I have finally returned. This took some planning and I wasn't sure how I wanted to do this, but here I am. (Also I had written it a different way but lost the paper I wrote it on. Story of my life!)
Anyway, here's the next chapter. I have one more to go after this one. Enjoy! Don't forget to read and review!
Disclaimer: THE JUSTICE LEAGUE, BATMAN, WONDER WOMAN, ARE ALL PRODUCTS OF DC COMICS!
Donna stared at her sister's bedroom door. It hadn't changed in the last several minutes she'd been staring at it. It still looked the same it had last night as she watched it, in fact, it hadn't changed in the last month that she'd stood guard at Diana's door. Donna had wanted to stop Diana from sacrificing any more of her gifts, but the image of Diana's tears and heartbroken face were engraved in her memory. Whoever her sister had sacrificed for, she loved them dearly. The younger princess took flight, her brow furrowed in determination as she flew for Persephone's temple.
Persephone was soaking in a spring with Aphrodite. The two goddesses had found that they were currently on the outs with Hera and Athena, but rather than worry about it, the two decided to band together.
"I received far more cruelty during the Trojan war, though of course, Hera will never let it go," Aphrodite remarked as she tilted her head back and sighed contentedly.
Persephone absent-mindedly summoned water-lilies to float in the water, "Nor will Athena for the deaths of so many brilliant men, and a decently intelligent and thriving kingdom."
Aphrodite sighed, "Will you punish me too, cousin?"
The Queen of Curses shook her head, "No. You do regret it, don't you?"
The goddess of Love and Beauty nodded, "Paris made so many foolish mistakes, and compared to the love I see in Diana, her love is far purer and giving than Paris's ever could've been." She laughed humorously, "I can see now that I backed the wrong horse."
Persephone smiled softly as she wiggled her fingers, and roses bloomed in Aphrodite's hair. The smile the goddess gave Persephone was a mixture of gratitude and affection. Again, the younger goddess wondered why her mother had even bothered to try and hide her from everyone else. Her thoughts were cut off when she heard her name being whispered by someone who was not Diana.
"Were you expecting Diana today?" Aphrodite questioned.
"That's not Diana," Persephone remarked as she disappeared.
Donna looked up when she sensed another presence and found herself in awe of the goddess that appeared. Persephone stood before her, bare and radiating beauty and power that Donna could not look away from. The goddess took a step forward and as she moved, it was as if the universe itself answered a silent call. In her step forward beautiful emerald green dress materialized around her, complimenting her dark skin and hazel eyes. A crown of ivy and lilies wove itself through her thick curls, and Donna watched in awe as the crown also reached higher, and turned an inky black with gold tips.
"Princess Donna of Themyscira, what brings you to my temple?" Persephone inquired, staring down her nose at the younger Amazon.
"Why have you helped Diana give away parts of herself, especially for a man? A man has hurt her, over and over again, deemed her unworthy of his love and cast her aside. How could you allow her to do this to herself?"
The goddess's hazel eyes studied the younger woman before she responded, "Do you hate men, Donna?"
"What?"
"Do you hate men?"
"No."
Persephone nodded, "I once met a man cloaked in darkness, his appearance inspired fear and even hate. He was known for his brutality and the shadows that clung to him, his inability to laugh, even love. I did not want to change this man. No, I admired the darkness he cloaked himself in, the role he played in the universe, and above all, I respected him for everything he suffered. He didn't have to walk into the room, but the mention of his name was enough to inspire grudging respect because he knows everyone's secrets, and that is why they fear him, why they loathe him.
I was sheltered by an overprotective mother that didn't want me to see the world, or let the world see me. His darkness, it spoke to the light within my own soul, and whispered to my own darkness, that it was alright to be both light and dark. I wanted to share in that, to know that everything I was could be accepted.
I wanted him. I chased him. I courted him. He did everything he could to turn me away, but I didn't listen to him. I loved him because no matter how wrong he was, no matter how they treated him, even when he was trying to move past his mistakes, my soul-no-my very being screamed at me that he was mine just as I was his. My husband's true crime is being King of the Underworld, Lord of the Dead, and he is the only god that judges accurately." The goddess approached Donna, "The man that Diana loves is much like my King and husband. He cloaks himself in shadows to inspire fear in those that use fear as a weapon to torment the weak. He deems himself the protector of his realm, much like Hades, and when he steps out of the shadows, he is respected, loved, and feared. He uses the darkness from his own life to drive him to do what he believes is right. It is that selflessness, that drive, and desire that called to Diana. For doesn't Diana share her mission with him? Wasn't she sent to Man's World to bring the peace of the Amazons? Does he not fight for peace? Does he not fight like a true warrior, as Diana was trained? Of course she would admire him and respect him, and eventually love him because he does what she does, only he's not blessed with powers and gifts."
"But...he pushed her away..."
"For his mission." Diana broke in, and Persephone nodded at her in greeting.
