Part XI

She materialized on the transporter pad in the Watchtower's East wing as suddenly as she had left the one at the embassy. Stomping off the pad still in a huff, Diana plotted a course for the training room. The only thing on her mind now was lashing out physically. Anything to stop the ache that had settled on her body since this morning. She left the cave that morning for her apartment, hoping to calm down before the meeting that evening. It did not go as well as she hoped. She'd paced the apartment fuming for nearly three hours. Even after her shower earlier, she could still detect his scent lingering of her flesh. It was maddening. The first two hours she had tried to ignore it. To force it from her mind. No such luck. Washing hadn't worked; she had thought maybe she could cover it with another smell. Something more pleasant. Running around the apartment she'd lit her many candles. Feeling satiated she sat down in an overstuffed chair letting the cushions drag her into their depths. For a moment she found peace. It was short lived when she observed the atmosphere she had created. The entire apartment was lit in soft candlelight. Not the best environment to forget a guy, she realized. Thinking about him, his scent reemerged stronger. She could almost feel his lips on hers. No. She wasn't going to do this to herself, especially over an ass like Bruce.

Feeling defeated she retreated to her bathroom. Pushing open the door, she remembered yet again why this was her favorite room in her apartment.

The room was not much smaller than her bedroom. Its design was not unlike her bath on Themyscira. The walls and floors were made of a rich white marble, which was almost luminescent. The tub was, in her opinion, the greatest aspect of the room. It was partially sunken into the tiled floor and modeled to resemble an ancient Greek bath. Scenes from Greek mythology were painted along the walls and base of the bath. Athena's birth from lord Zeus's head. Selene's falling in love with the ever slumbering Endymion. As well as the mighty Artemis on the hunt. She tread over to the tub and began filling it with hot water and bath salts. Maybe she could scrub and soak his stench away. Feeling the chill that was a constant here, she quickly disrobed and climbed into its awaiting warmth. She scrubbed her body until her fingers were like flesh colored prunes. No good. Giving up on that approach she lay perfectly still, letting the hot water try to soothe her still tense muscles. To think that this morning she had been more relaxed than she'd been in months. Bruce had a way to make her feel many different ways. Some good. Some bad. Closing her eyes she lay back into the tub. She'd let her thoughts drift to the night before. To Bruce's touch as he'd led her to his bed. She could still feel his hand as it burned against the bare flesh of her back.

Diana sat upright suddenly, splashing water all over the tiled floor. Stop thinking about that, she told herself. Over and over she told herself that. There was no denying she was angry with Bruce, but the was also no denying that night had been amazing. He never said it, but his love was shown to her again and again in his eyes. She'd known he had felt that way for sometime, but last night confirmed it for both of them. What she needed, as a woman, was something she now thought he'd never give her. His admission of love. That angered her more than anything.

Feeling her relaxing bath was now a waste Diana dried off. After reapplying her uniform, she headed to the Watchtower, in the hopes that she could blow off some steam before the meeting. So she was now stomping through the base's corridors, completely oblivious to all around her. So much so that when Superman stepped out in front of her, he was sent stumbling backwards, before regaining his footing. After regaining his composure, he noticed the distraught look on his friend's face.

"Diana, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Kal, I just need to blow off some steam."

"Seems like a little more than steam."

To Clark it seemed as if she was on the verge of tears. He grabbed her firmly by the shoulders.

"What is it Diana?"

"It's Bruce. Last night we… slept together and…"

"Wwwhat?" Clark was shocked, no stupefied by her disclosure.

"He just disregards my feelings and my own. He was gone before I even woke up, Kal."

Diana never looked up at him as he muttered.

"That bastard."

She felt a gust of wind and looked up. Superman was gone. Confused, it took her a moment to register what had happened.

"Uh oh."