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Duty Calls, Chapter 4, Point of Know Return, by Kansas
Bruce's perspective…
Looking back, I still wasn't entirely sure of what had possessed me to invite Diana over to the Manor. Perhaps a little imp had mischievously taken hold on me brain, forcing me to issue the summons. I hadn't even meant to go to the Watchtower. Exhausted as I was after patrol that night, I had looked forward to nothing more than curling up in bed and rejuvenating my body with a few hours of rest. But, upon my return to the Bat-cave, Alfred had been laying in wait, determined to make sure that the Dark Knight made a proper start to his relationship with the Princess Diana. Assuming that he was handling me a mug of coffee, I had reached for the beverage, eager to undergo the jolt to my system that caffeine provided. It had, in fact, become somewhat of a tradition for Alfred to await my return with a mug of coffee, a somewhat subtle way of gauging my mood and the status of my body for that evening.
But, this time he stalled my hand, and as my other senses began to kick in, I could smell the familiar scent of caffeine, but I also detected a hint of chocolate. I looked first at Alfred in surprise, then down at the mug, only to realize that the liquid was frothy on the top. Instead of heat pouring off of the drink, it was instead rather cold.
"An iced mocha, sir. I thought that perhaps you wouldn't mind delivering it to the princess for me."
And I will admit that I was rewarded for my efforts. If I was going to receive a kiss like that for every iced mocha that I brought to Diana, I would have to make sure that Alfred could supply them in mass quantity.
But I had not intended to issue an invitation to Diana for this afternoon. I had intended simply to deliver the drink, feast my weary eyes on Diana and return to Gotham. Free afternoons were a rare commodity in my world and the most productive plan I had thus far come up with was either training or sleeping that time away, rejuvenating the spirit or rejuvenating the body.
Instead, the focus of the afternoon would be on my fledging relationship with Diana. The problem was that I not only had to get through the remaining hours until her arrival, but I also had to determine a game plan for the afternoon. What would a woman like Diana like to do with a man like me?
It wasn't as if I knew all of Diana's likes and dislikes. Although…
Moments later, I found myself in front of the computer terminal in the Bat-cave, passionately devoting my time to discovering as much information as possible about the Princess of Themyscira as I could. I had nearly two hours before her appearance at the Manor and I was determined to use that time wisely, plotting a course of action for the evening after I had ascertained more of Diana's favorites, including pastimes, foods, and whatever other information I could gather in the allotted amount of time.
While searching, I noticed that nearly an hour of time had passed since I had sat down to the computer terminal. Thus far, I had discovered patently little information about the Princess other than that she was a popular topic for the tabloids. I ascribed this information to the Princess' generous actions and uh, assets, and instead searching diligently for facts.
I paused for a moment, lost in contemplation of the woman arriving at my house in less than an hour. Breaking from my computer research, I decided instead to put my brain to good use and rediscover what I already knew about Diana.
She was a passionate woman and warrior, growing up as the daughter of the Queen of the Amazons. Her homeland, Themyscira, was thought of by many to be myth, but its locate was indeed a reality and her exile from that land had been brought about by her actions in rescuing her sisters. A rather sensitive subject and perhaps not one proper one to mention during the early stages of our relationship.
Literature and the arts were obviously an important facet of Diana's personality and personal enjoyment. Of course, Diana considered oral history to be an important tradition, mainly since what most in this world regarded as classic literature was still current to Diana. Both authors and artists were people that she had often known personally. Her knowledge of "classics" was extensive and a potential avenue for discussions in the upcoming hours, just as it had been in Paris. And perhaps I could introduce Diana to more "modern" classics like Shakespeare. I had a feeling that she would enjoy the passions and power struggles within the plays. Hamlet was a personal favorite of mine, but I could see Diana finding enjoyment in the comedies as well.
As the minutes ticked by, I quietly obsessed about what the evening might entail. So confident garbed in the Bat-regalia or as Bruce Wayne, I struggled to find the same strength and self-assurance just being Bruce.
With the social persona of Bruce Wayne, each move was scripted – flattering, flirting, and acting as a foppish self-indulgent fool. The life was simple, if utterly inane.
Batman exuded quiet strength and determination, demanding respect and never suffering fools. The self-mastery was complete and little softness or simplicity leaked into my life in the darkness. The life was simple - win and stay alive.
