JLA#0 Challenge Part 1

by Hellacre13
	This is a fiction in response to the challenge by wondercat re:JLA 0 following Diana's announcement that she was getting married. Superman and Wonder Woman are the property of DC comics.

The Wedding

Diana was lying in bed,staring at the ceiling in the darkness of her room.It was about three am;she had been lying awake for hours and sleep just would not come.Her body was weary but her mind was a jumble of emotion and thoughts.Donna had said it was just nerves and excitement,yet to her it felt like worry and misforgiving.Was this how one felt of her impending nuptials? It was uncomfortable and frustrating and.....and......all Clark and Bruce's fault! If it weren't for their doubting her she'd be happily sleeping and dreaming about her  room!Diana sighed, turned on her side and thumped her pillow,trying to get into a relaxed position.By Hera,it will be a sunken-eyed bride to walk up the aisle later that day! She stared at the open window;shafts of moonlight pooled on the marble floor and pillared alcoves,making the room look like a ghostly tomb.Diana let out a groan of dismay and sat up.She swung her legs over the side and stared at the bridal dress hanging on the rail across the room.It looked like a shroud in the silvery light.She held her head in her hands and groaned,"Oh Aphrodite,what is wrong with me?Help me......." She was suddenly aware of a rush of air outside;the distinctiveness of the sound made her heart thud with surprise.Diana stood up and, through the thin gauze of the curtains,saw the silhouette of familiar broad shoulders and the flutter of the cape as the arrival touched down on the balcony. Superman stood waiting.He had hovered above her appartment over the palace for the last hour, watching her toss and turn.Each time he had been tempted to go down,but common sense and guilt made him maintain his distance.It was only when she sat up and murmered her goddess' name did he get the moment's courage he eeded.He could see her staring at him,stunned and apprehensive, but he did not call out her name nor move to come in.He simply waited.He saw her pull a large shawl and throw it over her shoulders to conceal the curves that her tunic could not hide.The door opened and the curtain parted.Diana appeared,her dark hair tousled and her shawl half trailing the floor. They regarded each other in silence.Finally she spoke first. "Why have you come,Clark?" He said simply,"I think you know why,Diana." She folded her arms to her chest,almost defensively."What?To lecture me again?To question my judgement?To mar my happiness?" Superman walked towards her,stopping arm's length away."To stop you from making a big mistake." Diana said icily,"I am getting married later today,Superman.Neither you nor Batman has to like it.If you do not want to stand up and support me,I shan't repine.I had hoped you would do the honourable thing by being there for a friend no matter what the circumstance." "I cannot pretend to be happy with this,Diana." "Even if you know it is what I want?" "And is it what you want?" She walked to the balustrade and leaned against it.She stared out towards the horizon.She could see the ocean from where she stood,she could hear the waves as they broke upon the shore,she could smell the jasmine and roses wafting up from the garden below.It was such a beautiful time of night.If only her best friend was not standing there looking at her with those grave eyes!Forcing her to face emotions she had successfully suppressed since he and his best friend had soured her serenity with their opinions! She said coldly,"I love him." He folded his arms,in his usual imposing way."Are you sure it is not the idea of marriage,of not being alone,that you love rather than him?" Diana snapped,"I never judged you and Lois.I was there for you when you decided to share your secret and life with her!" "And that was.....a mistake.....,"he began, making her stare at him in astonishment.Of all things,she never expected him to say that! She began,"Kal,I...." He lifted his hand to stop her."I put my emotions before my judgement and put her life in danger.She's gone now,a testament to how volatile and dangerous life is in my world.No human could ever understand it or should have to put up with it." "It did not stop Bruce" "No,but Bruce married a woman who understands the darkness in him,who is not a civilian like Lois or your fiance.She can take care of herself and can fight at his side if need be.Diana,I do not want to see you hurt." He reached out to touch her shoulder and she flinched as if stung;she demanded,"You think by coming here and telling me,this is not hurting me?" Superman said grimly,"If you are so happy,why can't you sleep?Why were you pleading to your goddess for help,Princess?" She glared at him."How long were you