Summary: (BM/WW Wedding-fic) When Batman finally gathers the courage to ask Wonder Woman to marry him, the Dark Knight gets more than he bargained for when the entire League decided to pitch in and help plan their impending nuptials – contains fluff, random humour, a temperamental Amazon princess, drunken bachelor-party escapades, and various attempts on Superman's life!

A/N: This is a definite filler but let's hope it's a goodie anyway! And I… I actually have nothing to add for once… so, uhm… wow, this is awkward… mmm…

Oh! Thank you all so much for the reviews, favourites, and follows :)

Disclaimer: Nearly three years into writing this… and I'm still no closer to owning any of these characters. Tragic, ain't it?

Bridezillas & Kryptonite

~Chapter Sixteen~
Countdown

It was a clear, cloudless night over Gotham City – the light of the full moon was reflecting off of the sea of rooftops, even a few stars managed to shine through the thick city sky and twinkle far above his head.

It was never quiet, thanks to the night noises in the streets below, yet right there he found peace on his own.

…Or, at least, he was alone until he heard the softest crunch of boots touching the gravel behind him.

"Quite a sight, huh?"

Knowing who it was, Batman allowed a small curl to tug at the corner of his lips when he felt a familiar presence walk up to him.

"You can see the whole city from here," he said, turning his head slightly and was met with piercing jade eyes.

Catwoman scoffed lightly as she came to stand at his side. "Well, I was talking about me but I guess the view's pretty good too."

The Dark Knight allowed a low chuckle before looking out in front of him again, a slight breeze rustling through his cape.

"I thought I might find you here." He said quietly.

Catwoman nodded. "So you did… and I got your invitation by the way."

"Are you coming?"

Her sharp eyes turned on him. "That depends – who else knows I'm invited?"

Batman turned his head back. "Diana knows."

"And...?" Catwoman prompted, arching an eyebrow.

"She didn't have a problem with it when I suggested the idea."

"Huh..." she said thoughtfully. "I'm… mildly disappointed, but I like this one, Bruce - don't let her slip away."

He smirked. "That's the plan." He said and paused for a moment. "So… will I see you there?"

"I'll see what I can do." She said airily. "I might have to clear my busy social schedule."

"…Thank you."

Catwoman shrugged. "Besides, it will be the event of the year. I wouldn't miss it for the world." She paused. "…To be honest, I never thought I'd see the day."

"Neither did I." He admitted.

"And yet, here we are." she said softly. "…You know, it's funny… we used to meet up at a place like this… and now…"

"Selina…"

She surprised him by kissing him on the cheek.

"Don't worry about it, Handsome," she said, stepping away, "things wouldn't have worked out for the two of us anyway. I meant what I said to your Amazon, you've changed."

"You're right about one thing, we are different. You're better, better than all of this"

Catwoman let out a brisk laugh. "I doubt that, but you were always good at making a girl feel special, even if what you're saying isn't true."

"I'm not lying, Selina."

She smiled rather sadly. "…I know."

And just like clockwork, a siren went off somewhere in the distance.

"That's you cue." She said wistfully.

Batman nodded once and offered her a rare, genuine smile before stepping away.

But, as he set off, he didn't see Catwoman staying behind to watch him until disappeared.

When she was sure he was gone, she turned away and let out a small sigh, still half smiling.

"See you around, Bruce…"

She didn't look back over her shoulder when she went the opposite direction and slipped out of view and into the dark.

Days until Wedding: 5

The Watchtower…

It was an odd sight, anybody with eyes could tell you that much.

But, much to the Dark Knight's credit, with that's happened the past few months he was more than used to being looked at strangely.

Ignoring the whispers and the wriggling in his arms, Batman continued his way until he got to the Monitor Womb.

The white lenses of Flash's cowl narrowed as he sat across from a smirking Green Arrow.

He was cheating, the speedster fumed, he must have been.

"Best two out of three," Flash said stubbornly. It wasn't just a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors to pass the time anymore - it was a matter of principle, and he would not lose!

"Don't you mean you mean twenty-four out of thirty-six?"

"Whatever…"

"Remember, no cheating," Green Arrow said smugly.

The speedster grumbled, but, just as they got to three, the sliding doors opened.

Much to his delight, Flash drew scissors while Green Arrow had his head turned and drew paper. But, just as he was about to voice his victory, when Flash turned his head as well, whatever he was about to say died on his lips when he saw Batman walking in… carrying a puppy.

"Have either of you seen Hawkgirl?" the Dark Knight asked, ignoring the openly surprised looks he got from his fellow heroes.

"Er… what is that?" The Flash asked.

"I'd say that's a dog, Flash, a smallish one." the archer answered.

