Thanks for the kind reviews! Feedback is greatly appreciated. Diana is going to get an unexpected visitor in this update. We'll see how Bruce handles it. Hope you enjoy the update!

Chapter 8

Diana laid on her side staring blankly out the window, watching the sun as it began to set on another wasted day of nothingness. Her thoughts were a tangled knot of despair that threatened to drag her into a dark cavern that she feared she might never be able to escape from.

The last week had been challenging, more so than she had ever expected it to be. She had never anticipated how hard or how long her recovery truly was going to take. She'd never had to deal with something like this before, having to heal and live each day like a regular human being.

The pain had lessened a little, but still managed to take her breath away at times which angered her just about more than anything. She hated being so weak that she couldn't endure pain like she was used to. She was also starting to sleep a little less during the day, but that had brought unexpected time on her hands and loneliness with it.

Bruce had been forced to spend the majority of his time down in the batcave with Dick and Tim, trying to unravel what the Joker was up to this time. She could tell he felt guilty about it, but she could hardly blame him for not being able to stay by her side very moment of the day. Besides, she'd never want to make him chose between her and his sworn duty to Gotham. It wouldn't be fair to him.

He had a life to live, a mission that required his full attention right now. He couldn't put his entire life on hold just for her simply because she was bored and lonely, missed him like some silly lovesick schoolgirl. What was happening to her? Had she lost her senses as well as her powers?

And what was making it even worse; they hadn't had a chance to talk about the passionate kiss that they had shared over a week ago. No more had been said by either of them, each of them either afraid or waiting for the other to make the next move.

She wondered if Bruce was feeling guilty that he'd been unable to get her powers back for her yet, finding a way to reverse what had been done to her by the Akusu. None of this was his fault, though. It was becoming clearer every day, however, that she might never get her powers back, her life coming to a grinding halt as everyone else's seemed to move on without her.

What would she do? Where would she go if she was never able to be Wonder Woman again? Her purpose for being here was quickly dissolving right before her eyes, her life fading with it.

Diana swore a Themyscirian curse under her breath as she blew a lock of raven hair out of her face. She hated feeling like this, so useless and helpless, still unable to totally care for herself. She swore if she had a sword she'd cut the blasted cast off of her leg and arm right now regardless if the bones were healed yet or not.

Releasing a frustrated huff, Diana rolled onto her back for what felt like the hundredth time that day. Her body was sore from lying here all day, so useless while she waited for her bones to heal. She couldn't wait to be out of this bed and yet she was so desperate for Bruce to join her in it. The thought caused her to suddenly flush.

But that wasn't going to happen any time soon with as slowly as she was healing.

Hearing muffled voices outside her door, Diana sat up a little straighter in her bed, wondering who it could be. Bruce, Dick and Tim had been consumed with the Joker, Bruce making only brief appearances here and there throughout the day or coming in late at night long after she had fallen asleep and leaving before she woke. The only evidence of him ever being there was a blanket thrown over the back of the chair that had become his home since he'd brought her here.

Alfred checked on her frequently throughout the day as well, bringing her anything and everything she could ever need or want. He stayed with her sometimes, talking to her and keeping company, but she knew he had duties that he needed to attend to as well.

Straining, she tried to hear what was being said, cursing to herself and wishing she had her super hearing back. She couldn't be sure, but it sounded like a woman and a man talking. They were arguing about something.

She settled back against the pillows, deciding it was probably just Dr. Leslie coming to see her and change her bandages again. But why would Bruce be arguing with her?

A soft knock on the door preceded the handle turning and the door opening. Bruce entered, causing her to smile brightly at the sight of him, but the smile quickly fell away at the expression on his face. Anger blazed hotly in his eyes, irritation lining his face and evident in the tight set of his jaw.

"Diana," he stoically said, standing stiffly by the door instead of making his way to her. "Someone is here to see you."

Diana felt her stomach sink, her pulse racing. "Who is it?"

"Diana," the woman said as she entered, regally moving past Bruce to get to Diana.

"Mother?" Diana exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I'll leave the two of you alone," he coolly stated as he turned to leave, closing the door behind him.

Diana's heart sank as she watched Bruce leave, their eyes locking for a brief fleeting moment before he closed the door. The look she had seen in his eyes had been more than unsettling. It had something akin to fear.

"Diana," Hippolyta cried, shaking her head. "My dear daughter…just look at you. You look dreadful."

"Thank you, mother," Diana tightly replied with a frown. "What are you doing here?"

"Don't you want me here?" she asked, surprised by her daughter's reaction to her visit.

"Yes, of course," Diana sighed. "It's just…I'm surprised that's all."

"Batman sent word to Themyscira letting me know what had happened to you," Hippolyta told her as she sat down next to her daughter on the bed. Her hand immediately cupped her daughter's cheek, taking in the fading bruises and healing cuts. It broke her heart immensely to see her daughter so broken.

"What?" Diana whispered, stunned.

