TITLE: Retribution and Rum

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: Sequel to Sunsets and Sangria, a terrible accident leads to a realization. BMWW

Retribution and Rum

"You need to take a break."

"I'm fine." Her curt response was sharp and dismissive, her focus never wavering despite the worried visitor standing before her.

"You're not…" His voice trailed off with an exasperated huff, strangled with emotion as his throat clenched painfully. "Diana, you're not fine. You nearly—"

"Don't, Kal," she angrily warned him in a deadly low voice, finally tearing her gaze away to level her friend with a frightening glare that very nearly made him flinch. "I know what I did."

"Diana…" he began, unsure of what to say at this point. What could he say at a moment like this especially after what everything that had happened?

She'd had enough of his intrusion into her private hell, wanting to just be left alone right now. "I'm not leaving him so don't bother asking me again."

She slowly turned her attention back to the man lying in the bed beside her. She glanced down at his hand in hers. It felt so limp and lifeless…so unlike the strength his hands usually held. It was unnerving to her in an unexpected way, her every breath choked with unshed tears that refused to go away.

Clark watched her for a long moment, his shoulders sagging in defeat. He pinched the bridge of his noise as he struggled to rein in his emotions. He knew it was pointless to argue with her or try to force her to leave, but he'd had to try after what had happened. They were his best friends.

"Can I at least get you something to eat?"

"I'm not hungry," she simply stated, her voice devoid of emotion. It sounded as dead as she felt inside.

He felt so helpless standing there in the infirmary, watching his friends suffering like this. There wasn't a damn thing he could do for either of them and it was killing him inside. Actually, he realized that there was something he could still do at that moment, something that needed taken care of. There was a lunatic that he needed to see if he was going to live or not.

If he didn't, no one could really blame her.

"I'll be back to check on you later, Diana," he softly told her.

She only nodded her head, her focus on her husband lying so silently in the hospital bed. She couldn't look away, afraid that he would slip away from her and into the Elysium Fields if she did. She couldn't lose him, not now…not after finally having what she had wanted most. It had only been a little over a month since they had been married and now she was sitting by his bed, praying that he wouldn't leave her.

On their honeymoon, Bruce had confessed how scared he had been of losing her now that his life was finally complete. It was she who had reassured him that they would both fight with all they had to return to each other no matter what occurred. She'd had no idea at the time that she would need him to do that for her so soon after that conversation.

Tears burned in her eyes as the events of yesterday flashed through her mind's eye, but she refused to allow those tears to fall. She leaned towards him, her chin coming to rest on the side of his bed as she watched over him. She gently stroked his hair from his forehead, silently willing him to open his eyes and look at her once more.

Even though pale, he was still the most handsome man that she had ever met. No one could ever compare to him in her eyes. Whether it was the black hair, his strong jaw, or his piercing blue eyes that made her melt on the inside, she wasn't certain, but she knew that she loved every part that made him Bruce Wayne.

"Please, Bruce," she murmured as she watched him for any signs that he even heard her. "Please don't make me live without you."

Several moments passed by as she waited, her only response the steady beeping of the monitors and nothing else. It caused the unwanted tears to rise with a fierce vengeance again. This time she didn't attempt to stop them. She no longer had the strength to.

A missing Batman.

A run down amusement park.

The Joker.

A gunshot that reverberated straight through to her heart.

It had all happened so fast— the Joker's obnoxious cackle, Bruce taking a direct hit to the chest, her flying straight for the psychotic clown with murder blazing hot and hungry in her eyes. No amount of Kevlar could have protected Bruce from that gunshot and no god or goddess in this world could have stopped her from administering retribution in that moment.

Her fingers clutched his throat in the next instant, her chest heaving with the raw grief that raked across her soul like talons. Frantic fury coursed through her like blistering lava spewing from a volcano as she seethed. Trembling with the wrath that now possessed her; she found herself nose to nose with the man that had just killed her husband, her fingers constricting around his throat.

"You…are…going…to die," she hissed something low and dangerous as tears blurred her vision of the sadistic clown with the wicked grin.

She was prepared to unleash full retribution on the lunatic that had been tormenting Bruce for so many years, hurting him at every turn in his attempts to break him. What he'd done to Jason and Tim had been deplorable, but this…this was something she couldn't begin to accept.

She watched with satisfaction as the color slowly began to drain from his chalky face, his eyes bugging out as he struggled for his next breath. He clawed at her fingers in an effort to get her to release the death-grip she had on him, but it was useless. This was his end.

Keeping a firm hold on his throat, she pulled him back only to slam him hard against the wall and nearly knocking him unconscious from the force of the blow. She gritted her teeth against the unrelenting pain that gripped her chest, stealing her breath as well as her judgment in that moment.

