26. Four Words, More Words

Summary: The message reaches, they talk a bit...and then...well, for that, why dontcha just read it.


'Bruce, this is Diana'

Nineteen days since she disappeared, and almost forty-seven hours since the first message was sent, the soothing voice of Princess Diana of Themiscyra, Wonder Woman to the world, and Diana Prince to those who knew her in her alter ego as the elusive reclusive fiancée of billionaire Bruce Wayne, once again filled the cavernous natural-manmade construct that was the Batcave.

Fur words…just four words, and the intended target's eyes and soul lit up with hope.

---

"Bruce, this is Diana. If you are seeing this…."

Of course, he was seeing it….hearing it….memorizing it. Lost in her, he did not even notice the near silent figure come down the stairs or the frantic way that it retraced its path to the surface.

"….then, please know your message reached its intended destination and that the instructions in it have been followed, including this…."

A life size Holo-Batman appeared in the screen next to Diana.

"Thanks to the generosity of the league here…" for a few seconds, the camera zoomed back to bring into view, Superman, the Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman and a dark shadowed figure that Batman recognized as his counterpart. As the focus returned to Diana, she resumed speaking. Even though only a couple of minutes long, she had tried to get as much information possible into as she could in the limited time.

"…we have been able to follow your instruction and have completed the dimensional communicator….and await further instructions. This is the fourth message sent, and as per your instructions, we will continue transmitting ever few hours….ever six hours."

Diana almost did not include that last part, because knowing Bruce….knowing Batman as she did, she knew the reaction it would garner from the Caped Crusader.

'She sent it four times,' Bruce felt a pang of regret at his inability to increase the probability of a successful independent transmission even further. With two-way communication established, there would be no such problem, but getting that initial message across was of the utmost importance….and he faltered at that. I am in good health.

The time just about up, Diana hurried to get the last few words she wanted to convey to him.

"Please know that I am in good health and that we…I await your response…"

Just then, the time ran out.

----

'She's not dead…..'

'She's not dead….she's alive…..'

'She's alive….'

"She's ALIVE!"

Even as his loud cry of realization echoed through cave, Bruce was drawing up the target frequencies and co-ordinates to enter into the dimensional communicator. Although both sides had the same basic design, the one on the world where Diana was now, did not have one important feature…it would not able to initiate cross-dimensional communication….that part Batman would have to do it from this side.

Minutes later….with everything in place, his hands shaking with a desperate-hope filled anticipation, Bruce drew his mask over his face and pressed the button to send the contact signal.

-----
-----

'I can see you'

Almost an hour and change later,

Standing behind the glass partition, the assembled group, watched as their guest carried on with her conversation.

"That's a lotta talk!" Plasticman commented from her chair (literally) seat. "Who knew there was a Batman who could talk that much?"

"They…" the present Diana was the first and probably only one to even try an answer. The rest, Superman, J'onn, Flash, Kyle and of course Batman, were either keenly observing the other room, or just waiting for what would come next. However, even as she spoke, Diana could feel the heat of a pair eyes boring into her. Even though his mask, not to mention his years-perfected passive poker-faced demeanor, covered his reactions….not to mention his emotions, Batman knew that Diana realized his attention turn to her.

"They have a lot to catch up on."

"No kidding," Flash nodded from his relaxed position. "How long has she been here, almost three weeks? I don't know what I'd if I had to stay away from Linda for even half that time. What dya say Supes?"

Knowing what he was implying and knowing the self-evident truth behind it; all Clark could do was simply nod in confirmation. For the last forty hours, not only had the visiting Diana been a resident of the watchtower, so had the executive council….and even though it had been growing at the back of his mind, seeing the interaction just a feet away, he was sorely missing Lois. He knew, from experience, of what it felt to lose someone whom you loved so much. Both Lois and he, at one or another been called away, presumed dead….or in case, even dead, and to say that it made you want to die yourself…was an understatement.

Tearing his eyes from the window, he caught a glimpse of the barest of eye contact between Bruce and Diana. The tense look between them, the one he had sensed before…after J'onn informed him about the possibility that the two of them might be embarking on a romantic relationship.

However, at this time, seeing and hearing everything around him, instead of the unease he felt before, Clark was surprisingly open to the idea of his two friends getting together. That being said, he did have the usual concerns, especially when the people in question were two incredibly independent, opinionated, sometimes (make that most of the time in Batman's case) hardheaded people like Bruce and Diana. Over the years, he had worked and as he would like to believe, come to know both of them quite well, both as teammates and as friends. Although he would never be able, as far as their personal lives went, to put himself in either of their shoes, neither royalty like Diana nor a industry tycoon, world famous playboy billionaire such as Bruce, he could at least try to imagine it….and the various possibilities, not to mention the difficulties arising from it. He did not want for either of them to get hurt. Moreover, although Diana would always retain a special place in his heart, he had, subconsciously, even before he met Diana, made his choice….and never repented on it, and it would bring him joy if either or both of his friends would get the same happiness and fulfillment that he had with Lois in his life.

