Clark and Diana's Room – Clark's House
The creak of the window was muffled by the warm afternoon breeze. Curtains fluttered slowly, spreading the sweet scent of old wood and the countryside. Sunlight filtered through the folds, gilding the room with a subtle glow.
Clark leaned against the wall, arms crossed. His boots still caked with dirt. His jacket hung on the doorknob. His eyes fixed on the map spread across the desk.
Diana appeared in the mirror's reflection. Her hair tied in a simple, firm bun. She wore a tight dark cotton blouse and training pants—the kind of outfit she chose when she didn't want interruptions.
"You're going out again."
Her voice was direct. Cold as steel, no nonsense.
Clark turned his face slowly. His chest rose and fell with restrained calm.
"I have to."
Diana crossed her arms. Her stance was rigid, like an ancient statue about to move.
"Is it urgent?"
"Yes."
"Is it dangerous?"
Clark hesitated. Just long enough for her to notice.
"Yes."
Diana approached with measured steps. The floor creaked under her feet, but the sound was swallowed by the weight of the tension between them.
"Then why are you still looking at me like you're trying to convince me not to go?"
Clark glanced at the map. Red circles marked coordinates scattered across continents.
"Because this… isn't a normal mission."
"You don't trust me?"
"I trust you."
"Then why do you want to leave me behind?"
Her tone was low. Firm. Almost silent. But each word cut through the air like a blade.
Clark closed his eyes for a second.
"Because it's exactly because I trust you… that I need you to stay."
Diana's brow furrowed slightly. Her chin lifted, her breathing controlled. A muscle pulsed discreetly in her jaw.
"You want me out of the way."
"No."
"You want to do this alone."
"No."
"You're afraid I'll get hurt?"
"It's not about you."
The silence hit between them like a dull thud.
Clark took a step forward. The sunlight streamed through the glass and touched his face, tracing soft lines over his weary expression.
"It's about them."
Diana's eyes wavered.
"My parents."
She didn't respond immediately. The sound of the wind rustled the curtains, spreading the scent of wet earth and hay. The room felt suspended in time.
"You think they're at risk?"
"I don't think. I know."
Clark leaned over the desk and touched the map's edge. His fingertip lightly traced a red mark.
"Someone's been getting close to the safety lines. They haven't breached. They haven't attacked. But they're watching."
"Then that's exactly why I should go with you."
"No."
His tone was firm. Firmer than before.
"Because I can handle this quickly. Using everything I am. It won't take long."
"You always say that."
"And I've never failed."
Diana pressed her lips together. Her eyes sparked silently. She hated when he used logic against her—especially when she was right.
"You want me to stay here… sitting, waiting?"
"No. I want you to stay here… standing, watching."
Clark stepped closer. Now, the distance between them was minimal. His breath brushed her face like a warm gust.
"There's no one better than you to protect the two most important human beings in my life."
She looked at him, serious.
"And if you don't come back?"
"I will."
"You promise?"
"With everything I am."
The words carried weight. Not the oath of a hero—but the truth of a man.
"I'm not running from you, Diana. I'm trusting you. Placing everything I have in one single certainty."
He touched the side of her face. His thumb glided gently over her warm skin.
"You're my shield. And right now, I need that shield to stand between them and the world."
Her heart raced, but her face held its rigidity. The warrior and the woman battled in silence.
"You always expect me to understand."
"Because you always do. Even when you don't want to."
Clark lowered his head. His forehead touched hers carefully. The gesture was intimate, heavy, laden with unspoken exhaustion.
"I'm not going to save the world, Diana. I'm going to stop it from reaching us here."
"You still haven't told me what it is."
"Because you can't know yet."
Her eyes closed for a second.
"Those things… those stones you keep. This has to do with them?"
Clark didn't answer. But the silence spoke for him.
"Then it's bigger than it seems."
"It's deeper. And older than anything we've ever faced."
She took a step back. Her gaze still locked on his.
"And you want me to protect your parents while you face this alone?"
"I don't want to. I need to."
The response sounded like a confession. Or a plea.
"You could take me with you."
"I could. But I shouldn't."
"Why?"
"Because if I fail… someone has to be here. Steady. Alert. Impossible to bring down."
Diana crossed her arms. Her chest heaved with restrained tension.
"And you really think I'll be able to look your mother in the eyes without thinking I should've been there with you?"
"You'll look at her and remember you're here… for me. That your sword protects more than just battlefronts. It protects who I am… where I came from."
"You're sure of all this?"
"I am."
She walked to the window. Her hands rested on the frame. The field outside, vast and calm. But her heart was a storm.
"You know how much this tears me apart inside, don't you?"
"I know."
"You know how useless I feel when I'm not by your side?"
"You're never useless, Diana."
Clark approached from behind. His hands lightly touched her arms.
"You're the wall. And every wall needs to be in the right place… when the siege begins."
She turned her face slowly. The glint in her eyes was brighter now. The pain there wasn't doubt—it was loving too much.
"You have a damn habit of convincing me with pretty words."
Clark smiled, weakly.
"Maybe because every one of them is true."
Diana closed her eyes for a moment. Her breathing was silent. But there was something in her stance now—something different. A kind of armed acceptance.
"You'll be back before sunset?"
"If I can."
"And if you don't…"
"I will."
She turned, facing him firmly.
"Then go already."
Clark touched her face with both hands. Their foreheads pressed together again. Eyes closed. All of time held between lips that nearly touched.
"Thank you."
She gripped his shirt collar for a moment. Just to feel he was still there.
"Don't make me walk out that door to come get you."
"You're the only one I wouldn't have the courage to face."
She smiled, without smiling.
"Liar."
"Okay. Maybe it'd be an epic showdown."
She laughed, low. A laugh muffled by anguish.
"Go before I change my mind."
Clark stepped back. Grabbed his jacket. Crossed the room with firm but slow steps.
At the door, he paused.
Turned his head over his shoulder.
"If anyone touches them…"
"They turn to dust."
"I love you."
"I know."
The sound of the door closing was soft.
But the echo lingered in the room.
And Diana, alone now, looked at the field again.
The sky was clear.
But inside, it was already war.
She kept her eyes fixed on the horizon for a few seconds.
'He asks me to protect. To stay. To wait.'
Her hand slipped from the window frame.
'But what about my mother?'
The memory came unbidden. The queen. Her strong face, her sea-like eyes—not of sadness, but of conviction. The last time she saw her… there was no goodbye.
'He took me from there. Brought me here. Gave me this world.'
She pressed her lips together.
'But I still had the other one.'
The wind blew harder, and for a moment, it sounded like the rustle of Themyscira's leaves dancing among white stone columns.
'Staying here now…'
She took a deep breath. Her eyes blinked slowly.
'…means accepting I left her there. And she's still waiting.'
She stepped away from the window.
"Clark will understand."
She walked to the map on the desk. Her fingers slid across the red marks until they reached the corner where he noted routes. That's where she'd write the next one.
"After this is over… I want to go back."
Her voice was low but resolute. No hesitation.
"Even if it's just for a day."
Her fingertips traced an invisible circle on the paper.
"I just want… her to see who I've become."
She fell silent for a moment.
"I want her to know… I chose right."
A faint smile touched her lips.
"But I want you to take me, Clark."
Her hand folded the map carefully.
"From this world to mine."
She raised her face. The field was still there. The mission unchanged.
But now, something new was at stake.
A promise not spoken aloud.
But one he'd hear all the same. When he returned.
And he would return. Because she wouldn't allow otherwise.
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