"Diana, are you ready?"
"I'll be ready when I'll be ready!" Her voice echoed down the hallway from the bedroom. "The town car's not even here yet, be patient!"
Resigned, Steve rolled his eyes and sat on the couch, careful not to crease the awfully expensive suit and grabbed the remote of the TV, turning it on one the many news channels. It had been ten days since his arrival in the twenty first century and he was on the way of mastering lots of the commodities, TV, computers and smartphone above all, a device he now owned as Diana had thought he would need one. He used it scarcely, but as he learned how to use it properly, he discovered he could use it to satisfy any eventual curiosities that would come up when Diana wasn't there to enlighten him. It didn't happen often, she rarely left him at his own devices, but it had happened.
The anchorman on the screen was talking about the recent success of the joint efforts to retake Mosul from the Islamic State's grasp in Iraq - one quick research told him the man was talking about an area of the world he once knew as part of the Ottoman Empire - when Diana finally appeared.
Steve felt his heart skip a beat and his lungs deflate when he saw her. He hadn't seen the dress when they had gone shopping, and now… he felt a lump forming in his throat. The black fabric framed her body in the most delicious way, her makeup emphasized her natural beauty and damn he loved to see her with her hair down, with the silky smooth strands falling over and beyond her shoulders, like a drape.
Damn she was going to steal the scene at this gala too.
"Wow!"
Her smile, strangely shy, nearly killed him. "You don't look half bad too. Come, the car has finally arrived."
As they walked to the door, he noticed something rigid beneath her dress, when he pressed a hand to the small of her back. Also, he saw a large duffel bag near the door and he immediately realized that bag contained her weaponry, and that beneath the dress she was wearing her armor.
"Uh, Diana… why are you going out with…"
She didn't let him finish. "A bad feeling," she explained. "I don't know why but I've had this feeling something bad was going to happen… I don't want to go out unprepared."
He picked the bag and let her open the door. "In that case, let's trust your feelings. I just wish I had a gun though."
The ride to Wayne Manor was quite a long while. The streets were packed with cars and the driver had a hard time sneaking away from the traffic. Diana spent most of the time giving him a quick round up of the people they would probably meet there, as Bruce had confirmed that the Justice League would be there, except for Victor who had previous engagements. She was telling him about Barry's special abilities when they finally arrived at the Manor.
"Oh, great, I'll have the chance to thank him properly."
As they walked towards the rear entrance, as specifically instructed by Bruce, she gave him a quick kiss on the now shaven cheek. He smiled and blushed and shrugged. The movement made her weaponry clink in the bag he was carrying and he felt suddenly aware that something, that night, could go very wrong. He dearly hoped it wouldn't, but if there was something he had come to realize during those brief but intense days in her company back then, it was that her gut feeling, while maybe a bit misguided, was nearly always right.
The door opened and Alfred, in an impeccable black tuxedo himself, appeared behind it with a bright but weary smile. "Oh, Miss Price, Captain Trevor! It's good to see you. Please come in." He let them in and Steve noticed a quick rise of an eyebrow in the older butler. "May I ask you what's in the bag? Are you planning to stay the night?"
"Oh no Alfred, it's just… I have a bad feeling, like something bad is going to happen," explained Diana. "And I wanted to be prepared."
He nodded. "Very well. Master Bruce said something similar earlier this afternoon. Yesterday during his patrol he caught word that something's going to happen soon and I'm sure he'll appreciate your help. He's still a little sore in places, after battling Steppenwolf and his minions, he would never admit it but he's getting old and it takes more time for him to heal."
"And I'll be happy to help him, in case it happens."
"I'll take your things quickly downstairs, safe and sound in the headquarters. You can join the others in the main hall, Master Bruce is already there, mingling. Have fun and in case you need anything, just look for me."
As Alfred disappeared from their sight, Steve suddenly felt a lump in his throat. "Why do I suddenly feel so nervous?"
Diana hooked her arm around his and pulled him closer. "Don't worry, this… type of thing tends to be pretty shallow. No one likes to talk about the current foreign policies or the humanitarian crisis in Europe. People are going to brag about their new cars or whine about how their new car got wrecked when they ran too fast going to their beach house in Long Island."
"What if they ask me what I do for a living?"
