Chapter 25: Acceptance
Batman's mood had soured immensely the instant the meeting had adjourned. He wouldn't admit it, even to himself, but deep down it was Diana's announcement which had affected him the most. It had taken him completely by surprise, and he was getting the sense that the promptness behind her announcement could very well indicate she intended to leave sooner rather than later. It could even be conceivable that she'd planned to head out as soon as she was released from isolation, and that thought shook him right down to his very core.
As he returned to the lab, checking the equipment for any potentially completed tests, he tried to devise a justifiable way of preventing her from leaving until he could at least perform a more thorough investigation into whatever this situation she was going to be involved with concerned. He knew that whatever excuse he could come up with had to be completely sound, leaving no room about the necessity of her to stay, otherwise he may very well end up hastening her departure instead of extending it.
While his brain went about formulating a justifiable solution, he also focused on the matter at hand. His first goal was to discover why she was hiding the details behind the orders of those high and mighty Meta's that paraded around trying to convince everyone of their godliness. They'd obviously forced her to be vague in her details of their orders to take on whatever it was without the assistance of the League. He focused on detailing each and every word she'd spared, few though they may have been, and looked for any clues that might help explain what was truly going on.
The first thing that stuck out to him was how she portrayed the last two instances in which her gods had ordered of her to undertake. With the time traveling event, she'd referred to it as a mission, but the second unknown instance, she hadn't called it that at all. Instead, she stated that she'd been ordered away, but ordered away from what? From the League? If so, then why? She'd already done so much good for the world in their stead while being actively involved as a member of the Justice League. What possible reason could they have to force her to leave after all the progress she'd made? Hadn't she originally entered Man's World with the decree of bringing about peace for the world? How could she better complete that task being away from the League instead of working along with it's members?
Also, if it wasn't a mission, then what was it? Despite not referring to it as a mission, there was also a hint of displeasure laced in her voice. It was almost as if she might not have wanted to take on this task. Was she being forced to do something that she didn't want, or perhaps was it simply that she'd miss her friends and colleagues during her time away that was plaguing her?
The one certainty he knew of was that she'd be leaving some of those she'd held closest, and didn't appear to have an answer to how much time she would be away. Perhaps with her being immortal, that time away might be long enough where she'd potentially risk losing some of the connections she'd made in her time in Man's World. That line of thinking instantly overwhelmed him with a sickening feeling as soon as his mind constructed that potential outcome, and he forced himself to scrap that line of thought as quickly as he was capable of doing. He didn't want to be one of those that she'd lose the connection with, and with his life most likely being the shortest amongst all of the Justice League members, he'd very likely be the first of them to pass away.
He shook his head again. He was getting nowhere, and getting there fast. He needed answers, but just as he was becoming desperate for those answers, the medical equipment began to chime and ping their indications of test results coming back.
J'onn phased in at that moment, having apparently heard the indicators chiming away as well, and moved onto the first of the completed lab results. Batman wasn't patient at all in this instance, infuriated at having been beaten to the lab results by the Martian. In fact, he was so agitated that he started to formulate which chemicals in the room could create the best and longest lasting flames before J'onn visibly flinched and stood back from the microscope, granting Batman the access he desired.
"They're not contagious." He somberly admitted. There was no reason to keep either member in isolation any further, and thusly even less time to gain the other answers he felt were the most important ones to seek.
J'onn nodded his head in confirmation of Batman's findings before heading to the isolation room door and punching in the access code. The two inhabitants were startled at first from seeing the doors open, and thusly breaking containment, but neither hesitated in taking their exit into freedom. Flash zipped away first, heading straight for the cafeteria and food, while Diana headed toward her personal quarters. She had to pack up what belongings she had before her journey.
Batman's shoulders and head slumped instantly, and didn't immediately rise in defiance for what felt like the first time in his life. J'onn took notice of the obvious body language he was portraying, and knew what it was. "I'm sure she will return sooner than you believe my friend." He offered.
"Unless she's told you more than the rest of us, you're only making an assumption." Batman retorted.
