TITLE: Frame of 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: Diana goes to the manor for a date with Bruce. How will their first date as a couple go? BMWW

Frame of Mind

Bruce frowned as he stared at his reflection in his bathroom mirror, his piercing blue eyes narrowing into a patented Batglare. His frown only seemed to deepen as he adjusted the sleeves on his shirt, deciding to roll them up to his elbows.

This was his first real date with Diana and he wanted it to be perfect from start to finish. He had planned it all out with Alfred this afternoon, satisfied with what he had come up with. Now, he was having second thoughts and lingering doubts about those very plans.

Would she like what he'd planned or would she have preferred something far more formal and romantic? He knew that she had never dated anyone in Man's World and had likely never been with a man in the physical sense so she had nothing to compare tonight to. Still, he didn't want to mess this up.

Bruce leaned forward as he gripped the edge of the marble sink, his arms straight as he hung his head. He'd be lying if he said that he hadn't dreamed about having her in his bed…making every single fantasy with her a reality, but he wasn't certain that they should be moving that fast.

He was more than a little worried about screwing this relationship up. All his previous relationships ended in a broken heart and sworn promises to never allow himself to have feelings for a woman again. The problem was that he hadn't accounted for a certain Amazon princess to enter his life and turn his entire world and everything he knew upside down.

He greatly feared destroying her or ending up with a heart shattered beyond any hope of repair. She had come to mean so very much to him. Losing her meant losing his life, his reason for existing. The thought staggered him. How in the world had she ever come to mean so very much to him…to become such a deeply ingrained part of him?

Scowling, Bruce drew a deep breath, unrolling his sleeves again before raking his fingers back through his hair. He knew he was being ridiculous about it, but this was Diana…and he loved her. He'd never felt quite like this about anyone before in his entire life. No woman had been able to do to him what she had, changing a part of him that he had walled off from absolutely everyone and still she had managed to find her way inside.

He performed a couple of deep-breathing exercises in an effort to clear his mind of all outside distractions, trying to calm the emotions storming inside of him. He rolled his sleeves up to his elbows again, reminding himself that this was just Diana.

But it was Diana.

His Diana…his princess. She was finally his.

"This is ridiculous," Bruce growled in frustration. "It's just a date."

Bruce cursed to himself as he suddenly noticed Alfred standing in the bathroom doorway with an amused smirk playing on his lips. "Is there a problem, Master Bruce?" he coyly inquired, hands clasped before him as if awaiting his orders.

Bruce sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "What am I doing, Alfred?" he asked, his voice rough with emotion and doubt.

"I believe it's what most people these days call going on a date, sir," Alfred cheekily responded.

"You know what I mean," Bruce grumbled in annoyance.

"No, I'm afraid I don't," he told him. "Care to expand on it, sir?"

"I shouldn't even be having this date with Diana," Bruce told him, turning around to sit on the edge of the bathroom sink, crossing his arms against his chest. "I'm going to end up ruining everything."

Alfred gave his surrogate son a sympathetic look as he studied him. He looked utterly defeated before Diana had even arrived. "You're not giving yourself or Miss Diana very much credit, Master Bruce."

"You know my track record, Alfred," Bruce challenged him with a frown. "It's not pretty. I don't know if I want to go through the pain again. I swore after I ended things with Selina to never let myself feel anything again."

"But then a stunning Amazon princess set foot on that cliff and—"

"Yah," Bruce softly admitted, the corner of his lips curling slightly and his blue eyes brightening as he thought back on that day two and a half years ago.

"You felt something that you thought you would never feel again or wanted to feel again," Alfred finished for him.

"Yah," Bruce confessed, feeling his heart beat just a little bit harder with the memories that rose in his mind and the intense emotions that came with them. A felt a sense of warmth and peace begin to invade his entire being as he thought about her. "I tried so hard not to feel anything, but it's only grown stronger since that day."

"Then, don't you think you and her both deserve the chance to find out if this will work?"

