Chapter 32: Getting To Know The Competition
A/N: Here we get to know Bruce's new love interest. Enjoy!
Hannah stepped out of her coupe and flattened out some of the wrinkles of her skirt caused by sitting behind the wheel. She normally wouldn't care much about such trivial things, but it served as an excuse to delay things a bit longer. After all, she really wasn't in a hurry to get to her next scheduled meeting, and her reluctance for this occasion came about more from confusion than anything else.
She knew that she'd eventually have to go on these types of lunch dates just because of her fiancé and his celebrity status, but she hadn't expected to be meeting this particular person. Or at least she hadn't expected it to be a meeting with just the two of them. This was after all Bruce's friend, and while she'd done well to ensure they got along because of Bruce, she had a feeling that this meeting wouldn't be easy to sit through.
As she walked toward the front entrance of her destination, she recalled the first day she met Diana. It had felt like her whole world was going to come crashing down, and no one would be able to blame her for feeling such a way. Anyone would feel the same if they saw their husband to be sitting next to an absolutely gorgeous woman while holding onto an equally adorable baby girl. In her case, she instantly knew that this woman must've told her fiancé that he was the father, and judging by how protectively and lovingly he was holding the baby girl, he wholeheartedly believed it.
Hannah tried her very best that entire day not to allow jealously to invade her thoughts. Her relationship with Bruce had seemed to be steadily growing in both love and strength by the day, but this sudden change made her feel like she was at a distinct disadvantage. Especially if it was actually true that Bruce and this woman had a child. She'd known ever since she started dating him that Bruce Wayne was a well documented womanizer, but he'd worked hard to show everyone that he'd reformed from his wicked ways since they'd been together.
Hannah initially hoped this child was the result of a one night stand rather than someone Bruce had carried on a professional or friendly relationship with both before and after conception. However, judging from how she noticed him acting around the woman and child, it was obvious to see that they were at least been close friends. Adding a child into the mix would only further complicate the relationship between the three adults, and it wouldn't be fair to the child if any unnecessary strains became noticeable between them. Hannah just knew she'd be the third wheel if that were to happen, she was certain of it. Children always come first, and rightfully so.
She'd figured it would be a slippery slope to make certain she and this woman could at least tolerate one another. Especially considering she could tell without a doubt that the other woman was still in love with Bruce in spite of his impending marriage. It was easy enough to figure out. All she had to do was see the look in Diana's eyes whenever she was around Bruce, and that told her everything she needed to know.
Matters were only further complicated when later that evening, Bruce attempted to eliminate any doubt by disclosing that Diana was in fact the Amazon Princess known to the world as Wonder Woman. She'd already been on edge just from the mere sight of Diana's beauty first hand, but to know now that her competition was reported everywhere as the most beautiful woman in the world only exacerbated her fears and insecurities. He'd had to spend a considerable amount of time explaining everything away before she accepted that there was nothing romantic between them.
Still some of the details didn't make sense. It was difficult to wrap her mind around, but the one thing he'd made abundantly clear was that the version of himself, the one that Hannah had fallen in love with, had never actually been romantic or intimate with Diana. That was part of the reason she'd accepted the invitation of lunch with Diana. She almost wanted to hear the words from the competition herself. Wonder Woman was supposedly this beacon of truth, and she knew Bruce still had issues at times with being completely open toward anyone.
She still vividly remembered how she'd been frustrated to the point of threatening to leave after just having moved in before Bruce finally revealed why he disappeared in the middle of the night. But if she could get across that bridge, then this shouldn't be any more difficult to cross.
Diana looked up toward the entrance for what felt like the umpteenth time when the restaurant doors opened again. She was beginning to internally question why she chose to arrive so early for meetings with anyone residing in Gotham, but this meeting was important. It would serve as the first step to the path of discovery toward what was happening to Bruce. As of that moment, Hannah was the prime suspect, if not the only suspect. Even if she somehow did manage to be innocent in all this, she should at the very least be able to explain why Bruce was even considering hanging up the cape and cowl.
Diana knew she'd have to tread carefully during this first meeting. The last thing she wanted to do was to come across as being accusatory. That likely would only end the meeting before it really began if she pushed too much for the information she was seeking.
