TITLE: Warm Me Up

AUTHOR: LOTSlover

CHARACTERS: Batman / Wonder Woman

RATING: T

WARNINGS: Author Chooses Not to Use Warnings

DISCLAIMER: I love Justice League, but especially Batman and Wonder Woman. Unfortunately, I do not own the characters and, if I did, things would be much different for them.

SUMMARY: Bruce needs to warm Diana up after an unexpected attack.

Warm Me Up

"Diana!" Batman yelled as Captain Cold fired his freeze gun at Diana, hitting her directly in the back.

He watched in horror as Diana became completely encased in a solid block of ice right before his eyes, his heart nearly stopping as the Amazon princess was suddenly immobilized in action. She had a fierce scowl on her face, her fist cocked back and ready to deliver a punishing blow but was unable to finish the move.

With a growl, Batman threw his Batarang at Cold, knocking the weapon out of the villain's hands. "Hey!" Captain Cold yelled, shaking his hand as a bola effectively wrapped around him.

"You're Christmas robbing spree is over, Cold," Batman told him.

Captain Cold glanced over at his handiwork, a proud smirk on his face. "Well, at least I got Wonder Woman."

"You also got Cheetah, genius," Batman angrily growled, pointing at the feline felon who was also frozen solid in front of Diana.

"Whoa," he mumbled, looking past the frozen Wonder Woman to the equally frozen Cheetah. "Well, I guess this won't be a very Merry Christmas for either of them."

Batman's eyes narrowed to dangerous slits, the dark glower on his face causing Captain Cold to shrink back in fear. "What is that supposed to mean?" he ground out.

Captain Cold felt a tremble shoot through him. "Well, I might have made a few modifications to my freeze gun."

Batman grabbed him by the front of his coat, lifting him a couple of inches off the ground. "What kind of modifications?" he demanded to know with a sneer as he pulled him in close, his nose nearly touching Cold's.

"I…uh…found a way to modify it so it freezes at the cellular level even on Metas," he revealed.

With a snarl on his lips, Batman tossed Cold aside like a bag of garbage, his worried gaze falling on the Amazon princess encased in solid ice. He feared what Cold's modifications could mean for the otherwise resilient Amazon who could typically withstand temperature extremes.

"Superman!" he barked. "We've got a problem!"

The Man of Steel landed on the ground beside him, an unconscious Shade in his hand. "What's wrong?"

"You need to generate some heat and get that ice melted right away," he ordered him.

"Oh no," he replied, quickly tossing Shade on top of Captain Cold.

Turning his attention to Diana and Cheetah, Superman focused his heat vision as he slowly began to melt the ice away, being careful of the two females trapped inside. He wanted to free them from the ice without scorching them. The ice slowly began to disappear, a large puddle of water surrounding the pair of enemies.

"There," Superman said. "That should do it."

Diana swiftly finished her punch, knocking Cheetah out before turning her attention to the other two-thirds of the trinity. She was dripping wet from head to toe, her raven curls clinging to her bare shoulders as ice cold water dripped off her body. She shivered as pulled a wet lock of hair out of her face.

"Th…th…thanks," she stuttered, her teeth chattering uncontrollably as she folded her arms against her chest in an effort to warm herself up.

"Anytime, Di," Superman said, pausing to scoop up the three villains they'd caught. "I'll take care of these three and then I'm headed home for Christmas. I'll see you guys later."

"Me…merry Ch…Christmas, Kal," Diana managed to get out.

Worried about Diana, Batman turned his attention to freezing Amazon as Superman took off with the trio of robbers. "Are you okay, princess?"

"F…fi…fine," she sputtered, rubbing her arms as gooseflesh rippled over her skin. "Ju…just a little co…cold."

"Captain Cold modified his freeze gun to affect Metas," he informed her. "There's no telling what the side effects of those modifications could be. We should return to the Batcave and make sure you're all right."

"It's o…o…okay," she tried to tell him, unable to keep her teeth from chattering together.

"You don't look like it," he said with a frown, noticing the blue tint to her lips and how pale her face was. It was a stark contrast to her wet raven hair. "Let's go back to the cave so we can get you warmed up."

Diana's lips curled slightly at the corners. "Are you…t…tr…trying to s…se…seduce me, Bruce?"

Batman scowled at her as he tapped in the coordinates for the Batcave in his gauntlet. "Hardly…you look like a drowned rat," he evenly stated as he grabbed hold of her arm.

Diana glared daggers at him as she jerked her arm free from his hold. "Gee, th…th…thanks," she snapped. "You re…really know how to m…ma…make a woman f…feel g…go…good."

Giving her a smirk, he took hold of her arm again. "Just making sure you don't die from hypothermia."

The pair disappeared from sight in the next moment, reappearing in the Batcave a couple of seconds later. "I…I…I'm sure all I n…ne…need is a h…ho…hot shower," she insisted.

"I think you're going to need a lot more than that, Diana," he stated as he removed his cowl and gauntlets, tossing them on his work desk. "Follow me."