"Yes, but what if—"

"Tosh, Master Bruce," Alfred interrupted him with a scowl. "To hell with all those ridiculous reasons that I know you've concocted in that analytical brain of yours. It's all rubbish when you try to apply them to an Amazon princess."

Bruce scowled like a petulant child as he averted his gaze. "They aren't ridiculous," he grumbled as he glared at his butler. "They're legitimate concerns."

"Yes, if Miss Diana was a normal woman," Alfred pointed out. "But Miss Diana isn't like all the others now is she?"

Bruce's expression turned reflective as he thought about his princess, longing filling his eyes that caused his heart to beat a little harder. "No…no, she's definitely not."

The love that his ward felt for the Amazon was unmistakable, enveloping his entire countenance. It was something that Alfred had thought he'd never seen. It was something that only the Amazon princess had been able to do, temporarily banishing the darkness and brooding and providing a sense of peace long sought after.

"Now, you better hurry up then," he encouraged him. "Miss Diana will be here any minute."

"Thank you, Alfred," Bruce replied, feeling better than he had a few moments ago.

The doorbell rang at that moment, both men glancing at each other. "That would be her now," Alfred said with a smile.

"I'll be right down," Bruce told him.

Alfred nodded in agreement before exiting the bedroom, hurrying down the winding staircase to the foyer and their guest waiting beyond the front door. He straightened his jacket before opening the door to reveal a stunning, raven-haired woman standing on the front steps.

"Miss Diana, it's such a pleasure to see you again," Alfred greeted her, stepping aside to allow her entrance inside the manor. "Please, come in. Master Bruce will be down in just a few moments. Is there anything I can get for you while you wait?"

"No, thank you, Alfred," Diana replied with a warm smile.

Alfred smiled to himself, sensing that the princess was filled with just as much apprehension as Master Bruce. He took Diana's hand in his, startling her as he squeezed it. "Everything will be just fine, Miss Diana," he softly reassured her, giving her comforting smile. "Just be yourself and follow your heart."

"Thank you, Alfred," Diana murmured with a nod, releasing a low breath.

"Alfred, are you trying to steal my date?"

Diana looked up to find Bruce coming down the stairs, looking very handsome in a pair of khaki pants and a black button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. She felt her breath catch in her throat with the way that he was gazing at her, longing filling his eyes.

Alfred smiled at the pair of young lovers that were obviously oblivious to the fact that he was even there with them in the foyer. They were too entranced with each other to be aware of anything else at that point. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I have some things that I need to attend to downstairs in the cave," he announced. "If you need anything, please let me know."

"Thank you, Alfred," Bruce said, his piercing gaze never leaving Diana for one second.

He thought she looked absolutely perfect in a violet colored halter dress that hung to midthigh. Her raven hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, revealing her long slender neck that he found himself anxious to kiss and to taste as he pleased.

He slowly closed the distance between them, taking her hand in his. All the butterflies that were flittering around in his stomach just moments ago were doing so for a very different reason now as his thumb caressed the back of her hand.

"You look lovely," he told her.

Diana glanced down at her sun dress, relieved that he seemed to appreciate it. "Thank you," she replied. "I wasn't sure what to wear when you said dress casual. I hope it's okay."

"It's perfect," he reassured her, dipping his head slightly to capture her lips in a sweet kiss.

"So, what do you have planned for us this evening?" she asked as he began to lead her towards the kitchen. "You were pretty vague on the details."

"You're about to find out," he told her, escorting her out of the manor through the glass doors.

The air was warm, the sun still shining and casting shadows across the landscape surrounding them. Holding her hand, they began to walk along the grounds of Wayne Manor, heading towards his mother's beloved rose gardens.

"Bruce, it's so beautiful out here," Diana told him, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply as she leaned over a crimson rose bloom.

Bruce drank in her serene expression as she smelled the rose, noticing the sweet appreciation that she had for the simplest things in life. It was something about her that had always struck a cord in him, opening his eyes to things that he had always taken for granted and helping him to see things in a new light. It was also something in Diana that she shared with his mother and it warmed his heart.

