Title: Battered heart
author: Cindy Ryan
notes and summary: See part one

They landed at Wayne tech's medical facility a little before dinner time. It was just outside of Stockholm, Sweden. It was a small two story office building but on the inside it was a top of the line medical facility. At Alfred's phone call staff had come in and rooms were prepped. On part of the second floor was an office and a couple guest rooms with beds and small kitchenettes. Bruce couldn't remember if he'd ever stepped foot inside the building before. However, now he was grateful it was here.

Once Diana was settled and being taken care of by medical staff the others went up to the second floor quarters. Research was top priority and Bruce ordered several laptops be brought to the office along with a large table and chairs. Half an hour later all the items arrived. Barry and Cyborg made quick work of setting things up.

"You need to be looked at."Alfred said ten minutes later.

Bruce shook his head as he glnaced over at the others gathered around the table staring at the laptops.

"I've endured worse."Bruce replied grimly.

"You won't be any help to anyone if you don't take care of yourself."Alfred advised stubbornly.

Bruce knew his long time assistant wouldn't let it go. If he was honest with himself Bruce knew the plane ride had taken it's toll on the injuries he'd gotten during the battle.

"Alright."Bruce agreed quietly. "Tell them I'll be back in an hour."

Alfred nodded and Bruce crossed the room stepping into the elevator. The upside of getting his wounds taken care of was that he would have a chance to check on Diana.

The doctors insisted on X-rays and a cat scan. So Bruce was in the clinic an hour longer than he had anticipated. Though as he left Bruce had to admit he felt better. He'd declined the pain meds wanting to keep his head clear. But the taping of his ribs after a shower and a change of clothes made a world of difference.

However his mood didn't match the physical improvement. The docs had given him an update on Diana and it wasn't good. Bruce had told them of Curry's theory that she might be mortal. The medical team had said there was no way to know for sure until Diana woke. They did agree that her symptoms did align with Aquaman's idea. With a heavy heart Bruce walked to Diana's room and entered.

To see the Amazon warrior pale and still was unnerving to Bruce. No matter how many times he saw her like this it still unsettled him. Diana was always so full of life and energy. Bruce gripped the back of the visitor's chair but didn't sit. He stood behind it watching the monitors and then looking back at his friend. Seeing Diana like this made him want to go after Steppenwolf. Made Bruce wish he'd or one of his team had the chance to kill the ancient being before his minions had carted him off to points unknown.

Since Diana had come into their lives Alfred had often teased Bruce that the billionaire was attracted to the immortal warrior. Bruce had shrugged off the teasing but knew the older man hadn't bought it for a moment. Neither had Bruce but he hadn't wanted to admit it to himself that his feelings for Diana might run deeper than friendship. Why wouldn't they? She was incredible in every meaning of the word. Brave, fearless, loyal and a huge heart. With a sigh Bruce walked around the chair and sank down into it.

If Curry was right and Diana was mortal Bruce wasn't sure how she'd react. Even if it was possible the affliction was only temporary it'd still be a loss. People dealt with loss in different ways. Even when you were a superhero Amazon warrior. Diana still had very human emotions. Bruce had seen that all too recently.

"Diana."Bruce said quietly as he picked up her right hand and held it in both of his. "I'm here. You're not alone."

"Steppenwolf was from another dimension."Barry trailed off deep in thought.

"Going to expand on that or just stating the obvious?"Victor prompted.

"Just thinking if we could go there..."Barry suggested.

"Not exactly a tourist spot."Arthur interjected. "And I doubt there's a library."

"We could build a portal and find out."Barry countered.

"It'll take more time to build it than she has."Cyborg commented darkly.

"Even ill Diana is stronger than all of us put together."Bruce stated as he entered the room and walked to the conference room.

"Has there been any change?"Barry asked with concern.

"No."Bruce responded as he leaned on the table. "Did you guys come up with something?"

"Besides wonderkid here wanting to build a portal? No."Curry said with a hint of sarcasm.

"I've begun to hack into libraries that have restricted areas."Barry stated ignoring the nickname."Religious texts considered too outthere for main stream. Also early texts and scrolls although available online still need to be translated and cross-referenced."

"We've begun to set up programs for cross-refrencering and the translation but it'll take awhile."Victor commented.

"Let's get to work."Bruce ordered as he pulled a laptop in front of him.

Superman stood at the main consol of the fortress of solitude. The fortress could scan for many threats. Now Kal-El modified one of those scans to search for Diana's Amazon's. It'd taken him nearly an hour to modify and now the search itself could take just as long if not more.

Kal-El had texted Lois to update her and to let her know he wasn't sure when he'd be home. He also asked if she could use her research skills on Steppenwolf. Any knowledge they could gain on his powers would be helpful. Lois had replied that she'd be happy to help and that she hoped Diana got better.

As the fortress searched the Earth images flashed across the ice in front of Superman. He absently watched the display as he thought of his friends and the events of the last few days. They'd brought him back to life to fight an opponent like no one had seen before. As grateful as Kal-El was to have another chance he knew that their was a balance to things. He just hoped that Diana didn't have to pay or make the sacfice in some way to restore the balance.