Ok, this starts out pretty sexy so I hope you don't mind it. I have to give a big round of applause to Dinasis for being my Beta for the last part. He knows how much I hate writing fight scenes. His comments and insights were most helpful. Thanks again, my friend!

Hope you all enjoy the ride. Things will definitely be getting more intense from here on out for a while, but I promise to make it worth your time! :)

Chapter 17

Bruce groaned something throaty and primal as his fingers curled into the bedding beneath him, his eyes squeezing tightly closed in response to the slow sensual slide of her lips and tongue over his chest. He held his breath as her teeth repeatedly raked over his nipple, issuing a ragged gasp of breath as she sucked hard on his sensitive flesh.

"Princess…" he softly hissed his favorite moniker for her. She was his princess above all else, holding a special, reverential place in his heart.

He could feel her lips curl into a smirk against his fevered skin, could imagine the playful yet dangerous glint in her deep blue eyes that shined like the rarest sapphires. She was enjoying every single second of this delicious torture she was subjecting him to. Damn Amazon.

He was panting heavily now, every fiber on fire by her and for her, screaming out for the sweet release that she was intentionally denying him as she stroked him. But hadn't he deserved it after doing the same to her just the day before?

He forced his fingers to release the bedding, needing to touch her soft skin, those deadly feminine curves that could've only been sculpted by the gods themselves. She was the absolute epitome of perfection and she was all his. The thought still staggered his mind. How could someone so flawless…so stunning and pure and like sunlight itself even want him? Love him?

"You're going there again…"

The airy melodious sound of her voice broke him from his reverie, his breath hitching as she finally took him fully inside of her. He had to pause for a moment before responding, gathering himself to keep from coming right there with the exquisite feel of her so hot and tight around him. They literally fit together like a hand in a glove.

"Going…where?" he finally managed to croak out as sweat began to bead on his skin.

His fingers tightly gripped her hips nearly to the point of bruising, desperate for her to move, to do something…anything to help release a measure of the pleasure building to unbearable levels inside of him. Diana chuckled softly as her lips grazed his, her tongue sneaking out to lightly trace them and driving him even crazier.

"You're going to that place again," she gently yet firmly scolded him as she finally began to move her hips in a slow cadence. "Stop it."

He released a sharp gasp as heated pleasure lanced through him all over again, lust-filled waves building the faster she moved only to diminish a little when she intentionally slowed her pace. He scrunched up his face as he fought to make his thoughts connect.

"I…I'm right here…with you…Princess." His voice sounded strangled and rasping even to him as he held onto her for dear life, knowing he wasn't going to last long at this rate.

"You weren't a few moment ago," she admonished him as she nibbled on his throat, her hips moving at a steady tempo that had his blood singing and his heart pounding in his ears.

She consumed every part of him when they made love, creating such an intense pleasure in him like nothing he'd ever known before. He had been with many women over the years and yet not one of them ever came close to doing to him what this amazing woman did, creating such a mighty torrent of love and passion that tore through him like bolts of lightning, nearly rending him in two every time they were together.

"Princess…" he gasped again, forcing his eyes to open to slits. "It would take…the entire Injustice Gang…to drag me away from you."

She chuckled softly against his throat again, her fingers caressing and exploring, touching and teasing his body into a frenzied state. "You went to that dark place again," she knowingly said, slowing the movement of her hips again in order to get his attention. "The one where you start questioning why I love you."

Bruce grunted as he gripped her hips even harder, lifting his pelvis to get her to move again before he truly lost his mind. "It was only…for a moment," he panted, growing more and more desperate by the second. "Please…Princess…I need…I…need…"

His voice broke off with a breathless curse, his neck arching his head further back into the pillow as she finally gave him what he wanted most in that tortuous moment. His body bowed, nearly convulsing with unimaginable pleasure as she allowed him the reprieve that he'd been straining for.

He cried out her name, grunting and gasping almost painfully as he erupted deep inside of her, filling her full of himself and briefly wondering what it would be like to have a baby with her. Tears momentarily blurred his vision of her as she collapsed onto his chest, his body still trembling from his intense release. He fought to catch the breath she had just stolen, his fingers lightly raking through her damp hair and relishing the feel of her lying on top of him.

