AN: Special thanks to ImFanci and Unoaranya for helping with this chapter and making sure I didn't delve too far into naughty territory. Thanks to Joe Stoppinhem for a suggestion.

The Bounty Hunter

Part Fourteen

This must be a dream. He can't be here.

But he was standing before her with that cocky smile of his. His cerulean eyes twinkled with mischievousness. He was taking joy in her shock. Typical Kal. Diana vowed not to smile. She wouldn't give Kal the satisfaction of letting him know how his presence affected her right now.

It was childish. It was foolhardy. It was the cat and mouse game they played with each other.

"What are you doing here?" Diana's eyes fell from Kal's face to the clothes he wore. "What are you wearing?" Diana touched his right pectoral muscle if only to convince herself he was really here. Kal flexed his muscle under Diana's hand. She jerked and pulled her hand away.

"Helping you. Judging by the beating your friends are taking, you need it." There was that shy smile of hers inching up on her beautiful face. She couldn't keep that from him for long. He missed it. He missed her. Kal knew Diana wouldn't admit it but he knew she missed him. He could hear her heart pound in her chest, the quickening of her breath. He could tease her but she would deny it. "As for what I'm wearing, you could call it my ass kicking uniform. What do you think?"

Tight. Revealing. Big. "It looks confining."

"It's not cutting off oxygen to the good stuff," Kal said unashamed. He stopped joking when he caught Diana staring at him, still amazed Kal was here. "It's really good to see you, Diana. I've missed you."

Diana took a step closer to Kal. She touched his arm and her warm eyes found his staring at her. "I've missed you, too."

Nothing would give him more pleasure than drawing Diana into his arms but there were other matters they had to attend to. "We'll catch up later, but first, I better take care of those zhuutholes who attacked you."

"I'll help you," Diana offered. She wanted another crack at Solomon Grundy and Clayface.

"No. You better help your Martian friend." Kal turned away and flew out of the sewer back to the streets to deal with Clayface and Solomon Grundy.

The two members of the Injustice League were baffled by Kal's appearance. They expected his arrival but not like this. When the tank crushed Diana forcing her through the streets, they had a moment of victory to celebrate before Kal appeared out of nowhere. He flew below the surface and pulled the tank out of the ground. Soldiers in the tank were pulling themselves out of the wreck tank. Some were unharmed and others were injured. When they saw Kal return from below, they didn't know if this man was friend or foe.

"Who are you?" Clayface asked.

"You not member of the Justice League," Solomon Grundy said.

"No, but I don't have to be one to fight you." Kal looked at his opponents. "This isn't a challenge. A man who looks like he spent way too much time playing with dirt as a kid and a stupid zombie." Booming footsteps forced Kal to look up at the new arrival. Giganta. The giant woman wore a yellow leotard covering her breasts and hips. She peered down at Kal as if he was a pesky fly.

"Damn." Kal said of the tall woman. He gazed up at the very long and sexy legs of Giganta, admired her hips and jiggle of Giganta's humongous breasts in the tight confines of her leotard top. Kal decided she will be his first opponent. He had an idea on how to take her down. "Wow. What a woman you are. As hot as you are, I bet it's difficult being you."

"Yes, I'm hot but it's not difficult being me."

"Isn't it?" Kal asked as he ogled her breasts. "I can't help but wonder if you have ever been truly satisfied by a man. I'm sure your size has made it difficult for many men. It won't be for me."

Giganta scoffed. He was trying to come on to her. He was attractive but that didn't mean a thing. Good looks did not always equate to being a good lover. "Nice try, Little Man, but you can't satisfy me."

"Babe, if circumstances were different, I would show you your size can't stop me from satisfying you. I have a very good track record. There hasn't been a challenge by a woman I haven't met and excelled."

Giganta laughed. What arrogance. "What can you, a man of 6'5, do to satisfy me?"

"Plenty. For a woman your size, it will require all of me. Have you ever had anything like that in you?"

Giganta paused. She looked at Kal in mild shock but with sudden interest. No one has been so forward to her or even discussed being intimate with her when she was in her giant form and she worked in the Injustice League! The men always wanted her when she was in her 6'6 frame. They never wanted to spice things up and have her when she increased in size until now.

The image this bold alien created in her mind. It even made a woman like her blush. "All of you?"

"All of me, baby. I'm the strongest man you will ever meet." To prove his point, Kal flew up to Giganta. He grabbed the strap of her leotard top with one hand and lift Giganta twenty feet off the ground and gently placed her back on her feet. He flew to hover in front of Giganta's face. "Didn't even break a sweat. Also with my speed," Kal vibrated his body in front of Giganta, "think of all of this in you and what that will do to you."

Giganta could see it in her mind. She felt herself quivering in excitement, picturing what this man could do to her. Not since her transformation into Giganta has she had great sex and after such a long drought, it was finally being offered to her. Screw Lex and his plan. She wanted this alien! Giganta watched mesmerized as Kal descend to the leotard covering her breasts, vibrating his body ever so closely but not touching Giganta where she wanted to be touched.

"Touch me," Giganta begged of him.

Kal denied Giganta's request as his body vibrated against Giganta's bare stomach. The sensual vibrations coursed through Giganta's body, sending an electrifying charge through her breasts and to her center. A moan escaped her lips as she staggered. Kal continued to descend still vibrating as he reached the cloth covering her hips. Once more, Kal didn't touch her but Giganta felt the quiver inside her just having this man so near where she desperately needed to be touched.

Kal gazed up at Giganta as if all he wanted was her. Giganta gazed at Kal, moved by the lusty smolder in his eyes. She closed her eyes, picturing Kal slipping in her cloth, moving between her legs, using his hands to touch the special bud in her center repeatedly while the rest of his body vibrated in her. Kal knew what Giganta was doing. The look on her face said it all. To push her over the edge, Kal flew up again, landing in Giganta's left ear telling her in explicit details what he would do to her.

"Oh!" Giganta dropped to one knee, clearly moved by Kal's words. A shy woman would blush. A bolder woman would smack Kal for what he said, and after smacking him, demand he do what he promised.

With Giganta clearly distracted and her defenses down, Kal kicked the back of Giganta's neck, hitting her brain stem with enough force to knock her out but not enough to paralyze her. Giganta fell forward sending many bystanders fleeing before crushing the abandoned cars on the streets. Unconscious, her body returned to her normal 6'6 height.

Kal smirked. That was easy and fun. "One down. Two to go." Kal landed besides the unconscious Giganta. He pulled a lamppost from the street and wrapped it around Giganta.

In his office at LexCorp, Lex was furious of the exchange between Giganta and Kal. "What the hell was that? How could Giganta fall apart like that?"

Mercy was a little turned on by what she saw. "It looks like the alien seduced her."

Lex turned his head to Mercy, clearly irritated by the huskiness in her voice. "Not you, too!"

Mercy shrugged. "It was kind of hot."

Lex shook his head. This was why he didn't have respect for wicked women. "At least I won't have to worry about Solomon Grundy or Clayface falling apart like Giganta. They will find a weakness in that alien I can use." If not them, they still had Parasite. He was the ace up Lex's sleeve.

Back on the ground, Clayface jumped in the fight against Kal. Kal saw Clayface pounding the streets towards him. His bulbous, muddy arms contorted into large anvils. Kal focused his heated eyes on Clayface's muddy, right arm, hardening it.

Clayface swung his other arm at Kal but the Kryptonian saw the punch coming. He duck and punched Clayface's gut with enough force, it brought the muddy creature to his knees and clutch his stomach in pain with one arm, while the other was hardened clay.

"If you weren't a bad person, I'd let your arm recover but you've hurt a lot people. You've also killed to commit your crimes and you constantly get away with it." Kal punched Clayface's hardened arm. The large appendage crumbled to pieces. "Now you have one less arm and it won't grow back."

Clayface laughed evilly. "If I were Matt Hagen, I wouldn't grow my limbs back but I'm Basil Karlo. I am the original Clayface and I absorbed Matt and all the Clayface phonies, growing more powerful than my original form." As he spoke, his right arm regrew. "I almost absorbed Wonder Woman into my body. I bet you two are cut from the same cloth and I won't fail again!"

A puddle of Clayface's mud surrounded Kal's feet and moved up his body. "What the fruck?"

Clayface laughed as his clay form rapidly climbed up Kal's body, swallowing him whole. "Right now, your body is burning into mine. Your powers will be my powers." Clayface's body was shaped like a large blob as he worked to mold Kal into his body. Oddly enough, Kal wasn't resisting Clayface. Whenever Clayface swallowed his wicked successors and in his attempt to absorb Wonder Woman, they fought with everything they had. This alien wasn't fighting at all. Was he giving up? He should because he didn't have a chance escaping.

A sharp, heated pain stabbed his chest. Something was wrong. Instead of Kal's skin burning, Clayface felt his skin burn and harden. It started in his chest and the heat quickly spread across his body, drying him up. Where was this mysterious heat coming from? His plan backfiring, Clayface tried pulling his body away from Kal's but it was futile. His body dried up faster than a puddle of water under a hot desert sun.

Lex Luthor grabbed the lamp off his desk and threw it at one of the televisions, smashing the screen. While he released a storm of expletives, Mercy said, "That's two down. It's all up to Grundy now." And she didn't have much faith in the zombie. Giganta and Clayface were geniuses compared to Solomon Grundy and they were taken down by Kal's mind games and smart fighting tactics.

Back at the battlefield, Solomon Grundy approached Clayface confused. His ally was frozen like a statue. Grundy didn't know what to do. He didn't know how to bring his friend back. He knocked on Clayface's hollow chest. "Clayface? Are you in there?"