Flash nodded. "…I think you're right!"

Batman rolled his eyes. "And they call me the detective."

Both the archer and the speedster pretended not to have heard him.

"My only question is what Mister Sunshine is doing with one." Green Arrow said thoughtfully.

"Let's find out." Flash said and they both looked at him with exaggerated eagerness.

Batman looked at them with a deadpan expression. "If you two numbskulls are finished," he said and adjusted the pup in his arms, "Hawkgirl?"

"Sorry, Bats, you just missed her," Flash said. "She and J'onn just went on a mission. They won't be back for a while."

"And John?"

"He's off planet with the other Green Lanterns – I think Dinah said something about babysitting Rex until Shay comes back later," Green Arrow explain.

Batman sighed under his breath, "Of course."

"Now, are you going to tell us what's going on?" Green Arrow asked.

"Shayera gave him to Diana last week. She won him in a game of poker or something." Batman said, looking down at the pup as it wagged its tail happily. "Anyway, I found him chewing another pair of my work shoes this morning and we thought it was better if we find him another family."

Flash approached the vigilante and scratched the pup behind its ears. "Didn't Wondy mind?"

"Not when she found out he was saving one of her boots for desert."

Flash laughed before looking at the dog, "Aw, you're not that bad, are you, fella?" he then perked up. "Well, if you want, I can take him off of your hands."

Batman raised an eyebrow behind his cowl. "You're offering?" he said skeptically.

The speedster flashed (ha) him broad smile. "Hey, he likes walks, I like walks, it'll be a match made in doggy-heaven - besides, girls go nuts for anything small and furry."

The Dark Knight didn't seem to convinced, but eventually handed the pup over. "…Don't get him killed."

Green Arrow snickered. "You don't sound too sure of yourself now."

Batman ignored him. "Have you ever had a dog before?"

"It shouldn't be too hard," Flash said confidently. "Does he have a name?"

"Harry."

Before Flash could ask about that, they were interrupted when Black Canary came in, carrying Rex in her arms.

"Bruce," she said, approaching them, holding a magazine in her free hand. "It's a good thing I found you."

When he noticed the look on her face, Batman turned his back on Flash. "What happened?"

She walked up to him and handed the magazine over to him. "Have you seen this?"

It was a gossip rag. Batman looked at her strangely until he dropped his gaze to the glossy cover and scanned the headlines… and cursed under his breath.

"How?" he growled.

"I take it you don't know then," Black Canary said, "It's big news at the moment, it's in all of the tabloids."

"What are you talking about, Pretty-Bird?" Green Arrow asked.

Batman tossed the magazine at the archer before stalking out of the Monitor Womb in a mood.

Confused about the Dark Knight's mood, when Flash peeked over Green Arrow's shoulder, his eyes widened.

"Uh-oh…"

Green Arrow nodded solemnly. "I couldn't have said it better myself, kid."

Days Until Wedding: 4

Wayne Manor
The Backyard Amazon 'Camp'

That morning, Hippolyta watched on with interest as Bruce approached her with a stack of glossy magazines underneath his arm and a newspaper in his hands. When he stopped in front of her, Bruce looked at her evenly and nodded in greeting like he did each morning.

"Your Highness."

Hippolyta replied in turn with a curt nod of her head. "Mr. Wayne."

It was all terribly formal, she thought, but after the trails she'd put him through and the vision they'd seen of the future, at least they weren't at each other's throats anymore.

"Can I borrow your fire pit for a minute?"

It was a strange request, but the Queen nodded and looked on as Bruce made his way to the heart of the camp. He received similar looks from several of her guard, but none of the Amazons commented on it.

Hippolyta walked over to him when he started building a small pyre.

The two of them said nothing until he managed to get a fire going. Without a word, he then started throwing book after book onto the flames, waiting for the first to burn up before tossing the next.

She managed to catch his eye, and with a sigh, Bruce stood up and handed her one of the magazines.

Hippolyta scanned the cover before her eyes landed on one of the headlines. She blinked, bewildered, before flipping to the page that caught her interest and started reading.

When she got to the end of the article, the Queen crushed the magazines in her hands. "This is an outrage!" she said indignantly. "How can anyone read this- this nonsense!"

"It would have gotten out eventually." Bruce said with a grimace.

"That's not what bothers me," Hippolyta said sharply, tossing the crumpled up magazine onto the rising flames. "I assume whoever wrote this has never met my daughter in person, how could they be so petty otherwise?"

"They're just speculating."

"Precisely." She said ruefully. "They diminish her honour as well as yours. I may not be used to how things work around here, Mr. Wayne, but I will not stand for this - these lies!"

Bruce sighed. "I thought you might say something like that."

"This has happened before?" she demanded.

