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The Apple Doesn't Fall Far	By : Artemis1088 Category: DC Verse Comics > Justice League Views: 15189 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Justice League, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-The Apple Doesn't Fall Far
- 1
Keywords: BM/WW, Angst, Humor, Action-Adventure, Graphic Sex, (Possible) Character Death.
Spoilers: Justice League episodes “Fury” and “Paradise Lost.” Minor spoilers from “Secret Origins” and “Maid of Honor.” And borrowed some back-story from WW: “The Contest,” however, not necessary reading for this fic.
Disclaimer: Don’t own these characters, blah, blah, blah . . .
A/N: Thanks to Ugly_Girl and 4luvofbat for beta-reading and insightful feedback as this would-be smut biscuit grew a life of its own.
Just a “reminder,” I suppose, regarding the animated universe: Bruce Timm was quoted in an interview as saying that WW’s lasso would not be used as an instrument of truth . . . so I’m not completely out of character. ;) Or at least not in that regard.
Oh, and stole, er borrowed, um, INSPIRED BY a line from Trinity #3 . . .
******************
“Promise me, you’ll be on your best behavior?”
Batman looked up from the control panel of the shuttle and regarded Wonder Woman a moment before replying dryly, “You invited me, remember?”
Diana stared out at the expanse of turquoise water from the shuttle’s window. “No, my mother did.”
Trying to keep his voice even and unaffected, he commented, “Really?”
“Don’t flatter yourself.” Ticking off each point on a finger, she listed the other male Leaguers. “She specifically asked for Superman, but he’s still on a mission with Hawkgirl. Mother absolutely hated Flash, and she never met John. Oh, and she said some of the Amazons were wary of J’onn, as he is a telepath and shape shifter.”
Batman’s eyes were once more on the controls, although he caught the Princess’s smirk out of the corner of eye.eye.
Diana’s smirk spread into a larger grin. “I’m just teasing you. Actually, I need your expertise in chemistry. It seems Aresia had a few more experimental bio-weapons in her quarters.”
Her gaze returned to the familiar waters of her home. The island was but a small shadow beyond the glittering waves. The speed of the craft would take them there in minutes, her first time on her native soil since her banishment.
****************
“Take your time, I was just told Mother isn’t yet ready to receive us.”
Batman caught the slight annoyance in her voice.He knew this was awkward for Diana, and that so-called queen was hardly improving upon her first impression. What mother could cast her child out, pompous decorum or not?
Looking up from his belt, to which he was adding tools from the shuttlecraft’s supplies, he took in her new appearance with a catch in his breath.
“You look nice.” His compliment surprised her and she stopped, squinting in the sunlight.
With one hand shielding her eyes against the bright sky, she smiled. “Thank you. I thought it . . . best . . . to observe the extra formalities.”
Her voice trailed off by her last words as she nervously smoothed the white chiton draped over her body. His eyes followed every movement of her hands over the thin fabric. Realizing his gaze had settled on the way the creases pulled taut over the curves of her breasts, he averted his gaze to the shimmering marble of the palace beyond her.
Diana walked the rest of the way into the small, dark hangar of the shuttle and stood beside Batman. “What are you doing?”
“If there are any samples of Aresia’s work, we’ll need a safe way to transport them off of Themyscira.”
She picked up a small metal disk nested inside a still open compartment of his belt. “And this?”
“Motion detector,” he spoke to the table, busying himself with adhering labels to tubes and bags.
Picking up his belt from the table, she pulled another electronic device from a different compartment. “This?”
“C4 detonator.”
“And that, I assume, is in another compartment?” She grinned.
“There’s nothing amusing about preparing for all contingencies.” But his stern expression could only hold for so long, until one corner of his lips lifted slightly.
Which she caught.
Chuckling softly, she closed the open compartments. She once again surprised him by slipping his belt around his waist and fastening the front buckle. The movement was so natural, however, as was her surprising familiarity, that he didn’t even startle. Their distance now only a couple inches, and her hands still lingering on the belt and by proxy, his lower abdomen, they stared at each other a moment.
Her eyes were darkened, and the Detective recognized an emotion he didn’t dare name.
With great focus, he kept his expression blank as he continued to search her eyes and her face. This homecoming was difficult for the Princess. Her emotions were undoubtedly unpredictable right now, perhaps even needy. He could not take advantage.
The stoic set of his jaw paid off and Diana finally pulled away. Crossing her arms over her chest, hugging her body as though cold, she glanced over her shoulder.
“We should get started—at least find Aresia’s quarters.”
He nodded and put the last of the supplies into a case, and shut it. He joined her in the sunlight seconds later, and quickly switched to darker lenses to shield his eyes from the unfamiliar directness of sunlight.
But as they walked on in silence, towards the glistening white pillars and temples of Themyscira, one thought nagged the back of his mind, begging him to analyze at a later time.
The way she looked at him.
And why didn’t he mind?
***********************
“Great Hera! That pompous, overbearing, self-righteous—“
“Diana, she’s still your mother. And that’s the main support for the ceiling.” Batman grabbed her wrist and looked up, and then met her eyes.
She halted her rant at his touch. An impenetrable bracelet and Kevlar lined gloves separated them, but it was the gentle command of his grip and tone that made her drop her clenched fist from the nearest pillar. Holding her gaze, his hand lingered on her arm a moment longer, until her fist unclenched, and her posture relaxed.
Finally, he let her go and turned, taking a s ins instrument from his belt. It wasn’t until his back was turned that she recognized the warm flush of her skin and quickened pulse.
“Sorry.” Finally finding her voice, Diana crossed her arms and sunk into a chaise. “But she asked us here, she contacted me. And this isn’t even a social call! If we don’t find out what else Aresia made, and quarantine it—“
She stopped when she caught his backward glance. “I forgot who I was talking to.”
Giving her a small nod of acknowledgment, he continued slowly pacing the room with an ultraviolet light. Night had already taken the island; since late afternoon the Leaguers had stood waiting for Hippolyta’s entrance, one that never came. After all that she accomplished on her own in Man’s World, one trip home and she was once again cast as the dutiful daughter. Perhaps loving submission to her mother, the Queen, was once palatable to her, but no longer. In fact, the arrogance of her mother’s behavior, and abuse of her station, only infuriated the Princess.
Diana watched him, and something in the irritability of the Dark Knight consoled her. She knew he didn’t require any formal audience with the Queen, nor did he need anyone’s expressed permission to investigate anything. Suspecting his new complacency with royal decorum was for her sake, her anger dissipated and gratitude took its place. Wistfulness surfaced as well, envious of how he could remain in complete control, regardless of the location or situation.
With a sigh, she pushed herself off the cushions and joined him next to the ultraviolet glow. “Find anything?”
“No signs of cross-contamination so far.”
“This is a waste of time, isn’t it?
He glanced at her, then back to his work. But she took that as an affirmative. Walking over to the window, she stared out into the darkened paradise. The tower that Aresia had made her home and laboratory was peaking over the trees. Diana abruptly leapt from the window, and remained hovering in the air, her gown fluttering around her.
“Coming?”
“Right behind you.”
Batman shot off a grapnel and the pair disappeared into the night.
*******************
Diana landed softly in the grass next to him, and immediately crouched as he was. “No guards, that isn’t right.”
“I was wondering the same thing.” Batman’s voice was quiet and calm, as he surveyed the bare landscape. A single tower stood ahead of them. The sandy shore was only yards away, and with the full moon above, the tide rolled in swiftly. The only sound for miles was the waves.
Windows spotted the surface of stone, and at least one wooden door marked an entrance. They exchanged a quick glance, and with wordless communication, Batman ran to the door, as Diana flew above, taking watch from above. Immediately realizing the lock was long gone, he slid a bendable narrow tube in the hole. A camera was at the other end, sending an image of the other side via fiber optic cable to the small screen he palmed.
No signs of movement, no one was there. He glanced up at Diana, and then pressed gently on the door. He heard a barely perceptible rustle in the grass behind him and knew she landed.
Inside, he switched lenses in his cowl and looked around the small foyer.
“Footprints.”
He glanced to lef left and Diana was crouched, her hem gathered in her hands so as not to disturb the patterns in the sand upon the tile.
“But some time has obviously passed; these tracks are nearly covered,” Diana continued.
