She had been coming quite a lot lately

That calling it a daily occurrence would be a major understatement

I utter to myself as I was typing some coordinates in the batcomputer. After that whole fiasco with Mr. Freeze, I'm not taking any more chances

I could've done this a whole lot faster last month, or last week, even yesterday

If it wasn't for a certain Amazon coming over every day to keep my mind off things, then I probably would've been way more productive

And how can I forget that we had planned to go fishing tomorrow, which means I officially have no time to finish this the next day

Suddenly, a beep from the speakers caught my attention, It was Alfred

"Sire, I'd be happy to let you know that you'll be having a guest tonight"

I heaved out a sigh upon hearing this. As if a mere big distraction wasn't enough, now I have to tend some people

"Cancel it Alfred, I'm quite in the middle of something here" I responded

"But sire, you might want to take this certain individual seriously" Alfred spoke through the speaker

I was on the point on muting the speaker at this point if it wasn't for my utmost respect for my butler, then I would've done it sooner

"Who the hell is it?"

"Vicki Vale, sire"

My eyes suddenly widened on the spot upon hearing that name. She's Gotham's most prominent reporter that has quite the connection to the whole industry itself

Declining her would certainly add more suspicions for sure. My alter ego had been quite in turmoil lately due to a certain suspicion that led me to be the main interest.

Hopefully Lucius isn't as stressed as he is nowadays, and now this. I remember him mentioning how reporters would bombard the company everyday in quest of asking some crucial questions

And now they found me also, the main proprietor of it all. Either ways, I can't let the suspicions grow any more further

And so I stood up to my feet and stretched every muscle in my back after a whole 3 hours of sitting. I fell down to the floor to give some pushups to arch my back and biceps that had been quite tense

I have to make this quick as possible if I want to finish the investigation that I was doing. As I finished my last rep, I stood back up and spoke through the communicator

"I'll be right there, Alfred"

xXx

"You're looking well today, Bruce"

"Likewise, Vicki.."

And there she was, the woman who was the power to make all Gotham squirm with information, false or not

Also the woman who had been lingering on my affairs lately with the whole Batman fiasco

"I presume you were doing your company work?"

"You have no idea" I responded sarcastically

"Oh… I see"

I could see Alfred giving me a look of disdain from afar. He could've noticed a blunder of some sort that I barely did

Vicki adjusted her nice wool brown waistcoat tucking inside her white dress shirt. Her cleavage was almost showing with three buttons down under

What is she trying to do? She barely shows skin like this in TV or in public

If only I could ask her straight on, but that would seem rude to almost anyone. I have to make this as subtle as possible to not cause any more hints whatsoever

"So Bruce, how's life?" she asked with a smile

A sarcastic response came to my mind but was filtered out by the need of compliance with the situation. And so I responded with the most well mannered "Bruce Wayne" response that I could give

"Never better Vick, there had been quite mishaps going around lately but it's no big deal"

"That's good to know Bruce" she responded

Alfred then comes in the scene with the usher board containing the teapot and a few cups. He served the cups first before pouring the tea on both sides. Before leaving, Alfred gave me a quick nod which I responded a nod of my own

Vicki then took a sip of the tea, her well black painted lips were rubbing through the nice white porcelains of the cup which seemed in a slow motion manner.

I couldn't believe I could notice such things like this; my overly observant skills definitely had some cons after all

Either ways, I had to start a conversation

"New lipstick color?" I asked suddenly

Nice going Wayne. Of all topics that you could bring up, you chose a more delicate one

Vicki giggled in response as she caressed her lips.

"You like it? It's the new release of the autumn collection of the year"

"Yeah… they're cool"

"You like them Bruce? I'd start wearing them more if that's what you like" She uttered with a feint blush on her cheeks

"You wear whatever you want Vick. Do it for yourself, not for some man"

"What if I'm doing it for both reasons?" she added in a more playful manner

"Well then good for you" I responded

I immediately took a sip of my tea to alleviate the situation. Such mood is turning more and more perilous as more seconds go by.

"So, let us start the interview" Vicki stated with enthusiasm

I gulped to myself upon hearing this. This is it, a whole hour of "asking".

Of course this won't be an interview, that's just the sweetener version of the whole thing

This is gonna be an interrogation.

