Sorry for the delay in updating! Got side-tracked by the Wayne Family Chronicles one-shot. Also, don't forget to go to my poll on my account page and vote for the fic you want to see me write next when I'm finish with Father of the Bride. :)

Chapter 27

Bruce felt awareness slowly begin to creep into the dark void of his consciousness, attempting to clear away the cobwebs and forcing him awake. He swallowed back the groan that began to rise in his throat, not wanting to let on to anyone that he was awake until he'd had time to take inventory of his surroundings.

He could feel the warm intensity of lights overhead trying to pierce through his eyelids, the cool bite of the air against his skin telling him that he was in an air-conditioned facility. In the distance, he could hear the soft sound of a low whistle, one that sounded familiar to him, but he was unable to place it at that moment with how muddled his mind felt.

He did a quick assessment of his body, making sure that nothing was broken or injured and finding no pain any place but his head which was throbbing mercilessly. It was pounding in unison with every beat of his heart. It had to be due to whatever drug they had given him to incapacitate him.

More than likely it had been some form of neuromuscular blocking agent like succinylcholine or propofol. They had no idea that they hadn't needed to drug him. Bruce had been more than eager to be abducted in order to get to the bottom of whatever it was that Lex was up to now. Stopping him before he could get his hands on Diana was his only priority.

Bruce's heart clenched as his thoughts drifted to Diana. He could still hear her repeatedly calling his name from the terrace; felt the raw desperation and fear that had permeated her voice in that moment when she had realized that he was gone.

This couldn't possibly have come at a worse time with Diana struggling with insecurities right now, but at the same time he needed to get to the bottom of this once and for all. Once Luthor was locked safely away again, he wanted to get their wedding rescheduled and make her his wife once and for all.

But Lex wasn't working alone. Tommy Elliott was involved.

Bruce had to admit the biggest surprise had been the discovery that Tommy was now a part of Luthor's plans. He hadn't seen that partnership coming which only served to kindle his anger with himself even more. He should've known that Luthor would seek out another partner to further his goal of getting his hands on Diana, to dominate and control her again.

Luthor liked to use people for his own purposes, tossing them aside when they were no longer useful to him. The fact that it had been Tommy Elliott struck him as an odd combination of talents and geniuses, but, then again, nothing Luthor did really surprised him that much anymore. He wouldn't put anything past him.

Tommy must have something that Luthor needed, some weapon or medical device that he had created. Medical. The thought made Bruce's stomach twist sharply with apprehension. What if Luthor had used Hush to help him create another mind controlling device to use on Diana again or worse yet allow Tommy to do experimental brain surgery on her?

Thomas Elliot was a brilliant neurosurgeon. There was no telling what could happen when two genius minds came together like that. He needed to find out what they planned on doing to Diana before she suddenly crashed through the ceiling to rescue him.

Knowing Diana, she would undoubtedly come in with fists flying and blue eyes blazing like beams of pure rage. He needed to stop them before she appeared. He shuddered to think what they would do once they captured her.

He turned his wrists a fraction only to feel cool steel pressing against his flesh. He didn't bother testing his ankles, knowing they were more than likely strapped down as well. They had most certainly removed his watch which had a tracking device in it, not that they would've known that of course.

They had no idea that they had just kidnapped the legendary Batman himself. His commlink would act like a beacon drawing Diana straight to them as well as the Justice League if she involved them, but he knew she wouldn't unless absolutely necessary out of respect for his wishes. That was why he was going to have to work fast at ending this before she arrived and became entangled in this more than she already was.

In his mind, he knew that Diana could take care of herself. She was the most powerful woman in the world and nearly indestructible, but it was his heart that constantly reminded him that she was not immune to injuries or even death. Ever since she had first arrived in their world, he had felt a natural desire to protect her, to look out for her regardless of her being a metahuman. That protectiveness had only grown proportionately with his love for her.

"I know you're awake, Bruce. No use playing opossum with me."

Bruce lifted his eyelids only to instantly squint with the bright medical lights shining directly on him overhead. He looked down his body to find that his tux jacket had been removed. Thankfully his shirt was still on, keeping his numerous scars hidden at least for the time being.

