Chapter 26: Remembering

Bruce found that he was dumbstruck into inaction as he remained seated in the Batmobile. He wanted to stop her from flying away, wanted to call out in hopes of grabbing her attention, but the shock to his system caused purely from the kiss made it so his body and his vocal cords betrayed any attempt at stopping her from flying away. His arms had been dead weight when she was still in reaching distance, and he couldn't get them to latch onto any piece of her until it was far too late. Just as unavailable to him was his voice, as it seemed to be lost to him until she was well out of earshot. Nothing he could've used to grab her attention functioned until it was far too late.

He didn't know what to do, staying there in the driver seat, like a lost person, looking up to the sky until Diana completely disappeared from view. It wasn't until she was out of sight that his analytic brain finally began to function at any real capacity again, and yet there was only one thing registering within it. Diana.

If he was hoping for more of a challenge, she was certainly providing it for him, but he still wasn't about to give up so easily. He wanted, no, needed to find her. He needed to know why she'd kissed him. Especially considering he'd discovered she was pregnant, and there was certainly no denying that. The blood test results were conclusive and thus undeniable. The kiss caused him to question so many more things than he'd had when he first began tracking her down. He needed answers, and she was the only one capable of providing them.

Initially, he'd just been angry and confused about the pregnancy. He was trying to wrap his head around the how's and who's of the equation. She wouldn't have gone to a clinic to have herself impregnated, so there had to be a father. He was first suspicious of her gods, thinking there could be a chance one of them might've tricked her or taken advantage of her trust in them, and then mandated that she had to leave behind the life she'd built to raise their child. But that was before the kiss. Until now, his deductive reasoning wouldn't have found that possibility as hard to believe. In Greek mythology, the gods were known for their mingling amongst the female mortals of the world, as well as the goddesses. Diana was somewhere in the middle of those two. While she wasn't a mortal, she also wasn't completely a goddess either.

Now though, the likelihood of that seemed to lose quite a bit of credence. It wasn't just the kiss that brought more question to the potential of the baby being a god's, but also the why of that moment. Why would she do it? It certainly wasn't just an innocent kiss between friends. There was real passion behind it. He felt it, and he knew that she felt it too before she ended it just as quickly as she initiated it. Had there not been emotion attached with it, he might've passed it off as simply a method of distraction, allowing her to slip away in his confused state. But that wasn't it. It couldn't have been. The last thing he registered seeing before she flew away were the tears streaking down her cheeks.

So, if the gods weren't responsible for her pregnancy, and she passionately and emotionally kissed him, could he be the father? His almost scoffed at the very notion of such a ridiculous idea. They'd never been intimate in any fashion up to the point of that kiss, and he'd certainly remember any physical advances he might have shared with Diana. It'd be impossible not to. There was no...way...Unless...

Had Diana allowed herself to become intimate with the version of him in the altered timeline? If that happened to be the case, then how could she have been so careless? She should've known nothing good came from interfering with the timeline. Then again, even if she had done such an irresponsible thing, once she restored the timeline, anything she'd been involved with should've been erased, and as he'd already confirmed, he had no memory of sleeping with her. His memory served as the evidence, or rather the lack thereof. The only possible argument might be her being a constant within both timelines, but could that really cause an anomaly such as her becoming pregnant?

Batman tried to think through all of the potential variations that came from altering the time stream, but he became so frustrated by that point, he'd finally realized that he was still sitting on the side of the road in the idling Batmobile. Plus, he was no closer to tracking Diana down either, but then a growing determination started to build inside him. He wasn't about to let her leave, not now. He couldn't, especially after what had just transpired, and certainly not without at least some form of an explanation.

He decided right then and there that he would find her, one way or another, and with that decision firmly made, he went to his first and likely best option of tracking her down. Once again he turned to the tracer program of her communicator, glancing over to the monitor which was revealing the still active results of the tracer program, and was disappointed to discover that tracking Diana this way wasn't going to work a second time.

The results showing onscreen indicated that Wonder Woman was in the same position as he was, and looking over to the passenger seat, in plain sight he could see Diana's communicator lying in the middle of the seat. She'd obviously deduced how he'd been able to pinpoint her location before, and that meant he'd have to devise a new tactic if he really wanted to find an Amazon who didn't want to be found.

