The Many Loves of Batman

Forgotten Memories (Shayera Thal, aka Hawkwoman)

She was tending to his wounds, disinfecting the wound and covering it neatly. She didn't know why he still went out to fight, much less with how his memories were affecting him at the moment. But she was not able to tell him to stop, she would be doing the same if it wasn't because she needed to take care of her son, Hector. She has left the life of a hero ever since Katar Hol, aka Hawkman, died. She did not want to deal with the suffering of losing her son, not with the danger that kept lurking around the life of a hero. Yet regardless of that, here she was taking care of one of her longtime friends, Bruce Wayne; who she knew was the man behind the cowl of the Dark Knight of Gotham City.

"Thank you..." She sighed, a worried expression on her face as she began to put everything back in the med-kit that she always had in her house. Hector would always hurt himself by flying inside of the house without her approval, but she knew that all he wanted was to experience what it meant to be a Thanagarian. And flying was one of the many things that she knew would help Hector feel better. But even then, he was a great kid and an amazing son. He even adored Bruce and would often see the two of them talking. And that warmed her heart greatly, because it meant that Hector had a father figure to look up to.

"You should definitely try to keep yourself from harm if you could help it, Bruce..." She commented, her eyes looking at his back for a mere second before her sight returned to the med-kit to keep on putting in everything inside of it once more. She was thankfully at the end, closing the lid of the kit and giving out a slight sigh. It pained her to admit it, but she has fallen quite hard for the man behind the cowl of the Batman. Especially looking at how much Hector appreciated him to begin with. Her little boy had not taken a shine to anyone, preferring to stay in his room alone. But ever since Bruce started staying in her humble home, she had been able to see Hector smile more. "I don't want to see you hurt again..."

"I'll try..." She considered his words, carefully trying to see if she could even get a hint of the old Bruce Wayne back. Alas, there was none, and she was glad of that. She did not want to be a hypocrite, she wanted him to get better, but he would probably leave as soon as he recovers from his amnesia and that would make Hector sad. Even when she knew that Bruce needed to return to being who he originally was, there was a deep part of her that did not want that to happen.

"Bruce... Ever since I came to Gotham, I have tried my best to not ask for anything. I dislike being in debt to people, and I do not know how to give thanks..." She tried her best to explain her feelings. It would be the only time she would be able to do so, with Hector thankfully already asleep in his room. He would be all over Bruce if he was awake. Her wings flapped slightly, folding themselves further into her back. It was quite uncomfortable to have her wings against her back almost all day, almost forgetting the feeling it brought when she used to spread them open freely and without a care in the world. "I try to look strong for Hector, but most of the time it is just a mere facade. You have been the greatest thing that has ever happened to Hector and me and I cannot thank you enough for it... But I do not want to see you get hurt like this..."

"This is the price I have to pay for doing what I do, Shayera..." Shayera nodded, understanding his words perfectly. She knew more than anyone what was the price to pay, what it really meant to be on this kind of job. Yet, it did not mean she had to like seeing him get hurt. Regardless of the fact that she knew that he could still defend himself greatly, seeing him with all of those injuries was like someone was stabbing her in the heart with Nth Metal. "There will be more time... It will always be like this" She got closer to him, her hand extending itself to the largest injury he sustained during this last patrol. Times like these were only making her want to put her armor back on and help him in his patrols over Gotham. But her mind always went to Hector, who could be in danger if he was all alone, and someone wanted to hurt her by hurting him. "I will accept it, but it is a price I have to pay on my own"

"It's too much for one person to handle... But..." She didn't finish her words, didn't want to even think about the possibility of what she had just thought to be true. She knew that Batman has had many lovers throughout his life, with many of the females being her fiends. He could have amnesia right now and may have forgotten about someone in his life. She hoped dearly that there was no one, her heart already knew that she could no longer live without him. Especially since Hector adored him so much. "There may be someone waiting for you..."

"Maybe... I don't know..." She lowered her face, her eyes gathering tears in them. She didn't know why it hurt to hear him say these words. She never cared before, yet everything was different now. She was in a relationship with Katar before, and Bruce was single at the time and she hopes he still is. But a hand reached to her chin, raising her head so that her eyes were looking at his own. She could see just how much love he held in his eyes, something she had never seen before Bruce got his amnesia. "But, what good would it do to have a loved one if I don't remember why I love her?"

This was all she needed, the confirmation her mind was waiting for before she moved closer to him and gave him a kiss on his lips. Her wings extended slowly, covering the duo who just kept on enjoying the kiss that she started. She had kissed him before by accident, but this held a whole new meaning in their relationship. It meant that the two of them would be there for each other even after he had managed to heal from his condition. And she would be there, alongside Hector, every step of the way to help him recover. And maybe she would be able to give her son a brother or sister, she always wished for a big family after all.