Diana makes some more discoveries about how the world has changed, and has Bruce as her guide.

Chapter 6: Traveling Plans

She had blindly followed all three Waynes into the study, her mouth still hung open much to her dismay as Bruce led her to a couch, and they sat across from Thomas and Martha, a coffee table the only thing separating them from his parents. Alfred came in carrying a tray of tea and coffee for the four of them, and he set it down before leaving to finish attending to the ballroom. As Thomas and Bruce poured the tea for the ladies, Diana took the opportunity to look around at the decorations in the room. It was very much like the way that Bruce had kept it in her timeline, but there was one glaring difference. Above the fireplace there was no portrait of his parents at all. In fact it was an open space bereft of decoration. Before she knew what she was doing, she found that she'd stood up and walked over to the fireplace looking at that empty space. She was consumed by the thought that the portrait was Bruce's one way of capturing the essence of his parents, as though he could only have one or the other. She then reached up and allowed her fingers to touch the wall where the portrait would've been. "I've told Thomas so many times that we should put a family portrait up in that spot." Martha commented as all of them sat there watching Diana as she stood there.

Martha's words managed to bring her back to the reality of where she was at that moment, and she quickly withdrew her hand and turned back to her hosts. "I don't know." She replied. "Perhaps some other form of decoration would be better." She replied as she rejoined Bruce on the couch and took the tea cup that he'd offered her.

"You seem lost." Thomas said.

"I'm sorry." Diana responded after almost choking on her tea. When she composed herself and set the tea cup down, she continued. "What makes you say that?"

"Just the look in your eyes." He answered. "Also the fact that all of our guests have left and there are no cars left aside from our own."

"How did you get here dear?" Martha asked.

"Taxi cab." Diana answered quickly before looking over to the grandfather clock that had been the cover for the entrance to the Batcave. It was still right there, seemingly waiting to be used. She wondered if it could possibly still have the entrance there that it did in her timeline. It was then that she actually looked at the time. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize the late hour. I should be going."

"Where are you staying?" Bruce asked.

"I have a hotel room at the Radisson in the city." Diana answered, and then noticed the peculiar looks on Thomas and Martha's faces.

"I think it might be best if you waited until morning to return there Diana." Bruce commented. "This time of night, even if we dropped you off at the door, it wouldn't be safe for you."

"I think I can take care of myself." Diana replied, insulted by the thought that Bruce believed she could be in any danger just by returning to her hotel room.

"I'm afraid Bruce is right." Martha added. "Judging from your response, you must be a very independent woman." After Diana's nod in the affirmative she continued. "But you have to understand that this city is different from any other, especially during the night. There's not enough good cops out there that are willing to risk their own safety during the night. And even if they are brave enough, they still don't have the equipment to protect themselves from all the evils and violence the city contains. It's why we try to raise funding as often as possible, and why Thomas and Bruce both work so hard to make sure that our company is always profitable so that we can use our own means to help."

"That's very commendable of you, but that still doesn't explain why you believe I would be in such danger." Diana voiced. "I've had years of training in different forms of martial arts, and know well how to protect myself."

"Even so, no amount of training is enough for this city." Thomas chimed in. "You see Diana, during the day, Gotham is allowed to limp by, but at night all of its ugliness comes out. The most violent and cruel seem to come out then, and even without that there's still nothing but criminals and drugs out there and they're allowed to run rampant."

"Why does no one stand up against this if it's known even by the elite of the city?" Diana asked. "Surely there has to be someone out there that's willing to take a stand against all of this evil and tyranny."

Thomas and Martha looked at each other for a moment, and then back at Diana. It was almost as if they knew something, but didn't know whether or not to mention it. Finally Thomas spoke in response to Diana's questions. "Because of the mobsters that have almost complete control over the city." Thomas stated. "Wayne Enterprises is one of the very few businesses that has no ties to the mob and we're only able to maintain that by all of the contacts and business dealings that are outside of the city. We maintained most of them from before the city had lost the majority of its control through backdoor payoffs, other dealings, and the criminally insane. Even the police force is mostly bought and paid for, and these days they simply can't be trusted. They seem to just look the other way and cover things up in order to keep all the criminals on the streets."