As Diana flew away from the man she'd fallen in love with, the tears continued to stream down her face in a steady flow. She remembered it all. The kiss had brought back all the memories she'd been missing. She knew what she'd gone through to undue all the damage that'd been caused by the Joker, by John Samuelson, and in effect, by Bruce.

At the thought of his name alone, she couldn't help but to allow a sob to escape her lips as she continued to fly with no particular destination in mind. She was too focused on the pain of leaving everything and everyone she loved behind. She was also confused as to why those previously lost memories had shaken her so much, thinking back to where the gap began in hopes of discovering the catalyst.

Diana recalled standing in the control center of the detainment facility, having just watched Bruce being sucked into a tear in the time stream. He'd given her the Triangle of Light as his last act, finally accepting that the timeline had to be restored despite what it would ultimately cost him. He'd been forced to accept that he wouldn't get to grow up with his parents in order for the world to survive. It also meant both he and she would have a part in his parent's death during his childhood too.

That point in time had to serve as Diana's beginning point in catching the original time jumper, John Samuelson. It also served as a reference point before Bruce or the Joker had become involved. The Joker was entirely too short sighted, and if she had to guess, too narcissistic for him to risk attempting to make changes too far back. If he did, there'd be more than a decent chance whatever had turned him into the psychotic clown that he was wouldn't happen, and the risk of that would far outweigh any potential gain for him.

Bruce meanwhile had already been rewarded with his parents living up into his adult years, and he was obsessed solely on their survival after that point in time. Taking both into account was a calculated risk for Diana to make, but it was one she had little choice in. The tears in time were increasing exponentially in frequency, indicating that too much damage had already been caused, and time was something she was drastically running out of.

Diana then draped the amulet over her head, focusing on crime alley all those years ago, but nothing seemed to be happening. She wasn't leaping through time, and instead saw the blinding white light within a time stream tear as it grew and moved closer to her. She had nowhere to go and no powers to utilize, and out of sheer instinct, she put her arms up defensively as the tear moved closer to her. She thought for an instant that she was doomed until another flash of light happened to grab her attention.

Before she knew what'd happened, Diana discovered she'd transported from the control center into a very specific, dark, damp alley of Gotham City. It was easy to see that she'd successfully traveled back in time. In looking around, she quickly realized how the street lights were different, and even the vehicles parked along the streets were different in shape and design. No one was out talking on cell phones, and the style of clothing also seemed different than she was accustomed to.

She wanted to confirm just what date she'd actually made it back to, but was still in the power dampening shackles. She needed to get the shackles off as soon as she could, as it would be much more difficult to stop John from saving the Waynes without her powers. And unfortunately for her, despite traveling through time, the shackles were still functioning.

If not for them, she would have made this the only jump in time. Her quickness and flight would've made it possible to scour over the entire alley until she located John and stopped him from interfering. She also didn't want to risk him spotting her before she could prevent him from simply escaping by abandoning his original plan to save the Waynes in order to evade her with yet another time jump. If he were able to slip away, she might never find him.

So she would have to rely on reconnaissance this time before focusing on removing her shackles. She'd have to find out where and when John came out to save Thomas and Martha, and then go back once more, moving over into a more opportune position. With that in mind, Diana left the alley, finding a suitable fire escape to scale. From a rooftop, she'd have a better position to witness everything as it occurred.

She didn't have to wait long before in the distance, she heard a child animatedly shouting lines from the movie he'd just watched, swinging an imaginary sword around, in a swordfight with an imaginary villain. Thomas and Martha were smiling and happily watching as their eight year old son replayed the climatic fight scene from the movie until they noticed a criminal stepping out from the shadows.

Diana knew from years before about Bruce's parents being murdered in a seemingly random mugging attempt gone wrong, but she couldn't help keeping her surprise by just how random this man who was approaching with a gun tucked in his waistband appeared to be. She'd passed by bums on the street before who appeared to be more dangerous than this man, but immediately Bruce and his parents must've realized they were in trouble, as Bruce stopped dead in his tracks while Thomas an Martha scurried quickly up to protect their son. By then, they were far too late to escape as the criminal had already drawn his weapon and began spouting out demands for money and valuables.

