Diana confronts Bruce about his late night acitivities.

Chapter 12: A Conversation and an Admission

Diana walked purposefully into the kitchen. She had a topic in mind to discuss with Bruce and needed to find him immediately. Seeing Alfred there setting things aside for what she presumed would be lunch along with Martha who was seated at the kitchen counter caused her to slow in her stride ever so slightly. She hadn't been quick enough though to avoid the questioning looks the two were sending her way. She realized that she'd done an extremely poor job of hiding the frustration from her facial features, that much was sure, and instantly regretted the way that she had stormed into the kitchen, especially upon noticing that the target of her ire was nowhere in sight. "Is everything alright dear?" Martha asked; concern etched in her voice as she turned around on her barstool seat to face Diana fully.

"Y…yes….I mean no." Diana stumbled initially before giving in to telling the truth. "I need to speak with Bruce. Is he still in the Manor? Perhaps in the study?"

"You mean that he still hasn't spoken with you about what happened yesterday?" Martha questioned in disbelief. She couldn't believe that her son would've put off setting things straight with this beautiful young woman by now. She was going to have to have a word with her son if he didn't get this straightened out pronto.

"I'm afraid Master Bruce took leave heading for the office late last night Madame and Miss Diana." Alfred added. He too was disappointed that Bruce wouldn't have spoken with Diana yet. The young man had to have gone mad to do such a thing, and had certainly been raised with better etiquette than what he'd obviously shown.

Diana turned to leave the Manor and head into the city for Wayne Enterprises, but stopped cold at the sound of Martha's voice. "Won't you join me for a quick snack before heading off to instruct my son that he needs to work on some of his social shortcomings?" She asked and patted on the stool next to her. "You must be famished."

Diana was a little hungry, but her anger toward the likelihood of Bruce being incredibly stupid the previous night was still consuming the signals from her body to provide it with nourishment. Had it been anyone else she'd have politely declined and went forward with her objective, but there was something about Bruce's parents where she didn't want to go against their wishes. She wasn't sure what it was, but while she internally debated what to do she found that she'd already taken the offered seat next to Bruce's mother. Before she even realized what was going on, there was a cup of tea and a plate filled with assorted pastries set out in front of her. The aroma of the food was simply mouth watering. It was almost to the point that she forgot all about what Bruce had likely done. Almost. She took a puff pastry that Alfred had topped with some cream along with a few raspberries and grapes. The aroma didn't do the pastry justice as its buttery goodness almost melted in her mouth. The man never ceased to amaze her with his cooking prowess, almost seemingly topping one meal with the next on a consistent basis.

Martha and Diana sat quietly for the most part as they each enjoyed the end results of Alfred's culinary skills. Martha could sense from the look in Diana's eyes that she was still focused on locating Bruce and sensing that caused some surprise with Diana having opted to heed her request to stay. If Martha had that same sense about her, she'd have declined and headed out to whomever or whatever was troubling her. There was certainly something different about this young woman, and it intrigued her to say the least. She was beginning to see more and more of the qualities that had drawn her son to Diana. She knew there was a strong independent nature about Diana from their initial meeting at the charity ball, and Bruce certainly wasn't interested in a woman that was more of a puppet. Diana seemed the type to always speak her opinion, but always with tact and seemingly honesty as well. Sensing that Diana was getting ready to head out once again, Martha set down her now empty tea cup and stood from her seat. "Please Diana, if you're finished I'd like for you to come with me for a few moments." She said. "I promise that if you give me just a few more minutes of your time, then I'll have Alfred drive you to wherever you wish."

