It has been a while...(anyone still reading this?)

Anyway, I'm back on this story. Thanks to those who are still following and welcome to the new readers ^^"

Please enjoy :)


The Knight and the Amazon

7

Something was odd this morning, Bruce noted as he watched Diana watched Alfred make his pancakes. She wasn't aggressive or acting stubborn. She wasn't blatantly opposing him.

She was actually…nice to him. And it threw him off his game.

He had found her the previous night in the living room, curled on the floor, holding the pseudo armor and her face bathed in tears. He had carried her back to bed, still wearing the suit. The look she had sent him –upset, scared, lost and more surprisingly trusting –had hardened his resolve to do whatever it took to find out what happened to her. And since then, she hadn't tried to outright oppose to him or annoy him. She had even smiled at him.

Bruce had reviewed the recording tapes to make sure nothing had interfered during the night to provoke such a shift in her behavior. Alfred eventually suggested that while he was not the easiest man to live with, she might have just been reacting to a softer side that he rarely showed anyone else. That bothered him more than he let on.

He knew he acted differently with her. He knew she was growing on him as she found her marks in the manor, as she slowly remembered who she was. He didn't think she was an alien, perhaps belonging to a tribe of metahumans living apart from society, but not an alien. And when he looked at her…his senses heightened, his concentration wavered and all he could focus on was her. She was innocent and beautiful. She was nearly invulnerable, strong and skilled. And when she smiled, the world brightened. Alfred and Dick would tease him for being distracted. Bruce found himself worried about this.

And he still didn't understand why he hadn't called upon the Justice League to help him delve on the matter. Surely Jon could make a more advance examination on her. Clark could test her capacities better. And Lantern might have some insight about where she came from.

But his guts, those annoying guts, told him not to tell them, not now. For the past few days, he had been under the feeling something wasn't right at the watchtower. Oh, the boyscout was still the boyscout, J'onn was still acclimating to earth, Shayera and John still dancing around each other and Flash being his damn annoying self. But he couldn't shake the feeling something big was coming up, from the inside. And Diana was most likely as powerful as Clark. Having an ace in his sleeve would be an advantage, if things turned sour.

Someone tapped on his shoulder. He lifted his eyes, met Diana's sparkling blue ones as she offered him a pancake. Given the odd shape and the way she offered it to him, she must have done it herself. Another act of kindness that nearly had him twitching in suspicion.

"Thank you," he said. Diana beamed, offered another to Dick, who laughed at the deflated form but accepted it with a smile.

He ate without complaint –though it did feel a bit too sugary for his taste – and returned to his thoughts. He hadn't participated in the late League meeting, having spent his time investigating the column of light Diana came from. After the display of magic of the previous day, he doubted he would be able to find a real answer. Bruce glanced at the wall supporting the clock. Eight fifteen. He really needed to get going.

"I'll be back around five," he announced. "Feel free to roam over the place. And don't do anything stupid."

Diana pouted. Dick winked. Bruce left, wondering if this was how a normal family life felt like. He'd be the father, Dick would be the son, Alfred the grandfather, Diana his…

Don't go there, his brain interrupted him. The poor woman had only been with them for three days. He didn't know her well enough to contemplate a relationship with her.

He just wished it wasn't so easy to do so.

TKATA

"'Let me talk', you said?" Artemis grumbled, her arms crossed and glaring at her sister. Donna looked promptly chastened with her head low and guilty expression.

"In my defense, I haven't been in Man's World for over a decade," she replied sheepishly. "I didn't think the city would expand so much."

It didn't occur to the youngest Amazon that she had no idea where to start looking until they finally arrived in the city. 'Barda', while being an uncommon name, might have changed it to mingle easier in the crowd. Diana had given her very little details of her whereabouts. Donna had first tried finding a phonebook, then had asked help to search on this wonderful thing called the internet. That was when she found an article about 'Big Barda', an outside member of the 'Justice League'. The most logical step would have been to contact them. Unfortunately, the police officer told them that they could not be reached with a phone call, and would only show up if mayhem was ongoing.

So Artemis, being the impatient Amazon general she was, slammed her hand on the front desk hard enough to crack it in two. The officer behind said desk warned her –perhaps a little too harshly –to keep her calm. Donna tried to diplomatically solve things. Artemis was not a diplomat and took the matter in her own hands, literally. Reinforcements arrived. The two Amazons took down the thirty officers on their own before one of the rookies called the watchtower in panic. Happy coincidence, Big Barda was on duty not too far away. Unfortunately, she attacked before asking questions.

And after another epic fight between the former Captain of Darkseid's guards and the General of the Amazons that ended with Barda stuck in a tree and Artemis stuck under Barda's spear, Donna somehow managed to explain that they had come in New York to talk to her so could they please stop brawling as if they were in a pub or something?

"And it didn't occur to you to ask Diana more details before coming to find me?" Barda questioned from the front seat. She had put back her civilian clothes and bought two jackets to cover Donna and Artemis' Amazonian outfits. And now, she was driving them away from the city and into her home for a more private setting.

"Diana is missing," Donna repeated, more strongly this time. "That's why we came to you."

The former Captain cursed under her breath.

"What makes you think I have the resources to help? Or even the want to help?"

"She said you owed her after Metropolis."

Another muttered curse. Barda pulled to the side and stopped the car. Donna and Artemis exchanged a glance, wondering what would occur next.

"Fine," she grunted. "Once we are home, you will give me all the details, and I mean, all of them. I might know someone who can help, but if we can avoid bringing him on the case, I'd be very happy."