It was not something he really cared to explain to Lex Luthor although Tommy might have already revealed his secret to his partner. It was a concern he'd have to worry about later. Right now, keeping Diana safe and away from them was most important to him.

"What do you want, Lex?" Bruce challenged him, keeping his well-known facade to the forefront. He didn't want anything to give away who he really was. If Lex knew, he'd be more than anxious to revel in the fact that he knew the most well-kept secret in the world.

"To tell you the truth, Brucie boy, I'm afraid you're just the poor pathetic bait," Lex revealed with a smile on his face as he stood at the foot of the medical table Bruce was strapped to. "What I'm really interested in is your fiancé."

"Stay away from Diana," Bruce bit out, his voice holding none of the lethal rasping edge that the Batman always held and yet there still a definite menace to it. "You've already hurt her twice now. I won't let you harm her again."

Luthor only chuckled with Bruce's attempt to discourage him, unfazed by the anger or bravado he was displaying. "You are no threat to me. I will do whatever I want and you won't be able to stop me."

"What are you planning to do to Diana?"

"I guess it won't hurt to reveal my plans since you're no threat to me," Luthor decided. "It's not like your playboy charm will work on me. That is your most dangerous weapon, isn't it, Bruce? How you manage to bed hundreds of women while still being a complete idiot?"

"I told you before I'm full of surprises," Bruce shot back, wanting to keep him talking for as long as possible. If he was here with him, then he wasn't working on his scheme to trap Diana.

Lex began to slowly walk around the medical table, his arms folded against his broad chest as he contemplated just how much he wanted to reveal. Bruce Wayne was known as a philandering buffoon, but, at the same time, he didn't want to take any chances at having his plans ruined this time.

He allowed his arms to drop to his sides before clasping them behind his back as he thoughtfully paused beside the medical bed. Bruce couldn't help but notice how the medical lights seemed to make Lex's bald head gleam or the way his dark eyes seemed that much more cunning.

It was all Bruce could do to contain his hatred for this man who was like a living, breathing virus. His obsession with Diana was twisted in a way that made his skin crawl, his delusions sick even for Luthor. The thought of Lex touching or kissing Diana made his entire body coil with unspeakable rage.

"I guess there's no harm in telling you my plans for my beautiful Diana. It's not like you're going to be able to stop me." Luthor's deep voice cut through the thick haze of loathing that consumed Bruce at that moment. It helped him to regain his razor-sharp focus once more. "Besides, I feel the need to gloat a little given the position that you're currently in—how you're about to lose your fiancé to me."

"You're extremely confident, Lex," Bruce evenly stated, keeping the anger teeming inside of him from reaching his voice. "Pride comes before the fall."

"This isn't pride, you fool," Luthor retorted. "This is strength and confidence, something that I'm sure Diana finds lacking in you."

"You forget who you're dealing with, Luthor," Bruce reminded him as he carefully assessed his surroundings. "Diana isn't going to be easily taken down or subdued. Besides, you'll be bringing down the wrath of the Justice League upon you along with my own if you do anything to hurt her again. That's a pretty precarious situation to find yourself in."

Luthor snorted in response as he paced, the corner of his mouth cocked into a smug lop-sided grin. "First of all, Superman and Batman already tried to warn me away from her and it didn't work, although I think you might have some competition from Batman for Diana's affections. He's pretty hung up on her.

"Second, there is absolutely nothing about you that frightens me, Wayne. You are just a pesky little gnat in the ointment and I will crush you if it's the last thing that I do. When all is said and done, Diana will be mine and you…well, you will be no more."

Luthor paused, turning his full attention on his captive, the palms of his hands coming to rest flat on the steel medical table next to Bruce's arm. Lex's expression seemed to darken even more as if unexpectedly revealing his very soul to Bruce, laying it bare for him to see the corruption and shrewdness that existed there.

"I am better than you in every way imaginable, Bruce Wayne," Luthor continued with a sneer fixed on his face where a smug smirk had once been. "I have no idea what an incredible woman like Diana ever saw in you. You are nothing but a womanizing loser."

"Flattery will only get you so far, Lex," Bruce goaded him, doing his best to keep his responses flippant when all he wanted to do was throttle him within an inch of his life. "Diana saw the good in me and for that I'll be eternally grateful that she even gave me a chance. I am a far better man for even knowing her let alone loving her. I just hope that someday I'll be able to prove myself worthy of her."

