Hello again! Welcome back everyone! Thank you to everyone that reviewed, I appreciate the input! To those that haven't reviewed(or those who have and are wonderful enough to review again), all comments, questions, concerns, or criticisms are welcome! Once again I don't own DC Comics, the Justice League, or any of its characters. Thank you again for reading and enjoy!


My alarm began to blare, waking me up from a deep slumber. Monday morning, my first day working at the embassy. With the weekend I had had I longed to roll over and burrow into my blankets, but I was an Amazon so I forced myself to rise from my bed and dress. I chose a dark gray skirt and jacket paired with a silky cream blouse hoping to appear professional. Pulling on my clothes slowly, I was at least granted the satisfaction of my wounds being fully healed. Urging myself forward, I made my way to my small bathroom and tensed as I met my own eyes in the mirror. They looked so sad, so tired. I barely recognized them. I already missed Bruce, but there was no way I was going to apologize. I had done nothing wrong. If he wasn't so uptight about his city limits, I wouldn't have went behind his back or said the things I said.

My conscience, however, wouldn't release me. I knew going in how Bruce was going to react. My words were totally uncalled for as well. What did they say about words spoken in anger? I took a deep breath and put in my contacts. Dwelling on the past wouldn't change the present. It didn't matter if Bruce was a control freak or that I had a rampant streak of feministic pride. My alarm went off again and I panicked. I could not be late on my first day!


The Greek embassy was just as welcoming as it had been during my last visit. I walked up the stairs trying to contain the butterflies in my stomach. Get ahold of yourself, Diana. You are the princess of an entire island nation and yet you are afraid of your first day at a new job. This thing with Bruce is really messing with your head. I took steady steps forward, trying to regain my confidence. Jonathan was waiting for me just inside the doors. "Hello, Miss Prince! Are you ready to start your first day?"

He was dressed in smartly in black slacks and a teal button down shirt that made his blue eyes seem even brighter. For some reason the welcoming expression on his face encouraged me to share my true feelings.
"As ready as I'm ever going to be! Can I ask you something? Is it normal to be nervous on your first day of a new job? Or is it contained to superheroines turned businesswomen?" He chuckled and he began to guide me down the winding hallways. "I think everyone is nervous, I know I was. I still am some days. So the plan for today is pretty much to have you shadow me for the day. The bad news is for a while you are pretty much going to be a glorified secretary, but the good news is the bigwigs here are great at promoting from the inside and you will probably be my boss in no time."

I smiled. Today already seemed to be looking up. After dealing with Bruce's narcissistic moodiness it was calming to be in the presence of such a jovial man. "So, for the most part you are going to be doing the normal, everyday stuff."
"What kind of stuff?"
"I don't know...filing paperwork, typing up letters and dictations, translating for the dunces around here like me who don't speak a single word of Greek, answering phones, managing accounts, and most importantly service with a smile."

He lead me into a small office that contained two desks, three filing cabinets, a potted fern, and as solitary window. "This is my office...well, I guess it's our office now. I had that desk moved into here last Friday. Please, have a seat." I did as instructed and found a pair of short letters on the otherwise desolate workspace. "Those are from a young Greek couple who wishes to donate some pieces to an art museum here in the States. At least, that's what I'm told. If you would be so kind, could you start with translating those? Once you are done with that I have a few documents that I'm writing that I would love for you to proofread before I place them in the mail." Nodding, I began to read. The first letter was from the wife. She was very short and to the point, clearly illuminating where and how she would like her favorite portrait displayed. I found myself disliking her self-important attitude immediately.

The husband's letter was of a different sort. He seemed to know the contents of his wife's letter intimately as he apologized for her at least twice. His letter was more helpful as he explained the backgrounds and themes of the four paintings in the collection on loan and left a phone number for his personal line if we had any questions on the matter. Dutifully, I translated both to English and placed the husband's letter on top before depositing them both on Jonathan's desk.

"My, my. That was quick! Anything useful?" I nodded slightly. "I would begin with the husband's letter. I've placed it on top. His wife is quite the character and very demanding. If possible I would meet with him and avoid her." Jonathan sent me a beaming smile. "Good job. Now, back to work." He teased. This was exactly what I needed.


I managed to keep Bruce out of my head until the end of the day. By the time I returned to the Watchtower, however, my thoughts assailed me once more. The nagging voice made my stomach ache. What had I done? I had ruined everything that I had fought so hard for. I wouldn't go back to Bruce and beg for forgiveness. It would be humiliating, degrading even, and I refused to do so. Unfortunately, as many times as I pushed the voice away it returned. I couldn't bear to eat dinner that night and I tossed and turned for hours before I finally let loose a raging scream and made my way to the gym. If I couldn't sleep I could at least do something productive.

