Chapter 13: Pregnancies and Proposals
It has been a few weeks since Kal left and Diana wakes up feeling that the bed she sleeps in is now cold and lonely. She misses him. Then a horrid feeling hits her stomach and she throws up into the basin next to her bed. Oh she feels terrible. She can’t remember the last time she felt sick. Maybe it’s the stress she thinks. Sitting through tedious and lengthy debates with the Senate hasn’t been fun. It’s taken this long just to get them to verify the council’s punishment and that only got 60 percent approval. Her plan to get them to agree to rejoin the World Assembly is to put it mildly not popular.
At this point Phillipus walks in “Morning your Majesty, how are you this morning?”
“Not so good.” Diana admits.
“Yes you don’t look well and in fact you’ve overslept.”
“I have?” Diana asks puzzled
Phillipus nods. “Perhaps you should see Epione.”
“I don’t think it is something to trouble our chief healer with. I’m sure it’ll pass. So what’s on the agenda for today?”
“The Senate will continue to debate your proposal.”
Diana feels nauseous again at the mention of that.
Phillipus continues “The initial plans for a memorial to our sisters await your approval. The rebuilding works continues on schedule. There are some new plans for buildings that also need your approval. Then in the afternoon there are some petitions you have to receive and your usual audience with representatives of the general populace.”
“So the usual in other words.” Diana sums up.
“As you say your Majesty. The usual.”
Diana’s hand drifts to the space beside her and it does not go unnoticed by Phillipus. “You miss him.”
“I do.” Diana admits. “I spend many hours wondering what he is doing, if he is managing on his own. It’s silly I know.”
Phillipus sits down next to Diana “It’s not silly Diana. You’re in love and while it has been a while since I was last in love I can still remember the feelings it invokes.”
“Yes but I am Queen of a race of women who don’t look too kindly on men.”
“We mistrust men but I believe very few of us actually hate them and Superman is not like the men that betrayed us in the past.”
A smile forms on Diana’s face “No he’s not. He’s the sweetest, gentlest man I have ever met. I suppose that‘s why I love him.”
Phillipus can’t help but smile with Diana.
“Is that a fact?” a new voice says.
Diana turns to the door “Donna!?”
Donna, Diana’s younger sister stands in the doorway hands on hips. “So I get sent to check up what is going on in Man’s world but when Ares attacks you don’t call me home and what’s more I come back to find you and Superman are in a relationship. Care to explain that to me big sister?”
Diana was actually speechless. She tries to come up with a reason in her defence “You see Donna, it’s just I didn’t want to bring you back into harm’s way and truthfully contacting you was not exactly my first thought and I,…,I” she trails off.
Donna’s face remains rigid then it bursts into a smile and she runs over and hugs Diana. “I missed you.”
Diana startled at first returns the hug “I missed you too.”
Donna breaks the hug and sits on the bed “So you and Superman. Well I always did like him. In fact I think even mother liked him a little bit but isn’t he really old by now.”
Diana rolls her eyes at Donna‘s dig at Kal‘s age “Kal ages slowly. He only has the odd grey hair and you should know that if you had been paying attention while you were in Man’s world.”
“I paid attention.” Donna says defensively. “It’s just you told me to avoid the Justice League because we’re suppose to be living in isolation and it wasn’t like there was a lot of coverage of Superman on the broadcasts. I did find that odd since they use to be nothing but him on the broadcasts.” she says quickly without stopping for a breath.
“He had his reasons for that.” Diana feels the need to defend Kal.
Donna notes Diana’s defence “How long was he here for?”
“Including the 3 days he spent in a coma?”
“What coma?” Donna asks.
“The one he went in to after Ares exposed him to kryptonite and stabbed him with a dagger.”
“Ok. I assume he survived.”
Diana nods “Yes he did. He even gave evidence at my hearing.”
“That was nice of him. What happened to Ares?”
“Kal threw him into the Underworld where hopefully he’s stuck forever.”
Donna tried to make the fact Ares stabbed him with the fact Superman was the one who threw Ares into the Underworld add up without much success. “Ok that makes no sense Diana. He can’t be in a coma and defeat Ares.”