Silent tears rolled down her cheeks and dripped from her jaw. The crushing grief of believing that Bruce was dead was next to unbearable, nearly taking her legs out from under her as she repeatedly banged Joker's head against that wall. She struggled to reconcile Bruce's beliefs about killing with what she wanted more than anything in that agonizing moment.

Diana looked over at Bruce, knowing that he never wanted her to kill especially for him, but in that singular moment all she had wanted was Joker's blood on her hands…to make him suffer for stealing the one person that meant absolutely everything to her. It caused overwhelming regret to rise in her throat, feeling as though she had failed him in the worst way imaginable. Would he still love her if he knew?

"I'm so sorry, Bruce," she tearfully whispered, pausing to swallow hard, "but I wanted to kill him. I wanted him dead."

Releasing him, Diana allowed the Joker to slide to the ground, barely conscious and gasping for air that she had denied him. She had leaned over him, her fist connecting with his face. Blood poured from his broken nose, trickled from the corner of his mouth. His lips parted with a coughing cackle, his teeth coated in blood.

"You pack…quite a punch…Wonderbabe," Joker sputtered. "You're almost…as much fun…as Bats was."

"You haven't felt true pain yet," she seethed, her hands going for his throat again.

She could've snapped his neck with the flick of her wrist, but instead she wanted to take her time with him. She wanted him to look into her eyes and see the anguish and pain that he'd caused as he struggled to draw a breath that she would never allow him to have.

"Diana!"

Ignoring the sound of Superman's voice, she gritted her teeth as she pressed her thumb a little deeper into his windpipe. "He has to die!" she cried.

The feel of Superman's hands roughly grabbing her from behind and pulling her away forced her to release her hold on the Joker's throat. The Joker sputtered and cackled as he gasped for air. "You're a…firecracker. You had me believing…you were…really going…to kill me."

With a scream of pure fury, Diana managed to wrestle free from Superman's powerful hold, lunging for the deranged clown who was struggling to remain conscious. Her fist found his abdomen and chest before grabbing his arm and nearly wrenching it from the socket as Superman suddenly wrapped his powerful arms around her in a vice-like grip, keeping her from ripping Joker apart piece by piece.

"Diana! Stop!" Superman cried. "Flash said Batman is still alive! We have to get him out of here."

Somehow, Kal's words managed to cut through the blood-thirst that consumed her, forcing logic back to the surface once more. She swiftly tore free from Kal's hold on her, rushing to Batman's side. She gently pulled him into her arms, cradling him and holding him close as they were immediately transported directly to the Watchtower infirmary.

That had been over twenty-eight hours ago.

Diana reminded herself that Bruce was strong with a warrior spirit just like her. He would fight with everything that was within him to return to her. He had to. No other outcome was acceptable to her. She leaned close to him, pressing her forehead against his temple as her eyes fell closed, sending another flurry of silent prayers to her gods and goddesses.

"I love you, Bruce…I love you so much," she murmured, her fingers repeatedly stroking his hair. "Please don't make me raise our child without you."

She pressed her lips against his cheek, her tears wetting his face as she drew a shuddering gasp in an effort to pull herself together. This was not how an Amazon warrior was trained to conduct herself, but so wasn't an Amazon right now. She was a wife, a lover, and a best friend…the mother of his unborn child.

The thought of raising their baby without him broke her heart and soul. She fought against the urge to crawl into the bed with him, the longing to hold him in her arms and hear the steady beat of his heart as she laid her head on his chest. Instead, she sat back in her chair, wiping away her tears with the back sof her hands as another unwanted visitor entered the infirmary.

"How's he doing, Wondy?"

"He's still in a coma," she softly replied, refusing to look away from her husband.

She heard the sound of a chair's legs scrapping along the floor as Flash pulled it up before her, setting something down on the small table to her left. "I'm sorry we couldn't get to him sooner," he told her, fully feeling the weight of their failure in getting to him quicker.

She finally lifted her head, gazing at him with eyes filled with such anguish. "It's not your fault," she murmured, afraid to test her voice any further as she shook her head.

Flash did his best to keep his emotions in check, but it was more than difficult. It had been one of the worst scenes that he'd ever witnessed—watching Batman shot by that large gun the Joker had rigged up, hearing Diana's scream of pure rage as she targeted the demented clown. It was something that would no doubt revisit him in his sleep.

"The Joker got what he deserved," he ventured.

"He deserved far worse," she bitterly said without looking up.

"I brought some Rum," he feebly informed her; unsure of what else he could say to try to make her feel any better. "It's all I had left from my secret stash. I haven't had a chance to restock it since the party we threw up here while you and Bats were on your honeymoon."

