Chapter 15: Date

"talking"

'thinking'

...

National City, April 21, 17:45 UTC, 2015

Edgar POV

If I could describe the feelings I have right now, they would be a mixture of happiness, embarrassment and fear.

The first, is pretty simple. Ever since I met Diana, my shitty life has brightened up. Ever since I became this Spirit of Vengeance, I thought I no longer deserved to be happy, that I no longer deserved love. I had simply closed myself off to that feeling and focused on remedying all the damage I had done throughout this time.

The Revenger Group. The conglomerate dedicated to biotechnology, biochemistry and medicine, which I had managed to create with all the effort that, as an immortal, I had dedicated to myself.

It was the answer to the little forgiveness I had been able to earn after taking so many lives as this vengeful spirit. Of course, were evil and disgusting people, but they were people.

Sometimes I could sympathize with the heroes of why they didn't kill even though it would be easier to avoid so many unnecessary deaths. What can I say, just being the judge and executioner of these sinners never felt.... well

Being immortal, and with the almost unlimited resources I had been able to generate throughout this time (mafia robberies and smart investments) I had focused all my efforts in this work. Helping those people who were innocent in this world full of hate. Bringing better living conditions to people who couldn't afford it. Cheap medicines, more innovative treatments, working for and for the world. I thought that would make me happy...

Or so I thought, until I met Diana. Just now I couldn't stop... smiling, feeling fulfilled, feeling really happy. I have to admit it, I liked her... a lot.

But it's impossible not to. She achieves this feeling in anyone. She is a person full of virtue, of love, of curiosity and above all, of justice.

I still feel surprised by the great revelation she told me that day in the hospital. I was surprised that she held me in such high esteem as to tell me her great secret, and after that, my respect for her grew. Being Wonder Woman is a big job, and if anyone deserves to be called a hero in that group of people dressed in tights, it's Diana.

That's why I also feel ashamed. Even though she had the confidence to tell me her big secret, I wasn't able to. But what can I tell her, I don't want her to know I'm a.... monster.

That's why I made up my mind that today I would tell her the truth. After months of spending time together, going out, laughing, today would be the day she would know my secret.

If she wanted to walk away after this..... Just thinking about it makes me quite scared.

"Who is she?"

"Wow, could she be a model?"

"So beautiful."

'Here she comes' I thought to myself.

No matter where Diana goes, she always causes a sensation in front of people. At this moment I really hate being blind. Sure, my sonar allows me to see people's features pretty well, but I can't really appreciate the colors or the shades of those features. And from what they always say in the news, Diana is considered the most beautiful heroine in the League.

'I hope everything goes well'

...…..

Diana POV

'I'm nervous' I thought as I rubbed my sweaty palms together before getting out of the cab that had taken me to downtown National City. Ignoring the not so discreet leering the cab driver had given me all the way, my mind was off as I imagined what this date would be like.

I had put on a flowered dress, light makeup with pink lipstick on my lips and the expensive perfume Bruce had given me for my birthday. Even though Edgar is blind, a woman always wants to look good for her man.

What am I thinking?, He's not my man!, 'But he might be after today' I said to myself. After this thought, a slight blush spread across my face, now my nervousness had grown.

"Who is she?"

"Wow, could she be a model?"

"So beautiful"

I ignored the murmurs of people as I walked, my super hearing not appreciating any of this, as my concentration was focused on the man who was waiting with a pretty bouquet of flowers just a few feet away from me with a smile on his face.

'He looks so handsome' I thought to myself.

He looked quite good, he had a blue jacket with a white shirt underneath. He was wearing grey denim pants that fit him quite well, and black shoes to complement. Plus his trademark black glasses and his cane indicating his condition. There were handsome men in the League, but Edgar at this moment, in my eyes, was the perfect man.

Giving me a smile before I announced my arrival as if he knew it was me, as he always did. It seemed he always knew I was the person approaching him. Sometimes I feel like his blindness is a lie.

"Diana, you look so beautiful today"

"Ha ha, how funny, you don't know that. I might as well be wearing pajamas right now" I replied abruptly. This may sound rude, but that's how our relationship was, and that's why I liked him.

I could answer him sarcastically and he would not be offended, since he was also sarcastic in his own way. And as I said, this didn't affect him, only his smile had grown.

"Well it must be a very nice pajamas if it captivated all those people while you were walking around hahaha"

"shut up idiot" I punched him lightly on the arm while hiding my blush. He always managed to embarrass me. Someday I will be the one to embarrass him. My revenge will come soon.

