Chapter 30: The Inevitable Change

A/N: Here's some more of that lovely, lovely drama that I can't seem to help myself from writing. Hope you all enjoy!

Diana was sitting outside the massive tower representing the empire that was Wayne Enterprises. She glanced downward at herself for what felt like the hundredth time that morning, taking stock of her appearance. And just like every other time before, she found that there wasn't a single shred of fabric out of place. She'd dressed in some of her civilian garb for her meeting. Her outfit was comprised of a knee length, slender pinstriped skirt with matching jacket over top of a cream colored blouse. Her hair was pulled up into a tight bun, and the black rimmed glasses topped off her look, displaying power and intelligence. The entire ensemble gave off the look of a woman ready to present a business deal instead of simply getting back in touch with a close friend.

If only it could be something as simple as a business deal. She still couldn't believe the nerves coursing through her at that moment. She'd been around Bruce on a number of occasions before, but this time held a completely different feel for her. She'd given considerable thought to why, and figured it had something to do with being forced into making an appointment just to see him. He'd never been so unreachable before when not off on some obscure mission, and it made her feel as though he was honestly trying to sever all ties with her. It felt like he wasn't interested in keeping their friendship intact.

Upon discovery of the need for such an appointment, she had to admit she'd been initially angered. She felt insulted that Bruce would allow such strain on the friendly and cordial relationship they'd built over the years as colleagues and members of the Justice League. His not allowing her any of his unscheduled personal time felt like a slap to the face, but she knew that she had to put up with it if it meant getting what she wanted. She wasn't there to try repairing the relationship between Bruce and her. There was a small baby girl to consider now, and she deserved to meet her father regardless of what barriers he might have putt up in front of Diana.

Just the mere thought of Alessandra caused Diana to look down beside her on the bench and to the covered car seat carrier currently holding her precious child. She carefully opened the flip side viewing panel, peeking inside to ensure that Alessandra was still napping peacefully. She was happy to see that the cover performed as expected in helping protect her baby from the elements. Only a slight wrinkle on the child's nose served as any indication that she'd felt the slight chill of the breeze, and that had been caused by Diana's peeking.

Seeing her daughter's nose wrinkle at the slight feel of the cool air only further confirmed to Diana that Alessandra was absolutely impossible not tofall in love with instantly. Her nose might have wrinkled because of the chill sneaking in, but Alessandra remained as she'd always been. A peaceful and deep sleeper. When first born she often had to be woken up all through the night to keep up with a consistent feeding schedule. By the time a few months passed, and the necessity of such a schedule was no longer quite so necessary, Diana quickly discovered that Alessandra would often remain sleeping all through the night.

When she was awake, she always seemed to have a certain glimmer in her eyes, revealing a mischievous streak just waiting to come out. Thankfully it was hindered by her current inability to escape. Diana knew that she'd have her hands full soon enough once Alessandra started to crawl, walk, and run. However regardless of any potential mischief, she would still love her baby unconditionally.

She'd do anything to ensure her baby girl had as full and happy life as possible, and that included making certain she had every opportunity to have her father intricately involved in her life. That assurance was the reason for them both being out in Gotham City on such a cool and slightly breezy fall day.

She looked at her watch, and almost scolded herself internally at being so early for this dumb meeting. She half blamed Bruce for causing such a feeling of unease. Had he not been so difficult to get in touch with, she wouldn't have been concerned at all about giving him any reason whatsoever to cancel on her.

His secretary had also been less than accommodating, and absolutely refused to let any personal calls in to him directly. She blocked all of Diana's attempts to contact Bruce directly, and played an important role in forcing the damn appointment to be scheduled, "just like everyone else" who wished for some of Mr. Wayne's time. Her attitude had been anything but friendly over the phone, and almost felt as though she was possibly angry when Diana still chose to keep the meeting set up with Bruce. This was especially true during the second conversation they'd shared when she discovered Diana had tried working around her with Alfred's help.