No lock, and no one’s been inside recently, Batman mused to himself. They were definitely a trusting lot, but then again, these people should have learned from their recent history—Faust, Aresia . . . only a matter of time before someone else takes advantage.
“Aresia’s room was at the very top.” She gestured to the stairs as she stood. He finished sweeping the area with a UV light, also swabbing a few samples from the surfaces to check for bacteria and spores, and then followed Diana up the stairwell.
********************
The pair of green glowing eyes behind Diana offered an odd assurance that Batman was close. The stairwell was long, and dark for the most part. An occasional window cast an uneven light onto the narrow steps.
“Not that I don’t prefer thoroughness, but why aren’t you flying to the top?”
Diana turned her head slightly at her companion’s question. “Traps. And I never learned where they all were.”
“’Traps?’” he echoed dubiously.
“Yes,” she affirmed with a small smile. “This was a prison thousands of years ago.”
“For whom?”
She turned her head forward once more, to hide her smile. “Men.”
He remained quiet, although she was positive he would have something to say about that later. Instead of voicing her thoughts, she changed the subject. “Anything in this passageway?"
“Dust.”
“We’re nearing the top. We’ll reach a landing and then the door to her room. There may be a guard there, well, I would think there should be anyway.”
“’Should,’ right.”
Surprised, she stopped and turned around. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Doesn’t any of this strike you as odd, Princess? Your mother tells you to come here, and bring a man,” he paused a moment, hinting some of his own confusion, “and then she refuses to see you? Meanwhile, the local psychopath has left a few experiments running, and no one here seems concerned?”
“Well, they were concerned enough to seek the help of the Justice League . . .” But her voice lacked the conviction of her words.
“Were they? Was she?”
“Batman! That’s my mother you’re accusing!”
His tone softened, and his words closer to a whisper as he moved closer to her. “Diana, you have to stop letting her control you. Something is obviously amiss here, and you are fighting your instincts.”
“Batman, I . . .” What little moonlight reached them illuminated the tears coming to her eyes. “I can’t do that to her.”
“And what about yourself? What are you doing every time you prostate yourself to her will, instead of your own? What cost is that to you?”
His words were starting to hurt her, raising her guard. She didn’t want to discuss this with him of all people. What could he possibly know, or understand, about her relationship with her mother? Her mother was not only a parent, but her her queen. He, without manners, always selfish, was just a . . .
“Great Gaea! Watch out!” Diana threw herself in front of him and raised her bracelets protectively.
**********************
Batman didn’t need another warning. His body reflexively moved into a defensive posture, throwing his cape back, revealing a batarang in hand.
An arrow bounced off Diana’s raised bracelet, and rolled harmlessly down the stairs. As it disappeared into the shadows, Batman observed another movement from below, that of an armored figure.
“Princess?” Diana asked in her native tongue. He could translate just enough of the dialect from the Modern Greek he did know.
“me, I saw that man trespassing. I did not realize he was accompanying you.” Even he didn’t need to be fluent to note the sarcasm in the guard’s voice. Another sound of movement drew his attention behind them, back towards the top of the stairs.
“Diana,” he whispered close to her ear, “It seems we’re surrounded.”
“Does that frighten you, mortal?” the first guard asked in heavily accented English.
“Oui,” Diana whispered with a wink. He immediately understood her hint. It seemed her sisters weren’t as gifted with languages as she was. She continued in French, knowing he spoke it as well. “below us.”
“” he replied in same tongue. He glanced around them, from under his lenses. The advantage was his, as they could not tell where or what he was observing.
“window,” he suggested. “”
Diana concurred, then shouted in Greek, “yes" yes"I want to see all of you now, so I may report you to my mother.”
yes"
Some shuffling, and then the two guards at the top of the stairs started down; as the other walked up, bow still in hand. Once the first guard was close enough, Diana shoved her against the wall, giving Batman a clear path down sta stairs. He was down them in no time, and knew Diana could dispatch of those guards easily enough.
So he wasn’t worried when he jumped out of the window, twisting his body just in time to fire off a grapnel at the roof of the tower. But just as he started his swing, the line snapped, sending him plummeting to the ground.
*******************
“” Hippolyta strode down from her throne, her robes billowing behind her. The guards, blushing from beneath their bruises and scratches, ducked their heads and stepped out of the Queen’s way. Diana, unmarred but still confused, was caught by surprise when Hippolyta grasped her daughter’s shoulders and kissed both her cheeks.
“ Do you forgive your stubborn old mother?”
Diana’s jaw dropped. She expected to apologize to her mother, certainly not receive one. But she remembered Batman’s warning before they were ambushed. Forcing a smile to her lips, she stated calmly, “”
“” Hippolyta beamed at her daughter. “doing in the tower.”
Diana resisted the urge to shrug her mother’s arm from her shoulder. Something was wrong—Hippolyta’s behavior was making very little sense. She remained standing as Hippolyta took her place on the throne.
“that I and one of my teammates check the contents of Aresia’s former quarters. But that teammate is now missing--”
“” Hippolyta interrupted with a frown, before the same large smile infused her face. “plans.”
“Where is my friend? What have you done to him?”
“this is worse than I suspected. And ‘friend?’ He is not your friend.” Hippolyta’s voice dripped with false sympathy, making Diana cringe.
“Enough! Tell me, or I shall find him myself!”
“ Although I do wish you had brought the Kryptonian.”
Diana paled slightly and withdrew another step away from Hippolyta. “What have you done?”
“will do. In the name of your destiny.”
Diana realized too late she was surrounded. With fists clenched and raised, she assessed her situation. Fighting her way out was her only option, but there was so many, each holding a spear. The circle parted slightly to allow Hippolyta to reach her.
In her jeweled hand, the Amazon Queen held a small flask containing a purple liquid. Diana’s eyes narrowed.
“Daughter.”
Glaring, Diana spat, “My ‘destiny’ is not one of hate.”
“’Hate?’” Hippolyta growled in English. “You speak to me of hate? You spoiled little girl. You didn’t have to endure Herakles and his men, nor did were you witness to my humiliation by Hades.”
The words stung more deeply than a physical slap. She could only stare at her mother, stunned.
She studied her daughter a moment. “while in their world, except how to become one of their weak-minded women. We have much work to do.”
Diana’s arms dropped to her sides.
“”
Diana’s eyes moved from the flask to her mother’s face. “is it?”
“ Something to help you recall your Amazon spirit.” With a broad smile, Hippolyta held the flask high once more.
Raising an eyebrow, Diana stared at the shimmering fluid. Hippolyta grasped her daughter’s hand gently.
“”
Doubt crept onto the younger Amazon’s face, which Hippolyta pounced upon.
“more. My little sun and stars.”
*******************
Batman kept his eyes closed, still pretending to be unconscious. He was restrained to a table, sans cape and cowl. There was movement around him, but from the clang of metal, he knew it was more foot soldiers. His belt was still around his waist. Their mistake.
His wrist shifted ever so slightly. Both arms were chained above him, but there was some slack. Once he got a moment alone, he could probably get one arm free.
His ankles were restrained as well, and less room to move. No matter. Once he got his arms free, he could get a lock pick from his belt.
Rapid movement of the guards filled the small room. They spoke rapidly, and he couldn’t catch all the words.
“”
“. . .face cleaned, yes, but not . . .”
“. . . not to touch. . . She wants . . . herself.”
It seemed Hippolyta was coming. If he could get loose by then, she would be a good hostage. She would also know what happened to Diana, because she did not seem to be down there with him. In fact, the lack of talk about the Princess gave him some concern.
Ideally, she should have gotten off this stupid rock, but most likely, considering how much like Superman she was, she was probably hanging around to rescue him.
Damn.
“” The guard’s speech slowed, and was louder, more formal.
No response from Hippolyta. He kept his eyes closed and listened, as the clanks of metal grew distant. The guards were sent away.
He caught a floral scent, and a regular breathing not his own. She was close by. He wondered how fast he could get one hand free. Patiently, keeping every semblance of still being asleep, he waited for his foe’s first move.
It never came. Instead, a chiding tone.
“I leave you alone for a minute and you get yourself captured.”
******************
Diana smiled at how fast his eyes flew open. She didn’t think she ever surprised him before.
Hiding his shock, and maybe pleasure, at the sight of her, Batman growled in reply, “Just get me out of here.”
