Chapter 2

Batman slowed his determined pace as he reached the doors to the infirmary, his heart suddenly finding his throat once more. As enraged as he was over what had happened to Diana, he was just as equally terrified of losing her, of never seeing those blue eyes staring back at him ever again.

Pausing, he lowered his head, the palm of gloved hand coming to rest against the door. He drew a deep breath, fighting back the twisted emotions raging within and relentlessly chipping away at his iron-clad control. He refused to let the cold mask of indifference crack, not even here. Not even with her he reminded himself.

Everything inside of him wanted to walk away and not even look back, to lock himself away in the protected solitude of the batcave where he could just hide away from the agonizing pain that was slowly eating away at him.

He didn't want to face this or his feelings for the Amazon Princess. He wanted to rebuild the thick impenetrable wall around his heart that had kept him safe all these years, the very wall that she had somehow managed to find a way through.

And yet at the same time, he found himself so desperate to see her, to know with absolute certainty that she was going to be alright. He ached to hold her in his arms, to feel her breath on his face and her heart beating steadily against his chest. He needed to see her so full of life and energy again just like she had been this morning when he had first seen her today, before they had been thrust into that horrible battle to save earth once more.

Steeling his heart, Batman forced himself to enter the infirmary to find it dimly lit save for the light above an occupied bed on the far end of the medical bay. He slowly made his way towards her, the steady echo of his boot strikes against the hard floor adding to the unremitting noises of the machines helping keep Diana alive.

Nearing her, Bruce's breath caught in an unexpected sharp gasp as his intense gaze finally fell on the Amazon warrior lying motionless in the bed before him. He swallowed hard at the sight of Diana lying so broken before him, so battered and bruised.

She was a ghostly shade of pale, a large gash above her left eye extending down the side of her beautiful face. Bruises too many to begin to count were already forming on her face and arms. Her left leg lay exposed on the bed, a thick cast protecting the badly broken bones in desperate need of mending. She was hooked up to every monitor known to medicine; the best technology money could buy. Tubes and wires were attached to her body, an oxygen tube beneath her nose.

His legs suddenly felt weak as they began to move of their own accord, forcing him to the side of her bed, his steady gaze never leaving her as he numbly sank into a nearby chair. Without a second thought, he reached up to do something that he'd never done in the Watchtower before, not in a place where someone could potentially see him, discover his true identity.

Batman pulled his cowl off exposing his face.

Removing his gauntlets, he leaned forward, gently taking her hand in his, the one part of her that wasn't injured or broken. He wanted…no…needed that skin to skin contact, to have that small connection with her.

Despite his rigid resolve, tears suddenly stung his tired eyes and filled his throat causing it to constrict painfully. A tremble rolled through him as he clutched her hand tightly in his, a single tear suddenly breaking free against his will.

He didn't think he could remember the last time that he had actually cried or truly allowed tears to even form let alone fall and yet she had him teetering on the precipice of losing control. Swallowing hard, he banished those tears, refusing to allow anymore of them to fall.

One was all she'd get from him. That was more than anyone else had ever gotten save for his parents.

It still amazed and baffled him how she managed to have such an overwhelming affect on him. No one before her had ever been able to break through his impenetrable defenses that had never failed him in the past or how she had been able to reach inside and touch his heart.

It both infuriated and terrified him all at the same time. He didn't know how to counteract it, found himself completely defenseless against her.

Releasing her hand, Bruce reached out to carefully brush a lock of raven hair from her pale face. "You have to fight, Diana," he softly told her. "You're not allowed to leave us."

Superman came to a sudden stop outside of the infirmary, his attention caught by a dark form sitting beside Diana's bed. He watched as Batman took her hand in his, his other hand reaching up to wipe something from his cheek.

Was the formidable Dark Knight actually crying?

He couldn't believe that he had removed his cowl, was losing control of his emotions that he kept buried so deep no one could ever touch them…except for Diana he ventured to guess. It both startled and alarmed him. He had never seen Bruce like this before, had never seen him in the Watchtower without his mask on.

Clark continued to watch him for a few more minutes, his mind trying to process what he was actually witnessing. There was a part of him that felt bad for his friend, knowing full well what Bruce's past entailed and the horrifying things that he had been forced to endure at such a young age.

He, more than anyone Clark had ever known, deserved to know real happiness in his life, to know true love. He just didn't like the idea that Bruce had found what he had needed all along in Diana.

He entered the infirmary, his jaw clenched tight. He watched as Bruce visibly stiffened, sitting back in his chair as Clark approached. He didn't even bother replacing his mask. Clark already knew a few of his secrets including his identity.

"How is she?"

"Alive for the moment." Bruce's clipped response came without even turning to make eye contact with the Man of Steel, his focus on the woman unconscious before him.

Clark stopped on the other side of Diana's bed, his intense gaze practically boring straight through the caped crusader sitting somberly across from him, trying to peel back layer upon layer of defenses and walls that he had erected over the years in order to find some answers.