Bruce was a little taken aback by the sincerity of his words spoken in an effort to keep Lex near him. He had meant ever single word he had said about Diana. Despite having already proven himself to the worst that Hades himself had to offer, he still felt an unexpected need to prove it to the world.

Luthor stared at him for a moment, his sudden laughter derisive and mocking as it split the tense silence. "How romantic of you," he derided him. "Too bad I don't believe a word of it. There is something wrong about the whole notion of you two as a couple. There is no way an intelligent woman like Diana would ever fall for you. I don't know what you did to brainwash her into agreeing to marry you, but I'll get to the bottom of it and when I do, you will never get her back. She'll be all mine."

"Ever heard of delusions of grandeur, Lex?" Bruce asked, leveling him with a glare, but not the one he was more famous for among inner circles. "You should look it up sometime."

"Funny, Bruce," Luthor drawled. "I'd forgotten what a wonderful sense of humor you have."

"So just what are you planning on doing to me and Diana?" Bruce pressed. "I can't imagine you would just let me go once you have drawn Diana here. Besides, she will never willingly stay with you let alone fall in love with you. She loves me, Lex. You need to accept it and move on."

Luthor seemed undaunted by his attempt to dissuade him by using logic. It was either because of foolishness or sheer arrogance o Lex's part. Bruce was more than annoyed to see that his or Superman's visits with Luthor while he had been locked up at Arkham had done absolutely nothing to deter him in his obsession to take Diana.

"She may not love me now, but she will come to love me soon once Hush is done convincing her for me."

Bruce's mind raced with what Tommy could be planning to do to Diana. After removing the brain chip Luthor had implanted, she'd lost her memory, her speech…her sense of self. What would she be like this time once Tommy Elliott had done God knows what to her? Would there be any semblance of the woman that he had fallen in love with?

She was finally healed from what Luthor had done to her before. He couldn't handle watching her go through that again or losing her forever. Her pain and suffering was far more painful to him than any he himself could ever be forced to endure.

"If you truly love her like you claim then why do you continue to hurt her every chance you get or want to control her?" Bruce asked, trying reason once more.

There was a glaring difference between dealing with Lex Luthor and the likes of a criminal psychopath like the Joker. The Clown Prince of Gotham was a deranged monster, unhinged with little hope of reform. Luthor, on the other hand, was a highly intelligent megalomaniac. Logic was something one could at least try with Luthor, but was absolutely hopeless with Joker. It might not get him anywhere, but Bruce was at least going to try. If anything, he might discover more about what he was planning.

"I'm trying to help her see the light," Lex explained. "Poor soul is so misguided no thanks to you and the damn Justice League. If she wasn't spending so much time with you or Superman and Batman, then maybe I'd have a chance to help her realize her full potential."

"And you plan on helping her see the light?" Bruce snorted in disbelief as he stared at the man standing to his left. "Lex, you wouldn't know what the light was if it hit you over your thick bald head."

"I guess then that we have very different definitions of what the light actually is," Luthor supposed. "No matter, though, because I'm turning you over to Hush to do with as he pleases. I believe he has some neurological experiments that he is more than anxious to try on you. Maybe he'll help you to see the light."

"I believe I'll decline playing the guinea pig."

"Oh, come on, Bruce, you wound me. It's been such a very long time since we've seen each other. I'd love to get reacquainted with my one time childhood friend."

Bruce turned his head, looking to the right to see Tommy Elliott approaching. "I think you're making a pretty big mistake partnering with Lex Luthor, Tommy. Did Lex tell you what happened to his two previous partners that he used in order to try to get his hands on Diana?"

Hush looked to Lex who had a stoic expression on his face, one that did nothing to reveal his true thoughts at that moment. "What is he talking about Lex?" Tommy demanded to know.

"A couple of previous associates of mine didn't exactly work out the way that I had hoped," Lex evenly clarified, casting a furtive glare at Bruce. "You and I will not have any of the problems that I've had in the past."

Hush looked anything but convinced as he glowered at Luthor, his arms folding against his chest in suspicion. He was beginning to reconsider this partnership even more now than he had before they had kidnapped Bruce Wayne.

