Chapter 3

Batman leapt to his feet as Dr. Bennett and his staff raced into the infirmary, their expressions grim yet determined. He swiftly moved aside as the team circled around Diana's bed, his cape swirling around his boots as Dr. Bennett shouted orders and grabbed supplies in order to save Diana's life.

Bruce backed out of the way, wanting to make sure they had plenty of room to work and yet felt such an overwhelming need to be near her. He stared at the bed where she laid, catching glimpses of her here and there between the emergency team shifting and furiously working to save her life once more.

Icy tendrils of fear wrapped tightly around his heart as he waited in breathless anticipation. He was terrified of losing her, of her never being a part of his life ever again. The horrifying stark reality of watching the one he loved teetering so precariously on the cusp of death coiled his insides even tighter than it already was nearly taking him to his knees.

He hadn't felt this way...this twisted and raw and broken inside since…since…

Suddenly, all of the reasons as to why he couldn't tell her how he felt, all of the seemingly legitimate fears of actually letting her into his very private world all seemed so very foolish, suddenly so inconsequential to the bleak reality of losing her forever.

The sound of the infirmary door being slammed open pulled him from his tormented thoughts. He didn't bother turning. He knew who it was. Besides, he feared if he took his eyes off of her, she'd suddenly be gone, disappearing from sight and slipping through his fingers forever.

The fragility of life had never hit him so hard as it did now, reminding him of the last time that the gruesome reality of life had roared in his face like a deadly lion in that dark alley so many years ago when he'd lost his parents.

"What happened?" Clark demanded, his voice sharp and edged with the fear Bruce was battling.

"I'm not sure," he rasped, his focus solely on Diana as he clenched and unclenched his fists in helpless frustration. "She was fine one moment and then…" his voice suddenly broke off. "I don't know."

Clark cast a sidelong glance at his friend standing rigidly beside him, his every muscle coiled tight as a spring as if about to race headlong into a deadly battle. He placed a sympathetic hand on Bruce's shoulder, surprised when he didn't shrug him off.

"Come on, Diana," Bruce whispered under his breath. "Don't do this."

It felt like an eternity of waiting and watching, hoping and willing her to pull through this…this nightmare that was playing out before them. Every hammer of his heart reminded him that he was alive while Diana struggled and fought to keep hers beating.

The team suddenly stopped working, Bruce and Clark both holding a collective breath as Dr. Bennett slowly turned and made his way to them. Bruce's eyes immediately searched his face for answers, relieved at least to that the monitors were recording signs of life in her once more.

"What happened?" Bruce demanded with a growl. "Is she going to be alright?"

"Her blood pressure suddenly plummeted, but I believe I have her stabilized at least for now," he informed them.

"For now?" Bruce snapped, feelings of utter helplessness clawing painfully at his heart.

"It's like I said before," Dr. Bennett gravely shook his head. "The next forty-eight hours are going to be very rocky. If we can get her through that time, I think she stands a better chance of surviving this."

Clark could practically feel Bruce tensing even more beside him, his anger and frustration rolling off of him in heated waves that made him internally cringe. He understood his violent emotions all too well. He was feeling it too.

"Thank you, Doctor," Clark softly said.

The doctor nodded before exiting, leaving them alone with Diana again. Clark's eyes wandered to his friend fighting for her life. He felt tears pool in his eyes against his will. He couldn't stand the thought of her in this condition, so broken and barely alive.

"This is wrong," Clark angrily stated. "It never should've been her. She's not supposed to die, Bruce."

Batman turned to face his friend, not the least bit surprised to see Clark's face wet with tears. Superman always was the more emotional one in the League, carrying his heart on his sleeve. Forever the boy scout with the good heart…so unlike himself.

"Diana is not going to die," Bruce growled fiercely. "She's going to pull through this."

"We almost lost her just now, Bruce," Clark snapped. "Or are you so emotionally stunted you can't even see it or accept the fact. You're in love with her, but can't even admit that."

Bruce glared at him, doing his best to hold back the stinging retort dancing on his tongue about it being none of his damned business. His chest was almost heaving with his anger and worry for Diana, his need to release the aggression that was building inside becoming almost unbearable.

"I have to go check with J'onn to see if he's found anything yet," his steely response was sharp, his tone clearly stating back off.

"How long are you going to run, Bruce?" Clark pressed as Batman turned to leave. "You can't even admit it to me. What makes you think you'll ever be able to tell her how you feel?"

Bruce gritted his teeth, his anger flaring hotly. He spun on his heel to face the Man of Steel, his nostrils flaring. "Why do you care so much?"

"Because I care about Diana," he spat out.

