A/N: Hey everyone! Today (Nov 25th) happens to be the 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY since I've started writing Wonderbat fanfics! It's crazy that it's already been a year since I've joined this community, but I'm so glad I did. I honestly never thought that I would ever write more than one fanfic, but here we are with me releasing my second series (JL: Outset was the first) a year later! This journey has been memorable, and the moments and connections I've developed from this experience will never be forgotten.

To celebrate, I created this brand new series dubbed "Wonderbat Analects," a place where I will write a collection of smaller oneshots of around 2k-4K words instead of my usual 7k-8k, most commonly being stories that I personally don't believe need to be extended to my usual 8k word limit. They'll be smaller stories of ideas that I briefly want to explore from different DC Universes, and they may even build off of previous or future stories I will write. That's what is great about this series: it can be morphed to include so many different stories and ideas. I'm really looking forward to this series, and I hope you all are as well.

Here's to another year of Wonderbat fanfiction! :)

o o o

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Justice League or DC Comics characters and/or material. Trust me, if I did, Wonderbat would've been a thing much sooner.

Summary: (Takes place after Maid of Honor and Hearts and Minds) How did Hawkgirl know Batman's true identity during the Thanagarian Invasion? Well, it may have been the fault of an unaware Amazon Princess.

An Unexpected Discovery (DCAU)

Walking out of the Watchtower's commissary, Hawgirl did her best to suppress the yawn that wanted to arise, knowing that she should follow her body's urges and get some rest.

Earlier in the day, Hawkgirl, Green Lantern, and the Martian Manhunter had just arrived back to the Watchtower after their week long intergalactic mission, one that tired her out completely. There were so many twists and turns: from dealing with a prophesied god, meeting John's former Lantern teacher (and to Shayera's dismay, his former lover), and freeing an enslaved planet from a dictatorial government and restoring the planet's natural flora through the use of some powerful being. All in all, Shayera believed that she deserved the next two days that she had off, and she was going to make the most of them by catching up on some much needed rest. She already knew that both Green Lantern and J'onn were in their respective quarters, resting after the intense mission.

Traversing down the Watchtower's pristine metal corridors, Hawkgirl observed how quiet the Watchtower seemed. Even though there were only seven active members operating this massive space station, it was uncommon to hear complete silence within the Watchtower. Most commonly, conversations could be heard coming from the Monitor Womb's platform between two Leaguers, the Flash would be zooming around the Watchtower's halls to reach the commissary, or J'onn and Batman could be found performing maintenance on the Watchtower.

Hawkgirl briefly wondered where her fellow League members were, and she quickly came up with an idea to find out. Despite her tiredness, Shayera decided to head towards the Watchtower's central elevator, pressing the button that would take her up to the level containing the Monitor Womb.

There was always an active League on monitor duty in order to scout any potential threats occurring across the globe, contacting the necessary League members in order to deal with the scenario. The only time the Monitor Womb was never active was when an alpha-level threat occured, one that required the entire League to be available in order to combat the threat.

The Monitor Womb had become a common area within the Watchtower, one where Shayera would meet up with all of her friends—most commonly being John, the Flash, and Diana—in order to discuss random topics. With John, Shayera would most commonly flirt back and forth with him, dancing around the attraction that they both have admitted is there. Flash would provide an opportunity for comedic relief, and although some of his jokes were childish, they never failed to put a smile on her face.

Diana was the only other female member on their small team, so Shayera felt a special bond with the Amazon, someone who had quickly become her sister in arms. Their conversations would most commonly revolve around Shayera venting about her relationship with John, with Diana listening intently to her topics of conversation.

Shayera had tried multiple times to bring up potential romantic talks involving Diana herself, but the Amazon Princess would originally shrug them off, saying that developing romantic feelings for a man is not why she came to 'Man's World', as she called it. However, recently Shayera has noticed a slight shift in Diana's attitude. Even since the League defeated Gorilla Grodd and saved Gorilla City, Shayera has noticed Diana's lingering gazes at a certain Bat on the team, watching as Diana unknowingly gazes longingly at Batman.