The gym was in one of the lower levels of the Watchtower in a large room adjoining the hanger. I had never been to a civilian gym, but many of the Justice League's human members assured me that ours was much larger than normal. It had state-of-the-art training simulations, a wind tunnel, any equipment one desired, an anti-gravity chamber, locker rooms for the men and women, and even a small sauna and hot tub.

I began by setting up a punching bag. Bruce had had a special one made for the League's heavy hitters so that it wouldn't burst once the first punch was landed. I had barely worked out the top layer of my frustration when Clark sauntered in. He looked as if his hair hadn't been brushed in a few days and as if he hadn't slept in even longer. "Long night?" He asked, managing to sound slightly chipper. I failed to keep my sarcasm under control. "How'd you guess?" I landed a punch heavy enough to swing the bag back violently on the thick, reinforced chains. "Why do the Fates want Bruce and I apart? Would the world really be such a terrible place if everyone was happy for once?"

Clark stepped behind the bag and steadied it against himself. The next blow landed hard enough to shove him backward several inches. "Did you ever think that maybe the Fates are trying, but you and Bruce are getting in their way? The pair of you are the most stubborn people I've ever met and the both of you sacrifice your happiness on a whim. You don't need to be the hero all the time."

"Says Superman." I mumbled. "Is that the reason you are home with Lois right now? You are taking a hold of your own happiness?"
"Well, I was on my way, but I had to stop for a damsel in distress." I frowned. "Call me that one more time and we'll discover the term for the male equivalent." He gulped. "Okay, but I did find a friend in trouble. What exactly is the problem this time?"
"I kind of barged into his city without his permission, was injured, Joker escaped, and to round it all off I said something inconsiderate about his sidekicks as Batgirl is currently fighting for her life in Gotham General." Superman sighed. "You certainly don't do things halfway, do you? What was Bruce's reaction to all of this?"

"Well, at first he was just upset about my interloping, but when I brought up Robin and Batgirl he was outraged. He said we were over and that I needed to get out of his Mansion."
"Is that all?" Sometimes I swore he could read minds. "I may have insinuated that it was his fault that Barbara was fighting for her life." His eyes widened. "Diana...how could you? You know that he would lay down his life in an instant for those kids. Why would you even suggest that?"

I shrugged, suddenly feeling even worse than I had before. "I don't know! I guess I was tired of him always being so protective and controlling. He criticizes and critiques every little thing I do. I wanted to lash out at him and picking on the threads of the one thing he was unable to protect was all I had." Clark frowned. "I can't tell you what to do, Diana, we all know that you refuse to let anyone do that, but you need to apologize. You were totally out of line! He was just concerned about you! Yes, I know we all get a little upset over the fact that Bruce won't request help when he needs it, but you handled it all wrong."

"You want me to go back and beg for him to take me back?! I don't think so, Clark. I am not about to become a man's slave!" Clarks normally tranquil blue eyes seemed to take on a slightly angry red tint, but it could have been my imagination. "There is a difference, Diana, between apologizing and asking for forgiveness and begging at someone's feet like a dog! You have made a mistake and when you make a mistake you need to make amends, end of story.

"What's gotten into you, Diana? The woman I know wouldn't say such hurtful things to the man she claims to love! Bruce has known nothing but heartache is whole life. Every time he turns his back and sets down the mantle for just five minutes someone he cares about is sacrificed for it! How do you think he feels when the first moment he truly lets himself go and brings a woman he might truly care about out on a real date the girl he thinks of as a daughter is left on death's door?! It's enough to make anyone slightly over protective. I have seen Joker, Diana, he may be a madman, but he is not to be trifled with. I have fought stronger villains, and let me tell you, none of them have ever churned my stomach so terribly as when he flashes that grin."

He took a breath, and I could feel him reeling himself back in. "I'm not going to bring this up again, but you know where I stand." I nodded. "I understand and I will think about your words, but I'm not promising anything."

By the time I worked my way back to my room I had sweat dripping down my back, bruises healing on my knuckles, and had left a nice dent in the gym wall. The longer I had tried to work out the problem the more my anger had faded, letting my guilt rise to the forefront. The gnawing feeling made my heart feel heavier than the moon and I knew that if I didn't resolve this soon it would only get worse. If only I could think of a way to apologize that didn't involve letting Bruce gain control over me. The only comfort I had was the fact that there wasn't a founders' meeting this week. Due to Doctor Fate still gathering information on the forces behind the Harbingers of Darkness we had postponed the meeting for the week. Therefore I would not have to face Bruce until a later date and I would have at least a few days to plan my attack before I had to make a decision.


Diana hasn't gotten any closer to solving her problem has she? Any guesses to how she's going to handle the impending confrontation? Thank you for reading and please review!