"What kind of problems did you have?"

Luthor began to lose his cool demeanor, the muscles in his jaw tightening with building frustration. "It was nothing. Drop it."

"Or what?"

"I'll show you what!" Luthor growled.

"Gentlemen," Bruce interrupted, not particularly liking the fact that the pair was arguing with him stuck in between and unable to defend himself if things got ugly. "Why don't you just let me go and we'll forget that this ever happened?"

Both men looked down at Bruce in stunned disbelief, the tension in the room unexpectedly deflating with his ludicrous suggestion. "I always did like your sense of humor, Wayne," Tommy replied with a fond grin.

"Well, I'm glad someone around here appreciates my charming personality," Bruce mocked, casting a sardonic glance at Lex.

"When I get my Amazon, I'm going to make you watch while I turn her against you," Luthor coldly stated as he leaned in close to Bruce, his breath hot against his cheek. "We'll see how well your charm works on her then, playboy."

Bruce watched as Luthor stormed away, his anger simmering fiercely in his core. He couldn't help the overwhelming desire to inflict physical pain on that man, remembering the utter hatred and rage that inundated him in that nightmare in the Underworld when Joker had hurt Diana.

He had wanted to kill Joker with his bare hands in that horrifying moment. Those familiar feelings were beginning to resurface once more, but he couldn't allow himself to lose control. Not like that. If he did, he knew that he'd completely lose himself to the darkness within him forever, never again to be the man that Diana had fallen in love with. He couldn't live with that.

"How about we play, Bruce?" Hush asked with a depraved smile, capturing Bruce's attention again. "Or shall I call you Batman? I haven't told Luthor your little secret yet, but that doesn't mean that I won't so you better behave yourself."

"What are you up to, Tommy?" Bruce questioned him with a dark glower that was far more comparable with the Bat. "Why are you colluding with Lex Luthor of all people?"

"Let's just say that he made me an offer that I couldn't refuse," Hush replied as he turned his attention to the expanse of newly acquired medical equipment. "I've always wanted to be you, Bruce. I've wanted to be like you in every way and now I have the chance to study your mind—how you think, what you feel, what makes you tick. I help him get the Amazon and I get you. Sounded like a win-win partnership to me."

"You have no idea who you jumped into bed with by partnering with him," Bruce warned him. "He will betray you the first chance he gets. He did it to Joker and he did it to Grodd when he used them to help him get Wonder Woman. You are just next on his list to double-cross."

"Luthor doesn't know who he is dealing with. If he tries to cross me, he's going to find himself on the wrong end of a gun," he revealed. "Now, why don't we get to work on getting to know you better?"

XXX

"Miss Diana, you really need to get some rest," Alfred attempted for what felt like the hundredth time since Bruce had disappeared.

"I'll rest when find Bruce," she softly answered him, refusing to meet his worried gaze. She couldn't right now, not with the chaotic emotions raging within her at that moment. She needed to hold it together in order to find Bruce.

"Then won't you at least eat something?" Alfred gently suggested, offering her a sandwich from the tray of food he'd brought down into the cave. "You can't keep going like this without eating, Miss Diana. You need to keep your strength up."

She had been a wreck since the moment Robin and Nightwing had arrived at the charity gala last night, finding her on the terrace searching desperately for Bruce and finding no sign of him there. The pair of superheroes had stayed to the shadows in order to keep from causing a scene, searching the grounds for their mentor and father-figure as Diana had searched the building itself.

The only thing they had been able to find was a single silver cufflink with the initials "BW" lying on the ground in the grass below the terrace. They weren't sure if Bruce had left it as a clue or if it had been inadvertently knocked lose during the kidnapping. Either way, it had been unnerving for all of them, but more so for Diana.

"Who could have done this?" Diana asked, ignoring Alfred's request. She knew that he meant well and she appreciated it, but she couldn't think of anything else but Bruce.

He had been missing for over fifteen hours now with no clues as to who had taken him, why he had been taken or where he was at now. It was terrifying knowing that he was out there somewhere, enduring only Hera knew what and not being able to get to him, to help him or rescue him.

She felt so helpless just like when she had been searching the Underworld for him, not knowing where he was or if he was even still alive. She felt ill to her core, her insides a tightly tangled knot of emotions that she dare not begin to think about or attempt to unravel. She needed to focus on finding Bruce before it was too late, before….

