Chapter 7

Diana felt a nervous tremble wash through her as she watched Bruce disappear back into the bathroom. The thought of him bathing her caused hot arousal to pulsate through her veins and at the same time, she felt anything but attractive at that moment.

She could tell that she looked terrible by the pained expression that filled Bruce's face every time he looked at her. There were fleeting moments when he looked so broken and devastated by what had happened to her and yet he still hadn't admitted his feelings for her.

She could tell it was there, hanging so heatedly between them and practically igniting the air, dancing on the tip of his tongue waiting to be expressed. Did he decide he no longer wanted her now because of what had happened to her?

That couldn't be true or he wouldn't have brought her here to Wayne Manor to take care of her. Unless maybe he felt obligated as a colleague and teammate to do something for her? Was this just out of pity or guilt?

Diana found her frustration growing with every passing moment, both emotional and physical. She hated being thrust into a situation that she had no control over, had no say in. She was helpless, completely dependent upon a man of all people to take care of her. Hera, her mother would have a heart attack if she knew.

But he wasn't just any man. He was Bruce…the Batman. And she loved him more than she had ever loved anyone in her life.

Great Hera…her mother… She needed to contact her mother.

"You keep doing that and everyone will blame me for rubbing off on you," Bruce said as he reentered her bedroom, a bowl of hot water and towels in hand.

"Doing what?" she asked, puzzled.

"Brood," he simply replied. "What are you brooding about?"

"It's nothing," she muttered, her creased forehead telling him otherwise.

"Diana…do you trust me?" he asked as he sat down on the edge of the bed next to her.

"Yes, of course," she told him. "With my very life."

"Everything will be alright," he softly said, taking her hand in his and squeezing it. "I promise."

Diana felt herself begin to relax as she stared into his eyes, his touch sending little electric jolts up her arm. He made her feel things that she'd never experienced before, things that she didn't always understand, but loved nonetheless.

"So are sponge baths Batman's secret specialty?" she lightly teased.

"You're about to find out, Princess," was his husky response, his blue eyes darkening.

Reaching over, Bruce dipped the washcloth into the warm soapy water, wringing it out before running it over her shoulder. Diana sighed softly at the feel of the warm washcloth against her skin, the soft sent of lavender filling her nostrils. She felt anything but beautiful at this moment, but Bruce didn't seem to mind or pretended not to at least.

He gently moved the washcloth over her skin, careful of the wires and IV tubing that were taped to her left arm. Her bruised skin made him internally cringe, remembering all too well how he had found her when she had first been attacked. It made his stomach lurch just thinking about it.

He forced himself to focus on the task at hand and not the fact that it was Diana he was doing this for; the woman who had single-handedly managed to capture his heart against his will and shoot down every single defense mechanism he had ever thrown at her.

His lips parted slightly, his breath growing a little more exerted as he worked his way back up her arm to her chest. The washcloth travelled along the top of her black tank top, skimming the tops of her breasts and making his heart stutter.

Diana prayed to the gods that Bruce couldn't feel how hard her heart was pounding at that moment despite the fact the monitor was attempting to give it away. His face was so very close to hers, his warm breath pulsating against her skin.

It took all she had not to lean forward and capture his lips with hers, to pull him on top of her, but she was in no shape for that and wouldn't be for quite some time. Besides, why would he even want to kiss her with as broken and bruised as she was now? She was nowhere near herself yet…and maybe never would be.

Bruce's eyes flitted up to see her intently watching him. She was biting her bottom lip, her heart pounding beneath his touch. She was making it damn near impossible to keep from kissing her breathless right now.

He carefully lifted her hair away from her neck, moving the washcloth along the slender column that he was aching to kiss and rake his teeth over, marking her as belonging to no one but him. His throat was a desert as he began to wash her beautiful face, the purple bruises a horrifying reminder that he hadn't been able to protect her like she had needed.

"I'm so sorry, Diana," he murmured so softly she almost hadn't heard him.

"For what?" she whispered.

"For not keeping you safe," he replied, guilt lacing his voice.

"Bruce, it's not your fault," she gently shook her head as he paused to look into her eyes.

