Chapter 18

Bruce laid on his side watching the beautiful Amazon asleep in his bed, the sense of peace that she provided him warring with the very real fear that was still threatening to devour him. She was being hunted and he had no idea why, but he knew he'd allow no one to touch her. She had come to mean everything to him now.

He had never thought it even remotely possible for someone to come into his life and turn his world upside down like Diana had done, shining a light so bright in the vast inky darkness that it actually brought warmth to his icy soul.

He hadn't been looking to fall in love with anyone, particularly with a colleague and especially not the Amazon goddess. It had always been a hard and fast rule of his, one that he had always held to. Never get involved with a teammate. It led to nothing but tremendous trouble, the kind that was extremely messy and only led to bitter conflict when it all fell apart.

It was why he had fought her at every single turn – every flirtatious comment, every bat of those beautiful eyelashes, every flip of the ebony hair over her shoulder. He couldn't stand the thought of acknowledging what beat in his heart for her only to have to turn around and take it all back when it didn't end well, to pretend that it had never happened, to see her day in and day out in their duties and know she was no longer his.

No, it had been far easier to just ignore it and hope the feelings would go away, to rail against her with everything he had in his dark soul, keeping her at arms' length at all cost. He couldn't let her in only for her to find out what he was truly like and then leave him, confirming his worst fear – he wasn't worth loving.

But the Amazon goddess had finally won out, making it damn near impossible for him to ignore any longer. And instead of his feelings for her going away, they had only grown stronger despite his best efforts. He had tried to harden his heart against her only to find she had somehow managed to consume it, possess it. He'd finally had to admit that his heart was no longer his to control. He was at her mercy.

He just regretted that it had taken Diana nearly dying for him to finally face what he'd been denying both of them for so very long. And now that he finally had her, he feared losing her all over again.

Whatever the Joker and Luthor wanted with her, he knew it couldn't be anything good. They had been plotting and planning for weeks, accumulating technology and equipment. Now, a shipment of a rare root extract from Africa had reportedly arrived in Gotham's harbor.

He felt his chest tighten, knowing it couldn't just be a coincidence.

Diana suddenly murmured his name in her sleep, a sweet expression veiling her face. He couldn't help smiling softly, wondering just what she was dreaming about with him. If it was anything like his dreams had been about her over the last couple of year, then he knew it had to be highly passionate and erotic.

He could feel his blood begin to heat, remembering how she had been waiting for him to return from patrol tonight. She'd been wearing an ivory negligee that was a perfect contrast to her dark tresses and revealed a generous view of her long legs that he loved.

He had eagerly slipped out of his clothes before silently sliding into bed next to her. He had quickly begun to kiss her, his hands already anxiously exploring her as she woke with a throaty moan.

Things had rapidly progressed from there, the negligee lasting about as long as the one she'd worn the night before. The only difference this time was that he had been able to restrain himself just enough to get it off of her in one piece instead of tattered pieces like the indigo blue one had regrettably ended up in.

She brought out such an animalistic lustful need in him that he could barely control. Thankfully, Diana loved it, almost seem to crave it. The fierce warrior inside of her spoke to the formidable dark knight in him in the midst of that intimate connection, in the heat of their passion.

Staring at her now, Bruce was still finding it hard to believe that she was here in his bed and as in love with him as he was with her. It went against all logic, made no sense why a woman as amazing as this Amazon goddess would willingly choose to fall in love with a mortal man especially one like him.

It defied all reason and yet here she was, choosing to be with him.

He had to find a way to keep her safe, to keep her from being found. He knew it was going to be next to impossible keeping her from wanting to help stop them which was why he wasn't about to tell her Joker and Luthor were looking for her now.

Diana slowly opened her eyes to see him watching her, a dark expression masking his handsome face. "I know that brooding look," she sleepily murmured, her hand sneaking out from beneath the warm covers to cup his cheek. "What's going through that head of yours now that won't allow you to sleep?"

