Chapter 2

Wayne Manor (AU)

"You really do have a cave beneath the manor," Diana thoughtfully said as she stared at the expansive scene that spread out before her.

It looked absolutely nothing like her Bruce's cave save for a couple of things. The only "bat" thing about it was the little winged creatures huddled above on the rock ceiling and the almost imperceptible chirps they made to each other with the unwelcomed visitors in their domain. There was what appeared to be a computer station set up to the side, but the rest of the cave was difficult to see due to the low lighting.

It was almost surreal to be in the cave beneath Wayne Manor and yet it wasn't the infamous Batcave that she'd come to know all too well. Missing was the giant penny, the T-Rex dinosaur, and the Joker card along with the glass display case that held uniforms.

"Here, let me turn on the lights," Bruce said, pulling out his cell phone and hitting a button.

A flood of lights turned on in rapid succession down the entire length of the cave, revealing more than she could have possibly expected. "Bruce," she softly gasped his name as she stared in awe. "This is absolutely amazing."

Bruce shrugged as he began to make his way towards the computer. "It's nothing really," he replied. "It's just a hobby."

"Just a hobby?" she repeated as she began to wander about the cave. "This looks like far more than just a hobby."

"I just like to tinker with things," he told her. "I use my mind all day at work. I like to use my hands in the evening when I come home. It's a nice distraction."

"These are great inventions," she praised him as she approached what appeared to be a sleek looking motorcycle of some kind with a slim design. It looked futuristic. "Did you build this yourself?"

"From the ground up," he confirmed with a nod as he came to stand next to her, his arms crossing against his chest. "I made some modifications so it's faster than a traditional motorcycle and nearly noiseless."

He moved closer to his creation, swinging his leg over the seat. The machine automatically lit up with his presence, the engine spontaneously starting up much to Diana's surprise. "Bruce, this is remarkable. You should patent your inventions…take them to the R&D department of your company."

Bruce shook his head as he stared at the motorcycle he sat on. "No way," he adamantly stated. "You don't know Gotham like I do, Diana. If some of these things I've created fell into the wrong hands…I don't even want to think about it."

Diana gently placed her hand on his shoulder, squeezing it in understanding. "I'm afraid I know all too well what Gotham can be like," she gently revealed. "In my world, it has some horrible criminals that do anything they can to keep Batman busy every night trying to stop them before innocent people get hurt."

"We don't have a Batman to protect Gotham, but we have the Joker," he revealed much to Diana's horror.

"The Joker is Gotham's protector?" Diana exclaimed in shock.

"Yes…what's wrong with that?" he asked, confused.

"Joker is the epitome of psychotic terror and Batman's greatest nemesis," she told him. "He's a monster."

"He's a hero in my world," he informed her. "The Justice Association has been trying to get him to join them, but he refuses. He feels Gotham needs his full attention."

"I can't believe this," she murmured, trying to process it all. She wished she could see Bruce and tell him about it.

"Anyway, I shudder to think what could happen if they used some of these inventions for evil," he told her. "If someone got hurt because of one of my creations, I would never forgive myself."

"I understand, Bruce," she reassured him.

"Does your world's Bruce tinker like this?" he asked, finally turning to look at her.

Diana smiled, her eyes brightening as she thought about her Bruce. "Most definitely," she confirmed. "He's always creating some gadget or other. You should see his cave. It's massive like this with all sorts of inventions, equipment and vehicles that he's modified or created. You two are very much alike in that way."

Bruce couldn't help but notice the way her face glowed as she talked about her Bruce. He tried not to notice the twinge of jealousy that he felt. He was being ridiculous. He didn't even really know this woman and yet he couldn't deny the attraction he felt to her.

"Does he have a machine that can take you back home?" he asked.

"I don't think so," she replied, sadness permeating her eyes. "They probably don't even know that I'm alive so they're likely not even looking for me."

"I'm sorry, Diana," he said. "I'll do everything I can to help you get back home."

"Thank you, Bruce," she murmured, forcing a smile to her face. "I appreciate all you've done for me so far. I should probably move on and see what I can find out about your world. Maybe there's someone in your Justice Association who can help me."

"No, you don't have to leave," he urgently stated as he got off the motorcycle. "You're more than welcome to stay here for as long as you need to."

