Big thanks given to LOL, Amanda, Kita chan, GhostNappa99, HarimaHige, and rawsharpii for the reviews. They were awesome and I enjoyed reading them immensely! :) I hope you like this chapter; it goes a bit more into Diana and Bruce's relationship somewhat. I am sorry if it seems like this story is going a bit slow, but I want to make sure that everything makes sense and goes in order otherwise it will not make any sense and I don't want to be jumping everywhere during the story. That would be bad.
As always I love reviews, so if you decide to spoil me, I am perfectly 100% ok with it! ;D
Read on….
Once upon a time there was something between Bruce and me. If ever asked, he would immediately deny it, but I know better.
Sometimes I believe that there still is something there. I can feel it. A spark that ignites every now and then, but he always quells it as soon as he feels that it will grow. Grow into something that he cannot control. The thing is, it has already grown, and I just hide it very well.
Despite only knowing him for two years, I know him better than anyone else on this Watchtower, besides J'onn that is.
J'onn though has the advantage of being a telepath although even Bruce is resilient enough to resist the telepathic from knowing what is going on in his mind at all times. He told me so himself. "Through these years Diana, he still remains to be a complicated puzzle to me."
That left me, the only person who ever really wanted to get to know him better.
Kal of course knew some of his background but one can only learn so much without knowing the person himself first.
The others valued him as a special asset to this team, respected him as a superhero in his own right but they never wanted to get to know him on a personal level.
Realistically though, it was his own fault, he never let anyone in, never spoke with anyone unless it was League related and even during those sessions he always kept the small talk… well really small.
Over time we had grown closer despite his cold demeanor.
During battle we worked fluently with each other, seemingly knowing what the other was thinking without uttering a single word.
Little by little I had begun to fall for him. Despite the fact that I knew that I would probably get hurt in the end, I couldn't resist.
Memories of what occurred during Gorilla City, Paris and the Thanagarian invasion fly through my mind leaving me in a slight daze.
I had pushed for a relationship, he had had pushed back saying no.
No matter how hard I persisted, he wouldn't budge.
He denied me.
Locked me out.
Gave me the cold shoulder.
Said we couldn't be together.
That it wouldn't work.
He even provided the ever famous three reasons.
Finally I couldn't take his excuses anymore. I stopped… just… stopped pushing after I realized that he really didn't want to even try and be with me.
So I had forced myself to move on.
But if I'm honest with myself, I have never really been able to let him go.
"Are you ready Diana?" J'onn's voice pierces through my wandering thoughts.
I shake my head.
I have to stop dwelling on these things, it's very distracting.
Taking a deep breath I nod my head.
"Take us down J'onn."
He gives me an encouraging smile before a bright light envelopes me and the spacious, clean area of the Watchtower is replaced with that of the dark, dankness of the Batcave.
Here we go. I think to myself as I step off of the teleportation mat and unto the moist cement floor of the cave.
Bruce wastes no time in rushing past me and heading up toward the Large Bat Computer located at the center of the Cave.
I watch amusingly as he struggles to turn on the monitor.
He growls frustratingly as his long claws skid slippery over the black keys of his keyboard.
Walking up slowly behind him, I can't help but chuckle lightly.
"Bruce, Bruce… What am I going to do with you?" He ignores me pointedly, and glares at the keys as if that will make them do what he wants.
"Here let me help you." He shakes his head annoyingly pushing me away with his muzzle. That's right how could I have forgotten. Bruce never likes to be helped.
"Alright then I won't call it "help." Let me serve you." His nonvisible eyebrow rises amusingly at this and I bite my lower lip as I realize the implication of my own words.
"Stop it Bruce." I grumble, a blush creeping up and unto my cheeks.
He watches me intently with a heated gaze as I lean across him to type in a few commands.
I try to ignore him as well as I can.
"My, my the Dark Knight and his princess getting cozy. How delightful." I stiffen as the bored tone rings clearly from behind me.
Turning around I come to find a woman dressed in a tight fitting black costume that clearly resembles a cat, leaning on the hood of the Batmobile lazily. I instantly recognize her from files that each founding member had to view from the League database.
