Missing
Written by Shani
She felt a bit bad listening
in.
But only a bit.
Part of her figured she was supposed to
listen in. How else would you explain him having this whispered conversation
only one floor down from where she was supposed to be sleeping.
She was
Wonder Woman for Hera's sake.
"Between…"
"Tim is in Bludhaven."
"He will return if you ask."
"Robin is not Batman."
"Master Dick…"
"Occupied."
"He will not be if you call
for him. And I dare say he may be ready to take the so called mantle."
"I will not call for him."
"Then perhaps the city, the world,
should just have to do without the Batman. Or at least the Batman they have come
to expect."
Bruce looked over at Alfred, not saying a word.
"I
dare say, Sir, that your parents would find more rest knowing their son was
happy, than they would knowing he was out there, trying to rid the world of
evil."
Bruce looked at the fireplace again, still not answering.
"Master Bruce…"
"You have dared enough for one evening" was the
response he finally gave.
Diana's blue eyes cut at Bruce's nerve. She
had to fight herself from going downstairs and giving him a piece of her mind,
however she knew that Alfred was more capable than most anyone to handle Bruce.
To her surprise, Alfred merely left the room.
Once more she had to fight
herself from confronting Bruce.
Perhaps, if Alfred let it go, it was
best to let this go.
Besides, she was not even supposed to be listening…
Diana went back into the bedroom…Bruce's bedroom. She climbed back into
the bed…Bruce's bed.
And she waited, wondering if he would join her once
more…he did not.
That evening that he had made his decision. Yet, she
realized he would never speak his decision.
He never was much for words.
It was one of many things that drew her to him.
"You have
been rather silent."
Superman arched his brow as he flew the rest of the
way to Wonder Woman. "What are you talking about? I just got here."
"Why
are you here?"
"Just checking in…same as you it seems" he glanced up at
Wally, noting the Flash had monitor duty. "All seems quiet so I'll be off once
more…"
"We need to talk."
He turned, watching as she left the
room, the door sliding shut behind her.
Hearing footsteps pause
outside her door, she said simply. "Grant access."
The door to
WonderWoman's room slid open and she looked at the figure in her doorway.
"When someone wants to talk, they usually don't then leave the room."
Superman walked in, the door shutting behind him. "What is bothering you?"
"As I've noted already, you have been rather silent."
"Again, I
just arrived…"
She sighed. She was hoping he wouldn't make her actually
say it.
Never before did she have to say what she meant when she was
speaking to him.
When did that change?
Why did that change?
"I do not mean tonight. I mean in general."
"Oh." he shrugged,
looking more like the farm boy raised in Kansas the strongest male alive.
Either way, he was the first man she had ever truly loved. Maybe she
still loved him…
Her sigh was a bit louder as she grew a bit more
aggravated. "We used to talk Kal", her eyes darted down as she said his name and
she hoped that by not looking in his eyes, it would stop her heart from jumping
as it used to.
It did not.
So she caught his eyes once more.
Her heart jumped again.
She expected him to say that there was
nothing for them to speak about, to tease her in a chastising way that she was
becoming as paranoid as the superhero she now shared her bed and heart with.
`Part of' a voice echoed in her head.
Kal looked at Diana and
she kept waiting….she was becoming angry now.
Angry that he wouldn't
answer her; that he was still being silent. That this man she used to tell
everything…almost…to, would just stare at her silently while she was attempting
to have a serious conversation with him. If she wanted to speak to dead air, she
would be talking to her lover…
Kal wasn't doing his duty.
She
needed Kal there to give her what Bruce could not…would not.
Never
would; she realized now.
After a few more weeks of watching Bruce, being
with him, loving him. Diana realized that was the decision Bruce had made that
evening during his talk with Alfred.
He was not going to fully let Diana
into his life. To do that would mean he would have to give up the Batman he
was…he would have to give him up if he truly allowed himself to be happy.
Bruce was not ready for that.
Batman had won out over any love
he had for Diana that night.
Diana respected Bruce's decision. She loved
him all the more for it, really.
Diana was never one for changing
people. She respected Bruce's need to be Batman, just like she had accepted
Kal's love for Lois.
Looking as Kal crossed his arms in front of him, in
an emotionally protective stance she rarely saw him in when they were alone,
made her anger dissipate into worry.
What had happened between them?
How could they fix this?
She needed them…the way she and Kal
used to be. Not this shell of a relationship they seemed to have become.
"Kal…."
"I cannot fill the holes that Bruce leaves."
"What?"
"You are involved with Bruce…"
"Is that was this
is about?"
He had the nerve to be jealous?!
And why did part of
her had the nerve to be happy at that fact?
"What does that have to do
with our friendship?"
"Nothing. As long as you don't use it to try and
keep yourself fulfilled where your relationship fails."
Diana moved
uncharacteristically slowly, stopping just in front of Kal.
Slapping him
across the face.
She was surprised he did not even try to dodge her
blow; it would have been easy to do.
"How dare you! I have never accused
you of using our friendship, yet you…"
"Our friendship is probably one
of the most real relationships you or I will ever have. I cherish it beyond
words. I cherish you beyond words…at least that I will ever say. Have I ever
given you reason to doubt that?"
She opened her mouth to say `yes'.
"No" the truth came simply.
"I have treated you no different
than I have before you began seeing Bruce. You just now choose to say something.
There has to be a reason for that."
For one of the few times in her
life, Diana found herself speechless.
Oddly, as always, it was by
something Kal said….or did.
Kal was the only one ever to leave Diana
speechless.
It was one of the things that drew her to him. Made her love
him.
Right now, it made her want to hit him again.
He was right.
She had noticed Kal treating her differently once it was obvious that
she and Bruce were seeing each other. There were a number of reasons that she
had chosen not to say anything:
She thought perhaps if she was going to
pursue a successful relationship, for once, she needed to allow this distance
and, for once, not have the shadow of Kal following them everywhere. He was a
standard no one really could hold up to.
He was Superman for Hera's
sake.
She thought perhaps the best way to make sure that Bruce and Kal
remained close was to allow herself to have more distance from one as she grew
closer to the other.
She thought that she had enough on her plate just
dealing with her growing feelings for Bruce….
He was Batman for Hera's
sake.
…than to spend time dealing with her growing dissociation from
Kal.
There were a number of reasons.
Perhaps…no…obviously she
saw now, the biggest one, was that she was hoping that Bruce would be enough.
That he would be the one to take Kal's place in her heart.
He
seemed to have a nice running start for awhile; but he came up short.
Staring into Kal's eyes…fighting the urge to pull him into her arms…to
make their relationship what it was…even as she dreamed for more…
Diana
realized that even if Bruce had chosen her over Batman, he still would have come
up short. She didn't understand, but it was so. Still…
"I love Bruce."
Diana whispered and Kal's arms dropped from in front of his chest.
"That
is obvious. He loves you too."
"However that does not make me not miss
you."
Kal broke eye contact as he admitted, "I miss you too."
What do they do about that?
Diana sighed quietly, touching Kal's
cheek softly. He looked at her again.
And then slowly he walked away,
leaving her heart breaking at the answer.
Nothing.