Chapter 12

He stood overlooking the streets of Gotham, a sinister ghostly figure in the dead of night keeping vigil while most of the metropolis slept. It's a city full of utter darkness and sin, but it was his city and he wasn't about to let it slip any further into disgrace if he had anything to say about it, would do everything in his power to keep its people safe.

He broodingly kicked a small stone off the ledge of the building with the toe of his black boot as he considered the clues he'd uncovered so far. It seemed the more information that they unearthed, the most baffling it all became.

Sensing his frustration, Diana had forced him into discussing the case with her in hopes of helping him last night. He hated to admit it had helped somewhat talking to her about it. He didn't like the idea of needing help especially from outsiders, but Diana wasn't exactly an outsider anymore since she was living at the Manor with him now…hopefully forever if he had his way.

After lying in bed with her discussing the case, things had begun to click in his brain, some of the pieces starting to fall together although the exact objective still remained a complete mystery.

Diana had also mentioned seeing something on the news earlier yesterday about some new investigational equipment being delivered to Arkam Asylum to study the brain waves of the criminally insane.

Bruce had readily decided that it couldn't be a coincidence that the Joker had stolen an experimental drug that helped activate memories in Alzheimer's patients around the same time this new brain wave technology was arriving in Gotham.

Despite his glower as the Dark Knight, he couldn't hide the small smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth. Diana had been beyond aggravated by the fact that she couldn't come along tonight to help. Despite still having a cast on her arm and leg as well as no longer being a Meta, she had still wanted to join the team tonight.

It had taken a good long hard kiss to finally persuade her otherwise along with a promise of more if she stayed put where she was supposed to be. He had a feeling that method wouldn't always work in the future, but it had at least tonight.

He was more than thrilled to see her fierce warrior spirit had returned with a vengeance. The only thing missing now was her powers which he was still determined to get back for her.

He was thankful Dr. Leslie said her casts could come off in another week. He was more than anxious for her to get better and begin her training. She was going to have to learn how to fight without her powers now that they were no longer there for her to rely on. She was going to have to learn to defend herself, relying on skill and intelligence instead of her herculean strength to save her life.

Leaning his forearm on his knee, Batman's gaze suddenly narrowed on an approaching line of headlights heading his way. Why they had decided to make the delivery at night was unknown to him, but it did help cloak his presence.

"Get ready," Batman ordered into his commlink.

"All clear here," Robin replied from further up the street.

"Nothing so far here," Nightwing's voice came over the link from his post.

"He's close," Batman said, his deep rasping voice sounding even more ominous over the link. "Be ready to move."

His hand immediately came to rest on his grappling gun, prepared at a moment's notice to move into action. His narrowed gaze watched a semi truck flanked by several smaller trucks work their way into Gotham, swallowing back the dread that was welling up inside of him.

He had a very bad feeling that whatever the Joker was planning now was going to be horrifying. He never ceased to come up with a plot more maniacal and disturbing than the last one.

All of the sudden, Nightwing's voice came over the commlink. "I've got a dozen motorcycles coming on hot and heavy from the east."

Before Dick could even finish his sentence, Batman had fired his grappling gun and was swinging in the direction of the transport truck. "Nightwing…Robin…take out those motorcycles. I'll stay with the transport truck."

"On it," Nightwing and Robin both replied in unison as they flew into action as well.

Batman swung through the air with deadly precision, his black cape billowing in the wind and creating an ominous presence in the Gotham skyline. He landed on top of the semi truck with a soft thud before quickly kneeling down close to the roof.

His dark fierce gaze immediately scanned his surroundings, searching for any signs of the Joker's presence. Glancing behind him, he caught site of the oncoming motorcycles that were beginning to close in on his position.

Just then, Nightwing and Robin swung into action as well, taking out one motorcycle after another in a bright array of small explosions. Batman crouched even lower as the transport truck turned down another road, his mood darkening at the site of a dozen more motorcycles up the road blocking their way.

The semi immediately slammed on its brakes, causing Batman to lurch forward, his hands bracing himself. He quickly compensated, keeping his balance as the sudden sound of the Joker's hysterical laughter filled the air. That sound never ceased to inflame his rage even after all this time.

Three of Joker's men suddenly descended on top of the truck behind the Batman. He turned to face them, his dark glower growing even fiercer if possible. "You really want to do this?" Batman smirked darkly.

The three men just snarled in response before lunging at the caped crusader who immediately dodged and spun avoiding a face breaking punch by a large fist. Batman turned and kicked, sending one of the Joker's henchmen flying off the side of the truck just as another one grabbed him from behind and lifted him off the ground.

Batman felt as if his chest was being crushed as the man tried to squeeze the air out of his lungs. He immediately threw his head back, cracking into the thug's face before breaking free. Spinning, he quickly blocked several blows before feeling a knife like pain wrench through his shoulder from his left side.

