Carried Along By …
Washington
Steve finished congratulating his team on the success of their first mission. As he moved towards his office, he noticed Diana and Barbara Minerva had struck up something of a fast friendship. He was happy for both of them. He knew Diana hadn't made many friends yet in the short time since she'd left the island. Perhaps her friendship might bring out Barbara's personality, as she seemed something of a bookworm and wallflower.
Closing the door to his office, Steve moved around behind his desk to get started on the report. It was one of the things that never changed, no matter what his title, there was always paperwork. He glanced out through the glass walls on the front of his office and watched the team mingle together. They were bonding and that would help everything run smoother in the future.
As they usually did, his eyes ended up looking at Diana. He was still trying to process the photo that Amanda Waller had given him. It was locked in his bottom right hand desk drawer. It had been there since she gave it to him. He didn't want to look at it, for to look meant having to deal with it and that was something he wasn't fully prepared to do.
Steve hadn't said anything about it to Diana. He wasn't sure what he'd say anyway. He had tried accepting that she broke up with him, but he'd never imagined it was because of someone else. He certainly hadn't imagined it was Superman. It did make a certain kind of sense though. She had gone to his aid, defended him and refused immediately to help recover his ship.
Unsure how to react, Steve had done what many did before him, he just pretended it didn't exist. If he acted like he didn't know, then he didn't have to deal with what it meant. What it meant for Steve was completely different than what it meant for everyone else. For most people it meant the two most powerful beings on the planet were together. For Steve it meant the woman he was in love with was in love with someone else.
If anything it made the pain worse. Suddenly her rejection wasn't because she didn't understand or was too young. She apparently did understand quite well and certainly wasn't too young to know what it was all about. She just didn't have those feelings towards him. Suddenly the rejection went from a general feeling to a very specific one.
This is one of the reasons divorces often end so badly. It's not just that it's over, but that one half of the marriage has decided they don't want the other anymore. It's why all break ups are so hard. If you've ever been on that side of a break up you can understand how Steve was feeling. It wasn't that he was a bad person anymore than you are; it's just such a massive hit to the ego and pride. The rejection is of you and who you are.
It's so easy to say you should accept it and move on. In reality it's not that easy. How can you not be devastated to find out you're not the one? Many people react with anger and try and punish the person that rejected them. They lash out in anyway they think will hurt the other person. It's almost as if they just want to get them back so they can be the one doing the rejecting. As if that would finally allow them to move on.
Surprisingly more divorces are started by the wife than the husband. The stereotype of the man trading his older wife in for a younger model is more fiction than reality. In the real world there are a lot of causes, but one of the main ones seems to be that the wife expands her universe. The stay at home mom goes back to work or school once the children are old enough. Everyone agrees this won't change things, but it always does. It shifts dynamics in the relationship. One party wants things to remain the same while the other knows they can't anymore. Once your world expands, you can't go back to how it used to be.
Steve was taking one of the other approaches to his situation. He was just pretending he didn't know. You see this a lot in couples where one person is having an affair. The party not having the affair pretends it's not happening. For if they acknowledge it that means they have to do something. Their situation may not be great, but they know it could be a lot worse.
Steve was still in love with Diana, that hadn't changed. She might be with another man, but he didn't have to acknowledge it. If he did, he feared she would be gone from his life entirely. The worst thing he could think of was being nothing to her.
So the file stayed locked in his bottom right hand drawer and he went on acting like he didn't know about it. In the back of his mind he hoped that maybe, just maybe with time things would change. Until they did he would remain her friend and try and look out for her. He would help her adapt to this world anyway he could. He just didn't want to be nothing to her.
Metropolis
Clark sat across the desk from Mr. Morris. He couldn't help noticing how quickly Morris had made Mr. Cameron's office his own. Cameron's nameplate had been removed along with all the photos and framed front pages that used to line the walls. Morris also had a computer on his desk, something that Henry Cameron detested. Clark waited patiently as Morris seemed preoccupied with something on line.
The talk around the office was that Morris was making changes at a fast and furious pace. He'd already fired three of the senior writers for not getting with his program. Clark wasn't sure what to expect. Morris finally finished what he was doing and turned to look at Clark.
"The world's changing, Clark and the Independent is long overdue for a change too."
Clark didn't say anything.
"I read your article on the fast food workers going on strike for a livable wage,' Morris continued. "It's good. I like the passion you bring to your reporting. I brought you in today to let you know it's not going to run in this paper."
"Why?" Clark asked.
"It's not the right tone."
"Mr. Cameron green-lighted me to write just this sort of thing, Mr. Morris,' Clark explained.
"I'm sure he did," Morris replied. "It has the kind of reporting Henry wanted all over it. Henry's not in charge anymore, Clark, I am. I'm killing the story and the whole series. The editorial policy of this paper has changed and I want stories that today's readers are interested in. Some minimum wages grunts whining about how they can't live and support a family on their salary turns people off. Frankly, it's a downer, Clark."
"That was sort of the point,' Clark said.
If Morris heard him or understood, he gave no indication.
"Everyone knows the newspaper is a dying business, Clark,' Morris continued. "Consumers have so many options for getting information. People are busy, they don't have time to sit down and read some in depth article like this. They want information they can use. They want the headlines. The five rules that are always talked about with journalism, what, when, why, where and how? They've been simplified. The only when people want to know about is now. They want to know what happened and the where, as in if it was close to them. That's it. The how did it happen and why they'll let the pundits and the talk show hosts tell them later. It's not our role anymore to tell them, they'll make up their own opinion about those questions. "
"Isn't why something happened just as important as what happened?" Clark asked.
Morris chuckled.
"You're still new at this, Clark,' he replied. "I know Henry liked your idealism, but sooner or later, you have to move passed that. Trust me, I know. You have a future in this business, but you have to become a realist. The news has become a surface business. A hot teacher sleeping with one of her students is better news than some whistle blower in jail for releasing classified documents. We're selling a product and if you can't sell it, then I'll have to replace you with someone that can. Are we clear, Clark?"
"I think we are, Mr. Morris."
"Good." Morris said with a smile. "Now get out there and find me a story that sells papers. I'll expect a response from you later today. Understood?"
"Yes, and you will, I promise,' Clark replied.
Morris had already turned back to his computer, as Clark stood and exited the office.
Washington
Diana found her mother sitting in the gardens behind the Embassy. They had been designed to replicate the gardens of Themyscira, but to Hippolyta they always reminded her that she wasn't home. To her the gardens were like flowers in the window box, a miniature version meant to represent something it couldn't.
"Mother?"
"Hello, Diana, come, sit with me,' Hippolyta said with a sad smile.
Diana moved over and sat next to her mother. She knew something was up.
"Did something happen while I was gone?" Diana asked.
"Not today,' Hippolyta replied. "How was your adventure?"
"Successful." Diana beamed. "It was nice working with others again. It will take awhile for it to gel as a team, but I think we made good progress for our first time. I told Barbara and she agreed."
"Barbara?"
"One of the other women on the team,' Diana explained. "I like her. We seemed to get along immediately. I think we talked the whole way back from the mission."
"I'm glad to hear you're making friends,' Hippolyta commented.
"Yes, it was nice, but that isn't why you wanted to talk to me, is it?"
"No."
"Some thing has happened?" Diana asked. "What is it, mother?"
"I've heard from home."
"Oh?"
"Yes, it seems General Phillipus and Artemis have been working on my behalf,' Hippolyta explained. "They think they have found a way for me to return."
"That's good news, isn't it?" Diana asked. "I know you've wanted that since we left."
"I have, but the price is too high,' Hippolyta replied. "I'm going to have to decline their offer."
"Why? What is the price demanded for you to be able to return?" Diana asked.
"Something a mother should never be asked to pay."
Diana let these words sink in.
"It's me, isn't it?" She said. "Tell me, mother."
"I would be allowed to return home. I would still be Queen in title, but more in the role of Prime Minister overseeing the Senate,' Hippolyta slowly explained. "You would not, Diana. You would be allowed to visit, but not stay."
"Oh."
"As I said, I will decline,' Hippolyta added. "They would close down the Embassy and pull back from the outside world again. In effect they are exiling you without even the support of our nation, all of this for what they see as my crimes. I can't agree to that."
The news stunned Diana. The prospect of going home had seemed so important when the first left, but she had hardly thought about it at all in the recent weeks. The plan had always been for her to enter this world as the Amazon's champion one day. It had just been accelerated by the political turmoil. That role was what Diana thought of when she pictured her future. Her future was now it seemed.
The prospect of not being able to go home for more than a visit should have troubled Diana more, she thought. Strangely, she found the idea that the Amazons would once again cut themselves off from the world more troubling. She suddenly realized that even if their decision were different and she was allowed to go back, she wouldn't want to. After having her first taste of the greater world, she couldn't go back to how things were.
Diana suddenly realized her life wasn't meant to be spent on Themyscira like all the other Amazons. In the short time she'd been out here it seemed her life had just started. In a way it was as if Diana had gone away to college for her first semester freshman year. She was just figuring out all of the new things around her and getting comfortable. Even if she were allowed back on the island, that would be like dropping out just as she was getting her feet wet.
Diana looked around at the garden. She saw it differently than her mother did. For Diana the garden at the Embassy in a way did represent Themyscira. After seeing some of the larger world, to return would be like becoming a flower in a window box. She would always know there was another world out there, but one she couldn't reach. Just like the window box or the garden, Themyscira had become too small for her.
Looking at her mother, Diana saw how troubling all this was for her. She suddenly understood this wasn't just about herself anymore. Diana knew Hippolyta hadn't been happy out here, cut off from island. Themyscira was her home most of her long life. Diana knew her mother had only come out to this world as a sacrifice for her and the other Amazons. To let her make that sacrifice again didn't seem right. Diana was Hippolyta's daughter and she loved her mother. What she wanted most for her was the same thing her mother wanted for her. She wanted her mother to be happy. For her to be happy meant she needed to return to Themyscira.
"Don't decline, mother,' Diana softly said.
"I must."
"No. You have sacrifice so much for me,' Diana replied. "It's time you went home where you want to be."
"I can't just leave you, Diana,' Hippolyta said, her voice breaking with emotions.
"And you won't,' Diana said. She placed her arms around her mother. "You've been the best mother anyone could ask for. You raised me to be an Amazon. I am and always will be. Themyscira will always be my home, even if I can only visit. I don't think I could go back permanently even if it were allowed. For once, you have to do what is best for you, mother, no one else. Your heart is in Themyscira, you need to return."
"I can't leave you alone out here, Diana,' Hippolyta replied. "With the Embassy closed you'll be alone. Even with visits, you'll have to remain here in this world. What will you do?"
"I'll do what my mother and some other brave Amazons did a long time ago,' Diana said with a smile. "I'll have to make a home for myself. I was taught by the best, so I'm not afraid."
Mother and daughter embraced. Amazons weren't known for tears, but today wasn't like other days.
Metropolis
Clark had gone to see Henry Cameron to tell him of his decision to quit the Independent. Before he was able to, Cameron had given him ten dollars and told him to go get him some real food. Apparently the hospital was trying to poison him. The culprit? Green Jell-O with carrot wedges cut up in it. Clark didn't need x-ray vision to see the older man wasn't doing well. It was something Clark was still learning how to deal with that sometimes, he couldn't save everyone. Life takes its toll on people and sometimes the best you can do for a person is to just make them comfortable. A pastrami sandwich on rye wasn't going to tip the balance one way or the other, but it would make a dying man happy for a little while.
If Clark expected Cameron to act anything but irascible at his news, he should have known better. Some people, no matter their condition, just are who they are. Cameron asked what took him so long to quit? He said Clark got paid for his work, so he didn't owe anyone any explanations. He did give Clark a recommendation. He called his old friend Perry White over at the Planet and told him he'd be stupid not to hire Clark when he applied.
There were a few awkward moments towards the end, as they both seemed to know this would probably be the last time they saw each other. Cameron finally broke the moment by grumpily asking why Clark was still hanging around instead of getting on with his life. Clark knew that was his cue to leave, but he thanked Mr. Cameron for taking a chance on him before he left. He was just about to open the door and walk out, when Cameron said one last thing to him.
"Follow your heart, Kent and always let the truth guide you. If you do that, you won't have any regrets when you get to my age. Now get out of here and let an old man gets some sleep."
Clark smiled and said thank you before quietly exiting.
There was one other person Clark felt he needed to tell in person. It wasn't Mr. Morris.
He'd only been to the house once before, but he was still very impressed by it. The butler showed him into what he called the study, but it was bigger than the whole house back in Smallville. Mrs. Harrow appeared several moments later. The two of them talked for some time. Clark explained his reasons for leaving, but wanted her to know just how much he appreciated her giving him a chance.
Mrs. Harrow was gracious as always. She told Clark that while the paper had been in her family for generations, her children had no interested in it. They were pushing her to sell. At 86, she had decided to give Mr. Morris his chance, but had her own concerns over what he might try to turn the paper into.
"I took over the paper from my father, Mr. Kent. I've always tried to follow the simple rules he believed in. A well-informed public is a benefit to the society as a whole. Information without context is meaningless. People deserve to know the truth." She told him. "I still believe in those rules for as long as I'm still in charge of the paper.
"I believe in those rules too, ma'am,' Clark stated.
"I'm glad to hear that,' she said with a smile. "Thank you for telling me in person, Mr. Kent. I do wish you well whatever you do next."
There was another reason Clark had come to see her and now he turned to it.
"Thank you, Mrs. Harrow,' Clark replied. "I also wanted to stop and thank you again in person for the use of your beach house. I sent a card, but it was a special weekend and I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your gift."
"You're most welcome. I take it you were with someone special?" Mrs. Harrow asked.
"Yes."
"It wouldn't be a particular Princess would it?" Mrs. Harrow asked with a smile.
Clark wasn't sure how to answer. Mrs. Harrow laughed when she saw how flustered he got.
"I was there that night at the party, Mr. Kent. Remember?" She said. "I may be old but I can still see when there is a spark between two people."
"We're-We're just dating, a bit.' Clark fumbled to say.
"Clark." Mrs. Harrow used his given name for the first time. "I can tell you're in love with her just by your expression."
"I am,' Clark admitted.
"I'm happy for you,' Mrs. Harrow replied. "I was married when I was about your age. It was the best decision I ever made. I hope you and the Princess will be just as happy."
"We-We haven't, well, you know, um, talked about, um, marr-marriage, ma'am." Clark stammered.
"If you love her, why not?" Mrs. Harrow asked.
Washington
Diana had just flown around for hours after talking with her mother. The news was still sinking in as she landed on the Lincoln Memorial. Why she kept returning to this spot she wasn't sure. Perhaps it was the man himself, she thought. During her studies on the outside world she had read about most of the great figures in history. Lincoln was one from this country that had caught her eye. He said many things and Diana found she liked quite a few of them. Her favorite was probably:
"The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just."
But there was also something about another quote she liked very much.
"The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."
The better angels of our nature seemed to encapsulate what Diana saw as her mission. Of all her powers, the ability to hopefully inspire others to see in themselves the better angels of their nature as the most powerful in the long run. Peace could be won by the sword, but only maintained by consent. It was only by reminding people of those better angels that you truly saw how amazing they could be.
Now it seemed her mission was one she would have to begin alone. Diana wanted her mother to be happy and that meant Hippolyta needed to return home. It was an easy choice really. In a way it was probably the best compromise. Diana could visit just not remain. Deep inside Diana knew she didn't want to remain on the island anymore, but it was still home. This felt like cutting the apron strings permanently. It was thrilling and scary at the same time. She was 18. All her young life there had always been her mother and sisters to catch her if she fell. Now she would have to catch herself. This was the moment when she became an adult.
Diana wished Kal were there with her. She wanted to talk to him about everything that had happened. He said he would always be there if she needed him. She needed him now.
And then he was there, floating in front of her.
"Hi."
"Hi."
She was in his arms in the next moment. They floated above the monument in the moonlight, in a world of their own. Kisses followed. When they finally stopped, Diana found herself telling him everything. It all just came rushing out. She told him of the compromise, of her decision, how the Embassy was going to close, how she would be on her own and even how she was going to have to find a place to live. All her hopes and fears seemed to pour out in one stream to him.
She had needed him and he came. That thought made her happier than she could say.
Clark listened to every word she said, not interrupting. He knew she needed to say all of it, to get it off her chest and he was happy to be the one she confided in. He just held her and listened, as that was what she needed most right now.
In the back of his mind though another question seemed to be repeating itself over and over. It was the one Mrs. Harrow had asked him.
"If you love her, why not?"
He hadn't been able to give her an answer. He did love Diana; he had no doubt about that. What was he waiting for? People their age got married all the time. Yes, his life was in flux right now, not having a job and the government gunning for him, but he kept returning to that question. Why not?
As she finished talking, Clark made a decision. He hadn't really thought it through, but in the moment it felt like the thing to do.
"Diana?"
"Yes?"
"Will you marry me?"
"Wh-What?" She gasped.
"Marry me." He repeated, getting down on one knee. "I know it's out of the blue, but why not? Yes, it will be a struggle at first, but I'll find another job. We can live in my apartment until I can afford something better, but we'll be together. I love you and you love me. Marry me, Diana."
Diana's world was once more thrown for a loop. After everything that had happened she didn't expect him to propose. She did love him, on that she had no doubts. Marriage though, it hadn't been something she'd even considered. She was 18 and he was only 21. They were just starting out in their careers and lives really. She had only been in the outside world six months and there were so many things she still needed to learn.
As she looked into his eyes, the word yes was on her lips. Her origins may have changed but she still possessed some of the wisdom of Athena. Diana knew neither of them was ready. Tears came to her eyes as she said the one word she didn't want to say, but knew she had to.
"No."