Avenger Goddess

by Reyel

"I used to want to save the world. This beautiful place... But I knew so little then. It is a land of magic and wonder, worth cherishing in every way, but the closer you get, the more you see the great darkness simmering within." WW/Avengers crossover. Wonder Woman in Marvel Cinematic Universe.

21. Chapter 21 - Iron and Vibranium

Disclaimer – All rights belong to Marvel and DC. I own nothing.

Author's Note: hey, I don't know if you've heard or not, but Marvel finally announced the official timeline of the MCU, indicating the years the movies happen.

Most fan timelines were pretty much correct, despite the actual errors in the movies (like the one in Spiderman: Homecoming, admitted by Kevin Feige himself, that placed the Spiderman movie 8 years after the first Avengers), but the one I was using placed the first Iron Man movie during 2008, when it actually happened during 2010 according to the official timeline.

So I corrected that.

What changed in the story? Absolutely nothing, except that where was previously written "2008" is now written "2010". The story is still the same, I didn't change a word of it, there was no need.

Anyway, just to avoid any confusion. From now on, the dates are according to the official timeline and Iron Man is happening in 2010.

---

Chapter 21 – Iron and Vibranium

Smithsonian's Entrance, Washington, D.C – April 15th, 2010

Harold Joseph "Happy" Hogan was used to his boss' shenanigans by now. He worked as Tony Stark's personal chauffer and bodyguard for years, so he pretty much had to be used to his quirks, even though his boss' quirks had quirks. Geniuses were famously weird, weren't they? God knew Howard Stark was, according to some of the things he heard, and his son was even worse.

Still, Happy had to admit that Mr. Stark was being weirder than usual.

Maybe that shouldn't have been so surprising, no one came back from captivity and torture without any aftereffects. He should've expected this. Granted, Happy didn't know exactly what happened there – he doubted anyone other than Mr. Stark knew –, but it sure as hell wasn't anything good.

So maybe he should just try to ignore the strangeness of some of his requests lately. Like, spending an entire day moving boxes out of the basement, for example, for some reason Tony never shared. Or the fact that he barely left his lab anymore, too focused on some new project that he also refused to share – not that staying in the lab for days was unusual before, but Tony always found time to go out and party, something that still hadn't happened since he came back. And, of course, there was the fact that he simply stopped any and all weapon's production in Stark Industries, something Happy – and the whole world – never thought they would live to see.

The latest strange request, however, Happy was fulfilling at the moment; he frowned, looking out of the window of the armored car to see the Smithsonian's entrance.

Sighing, he turned to the security guards sitting with him inside the Stark armored van and nodded. As if they were one, the guards opened the van and secured a perimeter; Happy, still frowning, left behind them, a bulletproof black briefcase firmly held under his arm.

Happy had no idea why he was in Washington, delivering something to the Smithsonian. He had no idea why Mr. Stark sent him personally, with an armored vehicle and armed guards. He had no idea what he was carrying and even less why it was so important. As far as he knew, Mr. Stark never cared about art or archeological findings. Sure, he had paintings, some pretty expensive ones, but they were more of an investment to him than anything else; Pepper was the one who usually enjoyed them. For all intents and purposes, Tony Stark had no business whatsoever in a museum.

And yet, here he was, delivering something apparently extremely important to a woman he didn't know or ever heard about, who operated as curator of the Smithsonian.

Entering the museum, his guards left behind at the entrance, Happy exchanged a few words with a member of the staff and entered the museum, following the man. No, Happy Hogan had no idea what he was doing here, what Tony Stark wanted with a museum curator or even what he was carrying. He didn't really understand what Mr. Stark was going through right now or how the kidnapping had changed him. And he didn't get most of his boss' latest requests.

But as his trusted bodyguard, fully understanding or not what was being asked of him, Happy would complete his task. That was his job, after all, and Happy Hogan was good at his job.

---

Diana's Office, Smithsonian, Washington, D.C – April 15th, 2010

Paperwork was the bane of everyone's lives, mortals or immortals, Diana decided.

She loved her job, loved working in a museum, surrounded by relics of the past, but some aspects of that job were nearly unbearable; and Diana was capable of writing as fast as it was physically possible, without burning a hole into the paper. How could mortals stand this torture with their slug-like movements?

Shaking her head in frustration, Diana dropped her pen and looked around her, trying to find a distraction. Her office in the Smithsonian was a beautiful place, full of artifacts that she had collected herself, proudly displayed on her walls, behind glass windows. Greek shields, ancient swords, samurai armors… Nothing really rare or unique, at least not in the sense that they were relics from gods or past heroes, but all in all they were impressive, specially to the casual visitor.

It was also an excuse to display some of the artifacts she had collected over the years, that would otherwise be collecting dust in her home or in some of the several storages she had all over the world. The several boxes she brought from home and left in the office, for example, would most likely provide yet another set of expositions after the Wakandan one ended; and after she actually gathered the courage to open them all and see what they contained.

Nat and Peggy called her a hoarder; Diana liked to think of herself as an art enthusiast.

What she really enjoyed, however, was the thrill of finding these artifacts, the journey, even more so than the artifacts themselves. The research, deciphering maps, braving old temples, sometimes fighting their guardians… She smiled, remembering a particularly vicious battle she fought against Arachne and hundreds of her spawn, that had infested one of Athena's ancient temples after the goddess fell against Ares. It was a battle worthy of poetry and songs, even though Arachne herself escaped before being slain. Sure, she spent the following hours with a burning fever and puking nonstop because of the venomous bites of the gigantic monster-spiders, but the thrill of the fight made all that worth it.

And she was rewarded with the artifact she was looking for: the Sword of Athena. A weapon to replace the Godkiller sword, destroyed by Ares when they battled, more than powerful enough to justify a few spider bites.

Of course, a bit of poisoning was nothing compared to what she had to endure to find the Shield of Achilles. A shield forged in Olympus by Hephaestus himself, capable of absorbing any kind of attack, from mortals or even gods. An artifact that, like the Sword of Athena, couldn't be allowed to fall in the hands of the unworthy. An artifact for which Diana was forced to fight a Sphinx, that had taken upon itself the task of guarding Achilles' tomb for some reason. Diana shuddered; she could still feel its claws and teeth sinking in her skin, sharper than godly swords, when she answered the riddle wrongly.

Diana tilted her head; it was no wonder few people could acquire such artifacts, not when they were usually guarded by monsters, divine magic or even advanced technology. Humans simply didn't come back from those excursions, even when they were able to find those places at all, which wasn't easy.

The world was older than humans liked to believe. Mankind was older. Many of the tales Homer and Hesiod told to the world happened far before than they thought. Cities like Athens, Thebes, Sparta and Troy had lived in all their glory when the gods still walked the Earth, thousands of years ago, and what was left of them by the time those stories were told were but shadows of what they had been under the care of the Olympians.

Much of the history of mankind was lost during the War of the Gods, for which was not only a war between Ares and the Olympians, but between all. Gods, demigods, monsters, Amazons, men… The war rained fire over the world and ancient cities, ancient knowledge, were simply wiped out from existence.

The Olympians that ruled over the Earth, with the exception of Ares, were killed. Themyscira was made into an island by Zeus shortly before he perished, and the Amazons were sent there for their own protection, to watch and guard the world if Ares ever returned. Legendary cities that fought together against Ares were completely destroyed and the ones that were left standing were pretty much ashes and dust, nothing compared to what they once were.

History was lost, the gods faded into myth and what was left were poems and statues made by people who had never seen an Olympian or heard their true story.

Diana sighed. That was why her job was so important. History should never be lost to time. And if she could, even if a little, regain what was lost, to remind mankind of what they once were – of what they could be –, then she would do her best.

Even if that involved paperwork.

Groaning, Diana grabbed her pen and prepared herself to start working again, trying to fuel her motivation with the importance of her self-appointed task. That's when she heard someone knocking.

"Come in," she said, putting her pen down.

A man entered slowly, carrying a briefcase. He was dressed in an expensive suit, but he didn't appear to be one of the usual rich people that wanted to meet her, either to talk about work or to simply try to charm her into a date, something that annoyed the hell out of her.

Then she noticed the man's face.

"Excuse, Miss Diana Prince? I'm–"

"Happy Hogan!" Diana exclaimed, surprised, getting up. She opened a big smile. "I'm a fan!"

The paperwork would never get done that day, she realized on the back of her mind, as she advanced towards him.

---

Happy still didn't know what Tony's interest in the Smithsonian was – or what did he want with a museum curator –, but he reached a pretty logical conclusion when he finally saw Diana Prince. He was stunned for a moment, his mind expecting someone quite different when he heard she was a curator.

Diana Prince wasn't simply beautiful, she was most likely the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen in his life. And Happy worked with Tony Stark, who routinely had actresses and models following him around, so he wasn't unused to stunning beauty. For a moment there, Happy was frozen in place, his usually quick wit failing him. Then he shook his head and tried to introduce himself.

Only to be immediately interrupted by her.

"Happy Hogan!" she exclaimed, dazzling him with a perfect smile. "I'm a fan!"

If Happy was stunned before, now he simply didn't know what to do. There was a long silence as he just stared back at her.

"Wh… I-I'm sorry, do we know each other?" Happy managed to ask, wanting to punch himself for how stupid he probably looked right now.

Diana shook her head. "Oh, no, we were never properly introduced," she said, smiling again. "It was the middle of July, I think, 1990. The place? Hell's Kitchen. The event? The Battle of the Century: Happy Hogan VS Battlin' Jack Murdock!"

Happy's jaw was agape, his surprise growing at each word Miss Prince said. From all the possibilities he could've expected to happen in this little trip, this one would've never, not in a million years, crossed his mind. What were the chances?

He fully admitted, without any shame, that his boxing career was a total failure. The only thing he got from it was his ironic nickname – Happy Hogan –, because of his refusal to smile during a fight. He wasn't a bad boxer, but he wasn't excellent either. Happy was average and he made an average career.

And an average career in boxing – with an average pay – wasn't really worth all the punches to the head, at least in his opinion, so he retired and was lucky enough to had done it in time to find something else to do with his life.

The fact that someone even remembered his brief and unremarkable career was shocking, especially when the person who did it looked like Diana Prince.

It wasn't a criticism or anything like that, but Miss Prince simply didn't look like a boxing fan. She seemed, in fact, like the last person who would give a damn about it, if Happy were to be honest. Miss Prince was a museum curator, young, extremely beautiful and no doubt a cultured, intellectual kind of person, considering what her job entailed. Not that someone like that couldn't enjoy boxing, obviously, but they just weren't the usual fans of the sport.

Happy realized he still had his mouth opened like an idiot.

"I'm sorry, you caught me by surprise," Happy apologized. "You watched my fight against Jack Murdock?"

Diana Prince grinned. Without answering, she turned back and went to a box full of stuff on the corner of the office, probably something she brought from her home, he noticed, because it was identified sloppily by a marker pen as Diana's Stuff, Box 136.

"Where is it, I could've sworn…" he heard Diana mutter as she went through her things. "A-Ha!" She walked back to him, a gigantic smile on her face, then she put something on the palm of his hand.

A single human tooth.

Happy had no idea what to say, but luckily he didn't have to, because she began speaking.

"Not only I watched your fight against Battlin' Murdock," Diana started, excitedly ", I was in the first roll! I was visiting New York at the time and I heard about the 'Battle of the Century' going on." She beamed. "I was standing so close to the ring that Jack Murdock's tooth came flying right on my hair when you hit him with that uppercut! It was an amazing fight!"

When he heard that story, Happy couldn't help but to think about the date. They were in 2010 and that fight – the greatest fight of Happy's life and the highlight of his average career – had happened in 1990, twenty years ago. Diana Prince was what? 30 years old maybe?

What kind of parents allowed a 10-year-old child to watch a boxing fight so close to the ring that a flying tooth ended stuck to her hair?

Well, it wasn't his business anyway, so he ignored that, glancing at the broken tooth. He remembered that moment, vividly, how couldn't he? Battlin' Murdock wasn't the best boxer in the world, far from that, but that guy was tough.

"He lost his tooth and he still didn't fall," Happy said, chuckling at the absurd level of punishment that man was able to endure. He looked at Diana. "Did you know he was never knocked-out? In his entire career. I swear, hitting that guy was like hitting–"

"Oak," Diana finished for him. "I remember when you said that after the fight."

Happy shook his head slightly, a smile on his face, still not quite believing how weird his day was going; but not in an unpleasant way, surprisingly.

"Like hitting oak," he agreed. "My God, I still can't believe how tough that fight was. Can't believe I won!"

He gave her Battlin' Jack Murdock's tooth back and Diana carefully put it back into the box. That was a little bit weird, he admitted, but he supposed she saw it as a souvenir instead of something that used to stay in someone's mouth.

"So you like boxing, Miss Prince?" he asked, while she made sure the tooth was safe inside her box.

She gave him a mysterious smile. "My aunt loved martial-arts of all kinds. I guess some of that rubbed off on me." That might explain what she was doing watching that fight as a kid, Happy thought. "That was one of the coolest fights I've ever watched."

Happy scratched his neck, a bit embarrassed.

"Oh, come on, Miss Prince, it was a small fight between two unsuccessful boxers," he said. "The highlight of my career, sure, but that doesn't mean much."

Diana looked at him seriously.

"You fought and you bled for your dream, Mr. Hogan. That's more than most people ever do in the entirety of their lives." She touched his shoulder for a moment, her eyes never leaving his. "Never make light of this."

For some reason, those words hit Happy like a straight punch from Battlin' Murdock, right in his gut; maybe because that was the first time he ever heard someone voicing what he himself thought all those years ago, when he decided to try to follow a boxing career. Happy knew, back then, that he most likely wouldn't be the greatest boxer in the world. He knew he wasn't the most skilled fighter or had an incredible affinity for martial-arts.

But he wanted to try.

Looking back, it was easy to mock his youthful dream, to shatter the illusion he had. Most people he knew did just that with a big "I told you so". Even Happy was frustrated with himself for a long time, especially after he gave up and had no job or any prospects of getting one any time soon, not without experience.

However, Happy never regretted his decision. Like Diana said, he was brave enough to try to follow his dream and you couldn't put a price on that.

---

Diana smiled when Happy looked at her and nodded, as if thanking her for the kind words. He looked so cute embarrassed! Like a giant child with a beard, getting caught doing something wrong.

She shouldn't tease him, though, she liked Happy Hogan. Like he said, he wasn't the best boxer in the world, but he had an incredible fire inside him back then. Diana hadn't lied when she said the fight was amazing, both Happy Hogan and Battlin' Jack Murdock were driven by pure force of will.

None of them wanted to give up, none of them cared about getting punched, none of them allowed their blood and their injuries to stop them.

Especially Jack Murdock, even though he lost. Diana never saw a normal human take that many punches and still keep fighting.

It was like he could do that all day.

He reminded Diana of a certain someone.

"So, what happened to Jack Murdock?" Diana asked, suddenly, looking at Happy. "I watched some of his fights on the TV, but I never knew what became of him."

Happy's expression grew somber.

"He was murdered," he said and Diana's eyes widened. "Rumor was it had something to do with the mob. Apparently he refused to take a dive and, well, you know how those guys are."

Diana did know, better than most. It was why she actively hunted them down whenever she passed through. She sighed, saddened by the news.

"That's… I have no words," she said, shaking her head. "What a sad thing."

"Yeah, it was," Happy agreed. "It really was."

She decided to change the subject.

"What about you, Mr. Hogan?" Diana asked. "What have you done with your life after you retired?"

He smiled. "I work in security. Knew a guy back then who was kind enough to give me a job and show me the ropes. Turned out I'm better at this than I was at throwing punches."

"I'm glad to hear that, Mr. Hogan," Diana answered, happy for him.

"It's why I'm here, actually," he continued. "My employer wanted me to deliver this to your hands only." Saying this, Happy extended the black briefcase he'd been holding. Hesitantly, Diana took it and placed it over her desk. "Sorry to keep you waiting, I guess I lost myself thinking about my boxing days."

She smiled at his little joke, but Diana was far more interested in the briefcase now.

"Who is your employer, Mr. Hogan?" Diana asked, curious.

"You probably heard his name before: Tony Stark."

CRACK! The corner of her desk, where Diana had her hand laid on, was torn apart when her fingers twitched uncontrollably.

"Oh my god, are you okay?!" Happy exclaimed, going to her, a look of frightened surprise on his face.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," she reassured him, quickly, tossing the piece of wood she ripped from her table away. "This desk… I've been telling them to replace this thing for ages. Termites, can you believe it?"

He did believe it, apparently, because there was no other way a small woman like her could break a table like that with her bare hands.

"Well, at least you're okay," he said, relieved. Then he grinned. "I couldn't bare to see my biggest fan getting hurt. Or, as I can also say, my only fan." Despite her nerves, Diana chuckled. "It's been a real pleasure, Miss Prince, but I'll leave you to your work. It was very nice to meet you."

