TITLE: Mind over Matter

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: Following the events of Maid of Honor, Diana gets to finish her dance with Bruce.

Mind over Matter

"Mind over matter," Bruce silently reminded himself, staring at his reflection in the mirror as he tied his necktie. "Logic over emotion."

He growled and grumbled to himself as he put on his shoes. He still couldn't believe that he had agreed to this. He should be back in Gotham right now, not staying an extra night in Paris with the Princess of the Amazons. It was a waste of time. Nothing could ever happen between them beyond friendship.

It was also incredibly dangerous. This was new territory that they were treading into and he didn't like it. He didn't like how she made him feel so vulnerable…so willing to do anything for her, things that he normally wouldn't do for anyone else. Instead of his will bending to him, he found his will falling on its knees at her feet and worshipping at the altar known as Diana.

There was no way he could get out of it now, though. No matter how badly he wanted to return to Gotham, he didn't want to hurt her by standing her up. He was going to have to be on guard against her this evening. The problem was that he knew that she didn't even realize the effect that she had on him every time she was near him. She wasn't intentionally trying to bind him up into tight knots on the inside.

Putting on his watch, he paused to draw a deep breath, remembering the look of excitement that had graced Diana's face when she had told him her plans for this evening in great detail. The corner of his lips twitched in amusement, his annoyance momentarily forgotten. He couldn't deny the fact that he wanted to give her every bit of the happiness that her excited anticipation had conveyed.

Bruce found himself thinking about all the times that he had noticed her lingering stares at him, wondering what she was thinking about when she looked at him. Did she feel the same attraction that he felt every time he looked at her…experienced the same intense magnetic pull? Did she feel the way the area around them seemed to almost crackle with the fiery sparks that filled the air?

He rubbed his face with his hands, knowing that he was in a fight that he would never end up winning. How was he going to be able to fight these feelings for her every single day for the rest of his life? After tonight, he was going to have to put distance between them again. She'd loose whatever interest she held for him and move on to someone else and then it would be over for good.

The thought caused his throat to clench, his gut twisting painfully. The idea of seeing her with another man inflamed his jealous anger and caused his fingers to curl into fists. He knew, though, that this was the way that it had to be.

After tonight, they both just needed to move on—he with his mission to protect Gotham and she with another man…one that could truly give her everything she deserved and so much more. No matter how much it would hurt him, he knew it was what was best for her.

He paused to adjust his cufflinks, glancing down at a Paris newspaper. Right there on the front page was a full colored picture of Diana and him dancing at the gala minutes before the soldiers had invaded. He was immediately struck by the expressions that graced both of their faces, how happy they looked together…how happy he actually looked.

"The Playboy and the Princess…"

The title above the picture caused his lips to twist into a sneer. He hated the contemptible persona that he'd had to cultivate over the years in order to protect his secrets. It dishonored his parents, tainted Diana's reputation. She was guilty by association. He couldn't allow that to happen.

He knew that being seen out again with her tonight would only create a media firestorm that neither would be able to escape. That same picture staring back at him now had already hit every single newspaper around the world, generating a very prickly conversation with Clark early today.

If he hadn't known that the Boy Scout was in love with Lois, he'd swear the Kryptonian held a torch for Diana. The notion of it caused resentment to burn through his veins. The world already tried to play matchmaker by pairing the two of them together without Clark getting involved with her for real.

He forced himself to relax as he reached for his suit jacket. He found himself hoping that she wore the flaming red dress that she had been wearing yesterday morning when she arrived in her hotel room. He knew he shouldn't be looking forward to spending time with her tonight and yet he couldn't help it.

He growled to himself as he adjusted his collar. He was a complete mess, worried one minute about the media attention, fearing he was giving Diana false hope. The next minute he was anxious to see her, to feel her in his arms as they danced.

He knew that he needed to get his head on straight before meeting her. He couldn't afford any mistakes tonight, saying something that he would only end up having to take back. Hurting her was the last thing that he wanted to have happen tonight. He just had to make sure that she understood that tonight was nothing but time spent between friends and colleagues.

