Chapter Two: Don't Wake Me, I'm Dreaming
Working at Paris' most iconic national institution, moreover, France's most revered historical monument was nothing short of difficult.
The Louvre was considered a cultural hub of fine arts and French history on a global scale, and maintaining the internal status quo was a feat in it of itself. Being that she was apart of the team of sixty curators in the museum, Diana Prince had a lot of work on her hands.
Most auspiciously for her, Diana was given the opportunity to be apart of the department she had a natural affinity to. Out of all eight departments of curation she was under the Department of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities which was invariably her failsafe. Thus, aside from gallivanting as a vigilante on the majority of her day-to-day endeavors, Diana also served as a part-time curator under one of the Louvre's most prestigious departments. To say that maintaining both her roles as heroine and antiquities director was difficult would be a gross understatement, however Diana Prince managed to balance it with complete ease.
Most days, Diana would find herself working in her office as she managed the new artifacts that were delivered each week, checking for flaws, errors, or any discrepancies that could possibly lead to falsified items. For the most part, Diana was given the duty to curate and maintain different sections of the Grecian Antiquities rooms. She had to creatively place artifacts together in such a way that they could fall into a cohesive unit with a common theme suited for the aesthetic. It was a position that sounded and looked much easier than it was, which was why Diana had to keep her work flawless to a T.
Today was like most days.
Diana had just finished convening with the University of Paris Science et Lettres' History Department Director on a new artifact allegedly found by a farmer in the Parnitha mountains, a bust of Athena said to be over three-thousand-years-old. Unfortunately, the professor's team found the artifact to have been falsified sometime during the early 14th Century, thus making the bust illegitimate. It was sad really, as she had been previously giddy at the thought of adding a new piece to the collection.
Much to Diana's dismay, it had been completely fake.
At this point, Diana was ready to wolf down a gallon of tea to ease the migraine that was beginning to build at the back of her skull. The stress from these sorts of situations often did this to her. So during her lunch break, Diana locked herself in her office to seek some peace. With a steaming cup of chamomile tea in one hand and a pen in the other, Diana proceeded to jot down her report on the falsified bust without any thoughts of food on her mind. She was still reeling from the results of the Professor and his forensic team's findings.
At the turn of the clock, a loud knock resounded on her door as she scribbled away furiously at her reports.
"I said I won't be taking any meetings at this point, please reschedule for another day," she called out in annoyance without looking up from her notes.
"Even if I asked nicely?" A familiar voice reverberated back from the other side of the door.
Recognizing said voice, Diana immediately perked up from her work to peer up at the door. "Barry, is that you?"
"The one and only," she heard him respond in his usual quirky bravado and she found herself smiling.
Diana stood up in a haste and brushed herself off as if some imperceptible dust were clinging to her dress.
Without realizing, she passed her reflection on the glass case of personal antiquities and stopped, retracting her steps to stand in front of her reflection. Quickly now, she mussed her hair up and checked her teeth, fixing any imperfections that might have appeared during her long, strenuous work day.
More content with her appearance, Diana nodded to herself in satisfaction, before opening the door.
"Barry," she greeted with a smile. "What are you doing here in Paris?"
"Morning jog," he quipped," You know, since it's like, still sunrise in Central City."
She quirked her brow at him, smile never quite leaving her visage, as she led him inside her office.
As he followed her in, she noticed a thin box, akin to that of a large book that had been carefully tucked under his arm. When he noticed her gaze fixated on the item, he shrugged at her.
"What?" He queried in feigned innocence.
"That—"her eyes were directed at the box—"That right there. What is that?"
"Oh, just a gift for a friend I have who conveniently lives here. You know, in Paris, conveniently located where your work is. Thought I'd stop by on my way to delivering it." If he had sounded suspicious, she never really said anything at all.
"Oh," she said in despondency, failing to hide it.
He gave her an odd look, before sitting himself down on one of the chairs across her desk. Diana assumed her position once more as she took her perch upon the seat she had been occupying just moments before.
"Did you have lunch yet?"
"No, no. I haven't...I've just been so busy all week and all morning corresponding with a historian and his archaeological team on what I thought was a new finding for my exhibit."
"Thought? Hm, past tense, I see... From the looks of it—you know, sad demeanor, bags under the eyes from stress, I'd say it wasn't quite what you were looking for?"
Gingerly, Diana touched her under eyes in horror. "Is it so apparent?"
"Umm...yeah...kinda." He laughed while scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "Mind telling me the source of your troubles?"
