW – "Not at all, and please call me Diana."

R – "Diana. Are you dating Mr. Queen."

WW (Laughs) – "No, not at all. Oliver and I are just friends. I am not 'dating' as they call it here in man's world, anybody."

R – "But weren't you involved with Superman?"

WW – "Sorry, but wrong there too. Superman is one of my first and oldest friends in the League. We are just colleagues. Besides he is already married."

R – "So are you seeing anyone in particular?"

WW – "Seeing?"

R – "I mean, are you dating anyone, either within or outside the league?"

WW – "No. Now if you excuse me, my 'date' is waiting."

R – Thank you mam.'

-----

By the time Bruce finished the article, the analytical 'detective' gears of his mind were turning at the speed of…well at the speed of thought.

"This is not her work," he muttered under his breath. "These are not her words."

"Pardon sir," Alfred looked up from the toasts he was buttering.

"Nothing Alfred," Bruce raised his hand as he started thinking once again, his coffee cold and long forgotten.

'Something is wrong here,' he started reanalyzing the events of the past few days. 'Either Diana is under the affect of some form of mind control, or….."

'…someone is making up her mind for her.'

'She's not alone.'