He felt an unexpected wave of sorrow wash over him, threatening to drown him in its wake. He wished things could be different. If he wasn't Batman and she wasn't an immortal princess…if he wasn't broken and constantly battling demons that would haunt him for the rest of his life. Maybe then he could've had a happily-ever-after like those that he fought so hard for on a nightly basis.

Diana deserved so much more than the damaged pieces that made up Bruce Wayne. She deserved nothing but love and happiness, all of the devoted attention that a man could possibly give her. He wished it could be him more than anything in this world.

Maybe for just tonight he could pretend that he actually had a chance with Diana, the dreams that greeted him every night becoming a reality. It couldn't hurt to enjoy himself just this once, to be a little bit selfish tonight and believe that could have a life with her.

An unexpected rap at his balcony door caused him to turn around with a frown. Pulling back the heavy drapes, he found Diana standing on his balcony wearing the red dress that would invade his dreams every night for months to come.

"What are you doing out here?" he demanded far more harshly than he'd anticipated as he opened the door for her.

He immediately regretted the angry bite behind his question as her smile faltered. He couldn't help noticing the way her cerulean blue eyes dulled, worry creating little creases between her eyes. It was always a telltale sign that made his insides sink with regret and triggered an inexplicable need in him to make whatever was wrong right again.

"I'm sorry," she replied with an unexpected air of nervousness as she pulled a raven curl behind her ear. "I was too excited about tonight. I couldn't wait any longer so I thought I'd come to your suite to wait for you."

Bruce felt every single shred of annoyance, fear, and doubt that he'd been battling completely seep from his body. He reached out without a second thought, taking her hand in his and pulling her inside his suite. "No, it's okay," he attempted to reassure her as he closed the balcony door behind her. "I just wasn't expecting to see you on my balcony."

"Sorry," she sheepishly apologized again. "I've never really had the opportunity to go out like this since leaving Themyscira over a year and a half ago. I guess the anticipation got the better of me."

He felt a pang of regret as he stared at her, enchantment causing warmth to invade every inch of his body. He'd never realized how lonely she must have been at times on the Watchtower, spending the majority of her time on missions or the floating satellite that was her only home now.

"You really need to get out more, Princess," he told her with a disapproving frown.

"Well, I tried, but my evening was cut short," she explained with an impish grin. "You see I was enjoying a lovely dance with a very interesting man that I had just met and—"

Bruce held up a hand to halt her story, a crooked smile forming on his face. "Wait…let me guess," he interrupted her. "Rebels invaded the ballroom in an attempt to kidnap the Princess of Kasnia. If I had a dollar for every time I heard that story."

Her red lips quirked as she studied him, amusement glinting in her eyes. She found she really enjoyed this unexpected playful side that he kept so well hidden. She wanted to see more of it. "So do you have a plan to ensure we don't get interrupted tonight?"

"Guess we'll just have to risk it and see what happens," he flirted with her.

He offered her his arm, flashing her his playboy smile. His piercing blue eyes danced with confidence that only made him that much more attractive to her. She stared at his offering for a long moment before finally accepting it.

She knew it was a custom in Man's World, one that she didn't quite understand, but she decided she liked it. It gave her a chance to be close to him, to savor his masculine scent and feel the sculpted muscles beneath his shirt and suit jacket.

As they left his suite, she could hardly wait to see what the evening would bring, more than excited about getting to spend it with the man who had captured her attention from the start.

XXX

"So then mother had to dismiss the entire council in order to have the throne room cleaned," she told him with tears of laughter brimming in her eyes. "There was mud everywhere—on the floor, the pillars, mother's throne. It was horrible."

Bruce didn't think that he had ever laughed so much in his entire life as he had tonight. His cheeks actually ached from smiling and laughing so much, her countless stories from growing up on Themyscira amusing him. "I wish I could've seen the look of horror on your mother's face," he replied with a deep chuckle. "How in the world did they catch the muddy pig?"

"Well at first, Phillipus chased it with her spear," she revealed. "I was sobbing hysterically because I didn't want her to kill it. My mother was chasing me, but I kept slipping through her fingers because of all the mud on me. The guards finally corralled the poor piglet and got it out of the palace."