watching me?" "Long enough to know that you are not confidently looking forward to your wedding day!" Diana held her forehead.It felt feverish.She felt flustered and irate at his presumptious observation!But more so that it was bordering on the truth! She muttered,"What do you want from me,Kal-el?" He paused,watching her,as if debating what to do.He seemed to hesistate, but then said bluntly,"You,Diana." Her gaze flew to his face;he looked calm and matter of fact.Diana felt her pulses quicken,she bagan to shake her head in disbelief.Gods,a decade on and now he says it!When she was betrothed to another!She had steeled herself to any residual feelings for him after he fell in love with Lois and not even after the relationship failed did she allow herself to believe he could ever want her that way! She looked at him angrily,"It has taken me years to move on from you,Clark.Don't.Not now."She began to turn away as if to put distance between them.Clark stopped her from leaving by grasping her wrist.She tried to pull away but short of coming to fisticuffs with him,his hold was unbreakable. He said earnestly,"It has taken me years to get the courage to come to you,Diana.I am here now.I am asking you to give me one chance even if I must lose you to him later this day." "I can't!How can you expect me to?It is dishonourable...unfair....to do what you suggest......." "Is it honourable to lie to him,when you doubt your love for him?Come on,Diana,you use to be the goddess of truth.And truth is at times very uncomfortable." Diana found her resolve weakening now.To have him so close to her that she could feel his breath stirring the hairs on her temples,smell his aftershave,feel his hands turning her chin up so her eyes met his, made her forget that she was supposed to be offended.In all her years of dealing with Clark,Diana had never seen the expression he wore now.She had seen all forms of warmth,respect,admiration,even tenderness.But never desire.It made her insides tremble.It made her forget she was a princess,beloved of the gods,immortal,with the wisdom of ages and olympian strength.It made her feel like a teenager,awkward,exultant,afraid.Only this man could make her feel like a little girl.He could hear her heart;she knew it from the softness of his smile and the gentleness of his touch.He whispered,"I am going to kiss you,Diana.Stop me now if you must." Diana made an inarticulate sound;it may have been of protest or surrender but it was not clear enough to deter him.Clark swept up the princess of the amazons,a woman he had never thought he could ever measure up to,into an unshakeable embrace and kissed her. It was not like their first kiss,where she had stood stunned and unresponsive because she had been so naive.This was how both had dreamed it could be.All the ridigity went out of her and she clung to him,returning the kiss with equal passion.It perhaps helped wanting,dreaming,lusting about each other for years.The shawl slid off her shoulders and fell to the floor.He was pulling the sleeve of her tunic off her shoulder to kiss the olive flesh beneath when the sounds of footsteps below made them draw apart.Diana gasped,"The guards!They are doing their rounds.You must not be seen!" Superman suddenly hoisted her up into his arms."Then let's disappear." She hissed,"What are you doing?Put me down!" He said determinedly,"Oh no,we not leaving it like this.We finish our talk ." She repeated ironically,"Talk?Is that what you call it?" He grinned and amended,"Interlude then.So stop wriggling." "I can fly too,you know." "Yes but I can faster.Where can we go and be private?"He took off straight up,with her in his arms.They were above the palace in seconds. "Private?This is a bad idea.One kiss and you think you can dictate.I should go back,so let me go and...." He interjected,"What?So you can lie in your bridal bed and forget you kissed me back?Are you capable of such self deception?" Diana frowned at him then grudgingly said,"There is a pavillion on the western side.It used to be an old temple.It's partly in ruins.Surrounded by groves and vines."She pointed its direction.He used his supersight to locate it."Yes,I see it." As he flew towards it,she noted dryly,"I never knew you could be so bossy and stubborn." He smiled,"You think only you and Bruce have the monopoly on that?Guess again,Princess." They soon landed at the temple.Clark lit the torches in their brackets with his heat vision.Diana sat upon the stone steps leading up to the dais and broken altar.A warm,golden glow blanketed the pavillion.Clark undid his cape and threw it about her shoulders.She murmered a word of thanks.He sat beside her.They stared at the darkness beyond the ruins.She finally broke the silence."What are we going to do?" He said, with a deep sigh,"I'd like to say continue what we