Diana continued to vigorously rub her arms as she attempted to follow him, her legs barely cooperating with her as she shuddered uncontrollably. The icy feeling that consumed her felt bone-deep, a chill that seemed to permeate every single fiber of her being. She swore that she was never going to feel warm ever again.

Coming to a stop outside of the showers, Batman turned to Diana. "Go take a hot shower," he told her. "I'll get you some dry clothes to wear and then we'll get you something hot to drink."

Diana could only nod in response as she began to remove her lasso and tiara, trembling violently with the effort. She ignored the fatigue that clung to her as she walked into the shower, reaching behind her to remove her breastplate and uniform. Tossing the wet garment aside, she turned the water on as hot as she could get it.

Steam billowed and roiled out of the shower as she stood beneath the hot water cascading over her. It felt absolutely wonderful as she just stood there beneath the shower, but it didn't seem as though it was helping very much. It felt as if her insides were still frozen solid.

After several long minutes in the shower, she finished washing up before finding a towel to dry off. Wrapping it around herself, she walked out to find Bruce approaching with a sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants in hand. His gaze roamed over her, obvious appreciation reflecting in his piercing blue eyes.

"Here are some clothes for you to wear," he told her, averting his eyes. "They'll probably be too big on you, but—"

"No, it's p…per…perfect," she reassured him. "Th…thanks, Bruce."

"Shower didn't help, did it?"

"A little," she replied, taking the clothes from him.

"You're a terrible liar, princess."

"I'm s…sure it'll get be…better soon."

"Alfred is making you some hot tea and soup right now," he informed her. "I'm going to take a quick shower and change," he said. "I'll be out in a few minutes."

"Okay, I'll ge…get dr…dr…dressed," she said, disappearing into the changing area again.

Holding up Bruce's sweatshirt to her nose, Diana closed her eyes as she inhaled deeply, savoring the very masculine scent that was just so Bruce in every way. She quickly slipped into his sweatshirt and sweatpants, finding them big, but not impossible to wear.

Despite the shower and warm clothes, she found herself just as cold as when she'd first been freed from her icy prison. She quickly pulled her wet hair up into a messy ponytail before exiting the changing area to find Bruce coming out of the shower with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist.

She felt a warm flush inside with the sight of him, but it did absolutely nothing to help alleviate the freezing cold that consumed every inch of her. "Sorry," she shyly murmured, wrapping her arms around herself as she averted her eyes. "Did you ne…need your clothes b…b…back?"

"No, I've got more here," he told her with a small smirk, noticing the way he was affecting her. He walked over to the closet and grabbed a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, removing his towel to dress.

Diana could feel her cheeks growing warm as she quickly left the changing area to give him some privacy, but it was more than difficult. Things had steadily been growing more flirtatious between them. The sexual tension that seemed to consume them had been growing stronger by the day, becoming next to unbearable.

This was definitely not making things any easier.

"Ready to go see what Alfred's cooked up?" Bruce asked from behind her, startling her from her licentious thoughts.

"Whatever it is, I ho…hope it's ho…hot and he maked a lo…lot of it," she told him, still shivering.

Bruce frowned as he watched her make her way to the stairs, noticing how pale her face still looked. The hot shower had done nothing to help take away the chill that had settled over her, making him worried about what it was going to take to warm her up. He feared that hypothermia could cause irreparable damage or even worse if they weren't careful.

Following her up into the manor and towards the kitchen, he began to think through other ways to help her. If he didn't find a way to get her core body temperature up, he was going to have to take her up to the Watchtower infirmary to see what J'onn could do for her.

Entering the kitchen, Alfred graced them with a warm smile as he set a cup of tea on the counter for the Amazon princess. "Miss Diana," he greeted her. "You're just in time."

"Th…thank you, Alfred," she replied, sitting down on the barstool.

She immediately wrapped her hands around the cup of tea in an attempt to absorb the warmth from it. Bruce sat down beside her, taking the offered cup of coffee from the British butler who quickly dished up two steaming bowls of homemade soup.

"This should help do the trick," Alfred told them as he set the bowls in front of them.

"You're the b…be…best, Alfred," she said with a noticeable shiver that refused to leave her.

"I'm going to go start a nice fire in the living for you," he announced. "That way you can relax in front of the fire tonight."

"You d…do…don't have to go to all that w…wo…work for me," she uttered with a frown, trying her best to keep her teeth from chattering, but it was next to impossible.

"Nonsense," he declared. "It started snowing outside and a nice fire will be perfect for the evening. Besides, it won't be like Master Bruce will stick around long enough to enjoy it. It'll be nice to have someone here to appreciate the Christmas tree and a fire in the fireplace on Christmas Eve."

"Then, I…I ac…accept," she decided, ignoring the low growl that emanated from Bruce who was glaring at the British butler. Alfred grinned conspiratorially as he left the pair alone.

"Eat up, princess," Bruce told her. "If we don't get your core temperature up, I'll have to take you up to the infirmary."

"N…no w…way," she insisted.