Bruce's surrogate father figure was yet another source of confusion for Diana, and only added to the ire she felt inside. She'd always gotten along very well with Alfred, but he also seemed to refrain from being very helpful too. He only informed her how Bruce rarely came to the Manor and pointed her back to scheduling an appointment with that horrid secretary. She tried to question him further, but he was quick to end the call, informing her that an appointment was her best bet in getting a moment of time away.

Not wanted to wallow in her frustration any longer, she decided that she'd waited long enough, and picked up the baby carrier before pulling in a mind clearing breath. It was time for Alessa to meet her daddy.

Inside the building, everything was abuzz with activity. Various employees were scurrying about the lobby area, heading to their intended destinations. The place was alive with energy, and seemed more reminiscent of the Wayne Enterprises from the altered timeline than the one she recalled any other time. She couldn't help but to pause and spin around as she took in all the activity, and it wasn't until a security guard eventually approached her that she realized she been standing in the middle of the lobby for an inordinate amount of time.

The guard was laid back in his approach, not seeming at all concerned by her presence in the building. He simply asked if he could help her, and his question was enough to break Diana free from her thoughts of the other timeline. She blushed slightly, but quickly informed him of her scheduled appointment. He nodded in understanding, and led her back to his desk where he scrolled through the daily log until confirming her appointment in the books. With having the necessary information from her confirmed, he then gladly escorted Diana to the elevators.

The ride up started off somewhat crowded through the first few floors inside the small metal box, and along the way Diana could've sworn she picked up on some whispering directed at her. Some people were quietly mocking her for not having gotten a babysitter, and she couldn't hide the frown from her features upon hearing how some people could be so quick to judge. At first, she wanted to respond that they needed to mind their own business, but fought to rein in her irritation before she caused a scene.

Each time the elevator stopped at a floor, more and more people dispersed until finally it was just her and Alessandra heading to the executive level. This was where she allowed herself one final deep, cleansing breath before the elevator doors opened a final time, permitting her access to the floor she needed.

Diana stepped out into the hallway, and instantly locked eyes onto her most recent adversary, Bruce's secretary. Had she not spoken with the cranky woman over the phone, she might've thought the girl was attractive in appearance, but her dealings instead left the opinion of ugliness toward that individual. She simply wasn't be a pleasant person to be around, and if the sneer being leveled in Diana's direction at that very moment was any indication, her attitude wasn't going to be any more friendly in person than it had been over the phone.

"Excuse me miss." Diana said as warmly as she could muster. "I have an appointment to see Mr. Wayne under the name of Prince."

"Mr. Wayne hasn't returned yet from the board meeting." The secretary said in an uninterested tone, never even looking up toward her. "You'll just have to wait until he returns. Have a seat over there Miss Prince."

Diana complied silently, going over to where Bruce's secretary pointed with her nail file. She wasn't going to permit this miserable person to get under her skin, and quietly took a seat while focusing on removing the cover from the baby carrier. Now inside and away from the elements, Alessandra would become uncomfortably warm if she left it on. As fortune would have it, she wasn't going to have to wait very long. Only a couple minutes had passed before she caught the sound of Bruce's voice coming from down the hall, and then saw him walking around a corner heading toward his office.

He was on his phone talking rather jovially. The smile on his face was clearly genuine, and if she had to be honest with herself, extremely attractive to see again. Still, she was surprised when he walked past her without a single word. She wonder why he wouldn't even acknowledge she was there, and stood once he stopped in front of his secretary's desk. Had it been some sort of a deliberate act on his part to get under her skin?

"Marcy." Bruce said, gaining the secretary's immediate and full attention. "I need you to cancel the rest of my meetings today. Something's come up that I have to attend to."

"Even a meeting with an old friend?" Diana asked from behind, chiming in before "Marcy" could reply while also taking the stance that she wasn't going to let him ignore her any longer.