Diana showed some surprise in her features upon hearing Martha's request. It wasn't so much what was being asked as it was the tone. She asked the question, but it felt almost like a regal demand at the same time, not unlike her own mother. There was some definite seriousness to Martha's tone of voice, and she was curious what had brought it out into the open. Up to this point Martha had shown nothing but kindness and softness. Perhaps she'd gotten through to Bruce on her own and felt she needed to sit with Diana before Bruce did. Wanting to know what it was, Diana wiped her mouth with a napkin and stood to follow Martha. They remained silent as Diana followed Bruce's mother out the back doors and into the garden area. It was filled with a variety of beautiful flowers throughout. She looked around taking in the scenery until Martha came to stop in front of a rose bush. She began tending to the bush as she broke the silence between them. "Time has certainly seemed to fly by these last few weeks hasn't it?" She questioned rhetorically. "It's hard to believe that the charity event where we first met you happened over a month ago."

Diana's eyes widened upon hearing that. Had it really been more than a month already? She'd never paid attention to how much time had passed, only on her mission, Gotham, and Bruce. Martha turned slightly to look back when she received no response. "Diana, you've been a godsend for my son." Martha continued. "I haven't seen him this happy in such a very long time, but there's also something else that I've noticed. You've been going out with him on various trips to odd locations. One of which ended with my son getting shot. Then last night he was visibly upset for an unknown reason before asking to look back into the past for a specific memory. I can't help but to wonder and worry just what is going on. I need some answers, and please understand that I don't wish to upset you."

"I understand Mrs. Wayne." Diana responded respectfully.

"Are you going out seeking some danger or adventure?" Martha asked. "I'm concerned that my son is going to get injured again. I'm sure you know about how a mother worries for her child."

"As am I, Mrs. Wayne." Diana answered quickly before elaborating. "It's not my intention to place Bruce in harm's way. I have a great respect for your son. He's one of the best men I've ever come to know, and the last thing I want is to see him hurt in any way."

"What do are your plans aside from spending time with my son?" Martha continued to question. "In the weeks you've been here, I haven't noticed a time where you've sought out any form of financial independence. I'm sure that you didn't intend to just move into the Manor even though I'm beginning to think that Bruce is starting to want that."

"No Mrs. Wayne. My intention also wasn't to stay in your home, and as much as I like your son, I don't have plans to move in." Diana explained. It was the truth. She hadn't planned on staying there at all, but somehow had ended up doing just that. "And I don't wish to overstay my welcome either. If you wish, I can relocate back to the hotel I was originally staying at."

"No, no dear." Martha back peddled. "You are most certainly still welcome here. I just worry about Bruce sometimes. He means the world to his father and I, and we'd do anything to protect him."

"That is certainly an admirable trait." Diana commented. "I feel the same for Bruce in that sense as you. I know that he's capable of great things for the world. More than he'll even believe of himself."

"You love him." Martha stated confidently. She could tell from the look in Diana's eyes. It was glaringly obvious.

Diana took an unsure step back. How had the conversation gone from worry about her intentions toward Bruce to this? Love him? An Amazon loving a man? "I….I…Love?" Diana tried to deny but found that she couldn't bring herself to say it. Not to his mother. She couldn't figure out why though either. She couldn't love any man. She wasn't raised to do such a thing. But Martha was the second being to indicate that to her and the first was one of her patron goddesses. She definitely needed some time to think now.

Martha only smiled at seeing Diana's reaction. She'd obviously never fallen in love before and didn't recognize it. Just the mere mentioning of it had rendered her speechless after all. She gave a sympathetic smile to the young woman and embraced her in a caring hug. It's not every day that you get the chance to be around a woman that had fallen in love with your son. Diana stood there with her arms to her side not knowing what to do, but wanting to escape from the current situation. Soon Martha released her and stepped back. "Don't worry dear." She offered. "No one else will hear about this until you're ready. It just warms my heart to see the two of you happy together. I'm sure you want to get back to what you were planning before I interrupted you. Alfred should be waiting at the door to take you to Wayne Enterprises. If you hurry along, you should be able to catch Bruce for lunch."