“Yes. I’m not sure how he did it actually. I was busy destroying the key so I had my back to them. I just know that he did it.”
“Ok so when did you two get together?” Donna asks
“Donna. My private life is not your concern.”
“Hello. Little sister. Have you met me? Of course it’s my concern. I’m family.”
Phillipus laughs at that.
Diana on the other hand frowns “What’s so funny?” she asks Phillipus.
“Your sister has a point. She is family.”
“Oh great gang up on me. I hate to remind you two I am the Queen around here.”
“Stop delaying and just get to it.” Donna tells her.
“Ok fine. So I went to Man’s world on the Oracle’s advice and I found Kal. I suppose at first I was just happy to see him. I didn’t know he was still alive or that he had aged so slowly. I rested at his Fortress and I noticed that I found him attractive. I think I was always attracted to him but he was involved with someone else back then.”
“Keep going.” Donna urges her.
“So anyway we talked and I found he was a little fragile emotionally so I decided to be a shoulder for him to cry on and let out some of his bottled up grief but by being with him I discovered my feelings were way beyond friendship and perhaps they always had been. After watching over him in his coma I knew for certain that I was probably in love with him.”
“And did he return your feelings?” Donna asks.
“Not at first or at least he never admitted it but there was our first kiss.”
“Ooh first kiss. What was it like?” Donna asks practically giddy.
“Gentle. He was not at full strength but I really wanted him to be and don’t give me that look Donna it didn’t go any further than that.”
“At least not that night.” Phillipus adds
Donna smirks “Oh really. So when did it go further?”
Diana shakes her head “I’m not going into that.”
“The night after the hearing.” Phillipus provides which gets her a disapproving glare from Diana.
“How do you know that?” Donna asks Phillipus.
“Your sister’s voice carries.”
Donna turned back to Diana who was looking down at the sheets “Diana? Care to elaborate.”
“No.”
“Oh come on your acting like some petrified virgin which by the way you are not.”
Diana’s eyes travel up and glare at her sister before she sighs and concedes “You’re right. I’m sorry. It’s just been a long time if ever that I have felt like this.”
Donna places a sympathetic arm around Diana’s shoulders “It’s ok. So where is Superman?”
“He had to go home to take care of some business and I had to stay here. I’ve started a debate in the Senate about rejoining the World Assembly.”
“I heard.” Donna says. “It’s about time frankly. If you need my help with that….” Donna doesn’t need to finish that sentence. Diana knows what she means.
“Thank you.” Diana says to her sister.
Phillipus stands up “Well I’ll leave you to get dressed. Come on Donna.”
Donna kisses Diana’s cheek and heads out of the room with Phillipus while Diana gets dressed. As she stands up she places her hand on her stomach. She still doesn’t feel right. She hopes whatever is wrong will pass soon.
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A few days later Diana is still waking up in the morning feeling terrible. She decides she has to see Epione. At least having Donna back has made her days arguing with the Senate easier to endure. She has missed her sister a lot. Diana travels to the healing Isle and finds Epione preparing some medicines.
Epione looks up “Your Majesty. What can I do for you?”
“I haven’t been feeling well for a few days now. I hoped it would pass…”
“But it has not.” Epione finishes for her.
“No.” Diana admits.
Epione gives Diana a reassuring smile. “Come with me. I am sure it is nothing.”
Diana follows Epione into a chamber with a bed. “Lie down.”
Diana does so. Epione is so skilled a healer that she can almost sense what ales a person. She lies there as Epione waves her hands over her body and stops over her stomach. “You have been sick in the mornings.”
“Yes.” Diana replies still amazed even after all these years at Epione’s abilities.
Epione places her hand on Diana’s stomach “No it is not possible.”
“What?” Diana asks concerned.
Epione looks Diana in the eye “You are with child.”
Diana can feel her eyelids flutter as a prelude to passing out. She manages to fight that off, barely. “But I can’t be. I was told no man of this world…” Diana stops. Oh great Hera.
“Your Majesty?” Epione asks at her silence.
“He isn’t of this world. I forgot. It’s easy to do sometimes. Oh what do I do now?”
“If I may Majesty, assuming this is Superman we are talking about, perhaps you should tell him. I know how you feel about him.”