"This was my mother's favorite place," he revealed. "She planted all of these rose bushes…even creating some news breeds of roses."

"That's amazing," she replied as she straightened up, turning her attention towards him. "Did you ever help her?"

"Sometimes, but not often," he said with a shake of his head, wishing now that he had. "I was more interested in riding my bike or playing than planting and pruning rose bushes."

Diana chuckled softly, leaning against his shoulder. "I can imagine a five-year-old boy wouldn't be very fascinated by bushes covered in thorns."

Bruce shared in her amusement as he continued to guide her through the rose garden. "All it took was one stab of a thorn and I was pretty much done with it," he confirmed. "What did you do growing up on Themyscira?"

"I rode my horse Alexia, trained with my sword and basically ran all over the island creating havoc for my mother and sisters."

Bruce laughed with her unexpected answer, bumping her shoulder with his own. "You? Creating havoc?" he said with a chuckle, his expression turning into mock disbelief. "Here I thought you were so sweet and innocent."

"I am," she swore, her melodic laughter like sweet music to his ears. "I was the only child on Themyscira. There weren't any other children to play with, so I had to create my own fun."

"I can't even begin to imagine what trouble you got yourself into."

"Nothing too serious," she replied. "Running around the island…jumping off rooftops and cliffs…swimming with dolphins…capturing snakes."

"Wait…jumping off cliffs and rooftops?" he questioned her. "Did you have your enhanced abilities yet?"

"No," Diana admitted with a sheepish grin. "I was quite adventurous."

Bruce shook his head in stunned disbelief. "You probably gave your mother a heart attack on an almost daily basis."

"You have no idea."

"I have a stable with some horses," he revealed. "Would you like to see them?"

"I'd love to," she said, excitement filling her voice. "I haven't gotten a chance to ride a horse in so long. I…I really miss it."

Bruce and Diana walked hand-in-hand towards the stables, Diana regaling him with stories of her childhood. She readily decided that she loved the sound of his deep laughter and was determined to make certain she heard it more often.

Opening the door to the stables, they walked inside, the horses whinnying and stomping their hooves at the sight of the unexpected visitors. Diana immediately released Bruce's hand, excitedly walking over to the first horse and offering her hand for the stallion to sniff it.

Bruce stood back with his hands in his pants' pockets, watching her as she nuzzled her nose against the horse's. She talked gently to the stallion, telling him how handsome he was as she stroked his mane. The stallion seemed to respond to her, repeatedly brushing his nose along the palm of Diana's hand and creating a plethora of questions in his inquisitive mind.

"Diana, are you seriously communicating with that horse?" he asked, taken aback by his observation.

"Yes, I can communicate with animals," she confessed, glancing back at him. She reached out her hand to him which Bruce readily took before she pulled him to stand beside her. "Here…lift your hand up to him."

She whispered to the horse as she took Bruce's hand, holding it out for the stallion to sniff. The horse suddenly dragged his wet tongue along the palm of Bruce's hand, startling him and causing him to pull it back. Diana giggled as she stroked the nose of the stallion, telling him he did a good job.

Bruce rubbed his hand on his pant leg in disgust, wrinkling his nose. "Did you tell him to do that?"

"Yes," Diana confessed, laughing.

"You're going to pay for that, princess," he huskily responded, abruptly wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her firmly against his body.

His lips caught hers in a heated kiss as he pinned her up against the stable wall, tilting his head as he deepened the kiss. Her fingers slipped up into his hair as a moan escaped her throat, holding him close and returning his kiss. The could have stayed like that forever if it hadn't been for the stallion deciding that he wasn't getting enough attention from the amorous couple.

The stallion nuzzled his nose against their faces, forcing them apart when his tongue interfered with their passionate exchange. They both chuckled, Bruce wiping the slobber off the side of his face. "Okay, I am definitely over this horse licking me," Bruce readily decided, releasing Diana long enough to grab an apple from a nearby bag on the wall. "Here you go, Ghost. You get the apple and I get Diana. Deal?"