"Catwoman." I reply, forcing the name through my lips.
"Wonder Woman." She greets me with a sneer.
"What are you doing here? Better yet, how did you even get in here?" I ask walking a bit closer toward her with my fists securely on my hips.
She lets out a laugh.
"Well Dearie I can get into any place I want, and right now I just happen to want to be here." She says with a slight purr, waving a hand over her agile form now stretched over the hood of the vehicle.
"Why?" I demand.
"When the Big Bad Bat here misses out on one night of his daily patrols everyone notices. I came here to figure out why, because I know for a fact that Daddy would never miss out on his daily dose of sugar. So that means something big must have come up to keep him away."
My eyes narrow at her last words and their meaning.
"Of course," She says with a sigh before lifting herself off the car and landing lightly on the floor. "I didn't know that you would be here."
She walks closer before stopping a few feet from where I am standing behind Bruce's chair.
"There's something between you and Bruce isn't there." She says with a frown, pointing a finger at me and then at the back of Bruce's chair.
Confusingly I look over my shoulder toward Bruce.
Why hasn't she figured out that Bruce… isn't really Bruce at the moment? I muse to myself.
My question is answered soon enough. In the darkness of the cave, from behind, Bruce's ears look identical to that of the pointy ears located on his cowl. That and the fact that he hasn't moved an inch since the start of this conversation between me and Catwoman, it isn't hard to mistake him for being… Well, being regular Bruce. I smirk to myself.
Well won't she just be surprised.
I turn back to face her. Deciding to rile her up a bit, I answer her truthfully.
"Well, maybe there was and maybe there still is." Her face darkens slightly at my response. She crosses her arms.
"Well, I don't like it and if I'm right, Mr. Fluffy over here doesn't like it one bit either." I raise my brow, forgetting for the moment that Kal was even with us. She walks closer to him.
"Isn't that right sugar?" she says sweetly, reaching out her right hand to pat him on the head.
Kal growls at her in response as he backs away slowly.
"Touchy." With a frown she pulls her hand back and looks to me, narrowing her eyes.
"This ain't your turf Wonder babe. Now it's my turn to ask, what are you doing here?" With a quirk of an eyebrow, I walk some length backwards before swiftly spinning the chair around to face her.
Bruce is hunched slightly over, glaring at Catwoman.
His powerful muscles around his shoulders are bulging out somewhat and half of his body is shadowed in the darkness. He looks just as dark and menacing as the human Batman.
She gives a slight gasp and presses her fingertips against her lips as if to hold herself together. The shock is confusingly soon replaced with amusement.
I frown slightly as she laughs out loud and extends her index finger toward Bruce.
"Is that-?" I nod quickly cutting her off silently, still slightly confused at her unexpected reaction to this whole situation.
She shakes her head at my given answer.
Sauntering up to him, she circles his chair all the while tracing a sharp claw from his left cheek bone, around the top of his head, before finally stopping at the end of his muzzle as she reaches the other side.
He remains unmoving, seemingly undeterred by her bold actions.
"This is just gold baby." She whispers into his left ear, while once again chuckling lowly.
I frown at the back of her head and I can't help the anger that surges through me as she touches him in such a familiar way.
Straightening up, she scans the room before her eyes land on Kal.
"Did the same thing happen to him? Like with Bruce?" She questions me. Once again I only dignify her question with a slow nod.
"So let me guess. This is…?" I watch her as she pouts slightly while mulling over the possibilities in her head.
"Can't be Booster Gold, I was just on a date with him yesterday." She mumbles lowly to herself.
"Nope can't be him either." She says ticking whatever person she is thinking of off her finger list.
"Nope again and… nope. Nope. Nope."
Just how many men of the justice League are associated with this woman? I wonder to myself.
She stares at him hard, tilting her head slightly.
"That… that fishy man." She declares out loud after some thought.
"Aquaman you mean?" I ask a bit incredulously.
"Yeah, yeah whatever his name is." She replies off handedly. "Is it him?"
I shake my head no, as I watch Kal grumpily move away from his spot near her and setting himself near the car with an audible huff.
