Chapter 2

Lake House; April 30th, 03:36 EST

Diana lay in the guest bedroom of Bruce's lake house staring up at the ceiling and the shadows that continually danced across it with the blowing of the wind outside. She listened to the tapping of the rain that began to assault her window, her thoughts refusing to let her find sleep.

Glancing at the window, she couldn't help wondering if Bruce had returned from patrol yet or if he'd been caught out in the thunderstorm that was assaulting Gotham. She had offered to join him on patrol, but he had turned her down, encouraging her to go to bed and get some sleep. They both knew that they had a lot of work ahead of them.

She sighed heavily in frustration as she ran her fingers back through her raven hair, tightening her grip on the strands as if willing herself to sleep. She couldn't stop thinking…couldn't begin to rein in the racing thoughts and emotions that were assailing her.

Was she making the right decision by moving to Gotham?

It made sense for her to move here to work with Bruce, building the Justice League while doing what she loved at the Gotham Museum, but was Gotham big enough for both Batman and Wonder Woman? Or better yet, could Diana Prince handle Bruce Wayne's notorious reputation?

Working with Bruce these last few months had helped her to realize that hiding who she was wasn't an option any longer nor was it what she truly wanted now. She had been hiding in a futile effort on her part to protect herself and her heart.

Little did she realize that life had a funny way of turning things upside down, love finding its way into your heart when you least expected it. She should've known, though. It had happened before, completely taking her by surprise.

It was because of him that she had locked herself away, not wanting to go through that pain ever again. Now, though, she found herself sleeping in the guest bedroom of another handsome man that had unexpectedly found his way into her life.

If she were honest with herself, she would have to admit that the reason for her inability to sleep wasn't specifically the decision to move to Gotham, but the man who had encouraged her to seriously consider the move before he'd left for patrol tonight.

Diana flipped the bedcovers off of her, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. She sat there for a few moments before finding her silk bathrobe. Slipping her arms through the sleeves, she tied it around her waist before silently stealing out of the bedroom.

She padded through the house towards the kitchen, the storm outside intensifying along with her worry for her teammate. She knew that he was a seasoned warrior who knew what he was doing. He'd been the fearsome Batman for well over twenty years. This wasn't the first thunderstorm he'd been forced to ride out.

Then, why was she worried about him?

She frowned to herself as she pulled a cup out of the cupboard, filling the tea kettle with water before beginning the search for the teabags. She hummed softly to herself, trying to settle her anxious mind. It was a lullaby that her mother used to sing to her as a child.

It was something that had always soothed her as a child. Now as an adult, it still comforted her. She felt a painful tug at her heart as she thought about her mother, wishing that she could see her or talk to her just one more time…to feel her arms around her. She knew, though, that wasn't something that would ever happen.

"I'll take a cup."

The sound of his baritone voice startled her out of her thoughts, causing an unexpected shiver to race up her spine. She quickly composed herself. "I never took you for a tea drinker," she replied, opening the cupboard and pulling out another cup as well as another tea bag.

"Blame Alfred," he told her.

Taking the softly whistling tea kettle off the burner, she turned the stove off before filling both cups. She turned to find Bruce sitting at the kitchen counter, his gaze firmly fixed on her. It was deep and penetrating, probing and yet there was a feral quality that caused her stomach to tighten.

She smiled softly as she handed him his cup of tea. His jet-black hair was wet and mussed from his shower, giving him an almost childlike air. "Cream or sugar?"

"Sugar…thank you," he simply replied.

He watched intently as she placed a spoonful of sugar into his cup before adding some to her own cup, the feel of his gaze causing a sense of warmth to roil in her abdomen. "Did Alfred attempt to instill a measure of English propriety in you as well?"

Bruce snorted softly in amusement as he took the offered spoon from her to stir his tea. "Attempt is the operative word there," he revealed with a crooked smile. "I'm not certain how much of it actually took."

"I think you turned out very well," she praised him, pausing to take a sip of her tea. "You know how to handle yourself charmingly in social settings…that is of course unless you're preying on women from the shadows."

He couldn't help but laugh with her reminder of their first actual meeting at the gala. "You had something I desperately wanted," he pointed out with a flirty tone, his eyes darkening slightly as he held her gaze a beat longer than necessary.

