Thanks for all the great feedback! I'm really hoping you enjoy this update. Feeling a little nervous about this, but here it goes... :)

Chapter 9

Entering Diana's room with a tray of food in hand, Bruce was greeted by a bright smile that immediately warmed his heart despite his best efforts to remain in complete control of his emotions at all times. With her, it was next to impossible. She always managed to find a way to get to him against his hard-as-steel will whether by stirring his irritation or fueling his desire for her.

"Thought you might be hungry," he said as he kicked the door closed behind him.

"I'm starving," she replied, sitting up against the pillows in her bed.

She was so relieved to see him. She had been fearful that her mother had scared him away…or worse, but she should've known better. No one frightened the formidable Batman, not even the powerful Queen of the Amazons.

She watched as Bruce carefully set the tray across her lap, suddenly noticing the single red rose in the small vase. "The rose is beautiful," she murmured, closing her eyes and inhaling its heavenly scent. "Thank you."

"It was Alfred," he attempted to cover, keeping his expression stoic.

"Right," she fought back a smirk. "This looks delicious. I need to have Alfred teach me how to cook before I'm discharged from Wayne Manor."

Bruce smiled with her words as he took a plate for himself, settling into the chair close beside her bed. He wanted so badly to crawl into that bed with her, to feel every inch of her and kiss her senseless, but he needed to take things slowly until she was fully recovered. He feared rushing things or scaring her away with his dark desolate world that tried to consume him. He didn't want to do anything that could ruin this chance with her.

"You know you can stay here as long as you need or want, Diana," he told her, already not liking the idea of her leaving. He found that he enjoyed having here.

"Thank you, Bruce…for everything," she sincerely said. "You didn't have to contact my mother. We both know you took a great risk by doing that."

"Yes, I did have to," he soberly stated as he took a bite. "I was wrong, Diana. I should have let her know immediately when you were first injured. Clark wanted to, but I wouldn't let him."

"Why?" she asked, her brow furrowing.

Bruce looked down at his plate, avoiding her questioning stare. "The reasons don't matter now."

"They do to me," she softly replied.

Bruce drew a deep breath, feeling rather foolish about it now. "I was being selfish. I was worried that Hippolyta would take you away to Themyscira to recover once she saw how badly you were injured. I know that men aren't allowed to set foot on your island. I feared that we'd never see you again so I refused to let Clark contact her."

It felt like thousands of wonderful butterfly wings had suddenly been released in the pit of her stomach with his words, his feelings for her so evident in his actions, his careful attention to her. Even though she longed to hear them from him one day, she didn't need the words right now. His actions were speaking louder to her than any words he could possibly say at that moment.

"She did try to force me to go back, but I refused," she told him. "I told her I wanted to stay here…with you."

Bruce felt his breath catch with her words. "She told me…along with a very deliberate threat against my life if I ever hurt you."

Diana winced, closing her eyes in embarrassment. "I'm so sorry, Bruce," she apologized. "Mother can sometimes be a little overly dramatic."

"Don't be," he smirked. "I'm pretty sure I deserved it."

"No, you didn't," Diana shook her head with a frown as she took her fork with her left hand, the awkwardness of using her non-dominant hand already annoying her. "You've been very…kind and generous taking me in and allowing me to recover here, Bruce. You didn't have to do that."

Bruce watched her as she attempted to eat with her left hand, a slight clumsiness and uncertainty to her movements. It was so unlike her usual graceful actions, her normal self-confident ways. She was going to have to get used to it until her right wrist was healed again. It was going to be a long road of recovery ahead for her, one that was going to be difficult watching her take, but she wouldn't be alone.

"Diana, I wouldn't have had it any other way."

She looked up from her plate to see he was watching her, an amused expression gracing his face. "You are actually going to let me try to feed myself this time?" she asked with an arched eyebrow, surprised that he hadn't tried to take her fork out of her hand yet.

"Yes…I think you're a big girl now," he teased. "You can do it yourself."

