Reactions (DCAU)
Selina stretched her arms over her head with a contented groan, her lithe body arching as she attempted to wake up. Sighing contentedly, she reached over to run her fingers along the length of her cat's back, pausing to gently scratch behind her ears.
"Morning, love," she murmured with a sleepy smile, leaning over to kiss the top of her Isis's head. "Should we get some breakfast and see what's happening in the world that might interest us?"
Throwing the covers off, Selina grabbed her bathrobe before heading into the kitchen to start the coffee. Hitting the button on the coffee maker, she put a bagel into the toaster before getting a bowl of milk for her beloved cat.
Cooing, she called for Isis, setting the bowl down on the kitchen floor. Isis wasted no time in coming, immediately lapping up the milk. Selina stroked her feline friend as she drank the milk. "Let's go see if we can find anything that might pique our interest."
She slathered a generous amount of cream cheese on her bagel, pouring herself a cup of coffee before sitting down at the kitchen table where her laptop waited for her. Flipping it open, she quickly brought up the Gotham Gazette as she took a sip of her coffee.
Selina choked on her morning brew as a picture that she had never anticipated seeing appeared on her computer screen. She set her coffee cup down, grabbing a napkin to wipe the drops of coffee from her mouth and chin as she glared daggers at the full colored picture staring back at her.
There on her computer screen was a picture of Bruce Wayne looking handsome as ever in a tuxedo dancing with none other than Wonder Woman of all people. The Amazon warrior was dressed in a form-fitting black dress that did nothing to hide her dangerous curves that defied reality.
Selina sat forward, carefully scrutinizing the front-page picture for some sort of clue as to what had led to this catastrophic event. "What the…" she angrily grumbled, her voice trailing off as she noticed the dazzling smile on the Amazon's face. She appeared completely smitten with the Gotham billionaire.
Unfortunately, Wonder Woman's smile was nothing compared to the smile that Bruce displayed. She couldn't recall a time that she'd ever seen such a heartfelt smile like that on his face in all the years that she'd known him. It caused a sick gnawing in the pit of her stomach, her breakfast abruptly forgotten.
She barely even registered her cat leaping onto her lap, purring softly as she rubbed against Selina's abdomen. Her attention was locked on the photograph that had just turned her world upside down. "No…no…no," she repeated with a swelling sense of panic as she quickly scrolled down to read the article, worried about what it might reveal about the couple.
Couple. The word made her want to vomit. There was no way in hell that they were a couple. It had to be some sort of undercover mission or a gimmick…a coordinated event to garner more donations. IT couldn't possibly be what it appeared to be.
Maybe Bruce had won a dance with the Amazon princess or someone had arranged for her to meet the billionaire playboy in order to make some unfortunate charity more money. With any luck, the Amazon princess from a female-dominated, male-hating society would be completely turned off by his scandalous reputation, refusing to ever be seen again in the company of a known womanizer.
Maybe he would be repulsed by her royal upbringing, turned off by her pretentiousness. Wonder Woman always came across to her as better than everyone else, stubborn and aristocratic. There was no way Bruce would be drawn to that haughty attitude.
Selina drew a calming breath, reminding herself that she had nothing to worry about. Bruce would never give up his mission to protect Gotham for a relationship even if it was with Wonder Woman. The Amazon princess would never be satisfied sharing Bruce with Gotham. This was never going to happen…never going to last.
Yes, that had to be it. It was nothing at all…nothing to worry about.
Unfortunately, the looks of pleasure that adorned their faces told a very different story. There was an obvious spark there between them, one that was noticed even through a simple picture on a laptop screen. It caused a pang of regret to pierce her heart as she slowly stroked her cat, her mind racing with ways to get him back.
XXX
The elevator dinged as it stopped at the requested floor, the doors sliding open to reveal a smiling Clark Kent with a cup of coffee in one hand and a briefcase in the other. He stepped out of the elevator, nodding and greeting his coworkers good morning as he made his way to his desk.
He immediately spotted the one who had captured his heart long ago, a Cheshire smile on her face as she stared at the newspaper on her desk. It reminded him of the proverbial cat that ate the canary, making him more than curious and a tad bit worried about the reason behind her happiness.
