DISCLAIMER: The Justice League of America
characters are the property of DC Comics. The story contents are the creation
and property of Djinn and are copyright (c) 2005 by Djinn. This story is Rated R.
Redesign Remixed
by Djinn
Their little vacation to "get to know each other again" had been a
disaster. Lois had tried at first. Tried much, much too hard. And the more she tried, the more he kept
thinking about that night in the park with Diana. How it had felt to kiss her still-eager lips,
how it had felt to see her smile at him as if nothing had changed.
The phone rang, startling
him. In the past, he'd have heard it
start to vibrate well before the noise hit the normal range. Nothing so mundane would ever have startled
him. He wondered if Superman got any
calls.
Lois walked out of the
bedroom and handed him the phone.
"It's Wonder Woman."
Her face lacked most of the coldness that Diana's name usually brought
to it--just one more indication that his wife didn't give a damn what he did
anymore.
He put the phone to his ear. "Diana?"
"Kal?" She sounded
utterly confused. Since Alcmaeon, he
never called her when Lois was around, never asked her to call him back at a
time when Lois might pick up.
"I need a favor."
"I'll be right
there," she said, and he loved that she didn't even ask what the favor
was. "The roof
again?"
"Yes, the roof. I'll see you in a few minutes." He cut the connection, put the phone down,
and stared at his wife. "You're
sure about this?"
"I have to
know." Her face didn't become any
less stony as she turned and walked out of the apartment, heading for the roof.
He followed, not hurrying as
she held the elevator with visible annoyance at his leisurely pace. When they got to the top floor, she hurried
out and opened the door to the roof, leaving him behind in her haste to get up
there.
Sighing, he took the stairs
slowly. His life--what was left of it,
anyway--was breaking apart, and he wasn't going to hurry to watch it crash and
burn. Lois turned as he opened the door
to the roof, then she looked away. Diana
flew in a few moments later, staring at Lois as if unsure what to do.
"
Diana wisely did not comment,
just waited for more information. She
didn't look at
"I need to talk to
Superman. In person. I know you can arrange that."
"Why would I want
to?"
Lois's eyes blazed. "You visit
Diana's face lost all
expression. "Your husband is
standing right there." She pointed
at
"Part of my husband is
right there."
"And not the part she
wants."
"I'm sorry." Diana's face lost its hard edge, becoming
soft sympathy.
Lois looked a little angry at
the idea that he was telling Diana their private things. "I want to talk to Superman."
"No, you
don't." Diana took a long
breath. "Trust me on this. You really don't."
"I don't trust you on
anything."
Diana smiled tightly, but she
looked stung. "I guess I deserve
that." She turned, walking over to
him, moving him away from Lois.
"Are you all right?" Her
hand was warm on his arm.
He nodded.
"You're sure?"
He met her eyes. There was no
judgment, just worry and love.
"No, I'm not all
right. She doesn't want me." He looked down, barely whispered. "Maybe she never did. Maybe all she really cared about was
Superman?"
He expected Diana to tell him
he was wrong, but she just murmured, "Maybe it was." Her hand tightened on him. "I'll get Superman, but only if you ask
me to do it."
He met her eyes. "Do it, please?" He swallowed hard. "Then...will you get me out of
here?"
She nodded. "Anywhere you want to go."
Anywhere but here would be
fine. Anywhere but here and with Diana by
his side would be even better.
As she took off into the
cloudless sky to fetch Superman, Lois looked over at him. "How long have you loved her?"
He was tired of lying. He was tired of sparing her feelings. "I don't know. A long time."
"Then he loves her too,
I guess." She looked up, as if she
could see wherever Superman was if she just looked hard enough.
"I don't think he
does. Diana wasn't trying to protect
anything. You'll be disappointed with
him, Lois."
"He'll be
Superman." She sounded very sure
that Superman was the best thing for her now.
"Yes, he will be
that." Clark turned and walked
away. He stared over at where he knew
the park was. There was a building in
the way, but he could imagine his favorite part of the park--enclosed, safe,
and the place where he'd kissed Diana.
He heard Lois's breathy,
"Hi," and turned to see Diana and Superman land on the roof.
He moved closer, fascinated
by the outfit Diana had described. He
maneuvered so he could see the cut-out back.
