Diana woke up alone in Clark's bed. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was just after 1PM. They hadn't slept for very long, spending most of the night in gentle intimacy. Observing the room, she saw that Clark was nowhere in sight, but everything else seemed to be in order. Even the bed seemed to be intact. Diana thought that they hadn't disturbed anything but wasn't sure until just now.

In their effort to keep from destroying anything, they slowed the entire process of lovemaking down considerably. Instead of pleasuring each other with their superhuman speed and power, pushing themselves to exhaustion as they did in the fortress. They took their time to pamper every inch of each other's body. With deep kissing, caressing, at a slow erotic pace. They ended the night finding total relaxation in each other's arms. Diana felt fantastic, but she wanted Clark back with her. Preparing to go search for him, Diana kicked off the covers relishing the cool air across her body as she stretched. Holding her arms over head and poking her chest into the air.

"You don't know how sexy you are when you do that." Clark observed.

Diana turned to the sight of Clark standing unclothed by the doorway to his bedroom. "You look pretty sexy yourself." Then she beckoned him back to bed.

"You look like you belong in my bed." Clark said as he kissed her possessively and swept his hand across her soft skin.

His touch made her feel like she belonged in his bed, but she was too wound up in the kiss to respond.

"You should go get dressed, we've got someplace to be."

"Where?"

"Bruce needs us for something. He didn't say what."

"In the middle of the day?"

"Yep. He told us to wear our glasses. Come on, he's got food too."

"Food sounds beautiful, but for the record, I'd rather stay in bed with you."

"That sounds beautiful." Clark replied, "But we should go."

Diana got out of bed, leaving her gown on the floor, and strolled into the closet. To the clothes she was allowed to keep there, which consisted of sweatpants and t-shirts, just enough to get back to her apartment where she could dress properly.

As she emerged from the closet, Clark was getting a fresh towel before heading into the shower. Diana stopped and stared.

"What?" Clark asked, noticing Diana was frozen in place.

"What?"

"You're staring at me."

"Am I?" Diana feigned innocence.

"Yes. And I feel like we've had the conversation before."

"We have, but it was the other way around. The reason for my staring is the same as yours. You are distractingly beautiful Clark." Her eyes roamed up and down his frame.

"Oh yeah?"

"Oh yeah." Diana licked her lips. "But I should go. Meet me at my place in 20?"

"Sounds perfect." Clark said, then closed the bathroom door.

Clark and Diana landed in a wooded area inside the grounds of Wayne Manor, near the area Alfred used to shoot clay pigeons in his spare time. Then they made the 200 yard walk to the house.

"So he really didn't say why he wanted us here?" Diana asked, as they rang the doorbell.

"Nope. I'm just as clueless as you are."

"It doesn't make sense for him to ask us here in the middle of the day like this. But then again, you never know anything with Bruce."

"Very true."

A minute later the door opened, with Bruce on the other side.

"Come in." Bruce greeted.

Bruce led them through the foyer, down one of many halls inside Wayne Manor. Diana, who had been inside the house once, took note of the vintage decor. From the wood accents to the stone columns. It was drastically different from the ultra modern look of Clark's apartment, and best of all, no symmetry. Still though, it didn't feel like a home to her. And Diana suspected that Bruce felt the same way.

"Where's Alfred?" Clark asked, surprised that Bruce had answered the door in the first place.

"On a date." Bruce said quickly.

They stopped in an ornate room that was like with books all the way up the vaulted ceilings. There were three wingback chairs set up. Two were set close to each other facing the single chair. Bruce sat in the single chair, while Clark and Diana sat next to each other.

"I have a serious problem." Bruce began.

"Okay?" Clark said confusedly.

"You two, more than anybody know about the... stark differences between Bruce Wayne and, the other guy. You also know the lengths I go to make sure those two stay separated."

"Yes?" Diana said confusedly. "What is your problem?"

"Those lines are starting to get fuzzy." Bruce said pointedly.

Immediately Clark and Diana put together what Bruce was talking about. Selina.

"What did you do?" Diana accused.

"Since that night she stole the car, we've been sort of sleeping together, pretty regularly." Bruce almost looked ashamed for admitting that.

Diana lifted her glasses to pinch the bridge of her nose in annoyance. Clark just laughed, and laughed and laughed.