Before Bruce could respond, J'onn entered the infirmary to find Batman and Superman in a standoff. "How's Diana?" he asked. "I heard there was an emergency alert in the medical bay. Is she alright?"

"She's stable for the moment again," Clark replied with a frown, finally breaking eye contact with Batman to acknowledge the Martian Manhunter.

J'onn quickly picked up on the anger simmering between the two, the suffocating tension that permeated the room. Even though close, Batman and Superman had their heated arguments at times. He sensed this one involved the Amazon Princess. He knew they both felt deeply when it came to her, each very protective over her, but one loved her more, loved her differently.

"Were you able to discover anything about the weapon yet?" Bruce asked, thankful for the diversion.

The Martian Manhunter slowly shook his head. "Regrettably no nothing yet, but I'm still working on it," he admitted. "It's going to take some time."

"Unfortunately, Diana doesn't have it," Bruce snorted, turning away from his teammates to return to Diana's side.

"He's taking this very hard," J'onn observed.

"Yes, he is," Clark agreed. "More than I had ever expected."

"He loves her," J'onn softly replied watching as the Batman pulled a chair close to Diana's bed. "Has for a very long time."

Clark's chest tightened with the Manhunter's words. Why did it bother him so much that Bruce was in love with Diana? Rumors had been floating around for months that there was more than just friendship between the two superheroes, but nothing ever came of it so Clark had just ignored it after a while. Now, though, it was painfully obvious and it annoyed the hell out of him.

"You don't agree?" J'onn asked, cocking his head to the side as he studied Superman's irritated expression.

"No, I agree," he murmured. "I just don't like it."

"And why would that be?" he questioned the Man of Steel. "You love her, but not quite like he does."

"I know, but he'll only end up hurting her if he pursues this," Clark stated, his tone laced with icy jealousy. "His cold brooding world will only crush her spirit and break her heart."

"I think Diana is just what he needs," J'onn told him. "She's one of the few who can truly handle him and his temperamental ways, the only one who can stand up to him and he accepts it."

"That may be, but I don't want her getting hurt by him," Superman said, his arms crossed against his chest as he watched Bruce.

"Diana is a strong woman," he reminded him. "She is more than capable of taking care of herself as well as the reclusive Batman."

Clark knew in his heart that what J'onn was saying was true, but he didn't want to admit it or accept it. For some reason, he just couldn't get past the fact that Diana was the one that Bruce was in love with or that she quite possibly loved him in return.

"I need to head back to my tests on that Akusu weapon," J'onn informed him. "I'll let the League members know how she's doing."

"Thanks, J'onn," Clark replied with a heavy sigh.

Clark stood there watching Bruce and Diana for several long moments before finally leaving the infirmary. If Bruce truly wanted to be with Diana, then he was going to have to get through him first to do it.

XXX

Bruce stared at his laptop screen reviewing the data that J'onn had been able to upload about the weapon the Akusu had used on Diana. The technology was highly advanced, its affect obviously devastating.

He paused to glance at her over the top of his laptop, needing to see her steady breaths with his own eyes. He knew the monitors were there tracking her life signs, but he needed to see it for himself.

He watched her for a few moments before finally tearing his gaze away from her. It was like a knife to his heart to have to see her like this and yet he couldn't stand the thought of not being near her. He didn't want her to be alone, to open her eyes and not be there.

Unfortunately since the attack yesterday, she looked even worse, not better if that was even possible. Dr. Bennett had been in several times since her heart had stopped to see her as well as just about every other League member, almost every single one of them leaving with tears in their eyes.

He had always known how well loved Diana was within the League, the utmost respect that they had held for her, but seeing it demonstrated now had somehow made his love for her that much stronger, that much harder to continue to ignore.

She truly was an amazing woman, someone who only deserved the best…which he was pretty certain wasn't him. And yet, the love he had witnessed burning in her eyes when she looked at him still never ceased to astound him. It was inconceivable that an immortal goddess like her could find any redeeming worth in someone such as him, someone so cold and outwardly cruel.

She had somehow managed to see past all of his defense mechanisms, all the entrenched ways that he had put in place over the years to protect himself and keep everyone at arm's length. For some incomprehensible reason, it never seemed to work with her no matter how hard he tried to keep her at bay, no matter how callous and clipped he was with her.

She always came back, a smile on her beautiful face and that same love in her brilliant blue eyes.

Except now…now, she might not be coming back to him at all this time. Though this wasn't his fault, he couldn't help the guilt that swam in his gut at not being able to keep her safe, not getting to her quick enough.

The overwhelming helplessness that sitting here with her hour after hour watching her fight for her life created was unbearable. How much worse would it be to be physically involved with her? Of waking every morning to her in his arms and that beautiful smile that made his heart stutter in his chest only to lose her to something like this?