He crossed his muscular arms against his chest, trying to decide exactly how he wanted to approach this. He knew he had to be careful when it came to Bruce. Despite being almost like brothers, Clark knew that if he didn't word it right or took the wrong approach, Bruce would shut him down and shut him out in less than a heartbeat. At the same time, though, he wanted answers.

"Have you been able to find out anything yet about the weapon the Akusu used on Diana?" he finally asked.

"No, J'onn is working on analyzing it right now," Bruce replied, glancing up at the man looming large across from him.

He could tell by the look on his friend's face that Clark wanted to ask him something more, wanted to go down a path that Bruce was dead-set against going down. He didn't want to talk about his feelings with anyone and definitely not with Clark. Right now, all that mattered was saving Diana. Everything else was trivial, including his love for the Amazon.

"Bruce…" Superman began, drawing a deep breath.

"Don't, Clark," he immediately snapped with a warning tone. "I don't want to talk about it. I'm fine. We just need to focus on Diana right now."

Clark's gaze suspiciously narrowed, his lips pursed into a thin line as he debated whether or not to push it. He ultimately decided not to…at least for the moment. While he would let it go for now, they would eventually be having this conversation whether Bruce liked it or not.

"Do you think we should let her mother know?" Clark finally asked instead.

Bruce seemed to relax minutely, his shoulders losing an ounce of the tension that they had just held. "I think we should wait and see how the next couple of days go," he replied, his voice losing a small measure of the heat it had just held. "If we can find a way to neutralize whatever they did to her healing ability, she'll have a much better chance of pulling through this."

"But what if she dies?" Clark pressed, his voice suddenly thick with emotion. "Shouldn't Hippolyta have a chance to say goodbye to her daughter before she's gone?"

Bruce's face instantly went rigid with Clark's words, his jaw clenching, his eyes flashing with a deadly warning. "Diana is not going to die," he ground out, anger punctuating his every word.

"You suddenly have hope now?"

"I'm not going to let her die," he spat out.

"Bruce, you may be the resourceful Batman, have unlimited resources and money at your fingertips, but you are not God," Superman reminded him, his anger rising with Bruce's arrogance. Diana's life wasn't something he could possibly control.

"I will do whatever it takes in order to save her life," Batman glowered at his friend.

Clark shook his head. "What changed, Bruce?" he demanded to know. "Over an hour ago, you practically had Diana buried and now you suddenly think you can save her life?"

Bruce stood to his feet, his anger flaring hotly deep in his core. He didn't owe Clark or anyone else for that matter any explanation about his sudden change. Besides, this wasn't about him at all. Seeing her broken body had changed him, had made him see how desperately she needed them right now.

"Look at her, Clark!" Batman growled, pointing at Diana lying unconscious between them. "How will she ever survive this unless we fight for her?"

Superman stared at him for a long hard moment before glancing down again at Diana. He was momentarily taken aback by the fierceness that oozed from the Batman, the raw determination he had seen blazing in his eyes. Questions continued to bombard his mind, his apprehension and worry about Bruce's feelings for Diana growing by the moment. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen him this out of control with his emotions.

Bruce stared back at him, not the least bit intimidated by the powerful Man of Steel standing before him. The sudden change in the expression on Superman's face forced him to rein in a measure of his anger, knowing he was letting his emotions get the better of him and sparking suspicion in his friend's mind.

"Don't give me that look, Clark," Batman scowled, shaking his head. "You know that I would fight to save a life no matter who was lying in this bed."

"I know, but you just seem more…resolved…to save Diana than I've ever seen in you before," he replied, his tone softening some. "Look, Bruce, we both care deeply for Diana and want her to survive this. Whatever it takes to save her life, we'll do it."

Batman slowly nodded his head in agreement, knowing that Clark was not the enemy here. Time and the Akusu were the enemies. They just had to make sure she made it through the next forty-eight hours and then hopefully she'd be out of the woods by then.

Clark sighed heavily, his arms falling to his sides once more. He didn't feel like arguing with Batman any longer or trying to discover just how deep his feelings for Diana truly ran. He was exhausted and he still had reports that he needed to give to the United Nations on the alien attack.

"I have to go file reports before the UN starts breathing down our necks about what happened today," Superman announced. "I'll be back to check on her later. Do you need anything?"

Bruce relaxed some, unclenching his hands that he had unknowingly curled into tight defiant fists. "No, I'm fine," he raspingly replied. "I'm going to stay here with her."

Clark nodded his head, somehow knowing that was the Batman's plan all along. "Call me if anything changes," he told him.

"I will," he promised.

Clark turned his attention to Diana, his fingers lightly tracing the delicate curve of her cheek as he studied her, a grief-stricken expression flooding his face. Bruce ground his teeth with the personal way he touched her, but said nothing as he watched Clark finally turn to leave him alone with Diana once more.

He knew that Clark and Diana had always been extremely close, not just professionally but outside of the League as well. It was something that Bruce had been somewhat secretly jealous of if he were truly honest with himself, a deep desire of having that kind of relationship with her always brewing in the corners of his mind. He knew, however, that would require opening himself up to her, allowing her into his dark brooding world, but he didn't know if he was ready for that just yet.

