Clark sat in his parents living room waiting for Kara to come downstairs. It was her first day of school and he took the morning off work to see her away for the first time. He could hear Kara fretting about her hair and her clothes.

"Just come on, you'll look fine." Clark asserted, knowing full well Kara could hear him.

"Clark be nice, it's her first day. She's been nervous about this for a while. If you hadn't been teasing her about it, she might be alright." Martha scolded.

Diana had been so busy dealing with Themyscira she hadn't been around him as often. So lately he had been spending most of his spare time with Kara. She was no replacement for Diana, but he thoroughly enjoyed spending time with his cousin. She returned to Metropolis and they went shopping, much to his relief she shopped quickly like he did. They went out to a few movies, and they even went to a baseball game.

During that time he revealed to Kara how much he missed spending quality time with Diana. Kara decided to run with it, teasing him over and over about it. So lately he'd been describing the awkward teenage years that were high school to try to get some retribution. It was easy to forget that she had only lived the conscious life of a 5 year old, because she really took his words to heart. He almost felt bad about it. Almost.

"Here she comes." Martha said, hearing her feet on the stairs. "Oh you look terrific."

Kara wore a simple outfit of blue jeans, tennis shoes, and a Metropolis Titans baseball jersey with pink embroidery on the letters and numbers. She also had changed her hair color, to dark brown instead of light.

"What's with the hair change?" Jonathan asked.

"To protect my identity, and yours. Maybe one day I'll need to help Clark deal with some sort of threat. If that happens I need something to fall back on, I need a life to return to. You're my family now, I'm going to do whatever it takes to protect you." Kara stated seriously, then she added. "Plus it's much better than Clark's stupid glasses."

"Har har, very funny." Clark said sarcastically, but actually he was glad she even considered that, he had no idea if she would be interested in any type of heroics. Now he did.

"Alright, are you ready to go?" Jonathan asked.

"Yep." Kara said.

"Clark, do you want to drive her?" Jonathan queried.

"Nah, I don't want anybody to see me." He stood up and gave Kara a big hug. "They grow up so fast don't they." Clark faked tears, causing Kara to push away and give him a backhand slap to the chest.

Martha and Jonathan laughed, while he picked up the keys to the truck and walked out the door followed by Kara.

"Bye Kara, have fun, do well."

"Thanks Aunt Martha! Bye Clark."

Clark and his mother watched the truck roll off into the distance. Once they were off the property, Clark turned to his mother. "Can I have some breakfast?"

Martha gave him a challenging look before she gave in. "Sure, pancakes?"

"Yes please."

Clark helped gather the ingredients and turned on the griddle, and his mother went about mixing the batter. "You look tired, are you alright?"

"Fine." He said simply.

"I know you haven't had to deal with any type of crisis lately so what could it be? I know that look, you're exhausted." When it came to her son, Martha didn't miss much.

"I'm fine. Promise."

"Is it work?"

"Nope."

"Is it Diana?"

"No." He said unconvincingly.

Martha wasn't buying it, just the way he said 'no' she could tell he was deflecting. His exhaustion had everything to do with Diana. "Things not going well?"

Clark wasn't surprised she figured it out. "They're going fine. Just... I don't know."

Martha finished mixing the batter and went to the stove to start the pancakes. "There are things I always wanted you to have in this life. A career that you enjoy, a nice home, and a family to fill it. I think all mothers want that for their children, but with you being you, I was never sure if you'd be able to have that. I know that there are things that you want in life. Some things you have, some you don't, and others you have a chance for. There are reasons for you to be the way you are, some I may never understand, but don't let those things get in the way of what you really want. And don't let those things get in the way of you revealing your feelings."

Martha finished the pancakes and left him to eat in silence. As he ate, he really let his mother's words sink in.

"Bye mama, I'll see you soon." He said after finishing his meal and clearing his plate.

"Bye Clark." Martha watched him fly off.

Bruce sat in the floor closet of his parents old bedroom, the place he hid when he was most troubled. His thoughts were everywhere. Selina, Gotham, the League, the Amazons. He wasn't sure what to do about anything right now. Diana was likely still mad at him for sneaking his way to Themyscira, but he was glad he did it. With all the magic and mythical creatures she described, someone needed to see that place with a level head. He wanted to see for himself what was going to be exposed to the world, to see how dangerous it was, if it was even reasonable for them to come out of hiding. Diana refused to invite him they way she did everyone else, so he made his own way. It worked out in the end, as now he was far less worried about them leaving the island and attacking like crazed Valkyries.

Some of the Amazons stared at him with hatred in their eyes, based on their experiences he couldn't really blame them. While others were eager to learn, eager to meet new people and venture out into the bigger world. Briony seemed to be one of the eager ones. She was a strange one, compared to the others it didn't seem that she quite fit in. She was the runt of the group so to speak, and much more shy than any of the others. He couldn't figure out quite what she wanted from him, she smiled at him and touched his arm a few times, but he wasn't sure what any of that meant. She looked to be in her mid 20's, but she was centuries old, maybe he felt a spark, maybe he was just happy to speak with a woman who didn't want anything from him. He had no idea when he'd ever see her again, but also he wasn't sure if he even wanted to. She was a woman who clearly hadn't gotten over her traumatic past, and had recently ended an 85 year relationship with another woman, who she loved, but was never truly attracted to. What did they even have in common? What could he do with that?