"I appreciate that, but I don't want to impose on your hospitality," she told him. "I'm sure all of this has to be weird to you. I don't want to make this any stranger for you than it already has been. I know that I've already turned your world upside down."

"You are not an inconvenience," he insisted. "This old manor is huge and there's plenty of room. Besides, I want to help you find your way home no matter how long it takes."

She smiled softly; her heart warmed by his determination to help her. "I can't thank you enough," she replied. "It helps to have a friend right now. I was feeling a bit lonely before we ran into each other."

He returned her smile. "Well, your friend needs to take you shopping," he told her. "You can't run around in your uniform and you definitely can't wear my clothes. They're too big for you."

Diana chuckled as she glanced down at the baggy sports shorts that hung past her knees and the t-shirt that she had tied at her waist. "Don't you like my look?" she teased as she did a little twirl.

Bruce laughed as he moved past her. "Come on, princess," he said. "We need to improve your look."

Diana froze in shock as she stared at Bruce who was heading towards the stairs that would lead them up into the manor. Realizing that she wasn't following him, he turned to look at her. "What is it?" he asked, concerned. "Did I say something wrong?"

"You called me princess," she softly said as she stared at him in wonder.

"Aren't you the daughter of the Queen of the Amazons?" he asked, brow creased with confusion.

"Yes, but…my Bruce calls me that," she replied.

"I'm sorry," he quickly apologized. "I won't say it again."

"No…no, it's okay," she reassured him, her lips curling into a smile. "It's sort of a term of endearment on his part…at least I like to think it is."

Bruce was relieved to hear that, a tiny smirk on his lips. "Let's go then…princess."

"One way or another, I am going to pay you back for all of this," she told him as she followed him up the stairs.

Bruce glanced back over his shoulder at her, shaking his head. "Did you hit your head so hard that you forgot I'm a billionaire?" he teased.

"No, but I feel as though I should still pay you back," she insisted. "Maybe I should look for a job while I'm here in Gotham."

"You are not getting a job," he stated, his voice broking no room for argument. "You don't know this world. It's clearly different from yours and you don't have your powers."

"I'm still capable of taking care of myself," she snapped. "I have been trained as a warrior since I was five years old. I don't need my gifts to fight or to protect myself."

"I understand that, but you don't need a job," he ground out in frustration. "Just stay here and work on finding a way back home."

Alfred greeted them as they came down the hallway, arguing like friends who had known each for years. "Ah, just the two people I was looking for," he greeted them. "I take it Master Bruce showed you his secret cave."

"It's fascinating," she agreed. "He's a genius just like the Bruce I know."

"That he is," Alfred replied. "If you two are ready, I have lunch ready for you on the sunporch."

"That sounds great," Bruce said. "That will give us time to develop our game plan on how to get her back to her world."

Alfred didn't miss the flicker of disappointment in Bruce's blue eyes. He knew it was quite selfish of him, but he secretly hoped for his charge's sake that Miss Diana could stay here with them. It was quite obvious the two of them got along effortlessly already and they'd only just officially met this morning.

"I'm still going to pay you back for all of this," Diana insisted as she followed Bruce to the sunporch, unwilling to give up the argument.

"Diana, I told you that you don't owe me anything," he told her. "I want to help you."

"I know, but still," she muttered in frustration.

Alfred smiled to himself as he made his way towards the kitchen. They argued like friends who had known each other forever, comfortable and completely at ease with one another. He had never seen Bruce so relaxed around someone before Miss Diana.

There had been a small handful of women here and there that he'd been attracted to, some that had come to meet quite a lot to him. His greatest love had been Talia al Ghul. He hadn't been the same since she had left him with his heart in pieces. He'd isolated himself in his cave, only going to work and a rare date here and there to show Gotham that there was still a Wayne around.

Now, it would seem that Master Bruce had found his smile once more thanks to the Amazon princess.

"Alfred, can you have Stephenson's send over a large selection of clothes for Diana to try on?" Bruce asked, poking his head back into the kitchen. "We have a lot of work to do and she going to need a whole new wardrobe."

"I'll call right away, sir," he replied.

"Thanks," he said with a grin before disappearing back outside.