"Batman told me you had been severely injured in an attack during an attempt to stop an alien attack," she explained as she stroked her daughter's hair. "He told me it had been bad…but I…I just never imagined…"

"I'm alright, mother," she attempted to reassure her. "I'm going to be fine. I just need some time to recover."

"He also told me that you lost your powers," she sadly said, tears stinging her eyes. "I'm so very sorry, Diana. I wish there was something I could do for you."

"I'm fine…really," she replied. "Bruce has taken very good care of me."

Diana watched as her mother visibly stiffened with the mention of Bruce's name, her lips forming a tight disapproving line. "He should have notified the moment you were injured," she angrily snapped. "Apology or no, it was a blatant choice on his part not to let me know at once that you were badly hurt."

"Wait, Bruce apologized for not contacting you?" Diana asked, stunned. Bruce, or better yet the Batman, rarely if ever apologized to anyone.

"Yes, but…"

"Mother, I'm sure they just didn't want to worry you," she shook her head, drawing her mother's hand away from her hair to hold it tightly in hers. "They didn't know whether I was going to live or die."

"I know and they should have told me," she bitterly spat out. "I am your mother."

Diana drew a deep breath, knowing this was an argument she wasn't going to win. "I was going to contact you myself once I was better."

"Your so called 'friends' should have contacted me when it happened, not two weeks after the fact," she maintained, holding her head high. "They are not true friends to you, Diana. I don't know why you think so highly of them."

"Mother…" she sighed heavily in rising frustration.

"Diana, I'm taking you back to Themyscira immediately," she informed her. "You will no longer stay in Man's World where you will be treated like this."

"Mother!" Diana exclaimed in shock.

"I'm serious, Diana," she sternly said. "I and your sisters can take much better care of you than they can here in Man's World."

"I'm not going," she angrily bit out.

"Diana, you are obviously in no shape to be arguing with me or to make decisions regarding your care," Hippolyta attempted to placate her as she looked at the numerous monitors and medicines hanging by the bed. "These medicines seem to be inhibiting your ability to think clearly."

"Mother, I am perfectly fine!" Diana ground out, her blue eyes flashing dangerously. "And I am not going back home with you. I'm staying right here."

"What has Batman done to you?" she demanded to know. "He's behind this somehow, isn't he?"

"He has done nothing but take care of me and make sure that I have had everything that I could possibly need," she told her. "None of this is his fault. Why did he contact you anyway?"

Hippolyta sighed, unwilling to let go of her anger with the Batman yet. "He said he was very worried about you," she admitted. "He said you were becoming withdrawn, depressed. He hoped that seeing me might make you feel better, help you in your recovery."

Diana felt her heart grew warm with the overwhelming feeling of love that washed through her at that moment. He had contacted her mother, willing to risk Hyppolyta's wrath over what had happened all for her.

She felt tears burn behind her eyes, but refused to allow them to fully form. "He did that for me?" she whispered.

Hippolyta stared at her daughter, stunned by her reaction. "Yes, but I don't see why you should possibly care," she replied. "What he did by keeping your accident a secret was wrong. I will not allow him near your ever again."

"I am not leaving," Diana firmly stated. "I love you, mother, and I appreciate you coming to see me, but I love Bruce and I am not going to leave him."

"You what?" Hippolyta exclaimed in shock.

"I love him, mother, and he loves me too," she told her.

"But, Diana…you…"

"Mother, I know you love me and you want me to be happy," Diana interrupted her. "But this is where I belong…Man's World is my home now and I don't want to leave."

"But you no longer have your powers, daughter," she reminded her. "How will you ever be Wonder Woman again? You'll never be a part of the Justice League again."

"Bruce is working to find a way to reverse what the Akusu did to me," she informed her. "I know him, mother. He will not rest until he finds a way."

Hippolyta stared at her daughter, her brow creasing as she studied her still bruised face. It hurt her deeply to see her so broken and yet there was a real peace and happiness about her that she could not deny.

"I want you to know I still don't like this, but you are a grown woman," her mother sternly began, pausing to release a deep breath of reluctant surrender. "I hope you know what you're doing, Diana."

"I do, mother," she nodded. "I've never felt like this about another person before. I know this is where I belong…even if I never get my powers back."

"I will abide by your wishes…for now," she told her. "But if I find out the Batman has hidden anything else about you from me or if I find out you are not getting better, I will be back to take you away from here permanently, no arguments."

"Yes, mother," Diana respectfully replied, fighting back a smile. "It is good to see you. I've missed you greatly and my sisters as well."

"As I have missed you, my daughter," Hippolyta softly smiled, tears rising to her eyes. "It's…difficult…seeing my beloved daughter like this. You're so beautiful and strong, my Princess. I know you will find a way through this. Even without your powers, you are still a proud Amazon warrior at heart. Never forget that."

"Thank you, mother," she murmured, touched by her words. "I'm so glad you're here."

