Bet (DCAU)

Batman sized up his opponent, his arms crossed defiantly against his chest. A fierce scowl adorned his face as he weighed his options. His mind was racing with every possible outcome, considering the chances that this could go south for him at a very rapid rate. He knew there had to be some hidden motive and he had a feeling he knew exactly what that motivation was.

"What kind of bet, princess?"

Diana smiled inwardly as the lenses of his cowl narrowed to barely perceptible white slits of pure suspicion. She knew that she was going to have to be careful. If she didn't play her cards right, this could very well blow up in her face, leaving her no further ahead with him then she already was.

"If I win two out of three of our sparring matches, I get to go on patrol with you in Gotham," she replied.

The lenses of his cowl seemed to practically disappear altogether if that was even possible. It appeared as though he'd fallen asleep on his feet…or her request had caused him to have a silent heart attack. Maybe his heart had finally given out on him?

"Bruce?" Diana urged, worry suddenly spiking as she took a step forward.

"Patrol?"

"Yes," she confirmed with a confident nod.

"In Gotham?"

"Yes," she stated, her smile beginning to falter slightly.

"With me?"

"Yes," she ground out through clenched teeth.

"The whole night?"

A flurry of Greek curses filled the air, her brow furrowing with the anger that he was stirring up inside of her. "Yes, Bruce!" she yelled. "You and me…on patrol…in Gotham…the whole night."

"What do I get if I win?" he finally responded with a growling rasp that oozed every bit of the overt paranoia that was swarming in his Bat brain.

Diana gave him a charming smile, her blue eyes dancing with amusement. It did little to settle the growing sense of suspicion that had settled over him like a tarp. "Whatever you want," she sweetly told him, hands coming to rest on the dangerous curve of her hips. She took a couple of steps closer, coming to stand right in front of him. "And what is it that you want, Bruce?"

She swore she saw the minutest of twitches at the corner of his mouth that she was aching to attack with her own, but she couldn't be absolutely certain. Her hopes were swiftly dashed with his response. "One month of monitor duty shifts," he evenly stated, pretending not to be the least bit affected by her close proximity.

"Excuse me?" she said, a single raven eyebrow cocking in surprise. "You want me to cover your monitor duty shifts for a whole month?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I want," he stated in no uncertain terms, secretly relishing the fact that he'd completely taken her off guard. It was vindicating to see the tables turned for once.

"Hera, Bruce!" Diana exclaimed as she threw her hands up in the air, turning on her heel. "You could have anything your heart desires…anything in this entire world and that is the best that your genius little mind could come up with? What's wrong with you? Are you more Bat than man? Do you feel nothing?"

Bruce fought back a smirk as he watched her pace back and forth before him, ranting and raving about his choice of victory spoils. She was so damn sexy when she was all riled up. "Monitor duty shifts, princess," he repeated. "Take it or leave it. It's your choice."

"Fine," she bit out, her ego bruised by his choice.

He could've picked anything, and she would have happily obliged him. She should've known that he'd pick something work related. Damn him to the Pits of Tartarus. She was going to have to make sure that she won this bet or the closest she was going to get to him was covering his shifts in the Monitor Womb while he was out galivanting around Gotham doing only Hera knew what with only Hera knew who…probably the Bruce Wayne flavor of the week as the tabloids called his girlfriends.

"Ready?" he asked as he moved into a defensive stance, her shift in mood from seductive and fun-loving to fuming and annoyed unmistakable.

He began to rethink his decision, realizing that making an Amazon furious before sparring with her was probably not the smartest thing that he'd ever done in his lifetime. He was going to be lucky if he was able to walk out of the training room with his limbs still attached to his body.

He avoided the overwhelming urge to swallow hard as she turned and graced him with a wicked smile that sent a chill racing up his spine. "Oh, I'm more than ready, Batman," she sweetly replied as she removed her lasso.

XXX

Robin stood on the roof of a building, his eyes constantly sweeping over the streets of Gotham below. Glancing to his left, he once again noticed the gargoyle with the smashed head, wondering all over again how it had been destroyed and by who. He kept meaning to ask Batman, but it seemed as if something always came up, keeping him from finding out the answer.