"An assumption, yes." J'onn agreed initially. "But that does not mean it isn't without some justification. If Diana were planning on leaving for such a time that may be longer than someone such as yourself still being an active member of the Justice League, then she wouldn't have promised so fervently she would be returning. She holds members of this team to a very high regard. You are one she holds in the highest of regard, and of that I am certain."
Batman snorted in defiance at such a statement. Why would she hold someone like him in such high esteem? He was just an ordinary mortal. He had no super powers to offer the team, and as such was the weakest member, but J'onn must've read that from his thoughts as he continued to offer words of encouragement. "She has witnessed you firsthand in battle, and knows that of all of us, you seem to work the hardest. Nothing you offer to the League was given. It was all earned through your persistence and dedication to protect others while standing up for the greater good."
"Then why won't she let me help her now if she thinks so highly of me?" Batman argued before storming past his Martian friend.
J'onn watched, knowing his words had done little to calm the apprehensive nerves and if he had to admit, the fear he felt emanating off of the Dark Knight. That feeling of fear was what had grabbed his attention, and was why he'd offered those encouraging words to Batman. He only hoped that some of them would sink in before Bruce tried something drastic, and ended up pushing Diana away faster and perhaps longer than she'd originally intended.
Diana was sitting on her bed staring at the blank and empty wall across the room. She knew that she had to leave despite her growing desire to do the exact opposite. She was going to miss her friends dearly, and hated the pained look that she saw on each of their faces. Wally's was the most difficult to endure, what with his being the only one not experienced through a monitor screen. She couldn't stop her eyes from watering up when he embraced her in a hug, and his wish for her to stay was not at all hidden from her view either.
This had already become the toughest thing for her to do. She felt like she was being forced to give up her life, even if it was only going to be temporary. The feelings she was experiencing now were really the only negatives that she'd picked up on her time in Man's World. Before leaving her home on Themyscira, loss wasn't something that she'd been accustomed to. In fact, time didn't mean as much there either, and now both seemed to be paramount.
Before coming to Man's World, things had been vastly different. The world provided on that island left little, if any chance of tragedy to strike. Amazons had lived together for centuries without a single life being extinguished, and a year would pass within the blink of an eye it seemed with little to no change. Everyone was always there, healthy and full of life.
However, upon coming to Man's World, it was quickly revealed to Diana just how different things could be. Here, tragedy would strike at any given moment. People would die from old age, or unexpectedly. Life could be cruel for some even if they didn't deserve such a fate. One day a person could be perfectly healthy, and the next their life was extinguished. Albeit from the outside looking in, Diana experienced this type of loss firsthand while failing to save everyone during some of the Justice League's missions. She saw how someone's death could affect others so intimately and powerfully.
That type of loss was something Diana feared, even if only slightly. She knew there'd been times when she almost lost friends along the way, and even the most powerful beings on the planet weren't immune to it. Someday in this world, one way or another, everyone would eventually meet their end. It was a difficult lesson to come to grips with, but she also came to find that there was another side to the story of death. It was something that Themyscira didn't have in as high a quality.
There was an appreciation for life, for the limited amount of time that one had on this planet. It brought about an added emphasis to enjoy however much time the gods and goddesses chose to grant each person with. That was what gave even the most painful moments of life their own precious nature. Time was finite here, and what time you were granted with loved ones was something to cherish, not fear its impending conclusion. Every moment seemed more precious here. Passing time was more important. It almost felt more important to spend time with those you loved here, and that was the most enjoyable part of her experience on Man's World. It was also the part that she was being forced to come to grips with all at once.
Diana was snapped back into the moment when she heard a knock on her door. She blinked a few times before she finally came back to reality, and quickly went to the door to unlock it, granting entrance to her unexpected guest. However, it quickly became apparent that she should've done the exact opposite simply because of who was now entering her personal quarters. "To what do I owe the honor of this visit?" She nervously asked, attempting to focus on conversing the way they normally would. "Was there an abnormality discovered in my lab results?"