"What's going on, Lois?" he asked
"Have you seen this morning's paper?" she asked.
His forehead creased as he set his cup and briefcase on his desk. He adjusted his glasses as he sat down at his desk across from hers. "No, I had some things to take care of this morning before coming in to work," he cryptically replied. "What is it? Is something wrong?"
"No!" she exclaimed. "Everything is finally right."
"What do mean?" he questioned her.
Lois wasted no time in snatching the newspaper off her desk before running around to his desk. She laid her copy of the Daily Planet on top of his desk with a flourish, her smile getting even bigger if it was even possible. "Look at this," she proudly told him as if she had been the one to break the story.
Clark looked down at the front page of the newspaper finding a picture of Bruce Wayne dancing with Wonder Woman. The tiniest of frowns curved his lips as he studied the picture wondering what Bruce was up to now. He hadn't shown the slightest romantic interest in Diana since her arrival in their world so why would he suddenly be dancing with her now?
"It's Bruce Wayne dancing with Wonder Woman," Clark said as he continued to study the picture.
"I didn't ask you to identify who it was," she snapped as she repeatedly poked at the picture with her forefinger. "I'm telling you this is the best news in the world."
This time Clark's frown was full-blown as he rubbed the back of his neck. Was there an undercover mission that he hadn't known about? He'd have go back and check the logs on the Watchtower or talk to Bruce about it. The whole thing was surreal to say the least. They argued all the time. Why would they like each other now?
"Why is this the best news?" he asked.
"Clark, sometimes you can be so dense," Lois huffed in annoyance. "Don't you see what this means? It means people will stop pairing Wonder Woman romantically with Superman all the time."
The corner of Clark's lips quirked in amusement as he adjusted his glasses again. "Jealous much, Lois?"
"What? No!" she adamantly declared. "I'm just sick of hearing how Wonder Woman should date Superman on every single tabloid and talk show. You can't walk past a newsstand without there being some rumor about them whether it's their upcoming nuptials on the moon or their alien baby they're secretly raising in the Fortress of Solitude."
"Sounds like your jealous, Lois," he told her, sitting back in his chair as he gazed at her with a goofy grin. She was so beautiful when she was worked up. He loved how her violet eyes practically glowed when she was riled.
"I'm not jealous so stop raining on my parade, Smallville," she ground out between clenched teeth.
"I hate to break it to you, but it's just a dance," he pointed out to her, sitting up to look at the picture again as he tilted his head. They actually looked really good together now that he thought about it that way.
Lois folded her arms against her chest, her eyes narrowing in frustration. "I know it's just a dance, but look at them, Clark. They are clearly enjoying each other's company. Have you ever seen a smile like that on Bruce Wayne's face? I sure haven't. He always has that cheesy playboy grin that he gives everyone. This one is genuine."
Clark studied the picture, noticing the way that the couple was looking at each. Diana looked so happy. He didn't think he'd seen her that happy since being exiled from Themyscira. He was glad that she was getting out more and exploring the world around her. He just didn't know how he felt about her doing it with Bruce Wayne.
Bruce was his best friend, but Clark still had his reservations about him spending time with Diana. She was just so innocent and naïve about the world around her. He wasn't certain that he wanted her education to come from the playboy Prince of Gotham and known womanizer.
He didn't know how he felt about this development, but he didn't want to think about it right now. He wanted to talk to Bruce about it, maybe warn Diana about pursuing anything with him if this dance turned into anything more. At this point, he felt that waiting to see how things played out was for the best.
Clark picked up the newspaper and handed it back to Lois, knowing that Bruce would never let anything come between him and his precious mission. "I still think it's nothing, Lois."
"Well, I don't care what you think," she said with a sniff of disapproval, her chin lifted in defiance as she clutched the newspaper to her chest. "It takes the focus off Wonder Legs and Superman for a while, so I'm thrilled about it."
Wonder Legs? Clark chuckled as he watched her stalk away, wondering at what point he should reveal that he was Superman and that she had nothing to worry about when it came to Wonder Woman. Diana was like his sister. A relationship with her would be borderline incestuous at best.