Bruce turned around upon hearing her voice, and his smile momentarily disappeared behind a look of shock and confusion. "Diana?" He eventually said in disbelief.

"Surely you can keep your 9:00, since I've already had to wait two weeks just to have a word with you." Diana replied as she placed her hands on her hips, giving him a look that almost dared him to try sending her away. Her posture made it more than clear that if he did have the gall to try something like that, he would quickly discover what the consequences would be, and they certainly wouldn't be enjoyable.

Bruce took notice of her stance, and quickly gathered his composure. "It's been quite a while Diana." He said as his smile returned, but this time not entirely reaching his eyes. "I'll definitely make an exception for an old friend. Please, follow me."

Bruce walked into his office and over to his desk. He didn't speak again until Diana closed the doors behind her so he could secure the room. "Is it safe to speak?" Diana asked as she took her seat on the opposite side of his desk.

Bruce's eyes narrowed for a split second, focused intently on her. He remained silent for a moment before he finally replied in the voice of the Bat. "I figured the League wouldn't respect my wishes for long, but I have to say Diana, I'm surprised that you out of all of them would be the one to try and change my mind."

Realization struck her instantly, and she almost laughed. "I'm not here on behalf of the League." She said. "Resigning was your choice, and I will respect it even if I don't agree with it. The actual reason I came here is so you can finally meet our daughter."

Bruce's eyes widened for a moment as Diana reached down and pulled the baby girl out from her baby carrier. She fussed a little bit at first, but only for an instant before settling down into her mother's comforting hold. By the time Diana looked away from Alessandra again and back across the desk, Bruce was already kneeling down right beside her. His eyes were fixed onto the small child sleeping in her protective arms. The look she saw in his eyes at that moment was something she'd never seen before from him. It was a look of uncertainty and perhaps even a little fear.

Diana remained silent as Bruce cautiously reached over, slowly placing a finger next to Alessandra's tiny hand. The baby seemed to instinctively notice it, and latched onto his finger after it gently grazed her skin. "She's..." Bruce started to speak before a lump seemed to grow in his throat. He tugged at his collar, and finally managed to push it down. "She's beautiful."

Diana smiled as she watched Bruce, seemingly stuck in a trance of wonderment from seeing their child for the first time. Any and all fears about this being the wrong decision for the baby quickly evaporated from her thoughts upon seeing his expression. She slowly moved the baby away from her shoulder, and silently gestured to him the chance hold their baby if he wanted.

Uncertainty covered Bruce's face again, but only for a moment once he recognized what it was that Diana was offering. He still moved cautiously, as if he were afraid of breaking the baby girl until she was safe against his chest. His line of sight never left the child in his arms as he watched her begin to cuddle into him just as she had her mother before.

That was when Diana noticed an entirely different look on Bruce's face. It was a smile, but completely different than any she'd ever seen. She wasn't sure how to describe it, but knew it was filled with pride and love at the very least. "Her name's Alessandra." Diana said as she gently ran the back of her fingers across the baby's short, dark strands of hair. "I wanted to give her your name, but to be honest, I wasn't sure how you would've felt about it considering how we last left off together at the airport."

"What name did you give her?" Bruce asked, glancing away from the baby in his arms for the first time.

"I went with my alias." She explained. "Her full name is Alessandra Martha Prince."

Diana couldn't be completely certain, but she swore that she noticed Bruce's eyes tearing up for a moment before he managed to blink the tears away into submission. "Th...Thank you." Was all he could choke out.

She knew exactly why he'd said it, and smiled as he focused once more on their little girl, who was beginning to stir. Alessandra fidgeted a little, but once she noticed she was in a strange man's grip, began to wale for her mother. Diana flinched initially out of pure instinct, but she wanted their daughter to be comfortable in her father's arms. She looked up into Bruce's uncertain eyes, and tried to silently send him the strength to confront this challenging situation himself.

