TITLE: Back of my Mind

AUTHOR: LOTSlover

CHARACTERS: Batman / Wonder Woman

RATING: T

WARNINGS: Author Chooses Not to Use Warnings

DISCLAIMER: I love Justice League, but especially Batman and Wonder Woman. Unfortunately, I do not own the characters and, if I did, things would be much different for them.

SUMMARY: Immediately following the episode Twilight, Diana reflects on the events of the mission she just completed with Batman and her growing feelings for the Dark Knight, but does he feel the same?

Back of my Mind

Diana looked on in disbelief as Batman took off after their missing teammate, his black cape snapping behind him like an inky sail. Her forehead creased with worry for both of her colleagues, her lips pursing in disapproval as well as frustration.

"I hope he knows what he's doing," she murmured more to herself than the Martian Manhunter, knowing she needed to get her other teammates out of there.

She watched her darker colleague for a heartbeat longer, tucking an ebony lock behind her ear before forcing herself to enter the Javelin. She didn't like the dread that churned in the pit of her stomach or the concern that lurked in the back of her mind. While she was worried about both of them, she found her thoughts drifting to one teammate more than the other.

A frustrated frown was fixed firmly on her face as she made her way to the controls of the Javelin while J'onn tended to an injured Hawkgirl. She knew they needed to make a quick escape regardless of the fact that two of their colleagues weren't even aboard, but she found it very difficult to leave them behind. An Amazon never left a fight, never left a fellow warrior behind no matter the circumstances.

Starting up the Javelin, she skillfully flew them to safety, anxious to get back to the Watchtower. She was more than ready for a hot shower, an iced mocha and some much needed sleep. She just hoped that her friends made it out of this alive, Batman stopping Kal before he did something that he would only regret.

She trusted Batman, respected him because of the hero and the man that she had come to know. She knew that he could handle himself better than anyone, but this was Darkseide they were talking about. He was a violent monster bent on domination and devastation, a powerful enemy possessing an unpredictability that made him that much more dangerous to deal with.

Her worry for Batman was swelling the longer time went by without any word from him; her anger with him growing exponentially as she tightly gripped the controls of the Javelin. It was just so like him to throw himself right into the heart of danger regardless of the risks to himself. He'd been doing it from the moment they had first met, risking his life for the good of everyone else with little thought for himself.

Everyone seemed to believe that he was so cold and callous, but she'd come to realize over the last year that the very opposite was true about the mysterious Dark Knight. He cared greatly, far deeper than anyone would ever suspect. No one seemed inclined to delve deeper, to look past the icy demeanor and snarling exterior to what lay beneath the Kevlar and the mask he wore.

Her wandering mind began to take her in directions that she didn't enjoy dwelling on, questions that made her insides coil into knots.

Why did he want people to believe such negative things about him?

Why did he work so hard to keep everyone at arms' length?

Was there a girlfriend that forced him to maintain such a façade?

What was she like?

Was in love with her?

What kind of woman was he attracted to?

Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and questions that only deepened her interest in him. She found herself wanting to know more about him, discover what made him the man that he is today. The question was—what was she going to do about this attraction towards the Dark Knight of Gotham?

She mentally shook herself, drawing a deep breath. These feelings went against everything that she'd been trained as an Amazon to believe and to stand for. It defied everything that her mother had taught her about men. Then again, Batman was unlike any man that she'd ever met since coming to Man's World.

It wasn't until J'onn placed his hand on her shoulder and said her name telepathically that she realized he had been calling her name. She loosened her grip on the controls, chiding herself for allowing her thoughts about Batman to consume her.

Diana sheepishly glanced over at the Martian Manhunter in mild embarrassment, knowing he had to have picked up on the turmoil roiling inside of her. "How's Shayera doing?" Diana asked as she averted her gaze, not wanting to talk about what was currently bothering her.

J'onn settled into the passenger seat to her right, a faint smile on his face as if he knew every secret that she kept locked deep inside of her. "Resting for now," he replied. "I believe she should be up and around in a couple of days."

"That's good," she said with a sigh. "I just hope that Superman and Batman are all right."

"I'm sure they will be fine," he reassured her. "I do sense that you are worried about one teammate more so than the other."