Diana sits up “I think everyone does but I can’t leave right now. I have too much to do with the Senate.” Diana groans “How am I going to explain this?”
“Be honest. You have no choice. In a few months you won’t be able to hide it.”
Diana nods “I know. Thank you Epione.”
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That night Diana sits picking at her meal. She is so confused. She places her hand on her stomach and looks down. A life. There is a precious life growing there. One made by her and Kal. She’s going to be a mother and as that thought sinks in she starts to smile. She’s going to be a mother. She’s going to have a precious little child to hold and raise and teach. Questions start to enter her head. Will the child have her powers or Kal’s or both? Will the child look like her or him or some combination of the two of them?
Donna walks in to see Diana sitting there looking at her stomach. She has been worried about her not being well. She’s already lost their mother. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing her sister. “So what did Epione say?”
Diana is shaken from her thoughts and sees her sister standing there. “Sorry what?”
Donna sits down at the table “I said what did Epione say?”
“Oh right. I’m fine.”
“Really?”
Diana nods. She still has a smile on her face “Yes really Donna.”
“What’s with that smile?”
“Epione found something.”
“I thought she said you were fine.”
“I am.”
Donna was getting very confused “I’m lost.”
“You’re going to be an aunt.”
Donna blinked and looked at Diana and then looked at Diana’s hand across her stomach. Donna’s mouth hanged open “You mean you’re…”
“With child. Kal‘s child.” Diana finishes for Donna
“But, but that’s not possible. The Gods said that we couldn’t have a child…”
“With a man of this world. I know but Kal is not of this world.”
Donna lets that sink in. Oh great Gaea. Diana’s right. She’s going to be an aunt. Donna leaps up and round the table and hugs her sister “Oh Diana that’s great. Right?” Donna pulls back and looks Diana in the eye “You’re happy about this right?”
“Oh Donna I can’t describe how happy I am. I’m going to be a mother.” Diana’s face gets a bit more serious “Of course I’ll have to tell the Senate. I doubt they’ll be happy.”
“Oh who cares what they think. Bunch of self important wind bags. Does Superman know?”
Diana shakes her head “No. I’m not sure how or when I’ll get a chance to tell him.”
Donna thinks about it “Hey there’s a week long celebration for the new year next month. The Senate is suspended and you don’t really need to attend anything. Phillipus and I could cover for you. Say you’re still unwell. Why don’t you go then.”
Diana had to admit Donna was right. She hugs Donna “Thank you. I love you.”
“Naturally. I’m lovable by nature. I thought you knew that.”
Diana couldn’t help but have a small chuckle at that. The celebration was less than 4 weeks away. In a not a large number of days she would see Kal again. She couldn’t wait.
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Kal sits up in his Fortress still trying to finish the novel he has started writing but he’s got a bit of writer’s block at the moment. He puts it down and rubs his sore eyes. How long has it been now since he left her? He looks at the date. Nearly 2 months. It seems longer. Oh how he wishes he could fly off and see her but that probably wouldn’t be a good idea. He doesn’t want to make her life more difficult.
His new identity is up and running. Clark Kent once more exists and he has put in an offer to buy his childhood home back. Apart from that things are still fairly quiet. He got some questions from the press about his change in costume. He had expected that. In fact he’s still in it. He didn’t bother to change when he got back this evening. He yawns. He’s tired. Maybe he’ll take a nap. He shuts his eyes and drift to sleep in his chair.
Diana had managed to sneak off Themyscira unseen and is now approaching the Fortress. She’s nervous and her stomach is not holding up well and for once lately she doesn’t think the baby is responsible. She flies in and wanders around. She doesn’t know for certain Kal is here but she thought it a good place to start. She comes to the living area and comes across the site of him sleeping in his chair. She can only see the back of his head and a red cape hanging down. Diana wanders round and she sees him dressed in red and blue just like she remembers. The colours are a bit duller but it doesn’t matter. To her it is the way he should look. He looks so adorable sleeping there. Diana can’t help herself. She sits on his lap and ruffles his hair. Out of some instinct she notices he wraps his arms around her. “Diana.” he whispers softly.
