Hovering above Themyscira, Diana was nervous. She was running through scenarios in her head. Best case scenario was that Clark, Diana and the Queen share a civil conversation, and Hippolyta allows their relationship to blossom without threats of intervention. Worst case scenario, she's banished for associating with him and they are forced to fight their way off the island. The chances of either scenario playing out that way was unlikely, but she was prepared. What she wasn't prepared for, was a choice. Her mother and sisters or Clark? She didn't want to choose, she prayed she wouldn't have to. She wanted both, and would do everything in her power to have both.

Clark was kicking himself for being so scared. He stared down death rays, omega beams and kryptonite warheads without breaking a sweat. One woman can't be that scary. There was no guarantee she would hate him, maybe she would be embracing. What is there to not like? He was the perfect gentlemen, everyone elses mother liked him, why shouldn't Diana's? Everything Hippolyta was afraid of was based on something that happened centuries ago. Of course there were the other Amazons to consider. They might not be so inviting, Diana warned him to be aware of potentially magic tipped arrows flying at him, his eyes and ears had to be sharp.

"Let's do this." He finally said.

"Let's."

Clark took her outstretched hand. She had to lead him through the barrier, if they got separated on the way through it would take a long time to find each other again. Diana flew quickly, he could hear her heart rate increase, and feel her palms get a little sweaty. She was as nervous as he was, he was glad not to be the only one.

They landed softly in front of the senate building, Diana was given instructions to bring him there. He could hear the hostility in in the voices of the Amazons before he landed. He wished he could block them out, but he had to keep his senses sharp for the immediate future. There was a myriad of new sounds from all directions, from a number of different languages, to work being done, to the animals in the forest, some of which had to be magical in origin. There was also another sound, a light whooshing sound, coming towards him. An arrow! Seeing it at just the last second he reached up and caught it all on instinct. Once he got his wits about him he realized he wasn't the only one holding the arrow, Diana caught it as well. He inspected the tip, simple iron, it wouldn't have hurt him, but he was glad that Diana was clearly on his side.

"Artemis."

"What?"

"Artemis shot this arrow." Diana stepped in front of him blocking the direction the arrow came and searched the area from which the arrow was fired, Artemis was stealthy, and would be difficult to spot.

Perched on top of a building on the other side of the road, Artemis crouched low. That first arrow was just a warning shot, the princess couldn't see her yet, she hoped the first arrow would draw Diana away from him, giving her a clean shot with a magic tipped arrowhead. She reached for another arrow, when she felt a gush of wind at her back. Her arrows were gone! So was her longbow! What just happened? Then she felt herself picked up off the roof and flown to the ground. Once there she realized that Kara had disarmed her, and Donna had flown her to the ground. Kara was holding her bow and arrows, staring her down with an angry look. Donna on the other hand, after she dropped her on the ground seemed to pay her no no mind, she seemed to be concentrating on Diana and Superman. Donna scurried away, but Kara stayed, unstringing the longbow, and staring Artemis directly in the eyes. Kara was fierce, she had a 'I wish you would challenge me' look on her face. Artemis was probably the top warrior on the entire island, but she couldn't match up with Kara, Diana or Donna. She would have to stand down.

Seeing the young girl approach Clark knew immediately it was Donna, even if he hadn't seen her flying it would be obvious. While they didn't look exactly alike, she and Diana were unmistakably sisters. She was clearly younger than Diana, maybe about 16 or 17 years old, about the same age as Kara. Maybe an inch or so shorter than Diana, with the same long wavy dark hair, and similar complexion. She also had the biggest smile of anyone he'd ever seen in his life.

"Hi Superman!" She said excitedly.

"Hello, you must be Princess Donna." Clark smiled and bowed his head slightly to her.

"I am. It is a pleasure to finally meet you. Diana... Is he handsome?"

Clark was taken aback, that was the last thing he expected anyone to say. He thought it was hilarious, but the look on Diana's face was even more hilarious. It's a look he'd seen many times, most often from parents chiding their children after they've done something embarrassing.

