Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Kudos to my beta, KN. Thanks for looking this over. :D
A/N: I know. I'm horribly horrid. Haven't updated stories or replied to PMs (lol) or reviews. And that probably won't be changing any time soon. But here are the next two chapters of this story. Hope you like it.
Madly
Chapter Six:
Confused
It had been days since Superman had left with J'onn and Flash to track down Ra's al Ghul.
Diana was kicking herself for her last words to Clark. Even if they had not found Bruce yet, she was dying to know what they had discovered. Her worry was distracting her, and it was making the already frustrating job of diplomacy that much more difficult.
Thankful that she would be leaving in the morning, Diana took to her bed. She was just beginning to drift off when her com link sounded.
Diana fumbled through the dark, instantly snatching the communicator the second she felt it in her fingers.
"Yes?! What is it?" she asked, voice raised in expectation.
"Whoa, there. I didn't know you were expecting a call."
"Tom." She was both disappointed that it wasn't Clark and that she wasn't more excited to receive a call from her boyfriend.
"Is this a bad time? Did I wake you up?" he asked.
"I was already awake."
"It's after one there. Having trouble sleeping?"
"Yes."
"Something I can help you with?"
"Probably not."
She could hear him sigh. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing."
Even if Bruce's disappearance weren't classified, she knew it wasn't fair to talk about her ex-boyfriend with her current one. Besides, she hardly ever discussed these kinds of things with Tom. They got along so well, but the deep conversations just hadn't happened yet.
"I wish you would tell me. You never know, I might be able to help you out."
It took her awhile to respond, because she didn't know what to say. He obviously wanted to help her, but she couldn't let him. She had tried that before, with someone else, and it had been disastrous. The lesson had been painfully learned: only she could take care of herself.
Before she could craft a truthful response, Tom said, "Diana, this doesn't have anything to do with Batman?"
The alarm bells were going off in her brain. Was it possible he knew that Bruce had disappeared?
"Why would you think that?" she asked.
"It's just…you're so closed off. You never tell me about yourself, and…well, he's the only guy that you've dated besides me. I guess I just figured he must have done something pretty bad to make you unwilling to trust me. We've been together six months, and I feel like you know me so much better than I know you."
When she still didn't speak, he continued on, his voice quiet. "Do you still love him?"
She couldn't answer. The words were stuck in her throat.
"I guess that's my answer."
"Tom, I don't…" Diana swallowed, trying to speak the words she could hardly acknowledge to herself. "I don't know."
She could picture Tom, blond hair falling in front of his face, his normally happy blue eyes touched by sadness. The image twisted her gut, if only because she was the one who caused it.
"Do you think you could ever love me?" he asked.
Well, at least that was a question she knew the answer to.
"Yes, but I need time. I'm sorry, Tom. I really do wish I could make this easier for you, for the both of us."
His voice sounded instantly brighter. Still quiet, but it had lost its strangled tone. "Don't worry about it. I've had my heart broken before too. Sometimes it takes awhile, but you'll get better. As they say in Man's World: time heals all wounds."
Having expected him to be either hurt or angry with her answer, Tom's understanding lifted a heavy weight from her shoulders. Diana even laughed. "Well, can it hurry up? I think I've been wounded long enough."
"There's my girl. See, you're getting better already."
"Thanks to you."
"Told you I could help."
"Thanks for being so understanding." Diana paused, yawning. "Excuse me."
"I guess I should let you get some sleep."
"Alright. Talk with you later."
"OK. Good night, Diana…and, just so you know, I'll give you all the time you need…I love you."
Diana's eyes widened, but Tom severed the link before she could respond. With a groan, she buried her face in her pillow.
They had reached a stasis, and she thought he would be fine with that until she was ready to proceed. Apparently, she was wrong. He had meant well; she knew that. But he wasn't supposed to say that. Not this soon; not when she wasn't ready to reciprocate.
She was certain she could love Tom; it was just under the worst circumstances that they had begun their relationship. If only she had met him before Bruce. If only Batman hadn't gone missing. If only more time had elapsed, she could be head over heels in love with him.
It was this belief that kept her in the relationship, but he was making it harder for her. And his confession of love, rather than warming her heart, made her feel cold and uncaring. At some point, she'd have to love him rather than know she should love him. But it just hadn't happened…yet.
Turning over to her side, she stared at the red numbers of her alarm clock. It was so late. Perhaps she'd use the lasso to make herself fall asleep.
Just as she reached for the golden coils, she was haled on her com link. Dreading a follow up conversation with Tom, she was relieved to hear J'onn J'onnz instead. Again, she was disappointed not to hear from Clark. He was to contact her when they found Bruce, but at least J'onn could give her an update on their progress.
"Is everything alright?" she asked.
"We've found Batman, and he is on the Watchtower."
"What?" Diana bolted up from her bed. "How long has he been there?" she asked.
Diana stumbled in the dark towards her uniform. "Nearly forty-eight hours."
"When were you going to tell me?" she said, tried to keep the accusation out of her voice, but not succeeding.
"Superman thought it best to wait until Bruce was ready to see you, but his condition has worsened. It no longer seemed in either party's best interest to keep this from you. Are you ready for transport?"
"Yes. Please hurry."
Bruce turned over on his back. All at once, the bright lights and sterility of his new room rushed at him, assaulting his senses. The sounds of the jungle had been replaced with the low humming of an air conditioning unit. Humid, sticky air was now under regulation in his climate-controlled environment. Even his clothes were different. But this wasn't the most jarring realization. A weary loneliness had seeped and settled into his bones.
Diana was gone.
"It's good to see you awake, Bruce."
Sitting up with a jerk, Bruce turned to the side. There was a man covered in blue looking at him. It was the same man who had taken him from his home.
Bruce rushed forward to attack him, but fell to the ground, slamming into a glass wall. The force knocked him on his back, but he got up again. He flung his fists at the partition, determined to get out and return back home.
"Where is she?" he yelled.
The man walked over to the glass, placing his hand against it. "Batman, it's alright."
He wasn't Batman. He was Bruce. That was what Diana always called him.
Bruce bared his teeth. "Where is Diana?"
The man frowned, shaking his head. Turning away he walked over to a wall and pushed a button. "J'onn, I think you should come here. He's awake."
In less than a minute, a green creature phased through the walls.
Bruce stepped back, tripping over himself to get away from the monster.
Batman, we are your friends.
Bruce tore at his hair, trying to get the voices outside of his head. He needed to get back. Diana had promised she would stay there as long as he did. She wouldn't be able to find him here.
Another man joined their ranks. He was covered in red, his face hidden.
"Supes, his heart rate is through the roof."
"I know," the man in blue said tersely. "I can hear it…J'onn, I think we should sedate him."
"Agreed."
A hiss sounded in the room, and Bruce saw a white mist released into the space around him. It was cold on his skin and tickled his nose. The instant he inhaled it, he grew light headed. He fell against his cot, trying to stay awake.
"Diana," he whispered before the gas knocked him out.
To Be Continued