Echoes
The Watchtower
The song ended. The world continued to turn before their eyes. They watched as night turned into day over and over and over. They were sharing this moment, just the two of them. They'd shared so few lately. Diana didn't want to break the moment, almost wishing it could go on forever, but experience told her it couldn't.
"Kal?"
"Yeah?"
"Earlier."
She saw the smile on his face get just a little bigger.
"What about it?" He replied, a little too innocently.
"That doesn't work on me,' she informed him.
He chuckled.
"Okay. I thought it was worth a try,' he admitted. "So what about earlier?"
"What was all that about at the ceremony?" She asked.
"I was in a good mood,' he offered.
"So I gathered' she replied, giving him a look, but she couldn't help smiling. "That still doesn't explain why?"
He seemed to think about this for a moment, as if to find the right words to give in explanation.
"We've been doing this ten years, Diana.' He finally said. "It seems every year the responsibilities grow, not just with the League but every other part of our lives as well. It's necessary, I understand that, it's just …"
He seemed to falter for just a moment.
"Just what, Kal?" She prompted, interested in what he was saying.
"Just that it seems while there are good and bad days now, something as simple as having fun doesn't happen very often anymore.' He finished. "It might sound silly, I know I'm not a kid anymore, but it's been so long since I've done anything like that day we had in New York. Remember?"
"Of course."
Diana remembered that day very well. It had been one of their first dates that wasn't called a date. She had been new in the world, excited and eager to see and experience everything. Having someone else to do it with made it just that much more special.
She couldn't help wondering if his bringing up that memory wasn't a precursor to something more. She certainly understood the pull of what might have been, but they had been down that road, twice. Diana was hesitant to go through that again.
"This isn't about us, is it Kal?' She couldn't help asking.
He heard it in her voice, the unspoken worry that he wanted to reexamine old wounds.
"Yes, but not the way you're thinking,' he replied. "I just saw you standing at the ceremony and it reminded me that we used to talk. We don't much anymore. You're always so composed and professional these days. I suddenly wondered if that young, somewhat haughty, but so full of life and laughter, woman I met 10 years ago was still around."
"I was never haughty, Kal,' Diana immediately protested. She had never liked being described like that and he had been the only one back in the day that dared do it to her face.
"Okay, not haughty, how about sort of snooty?' He asked, a smile playing over his lips.
"That means the same thing, Kal!" Diana fired back and then gave him a light slap.
"There she is,' he joked.
"If me hitting you makes you happy, Kal, I'm more than happy to oblige,' Diana offered.
"Thanks, but that's okay."
Diana couldn't help laughing just a little. He watched her for a moment.
"So you were worried I was going to try 'us' again?" He asked.
"Yes." She admitted.
"Would that have really been so bad?"
"It was last time." She quietly pointed out.
"True."
"So maybe it's best we don't,' she replied.
"Maybe,' he admitted. He looked at her. She wasn't smiling. He knew that he could make her smile, but he'd also made them disappear more than anyone else in her life. "You were right, you know."
"What?"
"Saying no back then,' he explained. "I wasn't ready, neither of us were. I know that now. I should have said it along time ago, but no one likes being turned down."
"Why-Why are you telling me now, Kal?' Diana was flustered and more than a bit surprised by his admission.
"Because it's always been there between us, Diana,' he replied. "It was part of the reason it didn't work the last time. Not the only reason, but one of them. It was always in the background, unspoken, but always there. It still is. I've known for a while now you made the right decision, I just never said it. Not very heroic, I know. I'm tired of it always being that unspoken thing between us. You were right and it's overdue for me to tell you. I understand that now."
"Th-Thank you." Diana managed to say. Frankly she didn't know what was happening. Her rejection of his proposal 10 years ago had been the hardest decision she'd ever made in her young life. It had ended things back then and haunted her ever since. Now she knew it haunted him too. She had tried to explain back then, but he'd never wanted to talk about it. It had been the unspoken elephant in the room all these years. Why now of all times, she couldn't help wondering? What was with him? As soon as that thought came to her mind it also came to her lips.
"What's with you, Kal?"
He laughed and she saw it was one of those laughs that made his eyes twinkle with merriment.
"I told you I was in a good mood,' he offered.
"Kal!"
The laugh slowed, but he continued to smile at her.
"I'm tired of having that always between us, Diana,' he explained. "I should have said it along time ago, but I didn't. I haven't been much of a man, never mind a Superman by not saying it. Even if we're just friends now, you deserved to hear me say it."