Clayface's body splintered into several pieces like cracked glass. His form continued to shed as it moved, stretching as if someone inside tried to break free. Finally, a fist punched through Clayface's chest. Another fist punched through the head. Two feet kicked through the legs of the statue. Lastly, Kal heaved the chest frame of Clayface off him and threw it on the streets hard, shattering him like cracked glass against the street. Kal stood alone with spots of dirt on his face, his uniform and in his hair. "Try putting yourself back together now."

"Two down. One to umph!" Kal grunted from a punch to the back of his head from Grundy. Kal stumbled, turned and received another punch across his face from Grundy and an iron blow to his stomach. Kal fell back against a car. "Ha," Kal laughed at himself. "Guess I shouldn't have underestimated you."

"You kill Grundy's friend!" Grundy took another swing at Kal.

Kal grabbed Grundy's arm and twisted it behind his back. "He tried to kill me. I'm not a killer but in self-defense all bets are off."

Grundy threw his head back against Kal's in an attempt to loosen his hold on him. Kal was slightly dazed but not weakened enough to release his hold on Grundy. "Hope that's not the best you got," Kal taunted Grundy, "'cause this fight is over before it began if that's the case." Kal grabbed Grundy's other hand and pulled it back. He shot in the air like a missile, turned upside down and dove down like a crashing rocket. "This is gonna hurt you!"

As strong as he was, Grundy couldn't break from Kal's iron hold. He braced himself as he crashed into the streets head first, pummeling through the concrete into the sewers below. Kal released Grundy letting the zombie slowly stagger to his feet. He walked two steps before receiving a head shattering punch from Kal. The blow hurt so bad Grundy heard a ringing in his ears and saw two blurry Kal's standing before him. Grundy wasn't going to quit. No one was stronger than him. He put up his fists, wanting the fight to continue. Kal chuckled. This was going to be a good beat down.

"Dammit to hell," Lex cursed from his office. Kal slammed Grundy through the streets into the sewers cutting off any visual to the fight. "We don't have cameras below the streets. I can't see what is going on."

"I doubt we need to see to know what's going on." Watching the people stumbling on the streets, struggling to stay on their feet told Mercy what was happening. "It's a helluva fist fight going in the sewers and I bet the alien is winning."

"Neither Giganta, Clayface or Grundy could reveal any weakness of the alien. I see why Darkseid finds him as a threat and there is nothing I see so far that will lure him to my side." Lex was disappointed but he wasn't ready to admit defeat yet.

"Well, I'm betting this alien has a soft spot for Wonder Woman." Mercy recalled Keith's story of the two pairing up to fight Darkseid. "You can use her."

"I wanted something more than that," Lex groused. He would have to go about another way to find a weakness in Kal and lure him to his side. Disgusted with Giganta, Clayface and Solomon Grundy's failure, he turned his attention to the visual of Cheetah, Poison Ivy and Killer Frost in Metropolis Park. He expected they were doing better.

They were not. Black Canary and Zatanna imprisoned the three villainous women in the Metropolis Police prison van. It wouldn't be hard getting them out. He had members of the Metropolis Police on his payroll. He would use that same group to gather Clayface remains and try to put him back together. With Black Canary and Zatanna was a white Labrador in a red cape. The cape resembled the cape Kal wore. "Mercy, I believe I underestimated this alien and his dog. We are dealing with a man whose powers are nothing I've ever seen."

"Whoa!" Mercy shouted. "Did you see that?" she asked Lex. She pointed at the television. "Solomon Grundy was punched through the streets again by that alien. He's out cold."

That left everyone defeated by the alien and his dog. The only one left standing was Parasite and even he wasn't holding his own well against Flash, Wonder Woman and a weakened Martian Manhunter.

"Time for Plan B. Tell Parasite to let himself be defeated."

Mercy looked over at Lex as he went to his desk to read off his computer. She knew what Plan B entailed. She sent the order to Parasite by her comlink and asked Lex. "Will the chip work?"

"Of course. I created it." He also personally installed the chip in Parasite's head. "When Parasite took the Martian's powers, he took his mental knowledge as well. The Martian can read minds and until the Martian's powers wither away, Parasite can as well. When Parasite's captured, he will get close enough to read Wonder Woman's mind. She has spent time with the alien and we will learn all she knows about him. Hopefully, in her time with him, she learned a few weaknesses."

"And if the alien gets close enough to Parasite..."

Lex smiled, "We will know his secrets, too."

After Kal flew out of the sewer, Diana followed suit. Her first thoughts were going to the unconscious Flash and J'onn but seeing Kal flirt with Giganta caught her off guard. What was he doing? Why was he vibrating? Why was he so close to Giganta? She gasped outrage at Kal when he told the giant woman he wanted to enter Giganta's body. To make matters worse, Giganta was aroused by Kal.

He says he misses me and he flirts with Giganta? He wants to get inside her? To think I.. What a fool I've been. Diabolical man!

Diana flew away, refusing to see anymore of the fight. Her friends needed her. Diana landed in front of Flash who was still unconscious. Diana pulled Wally up to a sitting position and gently shook him. "Flash. Flash! Wake up!"

"Ummm….?" Wally slowly opened his eyes. "Ow!" He touched his head. "I have a headache." He sniffed. "And I smell like fried bacon."

"Shake it off. J'onn needs our help." Diana helped Wally to his feet. Looking up, she saw Parasite and J'onn in an aerial fight. "Parasite absorbed a lot of J'onn's power. We have to defeat Parasite before he has a full understanding of J'onn's abilities."

Parasite took advantage of J'onn's shape shifting abilities morphing into a fire-breathing dragon. His spiked tail latched onto J'onn's legs. Before J'onn could phase through Parasite, he blew hot flames on J'onn. Consumed with flames, J'onn was weakened to his natural form.

Still holding J'onn, Parasite swung his tail, slapping J'onn's body against the edge of a rooftop like a piñata. Consumed with the ease with which he was slapping J'onn around filled Parasite with so much glee he didn't see Flash running up a building behind him. Flash leapt and kicked Parasite's back. The blow forced Parasite to release J'onn. Diana's lasso looped around Parasite. She pulled her lasso, snatching Parasite from the sky and slamming him on the roof of a condo.

J'onn grabbed Parasite's hands, twisted them behind his back and wrapped Diana's lasso around them. The Martian hold on him was weak even for him but Parasite let him think he couldn't break free. "As soon as I get out of this, I'm comin' after you again. No prison can hold me."

"We should hold onto him," Diana said, "At least until he loses all your powers, J'onn. It will be too dangerous putting him in a facility until then."

Even so close to him, the Martian was still too weak to pick up on the fact Parasite was using his mental powers. Or perhaps they think I'm too dumb to use them. Ha! This will show them!

Parasite gazed at Diana, trying to read her mind. To his chagrin, Diana put up a mental block, denying him access to read her mind and process the information to the chip in his brain, which would be read by Lex. He would have to try another tactic to cause the Amazon to lower her guard.

"So, the new boy in town looks invincible. I'll be sure to absorb his powers next time. A guy like him doesn't have any weaknesses like the Martian."

For a moment, Diana looked unnerved. Parasite kept his focus on Diana, feeling the mental block slip away. He read her emotions. She was thinking of the alien's weakness to red solar energy and magic. Wonder Woman's mother struck him with a sword forged from a God. Lex will have a lot of use for this.

Diana caught Parasite staring at her and Parasite felt her mental block going up again. However, he maintained his focus on Diana to let her think he was still concentrating on her.

"You okay, J'onn?" Flash asked his friend. It disturbed him J'onn was in his natural form. The fact he didn't shape shift in his more humanlike form alerted Flash J'onn was weaker than he thought. "You look a little green even for you."

"I haven't enough strength to use my other powers fully but I will recover."

Flash looked at Parasite slightly nervous. If Parasite took so much from J'onn... "He can't use all of your powers, can he? I mean, he's too dumb to grasp them right?"

"I'm right here!" Parasite feign insulted. "I should've taken your powers so I could slap you silly a hundred times in a second."

Parasite tried to read Flash's mind but his mind moved to fast for Parasite to read.

Flash laughed, a little relief in his voice. Parasite hadn't grasped used of J'onn's powers. "For a moment, I was scared."

Parasite growled and tried to lunge at Flash but J'onn held him back.

"Looks like you guys have this under control."

Parasite turned his head to the new voice. The alien. He dropped down on the rooftop, standing sinfully close to Wonder Woman. Parasite didn't need to read minds to know something was going on between the two. The look on the alien's face as he smiled at Diana said it all. Parasite focused on the alien, trying to read Kal's mind in hopes of finding more weaknesses in him.

"So, the mysterious angel finally reveals himself," Parasite's voice dripped with sarcasm. "How does someone like you manage to hide on this planet all this time without anyone knowing? I bet you are hiding among us with a double identity like those punk Justice League members."

Something popped in the alien's mind. Smallville. Kent Farm. What's a Rubix?

Kal left Diana's side to stand in front of Parasite. "So, you're Parasite. I had a bounty like you. He stole lives of rulers, breaking up families, causing wars. I broke every bone in his body. It was little extra I threw him for my payment. He never stole anything again."

"You're lucky I'm trapped in Wonder Woman's lasso or I will take your powers and learn your weakness. As powerful as you are, I bet you have one."

Kal snorted. "As if I will tell you."

Ah, but he did. Even though it was for only a few seconds, the alien's mind briefly thought of green meteorites and much to Parasite's delight, they were on Earth.