Diana listened for a while longer at just how bad the city was at night, and even though her pride wanted to shine through and return her to the hotel just to prove them wrong, one look at the worry in Bruce's eyes told her she needed to stay just to ease his concern. She wanted to learn more about all the differences in Gotham, and knowing the type of person that Bruce was, she had a more secure feeling that he wouldn't be dishonest with her. Eventually though Alfred returned to announce that the ballroom was straightened away and that he'd prepared a room for Diana at the end of the West Wing. Thomas and Martha stood and said their farewells to the younger couple before following Alfred out to retire for the rest of the evening. Bruce then led Diana to her room even though she actually knew where it was. As they walked side by side down the hall, she had so many more questions about Gotham, but she wasn't sure exactly how to ask them without giving away that she knew more than she was letting on. It was a walk filled with silence because of that, and it seemed to be ending that way when he stopped at the door just long enough to open it for her. He also seemed unsure about something, but eventually turned to make his leave while quickly saying goodnight. Diana though for reasons even she didn't understand reached out stopped him with a gentle hand on his upper arm. It was then that she came across another difference. Gone were the hardened muscles of a man that had spent a lifetime training and perfecting his body to bend to his every will. By no means was this version of Bruce out of shape, and in fact it was obvious that he still worked out often, but not to the religious regimen of the dark vigilante from her timeline. Bruce saw Diana looking down where her hand had touched his arm and wondered just what was on her mind. "Is something wrong with the room Diana?" He asked.

She blinked quickly and once again snapped out of her reverie. "Um, no…" She started. "I mean, not the room, but I do have more questions about the city. I'm not sure how to ask them so I'm just going to come out with it. They are questions such as how do you keep the mob from just blocking your products from being shipped out?"

"Well…" Bruce started. "Dad knew that the mob would eventually try to block everything and snuff out Wayne Enterprises entirely, so he hired some of the good cops and basically built his own armored guards. Our head of security is a good man, and took all his experience from being a police officer to build a strong team that keeps the company protected. We were fortunate to find him too. He was a detective when we met him years ago. He really wanted to bring change to Gotham, but when you're one of the only good cops on the force, it's almost an impossible task to ask of anyone. Especially for someone like Jim that has a family to protect."

"Jim?" She questioned. "You don't mean Jim Gordon do you?"

"Yes actually." Bruce answered. "Do you know him?"

Internally Diana was berating herself. How could she let her curiosity allow her to be so careless? She had to think quickly to come up with a response. "I recall stories of a highly decorated officer years ago that moved to Gotham." It wasn't a lie as she knew from reading up on Gotham and coming across Gordon's rise to becoming the Commissioner.

"I'm surprised that someone of your age would know about Jim's record from so many years ago." Bruce commented. "What other questions do you have?"

"Are you sure that you're up for answering more questions?" Diana asked.

"Absolutely." Bruce answered. "It's the weekend so if needs be, I'll just catch up on sleep in the morning. I wouldn't want to be inhospitable after all."

Diana chuckled slightly at the thought of Bruce Wayne being short with someone. Batman would certainly cut someone off if he didn't feel there was time to be wasted, which was often. "Very well Bruce." Diana conceded before walking into the bedroom and waiting for him to follow. Once he did, she took a seat on the bed and he eventually leaned against a dresser that was across from the bed against a wall in her line of sight. "I noticed that your parents hesitated in answering me about why there was no one to stand up against all the corruption and violence in the city. Do you know what they weren't saying?"

Bruce fidgeted slightly as if he'd just become incredibly uncomfortable as well. "Well…" He started before taking a steadying breath. "There were rumors once a few years ago. These rumors indicated that a man with super powers came into the city and began standing against all the crime and violence. There was a short time where it seemed to be working too."

"What happened then?" Diana asked. She wanted to know just who this Meta was and why they would give in.

"The rumors stopped sometime after he arrived." Bruce cryptically answered with a scowl appearing on his face.

"He?" Diana questioned. It couldn't be good if this person had caused such a reaction from merely mentioning his existence.

"He calls himself the Joker." Bruce answered. "He's done nothing since he arrived but destroy everything we've been working for. After he started getting noticed, the rumors about the vigilante went away. It was like he just disappeared off the face of the Earth, and that was when the city really needed him the most. We really thought things were going to turn around, and instead they ended up slipping even further into the darkness."