"Clark shut up!" Diana thought his laughter was rude and annoying. "Bruce, how do you let this happen? Of all the women in the world, you always pick the most toxic. She assists your enemies, she steals from you. She... she... Clark help me."

Clark was holding his mouth trying to stop laughing. "The arrangement that you've had since she took the car, are you happy with it?"

"I don't know." Bruce admitted.

"What about her?"

"I think she is."

"The real question is, why are you calling us?"

"I'm freaking out a little bit. Last night I realized that she's been keeping clothes in my closet."

Clark's eyes widened. "Ooh. You got to put a stop to that. Quickly!"

Diana turned to Clark quickly, with fire in her eyes. "And just what is that supposed to mean?!"

"It means she needs to keep her crap out of his house."

"Is that what it was? I had crap in your closet?" Diana was angry now.

"No. We're not talking about two drastically different things."

"How is it any different? Why do guys lose it when someone makes the tiniest change?"

"That's not a tiny change Diana, that's a huge change, that needs to be discussed at great length beforehand. But we digress." Clark turned back to Bruce. "As I was saying you need to put a stop to that quick."

Diana frowned at Clark.

"I'm not sure if I want to, that's the thing. I'm under a lot of stress, and she's an escape. She's like a drug, I crave her all the time even though she's bad for me." Bruce admitted.

Both Clark and Diana were dumbfounded, was this really Bruce talking? The Dark Knight looking into settling down?

"I've got more money than I'll ever need, but no one to share it with. There are only a few women who know anything about me. There was Talia, but she's gone. I grew up with Zatanna, but I'm pretty sure she's with John Henry. Selina gets me, all sides of me, and she doesn't back away from it. Kind of like you two."

"I don't know about that." Diana said. "I've never used Clark as barter to keep off of gangsters hit lists."

Bruce didn't answer, he had no comeback for that one.

"She's a freak isn't she?" Clark speculated. His brief interactions with Catwoman suggested that she was a wild woman in the bedroom.

Bruce nodded almost proudly, while Diana groaned her displeasure with Clark's question.

"But no matter what, I don't know what the hell I want. That's why I asked you here. I want Diana to ask her for me."

Clark burst out laughing. "What is this junior high? We're passing notes now?"

Neither Bruce nor Diana understood what Clark was saying, and gave him confused looks.

"Oh that's right, you didn't go to school." Clark indicated Diana, then turned to Bruce. "And you went with all rich people. What we regular folk did, was write a letter, and have a friend pass it to the person we liked. That's basically what you're asking her to do."

"Ok." Bruce relented.

"You're serious?" Diana asked.

Bruce answered. "Yes."

Diana looked at Clark nonplussed. Clark shrugged his shoulders, indicating it was Diana's decision. She was having a difficult time believing this was happening. Bruce had the discipline to always be on top of everything, always spinning his situation to where if he wasn't in control, he at least had a way out. But for reasons unknown, Selina could take that discipline and turn him into a grovelling little boy. Diana didn't like that Bruce was so into her, but decided to give in.

"Where is Selina?" She finally asked.

"Probably at her apartment on the south side." Bruce responded. "I told her I had something important to do today, so she's not here."

"You want me to do this when?"

"Tonight, in full armor, be intimidating if you have to. Use the lasso." Bruce suggested.

Clark tried not to laugh at the fact that the Batman, the most intimidating man in Gotham city, was scared of one little woman. But matters of the heart are touchy subjects, Lana Lang hurt Clark more than any super villain ever could. The years of not knowing why she left him affected him greatly. Until he got closure, he probably couldn't have moved forward with Diana the way he had. Clearly Selina had a hold on him that no one else did.

"I'll do it." Diana relented.

There was a long awkward pause after that, which Clark desperately wanted to break. "So you said Alfred is on a date?"

"Yeah, he dates more than you'd think actually. He's got a thing for 40 year olds."

"How old is he?" Diana asked.

"59"

"Hmm, who knew?" Clark was a little bit surprised, he had no clue Alfred was an active dater, or had an affinity for younger women. While Diana was only mildly interested. She was more concerned with having to deal with Selina.

