Thank you all for the great reviews especially to the guests that I couldn't respond to personally. You guys are awesome as always! Hope you enjoy the update. :)

Chapter 2

Dressed in a grey t-shirt and workout shorts, Bruce settled into his chair at his work desk in the Batcave to begin preparations for his nightly patrol. He brought up his computer and immediately opened up a secure channel to the Watchtower, needing to speak to the teammate he knew would be on monitor duty at that moment.

The smiling visage of the Man of Steel appeared on his computer screen instantly grating on the Dark Knight's nerves. Clark Kent might be his best friend, but did he have to be so damn happy all the time? It was unnatural and annoying as hell. He decided that it must be a Kryptonian thing. He internally shuddered at the thought of a whole planet full of Clark Kents.

"Hey, Bruce," Clark cheerfully greeted him with a big smile. "What can I do for you?"

"For starters, you can try not using my real name," Bruce ground out, folding his arms against his chest as he glared at the screen.

"You're the one who called me and on a secured line I might add," Clark pointed out, undeterred by his friend's brusque manner. He had grown used to it a long time ago.

"It doesn't matter…Kent," Bruce stated through clenched teeth, putting emphasis on the reporter's last name. "Nothing is ever infallible."

Clark just shook his head in amusement at his friend's constant paranoia, wondering how Diana managed to handle living with it day in and day out. It would take an Amazon imbued with gifts from the gods to be able to deal with him every day. "What can I help you with, Batman?"

"Diana," Bruce replied with a frown, his shoulders slumping slightly with worry despite his best efforts to keep from showing just how much all of this was affecting him.

Clark's jovial expression instantly fell away as the Kryptonian sat forward in his chair, concern filling his bright blue eyes. "What is it? Is she alright?"

"I'm afraid she had another bad day," he grimly informed him, knowing Clark would understand what he meant without having to go into a full-length dialogue about it.

Clark had voiced his own concerns the other week about how Diana was withdrawing from everyone, not wanting to make conversation or staying silent through founders' meetings. He had been growing worried about her over the last couple of months as well, trying to get her to open up to him about what was going on, but receiving nothing more than a forced smile and an unconvincing reassurance that she was fine.

"What happened this time?" Clark asked.

"I don't know; you tell me," Bruce spat out in frustration, instantly regretting the heat behind his words. This wasn't Clark's fault. "All she'd tell me is that she had a bad day, something about a mission that didn't go well."

"Did you read the mission report she filed?"

"Yes, but there was nothing out of the ordinary in it. It was straightforward with little detail," Bruce told him. "There was no mention of anything going wrong."

It was Clark's turn to frown as he thought back on the day. "I know that she helped Flash with some trouble in Central City with Rampage, Weather Wizard, and Shade who were wreaking havoc. I don't think anything unusual happened, but you might want to check with Flash to find out if he noticed anything. You don't think one of them did something to her, do you?"

Bruce thought for a long moment, his mind racing to figure out what was wrong with his fiancé. "No, but something happened that definitely upset her. She couldn't finish her speech therapy session this afternoon. She just shut down and wouldn't try anymore."

"It's not like Diana to just give up like that," Clark murmured with a frown. "Do you think that maybe someone noticed her difficulty speaking while in Central City and said something to her about it?"

"I'm beginning to wonder," Bruce replied, raking his fingers back through his short black hair as he leaned back in his chair. "I'm going to talk to Flash to see if he noticed anything unusual."

"I can try talking to Diana if you want me to, but she hasn't exactly been very open with me either."

"I know," Bruce admitted, his heart contracting in his chest. "She's not really talking to anyone right now…even me."

"Don't worry," Clark attempted to reassure him, noticing what this had been doing to both of his friends and wishing more than anything that he could fix it for them. "Diana loves you, Bruce...has for a long time. I know that she can't wait to marry you."

Bruce nodded his head in response, knowing Clark was right, but it was more than difficult to watch her just shut down and shut him out. It was ironic really. After all of these years of being the one to push her away, keeping her at arm's length and trying to shut her out, he was the one fighting to keep her in his life.

