Reflection (Comics)

I pant heavily as my pelvis crashes in my lover's over and over again, my head spinning with the pleasure that consumes every inch of my body as her fingernails press deep into my back. I'd known what I thought was love, but it had never been anything quite like this before. I know it has everything to do with the woman beneath me.

My entire body arches, every muscle seizing as I suddenly come with a strangled cry. This was not at all how I'd imagined this evening going, but I wasn't the least bit sorry about it. The only thing that I was sorry about was the fact that I'd have to leave to begin patrol soon.

I'd love nothing more than to stay here in this bed with her, reliving every single bit of the fierce passion that we'd created together. It had been incredible in every sense of the word and I found myself more than eager to recreate it, exploring each other's body all over again.

I capture Diana's lips in a fierce kiss that has her arching up into me, causing me to groan with the friction of her breasts against my chest. My hands grip at her hips as I deepen the kiss, thoroughly exploring every part of her mouth and savoring her honeyed taste.

I finally force myself to roll off her, my breathing strained as I settle on my back. I turn to gaze at my new lover, her tousled, raven hair enhancing the sexy allure that she naturally possesses. I instinctively reach over and tuck a curly lock behind her ear as she gazes down at me, propping her head up with her hand.

I can hardly believe she is right here with me in my bed, making love with me and revealing what has been hiding in our hearts for one another. It blows my mind in more ways than one. I want nothing more than to pull her perfect body down on top of mine once more and make love with her until neither of us can move, but I know that I need to leave soon.

"Stay," I simply murmur with husky rasp, knowing she will understand. She is the only one in my world who would ever understand. I know that now.

"As long as you'll let me," she softly replies, the corners of her lips curling with affection.

"I don't plan on letting you go now," I find myself confessing.

"You'll try," she reminds me, sorrow flickering in her blue eyes. She doesn't mean for me to see it, but I do.

"I know," I confess with a disheartened sigh, hating myself for the haunting spirits from my past that rise up at any given moment, intent on destroying the happiness that I've finally found with her.

"I won't let you."

"I know," I say again with a lazy smirk as my hand slips up into her hair to settle on the nape of her neck before growing serious. "Don't leave."

"I won't," she promises as I pull her down for a passionate kiss that leaves us both hungry for more.

"I need to go."

"I know."

"I want to stay."

Her fingers lazily trace patterns along my chest. "I know, but you have to go."

"I'll be back."

"I'll be here."

"Promise?"

"Promise," she assures me, her lips grazing mine before pausing to tease my lower lip until I'm groaning and feeling aroused once again.

"Sleep," I reluctantly tell her, guiding her to lay back in my bed.

"Be safe," she says with a barely stifled yawn.

"Always," I promise, leaning over to kiss her forehead.

I stay that way for several moments as she drifts off to sleep, my fingers lightly stroking her hair that is like the finest silk. She is the epitome of perfection and she is all mine now if I don't push her away. The thought excites and terrifies me, creating a tug-o-war inside my soul, but I'm not about to walk away from her now.

Our history together has been extensive and at times quite harrowing, wondering if we were going to survive the next mission…the next villain…the next alien out to destroy our world. Through it all, we have always been there for each other as teammates and close friends. Still, thoughts of more with her had always lingered in my mind—wondering, dreaming, hoping but not allowing.

Life took us in different directions at times…different lovers and different places, but it has always brought us back to each other no matter what occurred. This time was no different…except for the fact that we finally surrendered to a desire that had been simmering and intensifying for so long now.

I stare at her in amazement for a moment longer. Despite knowing her for years, she still creates a sense of wonder and awe inside of me, still mesmerizes me with every little thing she does. Somewhere along the path that life had put us on, the lines between friends and something more had begun to blur for me.

I'd been so afraid of destroying our friendship…the deep bond that we shared…over something that wasn't meant to be, something that would never last. Even now after making love, I still possess those fears and lingering uncertainties, but they aren't nearly as strong as they had been yesterday.

I finally pull the covers back, getting out of bed before covering her back up. I silently make my way to the shower, glancing over my shoulder at her before closing the bathroom door to get cleaned up. After a quick shower, I head down to the cave to prepare for patrol. With any luck, the city will be quiet tonight, allowing me to return to her and my bed sooner rather than later.

Starting up my computer, I run through a few case files that I'm working on, wanting to make a special visit to the west side. I want to follow up on a double homicide that I'm investigating. If I can find what I need, I should be able to close the case tonight and put the perp in jail.

I do my best to focus on my work and the night that lays before me, but it's more than difficult with a nude Amazon sleeping upstairs in my bed. My world has been turned upside down by making love with her and yet she has somehow managed to set it right for the first time in years.

