DISCLAIMER: The Justice League of America characters are the property of DC Comics. The story contents are the creation and property of Djinn and are copyright (c) 2005 by Djinn. This story is Rated R.

Pas de Deux

by Djinn

"Why do you hide?" Diana turned away from her study of the Batcave.

"Who says I'm hiding?"

"The cave, the cowl. The constant scowl."

"I'm not scowling now." But he wasn't smiling either. His face was, at best, neutral.

She took a step toward him. "Why did you ask me here?"

He moved back, into the shadows, and she felt a surge of irritation fill her.

"Bruce?"

"Someday you're going to slip and call me that around someone who doesn't know."

"I never slip." She followed his voice, could tell when he leapt to the ledge above her.

"No, you don't slip, do you, Princess?"

"Ah, I see now. You invited me here to insult me." She closed her eyes, letting her ears take over. Reaching for the lasso, she tracked Bruce as unerringly as one of his bats might have. "You have three seconds to get down here."

"Or you'll what?"

She let the lasso go; it whirred around her loudly enough for him to hear it. He landed beside her a moment later.

"Goddess forbid that you might have to speak the truth." She coiled the lasso back up, hooked it to her belt.

"You think I lie?"

"I think you evade."

"Ah." He walked to the table he'd been working at when she'd first walked in. "I made you something."

She knew better than to be touched. "Do I want to know?"

He did smile, one side of his mouth going up more than the other. She moved closer, drawn, as ever, by that elusive warmth.

"Close your eyes," he said.

She laughed.

"Please?"

Their eyes met. He was the only one other than Kal who could stare her down that way. Only Kal never stared at her with such implacable will.

"Please?" he said again. The word was at odds with his dark glare, and she smiled as she let her eyes close. "You love doing that to me," he whispered as he drew nearer.

"You let me do so little to you--I have to love what I can." She could not remember when they'd begun this strangely overt banter when they were alone. Sometime after he ran away from her, sometime after Trevor was taken away from her. Sometime after Kal's marriage nearly fell apart because of her.

"You have no idea what you do to me." He touched her arm gently, pushing in.

She felt a moment of pressure, than heat. Opening her eyes, she saw a small bat image gradually disappearing into her skin. "An invisible tattoo? How endearing. And truly the gift for the girl who has everything."

"It's if I ever need to find you."

"It'll what? Glow in the dark?" She moved closer, trying to make him uncomfortable. She might as well try to make him skip to the loo; he just ignored her.

He shook his head. "Watch this." Picking up an instrument, he hit a button.

She felt her arm heating up. "How hot is this going to get?"

"You're damn near invulnerable, what do you care?" He held out the instrument so she could see it was some kind of direction finder and tracking device.

"Range?"

"A long, long way." He grinned at her. "Polar regions even."

"Think you'll put a crimp on things?" She was tired of people assuming she and Kal hung out in his Fortress making mad, passionate love while Lois sat at home pining. Lois wasn't the pining kind, and Diana was relatively sure that if Lois thought Kal was cheating on her, she'd throw him out of the apartment. Possibly right out the window.

Tough girl.

She rubbed at her arm. "Pretty ballsy to just put this on me. No warning. No by your leave."

He rolled his eyes. "I make a shitty courtier."

"That you do." She smiled and launched herself up into the darkness. "Find me, if you can."

She felt the spot on her arm heating up again as she climbed nearly soundlessly up the ledge, trying not to disturb the bats.

"Don't get them riled up. I just washed the Batmobile."

She moved to the side, skirting the light, easily leaving him and the bats behind. Only not him, not for long. She could hear the little instrument beep-beeping behind her.

"How long will this last?" she asked just before she flew up and up and over where he stood. She could hear the pinging of the direction finder as she twisted above him.

"Oh, a while."

"Define that." She twisted back again.

"Let's just say I won't be around to notice when it stops working."

"So you've marked me."

"In a manner of speaking."

She dove into the depths of the cave. "Follow me now, big man," she muttered.

A rope dropped to the floor, she could hear him rappelling down. Backing up, she waited for him in the inky blackness.

The instrument cast a slight glow but not enough to light up his face. "I know you're here, Diana."

She moved, her feet making no sound as she circled him. She could hear him pivoting, never letting her get behind him.