When talking to her about it, Diana has been frankly open about her confused feelings for Batman, stating that she feels nervous yet excited whenever she is near him. Shayera knows that Diana is developing feelings much stronger than friendship for the dark hero, but she decided to let her friend figure out and understand her feelings better herself before she blatantly comments on Diana's attraction to Batman.

Hawkgirl has also been paying more attention to Batman as well, specifically when he was near Diana. She does not understand how she never noticed it before, but whenever Batman is near Diana, it seems as if a small weight has been taken off his shoulders. Instead of the strong, military-like stance Batman usually exhibits, he portrays a more relaxed posture whenever he is talking to Wonder Woman, as if he is shredding the dark shroud of mystery he constantly wears to give her a slight glimpse of the man underneath, something Shayera knows he is doing unconsciously.

The attraction between the two heroes was clearly noticeable by Hawgirl, and she wondered if any of the other League members had caught sight of the sparks flying between the two. Shayera has not had the chance to bring up her observations to John yet since they have both been extremely busy with League missions lately, but she hopes within the next week that she can sit down with him and gossip about the Amazon Princess and the Dark Knight.

Watching as the lights indicating the floor level increased, Hawkgirl fiddled with the mace attached to her belt. She knew that Wonder Woman was on monitor duty today, and that she would know where the other League members were.

Finally, the elevator stopped, signaling to Hawkgirl that she had arrived at the Monitor Womb. As the elevator doors opened up, Shayera stepped out onto the extended platform that led to the large Monitor Womb screen. She saw Wonder Woman sitting in the Monitor Womb's large chair, her back to the elevator entrance. Diana's head was supported by her right arm that was resting on the chair's arm support, her focus completely on the screen in front of her. After she took a few steps in Diana's direction, Shayera suddenly stopped with shock as she noticed what was on the Monitor Womb's screen.

There was a small map in the upper right-hand corner of the screen, one that had three red blips moving around on it. Shayera knew that was probably a mission that Batman, Superman, and Flash were on, and Diana was partially observing the status of the heroes. However, what caused Shayera to stop in surprise was the other tabs open on the Monitor Womb's large display.

There were numerous online articles, reports, and even pictures of a man Shayera recognized very well: the gorgeous playboy billionaire Bruce Wayne of Gotham City. She briefly read some of the headlines of the news articles: some talking about Bruce's involvement with Wayne Enterprises while others talked about the frivolous activities he engaged in during his nightlife.

Shayera could not fathom a reason as to why Diana would take interest in such a man. Sure, Shayera could sympathize that Bruce Wayne looked to be the perfect specimen of a man, however his tendency of showing off a new woman on his arm every month should have easily deterred Diana from ever giving Bruce Wayne a second thought.

However, there was one article that stood out from all of the rest, as it was in the center of the screen and sized much larger than the other articles about Bruce Wayne. Shayera could not read the date on the article, but that did not matter to her as the title and the picture of the article is what caught her eye:

Billionaire Bruce Wayne Spotted Dancing Intimately With Wonder Woman in Paris: Has the Amazon Princess Found Her Prince?

The picture of the article showed Bruce Wayne dancing with Diana in his arms, both looking stunning in their respective outfits. The pair had large, beautiful smiles full of perfectly white teeth that could have blinded the room. The closeness in which Diana had to Bruce Wayne was not lost on Shayera, and it was obvious to anyone looking at the photo that Wonder Woman enjoyed being held in his arms.

What surprised Shayera the most, however, was Bruce Wayne's reaction to the stunning Amazon in his arms. Shayera had seen the wide, blinding smile that Bruce Wayne gave to the media whenever pictures of him were taken. The smile was excessive, and Shayera noticed that it seemed to be fake. However, the smile that Wayne had with Diana was completely different.

Instead of smiling as big and bright as possible, Shayera noticed the smaller and simpler smile that Wayne had when he looked at Diana. It was more reserved, and it looked as if he was doing it completely uninhibited. His smile paired with the sparkle that shone in his eye gave Shayera a startling revelation: Bruce Wayne actually had feelings for Wonder Woman. What seemed to be even more surprising, for better or worse Shayera was unsure of, was that the way Diana was responding to Bruce—leaning into his touch, giving him an unhindered smile, and the sparkle that was in her eyes—told Shayera that Diana shared the same feelings as well.