“Already on it.” She wrested one of the cuffs open, then the other.
He sat up, rubbing his wrists. “Tell me you know what’s going on here.”
She felt warmer and knew she was blushing. How to explain this . . . “How’s your head?”
“Fine. What the hell is going on?”
“They did do a good job cleaning it.” Carefully, she touched the bruise on his forehead. It was bandaged, and no signs of current bleeding.
Gasping when he grabbed her hand, she stilled her temper. Calm down, Diana.
He loosened his grip, so he was palpating her radial artery. Concern in his voice, he commented, “Your pulse is rapid, pupils dilated . . . what happened to you?”
“This.” She held up the flask. “I spit most of it out, but some of it was digested.”
“A drug?”
Diana nodded. “I believe it is by Aresia’s design. We need to find an antidote—my mother and all my sisters seem to be under its influence.”
“There’s more you’re not telling me. Why am--”
The sound of approaching footsteps didn’t give Diana a chance to explain. Unable to warn him, she threw her lasso around his wrists and jerked him roughly to her.
“Di—mpph!”
*****************
As good as it felt to kiss her, or hell, be kissed by her; he pulled away. He felt a flush on his face to match hers.
“Diana?”
Her eyes were dark, the smile gone. “Shut up.”
Barely perceptible, her eyes then quickly glanced to the side, towards the hall. He realized they had company, and too late, he realized Diana was storming over there, and she wasn’t releasing the lasso.
“UGH!” He braced himself as his body bent in half, jerked first by the arms. His ankles were still shackled in place so only his upper body moved.
Diana’s head whipped around. “I said, SILENCE.”
To whomever stood in the hall, just beyond the door, she glared and stated coldly, “audience, I would take him in the throne room.”
Take him? Did she mean. . . No. Not the League’s Princess. Something was amiss in his translation.
“ But Her Majesty insisted the guards return.”
“ But I want privacy.”
“wishes.”
With some strain on his neck, he moved his head up slightly to watch Diana. She looked furious, and he was no longer sure if this was an act. She had a plan, and something, apparently her mother, put a wrinkle in it.
As Diana turned away, the guard called out, almost a taunt.
“Majesty asked that I remind you, that if you cannot find a use for him-- ”
“” Diana interrupted. “all.”
With just a glare cast in the guard’s direction, followed by the sound of footsteps in the hall, Diana returned to his side, loosening the slack in the lasso. He saw the pained look in her eyes, which only passed for a moment. Glancing behind her, then frowning, when she looked at him again, a pleading look.
Without warning, except this time he was awaiting it, his arms were jerked once more. But his fists grasped part of the lasso and pulled in response, counting on her not using her full strength.
She caught herself before stumbling into his seated position. With a raised eyebrow, her lips pursed in a quick shush. Once again seeing the Diana he knew, he complied.
His breath caught as she swung a leg onto the table and straddled him. Positioned in his lap and facing him, she leaned close as her hands massaged his bound wrists. With her mouth close to his ear, she spoke hurriedly, her voice low.
“I presume you understood most of that conversation.”
Upon his slow nod, she continued, although somewhat haltingly. “The affects of that . . . drug . . . um, reinvigorates an Amazon’s drive—wait, not that kind of drive . . .”
He felt her sigh, more than he heard it, in the warm air that brushed his bare neck. “What I am attempting to explain . . . and doing it poorly . . .”
She groaned. The guttural sound and her immediate proximity stirred his loins. He fought the feelings and focused on her worry instead.
In a rushed and apologetic tone, she attempted, “I’m sorry, it’s the drug. I can’t think straight—I . . .”
Frustrated, she pulled back, her posture defeated.
Silently, he raised his bound hands and touched her face gently. With his eyes, he tried to assure her as his lips mutely told her “Trust me.”
With a quick glance over her shoulder to the open door, she looked back to him, with a sad, but grateful smile. The sounds of a pacing guard reached even his ears.
Diana leaned close again, this time, sliding her arms behind his back. Her hands slid up the backs of his arms, before resting on his shoulders.n stn Just in time, as he saw the guard attempt a seemingly innocent peak through the door.
“My sisters, and especially my mother, seem to have returned to a more barbaric era in our history. The horrors of what Herakles did is still fresh in her mind, and . . . and I fear their memories of that atrocity have blended with their memories of you and the other members of the League.”
She sighed once more, and then continued in the same hushed whisper. “She thinks you are one of Herakles’ men . . . If I did not claim, um . . . take you as mine . . . ”
****************
“She would have,” Batman finished quietly, understanding. And he did understand, as awkward and . . . strange . . . as it was, Diana was protecting him.
She checked the hall again, and frowned at the shadow that passed in the hall. “I will get you out of here,” she whispered, her eyes wide, almost frantic. He tensed when he felt her hands on him.
“Relax,” she murmured with a smile, “I’m putting the drug into your belt. You have to find an antidote.”
“I will,” he promised, his face buried against her neck. Despite the slight leg cramp, the feel of her soft body cradled against him felt right. Even the lasso—
No, this is survival, he reminded himself. He knew she wanted to fight the effects of Aresia’s drug, but they had to do this. The guards weren’t leaving anytime soon. Hippolyta was apparently . . . anxious . . . upstairs. Also, for her own protection, Diana had to show she was one of them.
“Maybe you shouldn’t fight it,” he abruptly whispered aloud.
“No, I still know who I am, but more importantly, I know you. I can’t . . . I can’t do this to you.”
But he knew otherwise. Thousands of years of a woman warrior’s spirit were pushing through her body, and whether or not he completely bought it, he was well aware of the psycho-somatic effects of any belief. What was important was that the experience was real to her, despite her attempts at suppressing it.
As her cheek rubbed lazily against his, he closed his eyes, and stated with a stoicism he didn’t feel, “Diversion. It will get the guards away from us.”
He opened his eyes and found hers studying his face intensely. Her eyes were still glassy, and dark from her widened pupils.
“You’re fighting your instincts again,” he reproached her quietly.
Her eyes snapped back into focus. “’Diversion?’” she asked softly.
He muttered a “yes” as he nuzzled her neck. His bound hands slid up, between their bodies, and brushed over the thin fabric covering her breasts. He felt her shiver and pulled back to look into her eyes.
“Are you sure you can handle my instincts right now?” she murmured, a slight tease in her voice.
“Is that a challenge, Princess?” he countered in a low voice.
She ducked her head closer to his, and nipped his ear, sending a jolt through his body. “You would have to surrender control to me,” she hissed through clenched teeth.
“Or else?” he rasped.
She ran her tongue lightly over the outer edge of his earlobe. “Or else I will make you.”
He smirked; he couldn’t help himself, and moved his head to capture her lips with his. She pulled back and shook her head in disapproval. “You’re not a very good submissive.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You’re surprised?”
Suddenly, his body was slammed against the table. He flinched, but the pain was fleeting—his body was too driven by other sensations, one of which was still straddled smugly across his lap.
“Is that a challenge, mortal?”
As she slowly tortured him with a slow grind, he bit his lip against the guttural response rising in his throat. She leaned over him, stretching her torso over him. He had to touch her, to feel and grasp what the dropped neckline only teased at. But his arms did not respond. He had been too distracted to feel the lasso pulled taut, and tied to the table.
She pulled away and stared at his chest. As she contemplated her next move, a small smirk darted over her lips as her ass ground against his arousal, forcing a grunt from him. The teasing was too much; and he found himself wishing her effect on him wasn’t obvious. His lips pressed tightly in an attempt to regain control.
But her hands soon descended on his shirt, ripping the lined costume from his chest. The cool air rushed over his skin, leaving a trail of goose bumps. The nails of one hand dragged down his bare torso.n stn An involuntary shiver shot through his body, forcing his hips to jerk slightly, and startling her in return. She glanced behind her, at the offending anatomy, and then met his eyes with a stern glare.
Deftly, she hopped off of him and stood next to the table. At At the loss of contact, his head snapped towards her, his eyes fierce. But she wasn’t looking at his face.
With even less regard than she had for his shirt, his shorts and tights were yanked down roughly. His erection freed and exposed, he clenched his teeth in a sharp intake of air. The pleasure was bordering on pain now. He needed a release.