"I'm sorry to hear that Bruce." Diana responded. "Do you think that the Joker did something to this vigilante that the rumors spoke of?"

"No one knows." Bruce said. "But I'd be surprised if the rumors about this man were true."

"Why is that?" Diana asked.

"That was about the time that Jim realized he couldn't stay on the force any longer. He was the only one that was willing to try going after that lunatic." Bruce explained. "The mob didn't care about it until the Joker started to strong-armed them into using their influence to make Jim back off with the threat of going to war against them. If Jim didn't stop, then they'd threatened to have his wife and daughter killed. It wasn't long after that Jim knew he stood alone in his pursuit of doing what's right and he resigned. Dad heard about it and immediately offered Jim a position as head of our security. It was a hard sell at first, but we let him in on the selection of who his team was. That's why there are a couple of former police officers on his staff. Dad and I know how important the security team is to Wayne Enterprises too so we make certain they aren't going to be easily bought off. They're actually one of the best paid departments in the entire organization, but in the end it's worth it to be free of mob ties. The only threat we do have is when the Joker and his gang decide to hit us, but with the struggle for power with him and the mob, that's a rarity these days. There's not much to gain from coming after us for either side other than some extra money."

"That sounds terrible." Diana reacted. "It's a shame that more can't be done for this city. It has a real beauty that is lost in all this darkness."

"Yes it is terrible." Bruce reciprocated. "But I guess I didn't actually answer your question did I. Since Jim's been with Wayne Enterprises, he's talked about the rumors that he heard during his time on the force. There were criminals being caught and subdued by the time the police happened to arrive on the scene. When that didn't result in arrests, he began to drop off the thugs and criminals at the step of the MCU where the police simply couldn't ignore it and let the criminals loose. Instead they started issuing arrest warrants about how vigilantism was illegal and wouldn't be tolerated. They even stated that they had no choice but to let the criminals go because of due process not being used and any other loophole that could be exploited. Jim used to talk about how the criminals that this vigilante brought in would say crazy things about how this man was faster than anything on the planet, and that they couldn't even hit him when they shot at him. Some even claimed to have shot him and the bullets bounced off of him like they were throwing pebbles at him, but then the Joker began popping up all over the place and you basically know the rest."

Kal. Diana almost let it slip out loud. Could her friend have chosen Gotham instead of Metropolis? But if he did, then why would he give in? It wasn't like Kal to surrender. She'd always known him to fight with everything that he had in the face of being destroyed. He'd stared down the likes of Doomsday and Darkseid on his own before the formation of the Justice League. She knew that the Joker was the most villainous of all their enemies, but if Bruce wouldn't ever give up, then why would Kal when the Joker was still only a mortal human with no Meta powers? She needed to know why, and she wanted to find out as soon as possible.

"Is there anything else you'd like to know about?" Bruce asked to break the silence that was beginning to loom in the room.

"Oh, sorry." Diana started. "I was just thinking about your vigilante rumors. They sound somewhat familiar to stories from a little town in Kansas, called Smallville."

"Maybe he went home for some reason." Bruce guessed.

Diana could see that his brilliant deductive mind was still working just as well even if it hadn't been trained and educated in forensics and the justice system. She knew that she wanted to leave and seek out Kal to find out what happened, but she was conflicted in that she'd found her good friend Bruce and didn't want to leave him behind even if he wasn't the Batman in this timeline. "Perhaps." She finally agreed. "I'd like to go and check that out soon."

"Kansas is quite a distance for cab fare or walking." Bruce teased to which Diana caught on quickly and smiled in response, but oh if only he knew the actual reason why. "If you'd like, after breakfast we could take the company jet and make a day of it. Maybe if we can find him we can talk him into coming back."

Diana saw Bruce push himself up and away from the dresser before coming over and sitting next to her on the bed. She glanced into his eyes when he grabbed hold of her hand and saw a hopeful look in them. It was something that'd she realized had been missing ever since she started asking more questions about the city. He and his family were obviously doing everything that they could, but he simply wasn't Batman. He wasn't unwavering in the quest for justice because he had his family here, and he'd found out from Jim Gordon that even good men could only take on so much. She'd gained a whole new level of respect and admiration for what her Bruce had done in her timeline. With Batman, the city was in so much better hands than without it. However that also brought another realization to her. In order for there to be a Batman and Gotham to be saved, Bruce's parents would have to die to send him down that path. "This city can be saved." She informed him. "It would take a special kind of man, and not one with super powers like the rumors have stated Bruce."