Diana attempted to suppress an amused smile, but it shined brightly in her eyes. "If you remember, I didn't have it," she reminded him. "I had already put your device in the glove compartment of your car."

"I didn't know that at the time," he replied. "I have to admit you looked quite innocent, but I knew better."

It was Diana's turn to chuckle. "You thought you knew better," she corrected him with a smirk. "You had no idea who was I really was, or you would have thought twice about grabbing my arm when I turned to walk away."

"Okay, that part is true," he confessed. "If I had known you could kill me with a flick of your finger, I probably would have reconsidered my actions."

"I wouldn't have killed you," she reassured him. "You just would've walked with a pronounced limp for the rest of your life."

"That's better?"

"Better than death," she reminded him with a shrug of her shoulder.

"I don't know about that," he grumbled. "A limping Batman isn't exactly terrifying you know."

"I would come to your rescue," she offered, a single eyebrow arching. "I've already done it before you know."

Bruce groaned with remembrance. "How could I forget?" he murmured. "I thought for sure it was the end of the road. Not even my fire-resistant Kevlar uniform could have protected me that time."

"I had your back…and your front."

His gaze grew distant as he thought back to that dreadful night…the night they had lost Superman. "You just dropped right out of the sky like an avenging angel," he told her, awe lacing his voice. "It was truly amazing. You really did save my life that night. I don't think I ever thanked you for that."

"You saved mine too," she replied, gazing down at her teacup as she softly added, "in more ways than one."

Bruce was stunned by her whispered confession, finding that he felt the same way. He found that being able to voice that same sentiment in return was difficult, the words becoming trapped in his throat. He took a sip of his tea, mulling over what he wanted to say in response.

"Where do you think we should start?" she asked, saving him from a conversation he wasn't ready to have.

Bruce's head shot up, wondering with immense hope at her meaning. "With the League?" he ventured.

"Yes, the League and of course, my move to Gotham," she clarified, realizing how her question had sounded.

"Of course," he agreed with a nod. "I was thinking you can stay here at the lake house for as long as you want. I don't want you to feel rushed into finding a place of your own. I want you to be able to take your time."

"I don't want to be an inconvenience."

He rolled his eyes as he shook his head. "Diana, you are far from an inconvenience," he told her. "Alfred loves having you here."

"And you?" she dared to ask.

"We both love having you here," he confirmed.

"I don't want to interfere in your life in any way," she replied. "Just live your life as if I wasn't even here."

"That would be impossible," he murmured under his breath, his teacup held up to his lips.

"What?"

"Nothing," he quickly responded, setting his cup down. "I'll call the contractor tomorrow so we can get to work on the manor as soon as possible. I'm going to need your expertise on furnishing and decorating it."

"I'm happy to help," she reassured him. "I'll just need a little time to wrap things up in Paris."

"I'll make a call to Mister Mason," he informed her. "He'll be thrilled to have someone of your caliber working at his museum."

"My caliber?" she repeated, taken aback.

"Diana, you've been here for over a hundred years," he pointed out. "Your expertise will be invaluable especially in Greek history and antiquities."

"I hope to be able to provide valuable input," she agreed. "How was patrol? You're home earlier than I'd thought you'd be."

"It was fairly quiet," he revealed with a frown. "There's something brewing, though. I just don't know what it is yet."

"Brewing?" she questioned him. "Like what?"

"I'm not sure," he said as both hands wrapped around his teacup, staring down into the dark liquid inside. "It's just a bad feeling I have. I don't know how to describe it."

"Bruce, you have a lot of bad feelings."

"And many of them prove to be true," he replied. "I just need more time to find out what it is before it's too late."

"Too late for what?"

Bruce shook his head as he drew a deep breath. "I wish I knew," he said with a haunting tone, wanting to stop it before it got started. The problem was that he had no idea what that trouble could be.

"I'm sure you'll figure out, Bruce," she assured him.

"What are you doing up?" he asked. "You're supposed to be sleeping right now."

She averted her eyes as she sipped her tea. "Just couldn't sleep."

His brow furrowed with curiosity as he studied her. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine," she assured him.

"Diana, if you don't want to move to Gotham—"

"No, I want to," she insisted, interrupting him. "I just have a lot on my mind right now…a lot of things that I need to take care of before I can move."