Then there was Selina, the best and worst thing in his life. A woman who understood him like no other person did, but never allowed him a break, and gave him no end of conflict. He liked her, but knew a relationship would never end well. Unfortunately ending that relationship wouldn't go well either, as she knew nearly everything about him, she might walk away no questions asked, or want some sort of hush money to keep quiet, she might refuse to leave or she might get angry and sell his secret to the highest bidder and most ruthless killer she could find. He wasn't sure how he would end things with her, but more and more each day he was thinking he had to.

Why couldn't it be simple?

Diana on a bench on the balcony of her mother's room, it had been a long day of explaining computers to women who had no concept of such a thing. Diana was weary, not just from today but from everything.

"Why the troubled face?" Hippolyta questioned.

"I don't know."

"Did you lessons not go well?"

"They went as well as expected."

"Is it Clark?"

Diana sighed. "I think so, yes."

"I worried about this. What has he done?"

"Nothing mother." Diana said annoyed, her mother seemed to be waiting for Clark to slip up. "We just haven't seen each other much lately because I've been here, and when we're together he's been... distant."

"Why would he do this?"

"I don't know. We've been apart before, and when we return it's as if no time has passed, but this time is different. And I'm not sure what to do."

Hippolyta looked across the horizon, it seemed that Diana was asking for advice. Advice about something she knew nothing about. "What do you want from him?"

"I want him to treat me the way he did before."

"Do you treat him the same as you did before?" Hippolyta asked, causing Diana to spin her head around quickly. Shocked that her mother would accuse her of such a thing.

"I treat him just fine." Diana affirmed strongly.

"Does he see that? I know that the things I have believed about men are not all true, but it was my experience that they were possessive and highly sensitive. He may not want to control you, but he does want you near him, and he wants you to confirm that you will be."

"But I do want to be with him."

"Yet you're telling me."

"He knows." Diana assured, then she thought about it. She hadn't really said anything. She hadn't aired her feelings.

"But the look on your face tells me something else. Diana, I will trust you to follow your heart. Now you must learn to trust your own."

Clark felt like a 5 year old again, jumping on the bed. Since finishing work at the Daily Planet, he'd been at the fortress working on a bed with proper tension for he and Diana. Based on the force he was using to jump on it, he thought he was onto something. However he wasn't sure how it would handle both of them. During his jumping, the sensors went off alerting him to Diana's imminent arrival. Which was perfect because with her here he could get a better sense of what they needed.

The fortress was huge, and had a countless number of rooms, that were ever expanding as Clark better understood the memory crystals from his ship. Some areas were completely Kryptonian, many of which Clark had no clue what their use was. While others, such as the kitchen, were very human in their design. As the door she entered through was closing behind her she wondered how and where she would find him.

She wasn't even totally sure he was even here. She had called, checked both his and her apartments, and the watchtower only to come up empty. She figured to search the fortress before flying around the earth in search of him.

She entered the wing of the fortress that housed his living area. She checked the kitchen first, then the large theater room, before checking the bedroom.

"What took you so long?" Clark asked, as Diana finally walked in.

Diana ignored his question, more concerned with why he was jumping up and down on a bed. "Why are you doing that?"

"Because it's fun. Haven't you ever jumped on the bed?"

"No."

"Oh, well you have to try it. Come on up."

Diana kicked her shoes off, and took a step onto the round bed, that measured at least 10 feet across, and jumped on it several times.

"Put some force into it!" Clark shouted.

Diana did as he instructed, bringing down force that could likely be measured in tons each time her feet touched the bed. She suspected Clark was doing the same.

"What is this made out of?" She asked.

"It's a sort of high density impact gelatin. Commonly used by the Kryptonian military as soft body armor. I made it thicker, and layered it in a way so that it's bouncy."

"It seems to work pretty well."

"Yeah so far."

Diana took one final bounce high in the air, and twisted so that she landed on her back, further testing it out, she rolled over a few times.

"It's comfortable too."

"That was the idea. Looking good so far, no degradation of the gelatin or anything like that, so it survived the bounce test nicely. I think all we need now is empirical data." He dropped down into a position where he was kneeling next to Diana.

"Ok." Diana said, immediately beginning to remove her clothes.

Diana was somewhat disappointed in herself. Instead of confronting Clark over his growing emotional distance, she just jumped in bed with him. Her mother had told her to trust her heart, which is what she planned to do, but when faced with the moment she couldn't do it. She was finding it difficult to give anything to him that he wouldn't give back. She gave him everything her body had when they made love together, and she believed that he gave her everything as well, but there was something missing. Diana knew exactly what it was, only she didn't know how to get it.

