Disclaimer: I don't own the Justice League or the episode Comfort and Joy and the characters therein.
It's Christmas time and the Justice League members have all gone off their separate ways to celebrate the holidays, except for Batman and Wonder Woman who decided to spend the few days for everyone else on Monitor Duty. Christmas Eve has arrived and the two lovebirds are ensconced in the Watchtower, dutifully watching the world but also sharing the magic of the season together – and now Bruce will return the favor and give her Diana his first gift.
I hope I didn't scare off any readers with the last chapter! Please let me know you're all still out there!
I'm watching VH1 Classic's 100 Greatest Songs of the '80's. Fabulous! Is it wrong that I own almost every single one of these songs?
Thank you to my beta, Lavender Gaia for sticking with me and for doing such a great job!
Chapter 8, Silver Bells
"Silver bells, silver bells,
It's Christmas time in the city"
Diana's perspective-
I awoke minutes later to find a warm male body collapsed on top of me. Snuggling into his warmth, I decided that this was indeed a lovely way to spend my Christmas Eve, Bruce by my side and bodies entwined. I had the distinct feeling that he had enjoyed my gift, my own personal rendition of the quirky Christmas classic Santa Baby. And I had certainly enjoyed the result of my endeavor, knowing that tonight Bruce wasn't thinking about the loss of his family or the loneliness in his heart. He was thinking about me and the enjoyable day that we had shared together. It was more than just the sex, it was the love and laughter that had filled this day, the simple little things that had brought us closer together as a couple, as partners.
Decorating the Watchtower had been fun due to the fact that it was interesting to watch Bruce's face as he revisited old holiday traditions, like stringing popcorn to make long strands of it for the little tree we'd set up. It was seeing our names together on the Christmas bulbs that Alfred had made, knowing that this could be the first of many. It was learning that Bruce had an inability to perform in the kitchen, despite Alfred's ample teachings over the years. All these things had added to the intimacy of the day.
And of course, sex went part and parcel with intimacy, adding a glowing sheen of togetherness to the day, physically and emotionally.
So, lying here for the moment, I was content, falling further in love over the Christmas holidays that we were spending together. I slid my arms around Bruce and closed my eyes, enjoying being lost in the moment.
He stirred a little later, looking up at me through half-opened lashes, and mumbling, "What time is it?"
"I don't know," I murmured in return, staring down into his dark eyes and giving him little squeeze.
"Don't you want your gift?" he whispered, pushing himself up onto his elbows but leaving his lower body to tangle with mine amidst the twisted bed sheets.
"Didn't I just get it?" I asked him, a sultry smile gracing my face. I allowed my eyes to sweep down over his form still pressed against me, the sticky sweat still lining our bodies.
He slowly smiled, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead and pulling himself up, away from my body and off of the bed.
"Not that I didn't appreciate your efforts and much as I'd love to prolong it, I think it's time for you to receive your gift from me."
He stood up, walking away and completely disregarding the Batman costume on the floor, he reached for a small duffel bag that he had left in my room in Watchtower early that morning. With a questioning glance, I sat up, ignoring my nudity as I watched him dress in ordinary clothes, at least ordinary for Bruce. He slipped into black pressed pants and a light blue collared shirt, adding a dark leather jacket.
"Bruce?" I asked, wondering what exactly he was up to and what my present consisted of.
"Get dressed," he told me. "Civilian style."
I wracked my brain, trying to think about what my gift from Bruce could possibly be that would require this kind of preparation, but nothing came immediately to mind. I stood, emerging from the bed and heading over to the small closet at the side of my room. The amount of my civilian clothes was severely limited, so I combed through the contents, searching for something that would suit. Judging by Bruce's jacket, I assumed that we would be going down to Earth and out into cold weather.
Searching through the closet, I finally managed to come across a bold red sweater. I wasn't sure where I had picked it up, but, slipping it over my head, I realized that it fit and that was all that mattered. But the matter of pants was another story. I hadn't really taken to the style and due to our height difference, I knew that borrowing a pair from Shayera was out of the question.
Of course, I should have realized that Bruce would figure out that pants were not in my wardrobe and would appropriately compensate for my lack. I turned from the closet to tell him that I didn't have any proper pants for whatever excursion that he wanted us to embark on and found a pair of pants heading in my direction. Giving him an odd look, but quickly grasping that Alfred would have helped him with my wardrobe, I shimmied into the black corduroy pants and found to my delight that they fit comfortably, providing a nice warmth against my legs.
