A/N: This is just a filler to wrap up Diana's "homecoming" run. The next few chapters will be longer and have the Trinity,possibly other heroes coming together.

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2.00 PM, Paradise Island, Bana- Mighdall Quarter
Almost immediately after leaving the training courtyard, Artemis headed straight for the tavern. She was in pain from her little skirmish with Diana, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. Physical pain was something all warriors had to live with on a regular basis. It was the emotional anguish of seeing Diana again that drove her to the tavern. They had been lovers, many years ago.

It had started out as a casual relationship, when Diana first met Artemis they didn't take to each other at all. Gradually each became intrigued by the other. Diana was barely 18 at the time and having grown up all her life among Themyscirans, she had never interacted with other Amazon tribes. She was drawn to Artemis because she was brash, loud-mouthed,rebellious.
In other words, the exact opposite of any Themysciran. The Bana were much more relaxed than Themyscirans in some aspects, though they were devoted to almost fanatical levels in others. They were more warlike,violent and hated Men with even greater passion, but even by Bana standards Artemis was a hell raiser. Her wild flaming red hair,tattooed brown skin and sea green eyes didn't hurt either.

Artemis on her part was drawn to Diana because she felt the need to protect her. Diana was the only "pure" Amazon. She knew what Herakles did to them, but she had not experienced anything like it first-hand. In many ways this made her better than the rest of them(though few would admit it out loud) because it meant she had no bias. She didn't have a skewed outlook on things. This was refreshing for Artemis, but it could also be a chore. Their personalities couldn't be any more different if they tried. Still, they shared common interests,like their love for fighting,swimming,good wine and food.

There was also the fact that Diana was stunningly beautiful. Not the fierce, almost feral beauty other Amazons possessed, but a perfect,delicate beauty,like a well made sculpture. Many a time when they were alone together Artemis would get lost in those deep blue eyes, or run her hands endlessly over Diana's perfect buxom figure. Inevitably, after yet another day spent competing in various physical disciplines,Diana accompanied Artemis back to the Bana quarter of the island where they got drunk and slept together.

It was supposed to be a one time event to resolve the now swelling sexual tension, but for many years after that they continued their intimate relations. If the other Amazons were aware of it they said nothing of it. Over time they began confiding in one another, each learning things about the other. For Diana it remained a purely casual relationship with a strong bond of friendship. For Artemis however... well she wasn't quite sure what it was, but it certainly wasn't just sex for her. She felt there was something more there, something deeper.

The day of the contest, she had known it was Diana under that mask long before everyone else did. She couldn't see her face, and much of her body was covered in armor, but she just knew it was her.
Who else could slice through the water with such gracefulness,as though she spent her whole life swimming in it? Who else rode her horse with such easy confidence?
Who else fought like she was dancing,her movements fluid and perfectly synchronized?
Who else could loose arrows with such accuracy,cut through hordes of fierce warriors with skill and power that were dazzling to behold?

Only Diana.

After their intense battle, during which neither had given the other any quarter, Artemis was conflicted. She hated losing as much(if not more)as any Amazon. But that wasn't the reason for her troubles. Diana winning the contest meant that she would leave her,leave Themyscira for the cess-pit that was the Outer World. Artemis had grown very fond of Diana in their years of friendship and romance, and she didn't want to lose her. At the same time, she knew she was responsible for this,at least a little bit. For many years Artemis had been pushing Diana to grow some backbone and stop following orders "like a mindless sheep". In the course of their relationship Diana had revealed her desire to be free, to be treated with respect, like the adult she was, instead of the way her mother treated her at the time.

In truth, their relationship-whatever it was-had been good for the both of them. Artemis had made a strong impression on Diana(good or bad depending on your viewpoint), giving her some much needed fire in her blood, and a sense of conviction. Diana on her part, though younger, had given Artemis a sense of stability,duty and,when she was around, Artemis drank a lot less. Which wasn't saying much, because she still drank quite a bit, even when it was reduced.

The night before her abrupt departure, they had exchanged some very bitter words. Artemis closed her eyes as she remembered what happened.

"...you are a fool Diana! You know nothing of the evils of Man's World, their greed,their hatred for all that is different from them. You think they will welcome you with open arms? Ass! Your Mother the Queen opened her heart and the city gates for Men once, long ago. They raped us,for days on end! They plundered and pillaged our great city! Herakles,your half brother was responsible for the death of Antiope. And now another demigod wants to bring down destruction on all of us! Have you gone mad?! Half God or not, you are just as bad as Herakles and the rest of them!"

At this point thunder boomed seemingly out of nowhere,and in a rare event,Artemis for once looked like she feared for her life. Diana gave her best "Be Cool" face to Artemis. It wouldn't do to anger Zeus, or the rest of the Pantheon. Many had been struck by lightning from clear blue skies for saying less.

"You make no sense Artemis! First you say that I should challenge my Mothers authority more,that I should forge my own path and get out of her shadow. When I finally do that in the clearest way possible, you insult me and speak to me as though I were an insolent child. Perhaps doing something for the good of all mankind is too much for you to fathom, because you hate them so much. You say that I want to ruin you like my brother Herakles did, simply because we are both demigods. Tell me Artemis, what makes you any better than him? You hate all of humanity for the sins of a few, do you think that is a good or fair thing?

Yes,my mother did make a mistake in opening the city gates for Herakles and his men, and he did to all of you the worst thing a man could ever do to a woman,for that I make no excuses on his behalf. But you forget, I am not Herakles, I am not my mother. It is true I will make mistakes, many of them, I will not always be right. But I would rather be wrong, make mistakes and learn from them,grow stronger for it, than live eternally, wallowing in anger,self-pity and drunkenness."