I absentmindedly rub my bottom lip with my index finger, my mind taking me back to that kiss that we shared when we went on that mission to save Aquaman. I don't know what made me kiss her like that except for the simple fact that I'd wanted to for so long now.

Death has seemed inevitable in that moment, fraught with so much uncertainty and yet I was convinced that we couldn't avoid it. I had managed to convince her of that…and then I kissed her, my hand coming to rest on the back of her neck as I tilted my head.

The one thing that I knew was that I didn't want to die without finally kissing Diana, knowing the feel of her lips against mine and the taste of her on my tongue. It had been everything that I'd dreamed of and yet so much more. I found that I wanted to kiss her again.

Once we returned from that mission, I was hesitant to discuss the kiss with Diana despite her desire to know why I had done it. It was difficult to discuss something that I felt I didn't have answers for…or answers that I wasn't certain I was ready to reveal.

I knew that if I went down that road with her it would forever alter our relationship. It was a huge risk that I would be taking by finally facing what I had tried to keep locked away for years now. Matters of the heart had never been easy for me to deal with let alone talk about. Doing so with Diana only seemed that much more complicated.

Diana was the very embodiment of truth. I knew that I couldn't talk about why I had kissed her without revealing everything that consumed my heart. Besides losing her as a friend, I was most afraid that she didn't return the feelings that I'd held for her for the last several years.

I make my way towards the changing area, donning my uniform. With cowl in hand, I walk towards my Batmobile with lingering thoughts of the Amazon who had somehow managed to infiltrate every aspect of my life. I suddenly realize that there is not one part of me that has not been touched by her in some fashion. Instead of making me want to run from her, I find an unexpected sense of peace and completeness.

It's as if this is the way that it was always supposed to be.

Starting up my car, I tear down the secret tunnel and out into the night. I feel a sense of exhilaration as I grow near to Gotham. This is the way that life should have been along, but neither of us had been quite ready for it or each other. I guess there were things that we each needed to learn, time to grow. I smile to myself, knowing that life had been preparing me to be able and willing to accept the love that Diana held for me.

I don't think that I would have been able to give Diana what she needed a year ago or would've been willing to risk everything for a chance to have a life with her. While my demons continue to haunt me…constantly whispering all my failures in my ear, I feel I can do battle with them knowing she's by my side.

Parking the car in an alley, I get out and fire my grappling gun. I allow the cable to carry me up and away, swinging through the darkness like the dark specters that seem to cling to me like a second skin. I need to find the person behind the double homicide so I can give closure to the families.

I silently land on the fire escape outside my suspect's rundown apartment. I spot him inside smoking a cigarette in the dark, the lights from the television flickering across his stone-like features. His dark eyes have that soulless quality to them that I've often seen in murderers.

I'm more than anxious to get my hands on this monster. I know the evidence I need is somewhere in his apartment and he's going to give it to me whether he knows it yet or not. I'm not about to let him kill another person or destroy another family's life.

I patiently wait, biding my time until he finally falls asleep. As soon as he does, I silently lift the window and slip inside the apartment. I come to stand before him, looming over him like a wraith. My hand snaps out like a spring being released. My gauntleted fingers wrapped around the neck of his shirt, lifting him up out of his chair.

He yelps in shock as he finds himself face to cowled face of the Batman. His eyes are bulging with fear, his bottom lip trembling uncontrollably. The once soulless eyes are now swimming with absolute terror. "Wha…what…do you want?" he stammers, his voice hoarse.

"I know you killed those two men," I rasp something dark and otherworldly. "Where's your gun?"

"I…I…don't…"

"Don't lie to me," I growl as I turn, slamming him into a nearby wall.

The back of his head bangs hard against the plaster, bits of it crumbling down around him. He's momentarily dazed, but he quickly shakes it off, knowing that the quality of his life hinges on his next words. "It's in the bathroom…under the sink."

I quickly handcuff him before tossing him back into his tattered recliner before stalking towards the bathroom. I look in the cupboard under the sink to find the weapon that I'd been searching for. I hear him scrambling around in the living room. It's not a smart move on his part.

I rapidly return to find him on the ground, struggling to get up and to the door. I slam my boot into his back, pinning him face first to the floorboards. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Please…don't hurt me," he begs me with a sniveling whimper.

"Is that what the men said to you before you killed them?" I demand to know as I haul him to his feet. "You killed two good men for fifty-six dollars!"

"I…I don't remember," he claims.

"You deserve far worse than life in prison," I growl at him. "I ought to skin you alive and let the vultures feast on what's left of you."

The murderer starts sobbing uncontrollably, shaking his head as he begs for his life. "Please…I'll never do it again…I swear."