"What kind of man would it take?" He asked. "And how do I find him? All my family and I want is for Gotham to be safe."

"This man would have to be truly incorruptible." She explained as she thought of everything that Batman was and why. "He'd hide his face with a symbol that would strike fear into the criminal element as well as to protect his loved ones from any form of reprisal. He'd have to work tirelessly on his trade, learning everything there is to know about martial arts and criminology. Also, he'd have to have all kinds of tools to help him in his trade. Some form of assault vehicles, but there is one thing that's the most important over everything else."

"What's that?" Bruce asked.

"His one rule would have to be unbreakable." Diana answered. "That no matter what, he would under no circumstances take a life. Not even if it's someone like the Joker that truly deserves to see his end."

"Wow." Bruce responded. "That sounds like an incredible person, but I don't think there's anyone out there that fits that mold."

"What about someone like you Bruce?" Diana asked. "You have a desire like few others to save this city from its own demise. I think you could easily fit into that mold. I can see greatness within you."

"That's very flattering Diana, but I'm no crime fighter." Bruce resisted. "I may have some gadgets that our company's designed for the military over the years, but not a shred of training to speak of."

"So your physique is just a gift from the gods?" Diana questioned.

"Well...not entirely no." Bruce admitted. "I've been a part of an MMA gym for years, but I don't have the talents to take on all the criminals in Gotham. I'm not even the best student at the gym. I'm just a man."

"You do have a power Bruce." Diana said while placing a hand over his heart. "It's inside here. I know you have the heart of a warrior. You've just never let it come out."

"That sounds…nice." Bruce replied in disbelief, although a piece of him wanted her to be right. He did want this city to be safe. He still remembered that one civilian that had saved his family all those years ago. That man had asked his parents to continue doing what they had been for the city, but was there something more that they could be doing? Was there something that they'd been raising him to be able to do? The more that he thought about it, the more he wished it could be true. He did want to save the city in the name of that man on that night. That….one….man. "Maybe…one man can take a stand." He finally said.

Diana flinched upon hearing his words and then feeling his hand coming to rest on top of hers. Memories began to storm back of the close moments that they'd shared in her timeline. Before she knew what was happening though, she'd leaned in and touched her lips to his ever so gently. Bruce was surprised by the moment, but soon reacted in kind as he took his other hand and slid his fingers into Diana's hair, holding onto the back of her head as he slowly deepened the kiss. Diana was enjoying the intimate moment with Bruce, but soon her thoughts snapped back to reality. This wasn't her Bruce. Their close relationship hadn't been going on for years with this Bruce. It had only just started this afternoon and already she was kissing him! She immediately broke the kiss and fought to catch her breath along with her composure. "I'm so sorry." She apologized in between breaths. "I didn't intend to move so quickly."

"It's alright Diana." Bruce responded. He'd deeply enjoyed the kiss as it confirmed in his mind that she was attracted to him just as he knew that he was to her. The feeling that there was simply something between the two of them kept coming to his mind. He simply didn't want it to end. "After we return from Smallville, if you'd like maybe I could take you on a tour of Wayne Enterprises. We could see if there's something to your belief that I have what's needed to become the man that you spoke of."

Diana thought about that for the moment. She knew that this city had been affected incredibly with the fact that Bruce's parents were obviously alive. It was currently the closest thing to a lead that she had so far, and even though there was an incredible level of some emotion or feeling that she couldn't describe or understand growing inside of her about him, she decided that she needed to follow this lead to its end. "I'd love that Bruce." She replied. "Since we have such a big day, then perhaps we should get some rest. I'll see you in the morning."

"Promise?" He asked with a hopeful smile.

Diana loved the look of that smile on Bruce's face. She decided then and there that she would etch that smile into her memories as she wanted to remember it on his face forever. Perhaps when the timeline was fixed she would make it a goal to see that smile on her Bruce's face. "I give you my word." Diana answered with a pleasant smile of her own. "Good night Bruce."