"Really?" She scoffs slightly. "Huh? You sure look similar to him." She tells him.
Kal shakes his head, while curling his upper lip upward clearly showing that he has been offended.
"Blue eyes… blue eyes…" She mutters over and over again.
"Nope. I can't think of anyone else at the moment." She says with a defeated sigh.
"Who is he?"
"Superman"
Her eyes instantly spark with interest.
"So that's why you seem so familiar good looking."
She smiles wide at him, cocking a hip and gazing at him steadily.
I watch out of the corner of my eye as Bruce stiffens slightly at Catwoman's response.
"Looks like you've got your hands full." She says finally turning away from Kal as she realizes that she isn't going to get a reaction out of him anytime soon.
I can see Kal visibly let out a snort in relief at the lack of attention she is giving him at the moment.
Not waiting for me at all to reply toward her comment she continues to speak.
"You know what Wonder W, out of all the things that you do, dealing with these two is probably the most impressive."
"What?" I ask, wondering where she is coming from with this.
"How do youdeal with them? I mean they are so different from each other. Superman," She peers at him closely "Yeah I can see why you want to work so closely with him, what with him being such a handsome devil that he is."
I cross my arms over my chest, waiting for her to be finished.
"And Batman, well… Don't get me wrong he's such a looker behind the cowl but I'm sure that you've noticed that he's not much of a people person at all. He's very dark, brooding, stubborn, always want's things to go his way, by his terms and has an interesting past." Her mind seems to wander for a moment before she looks back at me.
"Don't you ever get tired of trying to work with people so different from each other? They must never stop arguing."
My mind flashes back to the argument that both Batman and Superman shared before going out on that mission. She's right, it is tiring but I still value them both greatly.
She raises an eyebrow at me, apparently waiting for an answer.
"One I disagree with more than I agree. The other I agree with more than I disagree yet both are different sides of the same coin." I say simply.
She raises an eyebrow seemingly impressed with my answer, but the questions just keep coming from her mouth. It seems that once she is on a role, there is no stopping her. How does Bruce deal with her?
"I guess the question really is. What do you see in Bruce? Doesn't working with him mess up with your views, or mission in life as an Amazon Princess in this world?"
I breathe in deeply realizing that she's trying to deter me from wanting anything to do with Bruce. Well it's not going to work.
"Although this may be hard for you to understand, I have come to realize that not everything can be accomplished through morals and standards alone. Batman is a special asset to the team, not only because of his great fighting skill as a hero, but also because his ways manage to help balance our own. Without him and his way of thinking we would never be able to do what we need to."
I tilt my head interested in her response.
"Funny, a man that has a messed up past is actually the one responsible for helping to keep the Trinity functioning." She comes closer and growls lowly at me, her claws glinting in the dim light. "Funny only in the terms that I know who he really is Princess. He is a man that needs serious help, a man that is to stubborn to change his ways, a man so unemotional and unfeeling that you can't bear to be with him for very long. A man who puts fear into the hearts of any and every one that dares to come across his path. A man seemingly so uncaring of those around him. He lives in the darkness and only those who dwell in that darkness can ever truly understand him." She hisses out darkly.
My rows furrow in silent rage. I speak up, stepping away from her to give myself some space.
"That is where you're wrong Catwoman. All you see is a troubled man with a traumatic past, who is wasting away his life, but what I see." I turn to look at Bruce. His eyes bore into my own and I continue speaking while steadily holding his gaze. "I see a man who has found the strength to get up every night to fight for his City despite his troubled past. A man who has harnessed his pain and used it for the good of his people. A man so intent on carrying the burden of Gotham himself if only to allow someone else the chance to live their lives even a little better. He is a man who has realized that in order to help Gotham there can't be a superhero like me or Kal, only because it would tear the city apart. He realizes that in order to try and right the wrong fear must be used and manipulated. They need someone that has grown here, felt the pain that comes with living here, and knows that Gotham can give-or brutally take away." My voice softens. "He understands what this City is crying out for. I don't agree with all his methods, but I understand some of his views." I tear my eyes from Bruce and turn back toward Catwoman. "You keep telling yourself that you know Bruce, but do you really? Or is it just Gotham that you understand, such as he does. Because if you do -which I suspect is true- then you only know a part of him. There is more than the cowl and the late night sprees Catwoman; you have to remember that somewhere deep down, a man lies hidden. Yes, a troubled man, but a man none the less." I look away and travel slowly to the bottom of the steps.