Now, he knew how she had felt back then. It made him feel even worse than he already did, guilt for his past mistakes now merging with the anger and frustration that he was already wrestling to rein in.

"I'm going to see if I can force her talk to me," Bruce said. "I'm not going to let her keep going like this, pushing everyone away."

Clark snorted in amusement. "Good luck with that," he told him. "You know how that usually goes when you try to force her to do something she doesn't want to do."

"Well, I'm not going to just let her try to struggle through this alone," he angrily snapped. "She can't keep pushing me away…not if we're going to be married. It's not the way to start a life together as husband and wife."

"Keep me posted and let me know if there's anything I can do to help," Clark said, his solemn expression suddenly growing amused. "Oh and Bruce…just a little piece of advice before you go."

The billionaire's frown deepened, apprehension creeping across his face with what the reporter was about to say. "What's that?"

"You might want to wear a turtleneck the next few days or at least until that mark Diana left on your neck fades away."

Clark's laughter was cut short when Bruce suddenly sat forward, pushing a button and ending the transmission with a growl. Getting up, he went to the changing area to look in the mirror. A small smirk formed on his lips as his fingers caressed the bright red mark low on his neck near his collarbone that his princess had given him this afternoon. He was going to have to remind her to confine her enthusiasm to places that he could cover with his clothes.

Studying the mark she had left on him, he was reminded once more how much he truly loved Diana, far more than he had ever loved any other woman and more than he had ever dreamed was possible to feel for someone.

It was like a piece of him had always belonged to her long before he had even known about her. He had just been existing until the moment that he had met her. He didn't actually start living again until he had allowed her into his life.

She obviously loved him just as much in return despite how difficult things were between them right now. He just needed to find a way to reach her, to help her see that she could talk to him about anything no matter how bad she thought it was. They were together in this for life. She needed to realize that what affected her, affected him just as deeply.

But he wasn't about to give up on her. She had refused to give up on him all of these years and he wasn't about to walk away from her now. He knew he couldn't even if he had wanted to. She held his heart in her hands; she always had long before he'd been willing to admit it even to himself let alone to her.

He knew in order to reach her now he was going to have to target that fierce warrior spirit that lived inside of her, force her to fight again. A battle of wills was about to be waged between the two of the most stubborn people on the face of the earth and he was more than determined to be the victor.

Losing her wasn't an option.

XXX

Diana released a contented sigh, relishing the feel of the hot water as it worked to soothe away the tension of the day from her body, but knowing that she needed to get out soon. Even though she had shared a steamy shower with Bruce after their sparring session this afternoon, she couldn't help wanting to enjoy a bubble bath in hopes of forgetting what had happened that morning.

She just wanted to forget for a little while, banish the nagging reminders of Meta criminals and stupid reporters, speech therapists and the upcoming wedding. She just hoped that maybe spending some time in meditation and prayer tonight would provide her the reprieve and answers that she was so desperate for.

She released a long slow breath as she tried to squelch the tension that filled every fiber of her being, realizing that getting upset again wasn't going to solve anything or make her problems go away. She knew that she needed to do better about controlling her emotions, but it was far more difficult with the wedding drawer closer every day bringing with it more stress, more anxiety…more fears.

Diana swallowed hard, refusing to let the tears building behind her eyes to fully form. She finally had what she had wanted for so long, the love of the man who had captured her attention and her heart almost from the moment she'd met him. She should be ecstatic about marrying Bruce, not filled with dread or fear.

She just wanted everything to be perfect for their wedding…for Bruce because he deserved it more than anyone she had ever known, but she knew in her heart that it wasn't going to be that way. No amount of speech therapy or time was ever going to rectify the fact that she stuttered or couldn't get her words out like she wanted to.