Diana released a frustrated huff, angry with herself for not being in better control of her thoughts and emotions. She knew that J'onn would never invade her mind or purposefully read her thoughts, but she was certain they were impossible for him not to pick up on them.

"He continually lingers in the back of my mind," she confessed, muttering "the jerk" under her breath.

J'onn chuckled softly as he turned towards her. "Diana, I know that you do not really consider Batman a jerk," he told her. "You are just upset with him for going after Superman alone."

"He needlessly throws himself into danger time and time again with no regard for his own safety," she fumed. "It would have been better for me to go after Kal than for him. I am able to withstand far more than he can as a mortal man."

"Superman and Batman have been friends for a long time, Diana," J'onn explained. "Batman probably feels he knows best how to handle him. Not to mention, you know that Batman would never put someone else's life in danger when he can handle it himself."

"I know, but he's just so…so…" Diana began only to abruptly pause and curse in Greek.

J'onn glanced at the frustrated Amazon, knowing exactly what her anger with the Batman was actually rooted in even if she was still trying to understand it all herself. "Diana, I sense that you're wrestling with some intense feelings for our dark friend," he carefully proceeded. "If you would like to talk about it, I'm a very good listener."

Diana thought about it for a very long moment, pausing to glance out the window to her left. "Thank you, J'onn," she softly said. "I appreciate that, but I feel that this is something that I must work through by myself right now."

"I understand," he replied with a nod. "I just want you to know that not everything you were taught on Themyscira is necessarily true. I'm sure that you have seen that for yourself since leaving your home."

A small smile formed on her lips as she remembered the first time she had met the heroes that would become not only her teammates but her family. "I have learned a great many things that have challenged by beliefs…much to my mother's dismay if she truly knew."

"I am going to check on Shayera and then meditate until we arrive at the Watchtower," J'onn told her as he stood to his feet, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder in comfort. "Please know that I am here for you if you wish to talk."

"Thank you, J'onn," she said. "Go get some rest."

J'onn left her to her thoughts, hoping that both she and Batman would be able to find a resolution to their mutual attraction. He just didn't know for certain if the recluse Batman would ever truly allow himself to accept love from another. He feared that it might only end with a broken heart for Diana.

The Amazon princess spent the rest of the flight alone thinking about the mission she'd just shared with Batman and how they just seemed to work so naturally together. Her anger with him, however, continued to burn inside of her, seeking some sort of release. She didn't know how one man could make her want to kiss him one minute and slug him the next.

Landing the Javelin in the Watchtower docking bay, she was more than relieved to find her teammates had just arrived before them. As she unbuckled the harness, she could tell something had transpired between them as the pair waited for them to exit the Javelin. Both looked angry, but Superman more so. Kal stood with his arms crossed against his chest while Batman stood with his black cape draped around him like a death shroud.

It made her wonder what had happened between the close friends. She knew that Kal would end up confiding in her while Batman would remain as tight-lipped as ever. Diana only hoped that someday Batman would feel as though he could talk to her about the things that obviously weighed so heavily on his mind.

"How do you feel?" Diana asked as made her way to the back of the Javelin to find J'onn helping a now conscious Shayera to her feet.

"Like hell," she uttered with a groan as she leaned heavily on J'onn for support.

"Get some rest, Shay," Diana told her. "I can take your monitor duty shift tomorrow morning."

"Thanks, Diana," she muttered as they exited the Javelin.

Diana's gaze fell on the Dark Knight as she approached him, a flutter erupting inside of her as she recalled flying arm-in-arm with him, bodies locked as one. She was still angry with him for going after Superman, but she couldn't deny the deep admiration and respect for him that his selfless actions seemed to always stir within her. She just wished that he didn't have such a profound effect on her.

"Here, Shay," Superman said, quickly moving to her other side, "let me take you to the infirmary."

"Thanks," Shayera reluctantly surrendered, allowing the Man of Steel to pick her up and carry her out of the Javelin Bay. She hurt too badly to argue despite how it prickled her pride to be carried like some frail invalid.

"Glad to see you two made it out of there in one piece," J'onn said to Batman.

"You're still a jerk," Diana angrily muttered as she marched past him.

"What was that all about?" Batman asked the Martian Manhunter, the white slits of his cowl narrowed in confusion as he watched her leave.

