Strong Enough

By Serena

Summary: "You're a princess from a society of immortal warriors, and I'm a rich kid with issues. Lots of issues."

Diana, exiled from Themyscira, ends up in Gotham City, looking for a new life. But despite her great physical strength, will she be strong enough emotionally and mentally to face the dark, twisted criminals of Gotham? BM/WW. AU.

A/N: OK, this is just an experiment to see how this goes. I've got a ton of other fics to update, but I've wanted to do this for a while. I don't know how it'll go, so we'll see. If you've read my Justice League stories, you'll know I'm a huge BM/WW fan because of the cartoon. The quote is actually from an episode where Wonder Woman's trying to get Batman to ask her out, and he keeps giving lame excuses. That's one of them.

Disclaimer: Me no own. You no sue.

CHAPTER ONE

"Scarecrow's escaped from Arkham."

"Big surprise there."

"He'll be caught. The police'll get him."

"You mean Batman will get him."

"Yeah. That's what I meant."

Commissioner Jim Gordon stared out into the night, rubbing his glasses with a handkerchief. He sniffed and put them back on, turning to go back inside -

And had to stop himself from shouting when he saw the familiar cowled figure standing about a yard away, cloaked in the dark shadows of the night. He stared at the other man, trying to think of what to say. But he didn't have to say anything.

"Scarecrow's escaped," the Batman growled.

Jim finally found his voice. "I know. I've sent out a warning to all nearby districts - we're searching the whole city for him. You come up with anything?" He couldn't say how relieved he was to see the Dark Knight again. Ever since he'd been forced to order Batman's capture, he and the vigilante hadn't seen each other much. Jim was secretly thrilled to see how much everyone else was beginning to miss the familiar presence of Batman - even bitter cops and political figures. The mayor, who originally had disliked the Dark Knight, now realized how much Batman had helped out Gotham City.

Now, only several months after the death of Two-Face, people were beginning to wonder if the reports of Batman killing people had been true. Mike Engels had interviewed people off the streets, and most of them said they didn't think Batman, who'd done so much good before, would go crazy and kill several people.

"But ya know," said one interviewee as he rubbed his nose, "That Joker freak was gettin' everyone all nuts. Maybe Batman couldn't take it and went crazy, too. Hey, I don't blame him."

However, some people thought differently.

"He's a vigilante and a murderer," one angry citizen spat in the camera. "He needs to be hunted down and taken care of before he kills someone else."

It pained Jim to see that people blamed Batman for the murders, and it made him even more upset at Dent for going off the deep end. But then again, it was hard to blame Dent - he'd lost everything, tormented by the Joker. Jim honestly didn't know if he would've done differently if he'd gone though something like that. He almost had.

He then realized Batman was speaking.

"I'm on it."

Jim nodded. No thanks were necessary this time. "I also think you might want to know about something else. The past few weeks, we've seen a string of violent murders associated with theft. Here." He handed Batman a few photos. Batman perused them, silent as Jim continued: "They look like they're physically torn apart. You hear anything lately?"

"Rumors. A creature down in the sewers."

"What, like a crocodile?" Jim snorted.

"If rumors are true," Batman said, "the creature was green and scaly."

Jim frowned. "But that's impossible. Must be a guy in a suit or something."

"I'm considering it."

Jim wasn't convinced. "You think... it's something not human?"

"It's possible."

"But that's..."

Batman shot Jim a look. "You know anything about Superman?"

Jim sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, some stuff. He's supposedly an alien, right?"

"From Krypton, a destroyed planet in a distant galaxy," Batman finished. "Don't rule out anything yet, Jim. From what I've seen so far, humans aren't the only ones on the planet. Trust me." He slipped the photos into a compartment in his belt.

"We've barely finished with the mob, and now we've got some inhuman thing running around the city?" Jim shook his head and looked down at his shoes. "I don't know how much more this city can take."

"I'll take care of it."

"You've got enough problems on your hands already," Jim argued. "First with the capture on your head - the whole city's hunting you down - and now this?" He rubbed his temples. "I don't see how you can stay..." He looked up, but the Dark Knight was gone. "... sane." He sighed again and wondered how absurd it was to be talking about sanity to man beating criminals up with his bare hands, dressed up in a bat suit.

But as he walked back inside, he realized that talking to Batman, dealing with him was normal now. And apparently, aliens in blue and red were normal in Metropolis. Maybe insanity was normal now.

Bruce rubbed his eyes and sighed as he clicked through the images on the screen in front of him. Another long night for the Batman, and unfortunately, things seemed to be getting harder before they got easier. The Joker was gone for now, but the Scarecrow was running free, hiding no doubt in the Narrows, and now there were rumors of a crocodile man in the sewers.

"Do you realize what time it is, Master Bruce?"

Bruce blinked and rolled his chair back, stretching his arms over his head as Alfred walked up to him with a paper bag in his hands. "Late?" he guessed.

"Early," Alfred said dryly. "Close enough, though, I suppose."

Bruce sighed again and rolled back, facing the computer screen again. "More reports of that crocodile man in the sewers," he said, rubbing his stubble-covered chin. "I'm not sure if they're just crazy rumors or if they actually have some merit yet. I'm leaning towards the latter, I'm afraid."