"A man?" the redhead grumbled reluctantly. In the rearview, Barda rolled her eyes.

"A coworker. A broody bastard who is far too good at what he does. Unfortunately he is far too taken with his city to be here full time, so I'm not sure when I'll get to him."

Artemis huffed.

"It's not like we actually need a man to accomplish our duty."

Barda glared at her.

"Try to remember you are not on Paradise Island, but Man's World," she hissed. "And don't worry; no-one wants to pair up with the Batman for too long."

TKATA

She wasn't on an island this time, but in her bedroom in Wayne Manor. Bruce was carrying her again, not unlike the previous evening where he had found her downstairs. He laid her on the bed, but this time, instead of leaving, sat on the mattress next to her.

"You will be fine," he said softly. "Wherever you came from, you're safe here."

His intense eyes were devouring her and Diana felt a shiver run down her spine. His hand suddenly cupped her cheek, brought her closer and-

"By Hera and Aphrodite! Diana, what in Tartarus?!"

Bruce suddenly vanished, leaving her alone and back on the deserted beach. She turned her head on her side to glare at the shadow lurking in the corner. It had taken a more human shape. The colors were dimmed by the darkness, but she thought she could distinguish some touch of dark red and tanned skin. The voice had also sounded female, so she assumed her disruptor was a woman.

"Stop invading my dreams," she ordered darkly. "Or you will not enjoy the consequences."

The shadow seemed to flinch slightly, but it still went on.

"We need to talk," it said instead. Diana glared. "We need to know where you are."

"What do you want with me?" she snapped coldly.

"You have to come home, Diana. The Queen is dead, the gods won't answer our prayers. You are our only hope."

She bristled as an uncomfortable shiver ran down her spine.

"Who are you? Why should I trust you?"

Only then she realized she had been talking. She couldn't speak to Bruce, but she could to this shadow? How come? Was the witch's magic finally fading? Was her injury finally healed?

"We are connected, Diana. You gave me a piece of your soul when you saved me. And you were taken from us after you ended the war."

The war? What war? she wanted to ask. But then, as if summoned by her mind, the landscape of fire and dead bodies suddenly appeared, swallowing her like a nightmarish vision. She was once again in her armor, holding the sword and the shield. When she raised her head, the shadow was shifting form, slowly turning more…womanly.

"You are remembering!" it said, the feminine tone was even more accentuated. Bare legs began to show, bare arms appeared in the glaring light. A purple leotard covered with an ancient-looking armor came to life. "Diana you are-"

"Diana!"

She snapped her eyes open. She had fallen asleep on the couch again, napping after one of Alfred's numerous (and delicious) lunches. Dick's worried face was far too close for comfort. She stood frozen for a few moments, slowly returning to reality.

"You okay?" he asked. "You looked like you were having a nightmare."

I'm fine, she wanted to say –tried to say –but her voice would stubbornly not return. With an exasperated growl, she grabbed the notepad and wrote the words. Dick sat on the floor now to be at her eye level. He read the words, frowned.

"Allow me to doubt that," he said. "You were making weird sounds."

Diana briefly remembered the beginning of her dream, and flushed red. The unexpected proximity with Bruce caught her off guard, and had distracted her from truly taking in account the second part of her dream. She still clearly remembered the shadow –the woman –saying they had a bond. And the implications –she didn't like the implications. So she had been taken after a war ended. A war that, according to the few pieces of memories that tended to surface in her sleep, she had a crucial role in winning.

"Wanna talk about it? I bet I'm a better listener than Bruce."

Dick's voice startled her out of her thoughts. She considered his offer for a moment. Upon waking up, her first instinct had been to refuse to do anything with men. These instincts clearly hadn't come out of nowhere, but in the few days she had lived with them, her guard had lowered. Bruce, Dick and Alfred had shown nothing but concern for her welfare. What she had witnessed in the cave had convinced her that they were good people. Whether she could trust them was another matter, but the same instincts that had warned her against them were now more favorable towards them.

Diana made up her mind and picked up her notepad. She couldn't wait around for her memories to return naturally. If her dreams and this shadow were real, then it meant people out there needed her, were relying on her. She had to find out who, and why, and she couldn't do that on her own.

'The dreams are always the same. I'm on a beautiful beach, alone, and the waves of the sea are soothing me. Then this shadow shows up and the scenery changes. I'm in the middle of a war, with my sword and my armor, and there are bodies of people and monsters lying at my feet.' She paused in her writing and reluctantly added: 'Something big is coming after me. I'm not sure what it is, and I have to fight it.'

Dick's frown deepened reading her lines.

"You have to fight the shadow?" he asked.

'She's no threat to me, but the others are. She's an ally, I think.' Diana paused and wrote slowly: 'She sounds familiar. She said we were connected through our souls. She wants to find me and-'

She paused again, unsure if she should put the words down.

"And what?"

Dick's concern warmed her. Diana sighed and finished her sentence.

'She wants to bring me home.'

The words felt heavy in her chest. She knew her stay in Wayne Manor was temporary, had known from the start. But she had grown used to it, grown comfortable with its inhabitants and more importantly, she felt safe here. When she glanced back at Dick, he looked grave and solemn.

"She wants to bring you home so you can fight?"

Diana shook her head.

'The war is over, they need me for something else.' She hesitated and added: 'Something terrible happened back where I come from. I need to find out what. Will Bruce help me?'

Dick smiled lightly.

"He definitively will. And so will I. Here," he said as he stood. "Let's go to the cave. Bruce has done his research. Perhaps a pair of fresh eye will bring a breakthrough."