Releasing the washcloth, his hand settled along her neck, his thumb caressing her jaw. "I should've…"

"You saved me," she interrupted him, her hand finding his face. "I don't remember much about what happened, but I do remember you…hearing your voice and feeling your touch on my face. You were there. You got to me first and you saved my life."

Staring into her eyes, Bruce found he could no longer help himself, no longer deny what he so desperately wanted as all of the foolish reasons why he shouldn't were growing dimmer by the second. Leaning in, he softly brushed his lips against hers, her name a desperate plea of salvation – his salvation, his Princess.

He knew she was the only one who could possibly save him from the lonely destructive path that he was hurtling down, the future of becoming a bitter old man with a life devoid of love. Her lips were soft, sweet against his, making his mind spin with pleasure as the kiss grew more passionate.

Diana's fingers slid into his hair, gripping the strands and holding on for dear life. This was what she had wanted, this man with her now, opening his heart to her and letting her in. She parted her lips, beckoning him to taste her fully, his tongue readily complying with her silent request.

He moaned into her mouth, the taste of her better than his most sensual fantasies as their tongues slowly danced. He knew he needed stop this now before he couldn't, but he didn't want to. He didn't want to let her go, didn't want this moment to ever end.

An alert suddenly went off on Bruce's watch, causing to pull back with a panting gasp. He quickly pushed a button, his agitation obvious. "What?" he barked.

"Bruce, I need to see you in the cave right away," Dick said. "We've got a problem."

Bruce drew a ragged breath in an attempt to quell the arousal pounding through him at that moment. "I'll be right down."

The sudden sound of a knock on the door caused him to curse as pulled away from her. "Yes?" he loudly grumbled.

"Bruce?" the younger voice on the other side of the door called. "It's Tim. I need to talk to you."

"Come in," Bruce snapped, sounding more like the fierce Batman now.

Tim opened the door, a bowl of cereal in his hand as he entered. His costume was still on except for the mask, his hair sticking up and dirt streaking his face. He looked as though he'd had a rather rough night helping patrol Gotham with Nightwing.

"What is it, Tim?" Bruce demanded to know, irritated with the interruptions as he moved to stand by Diana's bed.

"Hey, Diana!" Tim immediately said between mouthfuls of cereal.

"Hi, Tim," she said with a forced smile.

"Whoa! You look terrible!" he cried in surprise. "You look like you got into a bar brawl with Bane and lost badly. Are you going to be alright?"

"Tim…." Bruce hissed through gritted teeth as he watched Diana fidget under his charge's shocked stare, averting her eyes and tucking her hair behind her ear.

He could tell she was embarrassed about how she looked, but she needn't be. Despite the scrapes and bruises and broken bones, she still managed to steal his breath away just by existing.

"Hey, could you take a look at my bike, Bruce?" Tim asked before shoving another spoonful into his mouth. "It was acting up last night."

"Yes, later," was Bruce's clipped response in an attempt to dismiss him.

"Dick needs to see you in the cave right away," Tim informed him, his amused expression shifting from Bruce to Diana and back again. He had obviously interrupted something. "Oh yah, and there's a Clark Kent downstairs who would like to see Wonder Woman."

Diana watched as Bruce seemed to stiffen. It was almost imperceptible but it was definitely there. Was he jealous? The thought made her heart skip a beat.

"I'm heading down to see Dick right now. Have Alfred escort Mr. Kent up," he coolly stated, irritation coloring his voice.

"You go it," Tim responded with a mouthful of cereal as he turned to leave. "See ya later, Diana."

Bruce turned to leave as well but suddenly paused, turning back to Diana. "Sorry, Princess," he murmured. "I'll be back later."

Diana smiled at him. "I'll be right here waiting."

They shared a heated look for a long moment, one that spoke volumes about what each was feeling in that moment. She watched him as he turned to leave again, knowing he needed to go but hating to see him leave just when he was opening up to her.

"Bruce…" she called as he reached the door. He paused, turning to look back at her. "This doesn't give you an excuse to not finish what you started."

