Diana's gaze lingered out the side window, watching the scenery of trees and smoke stacks as they drove by. They were paying a visit to America, or, more specifically, to the less urban parts of America that Steve remembered from childhood. They'd hit three states already, some places he knew, some he had heard of friends and family settling in and wanted to see what they found special about the place. He'd been all too happy to share whatever details he knew or remembered of each place, until now, when he staunchly refused to offer up anything about where they were going.
"Not even a hint?" She asked again, rubbing a hand across his thigh.
"Nope," Came the reply, his gaze not drifting away from the road in front of them, though there was a mirthful glint in his eye that hadn't been there a moment before. "Just a place. Is the ice cream holding up back there?"
She gave a passing glance to the tub of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream that was hopefully not melting all over the backseat. When they'd passed through a little one stoplight town a while back, he'd insisted on stopping at one of the twenty-four hour stores, returning to the car with the dairy product and a package of cheap metal spoons. Same as the rest of the night, he wouldn't explain, though if Diana was being honest, she didn't particularly care that he was keeping it close. It was sweet, and soon enough they would get wherever they were going and the secret would come out.
Going off the way Steve's smile seemed to grow every time she asked, despite knowing she wouldn't get an answer, she wasn't the only one enjoying the touch of mystery.
The next turn took them away from the four lane highway that followed the river and into a more residential portion of another small town. Houses were pushed up against one another, some run down but clearly still in use, others freshly built and well kept, and others still abandoned and half collapsed. There were a couple of shops on a side street, little clothing boutiques and antique stores and hair salons. Not long after, the houses became more spread out, and soon they were going up a hill, the road full of potholes and clearly ready to give out in some places. There were less lights now, less people, and more trees, not that there were many places in the valley that were lacking in them.
Then there was no more road, only a parking lot, trees, and a small trail leading off to one side. Steve pulled into a space, catching her eyes long enough to smile and say "grab the ice cream?" before he was ducking out of the car and pulling out a blanket she hadn't even known was in the trunk.
Once she met him at the back of the lot, bag of mushy goodness in tow, he took her free hand in his, and they walked the gravel path in a comfortable silence, the only sounds those of the wind, insects, and the hum of the highway in the distance.
The trail came to an end at what turned out to be a single-bench cliff overlooking the town, the gentle glow of streetlights giving way to the inky black sky and a few thousand dots worth of stars. You couldn't see the river, and there were less stars on the left, drowned out by an over-lit power plant, but it was beautiful all the same.
He was looking at her now, watching for her reaction, and she gave his hand a squeeze, pulling him towards the bench where they settled in with a blanket around their shoulders and a spoon each.
"So," he started, speaking around a spoonful of thoroughly thawed ice cream. "What do they say about the stars on Themyscira?"