Diana smiled softly, tears returning to her eyes with the mention of her honeymoon. It had been magical. She would never forget the week that she had been able to spend all alone with him—no duties, no responsibilities, no alter egos. It had been just them and it had been perfect in every way imaginable.

She dipped her head as she quickly brushed away a tear. The feel of his hand on her knee brought her back to the infirmary. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Don't, Diana," he gently said, pulling his mask back and revealing eyes filled with tears of his own, his red hair sticking up at odd angles. "Bruce is going to pull through this. He's too stubborn to stay down for long. Besides, he loves you too much to ever leave you. He's head over Bat ears in love with you. We all knew it long before he ever admitted it."

"Thanks, Wally," she replied.

"Come on…bottoms up," he encouraged her, nudging a glass towards her as he poured one for himself. "It'll make you feel better."

"I don't think anything could make me feel better except for Bruce opening his eyes," she told him. "Anyway, the last time I drank alcohol, I got blinding drunk, remember? I'd rather not repeat that humiliation."

"Yah, but it all worked out," Wally pointed out. "You got Bats in the end so drink up."

"I…I can't, Wally," she maintained, averting her eyes as a warm flush colored her cheeks.

"Just a teeny-tiny drink between friends can't hurt," he tried again. "I mean it's just—"

"Wally…" she began, shaking her head and pursing her lips.

Flash's eyes abruptly widened, his mouth falling open in sudden realization. "Wondy!" he nearly cried as he sat bolt upright in his seat. "Are you and Bats having a Bat baby?"

Diana bit at her bottom lip as she shyly tucked a raven lock behind her ear. No one outside of the Wayne household knew that she was pregnant. They had been planning on informing the League of her condition and leave of absence from active duty next week at the Founders' meeting, relegating her to Watchtower duties only.

"You are!" Flash exclaimed, flopping back in his chair in shock. "I can tell from the look on your face. There's going to be a little Wonder-Bat running around. That means I'm going to be an uncle. Is it a boy or a girl?"

"Keep your voice down," she cautioned him. "No one knows yet…well, except for maybe J'onn. He's been smiling at me a lot for the last week so I have a feeling he figured it out. We won't know if it's a boy or a girl for a couple of months, but Bruce thinks it's a girl."

"Sorry," he apologized; looking around to make sure they were still alone in Bruce's private room in the med bay. "I promise I won't tell a single soul…scout's honor."

Diana tilted her head in affection, a slight curl to her lips despite the sorrow that still swam in her eyes. "Wally, everyone knows you have the biggest mouth in the entire galaxy."

"If he talks…break his legs."

Diana felt instant tears prick her eyes with the familiar rasping voice that she was so dear to her. Even though muffled by the breathing mask, it was the most wonderful sound that she'd ever heard. "Bruce?" she whispered, praying she hadn't dreamt it, turning to look at him.

"Bats!" Wally cried. "You're awake! I'm going to go tell everyone! They've been worried sick!"

Flash was out the door before either of them could say a word. "I thought I'd lost you," she tearfully confessed as she moved to sit on the edge of his bed, her hand coming to rest on his cheek.

He smiled weakly, his eyes momentarily falling closed with the press of her hand against the curve of his face. He'd feared that he'd never feel it again when he'd first been shot, consciousness threatening to drag him away from her. He had been positive that he wasn't going to survive this round with the Joker. The only thing he could think about as he'd laid on that concrete floor struggling for his next breath was that he'd never know Diana's touch again, never see the birth of their child.

He reached up to touch her face, erasing her tears with the tips of his fingers. "Don't cry, Princess," he murmured.

"I thought I was going to have to go straight to Tartarus in order to get you back," she lightly teased as she gently stroked his hair along his forehead, but there was no trace of humor in her voice or on her face.

"I'm not anxious to meet my father-in-law again," he quipped, trying to lighten the mood and reassure her that he was all right. "I'd rather stay here with you if you don't mind."

"I'd like that," she softly said, drawing closer to him. She kissed his cheek, a stray tear falling on his face.

Bruce pulled his breathing mask off, the fingers of his right hand tangling in her hair as he drew her to him for a real kiss. He wanted to feel the softness of her lips against his, fearing when he'd been shot by the Joker that he never would be able to kiss her again.

Diana kissed him softly…slowly, afraid that he'd shatter into a million pieces if she kissed him the way that she ached to. She broke the kiss all too soon for his liking if his look of disappointment was any indication, but she knew that he needed to rest right now.

She hated seeing him like this—so weak and broken…so very mortal. It just brought home once more the reality of what she was, how she would more than likely outlive him. She didn't think now that she could deal with that, not like she had initially told herself before they had been married.

