Ok, guys! Here's the update you've been waiting for! I promise you this is just the beginning of fixing things for Bruce and Diana. There is definitely more to come in the next update that I know you'll really love.

Also, thanks to Dinasis for reading the middle section for me to make sure it made some sense! :)

Chapter 24

She noiselessly set down on the roof of a restaurant, the soft strains of Italian music wafting up from beneath her along with the scrumptious smell of garlic and bread. She heard her stomach growl in response to the delicious aromas, reminding her that she hadn't eaten supper yet.

She couldn't think about food right now, though. She was on a mission—a very important mission.

She had been following him for several blocks now, keeping close to the night's dim shadows and allowing them to cloak her presence from him. She knew it was ultimately futile. He'd probably known she had been tailing him ever since Baker Street.

From her perch on top of the restaurant, she could make out his dark silhouette crouched low on the rooftop two buildings over, his cape whipping lightly in the wind. He hadn't made any attempt to acknowledge her presence, instead focusing on the arduous task at hand.

She knew that she should just wait for him until patrol was over, but she needed to see him. There were so many things burdening her heart right now that she couldn't bear going one more moment without seeing him. He seemed to soothe her without even trying, always sensing when she was struggling with something.

And she was struggling greatly at the moment.

Hooking a raven lock behind her ear, she decided it was time to make her appearance. As much as she was enjoying this little cat and mouse game, she needed to see him, to feel him. Besides, the smells of spaghetti and lasagna were driving her to distraction with hunger pangs.

Keeping her eyes focused on her prey, she gracefully took to the air, moving silently on the breeze and allowing it to carry her to him. She noticed how his head cocked minutely to his left, his chin rising slightly as if he had somehow managed to pick up her scent permeating the air around him.

She smiled to herself as she lightly touched down behind him. "You knew I was here all along, didn't you?"

"Ever since Baker Street," he smugly responded, taking one last look at the busy street below before straightening to his full height and turning to face her. "What brings you here?"

"I just wanted to see you," she confessed as she came to a stop before him, her hands coming to rest against his chest. "Am I bothering you?"

"No," he muttered as his mouth promptly closed over hers, kissing her deeply as several long moments before reluctantly releasing her. "I always love seeing you, Donna."

The Amazon relished the feel of his warm lips against hers, the way their bodies fit together so perfectly as she kissed him once more. "You started patrol rather early tonight," she commented. "Anything particular going on?"

Dick brushed his nose against hers, savoring her scent before reluctantly pulling back. "Just following up on a possible lead in a case I've been working on."

"What kind of case is it?"

"Arson," he simply stated, the contours of his handsome face hardening beneath his domino mask. "There's been a string of fires in some of the businesses in Blüdhaven in the last two weeks. There's been no rhyme or reason to them and no connection between the businesses that I've been able to discover just yet."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out," she reassured him, her hand patting his muscular chest. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, but thanks for the offer," he answered with a frown. "What's going on? Did something happen to upset you?"

Donna smiled sadly in response. He always knew. "Can't I come to see my boyfriend whenever I want?" she lightly teased instead of getting to the real reason for her visit. She just wanted to enjoy the closeness they were sharing for a moment longer before delving into her worries.

Dick chuckled softly as he folded his arms against his chest, his lips twisting into a knowing smirk as he stared down his girlfriend. "Yes, of course you can, but I know you, Troia. There's something else troubling you that has absolutely nothing to do with missing me. It's Bruce and Diana, isn't it?"

Donna released a sigh as she gazed into his eyes hidden behind the domino mask of the famous Nightwing, wishing she could see the beautiful blue instead. This would have to do for now. "Yes, it's Diana," she revealed, averting her eyes in an effort to keep her emotions at bay. "I'm really worried about her. She's trying to put up a strong face for everyone, pretending that she's fine, but she's not fine, Dick. Unfortunately, I don't think that Bruce is doing much better."

"I was afraid of this," Dick muttered as he raked his fingers back through his black hair. He'd been to the Manor a few times since their return to Gotham to check on them, but it hadn't produced any results…or it hadn't been the results that he had hoped for. "I knew that Bruce was pulling away from everyone again, but I guess that's to be expected after what they went through. I had hoped that he'd at least talk to Diana about what had happened to him."