"The pleasure was mine, Mr. Hogan," Diana answered, as he turned to leave. "Say, did Mr. Stark tell you what this is?"

He looked at her, frowning. "He didn't say anything… I thought you would know." She just shook her head. "Well, he didn't tell me, so I suppose it's not any of my business, Miss Prince. I'll leave you to it. Goodbye!"

Diana waved at him and turned her eyes to the briefcase as soon as he closed the door.

What was that? What did Tony Stark want with her? Did he find out that she'd rescued him? Did Howard, Maria or Jarvis tell him something while they were still alive? Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she bought a whole lot of Stark Industries' shares, that could be it, or at least she hoped it was, because it would be a lot easier to explain.

The adrenalin was coursing through her veins and she felt incredibly cold, more nervous than she felt in a very long time.

Dreading, Diana opened the briefcase.

The only thing inside of it was an old picture; a black and white picture of her, Steve and the Howling Commandos. A picture she remembered taking in Lublin, in 1944, after they battled HYDRA and the Nazis. A picture where she was standing proud with her Amazon armor, her sword and shield, still looking exactly the same as she did now.

Slowly, unable to look elsewhere, Diana grabbed the photo, carefully. Her eyes fixed on Steve for a long while, her memory bringing her back to that day, to the first time she had kissed him. Despite her nervousness, she smiled; she had no idea that photo still existed.

That was when she noticed a little note under it. She grabbed it.

You are a difficult woman to find, Angel, or should I say, Miss Diana Prince? I'd say it was a pleasure to meet you in the middle of the desert, except I believe we met before, haven't we? Seeing your photo on the Smithsonian website, I can wholeheartedly state that you're still as beautiful as you were on the day we met. And, apparently, as you were when you met my father too.

Curious indeed, but who am I to judge? You saved my life and I wanted to thank you in person.

I would like to cordially invite you to the 'Third Annual Benefit for the Firefighters Family Fund' that Stark Industries is throwing two days from now, that is, if you aren't already showing up anyway. You are one of the biggest shareholders of the company, aren't you?

I do believe we'll have a lot to talk about. Dear old dad seems to have left quite a bit out from his WWII stories. Since you are a specialist on the subject, maybe you could fill in the gaps for me.

Hope to see you there,

Tony Stark.

PS. Knowing my father, I think the intended to give this photo to you at some point and ended up forgetting about it. Well, it's yours now, I hope you like it. See you soon!

There was only one thing on Diana's mind after she finished reading this:

"Son of a bitch!"

---

Wakanda – April 25th, 1944

Steve Rogers was beginning to realize he was a "city boy" through and through, as he followed Diana inside the Wakandan forest. Every single root seemed to search for his feet to tangle themselves around his ankles, as if they had a mind of their own, and he was starting to actually believe that the trees were moving their branches just to hit him in the face.

A foolish thing to think, of course, but how could he explain the fact that Diana seemed completely immune to all that, as she pranced between the trees?

This wasn't the first time he had to move in the woods, the Howling Commandos were part of missions that involved that before. And he couldn't exactly complain, not when he was a Super-Soldier and the men following him those times weren't. But it was undeniable that he did not like walking through the Wakandan rain forest, not when nature seemed to have a grudge against him.

Still, a mission was a mission. And right now they were familiarizing themselves with the Wakandan grounds.

Ten days had passed since they arrived in Wakanda. The Howling Commandos and the Wakandan forces had participated in several joint trainings. Howard was helping the Wakandan Science Division to develop ways to fight HYDRA technology, to make sure their losses were minimum; Wakandan technology was beyond advanced, but so was HYDRA and the Wakandans had never fought against them. Every bit of knowledge was valuable.

Peggy and the Wakandan War Dogs were monitoring the movement of HYDRA's troops, or at least trying to. Despite all the information they'd gathered, there were still several HYDRA bases they didn't know about, several allies Schmidt could count on – even inside countries fighting against the Nazis – and several HYDRA troops scattered throughout the world, hidden even from their intelligence division.

They didn't know much about what was coming, what was the size or the strength of their troops, but one thing was certain: HYDRA was coming to Wakanda and it wouldn't be long until they clashed.

Thus, the reconnaissance mission. They needed to know what to expect on those grounds, or at least that was the official explanation Peggy gave them; Steve wasn't so sure. HYDRA wouldn't come through the woods, it simply wasn't feasible, they all knew that. They would arrive through the plains, as their troops movements indicated. Sure, maybe they could scatter through the forest or even try to retreat using this path, but in that case Steve was absolutely certain that the Border Tribe could hunt them much better than he could.

No, Steve was beginning to realize this so-called mission wasn't a mission at all. It was a stroll through the woods. If the fact that all this was useless – as far as info gathering was concerned – wasn't enough, then the barely concealed smiles on Peggy, Bucky and Howard's faces when they advised this mission should be enough.

Diana was even holding a picnic basket, full of freshly baked goods, for God's sake! What kind of military mission would ever require that? Little Red Riding Hood marching to defeat the Big Bad Wolf?

This wasn't a mission at all. They'd sent them on a date.

He had no words to describe just how absurd all that was. They were in the middle of a war, an enemy force was approaching and every single second was valuable. Steve could be training together with the Howling Commandos, he could be devising strategies to the coming fight, he could be doing anything that would give them an edge.

Instead of that, he and Diana were sent to a walk in the woods.

Steve held a sigh. He was sure they meant well, even though they should've told him; then again, if they did, he simply would've refused. The past few days had been stressful, demanding and tiring. Waiting for an attack wasn't something Steve would ever get used to and it showed. He spent every single minute since they arrived working, trying to improve their defenses, thinking alongside King Azzuri how to best fight HYDRA. They trained, they prepared and they trained and prepared again.

And somewhere along the line his friends had decided he needed a break. Steve didn't agree with them, but he did trust them.

The fact that he was alone with Diana didn't hurt either, even if she did still believe this was a legitimate mission.

He was so distracted with his thoughts that he almost crashed against Diana when she stopped, suddenly. Steve watched as she studied the ground for a moment.

"What is it?" he asked, looking down.

She glanced at him as if that was a stupid question.

"Tracks," Diana explained, slowly. "Can't you see them?"

Steve looked again, trying to see what she was seeing. There was dirt, leaves and broken branches. Exactly like every single inch of the woods they'd already walked through.

He looked at her again, clearly confused. She smiled and crouched.

"Here," she showed him, as he crouched too. "Footprints on the dirt. A broken branch, scattered leaves. It makes a clear trail leading that way."

Steve was seeing absolutely nothing there.

"People?" he risked asking.

Diana rolled her eyes. "Only if they have paws for feet."

She spoke as if it were something obvious, as if she was telling him the sky was blue, but even then he couldn't see a single thing there.

"I can't see anything," he admitted.

Diana seemed to find that particularly amusing.

"You've never hunted before, have you?"

"Can't say I have, unless we count hunting HYDRA soldiers as hunting."

She chuckled. "It's a type of hunt, I suppose, but not exactly a difficult one." Most people would disagree with her, but in her case, it was true. Diana smiled fondly, remembering something. "My aunt Menalippe taught me how to track when I was a little girl. We would go out hunting always, most times hidden from my mother. She did not like the idea of her teaching me how to shoot an arrow so young."

Steve couldn't help but to mirror her smile. She was homesick, he realized.

"What did you hunt in Themyscira?" he asked.

"Our island had all kinds of creatures," Diana answered, happily. "Deer, boars, bears, lions…" Steve smiled, hearing her listing all the creatures on her homeland, until she suddenly added: "Griffins, manticores, chimeras, wyverns, sirens…"

"What?" Steve choked.

She most certainly misinterpreted his surprise. "I know, that was why my mother did not want me to go hunting as a child, but I wasn't in any real danger! My aunt was a true follower of Artemis, she was the danger." She grinned. "Still, I remember the first day she allowed me to hunt on my own. Things did not go exactly as planned, so maybe Mother had a point."

Without any warning whatsoever, Diana extended her leg up, tapping her thigh; given that her armor consisted of a very short skirt and that Diana was exceptionally flexible, Steve was graced with the sight of her bare leg inches away from his face.

"You can barely see it now," Diana continued normally, as Steve tried his best to control his blush, "but the griffin almost ripped off my leg with its claws!" She was right, Steve couldn't see anything except the tantalizing skin of her thigh so close to his face; he didn't mind all that much. "I managed to drop it from the sky with a well-shot arrow and I thought it was over. Big mistake. When I arrived to finish it with my knife, the griffin slashed me with its claws and lunged at my throat. Menalippe shot him right in the eye from a mile away before he could, though."

Steve honestly had no idea what to make of that. On one hand, griffins were mythical creatures, possessing the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle, something out of fairytale. On the other hand, he didn't believe Diana was lying to him and he had seen some very weird things on Themyscira.

Maybe they existed there? Or something similar, at least, that the Amazons called a griffin. He had no idea, but right now, with Diana's leg still so close to him, he didn't really care.

"I have never seen my aunt run so fast as she carried me to the healing temple," Diana mentioned, tilting her head. "When we got there, most of the bleeding had already stopped, so it probably was not as serious as I thought, but I was very scared back there." Then she beamed. "It was my first hunt, however, and I was very happy, blood or no blood."

"How big, exactly, was this… Griffon?" The very thought of a tiny Diana hunting a mythological monster sent chills through Steve's spine.

"I don't know… As big as that flying automobile that Howard was obsessing over? Maybe a bit bigger. It was a long time ago, Steve, I don't remember."

Jesus Christ… Mythological monster or not, a beast that size should not be approached by anyone, let alone a kid. Sure, Amazons were Super-Soldiers and Diana's strength put theirs to shame, but by what she told him, that griffon almost succeeded in killing her. That thought didn't sit well with him.

"Oh, you look like Mother right now," Diana said, laughing. "Exactly the same frown she had when Menalippe told her."

"I just… I worry about you," he admitted, embarrassed.

She smiled, tenderly. Then she kissed his cheek. "I'm fine, but thank you."

Diana pulled her leg back and got up, eyes scanning the ground. Steve did the same, but slowly, still feeling her lips against his skin.

Then something occurred him.

"This trail… This isn't a griffin, is it?" he asked, worried.

She laughed. "If it were, we would know, believe me. They like to mark their territory with the bones of their prey. There are few things quite as unforgettable as seeing patches of the forest adorned with the skeletons of bears and lions hanging from the branches." He didn't really understand what she found so funny about that horrifying sight. "No, this is far smaller. Some kind of feline, I think." She looked at him. "Want me to teach you how to track it?"

Well, why not? It wasn't like this was a real mission anyway.

---

Wakanda, Golden City – April 25th, 1944

Aneka observed from afar as Ayo showed her new gift to her fellow Dora Milaje.

"This here is the Colt M1911," she said, excitedly, holding the primitive weapon. "It's a single-action, semi-automatic, magazine fed, recoil operated pistol chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. It's the standard sidearm of the American Army."

"Does this thing really use gunpowder?" one of them asked.

"It does," Ayo confirmed, nodding sagely.

"What if it explodes?!" another Dora Milaje asked, horrified. "This is almost as crazy as using fossil fuels to run their vehicles."

"Sergeant Bucky assured me it is safe," Ayo said. "Well, as safe as something carrying an explosive component in it can be."

Aneka couldn't watch this anymore. She walked inside the training room, her vibranium spear firmly held in her hand. At the mere sight of her, all the Dora Milaje got in position, every single noise dying out.

The General of the Dora Milaje studied her soldiers, satisfied with their form, even with all the previously foolishness.

"You will be late for the training if you dally anymore," Aneka said. "We do not want to keep 'Sergeant Bucky' waiting, do we?"

No one laughed, no one reacted at all, not with all the training they had to conceal their emotions while they were working; even so, Aneka knew them well enough to realize all of them wanted to laugh and that Ayo was trying her best to hide her embarrassment.

"Dismissed," Aneka said, and as if they were one, the Dora Milaje moved. "Ayo, stay."

She obeyed the command immediately, but Aneka noticed that it was the last thing she wanted to do. Slowly, Ayo turned and looked at her.

"General?"

Aneka simply stared at her for a few seconds. "Sergeant Bucky? Really?" This time, Ayo did blush. "How did you come in possession of this weapon, Ayo? I thought you had lost that foolish bet."

A bet which the prize was, apparently, a kiss. Aneka was not happy when she learned of this, even though the maneuver worked well enough to approach the outsiders and the Wakandans.

"Sergeant Barnes gave it to me," Ayo explained, her voice low. "He told me that the fight wasn't really fair, since their man could heal any injury, and it wasn't right to leave me without my prize since he got his."

Aneka continued staring.

"If the fight was not fair," Aneka began, slowly, "why did you kiss him?"

This time, Ayo didn't answer, she simply blushed harder.

Sighing, Aneka approached Ayo, her expression softening for a moment. She touched her face.

"Sooner or later they will leave and never return," Aneka said. "I do not wish to see you hurt because of that."

Ayo simply looked down, then nodded. "I will not."

Aneka looked into her eyes for a long while.

"Then go, otherwise you will be late."

She watched as Ayo left the room, walking fast, and sighed again. The complications of youth… Sometimes fighting a war was easier than dealing with that.

---

Wakanda, Golden City, Citadel Main Lab – April 25th, 1944

Howard carefully loaded the pistol in front of him, keeping one eye closed as he inserted bullet after bullet. Around him, the extremely high-tech lab seemed to pulse with energy, the machines buzzing non-stop. He still couldn't quite believe just how advanced Wakanda was. It wasn't simply a few years in front of the rest of the world, it was centuries ahead of anything else. Of course, he had developed some stuff they'd never seen, but it simply couldn't compare with the sheer amount of tech they had built up since the beginning of their history.

Vibranium truly was a miraculous substance, Howard admitted.

That's not to say Wakanda didn't have brilliant minds, because they had, but in the "great technology race" of the world, Wakanda had started running before other countries even knew they were participating. They had skipped stone, bronze and iron and landed directly in the "Vibranium Age", right at the founding of their kingdom.

While other civilizations were crafting armors made of leather and fur and beating rocks until they were sharp enough to hunt with, Wakanda already had the material to do anything they wanted to. Light, easy to work with, stronger than any other substance out there and possessing unique properties that allowed the Wakandans to begin their technological journey that much earlier.

There was a giant leap between having vibranium and having advanced tech, Howard would never deny that, and that leap required years and years of study and bright minds, but it was undeniable that Wakanda had an incredible advantage over the rest of the world and they made use of it.

Howard couldn't help but to wonder what he would've achieved if he possessed all that knowledge and access to all that vibranium… But it was useless to ponder about this. He didn't need that to develop his tech and in time he was certain that his tech would rival Wakanda's, or his name wasn't Howard Stark.

But now wasn't the time for that, he remembered, turning around with the loaded pistol; they were together in this, after all, fighting against a common enemy: HYDRA.

So without hesitation, he pointed the gun at Sergeant Barnes.

"Ready?" Howard asked him, as Peggy and James Howlett watched.

Anyone could tell that Bucky was anything but ready.

"Are you sure about this?" Bucky asked, glancing at James. "Shouldn't you try this with the immortal man first?"

"I did, but there is no point testing this only on him," Howard countered. "Without extensive study – something he won't let me do –, I have no idea about the density of his muscles and bones or if his pain threshold is the same as normal humans. No offense," he added, looking at the man. James Howlett just shrugged. "And don't be obtuse, I tested this before on dummies as well."

Bucky still wasn't convinced, his eyes never leaving the gun.

"I don't know…"

Howard sighed. "As long as I don't hit your head, you'll be fine."

"Let Peggy shoot me, then, we all know how bad you're with a g–"

BANG!

Bucky flinched and closed his eyes, but luckily for him he didn't move; not even when the bullet hit him straight against the chest.

He opened a single eye, uncertain, almost as if checking if he was still alive.

"Incredible," Peggy whispered, getting closer from him. She checked the place where the bullet hit him for any wound or any mark whatsoever; there wasn't any. "Not a scratch."

"What did I tell you?" Howard bragged, putting the pistol over the table. "So, Sergeant Barnes, how do you like your new vibranium layered uniform?"

"It's amazing!" Bucky exclaimed.

Of course it was, he was the one who made it. It wasn't exactly a breakthrough in the scientific world, since the Wakandans had been doing that for centuries, but, like he said, it wasn't a competition; at least not right now.

"This will keep you safe against bullets and shrapnel," Howard explained, "even knives, though I don't think you'll have to worry about that."

"What about HYDRA energy rifles?" Peggy asked.

"Well, about that…" Howard looked at James Howlett; the man sighed and stepped forward, taking Bucky's place against the shielded wall. Stark turned around and picked one of the HYDRA energy rifles they managed to acquire from the many HYDRA forces they'd defeated and aimed it.

Then he fired.