The seductive tone of her voice only managed to further ignite the flames of arousal still burning inside of him, the double meaning of her words not lost on him. He couldn't go back to the way things had been between them before that heated kiss even if he had wanted to.

He had finally crossed that imaginary line that he'd drawn in the sand years ago, allowing himself to get involved with a teammate. And he wasn't just getting involved…he was deeply in love with her.

Bruce's hand tightened on the handle as he stared at her for a long moment. His intense gaze made her shiver. "I always finish what I start, Princess," he firmly replied, staring at her a moment longer before leaving and closing the door behind him.

Diana's breath caught in her throat with his words, his obvious resolve to continue what they had just started. She found herself clutching the forgotten washcloth for dear life. Her head was spinning, her lips still tingling from his kiss. She could scarcely believe that he had actually kissed her and he hadn't pulled away from her…at least not yet.

XXX

Another knock at the door a few minutes later alerted her to the fact that Kal was finally here. It was becoming a revolving door around here with interruptions that were not well timed in the least.

"Come in," Diana called.

The door opened, a head peaking in and revealing a certain familiar reporter in dark glasses. A large smile broke across his face as he spotted her in the large bed, but it couldn't displace the grief that swiftly permeated his eyes at the sight of her.

"Why Mr. Kent," Diana teased. "What brings a report from the Daily Planet to Gotham?"

"I heard rumors about the famous Wonder Woman spending some time in the company of a certain billionaire playboy."

Diana chuckled softly, her hand immediately bracing her side as pain ripped through her, bringing tears to her eyes. Clark closed the door and quickly made his way to her, dropping into the chair next to her. He had no doubt this was where Wayne was spending the majority of his time since bringing her here.

"I'm sorry, Di," he frowned, his hand coming to gently rest on her shoulder. "I shouldn't be trying to make you laugh."

"No, it's alright," she rasped, trying to catch her breath. "It's my own fault. I should know not to do that by now."

She could feel Clark studying her intently, could feel his anguish rolling off of him. She finally turned to make eye contact with him only to find his eyes moist with unshed tears.

"I'm so sorry, Diana," he whispered.

"It's like I told Bruce; it's not your fault, Clark," she shook her head. "It's not anyone's fault. It's part of the job…it's what we do. We know the risks going into it and all accept them regardless of the cost."

"Yes, but…"

"No, now are you here to depress me or are you here to cheer me up?" she asked.

"I didn't mean to upset you," he sighed. "It's just so hard seeing you like…like this."

"That seems to be the consensus," she replied with a frown. "Bruce can hardly look at me without getting this pained look in his eyes and you know that's more emotion than what Bruce usually allows anyone to see."

"It's just…you've always bounced back after being injured," he tried to explain. "It's hard to see you so…"

"Human?" she finished for him.

"Yes," he admitted. "How are you handling not having your powers?"

Diana's face lost a measure of the brave cheerfulness she'd been trying to project to everyone. "I'm…okay," she softly confessed. "I haven't really been able to do much yet, but I'm scared, Kal. If I don't get my powers back, I'll never be Wonder Woman again. What'll I do?"

"Don't worry, Di," he gently said, taking her hand in his. "We'll find a way out of this. And you know Bruce won't stop until he has found a way to get you your powers back."

"I know," she whispered. "I just…I don't know how to function without it. They've always been a part of me. I don't know who I am without them."

"I understand," he sympathized. "But I also know you, Di. You're the strongest woman I have ever had the privilege of knowing."

"Not anymore," she shook her head as she drew a shuddering breath.

"Maybe not here," he said, touching her arm before placing his hand over her heart. "But in here you still are."

"Thank you, Kal," she softly replied.

"How are things with Bruce?" he suddenly asked. "Has he been all doom and gloom?"

"He's been amazing," she told him, her face brightening at the mention of his name. "I don't know what I would've done if he hadn't taken me in. It's been nice being able to spend time with him."

Clark's face held firm despite the way his heart sank a little in his chest. "Just promise me you'll be careful, Di," he warned her. "I don't want to see you getting hurt by him. He's not the easiest person to get to know or deal with. He doesn't just let everyone into his dark private world."

