Death (Any)
Diana silently approached the ornate headstone that held the carved lettering that she had dreaded seeing for so long now. It was something that she had always known would happen eventually, either by age or by the duty that repeatedly took its toll on his body.
She had been here the other day for the burial service, but she'd felt the ineffable need to return to the cemetery tonight. Heavily cloaked by the blanket of darkness, she longed for the peace that had been stolen from her the moment that she had learned of his death, desperate to be rid of the anguish that had invaded her heart.
The sound of her heels connecting with the cobblestone was barely audible over the sudden whipping of the wind that continually sprung up out of nowhere only to die down just a quickly. A storm was brewing on the horizon. She could smell rain permeating the air, but it didn't deter her in the least.
She came to a stop before his headstone, extending a tentative hand to caress the cool marble. She was taken aback by the tremble in her fingers as she reached out to touch his headstone. She could hardly believe that he was gone. Her mind and heart refused to accept such a fact despite the evidence standing cold and lifeless before her in the form of a memorial.
Bruce Wayne.
His name was carved into the expensive marble, deep and so very permanent. Tracing her fingers over each letter didn't make it any more real, didn't lessen the sharp pain that had taken up residence in her chest. She drew a shuddering breath as she stared helplessly at the date of death.
This never should have happened. She should have known that something was wrong, should have done something to help him to keep him alive. He was just so damn stubborn. He had refused to tell her that he was in trouble or that his life was at great risk at least more so than usual for him.
She had suspected something was awry, but in typical Bruce fashion, he blew it off as if it was nothing more than a minor inconvenience like a pesky mosquito refusing to leave. It had been so much more. If only she had pressed him for information or followed him to find out what he wouldn't tell her.
Now, it was too late. He was gone and there was no hope of him ever coming back.
Diana crouched down before the tombstone, tears beginning to slide down her cheeks. Maybe she could go to Themyscira and beg the gods to bring him back to her. She could give up her immortality in exchange for his life or she could go to Mount Olympus and personally petition Hera, anything to bring him back to where he belonged.
Her sorrow mingled with anger the more she thought about it. She didn't know what made her more furious—the fact that he was dead or that he wouldn't even acknowledge the fact there had a powerful attraction between them.
They had flirted and teased, growing incredibly closer over time. He would show up when she was on duty or suddenly make an unexpected appearance when she was on a mission. It was obvious there was a strong connection between them, but he would draw her closer only to abruptly push her away.
It was a circuitous dance that made her dizzy and frustrated. Now, though, he was in the Elysium Fields and the one thing she wanted most with him would never be. She was going to have to find a way to go on with her life…a life that no longer included him.
Diana lowered her head for a few moments, sending prayers to her gods for Bruce to have a safe journey to Elysium. There was the hope that she would join him there someday, but she was immortal. She could live for decades…centuries…before she would ever join him there.
She wept as her hand came to rest against the marble, her emotions overwhelming her. "I love you, Bruce," she softly said. "I've loved you for a long time and I'll continue to love you. Nothing will ever change the fact that you've always held my heart and you always will.
"I know you had your reasons for not wanting to be with me. I don't know. Maybe you didn't have any feelings for me. It doesn't matter now. I just hope that somehow you know that you were loved by me even if you didn't share those feelings."
Pressing her first two fingers to her lips, she touched his headstone in a tender expression of love. She slowly raised to her full height, sighing heavily before finally turning to walk away. She took two steps before pausing, something piquing her innate instincts.
Someone was here.
She looked to her left, spotting a feeble, elderly man walking down another path several feet away. His stooped posture spoke of his grief and a life filled with hard work and many difficulties. A small bouquet of daisies was gripped tightly in his left hand as he shuffled to a stop before a small headstone.
She watched as he knelt, gently brushing away some leaves and debris that had accumulated there. He spoke tenderly to his dearly beloved, sharing the events of his day and recent news of their grandchildren. He replaced the wilting flowers in the fresh bouquet that he'd brought just for her.
Tears brimmed in her eyes as her chin fell to her chest. Would that have been her someday if things had been different between her and Bruce? Would she be like that spouse, left behind to carry on without the love of their life by their side?
She knew it to be true. Her immortality would keep them apart after he passed on to the next life, leaving her to carry on without him. The thought only deepened the ache in her heart, but she knew that any time that they would've had together would've been more than worth the painful loss.
Diana brushed away a tear as she continued down her own path, allowing the man some privacy. Thoughts of revenge against those who had taken Bruce's life filled her thoughts as she walked by a couple of hundred-year-old tree with boughs drooping and heavy with leaves.
She felt a hand wrap possessively around her upper arm, pulling her behind the thick trunk. She immediately morphed from grieving would-be lover to all-powerful warrior, ready to defend herself at all cost. She was not in the mood to deal with a mugger and yet, at the same time, she relished the notion of pounding someone senseless.
Just before her fist could connect with his jaw, the man grabbed both of her wrists, knowing he was taking his life in his own hands by doing so. "Stop," he lowly growled, praying she would know it was him before she broke his jaw.
"Bruce?" she whispered, her eyes widening in shock.
"It's me," he confirmed, slowly releasing his hold on her.
"You're alive," she murmured, throwing her arms around him to embrace him. "I thought I'd lost you."
"I know…and I'm sorry," he softly apologized as he held her close to him. "It was something that I had to do."
