The night passed without an itch. Steve slept soundly, snoring a little bit but not nearly enough to be a nuisance for her. He moved a little bit at her side as dawn approached and grumbled a few incoherent words before falling again in the deep sleep of the weary and the drunks.

Diana woke early, Antiope's training regiment still deeply rooted in her body clock, and took some time to just look at him as he slept. His face, pressed against the pillow, was slack as he was dead to the world. His mouth was slightly open and he puffed out some heavy sighs from time to time. His eyes fluttered as he dreamed, but whatever was inspired by Morpheus' powers, he seemed pretty happy with it. She caught him smiling in his sleep and damn if it didn't made her heart burst with joy.

The alarm clock set on her phone shrilled, and she quickly reached on the nightstand for it and turned it off with a swipe of her finger. Steve didn't budge, undisturbed by the loud noise and the movement of the bed. Better this way. He had a long night, he needed to sleep some more.

With a sigh of resignation, she crawled out the warm cocoon of the bed and sat for a moment on the edge and ran her hands through her hair. "What now?" she whispered.

She threw a quick look over her shoulder as Steve moved until he was sprawled, face down, on the bed. She had a flash of Veld, of a very similar scene when she had woken up at first light while he had slept on. The light was completely different, the place was the complete opposite, but the sudden warm feeling blooming the middle of her chest was the same.

"Oh well, shower first," she murmured as she stood. "Breakfast second."

She took her own sweet time, letting the warm water sluice down her skin and relax her muscles. The Gods' intervention, so sudden and out of the blue, gave her some thoughts. Never in her life, even before leaving Themyscira, she had heard of the Gods lifting a finger if they didn't have some sort of personal advantage, what good could they earn from making Steve immortal?

Aphrodite had said that they were going to take care of her and Steve, but in her experience, albeit limited, when Gods dwelled in the affairs of mankind, nothing good could come out of it.

She was still mulling over a myriad of random thoughts when she decided to check the backlog of emails that had amassed in her mailbox, while eating something. She took her laptop in the kitchen and as it booted up, she prepared coffee and slipped a couple of bread slices in the toaster. It was then that she found a nearly forgotten jar of Nutella, still sealed, in the back of the pantry. "Oh Gods…" she exclaimed as she grabbed it and checked the expiration date. "What the hell are you doing here?"

According to Lois, Clark had always been very fond of the spread and she always kept a reserve of it, but Diana had no freaking idea how a jar had ended in her pantry. Oh well, who cared. She twisted the lid, broke the tin foil seal and dunked a spoon in it. It had been years since she had a jar of Nutella at hand, for a reason or another, and for once, she gave in and ate it straight from the spoon. Nutella for breakfast, that was a first.

Then, with coffee freshly brewed and two slices of toast with Nutella in a plate beside the laptop, she started going through the emails. Most of them were work related emails where her address had just been added in the carbon copy string, a vast majority of them weren't even related with her field. She gave those a quick read then deleted them, then she went through those that really mattered. New discoveries here, a new excavation there… More artifacts to catalogue and see if they could be added to the museum's collection. Some emails had photos attached, but they didn't show anything of great interest, not to the public at least. Every single artifact was important on its own, but not everything was interesting enough to be put on show, not in the Louvre Museum at least.

As she tapped on the touchpad to go through the pictures, she thought of the countless museums in the world that could benefit from such findings, and wondered where they could send them. Athens and London were out of question, they had so many artifacts from Greece and the Middle East they could easily build three more museums with what was stockpiled in the great warehouses that held everything they didn't put on a show.

"Where do I send a piece of pottery with faded marks that maybe depict the Olympic Games?" she wondered, chewing on a bite of toast. "Maybe the department of restoration needs them…"

Sticking the slice of bread between her teeth in the less royal fashion she could think, she forwarded the email to a professor she had met years before and proposed an exchange. Free artifacts of little value that required restoration in exchange for said restoration done by students as an exercise.

She was halfway through it when Steve appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, rubbing his eyes and… half naked.

Diana felt a sudden warm sensation deep in her gut and the piece of toast still hanging between her teeth nearly fell. Damn those tight boxer briefs, those made him way above average. "'Morning…" he mumbled then approached the coffee maker to get himself some coffee before sitting at the table beside her. "I'm never drinking alcohol again."

"I seriously doubt that."

"Well, then I'll never drink alcohol offered by shady guys I've never met. Sounds better?"

She nodded. "Yes, that sounds more like you."

With an inhuman groan, he crossed his arms on the table and lay his head on them, shielding his eyes from the light. "Work?"

"Yes. Lots of beautiful old things I don't know where to put."

Grunting, Steve shrugged his shoulders and straightened up again. "No room left in the museum?"

"Either that, or it's not interesting enough to switch between what is already exposed and these. It's mostly common pottery dug from a gravesite, nothing uncommon or that would draw much interest. I'm currently trying to contact an expert in restoration to see if he needs artifacts to use as teaching aids."

"How kind." He rubbed his eyes with his knuckles then drank some of his coffee. "I'd love to see the Louvre. I've been to the British Museum but never the Louvre."