So in an attempt to refrain from doing so, she'd previously spent quite some time in preparation for this meeting. She'd come up with a structured line of questions that hopefully would begin to peel back some layers without giving off the feel of an interrogation.
When she had her initial line of questions thought out, she went over them time and time again. Occasionally she would adjust how she was going to ask one question, or completely throw out another question depending upon just how forceful it seemed to come across when added to the rest. She continued this process until she believed she had a plan of attack that had the best chance to get the answers she was seeking. That was when she finally requested having lunch with Hannah.
The doors opened once again, and Diana took a deep breath as her eyes focused on the person who walked in. Her guest had finally arrived. She remained in her seat, assessing the tall and slender woman as Hannah removed her large rimmed sunglasses and began to look around the restaurant. Diana first took note of Hannah's posture. She seemed to display an aura of confidence in herself as she continued to survey the restaurant in search of Diana.
Soon enough the two made eye contact, and Diana gave a small confirming wave so as not to appear that she'd been letting Hannah struggle to locate her. Hannah's lips turned upward slightly, but it wasn't difficult to see she was uneasy and not honestly happy to be there. Diana shared the same sentiment, but tried to shake off the sense that the feeling was mutual as she stood and stuck out her hand.
"It's a pleasure to see you again Hannah." She said, pulling off the friendliest approach she could muster given the circumstances.
"Likewise, I'm sure." Hannah replied as she gave a firm handshake and took her seat across from the Amazon.
The two women sat there in silence for a moment, causing a sense of awkwardness to grow between them. It seemed that they were sizing each other up. Neither seemed to want to be the first to speak up, and were instead waiting for the other to take the lead.
Eventually, Diana became frustrated with herself and sighed. She was the champion of the Amazons, and dealt with the likes of monsters, gods, super villains, and ill intentioned aliens before. Speaking to this woman shouldn't have been a difficult task at all compared to any of that. Besides, she'd worked on her strategy, covering where she planned to direct their conversation for hours, and yet here she was acting like she was powerless to form the words.
She certainly wasn't going to allow the situation to go on any longer, and cleared her throat before finally breaking the silence. "I suppose you're wondering why I asked for this meeting."
"It did seem a little strange at first." Hannah responded. "But after taking a few moments to think it through, I'd probably do the same thing if the roles were reversed."
Diana's eyes widened for a moment in surprise. She hadn't anticipated Hannah's response. She'd expected to be met with skepticism, or at the very least to be the recipient of a very guarded approach. The last thing she thought would happen was Hannah showing any kind of understanding. "Um, you do?" Diana asked.
"Well, yes." Hannah answered as if Diana's questioning such a thing would be silly. "I can only assume that if I were in your situation, I'd want to get to know anyone that's going to be a constant in my child's life. Besides, I won't lie and tell you that there aren't any self serving reasons of my own for accepting this meeting either."
"There are?" Diana replied with another question. This woman had completely taken over the direction of the conversation, and initially it rattled her. Still, this wasn't the first time things didn't go as planned, and she wasn't about to lose control of the situation for long. Besides, Hannah gave her an opening with the admission she had ulterior reasons for accepting the invitation. Diana thought she might possibly still be able to learn useful information away that could potentially give her a lead she was looking for.
"Certainly." Hannah said. "One of Bruce's...vices is how guarded he can be at times. Obviously you've known him longer than I have, and I'm sure there are things you've learned over the years about him that I haven't yet. Besides, at some point Bruce and I will have children of our own. I can't see any reason why getting to know each other better wouldn't be a good thing for the both of us."
"You and Bruce are already talking about having children?" Diana asked even though she wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer.
"Not yet, but I'm sure it won't be long after we're married that the topic will come up." Hannah answered confidently. "I've already seen firsthand how good of a father Bruce is with Alessandra, and I can only imagine he'd want more children at some point. He seems so happy when he gets to spend time with his daughter."
Instantly it had become difficult to move around the topic of Bruce and this woman having children, but Diana forced herself to focus on Alessandra for the moment. "How have things been, having Alessa staying in the household?"
"There was an adjustment period for us all, but once Alessandra grew more accustomed to her surroundings, things started falling back into place." Hannah answered.
"Have you had much experience with children before?" Diana asked.
