All In

In ecology, a feeding frenzy occurs when predators are overwhelmed by the amount of prey available. For example, a large school of fish can cause nearby sharks to enter into a feeding frenzy. This can cause the sharks to go wild, biting anything that moves, including each other or anything else within biting range.


You're a reporter, most likely a television reporter cause no one really gives a crap about print media anymore, and you've been assigned to cover what basically amounts to a charity press conference. Everything will be scripted and by the numbers, no surprises. They'll be celebrities in attendance, big celebrities, but the camera shots of them will be the only thing used. You'll get your intro and outro, but if you asked anyone, they wouldn't remember your name. You and your colleagues probably got into the news business for many different reasons, but one of them was to make a name for yourselves. Its human nature, we all liked to be recognized and appreciated for our work.

Events like this rarely offer much in the way of news. The cause is always worthwhile, but nothing is said that will capture the public's attention. Your peers are covering murder trials and sensational crimes stories, even wars; while you're basically one step up from asking what someone is wearing at the Tony Awards. You might as well be the side boob reporter for the Huffington Post.

Then something extraordinary happens. Someone actually says something. News, actual news is happening right in front of you. You know this is your chance. This is your O.J. or Princess Di or Natalee Holloway or Amanda Knox or Trayvon Martin or Oscar Pistorius story. The list goes on and on and grows bigger everyday, but you're at ground zero for this one. Superman and Wonder Woman just announced to the world they're in love!

Fuck! You're going to be famous!


London

They stood side by side facing the inevitable onslaught. They heard every question shouted or more accurately, screamed at them. A wall of sound like a gigantic, unstoppable wave came crashing forward. Call it human nature, but in the multitude of questions it was the callous, mean spirited ones they heard the most. The things they asked about her were insulting. The things they asked about him weren't worth a reply. There were the sweet questions, the encouraging questions, the happy questions, but always there were the others. Whether they were shouted just to get a reaction or out of malice it didn't really matter. It was as if with words they wanted to pick them both completely apart, to know everything right now, every detail, every personal private moment and feeling. Words sometimes sting worse than daggers.

It had been a spur of the moment thing, to announce it. They both believed they knew what was coming, but then no one ever really does. Fame and celebrity are such abstract concepts. From the outside looking in, they seem magical. We'd all like at least a taste of it, if only once in our life. This desire on all our parts leads to the increasingly obsessive nature of the present celebrity culture. It leads to things like a sad attempted at being sexy and controversial by a teen star getting talked about more than actual real world news events.

(Side note – Best comment on the whole Miley VMA performance – the Inventor of the Foam Finger thought it was in poor taste. That's like being dissed by the president of Whammo.)

The blurring of the line between celebrity and actual news has already happened. Combine the two and you get a feeding frenzy. As they stood on the stage the first few moments were joyous. They'd finally announced what they felt for each other to the rest of the world. Clark reached for Diana's hand and felt her fingers interlace with his. Then the wave crashed down on them.

Shock was the first reaction, not at the response; they both sort of expected that, but the intensity of it. It was as if their simple straightforward declaration had ignited a wild fire that swept through the crowd. They tried answering some of the questions, but it was uncontrollable and grew in intensity by the moment. They weren't given any time to respond to individual questions as more and more were constantly screamed at them from all directions. Voices on top of voices on top of voices on top of voices screamed for attention. It became a howling din of desperate madness.

The world before their eyes became a rapid fire strobe of flashes blotting out everything else. Questions no one has the right to ask another human being were screamed with equal intensity as the ordinary ones. So in the end they simply answered none. They left. Not like most celebrities, being whisked away by an entourage into a waiting car as a mad chase ensues. They also didn't wait to be transported back to the station. They did what so many of us would like to be able to do. They simply floated away.


When they later arrived back at the Tower they were the focus of everyone's attention. Zatanna's response seemed to sum it up the best.

"What the hell was that? You're in love? When? How?"