He knew in that instant that she was the best thing that had ever happened to him. Actually, he'd known it for a long time now, but it was never brought home to him more than when they made love, the connection…the bond between them so passionate, so powerful it left him in awe of it every time.

Diana sighed contentedly as she lightly caressed his sweat-slick chest with the tip of her finger, tracing one of his numerous scars as her ear rested over his pounding heart. "Why do you question my love for you?" she softly asked, hurt lacing her voice.

Bruce tensed with her question, never wanting her to ever feel uncertainty about what they had together. "I know you love me, Diana," he gently began as he thoughtfully stared up at the ceiling, his fingers still running absentmindedly through her hair. "It just…it doesn't make any sense to me why you would fall in love with someone like me. It's something I just can't wrap my mind around."

"Does it have to make sense?" she asked as she turned her head to rest her chin on his chest so she could lose herself in his blue eyes. "Can't it just be because I think you're the most amazing, most noble man that I have ever met? You have such a good heart that you keep hidden from everyone, but I see it in everything you do, every sacrifice you make."

A look of pure love lit her face, making his heart feel as though it was suddenly soaring again. "I guess I just don't see it," he softly replied. "All I see is the darkness inside of me, the rage…the twisted, broken pieces. I don't know how you could possibly love that."

"There is so much more to you than that…more than just Batman," she told him, her hand moving to caress his cheek. "Bruce, I know every single part of you – the good and the bad and the broken. Can't you just accept that I love you with my whole being regardless?"

Bruce threaded his fingers through her hair, pulling her in for a deep languid kiss that nearly curled her toes. "I'll try," he whispered against her lips, her words stirring his desire for her all over again. "Just know that you own my heart, Princess. You have to have some extent since the moment I laid eyes on you."

Diana's lips curled into a sweet smile as she kissed him again. She yelped in surprise when she suddenly found herself trapped between her lover's hard muscular body and the bed, a devious grin playing on his face as he stared down at her, shifting his hips hard against her and causing her to cry out as he took control.

His lips found her ear as he began to move in and out of her. "Feel that, Princess? That's what you do to me. You make me so hard for you just by breathing…igniting something so deep inside of me that no one else has been able to touch. I can't control it…don't want to control it when I'm with you."

"Show me, Bruce," she murmured, his words touching her soul.

Diana tightened her hold on him as he moved over her, her back arching and his name a panting pleading chant on her lips. Her breath caught in her throat with the raw passion he was showing her, unleashing such love that mirrored what she felt in her own heart. She cried out in ecstasy with every bone-jarring slam of his hips into hers, her fingernails repeatedly raking down his spine and causing him to hiss with pleasure mingled with pain.

He buried his face in the crook of her neck, his mouth finding her pulse point and sucking hard. He slid his knee up a little further for better leverage, his hands moving to firmly grip her backside to keep her where he wanted her…where he needed her.

Diana came with a sudden scream of his name mingled with Greek curses that were too breathless to be able to decipher. He reached around to unhook her legs from his waist, remove her heels that had been digging into his low back.

"Sorry," she murmured as she fought to remain coherent, her body tremulous with rapture.

"No worries," he chuckled softly, kissing her again as he wrapped her up tightly in his arms. "I love my passionate Amazon just the way you are…even if you are going to kill me off someday."

"You? What…what about me?" she squeaked breathlessly as he moved to nibble at her breast. "I nearly…blacked out…with that last orgasm."

His head popped up from her breast, a smug self-satisfied smirk on his face. "Are you complaining…Princess?"

"Never," she quickly replied with a devious grin of her own. "I'm just not entirely convinced that you're not blessed by the gods, Batman."

"Batman!"

Bruce's head immediately snapped up, his eyes shooting open at the sound of the voice he had been aching to hear for so long now. He cursed himself for having fallen asleep, knowing that time was rapidly running out for her. He had only stopped to rest for a minute and had dozed off.

He quickly jumped to his feet, knowing that he had only heard Diana's voice in his dream…a dream that he didn't want to wake from. He rubbed his face with his hands, trying to banish the erotic memory so he could focus on finding her before he lost her forever.

"Batman!"