When she finally touched him, it could not have come sooner. What he had in his lonelier moments, imagined would be a tentative touch, was most definitely an assured one. He swelled in her hand, getting ever closer to losing it completely.
“Harder,” he growled, teeth clenched.
His command grabbed her attention. Her hand dropped away and leaned over him, her face over his.
“use for your insolent tongue.”
Her voice was soft and husky with desire. But her deliberate pronunciation of every syllable commanded his attention. At that moment, he would do whatever she asked, in order to have that sweet release.
Moving with the same abruptness and purpose, she climbed onto the table, and positioned her legs so she was straddling him.
But this time, over his face. He closed his eyes at the scent of her, imprinting that moment to his memory. Fragrant and warm . . .
She lifted her hem further, undressing and giving him a full view. Still kneeling, she lowered herself slowly over his waiting mouth which met her nether lips with fervor. His tongue immediately darted out to savor her arousal. They were beyond seductions now; he only wanted to bring her to climax. With no other instrument but his mouth, he made good use of it. He wasted no time sliding his tongue between her labia, dragging upwards to the small bud. His flicked hard over the swollen spot, over and over, only breaking to lick her entrance or nip her gently with his teeth.
He felt her thighs tense—she was close. Glancing upwards, over the thatch of hair, to her pert breasts. He could only see her chin, as her head was thrown back, gasping too hard to scream.
She came suddenly, her straddled legs pressing against his raised arms. But he brought her to the edge, again and again, until she was too overcome to tolerate any more. She removed herself from him, this time with less grace than before. Leaning against the table, she granted him a small smile. Her fingers combed through his damp hair as she ducked her head to taste her pleasure on his lips. Her tongue slid inside his mouth and he received her eagerly. Pulling against his restraints, his lips pressed to hers, even as she pulled back.
Reluctantly pulling from him completely, she untied the lasso. Gently, she helped him to a seated position and as she massaged his shoulders and arms, she reminded him, “They’re gone.”
And just like that, her arousal spent, she was back as Wonder Woman.
She was right of course. The “deception” . . . worked, and now they had to return to business. He had a drug to analyze, and she had to make sure they weren’t planning any invasions with their newly rediscovered ire.
His arms pulled out of her ministrations, and he rubbed his own wrists, before swinging his feet around and standing slowly.
“Wait, Bruce--aren’t you—“
In pain?
“No,” he interruptedtly.tly.
Well, not exactly pain. He jerked his pants and tights up with a wince and grunt. Tight. Too tight, but . . . “I’ll survive.”
And too soon, she was pinning the chiton in place. With cape and cowl on, he pulled the cape around his body, concealing the tear in his shirt.
Her eyes were downcast, as she smoothed the gown. Slowly, she raised her eyes to his, her expression solemn. “I will not ignore what just happened between us.”
He nodded and quietly gave the same vow. “I wasn’t planning on forgetting.”
They stood a few feet apart, but miles from where they once were.
“You should—“
“I have to—“
“Go,” they finished together. And with that, she left, ensuring the passage was clear. He left right after. From the shadows, he caught the shine of her tiara in the dark as she turned to look for him.
With that, he broke into a silent run in the other direction.
**********************
Upstairs, Diana paused by the entranceway to common area. Normally, this was a place for her sisters to gather for celebrations, meet up with others and plan that day’s activities, and the like. But as she eavesdropped on the frantic whispers just beyond the column, she realized an opportunity had come her way.
“ That’s why.’
Mala. Diana recognized her hoarse whisper.
“us. . .”
Phillipus, her mother’s most trusted advisor. Strange for these two to discuss such matters.
“when she bed that bastard? When she betrayed her own sister?”
“simple—”
“Antiope. Don’t be as weak as Hippolyta.”
“this-- ”
“ Hippolyta did exile her only daughter.”
“was a child—She will not slay her mother for the throne.”
“now she is truly an Amazon. There are none more powerful, so who better than she . . .?”
Phillipus must have been nodding, because Mala continued after a beat.
“sister. The Fates have granted the Amazons a second chance.”
As Diana listened to them bade their farewells, and their footsteps travel in separate directions, she leaned against the pillar and contemplated what she just heard.
She could definitely use this to her advantage. But her brewing plan was contingent on an expedient delivery of an antidote.
*******************
Arrogance. These people, in their current state, didn’t count on Batman ever returning to the shuttlecraft that brought him and Diana to their shores. But he wasn’t surprised; in fact, he was counting on it as he ran through the dense forests to the far end of the island. As expected, it sat in the grass, unguarded.
That did not prevent him from still proceeding with care. He pressed the side of his cowl, and using infrared, he swept over the knoll with his eyes. No heat patterns that would suggest anyone in hiding.
Inside the craft, he lowered a panel from the wall, creating a worktable. After connecting to the Watchtower’s medical records, he downloaded data from the analysis of her previous bio-chemical.
He withdrew a milliliter and placed the sample inside the ship’s gas spectrometer. As he waited for the computer to complete its analysis, he stood and stripped to the waist, and took a new shirt from a drawer onboard.
His communicator then crackled in his ear. “Batman?”
“Yes, J’onn.”
“I saw the files you have downloaded. Have you and Wonder Woman run into any complications?”
Batman paused and glanced down at his half-naked body.
“Batman?”
“. . . We’re fine.”
A pause on the other end and finally, with barely concealed amusement in the Martian’s voice, “I am quite sure you are, Batman. J’onn out.”
Damn telepath.
Shaking his head, Batman pulled the shirt over his head. Then, with his cowl and cape in place, and gloves on, he sat and scrolled through the preliminary results. Aresia might have been good, but he was better. Just after a quick perusal of the toxins and chemicals used, he already had a few ideas on how to lessen, or even counteract, the effects.
The only foreseeable delay would be getting the necessary components. Complete synthesis of those chemicals would take too long, but perhaps Aresia’s inventory was still in her quarters.
After confirming his initial assumptions with the completed spectrograph, he checked the contents of his belt, and then headed towards the tower.
*******************
Now dressed in her armor, save her helmet, which was tucked under one arm, Diana took another step into the great hall. Night had fallen over paradise. She had forgotten how beautiful the rooms looked as lit by torchlight. Steeling her gaze, she took in the lavish feast laid out on every table. It would appear every Amazon had gathered for the celebration. Although Diana could recall many festivities as boisterous as this, this was the first time in her life that the island was enacting this ancient practice, a sending off into battle.
She only hoped to stall them before these women invaded Man’s World in declaration of war.
Hippolyta was lounged on a chaise upon the dais, a broad smile as she watched her warriors toast and chat below. Diana was still unnoticed by her mother, so the Leaguer took a moment to take in Hippolyta’s new gluttony. She could appreciate Mala’s disgust and frustration. Their queen did look lazy, and the half eaten food and spilt on the royal table hardly hindered that impression.
As Hippolyta turned her head to stretch and yawn, she finally noticed her daughter. Stumbling up drunkenly, Hippolyta called out over the din. “ Our honored guest has at last arrived!”
The room silenced, save a heckle from a red-headed Bana Amazon in the back of the room, “little sister! Did you leave some of him for the rest of us?”
Remembering the ruse, Diana laughed and called back, “”
A good-natured laugh rolled through the crowd. Diana couldn’t help wondering how long these women had been drinking. Hippolyta, obviously inebriated, was the last laugh heard. The once proud queen was hardly keeping her posture erect. Suddenly, Hippolyta’s eyes snapped open, and clapped twice for attention.
“” she slurred. “who shall lead you in your fight against the Patriarch’s World!”
Praying silently to the goddesses to forgive her deceit this evening, Diana set her golden helmet down and took a goblet from an offered tray. Nodding to the serving girl who scampered off, Diana raised it, but then held her palm up, requesting silence.
“we must toast. For whom else, but our Queen, would give her soldiers such finery before battling the greedy ways of the world of men?”
The cheers that started trailed off, as Hippolyta struggled to sit up. Diana, undeterred, continued, her voice carrying throughout the entire hall.
“whom we all,” sarcasm crept into Diana’s voice, “give loving submission, would send you to die while she remains?”
Some murmurs trickled through the gathered women.
“but cowardly, glutinous, self-righteous . . .” Noble, loving. . . Diana continued to herself silently, before raising her voice once more, “ How the Goddesses must grace us, to provide our Queen as a reminder!”
