A/N: I'm so sorry! I'm terrible. I said it would only take two weeks and it's been over three. Ugh, I just got swamped with homework and school. And on top of that, this is a shorter chapter. But I just know I'll be busy later on, so I figured that something is better than nothing for now. Anyway, I've made you wait long enough. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter Three
Bruce drove away, smiling when he thought back to his kiss with Diana. But there was something bothering him, niggling in the back of his mind. His instincts told him that something wasn't quite right, he just didn't know what.
The next morning, he went to visit Diana. One of the perks of acting like an entitled dimwit was that people didn't expect him to get to work on time. In fact, when League business called, he just ditched work altogether.
He knocked on the door, but when there was no answer for several minutes, he entered with his key. The room was pretty much exactly the way he had left it, except in Diana's place was a note. It read, "Thanks for last night. I'd love to see you again - Diana."
Bruce felt the corners of his mouth start to turn upward, but he kept his expression in check. Sitting down on the bed, he ran his hand through his hair. His relationship with Diana had already progressed too far. She wasn't supposed to want a second date. He should have driven her away, but, if he was being truthful with himself, he hadn't wanted to. He liked her, a lot more than anyone he had dated in a while.
Suddenly, his mind flashed to the other Diana, Wonder Woman. He immediately felt guilty. He had just given her a list of reasons on why they couldn't date. If he entered a meaningful relationship now, she might be hurt. Although, he didn't know why her feelings mattered so much to him. She would get over him and find someone better, more suited for her.
You're not fooling anyone, the voice in his head accused. The cold-hearted Batman loves two women at the same time!
"Love"? Bruce snarled back. I've just met Society Diana, and League Diana is just a teammate. I barely like them, let alone love them. Bruce waited, but the voice in his head was silent.
Bruce had a sneaking suspicion that the voice was choosing not to dignify his answer with a response. Served him right for trying to hold a conversation with himself. Shaking his head, he leaned back onto the bed. He could smell her when he turned his head into the pillows. He inhaled deeply, breathing in her scent. He could smell the vanilla from her perfume. Mingling with the vanilla was another scent, not quite as obvious, but equally seductive. Her natural scent was sweet and pure.
Bruce paused, sure that there was something familiar in her smell, but he couldn't place it. Once again, his suspicions rose, but immediately he pushed them back down. Batman had become such a huge part of his character that certain characteristics were present even when he was just Bruce, without the hero or the playboy. The instinct to suspect everyone was ingrained into his being. At this point he was tired, and he just wanted to let himself trust the people around him.
Bruce remembered when he was young and only the mission mattered. He had welcomed the cold Bat facade with open arms, anything to keep the pain out. Then he had grown older, and when he felt the hollowness in his chest, he wasn't convinced it was such a good thing anymore. Just when he had been weary of it all - acting idiotic for the sake of the press, defending a city where nothing seemed to get better, returning home every night to a large and lonely mansion - the League had been formed, and she had come into his life.
She had made him feel again. He had felt love for others before he met her. Even though he didn't acknowledge it most of the time, he loved Alfred, Dick, and Tim. But it was different with her. She made him feel at peace. When he was with her, there was a warm glow inside his chest, and for a few moments, he would think that maybe he wasn't empty. She was the light and she shined into his darkness. He…he loved her, maybe he was even in love with her, and there was nothing he could do about it. Because all the reasons he had given Diana were legitimate, and there was no way around them.
Bruce lay there, thinking about the past and what could have been. Suddenly, a thud against the door shook him out of his reverie. Focusing again, he reminded himself that Wonder Woman had no place in his personal life. In fact, he could probably use what would be a brief stint with Diana Eros to deflect Wonder Woman and force her to move on.
Opening the front door, he looked down to find the source of the noise. It was the Gotham Gazette, and splashed across the front page was "Bruce Wayne's New Mystery Woman" along with pictures of the two of them waiting in the pizza place and then entering his car. Despite his previous intentions, his thoughts immediately went to Diana - Wonder Woman's reaction.