"Diana-"
The elder princess approached her younger sister, "Bruce, in all his misguided actions, was doing what he could to protect me, and his family. When he allowed his adopted children to bare him emblem and go out into the darkness that was Gotham, he did so to protect them. He knew he couldn't stop them so he would teach them to survive. Bruce knows I can take a hit, he knows that they can drop a building or a missile on me, and I'll come out smiling if a bit bruised. But he worries because that's who he is, he needs to be able to protect everyone, and I love him for that."
"But, he's not valuing your strength!" Donna argued.
Diana shook her head, "No, Donna, he's afraid of losing me entirely. He would rather suffer a life of loneliness and sorrow before he lost me to death or a villain, or whatever else might try to take me from him. He would rather know that I'm alive on Themyscira. He is hoping that in time, I'll forget him and move on and he'll die a miserable old man." Diana's smile was bittersweet and her eyes were filled with unshed tears and so much love, "If I ever doubted that man loved me, I can't now. He's made his decision, Donna, and so have I. I will do anything in my power to make sure the man I love, the other half of my soul, lives long enough and fights the evil of the world long enough to make a difference." A sob escaped the elder princess and a few tears fell from her watery eyes, but she ignored them, "Donna, I just want to know that I've done everything I can to keep him alive just a little bit longer. That may be selfish of me, but...my heart is in Gotham, taken up by the family that Bruce created for himself; Alfred, Damian, Cassandra, Tim, Jason, and the largest part belongs to Bruce. I will protect the people I love, Donna, even if it costs me everything."
Donna searched Diana's eyes, and despite the pain and the tears, the younger princess could find only determination and love and that so familiar spark of stubbornness that thrived within Diana. There was no changing Diana's mind, and Donna found that she didn't want to. That would mean changing who her sister was as a person.
The younger woman took her sister's hands, "I understand. I can't ask you to stop and expect you to still be yourself. I'm sorry for thinking that it was my place to stop you I just...you're my sister, Diana, and I don't want to lose you."
Diana's heart swelled with love for her younger sibling, "I love you too Donna."
The sisters hugged and Persephone smiled fondly. Diana truly was perfect, and Donna, if she followed Diana's example, would be an amazing Amazon warrior.
"Persephone?" The goddess looked at Diana, "Yes?"
"It will be him next time."
The Queen of Curses frowned, "Are you certain?"
Diana didn't speak, but the steeled look in her eyes told the dark-skinned woman all she needed to know. "Very well then, Princess, but I do hope that you'll choose your next ability carefully. Much like your sister, I do not want to lose you."
The fear of losing her older sister was beginning to cause her anxiety. She didn't want to wake up one morning and find Diana's cold body on the temple ground. Donna was biding her time, waiting for the moment when Diana would rush off and give her life for someone else. A man that she loved. Donna wanted to hate him, but the great thing about Diana was that her heart was always in the right place, and if Diana deemed him worthy of her love and sacrifice, then Donna could tolerate him.
"Hello, Donna." A voice greeted, it was low and pleasing to hear, and when the younger Amazon laid eyes on the woman that spoke, she dropped to her knees.
"Aphrodite!"
The goddess of Love and Beauty smiled, "Oh Donna, you don't have to bow to me, not anymore." She offered her a hand, "Come Princess. Let's talk a moment."
He had convinced himself that he didn't miss her and it worked most of the time. Until he was sitting in the Watchtower during a meeting and her empty seat was screaming at him. When he woke up expecting her side of the bed to be warm, but instead it was ice cold. He heard her laughter when someone told a joke she'd appreciate. In his dreams, she was there, a constant ally and confidant, ready to love him unconditionally-whether she argued with him or fought by his side.
It was now, above all else, that he wished she had been fighting at his side. He was trapped beneath a building with no way out. His comm was damaged and he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold out.
'Diana,' he thought longingly, 'I love you.'
She woke from her nightmare to burning eyes and a heaving chest. Bruce was going to die. Diana threw the covers off but the way her legs shook told her that he didn't have much time. She wouldn't make it to the temple in time.
"Persephone, the princess whispered, "Please come to me, I can't lose any time. Please, I'm begging you, don't let him die. I'll give anything."
The Lord and Lady of Tartarus shared a grim look. They could both hear Diana's cries of pain as her heart shattered. Persephone fought the tears that filled her eyes and Hades took her hand.
"I can't do it, Husband. I can't kill her."
He nodded, a grim look on his face, "I know. The man will join us if she doesn't do something." Hades pulled her towards him and gently tilted her chin so that he could look into her eyes. Her lip trembled and her hazel eyes were filled with pain. "We promised to stick with her, Wife. She needs us now. Go to her."
Persephone nodded as a tear fell from her eyes and Hades kissed it away and then she disappeared.
Diana sighed in relief when Persephone appeared, but the sight of the goddess's sad eyes and knew that she'd have to fight for Bruce harder than she'd ever fought before.
"I can't lose him. Not him."
The Queen of the Underworld nodded but didn't say anything, so Diana continued, "I love him. He's the other half to my soul, Persephone. I can't let him die...not when it's within my power to save him."
"And I will not take your life, Diana."
Diana stood up and brought herself to her full height. She lifted her chin and stared down her nose at Persephone, every bit the Princess and Amazon that she was. The goddess thought fondly that her step-daughter had inherited more than Hades's raven hair.
