A/N: Right, here's the ending. There are two versions – the clean and the not so clean. This is the clean, and stays in keeping with the 'T' rating. Needless to say the last chapter will not...

And if you'd rather read that, I'm posting it straight away, so don't feel the need to read/ review this one if you don't want to.

Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing, I can't tell you how wonderful it makes me feel to know people enjoy my work so much!

And…enjoy!

Chapter Twenty One – Bruce's Greatest Strength

Bruce was a firm believer in the adage 'patience is a virtue'. In his line of work it was, perhaps the most important strength he possessed. Waiting for his enemies to make a move on a stakeout, waiting for bullet analysis to be completed and the police to make convictions – all these things required patience to handle them. Even when fighting, he needed patience to help clear his mind, to make sure frustration didn't get the better of him. For more than ten years, patience had been his greatest asset.

Right now it had utterly betrayed him.

He hadn't stopped pacing, and wouldn't have been at all surprised if he'd worn a groove into the rock floor of the Cave by now. A dozen times his hand went up to his ear to call for a teleport, and a dozen times it came down again. She'd come. If nothing else, she had to be able to hear his heart thudding, from outer space or not. God knew he couldn't hear anything else.

After what seemed like one hundred and fifty years, Bruce's brain kicked in. He couldn't just grab her and kiss her – as attractive as that idea was. There were things that needed to be said, things that he needed to tell her. Or, more specifically, one thing, comprising of three words. Three words that with any other woman probably wouldn't have come at all, but with Diana he knew they'd just…flow. God, that sounded ridiculous.

The sound of the teleport sounded like an executioner's axe and a chorus of angels combined. For a moment both of them just stood there, silently, blue eyes scanning the face of the other. Then Diana's eyes softened, and she smiled. Only slightly, the corners of her beautiful mouth turning upward.

She didn't rush toward him, or burst into tears – she didn't want to do either of those things. There was no point in wasting tears at a moment like this, they had all their lives to cry. All she did was walk straight to him, stepping into his arms quickly and without words or fuss. Closing her eyes with a sigh of mingled bliss and delight, Diana only felt utter relief.

Bruce buried his face in her hair, also closing his eyes and holding her closer. It all clicked into place. "Diana, I love you," he said, voice open and words simple. Everything that their relationship had never, and should have, been.

She looked at him, her smile widening as she leaned in to kiss him softly. "I love you too," she murmured. "Bruce…"

They both said it together: "I'm sorry", followed immediately by both of them frowning in question at the other.

"Why should you be sorry?" he asked. You're not the one who just killed the person you love.

She must have seen his thoughts on his face, since her frown didn't vanish. Instead she only titled her head slightly. "Bruce, don't you dare. This is what I wanted. Perhaps not something I would have asked for, but we can do it all now. We can live the way normal people are supposed to."

"Neither of us will ever be normal, Diana, you know that," he said, kissing her forehead.

"No," she agreed. "But that doesn't mean we can't pretend in moments like this. I love you."

"And I love you."

"Then it's perfect," she smiled.

Knowing that she was incapable of a lie, Bruce still searched her gaze, unable to quite convince himself that she was serious. Her smile widened and she chuckled softly, putting a hand to his face and pulling him to her lips, kissing him thoroughly. When she stopped, his expression was exactly as she'd hoped; utterly dazed with a slightly joyful edge. "Stop thinking," she whispered.

He smirked. "Still some thought going on, Princess."

This time, it was Bruce that kissed her, keeping it slow – there was no need for frenzied passion right now. Besides, he was pretty sure that there would be time for frenzied passion later. Like the next fifty years.

"Marry me," she said softly, planting kisses along his jaw line.

"Is that a command, Your Highness?" he asked, suppressing the urge to groan. Did she know what that did to him?

She pulled back and nodded seriously. "If you choose to take it that way."

He kissed her again. And again. And once more just for good measure. "Then what kind of loyal subject would I be if I refused?"

Laughing from sheer joy, Diana practically leapt on her- her fiancé, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and kissing him until it felt as though her lungs were on fire. Which didn't take as long as she thought it would; it was going to take some getting used to, this mortality thing. "Then there's only one more request I have to make of you, Bruce," she said.

"And that would be…?" he asked, nuzzling her nose.

"Love me," she said. "Properly."

He caught her meaning at once, and stared hard into her eyes for several moments. "Are you sure?"

She smiled again in the same way. The way that didn't need her to use words, but said, quite clearly, you utterly foolish, wonderful man. A definite yes.

Without waiting for his response, Diana took his hand, turned and led him up out of the Batcave. Still the middle of the day, Tim was at school, Alfred (if Bruce was right) was in the gardens. They had the whole manor to themselves – not that he was planning on leaving the master bedroom at any point today.

Clothes and inhibitions fell to the floor with equal speed, skin both flawless and scarred explored with equal care, bodies both experienced and innocent caressed with equal tenderness. The pleasure didn't surprise Diana – she'd expected that, and it was as mind-blowing as she'd known it would be – but she hadn't know, couldn't have known the spiritual pleasure that came from the act of love. And they made love several times during that day, giving and taking rapture in balanced measure.

Finally, when the sun set and for once Gotham didn't call, Bruce and Diana came to one, blissful realisation. It didn't matter how long it had taken, or how winding the road had been, the errors and heartbreak that littered it-

They were home.

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A/N: Ok, I'm the sappiest person in the universe. So sue me. Well don't. Please. In fact, please review, and tell me what you thought. To be honest, this ending isn't particularly great – but I promise the next one will be.

To those of you non-lemony inclined people – I truly hope you enjoyed this story, and thanks for sticking with it.

The Apollo Prophecies will be up shortly too – yes, I did add a plural ha ha!

Once again, THANK YOU,

Isis