"Um, no." Bruce answered quietly before waiting for the door to slide shut and insure that it locked. Once they were secured into the room, he turned around to find Diana had retreated to a seated position at the edge of her bed. He noticed immediately that she wasn't looking in his direction, but off into the distance. "Did I do something to upset you Princess?" He asked softly.
"No Bruce." Diana quickly answered. "I will admit to initially being frustrated at being locked into isolation, but I understand and accept the protocol and the necessity for adhering to it. There was nothing to fault you for."
She forced herself to look directly into the lenses of his cowl, knowing full well that he was reading her non-verbal language and very likely placing a higher value onto what he saw over any words she might choose to share. Either way, it wouldn't matter as she had no intentions of outright lying to him regardless of what he was looking for. After all, she wasn't a beacon of truth for no reason. Still, there were answers she simply wasn't permitted to give, and that meant in order to remain honest, she'd have to word her answers carefully while focusing on her body language at the same time.
The first step was to maintain eye contact, and in this single instance, she was never more thankful for the protective lenses of the cowl. Those piercing blue eyes of Bruce's held more power to melt her resolve than any cowled lenses ever could, and she really didn't want to see his eyes as he processed everything. She knew without a doubt just from his quipped response that the test results weren't on his agenda. He wanted to know the real reasons behind why she was leaving.
It was then that Diana realized there was a growing silence between them as Bruce continued searching for any nonverbal communication that would reveal what was really going on. After a while, Diana began to struggle in keeping her eyes locked onto the lenses. She began to wonder if he was actually beginning to break through and piece everything together. He was just standing there, silent as the grave, and it was eating away at her resolve. How could a man have such an affect by just standing there? Especially on an Amazon.
She was about to crack under the pressure of the growing silence until he finally broke it. "Why?"
One word. This single, solitary word, and it held such emotion. It wasn't just the word, but the essence provided within his voice as he asked it of her. His voice was soft and cracked as he spoke, and if she hadn't known any better, she might've thought he sounded almost broken internally. All she wanted to do was embrace him and tell him the whole truth. She wanted to tell him the real reason why, but knew that she couldn't. She had no recourse but to remain vague. "You know why, Bruce. I told everyone in the League meeting."
"You told us you were leaving." Bruce corrected her. "You never really explained why. Why can't the League be involved? Why don't you know how long you'll be away? The Justice needs Wonder Woman."
"I wish I could provide more details Bruce, please believe me that I do." Diana attempted to answer, her eyes beginning to betray her as they started to glisten with unshed tears. "This is a personal journey that my gods and goddesses have instructed me to partake, and it's one that I must complete alone."
Batman watched as Diana fought to remain balanced and aloof, and still he could see how much she didn't want to leave. He'd never seen her so sad, so reluctant to follow the orders of her deities, but he knew regardless of how she felt, she was still intending to follow their orders. It didn't matter what she or the other members of the League wanted or felt was right. If her gods and goddesses demanded it of her, he didn't know if she ever would blatantly defy them.
The thought of her leaving somehow suddenly began to affect him in a manner he couldn't seem to control. He didn't want to admit it, but it wasn't team dynamics or the fact that the second most powerful teammate was going to be gone for an unknown and potentially extended period of time. He was going to miss her. He was thankful for his cape combined with her focus on her own emotional state of mind, otherwise she would've noticed the small tremor that was shaking him to his core. His hands were still trembling slightly at his sides as he fought to reestablish control. "I know you're planning on leaving very soon, but I'd like you to wait until all of the test results come back." He eventually got out as soon as he was sure his vocal chords wouldn't give anything away.
"I...I can't guarantee that Bruce." Diana somberly replied. "I'm afraid I'm already on borrowed time as it is."
"Just a couple more hours is all I ask." Bruce offered as he reached for her shoulder in an attempt to reassure her. "The lab results should be complete by then."
