A/N: Thank you for the reviews! I had an anon one I wanted to reply to, so please feel free to skip down. And thank you to Daisy Jane as well for the beta :)

falcon: Michael is a politician. There are going to be politics. As for contemporary politics, I really don't feel I'm being at all partisan, and even if I was, it's my story, so I'll write it how I want. If you don't feel that's for you, you don't have to keep reading. Whether or not you feel Obama deserved his Nobel Peace Prize is irrelevant. He was awarded one. That's not opinion, that is a fact. However, I'm glad to hear you've been enjoying the story so far, and I hope you continue to do so.

I come home in the morning light,

My mother says 'When you gonna live your life right?'

Oh Mommy dear,

We're not the fortunate ones,

And girls, they wanna have fun,

Oh girls just wanna have fun

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun—Cyndi Lauper

Chapter Twelve

It was far harder telling Diana than telling her father and brother had been—so, so much harder. Because the way her mother was staring at her now was like she just did not recognise her. Swallowing back a sudden wave of tears at that thought, Alexa leaned forwards and took Diana's hands, so distressed did she look. Alexa had buried her ire at being summoned here like a naughty child, and had come to her parents' home to try and explain herself.

"Mom, the decision hasn't been cold-hearted. I am deeply attracted to Michael—he's kind, he's clever, funny, unique. And the reason I said yes is because I can do so much as his wife. I can help so many more people than I can now, even as Batwoman."

"Then run for President yourself, Alexa!"

"That's impractical and you know it. And it's also impossible since I wasn't born in the U.S., and I don't have a real birth certificate. This is the best opportunity I have, Mom—and it's not like I have no feelings for him –"

"But you are not in love with him!"

"But I'm not ruling it out! Mom, if you met him … When you meet him, you'll understand. He's a great man. And who knows, in months to come, I might fall in love with him, I don't know."

"'Might' is not good enough, honey. Not for marriage."

"But it's better than nothing!"

"And if you do fall in love with him, what then?"

She shrugged. "Kal survived till death us do part. So can I."

"Oh, honey. He might have survived it but he's not living. I don't want to see that happening to you."

Alexa was silent. But he was living. Slowly, yes, but when it had been just the two of them he had lived. He had laughed and danced with her and watched her bathe … "What's my other option, Mom? I either never marry or fall in love or I do what you did. And Mom, I love you, and I love Dad, but I don't want to sacrifice my calling to do the same thing you did."

The only person who had sincerely congratulated Alexa was her grandmother. "Excellent news, my little sun and stars. A fitting union."

"I thought you'd counsel me against a mortal."

"I would counsel you against falling in love with a mortal. But you have the look of a woman who has made a wise and clear-headed decision. Although it's not quite the fun I had in mind."

"No ... it did get more serious than I expected. Earlier than I expected too."

"Nevertheless, it is a queenly decision."

Alexa smiled. "Queenly, huh?"

"Indeed. He will be the leader of your nation; by wedding him, you are doing what is best for your people." She kissed both Alexa's cheeks. "You are putting them above your own personal happiness. I could not be prouder of you."

Diana, who had taken Alexa to Themyscira in the hopes that Hippolyta might be able to talk some sense into her daughter, stood aghast. "Mother!"

"I am sorry, Diana, but I cannot upbraid her. If this union is a political one, then it is fitting and appropriate. It is how royal matches are made."

Diana left without a backwards glance at either her mother or daughter. Hippolyta watched her go sadly. "I did not wish it to be so," she sighed. "But she is thinking like a mortal already."

That she might be, Alexa agreed silently. But there had been determination in the set of her shoulders and a steely glint in Diana's eyes that was pure Amazon. An Amazon preparing herself for a long fight.

Unfortunately for everyone concerned, Diana had indeed not given up. She believed that Alexa was not in love with her fiancé and she did not like it at all. It was altogether too cool, too intellectual. Not how one entered a marriage. Except, apparently, if one was royalty. A detached part of Diana wondered if she should have been prepared to be replaced by her own daughter as Hippolyta's favourite. It was not all that unexpected. Grandmothers doted on their grandchildren—Diana did the same with her grandchildren. But she did not like the way Hippolyta was grooming Alexa to put others' happiness above her own at all times. Whether it was a good, altruistic approach to life or not, Alexa was her daughter. And Diana wanted her to be happy.

When she got back to Isla Wayne, pulling up to the jetty—she had taken the boat—Bruce was waiting for her. After he had greeted her with a kiss and an embrace, he pulled back.

