Author's Note:

Sorry for the weird coding error. When I came back to this chapter, all I saw are css formatting tags all over. I just gotta fix it. Again, it's not my best chapter but I think it still a fitting ending :)

It's easy to start a riot in Black Gate prison. All you have to do is punch a thug and let testosterone take its course. If a full scale riot takes place that's when getting your freedom becomes ridiculously easy. Unless, of course, a man dressed as a flying rodent shows up.

Batman's right boot slammed on the side of a man wearing an orange jumpsuit. He felt good about it, knowing that his bones are completely healed. When the prisoner was out, the dark knight turned to the opposite side, creating a swirl motion of his cape. Five more convicts faced him. Each of them became nervous the second they saw his face.

That was because the Bat was smiling.

Not really a wide, cheery smile, but a smirk. As unbelievable as it sounds, it was enough to make criminals question his sanity. Every crook knew that the Bat never smiled. So generally, Batman smiling meant danger, danger and more danger. Of course, what came after it proved the idea right. The five prisoners went down with Batman's swift punches and kicks. He timed the whole scene in his mind. Five seconds. One second for each thug. He wasn't even breaking a sweat. Good, he thought. He'll have a lot more of that for the others. Confident of his abilities, Batman challenged himself to take out all who came to attack him.

Ten convicts didn't look as scared as the ones before them. They were more on stupidity's side than bravery. Bruce wiped off the smirk and made a fighting stance.

But a few feet in, a red blur breeze through and knocked down all if his opponents.

"You're welcome" the Flash said.

Batman blankly stared at the scarlet speedster. Wally spoke again. He greeted Batman with the usual silliness

"Deep down, I know you're happy to see me"

Again, Batman didn't react. He was satisfied that the cavalry came in time. When Flash ran to punch more of thugs, he saw her.

The golden lasso tied a bunch of the orange clothed and swung them hard to a wall, producing a lot of pain for the ones inside the loop. She collected her lasso and landed a few feet from Batman. He nodded to greet her.

"Are there more of them?" Wonder Woman asked.

"I've trapped several groups in the left wing. There are a few others in the armory" he replied.

Immediately, the princess and the speedster charged ahead to the armory. They left Batman all alone. Remaining motionless, he watched Diana fly away from him.

Bruce couldn't help but think about their moment together a month ago. He still felt her hand in his palm as they danced to a familiar song... the last painful smile she made before she left the simulation room.

The pain was mutual.

And then, he reminded himself that he can't think of that anymore. It was the right decision to end it... whatever it is. This was the life he chose. She'll only be his colleague and he'd keep his distance. And that was enough.

After a short minute, Diana and Flash came back victorious. They turned over the convicts to the authorities and departed from the prison with the Javelin that Batman came with. As usual, they came back to the Watchtower with more work waiting. It was seven in the morning and Batman was assigned for monitor duty. Diana was called for a typhoon that hit the Micronesian islands and left immediately. Unlike them, Flash just stood by and hanged around the Monitor Womb.

"Geez, Bats!" Flash exclaimed, "I'm starting to think that you're like those sparkly vampires"

Wally has always believed that Bruce didn't sleep at all. That's not true of course. He was just a man and like any man, he needed sleep. But today, he didn't get a minute of shut eye. Flash did the math which was probably based on the multiple requests for assistance on standby that Bruce had sent the Watchtower and his help in Black Gate.

The work began yesterday morning when Batman clashed with the Royal Flush gang. Having no time for breaks after, the dark knight went on to stop the Joker from bombing a theme park which took longer than expect. After that, he went to the Wayne Enterprises board meeting (as Bruce Wayne, of course), which lasted about three hours. Soon after, he had to rendezvous with Superman at the cave for some mission involving Lex Luthor. When it was night, he went on patrol. Next was the Black Gate riot. He hadn't even realized that it was morning again until he saw the time on the Javelin's digital clock.

He knew Alfred will scold him.

As he logged into the monitor womb's main computer, Bruce ignored the speedster. Flash stayed and seemed to be looking for something.

"Where is it..." he muttered.

Wally crouched and grabbed something from under the computer console. It was a bag of chips.

"Nothing like a week's worth of stash" Wally uttered before devouring his first potato chip.