"So first things first, how's the love life of Gotham's most eligible bachelor?"

A question that I didn't expect whatsoever

"Excuse me?"

She gave me a look of playfulness upon hearing this

"Is this necessary for the company?" I asked

"But of course Bruce. Your stakeholders would want to know the story behind the CEO of Wayne Enterprises" She responded

"What stories?"

"Everything about him, status, lovelife, views…." She stated

"and secrets…"

A sudden realization came to me when I heard her last bit, I almost forgot what I was supposed to do in this situation.

Reading it would probably mean she's gonna intercept some strings to make me admit about some secret or something, which would lead to the conclusion and add more fuel to the fire with me as the main interest of the suspicion

Aha, she's good. But I'm not falling for that

"To answer your question Miss Vale, No, I'm currently single" I responded

Vicki's eyes grew narrow upon hearing this as her lips curves into a full smile

"So that means Bruce remains to be undefeated when it comes to the title of the bachelor" She uttered

"I guess…" I hesitantly responded

"May I ask why?"

Here it comes, the whole barrage of personal questions that If I would avoid could cause more suspicions. I'm a sitting duck right now and the pond is distant.

"I uhh…"

Somehow I needed to come up with something, anything that would be a good excuse. Why haven't I been that sociable lately? Why my interests haven't been as primal as before? Why….

All of a sudden, a sound of a doorbell lingers through the manor.

We have a guest

Vicki's was distracted by this as she gazed outside

"You have another guest?" she asked me

"They come unannounced these days.." I responded in a defeated tone

A simple hypothesis is enough to make wonders, especially in theories themselves. With all the possible outcomes in this situation, I could say without even using cognitive thinking that I might have an idea who this "Guest" is

And so I stood up to my feet and excused myself for a minute. I immediately went to Alfred in the kitchen

"Should I still inform you who our guest is, sire?"Alfred asked

"It's pretty obvious at this point, don't you think?" I responded

"Well what do you want do?"

I was deep into my thoughts upon hearing this. Vale seeing Diana would definitely stir up more suspicion for sure since everyone knows that Wonder Woman and Batman are teammates in the league

And so a brilliant plan came to me, but in involved a pawn sacrifice…

My gaze then turned to Alfred drying the plates in the sink area

xXx

"Took you long enough, were you busy or something?" Diana yelled as she was sitting freely on the chair in front of the batcomputer.

She had been that comfortable in the batcave lately that it feels normal now. For some reason, I don't really mind having her here…

It was… until this certain dilemma that I'm currently facing right now.

I managed to convince Alfred to distract Vicki for a few minutes so that I can convince Diana to go home for now

Diana was currently spinning in circles on the chair with a big smile on her face. She was wearing a nice sky blue dress shirt that goes along her loose sky blue jeans.

This had been a daily occurrence as of lately. She'd ring the doorbell in the front door then use the batcave entrance afterwards

What do you expect from a childish Amazon who spends almost all of his team lingering at my place…

Anyways, I have to cast her off now before the situation gets worse

"Diana, its uhh good to see you" I uttered with a nervous laugh

She casted me a side-eye glance that appeared to be an unamused look

"You rarely greet me that way, Bruce. Is something up?"

"No no no, I just wanted to be kind and nice today to my dear friend" I responded with a nervous smile

Diana then stood up from the chair and rested her hands on her hips. Her eyes grew narrow as they focused on mine solely

"Yeah, something is definitely suspicious Bruce" She uttered defiantly

Of course, it would come to this. Good thing I planned things beforehand. That's prep time for you

I let out a series of cough which caused a sudden shift onto Diana's expression. I coughed even harder, making it seem believable

"I'm sorry princess but…. I have a fever going on. You might want to go home for now or you'd get the sickness"

She came up closer to me and placed her forehead unto mine with her eyes closed. Seeing her up this close is causing some kind of feeling inside of me especially with her lips that close. Just a few inches and we probably might k…

"Liar, you don't have a fever Bruce" She uttered in a slightly annoyed voice

I was too flustered to even utter a word after that. I was just staring at her like a little curious kid at a church gathering

"You're hiding something from me, aren't you?" She reprimanded with her eyes squinted

I let out a big sigh realizing my feeble plan didn't work, but since it had come to this. I better pull out my A game

"Diana, there's something you should know"

"You have a guest upstairs, don't you?" Diana interrupted

I was halted at the spot upon hearing that. There is no way she found out about it

"What?" I responded "I don't understand."

