The Superman & Wonder Woman Fan Archive

CHAPTER FIVE

They flew together. Superman holding onto Diana’s box, his attention was all grimly on what was ahead of them, in the fast falling snow. Diana, followed him, free to gaze at him to her heart's content without fear of his noticing what she was doing. Just to look at him made her heart beat faster. His profile was so strong and handsome. He—

Dear lord, they weren't even out of earth’s first atmospheric layer yet, and already she was thinking about him. She was going to be a wreck by the time they reached Themyscira!

Superman had always had the power to affect her this way, but usually during the time they spent together she didn't have a moment to think, let alone allow her emotions for him to have free rein. But now there was no work to distract either of them…

'I never realized Christmas was important to you,' Superman spoke suddenly in the strange stillness of late morning.

Diana gave him a startled glance. 'You never asked.'

'More criticism?' He frowned darkly.

'Certainly not,' she answered truthfully. 'Why should a colleague be interested in another colleague’s personal likes and dislikes?' And, as her pained heart knew, the two of them had certainly never crossed over that finely drawn line.

Superman drew in a harsh breath. 'I thought we were at least—friends.'

Now it was Diana's turn to frown. Kal didn't have what she would have classed actual friends. He had a lot of acquaintances, but no one who was really close to him. And she had always believed he preferred it that way. Bruce and she were closer to him than any of the others, but he was still reserved with them. They were close companions and could count on each other in times of need, but their friendship was only nascent at best.

'Don't look so stunned, Diana,' he drawled self-derisively. 'My obvious misapprehension doesn't bind you to anything.'

Friends? Kal and she? If they were, it wasn't the sort of friendship she was used to— nothing at all like the friendship she had shared with Io for so many years. With Io, it didn't matter how long it had been since the two of them had last seen each other; they would instantly fall into a warm conversation as if it had been yesterday, talking about any­thing and nothing, whatever the two of them wished. She and Kal had never talked like that together.

And yet she could see she had offended Kal by her skepticism, and she wished there were some way she could undo her sur­prise at his assumption. It was the first time she had ever heard Superman presume such a friendship existed between them, and now it looked as if she was throwing it back in his face!

'I've always hoped we were,' she returned non-committally.

But she had always believed that friends confided things to each other. Oh, she knew all the public facts of his persona and some little known ones, too. About the Kents, about his life in Smallville, about his Kryptonian heritage. But apart from the few brief glimpses he had given her himself, she knew little or nothing about his feelings, his thoughts.

Anyone could find out that Clark Kent came from a farm in Kansas, that his parents still lived there, that he was dating Lois Lane, his close friend was Jimmy Olsen. A select few knew about Jor-El and Lara, about Krypton and its culture, and those few had been privy to the secrets of the Fortress of Solitude.

Diana knew that Superman never went out with women, but that Clark Kent had a soft corner for Lois, and she knew next to nothing about Kal. She sighed. A friend would not be so complex – three different personalities, three different lives and memories, three different cultures, three…

And if he really regarded her as a friend he would have felt able to confide at least part of his feelings in dealing with these complex issues and what drove him. He rarely showed her his vulnerable emotional side, but she knew it existed.  Just as she knew that he was the man she loved.

At the same time, she knew that he had feelings buried inside him, feelings that were too deep for him to share with anyone. She knew that instinctively, not from anything he had ever said or shown from his actions. There was evidence enough in the way he spoke or acted, that he did so from some deep conviction born of life-changing experiences.

The times that she had hoped and prayed he would open up to her! But all he had ever chosen to discuss with her was work-related. That was never likely to change now. And it had ob­viously been enough for Superman all these years.

'As close as I've got to having one,' he echoed her thoughts, as if he had found it all too easy to read them.

He glanced at her. 'Why don't you settle down and have a sleep? I can just as easily carry you and fly, you know. And don't say you aren't tired,' he added softly as she went to protest. 'Because I know that you must be.'

Sleep, be carried in his arms? When she had this overwhelming surge of love for him? It would be the undoing of her. “I wouldn’t be able to’, she said simply.

He shrugged. 'Ok, but if you collapse, I’m certainly not going to petition the gods for your quick recovery! I have no great love for Olympus’ He smiled to take the sting out of his words.

His sense of humor had drawn her to him, as much as his values and they way he lived by them, but what had attracted her most was his love for truth and justice. So close to her own love for the same values.  Superman’s sense of humor was evidenced by the occasional glitter of amusement in azure blue eyes! You needed to know him really well to know that he was joking.

'I'll wake you when we reach Themyscira,' he added drily.

She made a face at him, picturing the reaction of her mother and sisters when they saw Superman fly in, with their Princess in his arms. She received a mocking quirk of his mouth in response. She made a quick decision, following her heart and agreed to let him carry her. She was tired, she admitted it. The last encounter dealing with the major breakout from Arkham, just a few days ago, had exhausted her and other skirmishes that she had resolved had used up her reserves.

'Just make sure you wake me up before we reach Themyscira,' she warned as she settled down in Superman’s strong arms, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around the box.

'Yes, ma'am,' he drawled.

Diana opened one eye and looked at him. 'Try and remember that in future I'm no longer required to be restrained in my responses,' she said.