"You look like you could do with a drink, Princess."

"Is that code for 'I take it it didn't go well'?" she asked.

"Didn't it?" he asked as they went back up to the house.

"No. Mother congratulated her on making 'a fitting and appropriate' political union. She actually thinks it's a good thing Alexa doesn't love him."

"Perhaps it is."

"Bruce, how can you say that?"

"Because Alexa is not you, Princess, and she's not me either. However this marriage ends, isn't it better that she doesn't come out of it heartbroken? Falling in love is wonderful, but frankly I don't want to see my daughter going through what Cl- Kal did. Do you?"

"Of course not."

Bruce's words stirred up another fear though. Alexa had soothed Diana with assurances that she would try to fall in love with Michael Archer. Alexa had a big heart, and she certainly would not be marrying Michael unless he was, as she had insisted, a great man. Suddenly Diana's instincts were warring within her. If Alexa married Michael, and never fell in love with him, and went through life with her heart closed off and shut away, that would be awful. But if she fell in love with a mortal man … it had taken Kal fifty years to even begin to rejoin the world. How long would Alexa mourn?

"Kal!" Diana suddenly said.

Bruce automatically glanced up at the sky. "Where?"

"No, not here. I think I need to make a phone call."

She ran back up to the villa, Bruce hot on her heels. "Diana, this is not going to work."

"Of course it is! You just said it yourself—'what Kal did' when he lost Lois. Do you want to see that happen to Alexa?"

"You know I don't."

"And can you think of anyone better qualified to warn her about what that kind of loss is like, apart from Kal?"

"No."

"Then why are we arguing about this?" she called, picking up the holophone.

Bruce's hand took it from her. "We're arguing about it," he said calmly, "because I'm not convinced he's going to give you the answer you want from him."

"I have to try, Bruce," she said, voice even but eyes pleading. He sighed and let go of the phone. Diana accessed the menu. "Call Kal."

"Calling Kal now," the phone's mechanical voice replied.

A moment later, Kal's pleasantly-surprised form appeared on her palm. "Diana, how are you?"

The news of the engagement came as a relief. Now he no longer would feel a conflict every time she smiled at him. Alexa was someone else's now—not that she had ever been his. He didn't have to decide whether or not to pursue her. But the reality wasn't working out like that at all. Alexa hadn't stopped smiling in that way which warmed him, and she still smelled like passionflowers and jasmine, and he could still hear her laughing no matter where in the Metrotower she was. The only thing that had changed was that she laughed more often now.

It hadn't been a release of any real tension on his side, but it had on hers. There was more ease in her stance when she was close to him; her heartbeat had slowed down and she came to the Metrotower less often. One thing that had not changed, though, was the fact that their sparring was still hot as hell. He hadn't had so many erections since he was a teenager. Nor had he taken so many cold showers.

After everything had been made official and public about her engagement, he couldn't avoid raising the subject; it would be awkward to talk about, but more awkward if he ignored it altogether. So, when they were next alone, he forced a smile onto his face and tried to ignore the way his insides were shriveling up. He had no right to the jealousy he felt; he knew he wasn't able to give her his whole heart and she deserved nothing less.

"I hear congratulations are in order."

"Yeah. Thanks."

He smiled. "Swept you off your feet then?"

"Something like that."

"When's the wedding?"

"Not sure yet. If we do it the way we're supposed to then it'll take a good year to plan – but with the campaign and everything it could take longer. Or we could just do it at City Hall. Might not be the fairy-tale but as long as the vows get said it doesn't matter I guess."

"I guess not."

And that was that—Kal felt relieved that it was over and done with, and things could return to a relative normality. There had to come a point when he got immune to her presence. There had to be. Eventually.

Of course, it hadn't happened in the months since he'd met her and honestly the attraction had only gotten worse, but what was half a year? Knowing she was married would help, it had to, but he hadn't anticipated Alexa's own mother trying to get him to break up her impending nuptials. As if he didn't already have that urge.

The moment the phone rang, he had a feeling of foreboding long before he picked it up. The caller-ID said it was Diana, and while she was one of his most regular phone correspondents, his gut told him it was a call he didn't really want to take.

He did though, adopting an expression he hoped was carefree. "Diana. How are you?"

"Well, thank you.'

He raised an eyebrow at her tone and body language. "I doubt that. What's wrong?"

She gave a short, sharp sigh. "It's Alexa."