Hippolyta jumped to her feet, nearly losing her balance. Hunched over, gripping the table, she glared at her only daughter.
“ You want this throne, then you will have to fight me for it!”
Gasps came from many in the room, but many more roared in laughter. Diana’s eyes scanned the hall, gauging the reactions. The majority did side with her, and shared the discontent. She also spied Mala nodding at Phillipus, who rose.
“been made.” Phillipus’ tone instantly commanded silence. “serious to be ignored.”
Diana avoided Hippolyta’s glare. “consequences of my words. I accept the challenge.”

“engage your mother in combat for the royal throne.”
Any support Hippolyta had was drowned out by the immediate roar for Diana. Goblets clanked in toasts, as Diana raised hers. Superficially, she maintained a cold smile, all the while dying inside. Even if this plan worked, she had permanently strained their relationship.
I’m so sorry, Mother.
********************
This time, Batman entered Aresia’s tower by firing a grapnel at the roof. In seconds, he was adjacent to one of the top windows. Using night vision, he glanced quickly around the edge, and seeing no one, climbed inside and released the grapnel.
He raised himself slowly from his crouched position and surveyed the room. Despite the condition of the entrance downstairs, someone was up here recently. Smoke still fluttered from a snuffed-out candle. Crossing the room silently, he glanced out the crack in the doorway and saw no one—but something nagged him about the hall’s shape.
He let that rest for the moment and got to the task at hand. Aresia’s workbench was that of an alchemist. He admitted a slight respect for the knowledge she taught herself, without the advantages of outside technology. But she wasted her knowledge on a malicious purpose.
An open journal got his attention. The two distinctive handwritings would have been obvious to anyone, not just to his detective eye. The first type, most likely Aresia’s, filled most of the pages. The second was scrawled in the borders, notes drawing the eye to certain passages.
As he read page after page of laboratory notes and journal entries, he noticed a theme. Aresia regarded her fellow Amazons with disdain and jealousy. He realized both he and Diana had made the wrong assumption.
Aresia had created an intoxicant to make the Amazons weaker, not stronger. What Diana had given him was not of the rogue Amazon’s creation. She never wanted a stronger nation of Amazons—she wanted the ultimate revenge against a nation she never felt a part of.
But perhaps Aresia’s knowledge could be applied to greater good after all. He set to work recreating her last experiment, the one with the most notes in the columns. Someone else had taken an interest in that protocol as well.
*******************
“Hera, what’s taking so long?” Diana paced her room with arms crossed. She was dressed for bed, but her mind was too busy to sleep.
“Impatient, aren’t we?”
She whirled around at the familiar voice from the window. Batman quietly dropped to the floor.
“I was afraid you were caught.”
“Not this time, I found the secret passage.” He was smirking, as she frowned.
“’Secret passage?’ In Aresia’s quarters?”
He shook his head. “There’s a lot more going on here than a rogue Amazon.”
“Tell me as you eat." Diana nodded to the hearth, where a tray was laid out with leftovers from that evening’s feast.
“We don’t have time—“
“I bought us some time. Eat. It’s been almost twenty-four hours for you.”
“What did you do?”
“Oh, not much . . .” She smiled and pulled out a chair for him. “Just a little military coup against my mother.”
That got his attention. He stopped next to the chair and stared at her. “You’re smiling, but it’s not reaching your eyes, Diana.”
“I said some horrible things, to rally everyone’s support.”
“She’ll know that.”
Diana heard him, but didn’t yet want to think of her mother’s reaction. “Actually, it wasn’t even my idea. I overheard a conversation—expressing dissatisfaction with Hippolyta.”
“Do you know who?”
“Sit.” With a teasing smile, she pushed him down onto the chair. “YI doI do. One was Mala—she’s part of our sister tribe. They recently reunited with us. The other was more doubtful, but that’s understandable. Phillipus has been my mother’s most trusted advisor and military leader. She even trained me.”
The scent before him was too much, and he started eating. Around mouthfuls of pork and dates, he asked, “Does either of them have a background in science?”
Diana paused in pac pacing, her face thoughtful as she considered this. “Phillipus, no. And she really seemed somewhat against Mala’s plan. Mala, however, is considered by some of the Themysciran sisters to be a witch.”
She shrugged at Batman’s alert posture. “I had assumed that was simply cruelty on their part. Sadly, she’s lived a rough life, and her body shows it.”
After swallowing a mouthful of bread, he asked, “How rough?”
“She was badly beaten when Herakles and his men took Themyscira. Others, like Mother’s sister Antiope, didn’t survive at all, but Mala did.”
“Think she’s holding a grudge?”
A knock on the door prevented her immediate reply. She opened the door slowly, giving Batman time to hide—time he didn’t need. As she glanced behind her, the room appeared empty.
Speaking of . . .Diana thought to herself, as she greeted loudly, “”
“one.” The haggard woman raised her head so her good eye could glance into the room. “here.”
Diana summoned every ounce of concentration to keep her embarrassed flush at bay. Batman had removed his cape, cowl, shirt and gloves and lay on her bed, with her lasso around his wrists.
But her effort was to no avail. The old Bana smiled at Diana and nodded understandingly. “ Just remember your purpose, Princess.”
For the first time that night, Diana could speak the whole truth to one of her sisters. “yes" I always do.”
yes"
“sister. And that is why you will honor Antiope’s memory tomorrow.” She raised a knobby hand to Diana’s face. “”
Diana, unsure of what she meant, only smiled, hiding her confusion.
Mala’s hand dropped. “”
“ I pray for that as well. Goodnight.”
After shutting the door, Diana turned and glared at Batman, who was already recoiling her lasso.
“You couldn’t simply hide?”
“This way they’re not looking for me,” he explained patiently.
“Oh. . . right.” She took her lasso from him and folded her arms. “But next time, warn me.”
His face played every bit the innocent. “’Next time,’ Princess?”
Maybe it was simply her proximity to the glowing hearth, or it could have been how the sight of his face and chest took her back to the prison earlier in the day. But regardless of the cause, fire burned within her, uncorrupted by any drug. She forced herself to step away, and walk in front of the open window. The breeze was refreshing, and calmed the blood stirring in her veins.
“I definitely agree with you about Mala.”
“I think she’s behind all of this, not just overthrowing your mother.”
She heard movement behind her—he was putting the rest of his costume on. Her stomach sank at that realization, but she didn’t want to dwell on it. Not now. Not as she stared out at her home, the distant river sparkling under the waxing moon.
Batman continued behind her, from across the room. “Aresia’s original drug was supposed to make you weak, not this. Someone, probably Mala, has been entering through the passage I found, and made the current drug.”
His words reached her ears, but she was distracted. Tomorrow, she would fight her mother. For this land, a home from which her mother created her, pulled from its very clay. Even if it was all a ruse, how could she raise a sword against her mother?
Diana noticed a familiar shadow alongside hers.
“She’ll understand,” he commented quietly.
“I said some terrible things.”
His words were almost earnest. “She’s your mother.”
Her eyes stared out at the glittering landscape before her, but seeing nothing. Her voice was small, unsure. “How do you know she will?”
His voice reflected a rare moment of hesitancy as well. “That’s . . . that’s how they are.”
Surprised, she turned to look at him. But he was staring beyond her. Abruptly, he cleared his throat and walked away, his hand going to his belt. When he spoke again, his typical self-assurance had returned.
“Go to sleep. You’ve got a busy day tomorrow.”
For the second time that evening, and the third time that day, she felt a pang of regret—another moment passed unrealized. She walked away from the ow aow and sat on the edge of her bed. “What about the antidote?”
“Done.” She couldn’t see where he went, but she could still hear him. He hadn’t left the room.
“But—“
“Sleep.”
********************
A strong odor was tickling his nose. Batman started turning his head, but then consciousness hit him like a wall. Damn. He hadn’t meant to sleep so deeply. His eyes opened and Diana stood before him, a cup of a dark liquid in her hand. It was that scent that wafted up to him.
“What?” he growled.
“Aren’t we grouchy in the morning. Herbal tea. That’s about as close as you’ll get to a caffeinated cup of—“
He took it and downed a large gulp.
“—coffee on the island. . .”
“Thanks.” He finished it off in a few more gulps, and then stood up. “You have to take me back to the prison cell.”