Artemis was stunned into silence, her face was white with rage. And pain. But mostly rage. She didn't think Diana was capable of such severity in her words and tone. She also didn't know she was so perceptive.
"Then again, you have nothing in your heart but blackness. There was a time when I thought it was not so..Perhaps I am naive.. But it is clear to me now. You are incapable of feeling anything besides lust and wrath. Goodbye Artemis."

She had flown away, and Artemis had never seen or heard from her again.

Until today.

She was staring down at her goblet of wine when someone approached her table and sat down across from her. She didn't have to look, but she knew who it was. Only 2 people were woman enough to sit down at her table when she was drinking by herself,and this certainly wasn't Phillipus. The tension in the room was so thick you could scarcely breathe. After what seemed like an eternity, she looked up from her wine.

"Artemis".

"Princess".

"A little early in the day to be drinking so hard, don't you think?"

"A little early in the day to be such a condescending bitch, don't you think?"

Upon hearing this all the Amazons in the tavern emptied their goblets of wine and shuffled out of the room in a hurry. Even the bartender left the room. These were two of the finest warriors on the Island. No one wanted to be caught between them if a fight broke out.

Diana knew for a fact that what others may see as barely controlled rage was really just Artemis when she was slightly miffed,so she picked up a bottle of wine and poured herself a generous serving. She drained the goblet in one gulp and refilled it. Despite herself Artemis smiled.

"I see your time in Man's World has not made you soft. You still drink and fight like a warrior. What I wonder is, can you still fuck like one?" Artemis had always been increasingly foul mouthed as she got drunk.

Diana smiled at this,"There has been no opportunity for me to engage in combat in Man's World, my work is largely diplomatic and official. As for the wine,even the strongest alcohol made by mortal men is far too weak to have any effect on me." Artemis noticed she had sidestepped her question entirely.

"Why did you return Diana? Is Man's World not as you expected?" There was a slightly patronizing tone in her voice, but Diana chose to ignore it.

"I have missed my home. Life on the outside is not as I expected,but I knew it would be a difficult task. It is stressful. It seems like there is so much to do and so little time in which to do it. The World has so many problems afflicting it. At times it feels like a never ending battle. I returned for some R n R, as they say on the outside."

"What does that mean?"

"Rest and Relaxation."

"So I am to understand this is a temporary visit?"

"Yes. I am leaving today."

There was a brief pause as they both drained their goblets and refilled them.

"If Man's World is as plagued with issues as you say, and the work is difficult and stressful, why not return to Themyscira? Why burden yourself with their problems? They are not your concern, they are not your people."

"They are my concern, they are my people. That is the work of the Amazon Champion. To make the world, the whole world, a better place for everyone in it. I miss this place, that is true, but I cannot abandon my duties. You of all people should know that. I cannot give up even when the task seems impossible, it is not in my nature,it never has been and it never will be."

Artemis clapped sarcastically. "Very good princess. Rousing speech. Except it is all lies. You abandoned abandoned your own people to help those who probably do not even care for you,do not know who you really are, inside and out."

"I hardly abandoned the Amazons. We are not helpless. We are immortal. We have the means to defend ourselves. We do not lack basic things like food,water,shelter. We do not fall sick. Our bodies never age or deteriorate. We are not at war. We do not suffer from a corruption of morals. We do not have greedy self-serving politicians. We do not discriminate against each other. We do not suffer from natural disasters. The Gods themselves watch over us. This place is a Paradise. No Artemis, I think what you mean is I have abandoned YOU."

Silence. They had come straight to the issue now. They both drained their glasses and refilled them.

"Yes, Diana, once again you have said things exactly as they are. But we both know I am not one to talk about my feelings. And the last time we spoke, you seemed to think I lacked the capacity to feel.. what was it you said? "You are incapable of feeling anything besides lust and wrath." Yes, I think that was it."

"I...regret the things I said that night. I was upset. I could understand my mothers unhappiness, but I thought that you,as a friend, would be happy for me.. That I had finally done something for myself, that I was spreading my wings."

"You thought wrong Princess. I never wanted you to leave me. I still think you are incredibly selfish for doing that. I..I loved you very much. I still do. If you really were a true friend,if you really loved me, you would forfeit your title and return to us. to me."

Now Diana had enough. She had tried to be patient, but she had forgotten just how pig-headed Artemis could be.

"You are such a hypocrite Artemis. You ask me to forfeit my title as Champion, to give up on my mission? Tell me something,lover"-she said the word as if it was an insult-"what if you had won the contest? You would have left as well.
Left us,left me. Did you ever stop to think of that? How it would affect me? Of course you didn't. Isn't that just as selfish? To ask me to abandon my duties because you miss my presence,yet you would have done the very same thing? Do you know why it is that I kept our relationship casual,even when I knew how you felt? Because at your core, you are a selfish and needy person. You always want to take, but are never willing to give. You shut your emotions off when it suits you. That is not how love works Artemis,and that is certainly not how I work. I am sorry that I have to leave it this way again,but I can see you are not yet ready to accept the truth. Goodbye Artemis."

And just like the last time, Diana walked to the window and flew out into the sky.

After some time,Artemis got up and hobbled over to the counter. She grabbed as many bottles of wine as she could carry, then limped all the way to her quarters. When she got there,she found she didn't feel much like drinking,so she smashed every single bottle, and for only the second time in her life, she allowed herself to cry.