"I'm afraid I cannot stay for long," Hippolyta told her. "I need to return to Themyscira yet tonight."

"Is there trouble brewing?"

"Nothing your mother cannot handle, my daughter," she responded with a tender hand against Diana's cheek.

"What is it?" Diana asked, growing concerned.

"Nothing I want you worrying about, my little one," she said. "You just concern yourself with getting better."

Diana nodded her head, the worry still lingering in her heart. "You will tell me if it's important, won't you?"

"Of course," she told her. "But remember this…if I find out the Batman has hurt you in anyway, I will be back to break him."

Diana smiled at her mother's overprotective remark. "If there's anything left of him after I'm through with him."

Hippolyta smiled at her daughter. "That's my little warrior," she proudly responded.

XXX

Bruce slowly made his way downstairs, worry clawing relentlessly at his heart. He knew he had been wrong in not contacting Hippolyta when Diana had first been injured, but he had allowed his selfishness and fears to take over. He should've listened to Clark all along.

But watching Diana grow more distant and sad over the last week had reminded him just how selfish he was being keeping her sequestered here in his home. Diana needed her friends, her mother. As much as he wanted her to want him, to be the only one that she needed, he realized that he was not being fair to her.

"You did the right thing, Master Wayne," Alfred told him as he looked up to see Bruce entering the kitchen.

"Doesn't feel like," he bit out, dropping into a chair as he watched Alfred begin to prepare the evening meal.

Alfred brought him a cup of coffee, setting it down on the table before him. "I know, but in the end you will see that it was necessary."

"She's going to take Diana away," he ground out, the thought making his chest tighten. "There's no way she'll allow her to stay here now."

"And why would that be?"

Bruce stared down into his coffee cup, staring at the dark warm liquid. "She's furious with me for not contacting her when Diana was first injured."

"That is unfortunate, but you were only doing what you thought was best at the time," Alfred replied.

"Was I?" he gloomily asked.

"What makes you think you didn't?"

"I was only thinking of myself, Alfred, and now I'm going to pay a high price for it," he angrily stated, taking a long drink of his coffee.

"You don't know that yet, Sir," Alfred smiled knowingly at him. "I believe that Miss Diana will not be so willing to leave."

Bruce looked up from his coffee cup. "You think so?" he softly asked, fearful of getting his hopes up.

"I do," he replied. "Would you like to eat now or wait until later?"

"No, I'll eat later with Diana," he decided, releasing a ragged huff of frustration. "If she's still here."

"I'll prepare two plates then for later," he told him.

Watching Alfred work, Bruce couldn't help the sick feeling that churned inside of him. He feared that he had ruined things with Diana, allowing his selfish desires to take over and clouding his judgment. Maybe it would have been better if Diana had gone to Themyscira right after the attack.

They might have been able to do so much more for her than he had been able to do. It was a place near to the gods and Mount Olympus. Maybe one of the gods could have done more for her, given her powers back to her somehow.

Bruce knew he couldn't dwell on what-ifs right now. What was done was done and it couldn't be changed. He was going to have to live with the consequences of his decisions now. He just hoped that Diana would be able to forgive him and chose him over her mother.

XXX

Hearing someone descending the stairs an hour later, Bruce steeled himself for the dreaded news that he was about to receive. He didn't know how he was going to be able to get Diana back, he swore to himself he would stop at nothing this time to keep her.

Reaching the foyer, he saw Hippolyta coming down the steps. Anger still danced in her eyes, but it seemed to have faded a little. She no longer looked as if she wanted to strike him dead. That had to be a good sign.

"Thank you for having the decency to contact me although I would've appreciated being notified right away," Hippolyta coolly stated as she came to a stand before him, clasping her hands before her.

"I apologize again for not contacting you immediately," he evenly stated. "I will not make that mistake again."

"No, you won't," she frostily replied, studying him intently. "I want to take Diana back to Themyscira with me."

Bruce felt his stomach drop into his boots. This was the moment he'd been dreading. "I understand," he bit out, his face emotionless despite the hot anger pulsating through his veins now.

"Unfortunately it seems that my stubborn daughter has decided she's not leaving with me. She's rather stay here with you for some reason."

Bruce fought back the smile that threatened to form, the sudden pounding of his heart. "I promise I will take care of her, Queen Hippolyta. I will protect her with my life."

Hippolyta continued to study him closely, her intense gaze probing him for reassurance. "I believe you have nothing but my daughter's best interest at heart," she stated, her head held high. "Just remember, she doesn't belong solely to you or the Justice League."

"Yes, your Highness," he replied with a bow of his head. He could hardly wait to see Diana.

"Take care of her for me, Batman," she softly said, allowing her anger to subside now that she'd finally had her say.

"You have my word," he told her, sliding his hands into his pants pockets.

Hippolyta slightly dipped her head before turning to leave. Bruce released the breath he'd been holding as she closed the door behind her. Diana was staying here with him instead of going home to Themyscira. He had been given another chance and he wasn't going to waste it.