“I know. Few should be awake at this hour. Most left the feast last night very intoxicated.”
“Give me one end of your lasso.”
As she handed it to him, with a raised eyebrow, she commented dryly, “I almost think you enjoy this role.”
“No, it’s being practical, in case anyone is awake,” he said as he wrapped the golden rope a few times around his arms, and then grasped the loose end between his wrists. “Although, if I believed in karma, I’d say this was retribution for my behavior as Bruce Wayne.”
He extended his hands before him. “Fortunately,” he added, “I don’t.”
Laughing, she pulled on the rope. “Come along, slave.”
He explained his plan in detail on the way down. Uninterrupted as well, as no one spotted the pair. He expected her to protest a certain, crucial part of the plan; but whatever fears she had last night remained there. A single night’s sleep later and her demons were gone.
He envied and admired that.
They stood in the prison cell staring at everything but each other and the table. Finally, she broke the awkward silence with a grin as she held up a key. “Here, we’ll trade.”
He handed her the lasso, and took the key to the cell.
“I don’t want to lock it,” she apologized.
“No, you have to.”
She nodded, and after a quick glance behind her, asked, “And last night, you found a way to the wine cellar via the passageways?”
Late last night, he had told her about the hidden passage, how he had suddenly realized the reason the hall outside Aresia’s room was the wrong size. As expected, a wall pulled out, leading to another set of stairs, connecting the tower to an underground system of tunnels. Diana was shocked, because not only had she never seen it, she was never told about it.
She had wondered what else was she never told. He suspected there was quite a bit these fanatics were keeping from her, although he would never say thaoud.oud. Any further distraction on her part would hinder the plan.
Another uncomfortable silence. She nodded at the first bits of sunlight coming through the cell’s small window. “Time to get to work.”
Something passed over her eyes again, not quite sadness—but before he could analyze it, the look and she, were gone.
*****************
Apollo’s rays were still rising. From her favorite spot on Themyscira, she stood and stared down at the waves crashing against the base of the cliff. She didn’t want to think about the ships being prepped in the harbor, over on the western shore. After a deep inhale of the sea air, she smiled and shed her armor, revealing her Wonder Woman costume.
She knelt on the plush grass and folded her hands lightly in her lap. Realizing she had a moment alone before the island came alive, she chose to embrace it.
With her head lifted skyward and eyes closed, she began a silent prayer to Athena. Of the pantheon, the goddess of wisdom and patron of warriors would most likely hear Diana’s fears.
The act cleansed her spirit and cleared her mind. She rose and put her armor on once more, her hand lingering on the hilt of her sheathed sword. Initially stunned when Batman told her what had to be done, she knew he was correct.
'Batman. Catching herself before she worried if he would be all right, she reminded herself that he was more than capable of carrying out the rest of the plan. But his work would be in vain, should she be incapable of carrying out her responsibility.
Her resolve renewed, she strode towards the contest grounds. Signs of life were returning to the island, as warriors started filling the arena. The sounds grew louder, as shouting and laughing accompanied the clanks of armor and swords striking shields. They were restless, thirsty for blood. This was a side of her sisters she never saw, but only heard about, deep in their history.
The clamor chilled her blood. But she couldn’t hide from it. This was as much a part of her too, as this heritage was in her roots. Summoning that heritage now, and feeding off the crowds, she put on her helmet and took her place in the middle of the arena.
The noise dropped suddenly. Her mother, surrounded by a small entourage, was making a grand entrance through the south gate. Her massive cape dragged along the dirt floor of the arena, creating a small cloud of sandy dust. Few in the crowd were impressed with the entrance, however. This was one thing Diana had underestimated, the eagerness in which the Amazons would embrace the removal of Hippolyta. She hoped this was somehow only an effect of Aresia’s drug as well.
Tensing, Diana suddenly realized who was part of the entourage.
Mala. What in Hera’s name. . .?
Hippolyta stopped a yard from Diana and regarded her coolly, as the withered crone lifted the cape from the queen’s shoulders. Hippolyta’s armor was similar to Diana’s, however the Princess had made some practical modifications to hers, to ease her movement, if sacrificing protection. Her arms remained bare, as she had found the typical coverage slowed her forward strike. The stiff eagle wings that adorned the Amazonian suit were missing from Diana’s. All it did was slow her and hinder her peripheral view. This was practical knowledge learned in actual combat in Man’s World, knowledge Diana knew would assist her today. It had been far too long since her mother raised a sword or fist in battle.
But as Mala handed Hippolyta her sword, Diana remembered the one sheathed at her side. Too late, she realized both she and her mother had been set up.
Suddenly, the arena floor cleared, save for a mother and daughter.
“ Then come and take it!”
“” Diana stepped to one side and swept her arm. She hated being theatrical, but she had to antagonize her mother to strike first. She wanted to see what “modifications” Mala may have made, if any.
Enraged, Hippolyta ran forward, her sword raised overhead. Diana couldn’t believe her mother’s carelessness. This would be over far too soon, and Batman needed more time. So instead of taking the easy strike, to her mother’s exposed torso, Diana stepped aside. As soon as the confused queen ran past, Diana kicked her from behind, forcing the woman face first into the sand.
The crowd loved it and roared in approval. The clamor of metal grew louder, pounding Diana’s warrior blood. On Hippolyta’s next rush, Diana lifted her bracelet to deflect the downward swinging blade. She was paying the queen a huge disrespect, as she had yet to unsheathe her own sword, nor had Diana even used the shield at her disposal. Hippolyta recognized all these insults and her swings grew more and more erratic. Diana dodged most of them, leaning her body left and right, relying on her goddess-given speed and agility. By comparison, her mother’s movements were an awkward, amateurish imitation. What blows did come through, Diana used her bracelets. The sword glanced off with hardly any force.
“” a voice finally shouted above the din, and the audience, hungry for blood, agreed. The pounding of armor increased, growing more unified in their beating.
Diana tossed her shield aside and grasped the hilt, removing it as she spun, bringing momentum and a hard strike to Hippolyta’s stomach, but only striking plated armor. But the force took the wild-eyed queen to the sand once more.
Grasping her sword more firmly, Diana reached down and grabbed the stunned queen by the throat, lifting her easily. With no hesitation, Diana slid her sword into the armor’s only seam, a hinged separation that lay on the wearer’s flank. Just as rapidly, and without blinking, she removed it. The blade’s edge, tinged with blood, drew gasps from the warriors in attendance. Hippolyta’s eyelids drooped, but with a gasp of breath, the queen made one last strike. Her sword came down weakly on her daughter’s bare arm, the arm that held the dazed queen.
As it was hardly fatal, Diana didn’t even flinch, but stared her mother down, until Hippolyta’s eyes closed completely. Satisfied, Diana dropped her mother to the ground. Her heart was racing unusually fast, but she kept a stern demeanor, belying no panic on her face. The crowd had erupted though, and the warriors were on their feet, cheering their new queen. One woman, was noticeable inanimate in the throng. sto stood, but only smiled coolly across the arena at the champion. Diana glanced once more at the small wound on her arm, hardly fatal, and knew she had to move quickly. Her heart was pounding, and her vision was darkening.
“” she screamed to crowd, with sword raised. The clamor stilled. “Barbarians! Join me, as we send this fallen warrior, my mother, to the Elysian Fields!”
Diana knelt by her mother, and murmured a quick, “sorry, mother” before sheathing her mother’s sword in place of her own and picking up the fallen Amazon queen. The other Amazons followed Diana proudly, marching behind her, sharing in songs and cries of the glory to come under their new queen.
But Diana could share in none of that. This walk from the arena to the palace seemed longer than she ever remembered. In part due to her burden, as well as the chest pain crushing her chest, shooting down her left arm—she gave no outward sign. Head raised, she cradled her mother and carried her home.
******************
From a dark corner, behind the massive columns that lined the hall, Batman watched. He could hear the boisterous return and knew Diana was successful. But as she walked towards the dais, carrying her mother’s limp body, he was not expecting the sheen of sweat across Diana’s forehead.
As the crowd spilled into the hall and prepared for the upcoming toast, he hurried through the shadows, pausing in Diana’s line of sight as she set her mother down. She gave him a small nod, and he retreated into hiding once more.
Seconds later, she joined him. Her breathing was erratic and she struggled to speak. “Mala . . . on Mother’s sword. . .”