"We'll help you in whatever way we can," he promised her. "Alfred can arrange for all of your things to be moved here for you if you wish."

"I appreciate that, but I really need to go through my apartment…decide what I want to bring with me and what I want to leave behind," she explained. "My loft could use a good cleansing. I've been there long enough that I've become somewhat of a packrat."

"I understand," he said. "Let me know if I can help."

Diana reached across the counter, her hand wrapping around his. "Thank you, Bruce," she replied with a gentle smile.

He returned her smile, appreciating the feel of her hand touching his. He wished he didn't have to let her go. "We better get some sleep," he told her. "We have a lot of work ahead of us."

"I'm anxious to get started," she agreed, pulling her hand free. "Sleep well, Bruce."

"Sleep well."

He sat there as he slowly stirred his tea with his spoon, staring thoughtfully into his cup for several long moments. He could feel his presence behind him but chose to ignore it. He didn't really want to talk right now especially this.

"When do you plan on telling her?"

"There's nothing to tell," Bruce simply said, keeping his voice low.

He heard Alfred mutter a curse under his breath as he walked around the counter to fix himself a cup of tea. "You're going to have to tell her sooner or later," he pointed out. "There's no point in putting it off."

"Alfred, she has enough on her plate right now without me adding something that she doesn't want," he told him. "Besides, she's better off."

"So, she doesn't get a say in any of it?"

"I'm saving her the pain," he stated. "She'd experienced far more than her fair share of it without me bringing her more."

"Or maybe you're what she's been looking for all along."

Bruce chuckled as he stood to his feet, his laughter holding no amusement. Instead, it had a bitter edge to it that was razor-sharp. "You're never going to give up on a happily-ever-after for me, are you?" he asked.

"No, I am not," he sternly insisted, holding his gaze with a pointed look. "I made a promise to your parents…God rest their souls…to look after you should anything happen to them. I have not broken that promise yet and I don't plan to in the future."

"I appreciate it, Alfred, but it's nothing more than wishful thinking…a fairytale," he stated with a sad look on his face. "Happily-ever-after isn't meant for me. Life has proven that over and over again already."

Alfred watched as Bruce turned and walked away, his shoulders slumped slightly as he made his way to his bedroom. He had already given up without even trying. Didn't he see the way that Diana looked at him? Had it been someone else he probably would have.

When it came to seeing love right before his eyes, he was as blind as a bloody bat.

Metropolis; April 30th, 07:12 EST

Lois finished putting her earring in as she walked into the kitchen to find her fiancé making breakfast. She smiled to herself in appreciation of the magnificent physique that he possessed, wishing that they didn't have to go to work today. She'd love to spend the day in bed with him, but they had responsibilities that could not wait.

"Good morning…again," she murmured as her arms slipped around his waist, pausing to press her lips against his back between his shoulder blades. "What are you making?"

"Tortilla de patatas," he replied, his free hand moving to caress hers resting on his abdomen.

"It smells wonderful," she told him. "I'm sending you back to Spain for another mission so you can learn more recipes."

He chuckled as he put a large helping on a plate for her before filling his own plate. "I'll never meet another elderly woman like Luciana Lopez," he replied. "I ended up spending the whole afternoon in her apartment listening to her stories while she made me one dish after another."

Lois laughed as she sat down at the small kitchen table. "I thought she was going to keep you there."

"I eventually made it home for dinner," he reminded her as he sat down at the table with her.

"With enough leftovers to feed us for days."

"She's a great cook," he said.

"Hmmm…so are you," she praised him. "Where did you learn to cook?"

"Ma," he simply responded.

"Oh, that reminds me," she replied. "Your mother is coming this weekend to visit. She's going to help me with wedding plans."

"I'm in trouble now," he teased, taking a drink of his coffee.

"How is that?"

"When you and ma get together, I know I'm in trouble," he told her. "You two are like partners in crime and I always get caught in the middle."

"We're not that bad," she insisted.

"I can't get a word in when you two get talking."

"I'll make sure you get to help make decisions about the wedding," she reassured him. "I'm meeting Diana for lunch today to get her thoughts on the wedding."

A crooked smile formed on Clark's face as he shook his head. "You're not just going to talk about the wedding, are you?"

