Title: No One is to Blame

Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics, Donna Troy, Wonder Woman, or Batman. Pity.

Un-betaed version. If you notice any mistakes, please email or pm me. Thanks.

You all are amazing! Thank you for all the reviews and I hope you continue to enjoy this story!

"You can build a mansion, but you just can't live in it/You're the fastest runner but you're not allowed to win/Some break the rules, and let you cut the cost/The insecurity is the thing that won't get lost…" – Howard Jones

Sometimes, Diana mused to herself, looking back at the dark and brooding presence behind her, all it took was one moment in order to change lifetimes. Never had she imagined in all her years that it would be this man to take her heart, that it would be in that moment that she had finally found the courage to not only admit it to herself but to him as well. In the death of her sister, Diana had found a part of herself.

There were days when she still grieved, days when she saw Donna on every face that she passed, heard her laughter echoing throughout the embassy. Days when she knew that her hope was futile. But still, some part of her refused to believe that her sister was really gone, that they would never again meet in this world.

And then there were days such as this one, when she felt the need to look back, to remember all that had passed in her life, all the moments that had led to this one. And looking up into the blue eyes calmly watching her, gauging her mood, she smiled softly and caressed his stubborn jaw in a gesture that spoke of longstanding affection and familiarity.

Flashback

Taking confidence from his silence, from the fact that he hadn't yet rejected her or spurred her and simply walked away, into the night as was his wont, she faced him dead on, letting her emotions and everything she felt for him flood into her eyes and added, "And I want more, Bruce, more kisses stolen in the moonlight, more shared moments between us."

Letting her fingers cruise down his solid jaw, she smiled softly, femininely, and told him, "And I would be more than willing to start with the kisses."

Hearing a cough from behind her, she turned to see the budding rays of sunlight gracing the sky and another, highly embarrassed, presence in her courtyard.

Without the slightest bit of embarrassment on her own part, Diana let her fingers rest on Bruce's hard jaw, refusing to back away from her bold maneuver simply because someone else was witness to it. When Bruce tried to move away, uncomfortable with the fact that there was another presence, particularly this presence, she simply tightened her grip on his jaw, applying gentle pressure as she smiled at the guest.

"Hello, Nightwing. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

He looked down at the ground, his expression one of such abject misery that she couldn't help but be moved by it. Giving Bruce's jaw one last caress, knowing that he would disappear into the shadows the moment she released him, she relinquished him anyway, all the while aware that her words would be echoing in his mind throughout the upcoming hours. He would analyze and dissect them, wondering if she had, even just for a second, meant her words. Ultimately, he would reach whatever conclusion suited him best, but her heart smiled at the thought that tonight, the Batman wouldn't sleep for contemplation of her words.

Tomorrow was soon enough to finish their little discussion. For now, she had more important matters on her mind – what the loss of Donna would mean to this young man.

She took a step towards Nightwing and immediately knew that Bruce had vanished into the darkness, taking her words with him as he departed without a sound. She wanted to turn around and grab him, to shake some sense into him, to make him understand that she did indeed care for him, but she also knew that Bruce wouldn't accept her words until he had scrutinized and evaluated them as only Bruce knew how. It was, oddly enough, part of his charm: that utter determination to find the answers.

With a sigh, she took a seat on the bench, gesturing for Bruce's adopted son to join her, hoping that both Bruce and Dick could eventually work past their differences and now, their mutual embarrassment. Still, she was glad that Dick had come here tonight, no matter what confidences and intimacy he had interrupted.

"You miss her, don't you?" Diana asked softly as he took a seat next to her, inches away in distance but miles away in thought.

He was quiet for a moment, looking out into the lushness that bloomed just beyond the walls of the courtyard. In a movement similar to one she had seen his father give countless times, he turned his head, his eyes piercing hers as if they could penetrate into her soul and extract all her secrets.

"Yes," he said briefly, the words ripe with longing. Diana had known of the closeness between Troia and Nightwing – the two had been best friends since their early days in the Titans. It had been Dick who had helped Donna find out and make peace with her past and it had been Dick who had stood beside Donna at her wedding, taking the traditional role of father and giving away the blushing and happy bride. Diana remembered that day vividly, the radiance that had emanated from Donna, and her pleasure that Dick had been so proud to be given the honor of handing Donna off to her future husband.