XXX
Wally West whistled cheerfully as he walked into the crime lab at the Central City Police Department with a super-sized Slurpee in his hand. "Heya, Hank," he greeted his coworker, clapping him on the back as he walked past. "How was your date last night?"
"It was a bust," Hank crankily replied with a scowl. "She stood me up."
"That's rough, dude," Wally said with a sympathetic shake of his head. "Better luck next time, right?"
"Yah, right," Hank woefully muttered as he turned his attention back to his computer.
Taking a gulp of his drink, Wally bebopped his way to his desk only to find a couple of coworkers huddled together as they gawked at a newspaper. "What's up, guys?"
"Haven't you seen the newspaper yet this morning?" Billy asked.
"No, why?"
"Dude!" Weston, the youngest of the crime lab team, crowed with unrestrained excitement. "Bruce Wayne is dating Wonder Woman!"
"Yah, I bet they're shacking up already," Billy added, elbowing his friend. "Can you imagine sharing a bed with Wonder Woman?"
"What?!" Wally cried, snatching the newspaper away from them.
His frantic gaze fell on the picture of Wonder Woman dancing in the arms of none other than Bruce Wayne. He read the entire front-page article in two seconds flat, his heart racing just as fast as his eyes. This couldn't be happening. It had to have been some sort of mission that Diana had been on, one where Bruce Wayne just happened to be…forcing her to look drop-dead gorgeous and dance in the arms of that womanizer.
"It's just a coincidence…it has to be…it's not real," Wally murmured to himself, rereading the article over again. He finally heard the snickers coming from his two coworkers, forcing him to look up at them. "What?"
"You!" Weston declared. "You're acting all weird."
"You didn't actually think that you had a chance with Wonder Woman, did you?" Billy questioned him, unable to keep his laughter at bay.
"Yah, man," Weston added. "You don't stand a chance with her. She doesn't even know that you exist."
"Hey, keep on dreaming, Wal," Billy sympathetically told him, squeezing his shoulder as they walked past him. Another bout of laughter escaped as he said, "And maybe someday pigs will sprout wings and begin to levitate."
"Ha, ha, ha," Wally grumbled with a scowl as he tightly gripped the newspaper in his hands.
He couldn't believe this was happening. What did Bruce Wayne have that he…never mind. He felt his heart sink in his chest, knowing that it was just a pipe dream, but still he couldn't help being smitten with the Amazon princess. What was there not to love about her? She was every red-blooded American man's dream wrapped up in red, white, and blue.
"How could you do this to me, Wondy?" he whispered to himself, his good morning evaporating in the blink of an eye. "We could have been so awesome together."
XXX
Alfred Pennyworth retrieved the mail and newspaper from the front gate of Wayne Manor, tucking the newspaper under his arm as he proceeded up the drive to the stately manor. He flipped through the countless envelopes—bill, bill, invitation, advertisement, request for money, bill, fan letter hoping to get a date with the notorious Gotham billionaire, fan letter, fan letter, fan letter, another invitation.
It never seemed to end, the countless string of women lining up for just a chance to date Bruce Wayne with hopes of being the one to finally catch the playboy's heart and becoming Missus Wayne. Little did they know that that would never happen. Master Bruce hadn't been out on a real date in years and likely wouldn't be anytime soon.
No, no dating for the Batman. The mission and Gotham always came first, his heart not even a consideration and never something to be factored into his life for any reason. His heart had been safely locked away years ago, never to see the light of day again.
Many had tried and some had come close, but not even Talia or Selina could penetrate that Kevlar protected heart of Bruce Wayne. Andrea Beaumont had come the closest of all, but even that had eventually ended in pain and heartache, making it next to impossible for the next woman who entered his life to get anywhere close to him or his heart.
Entering the manor, Alfred closed the door behind him before heading to the kitchen. He deposited the mail on the breakfast table at the spot Master Bruce always sat at along with the newspaper. Turning, he began the task of making himself a cup of tea before making his breakfast. Batman had returned from Kasnia only a scant few hours ago, leading Alfred to believe that he wouldn't be seeing his surrogate son at least until sometime after lunch at the earliest.