Which reminded him... he hasn't eaten since the early breakfast yesterday. But as usual, Bruce shrugged it off. His work was important. It was his life. And frankly, it was only thing keeping him from thinking of Diana.

When Batman's shift was over, he beamed back to the manor to get some shut eye. As expected, Alfred made some eloquently snide remarks. Bruce scowled hearing it but he heeded ever word. Sleeping should be easy, but his mind wouldn't allow it to be easy. Bruce fought the insomnia but ended up losing. He sat on a stool in his kitchen, eating the left over sandwich that he quickly found in the fridge.

The clock said that it was eleven in the morning. He counted the hours and concluded that he hasn't slept for about twenty eight hours.

Again he shrugged it off.

"An insomnia attack, Master Bruce?"

His butler finally caught him.

"Yes. Can't seem to beat it"

Bruce stood up after his last bite on the sandwich. He turned to Alfred.

"What do you recommend for remedy?"

"According to my experience, Chamomile tea and a really nice, long break..."

Judging by the slight difference from the usual tone, the butler wasn't done in giving him the education.

"... or perhaps, you ought to accept that you, no matter how well equipped, are only human"

"Have you been talking to Clark?"

Bruce brought back the scowl and Alfred just looked at him with a small welcoming smile

"No, sir. But I am pleased that Master Kent seem to share the same sentiment"

Sometimes, he really hated how older man sided with the Kryptonian.

Alfred's wishes on his master won't be fulfilled anytime soon because Batman was needed again. Some convicts have successfully escaped Belle Reve Penitentiary and he had to help track them down immediately. In a span if two days, he was able to catch five fugitives. Two were still at large, namely Cheetah and Clayface. Both were extremely hard to find, especially Clayface. Eventually, the dark knight had to attend to other cases and shelved the hunt.

In those days, Bruce haven't had an hour of sleep. There are times that he dozed off but then horrifying images emerged from the depths of his mind within minutes into slumber He saw his dead partner again, his parents and even Diana. All of them were in horrible states. As always, he had to wake up to stop the dreams. Most of the time Alfred had to shake him out of it.

It was six days after that a few have started to notice Batman's sleepless schedule.

"Sleeping pills" a voice suggested.

Batman was preoccupied with one of the computers in the Monitor Womb. He was setting it to collect feeds of surveillance cameras across America.

"Huh?"

"I said sleeping pills. You should take sleeping pills"

Green Lantern sat in one of the chairs that faced computer consoles. He wasn't using any of the equipment.

"I've tried"

Bruce was passed the sleeping pills stage. Obviously, they didn't work. And he's not going to try again because he doesn't want to get careless and die of overdose.

"You gotta try something" said Lantern.

"Like what?" Bruce spat. He wasn't in the mood to hear some tips that John might've googled

Green Lantern sighed.

"Like slowing this down for a while. You've been working actively twice as much without breaks and then you still patrol Gotham every night. You even took a second shift for monitor duty"

"So?"

"So!? You. Need. To. Stop"

John's voice was loud and clear. He sounded a little frustrated too. Superman must've given up trying to talk to him that he gave the responsibility to the Green Lantern. Unfortunately, the ring can't snap the Bat out of his workaholism.

"Aren't you worried that you might die? I've read that someone died of sleep deprivation. Extreme exhaustion even"

"It's been only over a week"

"And it's getting worse. Your stamina's off. I saw you fight Death Stroke yesterday. It's the first time I saw you sloppy"

Batman started on the silent treatment. He was good at it and the Lantern knew it. Both men let the silence fill the room for a while. Batman ran the facial recognition software on the surveillance feeds and set it to active search. It got a match within seconds.

Batman stood up and started to walk towards he door.

"You're fighting to forget her, aren't you?" Lantern uttered out of the blue.

Bruce stopped his stride.

"I know there's something going on between you and Diana and... don't worry. I haven't said a word to anybody" John said with a smirk.

He could really feel how proud the Lantern was when he finally got his attention. Sometime in the past, John had jokingly asked Bruce about his relationship with Diana. Batman denied it, but it seemed that the Lantern never believed his denial.

" Recently...something... happened to the you both... The way you avoid her and the fact that she's got a date tonight... I'm not gonna buy another denial.

"Then don't"

Batman left the room knowing what to do for the evening.