With that, Bruce stood up from the bed, and grabbed Diana's hand to brush his lips against her knuckles before he left her to get some sleep. She waited until he was out of sight before she got up and walked over to close the bedroom door. As soon as she did that, she spun around and leaned up against it. She wasn't sure what she had just gotten herself into. Thoughts of her dream came crashing back into her mind. The kiss was short, but still very powerful. That moment had left her incredibly flustered, and she wasn't sure how exactly to handle it. She had to force it from her mind for the time being. She had to focus on her mission, and that mission entailed what had happened to her other friend Kal. She'd found Bruce, and now it was time to find Superman. First though, she needed to gather some information so that when she traveled to Smallville with Bruce, it would leave Bruce without question when she led him over to the Kent's farm immediately. She knew that certain people in the world had benefited from dumb luck to stumble upon what they were looking for, but simply finding the place that Kal lived without any reason or evidence whatsoever would surely raise some questions. With Bruce showing that he still held a deductive mind, it would certainly bring about the questions as to how she knew so much, and she found that she didn't want to tell him. She needed to keep things based on her desire for peace in the world as she also searched for clues that would lead to the person responsible for the timeline changing in the first place. There was no question that the world was much better in most aspects before the past had been affected.

Diana waited for a few more minutes before unlocking the window as well as opening the balcony door to her bedroom. She stepped out closing the door behind her and flew off in the direction of the city. She'd gather any information that she could and return before daylight. Flying through the night air had never felt so good before. The cool air helped to clear her mind as she traveled back into the city. When she reached the city limits though, the serenity and quiet of the night was replaced with something else that was completely unpleasant to her ears. It was the sounds of screams, gunshots, and broken windows. She landed on the rooftop of her hotel despite her desire to investigate all of the distress and discord, but held off until she'd returned to her room and changed back into her armor. She didn't take the time of heading back through the roof however, and instead opened a window and jettisoned back out. It didn't take long at all for her to find one of the sources that the noises she'd heard were coming from. There was a woman being assaulted in an alleyway. Diana immediately landed behind the attacker, the noise of her feet meeting the ground being loud enough to draw his attention. When he saw what she was wearing, he began to laugh as he pulled out a gun. "A little early for Halloween ain't it lady?" The man taunted as he took aim. "But since you wanna interrupt my business, maybe I should teach you a lesson too."

"You can try if you wish." Diana stated as she began to stomp toward the man. He glared his teeth upon hearing her response as he squeezed the trigger and fired at her. Diana rose her arm up and deflected the bullet with her bracer with ease. Seeing this, the man fired three more times as she bore down upon him, each shot meeting the same fate. He was about to fire again until she grabbed the gun and began to crush it in her vice like grip. The man screamed in pain as some parts of the gun pinched tightly around his hand before he could pull it away. Once the weapon was a useless piece of scrap metal and Diana tossed it aside, the man had recomposed himself to the point where he ignorantly thought to attack with his bare hands by throwing a punch. Diana caught his fist in mid strike and yanked his arm until it was twisted behind his back. She then slammed him head first in the wall before pulling it back by his hair. "I think you've had just about enough." She said as she released him and he collapsed into an unconscious pile on the ground. Diana then turned to tend to the victim. "Are you alright?" She asked.

"What did you just do?" The woman asked as she knelt down next to the man on the ground. "Why did you do that?"

"I…I was only trying to help." Diana stated incredulously.

"Well thanks." The woman sarcastically responded. "Now when he gets up it'll only be worse for me. Next time just mind your own freaking business."

"I don't understand." Diana said. "Why would you stay around this man if he's only going to beat you?"

"He's my boss!" The woman yelled. "He's not as bad as a lot of the others. Now I'll be lucky if he even keeps me thanks to you, you dumb bitch. Get outta here before you ruin the rest of my life!"