"I'm afraid you will have to talk to her about that," J'onn suggested with a small, knowing smile. "I need to finish tending to Shayera."

Batman frowned as he swept out of the Javelin bay like a cyclone in pursuit of the angry Amazon princess. He quickened his pace in order to catch up to her, greatly annoyed by her comment. It wasn't like he hadn't been called far worse by others, but, for some reason, it bothered him considerably now.

He'd never really cared what people thought of him or said about him, but it mattered to him what Diana thought. He didn't want to consider why her opinion of him had come to mean something to him. Instead, he felt the overwhelming need to just make her understand.

"Princess," he roughly growled as he fell in step beside her.

Diana stared straight ahead of her, refusing to acknowledge him for fear she'd punch him right through a wall. Her fingers curled into her palms, the urge to beat some sense into him becoming harder to ignore. "Batman," she curtly recognized his presence in hopes he'd leave her alone. She wasn't really in the mood to talk to him at that moment. He taking his life in his hands if he continued down this path.

Batman glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes, but with the cowl it was impossible for her to tell which was just how he liked it. "Care to explain to me why I'm a jerk?"

"One would think you could figure it out for yourself," she spat out. "Aren't you the World's Greatest Detective?"

His eyes narrowed, his jaw clenching and unclenching with an unexpected wave of jealousy. "You're mad at me because you wanted to be the one to save Superman," he stated, his own anger rising now. He knew how close Clark and Diana were and he didn't particularly like it. "I know you two are best friends, Princess, but I needed to go after him."

Diana stopped abruptly, spinning on her heel to glare daggers at him. Her long raven hair whipped with the sudden movement, falling over her shoulder and creating a fierce air about her. "Is that what you really think this is about?" she seethed.

Batman was taken aback by her angry outburst as well as her question. "Why don't you enlighten me if I'm so wrong?" he challenged her, folding his arms against his chest.

He wasn't about to back down, not even in the face of an Amazon who somehow managed to look even more beautiful when she was furious with him. Her vibrant blue eyes were blazing like infernos of pure emotion and it was directed solely at him at that moment. Instead of being afraid, he found himself completely captivated by her fiery spirit.

"You constantly throw yourself into these impossibly dangerous situations with no regard for yourself," she spat out, throwing her hands up in the air in heated frustration.

"We all do," he pointed out, leaning towards her. "It's part of the job and you know it."

"Yes, but it's like you have some sort of death wish," she ground out. "I could have gone after Superman while you got the others out of there."

Batman's arms fell to his sides, his hands balling into angry fists as his lips twisted into a sneer. "I can take care of myself, Princess," he hissed with equal ire. "I don't need you to hold my hand or protect me."

"I know you can take care of yourself," she snapped, her hands finding her hips.

"I didn't think I still needed to prove myself as a competent member of this team," he rasped. "I guess I was wrong. Just admit it, Diana. You don't think I can handle myself."

Diana's eyes flashed with fury bordering on physical harm as she closed the distance between them without another thought, coming to stand a breath away from him. "You just don't get it, do you?"

"Obviously not," he snorted with a dark scowl. "Why don't you explain it to me?"

"It isn't about you being able to handle yourself, you jerk!" she shouted, fighting back the urge to hit him.

"Then what's it about, Princess?"

"I respect you more than anyone else on this team," she heatedly revealed. "It's the fact that you place so much value on everyone else's life except for your own."

Her words stung him as sure a slap for a brief moment, his heart skipping a beat with the knowledge that she held such deep respect for him. He quickly recovered, however, tucking away his shock and the accompanying warmth of desire that filled him.

"I did what I had to do to keep Superman from making the worst mistake of his life," he icily spat out, concealing his growing feelings for her. "You don't know him like I know him, Diana. I knew I could keep him from killing. Besides, there was no way in hell I was sending you into a deadly battle between Superman and Darkseid. Your life is far too valuable to risk."

They stared at each for several long moments, glaring hotly at each other and breathing heavily with the anger coursing through them. They both tried to rein in their heated emotions that had spiraled out of control and was rapidly hurtling towards that unspoken boundary between them that had never been crossed before.