Picking up the newspaper, he briefly glanced at the article before chucking it in the bin he passed on the way to his car. He was skipping work today.
At the Watchtower…
Bruce knew she was on monitor duty, so he headed straight for the Monitor Room, hoping she was alone. He stopped just outside the doorway when he saw her laughing with the Flash. She had her hand on his arm, almost flirtatiously. He felt an irrational surge of jealousy and had to remind himself that he had wanted her to move on. Besides, there was no way she would start something with Wally.
Still, he must have been glaring at the two of them because when the Flash noticed him standing there, he suddenly looked nervous and backed away from Wonder Woman.
"Hi, Bruce," Diana gave him an easy smile.
"Yeah. Hey, Batz. Well, gotta run." The Flash sped out of the room in a red streak.
Bruce walked closer to Diana, who remained focused on the monitor screens. When she didn't say anything, Bruce spoke up, "I hope you're fine with it."
Diana looked towards him. "With what?"
Bruce paused, staring at her. "You look different."
"What?"
"Have you changed your appearance?"
"I don't think so…"
Bruce looked her over once again before realizing. "Your earrings. You're not wearing them."
Diana felt her face grow warm. "I don't wear them all the time. Anyway, what do you hope I'm fine with?"
Bruce proceeded cautiously, unsure if he wanted to bring up the incident when she had no knowledge of it yet. Still, she would find out eventually, and he might as well be the one to tell her. "I thought you sometimes followed the papers in Gotham."
"Yes, I like to follow the news, but I haven't gotten around to it recently. What happened?"
"Bruce Wayne has a new girlfriend."
Diana raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't he always?"
Bruce was surprised at her careless attitude. "It… might be more serious this time."
"More serious for Wayne or more serious for you?"
Leave it to Diana to get to the heart of the matter. "I think it might be going somewhere. I like her."
Diana's heart leaped with happiness when she heard his response, but she schooled her face into an impassive expression. "That's great, Bruce. You deserve to be in a real relationship, and it's about time Bruce Wayne settles down." She allowed herself a smile.
Bruce searched her face for any signs that she was hiding hurt or disappointment, but she seemed genuinely happy for him. This was unexpected. "So you're okay with this?"
"Of course. Why wouldn't I be? You were right before. A relationship between us would never have worked out."
Bruce nodded slowly, deciding to accept the easy win.
He started to leave the room, but Diana called him back. "Bruce? Sparring at 4:00?"
He nodded. He was relieved that she seemed to want things to go back to normal as well.
4:00, the training room…
Bruce was warming up when Diana strolled in. He stared at her. There was something different about her, he just couldn't put his finger on it. "Did you do something to change your appearance?"
Diana frowned. "No, I don't think so. Why?"
"I don't know. You look slightly different."
Diana shrugged. "Are you ready to battle?"
Bruce dropped the subject for now. "Yes."
They entered the sparring arena, taking their separate corners. As usual, Bruce waited patiently for Diana to make the first move. After they had circled each other a couple times, Diana suddenly leaped forward, fist aimed at Bruce's head. He easily dodged out of the way, bounding to the side. This continued for a few more minutes, but Diana showed no signs of tiring.
Bruce decided to initiate contact. The next time he dodged her blow, he also stuck out his foot to kick her. Unfortunately, she saw his move and grabbed his leg, swinging him down onto the mat. He landed with an oof, and then she was on top of him, pinning his arms to the floor.
He tried to squirm out of her hold, but she was straddling him, and as he wriggled, he felt his blood rush south. He chastised himself and tried to focus on getting free, but it was useless against her superhuman strength.
Diana leaned down, speaking into his ear, "Give up?"
Suddenly, the smell hit Bruce. It was that same sweet and pure scent that had been all over his sheets, mixing with the saltiness of her sweat. Diana's smell? His mind began racing, putting the pieces together.
"Bruce?" Diana prodded him at his unresponsiveness. "Are you okay?"
Bruce cleared his mind, filing away the new information to process fully later. "Are you wearing anything?" he asked.