Bruce instantly froze, his heart leaping into his throat as his stomach dropped into his boots. "Diana?" he whispered to himself as he slowly turned to find her flying towards him.

He could barely make his voice work as the Amazon Princess flew straight into his arms, nearly knocking him off of his feet. She wrapped him up in a powerful embrace that stole the breath from his lungs. He couldn't stop the tremble of relief that rolled through him as he buried his face in her hair nor could he stop the tears that threatened to form in his eyes.

"Diana…how?" he finally managed to choke out as he tightened his hold on her.

"How what, my love?" she asked as she pulled back to look at him.

"You…you're alive…you're safe," he murmured, ignoring the sharp pain in his shoulder and the blood that continued to ooze from it. He leaned in and kissed her hard, not waiting for an answer. He had finally gotten her back and he wasn't about to let her go again.

Diana finally broke the kiss, gasping for air. "Well, it seems someone missed me," she seductively purred, grinding her hips firmly against his.

He couldn't contain the moan that slipped past his lips at the feel of her pressed so hard against him. His brain was sleep deprived and swiftly clouding with lust that was making it more than difficult to think straight. He forced himself to push her back a bit so he could really look at her, to assess her for any injuries. She didn't appear to be hurt at all.

"What about the Hydra's poison?" he asked, confused. "Persephone said you were dying."

"Oh…that," Diana replied with an indifferent shrug of a shoulder. "I'm fine. It was nothing. Persephone tends to exaggerate things. Right now, I just want you."

Bruce studied her for a long moment, the white slits of his cowl narrowed with suspicion. His body wanted her, but his brain was telling him that something was very wrong as she leaned in to kiss him again. He pulled away from her, taking a couple of steps back to try and clear his head, running a hand over his face.

"What's the matter, Batman?" Diana asked as she closed the distance between them, running a single finger along the stubble that lined his jaw. "Don't you want me? Don't you love me anymore?"

"Diana, you know I love you…more than my own life," he confessed, struggling to find the words. "It's just…I…"

He couldn't continue at that moment, too overwhelmed by the fact that Diana was standing right there in front of him, his mind swimming and his heart racing. He had been so terrified that he wasn't going to find her in time and now she was here with him appearing unharmed. It was almost too good to be true.

"Oh, my love," Diana lovingly murmured, her hand touching his cheek as she leaned in to brush her lips against his. "It's alright…I'm alright."

Bruce felt his body tingle with anticipation as she ran her hands over his chest, her lips caressing his and making his head spin with mounting desire. He wished there was nothing separating them, keeping them from being skin against skin. His gauntleted fingers wrapped around her upper arms, pulling her closer as he tilted his head and deepened the kiss.

Something in the back of his mind kept telling him that this was all wrong, but it felt so good to have her in his arms again that he didn't want to listen to it, didn't want to find out that this wasn't real. Leaving her lips, he began to kiss along her throat, losing himself in the feel of her…the taste of her.

Batman suddenly pulled back and looked at Diana again, logic forcing its way back to the surface of his mind once more. Something was definitely off. "Who are you?" he angrily demanded, keeping a tight grip on her arms.

"It's me…Diana," she insisted with a frown. "What's wrong with you, Batman? Don't you know me?"

"I know Diana better than I know myself. I know her scent…the heat of her kiss…her sweet taste," he coldly stated, beyond furious with the betrayal, "and you are not Diana."

"Of course it's me," Wonder Woman stated, her own anger growing as she jerked out of his hold on her.

"I will only ask one more time," Batman ground out. "Who are you?"

"I'm Diana…Wonder Woman," she claimed, reaching for him again.

Batman slapped her hands away from him, unconvinced. "If you are truly Diana, then what is my real identity?"

Diana pouted with his pointed questioning, her hand finding her hips. "I can't believe that you don't trust me! I'm you're fiancé."

"What is my name?" he angrily growled.

"Batman, I can't believe you would…"

"What is my name?!" he shouted at her, roughly grabbing hold of her again.

Diana stared at him in wide-eyed horror at the sheer anger that had gripped him, the rasping grate of his voice like sharp fingernails raking over her spine. "Fine," she spat out, allowing her image to change.

