Chapter 4

"…been five days…"

"…give…more time…her fever…finally broke…"

"Bruce…is your problem?"

"…none of your business, Clark."

"Diana, is my business…"

"Why don't you go back to Lois and leave me alone," Batman spat out.

"Bruce…"

Both men turned sharply at the raspy sound of the Batman's name from the woman lying in the bed several feet away from them. "Diana," Bruce breathlessly murmured, his throat clenching at the sight of her looking back at him with those gorgeous blue eyes.

They both moved to either side of her bed, beyond relieved to see her finally awake after the last several days of hell, of not knowing whether she would live or die. It had been one of the worst, one of the longest weeks of their lives especially after the high fever she spiked that lasted a couple of days.

Diana fought to keep her eyes open, desperate to learn what had happened, what her two friends were arguing about. She felt like she had been run over by a freight train...more than once. She groaned as she tried to sit up, pain raking through every fiber of her being.

"Easy," Bruce cautioned, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder to keep her from getting up. "You aren't going anywhere any time soon, Diana."

Superman took her fingers in his, squeezing them gently and being careful of her broken wrist. "You gave us all quite a bad scare, Di," he told her.

"What…happened…"

They both watched as she swiftly slipped back into the arms of unconsciousness before either of them could answer, their hearts sinking once more. At least she had woken for a few moments, giving them both hope that she was finally turning a corner.

Bruce's heart was still racing as he stared at her. Diana had woken, her only word his name. Not Clark's, not any other person's name. Only him. The crushing weight he had felt inside suddenly seemed just a little lighter than it had since Diana was injured. She was finally going to make it through this.

He was relieved that he had stood firm in his daily arguments with Clark about what to do with Diana. Clark wanted to notify her mother, Hippolyta, about what had happened to her, but Bruce had adamantly refused.

They had the best technology and staff money could buy on board the Watchtower taking care of her now. Besides, there was no need upsetting Diana's mother until they knew more about her condition.

In all honesty, though, Bruce feared Hippolyta whisking Diana away from them and back to Themyscira where no man was allowed to set foot. He couldn't allow that to happen, couldn't accept not seeing her, making sure that she was taken care of.

Batman looked up to see Clark staring at Diana as well, his face a mixture of sadness and relief. Clark had never shown any romantic interest in Diana, nothing beyond close friendship. They seemed more like brother and sister than lovers. Was he upset that Diana had said his name and not Clark's when she had finally woken?

Clark was his closest friend, but he was not about to let him win Diana's heart if that's what he truly wanted.

"At least she opened her eyes," Clark finally said, breaking the awkward silence that hung between them like a heavy curtain. His voice had entirely lost the heat that it had just held, replaced now with relief, hope.

"It's definitely a good sign," Bruce agreed as he stared at Diana, thankful that a couple of her bruises were beginning to fade a little. Since the attack, even more had appeared making him wonder if she would ever look like herself again.

"Bruce, I know you are in love with Diana," he said, his voice calmer than it had been earlier.

Clark had put off this conversation long enough. Now that they knew that Diana might finally be taking a turn for the better, he wanted to know where Bruce stood with her. He had to know for his own peace of mind.

"I don't want to discuss it, Clark," Bruce tightly replied, refusing to meet the Man of Steel's intense probing gaze.

"I do," he countered. "Are you going to pursue a relationship with her?"

"Like I said before, it's none of your business," Bruce coolly stated, moving away from the bed to the makeshift office he had setup in the infirmary. It had been his home since Diana had arrived here.

"And like I said before, Diana is my business," he replied, his anger rising once more. "I don't want to see my best friend getting hurt by you."

"I don't want her to get hurt either," he agreed, opening his laptop.

"Well, it looks like we at least agree on one thing when it comes to Diana," Clark snapped.

"What does or does not happen between Diana and me does not concern you," he told him again, refusing to make eye contact with him as he began to type.

Clark appraised him for a long moment, folding his arms against his chest. "Bruce, I know you have a very hard time letting people get close to you," he continued. "I don't want you to let Diana in just to push her away and crush her later. She's never been a real relationship with a man before."