Deciding to make her presence known to the unaware Amazon, Shayera spoke out to Wonder Woman.

"Diana," Shayera quietly said, not wanting to spook her.

It seemed that it did not matter, however, as Diana quickly sat up from her slouched position in the Monitor Womb chair, quickly turning around and looking at Shayera like a wild animal caught outside during the night. The slight nervousness in her eyes was apparent, however she quickly recovered and addressed Hawkgirl.

"Shayera," Diana began, her face a slight shade of crimson due to embarrassment, "I thought you were sleeping. I never had the chance to catch up with you after you came back from your mission. How'd it go?"

"It went fine," Shayera commented with amusement in her eyes at the Amazon Princess's attempt to avoid the topic, "Although wondering about my mission doesn't seem to be the main thing on your mind right now."

Diana turned away from Shayera, hoping to hide the blush that she could feel heating up her face. She thought that all of the non-active League members were currently catching up on rest after their last intergalactic mission, giving her time to research a topic that has been in the back of her mind for the past week: that of being the secret identity of a certain masked vigilante. However, with Hawkgirl standing behind her with questioning eyes, Diana knew that she was caught.

With a small sigh, Diana turned to look back at Shayera with pleading eyes. "I know that the others will find out about this article soon, but for right now can you keep this a secret between us?" Diana asked.

"Of course, Di," Shayera sincerely replied, walking up to Diana and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Who knows how many things I've told you that you've kept secret for me. It's definitely time I returned the favor."

"Thanks, Shay," Diana said with a smile.

The comforting smile on Shayera's face quickly morphed into an amused and mischievous one. "So, you and Bruce Wayne?" Shayera questioned with apparent interest.

She was at first awarded with a blushing Diana, who turned and looked back at the picture of the two dancing. Shayera saw Diana's eyes soften when she looked upon the newspaper picture, as if reliving the moment when she was dancing in Bruce Wayne's arms.

"No, no, it's nothing like that," Diana honestly, yet hesitantly replied. "I went to a high-society gala in Paris last week after I decided to finally have a night out to explore the wonders of Man's World. Almost as soon as I walked in, I was surrounded by a group of people who were asking me numerous different questions. Truthfully, the experience left me flustered and dazed, and I was trapped right in the middle of the group."

A smile formed on Diana's face as she thought of the next part, her previous embarrassment completely forgotten. "I was trying to look for a way out, when all of a sudden a deep voice called out to me, asking for a dance. I turned around and saw a hand being held out, and without thinking I took it. The man quickly led me to the center of the dance floor, and before I knew it I was in the arms of Bruce Wayne. We danced together for some time, briefly flirting back and forth with each other, but our dance was cut short when terrorists broke into the ballroom."

Shayera waited for Diana to continue, but after a few seconds she knew that the hero had nothing more to tell. "That's it?" Shayera incredulously asked. "You just danced with him for five minutes and then you never saw him again?"

"After the terrorists broke in, I separated from Bruce to deal with them. After that, I didn't see Bruce Wayne for the rest of the night," Diana responded truthfully. Wonder Woman did not see Bruce Wayne for the rest of the night, instead she saw Batman.

"Hm," Shayera commented, placing Diana's strange word choice in the back of her mind. "So then why are you researching him?"

Diana briefly glanced back at the monitor, looking at a picture of Bruce's face. Looking into his photographed sapphire eyes—beautiful dark blue eyes she remembers gazing into when he held her in his strong arms—she knew that she could not tell Shayera the full truth. Bruce trusted her to keep his identity a secret, and she would never betray his trust. However, there was one topic that she could indulge in with Shayera, one that she was actually hoping to get answers from.

"Well…," Diana started, her gaze sheepishly falling towards the ground in order to avoid the Thanagarian's eyes, "I felt something when I was dancing in his arms. The constant pressure of being a hero of Man's World was forgotten in that small moment. It was the first time in a while I actually felt…content, like everything was just right."

Wonder Woman looked up to Shayera, noticing the stunned expression on Hawkgirl's face. A slight blush once again formed on Diana's cheeks, wondering if she revealed too much of her inner emotions to Hawkgirl. There were many different emotions raging a war inside Diana in regards to Bruce, and she wants to try and figure out what they all meant.