"Now if you will excuse me, I have someone else that needs my attention at the moment. I'm sure you know your way out as well as you know your way in."
With those last words I fly up the stairs and into the Mansion, leaving them two to be alone.
"She's a piece of work isn't she Kal." I whisper to him as I head for the Kitchen.
Swinging open the door I come face to face with that of a dear friend.
"Alfred." I call out cheerily, swiftly wrapping him up in a hug before he can protest.
"You're Highness." He says equally as cheerful as he smooth's out the fresh wrinkles I created on his uniform.
Peering behind me he immediately spots Kal siting patiently by the kitchen doors.
"Master Kent, I presume and where might Master Bruce be?" He asks with a curios tone.
"At the moment he is in the Batcave." I answer.
He nods his head with an understanding expression.
"Couldn't keep him away from his toys I see." He replies turning back to the food cooking on the stove.
"More like an acquaintance." I answer while setting myself comfortably on the high stool chair. He stills.
"Acquaintance?" He asks.
"Catwoman." I verify. He shakes his head.
"I told him not to mix in with that kind of crowd and you know what he does? He does the exact opposite of what I tell him!" he says resuming his chopping.
"You do realize that he is a grown man right Alfred? A man capable of making his own decisions."
"A man yes, but grown? I hardly think so. Besides the decisions he has made over the years, they are not exactly what I would call the wisest of the century." He answers with a huff. I smile at him. With Alfred you never know what he is going to say, he may look old and formal at times, but he has a mind full of opinions that he's not afraid to voice.
"You know he loves you Alfred."
He pauses, turns to look at me and wags his finger at me as if I should know better.
"My Dear, loving and listening are two very different things altogether." He states simply.
I shake my head, and turn at the sound of the door almost silently opening and closing.
"Speaking of which there is the man -or cat I should say- that we are talking of." Say's Alfred while turning back around.
Bruce saunters into the kitchen, avoiding my gaze as his nose twitches at the smell of food.
Did I say something wrong down in the cave? I question myself internally as he walks right past me without pausing.
I let out a slight huff and lean against the counter more heavily. Perhaps I will never know exactly.
I watch as Bruce leaps unto the chair across from my own and looks at me for the first time since entering.
I am relieved to find no anger in his expression; instead I come to find a certain curiosity in his eyes while they rove my face, as if truly seeing me for the first time.
A sudden knock erupts out of the blue and every moving thing stops.
I stand up to follow Alfred as he promptly walks out of the Kitchen and toward the front door.
Pushing down his sleeves he proceeds to open the door slowly. My face breaks into a grin at the sight of a familiar set of soft blue eyes, a nice tailored top suit and a pair of black fish nets.
"Alfred," she greets nodding to him as he further opens the door to allow her entrance.
"Miss Zatanna, good to see you." He returns.
She smiles at him before turning to me.
"Zi!" I call out cheerfully.
"Hey Di! Seems like you found the perfect spot to lay low." She say's throwing a look about the room.
I nod in agreement.
"Well don't just stand here you two. Don't you have some certain business to attend to?" Alfred scolds playfully, while ushering us both out of the entrance hall.
I watch as Zatanna rolls her eyes good naturally before heading straight toward the old Father clock that serves as the secret entrance for the Batcave.
She opens it smoothly before venturing deeper into the dark hole.
Holding it open, I pause as both Kal and Bruce bound down the stairs following her, not wanting to be left out on anything important.
Taking a deep breath, I to enter and the door shuts with a dull thud as I am the last to be enveloped by the seemingly never ending darkness.
Alright so this by far is the longest chapter I have written in this story.
Hopefully it was not boring.
I hope that I characterized Catwoman somewhat decently in this chapter. I don't know her personality as well as some other characters but I hope that I wasn't too far-fetched in what I wrote about her.
Tell me what you think!