"Never mind, Parasite." Diana interrupted. She didn't like Parasite asking Kal questions. She had her own for him. "We have everything under control," Diana stiffly told Kal. "What are you doing up here?"

Kal was baffled by the irritation in Diana's voice. He thought she would be pleased to see him. "I finished taking care of those three losers. I thought you might need help with this one."

"You can see you were wrong." Diana jumped off the rooftop and landed on the streets. Even from above when dealing with Parasite, she had been able to hear the damage going on in the streets and wanted a firsthand look at Kal's work.

Kal followed Diana, wanting to understand the shift in Diana's behavior towards him. "What's with the attitude?"

"Thank you for aiding us," Diana was grateful for his help despite not being pleased at the destruction. Cars were crushed, thrown up against buildings, streetlights and street vendor kiosk destroyed, windows from buildings shattered and pockets of the streets were destroyed. The Justice League always tried to minimize the damage to property but Kal obviously had no concern for that. Of course she couldn't put all the blame on him. Giganta, Solomon Grundy and Clayface did their own fair share of damage.

Aside from the destruction, Giganta and Grundy were bound and unconscious. Diana was a little disturbed with pieces of Clayface scattered everywhere but she was bothered by Kal and Giganta's interaction even more.

"You don't sound like you mean it. What did I do? Was I too rough on them?" Kal asked. "I'm not sympathetic to criminals, Diana. I won't kill them but I won't be easy on them."

"You can be easy on the property!" Diana told Kal. "Some of the damage you created was needless. It will take weeks to repair everything."

"I'll help with the repairs," Kal offered. It wouldn't take long for him to do it. "Everything is so fragile here. I never had to worry about destroying things before."

"Well, you do now."

That clipped tone in Diana's voice told Kal she was still angry with him. "I'll fight with some restraint next time. What else is bothering you?"

"What makes you think something else is bothering me?" Diana turned away from Kal before he could answer. An ambulance was blocked by a crushed car in the middle of the street. The ambulance couldn't go around the car since there was a gaping hole that was created when Kal slammed Solomon Grundy through the street. Diana picked up car and placed it on top of a car that was crushed by Giganta. She ignored Kal and signaled the ambulance to come through.

"Because it is." Kal grabbed Diana's hand and pulled her away from the street.

Being pulled down an alley, away from wondering eyes, Diana demanded, "Let me go. There are people who need help."

"This will only take a moment." Kal placed Diana between himself and a brick wall. Her only way out was through him. Not that she was worried being in an alley alone with Kal. She knew he would let her go when she wanted. For now, he only wanted answers. "This silent game won't work with me, Diana. I want to know what other reasons you are angry with me."

"Fine!" She knew the alternative for not being upfront with Kal. As tempting as it was to experience that again, it wouldn't look good to be caught with Kal in that position. "It's funny how you say you won't be easy on criminals but you were very easy on Giganta."

Oh. Now he understood Diana's behavior. He grinned. "You're angry with me over what I said to Giganta."

He was grinning. That angered Diana. She didn't find this funny at all. "You didn't have to do that with her."

Diana's jealousy was cute, flattering even. "I didn't mean anything I said to Giganta. I needed to divert her attention before I attacked. Sometimes I have to use mind games on an opponent instead of brute force."

That didn't make Diana feel any better. "So, you used that scheme on me?"

Diana's anger with him took on a new meaning. Kal placed his left arm on the wall over Diana's head and leaned his body towards Diana. With his right hand, Kal cupped the left side of her face. He brushed his thumb across her cheek and tilting her face up, forcing Diana to look at him and see the sincerity in his eyes. "Never with you." For an arrogant man, his voice was surprisingly soft. "Everything I say to you, I mean. You can use your lasso on me to see if I am truthful."

What is this spell you cast on me? I believe you. I don't want to but I do.

"Truth is, Diana, you don't have to worry about me having eyes for Giganta. I don't go for the crazy, bad girls. You can't trust them and they are too easy. I prefer the stubborn, challenging women who defy and argue with me every chance she gets; who hurt my dog and damage my ship. I also prefer women I have to chase naked, carry over my shoulders and punish with kisses."

Having Kal so close, clouded her better judgment. His words melted her anger towards him. She tried to fight it but she could feel her face betraying her. The frown on her lips turned upwards into a smile, heat warmed her cheeks and her eyes, the biggest betrayer of all, couldn't look away from his lips.

"There's that smile." Kal's hand slid from Diana's face to her smooth neck. "It hasn't changed."

"There's that cockiness." Diana gently removed Kal's hand from her neck and brushed past him. "It hasn't changed."

Kal chuckled, watching Diana's retreating backside, not bothered by the brush off. Six months ago, he would've stolen a kiss from her. Not this time. Diana wasn't having it. "You still have that fire in you."

Diana stepped out of the alley. The Metropolis Science Police have arrived. Some of the officers were gathering Clayface remains. It would be a miracle if they found all of it. Others were placing secure collars on Giganta's neck, wrists and ankles to suppress her enlarging her body when she woke up. Diana spotted five Science Police officers picking up Solomon Grundy and carrying him into an armored truck.

Two news vans were showing up and setting up their cameras, too.

"The media's here." Diana wasn't looking forward to this. There will be media firestorm over Kal's appearance.

"I better leave then."

"You want to leave?" Diana turned back to Kal. "You can't hide anymore, not after that big fight."

"Those reporters will ask if I am the newest member of the Justice League. Given my history with the Justice League, that would put you in an awkward spot. I know you don't want to tell the world how we really met."

No for she had a good feeling how that would play out. If the Justice League wasn't willing to give Kal a second chance, what chance did Kal have with the rest of the world? "You have a point but I will tell them you are not a member and any discussion of you joining will be decided by the Justice League over a certain period of time. Come on," Diana implored him. "I'll stand by your side. At least stay long enough to tell them your name and your purpose. That should ease any fears people may have over you."

"All right," Kal conceded. "I'll make a brief statement and leave but only if we meet later tonight."

"Where?"

"The roof of your Embassy tonight at ten."

"Will you bring Krypto?" As happy she was to see Kal, she wanted to see Krypto, too. "I miss him."

"No," Kal said touched Diana wanted to see Krypto, "but I'll bring you to him."

"All right," Diana agreed, looking forward to seeing where Kal has been living all this time. "Ready to go?"

"I'm always ready."

Diana stepped out of the alley, immediately being bombarded by the press. Diana turned expecting Kal to be behind her but he wasn't. Did he lie and run?

"Wonder Woman, a statement!" a male reporter yelled.

"Witnesses said a man in a red cape beat up Solomon Grundy, Clayface and Giganta. Is that true?"

"Did you get a chance to talk to him? Where did he come from? What's his name? What-"

The reporters were silenced by Kal's sudden arrival as he descended from the sky and touched down, keeping a respectful distance from Diana. Diana hid her smile but she was happy to know Kal didn't abandon her. He had to make his own entrance.

All eyes were on Kal, waiting for him to speak. As a bounty hunter, Kal never had to talk about himself too much. Telling people he was here to help was a new thing. He was used to telling people of their crimes and taking them down. He wasn't intimidated by this new challenge. The Kents warned him he would have to explain himself. Now was the time to do so.

"My name is Superman. I am a Kryptonian from the planet Krypton. As a baby, I was sent here from my dying planet. Unfortunately due to reasons beyond my control, I never arrived on Earth as a baby. Instead, I grew up in another universe. I've traveled to many worlds, contributing to bettering the lives of good people. I never had much tolerance for those who brought harm to others. Eventually, I did find my way here to Earth. My parents' wishes for me were to find my place on this planet and use my gifts to contribute to this world. I am not here to harm anyone. I am here to help."

Diana was impressed. Kal spoke eloquently and diplomatically. Not once did he swear. Not once did he threaten to knock some heads. He really did change during his time here.

"As I stated, I don't have tolerance for criminals. In my travels across several galaxies, I've beat up a lot of zhuutholes and motherfruckers. I right the wrong they did as best I could so it would be wise for all criminals on this planet to change their ways. You do not want to challenge me and if you are foolish to do so, look at what happened here as an example of what awaits you."

Diana was speechless. He couldn't say that with a little more tact? So much for Kal changing. He was blunt and brazen as ever. Reporters stared with open mouths and confusion. Several were wondering what zhuutholes were but had a good idea what a motherfrucker was.

Seeing no one had any words for him, Kal took that as a sign to leave. He flew off, feeling very pleased with himself and looking forward to his meeting with Diana later. I got off without anyone asking questions. This was easy.

It took several moments after Kal's departure before a reporter found his voice. Superman arrived, said what he had to say and left, leaving more questions in his wake and the only one to answer these questions was Wonder Woman. "Is Superman the newest member of the Justice League, Wonder Woman?"

What a follow up question after that with Kal! "No, Superman is not a member of the Justice League."

"Why not?" A reporter asked. "He kicks butt!"

"Don't you think you need a guy like him in the Justice League, especially after that embarrassing defeat to that hairy alien that attacked the Justice League six months ago?" Another asked. "Superman could've beaten up that guy!"

The irony of the suggestion wasn't lost on Diana. "The Justice League will meet and discuss Superman but we always welcome the help of others wanting to do good." Taking Kal's cue, Diana flew off to reunite with J'onn and Flash. Many reporters called after Diana asking questions but she didn't look back. She had a more pressing matter to deal with.

Meeting with the Justice League to discuss Kal.

At the Hall of Justice, every member of the Justice League were in attendance either in the huge control room or by via the satellite around the world. With Kal making himself known to the world as Superman, everyone was required to attend this very important meeting.