"Not as much as I'm sure a mother would hope for coming from a person who spends as much time as I get to around their child. But my education has helped me personally on how to deal with the nuances of having a baby around the house."
"I've found that no form of education prepares one properly for what is needed and expected when a child is involved." Diana stated matter of factly. She wasn't entirely pleased to find that someone was reliant on books or education to think they knew how to handle a child.
"Oh I certainly wasn't meaning that it made me some kind of an expert with children.." Hannah back peddled. "I'm only saying that it helped me in how to approach certain situations. Especially when Bruce can't be there."
"Yes, Bruce's availability can be rather limited at times." Diana said in understanding before focusing once again on her companion. "You wouldn't happen to have an example of when your education helped, would you?"
Bruce grabbed my attention as I noticed him walking into the study with Alessandra cradled in his arms. She's preoccupied, still working on the bottle of formula he had propped up for her. I sat my book down once I realized that he was walking with a purpose in his strides and directly toward me. Then I noticed the look on his face. "What is it?" I asked as I stood up in front of him.
"I'm sorry Hannah, but I need you to keep Alessa for me." Bruce explained. "The bat signal's gone up. I have to go."
"Well..." I huffed, a mixture of confusion and uncertainty clearly evident, if the change in his demeanor was any indicator. He knows that I'm uncomfortable with the entire situation of him taking such risks. I'd told him before that Alessandra was the first baby I'd ever held, and I certainly wasn't comfortable being left here on my own with no one to help. How could he expect me to know how to handle being alone with a seven month old?
Not to mention the argument we'd had literally one day ago about the dangers he routinely puts himself in front of each night. He knew I didn't like the thought of him possibly not coming home because of some crook or demented villain.
"I'm sorry sweetheart." He said. "I'd ask Alfred, but he already took me up on the offer to have the evening off and isn't here. I didn't think Batman would honestly be needed tonight. All of the heavy hitters were already locked up in Arkham. This has to be an emergency or Jim wouldn't have turned the signal on."
I knew there was no winning this argument with him in that moment, and I held my arms out to take the baby from him. I wasn't however about let him off scot-free without providing him with some parting words first. "You already know how I feel about this Bruce." I said in a quiet growl. "But I'm not the only one you need to consider anymore when you keep going out and doing things like this. Alessandra has already missed enough time with her father, and one of these nights you're going to wind up not coming back to us."
Bruce paused and looked at me angrily. I thought he was about to start up that same old argument about how the city needs him. He still refuses to acknowledge that he can do more for the city by just being himself than he ever could dressed up as a scary creature and jumping into the criminal element. He needs to accept that he's keeping the vow of a young boy, and that what he's doing is not actually allowing himself to heal from the trauma of witnessing his parents' murders. It's only allowing him to project his demons onto others instead of facing them himself.
I know and I've accepted that it will be a long process getting him to change his approach on how he can actually honor his parents as well as to come to terms with his own grief. But each time the topic comes up, I have to stand my ground with a logical approach where he can dissect and go over each spoken word as much as he desires, but eventually he'll have to accept that I might just know what I'm talking about.
I released a long sigh to let him know I've conceded this round. "What do I do if she starts to cry?" I asked as he continued to glare at me. That night was obviously not the night to push his buttons, and I could see that I made the correct choice in letting it go...for now.
"She's almost done with her bottle." He explained as his demeanor finally began to soften. "She'll need burped, and then it's very likely that she'll just sleep until I get back. If not, go with the normal checklist. She might need changed, or just held and rocked back to sleep. I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise."
I looked him in the eye until his eyes eventually met mine. I was certain he could see how displeased I still was with his leaving, but he could also see that I wasn't going to continue fighting with him about it. "Just...be careful. Please." I said and leaned forward, giving him a kiss on the cheek before he could slip away.
The last thing I wanted was for us to be angry with one another when we're about to be apart for any extended period of time. And if he is going to go out into a dangerous situation, he needs to be able to focus on that, and that only.
"I will." He said before kissing Alessandra on her forehead and turning for the cave entrance.
And then just like that, it was just the two of us. Not the typical girl's night in I'd imagined, but it would have to do. After all, Alessandra is really quite the cute baby girl. Of course with parents such as Bruce and Wonder Woman, how could she not be absolutely adorable. I can only hope when Bruce and I are ready to have children that we will have the same good fortune.