"Don't you think I know that?" Bruce scowled, finally turning to look at him. "I don't want her to get hurt either. Besides, it doesn't matter what my feelings are when it comes to her."

Superman was stunned by Bruce's response. It was more than he thought he'd get from the reclusive Batman. In all honesty, he thought this argument might come to blows. And it still might.

Clark appraised him with a deep frown on his face. Bruce was dancing around the issue, refusing to confess his feelings for Diana. Did he just not want to admit it or was there something more to it than that?

"What about Diana?" Superman asked. "Did you ever think about how she might feel or what she might want?"

"I'm trying to keep her safe," Bruce growled, leaping to his feet, his hands clenched tightly at his side. "It's not safe around me. We both know that, Clark. Her safety and happiness is all that matters.

"Isn't that what you want along? To keep her away from me? Isn't that why you're here hammering me with questions about my feelings for her? Or is it because you want her for yourself?"

Clark stared at him, stunned by his heated outburst. It wasn't his anger that had surprised him. He knew he had been rapidly pushing him to the edge with his questions, but it was his words. Bruce had obviously already thought through this, analyzed all of the options and variables of having a relationship with her.

"Bruce, I…"

Before Superman could respond further, a sudden interruption cut their argument short as J'onn's haunting voice came on over the speaker in the infirmary. "Superman, you are needed immediately," he announced. "The Akusu are preparing for another attack. They will be here within minutes."

Batman felt the fine hairs on the back of his neck rise with the unexpected news. He had thought that they had handled the Akusu fairly well, making it more than clear they would be dealt with and stopped at all cost.

"Stay here with her," Superman said as he ran from the infirmary.

"No problem," Batman muttered under his breath as he settled down in his chair by her bed once more.

As much as he hated missing out on a chance to make the Akusu pay for what they had done to Diana, he didn't want to leave her side. Even though she had opened her eyes for a brief fleeting moment, he still couldn't shake the overwhelming fear of losing her that clung to him like a second skin.

He wouldn't be happy until she was up and around again, hear her flirtatious comments or see that beautiful smile lighting up her face. Until then, he didn't plan on going anywhere.

XXX

Bruce stared at the screen of his laptop, a scowl taking shape. After analyzing and reanalyzing the unusual weapon they had confiscated from the Akusu, he was still unable to figure out what exactly they had done to Diana.

Her super healing abilities had yet to return, keeping her a prisoner in here and in continued danger since the attack. It was beyond frustrating having to watch her suffer day after day, being forced to heal at a normal human rate.

If he could find a way to restore her healing ability, she'd recover in a matter of days instead of weeks to months like she was forced to do now. She was going to need long term care at this rate and he was more than determined to make sure that she received the very best.

Batman leapt to his feet as a sudden blast jolted the entire Watchtower. He ran to the nearby window to see six small spaceships headed straight for them, weapons firing.

He watched as Superman and Green Lantern flew out to intercept them. A volley of shots bombarded the Watchtower causing it to shudder and shake, but held firm much to his extreme relief. Even though durable, he didn't know how much the Watchtower could actually take and he definitely didn't want to find out now with Diana's life still hanging precariously in the balance.

He watched as Green Lantern ducked and rolled, a beam of light shooting forth from his ring like a bright green ray of sunlight encompassing the small spacecraft. He swung it around and around as it was captured by a lasso, hurtling it deep into space and safely away from them.

Superman raced for the second one, punching it repeatedly and creating a horrific hole in the shuttle's metal while a third one made for the Watchtower. Batman immediately grabbed hold of the wall to brace himself as it rocked with the energy blasts. The Watchtower swiftly began returning fire as the Martian Manhunter flew out to join in the battle.

Bruce cast a glance at Diana, making sure that she was still alright. IV bags swung back and forth from the force of the blasts, but otherwise she was seemed thankfully unaware of the attack.

The Watchtower fired again, destroying one of the alien ships. He could hear Wally cheering in his commlink, alerting him to the fact that the Flash was the one behind the controls. While relieved that the Akusu was now focusing their attack on them instead of on earth this time, he was worried about damage to the Watchtower or Diana getting hurt even worse than she already was.

