*Twelve*

Lina hadn't been to the Smithsonian in a long time, and found herself instantly captivated as soon as she stepped through the front doors. She would definitely have to bring Alastair here one afternoon, or even for the day, for you could easily spend a day here and not even scratch the surface of everything there was to see and offer. It was enchanting.

But she wasn't here to look around and explore, not this time - she had to meet with someone.

It was just over a week since the peak of the wishing stone's powers almost sent the world destroying itself, to put it lightly.

"Hi, I'm looking for Ms. Prince."

She was pointed in the direction of the National Museum of Natural History. Apparently the receptionist was calling Ms. Prince's office to let her know she had a visitor.

The door opened as soon as she arrived and she was met by the disguised Wonder Woman. "Ms. Quintana."

"Ms. Prince."

"Diana, please."

"Paulina." The two women shook hands.

"Please, come in." Diana gestured for Lina to follow her into her office.

"Thank you."

"How can I help you?"

"I just wanted to thank you for everything you did for Max, for us. I can't even begin to imagine what would have happened had you not." The very thought made her whole body tense and shudder.

Diana nodded. "Just doing what had to be done, facing the truth. Even if it's difficult to accept. Even if it's hard, we must accept it."

"Well I can't express enough how much it means to us. To me, to Max, to Alastair-"

"Max actually came to see me himself."

"He did?" He hadn't told her about that. She knew he was still feeling extremely guilty about what happened, so maybe he hadn't wanted to draw a whole lot of attention to it.

"Yes. Came to thank me as well for helping him to see clearly."

"He's a good man."

Diana nodded. "I know. Good people are sometimes led astray."

"Yes. I love him."

"I can tell. I see that you care about him very much."

"So much."

"And that he feels the same way about you."

"Yeah. Mi amor..."

"How are things now, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Oh, they were a little rocky after, but they're healing now. Black Gold is shutting down, so things are changing quite dramatically. But we have each other, and that's what matters. We'll be fine."

Diana smiled at this. "Yes. It sounds like you'll be just fine."

"Yes. I've applied to college, I'm going back to school. General studies, I'm not sure exactly what I want to focus on yet, but I know I want a degree."

Diana smiled. "That's wonderful. Best of luck with that."

"Thank you." Lina cleared her throat. "I'm also a huge fan, by the way. I've been following the activity of D.C.'s Mystery Woman since it began. I think you're so brave, a true hero, and it's a huge honor to meet you-" In her excitement and flurry of words, she slipped into her native tongue. She stopped speaking abruptly when she realized, embarrassed. "Oh, sorry, got too excited there. You can tell I'm excited."

"Please, don't apologize," Diana insisted. "It's great. I speak Spanish too."

"You do?"

"Yes, I speak many languages. They're a great passion of mine."

Lina was loving this woman more and more.

Diana appeared very touched. "Well, thank you. I appreciate your kind words."

The two women shook hands again. "Please thank Mr. Trevor for me as well."

A hint of sadness flashed across the other woman's face. "I will."

"Thank you again."

"You're most welcome. And feel free to wander around the museum if you'd like."

"Oh, but I didn't buy a ticket."

"No need, you've got my seal of approval. If anyone asks, tell them I allowed it. And if they don't agree, just send them my way."

"Thank you, Diana, for everything."

Diana nodded. "Paulina. And like I said, you're going to be just fine."

"Yeah, we are."

"Amor, there's mail here for you." Max handed her an envelope from the pile of mail.

"Gracias, Amor." She stopped and stared when she saw the NYU crest on the envelope. "It's from the university." Without another thought she tore open the envelope and unfolded the letter.

Dear Ms. Quintana,

Thank you for taking the time to apply to and your interest in New York University. We have thoroughly reviewed your application...

After careful review, we are pleased to offer you...

She skimmed the rest, taking it all in.

"I'm in." The words were barely a whisper. "I've been accepted! I'm in!"

"You are?"

"Si! Si!"

"Oh, mi amor, that's wonderful news! Congratulations!"

"Thank you! Thank you!" He scooped her up in a hug and spun her around. "I'm officially a college student!"

Tears blurred in her eyes - she couldn't believe it.

"So that means you'll be leaving." Alastair promptly burst into tears. "I was secretly hoping you wouldn't get in so you wouldn't have to leave us. I'm sorry, Lina," he sobbed.

"Oh, baby." She immediately dropped to her knees so that she could look him in the eyes. "It's okay, you don't have to be sorry. I don't want to leave you either. But remember, it's not forever. And I'll still be able to come home for holidays and breaks."

"Promise?"

"I promise. And we're still going to be homework buddies, right?"

This seemed to perk him up a little and he nodded.

"Congratulations, Amor." Max pulled them both into a tight hug.

"Thank you, Amor."

Diana was right - they were going to be fine.

They were going to be great.

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! :) One more chapter left to wrap things up - see you there!