I'm playing hooky here... (I should be listening in class instead of republishing... At least, typing furiously while the professor is discussing stuff is making me look busy LOL)... Added a few tweaks here and there but no so much to stray away from the story.

The characters and songs are not mine, unfortunately.

Not Broken, Just Bent

I started out clean, but I'm jaded
Just phoning it in, just breaking the skin
Can you help me? I'm bent
I'm so scared that I'll never get put back together
You're breaking me in and this is how we will end
With you and me bent

Bruce watched Diana as she slept. She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. And he had seen many. Far too many, if he had to be honest about it. Long, curly lashes lay like lush crescents above her delicately molded cheekbones. Her glossy, black hair splayed across the pillows of his king-sized bed. The moonlight glinted off her creamy skin. Her soft, generous lips tempted him to kiss her. Her features exemplified fragile femininity but there was a firmness to that small chin of hers that hinted of willfulness, courage and kindness. Courage and kindness – a remarkable combination in any woman – but even more so in Diana. Just because she was Diana.

Gently, he moved the blanket to cover her naked form. A small frown marred her otherwise smooth forehead when his hand grazed her shoulder. A small frown – he felt a twinge at the spot where his heart was supposed to be. A small frown – that was all it took for his guilt to start gnawing at him.

I never should have let it come this far, he thought, not for the first time. His normally impeccable logic dictated that he would only hurt her in the long run. It was something that he did not relish doing. Not ever. But Diana was persistently stubborn. At first, he had been confident that he could resist her. He had his reasons ready – all of which were very convincing. But he underestimated the stubborn streak that defined his Amazon princess. In the end, he had caved in. His only consolation was his decision to make Diana a pleasant part of his life. He would not allow her to be the center of it – that much power over him he would never give to any woman. His mission comes first. Gotham comes first. At least, he still had that part under control.

But this did not change the fact that this relationship was headed for a major train wreck. He knew that sooner or later, as sure as the sun rose in the east, he would have to push her away - for both their sakes. Diana was a drug and he could not afford to be an addict. You don't want to hurt her but you'll do so anyway, a small voice told him. Bruce frowned in self-loathing. I never should have let it come this far, he told himself again, feeling like a broken record.

Earlier, after they made love, she had asked him why he was never there when she woke up in the morning. He had just given her a small, noncommittal smile in reply. And now, while she slept, he answered her.

"If I woke up in your arms, Princess, I will be waking up to a bright, sunny day and all these unpleasant thoughts in my head will just be memories," he told her with the barest of whispers. "If I woke up with you in my arms, I will learn to love like other fools do and I will begin believing in happy endings, impossible as they may be."

With that, Bruce stood up slowly from the bed, making sure that his weight did not joggle the mattress too much to disturb Diana's slumber. He put on his boxers.

And tonight, I'd rather not sleep because the thoughts of losing you, of no longer having you in my life, have ruined even my happiest dreams. With that last bitter thought, he silently left the room.

Just give me a reason, just a little bit's enough
Just a second, we're not broken, just bent
And we can learn to love again
It's in the stars, it's been written in the scars on our hearts
That we're not broken, just bent
And we can learn to love again

Running her hand through her ebony black hair, Diana sighed. She had take to sighing much too often lately. Being with Bruce was frustrating. It was like dancing the cha-cha. Two steps forward, two steps back. Moving without going anywhere. Just when she thought they were making progress, Bruce started doing things to push her away. It hurt every time he did that.

She had lost her patience earlier this evening. What started out as a promising dinner date ended in a major setback in their so-called relationship. She could not even pinpoint what started the argument exactly. All she knew was that Bruce suddenly turned distant and cold and she had reacted to his mood negatively.

"What was it that John Lennon said? 'Love is the flower you've got to let grow,'" she had told him. "Let it grow already, Bruce and quit trying to rationalize it!"

"I am what I am, Diana," Bruce had replied harshly. "How many minutes of your immortal life will you have to waste for bullshit you know you can't change? How much heartbreak will you have to endure for you to realize that love does not conquer all? How many frustrations will you have to take for you to know that not everything that you want are the things that you need?"

Just as scathingly, she had erupted. "And how many more will you have to hurt for you to find yourself, Bruce?"

She would never forget the stricken look on his face.

Okay, maybe it was my fault, Diana admitted to herself. Maybe I'm pushing a little too hard. But Hera, help me, why must he be so stubborn? Why must we hurt each other this way? I know he loves me. With every look, with every touch, with every kiss, he shows me that he loves me. I can feel it. What will it take for him to admit it?

She swiped angrily at the tears that streaked down her face. Maybe I am wrong to pursue this relationship. Maybe I am just imagining that he feels something for me when in reality he just doesn't care. Maybe… maybe I should just give up…

Amazons do not run away from a fight, she thought automatically, contradicting herself. Her usual mantra had little conviction behind it though.

And this was a fight - a fight for what they could have together. Diana did not know if she could win this one but she had to try. She just needed one good reason to go on fighting. His smile, she thought, feeling quite pathetic. The way he smiles that special smile when he thinks I am not looking. It should be reason enough. Diana sighed. Again.

Bruce let out a feral growl as he unleashed a powerful roundhouse kick, hitting the punching bag right smack in the middle with a very loud thump. The chain that held the punching bag aloft fractured, sending it hurtling through the Batcave. Foiling two bank robberies tonight while on patrol was not enough for him to forget how disastrous their dinner date turned out. The criminals were going to seriously need medical attention. He had been unforgivingly brutal. Beating up somebody to a pulp was not his usual M.O. but his anger had gotten better of him. His control had snapped like a twig caught in a tornado.

Through years of training in martial arts, he had learned about self-control. This was one of the reasons why Batman was so formidable. He had a tight rein over his thoughts and emotions. And the first step in achieving control was to acknowledge that there was something to control in the first place. Denying that something existed will not make it go away. It will only keep coming back to haunt you. But if you accept it, you can do something about it and thus, achieve control. One of his many senseis had told him that.

Bruce took a deep breath, trying to find his center. Fine. I will no longer deny it, he thought grudgingly with a wry twist of his lips. I love her. I love Diana. There. I've admitted it. Now what?

Just give me a reason, just a little bit's enough
Just a second, we're not broken, just bent
And we can learn to love again
I never stopped
You're still written in the scars on my heart
We're not broken, just bent
And we can learn to love again...