The secret to lasting a week without sleep was the organic tablets that Bruce had acquired after the League's encounter with Dr. Destiny, a crook that can deliver telepathic tortures through dreams. It was, of course, part of his emergencies if ever someone attempted the same attack on the League. This case was different though. Batman was taking it so he'll stay focused enough to do his job. Since it was useless to fight the unbeatable insomnia, he might as well do something useful for the time being. The tablets helped reduce the symptoms of sleep deprivation and they were safe to take frequently, but they didn't give him the energy he needed.

Which means that, slowly, Batman's body was shutting down despite being awake enough to do everything. It was only waking his mind not his body.

On the rooftop of a three-story building, Batman perched near the edge. With his specialized lenses, he watched the people on a fancy restaurant across the street. There, he found Diana with her date near a window. She was wearing a dark blue dress that stopped just above her knees. Her hair flowed freely on her shoulders. Her bracelets added to the style. The Amazon princess was radiant.

Her date wasn't so mysterious. Agent King Faraday, the Justice League's liaison to the government, had an eye on Wonder Woman since day one. He had asked her to go out with him a few times before. Diana rejected him every time.

It's no surprise that she gave him a chance now.

"The white haired agent in a special tux laughed with Diana as they ate steak and drank wine. Bruce suppressed his urge to throw a batarang at the guy. Despite the distance and the wind resistance, he could really do it...But he's not here to spy on dates. He's here to catch a furry criminal.

Cheetah had been roaming around the city in disguise but the active facial recognition search tracked her every move continuously whenever she appeared on surveillance videos. The last time the software spotted her was thirty minutes ago, a few blocks from the restaurant. The same restaurant that Diana and Agent Faraday chose to dine in tonight.

There are no coincidences.

For sure, Cheetah has planned for revenge in prison. Very Typical. Sure, the female meta-human can throw a good punch, but the Amazon has a bigger force. Her date can also help. King Faraday is also an expert fighter, well trained in certain martial arts and...

...left-handed.

"Zoom" Batman ordered his lenses.

The agent was drinking wine with his right hand. Diana wouldn't know. She doesn't see agent that much, apart from the quick glimpses in the Watchtower and rare team-ups.

"Thermal"

The lenses switched to thermal imaging. Diana's temperature readings vary in different parts of the body, which is normal. Faraday's, however, were completely even on all parts.

Without hesitation Bruce fired the grappling gun to the building across the street. When the hook was secured, he jumped off and swung directly at a window. The force broke the glass and threw him just close enough to the dating pair.

Some gasped, others screamed. Who wouldn't? A giant bat has just crashed into the restaurant.

The landing was rougher that he thought. He almost lost balance.

"Batman?"

Diana stood up. So did Faraday.

"Get away from her!" Bruce growled with a batarang at hand.

Wonder Woman seemed angry.

"What's the meaning of this?" she shouted.

No time to discuss. He threw the super charged batarang at Faraday. It hit dead center on his middle and electrocuted the man instantly. Faraday screamed and dropped on the ground. Soon, flesh started to melt and change color. It was turning into mud.

Diana was shocked and began to back away from her date.

Faraday's screams became growls. His true form was showing. People screamed at the sight and ran panicking towards the exits.

"Clayface!" Wonder Woman exclaimed.

Out of instinct she balled her hand and made a prepared stance. At this point, she made it to Batman's side. She turned to him.

"How did you know he was an imposter?"

"I knew your date pretty well"

Batman made a fighting stance in case Clayface overpowered the charge. Suddenly, a flying knife knocked off the batarang on Clayface's abdomen.

The mud creature rebuilt itself and revealed his true size and form. Clayface was now twice the size of both superheroes. His hands grew bigger and his face turned into hideous pile of mud with two holes on top as eyes and one big hole for the mouth.

"It looks like we have a double date" the villain uttered as the very last civilians charged towards the door.

The restaurant was now unoccupied, except for the area that pairs of two sides stood.

It was a cue for the other half of the criminal duo to appear. Out from the shadowy part was a slender person wearing a hooded cloak. The disguise was taken off and revealed a woman covered with fur and spots. Her cat eyes show confidence.

"They say revenge is sweet. I say it's sweeter when you have someone who can pulverize princesses wearing shiny bracelets" said the female crook, "Surprisingly, the flying rodent was stupid enough to join"

Cheetah's pose turned from tamed into a deadly and wild animal. Bruce and Diana readied themselves.