Hawkgirl was astonished at Diana's confession, as she deeply underestimated the profound effect that Bruce Wayne had on the Amazon Princess. In the back of her mind, Shayera knew that something was not adding up. It was truly unlike Diana to become so enamored with someone of the likes of Bruce Wayne, especially in such a short amount of time. The detective inside of Hawkgirl knew that the heroine was hiding something.

Noticing Shayera's silence, Diana became slightly worried. "Did I say something wrong?" Diana asked.

Snapping out of her small trance, Hawkgirl quickly reassured Diana. "No, no not at all. I was just surprised at how close you feel to Bruce Wayne of all people. I mean, no offense, but he doesn't seem like the type of guy that someone like you would even consider. Sure, I get he's really good-looking, but I mean looks aren't everything, Di," Shayera noted.

With a small sigh, Diana contemplated on how she could prove Shayera wrong without sounding biased. She was definitely correct that the unknowingly fake persona that Bruce portrayed to the public was not the noblest even if none of it was technically true, however Shayera and the rest of the world did not know that. However, does everyone just ignore the millions of dollars donated by Bruce himself every year to different charity organizations, or the numerous improvements he's made to Gotham City under the Wayne Family name? And that is just through his public persona. Diana wished that the world could know about how the hidden side of Bruce Wayne was truly the most honorable man she knew, sacrificing himself every night to save a city many have called hopeless. However, she knew the consequences that would occur if his identity was ever leaked, and that is something she would never do to her close friend.

"I understand his public persona is not the most virtuous, however there is so much that Bruce does to help better the people of Gotham that he never gets recognition for. Look at this article," Diana said as she motioned to an online article on the monitor, "Just last week he donated $500,000 to Gotham's Women Empowerment Organization, a group whose goal is to promote equality across all genders, especially including women. This is only just one example, too. There are hundreds of different types of ways in which Bruce has truly helped improve Gotham. Although his ethics may have to be adjusted, he is still a really good man," Diana stated, pride and affection in her voice.

Hawgirl reviewed everything that Diana said, truly in disbelief about how much Bruce Wayne did for the betterment of Gotham City with almost little to no recognition. It reminded her of a certain dark hero from Gotham City as well…

Suddenly, Shayera's eyebrows shot up under her mask in shock at that last thought. 'No… It can't be' She thought in her head. But going over everything Diana said about Bruce Wayne: his constant donations and charitable efforts with no one knowing and Diana's unexpected attraction to the billionaire (an attraction that she had only truly ever shown towards Batman), the pieces started to fit together. It also helped that Bruce Wayne seemed physically capable of being Batman. Even though his business suits or tuxedos shown in his pictures hid a good deal of his body shape, it was impossible to not notice his large frame concealed within the clothing.

However, Hawkgirl still had some doubts. Everyone knew Bruce Wayne was a complete idiot, getting drunk at parties and barely paying attention to his family's company. Someone like Batman would never do any of those things… unless it was to brilliantly throw people off of his tracks.

Shayera knew that she would have to get some additional information, and luckily for her the best source was sitting right in front of her.

"So do you actually, y'know, have feelings for Wayne?" Shayera questioned.

Diana bit her lower lip, the question Shayera asked being the one that caused her thoughts to be a jumbled mess over the past week. She could not deny the strange and unusual emotions she felt whenever she was around Bruce, and now it was time to face that unanswered question head on.

"Honestly, Shay," Diana began, hesitating briefly before she looked up towards the Thanagarian, her eyes soft with honesty and compassion, "I do have feelings for Bruce. Ever since that moment where we held each other close on the dance floor, I knew that I felt something for him, but I never knew how to truly explain it. It made me feel elated, like I was flying across the Themysciran skies. It goes against everything I was taught from my culture, but at the same time this feels like something I might want to explore. I know that Bruce doesn't have the best reputation, but he does so much good and people always take him for granted. I see the good man that he truly is, one who wants to take care of Gotham no matter the cost."