started but I think that moment is gone now." She agreed glumly,"It would be unseemly." He said,"We need to decide.....you need to decide...." Diana said troubled,"I am so foolish.Do you want to know a secret?He asked me last year but I said I was not ready.You and I had just come back from New Genesis after fighting Darkseid;after being close to death and I swear the way you looked at me when you found me......" Clark looked at her in surprise."You were barely conscious....." She said softly,"I remember seeing the anguish in you eyes.I felt you kiss my lips.I heard you beg me to hold on...for your sake....to not leave you....that you could not bear the thought of losing me. That week whilst I recovered I kept wondering if it was a dream......I could not say yes when he proposed.But you avoided me for weeks....." He said ruefully,"I thought I had made a mistake.When he showed me the ring,the guilt was too much.So I took the mission to help Tharnagar.I could not let my feelings mar your chance for happiness." Diana murmered,"You were so distant when we met again.I thought I had made the mistake.Then when you began to date the photojournalist...." "That was Kara and Jimmy trying to set me up.I had nothing to lose.....at least that was what I thought....besides I needed a date for the Peabody Awards,"he dismissed. "Well,when she planted that smack on you when you won,that made me make up my mind." Clark said wryly,"That was Jimmy's doing!Plastering it all over the Planet's front page!She darn near ambushed me!" Diana sighed,"Well I did not know that.I said yes then.I genuinely thought I could be happy.Then you and Bruce came and burst my bubble.I hate the thought of deceiving and hurting anyone." Clark replied,"I know.And this is your decision,Diana.I have always had feelings for you,even if I did not want to have them.Hell,I don't even know if we can work,but I want to try.No more running away from you......"He paused and said abit mischieviously,"I am sure if we were not interupted tonight we'd be doing a serious amount of penance.This is one BoyScout who loses his perspective when the amazon princess is near.....much less when he has her in his arms barely covered with a scrap of silk....kissing him back!" The Amazon princess blushed."That was nice,"she admitted. He looked at her with quirked brows and asked in mock offence,"Just nice?" She averred primly,"Better than nice." He suggested ,"Very,very nice?" She smiled."Wonderful." He reached out and took her hand in his and held it.He looked at the ring on her finger."I'm sorry if I am causing you any pain,Diana." She gently drew her hand away and pulled the band off.She rested it on the stonestep above them.He reached his arm around her shoulders and drew her close.Diana laid her head on the world's most powerful shoulder. It felt good to be so close to him;to talk so intimately with him;to know that he felt the way she felt.It felt so good she wondered if it was really happening.She prayed to her gods that she would not wake up to discover it was only a dream.. She said,"I will return the ring later today.My mother and sisters will be stunned but mainly relieved.After the song and dance I made about wanting him I don't think it's wise to let anyone know about what happened tonight." "Agreed.We keep this secret." She looked at him."What is this we have here?" Clark kissed her hand."We'll see when you are a free woman.There is a few things I have in mind for us." "Is that right?" "Unhuh.We need to have a proper date.This was jumping the gun abit.I'm thinking, Clark Kent and Diana Prince meeting for dinner." "Where would they go?" "Clark knows Diana likes Thai.So he'd take her to Metropolis' best resturant or he could cook her dinner and they'd eat in over a DVD." She said,"Princess Diana has been wined and dined so much that she would like to do something ordinary.I heard the new Bond dvd is good." "Sounds a plan to me.Your place or mine?" "My place.The least I could do is wash up and make you coffee." "Really?Can you do that?" "Clark!" "Just kidding.What would you like for dessert?" She smiled sweetly."I can have anything I want for dessert?" "Anything within my ability to make." The Princess of the Amazons leaned in and whispered softly into his ears. Superman let out a tortured groan and got up hurriedly,"I think its time I get you back home before I do something sacreligious on these steps." Diana laughed at his expression."I think we best part here.....lest you are seen.I'll see you later?" He nodded and reached down to pull her to her feet.He kissed her mouth,a brief but bruising kiss that left her breathless. "Later",he promised huskily in her ear and took to the skies.He was gone in seconds.Diana let out a deep,girlish sigh of wonder and satisfaction and wrapped his red cape closer to her.