"Dr. Leslie told you I could start using my shoulder more now, didn't she?"

"Yes," he confessed, taking another bite as he watched her attempt another forkful.

She huffed in frustration as the lasagna fell off of her fork and onto her lap. Bruce made no move to help her, but watched as she traded her fork for a napkin to clean up her tank top…the clothes he was dying to get her out of. It was going to be a long road indeed.

"You're enjoying watching me struggle, aren't you?" she shot him a heated glare that only further lit his need for her.

"Why, Princess? Do you need my help?" he innocently asked as he leaned forward.

"No, I can do it myself," she huffed in agitation as Bruce bit back a smirk. "Of course, by the time I've finally eaten my supper, it'll be the middle of the night and I'll need another bath."

Bruce's eyes darkened with her words. "Is that an invitation?"

Diana looked up from cleaning off her clothes at the sound of the sudden huskiness of his voice, memories of the bath he'd started to give her last week flooding her mind and causing a shiver of desire to race up her spine. "Are you going to finish what you start this time?" she seductively asked.

Bruce's tongue briefly slipped out to wet his lips, his breaths becoming a little more exerted. "Maybe," he murmured. "But you're going to have to finish your dinner first if you want to find out, Princess."

Diana smiled something sinful forcing him to stifle a groan. "And then I get my reward?"

Bruce could feel his heart begin to pound, thoughts of what he'd love to do with her racing through his mind and heating his blood. If she knew the lustful thoughts he had or the erotic dreams he had about her, she'd probably beat him senseless.

"It depends on Dick and Tim," he informed her, doing his best to keep his desire at bay with more neutral conversation. Flirting with her only managed to make it that much harder not to touch her.

Diana sighed in resignation. "I wondered how long this visit would actually last," she admitted.

Bruce didn't miss the disappointment that suddenly filled her voice, the sense of loneliness that he'd noticed in her over the last week reappearing. He felt terrible that he hadn't been able to spend more time with her, but it couldn't be helped. He needed to take care of the Joker before something happened.

"I'm sorry, Diana," he apologized. "The Joker is up to something and it's nothing good I'm afraid."

"Have you been able to make any more progress in the case?" she asked.

"Not much," he frowned. "I've got proof that he's definitely up to something disastrous, but what that is I still have no idea. Dick and Tim are doing some surveillance work right now. They should be contacting me soon."

"I'm sure if anyone can uncover his plot it's you," she confidently reassured him. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, Princess," he chuckled softly with a definite shake of his head. "You just need to worry about getting better, nothing more."

"Just because I don't have my powers doesn't mean I'm helpless, you know," she coolly informed him, picking at her food with her fork and avoiding his gaze. She felt terrible. She was hot all over and her head was beginning to pound and now Bruce was just dismissing her like she was completely useless.

"Diana, I know you're far from helpless," he replied. "I just don't want anything getting in the way of your recovery. I came too close to losing you more times than I care to think about over the last couple of weeks. I don't ever want to go through something like that again."

Diana finally met his eyes, noticing something that could only be described as horror momentarily flitting across his face and piercing her heart. "I'm sorry, Bruce," she murmured. "I just want to help you."

"I know, but you can help me most by getting better," he told her.

She nodded her head, attempting to quiet the disappointment that suddenly filled her heart. Her head was throbbing, her body aching once more. She wasn't sure why she was suddenly feeling so bad. She'd been slowly getting better over the last week only to feel worse again now.

Bruce watched her as she picked at her food, all of a sudden noticing the soft rosy flush of her cheeks. His brow immediately creased with concern. "Are you alright?" he asked, setting his plate aside and moving to sit on the bed with her.

"Just tired," she admitted.

"Maybe I should call Dr. Leslie to come back to check on you," he suggested.

"No, don't bother her," Diana insisted. "I'm fine…really. I just want to spend some time with you before you have to go again."