Diana sighed. "It was this bust, a bust of Athena. The team that sent it to me alleged that it was dated to be over three thousand years old, but after some forensic tests from my colleagues at the University of Paris, we discovered that it was forged during the 14th Century."
"Ah, forensics you say? My kind of field. If you needed a favor I would've been more than happy to test it out before your correspondence. Save you a little time and embarrassment from those Academia folks."
She threw her head back and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Oh, gods, I forgot. I didn't even think to ask...remind me to start doing that next time I get the chance."
"Uh huh. My guess is that it took weeks to come to those results when in fact, if you passed it along to me, I could've got it done in let's say, a couple hours or so. Not to toot my own horn here, but c'mon let's be real, I'm me."
"Ugh, I guess I wasn't really using my head with this one."
"Clearly, you weren't."
She rolled her eyes. "Not helping, Barry..."
"Would've saved you time and stress. That's all I'm saying," he shrugged again before reaching out to pat her on the head. "Don't worry, there's always a next time."
"Yes, I should try to leave a reminder to myself next time they send something to my department."
He nodded before leaning down against his chair. "So, wanna grab a quick lunch?"
"You know what? Why not. I haven't eaten at all today."
Barry gasped in feigned shock, dramatically placing his hand on his chest as if he had just heard the most scandalous thing in the world.
"Diana! Now, that's just hypocritical of you, seeing as not too long ago, ahem six days ago to be exact, you were admonishing me for my eating habits. Hmm, I'm trying to remember what you said...something like...You said I ate like a...what is that now? Ah, like a college kid. Which I should take as a low brow jab seeing as we all know they, frankly, eat like shit."
"Ha ha," she rolled her eyes.
"So now, it seems the tables have turned."
"Oh, whatever. Like you're one to judge."
"Oh, but I am."
She stuck her tongue out at him as she crossed her arms.
"So what shall it be? City of Paris, cultural hub for gastronomical perfection, if indeed what the French say is true. Maybe grab something traditional?"
"Eh, I'm tired of haute cuisine, too snooty. Let's do something more relaxed."
"Oh thank God, because I really wasn't up for some fancy shmancy $200 dollar plate of a piece of protein drizzled in some expensive sauces or gold flakes or whatever it is they put in their dishes," he admitted.
Diana erupted in laughter. "Then why did you bring up the idea?"
"Well, I thought it's something you'd probably prefer."
She lightly slapped his arm, offended. "What, you think that is all I eat?"
"Nah...okay, maybe. I dunno, I just thought you like, had some crazy refined palette that's used to fine dining or whatever."
"Well, I'm no Bruce Wayne here."
"Um, well Princess is a little more above tier than that title I'd argue."
"Oh, hush. I am Diana Prince, an antiquities researcher and curator at the Louvre in Paris, thank you very much."
"Still sounds like a fancy title to me."
"But not that of a princess, am I right?"
"Alright, you got me there, Diana." She smirked in satisfaction.
He coaxed her again, this time searching for an answer. "So...? What'll it be? Café? Bistro? Bar?"
"Hmm, there is a bistro not too far away from the museum if you're up for it. I usually go there with my assistant when I forget to pack a lunch. How does that sound?"
"Sounds good to me," he held out his arm for her to hold and she followed him out the office with a smile.
They ended up grabbing some bread, cheese, and wine to-go in the local farmer's market and ate it at a park on La Grand Jatte, overlooking the Seine River. The weather was quite lovely, a cool autumn breeze had swept through the air while the sun still managed to peak through the white, fluffy clouds that littered the vivid sky. They returned to the Louvre in no longer than an hour, being that Diana had enough free time to spare.
As they reentered her office, Barry continued to lug around the box he had came in with, setting it down on her desk. Her interest was once again piqued.
"So, what's in the box?" She queried as casually as possible as she sat herself on her desk and shuffled through some papers.
"Ah, I saw you staring at it the entire day," he replied knowingly. "Why you'd be so interested in it though is something I'll never understand."
Oh, he was a terrible liar.
"Oh come on, you just mysteriously appear in my office. Parcel in hand. No real particular reason whatsoever as to why you're here—" she tapped on her desk anxiously"—either you're Hermes himself or you're here for a something important. And I am seriously thinking the latter."
He laughed, clutching his stomach. "Alright, alright. Fine. You got me. This package wasn't just for any friend..."
"Oh it wasn't, was it?"
"Heh, yeah...yeah, it was for you."
"Oh, come on, Barry!" She punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Why didn't you just tell me in the first place?"
