Ch17-Time for some action

Minutes Later, on Themyscira…

Diana landed on the island to the scene of her sisters eagerly battling Ares' demon horde. She flew into the fray without hesitation, felling no less than twenty demons in one pass. As she landed, she was met on the shoreline by Donna.

"Glad you could make it, sis, but we've got things under control here." She greeted Diana, ducking to toss a demon over her shoulder.

"Yes, Princess, I thought you would stay away and let us have all the fun!" She heard Artemis yell over the head of a demon she was toying with. Diana could see that her dear friend was enjoying this battle, a gleam of satisfaction in her eyes and a gleeful smile upon her lips. She finished off the demon with help of her sword and pranced off to find another. Pranced? Diana pondered on that thought before suddenly ascending quickly into the sky, causing two would-be attackers to collide into each other instead of their intended target-her. Donna giggled at their buffoonery.

"Ares' demons may be strong and ugly, but not much going on in the brains department, huh?" She joked, tapping her head for added effect.

Diana thought it peculiar that these demons were being fought off so easily and surveyed her surroundings. All around, her sisters were trouncing the demon horde with no real difficulty. How odd, she thought, feeling guilty for doubting her sister's ability to deal with a threat to their island. Save that worry for later, Princess.

"Donna! Where is mother?" She yelled to her sister below.

"Last I saw, she and Phillipus were battling near the Temple of Apollo."

Diana could not resist making another round of the shoreline, dispatching of the remaining demons there and instructing her sisters to flank the demons that managed to advance further onto the island. She sped to the Temple of Apollo, exponentially decreasing her speed as she saw her mother and Phillipus reveling in battle. Her mother looked almost giddy as she dealt justice at the tip of her sword. Phillipus guarded her back, effectively using her spear. Diana landed nearby, assisting her sisters in driving off the rest of the horde before approaching her mother.

"Ah, daughter, good to see you. It appears you missed most of our fun." Queen Hippolyta greeted Diana with a hand to her arm, hears eyes warm. Phillipus nodded in acknowledgement of Diana's arrival.

"Yes, it appears my talents were not needed this time." She replied, giving a respectful nod to her mother and trusted mentor.

"Oh, no bother. Really, I should be thanking you as I'd forgotten the thrill of battle. It was refreshing, was it not, Phillipus?"

"Absolutely, my queen." Phillipus responded eagerly.

"Ares! Show your face, you coward!" Hippolyta suddenly railed to the skies. Diana gave her mother a surprised look; her mother gave her a innocent look and shrugged her shoulders. "Eh, it was worth a try. Maybe that'll teach him to bring his A plus team next time."

Diana cringed at the way her mother butchered the popular phrase. 'I believe that's 'A-game', Mother." She gently corrected.

Unfazed, the queen waved off her daughter's assistance. "Well, things appear to be in order here, and I can tell something weighs heavily upon you, daughter. Let us retire to the palace." She walked ahead, assured they would follow.

Diana walked beside Phillipus, her gait intentionally slow. "Do you not find it disturbing that Ares' demons were so easily defeated?"

"Very much so, Princess. I fear he is only toying with us, but to what purpose?" Phillipus kept her voice low.

"I don't know, but I intend to find out." Diana responded, her eyes gleaming with purpose.

They arrived at the palace a short time later, the queen handing off her sword and armor to an attendant. Donna met them there, joining the three in the Great Hall.

"You appear pensive, Diana. What troubles you?" The queen inquired, gesturing for them all to sit.

Donna guessed at what was troubling her sister and hoped to avoid the impending conversation. "I'm sure she's simply forlorn at having missed the battle. You know Diana, Mother. Lives for the battle." She hoped her older sister would take the hint. No such luck.

"No, that's not it. I fear I have neglected my duties as Wonder Woman for personal pleasure, Mother." Diana admitted. She took the resulting silence as a cue to continue. "I'm afraid I exercised bad judgment and missed your earlier calls for help."

"Calls for help? Oh, Diana, I simply contacted the Watchtower to request Donna assist as I was unsure if you had returned from your space travels. That Kara was always one for dramatics." The queen shook her head while speaking of the Kryptonian female.

"But-"

"Yes, yes, as you can imagine we were a bit surprised when the hordes began appearing on the island, given our protection from the gods. Blast that Ares, attacking us—his once-beloved children of battle! But we are warriors and handled it as such." Pride was evident in her every word. "And what supposed poor use of judgment kept you from your duties?"

Diana exhaled a long sigh before responding, her shoulders dropping. "I was …with Kal and missed the initial summons from the League. I am sorry, Mother."

Hippolyta regarded her daughter for a moment, understanding slowly dawning. "I see."