"Of course it has," he said bluntly. "We're not regular people, your Highness. Diana's a world-renowned superhero, I'm the 'Prince of Gotham' who happens to have a lot of money - whether we're together or not, we're in the public spectrum. Anything that happens in our lives is going to be broadcasted and printed and made available to anyone who opens the society pages in a newspaper."

Hippolyta's pressed her lips together in a thin line, and despite herself, some of her anger abated.

"Tell me this at least, how can you stand it?" she said flatly.

"Years and years of practice."

The Queen looked at him skeptically.

"I'm also very careful with what I show to people." Bruce explained.

"Another one of your masks, Mr. Wayne?"

He nodded curtly. "If you'd like to see it that way."

She crossed her arms over her chests. "Diana-"

"-Understands better than most why I do what I do, and usually sees through it while she's at it." He cut her off. Bruce then smiled a little. "She doesn't mind the media that much every time it's brought up, and she laughs whenever Alfred tells her about one of my past… exploits…" His smile faded somewhat after a brief pause. "But… with the wedding less than a week away, I think it's better if she doesn't know about this."

"What is your plan then? You must know she'll find out eventually." She asked.

"I do." A sigh. "Well, first I'm going to finish burning these."

"And afterwards?"

"Stalk the halls of the Watchtower again and purge it from as many of these rags as I can before Diana arrives there for her shift this afternoon. I've already bought out almost every newsstand and bookstand on her usual patrol route, so let's hope they haven't broadcasted anything yet."

"You certainly are… thorough." She said, recalling their conversation not too long ago.

"Anyone else would call it paranoia."

"Perhaps it' s that too. But it speaks much of your character that you would go through such great lengths to spare my daughter the stress."

Bruce gave the Queen a careful, sideways glance. "…I might have to ask a favour as well." He admitted.

Hippolyta's brow arched. "Is that so?"

"If I'm right, in the next few days, there might be a few uninvited guests lurking around, trying to get near the manor. There are enough security measures already in place, but if none of those work…" he trailed off.

She nodded, understanding. "I'll ask a few of my warriors to look around the grounds."

There was a subtle sagging of shoulders. "Thank you."

"You lead an interesting life, Mr. Wayne." Hippolyta commented dryly as they both turned to watch the magazines slowly turn to ash. "Let's hope for a less interesting wedding day, shall we?"

Bruce snorted slightly but was smiling nonetheless. "Somehow, your Highness, I seriously doubt that's going to be possible."

Days Until Wedding: 3

The Watchtower…

The Flash attracted several stares as he marched towards the cafeteria that afternoon. It was mostly because he had a small brown dog in his arms, but also, if you happened to take a second look, he was without shoes.

As the speedster walked in, he immediately set his sights on Hawkgirl as he spotted her across the room, sitting with Superman and Green Arrow.

"Shay," he said, approaching the Thanagarian.

When she heard the familiar voice, Hawkgirl turned her head in the Flash's direction - she was about to greet him when she noticed the pup and whatever she was going to say died on her lips.

Green Arrow, however, immediately noticed his lack of footwear and started laughing while Superman looked at the speedster, confused.

"Flash, why do you have Diana's dog with you?" the Kryptonian asked slowly.

"I'd like to know that too." Hawkgirl agreed.

Green Arrow snickered. "He took him off of the Bat's hands two days ago when he came around two days ago… but, I'm guessing that didn't work out so well."

Flash looked at the archer ruefully before turning back to Hawkgirl. "Shay, you gotta take him back. Bats said you gave him to Wondy, didn't you? He went through two pairs of my sneakers, three flip-flops and my boots!" he said, pointing at his sock-clad feet.

"Wow," Green Arrow grinned, looking at the pup in the speedster's arms. "Ambitious little thing, isn't he?"

"Not helping, Ollie!"

"Wally," Hawkgirl began, "I can't just take him."

"Why not?" Flash pouted.

"I…" she faltered when she couldn't think of an excuse. When she noticed the expectant look on the speedster's face, she blurt out, "I… I'd have to run it by John first! And you know, Rex is really just too young to be around animals yet, so I can't help you there, Wally."

Flash looked at her, unimpressed.

The Thanagarian's shoulders drooped. "…Don't look at me like that…"

When Flash held the dog out to her, Hawkgirl sighed and reluctantly took him. The pup wagged its tail wildly before jumping up and licked her face.

As she spluttered, turning her head with a scrunched-up look on her face, Flash gave them all a mock salute. "See ya - if anyone's looking for me, I'll be shoe shopping…" he paused. "…And that sounded way more masculine in my head…" he said, and darted off in a scarlet streak and a whoosh of air.