"Okay, clothes are coming this afternoon," he told her as he took his seat next to her. "Now, we can focus on figuring out how to get you home."

"Bruce, don't you have work that you need to do?" she asked as she reached for her glass of iced tea. "I'm sure you have more important things to do than keeping me company or trying to solve my problems."

"Not really," he confessed, averting his eyes. "I don't do much beyond working and tinkering in the cave."

"Don't you go out on the town…go out on dates…attend parties?" she asked.

Bruce shrugged a shoulder as he focused on his lunch. "I was in love with a woman once. I thought we were going to get married, but she left me a year ago for another man."

Diana's hand reached across the table to cover his. "I'm so sorry, Bruce," she replied. "I had no idea."

"It's all right," he tried to assure her, raising his head to meet her gaze that was so compassionate it caught him off guard. "It was difficult at first, but it's been slowly getting better."

"Was it Selina?" she asked.

Bruce tilted his head in question. "Who is Selina?"

Diana was surprised by his response. "She is a woman in Gotham who has had a long, sordid past with my Bruce," she explained. "She's also a thief that goes by the name Catwoman."

"Let me get this straight," Bruce said. "Your Bruce is Batman, a hero in Gotham and he had a relationship with a thief?"

"Off and on for a few years," she confessed with a sigh, an ache erupting in her chest as she thought about the spell that Selina had cast on Bruce. She had a hold on him that she didn't understand. "Selina tended to walk the line between right and wrong depending on how it benefited her. Bruce found her fascinating…felt that they had a connection because of their broken pasts."

Bruce could tell by her demeanor that Batman's relationship with Selina bothered her deeply. "Are they still together now?"

"No," she replied with a shake of her head. "I don't believe they have been together for quite some time. I think she betrayed him one too many times and he finally broke it off with her."

Bruce shook his head in disbelief. "I guess he and I share quite a bit in common," he admitted. "Talia betrayed me too."

"Talia," Diana repeated the name with a small smirk. "That's a name that I recognize. She's not a good person in my world either. In fact, Bruce had a love affair with her too."

"I guess we really know how to pick them, don't we?" he sadly responded. "I'm afraid finding the right one isn't as easy as movies and songs make it sound."

"Sometimes it can be right in front of you and you don't even realize it," she softly spoke more to herself than to her lunch companion, her mind wandering to her Bruce.

She couldn't help wondering where he was and what he was doing. Did he think that she was dead? Was he mourning for her or was he too focused on a case in Gotham to think about it? Of course, knowing Bruce, he would do everything in his power to avoid thinking about it, avoid dealing with her death for as long as there was breath in his lungs. Anything that got too close to his heart was too unbearable for him to handle. She knew he cared about her, but just how deep those feelings actually ran was a mystery to her.

She found she greatly missed him despite having his doppelgänger sitting right here across the table from her. They looked identical and were alike in so many ways, but there were still some differences when it came to their individual personalities.

They were definitely two different men despite their vast similarities. Gazing into the piercing blue eyes that she adored, she knew she was just going to have to keep reminding herself of that fact. It would be so very easy to fall for this Bruce Wayne as well.

At that moment, Dick walked out of the manor, a lazy grin on his face. "So, this is the mysterious woman you picked up off the side of the road?" Dick asked as he sat down at the table with them much to Bruce's dismay.

"Diana, this is…"

"Dick Wayne," Dick introduced himself, sticking his hand out. "I'm Bruce's little brother."

Diana looked from Dick to Bruce and back again as she tentatively shook his hand. "Brother?" she said in stunned disbelief.

"I was kind of a surprise to our parents," Dick replied with a chuckle.

Bruce looked at her, confused. "Does your Bruce not have a brother?"

"No," she revealed. "He's an only child. He took Dick Grayson in after he lost his parents in an accident."

"Grayson, huh?" Dick said with a laugh. "You really did come from another universe, didn't you?"

"Yes, the differences have been quite startling," she murmured, glancing at Bruce.

Bruce gave her a reassuring smile, his blue eyes alight with something that she was afraid to give a name to. It caused her insides to tingle with anticipation that she knew she shouldn't allow herself to feel. This was very dangerous in more ways than one.

"This is not the Bruce I fell in love with," she reminded herself as she turned her attention to her meal.