He couldn't help wondering what was keeping Batman so long. He was supposed to have met him here by now. It was unlike him to be late…unless of course, something unexpected had come up. He couldn't wait to hear what it could be this time.

"Sit-rep."

Robin nearly leapt out of his skin with the sound of Batman's rasping voice. He'd been paying close attention and still Batman managed to sneak up on him. "Nothing big so far, but it's early and whoa!" Tim replied as he turned around, his jaw falling open with the startling sight that greeted him. "What is she doing here?"

"Never mind," Batman ground out. "I want you to start patrol around Robinson Park."

"But what is Wonder Woman doing here?"

"Nothing," Batman said.

Robin looked from Batman to Wonder Woman and back again. "Okay, well…can I at least ask how that gargoyle lost its head?" he asked. "I've been meaning to ask for the last year, but—"

"Just get started on patrol," Batman interrupted him, ignoring the smirk he could practically feel forming on Diana's face.

"Sheesh," Robin groused with a scowl as he pulled out his grappling gun. "Just wondered what happened to it."

The pair watched as Robin disappeared off the side of the building leaving them all alone. "You know you don't have to be so harsh with him," Diana commented. "He's just a boy."

"A boy who asks far too many questions about things that don't concern him," Bruce grumbled.

"So, what do we do now?" she asked as she looked around the rooftop they were standing on. "Start smashing heads together? Terrify some criminals into going straight? Save some cats from trees?"

"I leave saving cats from trees for Superman," Batman bit out. "Gotham is no picnic, princess. If you're not ready for what you're about to—"

"Oh no you don't," she interrupted him as she held a hand up before her. "You're not getting out of me accompanying you on patrol. I'm here for the whole night so let's do this."

Bruce cursed to himself, his gauntleted hands curling into fists. "Fine," he snapped. "Just don't interfere and don't use your powers."

"I know!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air in exasperation. "You've only told me a hundred times already."

Bruce smirked as he turned his back to her. Seeing her dressed in skintight black Nomex had been his most brilliant idea as well as his absolute worst. She was going to be a constant distraction to him tonight if he wasn't careful.

"Just wanted to make sure you haven't forgotten the rules already," he told her. "You sure you remember how to use the grappling gun?"

"Want me to shoot it at you and find out?"

"Just keep up, princess," he stated as he glanced at her over his shoulder from the ledge of the building. "I'm not going to slow down for you."

An Ancient Greek curse met his ears, causing the corners of his lips to curl slightly as he disappeared over the edge. He knew he was antagonizing her, but he enjoyed it far too much. It could prove to be painful if she turned her anger on him, but he was positive he could handle her.

Grabbing the edge of his cape, Batman slowed his descent, landing on the roof of a bank. A set of high-heeled black boots landed several seconds later, impressing him…of course, not that he would ever tell her that. He walked to the edge of the roof, peering over the edge.

"Bank robbery?" she asked.

"There's a rumor that this bank will be hit tonight," he informed her, lifting his boot to rest on the ornate concrete decoration. His forearm rested on his drawn-up knee as he studied the street below.

"Any idea who?"

"I have an idea."

Diana turned to look at him, a disagreeable frown forming on her face. "Are you planning on telling me?"

"No," he bluntly stated.

"Why not?"

"Because you're going to leave them to me to handle," he told her.

"I want to help you on patrol," she ground out.

"I don't remember you specifying that in the bet we made," he pointed out. "You only said you wanted to go out on patrol with me."

"I believe going out on patrol with you implies helping you on patrol as well," she angrily bit out.

"You didn't specifically say you wanted to be an active participant on patrol."

"And I didn't say that I wouldn't break every bone in your hand, but I just might do that if you keep acting like a jackass," she spat out.

Batman decided that he'd just found the line that he wasn't supposed to cross with her…and he didn't just cross that line, but he'd pretty much hurled himself over it. He'd just pushed her a little too far. "Fine," he stated. "You can help, but you follow my lead. Do not engage without my approval."

"And what if you're lying unconscious on the ground?" she sweetly asked. "Should I wait for you to come to or apprehend the criminal before he gets away?"