She knew that laying in bed with Clark wouldn't solve her problem. So using extreme caution as to not wake him she slid out of his embrace. After gathering her clothes which had been thrown haphazardly across the floor she crept away and left the fortress. Coming here had been a mistake, sleeping with him had been a mistake. Not because she didn't enjoy it, but because it didn't solve her problem. If he woke up with her in his arms he would just act like everything was normal. He would want something to eat, he would want to talk about what was happening with Themyscira, or talk about work. Nothing about their relationship, or their feelings. Diana admitted to herself recently that she would always want Clark to be a part of her life, but she was realizing that this wasn't what she wanted. Dinner, sex, and an occasional spin on a dancefloor was nice, but it wasn't enough. She needed time to think, think about what she wanted out of her relationship with Clark. Her mother told her to trust her heart, something she wanted to do, but before she could do that she needed to figure out what her heart truly wanted.

Clark wasn't totally surprised to wake up alone. She wasn't totally into things tonight, physically she was as amazing as always, but emotionally she was detached. In hindsight, he figured she probably wanted to say something to him tonight. Now she was probably upset at him for derailing whatever she wanted to say. He wouldn't blame her if she was, he had been acting different towards her lately. Kara had been teasing him because he missed her being around, but he couldn't deny that some of the distance was deliberate on his part. Changes needed to be made in their relationship, he just needed to figure out how to make them.

Not wanting Clark to follow her, Diana returned to Themyscira. She needed some time to think, time to work out her feelings. They made perfect sense just a few days ago, but now even though she felt exactly the same she was totally confused.

It was the middle of the night on Themyscira, most were likely asleep, and those that weren't probably didn't want to be bothered. Diana just landed absently on the outskirts of the marketplace, planning to just walk in the moonlight for a while.

Diana did just that for about 20 minutes, until a voice startled her. "Hello Princess."

Diana turned quickly, not expecting anyone to be outside at this time. "Hello Briony."

"What brings you here? And what are you wearing?"

Diana looked down at herself, she was wearing tight blue jeans, tennis shoes and a form fitting red t-shirt. "I just wanted to relax somewhere, as for my clothes, they're common dress in man's world."

"I see. Is it common practice to wear the seams on the outside?" Briony asked, fingering the material at Diana's shoulder.

"No. I put it on hastily, I guess I didn't notice." Diana took off the shirt and flipped it around. "What are you doing out here?"

"Just thinking. I must admit, I am excited at the prospect of leaving this isle and exploring the larger world, but I am still afraid."

"There's no need to be afraid, you're an Amazon, and you'll have all your sisters with you."

"All my sisters." Briony said wistfully, looking to the ground. "What of Cressida? I have heard nothing about her in days."

"Mother has sent her to work on the fishing boats. Hopefully there she can find some peace."

"I hope so. I did not wish for her to be so hurt by this. It's not as if I didn't love her, because I did. I just couldn't love her the way she wanted me to, I never could."

"So why did you go to her in the first place?" Diana wondered.

"It is not easy being the smallest or the weakest woman on the entire island."

"You are not at all weak, I have seen you best many in battle training." Diana assured.

"Not always. I was not even competent on the battlefield until I met Cressida, it was she who taught me to use my small stature to my advantage."

That made sense to Diana, Cressida could easily teach Briony how to defeat an opponent much larger than herself. Now that she thought about it, Briony's fighting technique was quite similar to Wing Chun, a fighting style that has origins said to be designed as a way for a smaller woman to defend herself against a larger opponent.

"We had lived on Themyscira for centuries before we came together. She said she grew tired of seeing me defeated in battle training. I do not have a warrior's mind, Cressida saw that, she taught me at my own pace. It was then we became lovers."

"But you always longed for a man?" Diana guessed.

"Yes. Cressida offered me comfort and warmth, she was possibly the only woman I could be with."

Diana was astounded, Clark figured all of this out within minutes of discovering about their breakup. If he was so perceptive, why couldn't he tell something was missing between the two of them? Or if he did, why didn't he do anything about it?

"But I do not need to explain this to you." Briony went on. "You too desire a man."

Diana looked to the ground with a somewhat troubled look. "Yes."

"But there is something amiss, isn't there?" Briony asked, catching Diana's expression.

"I don't know. I've been going at this all wrong."

"What happened? I may not be able to advise you, but I can listen."

"Lately he's been distant. He won't explain anything, he just acts like everything is the same, when it isn't."

"Why has he changed?"

"I'm not sure, but I feel different, about everything. Earlier tonight, when we were together, our time was wonderful, but I could not face him afterwards."

"Physical satisfaction, without the emotion you desire. I know all about that. That describes what I had with Cressida. That is why I ended it. I need an emotional connection. Be sure to have that with whoever you choose to be with, you will be empty inside without it."

Diana couldn't agree more with that, she was beginning to feel empty now. She could clearly see the signs of drifting apart now. She never wanted her relationship with Clark to define her, and she tried to make sure that it never did, but it was clear to her that it had changed her. She was no longer in for herself, everything one of them did affected the other. She didn't want to end up like he and Lana, claiming to be friends but not even speaking to each other anymore. She wanted him part of her life, and if she was honest with herself, she didn't want to just be friends. And when it came down to it, nothing would stop her from getting what she wanted. Suddenly she figured out what her heart wanted, and this time she would trust it.