Diana was the first to look away from his piercing gaze that seemed to sear straight through to her soul, though it stung her Amazonian pride to do so. She couldn't handle the onslaught of emotions that were bombarding her at that moment, the fact that he had been worried about her being injured.

She didn't know whether to slap him for trying to protect her or kiss him senseless for caring about her safety. She needed time to think, to sort it all out.

"Fine," she relented, folding her arms against her chest. "I just wish you would understand that some of us value your life a lot more than you seem to."

Batman swallowed hard, stunned by her heartfelt confession. It hadn't been at all what he had been expecting. He had allowed his jealousy to taint his thoughts, believing that Diana had wanted to be the one to save Superman. That hadn't been the case at all. She had actually been worried about him and not just because he was man without special powers, but because she actually cared about him as a person. It caused his heart to pound a little harder with the rising attraction that she seemed to inflame in him.

"I'm expendable, Princess," he softly murmured as he turned his head away from her. "You aren't."

The feel of her hand so warm and gentle against his face sent a bolt of electricity through him, forcing him to meet her tender gaze. "I don't ever want to hear you say that again," she sharply reprimanded him. "You're not expendable to me."

Batman lost himself in her eyes that were the bluest he'd ever seen, reveling in the admiration that he found swimming there. It stole his breath to think that she actually valued him so much. At the same time, it scared him senseless. She was getting too close, his defenses beginning to waver in her presence.

It was not lost on him how well they worked together, so seamlessly and without any effort. It felt at times as if she was an extension of himself when they fought together in a battle or worked on a mission. It was a little unnerving to know that there was a woman that could work so well with him, one that awakened feelings he could've sworn that he had locked away long ago.

"I have to return to Gotham," he stoically stated, withdrawing once more.

He missed the warmth of her touch the second her hand fell away, but resisted that thought. Things were growing too heated too fast; things confessed that should have remained unspoken. He shouldn't have revealed that he was trying to protect her or insinuate that she might actually mean something to him.

"I am in dire need of a shower and some sleep," she said with a forced smile, trying to hide her disappointment with how he was withdrawing again. She'd gotten a brief glimpse of the man behind the cowl and she wanted more.

"Get some sleep, Princess," he replied as he turned on his heel, making a quick retreat down the hall.

She watched him walk away, knowing there was a whole other world awaiting her discovery on the other side of that damned cowl. She just had to find a way to get past his prickly defenses and the walls that he seemed to throw up in her face every time she got too close to him.

Flash had told her last week that Batman seemed less grumpy when she was around, but she didn't believe this to be a true observation. Shayera hadn't been so quick to agree with Flash, but she did say that Batman seemed to give Diana a little more consideration than the rest of them at times.

Diana thought Batman treated them all equally, but, then again, she wasn't affected by his brusque demeanor or his curt responses. She didn't feel threatened nor did she take offense to his rude behavior. Instead, it intrigued her and piqued her curiosity even more. She wanted to know more about the man that lay hidden beneath the Bat.

She had a felt an unexpected flutter inside of her when she'd first opened her eyes to find Batman and a stranger leaning over her after her battle with that creature. Her head had been pounding mercilessly, but she could have sworn she had seen concern in his cowled face. Batman had swiftly shut off all form of emotion as he had offered her his hand, his usual stoic expression taking its place. It had been business as usual right after that.

It had only added to the murky enigma that wore a cape and cowl and went by the name Batman. It made her that much more fascinated with him and determined to learn everything she possibly could about him. She'd never backed down from a challenge and he would be no different.

XXX

Diana savored the feel of his strong jaw, the five o'clock shadow that was beginning to grow and was prickly beneath her fingers as she caressed him. . "I don't ever want to hear you say that again," she sharply reprimanded him. "You're not expendable to me."

Despite his eyes being concealed behind the cowl, she could feel the piercing intensity of his gaze as he stared at her, drinking her in and demanding more. "You aren't expendable either, Princess," he replied in that deep baritone that she swore she felt clear to her very core.

She continued to caress his jaw, her gaze falling to his perfect lips that she ached to taste. Without a second thought, she leaned in and tentatively swept her lips across his. He didn't react at first, but as she continued to kiss him, he suddenly seemed to come alive. He began to return her desire with a fire of his own, igniting something so pleasurable low in her pelvis.