She watched on in horror as Thomas tried valiantly to diffuse the situation. The only thing he'd done out of compliance was accidently drop his wallet. They didn't do anything to cause the criminal to notice the pearl necklace Martha was wearing, and begin demanding it too. However, as suddenly as his attention was on the pearls, it was taken away by a voice from the same shadowy area the thug had stepped out of. "Joe Chill."

Diana recognized John's voice instantly. He'd apparently followed this Joe Chill, and almost immediately after having called out the criminal's name, he used that distraction to act, firing a taser gun into the chest of Chill. Chill crumpled onto the pavement while Thomas picked up the handgun. She listened as John then instructed Thomas to leave Chill money for food and clothes, and then asked the Waynes to continue doing the good they had been as payment for his saving them.

She couldn't help but to somewhat admire the attempt John was making to better the world. His intentions were certainly in the right place, but the means would never justify the cause. His actions in the long run were going to cause more harm than good, and in order for the world to survive, she had to stop any changes he made, good intentions or not. She remained there watching as the Waynes left the alley, and she waited until John moved away as well before she scaled down to where Chill was still trying to regain his bearings.

She moved in, and was there long enough to get Chill's attention. "You would've murdered those people tonight." She growled.

"So what?" Chill defiantly asked as he started rising back up to a vertical base, and Diana moved in quickly, gripping Chill by his jacket. She may not have her powers, but she was still strong enough to deal with him. Her teeth were grinding together as she violently pulled the barbs from Joe's chest before shoving him back, where she performed a spin kick that struck heel to temple. Joe was knocked instantly unconscious, and crumpled back down to the pavement in a heap for the second time.

That was hardly a fitting punishment for what the piece of filth lying before her was going to do, but there was really nothing she could do. Chill still had to murder Thomas and Martha when it was all said and done, so instead she focused on what was still held by one of her hands. Diana managed to fish the barb ended wires in a bundle, making them easier to carry. She took them with her down the alley until she found a suitable building corner for what she wanted to try.

Diana needed to somehow gain access to the insides of her shackles, and went with the tried and true scientific method, slamming the shackles into something hard. In this case, the corner of a brick building served as that something. The first few swings caused the block to change into little more than rubble, but it was also starting to do the trick. By the third swing, there was a noticeable dent growing around the wrist area. Beating the shackles repeatedly did sting her hands and wrists, as there was no avoiding the impact, but it was a necessary evil if she wanted to have her powers returned to her, so despite the pain, she continued beating the shackles into the wall.

It took another handful of swings, but she was finally able to crack in the outer casing, and that was more than enough for her planned course of action. The next step was to get the barbs of the taser gun in through the cracked casing so that she could attempt to short out the power source. With the shackles design, it was impossible to use her hands for this, so she resorted to using her lips and teeth to wedge the barbs into the casing.

Once Diana was reasonably certain she had inserted the barbs far enough, she went about looking for a discarded drink of some kind, eventually coming upon a small fast food restaurant, and she was soon able to find a discarded cup with enough liquid to pour onto the shackles, and as a result, into the crack. The final step was locating a sufficient power source.

She figured a car battery might be powerful enough, but there was the matter of gaining access to one. Most automotive locations would be closed at this hour, and with her hands bound, she figured it would be a struggle to simply pop the hood on a random parked car. Her clothing also provided her with a distinct disadvantage, looking like anyone who had been held in a detainment facility, dressed in a single colored jumpsuit with identification numbers sewn onto the chest. Just her appearance would be enough to prevent her from randomly entering any open business without raising suspicion, even in a place like Gotham.

So Diana walked around, clinging to the shadows as she looked for something that could be of use until she finally resigned herself to the point of breaking and entering into a place. She was mindful to select a small business that would be much less likely to have much in the way of security, and when she found an acceptable location, she used a powerful front kick with enough force to blast through the alley entrance to the building.