There was a very brief moment of very strong panic when he thought she'd somehow been tapping into his thoughts—and day dreams, actual dreams … fantasies—which would be enough to piss any mother off. Then he reminded himself that telepathy had never been one of Diana's gifts. There was a still a faint note of trepidation in his voice when he asked, "What about Alexa?"

"You've heard about the engagement?"

He glanced at the TV, which was, for the fifth time that morning, playing the interview Alexa and Michael Archer had done. Kal was sure that each time they replayed it, Archer's smile got a little smugger. Right now he seemed to actually be saying, 'Don't blame me, I'm not an idiot. I didn't pass up my chance to be with her'. If the network ran it again for a sixth time, Kal was pretty sure he was going to end up punching the TV.

"Yeah, I've heard something about it."

"Well, Bruce and I –"

Bruce briefly appeared. "Meaning Diana –"

"– are both very concerned that she hasn't thought it through."

"I'm pretty sure she has."

"Kal, she's willing to marry a man she knows she doesn't love."

"She doesn't love him?" he exclaimed, genuinely shocked. Onscreen, Alexa and Archer couldn't have looked more in love—their body language was relaxed, they were both smiling, holding hands … Then he realised in that in all the glaring at Archer, he hadn't really looked at Alexa. Her behaviour in the flesh had been so happy he had just assumed … "Are you sure she doesn't love him?"

Diana's frown turned frustrated. "At the moment, she says she doesn't."

"At the moment?"

"Yes. Apparently Archer is a 'great man' and she could see herself falling in love with him at a later date."

"Then I'm very happy for her." Or I'll try to be, anyway. "Why aren't you?"

"Because it's a lose-lose situation for her! If she doesn't ever love him, then she shuts off her heart from the rest of the world –"

"I don't think that's true," he said. "She's a very compassionate woman, Diana. That's probably why she's marrying Archer. She thinks she can do some major good in the world that way."

"You know what I mean, Kal. She's closing herself off from falling in love. And she doesn't know what a joy it is."

She might if I'd let her in, he thought, a little morosely. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking, Superman. "Then let her get married. It sounds as if she's halfway to it already."

"And if she does fall in love with him? She could end up heartbroken forever. I don't want that."

"Well nobody does, but –"

"Then will you talk to her? You're the only person who knows what that kind of pain is like to live with, Kal. She might listen to you more than she'd listen to me or Bruce."

"Diana, let me get this straight. You want me to tell Alexa that it's not worth it?" he asked, shocked. "You want me to tell her that even a short burst of love comes at too heavy a cost?"

"Well, yes. Surely you of all people, Kal –"

"I of all people know that it's always worth it and once upon a time so did you," he said heavily. "Do you think I'd give one second of it up to be spared any of the grief? I had twenty-seven years of love with Lois, and I've got an eternity without her—I'd gladly suffer twice that for what I had, Diana. And being immortal never stopped you from loving Bruce, even when he broke your heart. Even forty years of separation didn't stop you loving him and you know that's why you came back. To spend whatever time you could with him before he died—but you got lucky when Athena gave you a choice." He folded his arms. "There is no possible way you or I should deny her that chance. And I won't."

With her family and friends in the know, the TV cameras given their pound of flesh with the interviews, there remained only one person with whom Alexa had not been honest. Unfortunately, he was her fiancé, and he still had no idea of the truth about his bride. Alexa kept putting it off—it was the wrong time, or Michael was too busy, or it was her turn to monitor Earth from the Metrotower. In the meantime, wedding preparations were underway. If Alexa had had her way, they would simply have done it at city hall—no fuss, no muss. Just man and wife and starting their life together. But when she had proposed this idea to Michael …

"I'd love nothing more," he smiled. "Simple, quiet …"

"But?"

"But it wouldn't be using the opportunity to its fullest. Our wedding needs to be public. Needs to make a statement."

"I doubt people will be all that impressed if we spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on our wedding when so many of them are struggling make a fraction of that a year," she pointed out. "Michael, we can't be lavish about this, surely?"

"I'm not suggesting lavish—but we can't afford for it to be invisible, either," he said, taking her hand and running his thumb over her engagement ring.

"Then what are you suggesting?"

"I'm suggesting that we keep it simple, but get the press in there. Elegant is what we need to aim for, but simplicity too. Wayne Manor would be perfect as a venue. It's large and grand, but ancestral, so we haven't spent ridiculous amounts on it. The grounds would be fantastic for a summer wedding, it's –"

"My home."