Diana hung in the air over Gotham's south side. Selina lived in a low income housing project in the heart of the crime ridden area. It was past midnight, and Diana was glad she couldn't see any type of illegal activity on the ground, because she wasn't in the mood. Clark was gone, after he pointed out what Selina was doing, he took off very quickly. Not only because he wanted to hide their relationship from Selina, but mostly because he simply didn't want to be there. Which didn't sit well with Diana, he should be more inclined to support her when she's doing something unpleasant. She made a mental note to inform him about that later, but right now she had a task to do.

Selina was alone watching TV, she didn't want to stay home tonight, but she had nothing else to do. Her off the air TV antenna didn't get many channels, and most of those would pixelize heavily every 30 seconds, she longed for the days of the analog signal. When even if the picture wasn't perfect it still could be watchable, so long as you were willing to put up with a little bit of fuzz. This digital signal was nigh useless. She switched the TV off, and immediately heard something moving around in her bedroom. Selina was a martial arts expert, and had her home broken into on multiple occasions, so she wasn't really scared. She figured it was some junkie looking for a fix, that usually was the case.

Sneaking silently to her open bedroom door, she could see the outline of someone tall lurking in the dark. Selina stealthily went for a open handed blow to the face, aimed at breaking the assailant's nose and clouding their vision. But whoever it was, anticipated the attack, catching her hand in mid air and using her arm to spin her around and shove her away, she was sent flying into her closet. Selina knew only one person could sneak up on her like that.

"Well there loverboy, if you wanted a booty call, you could have used the phone like everyone else." Selina said seductively.

"That's not why I'm here." Was the answer from an authoritative female voice. Selina was highly confused until the light was switched on, revealing Wonder Woman.

"Oh, well that figures." Selina said dryly. "So I guess we're going to have a woman to woman, you want something to drink? I've got water."

"No thank you." Diana said sternly.

"So let me guess, he found the clothes in his house and sent you to handle me? It's a shock it took him this long, the worlds greatest detective didn't notice the spoils of an entire shopping spree in one of his many extra closets."

"He wasn't happy about that. But that isn't why I'm here. I want to know what your interest is with Bruce, without the masks."

"I want what any woman wants, money, security, and a warm bed, all of which he can provide for me quite well."

Diana wasn't sure if she should believe her. She didn't want to do it, but decided the lasso should be used. Before Selina could react, Diana looped it over her shoulders. Asking again. "What do you really want with Bruce?"

"I want him to be safe. I want him to be with me." Selina didn't look particularly happy about what she just said. Clearly she wanted to keep that information to herself.

"So why do you steal from him?"

"To protect him."

"How does stealing his car protect him?"

"They were going to kill him, he was going to walk right into it, taking his car kept him away."

"Who was going to kill him?" Diana demanded.

"Everyone. Every drug dealer in the city, and some from outside it. They pooled their money to get a big shipment intended for Metropolis, but Batman stopped it. Yes I antagonize him, yes I've gone against him from time to time, but I don't want to see anything happen to him. He doesn't care about his well being, but I do." Selina's entire demeanor changed. Before being under the lasso, everything she did was in a flirty or seductive manner, in an attempt to entice anyone she meets. But now her true colors were showing, and she was truly concerned for Bruce.

Diana stayed for a little while longer, mostly trying to find information on each individual drug dealer, but Selina didn't know names. Diana left the small apartment with a different view on Selina. She played with Bruce's mind almost as a sport, she antagonized him simply because she could. Very few others could get Bruce flustered in any way, and she truly believed it when Selina mentioned she thought Bruce enjoyed it somehow. Selina and Bruce had a strained relationship, they both knew it was bad for them, but both still wanted it.

She would inform Bruce about the drug dealers, and what Selina said before she was compelled by the lasso but not the true feelings she had. Selina and Bruce would have to deal with that themselves. Even though they both knew their relationship was toxic, she wouldn't get in the way if they wanted to be together, and would allow them to pursue things on their own.

Diana didn't have first hand experience at an unstable relationship, but she knew that it was possible. She knew that her and Clark's relationship could not be as smooth as it was now. That it can, and eventually will be tested, much more than it has been so far. As she flew back through a thunderstorm moving through Metropolis, she hoped that those tests would be far in the future.