"Don't you think I already know that?" she asked. "I'll be fine, Kal. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

"I love you, Diana…not quite the same way Bruce obviously does, but I care deeply about what happens to you," he said. "I can't stand the thought of you getting hurt."

"I love you too, Kal," she softly smiled, touch by his words. He'd always been like a big brother to her, watching out for her. "But don't worry; I can handle Bruce."

"You are one of the very few who can or even want to," he told her, chuckling softly before growing serious once more. "I only want you to be happy, Diana."

"I know, but I'm happy when I'm with him," she admitted.

"I hope it works out for the both of you," Clark sincerely said. "Bruce is a good friend and deserves to know love with a special woman. It's just hard knowing it's you that he chose to love."

"Why?" she asked, confused by his admission.

"I'm very protective of you, Di," he told her. "I know you don't have very much experience with men since coming from an island of all women. You don't know how men can truly be.

"I want you to go into a relationship with Bruce with your eyes wide open. I know what a dark world he lives in, how suffocating and highly destructive it can be. I just don't want him to hurt you or end up changing you. I don't want you to lose yourself along the way."

Diana smiled, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it affectionately. "Thank you, Kal," she replied. "I appreciate your concern, but I'll be fine...I promise.

"Now, tell me what's going on in the League. What's the latest gossip that I've missed out on?"

"Besides all of the rumors flying through the League at light speed about you and Bruce?" he smirked, earning a stunned expression from the Amazon. "Well, everyone has taken your absence pretty hard, but especially Wally. He's been moping around the Watchtower like a forlorn lost little puppy since you left."

"I'll have to call or do a live vid chat with him," she replied, touched by her friend's concern.

"Only when you're feeling up to it," he firmly ordered her. "I don't want you overdoing it. You take your time and don't rush your recovery."

"You know you're starting to sound a lot like Bruce," she pointed out.

"I guess maybe we care a little too much about you," he said, straightening his glasses.

"I'm not complaining," she shook her head. "It's better than not being cared about at all."

"I'm afraid you're stuck with us, Di, whether you like it nor not," he told her. "Bruce even more so if you two don't kill each other first."

Diana bit her lip in an attempt to stifle the giggle that rose up inside of her. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

XXX

Bruce cursed under his breath as he took the steps two at a time. He had completely lost track of time when he'd gone down to the cave to see what Dick had needed. Unfortunately, it hadn't been anything good.

Dick had uncovered a new underground operation by the Joker; one that he still was unsure the exact purpose was. He had spent the rest of the day following endless clues and reviewing the information that Dick had been able to gather so far. It wasn't until Dick and Tim had returned to the batcave to leave for their nightly patrol tonight that he finally realized how late it actually was.

He had missed seeing Diana since this morning and was more than anxious to see her again. The kiss they had shared this morning had been electric, leaving him hungry for so much more. He was content, though, with just being near her while she healed, taking care of her and having her here with him at Wayne Manor.

Reaching her room, Bruce softly opened the door. He was disappointed to find Diana asleep already, but he could hardly blame her. It was late and she needed her rest if she was ever going to recover from this.

Just then Alfred came from the bathroom. "Decided to drag yourself out of the cave I see," Alfred softly commented.

"Lost track of time," he frowned. "What are you doing up so late?"

"I came to check on Miss Diana one last time before I retired to bed," he told him. "I saved some dinner for you. Would you like me to bring it up?"

"No thank you, Alfred," he said as he sank into his chair in exhaustion. "How'd she do today?"

"Not bad," he replied. "Had quite a bit of pain, but refused to take medication for it. She's just as stubborn as someone else I know all too well."

Bruce snorted in amusement. "Did Kent stay long?"

"For an hour or so," he informed him. "It helped lift her spirits some, but it wore her out. She's been sleeping ever since he left."

Bruce nodded his head in acknowledgement. He was glad that Clark had visited Diana. At the same time, he couldn't help the nagging jealousy that seemed to rise up out of nowhere every time he was near her. He knew it was probably nothing, but he couldn't seem to help it.

This was his chance to make Diana his and he wasn't going to let this opportunity slip through his fingers.