-

Inside the room,

Having being limited to a limited section of the watchtower, Diana spent most of her time, either learning about the lives of the people around her, or in her twin's quarters. She came to know that not only was the Clark here married, to whom else but Lois, so was the Flash. J'onn's life had been pretty much the same as that of his counterpart on her world, except that unlike the J'onn there, this one had spent quite sometime amongst humans….as Detective John Jones. Making a mental note to talk to her Martian, she spent quite some time learning about the remaining two…two new League members, and although Plasticman did tend to go over a bit in the comic-relief department, he seemed, at heart, a good person….just like artistic Kyle Rayner. Kyle was especially interesting to her, if only because of her comparing with the Green Lantern she was used to working with, John Stewart. From the short time she spent with him, he came across as an almost calmer, slower version of Wally.

However, even with the company she had, she still couldn't take her mind from the repeated failures of their messages. Differing from the Holographic Batman's suggestion that they try every twelve hours, they were doing it every six….and still nothing. With each successive time, they tried sending messages of differing durations, the shortest one being just thirty seconds and the longest almost seven minutes. After the fourth time, retiring to her dimensional counterpart's quarters she was roused a couple of hours later by a smiling tear-filled Diana.

"There is a call for you," was all she said….all that she needed to say.

…and that was an hour ago.

-

Thankful for the 'audio' privacy, she had talked to her heart's content…..her first action being getting Batman to remove his cowl.

"Any difference?" Even though she knew that Bruce meant it as a joke, as to the visual difference between him and the Batman here, Diana could not control the errant tears from escaping….rather profusely. For her, even though they she might have been seeing the same face day in and day out, she was 'seeing' it for the first time in almost twenty days…almost a lifetime.

"I miss you," she was open with her declaration and even though she did not expect such words from Bruce, his response surprised her….rejuvenated her….and increased her longing.

"I-I…need you to come back to our home now."

His admittance of his 'need' rather than a want, and the words 'our home' were an even more open declaration of his love for her than her words had been for him. Expressing his emotions wasn't something Bruce was used or sometimes even able to do. For him to say this to her, it almost felt more fulfilling that when he told her he loved her…or when he proposed to her.

----
----

'Ready to go home.'

Spending the next hour talking to each other, Bruce informed Diana that he was just about ready to initiate the trans-dimensional portal generator, the designs for which he had got from the Lords' Batman.

It was then that Diana asked the Leaguers here to take over the programming necessary to provide a confirmed fix on her location. With Batman and J'onn at the controls, it was just under an hour's work to get the final preparations in order, during which Diana made the rounds to bid farewell to her hosts. While everyone else seemed open enough, she had a feeling that her twin was hiding something…something that she wanted to say or ask from her. When asked, she just smiled and shook her head, wishing her swift journey and happiness for her life.

"We are ready," Batman's black clad figure appeared as if out of nowhere, his perceptive eyes noticing the same thing that the other Wonder Woman had…..something was troubling Diana, almost as if she were battling with herself. As the second Diana hurried away towards the dimensional communicator, he stilled Diana with a gloved hand over at her forearm.

"Diana…" Even with his eyes covered, she could sense the concern in them, concern that he so rarely let out…for anyone, and yet it seemed so frequently for her.

"Its nothing Bruce," she patted his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze of support, but not meeting his eyes, as she did not want to lie to his face. In truth it was both nothing and yet quite something if not everything. She just wanted to ask a simple question of her doppelganger, but stopped herself from asking, hesitating at what affect it would have over own life….and whether it would work for her….if she wanted it to work for her.

Just a simple question and she faltered.

----
----

'Am I the only…'

As the gathered Leaguers watched, a ray of light shot out of the projector and a shimmering rectangle of luminescent energy started to form not ten feet from them….the portal was opening up.

"How are the readings?" The other Batman's voice sounded from the computer.

"Everything is according to the parameters," J'onn responded in an even voice. With the level of emotional projections in the room, he was deliberately shutting off his telepathy and was coming across as even more impassive. Yet, both for his teammates and for the visiting Diana who had her own experience with his counterpart, it was nothing new or out of the ordinary.

"We are ready." He informed the others, as the portal was a full seven-by-five feet rectangle. Just across the white light lay her dimension, her world, her friends-family…her Bruce.

"Thank you for everything," she wished the others, hugging each one of them….even Batman, who just with the barest of curving of his lips let her know that he was happy for her.

"It's never too late…." She whispered into the Caped Crusader's ear, completing her sentence to her twin as she embraced her. "….for happiness."

Turning around, she started towards the portal and with a last look at her new friends, stepped through it.

'Ready to go home,' She smiled to herself….and so she was…..or so she thought.

-

Seconds later,

"What the…"

"Hera!"

"Wuh…wuh…wuh…."

"Hey guys, am I the only one who thinks that...maybe..."

"WATCH OUT!"

"Yaaahhhhh…."

SLASH!

"Stop. Please…stop."

SWISH!

"Yup, confirmed. We screwed up….Big-Time."

-

-


Note: No note…just a 'To Be Continued.'