Batcave (MU)

Bruce glanced at the clock, trying not to think about the fact that the entire Justice League was meeting at eleven for a memorial service for Diana. Unfortunately, it kept creeping into the back of his mind despite his best efforts to focus on the tests he was doing on Diana's lasso.

He was desperately trying every single test that he could think of to find a way to prove Diana wasn't killed by Grodd's gun. If she were truly dead, he would know it…he would feel it inside. He knew he would feel it and nothing anyone could ever say would change his mind.

Seventeen more minutes.

The thought of a memorial service celebrating Diana's all too short life created a painful knot that stuck in his throat, causing it to constrict even more than it had felt before. He was furious with her for not diving out of the way of that beam, trying instead to use her bracers to block it and taking the full brunt of it. She shouldn't be gone. She should be here with them.

But would he finally let her in even if she were here?

He knew that if she were here, he'd still be keeping her at arms' length. Nothing would've changed because he wouldn't let it. It wasn't that he didn't want it to change. He wanted it to change more than anything in this world. The fact was that he was afraid.

Afraid of change. Afraid of commitment. Afraid of risks. Afraid of losing her if he had a relationship with her. Afraid of…just so many things.

The barrage of doubts arose in his mind once more like a spinning cyclone, making him wonder all over again why he couldn't control his heart like he'd been able to control every other part of him. He'd mastered domination over his mind and body long ago. His heart, unfortunately, hadn't been as easy to tame…at least when it came to her.

He'd been able to control it for the most part over the years, allowing himself dalliances here and there to quench a need that refused to be ignored. He assumed that was why he'd been with Selina for so long. Deep down, he knew that nothing more could ever come from a relationship with her past sex, nothing deeper…nothing remotely close to making a commitment.

It was safer that way. Safer for him and safer for his heart.

That was until Diana had burst into his life, dropping from the sky with that long raven mane blowing in the wind and a striking blue-eyed gaze that he couldn't quite forget about. She always lingered there in the recesses of his mind, always on the periphery ready to invade his thoughts at any given moment.

Now, she was gone and his heart along with her.

Bruce swore to himself that he would change it all if he could just get her back. He would let her know his true feelings for her, would do his best to lower his walls and let her into his life. He didn't have to let her into his heart. She'd already managed to find her way into it, craving out a special place all her own.

Twelve minutes.

The knot in his throat seemed only to expand with the thought of everyone on the Watchtower mourning her death and celebrating her life. They would be exchanging stories and tales of her adventures, shared moments on missions and meals on the Watchtower.

He couldn't bear it. He knew he was expected to be there, but he'd rarely done what was expected of him. This one hit far too close to him, nearly as close as when he'd lost his parents nearly thirty years ago. It felt like he was reliving that loss all over again with Diana missing.

Bruce checked the calculations one more time, wanting to make certain that it was correct. He sat back in his chair as he stared at the screen. There was some sort of residual energy on Diana's lasso that was giving off some sort of strange signature.

"It can't be," he murmured to himself. "Could it be?"

Deciding he needed to check it out further, he contacted the one person that he knew could help him confirm that Diana was still alive. Sitting forward, he waited with bated breath, hoping that the system they had worked would function correctly and that he would respond.

"I have to admit I'm a little surprised you contacted me," he responded.

A tiny smirk formed at the corner of Bruce's mouth as he stared at the image of Justice Lord Batman. "Not as surprised as I am," he confessed. "I need help."

"What kind of help?" Lord Batman asked, appearing somewhat suspicious.

"Diana is missing," Bruce revealed. "I need help finding her."

"What happened?"

Bruce explained every single detail of the incident—the type of gun he thought Grodd may have used, the bright blue beam, the way Diana had completely vanished, how Superman had destroyed the gun in an effort to stop Grodd. He also revealed that he had her magic lasso and all the tests that he'd been running on it.

Lord Batman listened intently, a grim expression on his cowled face. "Are you certain she's not dead?"

"She's not dead," Bruce adamantly stated. "I'd know it if she were dead."

Lord Batman seemed to contemplate his words for a moment. "Let's assume for one moment that she is alive," he replied. "What do you think happened to her?"

"I think she was either transported to another universe or maybe a different timeline," he confessed.

"That's going to be difficult to prove," Lord Batman stated.