His gauntleted fingers tangled in her hair, pulling her closer to him as he pressed her back against the wall. He kissed her with a hunger that made her dizzy, his tongue exploring her mouth and causing her to moan in response. It seemed to only rouse him even more, his hands roaming over her body and further heating her blood.

Close wasn't nearly close enough as Diana lifted her leg and hooked it over his hip, pressing herself against him as he worked to remove her breastplate. She reached for his cowl, desperate to finally see his face…the man who had managed to capture her attention and kindled her desire.

Diana woke up with a sharp gasp, her eyes flying open. She swiftly sat up, holding her head in her hands as she attempted to calm her racing heart. She was breathing hard, her entire body flush with desire and a need so powerful she could scarcely believe it had all been nothing but a dream.

She quickly looked around, finding herself all alone in her quarters on the Watchtower. She could have sworn that Batman had been here with her, kissing her…touching her. She felt a shiver race up her spine as she recalled the passion that had ignited between them. It did little to quench the burning desire that coursed through her veins and pooled in her core.

"Sweet Aphrodite…I'm in trouble," she murmured to herself with a ragged breath as she flopped back in her bed against the pillows, wondering what she was getting herself into.

XXX

"You're not expendable to me."

Bruce began to lose himself in the ocean-blue eyes staring back at him, the emotion that he found swimming there. It caused his breath to hitch to think that she could possibly feel something for him. She was truly a goddess among men, the most breathtaking woman that he'd ever laid eyes on.

She aroused things inside of him that he was finding difficult to control, feelings that he had worked so hard to ignore and suppress. She made him long for more in his life; crave things that he had denied himself in order to focus on his mission…his sworn duty to Gotham.

Her hand came to rest against his jaw, her touch so sensual and yet so innocent. It created a sense of peace in him that had long been missing. Before he could say anything, she was closing the distance between them, her lips pressing against his in a heated kiss.

For a second, he froze, his mind telling him to stop this. His body had other ideas as his gauntleted hands found her hair, fisting it and holding her close as he returned her kiss with equal desire. He pulled her to him, grinding his hips against hers and showing her how he much he wanted her.

Her fingers caressed his jaw line, her tongue tangling with his as they fought for control. The taste of her on his tongue was heavenly, the feel of her in his arms so natural…so right. He wanted more of her…all of her. His hands began to explore her deadly curves that had been beckoning him since the moment he'd first laid eyes on her.

She removed her breastplate, his hand moving to her breast and stroking her through her uniform. Her throaty moan fueled his desire for her as he picked her up, wrapping her long legs around his waist. He pressed her against a nearby wall, the heated passion that had flared between them only growing hotter as he began to kiss along her throat.

Bruce sat straight up, his heart racing and his chest heaving with the arousal coursing through him. He found himself in a very uncomfortable state, desperately needing some sort of resolution. Looking around, he found himself all alone in his bedroom, no sign of the beautiful Amazon who had haunted his lust-filled dream.

He rubbed his face with his hands, raking his fingers back through his damp hair as he attempted to regain some sort of control over his body again. He couldn't shake the overwhelming desire that still pounded through him, remembering all too well how it had felt flying with her on New Genesis.

His arm had been wrapped firmly around her waist, her body pressed firmly against his side. It had been more than difficult to focus on their mission with her very feminine frame next to him, her intoxicating jasmine scent that continually assaulted him.

He told himself that the only reason he was dreaming about her now was because he had worked so closely with her today during their mission. There couldn't be anything more to it than that. He couldn't allow it to become something more. They were teammates…friends.

Chalking it up to nothing more than a normal male fantasy, Bruce flopped back in his bed, doing his best to tamp down on the arousal still pumping through his body as he ran through a meditation exercise. Deep down, though, he knew it was more than just a physical reaction to being around a beautiful woman today.

He was beginning to feel something for her, this Amazon princess that seemed to feel he was worthy of her attention and respect. She was starting to get through his defenses, methodically breaking them down one by one. No one had been able to do that in a very long time, no one having such an overwhelming effect on him quite like this.

"Dammit," he muttered under his breath in frustration as he pressed the heels of his hands against his eye sockets. "I'm in so much trouble."