The founding members of the Justice League: Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Batman, Flash, Green Lantern and Black Canary, stood on a dais, looking out onto the heroic group of over a hundred members and counting. This group has been together for four years, starting out with six members and growing with each disaster, world threat or when a new villain that surfaced. While Diana was the face of the Justice League, she never considered herself as the leader. She shared that role with J'onn and Bruce. The three often worked well together. J'onn would disagree with Bruce at times and Bruce at J'onn but Diana was always the one that held them together. Now with Kal's arrival, Diana felt the special bond between them break and feared it was beyond repair.

Even now, it was obvious with everyone in the Justice League, things were different between the three and the alien's arrival had a lot to do with it. Now Diana had to speak with the Justice League about Kal again. She hoped their feelings toward Kal will be different this time.

"Thank you for meeting on such short notice. As you know, Kal reveal himself to the world today as Superman."

"It's Kal now," Bruce sneered. "What happened to Kal-El?"

Diana hoped Bruce would compose himself in front of the entire Justice League. No such luck. "Kal and his dog, Krypto, have been on this world for six months and they haven't harmed anyone. In fact, Kal has helped people as the mysterious angel. I know what Kal did to the Justice League was unforgivable to many. Some of you may always carry feelings of hate towards him despite knowing Kal's reasons for doing what he did. Despite what some may want, Kal isn't going anywhere."

"It's you who do not want him to go anywhere," Bruce spoke out again. "There are many of us who want the bounty hunter off this planet."

Once more, Diana ignored Bruce though she vowed to take him aside after the meeting and have it out. "Judging how Kal has carried himself since his arrival, I think he wants to help."

"Or pull us in a false sense of security before revealing his true intentions," Bruce proclaimed. "Selling us off for the right price. He is a bounty hunter."

"Bruce," Dinah yanked his arm, trying to pull him back, "What's the matter with you? Save your arguing for later."

Diana continued, despite the rude interruption, "We should accept living on this planet with Kal and Krypto."

Bruce yanked his arm from Dinah's. The more Diana talked about Kal and the Justice League accepting him, the angrier he got. "Drop the act, Diana. You accept Kal living on this planet when you brought him here like a child bringing home a lost puppy. You are completely bias and should not be running this meeting."

"And you think you should?" Diana asked, on the verge of losing her cool.

"At least with me, the Justice League knows I am looking out for everyone and not looking to tangle the sheets with an alien that decimated the Justice League and almost killed me!"

J'onn interrupted. This was quickly getting out of hand. "This isn't the time to have this conversation. After this—"

"No!" Diana cut J'onn off. "This was a long time coming. It's best to get everything out now. I don't have any skeletons in the closet. Do you, Batman?"

"Oh, crap," Wally muttered. "This is not gonna be good."

Bruce met Diana's challenge. He wasn't going to back down. "You don't care about anyone but yourself. Did you think of us at all while you were gone or were you consumed with lust for your captor? You insult everyone in the Justice League wanting a man who brought down the Justice League and almost turned you over to Darkseid as his wife but decided not to because he could get what he want by using you."

Diana heard the murmurs in the crowd; some agreeing with Bruce. The Justice League was always a unified group. Disagreements among the founding members were handled behind closed doors. Not in front of the entire League. If there is dissension continued….

"When I was captured, my only thoughts were to find a way home. I knew the Justice League was hurt. I admit to not knowing the extent of your injuries, Batman, but I knew you were badly hurt. So, yes, I did think of the Justice League and along with not wanting to be Darkseid's bride was my motivation to get home. I told you this before when I came back but it obviously bears repeating. Despite what you think, I did not trust Kal initially but after our time on Teltic and Arian where Kal confessed his reasons, I realized Kal wasn't what I thought and I joined with him to take on Darkseid. It was my only chance to get back home." Diana felt she made her point but given what Bruce said to her in regards of her feelings to Kal, she couldn't help adding, "And given your on and off again relationship with Catwoman, you have little room to attack my friendship with Kal."

"Oooh," Wally winced. "Snap! Never thought Diana would say that."

"Friendship," Batman scoffed. "He's your only friends with benefits."

It was Dinah who winced this time. "That was below the belt."

Diana didn't give into her base desire to hit Bruce. "You are letting your paranoia cloud your judgment and your anger to take jabs at me. Yes, what Kal did was wrong but he is trying to redeem himself. However, you won't give him a chance. Even if Kal saves the world, you will continue to hold the grudge. We all make mistakes, Batman, but you are making a bigger one not giving Kal a chance."

"I have no reason to give him a chance."

"Really?" Diana doubted that. "When Green Lantern researched Kal's past in space and you and Nightwing followed stories of Kal as the mysterious angel on Earth, you didn't find anything to make you think you were wrong about Kal?"

"Busted," Wally murmured to Hal.

Hal wasn't bothered. "I'm not the only Green Lantern in this group."

"I'll make sure everyone knows it's you," Dinah promised.

Hal balked. "What for?"

"Payback for sneaking around investing Kal, hiding his ship without letting anyone know. After this meeting, I want a full report of your knowledge of Kal."

"And if I refuse?" Hal tested Dinah. As if he was going to do what she wanted.

"I'll scream."

Hal shut up and like everyone else could only watch the verbal exchange between Bruce and Diana.

Right now, Diana was tearing into Bruce. "You are on the verge of shutting everyone who cares for you out of your life. I hate this tension between us and I want us to get past this but you have this wall built up around you that no one can get through. I'm sorry Kal hurt you. I'm sorry you can't look past Kal's misdeed, break through your delusions and twisted paranoia your mind has conjured up." Diana was at her wits end. Bruce stood defiant as if her words didn't have an effect on him. "I don't know what else can be said but I am standing my ground on this."

"You said it all." Bruce stared at Diana for a long moment, turned and stormed out.

It was heartbreaking for Diana to see Bruce walk out. She wanted to go after Bruce but doing so will achieve nothing.

Diana turned her attention back to the fellow members of the Justice League. She could imagine the mixed feelings the exchange brought. "I'm sorry you had to see that. Let me say I know you won't allow Kal to join the Justice League but you will have to accept Kal will be dropping in to help us when he pleases."

"Why does he have that privilege?" Green Arrow yelled from among the crowd.

"If you think you can stop him from helping, be my guest," Diana challenged him.

That silenced Ollie and many others in agreement with him. Dinah didn't approve of Ollie's outburst and made a mental promise to let him know later. She took a stand with Diana and against her husband. "Given the assistance of Superman and Krypto today, I am willing to give them a chance. I welcome their help. Besides, I owe the dog a juicy steak."

Dinah saw the disapproval of her husband. She sent him a scathing gaze, daring him to say something. He didn't. Dinah went on to say, "We've all made mistakes and we were forgiven. If Superman isn't being truthful he will slip up. Working with him will give us the opportunity to understand him more and if he hasn't change we have a better opportunity in taking him down."

"Thank you, Dinah. I know we will be asked by the press of Kal's role to the Justice League and if he will join. I propose for the time being we treat Kal like a new hero. We will watch him carefully and if the time comes, we will decide if he should join the Justice League. Shall we put this to a vote?"

The majority agreed with Diana. Dinah noticed Wally reluctantly had his hand up for yes. Dinah saw the tight frown on his face. "Wally," Dinah whispered. "Are you okay?"

Wally shook his head. "No. Look at what this alien is doing to us. Bats and Diana have argued but never like this. Never in front of the entire Justice League. It's like we are being torn apart from within and it's the alien's fault."

"Not entirely," Dinah told him. She put an arm around Wally and hugged him. For all his fast talking and flirting with women, he was a sweet guy with a big heart. "We'll get past this. I promise."

Wally pulled from Dinah's hug. It wasn't enough. What he needed, wasn't here. "I gotta get out of here."

Diana watched Wally blur out of the room. She heard the exchange between Wally and Dinah. She wanted to talk to him but he took off before she reached him. I'll give him his space and talk to him tomorrow.

Zatanna approached Diana, wanting to give her support. "Good speech, Diana. I agree with everything you said."

"Thank you." It was nice to have some support and given Zatanna's friendship with Bruce, it was appreciated. "I hope things do not get any uglier than they did today."

"It will," Zatanna told her. "But I think it will blow over once we see more of Superman in action."

"I hope so."

"So," Zatanna grinned, "are you meeting Superman later?"

Diana told Donna and J'onn about seeing Kal in confidence. She never thought either would betray that. "Who told you?"

"You just did," Zatanna chuckled. The shock on Diana's face was hilarious. "You were attracted to him when you brought him to us. Everyone saw it. Rumor has it you haven't seen him since that day. Now that he is back, I assumed you two will meet up and maybe hook up."

"Kal is my friend, Zatanna, and we haven't seen each other in months. I'm only meeting him to catch up on what he has been doing."

Was that really all? Zatanna wasn't so sure. "I have to say he looked good in that outfit he wore today. He has a nice, tight figure and he is handsome. You should have a fun time with him."

"Zatanna, it won't be like that."

Zatanna shrugged. She tried. "Okay. Just saying and I think you're crazy."

It won't be the first or last time she hears that.

Diana left Zatanna to meet with Donna who stood in silent support of her sister. From the dread on her sister's face, Diana knew something was wrong. They quickly left, seeking privacy in Diana's room.

As soon as Diana closed the door, Donna blurted, "Mother knows Kal is back."

"How?" Diana didn't understand. "She's on Themyscira. How would Mother know unless…."

Sheepishly, Donna confessed, "I told her."