When she had dreamed about her wedding to Bruce, she had never pictured herself standing before the man she loved, before her friends and loved one stammering and stumbling through her wedding vows. She never imagined everyone having to patiently wait for her while she struggled and fought to get out her pledge to love Bruce for all eternity. That was not the way her wedding was supposed to be.

In her mind, she knew exactly what she wanted to say and how she wanted to say it, but she couldn't seem to make her tongue cooperate with her brain no matter how hard she tried. The connection between her mind and her mouth refused to cooperate especially when she let her emotions get the best of her…which was often.

Events of the day as well as her failure flashed through her mind all over again, reminding her once more of the humiliation of it. She was a warrior, a Champion of the Gods and the Princess of the Amazons. She had a role to fill, responsibilities that required her attention, an image to maintain not only for the League and for her Amazon Sisters, but also for Bruce.

She slid a little lower into the bubbles that surrounded her, knowing she was going to have to accept the fact that she would no longer be able to fulfill her responsibilities like she was used to. Right now, she just wanted to disappear for a little while, to stop the taunting words that continually echoed through her mind reminding her once more that she was no longer the woman that she once was, the epitome of perfection, a reflection of the gods.

She finally stood up with a reluctant sigh, releasing the water in the bathtub before reaching for a bath towel. She began to dry off, completely lost to her tortured thoughts. She missed the sound of the bathroom door opening and closing as well as the familiar presence that had silently joined her. It wasn't until he finally spoke her name that she turned and noticed him standing there staring at her with absolute determination permeating his eyes.

"Bruce," Diana murmured in surprise, straightening up with towel in hand. "I thought that you were getting ready to go out on patrol."

"I was," he replied as he sat down on the edge of the bathtub, his intense gaze focused on her and suddenly forgetting how to breathe as he drank in her exquisite perfection standing in all her glory before him. He forced himself to tamp down on his arousal and focus on why he was here with her now. "I decided that patrol could wait a little longer…but you and I can't."

Diana's forehead wrinkled in confusion, her lips quirking into an amused smile. "Didn't you get enough of me this afternoon?" she teased as she wrapped the towel around her hair. "I wouldn't mind taking another bath if you're interested in joining me this time."

Bruce smirked with her flirtatious rejoinder, wishing he could stay with her now, but knowing this was far more important. "We need to talk, Princess," he said, his expression growing serious again.

"Alright," she softly responded, her body instinctively tensing. She should've known that he wouldn't let today go. "What do you want to talk about?"

"You," he told her, his tone already telling her that he wasn't going to leave until he'd gotten what he wanted. "Something happened today, something that upset you deeply. I want you to talk to me, to tell me what happened to you."

Diana averted her eyes, looking down at her bruised hand, the scrapes that were still healing. She drew a deep breath as the frustration and anger she'd been struggling with for months now roared to the surface once more with a fierce vengeance seeking freedom.

"Bruce…" she cautiously began as she slowly shook her head in warning, struggling to find the words that would relieve his worry without revealing her heart's fears. She wasn't ready to go down that road and yet she was going to have to before the wedding for Bruce's sake.

Bruce instantly held up a hand, stopping her from saying any more as he watched her walls automatically shoot up all around her to protect her. He'd watch her do it for months now and he wasn't going to let it happen between them anymore.

"Before you try to tell me it was nothing and not to worry about it, I already know it was something and I will always worry about you, Diana," he firmly stated.

He'd tried giving her time, hoping that things would improve between them, but it hadn't. The unspoken tension that surrounded them was slowly driving them apart. He could no longer pretend that something wasn't wrong.

It was time to fight for her now. He would always fight for her.

"It…it's rrreally not important," she insisted, pursing her lips. "I'm f…fine."

"Damn it, Diana," he growled as he leapt to his feet, trying to tamp down on the steadily expanding anger and fear that had been simmering inside of him for months now. "I just want you to talk to me for once."

Her eyes fell closed as she slipped on her silk navy blue bathrobe, tying it securely around her waist before pulling her wet hair free. Her tongue darted out to run across her bottom lip as she wrestled with the emotions storming inside of her, turning her back to him as shame seeped through her clear to her bones.