Diana couldn't believe what she'd just heard from this woman that she thought to be a victim. Gotham was truly a fallen city. If it had fallen this far, she could only imagine how disheartening it had to be for those that had lived in this timeline the entire time unlike her. She decided that she would be best served returning to her hotel room until such a time that she better understood how to attack the city. Little did she know though that as she took off into the air, she was being watched from a doorway deeper in the alley. The person watching stepped out into the light as he saw her fly off out of sight. "Well, well." He said. "It looks like we have another freak in our midst. Hopefully this one wants to play more than the other." The woman next to her pimp looked up as she heard the cackling of the Joker before she took off without another thought. The Joker walked up to where the woman's unconscious pimp was still lying on the ground. He knelt down and checked the man's vitals for a moment. "Let him live too. Breaking her will be just as fun." Joker then began to laugh some more as he pulled out a knife and proceeded to slit the pimp's throat from ear to ear before wiping the blade off on the pimp's pants and returning to the building he'd watched from.

Diana flew down to the balcony of her room at Wayne manor. After she'd returned to her hotel room she performed as much research on Smallville as she could. There wasn't much at all to go on, but she'd found enough stories online that couldn't be explained to go off of as potential leads. She'd also found that there was a Clark Kent in the local school records from years ago. She was sure that Kal would have at least been there as a boy, and she hoped that he'd returned after his stint in Gotham. After a couple hours though, she knew she had to return to the Manor and get some rest at least. She quickly printed off everything that she found, and folded the pages up before placing them in her duffle bag that she'd purchased while buying clothes with the Green Lantern in Metropolis to stow them in. Then she changed back into her dress and left her room for the Manor.

Diana was exhausted and was happy to crawl into such a comfortable bed. Once the covers were pulled over her, she closed her eyes and instantly fell asleep. The next thing she recalled was a knock on the door. She didn't want to wake up at that moment though and tried to ignore it, but soon another knock came. "Diana." It was Bruce outside her door.

She didn't want to be rude even though she was still tired. "It's unlocked." She called out from the bed.

Bruce slowly opened the door as he stepped into her room. "Good morning." He said cheerfully. "I'm sorry if I woke you, but Alfred's prepared breakfast, and I thought we'd get a good jumpstart on the day."

"Yes, that's a good idea Bruce." Diana agreed as she began to sit up before realization struck her. She'd slipped out of the dress when she came back inside her room, and had nothing to cover her up but the sheets on the bed. She quickly grabbed the falling linen and pinned it under her arms. "I'm afraid I'll be joining breakfast in last night's attire. I hope that's alright."

"It's fine Diana." Bruce responded. "I was thinking of having Alfred go to gather your things before we head on our trip anyways. If you have your room card, he can be back by the time we finish breakfast."

"Alright Bruce." Diana yielded. "It's on the chair under the dress. Give me a moment to get dressed and I'll join you."

Bruce grabbed the card and pulled the bedroom door shut behind him as he left. He walked down the hallway and to the kitchen area where Alfred and his parents had all been. He handed the trusty butler Diana's room card and instructed him to gather her things and bring them back to the Manor, and then told his parents that he was going to borrow the jet so that he could take Diana somewhere. They didn't question the where's or why's, but rather only smiled toward each other before returning to what they'd been doing before their son walked in the room. It was obvious to the both of them that he was without a doubt smitten with this woman, and they weren't about to interfere. They didn't know why, but they felt that this woman was special and wanted to see what would become of her and their son. Within a couple minutes, Diana walked in and joined them all as well. Bruce took the initiative in serving the food and drink for Diana. She couldn't help but to smile at Bruce the server, and saw the exquisite food sitting before her. Alfred had clearly gone all out for her, and she knew how good of a chef he was already. This feast was going to be greatly enjoyed, that she knew for certain.

Breakfast was as lovely as Diana had expected. Bruce was quiet for the most part while Thomas and Martha joined Diana in small talk about nothing in particular until Alfred arrived with Diana's duffle bag in hand. She stood from the table and retrieved her bag from the butler before leaving to change into clothing that would be more suitable for traveling to the small Kansas town, and returned to find Bruce waiting at the front door for her with Alfred at his side. He was wearing jeans and a polo shirt, so fitting for a casually dressed Bruce; although she thought seeing him in jeans was slightly odd, but that feeling quickly passed as she joined him, putting her free arm in the crook of his. "Ready to go?" She asked, gaining a smile from Bruce.

"I'm as ready as I've ever been Diana." Bruce replied as they walked out the front door to begin their trip together. "First stop, Smallville."