Bruce cupped her cheek, his worry piqued with how warm to the touch she was. "I know," he said, his gaze falling momentarily to her beautiful lips, memories of her sweet taste flooding his mind. "We have some things we need to talk about, don't we?"

"Yes, we do, Mister Wayne," she softly said, her hand finding his face and caressing it gently.

Bruce could feel his control beginning to slip through his grasp, the urge to kiss her too strong to ignore. "I'm waiting for a call from Dick right now," he told her. "I would stay but, something is going down tonight."

"Bruce, it's alright," she reassured him. "I understand better than anyone."

He visibly seemed to relax with her words as she gazed into his eyes. Her hand snaked up the back of his neck as she pulled him into a sultry kiss that swiftly stole his breath away. She swallowed his moan as their tongues joined in a sensual dance, neither one wanting to stop and yet knowing they had to…at least for now.

Retreating, Diana softly ghosted her soft lips against his once more before releasing her hold on him. "Hopefully, that will entice you to come back sooner rather than later," she breathlessly murmured, her nose brushing against his.

Bruce fought back the overwhelming need to kiss her again as his blood rushed in his ears, his lips still tingling from her kiss. Even though it was meant to entice him to return, her kiss had only served to make it that much harder for him to leave, made him even hungrier for her.

It was all he could do not to rip her clothes off and make love to her right there. How was he ever supposed to focus on stopping the Joker after a heated kiss like that? This was precisely the reason he had sworn never to get involved with her in the first place. She affected him like no other woman ever had, distracting him from his mission, his duty.

And yet it was too late to turn back. He loved her too deeply, needed her in his life and wanted her in his bed always.

He stared into her eyes, losing himself in the dark blue desire swimming there for him. It was something that never ceased to stun him. "I'm not sure, Princess," he softly replied, the feel of her soft pulsating breath against his face making his head spin with desire. "I think I may need more enticing."

"Oh, really?" she seductively purred. "Well, I guess I'll just have to try harder next time."

She lightly traced her finger over his lips, creating a shiver of desire to race through him. The things she did to him always drove him wild. He could only imagine how even more amazing it would be to actually make love to her.

He nearly came undone right there as she slowly raked her teeth over her bottom lip, the feel of her finger lightly running over his mouth sending electric shocks through his body. He leaned in, desperate to kiss her again when his commlink suddenly went off.

"Batman, come in…"

Bruce growled under his breath, his chin dropping to his chest in heated frustration as he quickly tapped his commlink hidden in his ear. "What is it?"

"Need you down at the docks now," Nightwing said. "Something's going down. We're going to need your help."

"I'll be there right away. Batman out."

Bruce leaned in, tilting her head down to press a chaste kiss against Diana's forehead. Anything more would have been too dangerous, too tempting. "Please get some sleep while I'm gone," he murmured. "You looked exhausted. I'll be back soon as I can."

"Be careful," she told him.

"I will," he promised before leaving her alone again.

Diana let out a long slow breath, savoring the taste of him that still lingered on her tongue. She rubbed her forehead, trying to ignore the headache that was beginning to take over and the chill that was settling into her bones. She just hoped Bruce returned soon.

XXX

Stepping out of the shower, Bruce quickly dried off before grabbing fresh clothes Alfred always kept stocked in the batcave. He was furious with how the night had turned out, the lack of evidence that they'd uncovered down at the docks.

The whole thing had turned out to be a ruse construed by the Joker to throw him off track and what was even worse was that it had worked…at first.

Thankfully, he had figured it out before wasting the entire night staked out there. He had been able to decipher the Joker's real target through some new information Dick and Tim had been able to obtain. He and Nightwing had headed to Wayne Pharmaceutical Labs to stop the Joker, leaving Robin behind to keep an eye on the docks.

By the time they had reached the lab, the Joker's men were already attempting to leave with a very large quantity of an experimental drug that had been undergoing testing.