"Nothing, you need to worry about," he replied, turning his head to kiss the palm of her hand.

"That means it is something I need to worry about," she frowned. "Did you find out anything more about what Luthor and the Joker are up to?"

Bruce hated keeping things from her, but at the same time he didn't want her worrying about anything either. She was finally on the road to making a full recovery. He didn't want anything interfering with that in any way, especially an encounter with their enemies.

Diana could see his mind churning, trying to decide how much to tell her. It made her pulse begin to race with rising panic. "Bruce, what is it?" she pressed, her brow creasing with worry.

"I'm just worried about what trouble Luthor and the Joker could be planning now," he told her instead. "It's been far too quiet for too long even for them. They're building up for something big. I just wish I could figure out what it is before someone gets hurt."

Bruce had told her the truth; he just hadn't told her that the someone he was worried about was her. He reached out his hand to stroke her hair, trying his best to dispel the fear that had invaded her beautiful face.

Diana had a bad feeling that there was more to it than what he was telling her, but decided not to push him on it at least for the moment. Instead, she leaned in closer, kissing him in hopes of easing his worry.

His fingers slid into her hair, keeping her close to him where he wanted her. He rolled his hips against hers, his hunger for her awakening all over again. Diana hooked her leg over his hip, her heart beginning to pound in anticipation of what was about to happen next.

Bruce's hand quickly found her thigh, stroking the smooth soft skin as he deepened the kiss, the fire inside steadily growing hotter by the second. He swiftly rolled her onto her back as he moved over her, loving the feel of her trapped beneath him. Diana tugged on his hair, relishing the feel of his powerful body covering hers, his weight pressing her deeper into the mattress.

As the kiss intensified, Diana couldn't help the nagging feeling in the back of her mind telling her that there was something more Bruce wasn't telling her. She was determined to find out what it was one way or another.

XXX

Lex Luthor's gaze narrowed as he watched the brain wave monitoring system they had set up, his mind racing with thousands of possibilities if this worked. A dark smile flickered across his face as he cast a glance over his shoulder at their unwilling test subject.

He could already begin to taste success dancing on his tongue. The Justice League won't know what hit them once he had destroyed the trinity. It would take the legs right out from under them, shaking the very foundation of the League.

All he needed to do was track down Wonder Woman and the rest would fall into place. Once he had his hands on her, the other two would rush to her rescue – Batman because of the Joker, Superman because of himself.

Once he had turned the trinity, nothing would stand in his way ever again.

"Hey, Lexie," Joker suddenly appeared with that ridiculous grin on his face. "Why so glum?"

"Just trying to think of way to find Wonder Woman," he frowned. "My contacts haven't been able to turn up anything yet. If we don't have her, our plan will never work."

"What if I told you I know where our little star-spangled Amazon beauty is hiding out?"

Luthor looked up sharply at the mad man standing before him now. "Where is she?"

"In Gotham…right under our noses this whole time," he replied with a smirk.

"How did you find her?" he asked, skeptical of the information.

"Let's just say that I know some people in high places who know people," he grinned wickedly.

Luthor stroked his chin, his mind churning over this new bit of news. Why had the Justice League made a public statement saying that she was off world if Wonder Woman was really in Gotham? There was something more going on with all of this, something they weren't aware of. Maybe she really had been seriously injured in that alien attack a few weeks ago.

"Cheer up, Lexie boy," the Joker exclaimed in growing exasperation. "We're closer to getting what we want. All we need to do is capture the Wonder Amazon and the other two will come racing to her rescue."

"There's just something off about all of this," Luthor mumbled, shaking his head. "Why is Wonder Woman in Gotham of all places? That's Batman's territory, not hers. I doubt he'd take too kindly to having a fellow Leaguer in his city no matter the reason for her being here."

"Who knows and who cares!" the Joker threw up his hands in the air. "Once we get our hands on her, the fate of the other two will be as good as sealed. No one will be able to stop us."

"I guess you're right," Luthor supposed.