The result wasn't, in any way, as unremarkable as the bullet. The blue energy hit James against the chest and threw him against the wall, strongly enough to break bones. The paint of the uniform was simply vaporized, alongside the strands of cloth untouched by the "vibranium bath" he subjected it, leaving behind only the slightly silver color of the vibranium. Smoke and the smell of burned flesh took the entire lab.

There was a long silence and Howard couldn't help but to be a little bit apprehensive with James' stillness.

Suddenly, making his heart race, James took a long breath, as if he were emerging from a long swim underwater; and released a chain of curse words that would make a sailor blush.

"As you see," Howard started, James still cursing on the background, "the vibranium layered in the uniform is enough to hold the energy blast, but not completely." Howard waved his hand to try and dissipate the smoke and the terrible smell; Peggy and Bucky were helping James to sit. "Burns, an impact strong enough to break bones and general unpleasantness all around. You won't die, but you most likely won't be able to continue fighting either."

"So what's the point?" Bucky asked. "We all know HYDRA won't be using bullets and knives when they come, at least not most of them."

"The point, Sergeant Barnes, is that I can fix this with a vibranium plate on your chest, on your back and on your legs," Howard countered, "but you still won't be completely guarded. There will be non-protected spots, including your face, that will leave you vulnerable. I wanted you to see that for yourself, so you can tell the others exactly what will happen if you get careless. Vibranium is not an invincibility spell."

It was weird to see how attentive the three of them were as they listened to him; Howard supposed it was because he rarely was so serious.

"So my advice, as always, is: don't get shot," Howard ended his speech.

Bucky, Peggy and even James nodded. Well, good advice was good advice.

"Now, if you manage not to get shot," Howard continued, "you'll have the opportunity to try these little things here." Walking to the table, he picked a pistol clip and a rifle magazine. "Vibranium bullets. They need special guns to be fired, of course, otherwise the whole thing will just disintegrate in your hands, but they pack quite the punch. Not the wildest idea I ever had, true, but the Wakandans don't use fire weapons, so you'll probably be the first to use it in battle."

"Are they any better than the explosive rounds you made using HYDRA's energy weapons?" Peggy asked, grabbing the clip to see it better.

"Different, not better," Howard answered. "They have better penetration than the explosive rounds, but cause less damage overall. I'll leave it to you to choose which one to use." He went back to the long table, pointing at the equipment there. "Grenades, timed mines, vibranium knives for close-quarter combat, portable energy shields to provide quick cover… What else? Oh! Of course!"

Howard walked to another table and grabbed a pair of vibranium gauntlets.

"This one I made especially for you, Captain Howlett," Howard said, giving him the gauntlets. "Try them."

James frowned, suspicious, but took the shining gloves. The gauntlets were a mix of leather and vibranium, covering everything from his hands to his elbows.

"I know by now you like to throw your gun away and 'claw' your way out of some fights," Howard started explaining as James put them on, "but truth be told, your bone claws are not sharp enough to face the monsters we're about to fight. So I thought I'd give you a little edge. Try them."

Captain Howlett was still frowning, assessing the vibranium gauntlets, trying to understand the point, no doubt. His claws would either rip them or they wound be blocked by the vibranium, or at least that's what he was thinking. Still, he did as Howard asked and unsheathed them, slowly.

Just as Howard knew it would happen, the claws weren't blocked by the vibranium nor they ripped the gauntlets. Instead, the bone claws entered the hollow vibranium blades hidden in the gauntlets, pushing them out, not unlike a sword being sheathed.

The difference was that unlike a normal sword sheath, designed to hide the blade to protect it's wielder, the "vibranium sheath" of the gauntlet was sharp, designed to envelop James' bone claws with a sharp vibranium blade and give them more power.

To summarize, Howard had just given James Howlett a new set of claws; a vibranium one.

"I like it," James said, grinning like a hungry predator.

Howard truly hoped he wouldn't regret this decision.

"Quite the arsenal," Bucky mentioned, impressed. "I think the boys will be happy. Jacques will, at least," he added, eyeing the explosives. An explosive expert certainly should appreciate his work, Howard considered.

"I'm worried about giving you people so much firepower," Peggy joked. "You do have an awful habit of sending stuff up in flames too often. I do hope Steve keeps an eye on you."

Howard chuckled. "Yeah, I don't think Steve is worried about this right now. That is, if he realized we sent him on a date."

"I'm actually hoping he doesn't notice," Bucky said, grinning. "Steve can talk to anyone, about anything, and have an interesting conversation… Unless he's on a date. Then he gets all nervous and twitchy."

"I wouldn't worry about him," James piped up. They all looked at him. "If I read the situation right, the Amazon is the one who'll pounce him."

"Don't talk about her as if she is some kind of hungry lioness!" Peggy exclaimed.

Captain Howlett simply tapped his nose. "The nose doesn't lie, Agent Carter. They both want each other, but that girl is a warrior to the core. She'll get what she wants."

Howard laughed. "Maybe I should've armed Captain Rogers properly, then."

Bucky rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'm sure he'll fight to the death if she attacks him. Poor Steve."

"Lucky bastard," James muttered and Howard and Bucky agreed.

Peggy promptly smacked the three of them.

"Stop gossiping and work, gentlemen," she ordered. "We have a lot to do."

That was, unfortunately, true, so they made a silent agreement to revisit the topic later. Maybe not as "silent" as they intended, because Peggy smacked them again, but a promise was a promise.

---

Wakanda, Golden City – April 25th, 1944

Erik watched from his chair – a little bit nervous – as Queen Nanali carried a chess board to the table, her colorful dress swaying as she walked slowly. He shook his head slightly; Erik still had trouble believing in what he was seeing with his own eyes. Sometimes he wondered if he really wasn't hallucinating all this, still trapped in his dark cell back in Auschwitz.

The only reason he was able to dismiss that fear was the fact that he was pretty sure he would never be able to imagine all that.

Wakanda was like a fairytale, with kings and queens and warriors and stuff that he could only understand as magic, because there was no way technology could be that advanced. It was beautiful, more than any place he had ever laid eyes on, bright and green and full of buildings so amazing that he had no idea how they were built.

But more than that, maybe the most impressive thing, was how he was being treated.

Erik suffered unimaginable things in the hands of the Nazis. He lost his family, he saw his mother being killed in front of him, he was caged, beaten, starved, experimented upon… And he saw others suffering even more. He truly believed he would've died there, alone and in the dark, until Lady Diana and Captain America appeared to save the day.

It was difficult to process the differences between that and this. While in Auschwitz he felt hungry, cold and afraid; in Wakanda he was fed more than he could ever hope to eat, the sun was bright and warm and he felt safe. While in Auschwitz he was tortured by so called scientists, in Wakanda he was greeted by a king and was sitting at a table with a queen.

Even in his wildest fantasies about how his life was going to turn out, nothing of the sort had ever occurred him.

Queen Nanali placed the chess board over the table and smiled at him; he couldn't help but to smile back, her beautiful and kind expression more than enough to lower his defenses. Finally, he managed to look at the chess set.

And was immediately surprised at how elaborated and well-made it was.

Like most things in Wakanda, the pieces were made from vibranium, the silver metal glowing bright under the sunlight coming through the big windows. What interested him most, however, wasn't that; it was the form each piece was shaped.

The eight pawns were made to resemble Wakanda's soldiers, a mix of warriors from the Border Tribe, with their cloaks and swords, and others that resembled the soldiers Erik had seen inside the city, which he assumed belonged to other Tribes. The two knights were big rhinos, with long and sharp horns. The bishops were definitely shamans of some kind, with long robes and staffs, one with the mark of a panther and the other with the mark of another feline; Lady Diana had mentioned a Cheetah Goddess, so maybe that was it. The rooks had the form of the Dora Milaje, complete with their shaved heads, capes and spears. The queen was a woman that very much resembled Queen Nanali, with a long dress, a serious expression and two ring blades.

The King, obviously, was the Black Panther, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

Each detail of each piece was perfectly recreated, so much that they seemed real. Erik could see strands of hair, their expressions, the way their clothes folded when their limbs moved, the tiny formations on the rhinos' leathery skin… He had no idea how those chess pieces were created, but it was a work of art.

"I see you like it," Queen Nanali said, amused, and Erik snapped his eyes up. "I had a feeling you would. Have you ever played before?"

Erik shook his head, still timid to be talking to the queen. "Never. I know some of the rules, I mean, but I can't say I've learned how to play."

"My grandfather taught me," Nanali told him, as she played with one of the pieces. "He was part of the War Dogs, Wakanda's intelligence unit, and he traveled throughout the world on missions. He fell in love with many things and one of those things was this game." She smiled. "He was the one who gave me my first set."

He looked at the vibranium set in front of him. That was quite the gift.

"Lady Diana says the thing she liked most about 'Man's World' is ice-cream," Erik mentioned, still looking at the beautiful set.

Nanali chuckled. "Most Wakandans would agree with her, if the sheer quantity of ice-cream the Merchant Tribe imports every year means anything. I know T'Chaka and N'Jobu would, for certain. I tried to teach them, but they simply do not have the necessary attention span yet." Erik knew that particular fact very well, since he'd been in the company of the two princes quite often; it was like they simply couldn't stay in one place for more than five minutes. "And my King, unfortunately, is not very fond of the game."

"Is it because the King piece is so weak?" Erik asked without thinking, only to immediately snap his mouth shut.

Queen Nanali, however, was far from offended if her peals of laughter meant anything.

"No, no, Azzuri simply does not know how to play the game all that well, though he would never admit it," she explained. Nanali eyed him with a curious expression. "But it is interesting that you've pointed that out. I asked my grandfather the very same question when he was teaching me."

She held the Black Panther piece fondly.

"In Wakanda, our King is our greatest protector," Nanali continued. "The Black Panther, blessed by Bast herself, wielder of the strength of our goddess. So when my grandfather was explaining the rules of chess, the fact that the king was a weak point rather than the strongest piece in the game was curious to say the least." She placed the piece back where it was and stared at Erik. "But when he explained it to me, it all made sense."

Once again, she grabbed the King piece.

"The 'king piece' is not the 'king'," Nanali said, smirking at his visible confusion. "The true 'king' is the player, the one responsible to lead the troops in the defense of his realm." She brought the king piece close to his face. "In my grandfather's words, this piece does not represent the Black Panther, it represents Wakanda."

The Queen put the king piece down and pointed at him.

"And you are the responsible for defending it." She smiled at his surprised face. "Would you like me to teach you how?"

Slowly, Erik smiled back and nodded.

"I would like that, your Highness," he answered.

Nanali tapped his forehead gently. "Then make the first move, Erik."

Hesitantly, Erik extended his hand to grab one of the pawns. He didn't know much about the game, but he knew that's how he started it. Before he could, however, Nanali held his hand. He looked at her, startled.

"Not with your hands, Erik," she said, gently. "With your gift."

He widened his eyes, pulling his hand back as if burned. Use his power? It wasn't… It wasn't that simple. He couldn't control metal just like that, not even vibranium, that seemed to react so easily to him. He was able to feel it, to sense every particle of metal around him, almost as if they were a part of him. But control it at will? Simply use his powers, as Nanali asked?

That was impossible. He needed the fear, the rage, the burning fury… Like when his mother was killed in front of him.

"I-I can't do this, Lady Nanali," he stammered.

Nanali just smiled at him, not bothered at all by his reluctance.

"Then we will learn together," she said. "So when the time comes when you need to defend your realm, you will be able to do it." Nanali eyed him with kindness, not unlike Lady Diana. "I will not claim to know your struggle, but once upon a time I too needed to learn how to defend my people. I wanted to be able to protect those I love, my home, so I trained and trained until I became one of the best Dora Milaje."

Erik raised his eyebrows, surprised, but Nanali didn't wait for him to ask any questions. She picked another piece on the board, the Queen this time.

"This is the strongest piece in the game, the greatest combatant of Wakanda," she said, holding the Queen close to his face. "I wanted to be her." Nanali stared at him for a long time. "You are different, Erik, you have gifts that few people can understand. But you are not the only one. One day you will have a choice. To run and hide from those who wish you and your harm or to become strong enough to defend yourself and all of them."

Erik honestly didn't know what to say in response, so he simply said nothing. For minutes, there was only the sound of the wind and the birds chirping outside. He thought long about what happened to him and his family. What happened to all those people in Auschwitz. What would happen if the Red Skull and HYDRA won.

Slowly, but with certainty, Erik Lehnsherr raised his hand and focused on the vibranium pawn in front of him. The vibranium chess pieces began to tremble as if an earthquake had hit Wakanda, and instead of moving the pawn forward, as he wanted, the piece simply fell.

He exhaled, suddenly very tired; the Queen said nothing. She just nodded to him, reassuringly, and proceeded to set the board again.

This would be a long day, Erik could already tell.

---

Peggy Carter Apartment, Washington, D.C – April 15th, 2010

Peggy didn't remember ever seeing Diana quite this agitated. She was pacing in front of her nonstop, too worked-up to sit down and have a proper conversation, more talking to herself than to Peggy.

Not even before their last great battle during the war Diana was this frantic.

"He sent the Happy Hogan to the Smithsonian, Peggy," Diana exclaimed, for some reason putting a lot of emphasis on the fact Tony had sent his personal bodyguard, Mr. Hogan, to talk to her. "He was looking for me by name. He knew what I did for a living, he knew where I'd be, he knew about my past. And then there's this!"

Diana held the black and white photo of her, Steve and the Howling Commandos; Peggy felt a pang in her heart seeing all those old friends together.

"Was Howard an utter moron for keeping this in a location Tony could simply stumble upon?" Diana asked, incensed. "What was he thinking?! I thought you said he did everything he could to keep Tony out of this part of his life?"

Perhaps sensing that Diana's rage could very well turn on her, Peggy spoke: "You're being unfair, Diana. You don't know how Tony got this photo, all you know is that Howard had it. You told me Tony thinks Howard intended to give this to you, didn't you? Howard liked to play tough, be he could be very sentimental about certain things. Maybe he kept that to remember all of you."

That gave Diana pause. And in her emotional state, when she was doing so little to mask her emotions, Peggy could clearly see that her sister regretted her previous words.

"I-I'm sorry, Peggy, you're right," Diana admitted. "Howard doesn't deserve my anger. But… Peggy, this can ruin our lives," Diana whispered. "I don't mean my job or even where I live, but you and Nat and Sharon… What will happen to all of you, all of us, if Tony decides to babble about the immortal woman who fought during WWII? If he decides to tell the world who I am?"

Peggy widened her eyes. Was Diana really concerned about that?

"Diana, what do you think Tony will do?" she asked, shocked, putting her tea down. "Do you truly believe he'll just run to the papers and give them a copy of this photo? That he'll call the police, the CIA and the Army and warn them about you? Do you actually think this is going to happen?"

She was in silence for a long minute.

"I don't believe it will happen… But I am afraid," Diana finally said.

Hearing Diana admit she was frightened was even more shocking to Peggy. She was talking about a woman who fought the worse battles during WWII, who faced – and defeated – the God of War, who slayed countless terrifying monsters all over the world. How could this scare her?

Well, the answer was obvious: it wasn't about her. It was about the people she loved.

Slowly, because her knees just weren't the same, Peggy got up and went to Diana.

"Princess, even if Tony starts to babble, which he won't, we'll be fine," she said, holding Diana's face. "Sharon can take care of herself, we taught her that. Nat will probably enjoy the challenge and I, well, I could do with a little bit of emotion, to be honest," she laughed.

Diana gave her a tiny smile.

"And you?" Peggy continued. "What exactly would they do against you? Praise you as a hero?"

She rolled her eyes. "Sure, SHIELD won't try to either recruit me or eliminate a possible threat, it's not like they do that on a daily basis."

"Fury is not an imbecile," Peggy stated, "otherwise I wouldn't have put him there. He may be nosy, distrustful and even impertinent sometimes, but he can most definitely recognize friend from foe. If it comes to that, you won't have to worry about SHIELD trying to haul you to a secret lab somewhere."

God knew that whoever tried to do something this stupid would not last very long, not against a furious Diana, SHIELD and the Army backing them up or not. On that regard, she had nothing to worry about.

"Now, stop being ridiculous," Peggy said, going back to the table and serving some tea for Diana, "and sit down." Sighing, Diana did as she asked, accepting the tea. "Drink, it'll do you good."

She did as Peggy asked, not bothered by the high temperature of the tea in the least.

"What do you think I should do?" Diana asked a few moments later, apparently calmer. "Do you think I should go to this party?"

Peggy nodded. "Yes. If nothing else, it'll provide you a good opportunity to actually meet your godson. Wasn't that what you wanted when you took Howard's letters to Tony, after his funeral?"

Diana tilted her head a bit. "When you told me they had a difficult relationship I thought those letters would help. And I do admit, I wanted to meet him. But–"

"'But' nothing, you got your chance," Peggy interrupted. She sighed. "Diana, you don't have to tell him more than you want to, but make an effort. It wouldn't hurt for you to make some more friends. Tony could be one."