Diana held it out to him, and he saw a white powder mixed with blood, presumably Diana’s.
“What are you feeling right now?”
“I think she somehow gave me a heart attack,” Diana rasped. “Chest pain, hard to catch my breath . . .”
“Sit,” he prompted her gently, helping her to the floor. His hand went to his belt, removing a small white pill. “Nitro.”
Recognizing it, she opened her mouth and lifted her tongue. He placed it inside and she closed her mouth and eyes, and waited.
Pressing an amber bottle into her palm, he told her, “Take another one in five minutes if needed.”
Nodding, she slowly asked, “Was this just due to another drug? No magic?”
“Regardless, magic can only compete with science for so long. But yes, I think she wanted to make it look accidental. We’ll be able to get her alone soon.”
At his reminder, she opened her eyes and started to stand. The drop in pressure gave her some difficulty and he extended a hand to help her to her feet.
“Did you—“
“Yes, and also reached the harbor." All the Amazons gathered; each was unaware that their ships were drifting in the Atlantic.
“Good,” she smiled and braced herself against a pillar.
“Careful out there. Minimal movement, until whatever she put on that sword gets metabolized.”
“I will, thank you,” her smile was shaky, but she walked back out on steadier legs. He watched her take her place at the head of the room. Like those she was born to lead, he was bound by her commanding presence. The aristocratic lift of her chin, her proud posture—in this, she was a natural.
Batman turned his stare to her captive audience. Everyone had a glass in hand, raised high. Save one old woman, who was watching Diana with a bit of concern.
Sorry she’s not dead yet? He kept his eyes on Mala as Diana led the assembled Amazons in some long-winded speech about her mother. Mala’s hands were empty.
Too much talking for his tastes, but Diana obviously knew her people better. The response was thunderous, and he realized he hadn’t taken spilt wine into account. However each glass should have more than enough.
They finally drank and as the first women slumped groggily, he kept his eyes trained on Mala. The witch was looking around the room, panic reaching her wrinkled face. He sprung out in no time, avoiding the half-hearted attempts of the drugged Amazons at striking the passing male. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Diana take a protective stance over her mother, as some realized they had been tricked. But no one reached the new Queen in time; the fastest one falling at Diana’s feet.
Mala was attempting to flee, but he swung a bola rapidly, and upon its release, it twined around her arms and waist. He wasted no time dragging her through the slumbering crowd, up to Diana.
“She’s all yours, Your Highness,” he smirked.
“Thank you, Batman.” Her smile faded as she glared at the now cowering Mala.
Meanwhile, he knelt by Hippolyta and removed her chest plate. As per the plan, the “fatal” wound was but a scratch. Some blood did adhere the underlying tunic to the woman’s skin, but it was now dark and dried. He took some smelling salts from his belt and waved them under her nose. Her eyes abruptly opened and she struggled to sit up.
He saw her confusion and assured her, “Everything’s fine. Just watch . . . and listen.”
The disoriented queen followed his gaze, to where Diana had Mala pinned to a column.
*****************
“” the crone wailed. “”
“barbarians! You would have me murder my own mother!” Diana pressed her harder against the stone.
At the mention of murder, Hippolyta sat up completely. Mala saw the Amazon Queen over Diana’s shoulder and sneered. “ What is this?”
“” Diana glanced at Batman and then resumed glaring at Mala. “found in Aresia’s—or should I say, your laboratory?”
“weak sisters in Man’s World! Revenge is our duty and right!”
“ The ‘Date Rape Drug?’” Diana shook her head. “”
“ I have no idea . . .”
“ After my Mother’s grave mistake with Herakles, you could not forgive her. And you hated that our sisters could! You are the one who led Hades here, setting my mother up for another betrayal. You drugged her then, and you are the one who taught Aresia everything you know.”
“sister!”
Infuriated, Diana raised her fist to the wizened face. “‘sister!’”
“” Mala glanced pointedly at the slumbering women.
“” Diana cried defensively. Much of Batman’s plan pained her to even consider, but it was worth the costs. Too many innocent lives were at risk, should the Amazons become a warring people once more.
“man.” Shaking her head in mock sadness, she chuckled ruefully. “ Shame, our greatest warrior is as weak as her mother.”
“ I have reclaimed what she once had, until the likes of you cast it from her. You made her ashamed of love and passion.”
“”
Diana shook her head. “carry this shame, this fear? Do you not trust your sisters? Or do you fear what you cannot have?”
“ When they awaken we shall see who is right!”
“ They will sleep until the antidote takes effect. When they awaken, they will truly be Amazons once more. We are a people of peace and compassion; brute violence has no place in our current society. And that is our greatest weapon we may offer the world.”
“” Her withered face finally expressed fear.
“ Aresia’s notes, and yours, were found by my friend over there.” Diana once again flashed Batman a grateful smile.
“ She was all that you could never be! And because she was from Man’s World, she was forever faulted by you!”
Diana’s eyes softened. “ She just never understood what it truly meant to be one of us, to be of our people. She took it to an inappropriate extreme, and paid with her life.”
“ Aresia embodied what we should be, and you ruined it.”
But instead of replying, Diana turned to the hand on her shoulder. Hippolyta stood there, her face beaming with pride. “You’ve done well, daughter, as well as your companion. But I think we have all heard enough of this mad woman.”
Diana appreciated her mother including Batman in her speech, as well as using English. “Let’s take her to the prison.”
*********************
“I just can’t believe these have been here, and I never knew.” Diana’s quiet voice echoed in the dark underground hall. She moved the torch closer to the nearest wall and ran her hand over the marbled limestone.
“They connect to the tower, prison, Hades’ gate, the palace, all over the island . . . but the one to the tower is more recent and not as well crafted,” Batman supplied. “Did your mother explain why all this was here?”
“Not exactly,” she glanced back at him, and then took a step further into the darkness. The flames danced over the ceiling and brought their eyes to a turn in the tunnel. “She doesn’t know who built them either, but she did make use of them when she and Hades began their affair.”
“I thought their relationship was public?”
Both walked further, towards the turn. “Eventually,” Diana admitted. “However, it began as what she described as a ‘secret.’ After the disastrous consequences of her first relationship . . .”
Nodding in understanding, he flicked on a small light and shone it into the dark before them. The apparent turn in the tunnel was an entrance, to a cavernous room. Flecks of a metallic stone glittered in the minimal light, and a bubbling wellspring gurgled from underground. Even with much of it cast in shadow, the sight was a wonder. Makeshift benches seemed carved from the rock face surrounding the water.
“Oh . . .”
“It’s beautiful,” Diana murmured, walking up beside him.
“It is impressive.” The cuts were too even and the walls too smooth, to be completely natural. Someone had taken great care to create a paradise beneath paradise.
She nodded, and added quietly, “And romantic.”
He had no verbal reply for that, although he certainly agreed. Certain things had passed between them on this mission, some which were hard to suppress.
“About what happened in your prison cell, I’m sorry.”
“Diana. This isn’t necessary.” He couldn’t look at her. He stared at the water instead.
“No, you misunderstand.”She reached for him in the dark, and ran her fingertips lightly up his arm. “I’m sorry we didn’t finish.”
Of course he had the same regret—he had created a line between thinking of it simply as a necessary diversion tactic, and something much more personal. That line had been crossed as soon as he felt her against him. He stood mute, considering all the possibilities. They work together; things would be awkward to say the least. Of course, it would still be awkward considering what had already passed . . . He continued replaying all the usual reasons of why he and Diana should not consummate this attraction . . .
Until he, the Batman, gave up.
He pulled her quickly to him. His kiss was desperate, frantic, and she was responding in kind. Bodies entwined, they tripped into the nearest wall. She used her leverage to flip them, pinning him with her body. But he pulled his head away and smirked.
“Missing something?” He held up her lasso. A flush lit her face, but passed, as her eyes darkened.
“Turnabout is fair play,” she conceded. He moved behind her and pulled her hair away from her neck.
“And I did start this,” she continued, a little breathless as he started kissing a trail. His hands rested on her shoulders, then slid down her arms. His fingertips grazed the skin, tickling her slightly. She sank lazily against him and tilted her head, exposing more skin to his lips.
“You’ve appealed to my sense of justice,” she breathed.