"Clayface darling, do you want the bat or the the princess?

Clayface's huge mouth made a grin.

"Our date wasn't finished" said the mud monster.

"Alright. I was hoping to go on a bat hunting anyway"

The two lunged at the heroes in front of them. Clayface created a huge anvil on one of his hands and pushed forward towards the Amazon princess. Cheetah attacked with ferocious speed. Her claws almost nabbed Batman's face as he try to evade them.

Bruce block a few jabs before the claws scraped his shoulder. His movements weren't fast enough so he resorted to using his batarangs and smoke bombs. It worked for a while before Cheetah overpowered him with a powerful kick. He dropped on the ground and was very winded

The Batman was losing. He was being sloppy.

As a last resort, he threw a canister of sleeping gas at the vengeful woman before she made her final attack.

"Diana!" Bruce called.

As she blocked Clayface's giant anvil hands, Wonder Woman immediately saw the spraying gas. Without one quick move she punched the monster with all her might and darted away from the gas as it spread quickly. Batman wore a mask to protect himself. Too focused on her opponent, it was too late for Cheetah to stay clear of it or hold her breath. Clayface, however, wasn't vulnerable to gasses.

When Cheetah dropped on the floor unconscious, the mud monster growled furiously. Bruce realized that these two fell in love in prison, or at least she made the monster fall in love with her and used him to escape. Nevertheless... prison romances were always strange. Lovers or not, they're still criminals.

Like a freight train, Clayface charged towards the dark knight. Before he could do damage, a powerful kick from Wonder Woman defaced the shape-shifting pile of mud. The instigator fell back. Quickly, Bruce called Diana and threw a circular device to her. She caught it with her right hand.

"Punch it to him" Batman ordered as he slowly got up from his position.

Holding the device, Diana quickly punched it into Clayface's abdomen and left it there. She stood back and watched the monster freeze from inside out. Clayface made a loud growling noise before finally turning into a large popsicle.

Diana sighed in relief. Batman approached her.

"So much for the date" she commented.

"Bruce just stood in silence. The princess looked at him. She seemed to be expecting him to say something.

Instead of conveying it to words, Batman move closer and locked his lips with hers. The world faded away for a moment. All Bruce knew that he was longing for it and so was she. The kiss ended when both had to catch their breath.

Genuinely, she smiled at him with joy. It was a sight for sore eyes.

Unfortunately for Bruce, his vision became blurry soon after.

"Are you alright?"

He felt her hand catch his head before finally passing out.

The IV on his vein was making his skin itchy. Bruce wanted to scratched it so bad.

"Why am I not surprised" Clark muttered.

Superman looked at the man on the hospital bed with his best expression of disappointment. Wonder Woman sat on the edge of the bed while she read a book.

"You've just healed your leg and now it's sleep deprivation plus extreme exhaustion" the man of steel complained.

Bruce made a smirk. The Kryptonian frowned.

"Don't get all smug about it. Lucky for you, Diana was there to get you back to the Watchtower"

When Bruce didn't respond, Diana chuckled.

"And you're supposed to be angry about this" Clark pointed at Diana.

"I am angry" Diana said, "It's just that watching you get mad is amusing"

She was now laughing.

"Diana, I'm serious"

Watching Clark trying to stay mad was indeed amusing. Bruce chuckled at the way Superman's face conveyed irritation. He looked constipated.

"OK. I'm just... I'm done with this. Just talk to him before he tries to kill himself again"

Clark said before he left the hospital room.

"Ugh. I thought he'd never leave" Diana uttered.

She sat closer to Bruce. Her face became moderately serious.

"He is right, Bruce. You gotta take care of yourself"

The frown on her face made Bruce feel very regretful, but he was happy to find out that letting her go was not as healthy as he thought. His mind and body nagged him of his mistake. It was insomnia at first, but later, it became something more.

"I know" he said plainly.

"Promise me you won't tire yourself to death before you kiss me" she said with a smirk.

"Promise" he replied with a small smile.

Diana nodded to acknowledge his word.

"Ok then," the princess began as she stretched her arms for the fruit basket, "What do want to eat? mangoes or oranges?

And then, they were back to step one.

THE END