"Whether we deserve this or not, whether this turns out to be the darkest days of our lives or the brightest happiness, we've been guided by love. How can we go wrong when we're guided by love" - Morgan Parker

***

Wonder Woman ducked just in time to avoid the punch coming her way and retaliated with one of hers.  Her opponent stumbled backward obviously not a match for the Amazon's strength and rage.  Diana lunged forward proceeding with an uppercut to the jaw which knocked the wind out of the villain's lungs.  The Princess has been duelling with Cheetah in a hand to hand combat for the past ten minutes with she having the upper hand though Cheetah was super fast and strong, she and her clans had picked the wrong day to mess with her.

With a glint of irritation in her eyes  she tied a half-unconscious Cheetah effortlessly.  She took a sweep of her surrounding to see her teammates rounding up also. Cheetah, Solomon Grundy, Scare Crow,  Captain Cold and Captain Boomerang had attempted a heist at the Metropolis Central Bank but the Justice League were there to stop them.  Soon the Police arrived  on the scene to take the villains to where was best suited for them- jail.

Even through the chaos and wreck,  reporters were around flashing their cameras seeking the super heroes attention behind the barricades.

Diana sighted Batman heading towards her with a limp. If she was not Wonder Woman or close to him, she wouldn't have noticed that he was hurt since he did a good job at hiding it (well not such a good job) and that made her frown.  He was far too stubborn to admit he needed help and that infuriated her to no end but it also made her respect this man even more.  He was just a 'mere' mortal but she was pretty sure he could outbest any of her gods. If she didn't know better,  she would have said he was a god, looking like he was sculpted by Zeus himself.

With a scowl on,  he came to a stop in front of her,  his chin being the only skin she could see with his cowl and Kevlar on.  "We need to talk" He gruffed,  his body rigid as he spoke.

"No. We have nothing to talk about" She indignantly gritted putting her hands on her hips in a defensive stance.

Batman shot his grapnel gun towards a wrecked building. "Batcave. Tomorrow by noon" His voice left no room for argument ignoring her comment before lifting himself up and was swallowed by the darkness of the night.

"Men" Diana said to herself irritated. The Princess knew what he wanted to talk about...it was about them but she didn't think she was ready to know what he wanted to say. She sighed and put her hand to her commlink "Mr Terrific, requesting transport to the Watch Tower"

Immediately Mr Terrific's voice crackled through her comm.  "Alright. Wonder Woman in a sec" Soon she felt herself being torn apart into molecules  whilst the familiar feeling of ligh-headeadness and soon her body molecules assembled back together on the WatchTower overlooking the earth from space. She made a beeline to the cafeteria to get her Ice-mocha, her addiction. The cafeteria was busy as usual filled with Leaguers and Civilians working aboard the WatchTower.

She saw Shayera (also known as Hawk Girl)  sitting at the end of the cafeteria staring into space. Diana approached her and took a seat in front of her.  "Hey" The Princess smiled at her teammate and friend.  Shayera turned to smile at her briefly before staring blankly at her palms, her smile never reaching her eyes. Diana immediately knew something was wrong. Shayera was always the jovial,cunning and free person but right now she was anything but that. The sadness in her eyes alone spoke volumes.

Diana brought her palm to rest on the Thanagarian seated in front of her. "Shayera, what's it?" She spoke softly

The winged lady looked up at her friend and offered a small smile "It's nothing. Just had a lot to think about. Everything has been happening so fast and I can't help but ask if it's gonna last" Diana understood what she meant.  She herself had only just begun to talk with Shayera though the strain was still there but she was glad her friend was back. After she had betrayed them by lying to them and selling out information to her fellow Thanagarians as a spy and putting Earth in jeopardy, everyone isolated from her but she had proven that she could be trusted again and they had accepted her once more. There was also  John, the Green Lantern who shared a love interest with her who had just begun to accept her.

Shayera had gone through a lot and she had almost lost John to Marie but with all that had happened she felt like she didn't deserve to be happy, that she couldn't be happy and that was not true.

"Sister, this is real. It's happening and you deserve it.  People make mistakes. You made a mistake and you were willing to pay for it and that's all that matters. You've payed the price for your betrayal" Diana regretted saying that but it was too late as Hawk Girl winced at the word 'betrayal'. She continued anyway "You just have to trust John, he Loves you. We all love you"

Shayera gave a genuine smile for the first time "Thanks Di"

"You welcome Sister" The Amazon took a sip of her ice-mocha

"So..." The winged super hero started with a mischievous glint to her eyes. Diana knew where she was going and cursed silently in Greek already regretting taking a seat with the Thanagharian "How are you and dark and gloomy?"

