Ivycreed6: Thanks to for reviewing!! And to The-Lady-Isis for being my Beta and being awesome!

Author: Ivy Creed6

Title: Between the Lines

Beta: The-Lady-Isis

This particular chapter takes place after The Once and Future Thing.

Chappie 12: Time is on my side

I cannot promise very much.
I give you the images I know.
Lie still with me and watch.
We laugh and we touch.
I promise you love. Time will not take that away.

-Anne Sexton-

Bruce suddenly found himself back in the Cafeteria on the Watch Tower. Heroes walked around with their trays, eating and laughing with one another completely oblivious to the horror that had just occurred.

"That all really happened?" John asked breaking the silence.

Bruce took note of the gash on the top of his friend's head. "I think it did."

"Then…we won! Everything's back to normal?"

As normal as it ever could be he supposed. Bruce looked down at the glass of water he didn't remember having in his hand.

"That's a nasty cut John…" Diana's voice startled him. She was supposed to have walked up on them while he was verbally digging his own grave. Something she would never remember.

"You don't remember going on a mission with us today do you?" He asked as she sat down and began eating her Jell-O.

"I just got here…" She said looking at him as if he'd gone nuts.

Of course she would there was no mission today for her. Even if she'd been there until the last second. He remembered how he'd nearly lost it at the sight of her disappearing before his eyes. He saw the same pain, worry, and desperation in the eyes of his older self at the same time. Even after she'd died and was gone for fifty years he'd apparently still loved her. It hadn't escaped his notice how much the old man looked at her, as if he were seeing a ghost, a memory long lost.

Bruce pulled himself from his thoughts, he couldn't think about this now. Later, but not now.

"The time line is restored to equilibrium." He muttered turning his body towards Green Lantern. "We're the only two people who remember what happened."

Green Lantern was lost by then staring after the woman he'd learned had his child, his son.

Bruce sighed taking his eyes from the man who was longing for something in the past and in the future. He knew how torn his friend was. He loved Shayera, but refused to be with her, he couldn't trust her, and yet he wanted the future with her to take place.

"What happened to Chronos?" He asked.

Bruce couldn't help but smirk a little bit, his solution had been quite genius. He would be locked in a never ending night mare. "I reprogrammed the belt so that Chronos would never come to exist."

"What are you two talking about?" Diana asked, her fork had paused half way to her mouth.

Bruce hadn't forgotten she was there, how could he after all that had happened that day? He wanted to stare at her and never take his eyes away, not even blink for fear she would vanish again.

Diana was returning the look with concern etched into her features. "Bruce are you okay?" He didn't want her to worry, he never wanted her to be anything but perfectly happy and content ever again.

There were so many reasons to be together…but there were reasons not to be. He was holding himself back, he had to have that kind of control of he would give in and regret it.

But after he lost it in the future, when she disappeared Batman came to the forefront pushing Bruce away and he ran on nothing but sheer anger… anger and desperation to get her back, to find her and make everything okay. The only thing he really could remember in that time was one of the few minutes that they stopped moving and his older self pulled him aside.

"I don't want to know what you have to tell me…I can't know the future." Bruce warned himself, but the old man was having none of it.

"And I don't care that you don't want to know. I am you and I know exactly what you need to know." He said evenly, the stoic mask was plastered across the old man's face.

"I know what you're going through right now, you're being perfectly irrational…and you won't save anybody working like that. When we stop this guy, when his time runs out and you get yours back. Don't be a damn fool and waste it. You're going to tell Diana you're an idiot and that you love her and hope she hasn't moved on to somebody more deserving."

Bruce's eyes narrowed behind the lenses. The old man couldn't see, but knew himself well enough to sense the venom in his voice. "I can't do that you know the reasons."

"The reasons are stupid."

"She could get hurt!"

"Are we talking about the same woman? I know her just as well maybe even better than you and I'm telling you now you'll give up and allow yourself to have some happiness or you never will be happy and she won't be either. Ever."

The old man turned away then and everything was business again. His thoughts sharpened and he was Batman again. A man with a mission. He was going to fix everything. He was going to see her again.

Green lantern looked between the two of them and cleared his throat. "Perhaps I should-"

"No!" Batman objected hastily without even bothering to turn. "You stay here…Diana we need to talk."

Without asking he grabbed her wrist and pulled her along after him…if she objected to being dragged off she didn't say so. He didn't stop until he reached his barely used room in the Watch Tower.

He waited until the door was shut and he checked to make sure it was locked.

"Bruce what's wrong?" There was real distress in her voice. She probably thought he was going crazy…maybe he was. He pulled off his cowl and tossed it aside.

Her brow was furrowed; he reached up and gently smoothed it with two fingers. He regretted the material between his hands and her skin.

"Diana, I saw a future where the world was messed up so bad it couldn't be fixed. A Future where villains ruled everything and killed heroes by the dozens…and the worst part of all was you weren't there."

He took her face in his hands, she didn't look as concerned anymore, but he could sense she was worried, this behavior wasn't usual for him. He tucked her hair behind her ear, and leaned forward kissing her forehead below her tiara. "In this future I was old and alone, so alone and I missed you so badly. I watched you disappear before my eyes and that was my only regret…of everything I've done pushing you away was the only thing that I would take back."

"Bruce-" There were tears in her eyes. He didn't want to see her cry.

"Diana I need you. I need to be with you. When you're gone I can't function, I can't think rationally. And I need that Diana. I used to be so independent and didn't need anybody, but then you burst into my life, a vibrant light shining helping me find my way out of the darkness…I can't go back there again."

She was smiling up at him and he thought his heart would break seeing that smile. He didn't deserve such a goddess…but she didn't care.

"You don't have to Bruce."

This time he kissed her. He touched her lips with his own beginning innocently enough, but he couldn't hold back, he pulled her to him, her body curving connecting with his. She was so strong, but seemed so fragile in his arms, renewing that desire to protect her with his very life, but now the only way he could do that was to stay with her every second…and that didn't sound so awful.

The kiss intensified every second, conveying the passion and desires both had held for so long but hadn't acted on. He couldn't believe he'd resisted her all this time.

Diana pulled away breathless, her blue eyes staring into his almost as if she couldn't believe that this was really happening. She traced his cheek with a delicate finger; he closed his eyes leaning into her touch. The lightness of it sent a shiver through his body causing Diana to smile.

"You aren't going to Fly away like a scared little bat now are you Bruce?" She asked quietly, there was lightness in her voice, she practically radiated joy.

He smiled allowing himself a quick kiss before answering. "Never. I'm completely yours."

She grinned and kissed him again.

Screw all the reasons, this was right. He wasn't going to end up that bitter old man in the future and Diana wasn't going to be killed, not if he could help it. The way it was supposed to be and he wasn't going to forget that ever again.

The End

Okay guys I'm pretty sure that this is The End for this story...I do currently have other things in the works...but if you want another addition to this one you can request it in a review.

This one seems to have gone by pretty fast, I just get so excited that I write and post a bunch at once. I'm actually gonna miss doing them all.