Heading up the stairs and into the manor, Bruce rubbed his shoulder that had already begun to stiffen up on him from the fight. He was fuming over the fact that they had managed to stop most of Joker's men, but not before a couple of cases of the drug had disappeared.

It had left him in a foul mood and more than anxious for some sleep which he'd had very little of over the last couple of weeks. He needed to figure out what the Joker wanted with an experimental drug used to treat memory problems in Alzheimer's patients. Whatever it was, he knew it couldn't be anything good.

Nearing Diana's room, Bruce couldn't help the hot flush of desire that suddenly washed through him or the way his throat went dry despite his dark sullen mood. The kiss they had shared last night sprung to the forefront of his thoughts once more, reminding him of what he wanted most.

He found himself anxious to see her now. He knew that she'd be asleep but just seeing her, being near her soothed him in a way that he'd never expected. The fact that he'd only had one nightmare in the last week since bringing her here was also not lost on him.

He hoped that she was alright. He remembered how warm she had felt to him last night. He feared anything more happening to her. He had hoped the warmth he had felt from her had because of him and the kiss they had shared.

Entering, Bruce found the room dimly lit by a small lamp in the corner of the room. Nearing her, he immediately noticed how torn apart her bed was. Sheets were thrown everywhere, the comforter lying in a heap on the floor by the bed. Diana lay curled up on her side, her raven hair splayed out on her pillow like an inky fan.

Kneeling down beside her, his heart leapt in his chest when he saw her. Her cheeks were flushed bright red, sweat glistening on her brow. He took her face in his hands, desperate to wake her and make sure she was alright only to find her so hot to his touch.

Her hair was damp, the sheets beneath her soaked from her fever. He pulled the wet strands of hair from her face as she mumbled something in her sleep, his pulse beginning to race with fear.

"Diana," he called her name with no response. "Diana!"

She softly groaned at the sound of his voice, Bruce's name a breathless moan on her lips as she fought to open her eyes without success. Her forehead was creased, cringing angrily with the intrusion. She tried to push his hands away from her face, to keep him from touching her when all she wanted to do was sleep, but she was too weak.

Panic rose up to choke him as he yanked the monitor cords and IV from her arm. He quickly gathered her up in his arms and ran for the door. "Alfred!" Bruce growled into the hallway. "Alfred!"

Alfred quickly started up the stairs, tying his robe around his waist and coming to stop at the sight of Bruce holding Diana in his arms.

"Get Dr. Leslie right away!"

"Yes, sir," Alfred replied, racing back downstairs.

Bruce immediately carried her back into her room and directly into the bathroom. "Hang on, Princess," he ordered her, his voice thick with fear as he quickly turned on the cool water.

Without even bothering to take his clothes or boots off, Bruce climbed into the enormous bathtub built for two. Holding her close against him, he settled down in the cool water, careful to keep her casts from getting wet.

Diana frowned at the sudden chill, pressing her face against his chest in agitation. "Bruce…" she whimpered, squeezing her eyes even tighter closed.

"I've got you, Diana," he tried to soothe her.

Tilting his head, Bruce pressed his lips against her forehead, his stomach clenching with how hot she was. Adjusting her position, he held her back against his chest, propping her broken leg on the ledge of the bathtub, her head pressed back against his shoulder.

He began to cup the cool water with his hand, pouring it over her body in an effort to get her temperature down. She moaned in protest, her teeth beginning to chatter, her body trembling in his arms.

"Hang on, Diana," he heatedly told her, his panic rising.

"Bruce…" she whispered, turning her head to bury her face in the crook of his neck as she continued to tremble in his arms. "Stop…don't…"

"It's alright, Diana," he murmured, attempting to calm her. "I'm right here."

Bruce felt as if his world was falling apart all over again as Alfred suddenly entered the bathroom. "Dr. Leslie is on her way," he told him. "She should be here in about fifteen minutes."

Bruce could only nod his head as he held Diana's feverish body against him. She had to be alright. His heart would accept no other outcome.