"Hearing is a wonderful thing," he said.

"That it is." She readied herself for a great spring into the air, felt him grab her hand.

"Earthbound this time." His chest bumped hers. "Run."

"Make me." She pulled his face to hers and tried to kiss him.

She thought he was expecting it. He pushed her away, his leg coming out in what she could tell was a kick meant to drop her.

She countered it, knew he would expect her to jump or to bend with the blow, not out-muscle it. She tried to gauge her power, didn't want to break his leg. Just sort of...bruise it.

Their legs hit, and he went down.

"Holy shit."

"That'll teach you to not kiss me." She leaned down, touching his leg. "You all right?"

"Yes, I'm all right." But he didn't sound very happy with her.

"You wanted me to run?" She laughed and took off, knew that it would be a few seconds before he followed. "Do you really think I'm spending time at the Fortress?"

"It's possible I do think that." He seemed to be limping a little.

"You want me to kiss your owie and make it better?"

"Uh, no."

"Somewhere else you'd like me to kiss?"

He was walking better--nothing like a little anger to help the healing process. "You have no idea where I'd like you to kiss, you royal b--"

"--Why, Mister Wayne. Such language."

She ran out of cave suddenly, nearly slamming her face into the wall. Fortunately, her boobs saved her. She hated to think of them as bumpers, but she supposed it was better than personal flotation devices. But even fatty tissue didn't enjoy crashing into rock face. "Owwww."

"Oops," he said, his voice rough behind her. "Should I kiss them and make them better?"

"Oh, you wish." She dodged to the left, hand out in case the wall was closer than she thought.

It was. A feint to the right proved the same thing. She'd run into some kind of dead end tunnel.

"Miscalculated, did we?"

"Well, I didn't. You might have." She turned, ready to fly, hands above her head just in case the ceiling was lower than she thought.

"No. Stay on the ground."

"Why?"

"Because I want you to."

"Leave the 'to' off, Bruce."

"Because I want you." He was very close, the instrument no longer making noise.

"Your little toy on silent running?"

"No. I dropped it when you kicked me. It's back there somewhere." His voice was sultry heat rushing against her ear.

He had found her without the tracking device?

She turned, could tell her lips were close to his. "Do you?"

"Do I what?"

"Want me?"

He didn't answer.

She reached for the lasso.

"Will it mean anything if you have to force it out of me?"

Dropping her hand, she backed up, until the rough stone bit into her back. She wasn't sure what he wanted from her. But then she usually wasn't.

He moved forward, touching her, pushing her harder against the rock. "Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes, I do want you." His lips touched her throat, then he was brushing her hair off her neck, finding her neck as if he was some modern-day vampire. He sucked, harder than she expected, and she felt her knees buckle. "Ah, I've found your Achilles heel."

She pushed his cowl off him, could tell he was trying to pull away and held him. "No, Bruce. You're my Achilles heel. Don't you know that yet?"

He froze.

"Finish what you've started. Please?" She nuzzled his neck, working up to his ear. Whispering, "Please, for once, finish this."

"Diana. If I finish it, I'll never..." He went limp against her, and she could tell he was going to run.

"I've never slept with Kal. I've never slept with Trevor or Arthur or anyone that people think I've slept with. I've never slept with any man and I want to sleep with you, Bruce Wayne. I want Batman to be my first." She rubbed against him, slowly, gently. "You know that. Somewhere, deep down in that Kevlar-shielded heart, you know that."

He moaned, and it sounded like surrender to her.

"Make me weak again?" She kissed him slowly, feeling him respond, his lips pressing down with more force the longer they kissed. "Show me how you love."

"Not here."

"Where else? This is you. This is the deepest you. Take me in your bed some other time. Not the first time."

It seemed to be the right thing to say because he was suddenly pulling off her uniform, helping her pull off his. The ground was cold and hard; the small stones pushed into her back and legs, and she didn't care. But he might. "You'll be a mess by morning."

"We'll be upstairs in my bed by morning," he said, and she'd never heard his voice so light. "Possibly with a heating pad and first aid kit. You did a number on my leg, you know?" As he talked, he was kissing his way down her body. Stopping at many places of interest. If she'd been standing, she'd have fallen.

"God, Diana."