"What are you talking about?" she innocently asked, trying to suppress a smile.

Clark groaned as he put his fork down. "Lo, you don't usually meet Diana for lunch," he pointed out. "You're going to try to play matchmaker. I think it's best if we just stay out of it."

"I'm not going to play matchmaker," she claimed. "I just want to see how she's doing and if there have been any developments in her life. I want her and I to become good friends. Right now, all she has are Bruce, Alfred, and all her male teammates in the Justice League. She needs a little female time."

"This is a bad idea," he replied. "You're going to end up creating a disaster and causing more pain for both Bruce and Diana."

"I think they are perfect for each other," she maintained, holding up her hand to tick off her points on her fingers. "They've both had their hearts broken and are afraid of trying again, both of them shy away from commitment or close connections of any kind, and they're both gorgeous."

Clark looked at his fiancé in surprise with her breakdown. "Gorgeous?"

"You are too, honey," she assured him, reaching across the table to pat the top of his hand. "Bruce and Diana need each other. They're two lost souls…like two halves of the same whole."

"I still think this is a really bad idea," he grimly said.

"Why?" she asked. "Is it so bad that I want them to find the same love and happiness that we found together?"

"No, not all," he responded with a frown. "It's just that Bruce is a very tough nut to crack. I just don't want Diana to get her hopes up about something that might never happen. She's endured enough heartache as it is without adding to it."

"But she might be the only one who can break through that tough exterior of Mister Bruce Wayne," she pointed out, a hopeful tone in her voice. "If anyone can do it, I really think it would be Diana. You know it would take an Amazon warrior to be able to go toe-to-toe with him."

"Maybe…I hope so," he admitted as he poked at his breakfast with his fork. "They deserve to find some happiness. I just don't want either of them to get hurt. If that happens, neither of them will ever reach out to another human being ever again."

"I think it's worth the risk," she decided.

"I hope you're right, Lo."

"Are you still going to ask Bruce to be your best man?"

"I was planning on calling him today to ask him."

"Great," she said as she stood from her chair, stopping long enough to drink her coffee. She made her way around to the other side of the table, kissing his temple. "I'll see you at work. I have to run. I need to track down a lead on a story before heading into the office."

"I'll see you there," he replied, watching as she grabbed her purse and satchel. "Be careful."

He drew a deep breath, releasing it slowly as he thought about his friends. While he'd love nothing more than for Bruce and Diana to find happiness together, he feared that the consequences were too great if it didn't work for them. They would completely shut down and shut everyone else out for the rest of their lives, never to allow another to get close to them ever again.

Then again, maybe each other would turn out to be the key to unlocking the impenetrable walls that they'd built around their hearts.

Metropolis; April 30th, 12:16 EST

Diana sipped her iced tea as she glanced out the window at the people passing by on the sidewalk. Lois was running late, but she knew that it was almost always related to her job. Bruce thought it was a time management problem, but Diana knew better. Lois was wholly committed to her job and getting the story.

She had to admit that she was a little curious about what Lois wanted to talk to her about. They'd eaten lunch together a couple of times before, but the Amazon had a feeling that there was something more to it this time than just helping to plan a wedding.

She had little expertise when it came to anything that had to do with weddings. She'd only attended a handful of them since leaving Themyscira. Hopefully, there was something she could do to help her friend in some way. She just didn't know what that something could be.

While she and Lois were friends, they weren't best friends, or at least not yet. Diana's home and work located in Paris made it difficult for her to get to know Lois better. When she was in Gotham, it was usually for League business or helping Bruce with research.

Lois flew into the diner like a whirlwind, the door chiming loudly with her entrance as she shook the rain from her umbrella. She rushed to the booth that Diana was sitting at, an apologetic look in her eyes. "I'm so sorry," she said as she scooted into the booth opposite of Diana. "I was checking out a source. He proved to be completely useless."

"Lois, it's okay," she reassured her with a smile. "I understand."

"Clark thinks I have trouble with time management, but I get wrapped up in my work and lose track of time."

"It's all right," she told her. "I'm glad we were able to meet for lunch before I return to Paris."

The waitress arrived to take their order, handing her their menus before continuing their conversation. "Have you thought about moving here?" Lois asked her. "It has to be tedious constantly traveling back and forth between Gotham and Paris."