Picking up her spoon, Diana could barely contain the tremor that had taken over her body, making it difficult to eat her soup. She could feel Bruce watching her out of the corner of his eye as he ate his dinner. He was no doubt contemplating feeding her himself, but she wasn't about to let him.

While she started out with a full spoonful, she was only able to get about half of a spoonful of soup to her mouth, making it a very tedious task. She cursed under her breath, frustrated by the shivers that refused to leave her.

"Let me feed you," Bruce offered, hating to see her struggle like this.

"No, Br…Bruce," she said with a frown. "I…I can do it."

"You obviously can't," he said. "At this rate, you'll be done by New Year's."

"F…fu…funny," she snapped.

"Here," he gently said, taking the spoon from her shaking hand.

Diana huffed in frustration, her shoulders sagging in reluctant acceptance. The corner of Bruce's mouth quirked as he began to feed her, knowing how much she was hating every second of this. In a way, he was actually enjoying being able to take care of her. It was something that thankfully rarely happened, but he enjoyed nonetheless.

They gazed intently into each other's eyes as they lost themselves in the moment, so many emotions reflected there that had yet to be spoken out loud let alone to each other. She felt her cheeks stain pink as he finished feeding her, handing her the cup of tea.

"Th…thank you," she softly murmured as she drank the last of her tea.

"Come on, princess," he said, taking her tea cup from her before taking her hand. He didn't like the fact that her lips still held a blue tint to them. "Let's got sit by the fire for a while. Hopefully, that will help you."

"Do…don't you have to g…go out on pa…patrol?" she asked as she allowed him to lead her to the living room.

"Gotham's typically dead on Christmas Eve," he told her. "Batgirl and Robin can handle it. They'll call me if something happens."

Diana frowned as she sat down on the couch before the fire. "Are you s…sure?"

"I'm positive," he reassured her, sitting down close beside her. "Warming you up is more important right now. Can't have hypothermia ruining your Christmas."

"It's n…not something I usually cel…celebrate," she told him, her gaze falling on the beautiful tree adorned with lights, bulbs, and ribbons. It was such a peaceful setting, one filled with such warmth and comfort.

"Maybe you should start, princess," he replied, reaching for the large blanket Alfred had left on the couch for them before making himself conspicuously absent.

"And who wo…would I celebrate with?" she softly asked as he draped the blanket over both of them.

"You could always come here," he said, wrapping his arm around her and drawing her close to him. "I haven't celebrated Christmas since I lost my parents, but maybe I could start too."

"I think I'd really like that," she admitted.

"Tim would probably appreciate it too," he commented. "I haven't been very good company for him on Christmas."

Diana readily melted into Bruce's muscular body, appreciating the way that they fit so perfectly together. He adjusted the blanket over them, making sure that she was fully covered. He could feel her trembling against him as he held her, making him want to take care of her even more. It didn't help that her heavenly scent was assaulting his senses and making his pulse race.

In this moment, nothing felt more perfect in his entire life and he knew that he could never let her go.

"Your teeth aren't chattering anymore," he pointed out. "Are you feeling better now?"

Diana hummed her pleasure, her head coming to rest on his shoulder as her hand came to rest against his chest. "Somewhat," she murmured, not wanting to ever move from this spot.

Bruce tightened his hold on her as they sat on the couch, making sure that she was situated firmly against his body with the blanket covering them. He was beginning to grow warm for reasons that had nothing do with the fire or the blanket as she slowly caressed him through his t-shirt, the desire that simmered inside for her intensifying and seeking release.

"I could stay like this forever," she told him.

He gently rubbed her back, her shivering completely subsiding now. "Me too," he found himself confessing. "Are you still cold?"

"A little," she admitted, lifting her head to look at him.

"I think I can help with that," he said, tilting his head and capturing her lips with his.

Diana moaned softly as he kissed her with a deliberateness that was making her lightheaded, his lips gently caressing hers as his hand settled on the back of her neck. He thoroughly explored the warm cavern of her mouth, savoring every moment of this intimacy as his tongue danced with hers.

She shifted over him, moving to straddle his lap without breaking the kiss that was growing more heated and demanding by the moment. Her hands settled on either side of his jaw as she returned his passion with equal emotion, showing him what secretly beat in her heart for him.

His hands came to rest on her hips, holding her in his firm grasp and keeping her right where he wanted her. He knew for certain in that moment that he loved this woman with all his heart and now she was hopefully his…if she'd have him.

Diana broke the kiss, her heated gaze boring into his. "Merry Christmas, Bruce," she told him with a breathless air.

His lips curled with her words. "Merry Christmas, princess."

The smile she gave him was blinding as she leaned in and kissed him again. Keeping her on his lap, he swiftly turned, laying her down on the large couch and settling his body on top of her. He poured everything he felt into that kiss, wanting her to know just how deeply his feelings for her ran.

Retreating for air, Bruce gazed into her eyes, his hand caressing her cheek. "Warm now?"

"Maybe…but I think I could use a little more help warming up," she coyly responded with a mischievous glint in her blue eyes.

"I think I can do that," he readily decided, his lips claiming hers all over again as his hand slipped up under her sweatshirt.