Diana blinked a couple of times trying to get her mind to begin functioning again. Soon she remembered that she was upset about what she'd seen on the television and offered a friendly departing word to Bruce's mother before making her way to the door. True to Martha's word and expectedly, Alfred was indeed at the door waiting to take her into the city. So far the word around Gotham was only about a female vigilante in Gotham as there was no useful information to trace her back to the Waynes, and Martha seemed to suspect nothing so far. She decided that the less they knew, the safer it would be for them.

During the ride into the city, Diana's thoughts went toward Bruce's parents and what she'd gathered from the little time she'd spent with them. Thomas was noticeably intelligent. He was also a strong yet gentle and caring man, something that the world even in her own timeline needed exponentially more of. Martha was a truly gentle soul. So loving and friendly. Even if she hadn't known anything about the Waynes beforehand, she wouldn't have been surprised in discovering Martha's fingerprints on all of the charitable things that had been done. She could see why the loss of them had hit Bruce so hard as a child. It was truly a shame that these two wonderful people would be taken away from the world at such an early time in their lives, but there was nothing that could be done to save them without potentially creating chaos. Even though there was no evidence to support it, Diana wondered how much of an effect Thomas and Martha surviving that night so many years ago had impacted everything to the current timeline. It was surely the reason that there was no Batman even though she suspected that Bruce was already well on his way down that path yet again. But did there not being a Batman in Gotham cause Kal to choose it over Metropolis? Were their deaths a catalyst for everything? If it turned out to be the case, how would she break it to Bruce, or should she at all? Either way she needed more research to confirm it as anything more than a theoretical possibility before any decision about that topic needed to go any further than in her thoughts and suspicions.

Running through all of her thoughts, Diana didn't realize where the time went as Alfred had already pulled to a stop in front of Wayne Enterprises. Knowing the type of man that Alfred was, she waited in her seat until the faithful butler had come around the car and opened the door for her. "I've taken the liberty of messaging prior to your arrival miss, and you shouldn't receive any troubles reaching Master Bruce's office." Alfred said as he offered her his hand to help her out of the car. "While in the city, I'll be running some errands. Should the need arise sooner than that, all you need do is have the front desk message me and I shall return hastily to drive you back to the Manor."

"Thank you Alfred." Diana replied before leaning in and offering a small peck on his cheek. He was stunned into stiffness, but aside from that, there was no other visible response from the man. "You are too kind, and I'll try my best to ensure that you have enough time to run any errands that you had in mind." The butler only offered a small nod while clasping his hands behind his back. He watched in that position until Diana had walked into the building safely before turning and climbing back into the car.

Inside Wayne Enterprises, this was the second time where Diana noticed some significant differences with anything related to a Wayne owned facility. There was quite a bit more security around the entrance area than she recalled, and if she had to be honest it didn't seem to be quite as organized all around either. There seemed to be more hustle and bustle going on than. Perhaps her Bruce had more of a fingerprint on his company than she realized as well, making her question once again how this mortal man could find enough time in the day to do all that he did. She walked up to the main counter and was surprised by who she saw behind the desk next to the secretary. Still with the familiar white mustache was none other than Jim Gordon. He was just as busy as everyone else it seemed as he was carrying on a conversation with someone over his radio. It sounded like details regarding an upcoming shipment of some sort, but nothing particularly worth noting. Soon though he looked at the Amazon standing before him and changed his attention to her. "Excuse me miss." He said. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Yes." Diana answered. "I'm here to see Bruce Wayne. Alfred told me that he called in to let everyone know I'd be arriving."

"So that would make you…Diana then." Jim said looking down at a clipboard with what she assumed had names of expected visitors on it. "We actually don't show that Bruce came in this morning. Are you sure that he's here?"

"According to Alfred, he came in last night." Diana explained. Jim went to his clipboard again and flipped back a couple of pages.

"Ahh….here it is." Jim replied. "He did come in last night and hasn't left yet. I'll escort you to his office."