"I will give him everything I am."
"Even though he's given you nothing in return?" Persephone snapped.
Diana didn't flinch or look hurt. Instead, her eyes burned holes into the goddess as she replied in a strong voice, "Yes."
The Queen of Curses and Spring didn't speak and the two women stood in silence. Finally, the dark-skinned woman nodded, "Very well, Princess."
He was beginning to lose hope. The building shifted every once in a while, and it shook with had to be every blow Superman dealt. It would fall soon. Batman thought of Gotham. It was in good hands with Richard. Damian would learn from him and Tim would help too, even if he didn't want to, because Cassandra would force him to. As he relaxed, a sign of his acceptance, a smirk crossed his face. He raised strong children, and he'd taught them everything he could.
He took a deep breath and suddenly, he felt as if Diana was beside him. Her presence always inspired a happiness and relief in him. It was the beauty of her soul, he had finally settled on that in the brief period in which they dated. She was so pure and he wanted to protect that about her. Its why he pushed her away, but he was also protecting his son. It wasn't that he thought Diana wouldn't understand Damian, it was that he was concerned that Damian would do something rash. Thalia's coarse treatment of their son, as well as his own rigidity in caring for Gotham, hadn't made his youngest child very welcoming to Diana's presence.
So Bruce had pushed her away. It had been the best, he had convinced himself. Diana was too pure for him. She deserved all the love in the world, but he knew that if she dated anyone else, he'd never forgive himself. It was a selfish happiness that made him hate himself when he realized she'd returned to Themysicra. He would rather she be there than ever love another man the way he knew she loved him.
"Diana...I'm sorry."
"I know Bruce."
The lenses of his cowl widened and he turned to see her sitting beside him, her blue eyes filled with tears-happiness or sadness he wasn't sure but she was here. She reached for his hand but stopped and then awkwardly put her hand back down.
"You can't let go yet, Bruce. Gotham needs you."
"Gotham has Richard and Tim."
Diana nodded, "And Jason and Cassie and Damian. Bruce, they aren't you." She reached for him, this time towards his face. Diana's breath hitched at the contact between her hand and his jaw while Bruce savored the feeling of her touch.
He missed her.
"I can't lose you yet, Bruce." Her soft voice made him look up at her again and the tears were streaming down her cheeks. "I can't live in this world knowing you're dead."
He took her hand, "Diana, we both knew this would happen one day."
She shook her head and a quiet "No" escaped her, "I'd give anything for you, Bruce."
He kissed her, relishing in the familiar satin feel of her lips on his and the way she gasped quietly and kissed him back. He pulled away from her.
"I love you, Diana."
A sob escaped her, "Of course you'd say it now."
"Hmm. You're not real, Princess."
A watery laugh escaped her, "Bruce, you insufferable man. Promise me you will not die here."
"Alright, Princess." She heard the finality in his voice, "I'm not letting you go yet, Bruce."
She leaned forward and kissed him, pouring every inch of love and passion into it as he wrapped his arms around her and pressed her further into him. He returned it and her heart soared. She would love this man until the end of time.
Diana pulled away from him, "Live you stubborn man.
He wasn't sure how long he hallucinated, but he was beginning to think he was having a stroke. Diana's perfume was surrounding him and his skin burned as it had whenever she kissed him. The mind did strange things when it prepared for death. The building began to shake even more as his eyes drifted closed and the scent of her perfume intensified. Then he was drowning in light and fresh air, but Diana's perfume still lingered.
He blinked in the light and realized the building had finally been lifted off of him by a woman wearing stars and a golden eagle.
"Diana."
His world went dark.
Persephone smoothed Diana's hair as she held the sobbing Amazon. She wished more than anything that she could give Diana what her heart desired, but the time she'd spent with the Amazon had shown her that Diana wasn't that kind of person. She wanted Bruce to love her on his own, to choose to accept her feelings and his own.
"He lives another day, Diana. Surely that't enough for now?" Persephone asked quietly.
"You're right." Diana wiped her eyes, "I'm just frustrated with him. Of course he thought I wasn't really there."
"It was enough that you could even touch him, Diana. Aphrodite is probably exhausted." Persephone remarked.
"Thank you, Persephone, for coming so quickly."
"Of course, Princess." The goddess remarked, "Visit me soon, just to talk of course."
Diana nodded and she rose to her unsteady feet and returned to bed.
Hades was waiting for her when she returned to the Underworld. He opened his arms wide and when she went to him, hugged her close. He kissed her hair and whispered loving words.
"Your daughter lives, Husband." Persephone whispered.
He kissed her hair, "Thank you, Wife."
Donna stood in the Watchtower, watching through the glass as the Martian Manhunter observed Batman's vitals. When she rescued him, she knew that Diana had given something for him. Her sister's perfume lingered heavily. She had to admit that she was surprised he'd survived a building falling on him. Perhaps he really was worthy of Diana's love.
The door opened and she glanced over her shoulder as Superman and Nightwing entered. Superman eyed here warily, "You're not Diana."
"My name is Donna, and I am Wonder Woman."
One more chapter! One more chapter!
Read and review! I hope you all enjoyed this!