"Sure you don't, Bruce." she responded with the same teasing glare

It was the same glare that she would give me whenever her suspicion would rise at an all time high. Also the "I can see through your B.S" glare

"Say, how about we play a little game?" she suggested out of nowhere

" A game?"

"Yeah, if you win, then I'd go home for now." She responded

"really? I mean okay" I responded

"What game?"

"Hide and seek" she answered with a smile

"And you're gonna be the it"

"Why me?"

"Because you are the world's greatest detective, surely you'd be able to find me" she responded playfully

"What are you getting at, princess?"

"Take it or leave it, Bruce" she uttered "or you're spending the entire evening with me"

A sudden beep from the communicator tucked in my ear caught my attention, it was Alfred

"Sire, I'm afraid I can't quite continue with this debacle. Perhaps, you should return here before she gets suspicious"

Great, I'm all out of options

This is the only way I could use right now, or else everything would flourish into a full disaster.

And so I agreed into her little childish game

"Alright Diana, I'll count to 30 and hide somewhere"

"You wont cheat and take a peek?"

"I wont."

"You Promise?" she asked slowly

"Promise" I responded

"Okay" she stated in a joyous manner

And so I leaned my arm in a wall to cover my eyes. I slowly counted all the way from 1 to 30 in hopes of finishing this as quickly as possible

It had been quite such a long time since I played this game, and it honestly feels nostalgic in a way

"27, 28, 29 and 30!"

I yelled out loud as I pulled my head and dragged my arm back. I scanned the whole room to look for clues which seemed oddly limited

The place was all the same, as if nothing had changed. This left me no choice but to use one of my tactics with the footsteps flashlight on my utility belt.

Flashing the floor, I noticed a series of footsteps leading to the…

Shit!

xXx

(POV SWITCH)

"And that Miss Vale, is a young 6 year old sire"

Alfred narrated as he showed Vicki through the series of portraits on the wall of Bruce's childhood through his early years

Vicki was in awe upon seeing how cute and adorable Bruce looked as a toddler back then

"He was such an adorable boy back then. Now he's all chiseled, handsome and tall"

"hah, you should see my pictures then, Miss Vale" Alfred jested

Suddenly, a huge banging sound coming from the hall caught their attention. Vicki turned to the direction with a worried expression on her face

"Is everything okay?" She asked

"Was that Bruce?"

"Oh don't bother, it's probably just sire and his clumsy tendencies" Alfred bluffed with a slight chuckle

"Is that so?" Vicki asked in a worried manner

"I hope he's not injured or something"

"Hah, in my whole service in the Wayne household, do believe me that this happens most especially frequently and he usually comes out unscathed"

"If you say so Alfred…" Vicki responded slowly

She then shifts her attention back to the British Butler with a smile on her face

"Tell me more about Bruce as a child" she utters joyously

Meanwhile, A certain Amazon is pinned down by Bruce with her mouth kept shut by his hand, keeping her silent. They hid behind the wall just under the staircase to avoid being seen

Diana was defiant all throughout but Bruce persisted on doing so. Vicki must never hear or even suspect of Diana being here or else

Suddenly, he felt something bite his thumb which he reacted with a groan. He pulled away immediately and noticed a red bite mark in it.

"You bit me?" he asked

"I couldn't breathe, what was I supposed to do?"

"You could've just told me"

"With my mouth sealed?"

"Oh right right, of course…" he responded

And so he stood up and offered his hand for Diana to take. Diana took it eagerly as she casted him an unimpressed look

"What are you trying so hard to hide for me not to see, Bruce?" she asked

Bruce heaved out a sigh as he turned to her

"Our guest currently is a prominent reporter of Gotham, her name is Vicki Vale. If for some reason she found out that me and you are on close terms, this would stir up to the ongoing suspicion that I am indeed Batman"

Diana's eyes widened upon hearing this

"I guess you do have a point there"

Bruce turned away to inspect if whether Vale was there to witness, and luckily she wasn't. That loud sound would surely attract attention but Alfred was there probably to take one for the team

"Vicki Vale huh…" Diana uttered

"Are you in good terms with this woman, Bruce?"