"Try to stick with me, I can always divert the conversation. Or… maybe we could use your background… do you think you can pose as a historian specialized in World War One?"
He nodded. "Sure thing. Also, in the past few days I read enough about World War Two to keep up a conversation about that too. Korean and Vietnam war though…"
"Admit it freely, you're no expert in those fields, but World War One has no secret for you. And in case someone asks you how we met, tell them it was work related."
"Uh, a tryst on the workplace? Naughty girl…"
She planted a sharp elbow between his ribs. "Jerk."
Despite some early awkwardness, Steve felt surprisingly at ease. The crowd around them seemed to be pretty tight, like they all knew each other. Seems like high society hasn't changed a bit. They looked, spoke and acted the same way as the rich and famous would do back in his day, and Diana was right about the conversations. Boring and terribly predictable, most of the times verging on the new expensive car one had purchased - she had been awfully precise with her prediction - and the latest exploits of the Metropolis stock market. Steve politely listened in silence as Diana led most of the conversations with ease and fake enjoyment, while he could clearly see by the slight ticking of her fingertip on the stem of her champagne flute that she didn't really want to be there.
They were lucky, soon familiar faces started popping out. That tower of a man that was Bruce Wayne found them and saved them from the most boring conversation about how high car insurance had become and took them to a corner of the hall, where Lois and Clark were standing, talking to another couple. He recognized the man as Arthur Curry, also known as the Aquaman. He had met him the night he had been dragged ahead of time, but the other woman, a tall redhead with long straight hair dressed in a gorgeous green gown, Steve had no idea who she was.
Turned out it was Mera, Arthur's wife and…
"Queen of Atlantis?" he asked, completely baffled. He was sure he had the funniest look stamped on his face but he didn't care.
Mera smiled. "Among other things. But what about you, where do you come from?"
"From a German bomber flying off Belgium on a dark November night of 1918…" come a voice from behind them.
"Hey Barry!" cheered Diana. "You made it!" She gave him a quick, polite hug. "You clean up nicely!"
"When need arises… and you look gorgeous, as usual. Hey Steve, how are you holding up in this millennium?"
"A bit overwhelming, but better than expected."
The younger man smiled and nodded. "Great, that's what I wanted to hear. Make this girl happy, she deserves a break."
"Oh, don't worry, I already have her family making sure I do, I don't need more encouragement than that."
Bruce startled. "What do you mean with her family?" he asked. "I mean, aren't you…"
Diana stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Don't, Bruce. Don't bring this up, not tonight. Another time, maybe, but tonight it's about gathering funds for rebuilding what Steppenwolf destroyed. There will be time for my family history, but tonight it isn't."
Clark, almost silent up to that moment, grunted. "Diana, just tell him you're Zeus' daughter and that your uncle threatened him of bodily harm if he mistreats you. There, easy, isn't it?"
If only looks could kill… thought Steve, trying not to laugh when Diana threw him a mean look. "Thanks Clark."
"Hey, it doesn't happen every day that Hades serves you a pint. Or four."
"Or Aphrodite, for the matter," interjected Lois. "Anyway, let's just say her extended family is kind of big, kind of nosy and kind of powerful, alright?"
Arthur chuckled. "Hey, it might turn out we're related. Who knows if somewhere back in my family someone had a tryst with Poseidon or something!"
With a boastful, collective laugh, the subject was abandoned and they moved on to merrier stuff.
At some point though, the group separated and almost everyone went on with the evening, chatting with different people. Most of all Lois, she was a well known reporter and people were surprised to see her there, so she had a lot to tell people. Diana too, she managed to pull the socialite persona off like it was the easiest thing in the world, while Steve just couldn't. He was good at smiling politely and answer questions when asked, but more than that, he didn't feel like being too social. He was more than happy to remain in a corner, chatting with Clark and enjoying Bruce's champagne. Steve felt a strange sort of kinship with the hulking man, but he had no idea why. Was it their similar upbringing, both of them sons of farmers? Was it the cheating death thing, or simply because he was an affable, kind man, he had no idea, but beneath his superhuman abilities there was a simple, humble man that didn't want to impose and was probably too kind for the world he lived in. They had little in common, and yet, he felt like Clark could be a good friend.