"I can take you on a tour, after hours. No one obscuring the view, empty halls, all the time you want to look at whatever you want…"

"The most amazing guide to show me around… heck, sounds like a dream. Maybe I'm still drunk!"

She ran her fingers through his hair. "Not drunk, just hungover. Drink your coffee, I'll make you some toasts."

"I think I'll start with this." He picked the remaining slice of toast and gave it a large bite. Diana watched as he chewed and then his eyes shot wide open as he realized it wasn't the typical preserve he was used to back in 1918. "What is this?" He took another bite. "It's amazing!"

"Just one of the many great things the Italians gave us after World War Two. It's chocolate, hazelnuts and a few other ingredients you don't need to know about. Like it?"

"I love it! Wow, this century has so much more than what I expected! The food alone is just so… awesome!" He finished the last bite and let out a contented sigh. "I wouldn't mind if warmongering aliens wouldn't pop up that often but, hey, I'm not complaining."

Diana was waiting for the two slices to be ready when a question popped in her mind. "Steve, can I ask you something?"

"Sure! Anything you want."

"How can you be so relaxed about this? I mean, when I came to your world, it was all so strange and I could barely wrap my head about the fact that beyond Themyscira there was such a different place and culture and other things I didn't understand, but you… you never question anything you see or we tell you!"

He gave her a wry smile. "I don't question what you tell me, because I know I can trust you. The rest… the rest is terrifying! I can barely fathom how deeply society has changed in one hundred years not to mention the technology! I'm being assaulted by all kinds of… novelties and I can barely keep up!"

She moved the toasted bread to the plate and placed it in front of him, with the jar of spread and a knife. "Kind of a shock, uh? At least I had those days on the boat when you told me all those things, but you? Nothing of the sorts. Are you sure you can keep up?"

He shrugged his shoulders and nodded. "Yes, I can! I mean, I learned how to use a smartphone and I can use a computer… sort of. I saw you driving the other day, it wasn't too different from the cars I handled… how bad can be the rest?" He pushed the chair back from the table and turned towards her. "Aliens notwithstanding."

"Well…" she climbed on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Aliens notwithstanding… can you imagine that in 1969 someone actually flew to the Moon?"

"Nah, try harder. There were planes already in my time."

"It wasn't a plane but alright, let me think… what could be harder to accept than aliens invading Earth, teams of superheroes fighting them and time travel… segregation is no longer effective and racism is actually sanctioned by law."

"Finally! About high time!"

"You're not making easy here! Ah, yes I've got one! Football is more popular than baseball!"

That made him tick. She recalled that day, on the boat during their long trip from Themyscira to London, that he had tried to explain to her the rules of baseball and that it was his favourite sport ever. "No way! How can it be? No, no I refuse to believe you!"

She shrugged and kissed him. "Suit yourself. Now, how about we finish breakfast, get dressed and take a walk around? Time to get acquainted with the city!"

A full bottle of water, a couple of Tylenols and a long warm shower later, Steve felt good enough to step outside the apartment. It was a cool mid-November morning, with the heat from the sun mitigated by a cold breeze coming from the sea. Far in the distance, Diana could still see the smoke rising from the rubble left by the battle. At least no stockpile of gas had exploded, so the acrid smell of the fires was less powerful.

They walked hand in hand, slowly so that Steve could look around and orientate himself in streets that he once had visited, before being shipped to Europe.

"So much has changed…"

"For better or for worse?"

"Uhm… the better I guess. Back in the day the sewers didn't work properly, there were more horses than cars so you can imagine the conditions of the streets. There was no sidewalk, the majority of the streets weren't paved. I mean, it wasn't as crowded but I guess the city has grown."

"Exponentially, like all big cities. Even in Europe."

"It's… kinda neat actually. I mean, with the sidewalks people don't need to walk in the middle of the road but man… look at that I've never seen so many cars in one place!"

The conversation soon moved towards other subjects, be it how warm were the clothes she had gotten him compared to those he was used and how many people had immigrated to the United States through the years and had integrated in the society there. That was a conversation that had sparked when they stopped for a coffee and Steve noticed that on the other side of the street there were a bunch of take out restaurants from Asia.

"Well, you liked thai food the other day."

"I think I need to get used to the spices but… yeah it was great. I bet there's a lot more out there to discover."

"Oh dear, a whole new world! You know what? Sushi, for lunch. I know a place just down the corner…"

"Uh, what's sushi?"

"You'll see tonight. Just trust me."

He smiled. "Sure, I trust you, I'm just curious. Is there any other place you want to show me?"

The walked some more, roaming aimlessly in the streets of Metropolis, just talking and enjoying each other's company. What Steve had wanted all those years before, they had it now, and it was completely crazy! Because they literally had all the time they wanted! Whatever he had drunk the day before, Hades had said his destiny was now tied to hers and as long they were together he wouldn't age and… it was awesome!

"Oh, speaking of food…" The subject kept popping up in his mind. Maybe he was getting hungry. "Your other uncle seemingly has a seafood restaurant in Amalfi."