Bruce shook his head, trying to stifle his laughter."So how much trouble did you get into?" he questioned her, reaching for his glass of wine.

"Besides having to help the cleaning staff scrub all the mud from the throne room?" she asked. "Nothing more than a thorough bath and a sworn promise to never bring any more animals into the palace."

"You were quite the precocious five year old," he commented with an affectionate gleam in his eyes. "I never would've guessed the innocent Princess of the Amazons was such a wild child growing up."

"I'm sure you're not innocent either, Bruce," she countered. "I'll bet there are quite a few stories that you could tell from your childhood."

Diana instantly regretted her words the moment a dark storm of emotion passed over his face, obliterating the happiness that had just been there. She knew that she had just made a dreadful error as a rather dramatic transformation took place right before her eyes. It was as if the black of his cape and cowl had abruptly appeared out of thin air, attempting to mask his emotions and shield him as walls shot up all around him.

She felt a shiver race through from the chill that had abruptly invaded their intimate table for two. It felt as if there was a huge divide between them, separating them and making him feel as if he were miles away from her. She didn't know what to do or how to respond to the abrupt change in him.

"My parents were murdered right before my eyes when I was eight years old," he stated with an icy edge to his voice, avoiding making eye contact with her.

Tears instantly pricked her eyes, her hand moving to cover his resting on top of the table. "Bruce…I'm so very sorry," she murmured. "I didn't know."

He quickly pulled his hand out from under hers, placing it in his lap where she couldn't touch him. His entire posture was rigid like a statue as he stared at the table with hard eyes. "It's okay…you didn't know," he coolly uttered.

Diana drew a deep breath, attempting to calm the overwhelming sense of anguish that permeated her with the news. It explained some things, but created a whole new set of questions and curiosities about the enigmatic man who dressed like a bat and kept to the shadows.

Bruce swallowed back the acidic burn of nausea that filled his throat, the pounding ache that filled his chest beginning to wane slightly. He knew that Diana had no clue about his past. She'd only just discovered his true identity. Still, he couldn't ignore the way the pain hit hard as if it's just happened yesterday instead of twenty-five years ago.

The unanticipated feeling of a hand gently coming to rest against his cheek caused him to finally meet her eyes. What he discovered there stunned him senseless. Instead of the dreaded pity that he loathed and expected to see, he found absolute compassion and tenderness.

Her thumb gently caressed his cheekbone, her expression composed. "No, it's not okay, Bruce," she firmly replied. "I can't begin to imagine the horror of what you experienced, but I do know one thing with absolute certainty—your parents would be so very proud of the remarkable man that you've become and all that you have done for Gotham."

He didn't realize that he'd been holding his breath as he felt himself drowning in those blue orbs that seemed to wrap him up and give him the unexpected strength that had abruptly deserted him. "Thank you, Diana," he murmured, afraid to test his voice any further.

She smiled softly at him, allowing her hand to linger far longer than was necessary. She forced herself to pull her hand away, already missing the contact with him. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and hold him, but she could tell that he would not welcome it.

He drew a shuddering breath, reaching for his glass of ice water. He was having a difficult time trying to control the emotions that she seemed to be able to awaken within him. It left him feeling exposed…defenseless. It wasn't something that he was accustomed to experiencing. He was always the one in control, the advantage in his court and everyone else feeling off-balanced. She completely turned the tables on that concept and it rattled him to no end.

"Did you have anyone growing up?" she ventured, hoping that he would feel comfortable enough to open up to her.

"Yes, a butler…Alfred," he informed her, relaxing minutely. "Alfred is more of a surrogate father than a butler, but he's taken care of me since that night."

"I'm so happy that you had someone," she admitted. "It would've hurt me deeply to think you were all alone."

He was taken aback by her words, her empathy wrapping him up in a warm blanket of comfort and peace that he'd been missing for so very long. "Alfred is great," he agreed with a small smile. "He's saved my life more times than I can count."

"So…he knows?" she cryptically asked.

Bruce nodded with a small smile. "In fact, he's the one that taught me some of what I know."

"I hope I get to meet him some time."