Batman's lips curled into a sneer. "Don't get cute, princess," he growled. "This is Gotham. Things get really messy really quick here. Just be on guard at all times."

"You're exhausting…do you know that?" she told him.

"Then why are you here?" he asked. There was more curiosity in his voice than admonition.

"I wanted to see what you do every night…what it's like for you to be Batman in Gotham," she softly confessed as she averted her eyes.

They were interrupted by the sound of the bank alarm going off, forcing them into action. "Stay behind me and keep your head down," he ordered her as he fired his grappling gun before swinging down onto the scene.

She held her tongue as she gritted her teeth, following him down to the street below with a stinging retort stuck in her throat. She'd be lucky—or better yet he would be lucky—if she didn't pummel him before the night was over. She was beginning to doubt her decision to accompany him on patrol, but she knew she had to see this through to the end.

Landing on the street, Diana ran through the open bank doors, intent on keeping up with Batman. She wasn't about to let him out of her sight for long. Rushing inside, she spotted Batman just as he slipped back into the shadows, undoubtedly waiting for the criminal to come out of the bank vault. She quickly copied him, moving into the shadows to avoid being detected.

They didn't have to wait long before a shadowy figure emerged from the bank vault with bags of money in both hands. He didn't get far before Batman's fear-inducing growl filled the bank. "Stop right there, Vertigo," he stated.

Vertigo looked around him, doing his best to pinpoint where Batman was located. "Come out of the shadows and we can discuss it, Batman."

The sound of something metallic skittering across the marble floor captured Vertigo's attention, causing him to look down at the shiny metallic ball that rolled to a stop in front of his boots. "No!" Vertigo yelled as a flash-bang grenade went off, momentarily blinding him.

Diana shielded her eyes at that moment, opening them to find Vertigo had dropped the bags of money. He staggered backwards, his hands over his eyes as he angrily cursed at Batman. The Dark Knight flew into action before the criminal could recover, appearing like a wraith with his black cape whipping behind him.

He didn't stand a chance as Batman delivered one punishing blow after another. Vertigo attempted to fight back, sending out a sonic impulse with his eyepatch, but Batman had already slipped behind him to keep from being affected.

Diana immediately felt a wave of dizziness wash over, causing her to slam her eyes shut. She swallowed back the nausea she felt rising up in the back of her throat, realizing now why Batman had told her to keep her head down. He hadn't been kidding when he'd warned her. She just wished he'd been a little more forthcoming about who they were going to encounter before they'd entered the bank.

She could hear Batman and Vertigo tangling, knowing she should help him, but the dizziness that had gripped her made it next to impossible to move. Everything felt as though it was whirling and churning just like her stomach. She had no idea how she was going to be able to walk out of here.

The unexpected feel of a hand on her shoulder as she knelt on the floor startled her. "It's okay, princess," Batman softly said. "Open your eyes and focus on me."

"I don't know that I can," she managed to utter with a shuddering gasp.

Gauntleted hands gently cradled her face, his thumb caressing her cheekbone. "Trust me," he told her. "Focus on me."

Diana drew a breath before slowly opening her eyes. She fought against the overwhelming urge to squeeze her eyes closed again. Everything was in a tailspin as she tried to focus her vision on Batman's cowled face. She immediately reached out to him, her hands gripping his upper arms as she tried to concentrate on him.

"What happened…to Vertigo?" she managed to ask as she fought the urge to vomit.

"Out like a light," he reassured her, the corner of his mouth twitching into a smirk. "I thought I told you to keep your head down."

"I didn't know I was supposed to keep my eyes closed too," she quipped, knowing he was teasing her.

"Are you feeling better?"

"I think so," she replied. "There's only one of you now and you're no longer spinning."

"Good," he said with a nod, not quite ready to let go of her, but knowing they needed to get out of here. "Oracle contacted the police. They're on their way now."

"Let's go," she agreed, standing to her feet.

Batman quickly grasped hold of her elbow to steady her, keeping her from toppling over. She dug down deep, willing herself to walk out of here without making a fool of herself. She'd already embarrassed herself enough without falling or running into walls.