"Ready?" Bruce asked me, reaching out a hand for mine.
"One moment," I said, reaching back into the closet for a black wool jacket that clung to me, falling to my hips and enfolding me in heat.
"Ready," I told Bruce, taking his hand and following as he led us to the teleporter. In a glow of light, we found ourselves not where I expected, but rather, amidst a snowy street lined with streetlamps decorated in bits of holly and white lights. The street was empty but for the two of us and there were no clues that to give me any idea of where we were.
Looking around, I asked Bruce, "Where are we?"
Without looking at me, he answered, "Gotham."
Surprised, I looked again at my surroundings, seeing the peace and quiet that was a part of Gotham tonight. Normally, I associated the city with thugs and trouble, chaos and danger that lurked around every corner in the guises of interesting troublemakers and hardened criminals. It literally stole my breath to see the beauty that filled Gotham this evening – the softly falling snow, the little hints of the holidays, and the sense of tranquility and calm within the city limits.
And I realized that this was Bruce's gift not only to me, but to himself – to see the beauty of Gotham as it was and not how each of us perceived it, particularly Bruce. I had always heard tales of the city of Gotham and the people within it, stories that would often drive the blood from the veins with the persistence of the foes of Batman, of what these criminals were willing to do in order to overtake the city. And Bruce lived that nightmare, spending everyday out fighting to save Gotham, to save the people of the city from what awaited them in the night.
It was late today and the people were all home snuggled in their beds eagerly anticipating the arrival of Christmas morning, of presents and dinners and family and friends. And so the two of us had a chance to be alone in the city, to see another side of the darkness that lined its streets and to be out in public together, knowing that no one would see us. The spirit of the holidays filled the streets and I felt that tonight, no one would dare disturb our peace, our togetherness.
Although I did have one question about how Bruce had managed to accomplish this little outing. I turned to face him, still holding his hand, admiring the snow that had fallen about his dark hair and broad shoulders
"I thought someone was supposed to stay for Monitor Duty?"
A smile teased his mouth and I could see a little hint of red teasing his mouth as he thought about how to respond to my question. Finally, he looked up and boldly stated, "The Watchtower has a backup system designed for times when the entire League is called away on a mission. I simply enabled the system. It will alert us if anything happens while we're down here."
I laughed and pulled him close, wrapping my arms around his neck. "You devil! I can't believe you've kept that from us all this time!"
Somehow, he looked less than contrite, pulling me into a kiss that rocked me back on my heels. Long minutes later, our lips finally parted and he pressed me into his side, wrapping his arm around my waist and leading me down the snow-lined streets of this quiet Gotham City.
That night, we explored the city at our leisure, enjoying the sights and sounds knowing that the world and the city lay quiet, at peace during the advent of Christmas. The streets were dark, lit only by the streetlamps along our paths, but we knew no fear, no sense of foreboding. In the center of Gotham stood a large Christmas tree, adorned with bulbs and ornaments denoting all sorts of charities and companies about the town. One of the large blue bulbs towards the top of the tree read: Wayne Enterprises and I looked at Bruce with pride, knowing how much he did for this city, both in front of and behind the scenes.
Looking at the different charities, we began to discuss the various organizations in Gotham City and how they impacted the abused, the battered, the women and children who needed aid of all kinds. I wanted to help, but realized that my presence in Gotham as Wonder Woman would not be particularly comforting to Bruce. Therefore, I didn't bother to mention that I wanted to help here, just detailed my work in other cities around the globe. I didn't want to push Bruce into acknowledging us, but I did feel rather strongly about charitable works and giving aid wherever necessary – these were things that I had done since my arrival to Man's World and I would continue them as long as they were necessary.
Our discussion was sustained as we wandered down to the outdoor ice rink of Gotham and I watched the lights bouncing off of the ice, admiring the beauty. We meandered down the wide boulevards, looking at the glossy storefront windows dressed out for the holiday season with snow, holly, and all the trimmings. Our feet left imprints in the snow as we continued our journey through Gotham, side by side, snuggled into each other's warm and enjoying the company, the sense of togetherness that filled us on this night.
It was, simply put, a wondrous Christmas present to see the Gotham that could be, the Gotham that was for tonight. It made me realize why Bruce fought so hard for this city, why he put himself in danger every night in order to protect his citizens and his parents' legacy.
And I fell deeper in love with the man behind the mask.
Next chapter: The First Noel/Merry Christmas Darling - Christmas Day begins for the duo, including their real gifts to one another...
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