No sooner had she kicked her way in, than did an alarm begin to ring loudly. She knew that she'd have to be quick, and didn't hesitate as she moved into the building. She'd selected a small mom and pop electronics shop for good reason, as she moved about through the few aisles until she'd located the proper tool and power source she needed. he then moved to the back of the store, looking around until she found the fuse panel.

Diana ripped the fuse panel open, and then proceeded to use the wire stripper tool to cut off the cartridge from the opposite end of the barbs. With that done, she then wrapped one wire around the negative side of a fuse, and then used the wire strippers to hold the other wire. She hesitated for a second, knowing full well the dangerous risk without having her powers, but it was only a second until she got over that hesitation, touching the other wire to the positive side.

Electricity coursed through the shackles, and then as she'd anticipated, through herself as well. She was stuck, her muscles seizing and contracting as the current continued to course through her body. The pain was immense, but suddenly began to dissipate. Soon she could smell the burning of circuits, and then she tried making a violent move with her arms, pulling them in opposite directions.

The shackles broke apart, the current having fried the inner circuitry as she'd hoped. She was still sore, but could feel her powers had returned to her, and with the electricity no longer flowing through her, she let loose a sigh of relief.

With her powers restored, she could jump back in time again and confront Samuelson. Fortunately, the altered timeline version of Bruce hadn't discovered how to remove Amazonian bracers, but she was still without her Wonder Woman regalia and the Lasso of Truth. She figured if needed, she would still be able to retrieve the lasso from this period in time on Themyscira if Samuelson chose not be cooperative, but she'd cross that bridge when she came to it.

Instead, Diana fled the electronics store after grabbing one last item, and then broke into a clothing store where she changed out of the jumpsuit, and into all black attire. She went ahead and returned to Crime Alley, and studied the area in greater detail, etching into her memory where everything happened. She noted where exactly John appeared, and the best tactical position to grab him.

Once she'd finished formulating her plan of action, she pulled out that last item from the electronics store, a flashlight, and used it with the Triangle of Light. She closed her eyes, focused on where and when she wanted to go, and she could sense the flash of light glowing through her eye lids. When it was gone, she saw that she had returned to the very same point in time as before, but now she was back on the rooftop.

Diana remained razor focused on locating Samuelson, and having knowledge of where he was going to be, it wasn't difficult to do. John had followed behind that lowlife criminal who would become infamously known as a murderer once the night concluded. She struggled mightily fight the overwhelming urge to beat that piece of garbage into a bloody pulp. If there were any other way to save the Waynes without virtually opening Pandora's Box, she would.

She had to stop thinking about what was beyond her control at that point, and instead focus on John, who'd already managed to sneak up to a location just behind where Chill would be making his presence known at any moment. Diana already heard the young Bruce swashbuckling his way through the alley as Thomas chuckled from enjoying the playfulness his son was revealing. Diana's heart melted once again, but she still managed to keep her focus on what needed to be done as she silently lowered herself behind where John had positioned himself.

She waited silently until the moment where Chill revealed himself to the Waynes, and then took action, covering John's mouth with bruising force while simultaneously ripping the Triangle of Light from around his neck, preventing him from escaping.

This is where she stopped following her plan. Originally, she'd intended to silently remove John from the alley by flying off, but for some reason, she just couldn't bring herself to leave. It was almost as if she was punishing herself by again witnessing the most tragic event in Bruce's life, the event that brought about the creation of the Batman.

Diana watched again in horror as that monster pulled out his gun. She saw the protective nature from both mother and father as they tried to slip Bruce between and behind them without grabbing Chill's attention to the boy. Then once again, she saw Thomas attempting to peacefully diffuse the situation. He talked to the criminal, letting that monster know that he was going to get what he demanded, reached for his wallet, but then dropping it as the gun suddenly flashed over toward Martha before being pointed back at him.

Chill had noticed the pearls, demanded them be handed over, and then lunged for the necklace. That's when it happened. Thomas tried to step in between the criminal and his family, the string of pearls snapped, the tiny orbs flying in a multitude of directions, and then a gun shot was fired. Thomas dropped to the ground, his blood spilling all over the alley, and then Martha began to scream until another gun shot echoed through the alley. Diana gasped at the sheer horror of it all. Chill was obviously startled by his own actions, but was still pointing the gun at the last remaining Wayne.