But simply being Bruce was a change of pace that I almost never exercised, if nothing else than because it was the most difficult. For so many years, I had put away that part of myself, focusing on vengeance, on the darkness, on becoming the inner Batman and the outer Bruce Wayne. There was little room for Bruce between those two dynamic and self-absorbed personalities.
Alfred was one of the few who had seen just Bruce, who remembered when it was just me, a child with no complications in his life other than how to convince his parents to attend a movie for his birthday. These days, Alfred saw me when I returned home in the evenings, exhausted and hurt; Alfred saw me being totally incapable of cooking a meal or running the washing machine without a major calamity on my hands; and Alfred saw me cope with the loss of my parents and the life that I had once known.
And now, Diana would see me without each of the masks – the social one and the cowl.
I honestly wondered what she would think of just me. I wasn't a man who was going to be there for her whenever she needed me, a man to drop everything and come to her aid. But I also had a sneaking suspicion that Diana was not a woman who needed a man, particular for any sort of aid. The woman had an unparalleled way of handling villains.
We would muddle through this together – I wasn't used to just being me around a woman and Diana just plain wasn't used to men. Suddenly realizing that I would be the experienced one in this relationship brought a small smile to my face, quickly followed by a panicky shudder. In some areas, the thought of being the only experienced one was thrilling, but in the simple, everyday parts of a relationship, the thought utterly terrified me, a not-so-easily accomplished feat.
I was uncomfortable with emotions and often unable to express myself and that lack of communication usually led to disaster within a relationship. Now, suddenly, I was the one with the experience and the only real experience I had was utter and complete disappointment. I resolved to start this relationship with a clean slate, comprising of only Diana and myself, even in terms of experience. The tension started to ease out from my neck and shoulders, allowing me a brief respite before the doubts started to creep into my mind again.
I still did not have any idea of what to do tonight and the minutes were ticking away, each second pounding into my brain that this had been a bad idea, a poor choice of judgment.
Of course, there was still time to cancel.
I returned to my deliberation of what I knew about Diana – I knew that once my brain was occupied the doubts would be frozen, unable to rise in the midst of my thoughts.
With only a few minutes to spare until Diana's arrival, I heard the purposeful sound of footsteps echoing through the cave and turned to its source, hoping that he could reassure me with his inevitable words of wisdom as I embarked on this relationship and this afternoon with Diana.
"Good afternoon, Alfred," I stated calmly, trying to put more assurance into my tone and my body language than I actually felt in my heart. One look at my staunch butler helped to bolster my spirits – he looked implacable as always and nothing could have infused my spine with steel more than that sight.
"Master Bruce, I had taken the liberty of preparing a late picnic luncheon for you and the princess to enjoy this afternoon. It's a beautiful day and it would do both of you good to get out of this drafty mansion and into the sunshine."
A picnic sounded simple enough, especially since it had already been prepared for us. And the grounds were certainly secure enough to make sure that our relationship stayed a secret even if we ventured outside the house and onto the grounds. Diana would surely appreciate the gesture and the chance to get outdoors and relax. Her room on the Watchtower didn't exactly have a view rivaling the lush beauty of Themyscira and Diana had spent much of her formative and recent years in the out of doors, training, relaxing, and enjoying.
I knew there was a reason that I continued to pay Alfred's salary without complaint.
Looking around quickly for the time, I realized that Diana was due to arrive at any moment. I swiftly closed all open searches on the computer, not wanting the princess to see that I had been researching her during the hours of the afternoon, awaiting her arrival. The nerves returned, even with Alfred's presence, and I unknowingly began to rub my thumbs deep into my palms, trying desperately to placate the tension invading my limbs and to keep my attention off the clock.
A hand found its way heavily onto my shoulder, giving it a squeeze before letting it rest lightly just above my collar bone, silently giving me his quiet form of support.
I heard the sound of an arrival on the transporter, took a deep breath, and lifted my eyes off the floor of the bat-cave and onto the stunning form of the Amazonian Princess...
Any suggestions for what they can do during their date? I'm debating between just hanging out and talking or maybe horseback riding (which I know nothing about) – something quiet and intimate but definitely still on a first date status. Any suggestions from the crowd?
And for those of you wondering, the name of the Chapter is spelled correctly, according to the song, so just think of this one instead (Point of No Return, Phantom of the Opera). Me, right now, I'm going with Kansas. Can't help it.