"My queen, I can leave if you wish." Phillipus offered.

"No need, Phillipus. Besides, you and Diana have spent as much time together as she and I." The queen told her good friend. "So, you and your sister have given yourselves to these men?" She asked with a raised brow. Of course, she had her suspicions, but never confirmed anything until now. Donna covered her face with both hands. This is exactly what she was afraid of.

"Kal and I have not…crossed that threshold in our relationship. And apparently, we shouldn't." During her lamentations, Diana missed the look that crossed her mother's face. "If we could be so careless that we would miss the call for help, perhaps it is a warning from the Gods that I not give myself to Kal in that way. Perhaps not any man."

"Diana. Look at me. I will not bother with the pretense of asking if you love your Kal. I already know the answer. It is evident in the gleam that finds a home in your eyes whenever you speak of him; the gentle smile that kisses your lips whenever his name is spoken; and the vehemence with which you so easily find an excuse to abandon this relationship. You are afraid." Hippolyta gave her daughter a look of surprise. "You have never run from a challenge before, Diana." The queen reasoned.

"I am not running, Mother. But, I missed a cry for help." Diana defended. No one questioned her bravery. No one.

"I am aware, Diana. But this wasn't a real emergency. At least, not one we could not handle with the help of your sister. We do not deserve to blame ourselves for what could've happened, we only deserve to think about what has happened and what we can do in the future." Diana smiled briefly at her mother's words, having said the same to Kal a short time ago. "Diana, you are Amazon. What does that mean to you?"

"We back down from no challenge." Diana responded vehemently and without hesitation. The queen nodded, allowing her daughter work through this self-imposed quagmire.

"And what does the Bat think of this…situation, daughter?" She asked smoothly.

Diana chuckled lightly at her mother's insistence to refer to Bruce as 'the Bat'. "He was not pleased."

"Is he ever? I thought I was rigid and set in my ways, but that one…he is even more stubborn that I. I've always thought he could use a bit of loosening up."

"He may be getting more 'loose' that you know, if he ever catches that kitten he's been chasing." Donna murmured.

Diana bit her jaw to keep the smile that threatened to escape at her sister's quip. "Thank you, Mother. I think I know what must be done." She gave her mother and Phillipus one last bow.

Sensing this was the end of the conversation, Donna hopped up from her seat, relieved. "Well, good talk, everyone. I suppose we should be getting back to Watchtower, now. Love you, Mother!" She practically dragged Diana out of the hall. The two Princesses had made it five paces before the queen spoke.

"Oh, Donna? Won't you stay awhile? We have much to discuss about you and a certain little man that likes to wear red, don't you think?"

Seven days later, Watchtower…

To say the members of the Justice League were exhausted would be an understatement. They were bone-tired from the last week's activities. It appears their more nefarious counterparts were as tireless as they were numerous. For the last few days, the heroes had been called upon to battle almost non-stop. It seemed one threat arose after another, some even popping up before its preceding battle had ended. The United States government had declared a state of emergency across the whole country, citizens advised to remain in the relative safety of their homes. This day had been the first moment of respite for the heroes and still they pushed tirelessly as opposed to resting.

"Alright, I'll go ahead and call this meeting to order. Bruce will be here once he's finished things in Gotham." Kal informed the group. He could sense they were weary and didn't want to hold them all longer than necessary. He fought to keep his eyes from drifting to Diana, it had been nearly a week since they last spoke, each too busy working to talk. He was feeling a little off kilter—this was not their way. "Michael will begin with his report."

Diana kept her attention focused on her teammate as he gave his report, reviewing a copy of the brief he distributed to them all. From the edges of her periphery she could see Kara battling to remain alert, exhausting threatening to overtake her. Donna had arrived a short while ago, her eyes broadcasting her own weariness. They had been fighting endlessly and going with little or no sleep; she knew this would be the biggest threat to their effectiveness. Even she grew weary, although long periods of rest were not necessary for her. She could tell Kal was feeling the effects of the last seven days, as well. Although she had to admit she had been impressed as Oliver recalled his and Kal's most recent adventures.

"I've known Clark for some time now, and the only time I've seen him fight that way was when he had to battle Doomsday before trapping him in the Phantom Zone. It was like he was possessed. He had to be just as worn out as the rest of us, but there he was, raining down on Toyman and his animatronic soldiers like Hell unleashed. I mean, I had just spoken to J'onn thirty minutes before the attack in New York and he told me Clark had just battled Black Adam in London. Hell, the day before, he helped Dinah fight off some of Joker's goons then zoomed off to help Zatanna handle Solomon Grundy. And I don't just mean handle, I mean destroy. He didn't kill them, he'd never do that, but he was vicious. It was…something to see."