"Actually, I'm returning to Paris to give my resignation," Diana revealed, a tentative smile forming on her face.

"You are?" Lois asked in shock.

"Alfred suggested I move to Gotham and Bruce agreed that it was a good idea," she replied.

Lois did her best to hide her growing excitement, doing her best to keep a semi-interested expression on her face that she hoped didn't reveal too much. "Really? What did Bruce say about it?" she casually asked.

"He encouraged me to seriously consider it," she told her. "He even offered to let me stay at the lake house with him and Alfred while I look for a place of my own in Gotham."

Lois nodded as she considered this unexpected but definitely not unwanted turn of events. "So, you're actually going to do it? You're going to live with Bruce?"

"Well, yes…temporarily until I find a place of my own," Diana clarified. "It's time for a change. I've been in Paris for a long time now…longer than I usually stay in one place. Besides, it'll be easier to help Bruce manage the League if I'm in Gotham instead of clear across the ocean. Then there are the renovations that will be taking place at the manor."

"That's great news," she said. "It'll be nice to have you closer and I know Bruce will certainly appreciate having you in Gotham."

"He's going to talk to the director of the Gotham Museum to see if they could benefit from my skills," she informed her, taking a sip of her iced tea.

Lois bit her lip to suppress the grin that was struggling to form on her face. "That would be perfect for you," she replied, amazed at how well things were coming together and she hadn't even had to do any meddling yet.

Diana chuckled softly as the waitress brought them their lunch. "Lois, I'm just moving to Gotham," she reminded her. "I've moved dozens of times since leaving Themyscira. I've never put down actual roots anywhere because I was always hiding my true identity, but I'm ready to be who I was destined to be thanks to Bruce. He helped me to see that staying in the shadows wasn't helping anyone least of all myself."

"Well, we'll be thrilled to have you here and I think Bruce will especially enjoy having you around."

Diana's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she stared at her friend. "There's nothing going on between me and Bruce, Lois."

"You never know," Lois said with a grin as she reached for her glass of iced water.

"Lois, we're just good friends…teammates," she insisted.

"Clark and I started out as good friends," she reminded her. "Don't knock it till you've tried it."

Diana had risked her heart on love and had lost it all in the end. She wasn't certain that her heart could go through that again. "Bruce has better things on his mind than a relationship with me," she told her, shaking her head. "We have a lot going on with renovating the manor and getting the League up and running. He also has his company to run and Gotham to think about. He has no time for anything else and definitely not a relationship even if I was interested."

"Bruce has been alone for far too long, too many one-night stands and short-lived relationships that he knows will never work out anyway," she told her. "It's time that he found a real love for once."

"And you think I'm the one for him?" she asked with a chuckle. "I never took you for a matchmaker,
Lois."

"I'm usually not, but you both deserve to find love again," she encouraged her. "Just think about it."

"Is this the reason you asked me to have lunch with you? To try to get me and Bruce together?"

"No," she replied. "What I really wanted was to ask you to be a bridesmaid at my wedding."

"Lois, I'm flattered," she said. "I'm sure you have other friends who are closer to you that you'd rather have in your wedding."

"No, I want you," she insisted. "I have a good feeling we're going to become best friends."

"I've never been a bridesmaid before."

"Well, this is your lucky day," she proudly announced. "My sister Lucy is my maid of honor. It's going to be a small wedding. Clark is going to ask Bruce to be his best man and of course, Perry will be a groomsman."

"Bruce is going to be Clark's best man?"

"If he agrees," she responded with a nod.

"I'm sure he will," she told her. "Have you decided on your colors yet?"

"No, I'm afraid you get to help me with that," Lois revealed. "Lucy doesn't live around here so I'm going to need your help."

"I'm happy to help," Diana agreed. "You'll just have to let me know what you need me to do."

"If you have time this Saturday morning, I'd like to start looking for dresses," she told her. "Clark's mother Martha will be in town to help us too."

"I'll be back in Gotham Friday evening so that should work well as long as Bruce doesn't need me to help at the manor Saturday morning," she agreed, wondering if Bruce would agree to Clark's request to be best man.