"You what?"

Donna saw the fire in her sister's eyes and rapidly explained before her sister's wrath fell on her. "I saw the video of Kal in Metropolis fighting Clayface and Solomon Grundy. He was amazing fighting them. He even saved Lois Lane's life from a helicopter crash. I thought if Mother saw that, she would think differently of Kal. I thought she would give him a chance."

While Donna's reasons were noble, Diana wished her sister discussed this with her first. Still, Diana couldn't be mad at her Donna. Her actions came from the heart. "And what did Mother say?"

Donna shook her head. "She wasn't impressed and she wants to see you. Now."

Did she now? Diana was smart to her mother's tricks. She wasn't naïve anymore. "Donna, you and I both know if I go home now, Mother will find some way to stop me from coming back and seeing Kal tonight."

"I didn't tell her about that!"

"I know you didn't but I'm beginning to understand Mother's sneaky ways." And frankly, Diana was disgusted with her mother's behavior.

Donna sighed. "You're still mad at her about Keith."

"Yes, I am!" Just thinking about it, fired up Diana. "I can't believe Mother tried to set me up with him. Did she really think I would forget about Kal if I started dating Keith? She wasn't thinking of anyone but herself. I never realized how controlling our mother could be if we went against her. Mother trying to run my life has got to stop."

Donna watched her sister, deeply concerned. First the deepening fall out with Bruce and now this. Donna wanted to embrace her sister and take some of the stress off her but Donna knew she wasn't the one who could do that.

"You know," Donna said uneasily, "Mother will still blame you for his death."

"What?" Diana was taken back. "It's not my fault he was robbed."

"No, but he did leave the auction early. He couldn't be found after you took off chasing Kal."

"It's not my fault," Diana defended herself. "Keith's death was an unfortunate accident. If Mother hadn't tried to force Keith on me, this wouldn't have happened. She knew I only saw Keith as a friend but Mother tried to force more because she dislikes Kal."

"I know that but, Mother," Donna was at a loss for words. "I know you and Mother haven't been on speaking terms since that night, but you have to talk to her eventually."

"I know," Diana agreed. "But not today."

"When?" Donna asked.

"Maybe," Diana's eyes lit up as her face turned mischievous, "when I am pregnant with a Kal's baby."

"Diana!" Donna gasped, shocked her sister would say that. Then she fell over laughing on Diana's bed. "Wow. You're not so stiff after all."

"I can make a joke," Diana told her sister, feigning slight indignation.

"You don't have to get knocked up but if you sleep with Kal, I won't judge you."

Diana grabbed a pillow off her bed and playfully smacked Donna's face with it. "I was joking about everything, Donna. I'm not sleeping with Kal tonight."

"Why not?" Donna pulled the pillow from her face. "Kal has feelings for you. You have feelings for him."

"There should be more than physical attraction before jumping in bed together." Diana sat next to Donna as she pulled herself up on her elbows. "We haven't even been on a date."

"You fought together against Darkseid," Donna tried to put a spin on it. "That shows chemistry. Some may argue that's a date."

Diana chuckled. If fighting an opponent together was considered a date between them, then they already had two dates under their belt. She had to admit they did work well together. "We do have some chemistry and I do have feelings for Kal but we can't do anything about it. We have to be friends for now. Once everything is straightened out with Mother and Bruce, Kal and I can go on a date and see where our feelings lie."

Donna loved her sister Diana more than anything. She always looked up to her, admire her but she couldn't believe what her sister said. Donna snatched the pillow from Diana's hands and smacked her face with it. "Are you insane? You can't seriously wait until Mother and Bruce are okay with Kal before you date him. Mother's grudge can last for centuries and Bruce's can last for a lifetime. You can't expect Kal to wait that long for you."

Diana snatched the pillow away. "I prefer if there wasn't so much tension."

"You shouldn't wait for their approval. You don't need it. You're an adult. Mother and Bruce are not always right. Go after what you want. Go after Kal or you're gonna regret it."

"It's not seeking their approval I want," Diana tried to explain. "I wish Mother and Bruce can be happy for me and as much as Mother angers me right now, she's still my mother. I love her and I value her opinion."

Diana could spin it all she wanted but Donna saw it for what it was. "You're still trying to seek Mother's approval. You don't need that. She's not always right."

"I know but I want things to be on better terms between us. Maybe I'm being optimistic but I think I can change Mother's opinion of Kal. I have to try."

Donna shook her head. She wanted Kal and something was holding her back. Her sister still colored between the lines; never on the outside. She can take risk on the battlefield but not in relationships. Why Donna wondered? Something will have to force Diana to take that risk. If she didn't, she could lose her chance with Kal.

After picking up Krypto at Metropolis Park, Kal returned to the Kent Farm. Martha and Jonathan were anxiously waiting their return. Both watched the breaking news of Kal in Metropolis tense, excited, worried and proud all at the same time. When Kal and Krypto stepped into the Kent home, they were bombarded by Jonathan and Martha with hugs and praises. Kal was surprisingly caught off guard with the affection towards him and his dog.

"That was amazing, Kal!" Jonathon praised him. "Simply amazing!"

"The fight was in Metropolis. How did you see it here?"

"It was breaking news," Martha told Kal. "Bystanders sent in footage on their cameras of your fight with Clayface and Solomon Grundy. We didn't see it but we heard you defeated Giganta, too. Cable news had a live feed of your press conference and it transferred to the local channels."

"Interesting statement you made to the press," Jonathan added with a sly grin. "No one will doubt your confidence."

"But it may cause the criminals to go after you even more," Martha said worriedly. "The Injustice League are nasty people. They are ruthless and you shouldn't underestimate them by being so boastful into thinking you are invincible."

"I warned them," Kal wasn't regretful of his words. "They only get one warning."

"All the same," Jonathan warned, "ease up on the boasting. Nothing wrong with being prideful but you don't want to come off as arrogant. That can blind you."

"I've been meaning to ask, Kal, what is a zhuuthole and motherfrucker?" Martha question was very innocent but Jonathan had a look on his face that gave away he knew the answer to the question. "I've heard you say zhuut, zhuuthole, fruck, motherfrucker a few times here but I never figured that out. I'm sure it's an alien language."

"It is. It's a few curse words. In English, zhuuthole would be dung hole."

"Dung hole?" Martha repeated baffled. "Dung means manure and people call that…" she gasped horrified at the word. "So motherfrucker means…" Martha slapped Kal across his chest with a kitchen towel. "Don't curse, young man! It's a sign of ignorance and you're much too smart for that."

In all his life Kal has been punched, kicked, shot at, blown up but never in his life has he been slapped with a kitchen towel by a middle age woman. He didn't know how to react to that. He looked to Jonathan who shook his head amused and mouthed, 'Just go with it.'

"Um, okay," Kal said uneasily. "I'll ease up on the swears. I didn't know Earthlings were so sensitive to that. I've been cursing since I could talk."

And Martha thought that was very sad he wasn't taught better. "It's not in good taste to swear. You didn't know that." Martha couldn't chastised Kal too much. He didn't know better. "But you do now. I know you won't go cold turkey on it but try not to swear too much, especially on television or in the company of women."

Don't curse in front of women. Kal wondered if Diana was bothered by it. She never implied she was but it wouldn't hurt to ask her later.

It was a wild day in Metropolis. Even hours after the arrival of Superman, the city, no the world was still abuzz by the new face of justice. So many questions remained unanswered. Who was Superman? How did he get his powers? How powerful is he? Should the Injustice League take his threat seriously? Who will get the exclusive story on him?

That was the question on Lois Lane's mind. Though Lois wasn't at the impromptu press conference where Superman introduced himself to the world, Lois was able to pen a story of Superman, bragging his first stint in Metropolis was saving her from crashing into a building.

Lois knew the Justice League talked about Superman's arrival in private and she couldn't wait until Flash gave her the inside scoop. She imagined the Justice League had to be excited to have someone like Superman on their team. Maybe, just maybe Flash could introduce her to Superman and she can get the exclusive on him for the Daily Planet. If she did, hello Pulitzer!

Lois leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes with her mind on Superman. He was a devastatingly handsome man. To get close to him for a story. To get in his pants for her pleasure, she would do almost anything. "I wonder if he goes for Earth women." There were still photos of Superman talking to Wonder Woman before the press arrived. She didn't look happy with him. Lois wondered what that was about. Perhaps Flash knew. In the press conference, Wonder Woman appeared indifferent towards Superman so there wasn't an attraction between the two as far as Lois knew. That meant she had as much chance as anyone getting Superman's attention.

A gust of wind blew in Lois' living room, blowing up her curtains and tossing her papers all over her floor. Flash was here. Time to get that scoop. Lois stood, turned to greet Flash and froze. Flash always had a happy disposition when he dropped by her apartment. Now he looked angry.

"This is insane!" Flash griped. "I can't believe this is happening!"

Lois stepped to Flash, showing concern she didn't have to fake. "What's happening? What's wrong?"

Flash paced, back and forth, back and forth so fast Lois was getting dizzy. "I swore I wouldn't tell but I can't hold it in anymore! I just need to talk to someone about this."

Lois interest rising, she touched Flash's arm, stopping him from moving. "You know you can unburden yourself on me but you don't have to tell if you're not comfortable." She smiled warmly at him as she closed the space between them. "If you like, I can order in and we can pig out on pizzas, burgers and tacos."

