First Love by chrryfiona

Chapter 1: Just a Friend

He hated funerals and this one was no exception. It always seemed to rain – at least, it did the funerals he attended. There was no question, however, of his not going because Rachel Finch née Dawes was his childhood friend and, for a short while, lover. She was still undeniably a beautiful woman; the years merely matured her, making her curvier. They say that one never gets over one's first love but Bruce didn't think that bias influenced too much how he saw Rachel as she stood near the priest, watching the coffin being lowered six feet into the ground. She had said she would wait for him, but in the end, the waiting became too much.

"The man I loved, the man who vanished, never came back."

The words stung him as she had known they would, for they were her last attempt at forcing him to give up his dual identity.

"I spend a lot of time being scared for you."

In the end, she could only see that he loved his dark side more than he loved her and so she had quit her job to marry her boss, Carl Finch, Gotham's ambitious District Attorney, and spent the last 10 years helping him with his political campaign to be the youngest governor of Gotham City. That dream was cut short by a fanatic lobbying against the recent Death Penalty bill. The ironic thing was, Finch was neither for nor against the bill and was merely biding his time to see which position would benefit his chances for election. Unfortunately, he played his cards too well and one bullet later, Rachel became a widow.

Lost in his thoughts, Bruce didn't notice the tall woman by his side until her husky voice reached his ears.

"Do you mind if I share your umbrella, Mr. Wayne? I seem to have forgotten mine in the Watchtower."

"Dia…!" He caught himself. "Princess. I didn't know Themiscyra kept such a close eye on Gotham politicians."

She shrugged noncommittally. "I didn't know playboy and jetsetter Bruce Wayne cared about Gotham politicians either. Or any politician, for that matter. Their wives, on the other hand…"

"Careful, Your Highness. I might think you were jealous."

At a standstill, the two stood side by side in silence. The rain was coming to an end and Bruce noticed gratefully that the funeral was too. A line formed as people walked forward to offer Rachel their sympathies.

"I'm sorry, Bruce. I know you hate funerals and I didn't want you to go alone." Diana said softly, eyes still faced forward and not looking at her companion. Bruce didn't say anything to acknowledge that he had heard her but he took her right hand and tucked it around his left arm which was holding the umbrella.

"Bruce." A teary girlish voice greeted him.

"Rachel. I'm so very sorry." And he was. He knew all too well what it felt to lose a loved one, especially if that person was the foundation of your life.

Rachel leaned forward, her arms outstretched to embrace Bruce only to be stopped short when she noticed Diana's presence. "Wonder Woman?"

"Mrs. Finch." Diana looked at the woman who had moved closer to Bruce and was now leaning slightly against him. She was tall too, only an inch or so shorter than Diana but so slender, so delicate, so… feminine. Everything that the Warrior Princess knew she herself was not. More importantly, this woman had a history with Bruce. She knew a side of him that Diana did not and never would. Yet despite her all too painful jealousy, Diana could not help feeling honest pity for this woman who had just lost a husband and whose face was tracked with tears.

"Please accept my condolences for your loss."

"Thank you, Wonder Woman. Carl was always a big fan of yours." Rachel turned toward the man standing between them. "We haven't seen each other in ages, Bruce. Do you think we can meet for dinner tonight?" Seeing his hesitation, she placed a hand on his chest.

"Please, Bruce. I really need to talk to you." She lowered her voice. "I need to talk to Batman."

His eyes searched her face before nodding. "Of course. Do you want me to pick you up?"

"No, I'll meet you at Wayne Manor at 7:30."

They moved aside to let the next person talk with Rachel and as they walked out of the cemetery toward the parking lot, Bruce found himself once again appreciative of Diana's long legs, though in this instance it was for a less prurient reason. The fickle clouds had decided to stay after all and the drops rained down harder than before. Even with their quick steps, they were still slightly damp when they got into Bruce's limousine. Alfred, proficient butler that he was, handed both of them small towels before turning to maneuver his way around the mass exodus of cars.

"She's a very beautiful woman, Bruce." Diana noted tauntingly.

"She's just a friend. A childhood friend." He emphasized.

"Hmmm…"

He wordlessly quirked an eyebrow at her.

Ignoring him, she continued to dab the towel lightly down her shirt.

"That's a very annoying habit you've picked up from Alfred, you know. Just say what you think."

"Well, if she's 'just a friend' as you put it, then I don't know what to think now."

"What is there to think about? We're just two friends having dinner."

Still not looking at him, she raised her voice to the man behind the wheel. "Actually, Alfred, you can let me out. I can fly back to the Watchtower just as easily from here." And before Bruce could say another word, Diana had already opened the door and was gone.

Alfred, seeing that the traffic had prevented him from moving any further, decided to take pity on his young master. "Sir, I believe the Princess was trying to tell you that you've forgotten you have a dinner date with her." He clarified helpfully. "This very evening."

Bruce closed his eyes as realization dawned on him. "Shit. It's Diana's …"

"Birthday, sir."

"Shit."

"Quite, sir."

This is my first ever BM/WW fanfic. I know this is a short first chapter but I sort of have the whole story plotted out already so I promise I'll put up the next chapter real soon. In the meantime, please tell me what you think.