Three

Weeks passed this way. The two of them spoke more and more often. Sometimes Emma would open her mind to him only to find him telling her that he was busy fighting off a monster or chasing down a bad guy. She would leave him alone during these times, not wanting to distract him from his job. Surprisingly, she didn't worry about him much. She'd seen the cartoon enough to know that he could handle himself on the job. Afterwards, he would always contact her, saying that everyone was all right, and she would congratulate him for saving the world – again.

And so it became routine. Mostly, she would talk to him at night, lying in bed during those hours before she became tired. She'd always had trouble sleeping, so their conversations gave her the perfect excuse to stay up late. They would talk about anything and everything. And sometimes they would say nothing, simply enjoying each other's presence. It was almost like they were actually there together. In fact, to Emma, it somehow felt closer than that.

J'onn's presence in her mind was almost a physical thing. A living, breathing creature that filled up the empty places and replaced them with happy memories of his own. Living on Mars, growing up as a boy in a place that was exotic to Emma. His first Christmas spent on Earth, at Superman's house – which she already knew about, but still found amusing and adorable. It was this memory, in fact, that caused her to ask if he liked to sing. That Christmas J'onn had spent in the Kent Household, he had woken with the dawn and sung a song in his native tongue. Emma, who experienced this memory as if it were her own, thought that he had a beautiful voice, and asked him if he actually sang as a hobby, or if that had been a sort of spur of the moment thing.

What he has said, instead of answering her question, was, Would you like me to sing to you?

Really? she asked.

Of course. The years spent around humans has helped me become less shy. And besides, it is only you.

Okay. Then sing, if you want.

And so, he sang her a song that was beautiful. It was a mix between English and Martian, which Emma thought was ingenious and intoxicating. But even the English words did not really help her to understand the complexity of what he was singing, and once again, she felt she had a glimpse of how his mind worked. As he sang, her thoughts were filled with flashes of images: the sea as a storm raged, and afterwards when the waves were calm. A sun-dappled glade in the middle of a forest. A beautiful Martian canyon, the rock layers a multitude of colors that Emma did not think rocks could be. A flock of mysterious-looking birds flying in a red sky. All of these images, and the smells and sounds that accompanied them, bombarded Emma's senses, but in a good way. It was an orgasm of the senses, and when J'onn had finished his song, she was exhausted and joyful.

Afterwards, her mind was woefully silent, as if all the white noise of her thoughts had been sucked from her brain, and she found it difficult to form coherent sentences or images for a while. Random flickers of light flitted across her closed eyelids. After about five minutes of silence, she thought to him, with no shame, I wonder if this is what it would feel like to make love to you.

Probably something close to this, yes. His voice was soft and gentle, like a warm breeze. Although, I would not know for sure, as I have never had sex with a human before.

Thank you, J'onn. That was… Somewhere back in the physical realm, she felt tears slide down her cheeks. There are no words.

He said nothing, but she could feel his joy.

I only wish I could return the favor, she thought.

You can, in your own way. I would never expect you to know the art that is Martian singing, but… I have told you much of myself. Perhaps now you could share with me some of your own memories?

I don't understand. The only reason you have to share your memories is because if I dove into your mind, it would be a lot harder to get out than the other way around. I've told you – look into my memories all you want.

And I have. Only… I don't know where to start to get a clear picture of your idea of yourself. Looking into a human's memories is like living through the event as if I were the person. But there are some things I cannot learn about someone from doing that. I can learn much about you through the memories you choose to share with me.

I think I understand. Let me think about it. I'll choose a memory. Or maybe three. She smiled. Sifting through the memories she could think of, she came across one she knew he would enjoy. It was of her and her mother when she was a little girl, playing at the beach on a warm summer day.

She opened her mind and let the memory flow between them, making sure to guide him to certain things that she enjoyed, like building her first sandcastle and getting bowled over by a giant wave that really wasn't that giant at all. The memory filled her with amusement, especially since she was able to witness it from both points of view at the same time. Since she was showing the memory to J'onn, he was able to see it in third person, and because their minds were connected, it was like she was watching a TV show from two angles at once. It was a little confusing, but also entertaining because she got to watch herself as a four-year-old.

J'onn chuckled, and the sound bounced around her mind and made her think of certain naughty things, until he said, You were adorable at that age.

She smiled.

You seem like a very content person, Emma.

I'd like to think I am. I've had a pretty happy life so far.

They said nothing else for a little while, and then Emma thought of something and wondered why she hadn't before. Remember a few weeks ago when you got shot?

Yes.

You said you had healed yourself… I didn't know you could heal yourself. Maybe it was something the makers of the cartoon didn't know.

Actually, I really didn't… heal myself the way that you're thinking. All I did was grow new skin and bone around the area that had been wounded, and when I did that, it pushed the bullet out of my body. Being able to shapeshift has its advantages.

I see. Have you told the rest of the Justice League about me? The question surprised even Emma, but she did not take it back.

No, although Diana suspects something of the sort. She can read emotions almost as well as I can.

Will you tell them about me? Ever?

Do you want me to, Emma?

Well… I don't know. I think what I really want is to meet them all. I think that would be exciting. But… I know there's not really a way to do that. I'll probably never even see you again. Maybe we shouldn't even be doing this, J'onn. You know what they say. Long-distance relationships don't work out. And we're about as long-distance as you could get.

Actually, we're probably closer than a lot of people. Dimensions are like pieces of paper, stacked on top of one another. They are separate, but always touching. Besides, I think I might be able to come back and visit soon.

How? You said you destroyed the portal you came through, right?

No, I didn't. You asked me if the portal had been either destroyed or closed and I said yes.

So… you only closed the portal?

That is correct. You can thank Batman for that. He said it might come in handy one day. He even moved it into the Watchtower so that he could study it more closely. The only problem is that there is no portal in your dimension to bring me back.

So, how did you get back last time?

Luck, mostly. The man who built the portal was carrying a device in his pocket that, when pressed, brought me back to my own dimension, where it promptly exploded. I guess he thought he wouldn't need a backup.

Emma laughed. You guys are crazy. Stuff like that never happens here, and nobody ever has that much luck. I think it's because you're superheroes.

Perhaps.

Emma yawned.

You should sleep.

I don't want to. You're so interesting.

He laughed. I'll be just as interesting in the morning as I am right now.

She pouted. You're no fun.

How about this? The sooner you go to sleep, the sooner I can convince Batman to help me build another one of those devices so that I can go through the portal and see you.

As she rolled onto her side to go sleep, she thought, Why do you want to see me, anyways? I'm a little girl compared to you.

Not really. On Mars, it was mental age that counted once you hit puberty.

That made her remember something. Um… J'onn?

Hmm?

Speaking of puberty, is the reason they never showed you in your natural form without genitals because you don't have any as a Martian, or because it was a cartoon for kids?

He was silent for a while, and then he said, in a voice deeper than normal, Maybe soon you will find out for yourself.

Emma blushed and hid her face in the pillow even though she knew it wouldn't do any good. That was a little too forward.

She felt him smile. I don't think so. I think you rather enjoyed it. Now, goodnight, Emma.

She took a deep breath through her mouth and released it through her nose, smiling. Goodnight, J'onn.