Hugs and handshakes followed, along with many questions. Diana found herself surrounded by the other female members as they grilled her for every detail. They wanted the how, when and where of their relationship. The male members, as is usually the case with most men, began with the congratulations, followed by handshakes and back slaps, then the comments started, 'Lucky bastard' or 'what's she see in you?" as the ribbing began, references to the ball and chain and whipped being offered.

In its own way it was equally overwhelming, but without the ferocity or malice of the crowd. The outside world interrupted again, and teams were sent out to deal with them. Clark and Diana headed up separate units and only managed to smile at each other before they left. A few days passed and their separate lives kept them busy. Both had promised each other a long time ago their relationship wouldn't keep them from doing what they must.

The firestorm that began in London had only grown until now it was a raging inferno. News outlets are constantly trying to fill time in the 24 hour news cycle and their romance seemed custom made for just that. Everything from the entertainment shows to the opinion shows that try and pass themselves off as news programs had something to say about them. It pushed regional conflicts and natural disasters off the front page.

Pop psychologists and media 'experts' analyzed old file footage of them and formed opinions having never met or spoken to either one of them. Everyone had an opinion or a theory. Other than continuing their duties, both of them kept a low profile. This was easier for Clark, but somehow Diana managed it too. They hadn't seen each other since that day.


Metropolis

Clark was sitting in this apartment, listening to some music and avoiding the television and Internet when the text came in. It was from Diana and simply said.

"Meet me here - 23.0797° N, 12.6123° E"

He smiled and was on his way in the next moment.


North Africa

Knowing her as he did, he knew they were precise coordinates. It took a few moments of looking, but then he saw it, a tent set up in the middle of the desert. He smiled as he saw her waiting. As he moved under the tent out of the blazing sun, she handed him a glass of champagne.

"What's the occasion?' He asked.

"It's been an interesting week," She replied. "I felt like celebrating."

"Interesting spot you picked, the middle of the Sahara desert,' he observed.

"I picked it for two reasons, Kal."

"This should be good,' he said, taking a sip of the still cold champagne.

"We're invisible here,' she explained. "No one is around for hundreds of miles. The tent is made of a fabric that deflects our heat signatures so no satellites can see us either."

"I like the sound of that."

"Sit,' she said gesturing to one of the same beach chairs from their Caribbean trip. He was more than a bit intrigued by all of it and took a seat.

"How are you holding up?' He asked.

"As well as can be expected. I have almost lost my temper a few times," she admitted. "Some of the questions I've been asked you wouldn't believe."

"You didn't lose your temper though, did you?"

"No. There were times it was tempting, believe me,' she replied.

"Someone certainly got lucky you didn't,' he teased. "Heaven help whoever you do lose your temper with."

"I'm not that bad,' she said, sitting across from him. He gave a smirk. "I'm not."

"If you say so, Diana."

"I do, now stop trying to distract me, I had another point,' she said.

"I thought you liked the way I distract you?' He playfully asked.

"You're doing it again, Kal." She pointed out. "Yes I like it, but not right now."

"I'm sorry, you said you had another point about us being out here," he replied. "Please continue."

"Thank you." Diana paused as if she were gathering her thoughts to say it just the way she wanted it. She finally looked at him and he could plainly see she was serious. He sat up a little straighter and gave her his undivided attention.

"I said to you once that we're not like everyone else or the Gods either,' she began. "In many ways that's still true, but I've learned over the years its not always true. We're as different from each other as we are from them really, yet in the little day-to-day things we're both like everyone else. It's some times hard to remember that our own little private worlds aren't the whole world. What happens close to us seems like what's happening everywhere, but it's not."

"How so?' He asked.

"It's easy to forget that while what happened at the news conference seems like all anyone can talk about, it's really not,' Diana explained. "It's so easy for each of us, you and I included, to think that our problems are the most important in the world. While I didn't go to a high school like you did, I imagine something like us dating if we had would have been big gossip for everyone. It would probably seem like everyone was talking about us. It would be the same if we had regular jobs and we suddenly became the topic of office gossip. In the moment it would seem overwhelming, as people we knew voiced different opinions both for and against us. Yet all it would take to get some perspective would be to go across town or to another office to find out they weren't."

