Note: In order to continue this story, I had to make minor changes to the previous chapters.
Personal Business Chapter Four
It didn't take long to get everything ready. The only part that required any coordination was the patrolling of Metropolis. Between Supergirl masquerading as him regularly and other JLAers popping in from time to time, Superman was confident that his city would be safe while he was gone. Looking around, Kal could see that the apartment was squared away for his absence. He even remembered to stop by the neighbors and let them know he'd be on vacation for awhile. Being the stereo-typical nosey neighbors, it was fairly certain that they'd keep an eye on the place for him.
Having done all that, it was almost time to go. He'd already said goodbye to Diana, but it had been awkward. He felt he could read her well after all these years. He knew her moods without thinking about it. Her expressions, her body language, or only the inflections of her speech usually told him all he need to know about what she was feeling. Usually. Then again, there were times when he couldn't even guess what was going through her mind. Times like today...
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The weekly Justice League meeting ended quietly, as they usually did. It had been a full week since Superman had told his comrades about his impromptu vacation. He'd been ready to leave a couple of days ago, but he wanted to say goodbye without calling a special meeting for it. A big deal was the last thing he wanted to turn this into. So, he'd waited til the next meeting. His request for some League members to check in on Metropolis was met with a near chorus of “of course, Superman!”. The meeting ended shortly after.
The world's mightiest heroes filed out of the conference room and wished the Man of Steel a good time and good luck as they passed him. Other than Wonder Woman, Batman had been the last to leave. Before closing the door, he noted Wonder Woman loitering behind. He gave Superman that I know something you don't know smirk that he did so well. Superman wondered sometimes if Bruce didn't practice that look in a mirror in his off time. Leave it to the Batman to send a parting shot without saying a word.
It was just himself and Diana now. Neither one could look at the other and they both fidgeted. It soon dawned on both of them how ridiculous this was and finally allowed their eyes to meet. Not an idle gaze, but an intense one. As if each was determined to etch into memory each other's eyes. He could tell that Diana wanted to say something, but didn't seem able to. As for himself, Kal felt that if he stared hard enough he would be able to decipher what she was thinking. His own thoughts were too jumbled to sort out, even if he was interested in trying. Diana eventually found her voice and the tension in the room eased considerably.
“Have you decided how long you'll be gone?” The feigned casualness with which she said this did not register in his brain until much later. And even then, he wasn't sure what it meant.
“No, Diana. Only when my head is squarely back on my shoulders again will I come back. I don't even know where I'm going yet.”
“I wish you well on your journey of rediscovery then, Kal. If anyone has earned the right to take some time off, it's you.” Diana turned suddenly serious, as she firmly took his jaw into her hand and brought him down so their eyes were level. “You promised me you would come back” she whispered fiercely, “do not disappoint me, Kal. I—we will be waiting anxiously for your return.” She pulled him down further and kissed his brow, her lips lingering for just a moment.
With that, she let him go and walked out of the conference room without a backward glance. Leave it to Diana to do Batman one better in the exit department. Superman wasn't sure if that exchange meant anything more than it seemed or not. He decided to let it go. His troubles all started with brooding over things he didn't understand. He saw no reason to add this to the list. Trying to figure out Diana was at times a fool's game anyway. At least it sometimes was.
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Having locked up the apartment, he made his way up the street to find a convenient place to change. He had a few of them around the neighborhood, since it wasn't a good idea to change clothes in the same place all the time. For awhile he wouldn't have to worry about it, he supposed. He wouldn't be changing clothes for some time.
He hadn't really decided on a destination yet. East? West? North? South? He decided on “up”. It didn't really matter much. Wherever he went in this galaxy or any adjacent ones, he was bound to run across someone he knew or some civilization he'd already visited. So, up he went.
He wasn't clear of Earth's atmosphere before he started thinking of Lois and Diana. Lois' letter hit him hard. It reminded him of what he'd lost, but at the same time demanded that he leave at least part of it behind him. Easier said than done, but he'd promised himself that he would try. He merely needed some quiet time to reflect, and a long journey through space was just the ticket.
Then there was Diana. He knew that he loved her. That wasn't really the issue. The issue was the guilt at having such feelings. Well, that and the fact that he had no clue how Diana felt. Kal reasoned that if Diana returned his feelings she would have said something or given some sign. She came from an Amazon culture, and they weren't well known for their demure natures. The thought of her waiting around for him didn't even enter his mind. But then, Diana was a puzzle. Not a puzzle to solve, but one to enjoy while you try to solve it.
He wondered idly how her mother would react if she suspected he was thinking like this---Mother? Dammit! Have I been so self-centered that I didn't think about how being with Diana might affect her life and her mission in the outside world?
He stopped in mid-air to think about this for a moment. If he was even going to consider asking Diana to be more than just partners or friends, he needed to know if and how that would affect her and her work too. He obviously couldn't ask Diana, so who could he go to? Reluctantly, he turned back toward Earth, setting his course for Themyscira. This is not going to be fun.