"I don't know what you are talking about" That sounded so familiar,  something like what Batman said all the time. Great, she was now talking like him. That's what she gets for spending too much time with him.

"No of course you don't. I think I even recall you telling me you guys shared a kiss in an Italian restaurant few months back"

Wonder Woman's body went rigid at the mention of that. That kiss. It wasn't actually a kiss since it was just done out of pretense to save themselves from the Thanagharians during the invasion who were after the Justice League founders. Their only option was to disguise themselves and act like some lovesick couple. Though the kiss was a welcomed one, she couldn't have enjoyed it even if she tried with all the chaos around them.

"What? Cat caught your tongue?" Her friend smirked

"I told you it was nothing. He doesn't even want me so it's of no use." She heard Shayera sigh "Girl, I don't still know what you see in that guy but I trust you'll make the right decision. All he does is hurt you. He is always building these walls to keep you out when we all know damn too well that he is head over heels for you"

"That's the thing Shayera,  when I'm ready to let go he then gives me a reason why I shouldn't. Like he should make up his mind already, I can't spend the rest of my life pursuing him." She groused. It wasn't a secret that the Amazonian Champion admired the world's Greatest detective, maybe even a little more.  Alright, it was far more than an admiration. She didn't even know when these feelings started or when they sky rocketed to more than just a fling. She had always been attracted to him since the first day they met three years ago and now she was in l...

She was interrupted from thinking the obvious "I have monitor duty. Catch you later" Shayera got up and exited the cafeteria leaving a perplexed Princess to her thoughts.

She was going to put and end to this banter tomorrow. She took purposeful steps out of the cafeteria to her quarters to pray to her gods for strength.

***

Wonder Woman materialized in the Batcave in her blue and red costume. The Batcave was eerie as usual with it's familiar stench of bat poop. How was he even able to stay here all day? She took the step down from the pad in search of a certain Dark Knight but he was nowhere to be seen. She turned to look at the telepad contemplating whether to go and come back later when she heard a baritone voice that startled her.

"You are late. It's past noon." That was batman for you, always out of plain sight. She went further into the cave to see him seated in front of a super computer typing away furiously with his back slouched to her. She came to sit on top of his desk facing him.

Batman had smelled her from miles away, her lavender scent filling his senses. She always had a way of making him forget himself. All his resolve, concrete and iron walls erected over the years were always this close to crumbling. He could let himself be happy but he knew all too well that there was no hapiness- not for him. He couldn't bring himself to destroy her with his troubled world. God knows he wanted her, needed her but he couldn't, he wouldn't let her in for fear of losing her to his world of darkness. That would be selfish of him. 

"I'm here, aren't I?" Batman looked at her blue orbs contemplating if he should proceed with what he was about to do.  She would be broken, yes but she would always be a light, she would be happy. He winced at the thought of not being the one that will make her happy. 

He teared his eyes from her angelic face to his computer  thinking of how he would hurt her for the umpteenth time so that she would stop loving him. The Dark Knight had had feelings for her since the day he first set eyes on her and gradually it grew into something more, something he only saw in his late parents. Ever since he found out he had fallen deeply for the Amazon, he started keeping tabs on her, monitoring her safety and always teaming them up on missions (though he was beginning to suspect that she noticed). Hell,  she was the strongest woman alive but try telling his paranoia that. He feared that the likes of the Joker would take her away from him. He always had nightmares of her death. At first it was just his parents but now it included her and he wasn't sure he would be able to live with that.  That was the bat for you, destined to grow old alone and die alone just like what he saw when he went to the future. He had pitied his future self but it was yet another sacrifice to be made by the bat.

"Let's end this" He stilled out of the blues, startling the Amazon. Her face was etched with confusion.

"What do you mean by let's end this? What are we even ending?" Batman sighed and removed his cowl to reveal Bruce Wayne.

She noticed the dark circles that has formed under his eyes like he hadn't slept in days, his ocean blue eye were also tired. Gotham's villains must be giving him a hard time and he was just about to add one to his long list. He turned to look at her. "Diana, we can't do this. I'm not ready for this" He said motioning with his hands. 