"She's a very popular reporter in Gotham which basically holds the city in terms of information, She could say the most outlandish things and the people would somehow still believe" Bruce explained

"That's how both dangerous and powerful she is"

"I see.." Diana murmured "I didn't know, I shouldn't have come here today then."

"Don't worry about it" he responded

"If I knew better, I would've left you and that Vale woman alone this evening…"

Bruce was too focused on scanning the surroundings to hear what Diana had just murmured afterwards

"Head back to the Batcave, this won't take long." He stated as he turned to her

Diana was feeling bitter of this but she nodded anyways. She didn't want to cause any more trouble for Bruce with the dilemma that he is going through

And so, Bruce slowly walked away towards the living room where Alfred and Vicki is currently at while Diana watches from a distance. A sharp feeling of bitterness came though her upon realizing that Bruce is about to spend an evening with a woman

Gloom filled her expression as she turned her heel towards the secret entrance back to the batcave. A mix of anger, resentment and envy filled her emotions as she imagined Bruce having fun with an another woman

If this went on, perhaps this Vale woman is finally the one that will fill the void in his heart after all those years of agony and despair

She wanted nothing but happiness for her dear friend, but she'd be lying to herself if she accepted just any woman to fill that role instead of her

And so she couldn't take it anymore, she turned around and waltzed into the living room where they sat. She could hear a feint effeminate voice echoing on the hallway as she slowly made her way.

Upon finally reaching so, she hid herself behind a wall to avoid being seen. Despite her emotions flailing through, she understood that acting fully on her whim would cause a whole lot of trouble for Bruce

Diana leaned on the wall as she fell to the ground with her arms embracing her knees. She was patiently listening to their conversation from afar

She took a quick glance on what she looked like, and like what she expected, a drop dead gorgeous lady that could charm Bruce at any moment grasped her vision

She was giggling feintly while Bruce was talking to him. They were having a good time together without a care in the world

Her focus shifts unto Bruce as she noticed that he had a smile that she would rarely see. It seemed as if he was truly enjoying with her company

A sudden sharp jolt came through Diana's chest upon seeing this. He never was this jolly when he was with her and seeing him like this fully explains it all

"Perhaps… I'm just not good enough for him" she thought to herself

Her eyes were suddenly moist, as she watches them from a distance. Bruce seemed happier with her and there's nothing that she could do about it but be happy for her dear…

"Dear friend, that's just what you are to me Bruce" she whispered to himself as she slowly rubbed her eyes

A feeling of resentment filled through her especially knowing full well that she was indeed lying to herself

"I'm sure you also think the same"

Their conversation was definitely interesting from start to finish; It consisted of everything that Bruce Wayne himself wanted, Fancy cars, lavish lifestyle, Travelling and everything about that any billionaire would want

Suddenly, their conversation took a direct turn

"So Bruce…" Vicki stated

"You know that premiere of the new Hollywood blockbuster movie?"

"I don't really keep cahoots with the industry but please do tell me" he responded

Vicki lets out a giggle upon hearing this

"What kind of rock have you been living in, anyways the premiere is gonna be tomorrow afternoon and I might need a date…"

"So are you free?"

Before he can even respond, Diana stood to herself and ran away. Teardrops flowing from behind that left marks on the floor as she continued to run

For some reason, Bruce seemed to notice something out of nowhere that was surreal. It was as if he had done something atrocious

However Vicki was still anticipating for his answer

"So Bruce?"

Bruce returns to his senses upon hearing her

"Oh yeah, whats up?"

"The premiere?" she responded

"Oh what about it?"