And...yes, those did seem to be ruffles. Diana was right. It was the lamest outfit ever.
"Miss Lane, Diana said
you wanted to see me?"
Lois gave him the smile that
had invariably caused Clark's knees to tremble.
It was a devastating expression, especially coupled with her sparkling eyes
as she looked up at his super-twin.
His doppelganger seemed
immune. "What is the problem?"
Lois took his arm. "I'd prefer to discuss this in
private."
"We were just
leaving," Clark said, feeling less bravado than his tone indicated. He looked over at Diana, praying she hadn't
changed her mind about helping him out.
She smiled--a smile easily as
devastating as Lois's. Maybe more so because it was only for him. "Let's go, Kal."
Lois shot Diana a look, as if
surprised that she would call him that.
"He's not Kal." Then
she looked up at Superman. "He's
not Kal. You are."
"I am
Superman." He shrugged her hand off
his arm.
Clark thought that Lois's
face turned about five shades of red.
"I'll refrain from
saying she told you so," Clark said, a smile he knew to be very vindictive
on his face. He turned to Diana as she
snaked her arms around him.
"Ready?" she asked
softly.
He nodded, then on impulse,
leaned in to kiss her. She didn't push
him away, and her arms tightened around him.
It wasn't a long kiss, but it was a good one.
When he pulled away, he said
softly, "Let's go."
As Diana took off, he caught
a look at Lois and Superman. Lois seemed
ready to strangle them both. Superman
looked utterly indifferent.
--------------
Clark sat on the small sofa
in his hotel room, trying to decide what he wanted to do. Diana would have let him move into the
Embassy, but he didn't want to put her out or cause too many questions. And he
needed to make his own life too. He'd
already started on that--the editor at the Times had been thrilled at Clark's
sudden willingness to leave the Daily Planet and defect to New York. Now, he just had to decide where to live.
And he had to decide which
divorce lawyer to pick from the list in the phone book. Divorce--it would have seemed
incomprehensible to him a few months ago.
But now...now, it was the only road left to him.
A soft knock sounded on the
door. Then there was the sound of the door
opening. Smiling, he got up. He loved how Diana always knocked first, even
though he'd given her a key-card to his room.
"Hi." She was dressed casually. Jeans, a white sweater,
and sandals. She looked utterly
beautiful.
"Hi." He held out his arms, and she dropped the bag
she was carrying and went to him without hesitation, her lips lifting to his
almost on reflex.
He could kiss this woman
forever and die a happy man.
When they pulled apart again,
he led her to the sofa. "I'm
employed again."
Her smile was brilliant. "I had no doubt you would be."
"It was a risk. Just leaving everything the way I did."
She nodded. She never sugarcoated the hard things in
life, and he loved that about her.
"But you took the risk. It
was brave of you."
"Super
of me."
Laughing, she pulled him to
her again. "I don't need
super."
This time the kiss was
different. Deeper. Harder to back away from. He gently took hold of her upper arms and
pushed her away just enough that she had to look up at him. "Diana, you can't kiss me like that if
you don't want to..."
"Did I say I didn't want
to?" Her smile was mischievous.
"Well, no." He stroked her hair, trying to read her eyes,
trying to figure out if now was the right time. If it would ever be the
right time.
"You're thinking too
hard about this, Kal."
"I'm not super anymore,
Diana."
Her lips on his were
light. "I don't care."
"I may not be that
good."
Both of her eyebrows shot
up. "Not to make light of your
worries, but it isn't as if I have anything to compare you to."
Smiling, he said,
"That's true." It was a silly
thing to make him feel better, but it did.
"Didn't you ever...on the island?
With one of the other women?"
She blushed.
"You did!" He laughed, kissing her in delighted
surprise. "Was it good?"
"It felt
great." Her blush deepened. "But it wasn't love. She was my friend, and we were just fooling
around. Just making each other feel good
when the mood struck us."
"Nothing
wrong with that." He kissed his way up to her ear, whispered,
"Have you ever been in love?"
"Yes. With you."
It was the best answer. "Do you want to make love to me,
Diana?"
She pulled away, staring at
him, her smile growing. "I've
wanted to for years."
He laughed. "Yeah, me too." Pushing her back a bit, he pulled her shirt
up, exposing her stomach. "I want
to make you feel good. I want this to be
great for you."
