A/N: I don't own.

Alfred stepped quietly up the stairs and reached the door of Bruce's room. His conjectures had been confirmed when Bruce had asked Dick to patrol Gotham that night. It was another typical night of something being wrong.

Looking in, the old butler expected to see Gotham's resident playboy pacing the room, brooding, or at the worst, in the middle of a nightmare. Instead, to Alfred's surprise, Bruce was sleeping. His eyes weren't twitching behind their lids, his voice wasn't going hoarse from persistent screams…

Alfred smiled lightly, reaching for the door knob with his wrinkled hand. It was good to see Bruce at peace. He wouldn't question it.

What sick god would torment a boy— then a man— with the same dream for years on end? It was why Bruce dreaded sleep… and it was why Diana's introduction into his life had been so pleasant. He could dream about her wide smile, her piercing blue eyes, her raven black hair… of course, he had been imagining those in his sleep before the two of them had finally gotten together, but he would never admit that. He still had an image to maintain.

So this time, when his eyes closed and he saw an alleyway instead of Diana's face, he knew he would have to suffer through the murder of his parents one more time.

It always began in Park Row. A young Bruce Wayne was babbling excitedly about the movie as his parents smiled indulgently.

Next, Joe Chill would materialize from the shadows, gun in hand. Shots and screams would ensue…

"Not this time, Bruce." A soft voice… a woman's voice…

The scene shifted to Wayne Manor on a breezy spring day. The huge trees in the yard were showing green leaf buds and birds were chirping. It was an image straight out of a storybook.

Mentally, Bruce sneered. Too fucking perfect.

"Language!"

Bruce started. What the hell was this? Of all the times for something so completely abnormal and happy to appear in his dreams… and who in the world dared to reprimand him? Nearly every single person in his acquaintance feared him.

What appeared next nearly shocked the always unflappable Bruce into consciousness.

Never would he have imagined seeing Martha Wayne wagging her finger at him with a twinkle in her eye. Never in his wildest dreams would he have pictured Thomas Wayne next to his wife, rolling his eyes good naturedly. Never would he have thought he would ever see his parents' smiles again, even in his mind.

Most of all, never would he have thought they would be guided towards him by Diana.

Hades glanced down imperiously at Diana, who was seated cross-legged in the center of his vast throne room. Her eyes were shut tight, her mouth forming inaudible words as she maintained her concentration. He could barely make out the outlines of a man and a woman sitting next to her. He hadn't made it easy for her. Raking through the countless number of spirits in the Fields of Asphodel for two souls was no easy task, but she wasn't his daughter for nothing (though she would never agree to acknowledge him). At least he'd given her an opportunity. Having Persephone persuade him for acquiescence also helped Diana's cause; his wife was rather convincing, though he would always have a soft spot for Hippolyta.

Bowing, Diana calmly made her request. "Lord Hades, I humbly ask for the spirits of Thomas and Martha Wayne of Gotham to be released in light of recent events."

Hades allowed himself a long, harsh laugh. "Princess of Themyscira, though you may have an advantageous connection with me—"

Diana coughed.

"—I hope you do not believe me to be so daft as to grant your request. Maintaining order in the Underworld is no mean feat. I cannot allow spirits to just come and go as others please." He raised an eyebrow and shifted, his armor emitting a rough grating sound. "Though I am sure you knew that, Hippolyta's daughter."

"Of course. I am not asking for them to return to mortal life on Gaea's territory, though. I want their spirits to have the ability to enter Earth," she paused, "through dreams."

"Dreams are Morpheus's territory, as you know well."

She played to his pride. "Yes, but you are Lord of the Underworld. Surely you have supremacy over the god of dreams."

"True… so what do you propose, young one?"

"Orpheus gave you music for Eurydice… Though I am no musician, perhaps a trade is necessary to satisfy us both?"

"You know the gods well." He gave her a sly, shiver-inducing grin. "Perchance Hippolyta could come down here to visit me?"

Diana was tempted to spit out an angry retort, but that probably wouldn't help her cause.

"No," she gritted between her teeth. "Never that, Hades. I do not bargain with things that are not mine to give, though I do not know what my mother would say to that suggestion anymore."

The god's face twisted into a cruel smirk. "Fine. So, Diana of Themyscira, what have you that I could possibly want?"

Diana spoke swiftly and passionately. Within minutes, Hades had given her permission to search through the Fields of Asphodel for Thomas and Martha Wayne. He adamantly refused to provide aid.