Diana waited patiently until Gordon came around the desk and led her over to the elevator. She thought about speaking with him to break the silence that was evident between them, but wasn't sure what topic to discuss. This Jim Gordon had never known Batman and never been Commissioner. In what limited conversations she had shared with him, it was always with regard to Batman. Still though she was a public figure and small talk shouldn't be that difficult. "Do you enjoy working for the Wayne's here?" She asked.

"It's been a good career choice I'd have to say." He answered somewhat cryptically before elaborating. "Originally I'd planned on being a cop, but the law seems better served here than it does in the city. Being here wasn't my first choice, but each member of the Wayne family is genuinely a good person and they take care of this company's employees. They don't treat anyone like they're too good for you, and in that sense I couldn't ask for a better environment to be in."

"But your preference would be back in the police force." Diana surmised as the elevator doors opened to allow them passage onto the floor where Bruce's office was located. "Perhaps given enough time you might've even managed to become the Commissioner."

Jim chuckled upon hearing that. "Commissioner?" He questioned. "I don't think I have the chops or the right people backing me for something like that." They both came to a stop in front of the administrative assistant's desk forcing the conversation to end there as Jim faced Bruce's assistant. "Hello Darlene. I have a Diana here to see Mr. Bruce Wayne."

"I'm sorry Jim, but Mr. Wayne isn't in his office." Darlene responded. "In fact I haven't seen him all day."

Jim pondered for a moment about just where it was that Bruce might have been all night and morning long. He'd normally have at least a few meetings throughout the business day that would cause him to be in his office some of the time. It was very rare that he was in the building and not in his office at least once in the morning. Diana was standing idly by until a thought occurred to her. "Perhaps Bruce has been in the Research and Development department." She suggested. "He told me a few days ago about how he was taking a larger role in that division of the company."

Jim agreed and asked Darlene to place a call down to that department wing before they went on a wild goose chase. Sure enough, Bruce had been in and out of that area all morning long, and had closed off a section where he and a select few employees were currently. With a new destination, Jim led Diana back to the elevator.

~~ R&D Department ~~

Bruce was hard at work busying himself with some different forms of technology that he thought could potentially help out with what he'd had in mind. He was tired yet excited at the same time. It'd been a very long night for him and he wanted to make quite a bit of progress on his plans, but didn't want to involve very many people. Therefore he sectioned off an area early in the morning, and only allowed the two people that he trusted the most from the department to join him. He also planned to use some of their expertise to help him as well. They were working on an experimental metal alloy that was extremely lightweight yet incredibly durable. His hope was to make large enough headway for a bench test later that evening if at all possible. Initially his two counterparts questioned just what his goals were, but he merely brushed their questions away by stating that he only had a theory at that point. He only intended to divulge what his theory was if the testing came back positive. Knowing that they wouldn't get more out of him until then, the three of them worked in tandem all morning long with barely any breaks.

Bruce had been incredibly driven by some unknown motivational factor, and the two that were working along with him couldn't quite figure out what he was up to with having a metallurgist and one of the world's most renowned processor designers working together. However they knew from past experience that when Bruce came to the department excited with an idea in mind it normally ended up as a successful venture for the company, and that meant a bigger bonus for those in the department. That was really all the motivation that anyone needed when Bruce was involved.

Bruce was the only one that didn't look up at the sound of the door to his designated secure working area opening up. That didn't mean that he wasn't aware of someone coming in though. "You know Jim, even security wasn't supposed to access this area today." Bruce commented while he remained focused on what he was working on.

"Sorry Bruce." Jim briefly conceded. "But even your mother has higher clearance in the company at this point, and she's the one that signed off when Alfred called to bring your visitor to you."