With a sigh, she remembered that things were different now, that Donna was no longer a happily married woman, in love with her husband and looking forward to all that the future held. For Donna, there was no future now. Diana bit her lip to keep from crying once again tonight; knowing that this time, there would be no Dark Knight in the shadows to hold her while she shed her tears.

Straightening her shoulders, she looked over at the son of the man she loved and couldn't resist making a human connection. Reaching out a hand, she placed it gently on his shoulder, meeting his eyes as the first rays of sunlight found their way onto the courtyard of the embassy.

"I love her too, you know," she said almost casually, not wanting to frighten off the young man with avowals of love and the deepness of the emotions that filled her at the mere thought of her sister. "I'm not sure I ever realized how much a part of me she is until today, until I saw the people that gathered here today to celebrate her life and mourn her loss."

They sat together in silence for a few moments, neither wanting to fill the void with words, both lost in their own memories of the woman that had meant so much to each of them. Diana, for her part, realized that Dick had come here tonight hoping for absolution from the grief that he carried around in his heart, from believing himself at least partially responsible for Donna's death. Diana herself had carried that burden, but found it stripped from her soul by the tender embrace of a man she now realized understood her very well, her emotions, her feelings, even her actions.

And now, here she sat with his son, that same guilt running through his system. She could see it written on his face and wondered how she would release him of it. And then she realized that he didn't need the words – he simply needed her presence, he needed Diana to turn to him and not away from him, believing him to be guilty of not saving her sister.

Like his father, he wouldn't trust the simplicity of words.

With a soft smile, she looked at him and asked, "Did Donna ever tell you about the time that she and I tried to make French toast?"

Confused for a moment by the change of subject, he just looked at her. Then, the memory hit him and he smiled for the first time that evening. "If you mean the 'unmitigated breakfast disaster that we will never speak of again', then yes, I remember her telling me about that."

Diana smiled at the memory of the kitchen of their apartment covered in egg drippings and the smell of burnt toast that had lingered in the room for days afterwards. After she and Donna had realized that they simply weren't going to become great chefs overnight, they'd laughed uproariously and then cleaned up the kitchen, giggling all the while.

Not wanting to bring down the slightly genial mood that now gripped Nightwing, she instead turned to him, removing her hand and instead letting it rest in her lap. A little unsure of herself, she looked over at him and said softly, "I'm in love with your father."

"Bruce?" he goggled at her. "I just thought…" he trailed off, running a hand over his hair and wondering if something had gotten into the water at the embassy today.

"I thought you should know."

His guilt lessening in the face of Diana's ease and acceptance of his presence, he said in an incredulous voice, "Hope you're prepared for an uphill battle."

"I am," she said with a small smile, almost feral in nature, the light of battle in her eyes as she glanced over at the shadows where he had disappeared.

Again, silence reigned in the early morning air for long moments. Finally, she heard Nightwing whisper, "Thank you," and once again, one of the Bat-clan left her for the shadows.

To be continued…with a Knight's return…

Please review! Did you like my visitor? (smiles) Not sure how well I did with him…But you have to admit, I tried!

And as for the memory of Diana's - Never happened. But I liked it. Did you?

To Reviewer Lauren – Thank you! I give you more! It is interesting to see how the superhero community handles death and if it at all differs from the way that everyday people handle death. And I think that there are certain common threads between both groups of people. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

To Reviewer T – Fifth guess: Iceland. No clue. You'd better tell me now! I don't know why New Zealand. I think I had Lord of the Rings on the brain. Yum, Aragorn. I love our witty banter back and forth, although I'm not always sure that I'm actually witty. Depends what mood you catch me in. hehe. I'm glad you liked the last chapter and hopefully you enjoyed this one as well!

To Reviewer Dihcar – Nope, not Superman! Hope you didn't mind who it actually was. I like a brave and bold Diana and I felt like that fit in this case. She's already heartbroken over her sister and she can sense that Bruce has feelings for her. So, the worst he could do would be to push her aside. You know, be Bruce. Thanks for the review!