Just thinking about babies caused two thoughts to occur simultaneously. One was how wonderful it would be to actually become a mother, and two was that right at that moment, I literally didn't know what to do. The only thing I did know was that I needed to keep from panicking. So I began to focus my thoughts into a more logical and positive manner. Being alone with Alessandra should be a good thing, no, was a good thing. It would only help bring us closer together as step-mother and child. We could begin to form a loving bond from this golden opportunity that'd been thrust upon us. It was just happening at a much quicker pace than I would've planned.
She'll forever be a part of Bruce's life, and I plan to be as well. We needed to start bonding together like any family should. Mentally, I went over what Bruce had told me earlier, and the first thing that popped up was that she had almost finished with her feeding before he'd even left. I spared a glance at the bottle, and sure enough it was almost empty. Alessandra didn't really seem to be taking in any more formula either as she seemed to be just looking at me. So I took that as a sign that she was finished with her meal.
As I continued on through my mental checklist, I recalled that the baby would need to be burped next. I glanced around, looking for that cloth I'd seen Bruce using before as a sort of drape over his shoulder. Just watching him placing it onto his own shoulder before told me it was an important tool for catching anything else that might've decided to come up along with the trapped air. Where was the travel bag Diana always leaves? There had to be a burping cloth in it since Bruce's one wasn't anywhere in sight.
Alessandra began to fuss as I kept looking for an acceptable replacement cloth. She was becoming upset with what had to be uncomfortable by that time. I'd already been through three rooms, and was on my way up to her room when the tears finally started. It was just a little farther, I thought as I tried to comfort her while climbing the stairs two at a time. Her fussing was only becoming more and more pronounced as I finally reached the door to her room.
Where is it? I thought to myself as I scoured the room with my eyes. I didn't see the bag, nor did I see Bruce's damn cloth. I was beginning to become frustrated, and so was Alessandra if her fussing was telling me anything. Then she let loose the first true wailing cry. I knew it because there were a few seconds of silence just before she let it loose, and then I was really beginning to panic.
Alessandra was really letting me have it, and I felt like a complete failure. I couldn't even find a damn burping cloth, and I couldn't let her remain so upset. So I decided to just forgo the cloth, and placed her head right at the top of my left shoulder. I started patting her gently on the back, but I was scared of patting her too hard. At first, I was tapping her back just enough to barely make contact, but another ear piercing wail told me that I wasn't doing enough.
I slowly increased the amount of strength to my tapping on her back, still afraid that I might've been hitting her too hard, but then it happened. Out came the burp, and the baby was no longer crying. She instead replaced it with some whimpering, and I couldn't help but to feel for her. I could've done this for her so much earlier, but I had to look for that stupid cloth first. My priorities weren't...then suddenly I was struck with the question of why I felt something warm and wet on my shoulder.
Oh good lord above that was disgusting! I'd expected slobber, but what was now on my favorite shirt had me trying not to run to the toilet in order to unload my own dinner. I needed out of the shirt immediately, and I went to put Alessandra into her crib. Bruce had said she would likely go to sleep after being burped, but he was obviously wrong. I tried more than once to put the baby down, but each time I did she started to whimper again. I'd already made her cry, which had only made me feel like I failed her, and I wasn't willing to do that again.
I reluctantly took her into the master bedroom with me. There were a number of fresh shirts for me in there, and I hoped she'd let me have enough time to get that disgusting thing off before the mess touched any more of me. After I entered the room, I was beyond frustrated by what I saw laying on the foot of the bed. Of course Bruce had been feeding her in our bedroom, and I was frustrated with myself that I hadn't even thought to look in there. I could've saved my shirt and any discomfort for poor Alessandra.
I grabbed a new shirt and propped Alessandra inside an already made fort of pillows on the bed. She started to fuss a little but I convinced myself that it was only going to be a few seconds. To appease the baby, I made sure not to leave her sight as I carefully slid the forever ruined garment off, ensuring that none of the disgusting substance touched my bare skin or hair. It was more challenging a task to do than I was hoping for, but I was eventually successful.