"Me too," he said, standing to his feet and offering her his hand. A dashing smile and intense gaze cemented his decision to give her as much as she had just given him tonight. "I believe I still owe you a dance, Princess."

Diana looked up at him, glancing down at his hand. She slipped her hand in his with a smile, standing to her feet and finding herself standing very close to him. "Do you think we'll make it all the way through this one?" she teased.

He tightened his hold on her hand, his eyes roaming over her face…her lips. "Only one way to find out."

He led her to the dance floor, the eyes of everyone in the restaurant completely focused on the stunning couple. He turned to face her, finding the feel of her in his arms rather addicting. They began to move to the gentle strands of the music, their eyes locked only on each other as if no one else existed.

Diana found it difficult to make her mind work, her heart beginning to pound a little harder…a little faster as they danced. Tonight was turning out to be everything that she had hoped that it would be, save for the part about finding out about Bruce's parents. If she could've, she would've done anything in her power to take his pain away for him.

It was more than evident to her that he still carried their deaths with him, bearing the burdens of it deep within his soul. It was obviously sacred ground, one that no one dared tread on. The fact that he had allowed her to get as close as he had spoke volumes to her. It gave her hope that maybe he would let her in even further.

Warning bells went off in her head, knowing that she was entering very dangerous territory as an Amazon in Man's World. Falling for a man was considered heresy of the worst kind by her mother, a belief upheld by all of her sisters. She would be a disgrace to her heritage, an unspeakable shame upon her people.

Of course, it wasn't like she was the Princess of Amazons anymore. She was banned from returning home by her own mother. When she'd come to Man's World to help, she'd never dreamed it would cost her the title she'd held for a thousand years or her heart, but, dancing here with him now, she decided it had been worth it.

Bruce's head was swimming with feeling of contentment and peace that he didn't quite know how to handle. He hadn't enjoyed himself with a woman like this in a very long time. He found that he didn't want it to end as he pulled her a little closer to him, Diana going willingly.

He tilted his head slightly, his nose lightly brushing against her silken raven mane. His breath caught in his throat with the sudden infusion of jasmine that assaulted him. A small voice in the back of his head kept telling him that he couldn't allow himself to fall for her, but he silenced it. He just wanted to enjoy this for as long as humanly possible.

He glanced up to find a man watching them from the edge of the dance floor, his sights clearly set on Diana. The way that he looked at her aroused his anger, his jealousy getting hotter as the man began to make his way towards them.

Bruce gave him a lethal glare that caused the man to stop dead in his tracks. He visibly blanched before abruptly turning around and leaving. Bruce wasn't going to give her up for anyone. No one was going to interrupt this evening with her, no other man cutting in to dance with her and no villains stealing this once-in-a-lifetime moment.

Right now…right here in this moment, they weren't Batman and Wonder Woman. She wasn't an immortal princess, blessed by her gods or exiled from her home. He wasn't a womanizing playboy by reputation or a scared little boy at heart with more issues than his billion dollar bank account could possibly begin to repair.

They were just Bruce and Diana, a man and a woman losing themselves in one another as they moved to the music. It felt like magic entwining them, wrapping in and around them and bringing them closer together. He'd never felt like this with another woman, never experienced the depths of these emotions and it terrified him.

A shiver raced up his spine as Diana leaned in a little closer, her nose brushing against his jaw and causing his heart to stutter. He needed to stop this now. Even though he never wanted it to end, the reality of who they were kept intruding in on them.

At that moment, the music changed to a tango, forcing them to put a little distance between them. A playful smirk appeared on her red lips, a bright spark lighting her blue eyes and making them look electric. "Do you know how to tango?" she asked with a taunting tone.

Assuming the position necessary for the dance, Bruce met her challenging look with one of his one. "The real question, Princess, is do you?"

"We're about to find out," she flirted, causing a new wave of heat to rake over his skin. He had been right from the very beginning—he was in so much trouble when it came to this woman.

They swiftly began to move to the beat of the music, both performing the moves flawlessly. Bruce's heart began to beat a little harder, the passionate heat of the dance quickly taking over. The sparkle in Diana's eyes only grew brighter, more tantalizing as they danced. She was like a drug he couldn't get enough of.