"It will be, Kal. I'm with you." Her fingers were tangled in his hair, raking
his scalp in a way that sent shivers of the best kind down his spine.
He kissed her skin; it was
warm and soft and smelled of spice and lemon.
"If I do something you like, let me know. Smile, moan, or maybe scream." He grinned as she laughed at the last
bit. "And if I do something you
don't like, try not to break any of my bones, okay?"
She laughed again. "Okay."
He pulled her shirt up,
following the trail of fabric with his lips.
The last time they'd been in this position, he'd worked his way down,
pulling her uniform off before she'd told him to stop. Now there was no uniform. He wondered if she'd done that deliberately.
Looking up at her, he said
softly, "You left your uniform home?"
Smiling as if she understood
what he was getting at, she shook her head.
"I never wear it off duty.
It's in my bag though." She moaned
softly as he went back to exploring her body.
He stood up, holding his hand
out. "The old me would have swept
you off your feet and carried you to the bed."
She let him pull her up. Then the mischievous look was back, and she
suddenly swept him up, carrying him to the bed and tossing him onto it. Laughing, he grabbed her arm and yanked her
down to him. She fell on top of him, and
he rolled so she was underneath him.
She kissed him, her mouth
open and questing, her body pushing up against his in a way that was a long way
from innocent. "I love you,"
she murmured as she pulled his shirt off.
"I love you
more." He pulled her shirt off too.
"No
way." She pushed him over onto his back, and went
to work on his pants. It was clear that
she lacked experience in the rapid removal of button fly jeans.
"Want some
pointers?"
She bit her lip and shook her head.
"Now is probably a good
time to remind you that parts of me need to be handled with care. So no ripping the pants off
in frustration."
She glared up at him. "All of you needs
to be handled with care. That's not the
point. I will get this." She bent back to the task. "I wear these. It's just harder from this angle."
"So, I see." He crossed his arms behind his head and closed
his eyes. "Wake me when you're
done."
Suddenly, she was kissing him
again, climbing on top of him.
"Let's see you do better with the bra."
He reached behind her with
one hand and flipped the hooks free with a quick move of his fingers.
She stared down as he pulled
the white cotton from her. "Not
super, huh?"
"Oh, I learned that back
in Smallville."
She laughed. "With Lana?"
"A gentleman never
tells." He went to work on her own button fly.
It was open in moments.
"Okay, Kal. What's the secret?"
Rolling his eyes, he buttoned
her back up. Then, as she watched, he flicked
each button open. She crawled off him
and repeated the motion on him. His fly fell
open.
She looked as pleased as if
she'd just defeated Darkseid and all his evil
minions.
"Happy now?" he
asked.
She nodded, then looked down at him.
"Are you?"
"You're lying next to me
half-naked on a bed, and you're about to make love to me. Happy does not begin to cover it."
It was the right thing to say. He could tell by the way her smile went from
slightly tentative to very seductive. It
was also the truth--happy did not begin to cover it.
Pulling her down to him, he
pushed her jeans and underwear off as she stretched out next to him, her chest
against his. Skin to
skin finally. Somehow, she
managed to pull his jeans off too.
He met her eyes. "You're sure about this, Diana?"
Her fingers deftly removing
his underwear were one answer.
Her lips meeting his as she
pulled him to her were an even better one.
But the sensation of their
bodies joining after having been denied for so long was the best one of all.
--------------------
Diana lay curled against him
as Clark stared up at the ceiling, lost in a dreamy haze. He looked over at her, saw that her eyes had
closed and her breathing had slowed. She
was asleep in his arms. Naked. Tired. Happy. Satisfied.
He smiled as he remembered
how she'd bucked under him. It hasn't
been fake--he didn't think she could have pretended to nearly break his neck as
he'd pleasured her, or that she could fake the red flush that had covered her
chest as she'd come down from the very nice place he'd sent her to--multiple
times. She'd gotten better at
controlling her more dangerous reactions with each time they'd done it. Which was crucial for him
if he wanted to survive the sex.
He might not be super, but he
felt pretty damn close. Moaning softly,
Diana shifted, the motion bringing her body against his more securely. He was too tired to do anything about it
other than to reach over and stroke her arm gently.
She opened her eyes, staring
at him blurrily. "Are you all
right, Kal?"