Once I had a clean shirt on again, I looked down to see Alessandra seemingly staring at me. For a short moment, she had a look that almost said she'd planned this, but she's just a baby. She hadn't yet learned how to become cruel or conniving.
With my own personal dilemma rectified, I returned to the state of being unsure what to do with her, but that was only until I noticed that she had some of that "stuff" all over herself and her clothes just like she'd deposited onto my shirt. She, however seemed to be handling the sensation of the disgusting goop quite a bit better than I had.
Alessandra wasn't testing the limits of her gagging reflexes, and I had to thank every deity I could come up with for that. Any more projectile fluids, and I would've been sure to join her that time. I knew I couldn't leave her in that condition, so carefully I began the tedious process of extracting the soiled articles of clothing off the baby. Of course, I was ensuring the repulsive stuff didn't make contact with either of us, and soon enough I had a nearly naked baby cooing at me from her cushioned fortress.
Happy with my success, I was still disheartened to see that there was still some mess in the dark tresses of her hair. Not to mention what somehow didn't get wiped off of her chin. She was going to have to have a bath, and then I was really dreading yet another unfamiliarity life had chosen to thrust upon me. Still, I refused to let a gross substance bring me down. I'd dealt with it up to this point, and a bath for the baby shouldn't have been too daunting a task.
So, I took Alessandra with me into her lavatory, and located the baby soap as well as a device that looked similar to a layback seat with a foam pad at its center. I placed the seat into the bath tub, and turned on the water with my free hand. I waited until the water barely qualified as lukewarm and then placed the baby onto her seat after I'd removed her diaper. I found a cup near the baby soap, and safely assumed it was the apparatus for wetting Alessandra down during bath time.
She seemed to be enjoying herself, if the cute giggles were any indication as I gently and repeatedly doused a cup full of water over her head until not a single hair had been left dry. I then applied a daub of anti-tear soap into my hands, and rubbed them together until a decent lather was built up before massaging it into her hair. I went ahead and repeated the process over her body, thinking that she was already in the tub anyways. She might as well receive the full bathing experience.
Soon enough, both baby and I were clean and dry. I'd picked out a cute little ensemble with footies for Alessandra, and she was covered head to toe in what would be her nighttime apparel. By the time I completed that task, Alfred surprised me with his appearance. "Good evening Miss." He said to announce his presence from behind us.
Alessandra squealed in delight upon hearing the elder man's voice, and her little hands reached out while opening and closing for the man who is every bit this little girl's grandfather.
"Of course, Alfred noticed the change of clothes and asked me what'd happened." Hanna detailed with a chuckle, ending the telling of her first experience as a potential step parent. "I swear that man is so sharp and just seems to pick up on the tiniest of details. I'd almost think he has some sort of super power if I didn't know any better."
Diana couldn't stop herself from chuckling along with Hannah. She had to agree that Alfred certainly didn't seem like he could be a mere mortal. After all, she too had experienced his "talents" before. However she didn't let their agreement deter the other pertinent portion of that story from sticking in her mind. She made a mental note to speak with Alfred, and see what his side of the story would have to share. He would certainly be able to tell her if there were any details to refute the purported facts behind the tale.
But there was also something else Hannah mentioned in telling her story that brought Diana to her next point. "I have to admit, Your story reminds me of something that I am concerned about." Diana said. "A few days ago, Bruce mentioned ending something that has been an integral part of his life since he was a small child. Its a part of who he is, and I'm afraid if he gives it up, it will be something he'll deeply regret."
"This doesn't seem like the kind of topic to be discussed over coffee or tea." Hannah replied quietly just as the waitress approached with their orders.
They each maintained a quiet pause until the waitress left them to enjoy their meals, and then surprisingly, Hannah spoke up first. "What Bruce does each night, while admirable in one sense, is also preventing him from moving forward with his life in another. What he does is unhealthy for him mentally, let alone physically."
"What he does is for the good of the world." Diana argued. "He alone brings hope to the city. He makes it a safer place for people now, and for children like Alessandra as she continues to grow up. Surely you can see the difference he makes."