Wally was touched by Lois' gesture. It was nice having Lois near him, Wally thought. She always listened, gave good advice and was very patient with him. She didn't know his secret identity and she didn't pressure him to tell her. Although Wally wanted more with Lois, he felt the reason Lois was holding back on a relationship was him keeping the Justice League business close to his chest as well as his true identity. After all these weeks, Wally felt it was safe to trust Lois with everything. "Kal, the bounty hunter."

Lois pulled her head from Wally's chest. "Who is Kal, the bounty hunter?"

Wally sighed, "Superman."

Superman? Superman was a bounty hunter? But what did that mean? Lois fought hard to contain her excitement. A scoop on Superman? This was the story she was waiting for. "You know who Superman is?"

"Yeah." Wally released Lois and settled on her sofa. Lois sat with him, keeping close. She showed her support by rubbing his back soothingly, hoping he would tell her more. "He's the same guy that kicked our ass all those months ago."

Lois' mouth fell open and her hand dropped from Flash's back. Her mind was spinning at the bombshell. "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! You mean the guy that defeated the Justice League in front of the Embassy six months ago is the same guy who beat up Giganta, Clayface, Solomon Grundy and saved me today?"

"Saved you?" Wally wondered when this happened. "You were in trouble today?"

"Giganta took a swing at the Daily Planet helicopter. It spiraled out of control and Superman caught the helicopter," Lois quickly explained. She wanted to get the topic off her. "If Superman is that guy from six months ago, why is he on Earth? Why is he fighting the Injustice League?"

"It's a long story."

"I'm not going anywhere." Lois kicked off her shoes and made herself comfortable on the sofa.

No, she wasn't since it was her place, and with Wally opening the floodgates, he couldn't stop now. "Bottom line. He kidnapped Wonder Woman after he kicked our butts but he returned with Wonder Woman four days later."

So Wonder Woman was missing after that fight. I knew it! "Why did Superman kidnap Wonder Woman?"

"Darkseid wanted her but Superman decided not to turn her over. Turns out he was being used by Darkseid, too. Darkseid had something called a Rubix that belonged to Superman's parents. It told Superman's his past and Darkseid promised the Rubix to Superman if he brought him Wonder Woman. Instead of turning Wonder Woman over, they teamed up against Darkseid. Superman got the Rubix and learned he was supposed to come to Earth as a child. No one knows why he never arrived as a child so he came back with Wonder Woman."

"Wow." The mystery of Superman deepened. "What happened after that?"

Flash shrugged. "No one in the Justice League wanted anything to do with him. Wonder Woman saw him as a different person but to us, he was the guy who embarrassed us in front of the world with a serious beat down. So, Superman was left to travel the world alone, appearing as the mysterious angel until showing up today as Superman."

Lois couldn't argue with the Justice League turning Superman away. It made sense they rejected him. "What about Wonder Woman? She let him come back with her. She didn't keep company with him?"

"After the chewing out she got from the Justice League and her mother, Wonder Woman kept her distance from Superman. Sometimes Wonder Woman's heart is too big." Of course that wasn't the only reason Wonder Woman allowed Superman to return to Earth but Lois didn't need to know that.

"It's almost a disaster Superman is back," Flash continued. "Not everyone's happy about it and there has been infighting among the Justice League. We've fought before but never like this."

"What about you?" Lois asked. She heard it in Flash's voice, he wasn't happy with Superman either but suspected it was due to Superman's negative influence over the Justice League.

"I don't like the infighting it's created and I don't trust Superman's dog."

"His dog?"

"Yeah. He kicked me in the balls!"

Lois suddenly remembered the video of a white dog hitting Flash between his legs. There were reports of a dog helping Black Canary and Zatanna in Metropolis Park against Cheetah and Killer Frost but Lois didn't believe it. Now she did. The very memory of Flash going down by Superman's dog had Lois fighting off the desire to laugh. Flash wouldn't like that. He would leave and she would lose her source. "That did suck. I thought it cruel of people to laugh at your expense," she said though she was some of those people.

"Thanks. Wally reached across and grabbed Lois' hand. He squeezed her soft hand gently. He smiled shyly at her as he pulled her closer to him. "I'm glad I can talk to you about this. I didn't have anyone else to talk to about this."

A stab of guilt struck Lois. This was the first time she felt guilt over using Flash. Now would be a good time to end things but she couldn't. She wanted that story on the Justice League. It was too tempting to let go. Her eyes went up to his. He wore a mask but she could imagine what he was thinking as he stared at her. Now was the time to pull back, maybe suggest getting something to eat. "Flash—" There was a pull and Flash's lips were on hers.

Against the faster man in the world, Lois didn't have a chance stopping Flash from kissing her. The shock passed as did her desire to push Flash away. She wrapped an arm around his neck and kissed back. Flash wasn't a bad kisser.

Wally grinned as he deepened the kiss. Hal's advice work. Lois didn't slap him. She didn't pull away. She kissed back. All he had to do was slap a real hard kiss on her and show her what she was missing. Wally felt Lois' excitement grow as her fingers caressed the muscles through his tight uniform. She was more excited than Flash expected and he wasn't going to stop Lois from groping him. He's waited months for this moment and had no intention of stopping.

Lois had a different perspective towards this. Flash was a good kisser; something she didn't expect even with his fast lips. Flash desired her for months and if Flash was a good kisser, she wondered what else he was good at. If she slept with him, this would make her even closer to the Justice League. There wasn't any guilt in her decision. Flash would have sex with her and Lois who got a big scoop on Superman already, would get, she hoped, great sex from Flash, too. Either way, both will be happy in the end.

Kal waited for Diana on the rooftop of the Themyscira Embassy. The night skies were clear of clouds, leaving the stars and bright full moon to shine through. The winds were picking up, too. Diana was thirty minutes late. Kal expected the tardiness given what happened today. Everyone wanted a piece of Diana: the press, the Justice League; her mother. Kal wondered how his arrival went over with the Justice League. Has their feelings towards him and Krypto changed? And Diana's mother. What did she think?

A door on the rooftop opened. Kal didn't move. He knew by the heartbeat Diana arrived. He heard her closed the door behind him and the click of her boots against the rooftop as she neared him. "Sorry," she apologized for her tardiness. "It's been hectic today."

Turning around, Kal realized Diana looked as she sounded. Tired and stressed. "I take it the Justice League wasn't pleased to see me."

Diana shook her head as a light gust of wind blew her hair in her face. "Not everyone but there isn't as much hate towards you when you first arrived."

"That's a bonus." Wanting an excuse to touch Diana, Kal pulled the strands of Diana's hair from her face. "Want to talk about it?"

Yes. No. "It won't change things."

Kal cupped her face, his thumb caressing her left cheek. "Maybe not but it might make you feel better."

Diana wasn't sure telling Kal would change things but seeing him and feeling his fingers caress her cheeks was starting to make her feel better. "The falling out between Batman and I has worsen. We argued in front of the entire League. We never did that before."

"Batman still hates my guts."

"Yes, and I learned today that Batman, Green Lantern and Nightwing were keeping something from me that concerns you."

Kal knew what it was so he saved Diana the trouble of telling him. "They have been researching my past as a bounty hunter and spying on me here. I know that."

Diana's eyes widened slightly. "You knew?"

"I met Green Lantern on Arian when I stopped by to see Urvashi and get my suit made. He was held captive eight days before my arrival."

Kal was grinning but Diana didn't understand. "Held captive?"

"He was asking questions about me. Urvashi became concerned and sent one of the nymphs to hold Hal Jordan captive. It wasn't hard cracking him."

Diana cheeks turned a light shade of pink. "No. You don't mean…"

"Yes."

Diana giggled. "Eight days?" Kal nodded and Diana's giggles turned into loud laughs. "That's where he's been. He never told us. He let us think he was on a mission by Oa."

"I guess his pride was hurt that someone like him was taken in by a nymph."

"I bet it was. He has a Casanova reputation." Diana thought it served him right to be duped like that. Still, as much a mood lifter it was to hear this, Diana knew she had to tell the other secret kept from her. "But there's something else you don't know. When Green Lantern left Apokolips, he and Hawkgirl found the ship you left Krypton in. They brought it to Earth and never told me until today."

"My ship." Kal's face ashen incredulous at the news. His baby ship was found and it was on Earth? "I have no memory of the ship. I never knew Dirk and Saki kept it. They let me think it was stripped and sold for parts. I…. I don't know what to say. I… have you seen it? Is it intact?"

"I don't know," Diana answered wishing she did know. "I found out before the attack in Metropolis and I haven't the chance to look at it. We can go now to the Hall of Justice and have you retrieve your ship."

"No," Kal said much to Diana's amazement. "That can wait. I didn't know about my ship for years. One more day won't matter." Kal took hold of Diana's hands and clasped them in his. "Tonight, I want us to catch up. I have a lot to tell you and Krypto is waiting to see you. Are you ready to go?"

Diana followed Kal as he led her to the edge of the rooftop. "Where are you taking me?"

Kal and Diana jumped off the roof, soaring the skies together. "To where I've been all this time."

They flew west, holding hands the entire way. All the stress and anger Diana felt today, melted away as she flew with Kal. Somehow being with him made it worth it. He was worth it. If only her mother and Bruce weren't so bitter towards Kal. What would it take to convince them Kal wasn't a bad person?

Diana wasn't sure and tonight, she wasn't going to think about it. She was going to enjoy this time with Kal.

Diana expected Kal to be in his ship this entire time but flying over the plains of the Midwest, she had a hunch that wasn't the case. Right now, they were flying over Nebraska or Kansas. Was Kal living among humans these past six months?