Turning, Batman grabbed both men by the neck, slamming their heads together before throwing them over the side of the truck. Grabbing the grappling gun, he quickly fired, lifting himself into the air and planting himself in the path between the motorcycles and the stalled semi truck.

Reaching his utility belt, he quickly grabbed several bat bombs and rolled them towards the Joker's men who waited on motorcycles. Small explosions lit up Gotham's night sky and filled the air as henchmen and motorcycle parts were sent flying. It was suddenly followed by a cacophony of bigger explosions that completely surrounded him, taking him by surprise.

The whole block was suddenly engulfed in fire as flames began to swallow him whole, smoke threatening to choke the air from his lungs. The Joker's spine-chilling laughter filled his ears as Batman raced for a nearby fire hydrant, knowing he had to do something soon before the whole area went up in flames.

XXX

Diana reread the same page in her book for what felt like the hundredth time as she waited for Bruce, Tim, and Dick to return. She hoped that they would've been back hours ago, but they were still not here…at least not that she knew of yet. They could still be down in the batcave she guessed, but it did little to settle her worry.

She looked at the clock on the bedside table again. It was almost four o'clock in the morning now, only five minutes later than the last time she had checked. She couldn't help the fear that besieged her; worried that something had happened to Bruce and she couldn't get to him.

With a huff of agitation, she set her book on the bedside table before throwing the covers aside. She could practically hear Bruce's forbidding gruff voice in her head, scolding her for attempting to get out of bed on her own again, but she refused to listen. She had to see him, to know that he was alright.

Carefully limping over to a chair on the other side of the room, she found her bathrobe, slipping it on and tying it around her waist. Turning around, she gasped when she suddenly noticed Bruce standing in the doorway, partially illuminated by the moonlight streaming through the windows. His muscular arms were folded against his chest, a deep frown on his face that was incongruous with the amused gleam that sparkled in his piercing blue eyes.

"Bruce," she gasped with relief at the sight of him.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" he asked.

"I was coming to look for you," she guiltily admitted. "I've been worried sick about you."

Bruce finally made his way to her, a wry smile playing on his lips. "Stubborn to the core," he murmured under his breath. "You are the most frustrating woman I have ever met."

Diana got a sheepish look on her face as he began to slowly untie her bathrobe for her. "And yet you still love me," she replied with a sweet smile.

Bruce released a heavy sigh as her bathrobe loosened, his rough hands gently pushing it off of her shoulders and allowing it to fall to the floor. "I don't know," he said in a gravelly voice. "I'm beginning to think you might be too much trouble to deal with. Amazons are very beautiful, but so very stubborn, infuriating, a pain in the ass…"

Diana quickly silenced him, her mouth covering his, her tongue sensually stroking the warm cavern of his mouth. He immediately responded, tilting his head and changing the angle as the kiss grew more passionate. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close against him as hot need pumped through his veins.

Retreating for air, Bruce frowned at her again. "You know you're going to be the death of me, right?" he softly gasped.

Diana smirked. "I'm definitely worth it, though."

"We'll see about that," he shot back before suddenly bending down and scooping her up in his arms. "I have yet to fully explore everything that I've ever dreamed about with you."

She leaned in close, her lips brushing against his ear. "I don't believe I'm the one stopping you, Mr. Wayne," she seductively murmured.

Bruce shivered despite himself, his hardening need becoming more difficult to ignore as he carried her back to her bed. "Not until you are fully recovered," he firmly insisted. "I'm not going to be accused of taking advantage of an Amazon Princess's virtue when she is still weak. Besides, I may have a bed-hopping playboy persona, but I'm afraid that's just a fabricated image."

Her gaze immediately narrowed in a deadly glare as he set her on the bed. "I am far from weak," she snapped indignantly. "And you better tread carefully or you might never get to experience your wildest dreams with me."

Bruce groaned as he crawled into bed beside her, his arm quickly slipping around her waist, his lips finding her bare shoulder. "Oh, I'm sure I could persuade you."

"Just because you are going to be my first…"

"And your last," he firmly cut in with a subtle growl to his voice that offered no room for argument as he began kissing along her collarbone.

"I like the sound of that," she whispered as she moved to capture his mouth again in a heated kiss.

"You keep kissing me like that and I'm not going to be so worried about your virtue anymore," he panted heavily, doing his best to harden his resolve.

"That's the idea," she smirked as her hand snaked up under his t-shirt to caress his chiseled chest.

Bruce's moan turned into a hissing groan as her fingers found the stab wound in his shoulder. Diana quickly sat up, concern filling her face as she helped him remove his shirt.

"Bruce, what happened to you?" she asked, examining the stitches in his shoulder.

"It's alright, Princess," he tried to dismiss it. "One of Joker's men just got in a lucky shot. Nothing Alfred wasn't able to fix up."

"Bruce," Diana frowned, her fingers lightly tracing over the stitches, wishing she could've been there to protect him.