"I have friends," Diana countered.

"You have colleagues," Peggy corrected, "who barely know you outside your 'curator persona'. And you have us, Natalia, me and Sharon. And that's it."

"You don't have many friends either," Diana mumbled, annoyed, drinking some tea.

"True, but I'm old and tired, I don't want more friends, nor do I need them. You do. And I think someone that already knows a bit more about you than most is a good place to start." Peggy refilled Diana's cup. "So stop acting like a jittery teenager on a first date and go."

Diana closed her eyes and shuddered.

"First, don't even say 'Tony Stark' and 'date' in the same context, it's disgusting. He's my godson!"

Peggy rolled her eyes. As if the Olympian gods had any problem with taboo relationships. Still, Diana was not raised among them, so she probably found the whole notion as disturbing as she did.

It was too funny to drop it, though.

"I don't know," Peggy teased, "he's certainly good looking. Inherited Howard's handsomeness, no doubt. I can see the appeal. If I were a few years younger..."

To her delight, Diana trembled in revulsion. She cackled.

"Stop it!" Diana exclaimed. "I don't want that anywhere near my mind." She finished her tea, no doubt wishing it was something a lot stronger; she raised a second finger. "Second, if I go to the party, even if Tony keeps his mouth shut, I'll be walking under the spotlight. Every eye in the world will be looking at me. Newspapers will investigate my life, intelligence organizations will no doubt be curious and who knows who else's attention I'll pick."

Peggy simply shrugged. "That shipped has sailed. Tony clearly wants to meet you and if you don't go to the party he'll simply come to you. My guess? He wants a public place. He's probably uncertain how you'll react and he knows you're dangerous. Tony may be impulsive, but he's not stupid. Much like his father."

"So I just… go? That's your advice?" Diana asked, uncertain.

"Buy a new dress first," Peggy recommended. "I know you like to hoard stuff, even clothes, but there's a limit."

"I don't hoard things!"

"Diana, you keep someone's tooth in a box!"

"It's a special tooth!"

Peggy almost had to bite her own tongue to stop herself from saying exactly what she thought about that; it was a conversation they already had before, but clearly they needed to have it again. Now was not the time, though.

She breathed deeply.

"Stay here tonight," Peggy suggested. "Tomorrow we'll go out and buy something for the party."

Diana just nodded. Without saying anything, Peggy refilled both cups and they simply drank it in silence for a few minutes.

Then something occurred to Peggy.

"Say, Diana, you did have a first date, right?" Peggy asked. Diana opened her mouth to complain, irritated, but Peggy didn't let her. "I'm serious, I'm actually curious."

"Of course I had a first date!"

"Before Steve?" Peggy risked.

"Peggy, I was a few thousand years when I had that date with Steve," Diana retorted. "It was the best and most remarkable date in my life, but not my first."

"Which was the first?" Peggy asked, leaning on the table, interested.

Diana thought for a moment. "I was 25, I think. An Amazon named Io took me to swim in the hot springs on the mountains." Diana smiled fondly, suddenly looking much younger. "Themyscira was warm, but our mountains were high and chilly. The place was covered in snow, but not even that stopped the flowers from blooming bright. She took wine and grapes and olives… She stole my first kiss. It was nice."

"And then what?" Peggy smiled, wanting to hear more.

She stopped for a moment and giggled, startling Peggy. "And then… Then the wine fulfilled its purpose, things got heated and when Io decided to get a little bit bolder, Antiope appeared out of nowhere and put an arrow through her hand." Diana giggled again. "I didn't mind, I was having the time of my life, but my aunt was not happy with the situation."

Peggy's jaw was agape.

"She shot her with an arrow?!"

"Oh, she wasn't hurt, not seriously," Diana dismissed the concern. "A little bit of Apollo's waters and her wound was gone, not even a scar to show. If I recall, I'd skipped my lessons to go to the hot springs with Io. My aunt got concerned and tracked me, only to appear at the worst possible moment." Diana chuckled. "Io was not hurt, but my aunt gave her quite the talk, or so I've heard. Put the fear of the gods on her." She sighed, suddenly losing the smile. "And my mother gave me one of the worst lectures of my life. Topped only by her next topic of conversation. I believe you call it 'the birds and the bees' talk?"

Peggy couldn't help herself, she started laughing. Diana simply shook her head, still traumatized by the memory.

"I was 25, Peggy! And Mother was acting as if I hadn't seen nor heard anything of the sort on the many parties the Amazons threw every year. As if I hadn't read all 12 volumes of Clio's treatises on bodily pleasure!"

That only made Peggy laugh even harder, until literal tears were running down her face.

"Why were they so against your little romance?" Peggy asked, drying her face after a whole minute of laughing. "Did they not like this Io?"

"Everybody liked Io, she was our best blacksmith," Diana answered. "It probably had something to do with the fact that I was 25 and she was… 300 and something." Peggy's eyes bulged. "Oh, don't you start! Io was one of the youngest Amazons on Themyscira. What was I supposed to do? Take a vow of chastity and refuse to date anyone? Swim through the magical barrier of the island and try to board passing ships to find a suitable pair? Mother and my aunts were unreasonable."

"Did they truly not allow you to date anyone?" Peggy questioned, curious.

"Well, they did their very best to make things difficult, but they didn't outright forbid me," Diana conceded. "They did, however, try to frighten every single Amazon from laying hands on me."

"Did it work?"

She tilted her head.

"For a while." Then Diana grinned. "Amazons are very brave, though."

Peggy chuckled. "And apparently severely pent-up."

Diana spat her tea all over the table when Peggy said that and soon both of them were laughing nonstop, their worries left behind.

---

Wakanda – April 25th, 1944

Steve soon realized something else: he would die hungry if he ever had to hunt for a living.

Diana was trying to teach him, she really was, but she was able to see and smell and sense things that Steve simply couldn't. It wasn't simply a matter of better heightened senses – because hers were clearly superior to his –, it was a matter of experience. Diana learned how to track, how to hunt, when she was a little girl and continued practicing her entire life; and if she was telling the truth, something Steve never doubted even once, she had lived a very long life indeed.

Simply put, there was no way for Steve to become a hunter even remotely comparable to Diana, no matter how well she taught him.

Strangely enough, that didn't bother him in the least. Being there, listening to Diana's lessons, useful or not, filled him with happiness.

"Can you see it here, Steve?" Diana said, smiling brightly, suddenly stopping in front of a tree. She traced her fingers through the bark. "Claw marks. I was right, this is a feline, either sharpening its claws or marking territory. Quite small, though…"

Steve did see the marks on the tree, but if she hadn't pointed it out he would've never noticed anything.

"And look at that…" she whispered, grabbing something stuck to the tree bark; a few strands of black fur. She turned to him. "Smell this."

Before Steve could do anything, Diana put the fur tuft under his nose, forcing him to smell it; or try to smell it, because as far as he was concerned the thing had no smell whatsoever.

"See?" Diana asked, excited, smelling the fur as well; she frowned in disgust. "Strong! We can certainly use it to track it by smell."

How? Steve had no idea, but apparently Amazons had quite the sense of smell.

"So, Steve," Diana started, following the trail through the woods with her nose, "you visited my home, I told you about my life, but what about you? Where are you from?" She grinned. "America, I gathered from the name, but which place?"

"Brooklyn," Steve answered immediately.

She frowned. "City of Brooklyn?"

"No, New York City," Steve corrected. "Brooklyn is the borough I used to live in. Lived there my whole life, actually. Bucky and I."

"How was it?" Diana asked, her feet barely making any noise even when she stepped on dry leaves. "Growing up in Brooklyn, I mean. I imagine it is nothing like Themyscira, if New York is even remotely similar to London."

"No, not like Themyscira at all," Steve answered, chuckling. "Less trees and temples and I'm pretty sure we don't have griffins either."

"Your loss," Diana joked. "Griffins are beautiful. Deadly, but beautiful."

Like you, Steve thought, but managed to shut his mouth just in time. He coughed, regaining his focus.

"New York, and Brooklyn consequently, is like London in the sense that they are big cities made of concrete, full of people and cars and factories… Unlike Themyscira in that sense." He could see Diana's nose twitching in disapproval, so he went in defense of his home. "But Brooklyn was much more than that. Brooklyn was… It was alive. The people are the life of any city and Brooklyn had people from all over. Good hard-working people. It has restaurants that serve any kind of food, stores, clubs that play any kind of music…" He smiled, suddenly remembering something. "And the best milkshake in the world."

"Milkshake?" Diana asked, interested.

"Oh, you would love this, Diana. It's a drink made of ice-cream." Steve laughed at her widening eyes. "Tell you what, after all this, I'll take you there. And then I'll take you to dance. You're going to have to teach me how to do it, though."

"It's a deal!" she agreed immediately.

"And a deal is a promise," Steve added.

"And a promise is unbreakable," Diana finished, smiling wildly.

Steve basked in her happiness for a few moments, then continued speaking.

"Growing up there was nice, I had some very good times, but it was hard," he said. "My mother raised me all by herself and money was always short. She had to work all day and I did what I could to help, so we could have a place to live and food on the table." Steve sighed, remembering his mother. "On the other hand, I at least had a mother who loved me very much and was willing to sacrifice so much for me. And I also had Bucky, so things weren't all bad."

"What happened to your father?" Diana asked, hesitantly.

"My father died before I was born, in the Great War. He was a soldier, a hero, and he was one of the reasons I wanted to become one," Steve said, smiling. "My mother used to tell me about him when I was little and I was very proud of having a father like him, even though I never got to meet him."

She seemed sad for him for a moment, but chose to remain in silence. Diana didn't have a father as well, Steve remembered. Of course, she claimed to never have had one; not in the sense that he died or abandoned her, but in the sense that she was actually born without the need of a father. Not born, he corrected himself, sculpted from clay and given life by Zeus.

Steve thought it was much more likely that Hippolyta got pregnant by accident – or, God forbid, against her will – and chose not to burden Diana with it. He would never say it to her, of course, but even with all the strangeness he witnessed on Themyscira, that seemed more likely than being sculpted from clay.

"I am very sorry for your father, Steve," Diana said, finally. "You deserved to have met him."

He was touched by her kindness.

"It's all right. I wanted to meet him, of course, to have him with us during my life, but at least I had my mother. A good mother."

Diana smiled. "So do I." She turned to him. "Tell me about your mother."

"My mother's name was Sarah, Sarah Rogers. She was… She was kind, Diana, an honest to God good person. She helped anyone she could, no matter what they needed, and she was always there for me even when she was busy." He remembered his mother's blond hair and her blue eyes as she smiled at him. "Times were hard back then, nobody had money and we had even less. And I was a very sickly child, always getting ill. My mom was able to take care of me, to give us a home, to make us happy, even when she had to work all the time." He sighed. "I really miss her."

He felt Diana's hands grabbing his own and he didn't object.

"How did she…"

"TB," Steve answered, getting a frown from Diana in response. "Tuberculosis. A disease that affects the respiratory system. My mother was a nurse in a TB ward, she took care of the sick people there. Thing is, TB is highly contagious. She got hit, couldn't shake it."

Diana squeezed his hand harder. "I'm sorry, Steve. She seemed to be a wonderful person. And a very brave one, to risk her life to care for the sick."

"She was brave," Steve agreed. "Braver than I am."

She smiled at him. "I think you got your lion's share of that, Steve."

Coming from her, that meant a lot. Both of them continued walking in silence, hands still joined, as Diana tracked whatever animal they'd came across. He could see her nose twitching from time to time, smelling the animal not unlike a hound; it was weird, but quite cute.

"We're getting closer. Can you hear it?" Diana asked, excitedly.

For a few minutes, Steve heard absolutely nothing, no matter how much he tried, and he began to grow sceptic that he would. Then, weak at first, he began to hear something.

"I hear it!" he exclaimed, happy to finally find any sign of what they were tracking.

"Shhh!" Diana reprimanded. "Not so loud!"

He shut up immediately, trying to mimic her silent way of walking with limited success. Steve was granted incredible grace by the Super-Soldier Serum, he could do things that normal humans simply couldn't even dream about, but to move without making a sound like Diana was doing was beyond him. Still, he thought he was at least partially successful, because Diana didn't reprimand him again.

They walked through the trees, following the weird sound and at each step the sound grew louder. He had no idea what it was, but it didn't seem particularly big.

Then Diana turned to him, grinning. She pointed up. There, on top of the tree's branches, was a black panther cub.

The sounds they were hearing were the poor attempts of the cub to roar, still too small to be even the least bit threatening. In fact, each time it showed its teeth, it became even more adorable. They watched the animal for a few seconds, marveled by its cuteness, until it became clear that the reason the panther was roaring nonstop was because it couldn't get down.

It was a cat stuck in a tree. A black panther, sure, stuck in a tree big enough to dwarf a building, but the point stood.

"We have to help it," Diana said, walking forward without waiting for his response.

That part of the forest they were in was full of immense roots and the ground was covered in leaves. The trees were immensely tall and broad, as if they had centuries to grow unmolested. There was a cliff a few meters from them, leading to a very high fall and they could clearly hear water falling in great quantities.

Close from them, maybe down the cliff, was a waterfall, no doubt.

Diana ignored all that as she looked up. And without hesitation, she started to climb. Steve wanted to say something, that the cub was cute but it was still a panther and that the tree was really tall, thus unsafe, but he knew by now that those obstacles meant nothing to Diana.

And, if he were honest with himself, they meant nothing to him as well. Those were just "Pre-Serum Steve's" fears whispering on the back of his mind, so he ignored them and started to climb after her, taking great care not to look up, because Diana was wearing a skirt and he was a gentleman.

In no time at all, Diana was at the same large branch the panther cub was, walking upon it as if she was walking on the ground. Steve did the same, albeit a bit slower, not taking his eyes from the panther.

"Calm down, little one, I'm not going to hurt you," Diana said, her voice soothing.

The cub was scared, moving away from them, walking backwards; they stopped, afraid the panther would fall if they continued.

"What do we do?" Steve asked, speaking softly. "Want to try to get it?"

"No need," Diana answered, grabbing the golden lasso around her waist.

Before the cub could move away further, she unleashed the lasso and wrapped it around the little cub; instead of pulling it, however, she just stopped. The Lasso of Hestia began to glow.

"We won't hurt you," she said, as if the animal could understand her. "We are just trying to help."

Surprisingly, the panther stopped moving and became silent, tilting its head slightly, as if it were curious now, instead of afraid.

"Did you just… Talk to an animal?" Steve asked, baffled. "And it understood you?"

Diana laughed. "It did not understand my words, but the Lasso of Hestia helped it to understand my intention. It knows I'm not lying about wanting to hurt it. The Lasso is showing it the truth in what I said."

And just like that, Diana sat down on the branch and opened her arms. The cub, still wrapped in the Lasso, walked to her and plopped on her lap, as a cat would. Steve could swear it was even purring.

"Sit down, Steve," Diana said, happily. "Want to pet this little guy?" She took a look under the panther for a second. "I'm sorry, little girl," she corrected herself and added, laughing softly, "I wonder if Bast was like this as a child."

Still beyond impressed, Steve slowly sat down too, one leg at each side of the branch, behind Diana, making an effort not to touch her and creep her out; which was, of course, meaningless, since she slid back with the cub, leaning her back against his chest.

He thanked God Diana was looking the other way, because he was quite aware his face was scarlet.

Trying not to draw any attention to that fact, Steve moved his arms around her and touched the little panther cub, scratching its ears, trying to ignore the fact that Diana's hair smelled divine. Steve never imagined he would do something like this before.

Sure, maybe his imagination could conjure a scenario where he became a soldier, traveled to a secretly extremely advanced country to fight a battle against HYDRA, leading a highly trained team of which his best friend was part of and, in that place, he got into the woods, climbed a gigantic tree and petted a panther cub.

But do all this and sit down closely to a beautiful dame? That pushed the boundaries of his imagination too far.

"I still can't believe this Lasso," Steve remarked, after a minute, still petting the cub. "The way it shows the truth… It's incredible."

"Why, it's Hestia's Symbol of Power, it's supposed to be incredible," Diana said.

He raised an eyebrow. "Symbol of Power?"

She turned her head up; given that she was smaller than him, that meant Diana could glance at his face from upside-down.

"Symbols of Power were, well, symbols of the gods' authority over their domains," she explained. "You know, Zeus' Lightning Bolt, Poseidon's Trident, Athena's Aegis Shield, Ares' Armor, Hephaestus' Flaming Hammer… Hestia's Lasso. Artifacts of immense power, crafted specifically for them and imbued with their power, so they could better control their domains."

Diana traced the golden lasso with her fingers, until her hand got to the little cub and she scratched its tiny head. Steve had no doubt Diana wholeheartedly believed in this, that this artifact actually belonged to a goddess; and honestly, he didn't have a better explanation. Magic, some kind of hyper-advanced technology, like HYDRA's? Maybe.