By the time Diana finished with her shower the thunderstorm was in full effect. The rain was coming down as hard as she'd ever seen it. And when lightning struck, it was so bright that it lit up the room almost like it was daytime. It gave her a good look at Clark asleep in her bed. Just like he said about her this morning, he looked like he belonged there. With her sexy outfits at his place, Diana changed into a pair of gym shorts and an oversized t-shirt. Then she climbed into the bed with Clark, she nearly laughed at how nervous they both were the first time they shared this bed. Now it felt natural to sleep next to him, in fact it was difficult to do without him.

Glancing over, she marveled at the sight of him. Weather he was dressed in a business suit, Kryptonian armor or nothing at all, she thought Clark was an extremely handsome man. But there was something about seeing him totally relaxed was very pleasing to Diana.

It was a thrill to be with him, for her to be the center of his affections, to be the one who makes him happy, to be the one who quells his fears of being alone, made Diana extremely happy herself. Everything he does indicates that he feels those same things about her, and it was an amazing feeling. Maybe Barda was right?

Diana move closer to Clark, kissed him softly on the cheek and curled up to go to sleep. Letting the sound of the rain relax her, she imagined a place where she and Clark were together and admitting freely that they were in fact in love.

She woke up the next morning, in a familiar position. On her side, with Clark spooned up behind her, once again his hands on her breasts. The t-shirt she'd worn to bed had been removed and was nowhere in sight. This had to stop. Luckily he was stirring awake, she would end this now.

"Clark, I need you to stop doing that."

"Stop doing what?" Clark asked groggily.

"Stop taking off my clothes in the middle of the night."

Clark sat up to get a good look at her, in only a pair of gym shorts, she was what fantasies were made of. "No problem. There's one thing though. You're the one who does that."

"Me?"

"Yes. Every night, you're the one who moves my hands too. And for the record I'm never going to complain about it." He said with a smile.

"Oh." Diana didn't know what to say now.

"If you're curious, it's by your feet."

Diana reached under the covers for the shirt, and put it on. "You have to go to work don't you?"

"Yes I do. But I've got time to go to breakfast, you want to come with?"

"Yes."

Clark and Diana sat at a booth in a crowded greasy spoon diner, waiting for their food to arrive.

"So is Wally still mad at you?" Diana asked.

"Probably. At least he's stopped leaving me angry messages."

"What is he mad about again?" Diana wasn't sure about that part still.

"After I left the club the other night, all everyone wanted to talk about was if I was coming back or not. Apparently I stopped him from doing... Whatever it is he was trying to do that night."

Diana laughed. "You remember when he asked you to go with him?"

"Yeah I do. And it would have gone pretty much the same."

"Probably."

Their food finally came, Diana ordered breakfast casserole, which was sausage, eggs, waffles and cheese baked in one dish. While Clark ordered the breakfast sampler, sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, hash browns with biscuits and gravy.

"That's huge!" Diana exclaimed, her meal was a rather large proportion, but Clark's was ridiculous.

"It's not like yours is small. Or you're not going to eat that whole thing." Clark accused.

Diana looked at her plate, she was planning on eating it all. "Ok fine. But I need this to keep going. Donna and I always needed to eat more than the others."

"That's one of the things I like about you. You're not afraid to enjoy a meal. A lot of women hide the fact that they actually eat food."

"Yes. That's one of the things I'm trying to change. This meal suggests I don't practice what I preach, but healthy eating is one thing I focus on. Actually since I've been with you, I've eaten terribly. Pizza and fried chicken every other night."

"That's the good stuff." He laughed. "So do you have plans for the day?"

"I was planning on going home. I haven't seen my mother and sister for a while. I have actually been putting it off."

"Why is that?" Clark took in her concerned look.

"I'm worried how they'll receive me. I'm... not the same woman I was last time I was there."

"Yes you are. And if you have to, remind them."

Diana dropped her eyes in a wry smile. She wasn't as confident as he was about it.

Clark spend the rest of breakfast trying to cheer her up. He wasn't sure how good of a job he was doing, because her mood didn't lighten much. Before he got up to leave, he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

Diana felt an electricity from his touch she never felt before. like he was trying to tell her something. As soon as he left, she felt better. Because no matter what happened, when she returned, he would be there for her with open arms.