Leaning down, Diana placed gentle kisses around the small wound as Bruce's fingers snaked up into her hair. His eyes fell closed in rapture, his lips parting at the feel of her hot wet mouth against his skin. He could feel his resolve beginning to shatter as his heart pounded against his chest.

"Diana," he softly gasped, pulling her up to kiss her deeply. "Stop…please…"

"I'm sorry," she murmured against his lips. "I want you so badly."

"I want you too, but not like this," he told her, his hand in her hair. "I want our first time together to be perfect in every way. Once you've regained your strength, nothing will keep me from making love to you."

Diana sighed in resignation, loving how concerned he was about making their first time together special. "Were you able to stop the Joker from stealing the equipment?" she asked, settling back down against his hard body.

Bruce could hardly think straight let alone form coherent sentences as Diana's fingers lightly caressed the numerous scars that marred his chest. It was hard enough to be in bed with her, holding her like this in his arms when he was wearing a shirt. Now with his shirt off, he could feel her face pressed against his skin, her warm breath and sensual touch. It was driving him positively wild.

He forced himself to think about something else, something other than the scantily clad Amazon in bed with him or the soft scent of jasmine that filled his nostrils every time her hair moved.

"Bruce?" she murmured, her fingers continuing to trail over his skin.

"Hmmm…" he softly moaned, trying to think cold thoughts when all he wanted was to be buried in her wet heat.

"What happened with the Joker?"

"Before or after he blew up a whole block of downtown Gotham?" he asked.

"What?" she cried, sitting up to look him in the eye.

"It's alright, Princess," he soothed as he pulled her back down against him. "I was able to put out the fire and get the transport truck out of there before the Joker could get his hands on it."

"Are Tim and Dick alright?"

"They're fine," he reassured her.

"I wish we knew what the Joker wanted with that equipment," she frowned.

"I know, but we'll get to the bottom of it one way or another."

"Do you think there could be someone else involved besides the Joker?"

Bruce gently stroked her back as he considered her question. "I've been wondering that myself," he admitted. "I know it can't be Poison Ivy or Catwoman because they're both still locked up in jail."

"There's always the Riddler," she suggested. "Or the Scarecrow."

"I'm going to start tracking some of the other Gotham villains' whereabouts tomorrow," he agreed. "This is definitely bigger than just the Joker."

"You don't think Luthor could be involved do you?"

"Could be," he sighed. "At this point, I'm not ruling anything out."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out before it's too late," she told him, tilting her head and pressing her lips against his chest. "I just wish you would let me do something to help you."

Bruce's hand slid up her back to massage the nape of her neck as he smiled to himself. "You can help me most by behaving yourself," he replied. "I worry about you enough as it is without wondering what trouble you're getting yourself into while I'm gone.

"I'm afraid I'm going to come home one of these days and find you lying at the bottom of the stairs or trying to cut your cast off by yourself."

Diana chuckled softly with his words. "Don't think I haven't considered removing the casts," she admitted. "Unfortunately, I left my sword back at the Watchtower. And a butter knife doesn't work very well by the way."

Bruce couldn't help keep the smirk from reaching his lips. "Somehow I'm not surprised," he chuckled at her desperate failed attempt. "Next week, Princess, the casts come off and then you're all mine."

"Really?" she grinned, slowly kissing his chest again. "I can't wait."

"To begin your training," he clarified, thrilled that she was as anxious to be with him as he was with her.

Diana released a disappointed breath. "I wouldn't wait too long if I were you," she informed him. "Amazons are not very patient."

"Is that a threat?" he teased.

"It's a promise," she purred as she leaned up to kiss him. "You could find out how very persuasive an Amazon can be when she wants something as badly as I want you."

Bruce groaned into her kiss, his arms wrapping around her. "It is taking every ounce of strength I have not to take you right here," he murmured against her lips. "I want you well first, Diana. I need you to be healthy again. I don't ever want to risk losing you."

"I know," she admitted, brushing her lips along his jaw as she blazed a trail to his ear. "Just be prepared to get your ass kicked in the training room, Bat."

She teased his earlobe a moment longer before abruptly pulling back and rolling over so that her back was to him, taking him by surprise.

"Good night, Bruce," she sweetly cooed, leaving him with empty arms and more than a little frustrated.

With a low growl, he shifted towards her, pressing himself against the entire length of her perfect body. Diana gasped at the feel of his hard need pressing against her bottom as his arms slipped around her body and pulled her close against him.

Bruce pressed his lips against her neck, amazed once again at how perfectly their bodies molded together like one. "You are definitely going to be the death of me," he huskily whispered against her ear. "And what a sweet death it will be."

Diana smiled as she drifted off to sleep, loving the feel of being wrapped up in his warm embrace. She had never dreamed that she would ever be this happy especially with a man. Now, she found she couldn't begin to live without him being in her life.