Vicki gave him an unamused expression as response. Bruce took notice of this and immediately dodged the bullet

"Oh yeah…" Bruce muttered

"About that Vicki…"

xXx

(POV SWITCH)

What a tiring day it was

As if dealing with Gotham's best menaces wasn't enough, now I have a professional interrogator to deal with

But at least it was all over. I managed to make her think that there is no way I could be the same man that goes on patrol every night, hunting for criminals to beat up

Now that's gotten out of the way, I still have another menace at hand to deal with

I wouldn't really consider her a menace, more like an annoying distraction

As I made my way to the footsteps of the batcave, I noticed that she was nowhere to be found. Most of the time she would be spinning round and round on the seat of the batcomputer

But for some peculiar reason, she wasn't here

On the corner of my eye, I spotted Diana sitting silently on the table from afar. She was rubbing her eyes for some reason

I made my way to her to ask her about it. She was surprisingly calm this time

"Did you eat a legendary fruit or something?" I asked

"oh Bruce, I umm didn't see you there…" she muttered

"You alright?" I asked "You seem shaken about something"

"I'm perfectly fine" she responded with a smile

Diana then sniffled through her runny nose. She had reddish eyes, as if she was crying or something

Something definitely happened while I was away

"Diana, what happened?" I asked

"Did you see a rat or something?"

She giggled by my jest somehow, but I can tell from her voice that something is bothering her

I decided to be more sincere about it now, I hate seeing her like this. I want to help and support her as much as I can do

I leaned in closer to look her in the eyes, and as I thought, remnants of tears were formed on her long eyelashes

"Diana, what's wrong?" I asked sincerely this time, gently caressing her hand

"Whatever it is, I'll do my best to help"

"Bruce…" She stuttered

Her tears now were flowing down her cheeks like waterfall. Now I understand that she was doing her hardest on holding it back earlier

Without hesitation, I reached out for her and wrapped her body in a tight embrace close to mine. We had been in this situation a countless of times before that it became an initiative to me on how to tend to her at a state like this

"There there Diana, I'm here…" I slowly whispered "I'm not going anywhere, I'm here for you"

"No you're not" she responded as she broke free of my hold

"Diana…"

"Just don't mind me, Bruce. It's probably just my phase" she responded

"Why don't you go back to that Vicki girl that you were so happy talking with instead…"

I was surprised when I heard this, Vicki Vale?

"What does she have to do with anything?" I asked

"I'm leaving for now, Bruce…" She responded in a gloomy way as she started walking towards the exit

"Have fun with her tomorrow…"

Diana is getting way too emotional about something that I don't even know anything about. but if there is something that I learned with her Mother

It is that the best way of taking care of an Amazon is patience

And so I sat by my chair and watched her leave

But halfway to the exit, she stopped all of a sudden. She slowly turned her head to me and she has now a big pout on her face

"Why didn't you stop me!?"

I knew it.

She waltzed her way back towards me with a series of stomps, as if like a little girl's tantrum or something

Queen Hippolyta was definitely right about everything.

It turns out Amazons get very childish when they get emotional, and so they crave for attention more so than usual

Feeding though their façade will spoil them for sure, so the best way is to just let them be for a few hours or even days

But in this case, it didn't even take a minute before Diana broke character

Upon finally reaching me, she rested her hands on her hips as she gave me a growl with her eyebrows furrowed to each other

"You were supposed to go after me"

"Don't wanna." I responded flatly

She grew even more mad with my response. As if I could see steam coming out of her ear

"FINE! I'm really leaving this time" She declared as she marched back towards the exit

And just like before, she stopped midway and turned to me. Upon realizing that I wasn't even moving a muscle, she finally lost it

"HERA BRUCE, WHY ARE YOU ACTING LIKE YOU DON'T EVEN CARE!"

I didn't respond. Rule number two of Hippolyta's steps on how to tend an Amazon throwing a tantrum is to just let them be. They'd calm down after a few minutes or so

And so Diana went on an outburst about things that doesn't even make sense. Somehow, I was entertained with how worked up Diana is getting with this

After a minute and a half, she finally calmed down. She was embarrassed all over upon coming back to her senses and realizing everything on a clear mind

"I'm sorry Bruce, I couldn't help it…" She stated slowly

"I know" I responded with a smirk

"Queen Hippolyta taught me how to deal with your tantrums"

"Mother?"

Now that I can confirm that she had finally calmed down, perhaps now she can be more open about her feelings

"Diana, what's wrong?" I asked sincerely

She was fidgeting all over, clearly trying to hold back something. But I can tell that despite her childish demeanor, she was still hurting inside

"Well, I figured I would cause even more trouble if I stayed, so I wanted to leave" Diana muttered in response

"Besides, you seemed to busy with that Vale lady.."

I breathed out a sigh upon hearing this. There is no way she got all worked up over such a silly reason

I chopped the top of her head gently as she looked at me with a surprised face

"You do know I was just doing that so she won't have suspicions right?"