"But what did they go through?" she nearly yelled, throwing her hands up in the air as she began to pace before him. "Neither of them will talk about it. Diana is as tight-lipped about it as Bruce is which is very unlike her. They would hardly talk to me let alone each other when I went over there yesterday. In fact, they hardly even made eye contact with each other. I finally gave up and left."

"I know," Dick admitted, sharing her worry. "I've tried to get Bruce to talk about it ever since they returned to Gotham, but he refuses to even admit that anything happened. All he does is work and brood in the Batcave."

"Diana hardly eats anymore," Donna continued to rant as if not even hearing what Dick had just told her as she passed back and forth in front of him. "I don't think that she's been sleeping well either. The only good thing that has come out of this is that her injuries are almost healed."

"Bruce looks terrible and he's definitely not getting much sleep. He looks like he's been in a fight against Ra's al Ghul and lost badly."

"I just don't know how to begin to help them," Donna replied with growing agitation as she came to a stop, her head lowering with defeat. "They're not going to get past this if they don't talk about what happened to them and they definitely won't heal if they can't even talk to each other."

Dick grabbed hold of her hand, pulling her into his arms once more. "One way or another, we'll help them through it, Donna. We'll just have to go over there and make them talk to us or at least get them to talk to each other."

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Donna asked as she laid her head on his shoulder. "They are the two most stubborn people on the face of the planet…probably the whole universe."

"Lock them in the same room together," he readily decided. "We'll lock the door and won't let them leave until they've resolved this."

Donna chuckled with his proposed plan, picturing Diana punching a hole in a wall to getaway. "We'll need Superman's help with making sure they can't escape."

He couldn't help but groan with her suggestion. "Bruce is so going to kill us both if we do it especially if we get the Boy Scout involved."

"It'll be worth it if we can get him and Diana back together the way they should be," she maintained as she pulled out of his hold on her.

"I know, but it could get pretty ugly before we get them to that point."

"You mean more so than it already is?" she questioned him, incredulous. "I don't know how it can get worse. The tension between them is suffocating right now. I don't know how Tim and Alfred can stand to be in the same house with them. Did you know they still haven't rescheduled their wedding yet?"

Nightwing rubbed the back of his neck in a futile effort to relieve the stress that had settled there over the last couple of weeks with all that had transpired with Bruce and Diana. "No, I hadn't realized that. I meant to ask Bruce the other day when I was over there, but he wasn't exactly forthcoming with information."

Donna snorted. "Is he ever? He's locked tighter than Fort Knox. I don't know how Diana puts up with him."

"I'm not trying to make excuses for him, but he has been through a lot in his life, Donna," he patiently tried to explain to her. "Diana has really helped change him. She managed to bring out the real Bruce that he had kept locked away. I don't know what happened in the Underworld, but he went through something dreadful that has really rocked his world. It's brought out old tendencies like pushing away everyone who cares about him and locking himself in the cave."

"Well, he's hurting Diana even more than she already is with his selfish behavior," Donna snapped.

Even in the darkness of night, Dick couldn't miss the frustration that burned in her blue eyes. He gently grasped her forearms in an effort to calm her. "I know Diana's hurting too, but I have to admit, I kind of thought Di would've beaten him into talking by now, not pull away from everyone like he's doing. I think he's rubbed off on her."

"I'm a little surprised too," she admitted. "All I can guess is that whatever Hades put her through seriously messed with her head. She always tells me everything, but she won't even talk to me now. Hera, we share the same soul."

"Can you tell what she's been feeling?"

Donna slowly nodded her head, her eyes glistening with unwanted tears with the reminder. "I've never felt such anguish from her in my whole life, Dick. It's similar to what she was experiencing in the Underworld, but without the physical pain she had to endure along with it."

Nightwing shook his head. It hurt him to know how hard Bruce and Diana were struggling, how it was tearing them apart both separately and as a couple. They were going to have to do something soon before it was too late.