He stared at her for several long moments, drinking in every single minute detail of what made her his Diana. He reached up to touch her again, wanting more than anything to erase her anguish. He tried to pull her in for another kiss, but she refused him.

"You can kiss me all you want once you're better," she reassured him as she caressed his jaw.

He leveled her with a fierce Batglare, but it failed to deliver the same measure of intimidation that it had held before he had been shot. "That never worked before and it's definitely not going to work now," she told him.

"You still have a lot of explaining to do, Princess," he said, his glare not diminishing in the least.

"For what?" she asked, almost fearful that he knew what she had done to the Joker. She knew he was going to find out sooner than later. She just hoped that he could learn to forgive her for it.

"For coming after me," he replied. "I thought we agreed that you weren't supposed to be going out on missions until after the baby was born."

"Stop getting yourself into trouble and then I won't have to come after you," she retorted with a smile that didn't quite reach her azure eyes.

He noticed the guilt that swam in those blue orbs now dulled with the heartache that still lingered within her. He could tell she was holding something back and he had a feeling he knew what it was. "Talk to me, Diana," he simply requested. "What happened with the Joker?"

She held his gaze as her eyes grew moist once more, fighting the overwhelming urge to look away. It wasn't necessarily that she regretted her actions as she knew that her husband wouldn't agree with what she did...what she had almost done.

"I almost killed him," she whispered. "I wanted him dead."

"Diana…" he murmured her name with a small frown, taking her hand once more.

"I tried to kill him," she continued, her eyes falling closed as her chin fell to her chest in obvious defeat. "I thought he had taken you away from me and I wanted him to pay for it with his life. I beat him, strangled him…was prepared to crush his windpipe."

"You didn't though," he told her.

"Don't you understand?" she cried with sudden emotion as she pulled her hand free from his grasp. "I tried to kill him, Bruce. If Kal hadn't pulled me off him, he would be dead right now and it would have been because of me.

"I knew how you felt about killing, but I didn't care in that moment. I was just so blinded by rage and grief that all I could think about was making him suffer…to make him hurt just as badly as I was hurting. I had my hands around his throat and I…"

Her voice trailed off as she drew a shuddering sob, the tears beginning to fall once more. She would understand it if he hated her for what she tried to do, but it would crush her if he rejected her completely for her actions.

The feel of his fingers caressing her cheek caused her to finally look up and meet his eyes that were filled with nothing but love and understanding. "It's all right, Princess…I understand," he reassured her. "After what Joker did to Jason and Barbara, I nearly lost it, but after what he did to Tim, I wanted him dead. I had never wanted to kill someone so badly in my life."

"But you didn't," she pointed out.

"No, but I wasn't raised on an island of warrior women who were taught to kill in order to survive," he reminded her. "You were trained your whole life to be a warrior. It was instilled in you from the moment you drew your first breath along with a heart with the capacity to love deeper than I ever thought was possible. While I don't condone killing, I understand how hard it had to have been for you to fight that desire after what he did to me."

"I thought he'd taken you away from me," she whispered, drawing a shuddering breath in an effort to rein in her emotions.

Bruce took her hand in his, his piercing blue eyes reassuring her that he understood her pain. She had never seen in another's eyes what she saw in Bruce's. Just the way that he looked at her could make her weak in the knees. No one else had ever been able to do that to her.

"Come here, Princess," he beckoned her, gently tugging on her arm.

Diana came willingly, allowing him to pull her into his bed with him. She carefully settled on his right side, being careful of his IV as well as his gunshot wound. He wrapped his right arm around her, savoring the feel of her pressed against the entire length of him once more. His hand came to rest against her abdomen, still amazed that they were going to have a baby.

"How's our baby girl?" he asked.

Diana chuckled softly as she pressed her lips against his jaw. "Why are you so convinced that we're having a girl?"

"Because I'm Batman," he teased. "I know everything."

"Bruce, we won't know for a couple of months yet."

"I know I'm right…I'm always right," he maintained, his eyes growing heavy despite his best efforts.

Diana caressed his jaw, so thankful that he was going to be all right. "Sleep, my Dark Knight," she told him. "I'll be here when you wake up."

His whispered words of love were answered with her own as she replaced his breathing mask, her fingertips lightly tracing the outline of his face. Resting her head on his shoulder once more, she carefully slipped her arm around his torso, relieved to have her life back.

Her eyes fell closed, sleep claiming her as the muted television on the wall in the corner posted an important news bulletin update along the bottom of the screen. The Joker was still in a coma at Gotham General, doctors announcing that a complete recovery was highly unlikely.

THE END?

A/N: This was the last chapter that I had planned for this short series. If you want more, I can try to come up with more chapters, but you have to let me know. I intentionally wanted a darker tone for this series and I hope that came through. Thank you all for following along! :)