She doubted that he would say no to Clark. Bruce still felt that he owed Clark despite giving him his life back. She knew Bruce clung to guilt, refusing to let it go and wearing it like a heavy cloak. She was certain it had something to do with his parents' deaths. She just wished there was a way for her to help him get past that.

Wayne Enterprises; April 30th, 14:22 EST

Bruce sat at his desk reviewing the files that Lucius had dropped off at his office this morning. It was a new proposal by an up-and-coming company that was interested in supplying parts for Wayne Tech. It was a promising deal that he would like to see happen.

He glanced at his cell phone lying on top of his desk, absently wondering how Diana's lunch with Lois had gone. He didn't know why he thought Diana would text him about it. She didn't owe him any sort of response about it or an update on her plans for this afternoon. Still, he couldn't help but be curious.

A call from his secretary alerted him that he had a visitor. "Let them in," he responded.

Bruce stood up, buttoning his suit jacket as he walked around his desk. He was surprised to find Clark Kent entering his office. "Clark," he greeted him, shaking his hand with a smile on his face. "What brings you to Gotham?"

"I came to see you," he admitted.

"Have a seat," Bruce offered, indicating a couple of nearby chairs sitting in front of his oak desk. "What can I do for you?"

Clark took the seat across from Bruce, pausing to straighten his glasses before responding. "Well, I was wondering if you would be my best man," he replied. "It's going to be a small, intimate wedding and I was hoping you would stand with me."

Bruce was taken aback by Clark's request, knowing that he couldn't say no to such an offer. "I'd be honored," Bruce told him, deeply touched by his offer. It was hard to believe this was the same man that he had been trying to kill at one time. Now, they were close friends and teammates. "I didn't realize that you had set a date yet."

"We're hoping to get married sooner rather than later," he revealed. "We've come to appreciate that life can change on a dime. We don't want to waste any more time."

"I don't blame you," he said. "I know Diana and Lois were meeting for lunch today to discuss wedding plans."

"Actually, Lois is going to ask Diana to be a bridesmaid," Clark informed him.

Bruce was taken aback by the revelation but managed to hide it well. He should've known, though. Diana and Lois were on the road to becoming good friends ever since they'd first met. "It sounds like everything is coming together for you."

"Now that we have the wedding party all set, I feel like we're finally getting somewhere," he agreed. "I think they're going shopping for dresses on Saturday morning."

"Good to know," Bruce replied. "I have the contractor coming Saturday afternoon to the manor to begin plans for renovation."

"The work is finally beginning," Clark said.

"It's been something that needed to be done a long time ago, but I couldn't bring myself to do it," he admitted. "Knowing it's going to be useful again makes me happy."

"If you and Diana need any help with it, let me know."

"I will," Bruce stated. "Diana is going to move to Gotham so that will help as well."

Clark was surprised by the news, but he really shouldn't have been. Bruce and Diana had been growing closer since meeting. Maybe Lois was right after all. "She is?"

Bruce nodded in agreement. "She's going back to Paris to put in her resignation."

"That's great," he told him. "It'll be nice having her here."

A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. "Come in," Bruce called, his secretary poking her head into his office.

"I'm so sorry to interrupt, but this was just delivered for you, and it's marked urgent," she revealed, walking in and handing Bruce a manilla envelope.

"That's okay," Clark said as he stood to his feet. "I need to get back to Metropolis. It was good to see you, Bruce."

"You too, Clark," he replied, glancing down at the manilla envelope in his hands that was marked urgent in large, red letters. "I'll talk to you later."

The secretary closed the door as she left behind Clark, leaving Bruce alone in his office. His suspicion went into overdrive as he circled around to his chair behind his desk. He set the envelope down, staring at it for a long moment before reaching into his desk drawer and pulling out a pair of scissors and tweezer.

One could never be too careful, and his paranoia was telling him this time was no different. Unmarked manilla envelopes didn't just show up at his office like this for no reason.

Using the scissors, he carefully slit the top open before reaching for the tweezers to remove the single piece of paper inside. His breath caught in his throat as he stared at the paper being held up by the tweezers.

"I know who you are."

It was typed neatly across the page in black ink.

Beneath it was the symbol of a bat.

A/N: WHOA! The Batman is in trouble!

UP NEXT: Bruce and Diana make plans, Arthur and Mera continue to butt heads, and Barry makes an appearance.