"I'll stay as long as I'm permitted." Diana murmured. She knew that she wouldn't be able to stay even that short amount of time he was asking of her, and she was finding it more difficult to leave by the second as it was. Bruce had started acting oddly similar to the Bruce of the altered timeline. He wasn't making demands like usual. In fact, after thinking it over briefly, it almost sounded like he was practically begging her to stay, and that was the main reason she had to leave. If she saw anymore of that side of Bruce, she wouldn't be able to resist defying her orders, consequences be damned. It was troubling enough to know that the man she'd fallen in love with had just been proven to still exist in this timeline, hidden under the facades of the playboy and the Bat.
Bruce seemed to accept her response after a brief pause, and he turned to unlock the door before making his exit. Once the door slid shut behind him, Diana tried to relax her posture as she seemed to have successfully avoided telling more than she was permitted, but when she did, the tears that had been glistening in her eyes from before managed to escape, and trickled down her cheeks. Before she knew it, a sob also slipped through her defenses. She quickly covered her mouth with both hands, hoping Bruce hadn't heard it as there was no way he'd made it very far from her door by then. He always seemed to hear things despite the odds being stacked against his unenhanced hearing, and she waited for a few moments in silence, expecting him to come bursting back through her door, to continue interrogating her because of her delayed emotional response.
Fortunately, the door never slid back open. It took a few minutes, but eventually Diana started to function once again, and finished packing her belongings. She needed to leave, now, or she never would. Had she thought for an instant that the unbroken man possibly existed within the Bat, she never would've returned. It had been a calculated risk, thinking that he'd hardened himself enough after the tragedy as a child through his training and continuous battles, that the man from the altered timeline simply didnt' exist here. Now it was more than obvious the exact opposite was true, and he lived, hidden under the depths of what Batman and the Playboy used as a shield from the rest of the world.
After returning to the lab, Bruce spent the next hour wondering if Diana would actually heed his request or forego it completely by leaving almost as soon as he'd left her alone. It was a lame excuse he'd given her, he knew, but there didn't seem to be any other options at his disposal. He couldn't just ask her to stay even if that was what he wanted. No, the only way to delay it was with the hopes that some irregularity could be discovered which would prevent her from leaving. However, that was basically like wishing ill will upon her, and he internally cursed at himself for even giving consideration to that notion.
Still yet, why was this bothering him so much? It had to be that damn dream he'd had of Diana and his parents that he'd been experiencing every night recently. At first it was a startling experience, yet it was also oddly pleasant initially until he came to the realization that it was only a dream. Then as it began to recur each night, it started to feel more like a nightmare. He quickly regretted sleeping, knowing what was awaiting him, and that was something he could never have. Still the dream seemed so very real to him, and he couldn't completely wish for it to go away. It had a sort of feel like he was with his family once again, like he was whole, and for a time, he was happy.
Batman was broken from his reverie as J'onn phased through the wall next to the lab equipment. Bruce swore that the Martian had to have some other abilities, as he'd arrived just as the last few remaining tests concluded. Both of the men looked over the results meticulously, Bruce subconsciously trying and failing to hide his desire to look at Diana's results first. He knew of the failure when his Martian friend willingly handed him Diana's readout while keeping the Flash's for himself.
There was no point in hiding his interest at that point, and both men combed through all of the results thoroughly, though for different reasons. Eventually J'onn spoke up after coming to his own conclusion. "I do not see anything out of normal expectations for someone with Flash's abilities." He announced.
Batman grunted in confirmation, but suddenly paused. "There's something off with Diana's numbers in her blood work."
J'onn expected some clarification as he noticed a recurring tick in Bruce's jaw, and then felt a flash of pure emotional anger that came off the black clad vigilante like a tidal wave. It was strong enough to almost bring the telepath to his knees as he staggered back a few steps, only to see Batman crumple up the paperwork before dropping it onto the ground and turning to stomp out of the lab area.