Bruce stopped what he was doing to look up, and spotted Diana standing just off to the side of Jim. From the look on her face and seeing her arms crossed in front of her chest, it was obvious that she was not very happy or pleased at that moment. Bruce involuntarily gulped down the lump that suddenly grew in his throat as he stood from his seat. "Umm…" He stumbled before clearing his throat. "Thank you Jim. I'll take it from here. Larry and Nancy, we've been putting in quite a bit of time already. Maybe it's time to take a break for lunch. Take your time and we'll get back to work this afternoon." The two employees looked at each other in surprise, but then wasted little time in taking their leave. Both Bruce and Diana remained silent until the others made their exits, and when they were finally alone, Bruce engaged the locking mechanisms on the doors before turning to face the Angry Amazon in front of him. "I…suppose that I owe you a bit of an explanation."

"You're damn right you do Bruce!" Diana fumed as she marched right up to his face and began to poke him in the chest with each word. "What in Hera's name were you thinking?"

Bruce rubbed his chest, knowing full well that she'd jabbed him hard enough to where there would definitely be a bruise. "I had some things that I needed to work out." He responded. "I'm sorry that I didn't come to see you and explain that it had nothing to do with you."

"Is that what you think this is about?" She incredulously questioned. "I saw the news Bruce. Did you think that I wouldn't find out?" Bruce seemed to go tightlipped upon hearing her words as Diana waited for a response. Her patience though quickly wore out as she huffed in anger and started to march away from him. He took a few steps after her until he realized that she wasn't just walking away from him when she suddenly came to a stop. She turned and looked into his eyes, giving him one last chance to come clean, but quickly realized that even though this was a softer and more emotionally available Bruce; he still came with the same level of stubbornness. She then reached out and grabbed a handle before yanking open the very same cabinet doors that he'd previously opened for her to reveal the battle armor that his company had designed. She took her eyes off of the man at that moment to look over the suit, finding her evidence in some scrapes and other obvious signs of being used that weren't there the first time she saw it. "You are a damn fool."

"If wanting to save Gotham like you told me I was doing in your timeline makes me a fool then I guess you're right." Bruce defiantly and angrily countered, coming up and stepping right back into her personal space. "Are you really angry at me, or are you angry with yourself for telling me what I'm supposed to become?"

"I also told you that you haven't received the proper training you need in order to become this city's champion!" Diana fired back. "You have no clue how many times that you narrowly avoided being killed even with all that training."

"That's why I'm working to improve everything else until I do." Bruce stated before walking back over to the terminal he'd been at when she first arrived. He pulled up a screen and turned the monitor to face her as he pointed to it. "I may not have all of the hand to hand combat training, but I can surely have everything else at my disposal until I do. I'm not going to just sit back and watch the city burn when I know that I can do more to save it. I have to Diana. Can't you see that?"

"What I see is what could very likely happen to you." She explained. "And how I would have myself to blame for putting you on this path before you were truly ready."

"That's for me to decide." Bruce fired off with his voice now heatedly rising. "And I am ready, regardless of what you think. I did just fine last night."

"I knew it was you that they were referring to on the news." Diana stated, raising her voice in return. "You may have stopped some lower level criminals, but what will you do when you eventually gain the attention of someone truly dangerous? You should be aware of just how bad things are from seeing how your parents had to hire their own personal guard, and even that isn't enough all of the time. When someone like the Joker chooses to come after you, and eventually if you do enough he will, then you'll find that I was right Bruce. You can't do this."

"I'm sorry you feel that way Diana." Bruce stated, his voice now taking a more somber tone as he lowered his eyes and head. He turned away from her and took a few steps away before his posture turned rigid and straight upright once again. He kept his back to her as he continued defiantly. "But this is something I have to do. That Clark Kent you had me help seek out, the one that gave up because of the Joker. He's one of the many reasons that I have to do this."

Diana found that she was confused by Bruce's comments, and her anger seemed to ebb. "I don't understand."

"I have to do this because believe it or not, I know what I'm going up against." Bruce continued to explain, now turning to face her once again. "Clark quit because he didn't understand this city and lost faith. My parents and I have never given up on this city despite the fact that everyone else has. We've been trying to help Gotham heal, but all of our money, all of the charity events we hold, it's just not enough. It'll never be enough. And even though you're going out at night to make a difference, last night is all the proof in the world that there's even more that could be done if we worked together."