"Diana, don't go there," Dick sternly said, interrupting her thoughts and causing the scene from her nightmare of Luthor shooting Bruce in the Underworld to evaporate from her mind. "Bruce is strong and he's a genius. He is a very dangerous opponent no matter who has him. He'll probably find a way out of this before we can even get to him."

"He doesn't have anything with him, Dick," Diana angrily countered. "He doesn't have his uniform or his utility belt. He has no batarangs or batbombs, none of the tools that he usually uses to fight."

"When has that ever stopped him?" Tim said with a snort of laughter. "He's the only person I know of who can take a common household item and turn it into a dangerous weapon. He's probably using a soup spoon to escape right now."

"I know that, but it still doesn't mean that he'll be able to defend himself," Diana cried in frustration as she began to pace back and forth behind Dick who was sitting at the Batcomputer, the high heels of her red boots echoing throughout the cave with each pounding step. "What if he's incapacitated somehow or injured? What if he…what if he can't..."

Diana's voice abruptly broke off, tears thick with fear filling her throat and stealing her breath as she covered her face with her hands. She felt as though she was drowning in a sea of chaos as insecurities and fears that had clung to her since being released from the Underworld continued to haunt her even now. Her knees felt weak as she fought to stay upright, struggling to suppress the tremors that caused her to shudder inside.

The feel of strong hands unexpectedly gripping her forearms forced her to remove her hands from her face. She found herself staring into Dick Grayson's baby blue eyes, a firm yet compassionate expression filling his face.

"Diana, I promise you we will not give up until we find him. I know you've been struggling since returning from the Underworld. You and Bruce both have been battling things that escaped with you, but you need to trust me…trust Bruce."

Diana drew a slow deep breath as she nodded her head, afraid to test her voice in that tenuous moment. She knew she was going to have to dig deep past the panic and fear to find that Amazonian strength and resolve that she needed to get through this, to find the man that she loved.

"I'm going out to look for him again," she softly murmured as she turned away. "Let me know if you come across anything."

Dick watched as she disappeared into the darkness of the cave, flying towards the secret entrance that would lead her outside and into Gotham. His heart was heavy at that moment; though he was loathe to admit it to anyone right now. He feared for Bruce's safety as well, knowing he was capable of taking care of himself and yet still fearing the worst. He was not immortal nor was he a metahuman.

Bruce had danced with death so many times over the years, facing it head on just over a week ago in the Underworld only to come out unscathed for the most part save for some new scars both physical and emotional. There was always the chance that the next time he danced with death it would be his last even for someone was obstinate as Bruce was.

"Do you think she'll ever recover if we can't find him in time?"

The tentative sound of Tim's voice laden with unspoken worry cut through Dick's own tormented thoughts. "Honestly…I don't know," Dick softly responded as he shook his head, returning to Bruce's chair before his super computer. "If we don't find him, I don't think any of us will ever be the same."

"I'm going to go out and help her search some more," Tim informed him as he grabbed his mask and gloves from the desk. "Call me if you get any leads."

"I'm going to see if I can get any prints off Bruce's cufflink," Dick revealed. "I've got Barbara searching all the police scanners for any clues as well as checking the list of known criminals still on the loose in Gotham."

"Who do you think did this?"

"I don't know," Dick confessed as he raked his fingers back through his black hair. "I have a gut feeling, though, that this going to be very bad."

"Because there's been no ransom demand yet?"

"Yah, that and…I don't know," Dick answered, pausing as he tilted the chair back to stare up into the darkness of the cave ceiling. "Something tells me this isn't all about Bruce. There's something more to this than we know."

"What do you mean?" Tim asked with a frown as he stood there staring at his brother.

"I just have a bad feeling this goes a lot deeper than just Bruce," he told him.

Tim studied him for a minute, trying to process what Dick had said. "You think Diana could be at the heart of this?"

Dick rubbed his forehead, trying to banish the beginnings of a headache that was settling behind his eyes. "I'm not sure, but there is definitely more going on than just kidnapping a billionaire. If that was it, we would have had a ransom demand for money or some sort of threat made to Wayne Enterprises, some clue as to what these people want in exchange for him. Instead, we've had nothing but silence."