Listening to Diana talk about Bruce was all the confirmation that Shayera needed to hear. She knew Diana well, and she knew that her friend would not develop an attraction to someone she just met at a dance. It would have to be someone she deeply respected, someone she felt as if they were her equal, someone who she believed she had a connection to, and there was only one man that Hawkgirl knew who fit those characteristics.

Hawkgirl stood motionless, appearing calm and collected on the outside while secretly reeling about the information she learned on the inside. She could not believe that she figured out one of the greatest mysteries on earth.

Bruce Wayne was Batman.

Her mind was running rampant, a million thoughts flowing through her head at what this possible discovery entailed. However, she did not want Diana knowing that she unknowingly let slip about Batman's identity. Not only was Shayera confident that only someone who knew Diana as well as her could truly discern Diana's attraction to both Bruce Wayne and Batman, meaning that it was almost impossible that Diana would accidentally give up Batman's identity, but she also did not want to hurt her friend's feelings.

Shayera knew that Diana probably figured out Bruce's identity on her own, based on how she was researching information on Bruce Wayne. 'Good job, girl!' Shayera thought in her head about Diana, proud of her friend taking initiative. However, that also probably meant that Diana was committed to protecting Batman's identity, and Shayera did not want her to feel as if she had failed.

"Wow, Di. I guess you really do have it bad," Shayera commented with a smirk. Diana responded with a small smile. "Well, I'm going to head off to my quarters now. I gotta get some rest after that last mission."

"Ok, sleep bound!" Diana cheerily stated.

Shayera gave a small chuckle. "It's 'sleep tight', but thank you, Diana. I'll see you later." Shayera walked towards the elevator briskly, hoping to get back to her quarters to process everything she learned. However, right before she reached the elevator, Diana's voice caught her.

"Shayera," Diana said. Shayera turned around to look at Diana. "I just… wanted to say thank you for listening to me talk about my feelings for Bruce. You really helped me get a better understanding of these strange feelings I have for him."

"No problem," Shayera said with a small smile. "I would be careful pursuing that one though. He seems like a wild tiger." Both ladies chuckled, before Shayera finally stepped into the elevator and pressed the button to take her to the level containing the different quarters. As she watched the elevator lights change, Shayera was lost in a mindless trance, wondering how this information she learned will impact her interaction with Batman.

X X X

Several months later…

Watching from the shadows of the Batcave, Hawgirl saw Bruce and Diana briskly walk closely together as they made their way to the Batcomputer. Both were dressed in typical civilian attire, most probably in order to avoid the Thanagarian army currently searching for the Justice League at the moment.

Shayera watched in complete silence as Bruce sat down in the Batcomputer chair, typing quickly on the keyboard with Diana standing close behind him, her hand gently resting on his left shoulder.

Even with the stress Shayera knew they were both currently under, she could not help but notice how calm and relaxed the two heroes were, even with the sake of the entire world at threat. She also saw how close Diana was hovering around Bruce, noticing the small glances she would make towards him when she thought he was not looking.

Hawkgirl smiled to herself from her position behind one of the Batcave's large rocks. It was obvious that something happened between the two, and judging by Diana's reaction, it was definitely something good. She was happy that her friends seemed to be taking that next step, and she hoped that Bruce had finally realized his feelings for Diana and accepted them.

However, just as quickly as the smile appeared on Shayera's face, a small frown replaced it as she thought back to her current situation. The Justice League saw her as a traitor, and all ties were likely to be cut between them after this was all over. As wonderful as it was to learn that some progress was made between Bruce and Diana, Shayera realized that she may never find out just exactly what happened; never getting the chance to sit down with Wonder Woman in the Monitor Womb and gossip about what happened between her and Bruce, and never finding out if they have official become an item.

A single tear fell from Shayera's eye as she reflected on all she had lost within the past few days. Her closest friends, her role as earth's protector, her relationship with John…

Right before Shayera could continue her thoughts, she heard the door to the Batcave open, signaling that more League members had arrived. She hoped that all of them made it out unharmed, and she knew that she had the ability to help them and correct the mistake she made. Straightening up tall to look strong even when she was not, Hawkgirl prepared to finally confront the League and give her assistance, no matter the outcome.

The End