DISCLAIMERS/NOTES

1. This is a fan fiction based on characters owned by DC Comics. I DO NOT OWN THEM. This is just for fun.

2. As always, I'll point out this was written over a decade ago. Here in the UK, Season 2 of the JL cartoon had yet to air, so Hawkgirl had not been revealed as a spy. And the massive, every-hero-in-the-DCU roster of Unlimited wasn't a factor. My timeline picks up after the Season 1 finale, The Savage Time. All my Wayback Wednesday stories are numbered chronologically, if you get stuck.

3. Reading it back now makes me realise my version of Diana is just... ugh.

PART 3

Diana crept through the corridors of the Watchtower, surveying the entire area.

She reached a corner, and stopped. She then tiptoed to the edge, and slowly looked around. The coast was clear.

She turned the corner quickly, and saw the kitchen door at the end of the corridor. She began walking quickly to the room, always looking behind her to check she was not being followed.

She reached the kitchen, and sighed deeply. She had made it.

She stepped into the room… and a head popped up from the left.

"Hi."

Diana jumped back, taken by surprise. She would not usually have been so caught unawares, but she was more anxious than usual.

"Sorry," Hawkgirl said, "didn't mean to scare you."

Diana took a moment to catch her breath. "You didn't…" she said. "I just… wasn't expecting that."

"You OK?" Hawkgirl asked. "You seem a bit on-edge."

Diana stared at her, and tried to answer calmly. But her feelings got into her voice. "No. Nothing at all. I just came for a drink." She went over to the milkshake machine and made herself a drink. She quickly slurped the beverage, and she sighed contently. She always liked a milkshake after…

"Where have you been?" asked Hawkgirl.

Diana stopped slurping, but kept her gaze from her teammate. "I've been… training."

"That's funny, I checked the training room, and I saw no activity." Hawkgirl folded her arms. "No one's been in there for hours."

Diana began to walk towards the door. "I'm sure Mr… er, the man from the paper will want to interview me soon. I better get back. See you later."

"Have you seen Batman lately?" Hawkgirl asked as Diana walked past her.

Diana froze. "No… why do you ask?"

"Because no one's seen or heard anything from him for hours either."

Diana edged her way past her friend further towards the door. "Well, I'm sure he was busy somewhere. You know how Batman is…" She got to the door, but was stopped by Hawkgirl's voice.

"Are you and Batman having an affair?"

Diana blinked, and she looked behind her at Hawkgirl. "No," she replied, trying to keep her voice even, "Why do you ask?"

"Because Flash saw you two a few weeks ago talking about 'going home'," answered Hawkgirl. She held up her hand and raised her index finger. "You two are ALWAYS around eachother," she continued. A second finger went up. "You used to spend your nights here, but have suddenly begun disappearing for nights at a time." A third finger went up. "And you disappeared for almost TWO hours while the rest of us were being interviewed." A fourth finger went up. "It's obvious. You're seeing eachother, aren't you?"

Diana was quiet for a few moments. She had no escape routes. If she left now, it would just be rude. She could not think of any logical reason why she and Batman would spend that much time with eachother, besides the ACTUAL reason…

Hawkgirl walked up to her. "Don't make me interrogate you…"

Diana sighed, and closed her eyes. "Please don't tell anyone. He… WE want to keep it private for the time being…"

Hawkgirl smiled. "I can't say I'm surprised…"

Diana darted her head up. "What?"

"It's obvious you two like eachother. I've known it for months. Just… never thought anything would happen. Didn't realise Batman would go for that 'Human' stuff…"

Diana stared open-jawed. "You… knew…?"

"Batman's not the only detective around here, y'know," said Hawkgirl. "So, how's it going with you two?"

Diana held her head. "It's…" She did not know what to say, but the warmth in Hawkgirl's face let her knew it was OK. "It's… going well. I… that is…" This was terrible. Diana was completely speechless. In the end, she could only say what she felt. "I love him."

Hawkgirl's eyes widened. "You… what?" She sighed, and shook her head. "I tell you, I knew you liked eachother, but you're in LOVE?" She looked at her. "But… how? I mean… he's… Batman…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Diana asked, slightly hurt. She would not have anyone, not even her friend, insult the man she loved.

Hawkgirl quickly shook her head. "Oh, no, I didn't mean that. It's just that… I didn't realise you were in love. I just thought you were… you know…"

Diana looked at her quizzically.

Hawkgirl put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. Congratulations, Diana. I hope you're very happy."

