Part IX

Diana drifted slowly into awareness. She kept her eyes closed as she took in the sounds and smells of her surroundings. The only sounds she could hear was the steady tick-tock of the bedside clock and the occasional rustle of fabric when she moved around in the bed. Bruce's smell still lingered on her flesh and she smiled as the events if the night replayed in her mind. She reached around in the bed, feeling for Bruce's large form. Her eyes snapped open as she realized he had already vacated the bed. Their bed. The bright sunlight that was now pouring in the balcony doors blinded her; instinctually she slammed them shut again. Where was he, she wondered? Of course she had never spent the night with him, so for all she knew he always got out of bed before….
Diana rolled over to look at the bedside clock. Eleven a.m.!
She heard a soft knock at the bedroom doors. Diana tried to cover to cover herself as best she could with the bed sheets before replying.

"Yes?"

The door eased open and Alfred came in bearing a tray with what looked like a breakfast fit for a queen. Or at least a former princess, Diana thought.

"I surmised that you might be hungry, Miss Diana, so I took the liberty of
preparing you breakfast before you departed the manor."

"Thank you very much, Alfred. I didn't realize how hungry I was until now."

" You are very welcome, Miss, now if you will excuse me I shall retrieve
your uniform for you."

"Alfred, wait. Do you know where Bruce is this morning?"

Diana saw a look of sadness wash over his face.

"I'm afraid Master Bruce has retreated to the Batcave for the day, Miss Diana."

The disappointment was apparent in her voice when she asked.

"Why?"

"I'm afraid that is not a matter for me to discuss. Just know that what he does,
he thinks is for the best. Although I have my doubts. Good bye Miss Diana."

Diana looked down at the tray Alfred had placed on her lap. She realized she wasn't hungry anymore. She sat the tray to the side and climbed out of the enormous bed, dragging with her one of the soft sheets to cover her naked form.

As she arose she swatted the clock from the bedside table and heard it make a satisfying dent in the wall before busting to pieces and falling to the floor. She stomped across the floor to Bruce's bathroom, the whole time muttering about how her sisters were right. The only thing she wanted right now was to get his stink off of her. She dropped the sheet to the tiled floor and climbed into the glass and tile shower stall.

The hot water did nothing to relieve the tension that now bundled her muscles. A tension that was non-existent last night in his arms.

"Hera, why did he have to be so stubborn?"

She had thought that last night he had finally allowed her into his life. Now she realized that, like all the other times he showed any affection towards her, that it was only due to him being in the right frame of mind. Not that his normal frame of mind was right. She placed her hands against the tiled walls of the shower and leaned her head forward to let the water drench her. He was running. He would stand his ground and fight to the death with Darkseid, but he runs away after spending one night with her. Stupid man. She clenched her hands and felt the tile crumble beneath her fingertips. She climbed out of the shower and dried off quickly. She then wrapped a large towel around her body and padded back into the master bedroom. On the bed Diana saw her uniform laid out neatly.

Alfred had outdone himself. The bloodstains were gone and her breastplate and boots were as highly polished as when she first donned them. She dropped the towel onto the bed and began to dress. It was time to leave.

Diana strode regally down the stairs into the cave. She looked around hopefully, but as she expected Bruce was nowhere to be seen. She called out his name in vain.

"Bruce." The word echoed throughout the cavernous facility.

"Bruce, I know you're here!" Silence.

"This is it Bruce, now or never! I love you, but I can't make you love me
back."

Her eyes moistened, as what she had assumed became a reality.

"I've got to get off this ride Bruce!"

Diana heard only a flutter of bats above her.

"I'm done Bruce."

Batman was perched high in the stalagmites of the cave, watching Diana's every movement. He'd awoken that morning with a peace he hadn't known since that night in Crime Alley. She lay perfectly still curled up next to him. He breathed in her scent. He had once thought he would never smell it again, but never did he think he'd smell it mixed with his own. To him she was the epitome of everything beautiful in the world. She'd probably never know the effect she had on him. It was almost as if she was able to share the burden which he bore.

He knew it couldn't be that way though. His burden was what made him who he was. It was what drove him to be the best. It was his alone to bear. He had borne it all for so many years, through so many deaths and horrible crimes, but he had never gotten used to it, he was only able to balance it. What would happen if something happened to Diana? He was terrified that if something happened to her on his watch, he'd be thrown off balance and loose control.

The same thing she was afraid of. He'd seen it for himself when he watched her dream. That was something he couldn't afford to let happen. So he had made a decision. No Diana.

He had watched from high above as Diana walked down the stone stairs. He could tell from her body language that she was angry. Good, it'll make this easier. He heard her call out his name. Her yells had caused the bats around him to flutter and cry out, but his eyes remained on Diana. She begged him to show himself, and he wanted to go to her. He clenched his teeth and watched as she gave up hope in him. He lost sight of her as she walked in the direction of the transporter. In the distance he heard the crunch of metal and then a loud bang as something hit the cave floor. He winced.

A muted beeping from his belt signaled that she had left the cave. So he dropped down from his perch onto the steel walkway below him. He made his way to the transporter pad, checking every so often to see if anything was broken. He knew what he had heard though. To get to the transporter you had to go by the Batmobile. He found it lying on its roof. The front-end suspension lay a few feet from it, Diana's handprints visibly bent into the linkage. Bruce smiled despite himself. It was a small price to pay for a night with a goddess.