"Well, Are you ready?" he gave me his arm which I gladly took.

"Let's go" I said with a smile

'This will be fun'

....

"Edgar, where are we?"

Arriving at a place that looked like a mansion on the outskirts of National City, I didn't know where we were, since Edgar told me it was a surprise. The place was huge (AN: imagine the X-mansion, but less luxurious and without the X-men obviously)

We entered through the main entrance, where we were greeted by an older woman dressed as a nun.

"Edgar, it's a pleasure to see you again!" Said the nun as she excitedly hugged Edgar.

"It is a pleasure to see you again sister Maria. May I introduce you, this is Diana" said Edgar as he pointed at me

"Oh Edgar, your girlfriend is very pretty" said sister Maria as she gave Edgar a knowing nudge. This sentence made me blush slightly

"It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Diana, Edgar's friend" (AN: even if you wanted something else, don't deny it).

"It's a pleasure dear, please come, we are preparing everything for the party in the backyard" she said as she started walking inside the place

'Party?'

We continued walking down the large hallway. The mansion was quite large, full of rooms and stairs leading to at least three upper floors. The furniture had a Victorian look to it, but with modern touches, giving it a rather unique but beautiful look.

We continued walking around the place until they reached the courtyard. There I saw at least 100 children of all ages ranging from 3 years to 15 years. The younger ones were having fun while the older ones were helping, putting tables and chairs, the other nuns who were also a little older than 50 years, were helping, cooking meat and preparing vegetables.

When they saw Edgar, most of them jumped for joy, the little ones surrounded him and hugged him. One little girl in the group, who looked adorable, almost shot out like a projectile towards Edgar, who grabbed her and carried her with his arms, simulating an airplane, which made the little girl very happy.

"Edgar you came!" said the little girl of about 5 years old while hugging him. She had some braids in her jet black hair and her chubby cheeks gave her a very cute and tender look.

"Of course I came, how could I forget your birthday Lissy. Look I want to introduce you to a friend. Diana, this is Lissy, Lissy this is Diana"

"Hi Lissy, it's nice to meet you" I said with a smile. But I was surprised as Lissy just stared at me

'Did I do something wrong?' I wondered. After some time, she asked me innocently.

"Are you a princess?"

I couldn't help but smile at the question, she was so adorable.

"Why do you think that Lissy?" I said amused. Technically I was a princess, but I couldn't say that, could I?

"Is that you are very pretty, big sister" she said shyly taking her little hands and looking down, this melted my heart. Edgar also had a smile on his face from this interaction

"Yes, she is very pretty, isn't she?" said Edgar which only made me blush again.

'Damn, you'll pay me back'

"Now Lissy, leave big sister alone, go play" interrupted sister Maria, "now you two go and make yourselves comfortable, you two will be our guests."

"Don't you need any help?" asked Edgar

"shh shh shh shh, I said you are our guests, make yourselves comfortable and let us finish this" she said with a tone that did not accept refusals as she shooed us away with her hands. Edgar had a wry smile on his face, as if knowing that this was how this old woman behaved.

As we made our way to a bench away from the hustle and bustle and sat admiring how the children and adults were working.

"This place is beautiful Edgar" I said cutting through the silence.

"It is. This orphanage is a project of mine apart from the Revenger Group. Most of these children have been orphaned derived from local villainy. The older ones even lost their parents in the invasion" said Edgar as he took off his dark glasses, revealing those beautiful light gray eyes that I liked so much

"Many young people who lose their parents at a young age become delinquents, drug addicts or alcoholics. I thought that if I gave them a place and resources, so they could achieve their dreams and avoid that horrible fate that awaited them, they could become great adults and make a name for themselves. Most of them are doing very well in school, there are good athletes and some of them even have the skills to be able to go to work at the research center in the future. I certainly think I did something good"

"You did something very good Edgar, you should feel proud!" I said as I took his hand and joined it with mine. He squeezed my hand and wrapped his fingers with mine. His hand was soft and firm with no sign of calluses.

"Thank you for showing me this, you are a good person Edgar" I said. And it was true. Edgar always surprised me with his kindness and with his work, more than anything, what I liked about him, was his selflessness towards the things he did.

"You know, I have come to learn that there are no good and bad people. We all have a little bit of light and dark inside us Diana. Life is not black and white, life has shades of gray, and if we don't learn this, the harder it is going to be for us to see the real world we live in."

This made me wonder a lot of things. I feel like Edgar was right, and I along with the League sinned in this, having a view that there are pretty definite lines of good and evil.