Bruce stood when he saw Diana coaxing him to try on his own to calm the baby, and started by pacing around his office, gently bouncing his daughter up and down. When that didn't seem to have any effect, he added to it by whispering quiet reassurances to Alessandra. He told her how everything was okay, and that her daddy had her when the word suddenly struck him. Daddy. He was this beautiful angel's father.

Panic instantly began to grow as a number of questions formed in his mind. Where were they going to live? Would Diana want their daughter to be raised on Themyscira? If so, then how and when would he get to see her? What were Diana's intentions by introducing them? How much involvement would she allow him to have? If he disappointed her expectations, would she attempt to push him away? How would they be able to keep her safe?

Diana realized the panic setting in, stepping into his path, and motioning for him to let her have Alessandra back. Somewhat reluctantly at first, Bruce acquiesced and returned the child to her mother. He almost expected the little girl to stop crying instantly, but Diana seemed more focused on him than their child at that moment. "Its not you Bruce." She said softly as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, managing to gain some of his attention. She could see how concerned he was about already starting to fail as Alessandra's father, and she didn't want him to think that for an instant.

"She's probably just hungry." Diana said as she took a seat and grabbed a small blanket from the baby carrier.

She settled the baby and draped the blanket off one of her own shoulders before providing her daughter with what she obviously wanted at that moment. Bruce turned away due to the intimate moment between mother an child, and took a seat next to her once the crying ceased. Once Diana was adjusted in her seated position, she reached over and placed a comforting hand onto Bruce's closest shoulder, letting him know it was alright to look her way again.

She could feel the tension within him, and looked over, noticing some apprehension had returned to his features. What was causing it she couldn't be sure of, but wanted to make certain it wasn't because of their situation. "I..." She began before pausing momentarily to reel in her own apprehension, which seemed to suddenly come from out of nowhere. "What I...wanted to say is that the point of seeing you today was also so we could discuss the level of involvement you'd like to have with Alessandra. That is...if you're interested in it."

"Of course." Bruce responded instantly as he tugged on his suddenly too tight shirt collar. "I understand any apprehension you might have had. What with the last time we spoke to one another, and then with how busy my life has become in recent months."

"Precisely." Diana said. "I want you to know that in no way should you feel obligated for anything. I'm here to fulfill a promise I made to Alessandra when she was born. A promise that I would give you every chance to be involved in her life. That said, I don't want some false life for her coming from you either. I understand from what I've been informed that your life has become hectic, but despite that, she deserves a real relationship with her father. If you believe you can provide that for her, then we can and will work out any necessary details."

Bruce looked deep into Diana's eyes. He wasn't sure just what he was searching for. Whatever it was, he seemed to find it, and the tension in his body finally released. "You know that I have no memories of us being together, but I should still apologize for the way I reacted when I located you on Tinian Island. I basically cast you aside out of perhaps some misplaced sense of anger and betrayal. Its still no excuse. I should've been there when Alessandra was born, and I'd be honored to be a part of her life."

Diana smiled in relief. She hadn't realized just how concerned she was that Bruce would turn Alessandra away until he put the fear to rest for her. Bruce noticed the smile from Diana too, and things suddenly became awkward between them. He looked away, beginning to rub the back of his neck as he stood up and returned to his side of the desk in order to create some space between them.

Neither one seemed to know what to say next until both blurted out at the same time. "So now what?"

Both chuckled initially before Bruce became serious once again. "Where are you planning on staying?" He asked. "I assume not on Themyscira since that would make it rather difficult to maintain any consistent form of visitation."

"I've decided to live in New York." Diana answered. "I do plan to take Alessandra to Themyscira on occasion, but we can work together on scheduling around those visits. Regardless of our situation, I would like for us to work together for what's in our child's best interest."

"That seems fair." Bruce said as Diana began the process of switching Alessandra to her other side. "I am curious though. Why New York, and not somewhere like Metropolis or even Gotham?"