Sitting down with a plate of poached eggs and toast along with his cup of tea, Alfred's gaze fell on the front page of the Gotham Gazette. "Well, well, well…what do we have here," he murmured to himself with an amused expression gracing his face.
Alfred took his time reading the article, learning all about Wonder Woman's heroic efforts to save the Princess Audrey from certain calamity. The most interesting part of the in-depth article, however, was the emphasis on Bruce Wayne being seen with Wonder Woman in his arms.
The princess's life-saving efforts were almost a side note, something of great insignificance in the wake of the unexpected development between the two famous people. The greatest interest laid in the potential romantic inklings between the Princess of the Amazons and the Prince of Gotham. It seemed to have created quite the media firestorm if the frontpage article was any indication.
"It's about bloody time," Alfred muttered as his gaze fell on the picture once more.
They made a very handsome couple, perfectly paired in every way conceivable. He'd always had a feeling that there was something there with the way that Master Bruce would always talk about Wonder Woman after a particular mission, the other team members completely missing from the story. Of course, that was the times when Master Bruce actually spoke about his missions with the League.
It was a rare occurrence, indeed, but one that was marked with various comments about the Amazon princess's skill, her spirit and her instincts, her abilities as a warrior as well as her obstinacy. This picture before him only confirmed what had been lurking in the back of his mind about the elusive Dark Knight.
Master Bruce was quite taken with the Amazon princess.
"It would have to take a very special woman to reach through to that impenetrable heart," Alfred said. "And there is definitely no one more special than her."
"Who are you talking to?" Bruce asked with a frown as he entered the kitchen dressed in workout shorts and a t-shirt.
"Good morning, Master Bruce," Alfred replied as he stood to his feet, taking his dishes with him. "I didn't expect to see you until much later today."
"I couldn't sleep," he muttered as he went over to the coffee pot to pour himself a cup.
"And why is that?" Alfred asked, keeping his smile to himself as he began preparations for breakfast.
"Too much on my mind I guess," Bruce said with a shrug as he made his way towards his place at the breakfast table.
"About anything in particular?" Alfred coyly probed, trying to get more information. "Or perhaps it could be someone?"
Bruce's eyebrows furrowed as he turned to stare at the British butler for a moment before sitting down in his seat. "What are you getting at?"
"Oh, nothing in particular," Alfred innocently said. "I just thought maybe it had something to do with the attempted abduction of Princess Audrey."
Bruce flipped through the mail, his frown deepening at the invitations and a full-blown scowl forming with the fan letters requesting dates. Those letters were always easily recognizable with their perfume scent attached for good measure. He tossed them aside in annoyance before turning his attention to the newspaper laying on the table.
His gaze immediately fell on the large picture of him dancing with Diana, his breath catching in his throat all over again. He found himself completely mesmerized by what he saw before him, the sight of her so breathtaking in that black dress slamming into him all over again.
She had stirred a wealth of emotions inside of him as he had watched her enter the gala, the look of utter of confusion and bewilderment on her face completely endearing herself to him. It was the reason that he had come to her rescue, offering her his hand and pulling her onto the dance floor.
Before he'd realized what was happening, he was pulling her close to him, dancing with her pressed against him. It had been almost magical if he actually believed in that sort of thing…which he didn't, but if he did, it could only be with her and no one else. Good thing he didn't believe in it.
He was going to have to do some intensive research into her powers and gifts, searching to see if she possibly possessed the ability to cast a spell over men. Gazing at the picture of them, though, he knew that this was no magical spell. The bright smiles on their faces, the enjoyment that permeated their eyes told him this was something else…something significant that he didn't know if he wanted to even think about.
If he thought about it, he'd only give his ideas and get his hopes up, knowing that nothing could ever truly come from such a union. There would only be pain and anguish and bitterness, a dead-end path that shouldn't be navigated. It was the only possible ending for him when it came to relationships.
Still, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Was that a genuine smile on his face? How had he let that slip? He didn't think that he'd ever seen such a smile on his face in more years than he could begin to count. Had Diana actually brought that out in him?
He swore he could still smell her intoxicating jasmine scent that always had an affect on him no matter how much he tried to rail against it. He remembered how amazing it felt to have his arms around her, how her feminine curves fit so perfectly against his muscular frame.