"Wait," she jolted at his side. "My other uncle? You mean Poseidon?"

Steve nodded. "At least that what Hades said yesterday. You have a funny family you know? I had always envisioned Hades as a tall, slim guy, pale and somber, instead he's… well, he's tall and slim alright, but he's funny, exuberant… the long hair and braided beard threw me off a little bit but… yes, he was nothing like what I expected."

"You should have seen Aphrodite then…" she laughed. "Alright, I'm tall even by today's standards, but she's short, tiny even. With long brown hair and more piercings that I could count. She's… cute, I'd say, and she was really sweet with Lois, when she started rambling."

"He didn't allow Clark to pay. He said On the house! Like he was ordering him round. It was… strange, but he was really nice with us."

"Now I'm wondering how many times I've met members of my family without knowing it."

"You know, he said that your father was really rooting for us, back when we met, and that when he saw me in his realm he freaked out. Turns out they have spent the last century trying to fix this mess, that they would have done something sooner but when the bomber blew there was no body to use as a vessel for my soul and… they were trying with reincarnation too, but apparently that takes a lot of time."

"They could have told me!"

"And ruin the surprise? Nah, this is way better."

As they wandered around, they walked by the Metropolis Museum. "Hey, Diana, it's kind of cold out here, want to get warmer for a while?" he proposed. "I know, you work in a museum, one that's way bigger than this but…"

Diana leaned closer to him and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Whatever you wish."

Again, he felt nearly overwhelmed with everything he saw. The museum was mainly dedicated to ancient civilizations, with artifacts coming from all over the world. There were halls dedicated to pre-Columbian civilizations and First Nations, others dedicated to the Ancient Greeks, the Roman Empire and even older civilizations of Mesopotamia and the Middle East, and farther away, like India, Africa, Southeast Asia, China and Japan.

"Seen anything interesting?" she asked as he read the description beside a display case that contained a Hittite sword.

"Didn't your aunt's sword have markings like these?" he pointed at the hilt of the weapon.

Diana leaned closer and took a better look. "Hey, you're right! It says… wow this thing needs a good restoration. Alright, I think I get it. Blade of the… No, the rest is too worn, can't read it. Interesting though. Markings like this on hittite weapon's are very rare, this was probably the sword of a member of royalty or something."

They moved through the halls and ended in the area dedicated to Ancient Greece. "Is it very different from the Louvre?"

"It's more modern, but in the end every museum looks the same. Glass cases with things inside and plaques or panels beside them to describe what's inside. Also this is specialized in ancient civilizations, the Louvre has even more."

There was a class of children, from elementary school. They were sitting on the floor in front of a big case display that went from the floor to the ceiling. It contained the reproduction of the armor worn by a standard hoplite. The children listened to the guide as she explained them some basic military history of ancient Greece and the difference between a Spartan and a Greek soldier.

He took a moment to watch her as she moved from case to case, inspected every artifact, analyzing it quickly with a clinical eye she had acquired with countless hours in the field, both at Themyscira and then working in the field. She looked so at ease, so relaxed… like those days they spent on the boat sailing from the island to London. She exuded confidence with every movement, just like she did when they first met. She wanted to do something, she felt compelled to do it, and goddammit she did it and she did it with style!

And God he loved her.

"Feels like being home?"

Diana chuckled. "For Hades' sake no! These… this is just a fraction of what we used. We had weaponry and armors from a lot of places. But I admit I had no idea they had such a collection. It's nice for once to just enjoy history without having to actually be in charge of it." She paused for a long moment to look at a round hoplite shield, shiny brass with faded inscriptions on it and her lips turned up in a brief but heartfelt smile. "Alright, maybe I do feel a little at home around these things. Come now, let's finish the tour then to to eat something."

"Oh yes please I'm starving!"

Watching him deal with the concept of eating raw fish was a show on its own. His struggle with the chopsticks was even better.

"Alright…" he said at some point when the piece of sashimi fell again from the tip of the chopsticks in his hand. "You were right, it's insanely good but… it's slippery as a eel!"

"You'll get better. It takes a little practice but it gets easier if you try long enough."

"I just wish…" He fought again with the piece of tuna and managed to bring it to his mouth. "It wasn't so damn difficult to eat!"

He watched her as she picked a piece of sushi from the wooden tray between them and studied her technique, then he tried to repeat the same movements she had made. "Try to grip the sticks a little closer to the tip, it's easier that way."

That little tip got him some improvements, but he often failed and tiny droplets of soy sauce splashed everywhere. At least he had a napkin to save his shirt. "Oh for heaven's sake…" he groaned. "Well, I have a lifetime to learn how to use the chopsticks!"

"It takes less than that. Also, most of Asian cuisine uses chopsticks instead of cutlery so the more you explore it, the more experience you'll get."

His shoulders slumped and he pouted a little bit, a childish expression that clashed with the very adult man in front of her, long beard and all. Gods, he does look good with a long beard though… she thought.

"Just… something easier for dinner?"

"We'll see when time comes. Be brave and conquer your lunch, we're going for ice cream later!"