"Circe!" Batman hissed, tightening his hold on her and shaking her. "Where is Diana?"

Circe laughed almost nervously as she stared into the cowled face of the Dark Knight that was filled such rage. "She's closer than you think, but you won't make it to her time. She's dying."

Ice cold panic mingled with dread, washing through him as he fought to keep his legs from giving out on him. "Where is she?"

The deadly calm tone of his voice revealed his fragile restraint, the tight set of his jaw showed his fury. It told Circe that she had gone too far this time. Despite being a powerful witch, she found herself actually afraid for one of the first times in her life.

"The Fields of Punishment, but you won't reach her in time," Circe told him, a smirk on her lips despite her fear. "There is nothing you can do to save your little princess."

Batman shoved her away from him, growling low in his chest. Refusing to give her another moment of his time, he turned away from him, determined to get to Diana. He didn't care what Circe did to him, whether she follow him or tried to turn him into some animal. All that he cared about was Diana.

Circe watched as he took off over the ridge, unable to stop the shudder that rolled through her. She didn't want to admit that he had actually terrified her, his dark rage causing her to abandon her plans to torment him further. She took solace in knowing that Diana was about to die. That would be enough for her and obviously more than enough torture for the Dark Knight of Gotham.

XXX

Tim picked at his dinner plate with his fork, feeling more and more despondent with every day that passed by without any news about Bruce and Diana. Saturday was four days away, the wedding here before they knew it. They were quickly running out of time and running out of hope.

He couldn't stand not knowing what was going on, what was happening to them. He propped his head up with his hand as he sighed heavily, poking at his still uneaten chicken as he tried to figure out something that he could do to help them.

"Master Timothy, elbows off the table please," Alfred admonished him as he reentered the kitchen. "You need to eat your dinner. You're not going to be able to keep proper watch over Gotham for Master Bruce if you don't keep your strength up."

Tim scowled more to himself than at the elderly butler. "Alfred, we have to do something. I can't just sit here any longer without doing something to try to help them."

"And just what would you recommend we do?" Alfred asked, pausing to look at the despondent teenager.

"I don't know, but there has to be something we can do," Tim complained, stabbing at his chicken and grumpily shoving a piece into his mouth.

"I know this is most difficult, but we must not give up hope," Alfred attempted to encourage him. To be truthful, he was beginning to grow more discouraged with every passing day himself. If they could at least find out if Bruce and Diana were still alive, it would be something that they could hold onto.

"Alfred, the wedding is less than four days away," Tim replied in frustration. "We have no idea if they'll be back in time…or if they'll ever come back."

"I know it seems grim right now, but we have to have faith that Master Bruce and Miss Diana will make it through this," Alfred told him. "Have you heard from Master Dick yet today?"

"Yah," Tim mumbled. "He hasn't heard anything either. Hippolyta isn't back from the Underworld yet."

"I must say I'm a little surprised that Master Dick and Miss Donna haven't attempted to sneak into the Underworld themselves despite Queen Hippolyta's insistence otherwise," Alfred confessed.

"Dick didn't come right out and say it, but he sort of hinted at the fact that they might be working out a plan to escape the palace in order to get into the Underworld," Tim revealed.

"Well, I don't expect those two to stay put for too terribly long," Alfred agreed with a grim smile of approval.

"I can't take this any longer!" Tim exclaimed, slamming his fork down and sitting back in his chair. "What if they never come back, Alfred? What will we do?"

Alfred went over to the young man, laying a weathered hand on his shoulder and sharing in his fear as well as his frustration. He finally allowed the tears that he'd been holding in since all of this had begun to reflect in his eyes. He drew a shuddering breath, trying to gather his thoughts before responding.

"I know, Master Timothy," he softly said. "I'm afraid too, but we must not lose hope. Master Bruce would not want us to spend our time worrying about them. He would want us to focus on Gotham and making sure that Lex Luthor is found before they return from the Underworld. You know how terribly worried his is about Luthor coming after Miss Diana again. If we can find him, it will be one less thing Master Bruce will need to worry about."

"I feel like I've searched everywhere I can think of and he is nowhere to be found," Tim grumbled, crossing his arms against his chest. "Hopefully, Clark has had better luck than I have."