But, for example, Cheetah, I know she is not a bad person, dangerous yes, but not evil. She just wants to go back to being a normal woman, and I am sure many villains have similar problems.

'Maybe the League needs to change their mindset...' I sank into my thoughts.

"Sorry, the atmosphere got tense because of what I said" Edgar said pulling me out of my thoughts as he scratched the back of his neck with his hand and had an embarrassed look on his face. "I hope you don't mind if we have dinner here today, I promised Lissy I'd be at her birthday."

I turned my gaze back to the courtyard which was already finishing being decorated with lights as night was falling. I would have more time to think about the future, for the moment I would focus on the present.

"I don't care, this is perfect" I said with a smile as I laid my head on his shoulder, a comfortable silence hovered over us as we cherished the moment together. Just this moment was perfect for me...next to him.

...…..

Edgar POV

"For her 4th birthday, Lissy asked Edgar for a Pony. All the rest of us knew it was a ridiculous request. The older kids knew it. Us, the sisters knew it. Even Edgar knew it. But there was Lissy, with her little puppy dog eyes asking Edgar for a pony. And you know what wise Edgar did? .... he bought her a Pony!"

"And you made me give it back, sister Maria"

"Of course I did, I wasn't going to keep an animal that ate three times as much as all the kids put together. I'm telling you Diana, that Lissy girl has Edgar dancing on her index finger"

"That's not true...hey why are you all laughing, clearly it's not true"

"hahahaha" everyone had a smile as Sister Maria recounted my misfortunes. What can I say? Lissy was like a little sister. Clearly I liked to spoil her.

The atmosphere was harmonious, there were lights decorating the garden and several tables full of food. At the table we were at, it was the adults' table, where all the sisters who took care of the orphanage, the older children and Diana and I were. From her heart rate and the emotions my senses were picking up, that it seemed Diana was happy, appreciating the moment.

"Well, it's almost 20:00, let's sing Happy Birthday" said Sister Maria as she got up and went to get the cake she had personally baked for the celebration.

"Alright guys, gather around, we are going to sing Happy Birthday to Lissy" said Sister Susan, the youngest of the nuns who took care of the orphanage. We all got up and made our way to the head table, where at the front was Lissy.

"Well here we go, 1, 2 and...3 Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Lissy, happy birthday to you...now make a wish."

Lissy approached the cake and in a loud voice said.

"May we all be happy" she said as she blew out the candles.

"yeeei" everyone clapped and congratulated.

This harmony, this happiness, this...it made me see that life had good moments that were worth living for. I turned to Diana, her rhythm, her shouts of congratulations, her emotion in her voice told me she was happy. .... I wish it would always be like this

'But there are things that can't be avoided' it was time to tell her the truth. The truth about me. My biggest secret, she deserved to know.

...…..

We were walking through the bustling streets of National City. Even though it was after 21:00 the streets were still lively. Many people were going to the bars, couples holding hands, friends celebrating, some were returning from work.

We, after saying goodbye to everyone at the orphanage, decided not to call it a night and went for an ice cream, clearly this was Diana's decision.

"I thought you were full" I said with sarcasm in my voice.

"You can never get enough when it comes to ice cream Edgar. The food of the gods, I'm telling you"

"Ha, I would know you would say that"

Despite our happy conversation, I had a feeling in my chest, that something bad was going to happen. A premonition inside me that something horrible was going to happen tonight.

'Could it be because of the confession?' I thought to myself. This feeling I had, only felt a few times throughout my life. And the last time was at the invasion.

"Edgar, are you okay?"

I think Diana noticed my nervousness because she asked the question I didn't want to hear.

Taking a deep breath, I urged myself to tell her the truth. After this, it won't be the same, our whole relationship will change after this. Friendship, love, will change, and that's something I was afraid to face.

"No Diana. I am not well. Actually, I have something important to tell you"

I don't know what was in her head, but her heart rate started to increase in nervousness

"Tell me, I hear you" she said with a hint of nervousness in her voice, trying to hide it as best she could with a serious tone. But for a sensor like me, who could discern every nuance in the tone of a voice, she could not hide it.