He had always been close friends with Diana, but not like Clark. They seemed to share something that Bruce didn't with her, but things had been rapidly changing between him and the Amazon goddess over the last year, bringing them closer than ever before.

Their weekly training sessions together had caused an unexpected bond of sorts to develop between them, a deep respect between skilled warriors as well as something so much more. He knew that she felt something for him as well on some level, but exactly how deeply those feelings ran he wasn't quite certain yet…or didn't want to know.

They had flirted here and there, mostly her trying to get under his cowl and he giving it right back to her in order to keep her off balanced and unaware of his growing feelings for her. He had foolishly thought that they'd had all the time in the world, time to get around to telling her how he felt about her once he'd gotten up the nerve to finally admit it to himself.

Staring at her now, though, he found that time may have just about run out for them.

XXX

"Do you really think you can beat an Amazon?" she asked with a perfectly arched eyebrow.

"Even Amazons have a weakness or two that can be exploited," he evenly responded.

A smirk curled her lips, her blue eyes practically gleaming with interest. She raised her arms up, prepared for a heated battle with the famed bat of Gotham. "Prove it," she practically purred.

Before she had realized what had happened, Batman had her face down on the training mat, her arm pinned behind her with his knee pressing into her back. His breath was hot blasts against her ear as he leaned in close to her.

"Even an Amazon Princess as powerful and beautiful as you has weaknesses," he huskily said in her ear.

He abruptly flipped her onto her back, keeping her pinned to the ground with his weight. As he gazed into her impossibly blue eyes, he suddenly realized the very real danger that he was in when it came to Diana.

He could've so easily gotten lost in those incredible blue eyes, in that exquisite face, her lips. He felt a sudden overwhelming urge to kiss her that had seemed to well up out of nowhere, so unexpected and so unwanted.

He already had everything in life that he needed – a mansion, money beyond imagining, a playboy image and a city that was his to protect. Everything in his life was just as he had wanted it, everything fitting so neatly into compartments of his making and choosing.

Love was messy…complicated. Love with Diana would be…disastrous. Or at least that's what he'd told himself.

She was a good friend, a close colleague. A relationship with a teammate would only cause headaches, upsetting the controlled balance that he fought so hard to maintain in his life. It would be beyond his ability to control, too many extraneous factors to account for.

"Are you going to let me up or are you just going to keep staring at me?"

He mentally shook himself, forcing back the unwanted longing for her. "That was lesson number one," he told her, his voice rough like sandpaper as he finally got up and extended a hand to her. "Do you think you can handle lesson number two?"

Ignoring is offered hand, Diana got to her feet, a fierce look in her eye and a scowl on her beautiful face. He fought back the smirk that tugged at the corners of his mouth, refusing to allow it to fully form despite his fascination with her.

"You will find that I am more than you can handle," she coyly replied.

Batman suddenly awoke, sitting up a little straighter in his chair. The memory of his first training session with Diana brought a fleeting smile to his face. It had been in that next breath that he had unexpectedly found himself on his back staring up at her as she leaned over him, a smug grin of victory or revenge on her face, he wasn't certain which.

She had proven to be an impressive opponent over the months since then, a training partner the likes of which he'd never met. He had never met a more worthy challenge than Wonder Woman, her skill and grace always managing to amaze him.

He had always appreciated her ability to fight, her strength and drive very impressive, but through their training sessions together, he had gained an even deeper sense of respect for her as well as something he hadn't expected – love.

He truly loved her, had unknowingly lost his heart to her along the way.

Gazing at her now, Bruce drew a deep breath, finding some small measure of comfort in the slow steady rise and fall of her chest letting him know that she was still alive, still fighting deep down inside. Even though broken on the outside, he knew her spirit was strong on the inside. Every hour, every minute that slipped by brought him that much more hope that she would survive this.

It had been several hours since his almost argument with Clark, giving him plenty of time to think. He had been truthful when he had told him that he would fight for any one of the League members lying in this bed now, but they both knew that he would fight hardest for Diana.

Rubbing his eyes, he was thankful that Clark hadn't pushed the issue, delving into a topic that he was not ready to discuss with anyone. He knew that he loved Diana more than he had ever loved another woman, but that didn't necessarily mean he was ready to admit it out loud, ready to do something about it.

Too many obstacles stood in their way, too many reasons why it would never work. Could he risk a close friendship like they shared for something that could only cause more pain and heartache in the end?

And yet watching her here…now, he couldn't stand the thought of losing her, of her never knowing how much he loved her. He would never know her touch, her intimate kisses or the heated moan of his name on her lips as they made love if he lost her.

He hated how Diana made him want to lose control and yet he longed so desperately for her that he could hardly breathe at times. He growled softly under her breath. If she lived through this, he knew he was going to have to either let her in or let her go forever. They couldn't continue this pointless dance that tiptoed around their true feelings for one another.

Just then, alarms began going off, blaring wildly and striking panic in the Batman's heart. Turning to the monitor, he watched in horror as Diana's heart rate abruptly flat-lined.