/*

Thank you to my beta reader, GreeKnight and to Timeless Musketeer for editing and previewing this chapter. Thank you to all who read and review. I don't own anything. Enjoy and review!

*/

Day 34

Bruce got out the last of the beef jerky they had brought, they had managed to make it last by scavenging as much as possible. A week ago they had finally reached a point of sustainability; harvesting some of the Gentle Man's crops had significantly replenished their food stores. After Diana bit into the first vegetable, she realized that it would have been ideal if they could wait another week or two before harvesting, but they had not been able to find the Gentle Man's food stores. It also would probably be better if they saved the last of the jerky for an emergency, but all the work harvesting and constructing storage had left them with little to no time for hunting. Meat was on their mind, they would just have to make more next time they had excess meat from a hunt.

Bruce and Diana stood there in the early morning chewing their jerky, the meat did little to lift their tired and defeated spirits; it did, however, make them thirsty. After drinking some water it was time to go, they moved to leave the cave, but Diana stopped at the threshold. Bruce turned to look at her.

"He isn't coming back, Bruce." Her eyes were glazed over, staring at nothing. "I'm not sure I can do this."

Bruce pulled her close, saying nothing.

"But we have to." She muttered into his ear and shook herself out of the daze. "I'm fine, Bruce, let's go."

It was a very long day, and the whole time they fought a feeling of despair, as if someone was speaking directly into their minds: Just drop your weapons and the fight can end. Neither of them entertained those thoughts for long, instead the feeling motivated them to fight harder, out of spite.

The last monster fell and the two immediately turned on their heels and left. They had come to value time more than rest; there was so little of it between fighting and sleeping and working and hunting.

"Since it looks like we'll be here a while, I have something to tell you." Diana looked at him expectantly. "You wanted to know about Damian?"

"Bruce...you don't have to."

"Yes, I do. If we're going to do whatever this is," he gestured between them, "I do."

Diana nodded and squeezed his hand briefly.

"You remember Ra's al Ghul?"

"Of course."

"Well then you probably also remember that he was obsessed with making me his heir. I made it clear that I would never take his place. So, he and his daughter decided that if they couldn't have me, they would at least have my genes. His daughter took the first opportunity to drug me. I don't remember what happened next, but over a decade later, Damian stood on my doorstep. He had been brutally trained from birth to be a killing machine, and ever since then I've been trying to help him use his abilities for good. I still don't know all her reasons for giving him to me, but there's no doubt he's my son."

Diana kissed him on the cheek. "I don't know whether to feel relieved, angry, or sorry."

Sharing felt wrong, the vulnerability felt antithetical to his nature, but he made himself do it anyway. "Diana...I miss him. I don't want him to grow up without a father or a mother."

"I'm sure it will be fine, Bruce. We both know that the League will find out what happened and get us out. In fact, I'm surprised it hasn't happened already."

"I know."

Before ascending the steps to their temporary home, Bruce turned towards where the sun would set shortly. At first it was just a thought, but soon enough the tactician had a plan. Diana was already inside, changing into her hunting garb; they needed to spend at least two hours hunting before they could allow themselves rest. Bruce followed suit soon enough and they were mildly successful, getting enough food for the night and possibly a little for morning. Diana debated whether or not to thank Artemis, ultimately deciding against it. If the gods had reach here, then my powers would still work, she thought. That is how she reasoned it to herself, but she knew in her heart that the real reason was her damaged relationship with the gods.

Diana was about to start prepping the small game they had got, Bruce stopped her. "That can wait a few minutes, come sit."

She was confused, but complied; they had both grown bored and a difference in routine was always refreshing. She sat next to a fire pit they had used a few times while Bruce started the fire. A few strikes of flint and iron and a few blows on tinder later, he sat next to her.

"I wanted to apologize, Diana."

"For what?"

"For so many years wasted." As he spoke the horizon began to glow orange.

"I'm still not sure what you mean." The sun slipped further out of view.

"You were bold, you told me what you wanted, and I denied you and myself...but you were right."

Diana realized what the conversation was about and her heart began to pound in her chest. After the Gentle Man did not show up they had both ceased to talk about their relationship. Only now that they were realizing how long it could be were those thoughts seeming important again.

Bruce continued after she gave no response. "I was so scared that I might lose you that I refused to listen to the advice of so many. I want you to know that it was never about wanting to maintain the image of Batman, it was about not wanting to lose you, not wanting to hurt you. I don't know when it happened. Maybe one of the countless times you've saved me, or maybe one of the times I saved you, but at some point I-"

Diana, who had been motionless until now, grabbed his face in both her hands and kissed him. He returned immediately, all hesitation banished. In that moment, the hordes did not feel so everlasting. For that moment was the culmination of years of sacrifice. Two faded away in the colors of the sunset, and became one. Neither of them knew how, but they both knew the right moment to pull away. Now in each other's arms, their faces mere millimeters apart, they could see the world in each other's eyes.

"I love you, Bruce. You have no idea for how long I've wanted to say that." As cliche as it sounds, she felt complete, an aching in her heart that she had grown used to subsiding.

He felt her breath on his face as she spoke. "I love you too, Diana." A hole inside him that he had long felt, but neglected, filled all at once.