Perhaps, like Peggy suggested to him the other day after a long talk with Diana, those "gods" Diana spoke of were not "Gods" – capital "G" –, but simply beings they didn't know, with powers they couldn't understand. Not omnipotent entities, simply powerful ones.

Maybe calling them gods was a stretch, then, but it didn't really matter in the end. This was Diana's faith and he liked to hear her speak about it.

"Tell me about Hestia," Steve asked, after a few moments. "I heard you say her name before, I know she is a goddess, but that is all I know."

She smiled, pleased. "Hestia was the oldest child of Cronus and Rhea… Or the youngest, depending how you look at it." She chuckled at Steve's confused expression. "Hestia was the first to be born and the first to be devoured by Cronus, since the Titan feared that his children would grow up to depose him. But she was the last to be… Let's say 'expelled', by Cronus, when Zeus battled the Titan of Time. So she is both the oldest and the youngest."

Diana touched his hand as he petted the small cub. If it was deliberate or not, he didn't know, but she kept her hand over his.

"Cronus had six Olympian children with Rhea: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon and Zeus. All incredibly powerful and all responsible for the defeat of the Titan of Time." Steve had no idea Hestia was Zeus' sister; or that Zeus and Hera were actually brother and sister. Greek Gods were weird, but he said nothing, as Diana continued. "Later on, those gods, with the exception of Hades, built what would be known as the Olympian Council, which would grow up to 12 gods. They were the rulers of Olympus and our own world."

She started to count on her fingers.

"Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, Hestia, Ares, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Athena, Artemis, Apollo and Hermes," Diana said. "They were the original 12 Olympians."

"What about Hades?" Steve asked.

"Hades was the God of the Dead and as such he chose to remain away from the ruling council, to remain neutral and to better care for his many responsibilities," she explained. "Some believed that he was unwelcomed in Olympus, but according to my mother that wasn't true. He simply didn't really care."

Well, given that people died every day, Steve could understand how busy Hades could be.

"That worked out well for everybody until Zeus had another child, Dionysius," Diana continued. "And as a son of the King of Gods, Dionysius wanted a place in the Council. Except there was none, not unless they made a new one."

"Why didn't they?"

Diana shrugged. "I heard a lot of explanations, going from superstition – 13 would be a 'cursed number' – to unwillingness from the Olympian people to change the governing body, since it worked. Honestly, I have no idea. Fact was, they were one throne short and tempers were beginning to boil. So to avoid a confrontation, a conflict between family members, Hestia decided to give her place to Dionysius, even being the oldest child of Cronus and one of the most powerful goddesses in existence."

She smiled, touching the Lasso again.

"Hestia was the goddess of the hearth, family, home and truth. One of the most powerful beings in the universe, but most importantly, one of the kindest. The same way she stepped down from the Olympian Council, giving up her seat in the governing body of the gods without any regret, Hestia also presented her Symbol of Power to my mother, to help her organize a rebellion that freed the Amazons from slavery."

The Lasso of Hestia glowed under her hand, the gold light brightening her expression.

"This was her gift to my people, to save us from the darkest period of our history. And I will always be grateful to her for it."

Steve touched the Lasso as well, feeling the warmth of the rope.

"Did she… perish as well?" Steve asked, uncertain how to phrase that. He simply remembered that Diana told him Ares had killed all gods.

Diana shook her head slowly. "I do not know. Mother believes she was the one who closed off Olympus during the War of the Gods, while the 11 Gods in the Council fought here in this world against Ares. To prevent Ares' evil to contaminate the realm of the gods. But… There really is no way of knowing. Hestia might have succeeded and saved her people and her realm. Or she might have failed and Olympus is now ashes. I truly have no idea."

He could tell this bothered her deeply. Steve wouldn't lie and claim he understood all of this. In fact, he would be the first one to say he understood almost nothing about gods and magic and everything else she was telling him. But to Diana that was all true. Her faith was so strong that she almost made him believe.

And this was hurting her. So without thinking, Steve embraced Diana.

From the way her body froze under his touch, Steve thought for certain that he made a very wrong move, but a second later he felt her relax.

"Thank you," she whispered.

There was no need to say anything in response.

Steve had no idea how long they stayed there, high up in the tree, embraced, with the little panther cub on her lap. He knew only that he felt better than he felt in a long time, lighter, as if her company was capable of easing the worries inside his chest. And he was sure he would've stayed there the rest of the day if she didn't suddenly say:

"Steve, there is one more thing I think you should know about tracking." He frowned as she looked at him with a tiny smile, then turned to the little cub. "Almost always, every time we find a cub in the wild… The mother is not far behind."

His frown deepened as he tried to understand why she was telling him that; that's when he heard a terrifying roar.

"Oh no…"

Perhaps Diana had been as distracted as he was, perhaps she thought it would be funny to give the "mother panther" a head start, Steve didn't know. What he did know is that a black blur appeared out of nowhere and jumped upon them, roaring like a monster.

Steve had a split second to grab his shield and block the attack, the panther's claws ringing loud against the vibranium, and then Diana simply grabbed the cub, turned, embraced him and pushed them both out of the tree.

Before Steve could get his bearings, they were falling from the very high tree, the forest passing in a blur by them; that's when Diana grabbed his arm and forced his hand to grab the lasso. The Lasso she had wrapped around the branch while he blocked the panther.

Everything was happening so fast that Steve could only concentrate in holding Diana and her Lasso, as she held the little cub in her arms, laughing as if this was the funniest thing to ever happen to her. The Lasso suddenly tensed and they moved forward instead of down, but that sudden change didn't hinder Diana's movements as she twisted herself fast enough to place the cub on a branch from which it could go down on its own.

And then, the Lasso somehow got loose and they were in the air, flying towards the cliff. The last thing Steve saw before he started yelling was the huge waterfall and the lake under them.

---

Stark's Mansion, Malibu, California – April 17th, 2010

Tony checked himself on the mirror, fixing his tie and his hair. Then he simply stared at his reflection for a minute.

It was embarrassing to admit, but he couldn't remember the last time he felt so nervous. There was, of course, the day he escaped his captors in Afghanistan, fighting for his life inside a metal monstrosity, but something about having to kill or die made things simpler. But there wouldn't be a battle today – or at least he hoped so – and nobody's life was at stake.

No, Tony Stark was embarrassed because he was nervous about a date.

Not a true date, sure, but that was what the world would think when he showed up to that party with Diana Prince AKA Godkiller. Maybe he'd rushed things when he invited her to the "Third Annual Benefit for the Firefighters Family Fund", maybe he should've kept this meeting private, but truth was Tony had no idea what he was dealing with.

An enhanced of some kind, that much was obvious, that possessed great power, aged slowly or not at all and had been facing armies and criminals and god knows what else ever since WWII; that he knew of. So he chose to have this meeting in a public place, where she would be compelled to behave as an ordinary human.

He didn't really believe she was a threat to him, not really, otherwise she would've left him in the desert. And he didn't really believe that if she was a threat to him, that something like this would stop her from hurting him; he'd seen some of what she was capable of and it was damn impressive.

But for the first time in his life, he opted for caution. Tony had almost died not long ago, he didn't want a repeat of that.

So a date it was. And it would probably be unlike any date he ever had, all things considered. To begin with, neither of them was trying to "get lucky"; granted, he wouldn't say "no" to a woman that beautiful and he was certain she would be properly amazed at his handsomeness, no doubt about that, but for once that wouldn't be the goal of one of his dates.

Then there was the fact she was some kind of immortal super-powered woman, also a novelty. Apparently she fought during WWII with his own father and the great Captain America and he was certain she had defeated bad guys all over the world.

And she had saved his life.

Tony Stark didn't owe gratitude to a great many deal of people, but he did owe her. Not only because she found him dying in the desert and rescued him, but because she had risked exposure to give him his father's letters, back in 1991, so he could find some peace.

Diana Prince didn't have to do any of that, but she did. Tony wanted to know why.

He also wanted to thank her, true, but first he would ask his questions.

Satisfied with his appearance, Tony turned away from the mirror and walked out of his room. Pepper wasn't, for once, working late, probably already in the party and Happy had a night off. He wondered for a moment if Diana would actually appear or she would simply ignore his invitation, but decided that it was useless to guess. She would either be there or not; either way, he was going.

He went down the stairs and into his lab/garage, already thinking about which car he would take, when Jarvis suddenly spoke.

"Sir, the render is complete," the AI announced, popping up an image of his armor on the screen.

Tony stopped immediately and looked at it: it certainly looked impressive, even if a little showy. But he was almost certain that the new gold-titanium alloy from the Seraphim Tactical Satellite would ensure fuselage integrity while maintaining power-to-weight ratio.

To put it simply, he probably would be able to fly high up without fear of being frozen and falling to his death.

Still, functional or not, a complete golden armor was hurting eyes. He would look like C-3PO wearing that thing.

"A little ostentatious, don't you think?" he asked Jarvis, walking away from the screen.

"What was I thinking, you're usually so discreet," the sassy AI countered.

Tony stopped in front of his cars, deciding which one he would use, only to freeze when his eyes passed over the fiery red, black and yellow painting of one of his classic models.

"Tell you what," he started, still staring at the car, "throw a little hot-rod red in there."

"Yes, that should help you keep a low profile," Jarvis sarcastically agreed. A few seconds passed. "The render is complete."

He looked at the screen again, his eyes widening a bit. That was certainly much better.

"I like it," Tony said. "Fabricate it. Paint it!"

"Commencing automated assembly," Jarvis announced. "Estimated completion time is five hours."

Tony glanced at his watch. Enough time for his "date".

"Don't wait up for me, honey," he said, entering the car.

Hopefully, everything was going to go well.

---

Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, California – April 17th, 2010

Reporters, cameras flashing, fans screaming in excitement… Walk through one red carpet and have walked through them all, Tony thought, smiling and waving at the guests present at the Third Annual Benefit for the Firefighters Family Fund.

It was pretty easy to notice no one had expected him to show up.

He almost rolled his eyes. The stories the media managed to make up about him were outlandish on a normal day, but ever since he returned from Afghanistan and shut down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark Industries they'd reached unbelievable levels. Rumors of horrible facial scarring, deformities because of torture, madness, PTSD… Some even believed he wasn't Tony Stark at all, but some kind of shape-shifting alien taking the place of the true Tony Stark, and all this was a plan intended to lower Earth's defenses to be conquered by said aliens.

Honestly, it was fun at the beginning, but things were getting out of hand. Maybe it was a good thing to show up, even if Miss Prince didn't.

Thinking about her, he looked around, discretely trying to see if she was already there, but no luck. What he did see was Obie giving an interview close to the entrance; Obi saw him almost at the same time.

"Hey, look at you," Obie said, obviously shocked at seeing him. "What a surprise. You didn't tell me you would be here."

"Didn't I? I could've sworn I left you a message," Tony answered, greeting him.

"No, no, no… No message... But it's a great thing you're here. We should talk," Obie said.

"Yeah, sure, I'll see you inside," Tony said, not really in the mood for that, not when so much was going on at the time.

The place was nicely decorated and packed with people. Everyone supremely well dressed, some dancing to the soft music, others talking, trying to build connections or simply having a bit of fun. Several head turned to look when he passed, but Tony was too worried and too uninterested to start a meaningless conversation. No, right now, he needed something to calm his nerves.

He stopped by the counter.

"Give me a scotch," he asked the bartender. "I'm starving."

The bartender, dressed in white, smiled politely at his joke and started to prepare his drink.

"Mr. Stark?"

Tony turned, looking at the man by his side; well dressed, as everyone was, and apparently very serious, if his expression meant anything. Not anyone he knew, or at least he thought so.

"Agent Coulson," the man introduced himself.

That name rang a bell. "Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah… The guy from the, um–"

"Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division," Agent Coulson completed.

"Wow, you need a new name for that," Tony countered, grabbing his drink.

"Yeah, I hear that a lot," Coulson agreed. "Listen, I know this must be a trying time for you, but we need to debrief you. There's still a lot of unanswered questions and time can be a factor with these things. Let's just put something on the books. How about the 24th at 7:00 p.m. at Stark Industries?"

Tony was barely hearing anymore, having spotted something far more interesting on the dance floor: Miss Potts in a blue dress that made his eyes widen. By god, was she always this beautiful?

Without even looking at Coulson, Tony extended his hand to him.

"Tell you what, you got it," he said, as Coulson hesitantly shook his hand. "You're absolutely right. Well, I'm going to go to my assistant and we'll make a date."

And then he left, his eyes never straying from Pepper as he crossed the dance floor.

"You look fantastic!" he said as soon as he arrived. "I didn't recognize you."

Pepper turned to him, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"Just avoiding government agents," he answered.

"Are you by yourself?" Pepper asked.

Tony hesitated. "At the moment, yes... Where'd you get that dress?"

She looked down at herself, apparently not noticing his none-too-subtle change of subject. "Oh, it was a birthday present. From you, actually."

"That's great, I got good taste," he joked. "You, um, want to dance?"

"Oh, no, I'm–"

"Come on," Tony grabbed her hand and guided her deeper into the dance floor, ignoring how awkward the usually unwavering Pepper looked.

Truth be told, Tony had idea what he was doing. Hitting on Pepper was something he always did, but both of them knew it was never serious. Despite his reputation, Tony had boundaries and sleeping with an assistant was, too put it simply, a terrible idea.

Not only because it could generate a huge lawsuit down the line, but because he actually respected Pepper; and given the fact that she never fell for his obvious charms, Pepper also respected herself and him.

The real reason Tony never dared to do something like this, however, was because he really cared about Pepper.

She wasn't just a pretty face, just a model or an actress he could pass time with, but someone he genuinely liked. A friend, one of the few he had, and the last thing Tony wanted was to drive her away.

Right now, though, after barely escaping with his life from those terrorists, those fears didn't seem to matter all that much.

They started to dance, slowly, and Pepper was the very picture of flustered.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" he asked, with a confidence he didn't really feel.

"No, no, I always forget to wear deodorant and dance with my boss," Pepper retorted, "in front of everyone that I work with, in a dress with no back."

Tony lightly touched the naked patch of her back, smiling.

"You look great and you smell great."

"Oh, God…"

"But I could fire you if that would take the edge off," he jokingly suggested.

"I actually don't think that you could tie your shoes without me," she said, defiantly.

"I'd make it a week," he bragged.

"Really? What's your Social Security number?" Pepper challenged.

He hesitated, thinking; she raised a single eyebrow. "Five."

"Five? You're missing a couple of digits there."

"The other eight? Well, I got you for the other eight."

He looked at her and dared her to say otherwise. To his relief, she didn't.

They danced for a few minutes, without saying anything else, just enjoying the moment, whatever that meant.

"What about some air?" he offered.

"Yes, I need some air," Pepper agreed immediately.

---

Diana stopped the car in front of the Walt Disney Concert Hall and took a deep breath.

This was a bad idea, she was sure of it. What was she even doing there? What was she going to say? That her name was Diana and she was a goddess? That she fought with Howard Stark and Captain America during WWII? That she killed Ares, the God of War, son of Zeus and her half-brother? That she was Tony's godmother?

According to Peggy, yes, that was exactly what she should say. Diana was of the opinion that if she said all that, Tony would run away very fast.

He apparently knew she was older than she looked. And he also knew she was stronger than she looked. He knew she had been present during WWII and probably met his father during that time and he also knew that she was the one who rescued him from the deserts of Afghanistan.

Those were facts; Starks were good with facts, no matter how outlandish. It was when the conversation shifted to theories that they usually started to question things.

If Diana said she was absurdly strong and proved it, then Tony – if he behaved anything like his father – would accept it. If she told him she was old enough to have fought during WWII and provided evidence – or in this case, he was the one to provide it –, then he would believe her. He would probably question why and how, try to search for a viable reason, but he would believe as long as there was proof.

The minute she started explaining why she was the way she was, then things would get out of hand, just as they did with Howard.

Diana exhaled, closing her eyes. She could just imagine how difficult this night would be. But she was there now and there was no point going back. So, taking a deep breath again, Diana left the car.

---

"That was totally weird," Pepper announced.

Tony, standing in front of her on the balcony, disagreed. "Totally harmless."

"It was totally not harmless, by the way, we–"

"We're dancing," Tony interrupted, "no one's even watching."

"Everybody who I work with… No, you know why?"

"I think you lost objectivity," Tony said, before she could go on. "I think they just… People… We just danced!"

"No, it was not just a dance! You don't understand because you're you! And everybody knows exactly who you are and how you're with girls and all of that, which is completely fine, but you know, then me, you're my boss and I'm dancing with you."

Tony just waited Pepper to get it out of her system, which came in the form of a barely coherent phrase, but whatever.

"I really don't think it was taken that way," he argued.

"It makes me look like the one who's trying to–"

"I just think you're overstating it."