That single word makes her heart do flip flops. She kisses his forehead “Kal.” she says softly.
Kal stirs. Did someone say his name? He was dreaming he was holding Diana in his arms. He opens his eyes and there she is smiling at him. “Diana?”
“Hello.”
Kal’s face lights up “Diana!”. He kisses her with all he has and then draws her into a hug.
“Kal. I’m glad to see you too.”
“I’ve missed you. What are doing here?”
“I’ve missed you as well and it’s a holiday back home so I sneaked away.”
“Oh you are naughty.” Kal teases.
Diana smirks “What can I say?”
“Don’t say anything.” Kal pulls her into another kiss.
Diana knows from the passion where this is going and frankly she’s not going to stop him. She can tell him about their child in the morning. She stops the kiss for one moment and looks into the depths of his blue eyes “I love you Kal.”
Kal looks back into Diana‘s eyes “I love you Diana.” Kal stands up with Diana in his arms and carries her to the bedroom. He feels complete again now that Diana is here with him as it should be.
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Kal wakes up the next morning to that feeling he has been missing so much. The feeling of Diana lying next to him. She’s still asleep. He lies there and simply listens to her heartbeat. Then he notices something. It’s almost like an echo. He tunes his hearing. There’s a second heart beating and it’s coming from Diana. Then the realisation hits him. Diana is pregnant.
Kal lies there for quite a while unsure what to think. Diana has said she couldn’t have children so how was this possible. As much as he didn’t want to he would have to wake her up. “Diana.”
Diana stirs. She can’t help but smile at the familiar warm feeling of Kal’s body next to hers. She opens her eyes and looks at his face. It’s a questioning face. She wonders what this is about. “What is it Kal?”
Kal not totally sure how to begin this “I was listening to your heart beat when I noticed…” he takes a breath “when I noticed another one.”
Diana blinks. Oh he knows. She sits up and takes her own breath “Yes I am carrying your child Kal.”
“But how? You said you couldn’t have children.”
“No I said I couldn’t have children with any man of this world.”
Understanding hits Kal. He is not of this world “Oh I see.”
“Kal are you ok?” Diana was worried by his reaction.
“It’s just a bit of a shock. I had sort of given up on the idea of having children.”
Diana takes his hand into her own “I understand. Truthfully so had I.”
“Are you ok? Is the baby ok?”
Diana nods “As far as Epione can tell the baby is perfectly healthy but we don’t exactly have scanners back on Themyscira to image the child like you do here.”
Kal sat there trying his best to absorb this. He’s going to be a father. He won’t be the last anymore. An idea hits him “You know I could have a look at the baby with my x-ray vision if you’re worried.”
“Ok.” Diana says.
Kal focus his eyes and looks for the embryo. It takes a little while since it is still so tiny. There we are. There’s the perfect little bundle. From Kal’s knowledge which frankly could put some doctors to shame the embryo appears perfectly healthy. He can see and hear the tiny little heart beat away. A tear of happiness forms in his eye.
“Kal?” Diana asks at his silence.
Kal turns his eyes to look into Diana’s. He smiles at her “The child is fine and I love you so much and I can’t quite express what I feel about having a child.”
Diana smiles in return and the fact Kal says the baby is ok is enough for her. “I couldn’t express what I felt at first either but at least I made Donna happy.”
“Your sister?” Kal asks.
Diana nods “You remember her?” she asks. After all he hadn’t met her that many times and those times were a very long time ago.
“Eidetic memory all though it seems to be slipping considering I forgot your exact words.” he places his hand on Diana’s stomach.
Diana smiles at the gesture “Yes my sister. Thankfully she wasn’t on Themyscira when Ares attacked.”
“So I take it Donna is looking forward to being an aunt.”
“Yes she is. She was made from the same clay I was so had the same restrictions placed on her when it came to having children. This may be the closest she ever gets.”
Kal nods in understanding. He lies back and wraps his arms back around Diana who lies back down with him. He tries to wrap his head around this. Everything he has ever wanted and now he has it. The woman he loves is having his child. However he can’t help but think something is missing. Then it occurs to him. “Diana.”
“Yes Kal.”
“Will you marry me?”
