Chapter 16

Only Fools Act like Cowards

Bruce Wayne entered the library of Wayne Manor , his hair was drenched from the rain as his dark hazel green eyes peered at Alfred who was sitting in a wing back chair sipping tea and doing a cross word puzzle. He did a small cough to get his butlers attention.

Alfred turned and looked at him.

"Oh, Master Wayne, sir I didn't know that you were standing there." He rose and placed the cup down on the table. "How are you sir?"

"I'm fine."

The billionaire sat in the chair and looked at the grandfather clock that was ticking.

"Did you go and see Miss Prince?" Alfred asked.

"Yes, and I told her the truth."

"What truth?" Alfred asked.

"That in order to save both our souls from the terrible curse that the goddess of Love is planning to enchant us with I made the choice not to love her anymore."

"What?" Alfred said with a surprise tone. "You mean you giving up on Diana?"

"It's the only way."

"No, it's not. You've given up on too many women, Master Wayne and all they ever did was love you. Look at Miss Kyle, she wanted to spend the rest of her life with you but you refused because of what happened to Rachel."

"Selina was different."

"Yes, she was the only when that loved both Bruce Wayne and Batman as the same man but you pushed her away."

"I didn't push her away!" Bruce snapped. "She left due to her own reasons."

"She left because you didn't tell her what she wanted to her. Now you're pushing Miss Prince away, all she has ever done to you was save your life and love you."

Bruce crossed his arms. "I'm not in the mood."

"No, Master Wayne, you need to wake up out of this curse that you're letting yourself be consumed with. If you love her than go back to her."

Bruce rose and huffed.

"I don't need this."

He walked out of the room and headed for the stair well.

"I don't want you to die a lonely old man." Alfred called out.

Diana needed to clear her head and decided that fresh air what help her keep her mind off of Bruce. She walked on the sidewalks passing couples young and old holding hands. This was making her feel uncomfortable; she needed to find something to punch that always helped her feel better.

As she passed an alley she heard a scream.

"Please get away from!"

Instantly Diana found a small space in-between the two builds and spun her body around transforming in her armor. She raced down the alley way, there she saw a teenage girl on the pavement and a dirty looking man standing behind her with a purse.

She flew in front of the thug blocking his way.

"What the hell do you want lady?" The thug snarled. "Can't you see I'm working?"

"Men," Wonder Woman grumbled as she picked up the thug by the collar of his leather jacket. "Didn't you mother each you any manners about treating a lady." She threw him into a pile of trash bags. "My mother taught me how to treat men like you," She flicked her black hair and then glared down at him with her piercing ocean blue eyes. "Let this be a lesson to you swine. If I fine you mistreating another woman again I will hunt you down."

The thug gulped down and bolted down the alley way dropping the purse.

Wonder Woman looked at the frighten teen and held out her hand. "It's alright little sister, I'm not going to hurt you."

The young teen placed her hand into Wonder Woman's. "Who are you she asked?"

"Just a big sister looking out for all the little sisters," The immortal princess replied with a smile. "Are you sure you're alright? He didn't touch you or anything?"

She shook her head.

"No, that creep just took me purse and threw me to the ground."

Wonder Woman gave her a quick nodded and was about o fly when the teen tugged her arm and said. "Thank you for saving me, you remind me of an angel."

"Thank you," The heroine said. "You're a sweet kid."

The teen watched her hero fly away with a smile on her face.

Inside the Bat cave Bruce Wayne was sitting at the computer desk studying the same plant sample that he discovered at Star Labs. Alfred came down from the lift carrying a tray of tea.

"You're still working on that plant sample?" He asked placing the tray next to the keyboard.

"There's a hidden compound trapped in the cellar structure of the leaf. I sent Fox the scans and he's supposed to get back to me."

"I hope that haven't forgotten?"

"Forgotten what?" Bruce asked yawning.

"You're appointment that you always promised to keep." Alfred said holding up a long white card board box. "You don't want to be late."

Bruce rose from the chair and pulled off his shirt revealing his tight muscles. "I didn't forget Alfred. " He said throwing the rolled up shirt on the ground and pulling a dark blue sweater on. He then grabbed a brown leather jacket and headed to the platform that had his Augusta MV waiting with a helmet on the saddle.

Alfred handed him the box.

"I still can't believe," Bruce said with a sorrowful tone in his rich voice. "It's been so long."

"I know, sir, but she is always with her as long as you keep her memories alive."

Bruce nodded.

"It was my fault Alfred, I should have been wiser."

"Sir, why do we fall?"

Bruce rolled his eyes. "Not this speech again, Alfred, I'm not in the mood."

"Come on you know the answer?"

"So we can learn to pick ourselves up again."

Alfred smiled.

The dark haired billionaire walked to the bike and pulled on the helmet, he slid his body on the seat and fired up the engine.

Diana Prince was sitting at the bar enjoying a glass of fine wine when a tall blonde haired woman wearing a light sleeves dress pulled up a stool and sat down next to her.

"One fruit of passion," The woman said to the bar tender that was in trance by her beauty. She looked at Diana. "What's a matter who you darling get your heart broken?"

"You might see so," Diana replied with a heartfelt sigh.

"Want to talk about it?"

"I'm really not in the mood."

"Honey, this is the place to pour out your soul through conversations. So come on I don't bite."

"There's this guy, he's to die for. Everything about him is perfect, the athletic build, deep hazel eyes with a hint of green and those inviting curved lips that just make you melt."

"Sound dreamy."

"You see I have been in love with secretly since the first time we met. It was many years ago, at first we were good friends, but then something happened?"

"What?"

Diana looked down at her wine glass.