The stallion stomped its hooves in agreement as it nibbled on the apple, clearly pleased with the bargain. "I'll be back to see you soon, Ghost," Diana promised him, kissing his nose.

"Hey, all your kisses belong to me, princess," he sternly reprimanded her, wrapping a possessive arm around her waist. He kissed the spot behind her ear before kissing her temple. "And I definitely don't like to share."

"Dually noted," she murmured, trying to calm the fluttering of her heart.

He always seemed to have such a powerful affect on her, making her want so much more of him. She didn't know where things would actually lead tonight, if they would end up making love, but she knew that it would happen when the time was right.

Right now, she was with him and that was all that mattered…all that she'd ever wanted.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

"I'm starving," she admitted as she wrapped her arm around his. "I didn't get a chance to eat lunch today."

"Good," he said with a grin. "I'm pretty sure Alfred prepared a feast for us. He was pretty excited about making your favorite dishes."

Diana's gaze roamed over the grounds of Wayne Manor, relishing the beauty of the day. "It's just so beautiful here," she wistfully said. "I miss this so much with living on the Watchtower. I'm used to being outside and surrounded by Gaia. Living on the Watchtower is still an adjustment at times."

Bruce picked up on the underlying loneliness that invaded her voice as they headed towards their destination. He knew how much she missed her home…how deeply it hurt her to be cut off from everything that she'd ever known. It inflamed his anger all over again.

As much as this place brought back painful memories at times, he couldn't imagine leaving Wayne Manor or never seeing it again. This was the only home he'd ever known just like Themyscira was to Diana. It felt as though it was the only thing still connecting him to his parents sometimes. Losing it would be like losing his parents all over again. Diana didn't even have that.

"Diana, I want you to know that you can come here anytime," he offered. "I wish I could promise that I'd always be here or be able to join you, but you're always welcome here anytime you like."

She pulled him to a stop, her lips seeking out his and finding him more than willing. "Thank you, Bruce, she murmured. "That means a lot to me."

"I just wish I could always be out here with you instead of in the cave or on patrol," he told her, brushing a raven curl out of her face. "I'm afraid that there will be times that Gotham will take me away."

"It's okay," she reassured him as they continued walking again. "I understand, Bruce. I don't want to change you or take you away from Gotham. I know how much it means to you. I'm just happy to be with you whenever I can."

Bruce momentarily closed his eyes as he pressed a kiss to her temple, breathing in her scent. He was more than amazed that this woman would want to be with him. It was something that obliterated all logic and reason and yet here she was wanting to spend time with him.

And he had tried to scrutinize it, dissecting it from every angle without ever making any sense out of it.

"Hope you're hungry," he said as they approached a steam that ran through the property. Beside the water was a blanket spread out on the grass with a basket awaiting their arrival.

"Bruce, this is perfect," she replied as she sat down on the blanket.

"I have to admit I was a little worried," he confessed as he reached into the basket and pulled out a plate of fruits and cheeses as well as a bottle of wine and two glasses.

"Why?" she asked with a curious furrow of her brow.

"I thought maybe a formal dinner with candles and dancing would've been far better," he replied as he poured her a glass of wine.

She took the offered glass, setting it down before turning her attention to him. Her hand captured his as she lost herself in his deep blue eyes. "I don't care what we do or where we are as long as I get to do it with you. That's all I've ever wanted."

He tugged on her hand, pulling her into his lap as his lips greeted her. His large hands splayed on her back, holding her close to him. They shared a slow, smoldering kiss that left them both breathless and wanting more, but neither was sure the other was quite ready for that next step despite how much they wanted it.

"We should probably eat something," Bruce tentatively suggested, his nose brushing against her cheekbone as she kissed and nipped at his earlobe. It caused him to groan deeply in response to the arousing, focused attention.