How would he be able to cope?

It was already next to unbearable now since she had managed to steal his heart. How much more painful would it be once he gave her his love in return, once he'd had a chance to taste the incredible pleasure that she could no doubt give him?

Bruce tried to focus once more on his computer screen only to find the images blurred through a curtain of unwanted tears once more. Only she could reduce him to this emotional mess, only one able to bring moisture to eyes that hadn't shed tears in more years than he could remember.

Only her. Only Diana.

With a frown, he began angrily punching buttons, furious with himself for allowing a woman to get to him like this. But she wasn't just any ordinary woman. She was an Amazon goddess and she had managed to lasso his heart against his will.

The sound of the infirmary doors opening again caused him to stiffen and growl under his breath. He just wanted to be left alone with her, the constant sting of superhero visitors trying to force him to make conversation stirring his anger even more than it already was.

He was in no mood to talk to anyone, wanting to just be left alone with her and his dark brooding thoughts. He sighed heavily as he forced himself to look up and acknowledge the new visitor. He was relieved to find J'onn making his way to him, a tray of food in his hands.

"Any change?" J'onn asked as he set the tray of food down on a nearby table before pulling up a chair to sit beside the Batman.

"No," Bruce stated, turning his attention back to his laptop. "But the constant parade of visitors has been annoying as hell."

J'onn smiled at his irritable remark that was so Batman. "I'm surprised anyone would have the nerve to even approach with the terrifying Batman keeping watch over her."

Batman allowed a slight smile to reach his lips despite his best efforts, the Martian Manhunter's teasing tone almost soothing to his frayed nerves at the moment. "I think I must be losing my edge," he grumbled.

J'onn chuckled softly. "I highly doubt that," he shook his head in disagreement. "Not the fearsome Dark Knight of Gotham."

Batman smiled again at his words, not one that reached his eyes anyways, but it was there nonetheless. They sat in companionable silence for several minutes, the soft beeps of numerous monitors and the steady dripping of the IV the only sounds.

J'onn could practically feel the Batman's heartache, the pain that he was feeling eating away at him. He didn't need his telepathic abilities to know he was hurting though he tried his best to hide it. "I brought you something to eat," J'onn finally offered.

"Thank you," Batman tightly replied. "I'm not hungry."

"You need to eat something. You haven't eaten anything since you and Superman brought Diana back to the Watchtower," he reminded him. "You need to keep up your strength. We can't have you felling ill as well."

"Thank you for your concern, J'onn, but I'll be fine once Diana opens her eyes."

His voice held no anger, only exhaustion and worry now. He continued to review the information J'onn had sent him, ignoring his concerned stare. He wasn't in the mood to argue with the Martian Manhunter too. Clark had already made his foul mood that much more foul, the war raging inside that much stronger.

"You know there is no shame in admitting that you love someone," J'onn softly said. "It is not a sign of weakness to allow another into our hearts. It can only make us that much stronger."

Batman kept his gaze locked on his computer as he fought the never-ending battle inside between heart and mind, logic and love, the bat and the man. "It is if it leads to the one you love being hurt because of who you are or what you do," he finally said to him.

"Diana being here has nothing to do with you, Batman," he reminded him.

"I know that, but what about the next time or the time after that?" he snapped, his anger warming his voice once more. "Everyone who I let get close to me gets hurt. I can't risk losing her too. I won't."

"First of all, Diana isn't just anyone. She's an immortal goddess whose strength rivals that of Superman's," he told him. "Second of all, don't you think that you should let Diana decide the risks herself instead of making the decision for the both of you?"

"It's better this way, J'onn," he bit out. "It's safer for her."

"Safer how? She's already fight for her life," he pointed out. "Is it safer for her not knowing that you love her in return? Diana still got hurt yesterday regardless. Are you that willing to let her die without ever knowing what love in the man's world is all about or would it be better if she found it with someone else?"

Bruce clenched his jaw, the thought of another man touching her or making love to her causing jealous rage to suddenly pound through his veins, making it difficult to even think straight. He'd never be able to stand by and watch her with another man.

"Maybe she deserves someone better," he finally said.

J'onn sighed heavily as he watched his friend, wishing there was something he could say to help Batman see how very wrong he was. "There are not many men more noble, more compassionate at heart or more deserving of love than you, my friend. Just think about it," he told him as he stood to his feet and moved to leave.

He almost reached the door when a sudden soft voice suddenly brought him a stop. "Thank you, J'onn."

The Martian Manhunter turned and smiled. "You are more than welcome."

He watched as Batman returned to his laptop, hoping that he wouldn't wait to tell Diana how he felt once she woke…if she ever opened her eyes again.