The Superman & Wonder Woman Fan Archive

CHAPTER FOUR

Diana forgot about how devastated she had been such a short time ago at the thought of not seeing Superman again, completely forgot her joy of a few moments ago when she had opened her door and found him standing there, too.

All she could think of at the moment was the typical male arrogance!

She made no effort to open her apartment door wider or invite him to come in. 'Isn't it usual to ask?' she snapped tautly, controlling her anger with great difficulty.

Superman shrugged dismissively. 'I knew you never would.'

Her eyes widened incredulously. 'I wasn't talking about me!' she gasped.

His eyes narrowed, and he walked past her into the apartment with easy familiarity, de­spite Diana's unwelcoming attitude. 'Why would I need to ask to fly down with you to Themyscira?’ he said with genuine amazement. 'I'm the one doing you a favour.'

Diana had followed him agitatedly into the elegantly furnished lounge. 'You can take your favour and—'

'I've already spoken to your mother, and she agrees with me—'

'You've contacted Hippolyta?' she gasped again, her eyes even wider than before.

Superman gave an arrogant inclination of his head. 'Actually, during the course of the con­versation she invited me to spend Christmas with you and the family,' he revealed distantly.

Hippolyta would. Her mother was one of the kindest, most warm-hearted, most gen­erous people she had ever known, and she would have thought that Superman was spending this festive family season alone and that would easily move her to make the invitation to Superman. And she would have meant it sincerely, too.

Goodness knew, Superman was far from being a stranger to Hippolyta and Donna and the other Amazons; even though they had met him on a few occasions, Diana had talked about him often enough!

And she hadn't yet had an opportunity to tell Hippolyta and her mother that she was no longer part of the JLA.

She eyed him warily across the room. 'And what was your answer?'

His mouth twisted mockingly. 'Don't worry, I don't willingly go where I know I'm not wanted.'

'Oh, but I'm sure my mother—'

'I wasn't talking about your mother,' he drawled dismissively.

Her cheeks burned with heated colour. 'It has nothing to do with me whom Queen Hippolyta chooses to invite to Themyscira and into her home,' she told him stiltedly.

'Nevertheless,' Superman's mouth firmed, 'despite your mother's kind invi­tation—which, incidentally, I'm sure was genuine—I have no intention of intruding upon the Christmas family scene that means so much to you.'

Considering that Superman loved Christmas, looked forward to spending it with Ma and Pa Kent, every year, Diana couldn't imagine that he had not seriously considered the invitation.

'Don’t you have to go home to Smallville for Christmas? Or don’t you want to spend it with Lois? All the more reason for you not to fly down with me to Themyscira,' she dismissed.

'Lois is away in Copenhagen, covering the Climate Change Meet of Nations and I can’t be there as Clark.  And I intended to spend New Year’s with Ma and Pa as I had watch-duty.  I don't have anything else to do.' He shrugged broad shoulders. 'And as we are both well aware—' his mouth twisted derisively '—the whole world grinds to a halt at Christmas.'

'That's never seemed to stop any crises before,' Diana recalled drily.

He shrugged. 'This year, I’ve left it all to Dinah, who is a capable Deputy Leader. She’s happy to do the watch-duty with Ollie and that will give them the privacy they seem to want. I’d like to take one of our valuable players home safely. I don’t know when I will find another combat partner so attuned to my own style and thoughts. And a few hours' notice isn't time enough for me to be able to train up another one,' he added.

She didn't even blink at his words. 'I have no wish to talk about work.'

'Neither have I,' he drawled, glancing out of the window of her flat. 'Snow looks imminent, so if you want to leave…'

'I'll go when I'm ready.' She spoke with more stubbornness than good sense, because snow did look imminent.

'Strange.' Superman looked at her consider­ingly, just as if he were viewing a somewhat wayward child in his presence. 'I never con­sidered you an impetuous person until today.'

Possibly because today was the first time he had seen her as even being halfway woman, rather than just an extension of the JLA or an Amazon Princess!

Diana wanted him to just disappear, but it looked like he was not going to do that. How could she refuse his accompanying her now without looking absolutely stupid and childish? Es­pecially when she was well aware of the fact that she couldn't possibly be upsetting any of his own plans for Christmas.

'I'm still not prepared to talk about my res­ignation,' she told him firmly.

The grimness relaxed slightly about his mouth, as if he was well aware that a victory of one kind was imminent. 'I've already said I don't want to talk about it either. But if at some time during the journey you should decide you would like to discuss it—'

'I won't,' she insisted abruptly. 'It's a fact, irreversible, un—'

'I think I get the message, Diana,' he drawled at her vehemence.

'In that case, what's in this for you?' She raised mocking brows.

'Nasty, Diana,' he said. 'Very nasty.'

'Educated,' she corrected drily.

His mouth quirked in a facsimile of a smile. 'You and I worked well together because we understood each other. You know me better than I know myself most of the time. And, knowing me as you do, you're right: I'm not going to give up hoping you'll change your mind.'

She met his gaze challengingly. 'In that case, we had better get going, hadn't we?'

Superman showed no surprise at her decision to accept his help after all, glancing across at the box that stood ready in the hallway. 'Is that all you're taking with you?'

She might have realized he had known from the onset that he would have his own way! Super-human, Super-dictatorial, Super-self-assured -!  'Yes,' she bit out tightly.

'Just a polite query,' he murmured toler­antly at her defensive attitude. 'No criticism intended.'

Diana watched him with troubled eyes as he crossed the room to pick up the box. A few hours flying alone with him, in the circumstances; she had to be insane.

She muttered to herself as she checked her apartment one last time and prepared herself to follow him out of the flat. He had already done that faster-than-light turn of his and changed into his costume and her eyes followed him appreciatively.

God knew what this was going to be like, and yet in a strangely masochistic way she was actually looking forward to it!