He tightened his grip on her waist as if trying to hold on to her for dear life. She was rapidly driving him crazy, his ability to think clearly quickly diminishing as a thick fog of lust mingled with pleasure began to consume him. She was the most intoxicating woman that he'd ever been with and, if she didn't stop doing that erotic thing with her teeth and tongue, he was not going to be able to stop himself from taking her right here on this blanket.

As if reading his mind, Diana pulled back to gaze at him with eyes dark with longing. Finally grasping hold of that last thread of control, he softly kissed her again before releasing his hold on her. He reached past her to the plate of fruit, taking a strawberry and holding it to her lips.

She slowly opened her mouth as she held his gaze, taking a bite before gently pushing it towards Bruce. He readily ate the rest of it before kissing her deeply. His tongue languidly probed her mouth, savoring the sweetness of the strawberry that mingled with her natural honeyed taste. It was definitely not cooling things down between them in the least.

"Maybe we should see what else Alfred made us," she proposed, retreating to check the basket.

She needed a moment to regain some sort of semblance of self-control again, her heart thrumming like a hummingbird's wings. She pulled out two small bowls of Alfred's famous pesto pasta caprese salad along with two forks, handing one to Bruce.

"Whatever you pay that man you need to triple it," Diana said before taking a bite of her favorite salad.

"Don't worry, princess," he reassured her, reaching for his glass of wine and already missing the feel of her in his lap. "He is handsomely paid and has everything he could possibly need or want…well, except of course for the sound of Wayne children running through the manor."

Diana dipped her head slightly, biting at her bottom lip as she swallowed. She felt a hot flush sweep through her with the insinuation. "I think you would make a remarkable father someday," she told him as she met his lingering stare.

He gave her a soft smile, one that held a hint of sadness. "I'm not so sure about that, princess," he replied. "I've had a chance at being father three times and I've failed every single time."

She reached out, taking his hand in hers. "You have not failed, Bruce," she attempted to assure him. "Dick is a fine young man, Jason's death was not your fault, and you still have a chance with Tim."

"Dick hates me…barely talks to me, Diana," Bruce admitted, gazing down at their joined hands. It was more than difficult to confess his failings to the woman that held his heart, fearing that she'd end up hating him if she truly knew the extent of his failures. He pulled his hand free from hers as shame rose up in an attempt to choke him. "Jas…Jason died because I took him in. He'd still be alive if he had never met me. It's only a matter of time before I end up driving Tim away…or worse."

He stared down at his hands resting in his lap, his appetite vanishing in the wake of his confession. The unexpected feel of hands on either side of his face forced him to meet electric blue eyes that never ceased to make his breath hitch.

"Even if you think Dick hates you, he's still doing everything that you taught him…fighting as Nightwing in Blüdhaven to make his city a safer place just like his father does with Gotham every single night. Don't give up hope to repair your relationship with him," she told him. "We cannot know what would've become of Jason if you had not taken him in, but I believe with all my heart that he had a much better life than if Jason had never met you.

"Tim is still young, Bruce," she continued. "You have a chance to continue to influence and shape his life. That's what you've already been doing by teaching and training him to be Robin. You've provided him the skills he needs to be a very honorable man. To me, that is the making of a great father even if you don't see it."

Her words acted like the sharp blade of a dagger, slicing through the guilt and shame and igniting his love for her in a deeper way that took him by surprise. His hand slipped around to the back of her neck, moving to cradle her head as he pulled her to him.

His lips lightly grazed hers a couple of times before converging with a renewed wave of desire that demanded far more. He kissed her with a heated passion, savoring the feel of her in his arms and the way that her curves fit so perfectly against him. He never wanted this to end and neither did she.

Returning his kiss, Diana gently pushed him back down on the blanket, settling over him. He wrapped one arm around her, his other hand cradling her head as he began to lose himself to her. His whole frame of mind that had been set on waiting to make love with her completely crashed in that rapidly escalating moment. Self-restraint crumbled in the wake of the breathtaking visage of the Princess of the Amazons…hesitancy giving way to a hunger that could no longer be contained.