"No." Diana said before walking to the door. "If you want to help save the city, then help me locate the one responsible for making changes to the past."

"So it's okay for me to help so long as it's for your mission, but if I want to help my city I'm not good enough?" Bruce asked, his anger returning in spades.

Diana took her hand away from the door controls, and turned back to face him. "I…" She started before her words left her. She stood silent for a few moments as she tried to gather her reasoning, but only one came to her. She let go of a sigh as her shoulders slumped, and she walked over to Bruce; wrapping her arms around him as she let her chin rest on one of his shoulders. "I can't risk losing you Bruce." She whispered. "This is hard enough for me with the knowledge that I have of the changes that have already been made."

"It's alright Diana." Bruce soothed as he hugged her in return. "Nothing's going to happen to me, especially if we work together. I promise."

"You certainly have the spirit of a warrior in both timelines Bruce, I'll give you that." Diana said as she pulled back to look him directly in his blue eyes. She saw something there in his eyes that she'd not seen before, and she didn't know what to make of it, but she knew that even if she didn't allow him to help he was still going to go out on his own. Of that she was sure, and with that knowledge she made a choice hoping that she wouldn't regret it. "If I can't talk you out of this, then there's something that I need to show you before you go out into the night again."

Diana had to wait as Bruce procured the suit that he'd used the night before from storage. It was able to be separated into sections which allowed him to fit it into two briefcases. He also gave the two workers the lab area back when they returned from lunch. While she waited, she placed a call to Alfred letting him know that she was going to come back to the Manor with Bruce and wouldn't need a ride after all. The butler sounded quite jovial compared to when he'd dropped her off at Wayne Enterprises earlier upon hearing that from her. It made her almost wonder if Bruce's surrogate father was planning a reprimanding if he were to leave things unsettled between her and Bruce. It caused a smile to form on her face at the proof that Alfred still seemed to have quite the integral part in Bruce's life.

Once Bruce had everything set, he walked Diana to his car in the company parking garage before heading off. He was slightly dismayed when she actually led him back to the Manor, thinking that she might possibly try setting up some sort of intervention with his parents and Alfred. Diana though didn't show any signs that she planned to deceive him in any way, and she'd been nothing but honest with him up to that point. But when she had him gather flashlights and led him into the study and came to a stop in front of the old grandfather clock that had been sitting off in the corner of the room ever since he could remember, he started to wonder if she might be the one in need of the intervention. He watched as she moved around the clock, feeling along the sides and thoroughly inspecting it as she maneuvered around it. "Diana…" He finally said as she continued feeling around the clock. "What exactly are you doing?"

"Looking for the entrance." She stated as if it'd been more than obvious.

"What entrance?" Bruce asked. "There's nothing there."

Diana opened the glass door in the front of the clock seemingly ignoring him until she found what she surmised had to be the original switch to gain access to the cave. "This one." She answered confidently just before she pulled the switch, causing the clock to slide to the side and revealing a cobweb filled entrance to what she knew to be the Batcave. She stole a quick glance back over her shoulder to see Bruce standing there wide eyed and his mouth hanging open. She knew that she needed to keep that facial expression etched into her memories. She knew that she'd never see that look again with Bruce, especially when the timeline was restored. She then reached forward and began to break the somewhat thick hanging spider webs to further reveal the opening. She became surprised as well when she took her flashlight and shined to the ground, revealing steps heading downward. She'd always assumed that Bruce would've been the one responsible for that piece of construction, but there it was plain to see. Not wasting time mincing words, she stepped into the stone stairwell and Bruce quickly followed after her.