"I know, but—"

"Not impossible," he continued as he rubbed his chin. "It's going to be time consuming. It's not something that we're going to be able to do in just a couple of days."

"So, you'll help me?"

"Yes, I'll help you," he confirmed. "I know what it feels like to think that you've lost someone you love."

"How are things?" Bruce asked.

The corners of Lord Batman's lips curled ever so slightly much to Bruce's surprise. "Better now," he informed him.

"Glad to hear it," Bruce said with a smirk, happy that at least one version of himself was happy and in love.

"What about you?" he questioned him. "Are you two finally together?"

Bruce grew solemn as he thought about how things could have been…should have been…for the last couple of years if only he hadn't been so stubborn and consumed with his mission. "No, not yet," he admitted with a sigh. "Hopefully, I can change all that once I find her."

"You had better because you never know when she might never come back," Lord Batman reminded him. "I hope this isn't that time."

"Me too," he agreed.

"Look, send me all your notes so far and I'll review everything," Lord Batman told him. "I'll contact you once I've come up with something. Too bad you can't send me the lasso."

"Definitely not," Bruce adamantly stated.

"I knew you'd say that," he told him with a cocky smirk. "It's the only link you have left to Diana."

"Yes," Bruce murmured. "There's also no telling what trying to transport across dimensions could do to it. It might alter test results."

"Yah, there is that," he agreed only to be interrupted.

"Bruce, are you done yet?"

Bruce was surprised when Lord Batman's version of Diana appeared on the screen with him. Her raven hair that had been cut far too short last time he'd seen her was now shoulder length, the darkness and hatred that had pervaded her blue eyes completely gone. Now, there was just love for the man in the chair.

Seeing the Justice Lords' Diana made Bruce miss his Diana even more. It had been four days since she had vanished, four very long days of worrying and wondering and fighting to prove that she wasn't dead. While it had been more than difficult, he wasn't about to give up until she was back where belonged.

"I'll do whatever it takes to help you find her," Lord Batman stated. "I'll be in contact with you."

"Whatever help you can provide would be greatly appreciated."

Lord Batman merely nodded, turning his attention to his Diana before cutting the communication. Bruce leaned forward, holding his head in his hands as he struggled with the emotions that continued to storm through him. All the doubts and fears that he'd been wrestling with persisted in tormenting him in a relentless pursuit of his sanity.

He just hoped that she was safe wherever she was and that she knew he was fighting to bring her back home. He didn't want her giving up for any reason. He wanted her to fight to return home to them…to him. She needed to do whatever it took to come back.

Bruce lifted his head to look at the clock. The memorial service on the Watchtower had started with probably no sign of ending any time soon. There was no doubt an endless string of stories to share and affection being shown for the Amazon princess.

It wasn't that she didn't deserve all the praise being shown to her. She deserved it and so much more. It was just premature. Diana wasn't dead. He needed more to prove it. Everyone was ready to say goodbye and to just move on, but he wasn't prepared to do that, and he probably never would be.

Watchtower (MU)

Flash wiped a tear of laughter from his eye as he stood before the podium in the auditorium that was filled to overflowing with all of his teammates as well as civilian staff. There was one person noticeably missing from the gathering, but no one said a word about it.

"And then she turns and looks at me," he said between bouts of laughter, doing his best Wonder Woman impersonation. "And she says…she says…'Flash, by Hera you are so dead! Now get over here and clean this up or I'll send you straight to Hades myself!'"

Everyone burst out laughing with the story, some wiping away tears of amusement while others couldn't contain their sorrow over the loss of such a bright and warm light in the world. "So, needless to say, I raced over to clean up the mess I'd made. Making Wondy mad is never…was never…a good idea."

"Thank you, Flash," Superman said, noticing how Wally was struggling to hold it together. He came to stand at his side, his arm slipping around his shoulders as the scarlet speedster lowered his head, his body shaking as he broke down in tears.

Flash turned away from the Man of Steel, racing off the stage in a red blur and out of the auditorium. The tense silence that permeated the large room was punctuated by the frequent sniffles and muffled crying. Everyone felt the weight of such a loss—oppressive, crushing, an emptiness that was overwhelming.

Diana's death had left a cavernous void that no one could ever begin to fill, and no one ever would.