"I say let's go pick up our pretty little guinea pig and get the ball rolling," the Joker suggested with a ear-splitting cackle.

"I think we need to scope it out first, make sure that it's not some sort of trap," Luthor stated.

"How could it possibly be a trap?" Joker snapped. "We've had the Bat chasing his tail for the last several weeks. He and his mini batclan haven't a clue about what we're up to."

"I just don't want to take any chances," Lex ground out, his gaze settling on the test subject writhing in pain. "We're so close to single-handedly dismantling the Justice League. I don't want anything going wrong this time."

"Relax, Lexie," Joker laughed. "It's practically in the bag. Let's bag us an Amazon and get this done."

"I hope so," Luthor released a deep breath. "But I decide when we go after Wonder Woman and not one minute before that."

XXX

Slipping into her workout clothes, Diana decided the best plan of attack to get the information she wanted was to go through someone other than Bruce. He was being tight-lipped and evasive about Luthor and the Joker which only raised her suspicions all the more.

She knew he wasn't lying to her, but he was definitely leaving something out, something that upset him deeply and that he didn't want her to know. She just couldn't imagine what it could be.

She made her way downstairs as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail, anxious to find the object of her search. She decided she would start with the youngest of the batclan and work her way up. If she couldn't get what she wanted to know out of Dick or Tim, she would have to try another tactic with Bruce…maybe a different negligee.

She smiled to herself with the thought, remembering how much Bruce loved her in lingerie and even more so out of it. She never knew that love would be this intense with him, this passionate and all-consuming. It was better than anything she could've ever dreamed.

Diana quickly made her way down into the batcave, hoping that Dick or Tim were still around. She had meant to get down here earlier, but she'd had to call Shayera and let her know that the negligee she had sent over a couple of days ago had worked.

They had talked for well over an hour, catching up on gossip and what had happened with Bruce. It had been good to talk to her friend. She'd missed her greatly and valued her advice when it came to men. She'd had very little experience when it came to dealing with the opposite sex in a romantic way and wanted to do everything in her power to make sure she didn't ruin this relationship with Bruce.

Making her way to the training room, Diana found Tim and Dick training together. She paused outside the door, hoping she could pick up on anything that might tell her what Bruce was keeping from her.

She watched as they sparred, reminding her of how heated things had gotten when she had last sparred with Bruce. It had been the start of something so incredible between them, so very amazing in every way imaginable.

"…about time, I say," Tim breathed heavily as he blocked a kick by Dick.

"I agree," Dick replied, spinning and ducking to avoid a hit. "I didn't think Bruce was ever going to break."

"Yah, but who could survive that long with someone as hot as Diana in your room? You'd have to be dead or blind not to be interested in her."

"I've never seen Bruce like this," Dick said as he tried to sweep his opponent's legs out from under him. "He almost cracked half of a smile when I greeted him this morning."

"I like having her here," Tim agreed. "She's so nice and she makes Bruce happy which is a huge bonus as it is."

Diana smirked to herself as she listened to the two young men talk about her and Bruce. She knew that despite Bruce gruff unemotional façade, he cared deeply for them as they did for Bruce. It truly was sweet to witness, how protective they were of each other. She felt honored that they were so willing to welcome her into their tight-knit little family.

"Do you think he'll be able to find out much from Superman?"

"I hope so," Tim grunted. "If anything happens to Di, Bruce will go positively berserk. I wouldn't want to be in Luthor or the Joker's shoes if that happens."

"I know what you mean," Dick winced as Tim got a lucky shot in. "I thought he was going to lose it when I told him they were looking for Diana."

Diana immediately grew tense, her heart nearly stopping with what she'd heard. This was what Bruce had been trying to keep from her, didn't want her to know about. She knew that he was only trying to protect her, but she could handle herself. Just because she no longer had her powers, it didn't mean that she was weak.

"Do you think Bruce's plan will work?"