A slight flush colored her cheeks as she wrapped her long leg around his hip. A bolt like lightning lanced straight through him with the sensual move, his arousal growing stronger with each pounding beat of his heart. The absolute pleasure that lit her beautiful face only fueled his desire to bring her as much happiness as possible. She practically radiated like the sun, laughing with glee as Bruce abruptly dipped her.

Bringing her back up, Diana found herself nose to nose with the handsome billionaire, both breathing hard from the vigorous dance that had now slowed to a slow, sensual rhythm. Her gaze fell to his lips as she slowly ran the tip of her tongue along hers. She'd never felt more alive in her entire life than she did tonight in his arms.

Fire shot through his veins with the way she was looking at him, the slow drag of her tongue along her bottom lip. He knew he had to put a stop to this before he lost what little bit of self-control that he was still clinging to with all his might.

"I need something to drink," she softly murmured as she stared into his eyes, a sudden rush of nervous energy coursing through her.

She'd never been in a situation like this before, still uncertain about these overwhelming emotions that were besieging her. Just because these feelings for him felt so right didn't mean that it was something that she should act on…did it?

He swallowed hard as he nodded his head in agreement, taking her hand in his and leading her from the dance floor. Returning to their table, Diana reached for her glass of ice water, knowing that she needed to slow things down a little.

"Where did you learn to dance the tango?"

A beautiful pink blush suffused her cheeks as she dipped her head in embarrassment. "Television," she confessed.

"What?"

"Shayera likes to watch this dancing show on television," she explained. "I became fascinated with the various dances and quickly learned them by watching them."

He shook his head in amazement. "You never cease to amaze me, Princess."

"I could say the same about you," she replied.

"So what's next on the agenda for tonight?"

"You'll see," she teased with a grin.

XXX

If Bruce Wayne would've been a betting man, he would have lost horribly on what the princess wanted to do next tonight. There was so much to see, do and experience in Paris and yet he was eating an ice cream and walking along the Seine.

No one was quite like Diana. There was no pretense in her, no guile or agenda. She was just herself no matter what anyone thought. She enjoyed the simplest pleasures in life with gusto, causing him to see things in a whole new light. When he was with her, it was like experiencing things anew through her eyes, leaving him with a sense of awe and wonderment.

He heard a heavenly hum of delight emanate from his date for the evening, causing him to glance at her out of the corner of his eye. She had an expression of pure pleasure gracing her face, her eyes closed as she savored her ice cream.

Diana caught the look of amused astonishment on his face. "What?" she asked somewhat sheepishly.

"I guess I never realized how much you enjoyed ice cream," he admitted.

She shrugged a shoulder, unconcerned with what he might think of her. It was so unlike any other woman he'd ever been out with, always so consumed with appearances and trying to impress him. With her, there was none of that. He didn't have to play the fop and she never pretended to be something other than who she was.

She licked the chocolate ice cream from the corner of her mouth with her tongue before finally responding. "It was one of the very first things I tried when I came to Man's World and I fell in love with it."

"I can't remember the last time I had an ice cream cone," he distantly said, his mind taking him back to when he was a kid and his parents would buy him a cone at the zoo or the park. He quickly suppressed the sharp ache that surged through him, wanting to enjoy this time with her.

Diana shot him a surprised look. "And I'm the one who needs to get out more?"

"I've been…busy," he cryptically responded as he averted his eyes.

"Bruce, you're always busy," she chided him as she slipped her arm through his and leaned against his shoulder. "Don't you want to enjoy what you're fighting for…what we're trying to protect?"

"I do," he lied, refusing to meet the skeptical rising of a single raven eyebrow. "I go to social and charity events."

"To promote your image," she clarified. "Don't you want to meet someone, settle down and have a family?"

He swallowed back the answer that he wanted to give her, how he wanted nothing more than to pursue her and make her his. Instead, he felt the Bat slip neatly back into place, answering for him. "You know I can't…not with what we do."

"That's nonsense," she replied, finishing her cone before continuing. "You have every right to be happy, Bruce."

"I am happy," he insisted as his gaze drifted to the river, his thoughts moving faster than the currents of the water.