The Martian couldn't fathom what would cause the normally emotionally closed off and stoic Batman to lash out in such a violent manner, but that confusion only lasted until he reached down and uncrumpled the paper, revealing to him what Bruce had just concluded. Shocking as it was to read the results himself, it still begged the question of why Batman reacted the way he had. If it was any indication, there was going to be hell to pay, and Diana was very likely going to be the primary target of Batman's fury.
Bruce stormed down corridors, straight to the personal quarters. He'd received what he believed to be indisputable evidence to the answer for the one worded question he posed to Diana earlier, and he knew now some specifics regarding her mission, or journey, as she'd put it. It also appeared that she was hiding behind her gods and goddesses instead of being instructed to do their bidding. He also now had a reasonable guess as to how long she was intending to be away, but as angry as he was with her for being vague and deceptive, there was also another feeling creeping through his system. He wasn't sure what to make of it, but with each step closer that he got to Diana's quarters, that emotion grew exponentially within him. He soon realized that it was jealousy. Red, hot jealousy, and he wanted an explanation.
Bruce arrived to find that the door to Diana's quarters was locked, but he knew the code...or so he thought after inputting it and receiving an invalid response. He didn't have time for this, and mandated his own code, overriding any security to the door's access. He was surprised when the computer announced that the access code had been reset to factory defaults.
Gaining entry to the room, his anger was instantly replaced by a fear that grew exponentially. Every trinket, every personal item Diana had in the room was now gone. She'd taken everything down, and it was all nowhere to be found. In fact, it looked like she'd packed up to move out of the Watchtower completely. Desperation quickly began to seep in as Bruce ran over to the closet, hoping to find something, anything that she might've left behind, but instead found nothing at all except empty space.
Still not about to give in, Bruce reached his hand up to the side of his cowl. "Batman to Wonder Woman." He announced through his communicator, and waited for what felt like an eternity only to receive no response. Not wanting to panic any more than he already was, he switched over to another communication line. "Batman to Monitor Womb. Need tracing program enabled. Target to locate is Wonder Woman."
"Oh hey Bats." Flash responded. "Wondy left about fifteen minutes ago."
"Where?" Batman growled as he left Diana's personal quarters, heading straight for the teleporters.
Wally quickly input the commands to activate the tracing program, knowing full well from the tone of Bruce's voice alone that he wasn't in the mood for any perceived delay. He sounded pissed, or more pissed than usual. "Got it!" He eventually announced triumphantly when the beacon pinged onto a map of the United States. "That's weird. She's in Gotham, Bats."
"Send me her exact coordinates." Batman ordered. "I'm going to her location."
She didn't know what had brought her to where she was standing. No, that wasn't entirely accurate. She knew why she was there, she just also knew that she shouldn't be. It was inevitable that Batman would easily track her down. After all, she was in his city, but despite that knowledge, there she was, standing out in the elements as a light snowfall was dancing in the sky.
Despite the fact she wasn't largely affected by the elements or changes in temperature, she was actually dressed for the occasion, wearing a light winter jacket that covered her from shoulder to knee, and boots that covered the lower half of her legs. She had her arms crossed as she stood at a gated entrance, now surprisingly hesitant about moving forward. Even though thoughts of turning away began to churn in her mind, she knew that she'd regret it if she didn't go through with why she'd come in the first place. So, after taking a deep, calming breath, she pushed on, walking through the open entry point.
As she continued walking forward, she realized that despite having never been there before she seemed to know where she needed to go. Sure enough, she did arrive at her intended destination, coming to a stop in front of two specific grave sites. The sites of the late Thomas and Martha Wayne were well maintained. Alfred and Bruce had obviously made sure to that. There didn't even appear to be a leaf permitted to remain unaccounted for or out of place.
Diana knelt down, placing a hand upon the headstone of Martha first, then followed by Thomas. For as little time as she'd gotten to spend with each of them in the altered timeline, she still felt a special bond with them, and could immediately sense how good of a person each of them was. She found that she missed the conversations with Martha, especially the motherly protective nature that Martha revealed to her, and Thomas with his kindheartedness. They both seemed to be so happy, and their happiness permeated everyone they touched. It was a rare quality that she'd only experienced on a select few others, and two thirds of those were actually aliens from other planets.