When Diana didn't answer she asked again. "Is he handsome Diana?"

"Yes Donna, he is." Diana said dryly.

Donna turned back to him and gave him another once over, trying to decide for herself. It was strange being scrutinized in such a way, but he chalked it up to the fact that Donna had never seen a man before. She was looking him up and down, he suddenly wished he wasn't wearing his Superman suit, he felt exposed in it, and he didn't want to corrupt the young girls mind. Before he could speak again Kara rushed up and hugged him. Lifting him off the ground.

It's great to see you again Clark!"

"Good to see you too. I appreciate you help over there." He said looking over in the direction of Artemis who was glaring at them from afar. Wishing his head wasn't so exposed with Kara pinning his arms to his sides.

"No problem. Artemis over there isn't going to do anything while I'm around." She said as she put him back down.

"And thank you for your help as well Princess Donna."

"You're welcome." Donna still had a wide grin plastered on her face. It made Clark feel slightly awkward. Luckily Diana broke everything up.

"Is mother waiting for us?"

"She should be inside."

"Thank you. Come on Clark, let's go before anyone else takes a shot at you."

Clark relaxed a little bit once inside the building, for the first time since he arrived he was able to observe his surroundings. It was quite spectacular, it looked unreal, the architecture, the art. It even stood up against his fortress, and it's highly advanced alien technology. This place would be a historian's treasure chest. If this land were ever opened up to the rest of the world, every inch of this place would be explored. Until then, they only had Diana's word that Themyscira even existed. Since it wasn't on any map, or detectable by any radar, some people didn't believe her. In fact there were conspiracy theories that she was really a Kryptonian, sent to rule the earth alongside Superman.

Diana opened the door to the senate room, and Clark finally got a good look at the Queen. She was sitting on a throne, wearing what he assumed was royal robes of purple and lavender. A golden belt, crown and bracelets that were significantly more ornate than what Diana wore, a long scepter and the magic sword he needed to be aware of at all times. He also saw the striking resemblance to Diana and Donna, it was obvious the three were related. Clark knew she was several thousand years old, but she didn't look a day over 35. Which was odd, because every other Amazon he saw looked younger than that. Diana did tell him once that her mother was the oldest of the Amazons, but he never knew what that meant. She wore a stern look on her face, it was the same look that Diana got in the middle of a battle. It was the same look that Diana had when she beat him up that first time. That 'don't mess with me, or I will end you' look. Clark didn't see this meeting going very well, but he was going to do his damndest to make a good impression.

"Greetings your majesty, I am Clark Kent. I must say it is truly an honor to be invited to this beautiful paradise." He said, lowering his head to her and speaking in his most diplomatic tone.

Hippolyta didn't speak, her face didn't change. She hadn't seen a man in so long she nearly forgot what one looked like. She had to admit, he was handsome, very much so. Perhaps enhanced by his clean shaven face, which accentuated his strong jaw line. Most of the men she had known wore a thick beard. He was noticeably taller than Diana, and incredibly muscular, his clothing did nothing to hide that fact. He also wore the same colors as Diana, in fact, standing next to each other they looked like they belonged together.

It was too much, he has to have done something malicious to make her want him, he lured her somehow. When she invited him here, she accepted the possibility that men weren't as evil as they were in the past. But upon seeing him, she decided that possibility is extremely low. She would discover his secrets and end this today.

"Mother, this is my boyfriend Clark. Aren't you going to greet him as you would and honored guest?" Diana said defiantly. There wasn't much fanfare to their custom of greeting a guest. It was a fancy way of telling her mother to acknowledge his existence.

"Clark Kent... Welcome."

She may have spoken the words, but Clark didn't feel very welcome. The queens expression continued to be stone cold.

"Princess..."

"Yes mother?"

"Leave us."

Diana hesitated, this wasn't what she wanted. She didn't want to leave him alone, she was confident that he would keep his cool. She had no choice however, by using her title, the queen reminded Diana that she was just that, a princess. Who had to obey the orders of the queen. She retreated, but not before taking Clark by the hand and looking him in the eyes.