He nodded. "True. Would it bother you, having some of the press there?"

"I guess it's something I'll have to get used to. If handled right, publicity can be very beneficial."

"And both you and I know how to handle it right."

She conceded. "Alright. We'll get married in the grounds."

They went through the rest of the wedding that afternoon. It didn't take long. For the reception, a swing band. For the food, American, but modern American, not quintessential. No honeymoon—with the election looming in November it was too important that they not leave the country and immediately hit the campaign trail. Traditional flowers: roses, lilies. Alexa had modeled her gown on Grace Kelly, Catherine Middleton—simple, elegant and traditional and not at all what she'd want normally. But none of this was about her. In any other bride of twenty-three, that would cause irritation, if not tears and tantrums, but for Alexa, she only saw it as part of the overall performance. At this point, they would do anything they had to do (within the law) to get Michael elected. After that, Alexa would be able to do what she really wanted: help people.

The one elaborate thing that was being planned was an engagement party. Alexa had brought a new vitality and freshness to Michael, according to one of the many endless polls being carried out constantly. People expected that in the first flush of love, he might be a little impulsive, a little carried away. And Alexa was a socialite—she was expected to hold a magnificent party. After all, no one threw parties like Alexandra Wayne.

She had organised it with her usual skill and deftness, and everyone had RSVP'd in the affirmative. Music and food were in place, Michael and Thomas both had new tuxedos for the occasion, and Alexa was just putting the finishing touches to her own outfit now. Outside her window was not the gardens of Wayne Manor; they weren't in Gotham tonight, but Metropolis. The incumbent President would be there (Michael was seen as his heir apparent by many), and he could only do Metropolis, given the strictures of his schedule.

There was a knock on her hotel door. "Come in!"

"It's me," Tom called. "Got a minute?"

She checked her watch. "Just one. I'm in the bedroom."

He pushed open the door just as she was putting in her earrings. "You look beautiful, Lexie."

"Thank you. And no."

"No?"

"No, I'm not going to change my mind. That is what you were going to say isn't it?"

"It was," Tom sighed. "I take it you're still going to tell Michael then?"

She nodded. "Tonight."

"What if he –"

"He won't. Even if he calls the wedding off, he's too intelligent and too discrete to say anything to anyone. I trust him, Thomas."

"Then I guess I trust him too."

"Good."

"I'll see you down there."

Michael arrived just as Tom left, and they went down to the hotel's ballroom together. He kissed her deeply just before they got out of the elevator, and it still made her shiver pleasantly. "What was that for?"

"You. You look beautiful. And I honestly can't wait until you're my wife."

At the moment, she thought.

Then they were in the ballroom, surrounded by smiling faces, tinkling music, champagne toasts and shouted congratulations. The Secret Service were standing guard at every exit point. It had taken Alexa quite a bit of cunning, once she had a pair of Secret Service Men assigned to her, to slip out and still do her job as Batwoman when they were in Gotham, but she had managed. They were only Secret Service after all. Alexa soon found herself deep in political discussion with the President himself, and by the time he had found someone else to speak to, he looked quite worn out.

Michael's hand touched her back, his voice low and delighted. "Well, that makes me feel better."

"What?"

"You obviously give all politicians a hard time. I shouldn't have taken it so personally."

"If you hadn't, we might not be here now," Alexa pointed out.

"True."

She glanced around. Most of their guests were otherwise engaged; now seemed to be as good a time as any. "Michael, will you come outside with me for a second?"

"Of course," he said, though he looked puzzled at her sudden seriousness. She took his hand and led him out onto the balcony. "Are you alright, Alexa?" he asked, putting an arm around her waist. "You seem … distracted."

She sighed, then took both his hands. "Michael, there's something I have to tell you, before we go any further with this."

"With what, the party? Or the relationship? Alexa, if you've changed your mind –"

"I haven't," she said quickly, "I still want to marry you. It's just … I don't know if you'll want to marry me, after I've told you."

He frowned. "Alright. What is it?"

"It's … about my family. Who my parents are and – And –"

When she cut off the second time, it wasn't a voluntary action. It had more to do with the massive, furry hand which appeared out of nowhere and grabbed her around the waist. She let out a shocked cry, more of surprise than anything. She was already fifty feet higher than she had been, and still rising. When she looked away from Michael's stricken face, to whatever it was holding her, she gasped again. She was looking into the left nostril of the biggest gorilla she'd ever seen.

"What the –"

King Kong. King Kong had her.

A/N: Review please