"I am," Diana replied, relaxing. "But please… don't tell anyone."

"I won't," said Hawkgirl. "Now you better get back. GL isn't happy that you've been gone all this time. And I'm the one who'll have to put up with him in a grumpy mood."

Diana sighed, and quickly hugged Hawkgirl. "Thank you, Shayera," she said. "You're a true sister." With that, Diana left the room and went down the corridor.

She was in high spirits. Although they had tried to keep it quiet, it was obvious that their love was too strong to hide. She was glad she did not have to tiptoe quite so much.

She walked to the lounge, no longer worrying if anyone heard her.

/

"So… you're a Martian."

"Yes."

"From… Mars."

"Yes."

"Er… do you expect people to believe that?"

"You've already interviewed a Thanagarian and a man who's part of an interstellar corps. And a Kryptonian is waiting outside."

Snapper sighed. He had him there.

"OK… so how did you come to Earth?"

J'onn remained unfazed. "I stowed away on one of the Alien Invaders' ships when they went from Mars to Earth. Although they did find me, I eventually escaped with the aid of my new friends."

Snapper wrote some notes. "And these Invaders had attempted to take over Mars?"

"Yes," J'onn said. "They destroyed our civilisation. I was the only survivor."

"So… you're the only Martian left."

"Yes."

Snapper could not believe what he was hearing… and yet, he could. It was well-known that Superman was the only survivor of the planet Krypton… but Krypton was not a neighbour. Mars was part of the Sol Solar System.

"Why did you accept a place in the Justice League?" he asked.

"Because they made me feel welcome," said J'onn. "They accepted me, when others perhaps wouldn't. Plus, in many ways, the League is made up of outcasts. Superman is also from a lost race. Green Lantern has been separated from Earth for long periods. Diana has been outcast from her island. And Batman… is a loner."

"What do you see your role in the League being?"

J'onn was silent for a moment. "I… don't see a particular role for myself," he eventually answered. "I'm honoured just to be among such fine people."

Snapper had to admit: the Martian was the most friendly of the heroes he had met yet. Distant, yes. But he was far more talkative than the others. At least… more talkative in a positive sense.

"How do you get on with the other heroes?" Snapper asked.

"Superman and I share a bond," J'onn replied. "We share similar origins. We both have similar personalities, though he is far more relaxed than myself. Green Lantern is very professional, and I've learned a lot from him. I find Flash… interesting. He reminds me of my son when he was very young. Hawkgirl is very… emotional. She brings a nice balance to the team. And Diana… is a very special person."

Snapper listened intently. "And Batman?"

"He prefers to remain alone," the Martian said. He then smiled. "Well… for the most part."

As the interview drew to a close, Snapper was more and more surprised. The Martian – the most outwardly alien in the team – was the most pleasant.

It just went to show – never judge a book by its cover.

/

Diana walked into the lounge. The conversion the other heroes were in immediately ceased. They all looked at her.

"Where HAVE you been, Princess?" asked Green Lantern. Diana could sense more than a little irritation in his tone.

"Er… training," she said quietly.

"For two hours?" Superman asked. He was not angry like Lantern, but Diana could still tell he was confused.

Diana was quiet for a moment, then walked closer to them. "Er, yeah. Just thought I'd hone my skills." She went over to the milkshake machine and made herself a drink. She began to slurp away as she saw Lantern walk up to her.

"Well, you're going in there next, your highness," he said. "You're not getting out of this. We all had to be interviewed, and you're not going to be any different."

Diana frowned. "I'm not trying to get out of it. I just had… important stuff to do."

Superman sat up and went over to them. "Are you OK, Diana?"

"Yes," she replied. "Why?"

"You've been pretty distant these past few weeks," the Man of Steel said. "You spend numerous nights away, and you disappear for hours at a time. You make Batman look sociable."

Diana did not know what to say. She did not want to say the real reason why she kept disappearing. They did not want the others to know about their relationship yet.

Well… that was not entirely true. SHE would be fine if their relationship was out in the open. But she knew Batman wanted to keep it private.

Why was that? Was he ashamed or something? Thinking that showing public affection would be a sign of weakness? If only he knew that she would find him even more stronger for doing so.

Men – they were an enigma wrapped in a puzzle. If she did not love him so much…

"Diana?"

Diana noticed Superman and Lantern staring at her. "Yes?"

"Er… did you change your clothes while you were gone?"

"No," she said. "The spare outfit J'onn made me is still in my room. Why?"