"I tried to plan for any answer you might have presented, Bruce." Diana replied. "I wanted to be far enough away to give you any distance you might've required while at the same time remaining close enough to keep from hindering visitation. As for why not Metropolis... That's Kal's home, not mine. I felt we needed a place of our own."

"And Gotham?" He asked.

"There are numerous reasons to refrain from living there." She responded without hesitation. "Not the least of which is the fact that I wouldn't be able to afford living in the Palacades, and really nowhere else is what I'd consider safe enough for the child of Wonder Woman to live should that be discovered. You're well aware that I won't be able to be home when the Justice League requires my assistance, and the Watchtower is a prime target for an enemy to attack. I'd never be able to forgive myself if she were harmed because of someone trying to attack the League."

"But Alfred or I would be glad to take her whenever you're needed elsewhere." Bruce argued. He had to admit that New York might not be too far away, but it wasn't as close as Gotham. "And I'd be more than happy to provide you with a place to stay in the Palacades if that's what you're looking for."

"No!" Diana almost yelled emphatically before lowering her voice back down. "I don't want your charity, Bruce. Like I said before, I wasn't sure how you'd respond to this in the first place. I had to prepare for all possibilities, and besides, I've already moved into an apartment there. In the event I'm needed elsewhere, I have a sister who volunteered to return to Man's World with me. She'll be able to assist in the event that you aren't available when I have to be away."

"Well..." Bruce started before realizing he had no argument to bring up. "It looks like you've thought of everything. So, when do I get to see my daughter?"

"I'd actually hoped that you would want to spend the rest of the day with us." Diana admitted. "But that was before I heard you informing that shrew of a secretary to cancel all of your remaining meetings. It seems to me that you already have plans."

"I'll admit, I did have a change of plans today." Bruce said. "But that was also before I was introduced to my daughter."

Diana's eyes lit up in surprise. Bruce seemed to be completely reordering his day, putting his daughter right at the top of what he felt was most important. And then, he surprised her again. "I'm sure it'll be a surprise, but Hannah needs to meet Alessandra at some point any ways."

"Hannah?"

Diana sat behind the monitors, partaking in her first official act as a re-activated member of the Justice League. She recalled how tedious being on Monitor Duty could be, but in instances such as the one she was currently experiencing, it bordered on agonizing. No issues had been coming up, and all she could think about was what transpired earlier that day with Bruce.

She'd been looking into various news clippings and reported stories from the past year to pass the time. While she'd isolated, she'd neglected even looking to those sections, thinking it was unnecessary to look into the business or the gossip columns to keep up with 'd only concerned herself with information regarding his nocturnal activities, but she'd obviously been dead wrong.

She used the monitoring equipment initially to read up on how Bruce had been spearheading deals consistently, and how he'd been growing his empire at an impressive clip even by Wayne Enterprises standards. Business seemed to be booming for the company and as a result, for himself. There also seemed to be a noticeable impact for his city as well. Bruce Wayne was creating more and more jobs for the people of Gotham every day. Also, though technically it couldn't be tied to it, there seemed to be noticeable drop in crime too. It may have been all the lesser petty theft types of crime, but still counted in the end.

The downside to her research, was how every bit of information she pulled up concerning Bruce only added to her frustration and confusion. Because of the changes he'd been making, she had to look into the celebrity gossip and high society pages as well. Long ago she'd refrained from that a valuable information source. All she might've found before was a shady story concerning the next bimbo he decided to take out for the cameras, but now it seemed completely necessary.

Hannah was the one thing Diana never anticipated having to deal with in any situation concerning Bruce. He was supposed to be the billionaire playboy, having a different piece of eye candy on his arm everywhere he went. No woman had been entirely immune to this pattern before. Sure there were the occasional few who managed to procure a second date. A few even reached a handful of appearances with Gotham's favorite bachelor, but Hannah had already reached into the dozens. The most recent reports even were starting to speculate on the possibility of wedding bells in the near future for Gotham's prince. In fact, she'd been in all the pictures with Bruce over the last five months.