"And then we're here and I'm wearing this ridiculous dress," Pepper continued, not even hearing him, "and then we were dancing like that and…"

Pepper stared in his eyes and forgot what she was going to say; Tony, for once, didn't have anything smart to say either. She leaned forward, her lips so close to his…

Then she stopped. And pulled her head back.

"I would like a drink," she said, suddenly.

"Got it, okay," Tony nodded, moving away immediately.

He didn't remember the last time he felt so confused.

"I would like a vodka martini, please," Pepper added.

"Okay."

"Very dry, with olives, a lot of olives. Like, at least three olives."

"Okay."

"You know what, you'll get it wrong, I'm going with you."

"Okay."

What else was he supposed to say?

---

Pepper was pretty sure she was close to hyperventilating. What had she done?! What she was doing? Dancing with Tony? Allowing him to flirt with her? Flirt back? In the middle of a company party?

For so long Pepper didn't allow herself to even look at Tony in a non-professional way, because she knew exactly where that would lead: a one-night stand and a ruined career.

It was hard not to. Not because Tony was famous, rich and handsome, Pepper wasn't after that, but because, against all odds, he ended up becoming her friend. Against all odds, Tony had actually warmed his way into her heart. They bantered, they joked, they talked… He was one of the few people that could get her sense of humor, that could engage her in a battle of wit simply because he thought it was fun.

He had flaws – God above, did he have them – but that didn't make Pepper like him any less. She knew that if she allowed herself, she would fall hard for him.

The thing was: should she? Should she risk her career, her dignity and her friendship?

Before Pepper could answer that, before they could even get to the counter and order a martini with a whole bucket of olives on the side, a small commotion grabbed their attention. She and Tony turned to look at the entrance, trying to pinpoint what exactly had everyone whispering, why everyone was so interested.

A second later, Pepper saw why; her jaw was agape for a moment.

Pepper was straight. She liked men and she never had the sudden curiosity to experiment anything different. But by God, the woman who had just entered the hall was simply beyond gorgeous. She wasn't unused to above-average beauty; Pepper herself, she would admit freely, was very beautiful and Tony paraded up and down with the most beautiful models and actresses in the world.

She could say, without a single shred of doubt, that the woman entering the hall put them all to shame.

Long dark hair, blue eyes, a figure that made Pepper – and would make any woman in the world – jealous and a face that seemed sculpted by angels. She was wearing a stunning blood-red long dress, with no back just like hers, silver heels and what seemed to be bracelets on her arms, going from wrists to her elbows; fashion wise they were a bit uncommon, but Pepper doubted anything that woman wore could look bad.

Pepper was not a petty person, but she would admit that she was a tiny bit envious of that woman's beauty for a moment.

"Who is that?" she whispered to Tony.

Tony, looking everywhere except to her, swallowed hard.

"She is, um, she is my plus one."

"She is what?!"

---

Diana entered the hall trying to control her nerves; as any well-trained Amazon, her face betrayed nothing of what she was feeling, but that didn't mean her heart wasn't pounding her chest hard. She barely noticed the people in the room, walking through them without even glancing to the sides.

Until her eyes finally located her quarry. Tony Stark stared back at her. There wasn't a way to escape anymore.

Ignoring her nervousness, Diana made a straight line to him, keenly aware that he and everybody else was following her with their eyes. Attention never bothered her before, she was pretty much forced to get used to it being a Princess and inheriting her mother's good-looks – with a little touch from Aphrodite's blessing, or so her mother would brag, and her own Olympian blood –, but at that moment her legs felt heavy.

Tony didn't move, looking at her like a deer caught in the headlights; not impressed by her, she noticed, but actually frozen. Maybe she wasn't the only one nervous, Diana thought.

And finally, after a few seconds that felt like minutes, Diana stopped in front of him.

"A pleasure to see you again, Mr. Stark," Diana greeted, nodding.

There was a second of silence, until a pretty redhead by his side elbowed his ribs.

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Prince," Tony answered, wincing a bit from the hit.

None of them knew what to say anymore.

---

Tony was, once again, having difficulty finding his voice. Diana Prince was there, she really had appeared; he was expecting her to, of course, but now that she was there he didn't know what to do. The Godkiller, Wonder Woman, the one who saved his life, his father's friend… And whatever additional titles she might have.

He remembered her face from the time she delivered those letters and a bit from when she saved him in the desert, but it was still weird as hell seeing her in person.

Pepper elbowed him again, a touch stronger than she needed, Tony thought; then his mind finally kickstarted again.

"Oh, I'm sorry! This is Pepper Potts, my… assistant," he introduced her, not exactly knowing how to do it.

Tony was pretty sure Pepper wouldn't have liked to be introduced as anything else, but by the quick frown on her face, he somehow might've made a mistake.

"And Pepper, this is Diana Prince," he continued, looking at Miss Prince. "She was, um, an old acquaintance of my father."

He withheld a wince when he heard his own words; he knew well how that must have sounded.

"I was a friend of his old butler, Jarvis," Diana corrected, no doubt trying to clean up his mess. Smiling, she shook Pepper's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Potts."

"The pleasure is mine," Pepper answered, politely, but he knew her well enough to know she wasn't being that honest. She glanced at him. "You had a butler named Jarvis? Really?"

"He did… Why is that surprising?" Diana asked, not understanding why Pepper was questioning that.

Tony sighed. "It's just a coincidence, really. I did have a butler named Jarvis, that's true, and Pepper is surprised because right now I have an AI that manages my house called 'Just A Rather Very Intelligent System'."

There was a second of silence.

"So… He's called Jarvis," Diana said, slowly.

"No, no, it's J.A.R.V.I.S," Tony corrected. "It's an acronym. No relation with the name."

"Right, my mistake," Diana deadpanned, as Pepper rolled her eyes.

And then there was silence again. Nobody said anything, nobody knew what to say, everybody was looking at them and none of them dared to look for too long at each other.

"I'm going to… Go over there," Pepper said, suddenly, already walking away. "It's been a pleasure, Miss Prince."

Just like that, Pepper was gone; Tony sighed, guessing why exactly she was so bothered. In her mind, he had just hit on her while he waited for his date to arrive. Not that Tony never did something like that before, because he did, but he would never do that to Pepper.

How precisely would he explain that to her, though?

He glanced back at Diana, uncomfortable, barely even registering her beauty, something that would be his main focus on any other day.

"So… I think we should talk," he started. "Want to go to the balcony?"

"Let's," she agreed right away, probably wanting to get away from all those nosy people.

---

There were too many things to notice, Diana mused. First, Tony was as nervous as she was, unlike any time she'd seen him on TV or unlike anything she heard about him. Second, Pepper Potts, Tony's assistant, liked him and Tony clearly liked her. Third, Pepper Potts didn't like her, probably imagining she was trying to steal Tony's affections.

She made a frown of displeasure at the thought for a moment; Diana would have to fix that assumption as soon as she could.

No time for that now, however, as she followed Tony to the balcony, where they could talk with a semblance of privacy. Still in silence, walking a few feet in front of her, Tony led the way, both of them ignoring the interested looks everybody sent them; having a hearing as good as she did, she could tell for a fact that people were already gossiping about "Tony's latest conquest".

Diana tried not to let that bother her.

The balcony was big and open and the night wind felt nice. Tony walked to the most distant side of it, far from anywhere there, and stopped. Only then, he looked at her. Diana was shocked for a moment about how much he reminded her of Howard at that moment. He had traces of his mother on his face, but he was almost all Howard, down to the intelligent, inquisitive eyes.

If he had a mustache, like his dad, Diana would've been a little startled.

"So… We meet again," Tony began, awkwardly, but trying to sound confident.

"So it seems," Diana answered, just as awkwardly. She sighed. "I'm sorry, I'm a bit… You surprised me with this invitation."

He raised a single eyebrow. "Well, I was quite surprised when I found that photo too," he admitted. "Especially since I remembered you from the funeral and from the desert… Thanks for that, by the way."

"You're welcome," Diana said, slowly.

"For both of them, actually," Tony added, hesitantly. "The desert, of course, but the letters too."

"Did they help?" she asked.

Tony didn't answer right away.

"They did." And that was all he said about that. There were a few seconds of silence, while both of them leaned against the wall, looking down on the passing cars. Then he turned to her. "I have questions."

Diana sighed again. "I imagined you would."

"Will you answer them?" he insisted.

"If I can. I want to ask something first." She looked right in his eyes. "I want to know what you'll do with these answers."

"What do you mean?" he asked, frowning.

"As you can imagine, I don't go out advertising my situation," Diana said. "I like a quiet life. Depending on what you do with the things you hear today, this quietness may end."

He grinned, but the smile didn't reach his eyes; he was worried. "Is this a subtle way of telling me you'll have my head if I babble?"

Diana didn't realize she grabbed his hand until it was done.

"I would never hurt you!" she exclaimed, shocking him with the force she put on her words. Noticing she was holding his hand, she let him go, but didn't back away, nor did she stop staring at him. "Tony, your father was like a brother to me. We fought together, we lost together, we won together. We had our disagreements after the war, but I never stopped loving him. And on the day you were born, I was the first person he called to tell."

She lifted both her hands, showing them to Tony.

"I held you when you were a little baby," Diana told him, seeing his eyes widening. "And even with all our differences, he made me your godmother."

"What?!" he exclaimed, but she went on.

"But you are more than just my godson, more than the son of a man I called brother. You were a symbol of hope that we could, Howard and I, be friends again, try to be as close as we once were." She took Tony's hand again. "So no, I am not threatening you. Never. But I ask you to be honest with me. If you intend to share what I tell you today, then tell me now."

Tony was looking at her with his jaw agape; then he shook his head.

"I'm not some stupid teenager wanting his 15 minutes of fame!" he argued. "What do you think I'm gonna do? Call the newspapers?" Tony rolled his eyes. "They're already saying I have PTSD because of what I did to the company, can you imagine what they'll say if I start claiming that a curator of the Smithsonian fought during WWII and actually saved me from dying on the desert? Who the hell would believe me anyway?"

"You would be surprised," Diana sighed, feeling relief flooding her. "But I get it."

"Look, I just want to know who you are," Tony said. "What you are. And why you helped me. I'm not going to go around telling people and, honestly, if you don't want to tell me, then don't. I'm the one who owe you, not the other way around."

"You don't owe me anything," Diana retorted.

"Look, I don't like admitting it either, but I kinda do," Tony said, putting his foot down.

"You don't owe me anything," Diana repeated. "We're family, we're supposed to look after each other."

Tony didn't know what to answer to that, that much was clear. But he didn't contradict her. Instead, he looked down for a moment, then back at her.

"How… How can you do the things you do?" he asked. "I'll go out on a limb here, but you're not the average person, are you? Are you a mutant? A Super-Soldier?"

Diana exhaled; there was the moment she was dreading. "What do you know about Greek mythology?"

He raised his eyebrows, but answered: "Quite a lot, I'd say." He frowned as Diana looked surprised. "Weird that you should ask this. My father used to tell me about Greek mythology all the time when I was little. It was one of the few things we bonded over. That and Captain America's stories, but those I didn't like that much."

Diana didn't know why he spoke about Steve with such venom, but right now she didn't think to ask.

"Why do you ask?"

She looked at him, taking a moment to decide if she actually would go through with this.

"You asked me how I can do the things I do," Diana started, hesitantly. She took a deep breath and decided to just rip the band-aid off. "I am half-Amazon, daughter of Hippolyta, and half-Olympian, daughter of Zeus."

This time, Tony really was in silence for a long time, his shocked face frozen.

"You actually believe you're the daughter of a Greek god?" Tony answered, slowly, almost a minute later. He looked worried for her.

Diana almost laughed at how much he reminded her of Howard at that moment; then she felt a pang on her chest.

"I don't believe it, I know," she said with certainty, calmly meeting his eyes. "And your father knew as well."

That cut his reply short, as he actually choked on what he was about to say.

"My father believed this?" Tony asked, sceptic. "That you're a goddess? Or a demigoddess, is that the right term? My father, Howard Stark, the most rational man I ever met?"

"He did," Diana confirmed. "That should tell you something, shouldn't it?"

He closed his mouth again, surprised by her answer. He looked down at the cars, eyes unfocused, as he tried to make sense of all this.

"How did you make him believe you?"

"It wasn't easy," she admitted, with a touch of frustration, "but when I presented him with irrefutable proof, he had no counter-argument."

"What proof?" Tony asked, fast.

Diana grinned. "I showed him a god. Ares, the God of War, the true responsible for most horrors that happened during WWII. And then I killed him."

Again, Tony Stark lost his voice completely.

She took another long breath; this would be one hell of a conversation.

"It all began in 1944…"

---

Wakanda – April 25th, 1944

Steve turned his boot upside down, throwing out all the water from the lake he had just came out of. He was drenched to the bones, cold and uncomfortable, but he guessed they should be thankful that they landed on the lake, because the fall they took was quite long; looking up, Steve could see the cliff they'd just fell from, with the immense trees on top of it.

The place was beautiful, though, he wouldn't deny it.

An almost perfectly round lake, with a breathtaking waterfall, the crystalline water falling in large quantities. It was surrounded by the large stone walls of the mountains, full of flower bushes and emerald grass and the sun could shine flawlessly upon all that, making everything glow; rainbows formed when the light touched the water particles, making everything even more beautiful.

They could've landed on a much worse place, Steve admitted.

Still shaking his boot, trying to dry it as best as he could, Steve turned to see if Diana was having the same dubious success with her wet clothes as he was. And when he did so, his eyes bulged out like saucers.

Diana wasn't having the same problem with her clothes simply because she wasn't wearing any.

Steve knew he wasn't supposed to look. He knew that as the gentleman he was, the gentleman Sarah Rogers raised, he should've turned the moment he noticed that. Steve knew all that. And yet, the truth was he was frozen in place. He couldn't move even if he tried and the order to attempt to try simply wasn't processed inside his brain.

He didn't want to stop looking.

She was just too beautiful. With her back turned to him, Steve could see every inch of her lovely skin, glistening under the sun, almost glowing as if it were made of precious stones. Every curve of her body, every strand of her long dark hair, every drop of water slowly tracing their way down her legs.

At that moment, Steve truly believed she had been sculpted by the gods.

Then, while he was still paralyzed in the same spot, his eyes unable to look elsewhere, Diana looked at him, turning her body slightly; there was no surprise in her eyes, no shock at being spied on, no outrage. No, what he saw in her eyes was an invitation.

"Let's swim, Steve," Diana smiled. And before he could answer, she dived into the lake.

Steve remained right where he was, still petrified, his mind as unresponsive as his body.

And before he could rationalize this, think too much, he started to move as if ordered by a higher power, undressing faster than he ever did in his entire life.

He had no idea what he was doing when he jumped after her.

---

She had no idea what she was doing when she jumped in the lake.

This was different, Diana knew. Nudity wasn't taboo to Amazons, the naked form was no different to her than a covered body; yet, she knew that what she was doing right now was not the same. Baring herself to Steve at that moment was a conscious act, brought forth not out of habit, but out of choice.

Diana wanted Steve to want her. As much as she wanted him.

She listened and felt the waters when Steve jumped, her heart beating so fast that it hurt. For all her years, all her lovers, Diana was still completely inexperienced when it came to love. And she had no doubt now that it was love that she was feeling. Slowly, her feet moving softly to keep her floating, Diana turned.

Steve's head was the only part of his body she could see, but the expression on his face made her heart beat even faster. He was flushed, no doubt as nervous and embarrassed as she was, but his eyes spoke of certainty. Desire was reflected in his eyes and for a second Diana felt proud.

What grabbed her attention, however, wasn't the lust: it was the love.

Diana could see it, clearly, almost as if it had taken physical form. She could feel it radiating from him and she basked on the emotion. At that moment, she knew that he felt the same way she did.

They swam slowly, their eyes never straying, moving towards one another until they finally met in the middle of the lake. The sound of the waterfall was incredible and the water was shining under the sun, rainbows forming over the lake. Birds were singing in the distance. Diana didn't notice any of that, all her attention was on Steve.

Tentatively, she touched him, feeling the muscles on his arms, sensing the heat of his skin. Slowly, he did the same, his fingers caressing her belly, making her shiver as his hands went up until he cupped her face.

"I love you," Steve breathed.

Amazons were created to bring love into the world and they could feel it like no other being. What Diana was feeling at that moment couldn't be put into words.

So she answered with a kiss. Diana never felt so complete in her life.

---

Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, California – April 17th, 2010

Tony was pretty sure his jaw was hanging open and try as he might he couldn't close it. Whatever he expected Diana Prince to tell him that night, that wasn't it.

Being a super-powerful, super-old woman that met his father during WWII was, apparently, not enough. Oh, no, Diana went beyond that, far beyond. According to her, her abilities were due to her lineage, being simultaneously daughter of the Amazon Queen, Hippolyta, and the King of the Gods, Zeus.