"Alright, this is what we're going to do," he decided. "I'm going to contact Superman tonight and talk to him. Hopefully, we can plan some sort of intervention for tomorrow night."

"Do you think it'll work?"

"I'm sure it will," he told her, his tone holding far more conviction than he was actually feeling at that moment. "Come on. Let's get something to eat before I have to continue patrol."

XXX

Batman sank into his black chair at his workstation before his massive computer system. He wearily pulled off his cowl, tossing it aside on the desk before his gauntlets met the same fate. He leaned forward with his elbows on either side of the keyboard, holding his head in his hands.

"She's putting up a good front, but she is not coping well. You just can't see it because you're too busy trying to run away from your own demons."

Run away. That's exactly what he'd been trying to do ever since returning to the world of the living. A part of him had wanted to return to the way he had been before Diana had entered his world. He'd learn to control his emotions, burying them safely in a part of his heart that no one could reach or unlock, secured in a place that he wouldn't be forced to deal with the unwanted feelings.

Then Diana came into his world, larger than life and shining brighter than the sun and before he had realized it, all of the locks he had meticulously placed on his heart had one by one been obliterated. Before he knew it, he was dealing with emotions thought long-since dead and experiencing new ones, like real love.

"If you truly love her like I know you do, than stop pushing her away and help her find a way to get through this for both of your sakes."

It'd been hours since he spoke with Clark and yet his words were still fresh in his mind, consuming his thoughts and tormenting him with what he knew he needed to do. It was what he had been dreading, what he had been working so hard to avoid, but he couldn't any longer.

He missed her, missed the warmth of her presence, the tender reassurance of her touch. He'd been so preoccupied with Gotham and avoiding his own demons that continually plagued him night and day that he hadn't noticed the chasm that had been growing between him and Diana. He'd caught glimpses of that abyss here and there, but it wasn't until Clark had said something that he'd begun to fully realize the extent of the damage that he was causing.

That was about to change, though. He had fought for her in the Underworld and he was going to fight for her now.

"Master Bruce," Alfred's voice unexpectedly broke through his beleaguered thoughts.

Bruce had no idea how long the elderly butler had been standing there, but he knew that the old man had been there all along. Alfred had always been there for him over the years and especially now more than ever. Patient and waiting for the time when Bruce needed him, when he was finally ready to divulge the horrors he had witnessed.

"I saved you some supper if you are interested."

Bruce continued to hold his head as if not hearing him, but Alfred knew better. He somehow always knew. "Miss Diana is up in your room right now if you wish to see her tonight before you head out on patrol. I know she missed you at dinner this evening, although I'm afraid she ate about as much as you have lately."

"How is she, Alfred?" he finally asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He was afraid of asking, but deep inside he already knew and he felt horrible about it.

Bruce heard Alfred inhale deeply as if weighing his words carefully before responding to his question. He wanted to turn around and face the man who was like a father to him, but feared seeing the disapproval in his eyes. He knew he hadn't handled any of this very well especially with Diana. He should've been there for her instead of abandoning her like he had. A part of him had always known it, but he had been too blinded by his own issues to fully see it.

"Miss Diana has been putting on a strong facade for all of us, but mostly for your benefit," Alfred thoughtfully disclosed. "I believe she feels guilty for what has happened to you, fears she'll make things worse for you than they already have been by allowing her true feelings to show."

"I pushed her away, Alfred," Bruce softly confessed, his fingers digging into his scalp as he twisted the short black strands with the painful thought. "I swore to myself I wouldn't when we got out of there, but I did. I've hurt her so deeply and I don't know what to do to fix it."

"I believe you do know how to fix it, Bruce."

Alfred's voice was unexpectedly closer than it had just been a moment ago though he hadn't heard him approach, reminding him how much he'd truly learned from the British butler over the years. His voice was scolding and yet filled with more compassion than Bruce felt he actually deserved at that moment.

"Has she talked about it?"

Alfred didn't have to ask what "it" was, knowing that more than a few life-altering events had happened to both of them during their time in Hades' realm. He didn't know what they were, but it was more than apparent that their respective worlds had come crashing down around them in ways they were hardly prepared to deal with.