"First crazy clowns and now crocodile men in the sewers? Perhaps it is the end of the world," Alfred remarked.

Bruce shook his head and opened the paper bag. "Peanut butter and jelly?" He held up the sandwich in the ziploc back and raised his eyebrows.

"I need to do some shopping. Besides, peanut butter has protein," Alfred said. "And besides, you rarely eat anything I make anyway, Master Bruce."

"I don't have much time to eat, Alfred. In between going to business meetings and beating up the scum of Gotham, I can't find much time for food."

Alfred raised an eyebrow. "Then it's probably a good thing, sir, that I'm making you find time to eat."

Bruce made a noise in the back of his throat as he chewed on the sandwich and clicked on the mouse again.

"Or maybe," Alfred added, "you might want to think about settling down sometime. Having a serious relationship."

Bruce frowned. "I don't have time for a serious relationship, Alfred." His eyes darkened at the thought of Rachel. "Besides, it would be too dangerous. I couldn't put someone else in danger because of me, Alfred. I won't let that happen." He rose from his seat and stretched again.

Alfred watched him as he walked away and started to follow him. "Determined to live a life alone, then, sir?"

"If it's the only way to protect Gotham, then yes." Bruce turned back to face his mentor.

"Even you need a break sometimes, Master Wayne. After all, you're only human."

"Batman isn't. And I can't risk it either way. As Bruce or as Batman. If I started a serious relationship as Bruce, eventually, I'd have to tell her the truth, wouldn't I? And that would mean putting her in harm's way and asking her to keep a secret that's almost impossible to keep." He turned away, his face more drawn and dark than Alfred had seen in a long time.

The elderly butler sighed and muttered, "I tried."

She couldn't remember when she'd been this angry. Her limbs, her entire soul was burning with fury. With a sudden burst of rage, she sped forward, flashing through the sky like a hot lightning bolt. Her hands curled into fists, shaking. Her lips were pressed together in a tight line, and her hair billowed behind her in waves of silky ebony. She felt the cool air rush over her thinly clad body, reveling in the moist air that hit her face, her arms, her legs, and her shoulders.

One thought was running through her mind.

How could she do this to me?

It had been a simple job, really. Humanity had been in danger - she'd seen it through the mirror that revealed the outside world. A ship was about to sink, being thrashed about by the furious waves. It would have sunk if not for her. She'd saved over three hundred lives.

And she'd been severely punished for it.

Exiled.

The cruel word still rang in her ears. Exiled. She'd been exiled from her home. The only home she'd ever known. Torn from her sisters, her friends, her home. Her mother.

Her mother.

Her lip curled as she remembered the last conversation she'd had with her mother. Not a pleasant one, to say the least. The words still burned on her tongue as she spoke to her mother for the last time.

"Diana, how could you?"

"I had to, Mother! They were so close - and they were all going to die!"

"I don't care, Diana! You know you're not supposed to leave the island."

"What would you have had me done, Mother? Let them sink and die?"

"If it be gods' will, then yes." Her mother's voice was adamant.

"Mother, how can you say that? We have the power to do so much good in the outside world - and yet we train, we live here in seclusion - and for what purpose? We have these gifts from the gods - why not put them to good use and help humanity?" she argued.

"Because, daughter, the outside world is a cruel, dark place that would rip your innocence, your life away from you without a second thought. The outside world is filled with greed, hate, lust, evilness, and darkness. You, who have been raised in light and peace, would not survive."

"I am an Amazon, mother!" she growled. "What makes you say such a thing? Why have we been training if not to fight?"

"I do not mean physically, my sun and stars. I mean emotionally. Mentally. Man is evil and works in subtle ways to destroy you. Not all wars are wars of the sword. Men have ways to destroy your mind. And I will not inflict that on our people again."

"We can help, Mother. We can bring light to their darkness," she persuaded.

"I cannot ask my sisters to go through that again." Her mother looked down, and when she looked up, her eyes were glittering with tears. But they were hard. "Diana, you have broken the most important rule of our tribe. You have left and shown yourself to the outside world. You have brought man to this shore."

"They were all unconscious, My Queen," she protested. "Their ship was easy to repair. They had no knowledge of my assistance."

Her mother shook her head. "This cannot, unfortunately, go unpunished."

She stiffened. "What is my punishment?" she asked quietly.

Her mother sighed. "Diana, as rule of the Amazons, for aiding man, bringing man to our sacred shores, and for leaving the island... you are hereby banished from Themyscira, never to return."

Her eyes widened, and she couldn't hold back a small gasp. "Banished? Forever?"

"I am sorry, Diana." Her mother looked down. "There is nothing else I can do. It is the law. You must be exiled."

Exiled. Banished.

"Mother..."

"Diana, do not make this harder for me." For the first time, the Queen turned away from her daughter.

She had nothing else to say.

Biting her lip, she scowled and blinked back tears. No. She could not cry. Crying was weak. And she was not weak. She was stronger than this. She could move on. She had to. There was nothing else to do.

She was Diana, former Princess of the Amazons. And she would survive.

TBC...

So, let me know what you think. I won't continue if you guys don't like it. :)

- Serena