"I'm good," she said, trying to decide who she was trying to convince more—herself or Bruce.

Batman didn't look the least bit convinced as they exited the bank, his hand still gripping her elbow. He suddenly slipped his arm around her waist before firing his grappling gun. They landed on the roof of the building across the street, his arm still securely circling her waist as he held her close.

"Bruce, I'm pretty sure I could have gotten up here on my own," she told him.

"I'm not so sure about that, princess," he stated, clearly unconvinced. "You were pretty unsteady walking out of the bank."

Diana's hands moved to rest against his Kevlar covered chest, heat rising to her face as she realized just how intimately he was holding her. "So, where to next?" she asked.

Bruce's lips thinned into a disgruntled frown. "I think you've had more than enough for one night," he replied, still holding her close against his body. "You need to head back to the Watchtower."

She scowled darkly at him, refusing to give up. "I'm fine and you worry too much."

"And you're so blasted stubborn," he ground out.

"That's funny coming from you," she said with that smile that made him weak in the knees. "There has to be something else sinister going on around this city that you need to tend to."

Batman seemed to weigh her words carefully, suddenly noticing that he had yet to let go of her. His arms abruptly dropped away much to her dismay before taking a couple of steps back to put some much-needed distance between them. "I need to swing by the Iceberg Lounge," he reluctantly revealed.

"Now, see?" she said. "That wasn't so hard. What's going on there?"

"Penguin is supposed to be holding a secret meeting with a couple of investors about a new illegal gambling ring," he told her.

"Great," she replied. "Let's go."

XXX

Batman and Wonder Woman looked down on the Iceberg Lounge for what felt like forever to Diana. She was growing antsy for some action. She huffed in annoyance as her hands came to rest on the curve of her hips, receiving a look from Batman that spoke volumes.

"What?" she asked.

He just smirked at her as he shook his head, turning his attention back to the establishment below. "Some things never change," he murmured, memories of a stakeout on a rooftop and a conversation that had led to a rehearsed list of reasons that had sounded lame even to his ears.

"It's not like that," she insisted with a smile as the memory invaded her mind as well.

"Just as impatient as you are stubborn," he replied.

"I'm not impatient," she told him, rolling her eyes. "I'm just anxious to take this Penguin down."

"You are not taking the Penguin down," he pointed out. "I am breaking up a meeting between criminals to remind them that I'm watching their every move."

Diana folded her arms against her chest, turning her back to the scene below to sit on the roof's edge. "I get to tag along though."

"Just stay back and don't say a word," he instructed her.

"What am I? A plant?" she demanded to know, a scowl on her lips. "I'm not one of your sidekicks you know."

"You are tonight," he reminded her. "You can be seen, but not heard."

"Okay, you know this whole condescending attitude might work on your Robins, but they don't work on me," she snapped as she leveled him with a threatening glare. "Keep it up and you'll find your precious car at the bottom of Gotham Bay in a nice little ball."

"You wouldn't," he growled.

"Try me."

"This is blackmail."

"You lost the bet."

"Don't remind me."

"Every chance I get."

"Why am I not surprised?" he grumbled. "Just don't be a distraction."

"Have I ever been a distraction?" she sweetly asked.

"All the damn time," he muttered more to himself than to her. "Just stay behind me."

Diana smiled to herself as she followed him to the street below. They circled around to the back of the Iceberg Lounge to a side door. There were three, very expensive looking cars parked in the back alley along with several bodyguards left behind to protect them.

One very large, very angry looking man moved to block Batman's path, his muscular arms crossing against his chest as if daring the Dark Knight to try something. Batman merely smirked, looking to his right at Diana who was itching for some action.

"Oh, please, Batman," she practically begged.

"Fine…just this once," he found himself relenting.

Diana's fist lashed out in less than a blink of an eye, hitting him right between the eyes and dropping the bodyguard like a bag of wet sand. Blood poured from his broken nose as he laid unconscious on the ground. The other bodyguards all took several steps back, suddenly finding interest in their cell phones or the details of the cars that had brought them here.