Passing a giant water tower, the moonlight was bright enough for Diana to read the words on it. Smallville. Kal speed decreased as he neared a large farmland. They descended, landing behind a home with a large red a barn house a few feet away.

"This is where you've been all this time?"

"Yes." Kal looked at the house, noticing the lights were out inside. The only lights on were the porch lights. "Jonathan and Martha Kent are sleeping. I would've liked to introduce them to you. Maybe another time."

Loud barking and a large white blur burst from the barn. "Krypto!" Diana knelt and held her arms out as the white Labrador ran to Diana. The dog attacked Diana's face with licks while she affectionately, rubbed his head and back. "I've missed you, too, and I heard what you did for Black Canary and Zatanna. Good boy."

"Come on," Kal urged Diana to follow him inside the barn. "We can talk inside."

Diana released Krypto and followed Kal. Krypto wagged his tail as he excitedly followed closely behind Diana. "I met the Kents four months ago when I was traveling the world. I helped them during a robbery. They bought me dinner, we talked and the next thing I knew they were inviting me to work on their farm." Kal pointed to an open door leading to his guesthouse. "I've been living in their guesthouse and working on the barn. We can go inside and talk or do you want to go up to the loft?" Kal stopped at the bottom of the steps. "It has a nice view of the skies and I go up there to think a lot."

"The loft is fine." Diana followed Kal up the steps. She heard Kal tell Krypto to stay at the bottom of the steps. She thought that was odd for she expected Krypto to follow them.

At the top of the loft, Diana noticed stacks of hay neatly lined up against the walls along with volumes of books on foreign languages: French, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Japanese, and German to name a few with piles of notebooks and pens beside them. Inspecting closer, Diana saw history books of wars, countries and literature as well.

"Studying up on Earth's history?"

"If I am going to be helping people on this planet, I should know the history. This planet is very diverse. Usually the planets I visit there are one or two universal languages. Here, there's a language for almost every country. Very odd."

"I see why you this is a good place to think for you."

"Yeah," Kal sat on a blanket that covered a pile of hay. "I also watch the holograms from my Rubix of my parents. The Kents calls them my home movies."

"Have you watched all it?" Diana asked.

"No. The Rubix has everything. It has a detailed history of Krypton from its beginnings to its end in all its facets. My parent's family history is stored on there, too, so it will be a while before I see everything on the cube." Kal patted an empty spot by him. "Sit down."

Diana complied. Looking ahead, she saw the amazing view of the night sky from the loft doors. With his eyes, Diana imagined Kal saw all of Smallville, too. Speaking of Smallville, "Have you met interacted with anyone besides the Kents?"

"I do when I go into town with the Kents." He laughed. "Whenever we go into the city, Martha insisted I wear glasses and bulky clothes."

"Why?"

"During my travels around the world, I got the reputation as the mysterious angel. I'm sure you know about that." Diana nodded to confirm she did. "Martha thought I will reveal myself to the world one day and feared I would lose my anonymity. I think she and Jonathan were worried about the news it would bring to them. They are not spotlight people. So, when I go into town, I wear glasses, bulky clothes and I go by Clark Kent. I'm their nephew." Kal laughed. "The crazy thing is the people believe that. I tower over the Kents and I don't look like them. I'm amazed I've gotten away with it all this time"

"At least the Kents don't have to worry about media all over the world showing up here," Diana said. "Many news websites crashed when you arrived in Metropolis. Some civilians recorded your fights and posted them online. They are wondering who you are and where you are now."

"Little do they know I'm on a farm in a small town." Kal laid back with his hands behind his head. "I bet the Injustice League's looking at the footage, studying every move I made looking for a weakness."

"Yeah, particularly Giganta," Diana thought bitterly.

"Giganta?"

"I don't understand why Giganta reacted that way."

She was still on that? "She got hot over my words, Diana. Let it go."

Diana peered at him suspicious. She wasn't going to let go until she wanted, too. "What exactly did you whisper in Giganta's ear?"

Here we go. Diana would not be satisfied. Something had to be done about that. "Oh, just some words to make her weak." Recalling Diana's behavior earlier, Kal knew Diana wouldn't be too happy to know the explicit words he whispered to Giganta. "I had to distract her to knock her out. I explained this to you earlier."

"Initially, I thought you were flirting. Now I think you were speaking to her sexually."

"That's because I was."

Diana frowned, her disappointment evident. "You talked dirty to her. I've lived with humans for years and yet I still do not understand them." She shook her head, baffled. "I don't see how speaking sexually could make one respond the way Giganta did earlier."

Kal chuckled again. It wasn't hard to figure out why Diana didn't get it. "That's because you don't have any experience."

Diana narrowed her eyes at him. She wished she had something to smack him with. "Experience or not, it's silly to think one can be sexually aroused by dirty talk. Many men have tried that with me and only angered me and embarrassed themselves in the process."

"Oh, really?" Still defiant and so sure of herself. "I pity you and every Earth woman who experienced disappointment from a little sex talk." If he was smart, he would let the matter dropped but he wasn't. He wanted to prove it to Diana she can be moved as any woman. "Shall I show you?" Diana laughed in response. "You laugh at me?"

"Yes," If he thought he could make her hot by words…."I'll add you to the list."

Kal sat up, challenge accepted. "It'll be a new list when this is over. Close your eyes."

"What?" Diana protested, her laughing immediately dying. "For what? You're gonna grope me, aren't you?"

"I promise not to touch you except for demonstration."

"Demonstration?" Diana didn't like the sound of that. "What does that mean?"

"You're stalling. Close. Your. Eyes. Feel with your senses."

Fine. Diana's eyelids fluttered shut. Feel with her senses he said. Diana saw only darkness. She could feel Kal's breath fanning her cheeks. She heard a shift in the blankets and felt the heat of Kal's body near hers. Having her eyes closed, left her vulnerable. Kal was very close to her, which left Diana to wonder what Kal was doing. She felt her breath quicken, her heart thumped harder in her chest in anticipation.

Oh, this wasn't a good idea.

"Picture us in your bedroom."

That killed the mood.

"Why?"

"Just do it."

Diana sighed. "Fine. We're in my bedroom. Are we naked?"

Kal chuckled in her ear. It was rich, deep; a warm shiver ran down her spine. This was not a good idea. "Getting ahead of ourselves, aren't we?"

Diana swallowed, her voice wavering, "Just trying to think like you."

"You are lying in bed in a red, sexy gown. It's very short and very revealing, too. I don't need to use my x-ray vision to see what lies under it. You see me standing at the end of the bed in tight black boxers."

"Actually, I don't," Diana struggled to create the vision. "I can't picture it." There was an image of Kal that popped in her mind but he wasn't wearing the boxers.

"Well, picture us naked then. You know how you look naked and you've seen me naked more than once."

Diana gasped. Could he read her mind? Images of Kal on the nymph world, standing outside the bathroom naked filled her mind. She could remember the sight of that beautiful naked body as if it happened yesterday. "Okay," she said shakily.

Kal grinned. It was already working. "I tell you how beautiful you look on your bed, with your hair draped over your shoulders and your legs stretched in front of you."

"Ugh!" Diana gasped disgusted.

"Stop getting ahead of me," Kal told her. "I tell you how much better you look on me."

"How many times have I heard that?" Diana remarked sarcastically.

Kal ignored her. He knew this was Diana's way of trying to resist him. "I let my knees fall on the bed and I crawl to you. I never lose contact with your beautiful eyes. As always you are defiant, but I love your defiance. It arouses me that I am the only man to break through your cool façade, that I will be the only man to release the passion you have hidden in you."

"You're not the first."

Liar! "I am the first and only," Kal whispered confident. "I kiss you softly. You don't deny it. You welcome it. You want every part of me."

"You're delusional."

"I'm more perceptive than you are comfortable with. Remember our kiss on the nymph world. Remember how I made you feel." Kal took Diana's hand and placed it over her right breast. "I move my lips to your neck while my hand…" he closed his hands over Diana's breast. He massaged the clothed flesh with Diana's hand until a sharp gasped escape her mouth.

"You're…. touching me."

"No. You are touching yourself. Shall I continue?"

Diana opened her mouth but said nothing. Kal maneuvered Diana's fingers so that she plucked at her covered nipple with her fingertips. "Are your fingers doing this?" Diana asked.

"Yes, but I pull away and replace my fingers with my mouth."

A whimper escaped Diana's lips. She couldn't believe this was happening. She couldn't believe Kal was making her feel this way. Never before has this happened. Kal could hear Diana's heart pounding; see a faint pink color her cheeks. "Can you see me doing this?"

"Yes." She could see Kal. She saw herself on her back naked with Kal on top of her, kissing her as he did on Arian. She could see his face lower to her breasts. She saw him take one in her mouth sucking gently.

Out of instinct, her breasts thrust forward. "Oh. I feel…"

Kal had to restrain himself as he witness Diana react to the visions in her mind. He felt his own arousal growing thick and hard. He wanted to submit to it but this was all about Diana and he had to suffer in silence. Urvashi told him to let Diana come to him, to not make a move on Diana first. He was certain this wasn't what his friend had in mind but she would tell him to go for it regardless.

Kal gently pushed Diana on the blanket. She followed without protest. Kal removed Diana's hand from her breast and lowered to her stomach. "I place a trail of kisses here." He made a pattern with Diana's fingers, slowly caressing her. Diana shifted slightly. "Can you see my body covering yours?"

"Yes." In her mind, Diana Kal's fingers touching her bare skin, leaving a fiery imprint everywhere he touched while he took his time, suckling her breasts. Eventually, he pulled away and moved south to kiss her stomach. "It's like my dream."