"Just be yourself." She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze and left. He heard both door close as she went.

"I don't trust you." Hippolyta began.

"You don't know me."

"I know enough."

Clark didn't know how to respond.

Hippolyta stood up from her throne, and began circling Clark. Never removing her hand from the hilt of her sword.

"I know that you are a man, and I know that men only desire one thing from a woman."

"I'm not sure I understand." Actually Clark did understand, and he was pretty sure where she was going with this, but he'd let her have her say.

"Diana has told me of your power, her tales suggest you're even more powerful than your cousin."

"Yes, I am." That was obvious, he'd been living under the yellow sun for 27 years, Kara's only been here for one.

"She has informed me that you feel the women of your world are too weak to share your bed."

"Hey hold on, it is not like that. Not at all." He definitely knew where she was going now, she decided that his goal was to get Diana in bed, but that simply wasn't the case.

"But you see my daughter as able to withstand your strength, do you not?"

"Your majesty you're interpreting this all wrong." Clark felt uncomfortable, Hippolyta wasn't pulling any punches, her words made him feel dirty, despite the fact that he'd done nothing wrong.

In reality he did think Diana was strong enough for him, but he wasn't going to say that, not in those words. He was very glad Diana's lasso wasn't around, this way they wouldn't be forced out of him.

"That is not the nature of our relationship. It's never been, and quite frankly I don't know if it ever will be. I didn't expect this current situation to ever occur between us."

"What do you mean?"

"This was her idea."

"Hers?"

"Yes, I wasn't planning on us being together. With her upbringing, with the history of the Amazons, I figured friendship was all I would ever get from her. In the beginning I didn't even expect that much."

"The beginning?" Hippolyta was confused, Diana approached him? That couldn't be right.

"The first day we met, she was was...distrustful for lack of a better word. She basically beat me up. Whoever taught her how to fight did a great job, her right hook is a thing of beauty."

He noticed Hippolyta's face shift slightly, if he didn't know any better he'd think it was a look of pride.

"It was I who taught her the art of battle, I am the master on this land, do not think you can overpower me."

"I wouldn't dream of it, I wouldn't want to go up against Diana by herself. I definitely wouldn't want to face you, and the entire island." Clark noticed the theme of the conversation, it was clear that Hippolyta was compensating for something. Her strong stance was a defense against fear and total humiliation. He felt awful for her, she had lived through unimaginable horror. His presence was probably bringing back terrible memories for her, of a time she wanted to forget. One might think it would be easy to get over it, living in a paradise full of sisters who understood the pain, because they dealt with it too. Maybe this wasn't the best place to heal? She had never had to face her fears since then, without men there was no perceived threat. Also without them there was no way to know that men and women weren't at war with each other. He could only do his best to belay her fears that Diana would suffer the way she had.

Outside the senate, Diana was with Donna and Kara. Diana wasn't happy, with both her mother and her sister. She was angry at her mother for not being included in her meeting with Clark and at Donna for her behavior towards him.

"Is he handsome Diana?' That's what you thought to ask? Of the limitless options for what you could have said to him, that's the best you could come up with?" Diana's frustration was palpable.

"Gods Diana, what do you expect me to say? All my life I've been told that men are evil, smelly beasts with nothing but cruelty in their hearts. Then you show up with this one, someone you've talked about constantly since you left Themyscira, who doesn't look anything like what I've been taught about men. What was I supposed to say? I did stop Artemis from trying to hurt him, that should count for something."

"Yes I know, and I thank you, but I bet Kara had to convince you to do it."

"That's true." Kara said, speaking for the first time in several minutes, she had been trying unsuccessfully to listen in to Hippolyta and Clark's conversation. "It took me all day to convince her to help me in case I had to protect Clark."

"I hope I don't get in trouble for that. I want to see the world someday. Knowing mother she'd confine me to the palace for the next thousand years." Donna said.

"She won't do that. I just wish they'd hurry up!" Diana growled in frustration.