She knew Kal wanted to dismantle Luthor's plans before they took root, but the way Oliver described his recent activities made her wonder if something else was the cause of his impassioned fighting. She shook the thoughts from her head, scolding herself for allowing herself to be distracted during the meeting. She was beyond surprised when she looked up to find her comrades filing out of the room. Had the meeting been adjourned and she missed everything?

"They were exhausted. I told them all to rest while we have the time." Kal's voice surprised her. She thought he'd left with the rest. Instead, he watched her from his position at the door…waiting.

Remembering her conversation with her mother, Diana took a deep, fortifying breath before standing to face her friend. Amazons do not run.

"I suppose we should talk." No need to drag this out.

Kal gave no indication he would respond. Instead, he continued to stand there…watching. To the untrained eye he would appear to be casually waiting; however, to Diana, he was pure coiled strength. She made no pretense of remaining aloof, staring into his cerulean eyes as she leaned her weight on the conference table behind her. Obviously, he was awaiting a decision. Her decision.

"I told my mother of what happened, but you already knew that would happen, didn't you?" She mused aloud, a slow smile on her face. "I expected her to be furious when I told her what almost happened between us, but she wasn't. She didn't even try to tell me that you were some sex crazed male, out to deflower the pride of the Amazons. Then again, I do believe she knows you are a noble man, Kal. She also understands how seriously I take my responsibilities to carry the mantle of Wonder Woman." She paused, wishing he would stop being so damned patient and understanding. He said nothing, choosing that moment to cross his feet at the ankle as he leaned his weight fully on the door frame behind him and hooking his thumb into his waistband. Diana swore she'd never seen a more appealing sight.

"Diana. Do you love me?"

The sound of his voice startled her. So, he does speak.

"Kal, you know how I feel, but that does not negate the fact that the one time we choose to act on…" She gestured between them, as if it would elaborate her point. "…this, our greatest fear is realized. We failed them, Kal."

He folded his arms across his chest, "Do you love me?"

Diana could feel frustration beginning to creep into her body, where is he going with this?

"Kal, I'm tired. What benefit is it to reiterate something we already know? I just wanted to let you know where I stand." She answered tiredly.

"Do. You. Love. Me?"

Diana gave him a strange look as he pushed his weight from the wall and walked toward her slowly, his eyes fixated on her. Obviously, he wanted an answer to his question.

"Yes, Kal. I love you." She answered him tersely, thinking he would stop once he got the answer he so obviously already knew. Instead, he continued to advance, stalking her. Once he was within arm's reach she stayed him with a hand to his chest. "Kal." She warned.

He allowed her to stop him, remaining silent. His eyes kept their predatory gaze, the corners of his mouth upturning slightly.

"Enough." Well, he was certainly a man of few words tonight.

"Enough? Kal, whatever are you-"

"Enough talking." He descended upon her agonizingly slow.

Diana's eyes widened slightly as she realized he had no intention of stopping. "Kal." Had she meant to sound so breathless?

Kal took his time lowering his mouth to hers, giving her ample opportunity to stop him if this wasn't what she wanted. His heart flipped when he realized she would not. Finally, their lips connected, and he sighed in relief. Home. Her lips felt like coming home. His hand found its way into her hair as he slanted his mouth over hers, teasing her lips apart with his tongue. He tasted Diana's sigh as she breathed into his mouth, the act only serving to increase his desire. Diana felt breathless as Kal made love to her mouth. She moaned into his mouth as he pressed his body into her own and wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. This kiss was different than their earlier ones, it was tender and he took his time and poured all that he was feeling into the kiss. He had a feeling Diana would try to walk away from what they had in the name of duty. He also knew he would do everything within his power to make her realize that they could have both. He felt her responding to his kiss, raising a leg to rest against his hip. He used their new position to press himself even more into her core, eliciting a small gasp from Diana. Her hands grasped his shoulders as she tried to fight the overwhelming urge to throw him on the table and have her way with him. Instead, she broke the kiss, resting her forehead against his.

"So…you kind of like me, huh?" She teased him in a cute voice.

Kal ground his pelvis against her, effectively silencing her. "What do you think?"

"What about Bruce?" Diana asked after a beat of silence.

"We'll talk and he can either choose to accept it or not. Either way, I'm not walking away, Diana." She could hear the conviction in his voice.

"Okay…in the meantime, why don't we get out of here and do the one thing I know we've both wanted to do for the last few days?" Diana purred against his chest.

"You mean…?" Kal asked hopefully.

"Yes, Kal. Sleep."