To them both, the words had felt slightly unnecessary, as they had both known for a while how the other felt by their actions. However, there is power in words, and those particular words had the power to turn a moment into eternity; to turn a grain of sand into the ocean; a small insignificant stone into the cornerstone of a home. But all are subject to the whims of time and for now, even an eternity must pass. They understandably tried to hold onto it, drawing closer to one another, prolonging the moment as best they could. A new feeling began to seep in, one of a long-silenced desire.

They forgot the reality that surrounded them, their souls beginning to entwine. It would have been beautiful, if not for their context. Thankfully, before desire fully consumed them, they pulled away from each other, lying on their backs in the light of evening and breathing heavily.

"We can't." They both said, nearly simultaneously. They looked at each other surprised at their synchronism before laughing off the tension.

Diana looked into his eyes, a new pain setting in. "We don't know if I can conceive a child here, it's too risky. Pregnancy would be handicapping and there's no way I'd raise a child here."

Bruce nodded. "My thoughts exactly. We'll need to be extremely careful. Living close quarters like this for who-knows-how-long is going to get difficult."

"Then we shall struggle." Diana said

After that they just laid there for a bit, enjoying the sunset and each other's presence. Reality had crashed back in, thoroughly ending the moment. Practicality demanded that they clean and dress the animals, so that they could eat and go to bed. So, they rose and did what was needful.

As they cooked and ate they joked about Clark's compulsion to say: "Up, up, and away", every time he flew; about all the times Wally had struck out with female leaguers; about John and Shayera sounding like an old married couple; and about all the times J'onn had extremely subtly tried to set them up. Behind their jokes was the pain of missing their friends, and not knowing how long it would be until they would see them again. The two allowed themselves more time than usual after supper, but soon went to bed-on opposite sides of the cave.

It took a while for either of them to fall asleep, their minds restless.

Gotham

John Constantine muttered something to himself about angels, as he stood by a tree waiting for Wonder Woman and Batman to disappear. He had magically cloaked himself; no use taking chances with the Batman nearby. The warlock watched as Princess Diana of Themyscira thrusted her sword into the ground, and shielded his eyes at the light that emanated from the bridge when she did it. A second later the light subsided and a man in full armor stood atop the bridge ready to strike at a beast no longer in front of him. Constantine walked toward him, dropping the spell cloaking him.

"Who are you?" The Gentle Man asked, lowering his weapon, but not his guard.

Constantine extended his hand. "John Constantine, exorcist, demonologist, and master of the dark arts."

"Who sent you?" The Gentle Man did not accept the hand.

"Your jailors."

Constantine was ready for the Gentle Man to strike, or run. He did neither.

"I should have known better than to think I could escape unnoticed. Very well, I will go back."

"You got it wrong, mate. They didn't send me here to make you go back, at least not yet, just to keep an eye on you."

The Gentle Man squinted at him in disbelief. "Hmmm. How long do I have?"

"Six days, give or take a few hours."

"You do know how long that will be for them, right?"

"I'm aware, Gabriel told me." Constantine made some gestures and uttered a spell. The Gentle Man's armor was instantly replaced by a suit and all the dirt and blood on him vanished. "Got you a suit. Come on. Where do you want to go?"

"I need to find my wife."

Constantine was suddenly interested. "How do you have a wife?"

"She's part of the reason I was sent to fight the hordes forever."

"How so?"

"You know the story of the Nephilim, my people, right? How we were angels tempted by human women and fell from Heaven to Earth?"

The exorcist nodded. "I've read Enoch."

"Well, she was my temptation, the reason I fell. But while most of the other Nephilim just sired children with humans, I did something far worse...I fell in love."

Constantine grew angry. "They punished you because you fell in love?"

Julian, The Gentle Man, shook his head, sadness in his eyes. "They punished me for my lust, and what I did in the name of love. I condemned her. I damned her to eternal suffering. I assaulted the Garden of Eden, stealing a fruit from the Tree of Life and giving it to her. I couldn't bear the thought of her dying, so I made her immortal."

"Mate, you don't know what you're talking about. You saved her, I'm the one that goes around damning people for eternity."

A tear rolled down the Gentle Man's face. "I've had thousands upon thousands of years in your time and an eternity in Gehenna to think about what I did. Death was given to humans as a mercy, out of pity, so that they would not have to live forever in their own, self-inflicted suffering. I have felt the suffering I caused myself long enough now to know this was the case. Now let's go, if she has yet to find a way to die, I must beg her forgiveness."

Not sure how to feel about what the Gentle Man had said, Constantine just decided to start preparing a locator spell. He grew even more confused when Julian chuckled.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, it's just that I had come up with this whole story to feed any mortals I came across. I was going to say something like: 'I have been away fighting for a year, but it has felt like forever, and I must find my wife. Will you help me?' But since you already know who I am I was able to just tell the truth."

"What's bloody funny about that?"

Julian shrugged. "The truth feels good I guess."

Constantine shook his head, it was going to be a long, sober week with this sentimental loon. He decided to focus on coming up with his own plea for forgiveness. He still did not fully believe Gabriel, but the chance to see Astra, to beg for forgiveness from the one he had condemned to eternal torment, was too great to pass up.