"No, she has not mentioned a word of it," Alfred revealed. "In fact, I don't believe she has talked to anyone about it, not with me and not even with Miss Donna."

The sorrow that laced his voice was more than evident. Bruce knew how close Diana and Alfred had grown over time. He hadn't considered how hard all of this must have been for his father-figure. Alfred didn't just have to watch him struggle to come to terms with what had happened in the Underworld, but he had to watch Diana wrestle with it as well.

The long silence that followed Alfred's revelation was thick with tension as well as unspoken feelings of guilt and hurt. It took Bruce several moments to finally build up the courage to tell Alfred what he'd been struggling with, what had become an unbreakable, heavy chain around his heart and mind, keeping him prisoner in his own anguish.

"I…I saw my parents," Bruce eventually choked out, sitting back in his chair with a sharp gasp as if it had hurt to have the words wrenched from his throat. His hands came to rest in his lap, his fingers curling into his palms.

Alfred didn't say anything in response, deciding it best to allow his one-time ward a moment to gather himself. It wasn't often that Bruce discussed his feelings or his struggles, the things that kept him awake at night. The fact that he was on the verge of revealing them now was monumental in and of itself, speaking volumes of how much Diana had truly helped to alter his life for the better.

"I was locked in a nightmare that was more real than anything I've ever experienced in my whole life," Bruce continued, trying to keep the tremble he felt growing stronger inside of him from reaching his hands or his voice, but he failed as he suddenly leapt to his feet. "Joker had Diana. He'd been torturing her; raping her and I—I…couldn't stop him…couldn't get to her. I tried, but I couldn't. I failed her, Alfred.

"And then I was in that alley and I was being forced to choose between saving Diana from Joker or saving my parents." Bruce abruptly whirled on his longtime friend, storming towards him with anger blazing in his ice-blue eyes that hinted at the fierce firestorm blazing darkly within him. "They…she…made me choose between saving the woman I love and saving my parents, Alfred! She made we choose! How could I have chosen between the people that I love?"

The heat in Bruce's voice had replaced the tremor of sorrow, his sudden looming presence before him causing an icy shiver to race up Alfred's spine. The barely contained fury was nearly tangible, a physical thing all its own threatening to rise up and strangle the younger man now standing right before him. He hadn't seen this much suppressed rage teeming within him in a long time. It was terrifying to behold.

"I chose her, Alfred," Bruce admitted as if he was confessing his sins to the Almighty. "I chose Diana over my own parents. Melinoë told me I could have my parents back, set them free from the Underworld and restore what had been taken from me, but I still chose Diana. What kind of a son does that make me? How could I have been so selfish?"

Alfred calmly stared at the man who was like a son to him, his heart breaking for what he'd been forced to endure. He couldn't begin to imagine the anguish of that moment, the impossible choice that had been placed on his shoulders. There were no words that could begin to make it better for him, no encouraging phrases or advice that could mollify the anguish.

Bruce was breathing heavily now, his chest rising and falling with the weight of his heartache as he stared at his butler. He waited with bated breath for the scathing speech that he'd been silently giving himself ever since returning, the sharp sting of the reprimand that he knew that he deserved right now.

If anyone would understand the self-loathing that swam in his veins over forsaking his parents, it would be Alfred.

"What do think that your parents have wanted you to do?"

Alfred's question was unexpected, taking him completely off-guard. "What do you mean?" he demanded to know, his anger wavering slightly in the wake of Alfred's composed demeanor and bewildering question.

"Did your parents have a say in the matter?" Alfred reworded his question.

"No, they were too busy staring down a gun pointed in their face to say anything," Bruce angrily snapped.

"And what about Miss Diana? Did she have a say in any of this?"

Bruce's shoulders fell slightly, his breathing beginning to return to normal again as he was forced to think over everything that had happened. "She…she told me to save my parents, but Melinoë told me if I chose my parents, I might never meet Diana. It would be as if their death had never happened."

"I'll ask again then," Alfred patiently pressed. "What would your parents have wished for you to do?"

Bruce looked away from him with a fierce glower that would have sent lesser men running for their lives. "I don't know," he spat out.