Peering out the window to the right, Batman's attention was immediately captured by what he saw. Growling under his breath, he braced himself again.

"Wally, to the right!" he yelled into his commlink. "Huge spacecraft approaching.

A string of mumbled profanities flowed through the Batman's commlink from Wally's side of the communication system as the large ship opened fire on them. Batman was suddenly thrown back away from the window by the force of the blast, knocking the wind from his lungs as tables and chair crashed down around him.

He quickly scrambled to his feet before racing to Diana's side. He grabbed hold of the bed railing as the Watchtower took one hit after another causing the ceiling to suddenly begin to crack and crumble above them.

Batman quickly threw himself over Diana, spreading his cape and using his body to protect her from the falling debris. He could feel bits of rubble showering down upon them as the room shook from the repeated beating the Watchtower was taking.

It seemed like hours, but he knew it had only been several long minutes before things suddenly seemed to settle once more. He finally opened his eyes and pulled back a little, being careful to keep the debris off of Diana.

He found himself staring at her beautiful face, her lips just a scant couple of inches away from his. Even as bruised and broken as she was, she still managed to steal his breath away. His tongue darted out to slip along his lips, his throat suddenly a desert with being this close to her.

Bruce ran his hand through her soft raven hair, silently willing her to open her eyes and say his name again. He needed her to be alright again, to be his and yet could he really let her into his dark violent world?

He quickly banished his feelings for the Amazon to the furthest reaches of his heart. He had to stop this, had to keep these heated emotions at bay. It would be better for everyone if he had never fallen in love with her. But a part of him knew it was too late. He was far too gone to ever turn back now.

And yet he had to try.

Forcing himself to pull away from her, he carefully wiped the fallen debris off of his cape. Moving to the window, Batman was relieved to see that the Akusu were finally gone. He was concerned about the amount of damage they had done to the Watchtower. He feared it wouldn't be able to handle another attack like that any time soon.

He finally turned away from the window to take in the amount of damage the infirmary had sustained. There were several broken monitors and computers, table and chairs overturned. Deep cracks spread like spider webs covered the ceiling causing him to fear even more for Diana's safety.

It was no longer safe being here, not when the ceiling could crumble down on top of them.

He was going to have to come up with a new plan for her. But what concerned him even more was why the Akusu had purposefully targeted them this time instead of earth. What did they want…or who?

XXX

"That should hold it for the time being," Green Lantern informed him, lowering his ring as he admired his handiwork on the ceiling.

"Thank you, Lantern," Batman said. "Where's Superman? I need to talk to him."

"Interrogating one of the Akusu he was able to capture," he informed the Dark Knight as he glanced at his friend still lying unconscious in the bed before them. His heart was heavy with worry for her. It was disconcerting to see the Amazon warrior fighting for her life like this.

"What?" Batman snapped. "He was able to capture one?"

"Yes, he's with him now," Lantern replied, turning his attention back to the Batman. "He's trying to find out why they're attacking us."

"I need to talk to him right away," he told him. "Stay with Diana until I return."

Green Lantern watched as Batman raced from the room, wondering what had gotten into him. Of course, when it came to Batman, it was very difficult to say. He knew his friend was beside himself with worry about Wonder Woman, confirming the rumors of something more going on between them.

He just hoped it worked out for them.

XXX

"Why did you attack us?" Superman demanded for what felt like the hundredth time without receiving a response. "I can do this all day so you had better start giving me answers."

The Akusu warrior stood stone-faced, his bright red eyes staring straight ahead at nothing and refusing to answer. His pale green scale-like skin was beaded with sweat under the hot lights of the room, but he refused to divulge any information about the purpose behind their two attacks.

Approaching the prisoner holding area, Batman could hear Superman's voice echoing down the hall. His anger and frustration hung thickly in the air.

"Because of you, my friend is lying unconscious in a bed fighting for her life," he heard Clark yell.

Bruce hoped Cark didn't rip the alien to shreds before they could get some valuable information from him that could help save Diana's life. They hadn't been able to discover anything on their own yet about the weapon they had used that neutralized her powers.