"I don't believe that," she softly said. "I believe on some level you think you're happy, but you have to want more in your life than just the cape."

"It's all I can have, Diana," he told her with an undercurrent of sorrow that did not go unnoticed by her.

"I don't think that's true and, deep down, I don't think you believe it either," she countered.

"I'm sorry, but it is true," he claimed. "There is nothing more for me. My future was set in stone the moment that gun went off in that alley."

"Well, then," she began, pulling him to a stop to fully face him. "I guess I'm just going to have to try to convince you otherwise."

The corner of Bruce's lips quirked with her comment, somewhat taken aback by her decision. "I don't know, Princess," he said with a shake of his head. "I have a feeling I'm a lost cause."

Diana's face grew serious as her hand came to rest against his check. "Now that I know is not true."

Staring into her eyes, he swore he could see the pure lightness of her soul, the truth in her words shining right there for him to see. How could this beacon of truth and goodness actually find something worthwhile in him? It made absolutely not sense.

As if sensing his apprehension, Diana released a sigh, her hand slipping from his face. "I shouldn't keep you out any longer," she told him. "You need to return to Gotham in the morning and I'm due back at the Watchtower."

Bruce checked his watch with a frown to find that it was well past two in the morning. He had no idea they'd been out for well over eight hours. He felt his heart sink with the realization that his perfect night was ending, reality was waiting for him to return.

"I'll walk you to your hotel room," he said, sad resignation creeping up on him.

"You really don't have to," she maintained with a shake of her head. "My hotel is just a couple of blocks from here."

Bruce gave her a look that told her it was no use arguing with him. "You may be a Meta, Princess, but Alfred would have my head if I let a woman walk back to her hotel all alone in the middle of the night."

"Well, I guess I had better save you from the wrath of Alfred," she surrendered.

They walked in silence towards her hotel, both of them lost in their own thoughts and neither wanting the night to end. Reaching the hotel, Bruce walked her up to her room, taking her key card and using it to unlock her door for her.

Handing her back her key card, his fingers lingered against hers a moment longer than necessary as he wrestled with the overwhelming urge to take her into his arms and kiss her senseless…to ask her out on another date. He knew he couldn't do any of those things.

Staring at her, he couldn't help wondering what she was thinking about, silently hoping she'd ask him to come in, but he knew how inappropriate that offer would be. She surprised him, however, when her hand came to rest on his forearm, a smile touching her lips.

"Thank you for a wonderful night, Bruce," she softly said as she leaned in towards him.

He felt his entire body grow tense with hopeful expectation only to feel unexpected disappointment flow through him when she pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek instead. It was similar to the one she had graced him with in Gorilla City, but this time it held so much more meaning to it.

"You're welcome," he replied. "Sleep well."

"You too," she said, giving him a smile before entering her room and closing the door behind her.

Bruce stood there staring at her door for what felt like an eternity, his hands in his pants' pockets and indecision keeping his feet planted firmly where he stood. He wanted nothing more than to knock on her door and tell her how he was falling for her, but he knew he couldn't.

The reasons why not were growing longer in his mind, compiled over time and reinforced with obstinacy and firm resolution fueled by a promise made to headstones so many years ago. This was the way it had to be, the way that it had to stay whether he liked it or not.

And right now, he damn-well hated it with every fiber of his being.

Diana leaned her back against the door, releasing a long slow breath as she tried to temper the pounding of her heart. She had wanted so badly to invite him in, but had feared how inappropriate that might seem. She didn't want to appear too forward or end up pushing him away by moving too fast.

She stayed there for a few more moments, finally forcing herself away from the door. She needed to get some sleep. She had monitor duty in the morning at eight and there was no telling what sort of trouble had been brewing during her short time off.

As she began to remove her heels, she was reminded of how she had found the enigmatic Batman sitting right here in her hotel room waiting for her. It had been a rather unexpected discovery, but definitely not unwelcomed. It had cemented in her mind what she had suspected while she had been dancing with him the night Audrey was almost taken.

Her feelings for Batman were real and had only grown stronger with the discovery of his secret identity. Now, she just had to figure out what she was going to do about it.