The only other Earthling she'd felt this with was Alfred. Bruce, at having lost two thirds of that quality around him, seemed to be the cause of it lacking inside of him, but Diana knew it was still there too. Even with the Bruce from the unaltered timeline, she'd experienced flickers of that same quality attempting to break through. It was like a partially doused fire trying to remain lit.
Diana turned slightly as she traced the lettering on the tombstone of each parent, and a tear slid free before dropping off her jawline, making an inaudible splash onto her jacket, just above her knees. "I'm not really sure why I'm here, except that I miss you both." She softly said as she rose to stand up straight. "For some reason, the fates have been cruel to this family, and especially toward your son it seems. I wish I weren't about to add to that cruelty, but I hope eventually he will understand that the choice was taken from me. I've prayed to Aphrodite to help Bruce find it in his heart to forgive me for what I must do."
Diana paused, feeling almost foolish in talking to gravesites, but she couldn't seem to stop herself from continuing as she turned to speak her piece with Bruce's mother first. "Martha, I want you to know that my intentions were never to hurt Bruce, and I wish I could tell you personally of this. You and your husband seemed to know how I felt about Bruce before I did. I miss the warmth and caring that you showed me even when I was just a stranger in your home. You immediately made me feel welcomed, and I can clearly see where Bruce gained such a kind heart, even though he does try to hide it."
Diana then kissed her fingers and pressed the digits to Martha's name scribed into the stone, and turned to the other gravesite, to Bruce's father. "And Thomas, I wish I could confirm to you on just how right you were about your son. He was truly meant for great things, and has done the incredible despite what at times appears to be insurmountable odds. You were also right in saying how Bruce always does what's right in the end. You'd be very proud of him and all that he's accomplished. You were wise beyond your years, and Bruce has certainly taken on that trait admirably."
"Both of you were truly magnificent people, and I understand completely why losing you has affected Bruce so drastically. You were both brilliant lights shining onto the world, and your lights were extinguished far too soon. Bruce has the same light inside him, but he's chosen to use it in a vastly different way. I've seen the differences between the two, and I can say with great confidence that his way might be the only one to protect Gotham, while yours would still be the way to affect the rest of the world."
"Lastly, before I leave to embark on a new path, I wanted to let you know that I hope to instill both versions of lighting for this world unto your unborn grandchild. I wish you both could be there almost as much as I wish Bruce could. You all would be able to show this child the way. You truly deserve the joy in witnessing Bruce becoming a father while you become grand parents, and I'm so sorry I wasn't able to make that possible for you or for your son. It breaks my heart not being able to share this miracle with you, with Bruce. I promise you, I will do my best to help instill all of the great qualities each of you had to offer the world."
A sob managed to slip past her lips after having finally shared this news with someone, even if they weren't actually there to hear it. It'd been eating away at her for some time now, and despite everything, talking to their graves actually did offer some comfort to her. She stayed there looking at the headstone for a few more moments before turning to leave the cemetery, and in essence, the life that she'd built for herself.
Unfortunately for her, some pieces of that life weren't quite ready to let her go just yet. As she walked back through the cemetery gates, the Batmobile came to a screeching halt in front of her, and before the canopy had slid open completely, Batman was already out, standing nose to nose with her. He was seething through clenched teeth, not at all hiding his anger. "What do you think you're doing here?" He demanded more than asked.
Diana thought about trying to deceive him, but instantly thought better of it, knowing full well Bruce would see through it, even in his emotional state. "I...came to see Thomas and Martha Wayne." She tried to explain simply.
"Get in. Now." Batman barked as he spun around and leapt back into the car.
Diana was angered a bit by Bruce's actions, but she knew how protective he was of not only his identity, but also his parents. It was an unwritten rule when dealing with Batman, that one didn't visit his parent's graves, especially without asking, but Diana felt she now had just cause to bypass that rule. She'd gotten to know them in a sense, after all. She eventually decided to comply with Bruce's demands...for the moment.