"It was just s…so ssstupid," she snapped, a scowl on her face as she angrily pulled the towel from her hair and threw it on the floor. She was losing control again and it infuriated her to end. "It's not e…even wwworth tttalking about. I just nnneed to let it gggo."

"What happened, Diana?" he angrily demanded, standing his ground as he unconsciously clenched and unclenched his fists, doing his best to keep his breaths even. "I can't help you if you won't let me in."

Turning, Diana looked at him standing there, finding herself staring into eyes filled with such anger and yet she could see how much she was wounding him by not talking to him. She leaned back against the bathroom counter, folding her arms against her chest as she attempted to order her thoughts.

She wanted to tell him how afraid she was, share with him the fierce war that was being fought in her heart, how all of this had twisted her world into something barely recognizable. Shame for what she had become now, pride for what she had once been kept her from talking to him, though.

She had put him through far too much already with everything that had happened to her. She didn't want to burden him anymore. This was something she was going to have to come to terms with on her own. "Why i…is it ssso important to yyyou?"

"Because I love you, Diana," he nearly yelled. "You are a part of me…everything to me and I refuse to give up on you even if you have given up on yourself."

Diana's eyes instantly flashed like cobalt embers of fury with his words. "How dddare you sa..say that I've gggiven up," she hissed, her gaze narrowing dangerously as she glared at him. "An Am…Amazon wwwarrior never gggives up."

"Then fight like one, dammit!" he pushed her further as he closed the distance between them, knowing he was taking his life into his hands by doing so. "Stop pushing me and everyone else who cares about you away. You can't just retreat from life because you're not the same Diana that you once were or no longer perfect in every way. You will always be perfect to me whether you can talk or not."

"You dddon't kn…know wwwhat it's li…like for me!" she furiously snapped, tears burning in her eyes.

"You're right…I don't," he shot back, matching her ire and obstinacy with every bit of his own. "I don't know what you're going through because you refuse to talk to me. I've tried to give you time, hoping that you would eventually let me in instead of pretending you're alright when you're not, but it hasn't worked."

"You ddddon't kkknow what you're tttalking about," she yelled at him.

"The Diana I fell in love with would fight," he pressed. "She wouldn't just give up no matter what happened, not withdraw into herself like you've been doing for weeks now. I want to help you, Princess, but I can't help you if you won't talk to me…if you won't even try to help yourself."

Diana's body was nearly trembling with the fury pounding through her veins, his every word like a fist to her gut as well as her honor. She wanted to tell him everything, but stubborn pride refused to allow her to speak. She had hurt him deeply, let him down…let everyone down.

It felt like her world was crumbling down faster than she could hope to catch all the pieces. "You have nnno rrright to sssay th…those th…things to me. I am st…still the sssame Diana," she ground out the words that even she no longer believed to be true.

She was no longer the same woman that she had once been thanks to Lex Luthor and his damn brain chip. He had taken her life away, turned her into a fumbling idiot. She knew taking her anger with Luthor out on Bruce wasn't the answer, but his words had cut too deep, wounded her pride. She was a disgrace to everyone around her, but most of all to him.

"I have every right not only as your friend and lover, but your fiancé," he heatedly stated, his chest beginning to heave with his own anger. "I am going to be your husband, Diana…you my wife. How can we possibly get married if you won't trust me or talk to me?"

Bruce could tell that he was finally getting through to her, creating a small chink in her wall and hitting her where it hurt the most – her stubborn pride. Though it hurt him as well to do it, he knew that he had needed to for her own sake. He loved her far too much to just sit back and allow her to go on like this, withdrawing from life and pretending like things were fine.

Tears began to trickle down her face as anger smoldered dangerously in her eyes. Every inch of him ached to hold her close in his arms and tell her he was sorry for hurting her, to kiss her breathless and make love to her, showing her just how much she truly meant to him.