Diana smiled amusedly. "I hope so," she replied, glancing down at herself. "I must have thrown you harder than I thought."
"Perfume, I mean."
"Not right now. Why?"
Rather than answer her, he took advantage of her slackened hold and flipped her onto her back, giving himself the dominant position. She easily threw him off and they continued sparring. Diana did not like her feeling that Bruce was keeping something from her, and his unexplainable smirk worried her.
Later, at the Manor…
Alfred entered the Batcave, about to let Master Bruce know that dinner was ready. However, he stopped in his tracks when he saw that Bruce was looking up at two side-by-side pictures of both Dianas displayed on the computer screen. Had he figured it out? Alfred slipped out of the room quietly and went to make a phone call.
Bruce was staring intently at the photos. The two women looked very different physically, but then again, he knew that there were many ways to change a person's appearance. He himself used a variety of disguises, and he regularly interacted with magicians and shapeshifters. When he thought about their personalities, he knew without a doubt that the two Dianas were the same person. He was surprised he hadn't noticed her trick when she first introduced herself as "Diana." He really should have noticed when she had gotten along well with Alfred. Then again, he had been in the process of distancing himself from Diana, and he had ignored the signs, thinking that he was just seeing her wherever he looked.
Bruce was unsure of how he felt about the situation. He was impressed that she had managed to pull one over on him for so long. And this did offer a solution to all the problems of a relationship between the two of them. So why was he still hesitating? Maybe his mission, protecting her, keeping his identity secret, had never held him back. Bruce felt a sliver of fear cut through his hard facade at the thought of starting something with Diana, and he knew that he had been the one holding himself back. He was afraid of her and of loving her. When being with her had seemed impossible, it had been easier to admit his feelings. Now that it was a possibility, he felt the familiar sense of denial return. He loved her as a teammate, not in a romantic way. He had simply experienced a surge of strong feelings when he had confessed his love. The voice in his head decided to speak up again. You're a fool. You know you love her, so go and get her. Don't miss out on this opportunity again.
Bruce was just about to tell the voice the shut up when he heard Alfred reentering the room.
"Dinner is ready, Master Bruce."
"Thank you, Alfred."
"Also, Miss Diana called. She wants another date."
Bruce smiled, knowing that it was his turn to have some fun.
Later, in the dining room...
Bruce looked across the table fondly at the teenage boy shoveling food into his mouth. He enjoyed his occasional dinners with Tim. Of course, they patrolled Gotham together regularly, but there wasn't much time for talking then. Tim had shown up soon after Bruce had set up a date with Diana and was currently on his third bowl of food.
Bruce waited until Tim slowed his pace before starting up conversation. "How's school?
"Same old," Tim mumbled between bites.
"So you're still doing well?"
Tim rolled his eyes. "Stop worrying that my night job will affect school. It doesn't."
Bruce shrugged. "You can't blame me for being interested in your school life."
At this, Tim put down his fork. "Oh, I get it. You're interested in my school life."
"What?"
"I read the papers, you know. Your new date just happens to get a job at Brentwood?"
"I got her the job, but that doesn't mean she isn't qualified."
Tim looked sullen. "Well, I don't like her."
"Why?"
"She used me in a class demonstration on defense. I mean, sure, I was holding back, but she shouldn't have had me on the mat that fast. All I did was reach towards her, and the next thing I knew, I was face down with her knee on my back. People at school are still making fun of me."
Bruce smirked, debating whether he should let Tim know that he had just been one-upped by Wonder Woman. In the end, he decided to let it be. The kid needed to be humbled once in a while. "Maybe I could have both of you over sometime. Let her show you a few moves."
Tim glared. "Very funny. If I had been trying, I'm sure I could have had her on the floor."
Bruce doubted it, but he didn't say anything.
"I guess I'll be getting a new self-defense teacher soon, though."
"Why?"
Tim was confused. "When you break up with her. Or do you think she'll keep working at Brentwood?"