Superman gave a nervous smile. "Your tiara is upside down."

Diana instantly put her hand to her head, and could feel the star on her tiara was the wrong way up. She groaned.

At that moment, Batman walked into the room. Diana noticed him and before she realised it, called out to him. "Why didn't you tell me my tiara was upside down?"

Superman and Lantern's eyes widened, and they looked back and forth at Diana and Batman. Diana suddenly realised what she had done. There was silence.

At that moment, J'onn walked out of the interview room. The other Leaguers looked at him. Diana took her chance.

"Hey, look, it's J'onn!" she said, running up to him. "I guess Mr… the man from the paper is ready to interview me now then. Well, love to stay and talk, but I don't want to keep him waiting." With that, she bolted into the interview room and slammed the door shut behind her.

J'onn looked at the others. "What was that all about?"

Superman and Lantern looked at the doorway…

But Batman was gone.

/

Snapper darted his head up at the sound of the door forcefully opening. By the time his vision comprehended what he saw, the door was already shut, and Diana was leaning against it. She gave a sigh of relief.

"Er… I'm interviewing you next, then, am I?" Snapper said.

Diana's eyes opened, and she blinked. If Snapper did not know better, it was as if she had run into the room not knowing he would be in there.

"Er… yeah," she stammered. "Sure." She walked over to the empty chair and sat down. She looked behind her at the door, and Snapper could tell her focus was elsewhere.

"Do you want to do this later?" he asked. "Were you in the middle of something? You can go back out there if you want."

Diana darted her head to him. "No! That's fine, I'm alright here."

Over the next twenty minutes, Diana told Snapper about Themyscira, her mother, why she came to Man's World, and how she found life in the League. Snapper was amazed, to say the least.

It was only when talk turned to her fellow Leaguers that Diana went quiet. Snapper had a feeling they had something to do with her current state of distraction. "What are your relationships with the other heroes?"

"I don't have a relationship with Ba…" she immediately said. She then froze, then blinked. "Er, I mean… we get on alright."

"Can you explain your relationships with each one?"

Diana was silent for a moment. "Superman I find intriguing," she eventually said. "He's not from this world, yet he personifies what man is capable of at his best. He's truly a great man. Green Lantern is similar to me in that we both have warrior's instincts… though he'd prefer the term, 'soldier'. But he can be very uptight. Unlike Flash, who's like a child. I never thought about what being a mother would be like until I met him. Hawkgirl and I obviously share a bond, because we're the only women in the team. There are things that only we can talk about. And J'onn is a very extraordinary man. Again, not from this world, yet he shows what being a hero is all about. He's wonderful."

Snapper had to agree there. J'onn certainly was the most friendly of the group that he had met so far. "And Batman?"

Diana froze. Was there some issue between her and Batman? The lack of an answer led Snapper to believe that there was… and it could only be one thing.

They hated eachother.

"Batman's interesting," she eventually said. "I find him a mystery… and, er… interesting."

Snapper was not quite satisfied with that answer. "Is your relationship…"

"WE DON'T HAVE A RELATIONSHIP!"

Snapper's eyes widened, as Diana again fell silent. "OK… is there… tension between you two? Is he hard to get on with?"

"No!" Diana again immediately said. "He's wonderful to get on with! He's such a wonderful, caring, incredible man. I lo…" She AGAIN suddenly stopped talking, and looked down.

Snapper scratched his head. Diana was obviously not used to being interviewed. She was all over the place.

Plus, her tiara was on upside down.

"OK, thank you, Diana," he said. "This has been very… enlightening."

Diana looked at him. "That's it? Don't you want to talk more?"

Snapper was confused. "Don't you want to go?"

Diana nervously looked at the door. "Well… er…"

Snapper was confused. She was distracted throughout the entire interview, yet when she talked, she talked endlessly. As if she did not want the interview to end. It was almost as if…

No. It WAS. Snapper knew it.

She liked him.

Snapper could hardly believe it. A gorgeous woman like her… not wanting to leave? Wanted to stay with him? It was amazing. And yet… why else would she not want to rejoin her friends?

Snapper looked at her. "So… what do you want to talk about?"

"Oh, I don't know…" said Diana.

"What type of stuff do you get up to on your island?" he asked.

"Well…" Suddenly, it seemed that Diana realised what he was thinking. She shot up out of her chair. "Oooooohhhhhhh…..MEN!" With that, she stormed off out of the room.

Snapper sighed.

Women.

TO BE CONCLUDED