Peering through the window, he saw the Akusu warrior standing tall and proud, unblinking and obviously unwilling to talk if Clark's rising anger was any indication. Gray fluid oozed freely from a deep wound in his shoulder, likely the alien equivalent of blood.

He could tell from his red eyes that the alien was in pain, but at that point his compassion was almost nonexistent. What they had done to Diana was unforgiveable.

"I do have ways of getting the answers that I want," Superman threatened with a deadly calm that surprised even Bruce. He knew, though, when it came to the people Clark cared deeply about, he could be almost as ruthless as the rest of them…which was why he wanted to be sure Clark didn't start removing extremities to before they got what they needed.

He had to admit, though, he wasn't too far away from storming in there and beating the information out of the Akusu himself. It almost scared him to know that for Diana there was nothing that he wouldn't do, no limits to his need to avenge her or do whatever was necessary to save her.

For her, he would do anything…even give his life.

With a swift movement that startled even him, Superman was suddenly behind the Akusu, picking him up and lifting him off the ground in a chokehold. "Tell me what you want!" he sneered. "Why do you keep attacking us?"

Batman quickly entered the reinforced holding room, not to stop Clark, but to get the information Diana so desperately needed. Clark's eyes narrowed at the sudden appearance of the Batman, hoping he wasn't here to try and stop him. He knew the Bat couldn't even if he wanted to.

"You better start talking," Bruce sneered. "I can't guarantee what my friend here will do to you if you don't tell us what we want to know. And once he starts, I can't stop him. No one can."

Clark was more than relieved Batman had sided with him on this. He had a feeling he would. He hadn't really doubted he would since this involved Diana, but the Batman was very unpredictable at best. He never knew from one moment to the next which Batman or which Bruce he was going to be dealing with.

The Akusu warrior's eyes narrowed to dangerous slits, his mouth hanging open as he gasped for air and revealing three rows of deadly teeth. Gray goo continued to run down his chest from the open wound as his feet dangled off the floor.

Batman's hand slipped to his utility belt, pulling a razor sharp batarang free. He slowly closed the distance between them, his jaw clenching and unclenching with the rage running wildly through him now.

Coming to a stop before the alien, Batman lightly dragged his batarang along the Akusu's chest, the gray liquid dripping over it. "You either tell me what I need to know to help my friend or I will personally fillet you bit by bit and send your pieces back to your home plant in a very small bag."

The Akusu could no longer hide his fear as he visibly shuddered with the Batman's threat. "We…we were sent to retrieve your warrior," he finally admitted, his voice a wheezing gasp with Superman's chokehold on him.

Bruce felt his stomach instantly plummet into his boots as fear rose like icy tendrils. "Which warrior?"

"The Amazon," he rasped.

Clark immediately tightened his grip on the Akusu's throat, a sneer twisting his face now. "What do you want with her?" he roared.

"Our leader wants her…for himself," he gasped. "He'd heard of her beauty and strength."

"So you try to kill her in your first attack?" Batman growled fiercely, his grip on his batarang tightening even more in an effort to keep from using it on their prisoner.

"We were just trying to capture her…but you got to her first."

"What did you do to her?" Batman glowered darkly, his visage terrifying.

"We…we didn't do anything to her."

"What did you do to the Amazon?" Bruce yelled.

His voice was sharp as razors and as menacing as anything Clark had ever heard or seen from him before. He wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he began slicing away at the alien at any moment. At this point, he wasn't certain he'd even try to stop him.

"Our weapons are meant to paralyze only…that's all…I don't know what you are talking about."

It was clear from the confused panic that suddenly filled his face and voice that he didn't understand or know about Diana's loss of her powers. It obviously wasn't meant to be a direct affect of their alien technology. Batman took a step back as he glared at him.

"Escort him back to his planet," he told Superman before pointing the batarang directly into the Akusu's chest, the point digging in to the scale-like flesh and drawing more gray fluid. "And tell your leader…the Amazon is not his to have and if he tries to take her again, we will come to your planet and slaughter your people."

With that, Batman abruptly turned and walked out of the room.