"Well, finish your dinner so you can go prepare for patrol," Alfred encouraged him. "I know Miss Barbara will be waiting for you. Maybe she has been able to find something as well."

Tim reluctantly picked up his fork again, taking a bite of his carrots. "Do you think Clark remembered to pick up the tuxes?"

"He had better or Master Bruce will have an absolute conniption fit when he does return," Alfred informed him. "I picked up Miss Diana's wedding band today from the jeweler so I believe we should be all set. Now, all we need is the bride and the groom."

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, interrupting dinner. "That is probably Master Kent with the tuxes now," Alfred commented as he made his way to the front door. Peering through the small hole, he found a delivery man dressed in black, a large bouquet of red roses in hand.

Alfred opened the door, a curious expression on his face. "May I help you, sir?"

"Yes," the delivery man greeted him with a smile. "I have a delivery here for Princess Diana."

"May I ask who sent these roses?" Alfred inquired suspiciously as he took the two dozen red roses in the expensive crystal vase, looking for a card but finding none.

"I'm sorry. It's from Mister Bruce Wayne himself," the delivery man informed him as he handed Alfred the card before pulling the bill of his black baseball cap a little further down over his eyes.

"I see," Alfred stated, the fine hairs on the back of his neck rising. "Well, this is a very nice surprise. I'm sure that Miss Diana will be most pleased seeing how Master Wayne is currently away overseas on business."

"I believe those were Mister Wayne's words when he personally called to order them," the delivery man replied with a smile that instilled anything but confidence and ease.

"Well, thank you very much," Alfred said as he began to back up. "I will personally make sure that Miss Diana receives these right away."

The delivery man's warm smile suddenly morphed into a devious smirk, something dark and sinister. "I think I would like to be the one to deliver these to her myself if you don't mind, old man. You see I came personally just for her."

The sudden sound of the delivery van's door sliding open captured the butler's attention, revealing five more men dressed from head to toe in black and armed to the teeth with assault rifles. They quickly exited the van, racing straight for the open front door of the manor.

Alfred immediately realized what they intended to do. He couldn't believe that these men actually thought they were going to be able to capture the powerful Amazon princess let alone take over Wayne Manor. They obviously didn't have any idea who they were dealing with when they decided to attack. At the same time, he couldn't help but worry about Tim, silently praying that he was already down in the cave where he would be safe.

"Terribly sorry to inform you, but Princess Diana is not home at the moment," Alfred calmly told the delivery man who was now pointing a gun directly at him.

"Well then, I guess we'll just have to wait for her to return," the delivery man replied, motioning with the gun for Alfred to go back inside.

Clutching the heavy crystal vase tightly in his hand, Alfred slowly turned to reenter the manor only to suddenly spin on his heel, the heavy vase crashing over the head of the delivery man. The man immediately dropped to the floor unconscious, blocking the entrance and keeping Alfred from being able to close the front door.

He headed straight for the kitchen, desperate to warn Tim as the other five henchmen followed him inside with guns ready. Racing into the kitchen, Alfred was relieved to find Tim nowhere in sight, his dinner still sitting untouched on the table. Hopefully, he'd already gone to the Batcave to prepare for patrol.

Grabbing a couple of knives from the counter, Alfred immediately turned around, more than prepared for a fight as his years of experience in the British Secret Service instantly rose to the surface of his mind. There were some things that could never be unlearned, could never be forgotten even if it did feel like another lifetime ago.

He shifted his position behind the large kitchen island, ducking down low as the strike of boots against the marble floor grew louder. He tightened his hold on the knives in his hand as two men entered the kitchen, more than prepared to defend this home no matter what it took.

Alfred peered around the corner, pulling back just in time as they fired their weapons, a hail of bullets quickly destroying his kitchen. He growled to himself, more than anxious to make them pay for that. He swiftly stood to his feet, flicking his wrists with extreme precision as the knives found their mark in the first of the two men.

The man cried out in pain as the knives imbedded themselves deep in each shoulder, causing him to drop his gun. The second gunman looked down at his partner who was writhing on the kitchen floor, blood oozing from his wounds. Leaving him, he silently worked his way around the kitchen island only to find that there was no one there.