The WWII? Much worse than everybody knew, as if Hitler and HYDRA weren't bad enough. For it wasn't merely a war among humans, but the culmination of a war among gods that killed countless people – mortals and immortals – across history.

A war that ended when Diana killed her half-brother, Ares, the God of War.

That was where she met his father and came to love him as a brother, thrown from life in an almost literal paradise into the worst war mankind ever fought. She fought alongside Captain America and the Howling Commandos and thrived until HYDRA was defeated and War itself was slain.

Except Ares' death didn't end War, as Tony knew well.

If this was true, if he decided to believe her despite all those outlandish claims, Tony could find it in his heart room to pity her. He couldn't imagine the despair she must've felt when she accomplished her mission, but that mission didn't accomplish what she thought it would. No ever-lasting peace, no brotherhood amongst men, no end to all wars.

Instead, what followed was the terrifying Cold War, when every moment could potentially be Earth's last. Previous allies became enemies, super-powered nations geared for war, nuclear bombs were distributed across the world… Her friends – her family – were tossed in the middle of a war where good and bad was no longer easy to spot and hard, terrible decisions had to be taken for the sake of surviving.

For the first time, she saw the worst of humanity and she couldn't blame an evil god for it.

Tony sighed, his eyes still wide and his powerful brain working overtime to process everything she told him. This couldn't be true, it wasn't possible. The very idea that gods existed would change… It would change everything they knew about the world. Their history, their origins, the very laws of physics… Everything.

Including his own family history. His father's history.

He looked at her.

"You know how crazy this sounds, don't you?" Tony breathed. "You can grasp that concept, right?"

Instead of being upset or insist this was indeed the truth, Diana laughed softly; she glanced at his face.

"You have no idea how you remind me of Howard right now," she said, looking at him fondly.

Yeah, he still wasn't used to that. People simply didn't look at him like that, like they knew him… Like family.

Yet somehow, it didn't bother him as much as he thought it would.

"Howard could find explanations for everything," Diana continued, looking at the cars passing in the street. "It was frustrating like you wouldn't imagine." She looked at him. "But I understand now. He was a scientist, he didn't accept things without proof and you're no doubt the same. So tell me, Mr. Stark, what would it take for you to even consider that what I told you is true? Hmm? A blood sample? A demonstration of my abilities?"

"That wouldn't work," he answered immediately. "You're different, I already know that. The fact that you're strong and fast doesn't mean you're a goddess, it just means you're strong and fast. The fact that I can't explain a phenomenon doesn't automatically make that phenomenon an act of god." Tony thought for a moment. "And the blood… Well, I won't lie, I'm curious to see it, but I don't have a 'god-DNA database' to run a comparison. It would no doubt be different than a normal human, but so would a mutant's or an enhanced of some kind. It wouldn't prove anything."

"So what do you need?" Diana asked. "Name it."

"Usually I would say for you to show me a god," he started, "but I suspect you would answer that I'm already in the presence of one." She smiled as he considered his choices; Tony stared at her. "Take me to Olympus."

"Impossible," Diana answered and before Tony could open his mouth to accuse her of not cooperating, she continued. "The only gateway I know of was sealed during the War of the Gods. And I haven't the coordinates or a suitable vehicle to take us there."

Tony frowned, confused. "Mount Olympus is in Greece," he retorted, as if it were obvious. "I can take us there."

"Mount Olympus is, not Olympus," Diana corrected him. "Mount Olympus was simply where the gateway was located, named, of course, in honor of Olympus itself. But as I said, it is sealed. I cannot even reach it, it is behind a protective barrier." She looked up, to the sky. "The true Olympus is located there, amongst the stars."

He ignored the bit about a gateway and a barrier for the moment.

"Wait a second, Olympus is a planet?!" he exclaimed. "Now you're telling me the Greek gods are actually aliens? You're an alien?!"

She raised a single eyebrow, as if considering her answer. "Well, I was born here, in this planet, as was my mother, but I suppose Zeus could be considered an alien. So, perhaps a half-alien? Does it matter if I was born here or I'm automatically an alien if I descend from one? I do not know."

The carefree way she responded that ground-shattering question – one that could change the very status of humanity in the universe – unnerved him.

"If they're aliens, why the hell are you calling them gods?" Tony exclaimed.

Diana looked at him. "What did Howard tell you about the Olympians, Tony? Did he tell you that they were all-powerful and all-knowing? Or that they were powerful beings that walked among humanity, wise and strong, but flawed?"

He nodded at the last description, too interested to say anything.

"The Olympians were gods to some, but that is a matter of perspective," Diana continued. "They were flesh and blood, like you and I, but powerful and old and they helped humanity when mankind was young. If it will help your modern sensibilities, you may refer to them as aliens, it matters little. They are what they are."

Things were going better and better, he thought, ironically. First gods, now aliens? Though her explanation did make things a bit more plausible than a bunch of mythological creatures and gods interacting with humanity. While Tony would outright deny the existence of any god, of any religion, as a matter of principle – unless those claims were properly backed by proof –, aliens could very well exist.

In fact, given the size of the universe – potentially infinite –, the existence of life, intelligent or otherwise, outside Earth was pretty much certain. And maybe, as Diana told him, some of those alien civilizations had interacted with primitive humans, who in turn thought they had to be gods.

It was a stretch, but it did make it easier for Tony to accept all this if he looked at it that way.

"Well, I suppose this could explain things," Tony mumbled, deep in thought. "Extremely advanced civilization arrives on Earth, humans see their technology and conclude it's all magic and gods. Then things escalate, as they usually do when it comes to gossip. A guy here invents a story, tells it to others and these others make up their own versions and tell it to other people… Suddenly we have a whole bunch of weird tales about a white-bearded guy who liked to summon storms and to turn into a goose to sleep with women."

Diana choked on nothing but air when he said that, coughing desperately for a few seconds.

"Well, actually," Diana started, hesitantly, still a bit flushed for some reason, "a lot of those 'weird tales' actually happened… Not the one with the goose, thank the gods, but there were some pretty fantastic ones that are true."

Tony could only stare at her, unable to say a single thing in response. Well, there went his rationalization, he was back to square one.

"As for the matter of providing proof," Diana hurried to say, a pensive expression on her face, "I may have an idea. I was searching for something, it would actually be my next expedition, and if I'm right I will find something quite mythological there. Something not even a Stark could doubt."

He leaned closer. "That would have to be one heck of a find. It's not a fossilized goose, is it?"

"No!" she exclaimed, then shook her head a bit. "I'll let you know when I have more information," Diana said, mysteriously. Then, after a few seconds, she grinned. "Now, I have some questions as well, if you don't mind. Starting with that armor I saw you wearing when you made your escape." Her eyes went down to his chest. "And I also want to know about the arc reactor you finally completed."

His head snapped fast at her when she said that. "You know about the arc reactor?"

She nodded. "I've seen the first sketches your father made. I also saw the object of which he got inspiration from. But he was never able to finish it. You did it." Diana stared at him. "Inside a cave, surrounded by terrorists."

Tony's eyes became glassy as he remembered his days in captivity.

"I had no option," he finally said. "I needed it to survive."

"The shrapnel," she said, startling him. "I saw the medical reports."

"How?"

"I have friends in high places too, Tony."

"Well, anyway… The shrapnel were part of it, of course, but I needed the arc reactor for something else: to power-up my armor, so I could get out of there."

She looked at him, impressed.

"How did you do this all by yourself?"

"I wasn't by myself, I had help," Tony corrected her, immediately. "There was a man sharing the cell with me, a man named Yinsen." He shook his head with a disregard he didn't feel. "He didn't make it."

"I am sorry," Diana said, sincerely, somehow understanding.

Tony had no idea why he was telling her this; he hadn't told anyone about Yinsen yet. During the debriefings he mentioned he wasn't alone and that the man didn't make it, but that was it. No names, no motivation, nothing else.

And yet something about Diana made him comfortable enough to share this, even if to just let it out of his chest.

"They wanted me to build weapons for them," Tony caught himself saying. "To teach them how to make my latest creation, the Jericho Missile." He shook his head. "I couldn't do it. Not because I knew they would kill me as soon as they didn't need me, though that obviously played an important part in my decision, but because… The idea of a powerful thing like that in their hands was, well, not great."

He pointed at his own chest.

"The shrapnel that are constantly trying to kill me? Stark Industries' property. I forged the sword that almost killed me and I saw it being used to kill innocents, not to protect my homeland. I saw it in the hands of the terrorists that almost killed me. I couldn't let that happen."

And he didn't mean only the Jericho Missile they wanted, he meant every Stark weapon ever made. His legacy, his name written on the bombs that killed innocents all over the world… Call him a hypocrite or even an idiot, but it took him almost dying to realize he was not okay with that.

"Your father was a great man," Diana started, speaking softly, "and a great friend, but the idea of stopping to build weapons never even crossed his mind. I am glad it crossed yours and that you were brave enough to do it. I'm proud of you and I'm sure your parents would be too, even Howard."

He stared at her for a long minute.

"You know, this was the first time anyone told me this ever since I did it," he admitted. "Not even Pepper… No one was very happy about this."

"Even the more reason to call it bravery," Diana said. "I believe you will succeed, Tony, and I'll be here if you need help."

Tony didn't answer, uncomfortable – but strangely touched – by the gesture.

"So…" Diana began, smiling slyly. "Pepper, huh?"

He forced himself to be impassive. "What about her?"

"You like her."

"Of course I like her, she's the best assistant I ever–"

"You like, like her," Diana insisted, still smiling. "Is this a recent development?"

Tony just kept staring at her, for some reason feeling like a boy being teased by his mother because of his first crush.

"I need a drink," he stated, turning around.

"I'll go with you!" Diana replied immediately.

---

Tony really did need a drink, if the way he was downing all that scotch meant anything; Diana could only hope he had inherited his father's powerful liver.

The party was still pretty much the same as when they left, if a bit livelier, now that everyone had the change to introduce themselves and drink a bit. People were still looking at her and at Tony nonstop, no doubt imagining a sordid story of some sort, but no one dared to approach either of them to actually ask anything.

Nursing her glass of champagne while she observed the dance floor, Diana soon spotted Miss Potts dancing, talking with two other people she didn't know. She raised a single eyebrow; well, no time like the present to fix misunderstandings.

Purposeful, Diana crossed the dance floor, her eyes never leaving the redhead. Tony, much like Howard, had a reputation with women that put some ludicrous tabloids to shame; and in Howard's case, Diana knew it to be mostly true. He was a womanizing jerk for a long time, Peggy could attest to that.

Until he met Maria. She hoped Pepper Potts would come to mean the same to Tony as Maria did to Howard.

Noticing her approach, Pepper startled for a moment, clearly divided between running and hiding; Diana was a little offended, but she tried not to take it personally. Smiling, she got close enough to whisper: "May I have a word with you, Miss Potts?"

If the expression she quickly concealed was a reflection of the truth, the last thing Pepper Potts wanted to do in her life was go with Diana, but she didn't exactly have much of a choice if she wanted to remain polite. Excusing herself, she followed Diana to a nearby table, empty, as most people danced.

"Can I help you with something, Miss Prince?" Pepper asked, exceedingly polite. Diana held a sigh; Pepper really didn't like her.

Best to be direct.

"I wanted to make something clear to you, Miss Potts, so there are no misunderstandings," Diana started. The loud music and their slight isolation made sure they weren't overheard. "There is absolutely nothing between me and Tony."

Pepper was clearly not expecting this, because she widened her eyes, unable to mask her surprise in time.

As soon as her surprise faded, she looked at Diana, eyes hard.

"Whatever happens between Mr. Stark and you is not my business, Miss Prince," she replied. "I'm just his assistant."

Diana held her eyes without faltering.

"No, you're not," she said, making it very clear. "He likes you and you like him." Pepper opened her mouth to say something, but Diana raised a hand and stopped her. "If you decide or not to be in a relationship is your problem, your and Tony's, but I want you to know that I am not involved, in any way, with him. I'm here today because I needed to discuss a personal matter, not as a date, despite what these people like to gossip."

Pepper simply stared at her, completely serious.

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked.

"Because whatever you have going on, you deserve a chance. And I do not want it to end because of a stupid misunderstanding. Tony and I were never involved and will never be involved. I want you to know that."

She looked down for a moment, then chuckled. "I appreciate the thought, really, but… It's unnecessary. What happened today was a bad idea."

"Why?" Diana asked, truly wanting to hear her answer.

"I work for him, he is a famous womanizer and I'm not sure he even wants anything to do with me," Pepper answered, tiredly. "Pick one."

Diana got closer, touching her arm. "People can change, Miss Potts, especially when they go through a potential life-threatening situation. Or do you think old-Tony would ever stop making weapons?" She smiled kindly at her. "Life shapes us in unexpected ways. Do you think he is the same man he always was?"

She appeared to think for a moment, then answered, her voice very low: "No, he's not. But that doesn't mean it would work between us. Or that his change of heart won't be short-lived."

"Nothing is certain," Diana agreed, "but if you have a chance to be happy, why not take it?"

Pepper glanced at her, clearly considering if she should answer.

"Because the risk is too big," Pepper replied, giving a tiny smile in response. "I could lose my job, ruin my career… Get hurt." She eyed Diana. "And let's face it, he hardly has to try to find someone more interesting," she finished, gesturing in Diana's direction.

"Don't ever say you're not worth it," Diana reprimanded, startling her for a moment. "He likes you and I hardly think he does it for no reason. You've captured his heart." She eyed Pepper. "And I can see why he follows you with his eyes across the dance floor."

Prompted by what she said, Pepper glanced at the bar, seeing Tony looking at her.

"He's probably looking at you," Pepper said, embarrassed.

Diana sighed. How exactly could she convey the idea that she had absolutely no interest in dating Tony, without mentioning he was her godson or that she had changed his diapers? Pepper was feeling insecure and if Diana decided to befriend Tony, then that meant they would spend more time together, which would make her even more insecure.

This way, things would go nowhere.

She raised a single eyebrow. Unless…

"Pepper, do you know why I know Tony finds you beautiful?" Diana asked, whispering in her ear. "Because I do too." Pepper was astonished, looking at her in surprise. "Let me put it this way, if I had to choose between dancing with one of you, it wouldn't be him."

Pepper blushed like only a redhead could, her entire face growing the same color as her hair.

"So when I say you have nothing to worry about with us," Diana continued, "know that I'm telling the truth."

"I-I, um, thank you, Miss Prince," Pepper stammered.

"Call me Diana," Diana asked, smiling. Then she looked at Tony, besides the bar. "Go drink something, I think you need it."

Pepper followed her eyes, stopping at Tony by the counter. She smiled.

"I think I do," she agreed, "Thank you, Diana. And call me Pepper."

Well, mess fixed. Or at least she hoped.

---

Obadiah Stane was feeling out of the loop and for a man who had the need to control everything and everyone, that wasn't a good feeling. He glanced at Stark, happily dancing with his assistant – a lawsuit waiting to happen, he could already see it –, and frowned. He was the one responsible for this whole mess. Couldn't he have died like a good little boy?

No, that would be easy and Starks didn't do easy. They thrived in making everything complicated for everyone. The boy was even worse than his father. With Howard, Stane could deal; stubborn or not, he had his head exactly where it should be, in the business. No sentimentality, no wasted time.

In that, Tony Stark and Howard Stark were not the same, as he had proved with his idiotic announcement that Stark Industries would no longer build weapons.

Things were changing faster than he could keep track of. The Tony Stark that came back was not the same Tony Stark he tried to kill, that much was obvious. Inch by inch, Stane was losing ground, pushed away from golden goose, and he didn't know how to fix this.

Tony wouldn't share his ideas, he wouldn't talk to him as he used to, wouldn't trust him to steer the company in the right direction, to the point Stane had no idea what was going on in his head anymore.

That was dangerous.

This party, for example? It was intended to be an opportunity for him to get the board on his side again, to try to low the support the boy had, so he could eventually try to push him out. He never expected him to show up, not to a boring meeting like this. And yet, against all he knew about Tony, there he was.

And he apparently brought someone. Someone he didn't know.

Stane eyed Tony's date for a moment, standing by the bar, giving her a once-over. Well, as far as beauty went, she seemed to fit what he knew about the boy's dates; he always had good taste when it came to women, that much he would admit.

The problem was, Stane had no idea who she was. He carefully monitored Tony's acquaintances, his friends and one-night stands, it was normal procedure by now. Diana Prince never showed up in his radar before that party.

He quickly contacted his people when he saw her with Stark, trying to find out who she was, trying to understand if she was just a hot piece of ass or someone important, someone he should've known about. What did the boy want with a curator of a museum? Where the hell had they even met?

When she introduced herself, Tony mentioned she was an old acquaintance of Howard, or so he heard, but that made no sense. She was what? 30-something years old? She would've been a child back then, a teenager at best. Miss Prince corrected him and claimed to be a friend of Jarvis, Howard's old butler, but explained no further.