Now, though, she just needed time to think about what he had said, time to look inside her heart and see that he was right about this. Besides, he had a feeling if he tried to touch her right now, he would end up with a broken hand or far worse.

"Diana…" he began.

"Just gggo," she bluntly told him, lifting her chin with Amazonian pride as she folded her arms across her chest, visibly closing herself off to him once more. "Gotham nnneeds yyyou."

"I won't be gone long," he curtly replied, studying her for a long moment before finally turning and making his way to the door.

Diana watched as he left, more than furious with him as well as herself for allowing her emotions to get the better of her. She knew that Bruce deserved a wife better than her; someone who could elegantly and gracefully navigate the high-class social world that he lived in. She was far from suited to fill the role that he needed in a wife.

He just didn't see it yet, but in time he would and her life would truly be over.

XXX

Hades leaned over the swirling cauldron before him, his fingers curled tightly around the black rim. An image of his daughter stared back at him as she knelt in prayer to her gods, her face wet with so many tears. It made his blood boil within his veins to see her living with such a pathetic man so fallible and frail, nothing more than a minute speck of dust in the wind.

His life was like a pebble being tossed into the sea, the rings it created in the water disappearing as quickly as they had appeared…here one moment and gone the next.

His life was nothing…meaningless, gone in less than a blink of an eye. No one would remember he even existed once he was gone, trapped for all eternity in the Underworld with the powerful god who ruled it. He would see to it that he was punished for being so bold as to even look upon his daughter let alone touch her, lay with her or claim her as his.

Hades could hardly wait to get his hands on this arrogant man, test him to prove that he was not worthy to touch his daughter let alone possess her. He would show this mortal as well as Diana what a worthless coward he was, forcing her to see that she deserved far better than him.

She deserved to be bound to a god, one who was worthy of her. One who was powerful and commanding, immortal and deserving of respect as well as the love of his Amazon daughter. That was what Hades had always pictured for his Diana...not this dark human who dressed like a flying rodent at night, terrifying his city's people in order to create order. He was nothing more than a broken, weak little man.

Why she would willingly join herself to a meager mortal when she could have so much more was beyond his comprehension. She was an immortal Amazon, a goddess…his daughter. That alone made her far superior than any mere human on planet earth.

He knew he should have interfered sooner than this, but after everything that his daughter had been through, he had hoped that she would have come to her senses and given up this bizarre notion of marrying a mortal. Her near death experience should have opened her eyes and made her see that her life was far too precious to waste with someone like Bruce Wayne.

He had been more than patient with her than any father could be, far more than he normally would've been. He'd given her every chance to walk away from this Bruce Wayne, but she was obviously more than determined to marry him.

Why couldn't she have chosen the Kryptonian? Superman was god-like in his own way, nearly indestructible and practically her equal in every way, but no. His Diana had to be just like her mother, drawn to dark and brooding and elusive.

Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons.

A smirk played on his lips as he thought about the beautiful queen and the brief fling they had shared, how he had helped her mold their baby out of clay. Now, she was his guardian, his guard dog holding his leash and making sure he stayed locked away in the Underworld. He knew that he was one of the main reasons she hated men still to this day though she seemed to tolerate Bruce Wayne for some reason.

His smirk hardened into a sneer as his simmering anger grew. Hippolyta had been far too lenient with their daughter, allowing her to break Amazonian laws, permitting this foolishness to continue on like this for so long.

What was worse was the fact that the gods and goddesses themselves were allowing this to happen without interference. He, however, refused to just stand by and allow this union to take place without making this Wayne prove himself.

Leaning over the cauldron, Hades watched as the black Bat stood on the rooftop, watching over his city. He ground his teeth as he studied the man who had taken his daughter's heart as well as her body. Bruce Wayne would demonstrate himself worthy of his daughter's hand, paying whatever price Hades himself decided he needed to pay.

If they truly loved one another, both of them would be willing to do whatever it took to be together. He was about to make them prove the depths of that love to him sooner than they knew.