"I think you do," Alfred calmly replied, his hands clasped behind his back. "I believe they would've told you to save Diana. They would've told you that what had happened, while very tragic, should not be undone. They would want you to move on with your life, to not look to the past, but to the future."

"But…what does this mean for my mission now?" he asked as he stared at his cowl lying on his desk. "My parents' death has been the whole basis for my mission. I had the chance to actually have them back in my life again and I threw it away."

"You mean you threw away the chance because of Diana?"

Bruce growled, clenching his fists angrily. "You know that's not what I meant," he stated. "I would give my life for Diana without question."

"That's not what I'm asking you," Alfred continued. "Is your guilt because you chose life and a future with Diana instead of holding on to your pain and anguish over the death of your parents?"

Alfred's words slowly cut through the thick haze of fury and guilt that had consumed him since the Underworld, forcing him to see what he could not. "Yes," he softly confessed. "I chose to hang on to my love for Diana instead of holding on to the pain that I've carried inside of me since their deaths."

"Would your parents have wanted you to hang on to your pain?"

Bruce drew a steadying breath in an effort to rein in his emotions. It was beyond painful letting go of something that he'd held on to for nearly thirty years, the rage that he had carried just for them, using it to fuel his mission. It felt as though that he was finally moving on by saving Diana over his parents. Could he really do that and still be Batman?

"You know that letting go of your past doesn't mean that you forget them or that you must surrender your mission to save Gotham," Alfred gently explained as if reading his mind. "They would be very proud of what you have accomplished as Batman, but at the same time they would also want you to be happy, to have a life with Diana."

"I feel like I failed them," he wearily confessed, pinching the bridge of his nose as if to ward off a headache. "Nothing is the way that it once was."

"No, it is not, but as you know better than anyone, nothing ever stays the same," Alfred replied. "And I'm sure that nothing is the same now for Miss Diana either. I have a feeling that whatever she experienced in the Underworld was equally devastating for her as it was for you."

Bruce's chin fell to his chest with the reminder, guilt swelling inside of him anew. He had willingly gone to the Underworld, fighting for a chance at a life with Diana and he had turned his back on her when she had needed him the most. He swore on his life he would do whatever it took to make it up to her, no matter how long it took him.

"I love her so much, Alfred," he softly confessed.

"Well, I have a feeling that Master Timothy and Miss Barbara would be more than willing to take over patrol tonight so that you could spend some time with Miss Diana," Alfred slyly informed him. "I know they both have been more than worried about the two of you."

Alfred could see the conflicting emotions as they momentarily passed over Bruce's face before swiftly being pushed aside as a decision was ultimately made. "Tell Tim to call Nightwing or Canary if he runs into trouble. Only contact me if it becomes absolutely necessary."

The British butler smiled broadly, more than relieved that things seemed to be finally getting back on track around here. "I would be more than happy to let Master Timothy know, sir."

Bruce watched as Alfred turned to leave, feeling a little better than he had since all of this had first begun. A measure of the weight he'd been carrying had been lifted, acceptance beginning to take its place. Now, he just had to find a way to reach Diana before it was too late.

XXX

Bruce entered his bedroom dressed in workout shorts and a t-shirt, his jet black hair still wet from his shower and sticking out at odd angles. He hadn't bothered to do much with it, his only concern right now for her.

He couldn't believe how he had turned his back on her one person who had always brought so much peace to his soul. He had returned to old habits and clung to defense mechanisms he'd built within himself to protect his heart instead of running to the one who had helped to make him whole again.

He stood there near the door for a moment, allowing his gaze to slowly roam over her starting with her long toned legs to her raven hair that hung in loose curls down her back. He felt his desire for her begin to stir as he drank in her feminine curves that were so evident beneath the bright yellow sundress she wore. Warm arousal began to build low in his pelvis before spreading through his body as he just watched her.

He wasn't certain if she even knew that he was there with her or if she just didn't care. That thought was like a violent blow to his gut, one that he knew he could never learn to accept, not even if he had an eternity to do it.