Once the canopy slid shut, Batman took off in a rush, away from the cemetery. He hadn't spoken a word as he took to the back roads, conceivably heading to the Batcave. "You missed your entryway." Diana soon commented as Bruce drove past what had been his planned entrance in the other timeline.
Her comment caused his eyes to widen, and he slammed on the brakes, the car once again unceremoniously halting. "You've never been shown that entry point." Bruce pointed out as he turned to watch her for any reaction. "Not even Kent knows about it. How did you?"
"My last mission." Diana succinctly replied. "In the altered timeline. I sought you out in the hopes of helping me to complete my mission."
Batman mulled her explanation, eventually concluding that it made sense. Especially since she hadn't put the detail of it in her mission report. Time altering mission reports were mandated to be vague so as to prevent any potential issues with the current timeline. Some things were simply not meant to be known, and he had to accept that as the case in this instance. "Fair enough." He stated. "Now I want an explanation as to why you were at the Waynes' graves."
"How did you..." She began before he pointed to a monitor screen that he'd obviously used in tracking her location. So, he knew where she'd been the entire time, and that meant there was no sense in trying to deny it. "I...I don't know if I should tell you."
"Mission mandates be damned Diana!" Bruce angrily shouted. "This isn't Justice League detail, it's personal. I want to know why you were at my parent's graves."
"You're right, Bruce. It is personal." Diana fired back. "It was personal to me."
"What?" Bruce questioned in disbelief. He couldn't believe she'd said that to him.
"It's personal to me because I met them both, Bruce." Diana angrily admitted before calming herself back down and continuing. "Meeting them wasn't my intention, but I had no idea they would be there. And once I did meet them, I found out how truly wonderful your parents were, even into your adult life."
Bruce was stunned. She'd met his parents? And they were alive all the way up into his adulthood? Everything else that'd been on his mind instantly wiped clear, and was replaced by all the questions he'd ever dreamt about. He wanted to know everything. If they were like how he'd remembered and envisioned, how different his life might've been without their deaths. If they lived, why was his other self still operating out of the Batcave?
Diana could see the shock and the questions forming on Bruce's face in spite of his still donning the cowl. She knew he'd want answers that she couldn't give him, and that would only add to his anger toward her. This situation seemed to confirm that they were destined for heartbreak at every turn, and all she wanted was for him to know how much she loved him, how much she wanted him to be a part of her life and the life of their unborn child. But he had no memory of that wonderful night, of that shared intimacy, and she wasn't permitted tell him any of what could lead to his discovery of their child's upcoming birth.
"I'm sorry Bruce." Diana tried to placate his soon to be coming request for knowledge. "But I can't tell you about it...any of it. Only that your parents were wonderful people. They're lives being ripped away was one of the most difficult portions of the mission to deal with. I was only around them briefly, but even in such a short amount of time, I grew to love them dearly."
Bruce's anger began to swell despite Diana's best intentions, and she knew that he was going to hate her regardless of what she said. So instead of saying anything more, she quickly leaned forward, and pressed her lips against his while grabbing him by the back of the head so as to prevent any attempt at escape. Within two seconds, to her surprise, exactly the opposite happened as he started responding to her kiss, and from there it started to increase in passion until realization slammed into her, causing her eyes to snap wide open, with tears flowing down her cheeks. She managed to break her lips away from his, and fought to regain her composure.
"I'm sorry." Diana said again before pressing a button, causing the canopy to slide open and grant her the escape she needed to make before it was too late. She waited until she was confident she was out of earshot and murmured the rest of what she'd wanted to say to him the entire time. "I love you Bruce."
I want to thank everyone so far for the wonderful support. You all keep me motivated to update this story. Also I want to give a shout out to some of my fellow BMWW writers, Classic Cowboy, The Sulkier Clown, LOTSLover, Novelism to name a few. If you haven't, check them all out. I hope you enjoyed this latest installment as we move right along into the next chapter.