He dropped a kiss to her shoulder, and then growled in her ear, “Glad you see it my way.”
******************
Her posture stiffened when she felt a familiar loop close around her wrists. He pulled it tight, forcing a sharp intake of breath from her parted lips. Her head started to turn, but once again, he was there, his breath hot against her skin.
“No . . .just feel.”
She closed her eyes and tried to still that panic rising in her, the fear of losing control. It was a familiar fear, yet still new. Bound and locked up in the Kasnian palace. Inside the Invaders ship . . .
But those moments, he was there to free her . . . of course she could trust him now. She swallowed and focused on the sensations against her skin. His gloved fingertips ran over her back, up and over her shoulders and down her arms. He raised them gently, and then formed another loop, which he tossed on a crag above.
She started at the tug in her shoulders as she felt her body lift from the ground. Her feet had left the ground countless times, but never had she felt such a mix of trepidation and anticipation. Summoning her will and patience, she refrained from turning and seeing what he was doing.
She learned soon enough, however, when she felt his hands sliding down her bare thighs. He was kneeling behind her. A sudden tensing low in her abdomen, and she was soon remembering his abilities previously on the table. The anticipation led to arousal, and she exhaled slowly.
His hands trailed down the small of her back—the material of her top suddenly much thicker than she ever remembered. He cupped the curve of her bottom, then down her thighs. His hands slid to the front of her legs and she sighed at the feel of his lips kissing her bare legs. And thus relaxed, when his lips brushed over the back of her knee, she started and jerked her leg from his hands.
“It tickled,” she murmured apologetically.
She felt his hand land firmly on her behind. Her face reddened as she realized that instead of pain, she felt a teasing tingle of pleasure where his hand struck.
“Don’t. Move.” He growled into her ear once more. He was again standing behind her. She nodded and tried to calm her breathing. But her breath caught in her throat when his hands slid around her wa and and started a slow, torturous touch downward. He paused just as his fingers pressed through the material, already damp with her arousal. His other arm snaked around her waist, pulling her to his groin. His breath was hot against her skin as he pressed his face to her neck and shoulder.
Hera, she needed more, so much more than the pressure of his fingers. Her flesh burned and low in her belly, a tightness grew, spreading throughout her body. She wanted to pull herself free and shed her clothing, to feel his hands all over her.
He curved his hand around her sex, grinding the heel of his hand into her clit and digging his fingers deep into the damp fabric. The intensity he phe pressure shot through her spine, arching her torso, and throwing her head back as well.
“I said,” he grunted into her ear, “Don’t move.” His hand came down once more, hard on her bottom, shoving her forward into his grinding hand. The dual sensations were too much and she cried out, limbs tensing.
Abruptly, he spun her around by the waist. Her fingers clutched desperately at the length of lasso between her hands. Her eyes were wide and she panted shakily, in trepidation of what was to come. He slid his hands around her waist, and found the hinge of her belt. The metal clattered to the floor and he kicked it aside. His hands were already on her top, and that too was soon shed.
Silently, she watched him stare at her chest. His breaths were heavy, raspy. He raised his masked face to stare back. His hands were suddenly at her waist, pulling her briefs down. His body lowered to drag the rolled fabric down, pausing to let his tongue flick over a nipple, his teeth grazing it gently. Groaning, she arched her back, pressing her flesh to his mouth. In cruel response, his mouth moved from her breast. His thumbs were still hooked in her shorts, and as his lips and tongue started a trek southward, the shorts were tugged further down as well.
When the fabric was rolled around her knees, she felt the tip of his tongue pressed against her clit. She shuddered, and he gave the sensitive spot more attention. Her legs tensed, and after another teasing series of flicks, he pulled the briefs off completely. He was standing once more before her, slowly pulling off his gloves.
Part of her rebelled and wished to do away with this waiting, and just pull free from the restraints and take him as she wanted. But another part of her wanted this worship of her body to continue. She enjoyed the anticipation of what he would do next.
He didn’t disappoint. His hand went inside his own briefs, pulling them down just enough to free his erection. She stared blatantly at it a moment, before dragging her eyes to his face. The wait was excruciating. Flexing her arms slightly, she hoisted herself up slightly and threw her legs around his waist and pulled him towards her.
He finally flinched, and she felt triumphant. Grunting slightly, he pulled back slightly, and went to his belt. He held up a shiny flat square with a circle inside.
“Not laughing at my preparedness now, are we, Princess?”
She smirked in reply and pressed her thighs against his ribs, eliciting another grunt. He quickly slipped on the condom; she pulled him close once more with her legs. He guided himself to her entrance and thrust. Gripping the rope tightly, she met each of his thrusts with a downward push. As he filled her, over and over, the thrusts lost their rhythm; and in hurried, desperate bucking, they took each other to the edge. As her vaginal muscles tightened and kneaded him, he suddenly kissed her. His fingers dug into the flesh of her bottom, as she locked her legs tightly around him. Both came together, panting against the other’s mouth.
Trembling and gasping, he wrapped his arms around her, supporting her weight as she hung limp from the lasso. Her legs remained encircled around him, as he pulled out. They stood a moment in this embrace, his hands rubbing her back. The kisses were longer than before, a tender contrast to the previous roughness and ferocity.
******************
Once clear of Earth’s atmosphere, Batman guided the craft to an orbit that would bring them in line with the Watchtower within the next couple hours. Switching to autopilot, he glanced at his companion. Wonder Woman was as quiet as he during this trip home. Typical for him, but not for her.
Her fingers were playing with the loop of golden lasso hung from her hip. A slight color tinged her cheeks as she stared down at the control panel. So she was embarrassed, after their . . . encounter.
From the way they finally separated in the cavern, her legs dropping from him, and the ease in which she removed the lasso . . . she seemed fine, once again self-assured. Her ease in untying herself was a stark reminder to him, of just who truly was in control. It was he who was embarrassed, his actions catching up to him in vivid memories. The first doubts entered his mind then; was she just letting him, a mere human with faults and weaknesses, play pretend?
He recalled how foolish he felt, suddenly a mere mortal at the feet of a goddess. He waited for her to dress. She looked as though she wanted to say something then, but he cut her off. Impulsive move on his part, he regretted it now. It was an intense experience for both of them, and for him to err as he did, and presume she was unaffected—
“Batman?” Her voice was quiet. Diana was staring at him, her face serious.
“Hm?” He glanced at her casually, hiding his slight apprehension at where this conversation would go. Was she expecting an apology? Did she fear he didn’t respect her?
“How did you know?”
“Know what?”
“That I would . . . respond to what you did . . . in the cave, when you sp—“
He nodded quickly, halting her words—that word. “It was a calculated risk, based on your physiologic responses during our sparring matches.”
The barest of amused grins crossed her lips, and she arched an eyebrow. “My physiologic responses?”
“I’ve noted a rapid rise in pulse and breathing rate during certain take-down maneuvers, particularly when I’ve pinned you from behind.”
Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped in surprise. She finally choked out, “I see.”
They sat in silence once again, the awkwardness heavier than before. He realized he had just revealed to her exactly how long he had been thinking of her sexually. And implied she had thought the same of him for just as long.
Shit.
He had to correct this, before they returned to the Watchtower and permanently strained their relationship. That would of course hinder the team.
Pretending to be occupied with the navigational panel once more, he remarked casually, “You realize, you were always the one in control, the entire time.”
“How?”
Batman met her gaze. “Anything I did, you could have stopped me at any moment. This was about you seizing your sexuality, and thus empowered, you allowed yourself a new experience.”
“It was certainly new,” she murmured with a rueful grin as she glanced down. She seemed to be musing over what he just said. After a moment, she looked back at him, her face serious and her words spoken carefully.
“You’ve given me a few things to think about. I learned something about myself, something I must admit is not easy to reconcile.” She chuckled softly. “Actually, this entire adventure has been a lesson in personal contradictions.”
He nodded slowly. “If you need to discuss this further—“
“Discuss?” She laughed. “Oh no. We’ve got a rematch in the sparring room.”
His posture stiffened slightly and his costume suddenly felt heavy.
She took in his discomfort; in return, she gave him what he could only describe as a leer from the Princess. Her voice had an air of smug finality, when she announced, “I have some observations to make.”
*********************
the end.
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The Apple Doesn't Fall Far