Shayera sighed and rubbed Harry's furry head. "I don't suppose one of you would-"

"Nope," Green Arrow said abruptly, standing up and leaving.

Superman blinked after the archer until he felt Hawkgirl's eyes on him.

"Shayera, I-"

"Please, Clark." She pleaded. "I'm pretty sure this one can't fly or shoot lasers out of its eyes. And if it doesn't work out, I swear I'll take him off your hands."

With a sigh of his own, when Shayera handed Harry over, Superman picked the pup up and held it at eye-level. "Let's hope my apartment's big enough…"

Meanwhile…
Gotham General Hospital

Diana casted a sidelong glance in the direction of the door as she paced around Leslie's office. As for the good lady doctor herself, Leslie could only chuckle at the Amazon.

"He's just running a little late, my dear. There's no need to worry."

Before Diana could answer her back, there was a knock at the door.

Leslie perked up. "That must be Bruce right now. Sit tight and I'll get the door."

Diana nodded and fiddled with the hem of the green scrubs top she had been given to wear. As she sat down on the examination chair, she smiled to herself when she put her hand over her stomach. There was the slightest of bumps, barely noticeable at first, but it was there nonetheless.

Once the door was opened and Diana looked up again, she was surprised when, instead of Bruce, she saw her mother walk in.

The Queen smiled at Diana. "I hope I'm not late."

"Mother?" Diana said as her brows drew together in confusion.

"Your betrothed allowed me to come today." Hippolyta said dryly, walking over so that she could stand next to the chair.

Diana's expression cleared. "He couldn't make it?"

"No, no," Hippolyta waved her down, "He wanted to be here and would have, but when we spoke this morning, I revealed my curiosity about these so-called 'appointments' of yours, so he offered to let me go in his stead. Naturally."

"That was… generous of him." Diana said, surprised. She knew how much the monthly check-ups with Leslie meant to Bruce, and while he wouldn't say anything about it, it must have taken a lot of him to offer it up to her mother.

"I admit I was surprise myself but I am grateful," Hippolyta said, looking around. "Although… I am confused as to how any of these contraptions will allow us to see my grandchild."

Out of the corner of her eye, Diana noticed Leslie looking at them with amusement - it wasn't the first time that same question had been spoken out loud.

"Mother, I'd like to introduce you to someone very important - this is Doctor Leslie Thompkins."

The Queen turned to face Leslie. "My daughter has told me about you at length, Doctor. It's good to meet you."

Leslie gave a small bow of her head. "Likewise, your Highness." She then looked at Diana. "Are you ready to begin, Miss Prince?"

Hippolyta watched with both skepticism and obvious interest as Leslie prepared the machine.

With a soft, uncomfortable gasp as the now familiar sterile cool and gentle pressure touched her stomach, Diana turned her attention onto the sonographer's screen. It was blank at first, until-

She heard her mother gasp next to her.

"And there you are…" Leslie said, grinning at the two Amazons. "She looks more and more like a baby every time you see her, doesn't she?"

Diana nodded before looking at her mother.

"Remarkable…" Hippolyta said quietly, awed. "By the gods… look at that."

"The machine uses sound waves." Leslie explained, surprising the Queen. "It sort of… catches an image, if you will, projecting it back on the screen."

"Sound waves you say?" Hippolyta inquired, interest piqued.

"It also acts like a microphone," the doctor went on, "Here, I'll turn the volume up so you can listen to her heartbeat."

The moment Hippolyta heard the fluttering sound of heartbeats, she reached out and grasped Diana's hand tightly in her own as she let out another small gasp.

"Do you have any questions, your Highness?"Leslie asked kindly.

She considered this before looking at the doctor. "Well… I don't suppose I could take this contraption with me, could I?" When Leslie laughed, Hippolyta added, with a perfectly straight face, "I'm serious."

Leslie bit down on her lower lip to keep herself from chuckling. "I'm afraid not, but I can print out a few photographs if you would prefer it." She offered.

Hippolyta seemed a little disappointed, but nodded anyway. "That would please me."

Not too long after that, Hippolyta left the room (with at least a dozen photographs in hand) as Diana stayed back to get dressed and to have her usual dress-down with Leslie.

"Remember, no alcohol, not smoking, and no excessive fighting." The doctor said sternly despite the twinkle in her eyes. "Also-"

"No stress," Diana chimed in, finishing the sentence. "No near-death situations, and no more than two iced-mochas per day unless I can help it."

Leslie nodded before her features softened. "How are you feeling, Diana? All medical pretenses pushed aside for the moment."

"Everything's on schedule. All the floral arrangements have been made, and all the guests have their place."

"That's not what I asked, Miss Prince."