'I can't say I ever noticed you keeping silent in the past,' he mocked. 'Your honesty, brutal or otherwise, has always been one of the things I've most liked about you.'

He had never told her that he did like her. He had picked a hell of a time to decide to tell her he did! Oh she knew that he valued her opinion, and almost always took her advice, and he had said that on more than one occasion, but he had never admitted or stated anything like or love.

Not that it would have made any difference to her earlier decision. Liking wasn't loving, and she was no longer willing to settle for any­thing less, especially the scraps Superman was able to give her.

Diana knew she had flared up at Donna about appreciating the value of love when it was offered to her; she couldn't then opt for anything less for herself. She had a feeling Donna was well aware of her love for Kal, although, surprisingly, that was the one thing the two of them had never talked about. Donna was her sister, her best friend, but somehow Diana’s love for Kal had always seemed too sensitive a subject to put into words, even to someone as close to her as Donna was. Maybe because Donna had guessed where things stood. The last thing Diana wanted was pity.

She chanced another glance at Superman be­neath lowered lashes. He looked grim again. What was he thinking about as he flew? She had rarely been able to even guess at his thoughts, the facade he showed to the world always enigmatic, very guarded in revealing his emotions or his thoughts. Which was probably right, she mused now, anything that Superman voiced would be taken as God’s own truth across the world. More than anyone else, Superman had to be careful not to take sides, not to voice opinions, not to be seen as partial to any cause. He had to help without getting involved.

Just now, he was probably thinking of something quite mundane—such as how insane the two of them must be to be undertaking this journey at all! It might have been nice, just for once, to im­agine they were a little in tune with each other, especially to talk and share these deeper feelings. But, as she knew all too well, Kal-El was a past master at hiding his thoughts, and feelings, from everyone.

Although he had certainly shown some re­action to her handing in her resignation, Diana acknowledged ruefully. Though she certainly wasn't going to attempt to build any more hopeless dreams on that.

She closed her eyes determinedly, wishing the journey—and this torture—over. Beyond this lay the warmth of Hippolyta and Cassie and her Amazon sisters and their home, the wonder of Donna and Terry's love for each other.

She smiled at the thoughts, wishing herself there, longing for that enveloping warmth, not aware of the moment when the thoughts became a hazy dream and carried her off to sleep…

'Lunch, Diana.'

She and her family were seated about the brightly lit Christmas tree. Her daughter looked up at her with eyes just like her father’s, who was now entering the room, carrying a silver tray of food. And he looked so right standing there, with such a warm expression of love on his face, so incredibly perfect, so—

'Diana, wake up.' A firm hand shook her shoulder.

She frowned at the irritation, trying unsuc­cessfully to shake off the hand, only to have the action repeated, more vigorously this time. 'Go away,' she muttered impatiently.

'You always were bad-tempered when you woke up.' Superman was amused now.

Diana was frowning as she reluctantly opened her eyes, the wonderful dream having disappeared as if it had never been. As it hadn't. Dreams were an impossibility.

Superman was looking down at her in his arms, not the smiling, loving man in her dreams, but the careful colleague she was more used to.

'You've been asleep for quite some time, now and we’ve almost reached Themyscira. I need you awake before the sentinel falcons fly up,' he told her practically.

She moved stiffly, still frowning darkly as she straightened and then moved out of his arms in one quick, fluid motion. Superman had stopped mid-flight, a little away from the island. She could see the emerald isle, with its warm and welcoming lights.

'Stop complaining, when it was your sug­gestion that I sleep,' she snapped moodily, wishing she had a mirror and doing her best to straighten her appearance before they got to the island. Her mother would take one look at her disheveled appearance, and Superman would spend Christmas in the cells beneath the island.

Superman smiled at her bad temper, shaking his head. 'Let's land at the island and get something to eat. Fussing over your appearance isn't going to do you a lot of good just now. And anyway, you’ve never been fussy about your looks.’

Did that mean Kal saw her as a slovenly woman, uncaring about her looks? He was wrong, she did not bother much because, thanks to the gifts of the gods, she never had had to bother.

She began to fly down to the island, calling out greetings to the sentinels as she came closer to the island. The fresh air of Themyscira did a lot to revive her spirits; she had always loved the warm winds of the island.

Her mother and sisters had already formed a welcoming host and were awaiting her on the beach. Horus, her favorite falcon flew up to meet Diana, his enthusiasm causing her to fly straight into him, and she stumbled mid-flight.

'Steady.' Superman's hand was instantly under her elbow as he steadied her, easily sup­porting her weight beside him. 'Perhaps you'd better hold on to me.' He put her hand in the crook of his arm and held it there. Horus immediately squawked angrily at him and attempted to nip Superman’s fingers. Afraid that the magical bird would actually harm Kal, Diana, soothed and calmed Horus, till he was peaceful in her arms. Superman still had not let go of her.

During the whole time they had fought together, had undergone missions together, Superman had rarely had a need to touch her, and having his hand against hers now gave her shivers in spite of the warmth of the island. Yet, Diana suddenly felt too warm for comfort.

“Hola, mother!,’ Diana cried out as she turned her attention to her mother, whose eagle eyes had not missed a thing. Indeed, Hippolyta was frowning now as she saw the closeness and casual familiarity with which Superman was treating her daughter. Full of misgivings, she gave permission for Superman to set foot on the island.