XXX

The Dark Knight stood on the roof of Wayne Enterprises, his black cape whipping about him in the fierce wind that had blown into Gotham over the last hour. Leaves swirled around him like small orange cyclones, stirred by the wind. Thunder and lightning crackled and rumbled, lighting up the distant horizon in vivid flashes of brilliance. A severe thunderstorm was quickly rolling in.

He could feel that something was going to happen, not just with the thunderstorm approaching, but something far worse was about to hit. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he could feel the dark dread seeping deep into his soul, warning him that he needed to be prepared for the worst.

He hated it when this dreadful awareness washed over him, threatening to pull him into a deep dark sea of brooding and melancholy. He was rarely wrong when that uneasiness settled like a jagged rock in the pit of his stomach.

He didn't want anything getting in the way of his upcoming wedding to Diana. He wanted to marry her and make her his wife more than he had ever wanted anything in his life. Just the thought alone of her warmed his heart despite the fight that they'd had before he'd left for patrol.

He would be so completely lost without her, knowing in his heart that knowing her…loving her…had been the best thing that ever could've happened to him. She was in his blood, coursed through his veins and imprinted on his heart. They were one now even though they weren't even married yet.

Bruce thought back on his argument with Diana tonight, knowing that he had done what he had needed to, forcing her to face her situation. He wanted her to talk to him, to open up to him and let him in again instead of just pushing him away and pretending that she was fine. He couldn't help her if she didn't open up to him.

His hand slipped to his commlink in his cowl, his voice gruff as he finally spoke. "Batman to Flash."

Several seconds passed before the Scarlet Speedster's groggy voice finally echoed in his ear. "Hey, Bats," he sleepily greeted him. "Do you know what time it is, buddy?"

"Yah, I do," he flatly stated. "I want to know if anything happened during your mission with Wonder Woman in Central City today."

Flash yawned loudly, trying to remove the cobwebs from his brain as he thought about the mission. "Yah, you could say that," he finally replied.

"What was it?" Batman ground out the question through gritted teeth, his gauntleted hands curling tightly with an overwhelming need to hit something.

"Something happened between Wondy and Rampage," Flash informed him. "Evidently, she caught onto Wondy's speech problem. She started taunting her, telling her she was broken because she had brain damage from taking too many blows to the head. She kept calling Wondy the damaged little Princess. It really set Wondy off. She beat the hell out of Rampage."

Batman felt his stomach churn with fury, wishing he could get his hands on Rampage as well. "Anything else I should know about?"

"Well, a news crew suddenly showed up as the police were about to haul Rampage and the others away," Flash continued. "The reporter stuck a microphone in Wondy's face and started hammering her with questions. I didn't hear what was said, but Di was pretty upset afterwards. I've never seen her like that before.

"I tried to talk to her, told her to just ignore them, but she just suddenly took off. I tried to call her on her commlink, but she wouldn't answer me. Is she alright?"

"She's fine," Bruce flatly stated.

"Good, because I was really worried about…"

Before Flash could finish his sentence, Batman abruptly ended the transmission. Everything Flash had just told him was what he had guessed had happened except for the news crew. The longer this went on and the more public her condition became the more depressed and withdrawn she was going to become.

He was slowly losing her and it was ultimately because of what Lex Luthor had done to her. Rage burned through his veins like boiling lava, looking for release and wishing more than anything that he could just finish Luthor off once and for all, but he knew he couldn't cross that line. Diana would never be able to look at him the same way again.

He hit his commlink once more, this time contacting his partner. "Robin, come in."

"Yah, Bats," Robin responded with a chipper tone. "What's up?"

"Nothing here. How about you?"

"Dead."

"Good. Let's call it a night. There's a severe storm rolling in."

"Sounds good to me."

"See you back at the cave."

Ending the transmission, Batman took one more look around, the white slits of his cowl suddenly narrowing dangerously as droplets of rain began to fall from the sky and slowly roll down his Kevlar uniform. He couldn't shake the overwhelming feeling that he was being watched by someone, unseen eyes keeping track of his every move.