Diana smiled at her reassuringly. "I'm well, Leslie, thank you. A little… anxious, but happy."

"You should enjoy this. They say it's the happiest time in a person's life."

"Will we see you there?"

"Of course, my dear."

Just as she and Leslie walked out into the waiting room, Diana halted mid-step when she saw that her mother had not come alone as she thought at first.

As Hippolyta busied herself eagerly handing out the photographs amongst her personal guard, almost glowing with pride as the other women talked loudly in a mix of English and Ancient Greek.

Leslie blinked before turning to Diana. "I'll leave you to it."

Diana nodded weakly before walking over to her mother.

That Night…
The Watchtower

With great care, Shayera laid a now-sleeping Rex down in the camping cot that stood in her and John's shared room onboard the space station. Once she was sure her son wouldn't wake up, she let out a relieved sigh before turning around.

"He's finally out?" John asked, amused as he watched her from the bed.

Shayera fixed a crick in her neck and nodded. "Like a light - he probably won't wake up when you take him home later, but you should be careful anyway." She said, crawling onto the bed and over him.

John sat up a little and tucked a stray strand of red hair behind her ear. "He'll be fine, Angel, relax."

Shayera made a humming sound in the back of her throat before leaning in to kiss him. When she felt John's hands make their way into her hair as he responded, she deepened the kiss for a minute before withdrawing her head slightly. "I still have an hour before I have monitor duty."

John's smirk mirrored her own. "I can work with that."

Shayera pushed him down onto the mattress. "I'm counting on it." She was about close the gap between them again when, suddenly, there was a knock against the door.

Pulling back immediately to see if the noise woke Rex up, Shayera was relieved when it didn't. John just rolled his eyes.

"We'll pretend we're not here." He said quietly

Shayera nodded eagerly and kissed him, only-

"Shayera, I know you're in there." A familiar voice said behind the door. "And don't bother whispering, I can still hear both of you anyway."

At the sound of Clark's voice, Shayera reluctantly pulled away with a groan as John let out a sigh.

"Damn super-hearing…" the Marine grumbled, falling back with a huff.

"I heard that too."

"You were supposed to." John shot back before looking at his wife. "Shay, what's going on?"

Shayera just shook her head with resignation and pressed a quick kiss to his lips before getting off of the bed.

When she got to the door, she wasn't at all surprised to see Clark standing there holding the pup in his arms… what caught her by surprise, however, was seeing him in his civvies.

Her shoulders slumped. "Let me guess…"

Clark nodded. "Yep." He then spotted John. "Hi, John."

He got a rueful smile back. "Hey, Supes."

Clark looked back at Shayera. "I think this is yours."

"What did he do this time?" she asked, taking the pup from him.

"It's date night… or, it was. I had a dinner planned with Lois tonight at my place," he explained, "But, when I went to get the door and came back, I found him on the table."

Shayera made turns to stare between the Kryptonian and the small canine in her arms. "Wait, how did he…?"

Clark shook his head and raised his hands in exasperation. "I don't know." He said and walked away.

Once he was gone, Shayera looked down at the pup as it yawned widely and curled up into her arms more tightly. "You know, it's a good thing you're cute…"

Days until Wedding: 2

Wayne Manor…

Bruce narrowed his eyes speculatively as he looked at the window in front of him, a tool-belt hanging around his hips and a screwdriver in his hand.

"Master Bruce, don't you think your latest improvement is a little… excessive?"Alfred asked behind him.

Bruce turned his head slightly. "Now why would you say that, Alfred?"

"Oh, I don't know," Jason said dryly as he stood, half-leaning against the wall. "Maybe it's because you're putting automatic burglar bars in a baby room?"

Bruce was unfazed. "We live in dangerous times." He said matter-of-factly.

Dick walked up next to him and eyed the bars on the upper part of the windows wearily. "I'm going to have agree with Alfred on this one, Bruce." When his comment was waved off, he stepped closer for a better look. "How does this work anyhow?"

To demonstrate his point, Bruce took out a small remote and pressed the button. Dick let out a startled yelp when, suddenly, the latch keeping the upper bars in place disengaged and slid shut with an audible metallic clang.

"Just fine by the look of it." He said casually as Dick held his hand over his heart.

"I think I just saw my life flash before my eyes!"

Bruce pressed the remote again and the bars moved back to their original place.

"So… just for reference's sake when I tell everybody else about this later," Jason began, "is all this so that she can't get out, or to keep the boys from getting in?"

Bruce didn't dignify the question with a response, but Jason got his answer anyway.

Alfred tutted. "Sir, I doubt you'll have to trouble yourself about that for a another few years at the least."

"It's better to be prepared than caught off-guard." Bruce said bluntly, leaning out of the window and made an adjustment to the wiring.