A subtle throat clearing broke him out of his reverie, his head shooting up to find Alfred standing there with his breakfast and a smug, knowing smile on his face. "Don't even think about it," Bruce growled, snatching his plate out of the butler's hands with a glower.
"Why, Master Bruce, whatever do you mean?"
XXX
Diana stepped out of the shower, drying off before wrapping her long raven hair up in her towel. She hummed softly to herself, the melody of the song that she and Bruce had danced to in Paris before being interrupted by those terrorists. A flash of anger pervaded her eyes as she put her uniform on, furious with their timing as well as their audacity to crash the first event that she'd ever ventured to.
It had been a wonderful evening despite the attack, one that she wouldn't forget anytime soon. Not only had she gotten off the Watchtower to experience the world, but she had learned Batman's true identity even though he had told her that he didn't know what she was talking about.
She smiled to herself as she removed the towel from her hair, running her fingers through the wet strands. Batman could deny it all he wanted, but she had no doubt that he was Bruce Wayne. There was denying that chin and jaw line or that perfect muscular build that she could feel through his tuxedo.
Slipping on her boots and tiara, Diana grabbed her Lasso of Truth before exiting her quarters, in dire need of an iced mocha. The evening in Paris…the fight with Vandal Savage in Kasnia…it had been exciting to say the least, but a somewhat exhausting turn of events.
She'd made a new friend in Princess Audrey, encountered Colonel Vox and captured Savage, and discovered who the handsome man was behind the cowl and Kevlar. Not bad for a mission that she hadn't planned on. Now, it was time to learn a little more about the infamous Bruce Wayne. She had a strong feeling there was far more to him than met the eye and she was more than determined to find out everything.
"Spill it, girl," Shayera demanded as she ran to catch up with Diana as she made her way to the kitchen.
"Spill what?" Diana asked as she looked down at her uniform. She couldn't have gotten it dirty already. She hadn't even eaten yet.
"Details!" she exclaimed, waving a newspaper in her face. "I want details and leave absolutely nothing out."
"Details about what?" Diana questioned her with a confused look on her face as she tried to catch a glimpse of the newspaper being waved in her face. "About Princess Audrey and Vandal Savage?"
"I don't give a rat's…never mind," Shayera groused in exasperation. "I want to know everything about your date with Bruce Wayne."
"I didn't have a date with Bruce Wayne," Diana insisted as she finally snatched the newspaper out of the Thanagarian's hand, looking at the front page to find a picture of herself smiling at Bruce as they danced.
Shayera rolled her eyes with a huff. "If that's the story you're sticking to."
"I'm telling you the truth, Shay," Diana told her. "I didn't know that Bruce was going to be at that event. He rescued me from a bunch of people hammering me with questions. We didn't even get to finish our dance before we were interrupted by the terrorists."
Shayera frowned as she studied her friend, deciding that she was probably telling the truth. The princess didn't know how to lie. "That's it…that's all that happened?"
Diana hooked a raven curl behind her ear, her lips curling with the picture of them. She couldn't tell Shayera that she discovered that Batman and Bruce Wayne were one and the same. It was his secret and she wouldn't betray that secret even if her life depended on it.
"I'm afraid so," she replied, handing Shayera her newspaper. "It was just half a dance…nothing more. I never saw Bruce Wayne again after that."
Diana hated to lie. It wasn't in her nature, but it was the truth. She never did see Bruce Wayne again after the attempted abduction of Princess Audrey. She'd only seen Batman. Shayera also didn't need to know that she had requested another dance with the Dark Knight of Gotham or that he'd left her even more intrigued with him than she'd already been.
Shayera sized her up for a moment, contemplating whether or not she should give her the fifth degree and try to get more information out of her. She ultimately decided there was nothing more to be gained at this point, but she would definitely be keeping an eye out for more clues as to a possible romance brewing between the two.
"Okay…for now," Shayera grumbled, "but if Bruce Wayne asks you out on a date, I want to be the first to know about it."
Diana chuckled as they continued to the kitchen, amused by her friends excitement about something that didn't even exist…well, at least not yet. "You'll be the very first to know, Shay."