There was music playing but no live band and Steve had to remind himself it wasn't the 1910s anymore and tell himself that in 2017 the advancements of technology would allow to listen to music without needing a live band in the place you were in but most of all without going through the grinding white noise of a gramophone.
Diana was approaching him and Clark sporting a bright smile on her face when the song changed and she stopped for a moment, her head turning towards the source of the sound as if to listen to it, before finally joining them in their corner. "How are you two faring?"
Steve shrugged. "I wouldn't mind being home but can't complain."
"Can't complain either, but I would love to be home too. I don't think I'm ready for social gatherings this big yet."
"I understand. It's not like we need to remain until the early hours of the morning, I don't think Bruce would mind if we just go home at some point."
"It's not that," he explained. "It's just… Nothing, it's nothing, just bad experience with this type of gathering."
Her smile turned from bright to kind and compassionate. "Don't worry," she told him, with a gentle pat on his arm. "Things will sort themselves out. Lois told me you're having some issues, but it's just normal. You lost a year and half, a time she spent grieving you. It's not easy, for neither of you."
He gave her a quick, stiff nod and a wry smile. "You know… She is my ground, my favorite sound, my country road, my city street, my sky above…"
"...my only love, and the ground beneath my feet," she completed the sentence for him. "Yes, I understand. Been there, done that. It's like having a carpet pull from beneath your feet and suddenly you hit the ground so hard you don't even remember how to breath."
"Yeah, something like that."
"Uh, when did you two started completing each other's sentences?" asked Steve.
The pair chuckled. "Never happened, it's just a quote from a book," explained Clark. "It's the song playing now actually. The lyrics… they're taken from the same book and it reminded me of the book and that quote."
"Oh, I see. I guess you too know either the song or the game," Steve asked her.
"Both, actually. I'm actually rather fond of this song, well, the original, not this quite bland piano version. And the book too. You can read it, I have it back in Paris. You just need to learn a little more about the past century to enjoy it."
"You haven't started his musical education?" asked Clark.
"Not yet," she revealed. "I guess I'll set him a Spotify account and let him do his research."
"Already did it," he replied, half hiding behind his glass of champagne. I'm slowly moving forward the century. I'm in the middle of the sixties right now, I'm rather fond of Chuck Berry, I have to say."
The baffled look on Diana's face was priceless. "Bet you never thought I would catch up so fast, uh?"
A moment later, Bruce made his appearance bringing a tray of champagne glasses. "Enjoying the party?"
Everyone shrugged. "Sort of," said Clark, quite rigid.
Wayne's shoulders sagged and he suddenly looked much shorter than the usual. "Listen, about last year… I was a fool. I'm sorry I… I have no excuses, I should have listened to Alfred and just leave you be…" His attempt at apologizing was clumsy, but heartfelt. "It's just… sometimes I can't really reason and…"
"Stop that," said Clark, quite harsh. "I understand your reasoning. I understand what you did and even why. Lois told me about you, about the Joker and how he killed your adoptive son. That's not something you can erase. Just… don't try to kill me again." He extended his hand and Bruce shook it vigorously. "You saved my mother, helped her through this year, helped Lois too and made sure Earth would be protected even if I wasn't here anymore. We're more than even now."
Out of nowhere, Alfred appeared behind Diana. "Sir, may I have a word? Commissioner Gordon just called on the direct line to the Batcave. It seems like Mister Sionis has broken into Gotham Central Bank and is holding numerous hostages there. They're at a standoff and things are stalling, they fear his temperament will get the better of him and he'll soon start killing the hostages."
Bruce sighed. "Gather the others, send them downstairs, keep the guests occupied, or make up something and send them away, I don't care. Just make sure they don't go anywhere near GCB."
Alfred nodded. "Will do, Sir. Go, the car and the armor are ready."
Steve noticed as Diana rolled her eyes. She wasn't exactly happy that her gut feeling turned out to be true. She took a deep breath. "Shall we, then?"
Oh, some action. Sorry for the delay in the update schedule, but last weekend was kind of intense, I had no time to write. But let's give credit to those that deserve it, the idea for an action packed chapter comes straight from my husband, who suggested Roman Sionis (Black Mask) as the robber because he's way too underappreciated.