The feel of her perfect feminine form pressed against his was amazing…better than anything he'd ever dreamed about with her. The softness of her lips moving against his, the exhilarating taste of her, the way her hands were seductively roaming over him was all combining to drive him wild with an overwhelming need for her.

Diana slowly ran her hands over the muscular planes of his chest, relishing the feel of his hard body beneath her. She tilted her head, deepening the kiss even more as she shifted her knees to either side of his hips. She ground her pelvis against his, feeling his hardening arousal that caused her to moan with building desire.

She unexpectedly found herself on her back, Bruce looming above her and breathing heavily. Piercing blue eyes clouded with lust gazed into her eyes, more than ready to take that next step they'd been teetering so dangerously close to since confessing their feelings for each other. Their desire for one another had continued to grow stronger over time, that tightly-leashed restraint on the verge of unraveling. The strength of it…the intensity of that desperation was becoming all-consuming.

She smiled softly up at him with eyes hooded with longing and love, her fingers trailing along his cheek. It was all the confirmation he needed as he crushed his lips to hers, the weight of his body fully settling on top of hers. She spread her knees to accommodate him, willingly cradling him between her legs.

Bruce moaned with the feel of her body pressed beneath the length of his, her long legs against his sides embracing him. Nothing had ever felt more right in his life as his hands began to explore her curves, his mouth devouring hers as they finally surrendered to what they had both wanted for so long.

"Watchtower to Wonder Woman."

"Watchtower to Batman."

Bruce growled furiously, cursing with the interruption. He drew a ragged breath, his forehead coming to rest against her shoulder. Diana drew a deep breath in an effort to calm her racing heart and the throbbing ache between her thighs.

"This is Wonder Woman," Diana responded with a somewhat breathless voice laced with irritation.

"What do you want?" Batman ground out with a deadly edge.

"Um…yah…sorry, Bats," Flash responded. "We got trouble. Afraid we need you up on the 'Tower like pronto."

"Sorry to interrupt your evening, Diana, but we've got trouble brewing in Metropolis," John informed her. "Super is calling in the heavy-hitters for this one."

"On my way," Diana reluctantly replied, closing her eyes in disappointment.

"Fine, I'll be there…Batman out," Bruce snapped with a ferociousness that took Wally off guard.

Bruce pressed his forehead against Diana's, releasing a frustrated sigh. "I'm sorry," he apologized, causing him to quickly end the transmission.

Her hands moved to his jaw, lifting his head to look at her. "This evening was perfect, Bruce," she reassured him, kissing him sweetly as her thumbs caressed his cheeks. "And our next date will be even better yet."

He smiled softly down at her, trying to get some sort of grip on the desire still coursing through his entire body. "I will be making love to you one day very soon, princess," he told her, kissing her once more. "And we will not be interrupted."

Diana felt a shiver race up her spine with the intensity of his gaze and the desire she found simmering there for her as well as the determination in his words. "I look forward to it."

Bruce sat up, pulling her up with him. She graced him with another kiss before pushing her commlink. "Ready for transport, John," she said, reaching out to squeeze Bruce's hand. "See you soon, Dark Knight."

Bruce sighed heavily as Diana disappeared from sight, more than a little frustrated with how their date had ended so abruptly. He raked his fingers back through his hair, still trying to squash the desire that roiled through him. He quickly made his way towards the manor to change into his suit before beaming up to the Watchtower, more than anxious for the next time he was alone with Diana and the sweet promise that it held.

A/N: A little "in-betweener" for those who wanted their first date. Let me know what you think and if you guys want to keep this series rated "T" or want this moved up to "M". Most popular vote will win. I'm leaning towards "T", but I'm just the writer. I will bow to the will of the readers. :)

UP NEXT: The Greatest Story Never Told (I know it's mostly about Booster Gold, but I'm making it about Wonderbat of course!)