"I hope so for both his and Diana's sake," Dick huffed, bending over to place his hands on his knees to catch his breath. "I've never seen him this in love before. Bruce will be inconsolable if something happens to her. He'll shut right down…never let alone person into his life for as long as he lives."

"We can't let that happen," Tim firmly agreed, wiping his face with a towel.

"Agree," Dick said. "Come on…let's go again. I'm going to whip your butt."

"Yah, right," Tim chuckled. "Give it your best shot, Dick."

Diana stood there for several long moments as the two young men began to spar again, her mind racing with what she had just heard. She knew she was going to have to talk to Bruce, make him see that they needed to fight this together. She wasn't about to just hide in the manor while Joker and Luthor were running lose, bent on causing trouble.

She turned then, coming to an immediate stop with a sharp gasp to find Bruce standing there, leaning against the wall watching her. His piercing blue eyes were burning straight through her in that intimidating way that felt as if he was slowly peeling each layer of her soul back. It never truly worked on her, though.

They stared at each other in that long tense moment. "You can't hide things from me, Bruce," she finally stated, refusing to back down from his dark menacing glare.

"I wasn't hiding anything, Diana," he firmly replied, his voice that of the Batman not her lover. "I just didn't tell you everything yet."

"And there's a difference?" she scowled.

"Yes," he evenly stated. "One keeps you alive; the other could mean you dying. I think that's a very definite distinction."

Diana could feel his simmering fury rolling off of him in fierce waves. It caused a shiver to race up her spine. "I'm not going to hide like some coward while those two maniacs plot Hera only knows what, Bruce," she spat out. "It's not who I am…not how I was raised."

"You are no longer who you once were, Princess," he angrily snapped.

"I'm not helpless," she hissed, fire burning in her eyes. "This is the perfect opportunity to use me to draw them out into the open."

"I never said you were helpless and the answer is hell no," Bruce bit out with equal anger, abruptly turning and walking away from her.

Diana quickly followed him to his workstation in the batcave, not about to back down now. "You have not been able to uncover enough information about what they are up to. By using me as bait, you could blow this case wide open."

"The answer is no," he growled as he sat down at his desk and started punching the keys on his keyboard.

"Bruce, you know this is your best option now," she stated, grabbing hold of his chair and spinning him to face her. "I am not asking you. I'm telling you to use me to draw them out."

His heart clenched painfully in his chest as he glared hotly at her. "And I said no," he ground out with a ferocity she'd seen in him only a handful of times before. "I almost lost you once. I'm not going to risk losing you again. I'll find another way."

"Damn stubborn man," she snapped. "I'm sorry, but my pride will not let me hide out like some weak helpless…"

"Damn your pride, Princess," he heatedly spat. "It's going to get you killed. Is that what you want?"

"No, of course not!"

Bruce leapt to his feet, standing toe-to-toe with the enraged Amazon. "Well, that's exactly what will happen if I let them find you, Diana," he hissed. "I love you too much to let you die."

Diana felt her breath catch with his words. She abruptly grabbed his face, kissing him hard and stealing his breath. Her tongue was suddenly tangling with his as he finally responded to her heated kiss, his arms drawing her flush against him.

Breaking for air, Diana pressed her forehead against his. "Bruce, you know we need to do this," she softly told him.

"No, we don't," firmly replied, taking her face firmly in his hands. "I'll find another way…one that doesn't involve you."

"Alfred told me that you had received an invitation to Gotham Museum's annual charity event to prevent child abuse for tomorrow night," she informed him. "I'll make it known that Wonder Woman will be making an appearance. It will be the perfect opportunity to stop them."

Bruce immediately let go of her, running his hand over his mouth as sick dread erupted from deep in his core. He knew she was right, but at the same time he couldn't bear the thought of putting her in danger like this. It was too risky, the cost too high. He didn't want those monsters anywhere near her.

"No, I'm not going to let you do this," he heatedly said, turning his back to her. "I'll find another way."

"I wasn't asking for your permission," she snapped before turning and leaving him all alone.