"And?' He asked.

"And,' she continued. "This week has been overwhelming at times. It's been hard turning on the television or looking on the Internet and hearing people talk about us that never met us or know anything about us, voicing opinions as if they did."

"I know it's been harder for you, Diana, than it has for me,' Clark offered. "I can always escape into being Clark Kent, but you have to always face it as Princess Diana. For that I'm sorry."

"Thank you, but that wasn't my point, Kal,' Diana replied. "I said it was overwhelming until I got away from all of it. I worked with aid workers helping with flood victims and not surprisingly, the people that have seen their lives nearly lost by the flood waters weren't to concerned about who I was dating. I made me realized that my little private world, your little private world and our little private world are just part of a much larger world. Yes, we're well known everywhere, but that doesn't mean people are constantly thinking about us. They're not, they're thinking about their own lives, as they should. Sometimes we forget that in this media/celebrity driven culture that not everyone is obsessed with it. They don't care whom Justin Bieber is or that he has the most Twitter and Instagram followers. They live perfectly happy lives having never heard of The Hills."

"You-You know who Justin Bieber is?' He asked. She gave him a look. "Sorry, please continue."

She got out of her seat and move towards him. He stood as well. Diana slipped her arms around his shoulders and smiled.

"My point is that while it felt like we were in the eye of the storm this week, it won't always. Just as going across town or a different building can give someone perspective, for us the whole world is out there,' she said. "This tent is a symbol of that. You and I don't have to be like everyone else, Kal. As lovely as a little house in the suburbs with a picket fence and a pool out back sounds, it doesn't just have to be that. We can be in the middle of the desert or the North Pole, a deserted island in the Caribbean or a café in Vienna. We have the whole world to explore. We don't have to settle for just one place when there are so many out there to see. In most of those places we won't be under the constant scrutiny, as the people will be too busy with their own lives. When we first met we went out exploring, Kal and even after all this time there are still so many places we haven't seen. This tent in the middle of the Sahara represents all of those."

She kissed him. It was filled with passion and the urgency that being apart brings. They didn't stop at one. Finally though, he pulled back just a bit.

"I do love you, Diana,' he whispered. "I should have consulted your before I made that announcement, but it wasn't planned I assure you. I am happy it's out though. You see I've been doing some thinking about us too."

"Have you now?' She whispered as she kissed along his cheek and jaw line.

"Now who's dong the distracting, Diana?"

"Don't you like it?"

"That's a silly question,' he said with a small chuckle. "I wanted to say I don't want any secrets between us."

Diana leaned back and looked at him.

"None?'

"Well, no important secrets,' he offered and then added with a bit of a tease. "I mean if I secretly like the Fast & Furious movies, there really isn't any need to share that."

"Yes, that's one you can keep to yourself,' she automatically replied. He gave her a look, but she just smiled her sweetest smile back at him.

"Anyway,' he finally said. "We've discussed what went wrong the first time, Diana. The last time though, I've been thinking about and I believe we both were too hesitant, too cautious, too worried we'd make the same mistakes or what others might think. That's no way to be in love."

She was surprised by his words and waited for him to continue.

"I've been in other relationships just as your have, but I've come to realize they never worked out because I was always holding something of myself back. Perhaps both physically and emotionally I held back. At the time, even with you the last time I thought I had good reasons for it. Some of them are probably valid, but it always leads to secrets. I've been thinking about my parents, both Jor-El and Lara along with Jonathan and Martha Kent lately. I realized they all taught me something I hadn't realized. When you're in love it's either all in or nothing. You have to believe that it's worth the risk or you're just fooling yourself.'

Clark kissed Diana on the lips and then smiled at her.

"I can't promise you what the future will hold for us, Diana, no one can,' he said. "What I can promise is that this time, I'm all in."

Diana smiled, a dazzling and joyous smile.

"That makes two of us, Kal. All In."