Diana did not have Athena's wisdom and Aphrodite's beauty for nothing, however. Even the dead appreciated the sight of a beautiful woman who was compassionate to boot. In record time per Diana's appeal, they had sifted through the masses to find the Waynes.

Though she wanted to speak with them and discover how they had produced so amazing a son, she was more eager to test out her plan. With the blessing of the goddesses, she hoped it would be a success.

Hades watched her, tapping his fingers on his throne. This was taking too long, and he was impatient to collect his side of the bargain.

Bruce was too shocked in his mind to think, or question his sanity.

He'd had a plethora of dreams involving his parents, but after their murders, not one had contained any semblance of happiness.

Something was definitely wrong.

"Nothing's wrong, Bruce. This may be a dream, but they're really here." dream-Diana said. She gave him a hesitant smile.

He refused to reply.

"Son, we haven't seen you in so long," said Thomas Wayne. He was holding onto his wife's hand.

He shuddered as he forced himself to stop from reaching out to them.

"Honey, please…" came his mother's gentle, pleading voice.

The endearment cracked his willpower.

With one thought, they were in his arms, and he was laughing with abandon, kissing his mother's hair, grasping his father's shoulders firmly, and drinking in their presence. He couldn't form actual words, but he hoped his parents could feel the emotions coursing through his mind. He hadn't openly expressed his feelings in so many years that the laughter pouring out of him felt bizarre. Bruce made sure he could feel his parents; whether it was a physical touch or a mental connection, he needed to maintain contact.

Martha warmly whispered in his ear, "Before we catch up, dear, you really ought to thank this young lady here. We couldn't have found you without her. She's ensured us plenty of time to catch up."

"Manners, son," Thomas added.

Though he wasn't normally one to obey, Bruce tore his gaze from his parents and turned towards Diana, who was standing alone. She wasn't looking up.

"Diana…" Bruce attempted. He couldn't convey to her how grateful he was at this moment. He watched her swallow audibly.

"This is a pretty decent present, if I do say so myself," she tried joking.

He lowered his voice. "Explain."

Stumbling over the words, Diana recounted her tale. She was careful to leave out the bargain.

Bruce was quiet, staring back at his parents. They seemed so real. He couldn't completely believe it yet, though. What was there to guarantee that this wasn't another attempt to rip his heart in two? He had lost them once in life, and an immeasurable number of times in his dreams. If they were taken away from him again, even in his dreams, he wasn't sure he would recover.

"Bruce, I promise they are here with you, in your mind. I wouldn't ever do anything that could even accidentally cause you pain."

Without warning, Bruce promptly pulled her to his chest… or at least he pulled her to him in his mind. Running his fingers through her hair, he directed her face towards his. "Thank you, then. This is one of the greatest gifts anyone could ever give me."

Though her lips were turned upwards, Bruce could see sadness in her eyes.

"Diana, I… I'm sorry for how I treated you back when you told me the truth. You know…"

She shushed him softly. "I know, Bruce. I'm sorry too. I'm really happy for you right now, though. You've dedicated your life to honoring them. Go back and tell them of your accomplishments. I know they'll be proud." She pushed away from him and began turning.

"Wait, Diana…" Bruce grasped her wrist and pulled her flush to his body. Despite all their problems, he could still see the desire in her eyes, though she was determined to ignore it.

"No, your parents, Bruce…"

He brought his face down to hers and gave her a sweet kiss. She moaned softly.

"Come on, Princess," he whispered.

Suddenly, his hands encircled her waist and he lifted her up, twirling. Everything was so perfect… his parents, Diana… He could hear their laughter in the background.

"Son, I know you're grateful, but I didn't know you liked her that much!"

If this was what his dreams could always be like, he never wanted to wake up.

Diana gazed at him with wonderment in her eyes. "I've never seen you so free before."

"I can honestly tell you right now, Princess, that I have absolutely no worries." He tried capturing her lips with his again.

She stopped him. "Bruce, you're only allowed to see your parents in your dreams. You can… you can see me any time when you're awake. I'll see you… soon, okay?"

He gave her a questioning look. "All right."

Bruce glanced with a smile back towards his parents. When he turned to tell Diana good-bye, she was already gone.

Diana's eyes snapped open. Turning, she saw that Martha and Thomas were still with Bruce. She sighed with relief. Her plan had worked. She lifted her head to Hades with trepidation.

"Time to pay up, my daughter."

A/N: Thanks for reading, and please review!