"Damn right you won't," I confirm, my fist connecting with his face and knocking him unconscious.

I toss him aside like the piece of garbage that he is before contacting Oracle to have the GCPD come pick him up. I place the weapon in an evidence bag, tossing it onto his chest. He'll spend the rest of his life in Blackgate Penitentiary, but it's not nearly enough for what he's done to the families left behind.

I'd love nothing more to be judge, jury, and executioner, but I refuse to allow myself to cross that line. I'd be lying if I said that I hadn't been tempted on more than one occasion but there's someone in my life that has always made me want to be a better man…a better hero…long before I took her to my bed.

I exit the apartment the same way that I had entered, firing my grappling gun and flying through the night once more. The feel of the cool night air against my face helps to quell a measure of the fury that still burns inside of me. I'm anxious to use my fists and unleash more of it on the punks who deserve it.

I've already made sure that the children of the two murdered men are each set up with college scholarships, but it doesn't feel like it's nearly enough. No amount of money, no amount of charity or gifts could ever make up for the loss of a parent. I learned that the hard way.

I land on the roof of Wayne Enterprises, my boot coming to rest on the ledge as my gaze surveys the streets below. The corner of my lips curls slightly, knowing how I had planned for tonight to go. Leave it to Diana to take my plans and completely turn them on its head.

I had every intention to let her down gently tonight after having dinner with her. I was going to tell her how it was a mistake to kiss her…that it would be an even bigger mistake for us to act on any feelings that we might share despite my fear that she didn't hold any feelings for me past friendship.

When she arrived at the manor tonight, we'd shared small talk through dinner, chatting about the League and both of us avoiding the topic that I knew she was anxious to discuss. After dinner, we had retired to the library, sharing a bottle of wine.

I'd honestly been surprised that our evening hadn't been interrupted by the Bat signal, but fate seemed to have shined on us tonight for reasons that I'll never understand despite my gratitude. Sitting comfortably on the couch, Diana had delved into the questions that had been weighing heavily on her mind, her piercing blue eyes searching to find the truth that I'd been so reluctant to expose.

Bearing my soul has never been a strong suit and I had been certain tonight would be no different. However, Diana always seemed to make everything easier.

"Bruce, why did you kiss me?"

"We were about to die," I reply with an attempt at an indifferent shrug of a shoulder. "It seemed like the only thing left to do."

She tilts her head as she gazes at me, her lips pursing with amusement. "There's more to it than that and you know it."

"I don't know what you mean," I insist.

She takes my glass of wine from my hand, setting both hers and mine on the coffee table before us. She fully turns her attention to me, her expression revealing the determination that she possesses. I know in that insist that I'm not going to get out of this without revealing everything that I had been so unwilling to disclose before this moment.

"Even now, are you going to continue to dance around what we both know to be true?" she gently asks as she draws closer to me, her hand caressing my cheek. "Refuse to acknowledge what has been growing between us for so long now?"

I find myself at a loss for words as her lips linger so dangerously close to mine. I knew if I admitted to what I felt for her there would be no going back. My life…her life…would forever be changed. If this didn't work out, our friendship could be irrevocable damaged, our partnership in the League destroyed beyond repair. Nothing good had ever came out of any of my past relationships save for Damian.

She didn't give me a chance to run from her, didn't allow me to talk myself out of what we obviously both wanted. Her lips capture mine with an insistence and a passion that refuses to be ignored, determined to be acknowledged and returned in full.

I find myself kissing her back, my fingers tangling in her hair as I pull her closer. Several breathless moments pass before we finally break the kiss. She doesn't pull away, doesn't apologize for her boldness or makes any demands of me that she knows I can't meet. Instead, she offers me herself…to take if I want.

"If you want this…if you want me, I'm right here, Bruce," she gently tells me, her lips still hovering so close to mine. Her nose brushes against mine, her breath warm against my face. "I know what I want. Do you?"

It was at that moment that the last stubborn thread snapped with an almost audible twang, my lips capturing hers in a fierce kiss that ultimately took us upstairs to my bed.Making love to her was beyond my wildest dreams, finally free to demonstrate what I've been harboring inside of me for years.

I selfishly allow myself to relive every caress of her hand, reflect on every gasp of pleasure and each murmured expression of love. I swear I can still feel the intense pressure of her lips against mine, the press of her fingernails into my back and the vice-like grip of her legs on my ribs.

My heart begins to beat a little harder, forcing me to fire my grappling line again. I need to finish patrol if I want to return to my bed and the beautiful Amazon waiting for me. Swinging through the night air, I smile to myself, feeling whole…complete for the first time in my life.

Leave it to an Amazon to give me the little push I needed to accept what had been right there before me this whole time.