Bruce looked down at his food as he spoke. "I don't know if I'll be breaking up with her."
Tim took in his mentor's serious expression. "You really like her, don't you?"
Bruce sighed. "It's complicated." He still wasn't sure whether he was ready for a relationship with Diana.
"Love usually is," Tim said in a mock serious tone.
Bruce looked up and saw Tim's attempt to hide a smile. The kid was making fun of him. "What do you know about love anyway? Have a new crush?"
Tim blushed. "Let's just talk about something else."
"That's what I thought."
Later, at the Watchtower…
Shayera entered her room, not expecting to see Diana sitting on her bed. "Ever heard of privacy?"
Diana ignored her comment. "I've been waiting for you for hours."
Shayera noticed the nervousness in her friend's voice and posture. "What's wrong?"
"He knows."
"What? Who knows what?"
"Bruce. He knows that I'm Diana Eros."
Shayera relaxed. "So? What's wrong with that?"
"He hasn't fallen in love with me yet."
"Trust me, no matter how much he denies it, he's already in love with you."
Diana shook her head. "While he's Batman and I'm Wonder Woman, he won't be willing to make any gestures of affection. But as Bruce Wayne, he could actually start a permanent relationship with me."
"Maybe he will, now that he knows who you really are. You did find a solution to those issues he named."
"He's not ready."
"How do you know?"
"He already knows who I am. He called and scheduled another date, but he didn't mention the situation at all. If he was ever planning on dating me seriously, he would have told me then."
"So what are you going to do?"
"Convince him that he's wrong."
"How do you even know that he knows?"
"Alfred told me."
"Is Alfred positive that Batman knows?"
"Never doubt Alfred."
"Okay, then how are you going to convince Batman, the world's greatest detective, that he's wrong? I mean, he must have evidence backing up his theory."
"Alfred already helped me come up with a plan, although I need your help."
Shayera winced. "Why do I feel like I'm not going to like this?"
"I think I know how Bruce identified me. When we were sparring, he asked me if I was wearing any perfume. He probably realized that I smell like Diana Eros."
"How are you going to disprove that?"
"I'm going to give Alfred some of the perfume I wear as Diana Eros, and he'll spray it around the house. Hopefully it will confuse Bruce."
"That seems like a good plan. How does it involve me?"
"Well, just making him doubt his senses won't be enough to convince him that he's wrong. The easiest way to convince him is to show him undeniable proof. Like having me and the other Diana be in his presence at the same time as two different people."
"But you and Diana Eros are the same person."
"Not necessarily… Diana Eros could be considered as whoever is wearing the earrings. That's where you come in."
"No." Shayera emphatically shook her head.
"Hear me out, please. I just need you to go on one date as Diana Eros. Then I'll show up as Wonder Woman."
"Go on a date with Batman? No, thank you."
"Shayera, please. This is so I can actually have a chance with Bruce."
Shayera humphed. "Assuming I agree, Batman would notice a difference right away. Even with the disguise, I'm still shorter than you, and I act completely differently."
"Wear heels. And besides, it's better if you're different from me. Diana Eros should look and act differently from Wonder Woman so it looks like they couldn't be the same person."
"And if he tries anything?"
"He won't." Diana thought back to their kiss and smiled. "Well, if he does, I'm sure you'll be able to deflect it."
Shayera glared.
"You know that I would do anything to help you and John get back together."
Shayera glared harder, then sighed. "Nobody else will hear of this."
"Thank you so much," Diana grinned, pulling Shayera in for a hug. "I already set the date. Tomorrow night at 7:00."
Shayera shook her head. "The things you convince me to do…"
Yeah, I'm looking forward to writing that date scene. Haha, it's going to be rather unpleasant for both Bruce and Shayera. Btw, thanks to najem eddine for the idea of having Bruce recognize Diana by her smell. If anyone else has any suggestions, I'd be happy to hear them. I will try my hardest to get the next chapter done soon, but I can't set any definite deadlines right now. Anyway, did you like Chapter 3? Please review!