"Actually, he's got a point there, Alfie," Dick said with a grin. "I mean, if the kid looks anything like Diana, Bruce might be in trouble a lot sooner than he thinks."

There was a thump and a curse as Bruce withdrew his head a little too quickly and ended catching the underside of the wooden frame.

Still clutching his head, Bruce glared. "She can date when she's thirty or when I'm dead." He growled.

His sons laughed as Alfred shook his head in amusement. Bruce was about to growl out something else and far less pleasant when he noticed Donna standing at the doorway.

"Bruce, do you have a minute?" the younger Amazon asked, looking hesitant for some reason.

"Donna?" he said, turning to face her.

"My mother sent me to find you," she said, her eyebrows knitting together. "She… said there's something she wants you to come see."

"Oh, this should be good." Jason quipped.

There were several Amazons standing around the Queen's tent and talking amongst themselves by the time Bruce and the others got there. Hippolyta, apparently, was waiting for him.

"I'm glad you finally arrived, Mr. Wayne." She said and Bruce noted with no small amount of apprehension that the Queen looked entirely too pleased with herself.

"You wanted to see me, your Highness?" he said wearily, approaching her.

Hippolyta nodded curtly. "I do." She then turned slightly and made a beckoning gesture with her hand. "I had thought that, perhaps, you would like to have a say in the matter before we come to a decision."

Bruce didn't bother to ask about what she was talking about, as the next moment, two of her guards approached them with a strange man kept between them. Each had an arm linked with his, his feet off of the ground and kicking wildly as he swore and spluttered.

"The hell…?" Bruce heard Dick ask behind him.

"Hey, hey, hey! Take it easy!" the man protested heatedly only to stop midsentence and paled when a dozen swords were suddenly pointed under his nose.

"We found him lurking at the edges of the property." Hippolyta said, looking at the man with a mix of cold anger and smug satisfaction. "He had one of those devices with him, the sort that takes photographs."

"You're a paparazzo?" Bruce stated as most of the guard reluctantly lowered their swords.

The man glared. "Yeah, sure - and I know my rights, you can't do nothing to me! You can't keep me here!"

Something flashed in Hippolyta's eyes, and Bruce caught sight of her reaching for her own sword. With a subtle gesture of his hand, he placated the Queen - they shared a look and Bruce nodded before he took a step forward.

"You're right, you do and we can't," he allowed, and Hippolyta gestured for her two guards to let him go. Bruce took him aside, "But let me tell you the thing about trespassing on my property…"

Dick stared as Jason suddenly started laughing.

"Wait, what is he doing?" Donna asked, the three of them watching as Bruce whispered something and the paparazzo's face slowly morphed from righteous indignation to slow-dawning horror.

"Just watch," Jason grinned, "The old man has this move where he can make anyone wet themselves just by smiling at them."

Dick sighed with a faraway, nostalgic look. "Oh, memories…"

Donna looked at both of them. "I… I don't think I can even respond to any of that…"

"Ah!" Jason said gleefully, "There it is."

The paparazzo blanched and stumbled back into the grasp of the two guards who held him back.

Bruce stepped back with a smirk on his face. "Do you still have the camera with you, your Highness?" he asked smoothly, turning to the Queen.

Hippolyta nodded and handed over an expensive-looking camera to him. Bruce looked though it before he took out the memory card and pocketed it.

"Do you want to do the honours?" he asked, handing it back to her.

The Queen nodded and, without warning, crushed the camera in her bare hands.

The paparazzo made a choking noise and opened his mouth to protest when he noticed the matching looks Bruce and Hippolyta gave each other before turning their sights back on him.

"You know, your Highness," Bruce began, "I don't think I got the message across yet."

"Then allow me to... talk with our guest." She said, gesturing for her guards to pick him up again. As they went into the Queen's tent, Hippolyta hung back. "Feel free to join the discussion, Mr Wayne."

Bruce, surprisingly, agreed.

Dick looked at Jason, mildly disturbed. "Did... did they just bond or am I going crazy?"

Jason nodded. "No, I saw it too."

"...There's gonna be an apocalypse now, isn't there?"

"With our luck, Grayson? Oh yeah..."

Days until Wedding: 1

Diana attempted to crane her neck to peer over Bruce's hands covering her eyes. She heard a chuckle in her ear and felt a pair of lips pressed to her shoulder.

"Patience is a virtue."

"How does it look?" she asked excitedly, allowing herself to be guided. "There weren't any problems, were there? I heard from Dick there was an issue with-"

"Everything is perfect," he assured, "even Alfred agreed with me."

Diana bit down on her lower lip to stop herself from grinning even broader.

After a minute...

"...Are we there yet?"