She didn't need light to know what he was going to do, but she was surprised how well he controlled her as he did it. He knew exactly where she was. He drew her back, urged her on, and pulled her back again. She had her fingers tangled in his hair, cried out in frustration.

He laughed. But it was a warm laugh. "You want me to finish it?"

"Bruce, for the love of all the gods..."

He finished it. She was very, very loud as he did it. She didn't mean to make so much noise, but he didn't seem to mind. He was chuckling when she finally shut up.

"Was it good for you, Princess?" This time he said the title with the utmost affection.

"You make a damn fine courtier, Mister Wayne." She pulled him onto her. "Wouldn't you like to have your way with me?"

"Well, I'm not sure, your highness." He moved as he teased her, easing onto her, then into her.

They both groaned.

"Oh, my." She closed her eyes.

"You all right?" He kissed her gently, and she realized he wasn't moving much, was waiting for her, waiting to make sure she was okay.

"I love you." Pulling his face to her, she kissed him, opening herself up to him in every way she could. "Love me."

"I don't have any choice." His hands were gentle on her as he began to move. "God help me, I've tried not to. But you're relentless."

"Me?" She laughed huskily as she nuzzled his cheek. "And you think that marking me was the best way to show disinterest?"

She could hear him laugh, the soft exhale a wonderful sound in the dark.

His voice was very husky. "I wanted to claim you as mine, even in some small way."

"Well, I wanted to be yours. So your nefarious plan worked well with my ultimate goal."

He groaned in mock dismay. "I've fallen prey to your evil scheme?" He was moving faster, harder.

It felt wonderful.

"I'm afraid so, Batman. You are now my prisoner."

"Damn." He stopped talking, was making other, interesting noises as the intensity grew.

She decided she liked the intensity, and the friction it caused, and the parts of his body that rubbed against other, very sensitive parts of her body.

Soon they were both making a lot of noise.

"As evil plots go...," she whispered when they finally lay still.

"That one's a keeper." He held her close, rolling to his side and groaning, probably as the dagger-like rocks pushed into his butt. "You really wanted this for your first time? You are one weird woman."

"That's why you like me." She kissed him as lovingly as she could.

He kissed her the same way back. "You're not like other girls."

"Well, you're not like other boys. It's a perfect match."

He sighed. It was a very happy sound.

"So how long will this tracking tattoo really last?"

He chuckled. "Forty-eight hours."

"Hmmm. We could have a lot of fun with that."

"Diana, I have a feeling we could have a lot of fun with a loaf of Wonder Bread and marshmallow fluff."

She thought about that. For too long apparently.

"I just mean they're the most boring foods I know, and you could spice them up."

"That's so nice of you. Are you feeling all right?"

He laughed.

"But that isn't what I was thinking about. You know, if you mixed them right..." She ran her tongue down his ear, then whispered just what she was thinking.

He was up and trying to find his uniform. "I think a grocery run is in order." He took a step and cursed. "Damn, Diana. My leg really hurts."

She got up, reaching around for her uniform. He'd left her tiara on her. That amused her. "Maybe Alfred has something similar upstairs?"

"Upstairs? Where the bed is? Great idea." He laughed, somehow finding her in the dark and pulling her close. "I love you, you know."

"I'm very happy about that."

"Somehow, I doubt that you're as happy about that as I am, Princess."

"Oh, I am so happy. I have never been happier." She decided another game of tag might be in order.

He seemed to read her mind, grabbing her hand, and saying gently, "Come on, happy one. You can play hide-and-go-seek in my bedroom."

"Who knew you were such a wuss?"

"Diana, there's bat guano all over. It's gross." He laughed. "Not that I noticed or cared a few minutes ago. But I think it's time to repair to Bruce's lair and leave Batman's to the bats."

"Oh, fine." As she followed him, she realized another smell was following her. A not-so-nice smell. She sniffed at her hair. "Oh my god. That's disgusting."

"Yep." He kissed her. "We both need a shower."

She blinked a little as they walked into the light. "Can we have sex in the shower?"

"We can have sex wherever you want, Diana." He pulled her to him, hitching her under his arm as he kissed her. His eyes were tender and for once, he wasn't hiding. "I love you," he said again, then led her quickly out of the Batcave and to the stairs.

Smiling, she followed him upstairs. She could get very used to this indulgent side of Bruce.

Very, very used to it.

FIN