"I was buried under rumble, everyone that I was gone but he kept on digging through the cement. When I finally dug myself out I saw the cement dust on his clothing." She said that knowing that it would be a wrong idea mentioning the cape and cowl. "Right then and there I knew that he cared for me, so I gave him a kiss on the cheek."

"So that was the first spark between you two?" The woman asked sipping her drink that had pieces of strawberries and lemons in the glass. "I seen it all honey, the man always saves the woman. It's in most fairytale s."

Diana smiled.

"After that kiss I kept on looking at him differently, wanting to how more about the man that was under the mask." She bit her tongue. "He saved my life countless of times and I did the same for him as well, but it wasn't until we shared our first real kiss in a restaurant, I made the move and he actually enjoyed it."

"Most men do."

"But things got complained, we started dating on the side but then he moved on with his life and went back to where he belonged. We would see other but it wasn't the same. Now he's back in my life."

"Are you two?"

"No, he wants to let me go."

The blonde haired woman shook her head. "What a coward!"

Diana nodded. "I know, I thought he was stronger than this but I was wrong."

"Don't worry I'm sure he'll be getting a wakeup call soon princess."

Diana paused and looked at the woman. "What did you just call me?"

The woman smiled.

"I know everything about you Diana princess of the Amazons. I know that you're in love with Bruce Thomas Wayne the billionaire of Gotham City. I know about the curse your about to endure."

"Who are you?" Diana snapped.

"Don't you know?"

"Aphrodite, how dare you come here? Haven't you done enough?"

"Relax, I decided that I'm not going to punish you but you lover instead."
"Bruce, if you touch a hair on his head."

"You'll do what little princess?" Aphrodite sneered. "You can't touch me."

"I'm warning you."

"Bruce Wayne the one that needs to learn a lesson not you. Forgive for thinking it was you princess."

"I'll forgive you if you leave Bruce alone."

Aphrodite smiled. "Sorry princess, but my mind is already made up." She rose and looked down at Diana. "You can't warn him." She said putting a spell over Diana. "This is our little secret."

The air was cool as Bruce Wayne walked up to a headstone of a grave; he stood there and looked at the named carved in the stone. His eyes began to fill up with tears as he spoke.

"Hey Rach," He said. "I know it's been a long time since we've talked. But I have some words to say and I will say them right now. I miss you Rach, you were the only friend I had that was always there when I needed guidance." He looked up at the twilight sky. "Right now I need your help."

He bent his knees and placed a red rose on the ground. "I'm in love with a woman, well the truth is I've have been in love with her since the moment I saw her. Now we are facing a battle that I fear would destroy both of us if we become weak. I tried to be strong for her, but I am afraid …"

Bruce paused as images of the Rachel Dawes charred body was being zipped up in a blue body bag and he stood on the exact stop of her death, looking down at the rumble underneath as he felt like time had stopped and he was frozen with his own guilt.

"I don't want to lose her like the way I lost you Rachel. I can't bear seeing her body lying on the ground."

He placed his leather gloved hand on the stone. "I don't know what I should do?"

In the distance he could hear the sound of church bells ringing.

He rose up and looked at the setting sun.

"We endure so many battles through our life time but the greatest battle is the one that lies within our hearts." Bruce thought as he looked at Rachel's name on the gravestone and blew her a kiss. "Good bye Rachel."

He walked through the entrance gates of the cemetery and hopped on his expensive sports bike, started the engine and sped off into the direction of where his heart was guiding him.

Inside her hotel room Diana was sitting on the edge of her bed brushing her long jet black hair thinking about her past lovers that she cherished. There was Steve Trevor the American spy that she met during the time when the Justice League was sent back in time to stop Savage from creating the world in his image. Steve was a good man, fought for his country with bravery but died alone in the nursing home. She would go and see him but it pained her to see that he was aging and dying.

When the time came for her last good bye she gave him a kiss on the cheek and said that she would always hold him close to her heart. After that night he passed away peacefully without any pain. She attended his funeral with Shayera Hull and Wally West but deep down she really wanted Bruce to be there with her. But instead the Dark Knight was out saving Gotham City from the League of Shadows and trying to convince Talia al Ghul to stop following her father's orders.

She also knew that Bruce Wayne was never one for attending funerals; it was because it reminded him of his grim childhood and how he had to watch his parents being lower six feet under.

There was a knock at the door, she rose and walked to the door and unlocked it only to reveal the dashing billionaire wearing a brown leather jacket standing in the hall.

"Bruce," Diana asked in the doorway. "What are you doing here? I thought you said goodbye?"

Bruce gave her an innocent expression; his hazel green eyes sparkled as he looked at her beautiful sleek form.

"Princess, about last night, all those things I said." He paused trying to find the right words to say to her. Deep down he knew he was a fool to let her go, and Batman was no fool. "What I'm trying to say Diana, I acted like a foolish coward thinking that giving up was the only option I had to save us. But we've been in tougher battles in this one princess." He placed his warm hand on her cheek. "We've always had the victories because we never gave up so why should this one be any different."

She looked at his chiseled chin and then his lips.

"But this time Bruce, the stakes are a lot higher than before?"

"What makes you say that?" He asked. "Diana I love you and I will do everything in my power to save you even if it means taking your place."

Diana was trying to warn him but her mouth become tongue tied all she could do was listen to what he was trying to say.

He placed his arm on her slender shoulder. "This time I'm not letting you go princess."

With those words Bruce lifted her chin and pressed his lips onto hers, embracing her as if she was his treasure. They're lips slowly parted. "I promise you, I will not let anything happen to you."

Diana pulled away.

"Would you like to stay the night?" She asked looking over at the bed.

Bruce shook his head. "Another time, I've got work to do."

She smiled. "Of course,"

He wrapped his arms around her.

"Just promise me that you'll come back to me." Diana said as he pulled away.

"I'll try."