Little eight year old Bruce seemed to be shocked into silence, and didn't even register the click of Chill's gun. Apparently the gun either hadn't been fully loaded or jammed, and now she'd witnessed the reason Bruce survived. Call it fate or luck, but Chill tried to kill him as well until fate stopped it from happening. A single tear fell down Diana's face, wanting so very much to run up and console the poor boy. It was horrifying to see what Bruce had gone through as a child. No one should have to experience such a traumatic event. She almost wished she hadn't seen it.

Off in the distance, sirens could be heard coming toward them, and at that point, Diana suddenly realized that John had been biting her fingers in an attempt to escape, but with her powers, she barely even noticed it.

So she'd seen it. That was her missing memory, locked away deep in her subconscious. She also recalled extracting information from John Samuelson, and then traveling to the point just prior to his discovery of the amulet.

Her last memories were of sneaking into the pillar, and pulling out the amulet. There would be no discovery of the Triangle this time. That was the only way to ensure no one used the trinket. She just couldn't take that chance. In fact, once she was safely away from the expedition, she took both the amulet from around her neck, and the one John had discovered, and she placed them together with the intention of breaking them. However when they came into contact, both amulets began to glow and soon merged into one.

Diana quickly snapped the amulet into pieces, and that is when her memory began to fade. By breaking the Triangle of Light, she also began to fade away from that point in time, and soon found that she'd returned to her actual timeline. She'd been successful, but something happened as she returned to the corrected timeline back in the training room with Batman . It was at that point where she realized that parts of her memory were missing.

The only conclusion she could come up with was that during the process of breaking the amulet, she'd been thinking about Bruce's traumatic experience, and how she almost wished that she hadn't seen that experience. Bruce never mentioned his parents or that traumatic night, and it almost felt like an invasion of his privacy. She wondered if perhaps the last powers of the Triangle saw fit to granting her that wish, in a manner of speaking, but would likely never know the answer to that.

So now she knew what drove Bruce to become the Batman, intimately more so than anyone else would. The only exception might be Alfred. She had to figure out a way to compartmentalize that by the time she was permitted to return to her former life as a member of the Justice League.

Thinking of her former life caused her to finally focus on the fact that she still was flying aimlessly. Had she been flying at top speed, she probably would've traveled around the world two times already, but in casually flying while lost in her thoughts, she'd managed to travel from the eastern seaboard to somewhere over the Pacific, and noticed a trio of islands just below.

Diana decided to fly lower and see if one of the islands might meet the needs she required while under the edict from her goddess. In order to comply with the rules of her imposed isolation, if she chose to still remain among the people of the world, they could not have personally known her before. Even someone she might've saved one time could potentially lead to her friends seeking her out, and she simply couldn't take such a risk. However, with not being permitted to stay on Themyscira either, having at least some from of modern medicine for the baby was preferable to her.

Of the small group of islands, her desire to remain somewhat near civilization instead of in complete isolation caused her to first look upon one island that appeared to be less inhabited than the next closest one to it. This island had a few beaches, some limestone cliffs, a decent sized town, an airport, and what appeared to be an abandoned military air base turned tourist attraction. The island itself was small, definitely less than fifty square miles in size by her best estimate.

The island seemed relatively isolated, and it was sparsely populated. While it wasn't Themyscira, the island had its own unique beauty about it, and she felt comfortable enough to seek out a home for herself and her unborn child. It wouldn't be too difficult to raise the necessary funding she'd need to get by, but the hard part was going to be making this place feel like a home to her anytime soon.

A/N: Anyone have a guess as to which island Diana chose for her new home away from home? One small hint is to keep in mind I like to add some realism into my fics, especially geographically where I can. So the island I picked really does exist. Bonus points to the one who can actually guess the right island.

As for this chapter...I rewrote it about five times, still not entirely happy with it, but it has some important set up details in it. We'll see how far Bruce gets in his search in the next update.