"It hasn't been that long. I'm sure everything is fine. Clark is quick enough to get away from her sword. I'm sure he's being charming." Kara said, hoping to ease Diana a little bit.

"So tell me Clark Kent. What is the nature of your relationship with my daughter?"

"It's based on friendship."

"Yes. Diana said that as well. What does that mean?"

"It means things have progressed over time. We're kindred spirits, we walk a similar path, we have the same goals, and we try to accomplish them in the same way. We understand each other, until I got to know her, I didn't know anyone who could understand what it was like to live in a world that seems like it's made of paper. For years I felt I'd be alone forever, but with her I don't feel that way."

"Forever? You're immortal?"

"Maybe, maybe not. I'm not really sure, I haven't shown any signs of aging for several years, every type of test I know to do, suggests that I won't age anymore. When Diana first told me she was immortal I had a hope for the future, that I hadn't had for years. I don't know what will happen between us, I don't know if we'll stay together, but even the slightest possibility that I might have what my parents have, it's an incredible thought."

"Your parents, what do they have?"

"They've been married for 33 years, they showed me that two is better than one, the love they have for each other seems unbreakable. If one falls, the other picks them up. Diana and I have had that mentality in battle, one of us can be defeated, but together we can be unbreakable. Maybe that could translate into a life together, maybe it can't. I understand your concern, and if I were you I'd probably feel just as you do, but I can assure you that I would never do anything to jeopardize a future that involves Diana in some fashion. They say that 'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' I'll bet a furious Amazon would be 10 times worse."

"Do you love her?" Hippolyta suddenly asked, she wouldn't believe him if he said yes, but was curious as to what he would say.

"I don't know. Being with her is refreshing, she accepts me for who I truly am. She understands me in a way no one else can. I guess if I think about it, I could see myself falling in love with her. But who knows, anything could happen, that's what dating is for. I guess we'll find out."

This man was clever. He was trying to convince Diana he was a noble man, and so far Diana believed him. She realized that she wouldn't get Diana to leave him by commanding her, she would have to realize who he was for herself. She had to trust Diana to see it in time, and when he did reveal his true nature, he would have an entire nation of Amazons to deal with.

"I still don't trust you."

Clark dropped his head in frustration, he thought he had made some progress. Clearly not.

"Is there any way I can earn your trust?"

"I don't approve of you and my daughter being together. If you never spoke to her again perhaps I could trust you. If you were truly honorable you would end your relationship at the demand of a mother. But you won't, so therefore you aren't." She then drew her sword, and pointed it towards his neck.

Clark stiffened, ready to zip out of her reach at any second, but he didn't want to look intimidated.

"Since I cannot force my daughter to leave you I send you away with this: if you ever hurt my daughter in any way, there is nothing that will stop me from ending your life in the most agonizing way you could ever imagine. Now get out."

Clark didn't respond, what could he say? He just turned and left.

Diana finally saw him emerge from the building. She knew his dejected posture immediately. It hadn't gone well. She rushed to him, she could tell by the look on his face that he didn't want to talk about it. When he finally looked up at her, he simply gave her a wry smile, and flew away. Diana waited, she knew he couldn't leave yet, since he needed her to lead him out of the barrier. She was trying to decide what she would say to her mother, when she saw her stepping out of the senate. The queen had a satisfied look on her face, it finally occurred to Diana why her mother didn't demand to use the lasso of truth on him. She didn't want the truth, this way she could take whatever he said and twist it however she wanted. Diana felt betrayed, by her own mother. She refused to accept him simply because he was a man, at this point her fears weren't even rational. Diana decided she didn't want to speak to her mother. She simply looked at her, with just a look she expressed all the disappointment betrayal she felt. Diana then took to the sky, following Clark. She grabbed his hand and led him through the barrier, feeling his warmth, she decided she definitely didn't want to let him go. If that meant not speaking to her mother for awhile then so be it.

A/N: This chapter was kind of difficult to write. I'm not big on writing drama, I much prefer the relaxed comedic stuff. I'll be back in my comfort zone in the coming chapters, which will probably mean quicker updates.