An eyebrow rose on Kal's face. Her dream. Was this the dream on Arian that left him hard all night or was this a dream she had in their time apart? "What am I doing?"

Diana's legs parted slightly, her breathing heavy. "You move lower."

Kal's eyes lit up. He knew now what she was seeing. "I glide down your stomach." He moved closer to Diana, whispering hotly in her ear. "I move lower to your center and inhale your scent. You smell intoxicating and I'm drawn to you like a spell. I can't hold back as I have my first taste of you."

A moan escaped Diana's lips.

"Do you see me licking you or sliding my fingers into you?"

"Licking," Diana struggled to say.

Eyes closed, Diana couldn't stop the images flooding her mind. It was like her dream. Kal's face was buried between her legs, her fingers tangled in his hair, her hips thrusting forward. Kal watched in amazement, growing aroused by the second. "I can't stop tasting you and you don't want me to stop. You pull my hair roughly because you are so far gone with need you can't control you actions."

"Yes," Diana agreed, shaking her head. How did he do this to her she wondered? "Kal."

The whimper. The deep need in her voice. It was too much for Kal. Kal maneuvered himself so that his big, hard body, hovered over Diana. His hands rest on both sides of her face. His body was close but he wasn't touching. He needed Diana's permission. He needed her to say yes.

"Diana," Kal's voice was strained. "Open your eyes."

Diana opened her eyes. She saw Kal staring down at her but his eyes weren't the amazing blue she knew. It was red like fire. Diana felt the mild heat of his eyes warm her face like sunlight. She could see the strain on his face. It was taking all his strength to not press his body to hers.

"What are you thinking about?"

"What it would be like….." Diana admitted. "To feel you." Hours ago, she told Donna she wasn't going to sleep with Kal tonight; that there need to be more than physical attraction. Now, she felt like a hypocrite for saying that.

Kal lowered his body on Diana's. His body swallowed hers and Diana welcomed the slab of hard muscle against her body. She shifted her hips rubbing against his groin. Kal sucked in a breath. "Like this."

"Yes." Diana licked her lips nervously. "How did we get into position?"

"Something about me proving you wrong. Do you care?" He sure as hell didn't.

Diana shook her head. "No. Not at the moment."

Kal gazed down at Diana. Six months. Six long months since they last saw each other. "I don't think I've seen a more wondrous sight."

He spoke so kindly, so sincere but Diana wondered how many times he said this before. "How many women have you said that to?"

"None." The heat from his eyes fade returning to the cool blue she was so familiar with but feeling his body against hers, Diana knew Kal's passion wasn't squelched. A hand touched her face and his finger caressed her lip. "I want to kiss you."

Her tongue darted out to lick his finger. "I'm not stopping you."

Kal smiled. There was the invite. Inch by agonizing inch he lowered his head to hers. Diana closed her eyes anticipating the kiss. How long it has been indeed. Too long. It's been much too long. Just as his lips brushed hers in a feathery kiss, Kal pulled away to the sounds of Krypto barking.

Diana opened her eyes to Kal climbing off her. He shifted the growth between his legs and walked down the steps, leaving Diana baffled and speechless.

What in Hades was that? Why did he walk off? Was this a trick to her get all hot and bothered? Diana sat up, feeling angry and embarrassed and ready to give him a piece of her mind. She stood, stomped down the steps, ready to give Kal a piece of her mind. When she reached the bottom she yelled, "Kal, what do you think you-"

She abruptly shut up and wished the ground would open at the moment and swallow her.

Kal turned. Standing beside him, was a middle aged couple dressed in robes and slippers. "Diana, I would like you to meet Jonathan and Martha Kent."

AN: To quote Bugs Bunny, "Ain't I a stinker?" LOL! Thanks to the reviews.

Shiro: Thank you and you're right but I have to make my point to her. It won't satisfy or change anything her but I will make it known.

Stoppingham: Thanks. Yeah, sending Hal to a nymph world wasn't the best idea. Yeah, you're right about Martha. She hasn't quite caught on yet about Kal's cursing. Maybe I should write something about that.

Unoaranya: Hal really didn't have a chance against the nymphs. Lex is evil. He's down now since he didn't learn all he wanted to know about Kal but he isn't out. He'll just go to Plan B. Thanks for all your help.

Godstaff: Maybe Flash spanked her. LOL! Bruce will start to lighten up a little after this chapter. Thanks for the Canary suggestion. Maybe I'll create something.

Ben: Yeah Mama Bear is only making things worse and pushing her daughter further into Kal's arms. Lois is just getting started. Yeah, Bruce needs to relax. He will start to change eventually when someone else gets involved in the tension between Diana and Bruce.

Heliosion: Thank you so much! Sometimes I forget but I do try to put the complete at the end of the stories. I can't recall if I responded to your last comment but no Supergirl won't be appearing in this story.

KaliAnn: Lex and Darkseid are huge jerks. I rather deal with Lex than Darkseid though. :p This chapter took longer than usual to finish but I hope you like it.

Hellacre: LOL! Well, Keith is the sly guy who puts on the good guy front and he didn't kidnap Diana. Hee. Hee. That's bonus points but yes Mama Bear plan backfired big time! Lois, is funny to write in this story. Kind of curious of the reaction to what she did in this chapter. Kind of on the fence about it but since this is an A/U I thought, why not?

Comicfan: Yes, well you're pretty spot on. I'm a SMWW fan so I don't read a BMWW and if I did, I wouldn't review complaining how SM or WW are portrayed because I knew what I was getting into reading a story towards a pairing I'm not fond of and it's my own damn fault and not the writers. So, I don't see the points of rants in reviews either.

Wonderbee: There are drawings of the new suit in deviant art. I can PM you some links if you like. Lex will have to learn the hard way. Lois is a combo of countless Lois'. She's not portrayed here but my fav Lois is Dana Delaney's. :P

Rory: Thank you. Yes. Lois is horny for Kal and even though she has Flash, she won't stop in pursuing him.

Migalouch: Calm down. It's just a story Pro Batman fan are you? ;) Maybe if you had more patience you wouldn't have ranted the way you did and jump the gun. Sorry the story isn't going as fast as you like or the way you like and you want to get to other scenes sooner than later but this is my story and I will write it how I see fit. You are also skipping parts of the story to try to make your rant valid. It was stated in the early chapters the JL understood Kal mopped the floor with them. They know he is a threat that can take them all down. They are not naive. Yes, Kal almost killed Bruce. No denying that and he has a right to not trust Kal. Sorry from your POV you think I am throwing Batman under the bus and I'm making him a dick. I'm not. If that is your interpretation, there is no changing your mind. If other people think Bruce is a dick, so what? Perhaps Bruce is on some level but he's not as big a dick as Darkseid.

Initially everyone was against Kal when he returned with Diana. They told Diana so. She tried to give Kal privileges and the rest of the JL shot her down. Did you conveniently forget that part in chapter 10? Some still are distrusting of Kal. Everyone is not letting bygones be bygones. That's sadly your misinterpretation because you want to make your rant valid. Months have passed since Kal's arrival and no one has heard a bad thing about him and Kal is trying to make up for what he did. Him being the mysterious angel is proof Kal isn't what they all thought. Kal will do more to make up for what he did (it won't happen overnight) but after a while the JL will have to give this guy a legitimate chance. I refer to the scene with Hal, Dick and Bruce in Chapter 12

Yes, Diana is partially blinded by her feelings for Kal and yet she knows Kal didn't mean to do it. That's why she is willing to give him a chance. Also Bruce is cutting Diana off so you can't have a conversation with someone who doesn't want one. Bruce doesn't want to talk to Diana. He doesn't associate with Diana unless he has to. So, there is no way to have that friendship I talk about until Bruce and Diana finally have a sit down. Conveniently forgetting that part in Chapter 13 just to make your point eh? Diana doesn't see the need to take Kal to task over what he did because she knows why he attacked the League. She knows Kal feels guilty and he is trying to make up for it. You have to get over the fact the story isn't going to go the way you want regarding Bruce and Diana

I am not destroying the character of Batman. Please. I am not that powerful nor would I want to. Despite what you may think, I like Batman. I am not intentionally throwing Batman under the bus. I think because of your feelings for Batman and since you are a BMWW fan your judgment is misconstrued. Don't accuse me of something I am not doing but what you THINK I am doing. I am not making Batman a convenient dick because I need one. If anyone is being a convenient dick, it's Darkseid but it's not convenient. Darkseid will always be a dick. Diana isn't a heartless bitch and since you think Diana is being one in this story, I don't think you know what a heartless bitch is. Your focus is solely on Batman and not on anyone else in this story. Why not some sympathy for Hippolyta? Her daughter is attracted to a man who kidnapped her. Given Hippolyta's history with men, that's a big no no and Kal will have to redeem himself in the queen's eyes. Diana is going through a lot in this story. She is attracted to a man who wasn't her type: arrogant, brash, potty mouth. He hurt her friends and kidnapped her but going past that she sees there is more to him and they have more in common than she initially thought. Her mother and friends don't like him but she does. She's torn on what to do and who hasn't been in a situation like that—attracted to someone your friends and family don't like. Diana is confused and conflicted given her situation. Diana's feelings for Kal isn't complete lust. She genuinely likes him too. I tried to throw hints that she did before the beard came off. More will be explored in future chapters but you don't have the patience.

Probably best you not read this story anymore. You may take certain future parts of the story to make your point valid instead of reading the chapter and seeing it for what it is. You seem way too emotionally involve in a story to get this worked up over it because it's not going the way you think it should.