Diana wasn't sure what to say. Emotions seemed to swell up inside of her and threatened to overwhelm her control. Her eyes glistened, but she told herself she wasn't going to cry.
He saw this. The smile disappeared from his lips.
"I hurt you and I never meant to do that, Diana,' he softly said. "My pride, my ego, they got in the way so-so long. When you said 'no' I couldn't figure out how to get past it. I didn't know what to do, so I did nothing. I know now you don't do that to someone you're supposed to be in love with. You don't do that to a friend either. It's long overdue, but I'm sorry, Diana."
They were words she thought she would never hear and had almost given up hope of hearing. Why does he always do this to me, she thought to herself? Just when I think I know him, he goes and does something completely surprising? Just when I think he's out of my system, he goes and does something to make me want to … no, Diana told herself, don't go there.
"If you make me cry, Kal, I'll hit you,' she managed to say, wanting desperately to shift the focus away from the emotions swirling inside of her.
He laughed and reached out putting his arm around her shoulders and gave her a hug. Diana leaned into it, feeling his chest move against her as he chuckled. A little of those old feelings came back to her, the tease, the challenge, the admission all seemed to connected her back to the young woman that had met him 10 years earlier.
"It took you long enough to admit it,' she whispered.
"Well, I'm stubborn sometimes,' he replied.
"Yes you are,' she immediately offered.
"I guess we have that in common."
She leaned back and looked him in the eye.
"When have I ever been stubborn, Kal?" She demanded.
Several specific times came to his mind, but he wisely kept them to himself. He'd already made an admission that cleared some of the baggage between them; it was no time to get into an argument. Switching topics seemed like the wise move.
"So did you really imagine me naked when you were giving your speech?" He asked with a smile.
Diana blushed, having almost forgotten she'd said that.
"You-You didn't answer the question, Kal."
"Neither did you."
"I didn't need to imagine, as you pointed out,' Diana said.
"Is that a yes or a no?"
"Did you?" She countered.
"Imagine? No."
"Is that a yes or a no, Kal?' She replied, turning his words back on him.
They were smiling at each other, a little bit of a sporting challenge between them to see if they could get the other to admit it.
"Guess." He said.
"Oh, no, I'm not falling for that,' Diana replied.
"I guess we'll never know."
"I guess not."
"If you're disappointed, I can imagine now if you want?" He offered.
"No." She said and then let her eyes drift down his body before looking him in the eye again.
"Something on your mind, Diana?"
His smile was just a little bigger. The challenge was not so subtly hinted at.
"No, just remember,' she offered. She gave him another look and then moved a few steps away.
"Me too." He said, never taking his eyes off her.
"Oh? Are they good memories?" She asked innocently, yet the challenge wasn't so innocent.
"Very good,' he replied.
"Probably your best, aren't they, Kal?" She teased.
"Well …"
She stopped him.
"We both know they are, Kal,' Diana said with a rather surprisingly suggestive smile.
"Think pretty highly of yourself, don't you?"
Diana fingered her lasso as she took a step towards him.
"Should we find out, Kal?" Diana said. "Just hold out your hand. It's that simple."
"I'm not Hal, Diana,' he replied. "Just keep that lasso on that lovely hip."
"I thought you wanted to have some 'fun', Kal?" She challenged him, taking a step closer.
"Who said I'm not?' He replied, taking a step closer to her.
"So this is what you mean by fun now?" She teased. "I seem to remember something different back in the day."
"I'm on duty in ten minutes, so this is the only kind of fun I can have right now,' he replied. "The other kinds would take longer. I'm sure you remember that from back in the day too."
"So we're back to your memories, are we?' She asked.
He laughed again and then closed the distance between them. He leaned in and whispered in her ear.
"They're your memories also, Diana. I think we both know they're probably the best you've every had too."
He lingered for just a moment. They were as close to each other as they could get without touching. She could feel his warm breath against her sculptured neck and knew he could hear her heart rate increase. For both of them these last minutes had been an echo of an earlier time, when the fires burned so bright.
Both reminded themselves that they were just echoes.
He stepped back and looked at her.
"I should be getting to command to start my shift."
"Yes, you probably should,' she replied.
Neither moved for a moment, just stood looking at each other. As if by some unspoken agreement, he finally stepped away and moved towards the door. Diana didn't watch him leave, just heard the hiss of the door closing. The echo continued to repeat, fading as the moments passed, but she could hear the faint echoes long after he was gone.