"Ah, that hurt. Like a lot." He was rubbing his shoulder now. "But, you know me, just wanted to build the momentum. Wanted to see you squirm. And seeing as you were worrying your lip and sneaking glances at it the entire afternoon, it seems my plan pretty much worked."
"You're unbearable."
He shrugged. "But you love me right?"
Her heart skipped a beat momentarily and it shocked her that something like that was physiologically possible. And at this moment of all times. Why did she feel a flutter in her chest at his words?
"Y-Yes...sometimes," she replied, quickly regaining her composure. "Sometimes I hate you too, but you have some redeemable traits that I can work with."
She gave a sideways glance at him to check if he had noticed, thanking the gods that he seemed completely unfazed. It was all supposed to be a joke anyway.
"I'm hurt, Diana. Truly I am."
"Oh, sure you are. Now, do you plan on telling me what's inside the box?"
"Bet you wish you had Clark's x-ray vision now, don't cha?"
"Now you're just stalling," she crossed her arms, failing to contain her laughter. "Just tell me what is in the damn box already, Barry!"
Finally relenting, Diana watched as he slowly unraveled the box, pulling down various flaps to reveal a rectangular something wrapped in protective paper. Curiously, she peered at the object, still not quite understanding what it was. All of a sudden, Barry had halted in his ministrations, looking up at her with a questioning gaze.
"Now, here's the tricky part. I'm gonna need a pair of cotton gloves, a polypropylene board, a magnifying glass, and a pair of forceps for this," he said with a smile.
"Um, what? I-I don't understand."
"So, here's the story. Remember how I was sent on that mission to Alexandria to scout for the hidden base of those domestic terrorists in Egypt? Well, Vic staked out on the borders, while I was designated to stay in the city. And you know me, I like to do my exploring in the nanoseconds it takes to pass my time. Thought I'd casually run around and check everything out, but, you'd never guess what I found. I followed the coordinates of where the Serapeum was alleged to have been, did a little digging, and lo and behold, found something that might tickle your fancy."
"And that is?"
"Wait, hold on a sec," he vanished in the blink of an eye before returning with all the tools he had mentioned before.
She blinked, a little dazed. "W-Where did you get all of those?"
"Found them in the archaeological tool storage."
Diana nodded slowly, still amazed at how he was able to do the things he did. She still could not conceptualize how the speed force worked, physics was never really her forte as she was raised in a background that called for extraordinary things that often defied most physics.
As she thought about it, the Louvre was a massive institution, comprised of multiple buildings being that it was once a palace, and the fact that he was able to find all those tools within seconds was still difficult to comprehend—especially since she knew he had no idea of the full layout of the place. That meant he would of had to scout the entire building, which took the average person at least a full day and a half to fully walk around, and finally find it in the Ports Des Arts basement. Diana gulped.
"Alright, Barry, you've got your tools, now care telling me what this is?"
He grinned at her before slipping the gloves on and placing the object on top of the polypropylene board. With great care, he unwrapped the object to reveal a stack of papyrus papers...ones that looked so weathered-down, they could be ancient.
"Barry what is this?" Her eyes widened in excitement, almost certain that in front of her was an ancient relic.
"You'll never guess what I found," he used the forceps to open it up," I myself couldn't quite believe it, but, I knew for certain this was probably it. Allegedly lost in the annals of history, but guess who found it?"
"Is that...?"
"Homer's Margites, you bet your ass it is."
Diana felt as if her jaw was ready to drop to the floor. "The original copies?" She squeaked.
"Yep, if my forensic analyses are true. Which they are, 99.9% of the time."
She threw her arms around him in joy. To have this in her exhibit would be a splendid new addition to the Louvre's collection, the press would write articles about this. This would be published in the archaeological academic journals.
"Oh my gods, Barry! Do you know what this means? We're going to get a lot of press all over the globe for this find. Your name will be published on academic journals! This, this is amazing!"
She felt his hands tentatively wrap around her waist as he returned her embrace. Her heartbeat quickened ever so slightly. Idly, she wondered to herself if she was feeling a little sick. Once they pulled apart, she peered up at him to see a grin that matched her own. He was her best friend, the fact that he would go great lengths for her was only a testament to this. She loved him.
"Thank you, Barry. Thank you for being my greatest friend, I love you," she said in earnest.
Diana continued to smile, never quite catching the conflicted look on his countenance.
Author's Note: I know in the previous chapter I mentioned her having an embassy, but I realized that in the 2017 Justice League film, she's known as Diana Prince the curator, not the Princess. I apologize for this discrepancy.