"I'd rather see him spending his time helping in efforts to better secure the facilities that these psychotic terrorists are sent to." Hannah retorted. "Bruce needs to realize that he can do more elsewhere. He needs to accept that he isn't the only one who can handle the corruption and evil that festers in Gotham. He needs to allow himself to heal. I'm trying to help him with that. He's not all powerful after all. He can't keep this up forever. What happens when he's too old, or too injured? Will he expect Alessandra to take over in his stead? He needs to put this to rest and instead focus on something that can be sustained for years after he's gone."
Diana looked into the other woman's eyes, searching for any hidden malice or agenda, but Hannah seemed sincere as well as set in her opinions on the matter. She certainly didn't seem to be encouraging Bruce to give up his ways strictly for her own selfish means, and she also didn't appear to be with Bruce for his money. She honestly seemed to care about him and wanted to help him with his own personal demons. However she wasn't actually helping him by trying to remove the warrior Bruce had transformed himself into, and Diana believed that to be a certainty.
Bruce had the spirit of a true warrior, and warriors didn't spend their time letting others fight the good fight. If Hannah could only see how much better off Gotham was with the Batman than without, she'd certainly see why Diana disagreed with her approach. But as much as it would help her position on the matter, Diana couldn't provide any information about the alternate timeline she'd been a part of.
She couldn't take the risk of trying to bring up the events from that timeline with anyone else, and even if she did, she'd certainly sound like someone who'd lost her mind. It would be better to just agree to disagree on that topic, and try to come up with another way to ensure Bruce didn't make such a vast mistake in his life. "I see you've come to know the man behind the legend." Diana said. "I knew him first as the warrior that he'd become, and then later on as the man. Perhaps that is why our opinions seem to differ."
"Perhaps." Hannah agreed. "But the warrior, as you say, can do so many other things than just fight criminals single handedly. He deserves to be happy, and the path he's been on for years has only driven him further away from gaining anything other than heartache."
"I'd always hoped he could achieve happiness without having to give up who he is." Diana said as she reached for her wallet. Her meal no longer seeming very appealing.
"That's because you're still in love with the man that he used to be." Hannah stated as she tossed some cash onto the table and stood to her feet.
"Excuse me?" Diana questioned as she too stood up.
"It's alright Diana." Hannah said as she started to walk toward the restaurant exit. "I can't say that I blame you. I love him too. I don't think it's possible not to. Besides, I'm sure you've gotten what you came here for anyways. But now I think it's my turn to get something off my chest."
"Go on." Diana encouraged, her hands beginning to ball up into fists as they exited the restaurant.
"I'm not giving him up." Hannah stated clearly. She then made certain the two women were looking directly at each other so there would be no misunderstanding. "I'm fine with you two remaining friends for Alessandra's sake, but from my perspective, you've already had your chance. I thought I should at least politely ask that you respect the boundaries of friendship. Wonder Woman or not, I'll fight for him if I have to. I just wanted you to know that."
Diana's mouth hung open upon as she registered how Hannah had just laid her claim to Bruce. While Diana would admit that she was in love with Bruce, she'd never knowingly try to steal him away from another woman. Especially not for her own selfish desires. However, by the time she managed to get over the initial shock, Hannah had already gotten into her car and sped off.
As she stood there, the shock to her system began to boil into anger. Up to that point, Diana had only believed Hannah was misguided in her attempts to help Bruce conquer his own personal demons. Now though, she'd taken an aggressive stance toward Diana, and that indicated that her motives might not be all that innocent after all. Hannah may not have been solely responsible for what was making Bruce act so differently, but she certainly wasn't encouraging him to be the man that he'd always been.
Hannah also seemed to make it clear that there wouldn't be any more useful information provided by her without Diana first crossing some sort of line. She now believed that Hannah might try to use any opportunity to drive a wedge between Diana and Bruce. Even resorting to the Lasso of Truth wouldn't go over well if she were to use it, but she'd picked up more from Bruce than just different fighting techniques. There were other, more subtle methods to attain information aside from simply interrogating suspects, and she vowed to use every one she'd learned.
She was going to save Bruce.
A?N: So...Thoughts on Hannah? Good person, or ensnaring Bruce in an evil web cloaked by smoke and haze from falling in love? Either way, Diana will have to utilize other avenues to get to the bottom of this. Stay tuned, and Merry Christmas to you all! Hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday.