Hey guys and welcome to chapter 3! In Chapter 1, Batman is talking to John Constantine. I don't think I made it clear but he is the potty mouth John so I figured no one would think it was John Stewart of J'onn J'onzz. But all our Johns are in this story. :)

Sorry for errors!

Enjoy!

Kent Household

She turns the burner down on the stove and stirs the fluffy rice. Then, she bends down to check the roast beef in the oven, making sure not to burn it this time. When she'd first come to Man's World, she was a terrible cook, but over the years and with many cookbooks, she got better.

"Need help?" Jason asks, entering the kitchen, holding Johnathan in his hands.

"Yeah, try this," Diana says, cutting off a piece of beef and holding the knife towards Jason.

"Uhhh—" Jason mumbles as Krypto walks into the kitchen and sits next to Diana, turning his head to the side, making fun of Jason. "I'm kinda full."

"I got better at cooking, Jason," Diana says, rolling her eyes and taking the piece, giving it to Krypto who enjoys it. "I am a mother."

"Yeah, to kids with indestructible stomachs," Jason mumbles but Diana still hears him.

"Set the table, please," Diana says, grabbing Johnathan out of Jason's hand and bouncing him.

Diana uses her hearing to gather a location for her daughters and Kara. It had been a while since Kara had come over, so Diana gave them some time to play around. It was good having Kara around, giving Kal and Diana some free time while also teaching the children about their powers, and how to control them and be better.

Diana then thinks about Donna, and how they had to learn to fight with the Amazons. That was tiring work, but the Amazons couldn't teach Demigods how to use their powers, no matter how hard they tried. So, under the cover of night, they trained with Athena and Ares. Diana was happy that she had someone to grow up with, she couldn't imagine a world where her sister wasn't by her side.

It was one reason why her choice to leave was so hard. When returning to Themyscira, their mother had made it clear that Diana could stay but she must end her relationship with Kal-El. The choice would have been harder if Diana wasn't already pregnant with Kal-El's child, so Diana left without a second thought.

Diana is pulled out of her thoughts as three gushes of wind appear. Lyta and Lara with ice cream in their hands and Kara with a cholate bar.

"Girls." Diana sighed. "You're going to ruin your dinner."

"But it's ice cream!" Lara protest.

"Bell man Ice Cream," Lyta says.

"Belgian." Diana corrects her daughters. "Go clean up, your father should be home soon."

The girls finish their ice cream and then race up the stairs to clean up before dinner.

"Sorry." Kara shrugs. "We burned a lot of calories running and—Kal!"

The door opens and Kal walks in, trying to find his balance as Kara crashes into him. The twins then rush down the stairs, joining in the group hug. Krypto even joins, walking over to his owner and nuzzling Kal's leg. Kal smiles and Diana catches the difference in it. Yes, Kal is happy to see his family, but something is off.

"Hey, love," Kal says, walking over to Diana, placing a kiss on her forehead, and then giving on to their son.

"Kal," Diana says wearily. "Is everything alright?"

Kal doesn't answer, instead, he kisses Diana, it's quick due to the audience that starts to groan and make noises. Kal chuckles and grabs Johnathan, "Let's enjoy dinner."

Diana doesn't ask any questions, instead, she takes in the moment because somehow, she feels as if it will all be taken from her. So, Diana goes along with it, feeding Johnathan, and chatting with Kara while Jason and Kal talk about sports.

Dinner goes late into the night; Kal gets the kids ready for bed and they beg for Kara and Jason to tuck them in. It slightly tugs on Diana's heart, but she gives them this moment. Diana meets Kal in the living, who holds out his hand, waiting for Diana to take it. Diana takes it without hesitation and Kal leads them outside and to the crashing waves that always settle in front of their home.

Kal stands across from Diana, pulling her in close with his hands around her waist. Diana looks up at Kal, only for him to cup her face and lean in for another kiss. Diana welcomes him, their lips pressed together until Kal deepens the kiss. It's not aggressive like the kisses that would lead to the bedroom, but rather a sentimental one. They hadn't kissed like this in a minute, too busy with super-powered children and work, but it was nice to have this, even if it was the calm before the storm.

"We picked a bad night for having guests." Diana mumbles, smirking as she thinks about all the things they could do if no one was in the house.

"There will be more, don't worry." Kal teases, kissing Diana's forehead. It's more of a promise than anything, that they will have time to make love and grow their family into what they want. It must work for them because it's all he's ever wanted.

"No distractions." Diana reminds Kal, lightly punching his chest. "Now, tell me what has you so worried?"

Kal looks at Diana whose blue eyes shine brighter than any star he's ever seen. Those eyes have looked at him over the years, bore into the deepest part of his soul. When his mind was weak, troubled, or confused and he couldn't count on his own eyes, he'd look at her, see Diana and the truth that lay within her.

It's the truth that Kal-El does not want to admit to himself, that Darkseid is coming for Diana. He could ask Diana to run with him, pack up the children and find a safe place for them. But neither would agree, Kal could not even ask Diana, knowing the consequences of those actions. Darkseid would destroy Earth and continue to hunt them down, until he had Diana and even worse, their children.

"Bruce found me," Kal says and his arms ease as Diana pulls out of them, looking at him.

Diana pauses for a moment, her face exceptionally calm but her mind racing, Kal knows that poker face all too well.

As for Diana, well she is disappointed but not surprised, to say the least. She knew at one point Bruce would catch up to them, never giving them peace. Diana wouldn't run from Bruce this time, no, she'd face him, tell him all his faults and wrongdoings.

"What does he want?" Diana asks after the seconds' pass.

Kal takes a deep breath and looks at Diana. He doesn't want to do this, admit that the world that they made was on borrowed time. They knew they didn't kill Darkseid, but they figured he learned a lesson, from his failed attempt at capturing the last Kryptonians. Yet, his presence looms over them, daring the snuff out any life they dared to create, any dream they dared to dream.

"Darkseid," Kal says sternly. "His Parademons have been sighted and they're looking for someone."

"He won't have you, Kal." Diana hisses. "I will not let him corrupt you again and—"

"It's not me this time," Kal says, inadvertently silencing Diana.

It takes a second for Diana to realize what Kal is telling her. Darkseid was coming back, but to take her. The reasoning didn't take long, Kal, Kara, Donna and Diana were the strongest beings in the known universe. It would only make sense that Darkseid would come for them, to build an army with beings that could destroy planets with one blow.

"When?" Diana asks the only words she can utter.

"I'm not sure, but Bruce thinks it's soon." Kal sighs. "The attacks are becoming more frequent and when they find you—"

"Yes," Diana says, acknowledging the cruel fate that had once thrown itself upon Kal and Kara. "It seems as if fate is always cruel."

"No," Kal says walking towards Diana and grabbing her hand. "This is not our end."

"I know—"Diana nods, her mind on nothing but her children. "But we cannot have this, not with Darkseid alive. The children will have to be sent away, somewhere they can be protected."

Kal nods in agreement. Their children are too important to be left behind but too much of a threat to be exposed to the world. Neither could trust the league with their children, though years ago that would have been different.

"The Island isn't a good idea." Kal reminds Diana, slightly hesitant about even considering the Island. Diana hadn't been to Themyscira since her departure from the Justice League when she informed her mother and the senate of the twin children she was carrying. Kal could care less about the Amazon's accepting him, for years he tried to make them see but it was a battle that proved endless.

No, Kal was worried for the safety of his children on the Island. The Amazons protected a Mother Box, giving Darkseid and all his demons a direct location to the Amazons and his children. Kal also didn't ignore the fact that they had a son, Johnathan, that would no doubt be unwelcomed on the Island.

"Kal, I understand they haven't been kind to you—"

"That's a way to put it." Kal mumbles, not wanting to recall the hell they'd put him through. "I'm not saying no because of how they treated me, but they have a Mother Box, Diana. They could find them."

"That won't happen."

"He found Kara."

"Then what should we do Kal-El?" Diana shouts, a little too loud.

Diana steps away from Kal, turning her back to him. She's not upset at Kal-El, but the action still stings. Kal-El doesn't take it personally, there is no one to blame for this. They just wanted a normal life, and the Gods couldn't give them that. It's one reason why they left the human world, to create their own where their enemies couldn't touch them. Neither having to look over their shoulders, hide their powers, or move from place to place.

Kal is pulled out of his thoughts when he hears the light sniffles coming from his love. He'd seen Diana cry more times than she'd like to admit. Diana thought crying showed weakness, but Kal had taught her that it showed that Diana was struggling, that she was tired, and above all, that she was human. Kal doesn't wait as he stands behind Diana and wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her close. If he could take away all the pain and worry, all the doubt that existence has to offer, Kal would.

If the Amazons didn't have a Mother Box, if they weren't a threat to their son, then Kal-EL would gladly let the Amazons protect their children. But Kal knew deep down that no one would protect their children like Kal and Diana, no one had their power. Sure, they could fly to Themyscira and rescue their children, but there is doubt that they'd be too far. They never sent their children away and were never more than a five-second flight from them. The children were safest with their parents, safest at home, somewhere simple and quiet.

Somewhere like—

"What if we go back to something simple, Di?" Kal whispers in Diana's ear. "Somewhere no one would expect us to be."

"Are you sure?" Diana asks turning around and looking at Kal. "You haven't been since—"

"Maybe this is what brings us back." Kal shrugs, pushing away the painful thoughts of his parents' passing. "You always said fates had a weird way of revealing itself. Maybe the farm is still part of it, maybe it's that simple."

As simple as Smallville…

Monastery of the Magistrate of Magic

"You're not focused." The man says blankly to the woman floating before him.

"I'm trying." The man replies.

"You don't try." The man reprimands her. "Do you try to breathe? Do you try to see? No, you do not. You do it without thinking, without cause or action and that is what your magic should be—what it should always be."

The woman tries, but she cannot gather it, call the magic within her veins, will it aid her? It's a strenuous process, they'd been at it for hours and nothing occurred. How could she a powerful sorceress, a Mistress of Magic, and the Arts if she could not do this one thing?

The woman loses focus, falling on her knees and hunched over groaning. She then looks up at the man who doesn't care to look at her face. She is a disappointment to him, but it had not always been that way.

"If you want to become Magistrate you must prove yourself," Zatara says coldly. "And all I see is weakness."

With that, Zatara leaves the room, the woman stumbling to get up. The tears that sting her eyes do not dare to run down her face. She takes a few deep breaths and then teleports into her study.

"You look you'd been thrown on ya ass." The man chides, the limey accent sending chills down her spine.

"What do you want, John?" She asks, waving her hand and changing into jeans and a shirt.

"What?' John shrugs. "Can't come to check in on my favorite girl?"

"Wonder how you treat the ones that aren't your favorite."

The silence lasts a moment but it is long enough to leave both unsettled.

"I need a favor," John says.

"You mean Bruce needs a favor." The woman said, not missing a beat. "You're still on his belt, huh? Ring that fucking bell and here comes little Johnny."

"Why do we go through this, Z?" John groaned. "We already know what happens in the end, we lived that shit, Z."

"Because I deal with it!" Zatanna shouts, the flames of lit candles burning brighter and hotter. John takes a step forward and Zatanna takes one back. Somehow, it was a clear representation of their relationship, the easy parts of it at least.

"Your powers…" John mumbles in shock and then falls silent.

It wasn't his place to comment on her magic, not when he corrupted it. So, they ignore the elephant in the room and John continues asking for help that he doesn't deserve.

"Darkseid is coming." John tells Zatanna blankly.

"You're lying." Zatanna scoffs, pushing past John and reaching for a book on her desk.

"Z, I ain't lying, alright," John says firmly. "I know you feel it too, the hold is breaking and—"

"No." Zatanna hisses, closing the book abruptly. "I can't feel it, John. I can't feel anything and I'm getting sick and tired of people telling me what I should be able to do."

It's against Zatanna's wishes and John's better judgment, but nonetheless, he reaches for her. He is shocked when Zatanna doesn't pull away, in fact she falls into his chest, burrowed, trying to escape from the world and drown herself in the very scent of him.

"Come back, Z," John suggests, laying a kiss on the crown of her head. "We can figure it out, get your powers back and keep the hold."

"I-I can't," Zatanna mumbles, pulling away from John and wiping her face. "They aren't coming back, it's my punishment."

"You don't believe that crap." John spits. "No one does or you wouldn't be at this god-awful place."

"You always believed in me." Zatanna bites her bottom lip, thinking about all the times John was there to support her, never doubting her magic or decisions.

"And I'll never stop," John says.

John then pulls out the paper Bruce gave him. Zatanna takes the paper, examines it, and then looks up at John. "It's only a piece of paper I cant—"

"it's magical Z, every magical object has a marker." John reminds her.

"Yeah, but this isn't enough to draw power from."

"So, use me."

Zatanna wants to refuse, but she doesn't. In the end, they both know that her powers are not strong enough to trace the marker on this object. But Zatanna could draw power from John, channel it like she'd done too often before. Even channeling from someone else was dangerous, it drained the source of not their power, but their life essence. If Zatanna lost control, she could destroy the whole city and damn John's soul. But to fight Darkseid, to stop him from breaking the bond they all must make a choice, even if it sets them back.

Zatanna sits in the center of the room with the paper laid in front of her. John lights a few more candles and creates a few sealing symbols, to keep their magic in one place. Sitting down in front of her, John lets Zatanna take his hands.

A chill creeps into the room and the candles that once burned a bright orange now turned a transparent black. Zatanna closes her eyes, mumbling a few words but never letting go of John's hand. The paper then floats between the two, dust swirls around it, and soon the paper forms into a scroll.

"The sun…" Zatanna says, trying to decipher the rest of the words, from a language lost to the world. "The moon…"

Zatanna doesn't finish her words, turning her head and slightly straining. John calls out for Zatanna, gripping her hand and telling her that she's in control.

"The-the- first…man!" Zatanna shouts, eyes flying open and every object in Zatanna's room shaking. Black liquid pills from Zatanna's eyes and nose and it fills John with fear.

"Zatanna!" John shouts, trying to pull his hand away but Zatanna locks onto him harder.

"-he will destroy us…" Zatanna mumbles and every candle's light is snuffed out.

WASHINGTON DC

It was rare for the Colonel to stay after hours at work. His girlfriend and sometimes his Doctor had gotten him into the mindset of leaving work on time and not bringing it home with him. That was hard for Steve, after dedicating his life to Argus, to his country, he couldn't just let it go. So, they compromised, and Steve allowed himself one night a month to stay late and catch up on work.

Steve looks at the clock as it strikes twelve. He knew Grace wasn't sleeping, most likely waiting up for him. Though Steve always tells Grace that she didn't need to wait up for him, he liked that someone cared for him, and wanted to greet him when he came home. Steve wouldn't keep the lovely Doctor waiting anymore. He cleans off his desk, locking private files in his desk and shutting off his computer.

As he leaves the building and walks toward his car in the parking lot, Steve stops in his tracks. His eyes fall upon a body, a figure he hadn't seen in years but knows without hesitation as if they never split as if she'd never ripped and swallowed his heart raw. Not a day has passed, as if time had held its breath, waiting for her to return to him, for this moment to shape the very future of their world, of his world. It was her power over him, to catch him off guard doing the most mundane things, standing there in nothing but jeans and a shirt with her raven hair flowing down her body.

She is unremarkably and enchantingly the downfall of Steve Trevor…

"Diana…" Steve mumbles, her name feeling as light and airy and yet all-encompassing and assuming on his tongue, his very essence of life.

"Hello, Steve."

And so it begins! Thank you for your support, it means a lot. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! LMK your theories and thoughts!

Do we remember that Era when I wrote smut? Like I think it was in every other chapter. Nothing wrong with smut but it doesn't exactly fall into place with this story. Kal and Diana do have sex but it's a plot point. I'm trying to not just add porn cause I want to but where it fits for the story if that makes sense. The story is M for Mature because of death and like slight porn.

I was gonna introduce someone in this chapter but my brain isn't functioning with work and stuff so we're gonna wait to meet them! But they're coming! who do you think we're missing?

See ya next time!