He quickly looked around in stunned disbelief, only to have everything go black as a cast iron skillet met the back of his head with a resounding thud that echoed throughout the kitchen. He dropped to the ground, his gun slipping from his hands and clanking loudly as it hit the floor.

"Three down…three to go," Alfred murmured to himself as he quickly grabbed a couple more knives before slipping out of the kitchen.

Peering around the corner, Alfred noticed one of the henchmen lying unconscious on the floor, his gun missing. There didn't appear to be any injuries, making him wonder what had happened to him. He didn't have to wonder long, though, as Tim peered around the other corner at that moment, silently pressing a single finger to his lips before pointing towards the entertainment room.

Alfred wordlessly nodded in response as he moved to follow Tim. Before they could move, Superman's booming voice met their ears. "Alfred," he called from the front foyer. "It's Superman. I have the tuxes that Diana asked me to pick up for her."

The British butler smiled as he glanced at Tim who smiled as well in response. There was no way the remaining two thugs were getting out of here in one piece now, not with Superman here. They could hear the two henchmen making their way from the entertainment room back towards the foyer to see who had just arrived.

Tim moved to stand with Alfred, ready to protect him if necessary as the two thugs raced into the foyer. They quickly turned their guns on Tim and Alfred only to be grabbed from behind, their heads cracking together and rendering them both unconscious.

They quickly dropped to the floor like rocks, revealing Superman standing behind them, an expression of disbelief on his face. "What's going on here?" he asked with a frown.

"An attempt to try to take Miss Diana from the manor it would seem," Alfred informed him, still gripping a knife in each hand.

"Is this all of them?" Superman inquired, a scowl forming on his face as he glanced around.

"There are two more in the kitchen that won't be walking out of here unassisted," Alfred revealed.

"I guess you guys didn't really need any help then," Superman observed.

"Who do you think sent them?" Tim asked, staring down at the three bodies lying on the floor before them.

Superman scowled with the thought of who could possibly behind the unexpected attack. "My first guess would be Luthor."

"Well, there is one still conscious in the kitchen we could ask," Alfred replied.

Clark began to make his way to the kitchen. "Leave him to me."

"Master Timothy, I believe you should attend to your school work," Alfred turned to address the teenager, sharing a brief knowing look. "Don't you have that special project due by Friday?

"Yes, but…"

"Superman and I can take care of things here," Alfred told him.

"I don't like this," Tim grumbled. "What if they come back tonight?"

"I highly doubt they will try another attempt like this any time soon," Alfred decided.

Tim scowled at the elderly butler, folding his arms against his chest in a mirror image of something his surrogate father would do. "I still don't like it."

"I promise everything be fine," Alfred reassured him.

"You're as stubborn as Bruce is so I know I'm not going to win this argument," Tim gloomily muttered.

Alfred smiled at the young man before him. "You know me too well, Master Timothy. Now, be off with you. That school project isn't going to get done by itself."

Timothy released a reluctant sigh, studying the elderly man for a moment longer before finally turning and heading towards the library. He didn't like this one bit, but he really couldn't afford to stay here all night with Alfred, not when Lex Luthor was still on the loose and after Diana.

Superman came out of the kitchen at that moment with two of the thugs flung casually over his shoulder. He paused to reach down and snatch up the other three before addressing Alfred. "I wasn't able to get much more out of him than just that they'd been hired by a bald man to come after Diana before he passed out. I'm taking them in now. I'll come back to help you clean up."

"Not to worry," Alfred told him. "This is not the first time that Wayne Manor has suffered an attack and I'm most positive it won't be the last."

"Just the same, it would make me feel better if I came back to make sure everything is alright," Superman insisted. "Bruce and Diana would never forgive me if I allowed something to happen to either you or Tim."

"Thank you for your concern," Alfred said with a tip of his head, watching as Superman picked up the sixth henchman before throwing them all into the van and flying away with it.

Alfred immediately went to get his broom and dustpan before making his way to the front foyer. He carefully began cleaning up the broken pieces of the crystal vase, suddenly pausing when he spotted something unusual. With a frown, he leaned over and picked up a tiny black disk, right away recognizing it as an electronic listening device.