She got off his desk and clenched her fists "Bruce,  we haven't even started anything and yet you are saying we should end it?" She half-asked obviously not expecting an answer when she cut him off as he tried to speak "You know for who you claim to be,  you sure are a coward"

The billionaire pinched the bridge of his nose, frustration evident on his handsome face. "Princess. This is for the best"  He said, expression sombre. Diana always liked the way he called her Princess,  making her tingle but right now it only aggravated her the more. "I don't deserve you" He added to her surprise.

"Of course you don't deserve me" To say Bruce was shocked by that revelation was an understatement. There was a hint of disappointment and hurt on his face but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. His face becoming stone cold, void of emotions. She was losing him to his demons and she had to do something about it fast. "But Love is not about what you deserve or don't. It's about what you want and Bruce I want you. I need you" Bruce felt his heart warm at that, it crept from his heart to his neck and to his cheek. What was he going to do with his Princess?

Before he registered what was happening,  he felt warm, succulent lips on his. It melted all his resolve,  took away all his doubt and fears. It made him feel alive. It made him feel like he could be happy again. All in just a gentle and soft kiss. He brought his hands to her head to tangle with the silky raven hair that he always dreamt of touching. Now it was a reality. He held her firmly keeping her in place,  this was where he always wanted her to be, always near him.  Her body was flushed against his, fitting perfectly as if that's where it had always belonged. He was ready to give in just this once... No. Yes.

Bruce pulled away from her abruptly and cursed himself silently once he saw the hurt in her eyes. He was already missing her body close to his, her lips on his but this was the right thing. He tried convincing himself.  He was never meant to be happy.

Diana held her head in embarrassment. What was she thinking? Did she think he would accept her just like that? Bruce was never going to allow her in. "I'm sorry Princess but I can't allow myself to love you"

She stepped closer and brought her hands to his face to make him look her in the eyes "Then don't. Just let me love you instead. You just have to trust us"

Bruce's breath hitched at that and he was about saying something when their commlinks went off at the same time. Darkseid was wrecking havoc in Central City and their help was needed asap.  Without wasting much time, Batman put his cowl back on and they were both teleported to Central City to face Darkseid.

That was just one of the many disadvantage of being a superhero.  Whenever they were in the middle of something serious like their relationship, suddenly the world then needs them.

As soon as they took a sweep of their environment they leapt into battle. Batman used his martial arts, gadgets, intellects and flexibility to try to defeat Darkseid and Wonder Woman being livid charged at the monster with millennia of combat training coming into play.  There was no doubts that she was blessed by the gods.

***

All the attacks seemed futile when the boy scout aka Superman was seen flung towards a building and wrecked it.  The speedster aka flash was nowhere to be seen after that blow that sent him spiralling into a ship on the ocean. "Kal-El!!" Diana breathed. She was too worried about her friend to notice the punch headed her way,  a hard one at that that knocked her out immediately but Darkseid wasn't done with her yet as he continued pummeling at her unconscious body.

Batman who had just gained consciousness noticed that the Justice League team were finished and stood no chance at the god. He sighted Diana already buried under debris and concrete whilst Darkseid kept on punching her. He was bored witless at the sight of that, this was what he was scared of and he realized he didn't need to be in a relationship with her for her to be in danger. It was her job.

Usually batman wouldn't kill even the worst of criminals but right now that was the only thing he could think of doing to Darkseid.  He quickly punched a coordinate and his batmobile came through a roaring fire down the street.  He had brought it here the minute he got to Central City. It skidded to a stop in front of him on autopilot to open the cockpit with a hiss along with a small compartment and brought out the radion- Darkseid's weakness.  He had brought it in case it came to this.

He produced the radion emitter from the compartment and loaded it with the bullet made of radion aiming for his victim. He shot once and that was all he needed to get the villain's attention off Diana. At least she would be safe.

He did the same thing several more times and saw the effect on him. It was weakening like the kryptonite would do to Superman but it wasn't enough.  Just then Superman came from under the rubble and threw a punch at Darksied that shook the earth and that was it, Darksied was finished.

Batman quickly raced to Diana's side and brought her out of the rubble with the help of Superman. She wasn't unconscious for long though. He had her gods to thank for that. "Batman?"

"Diana..." She brought her index finger to his lips. She didnt need to see his eyes to know how he was feeling right now.  She understood him and she was willing to wait for him no matter how long it took.

"I'm willing to wait for you. Okay..." She whispered as Bruce clutched her to his side

"There is no need to wait Princess." Wonder Woman felt her heart slap her chest continuously against her ribcage. Was this really happening?  Was he about to give them a chance?

"Let's give this a try" She heard him whisper "One step at a time..."

***

To be continued...