Batman stepped over the fallen bodyguard, kicking the back door of the establishment in. Penguin immediately leapt to his feet at the sight of the Caped Crusader standing in his private office with an unknown female figure dressed all in black.

"What do you think you're doing?" Penguin cried out, his two cohorts wishing they could just disappear at that moment.

"Just stopping by to let you know that I know what you three are planning," Batman stated as he stalked towards the table. He placed the palms of his gauntleted hands on top of it, leaning over to eye each man. "If you're smart, you two will get out of town now and never come back because if I see your faces again, I'll rearrange them…permanently."

"How dare you!" Penguin exclaimed, practically shaking with anger. "Take your floozie here and get out of my office!"

"Floozie?" Diana repeated as she stormed towards him, fury suddenly blazing in her blue eyes.

Batman's arm immediately shot out, his hand snaking around Diana's forearm like a vice. "Don't," he warned her, turning his attention to the man on the right. "You might want to get your bodyguard some medical attention."

The man visibly swallowed in fear, nodding his head vigorously. "I will."

"I'm watching you, Penguin," Batman growled. "Step out of line and I'll know it."

Batman turned on his heel, his hand still grasping Diana's arm to make sure she followed him. "You can release me now," she hissed at him as they exited the building, yanking her arm free.

The Dark Knight stepped over the still fallen bodyguard, Diana's boot "accidently" colliding with his ribs as she too stepped over him. The other bodyguards watched as the pair disappeared into the night, the duo retreating back to the rooftop they'd just left.

"Did you really have to kick him?"

"What?" she asked with a little grin. "It was an accident."

"I'm sure," he said with a frown.

"Now what?" she questioned him, her stomach growling loudly.

"Hungry?"

"Yah, a little," she admitted, somewhat embarrassed. "I haven't eaten since lunch."

"Let's go get something," he offered.

"Don't we have more of Gotham to patrol?"

"Don't worried about it," he assured her. "It's being covered."

Thirty minutes later, Bruce and Diana were sitting side-by-side, perched on the rooftop of Wayne Enterprises eating hamburgers and French fries. "So, do you bring all your dates up here?" she teased him before biting off a French fry.

"Date?" he questioned her with a lop-sided smirk. "Is that what this is?"

Diana immediately blushed as realization of what she'd just said washed over her. "No…I mean yes, I know it's not a date," she quickly tried to amend. "It's just patrol…nothing more."

"Is that why you made the bet?" he demanded to know as he stared her down, wanting a real answer this time. "You wanted to turn patrol into a date?"

"No!" she emphatically insisted. "I know how important patrol is to you, Bruce. I'd never try to turn it into something as frivolous as a date."

"Why did you make that bet then, Diana?"

His voice was gentler than she'd anticipated it would be, taking her off guard. "I just wanted to see what Gotham was like at night when you patrolled…what it was about this city that made you who you are," she admitted. "I also wanted to spend time with you."

"Why is that so important?"

"Because…you're very important to me," she softly replied, taking a drink of her cola.

Several moments went by without a response, forcing her to finally lift her eyes to look at him only to find that he was suddenly very close to her. "You're important to me too," he admitted.

"Is that why you intentionally lost our sparring match?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I didn't lose on purpose," he claimed as his mouth inched closer to hers.

"Yes, you did," she whispered. "You—"

Bruce silenced her, her lips warm and soft and so very inviting against his own. He kissed her slowly, savoring the moment that had been far too long in coming. His hand moved to cup her cheek as slow and sensual started to become hot and demanding.

Her lips parted, beckoning him to fully taste and ravish her. He wasted no time in exploring every inch of her mouth, groaning as her tongue began to tangle with his for control. She pulled back slightly, pausing to nip and nibble at his bottom lip, sucking gently before finally releasing him.

"Wow," he huskily murmured, running his tongue along his lower lip that tingled with pleasure. "I should've done that a long time ago."

"Yes, you should have," she agreed, her nose nuzzling his before placing another kiss on his lips.

"Do you want to make another bet?"

"What kind?" she asked, brow furrowing with suspicion.

"Want to bet how quickly we can finish patrol so we can continue this at the manor?"