Aside from that, there was the fact she had bought Stark Industries' shares, but not out of the ordinary, just what could be interpreted as a normal investment choice, nothing else.

Obadiah Stane had no idea what to make of that. Should he dig more? Should he investigate her, find out what was her connection to Tony? Would it even matter? It could very well be exactly what it looked, a known womanizer picking up girls; he had no shortage of women throwing themselves at him, wanting a piece of fame and fortune. And if it wasn't for the brief explanation they provided about her knowing Howard and his butler in the past, he would've written it off as that.

Right now, however, Stane couldn't take any risks. The situation was already bad enough, he needed information, he needed leverage. He needed to know if someone was whispering dangerous ideas in the boy's ears, if someone had taken his place as the effective consiglieri of the Stark family.

And if that happened, well, he simply would have to deal with her. It shouldn't be difficult to show he was onto her and scare her away if that was the case.

Downing his drink, Stane walked to the bar counter, putting a charming smile on his face. Time to meet this Diana Prince.

---

Against all odds, Diana was having fun. Her talk with Tony went better than she could've anticipated, but she suspected he would still prove quite the challenge as to the matter of truly believing her, much like Howard.

Lucky for her, she had learned a thing or two when it came to dealing with Starks. Hopefully it would be easier this time.

Sipping her wine, Diana noticed a man approaching her. Tall, big, bald, with a grey beard and a smile; she knew who that was, Howard had talked about him before. Obadiah Stane, a business man who worked closely with Tony, the one who took over as interim CEO of Stark Industries when Howard passed away.

That was all she knew about him. It seemed she was about to learn more.

"Oh, hello there, Miss Prince, right?" Obadiah said, giving her a big smile. "I'm Obadiah Stane, I'm a good friend of Tony's."

He kissed her hand. Diana smiled politely; for some reason, she disliked him immediately.

"Diana Prince," she introduced herself. "A pleasure."

"What are you doing here all by yourself?" he asked, his face still plastered with that smile he obviously thought it was charming. "Where is Tony?"

"He is dancing with Miss Potts," Diana answered, tilting her head in their direction. "I interrupted them earlier, it's only fair they get to finish it."

Stane frowned slightly, probably not understanding why she was so cool with this turn of events.

"Well, at least it will give us a chance to meet each other," he chuckled. "I heard you are a curator in the Smithsonian?"

She raised a single eyebrow.

"Heard where?"

"Oh, no, please, don't get me wrong!" he said, laughing, raising both hands as if apologizing. "We just like to keep tabs on our shareholders, if we can. To make sure they're satisfied with the way we're handling things."

"Is that so?" Diana asked, suspiciously. It was true she had Stark Industries' shares, quite a bit of them, but the majority of those shares were not on her name, they were bought by shell companies Peggy and Howard had set up for her.

If he knew her name and where she worked, Obadiah Stane had not learned that way.

"Of course," he assured her, oblivious to the fact she knew he was lying. "Especially considering the, um, current circumstances." Before she could say anything, he added: "Not that there is anything wrong, of course not, it will simply take a time for Stark Industries to adjust to the new business plan."

"Oh, I'm not worried at all," Diana dismissed. "In fact, I wholeheartedly approve Tony's decision."

He raised a single eyebrow. "You do?"

"It was past time for Stark Industries to take responsibility for its creations," Diana said. "And I trust Tony to lead it to a better path."

"Hmm… I'm happy to hear. How did you meet, by the way?" Stane asked. "He never mentioned."

"We met years back," Diana answered, noncommittally. "I was a friend of his butler."

"So why the sudden reconnection?" Stane asked, watching her shrewdly.

"An old friend almost died at the hand of terrorists," she said. "I would think that is enough reason, isn't it?"

"Oh, yes, of course. Tony needs all the help he can get right now, in this time of need. He needs his real friends."

Diana turned to look at him.

"Like you?"

"Of course!" he laughed. "Someone need to take care of the boy, that has been my task in the company ever since Howard passed."

She gave him a fake smile in return for the joke. "I'm glad to know."

He glanced at her.

"So? Are you?" he asked.

Diana frowned. "Am I what?"

"A real friend."

Her frown deepened. What was he implying? That she was taking advantage of Tony?

"What exactly are you saying, Mr. Stane?" Diana asked.

"I just want to know if we all have the boy's best interests in mind," Stane shrugged, taking a sip of his scotch. "These are… Dangerous times. Times of change. Who knows what would happen if we trusted the wrong sort of person right now."

Diana almost punched the man right then and there. She could understand Stane's worry – even though she got a really bad vibe from him –, after all there were probably those who would get closer to Tony to try to gain something, but that didn't mean she liked the implication.

Something on her face probably showed how much she disliked it, because another person interrupted them before she could say or do anything.

"I got your wine," the man said, smiling at her.

She was puzzled for a moment, trying to remember if she knew the man, then she recalled where she'd seen him: that was Agent Coulson, of SHIELD. Diana glanced at him, trying to understand what was happening, if he knew her somehow, but he seemed just to be helping her to get out of an unpleasant situation.

Diana accepted the wine – and the way out – gracefully.

"Thank you." She looked at Stane. "It's been a pleasure."

Before she could get away, following Coulson, Stane said:

"You know, I've known a few women like you."

Diana turned slowly and grinned dangerously.

"Oh, I don't think you've ever known a woman like me, Mr. Stane."

---

"The man was utterly intolerable," Diana complained, as they stopped at a table. She sighed, looking at him. "Thank you for that, Mr…?"

"Agent Coulson, Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division," he introduced himself.

Diana couldn't help but to smile at the silly name.

"Not from the Central Intelligence Agency?" she teased. "Or the Federal Bureau of Investigation? Do Agents in Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division like to watch races of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing?"

"I do enjoy watching NASCAR races occasionally," Coulson answered good-natured, his expression completely impassive.

Even still annoyed at the nerve of Obadiah Stane, Diana giggled.

"I am sorry, Agent Coulson, I just cannot abide SHIELD's full name, it sounds too…"

"Pretentious? Too formal? I know," Coulson admitted. "Surprisingly, it sounds far more important like that to the average people. They get more agreeable."

"Hmm, I hadn't considered that," Diana replied. "Oh, I'm sorry, I haven't introduced mys–"

"I know who you are, Miss Prince," Coulson interrupted her. "You're Natasha's friend."

Diana opened a big smile when he said Natalia's name. "Nat has talked about me?"

She tried her best not to sound like a proud mother.

"Only to her friends."

It was wonderful to know Nat had made a few friends there, sometimes she doubted she would.

Coulson glanced at Stane's previous direction. "So, what happened back there? You seemed uncomfortable."

"Just a misunderstanding," she said, unwilling to go into details. "But thank you for getting me out, I was not sure I would resist the urge to throw my wine on his face for much longer."

"You're welcome," he answered without changing his serious expression one bit.

She decided then that she liked Coulson.

"So what is an Agent of the famous Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division doing here?" Diana asked. "If it's not confidential, of course."

"Not at all, I'm here to try to schedule an appointment with Mr. Stark, so we can debrief him on account of his escape."

"Were you successful?" Diana asked.

For the first time Coulson's face showed a trace of emotion: frustration.

"Somehow, I doubt it," he admitted. "But Agents of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division never give up."

She giggled again.

Tony was approaching the bar, looking happier than before; it seemed he had patched things up with Miss Potts.

"It's been a pleasure to formally meet you, Miss Prince," Coulson said, smiling at her.

"The pleasure was all mine, Agent Coulson," she answered, sincerely, as he walked away before Tony arrived, looking properly puzzled.

"What did he want?" Tony asked.

"Just introducing himself," Diana answered. "We have mutual friends. So, how are things with Miss Potts?"

Tony looked in the direction Pepper was for a moment. "They're good."

"I'm glad," she smiled.

He didn't answer, ordering a drink. He turned to her.

"Where are you staying tonight?" Tony asked, suddenly.

"I got a room in a hotel, why?"

"Stay with me," he said. Diana rolled her eyes, already about to say some things about Starks and their annoying obsession to flirt with anything that moved, when he added: "In the guest room. We can pick up your stuff on the way." He hesitated. "I want to show you something."

Diana was curious, she couldn't lie.

"What is it?" she asked.

"You'll see it tomorrow."

Well, how could she refuse?

---

Stark's Mansion, Malibu, California – April 18th, 2010

A few hours later, the sun almost coming up to greet the new day, Tony finally closed the door of his room and relaxed, still completely dressed in his black suit.

He still couldn't quite believe the night he had, all the revelations, the world-shattering truths he learned; he couldn't believe he had a potential goddess sleeping in a room a few feet away from him, an old friend of his father and veteran of WWII.

How much weird could this night get?

As if answering his question, Jarvis spoke: "Sir, I apologize for intruding, but I believe you will want to see this right away."

Frowning, curious about what was so important that it couldn't wait for him to sleep a bit, Tony walked to the monitor Jarvis had remotely turned on.

His blood got cold as ice.

He was looking at images recorded by satellite, there was no doubt about that, one of his. The images weren't as good as he hoped, but he still could see well what was happening down there: war. Simple as that. Soldiers advancing towards a city, guns being fired, missiles flying, explosions, dead people… As Jarvis zoomed in and paused the recording, Tony felt a bad taste in his mouth.

There, written on one of the missiles, was his company's name: Stark Industries.

"You have asked me to keep tabs on conflicts in the Middle East, sir," Jarvis said. "This happened yesterday."

Tony quickly typed on the keyboard, passing the images. There weapon's crates branded with his company's name, missiles with his name on them, ammunition, vehicles… Everything an army needed to fight a war.

And apparently Stark Industries had provided it.

"Where is this?" Tony asked.

"A city called Gulmira, sir."

He felt his blood boil. Gulmira was Yinsen's city, the city attacked by the Ten Rings, the same terrorists that had captured them. And they had his guns.

"How did they get all this? I didn't approve any shipments."

There were a few seconds of silence. "I do not know, sir."

"Call Obi. Right now!"

The AI, for once, didn't have a sassy response.

Tony clenched his fists, furious. Someone went behind his back, disobeyed his decision and sold those weapons to terrorists. Someone in his company. He doubted this happened without Stane knowing.

The screen was suddenly taken by Stane's face as he picked the call.

"Tony? Do you have any idea what time is it?"

"Gulmira," Tony said, not in the mood for pleasantries. "What's going on there?"

Stane's expression changed immediately, from sleepy to fully awoke.

"Tony, Tony, you can't afford to be this naïve," he started. "We can't just pull out of the business like this, it takes time to–"

"You know what? I was naïve before, when they said 'Here's the line, we don't cross it. This is how we do business.'." He glared at Stane. "If we're double-dealing under the table… Are we?"

Stane didn't answer right away, he simply held Tony's stare.

"If someone in the company is doing this, then we'll find him. You have my word I'll look right into it."

That's what he said, but what Tony understood was something else. Slowly, he grinned.

"You always work for the good of the company, right, Obi?"

"Always, Tony."

He smiled again and ended the call. Tony closed his eyes and breathed deeply, trying to control his rage. He always knew Stane was shrewd and cold, a true businessman, but he always thought he had his back. Or at least that he was smart enough to go with his decisions when it came to the company.

Apparently, this day was still not done with its revelations.

"Jarvis, let's do another flight test, shall we?"

---

Wakanda – April 25th, 1944

"Wow!" Steve exclaimed.

He was lying back on the grass, on top of a white blanket, his unfocused eyes staring at the sky. His naked body was spent, tired, and his muscles felt like mush.

And yet, he had never felt better in his life.

Diana, also nude, was lying on top of him, her warm body embracing his own as her face rested close to his neck; he could feel her soft breath caressing him. Without even thinking about it, his arms enveloped her, trying to bring Diana even closer, feeling her smooth skin as he did it.

She laughed softly against his neck.

"'Wow' describes it pretty well," Diana whispered, gently biting his shoulder. "That was… Amazing."

It truly was, Steve wholeheartedly agreed. And it was very good to know she felt the same, because needless to say, Steve lacked experience in that department. What he lacked in experience, however, he more than compensated with enthusiasm, stamina and tenderness.

And he was a quick learner, after all.

Steve still couldn't believe that happened and his mind was too dazed for him to think about it, but he didn't regret one bit. It felt… It felt right. He loved Diana and she loved his as well. This was far more than simply pleasure, it was an expression of their feelings.

In his opinion, both of them had expressed them quite well. He held her even closer.

---

Diana breathed deeply, basking in Steve's smell, her face resting on his neck; her arms embraced him, feeling his muscles, her small form almost disappearing into him. She knew she was stronger than him, faster, better trained…

But she never felt safer in her entire life than when she was held by Steve.

It happened naturally, as if it were meant to be. They were both eager, but shy, excited, but inexperienced. And yet, as it happened in the battlefield, when their movements were pure art, Diana and Steve soon understood each another. Lust became pleasure, pleasure became love.

And at that moment, they felt as one.

Ever since leaving Themyscira, even with the all the good things, the good people, that she met, Diana couldn't help but to feel alone. She missed home so much, she missed her island, her sisters, her aunt and her mother. Sometimes she felt out of place in Man's World, unable to understand a great deal of what was happening. The odd one out.

For the first time since she left Themyscira, Diana felt at home.

Carefully, unwilling to separate from Steve even for a moment, Diana slid up and touched his forehead with hers.

"I love you," she finally said.

None of them knew which one was the first to lean forward, but soon they were kissing again, feeling each other's bodies, their hands caressing. With one fluid move, Steve twisted himself and got on top of her, making her squeal in excitement, not stopping to touch or kiss her even for a moment.

Diana wished this would never end, that they wouldn't ever need to separate ever again, that Steve wouldn't stop kissing her.

And then, out of nowhere, the entire ground shook and a thunderous noise took the place.

Startled, they jumped apart, seeing the birds and animals fleeing, trying to understand what was happening.

That's when they saw the illusion that protected Wakanda, the hologram dome that covered a great deal of the kingdom, flicker; for a moment, they were able to see it from the inside, something that shouldn't happen, since it was an illusion made for outsider's eyes.

Suddenly, it cracked, like a mirror breaking. Wakanda was exposed.

"HYDRA!" Steve exclaimed. "We need to go back!"

Diana would never forgive HYDRA for that.

---

Wakanda, Golden City – April 25th, 1944

"What just happened?" King Azzuri demanded, fully dressed in his black panther armor, entering his war room. His scientists and soldiers were running around the place nonstop.

The King walked to the middle of the room, where the holographic display of Wakanda glowed in a blue light; Aneka, his general, was already there, a worried look on her face.

"The protective hologram was hit with some kind of energy weapon," Aneka explained, quickly. "It cracked."

Azzuri stared at her, incredulous.

"How? Who?"

Aneka exhaled and typed. The holographic display of the city showed a smaller area, the plains where they expected HYDRA would attack from when they finally arrived.

Except that, by what Azzuri was seeing, they were already there.

The King of Wakanda watched, eyes widened, as a legion of HYDRA soldiers advanced through the plains, marching towards Wakanda. Thousands of soldiers, vehicles, tanks… An army built with a single purpose: conquer the Land of the Panther.

"How is this possible?" Azzuri hissed, unable to turn away.

Because it shouldn't be. They had agents, War Dogs and SSR spies, watching HYDRA's movements, assessing their numbers, their strength, the routes they would take to eventually arrive in Wakanda. There was no way for that army to have arrived on his doorstep without them noticing, it simply wasn't possible.

Nobody answered him.

"HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!" Azzuri roared.

"We do not know, my King," Aneka answered. "They weren't anywhere close from Wakanda… And then they were."

What was this? HYDRA technology? The God of War using his divine powers? Azzuri did not know.

But right now, it didn't matter. He looked at his Dora Milaje.

"Evacuate the city, engage all defenses… And get Captain America and Lady Diana to the front lines!" King Azzuri ordered.

HYDRA had arrived and Wakanda was going to war.

---

Hey guys, how are you doing? It's been a long time, I'm sorry, but the end of the year is an extremely busy period for me. Sorry for the messages I wasn't able to answer and for those I did answer, but a few days late. Trust me, if I had any say, I would talk to you guys all day, you're awesome!

A couple of things: first, it's already been a long time (sorry again), but I'd like to honor Stan Lee. Without him and the universe he created this story wouldn't exist. As Steve Rogers said: "Earth lost its best defender". May he rest in peace, he deserves it.

Second, some happy news: one of my readers, a nice guy named Marcus S. Lazarus, has written pages on the site TV Tropes for both my stories, Avenger Goddess and Avengers of Steel. He did it out of the kindness of his heart, out of his own will, and gave me quite the pleasant surprise. Check it out if you have the time, it's cool as hell hahaha Marcus, thanks again!

This one is definitely the biggest chapter I wrote. Since I spent a good time without updating I wanted to deliver something special and I really hope you guys like it.

Thanks for everything and I hope you're all doing great!