Green Lantern took that as his cue to approach the podium. His back was ramrod straight was he came to a stop, his stance conveying his Marine training. He cleared his throat before he began, gaining everyone's attention with that singular action.

"I'll never forget that first time that I met Diana," he began, his lips curling with fond remembrance. "I called her a 'rookie in a tiara'. Let's just say that did not go over well with Diana. I'm probably lucky she didn't knock my head clean off my shoulders right then and there."

Scattered chuckles could be heard throughout the room, all knowing exactly how Wonder Woman would not appreciate being labeled like that especially with her proud Amazonian upbringing. "It didn't take long, however, for Diana to prove that she was definitely no rookie. She was a highly skilled warrior that anyone would be a fool to mess with though Batman tried on a regular basis when they sparred. She proved herself time and time again, always readily throwing herself into a fight without a second thought about herself.

"Diana was truly the greatest teammate and friend that anyone could ever ask for…just don't make her mad. I've been on the receiving end of my fair share of tirades made complete with Greek curses and all, and I'm fairly certain I deserved every bit of it. Flash and I always had a way of pushing her buttons, but no one did it better than Batman."

The crowed grew absolutely silent once more with the mention of the Dark Knight, his absence an unspoken elephant in the room. Lantern cleared his throat as he continued. "Diana, we love you and we'll miss you," he said, his voice almost cracking with emotion. "May you rest in peace, rookie."

"Thank you, John," Superman said as he took the podium again, his fingers wrapping securely around the edges of it. "I believe that Shayera would like to say a few words now."

Shayera moved to stand before her teammates, tears gathered in her green eyes. "I know that Diana and I have had our ups and downs over the years, but she will always be my friend," she said. "We were just beginning to become real friends again when she was taken from us. I'm having a very hard time believing that she is really gone. It's just…so unimaginable not having her around anymore.

"Diana was always larger than life, so fierce and yet was filled with so much compassion. I'll miss her smile and her laugh. I won't be able to look at an iced mocha ever again without thinking of her. I'll miss you, my friend and my sister."

Tears trailed down the Thanagarian's face as she quickly turned away. John went to her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her as she cried. He tilted his head down to kiss the top of her head, eventually leading her off the platform.

The Martian Manhunter took to the empty podium, lowering his head as he considered his words. "There are no words that could come close to describing Diana or what she means to me," he began, pausing to gather himself. "Teammate, confidant, friend…they all seem so superficial and hollow. She was like my family…"

J'onn's voice trailed off, fond memories spent with the Amazon rising in his mind. "Diana was never one to back down from anything," he finally continued, the corners of his lips curling slightly. "She wasn't afraid to tell people what she thought or call you out if you were out of line. She's irreplaceable…the best of all of us."

J'onn walked away from the podium, Superman assuming the position of master of ceremony once more. "Everyone knows that Diana and I were close," he softly said. "She was the sister I never had, and I was the brother she never wanted."

A wave of laughter filtered through the packed auditorium, dying down as the Man of Steel spoke again. "I know the world always tried to link was romantically, but that's not how it was for us. She was seriously like my sister. She could take me on in a fight and yet I always felt the need to protect her. I know it sounds crazy, but she was so sweet and innocent. I was always afraid of her getting hurt because I didn't think she understood the world around her that was so foreign to her and yet I think she understood it better than anyone.

"She taught us all so much during her short time in Man's World as she called it. The Justice League…her friends have suffered a crushing loss, but so has the world."

Superman's gaze roamed over everyone as they stood to their feet, applauding and showing their love and respect for the fallen Amazon. It was truly a touching scene to witness. He wished Diana could have seen it…knew how much she was genuinely loved.

It warmed his heart as many of their teammates wiped their eyes, turning to each other for comfort. Diana had come to Man's World to help save it and spread the message of peace and unity. Through her spirit and example, she had also brought about unity among the League.

As Clark drank in the scene before him, he could help noticing the little red dot on the security camera in the upper corner of the auditorium flickering before becoming solid once more. Bruce had been here in his own way…the only way he could be at this point.

A/N: Wow! What a mess we have going on here!

UP NEXT: Bruce recruits a friend to help him find Diana. Meanwhile, Diana gets an unexpected invitation she can't say no to. :)

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