Bruce snorted in amusement. "Diana,"

"I don't remember these hallways being this long before,"

"Who knows? Maybe it isn't the hallways - maybe I like keeping you in suspense."

"Be careful, Mr Wayne, I can do the same thing."

"It's not a threat if I end up enjoying it, Princess."

Diana swiped at his arms but laughed anyway.

Eventually, Bruce made them come to a stop. "Ready?"

She nodded eagerly. "Yes."

His hands didn't budge. "...Are you sure?"

"Bruce...!"

He chuckled lowly before taking a step back and withdrew his hands from over her eyes. When Diana laid her eyes on her surroundings, a gasp escaped her lips before she could help it.

The Manor's southern garden had been transformed into a wedding venue - several dozen of chairs stood on both sides of a long stretch of white that formed an aisle, and at the very end, there was a wooden arch behind an altar.

"It'll look less sparse once Patterson and his people come tomorrow," Bruce said casually, watching Diana as she walked up the aisle.

Diana was only half listening as she around. "I can't believe it turned so well..." she said, mostly to herself. "Now that's left is the flowers, and the finishing touches, and the people..."

She went over to sit on one of the seats at the front. Brue followed after and sat in the chair behind hers.

Diana made to reach for his hand and squeezed gently. "This is actually happening, isn't it?"

He squeezed it back. "It's been a long time coming, Princess."

"No second thoughts?"

Bruce kissed the tips of her fingers. "None." He said and stood up, guiding her up as well. "Let's go. There's still more to see."

Diana followed Bruce as he lead her down the garden path to the courtyard that would serve as the reception area. The many tables and chairs stood there already, and although still without the flowers and the decorations for the moment, tens of dozens of hundreds of fairy lights formed a canopy overhead while the most noticeable addition was the dance floor in the heart of it all.

Against the darkening sky, the lights twinkled like stars. Bruce lead them to the centre of the floor and turned to her - they shared a look between them before he took a step closer and took her other hand.

They fell into a simple, easy rhythm, Diana hand ended on his shoulder while Bruce's hand was on her waist, drawing her closer.

"Bruce...?"

"Mmm?"

"I know about the media," she said, looking straight into his eyes. "They know."

To Bruce's credit, he didn't try to deny anything. "When?"

"I wasn't sure until yesterday, but I've known since the day before."

"What happened yesterday?"

"I overheard Oliver mentioning that one of his company's warehouses in Gotham was being used to stockpile magazines." She said, smiling at him wryly.

"It was a favour."

Diana laughed. "As I've heard. He and Hal were talking about it and I just happened to pass them by. I asked Shayera about it and she showed me one of the articles online."

Bruce looked at her carefully. "And how are you handling it?"

"Oh, Bruce, you know what people say in those magazines doesn't bother me." She said before letting out a sigh. "...It would have been better if they didn't make such a big spectacle of it... but once it passes, it passes."

"You know it's not going to ever stop, right?"

"I don't expect it to either, my dear." She said, kissing him on the cheek.

"You're taking this better than I anticipated." Bruce admitted.

"That's because I know between you and my mother you'll overreact enough on my behalf." She said, giving him a significant look.

Bruce stared at her until the implication set in. "Was it Dick, Jason or Alfred?"

"Donna, actually," she said dryly. "She was both touched and concerned that you and Mother would be willing to psychologically torture a man for me."

"Dick called it a 'bonding moment'."

Diana laughed and put her arms around his neck. "You silly man," she said affectionately.

"Funny, I've never been accused of being that before."

"Fine - you silly, wonderful man." She amended.

"I've never been accused of being that either."

Diana was about to respond when, for some reason, music begin playing.

They stopped dancing for a minute to look up in the direction of the Manor to see Dick, Jason and Tim half-leaning out of an open window on the second floor, Jason holding a portable radio on the window sill. When the boys noticed that they were noticed, Tim waved while Dick grinned like a fiend - Jason pressed a button, and the soft, slow, bluesy number that was playing changed into something faster and easier to move to.

"I think they want us to dance." Diana said, amused.

Bruce nodded as he changed his posture and quickened his steps to the music. "Well then, Princess, let's give them a show."

Diana laughed and matched his pace with ease. "With pleasure."

Mrs. VanDort
It's a beautiful day.
Mr. VanDort
It's a rather nice day.
Mrs. VanDort
A day for a glorious wedding!
Mr. VanDort
A rehearsal, my dear, to be perfectly clear.
Mrs. VanDort
A rehearsal for a glorious wedding!
Mr. VanDort
Assuming nothing happens that we don't really know,
Mrs. VanDort
That nothing unexpected interferes with the show.
Mr. And Mrs. VanDort
And that's why everything, every last little thing,
Every single tiny microscopic little thing must go...
- Corpse Bride, 'According to Plan' Lyrics

AN: I'd like to thank the Corpse Bride for making this chapter possible. And 27 Dresses... and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past... and Bride Wars... oh, and chocolate *aside* thank god for chocolate.