Diana became disgusted despite her attempts to control a growing streak of jealousy from within, and finally had to close out her search in the gossip columns on Bruce entirely. She still loved Bruce, and because of that love there was an inkling of hurt. She didn't understand how this Hannah managed to steal his heart away, and how she'd done it so quickly.

Judging from what she'd witnessed, Bruce was absolutely, without a doubt, smitten with Hannah. He seemed to trust her implicitly as well, even vouching for her when she arrived and was first introduced to Alessandra. Diana, being the protective mother she was, didn't exactly warm up to the notion of this strange woman holding her baby, but Bruce convinced her by telling her how much he trusted Hannah.

Hannah had instantly taken a liking to Alessandra, although she did initially question Diana's motives with waiting to reveal the baby to Bruce. She thought she'd whispered it quietly enough, but Bruce knew Diana's enhanced hearing still picked it up. He immediately explained everything away to assuage her concerns, and Hannah chose to accept it even though Bruce did leave some intricate details out.

There had still been something about the situation that made Diana feel uneasy about leaving Alessandra with Bruce and his new girlfriend. Despite the immense awkwardness of the situation, she stayed there with the couple until the sun began to set. At that point, she made the logical excuses of needing to get the baby back home due to the late hour. Bruce reluctantly agreed, but not before wanting to agree on the next time he would get to see her.

Diana tried to be happy and take solace in the fact that Bruce showed every desire to spend as much time as possible with their daughter. The look of longing she saw with him as she took their baby back from his hold to head home was nearly heartbreaking, but they both had to accept that would have to become the norm. Based on how he reacted around Hannah along with all the reports of them as a couple, it appeared that Bruce was serious with her, and Diana guessed that Hannah was living with him in the Manor. That was enough to give her pause about letting her daughter stay there for the time being. At least until she'd performed her own investigation.

So she started off by creating a profile with the Watchtower equipment, and within minutes of digging had already begun to compile information on the target. She discovered that Hannah was a psychiatrist by profession, and though she didn't want to accept it as the truth, had to accept that research indicated she appeared to be a nice person. So far she'd taken a proactive role in Bruce's charitable functions, speaking candidly numerous times whenever he wasn't available.

Physically, she was a taller than the average woman. In fact, in considering her build Diana might've mistaken Hannah for another Amazon had she not known better. She had dark hair with a tanned complexion, and obviously remained active based on her physique.

She continued to dig, knowing that Bruce and Alfred would have a guest room prepared for their daughter in no time. At that point, Diana would have no valid argument to keep Alessandra from staying with her father. Bruce would be hurt and angered if Diana questioned Hannah much without any justification. Sooner rather than later, Bruce would request that Alessandra be permitted to stay in the manor overnight. She'd have to accept it just like she did currently with being on Monitor Duty.

Thankfully, before she had to deal with any more thoughts along those lines, the sound of the Monitor Womb door sliding open grabbed her attention. She'd apparently lost track of time as Superman came strolling in to begin his shift. "Hey Diana." He said in greeting. "Anything to report?"

"No." Diana answered as she stood and stretched. "It was incredibly quiet, unfortunately."

"Unfortunately?" Superman said in surprise.

"I know I shouldn't feel that way Kal, but it would've been nice to have something to do to keep my mind from wandering."

"I take it your mind wandered to some unpleasant thoughts?" Superman deduced as he placed a comforting hand upon her shoulder. They were the best of friends, and he wanted to reassure her that fact hadn't changed during her absence. If she needed an ear to vent on, he would gladly lend her his.

"No..." Diana started to deny before stopping herself with a frustrated sigh. She wasn't being honest, and that wasn't like her. "Yes. I know I should be okay with everything that's changed, but I just never expected Bruce to be so unavailable."

"Don't tell me that he kicked you and Alessandra out." Superman questioned.

"No." Diana assured him. "He fell in love with her the instant he laid eyes on her. It's...It's me that he's unavailable for."