They held each other tightly, neither of them wanting to let go. It was Diana who finally released her hold on him, retreating to wipe the tears from her cheeks. "I…I don't understand," she whispered, finding it difficult to speak for fear he was nothing more than a dream. She feared it was Morpheus playing a dreadful trick on her.
"I had to fake my death to stop the Black Glove," he informed her, his heart racing with just the sight of her alone. In the light of the Gotham moon, she was breathtaking. "I was finally able to do that this afternoon. It's done and over. I can finally come out of hiding."
A myriad of emotions passed over her face before finally settling on a flash of anger. She shoved him hard, Bruce's back slamming into the tree trunk. He struck the back of his head against the hardwood. "You had all of us believing you were dead for a case?" she seethed. "My heart was broken because I believed you were gone. Why couldn't you have told me what you were doing?"
"Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I knew you'd want to try to help me, and I couldn't allow that," he tried to explain, cautiously closing the distance between them again as he rubbed the back of his head. "I needed everyone's grief to be authentic for this to work."
"Was I authentic enough for you, Bruce?" she spat out, crossing her arms against her chest. "Were my tears real enough for your scheme to work?"
"I'm truly sorry, Diana," he told her, his hand coming to rest on top of her crossed forearms. "I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't risk it. Hurting you was the hardest part of this whole plan, but it's over. I can come back to the world of the living now."
"Good for you," she snapped, turning to walk away.
"Diana," he anxiously said her name, grabbing her arm again and pulling her to him. "Don't go…please."
"I don't think you can stop me and if you keep grabbing me like that, you're going to lose some teeth in the process," she angrily bit out.
Bruce refused to back down, wrapping his arms possessively around her. "I heard what you said at my gravesite," he revealed, knowing that she could've broken free from his hold on her if she wanted to. Thankfully, she didn't seem inclined to…at least not yet.
Diana averted her eyes, her jaw clenching. "I don't know what you're talking about."
The corner of Bruce's lips quirked ever so slightly. "That's usually my line, princess," he pointed out. "Besides, I heard your confession. You can't walk away from it now."
Finally meeting his penetrating gaze, her eyes narrowed as she glared at him. "Eavesdropping?" she questioned him with an accusatory tone. "That's illegal, you know."
"I had a microphone wired to my gravesite in case the Black Glove came there," he revealed. "It helped solve my case."
"It was said in a moment of grief, Bruce," she tried to tell him. "I wouldn't read anything into it if I were you."
"You're not a very good liar," he gently told her, brushing a curl from her face.
Bruce leaned in towards her, capturing her lips in a reassuring kiss despite her initial resistance. Diana soon found herself giving in to the warm caress of his lips that were so insistent she couldn't resist for long. She found herself melting into him as his kiss grew more avaricious, more resolute in its need for more.
Both were breathing heavily when they finally parted, Diana feeling confused and still more than a little angry with him. She pushed him away, turning her back to him. "Why did you do that?" she demanded to know, hurt filling her voice. "Are you just mocking my feelings for you?"
"What?" he asked, stunned by her response as he tried to catch his breath.
"Did you kiss me because you felt sorry for me? Because you don't want me to be angry with you?" she questioned him. "I don't need your pity, Bruce."
"No," he insisted, growing frustrated. "I kissed you because I wanted to."
"And now you can just go back to the way things were between us before all of this happened?"
"No, I don't want things to be like they were before," he heatedly stated, his tone carrying an angry edge that caused a shiver to race up her spine. "I don't want to just be your teammate or your friend. I want all of you, Diana. I want you in my life, in my home, and in my bed."
"Why?" she asked, turning back around to face him to reveal a stray tear slipping down her cheek once more. "Why now?"
"When I was developing this plan to stop Black Glove, all I could think about was you—how it was going to affect you, would you hate me when you found out I was alive, how long would I have to keep this charade going without being able to see you," he told her, coming to stand right in front of her. "There wasn't an hour that passed by that I didn't think about you. I love you, Diana."
"You love me?"
"Far more than you know," he swore to her, his hand coming to rest against her cheek. "I've loved you for so long, but I was too scared to let you into my world. While we were apart, I realized you were already a part of my world no matter how hard I'd tried to keep you out. You've invaded every part of my life without me even realizing it."
She kissed him then with a heated fervor that was felt in her core, relief flooding her soul. He had said the words that she had wanted to hear for so long. As she pressed his back against the tree, she explored the warm recess of his mouth, savoring the taste of him on her tongue as he entangled his fingers in her hair.
"Let's continue this at the manor," he huskily murmured as he nuzzled his nose against hers, more than anxious to get her home.
Her lips curled into a smile, loving the idea. "Are you sure you're well enough, Bruce?" she asked with a teasing lilt to her voice.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I mean you were dead and now you're alive," she pointed out with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "Are you sure your heart can handle a passionate night with a still angry Amazon?"
Bruce smirked in return, kissing her hard before finally responding. "I think I'll risk it," he replied as he took her by the hand to lead her to his waiting car.
Diana couldn't suppress the happiness that had enveloped her face as she followed him. Coming here tonight, she had never dreamed that in his death, she would find life again with the man that she loved.
A/N: I'm still kind of on hiatus due to a painful family situation. I'm trying to get my writing groove back so I can work on Marked for Death. I'm anxious to get that posted, but I'm struggling to find my writing muse right now. I'm hoping writing this little one-shot will help. Hoping your 2022 is off to a good start. Maybe this will be the year we finally get our beloved #Wonderbat!