Anyway, so this took way longer than it was supposed to, and I do have a damn good reason for that... but, I'll spare you since, let's be honest, it doesn't matter right now.

Also, I may or may not have discovered Game of Thrones... yeah, now there is a tale for another day!

Regarding the last part, I do hope my description wasn't too confusing and that some of you have an idea of what I was trying to describe. And, yes, in case it wasn't clear, the wedding is at Wayne Manor - why? Well, why the hell not - in every comic and cartoon I've ever seen, the place is a freaking palace on its own, and may have an infinite number of courtyards, gardens and sprawling lawns.

As is my personal mantra, just roll with it.

Then! About my questions on the New 52...

About Wally - so, yeah, I get why they would turn Wally into an African-American, I do, really - I'm South African (aka, the place where Nelson Mandela comes from), and the whole racial equality thing is pretty much ingrained into the back of my people's skulls and enforced with a steel whip. I don't have an issue with the change, and I can't (and won't, refuse) comment on it because I haven't read the comics, but from the responses I got, I do have an issue with how Wally is portrayed now characteristically-speaking, that is - 'nough said.

And then about the SMWW thing... I read somewhere that they were breaking up anyways, so I'll raise my glass in victory, stick out my tongue in defiance, and cross my fingers for potential WonderBats in the future!

Review wise:

Aden Jones: I'm so glad you liked this! Regarding character relationships, I usually have a blast writing group situations - these guys are a team, there are different dynamics, and if you interviewed each of them, I'd bet money that they could dig up dirt on the Bat that would curl the Joker's toes. About the format, I'm a bit neurotic about style anyway, so there's no need to thank me, my friend :)

StraightedgeWingZero: What's next? At the top of my head? World domination, mwahaha! But, seriously, story-wise? I'll give you five guesses ;)

Wonderwomanbatmanfan: ...I'm not even going to say it.

Animecartooncomicgirl: Here at GoddessofDawn Industries, 'awesome' is the status quo... and the corporate motto... and on the back of our company t-shirts. Glad you laughed though!

yob3: I saw that too! No matter what, if it ever came down to a choice of preference, I think I'll stick with the less superficial and less sparkly couple, thanks (loath it as I will). As for the rest, I will say this once, and only once: What, in the name of Sponge-Bob's square brown pants, is DC trying to do? They're sort of bastardizing our poor heroes, aren't they? Hot damn!

Delta808th: *Virtual Hug* I thank thee kindly!

CrazyPhenom: I like the analogy, it made me feel warm inside and a little bit sad - double whammy.

Helen-of-Troy: I don't think I can write Superman not cute... it's sort of my default setting when it comes to the Man of Steel... But I'm happy about the smiles! Let's try and keep it there, yes?

Ultimolu: Thanks for the many, many reviews! It gave me a huge ego boost (which is never a good thing but makes me feel grand and important anyhow!) Welcome to the exiting world of Superhero-Weddings, we still have a bit to go before the grand finale, but I hope you'll like what comes next!

NewbieWW: Know the feel when it comes to the Hangover, friend - and about Arthur, I love him to little bite-size pieces so, naturally, I had to give him a little of the limelight. Little known fact: I watched the Batman cartoon Brave and the Bold before I read the comics, so I based my Aquaman off of the character in the show.

Maculedes: As always, your reviews never fail to make me feel better about myself and my story. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Jj12: Oh, believe me, I've tried, but whenever I try and write something original, my head turns to mush and I turn to chocolate and caffeine... and, oddly, peanut butter... Still, I will be damned if I don't publish my own book before I'm old and boring!

LOTSlover: We do, you're absolutely right about the wedding, but since this is me we're talking about... thank you for reviewing though :)

Dream-with-your-heart: Gotta love Bat-Family-fuzzies, it's like rainbows on the inside... and about Jason, I hope the rest of the story makes up for that.

mbembet: Thank you :)

HawaiianSunsets: I feel like I owe you something, for seriously - not only were you this story's 300th follower, you ALSO, gave it it's 400th review... so, really, just shout, and I'll write something to commemorate the occasion.

Giannacar: Well... at least you like the story! ...Still not going to say it, though...

So, dear readers, I bet you're all pretty excited, yes? Got those tinglies and goofy grins...

Yeah, hold onto that thought...

Reviews are nice, PMs are pleasant, and Flames can suck it.

Until next time,
GoddessofDawn out.