Just as soon as they both entered the tunnel, the grandfather clock slid shut concealing the entrance to the cave. Bruce was taking in everything that he could as he followed Diana on down the stairs. About half way down, he thought that he heard some chirping that must've been bats in the cave, and then he heard the faint sound of rushing water. When they reached the bottom step, Diana found a small crevice in the rock wall that allowed them entrance into the massive cave. Having already seen this part of the cave herself, she allowed Bruce to look around as he saw fit. He seemed to be slightly overwhelmed by the massive opening that had been under his home unbeknownst to him all these years. "I'd heard stories about my ancestors supporting a part of the Underground Railroad before." Bruce vaguely reminisced. "I never thought it could be real though until now. How did you know about this place?"

"This is where you spent most of your free time before the timeline became affected." Diana explained as she walked around and began to point things out. "Over there is where the heart of your operation was, but there was some scaffolding to extend a platform. It housed your supercomputer and your forensic laboratory. And on the other side of the cave is where you stored your armory and shower."

Bruce listened intently as Diana continued to share the details about all of the equipment her version of Bruce had built up in the cave. He wondered just how all this could be done without arousing suspicion considering all the equipment that he'd need to do that now. Just the padding for the training room she described would be cause for an explanation to at least someone. It was also at the mention of the training room that an idea came to him. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to train with me would you?" He asked. "I know I'm not as well trained as the Bruce that you know, but at the very least you could judge for yourself how far along I am from my other self."

Diana stopped in her tour to consider his suggestion. She'd not had the chance to train at all herself, and the thought was appealing to her. Perhaps training would help to clear her head as it always seemed to do any other time. "Very well, but not here." She replied. "We'll head back up to your training room and begin there."

~~ One hour later ~~

Bruce was panting heavily as he pushed himself up off the floor. He'd not come close to landing a single blow the entire time they'd sparred to that point. In fact there were times where he thought he could see a look of boredom on Diana's face as she had a counter for every move he tried. She was far better than anyone he'd ever been trained by. He wasn't about to give up though. He had something to prove, and he was determined to get to her before their session ended. With a look of pure determination, he rose up and got into a fighting stance again.

Diana pushed up off of a wall that she'd been leaning against after taking Bruce down again. She'd been holding back against him, and while he certainly had a decent amount of formal training, it just wasn't enough to avoid her counters. In fact it was a lot like her Bruce was against her after the first time she'd sparred with him. She was one dimensional then, and so was this Bruce now. He was certainly determined just like her Bruce would be though. Other men would've given up by then but not Bruce. She respected that quality about him even though deep down she feared that he'd end up getting himself killed.

At first he'd been entirely too aggressive in his attacks, not protecting himself much at all, and it took little effort at all for Diana to maneuver out of the way before countering with an elbow or a backhand that knocked Bruce to the ground. After quickly getting up frustrated and being planted back on his backside, he learned that with someone as skilled as she was, he couldn't open himself up so easily. The next few battles lasted more than just seconds as he was more patient and defensive, but regardless of how long he remained standing, she just bided her time and waited for the inevitable mistake to come. When it did he found himself face down on the ground or in a position where he couldn't escape unless she released him. He was visibly frustrated once again, but didn't react. Instead he seemed to be studying her as she moved. It was almost as though his mind was working out how to improve instantly and from that point on he did begin to make things more and more difficult.

Things had gone that way for the rest of the hour, and now she found herself waiting for him as he readied himself to come at her again. Bruce charged forward again in an aggressive manner, but at the last instant he turned it into a feint forward kick. Diana was impressed, but ready for it at the same time as she spun away and created more distance. Coming out of the spin, she for some reason became slightly dizzy. Bruce hadn't realized it as she reached up toward her head. He thought she was trying to block his attack again, but just as he made solid contact Diana screamed in pain, dropping immediately to the floor. She was holding her head in her hands and rolling around while moaning and trying anything she could think of to lessen the pain. It was completely debilitating for her, and she pinched her eyes shut tightly while pulling her legs up closer to her body as Bruce instantly dropped down to her side. "Diana!" He called out in a panic.