"yeah but…" I muttered "you seemed very interested in the conversation and such"

I scratched my head after listening to her claims. There is no way this is true

"Seriously Diana, you were all teary eyed for that?" I responded with a feint chuckle

"You really think I would be interested in those things?" I added

She slowly nodded in response

"I figured you'd be more inclined on getting along with her that you won't have time for me…"

"Diana, look at me" I interrupted immediately

I gripped her shoulders with my hands which forced her to look at me. I was now looking at her eyes which still lingers of the tears from earlier, making her sapphire eyes glimmer from weak light of the batcomputer

"I don't care about any of those things, I thought you'd know me better by now" I uttered "You know what I care about though?"

"What?" she asked

"Fishing." I answered with a smile

She was stunned upon hearing me, but I can tell that she was getting a little bit giddy inside

It didn't take too long before her expression turned into a happier one as a big smile formed on her lips.

"You remembered!" she yelled

"Of course I do" I responded "we're gonna go fishing tomorrow, right?"

Diana was red all over, it even reached to her ears.

"Wait, but what about Vicki?" she asked "aren't you gonna come with her at the premiere?"

"No I wont" I responded sharply

"You turned her down?"

"Of course I did, I promised I would go with you already"

"But why not Bruce, I mean she's beautiful, popular and well spoken. You would surely have a nice time with her"

"Oh really, I can just call her right now and say that we can…"

All of a sudden, her hand gripped my arm that kept it from moving. She's gripping it rather very tight

"No, Bruce please don't…" She slowly uttered as she looked at me in such a sad look that could melt almost anyone on the spot

"Why can't you just be honest to yourself, Diana?" I asked

"It would be better for you to just state what's really on your mind"

Diana was facing the floor for a few seconds to hide her embarrassment, and as she raised her head, she had a more rather stubborn look on her face

"I don't want you to go out with her…" Diana slowly muttered

"I want to catch fishes with you tomorrow."

"Now finally you became honest with yourself huh?"

She nodded in response still refusing to look me in the eyes

Now that's all settled with, she seemed okay now I guess. And so the last step of Hippolyta's "How to tend to an Amazon" is to bribe her with food. Amazons become very hungry after having a tantrum

"Anyways, wanna have dinner here?" I asked slowly

Diana's eyes gleamed as expected as she shook my hand rapidly. I could tell that she was just as hungry as I am

And so we went to the kitchen where Alfred is preparing the mushroom soup and risotto.

She now had a smile on her face which seemed more genuine now. It's hard to believe that she was all emotional just earlier

And now she's back to her normal self

I closed my eyes on this notion with a smile on my face. After a whole evening of trouble, relief finally came unto me

All of a sudden, I felt a touch on my shoulder

I opened my eyes and when I turned to the direction

My cheeks were pointed by Diana's finger with a big smirk on her face

She then ran to the hallway as if we were playing tag or something

"First one to the dinner table gets to have the bigger fishing rod tomorrow!" she yelled out loud while sprinting

A feint chuckled escaped through my mouth as I was watching her run. It was exactly just like what Queen Hippolyta had told me

Diana may seem frightening and intimidating at first glance, but she is actually just a little girl at heart who wants to have some fun. And she only shows this side to the people she really fully trusts

I am honored to be one of those people, and I knew what I signed up for when I became her partner.

Not just a partner, but also a guardian in times when she would go on her whims rather than act cognitively

She doesn't really have that much experience with society as of yet, and so she is still having troubles adjusting to it

Queen Hippolyta had trusted me with that responsibility and I will comply until Diana fully develops into a proud Amazon who can handle things without me guiding her…

Without me huh…

"BRUCE! I'm almost at the dinner table" she yelled out

I smiled to myself upon watching her wave at me from afar

Still as childish as ever, it feels like I'm babysitting at this point

That's Diana for you,

But it is the responsibility that I eagerly accepted which her Mother had entrusted to me

As if the night wasn't eventful enough…

But spending each day with an Amazon like Diana ought to make everything eventful, that's for sure

Which includes doing my best to decipher her sudden mood swings, like what happened this evening

If I can put it to words, I'd say it is the Sudden Melancholy of Diana