He slowly made his way to her, a sudden flutter of nervous excitement and anticipation rising up from his stomach the closer he got to her. He knew he shouldn't be surprised by it, though. She always made him feel like this almost from the first moment they had met.

Now, however, it felt magnified for some reason.

Coming to stand on the balcony behind her, he fought the powerful urge to grab her and kiss her the way he was dying to, but he knew that it would hardly fix thing between them no matter how badly he wanted her at that moment.

He found himself tongue-tied for more than one reason as she turned to look at him, his voice suddenly gone. Her blue eyes were listless, the bright sparkle of life that usually resided there absent along with that dazzling smile that he loved. He found he missed it greatly.

She had definitely lost weight, her muscular yet very feminine frame almost appearing fragile in a way though he knew that she was far from it. What had Hades done to her down there?

The thought caused a fierce fire of rage to burn hotly in his core as he thought about it, angry with Hades for what he had put them through, but also with himself for turning his back on her. Hurting her was more painful to him than any physical pain he could ever endure.

"Hi," she tentatively murmured, her pained expression swiftly vanishing and being replaced with a forced smile that never reached her eyes.

She was putting up a strong appearance just for his benefit, trying to hide her heartache from him so as not to burden him when he himself was hurting so much right now. How could he have been so blind to her pain when it had been there all along, right under his nose?

"Hi," he simply replied as he came to stand next to her.

Bruce felt Diana instantly stiffen beside him, the tension consuming her radiating out from her like heat from the sun's rays. It was almost painful standing next to her like this causing him to almost flinch, knowing he had done absolutely nothing to help her. He hated himself for it, but found that he was more than determined than ever to help her through this. He wanted his Diana back.

Before he realized what he was doing, the words were unexpectedly tumbling freely from his tongue. "I'm sorry, Princess."

Diana felt instant tears soar to the surface in less than a heartbeat, welling up from somewhere deep within where she had kept them securely locked away with the rest of her emotions since returning. She had refused to allow those tears to form, but that resolve had been shattered with three little words spoken by the man she loved.

She swallowed hard, keeping her gaze locked on the horizon in an effort to keep him from seeing her break down. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Bruce," she gently told him, fighting to keep her voice even. "It was my fault that you had to suffer so much."

A scowl swiftly formed on Bruce's face as he abruptly turned to face her despite her refusal to look at him. "None of this was your fault, Diana," he adamantly stated. "The blame lies solely with Hades and that is where it will remain."

"But Hades is my father," she countered with a shake of her head, her eyes beginning to water despite her best efforts. "If I hadn't fallen in love with you, this never would've happened."

"I'd go through it all again just for one more day with you," he softly told her as he reached for her hand, taking it in his as he stared at her stunning profile that stole his breath. "Falling in love with you has been the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me and there is not one day that goes by that I regret loving you or having you in my life."

The feel of his hand tenderly holding hers made her heart stutter in response. It had felt like ages since he'd last touched her or even looked at her. She didn't know what had happened to bring all of this on, but she also didn't have any time to dwell on it as he gently turned her towards him.

"Please talk to me, Princess," he pleaded with her. "I know I haven't been there for you since returning from the Underworld and I am so sorry for that, but I'm here now and I'm not leaving you. I love you, Diana...more than life itself."

Tears slowly began to break free, trailing silently down her cheeks as she lost herself in the piercing blue eyes that never ceased to cause butterflies to flutter wildly in the pit of her stomach. "I love you, Bruce," she gasped, unable to hold in her emotions a moment longer as her bottom lip began to quiver.

Bruce pulled her to him, wrapping her up in his protective embrace as his eyes grow moist with unshed tears of his own. She buried her face in the crook of his neck as she surrendered to the heartbreak that had been slowly eating away at her. She clung to him as if he was her only lifeline in a sea of chaos, her body shaking with the weight of her grief.

He closed his eyes against the salty drops that begged for release as she cried, her brokenness and raw vulnerability breaking his heart. He was desperate to find out what had happened to her in the Underworld, to take away her pain and repair the emotional and mental wounds that Hades' trials had inflicted so deeply in her.

Right now, though, he knew this was the first step in the road to healing together.