"Well, let me know if you get something," Tim replied with a sigh of resignation as he turned to leave.

"Don't worry, Tim," Dick called to him. "Bruce is far too stubborn to be taken down by anyone. I bet he's giving his captors hell right now."

Tim chuckled as he got on his bike. "I can only imagine."

XXX

Diana flew through the air, staying high above Gotham to keep from drawing any unwanted attention. She knew how Bruce felt about Metas in his city, how he feared they would somehow detract from the fear that Batman had instilled in Gotham as its protector.

Even though beyond frantic to find him, she would respect his wishes even now when everything inside of her was screaming to do whatever it took to get to him. She drew a deep cleansing breath, forcing her muscles to relax. They were hard with tension and rage, a desperation that seemed to overshadow anything that she had experienced in the Underworld.

While Hades had nearly broken her spirit with his tests, she knew that she would do whatever it took to save Bruce when they were held prisoner in his realm. She'd been willing to sacrifice her life, to give up whatever she had in order to save him and return him to the world of the living.

Now, though, she had no idea who had him or where, what she could possibly do to save him. It stirred her fear, resurrecting the panic that she had tried so hard to bury since returning to Gotham well over a week ago.

The other night they had managed to knock down the barriers that had separated her and Bruce, talking and sharing, making love and expressing what they felt for one another. It had gone a long way in repairing and healing the wounds inside, but she could feel them beginning to tear open all over again. She couldn't bear the thought of being forced to go through this life without him.

"Bruce…where are you?" she whispered to herself, fighting back the tears that refused to leave. "Please hold on for me."

She flew over the museum building where the charity gala had been held the night before, guests completely oblivious to the crime that had been committed right under their noses. It had angered her even more how they went about the benefit party, drinking and dancing and laughing like they hadn't a care in the world when the man she loved was in trouble.

Diana clenched her fists tightly, a furious glare on her face as she used the flames of fury burning inside to guide her, channeling it and using it to strengthen her resolve. She steeled herself against the fear and panic that threatened to consume her, refusing to yield to its knee-buckling demands on her heart and mind.

Bruce needed her and she would not let him down.

She began to slowly circle out and away from the museum, using her meta vision to search for anything that they might have missed when her commlink chimed.

"Watchtower to Wonder Woman."

"This is Wonder Woman," she responded, not wanting to be bothered right now. She wasn't about to involve them in this, at least not yet.

"Hey, Di," Green Lantern replied. "We received an urgent incoming transmission for you that is encrypted. We didn't open it and ran tests on it. It seems safe. Do you want me to send it to you commlink?"

"Yes," Diana quickly answered him, doing her best to keep her voice even.

"Sending it now," John informed her. "Let us know if you need anything."

"Will do," Diana said. "Thanks."

Diana waited for what felt like an eternity, but was most likely only a handful of seconds. Her commlink chimed again letting her know the message had been uploaded. Pressing her comm, she waited with bated breath for the message that had been sent solely to her. She knew before even hearing it that it was about Bruce.

"Diana, this is your friend Lex Luthor. I believe I have something or should I say someone that you are looking for."

Diana came to an immediate halt, floating high in the sky. Her heart felt as though it was going to hammer right out of her chest as Luthor's voice filled her ear. It was one that she had hoped to never hear again. She could still remember the feel of his hand touching her, his breath hot against her skin just before he shot Bruce in her nightmare.

"Go to Gotham Harbor," Lex continued. "You will see a large cargo ship about three miles from the city. Come soon and come alone. If you tell anyone, I will kill him. See you soon, Diana."

Diana felt as though all of the air had suddenly been sucked from her lungs, unable to draw in enough air or to catch a deep enough breath. Tears pricked her eyes, but she swallowed them back. She fought the urge to contact Nightwing and Robin, afraid to risk Bruce's life any further than it already was.

Taking off towards Gotham Harbor, the Amazon princess felt a surprisingly calm center in the midst of the firestorm that had erupted within her, her warrior spirit that had been nearly destroyed suddenly rising up like a phoenix and giving her the passion that had nearly been stripped from her by her father.

"I'm coming, Bruce," she murmured as she flew through the sky, fists clenched and ready for a fight.