"Diana, you are a great person and woman, since I met you I have never been happier in my life. You have brought happiness and love where I thought there was none. Besides, after you had the confidence and courage to tell me your great secret as Wonder Woman, my respect for you increased. Our relationship became closer and better... and I am very sorry to tell you that I have not been completely honest with you Diana as you have been with me. That's why today I want to tell you everything"

I took a deep breath, urging myself to calm down. The feeling of premonition that something bad was going to happen was getting stronger and stronger. My mind was cloudy and I couldn't calm down, until I felt Diana's hand on mine, immediately my mind cleared up

"Whatever you have to tell me, don't be afraid to say it, I'm listening" she told me with a calm and unwavering voice. With a voice that gave me the confidence that she would always be for me. My doubts vanished because of this

"Diana the truth is that I'm-"

"TSSS TSSS TSSS TSSSSSSS"

A loud interference was heard all over the city, interrupted my speech. The screens showing advertisements and propaganda went out, giving a gray interference picture

After a short time the image cleared revealing the image of a person, but when people saw this, many began to panic knowing the identity of the person.

This wasn't just happening in National City, it was happening on every television, computer and media outlet in America.

In the image was a green-haired, pale-faced man with white makeup. His smile, adorned with red lipstick, was that of a psychopathic clown that even "It" himself could not match. His purple and green two-piece suit adorned his image. This person was one of the most deranged minds in the world. A psychotic criminal like no other and the Bat's greatest nemesis. The Joker.

"Ready Mr. J, we are live" could be heard the somewhat hoarse voice of a woman behind the camera. This voice contained a hint of madness with hints of affection and love for the person called Mr. J.

But, for those of the League and some Teen Titans like Robin, who knew the voice, could identify her as the Joker's girlfriend and partner in crime, Harley Quinn. Or formerly known as Dr. Harleem Quinzel, a doctor of psychiatry that the Joker had corrupted with his twisted love (AN: A more toxic story than this shameless author's ex)

"Oh Harley dear, you're a lifesaver" said Joker. He immediately turned his gaze to the camera and with a creepy smile said.

"Bats, Bats, Bats, since my beginnings we have been dancing this deadly tango. I've had enough, it's time for us to move on to another rhythm, don't you think so? Today I come to bring a tune for us all to dance to. You, your super friends and the people of the world hahahahahaha" said the Joker opening his arms as if welcoming his madness.

"I have planted, not ONE, not TWO, but 100 bombs in every of the 5 biggest and richest cities in the United States. Washington, New York, Metropolis, Central City and National City, and here in my hand is the detonator" he said showing a device with a big red button

"I won't say where I put them obviously, otherwise it would be very easy to play the game. It can be anywhere, a street, a hospital and even in the apartment of someone who is watching this hahahahahahaha. Can you imagine sitting under a bomb?, hahahahaha just imagining it makes me laugh"

When he said this the people in the streets started running for their lives, scared panicking. Everything turned into chaos.

"Now, now, don't worry, I promise you I won't detonate any bombs until an hour has passed. In an hour there will be fireworks, kaboom kaboom kaboom. But not before, boy scout's promise" he said as he raised his hand and put on a rather serious expression.

"How nice it would be to see the fireworks together Mr. J"

"And we will see them Harly, and we will see them... Bats you have one hour if you don't want blood splattered all over the place hahahaha, time is ticking, tick tock tick tock"

After saying this, the screen went black and then showed a counter that indicated the time

[00:59:59]

[00:59:58]

[00:59:57]

"Shit" Diana and I said at the same time, there was no better word to express what had just happened.

The Joker had now messed up big time, and if his threat was real, many lives would be lost to his twisted games. Clearly what I was going to say to Diana was pushed to the back burner.

Immediately, Diana's cell phone rang. The tone was different from her usual ringing tone. This was to indicate that it was League business, but Diana who trusted me and had already received several calls with me present, did not tell me to stay away or anything else.

"Wonder Woman speaking" Diana answered the call.

"Wonder Woman" Batman's voice rang "come immediately to the Watchtower, emergency meeting beta 03H8". The beta level indicated a terrorist level threat from what she had told me.

"I'll be there" Diana replied

 "Edgar I-"

"Say no more" I cut her speech, "You have to go, then we'll talk, I promise. Go and save the world" I said with a smile.

She smiled back at me, but I was surprised when I felt her heart pumping faster indicating nervousness. I was going to ask her what was wrong. But what she did, left me with a numb mind.

The kiss was simple. A simple kiss that didn't last a second but, to me, it seemed as if time had stopped. Her soft, full lips with a taste of the vanilla from the ice cream she was eating lingered on my lips.

"Stay safe" with this phrase and a heavy blush she flew off on her way to the National City boom-tube to head to the Watchtower.

My mind was still blank....

AN: 

Guys, if we reach the top 50, I will upload the next two chaps next week, titled Madness 1 and Madness 2

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Next: Madness 1

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