He laughed. "Just enjoying this. I didn't mean to wake you."
"It's okay." Her hand began to travel up and down his leg.
"Love,
there is no way that doing that will have any effect right now."
Her smile was silly, and he
leaned over and kissed her. Her mouth
opened; her tongue found his, and as she pressed against him, her chest bumping
against his own, he felt life stirring in the southern continent.
"Then again," he
murmured, as he pushed her to her back.
"You're a very bad influence, your highness."
Her face clouded, and he
remembered that Bruce had called her that sometimes when he wanted to mock her.
"I say that with the
utmost affection," he said, nuzzling her neck, as her hand continued its
dastardly work.
"Maybe
so. But you need to find another nickname for me."
"Fair
enough." He nibbled on her ear. "Later."
Laughing, she pulled him onto
her.
"You are insatiable, my
love," he said. "If you're not
careful, you'll kill me with pleasure."
"No, I won't." She laid a hand on his chest. "Thump. Thump.
Thump. Nice and
regular."
He shot her a look.
"Okay a little faster
than that."
"That's your fault,"
he said.
"Shut up and make love
to me." Before he could say
anything else, she kissed him and made it impossible to talk anymore.
----------------------
New York spread underneath
him as Diana flew them to the spot they'd discovered out in the mountains to
the west. She landed, her hand joining with
his as soon as she let him down onto their favorite walking trail.
He watched her for a moment,
and she shot him a shy smile, the way she always did when he admired her with a
certain look.
"Uncomfortable?" he
asked.
"No. It's just so...intimate the way you look at
me sometimes."
"Intimate
bad?"
She moved closer, her hip
bumping against his. "No,
intimate good. This is still new
for me. It's still a bit of a
revelation. I didn't expect to have more
communion with you than what we already had as
friends."
He nodded, smiling
happily. "I know." He wondered sometimes if he and Lois had
lacked something he and Diana had, or if his relationship with Diana had always
been too much of an obstacle for any true intimacy--any true trust--to develop
in his marriage.
Or maybe he just shouldn't
have nearly cheated with Diana and then lost his powers. Not a good combo of events.
"What are you
thinking?" She laughed at the look
on his face. "It can't be
good."
"I was wondering if
maybe the way I feel about you jinxed Lois and me. From the beginning, I mean?"
She shook her head. "I don't think so. I think you were right, if you were still
Superman, she'd have forgiven you."
There were times he almost
wished Diana would sugarcoat things. "Not very complimentary to plain old Clark."
"You've never been that
to me." Sighing, she dropped his
hand and wrapped her arms around him.
"I said that badly. Or too bluntly."
"No. You're honest. You've always been honest." He kissed her hair. "I hate that she loves the 'S' more than
Clark...or Kal."
"Kal's always been
mine," Diana said with no uncertainty in her voice. And she was right. Kal had always been hers.
"My divorce will be
finalized in five months. Lois isn't
contesting." It had surprised him a
little. He'd thought that she might make
overtures when Superman hadn't proven interested. But she hadn't.
It stung his pride a little
that she still didn't want him. But the
woman beside him--the woman who loved him with such fierceness--took that sting
away entirely.
She looked up at him. "And...?"
"And...I was wondering
if you wanted to get married."
She seemed to think about
it. "I'm not sure."
"Wow, that's flattering,
Diana."
Smiling, she pulled him to
her and kissed him soundly. "I'm
not sure how I feel about marriage. I'm
not ruling it out."
"Well, thank God for
small favors." He pretended to sulk
so she'd kiss him some more.
She appeared to be wise to
his devious plan because she just laughed at him and pulled him after her down
the trail.
"I love you, Diana. I will always love you."
Turning, she smiled tenderly
and seemed about to say something when the silence of the trail was shattered
by the JLA alert going off.
It was Arthur. "Diana, come to the watchtower. And bring Clark."
She turned to Clark, her
smile dying as she nearly whispered, "You've found a way to put them back
together?"
"I'm not sure,"
Arthur said. "Just hurry."
She looked like she was going
to cry as she gathered him up in her arms and flew back to the city to get the
suit he'd need to make the trip to the tower.
"I love you, Diana. I'll always love you."
"If it works, you may
not even remember this, Kal."
He hadn't thought of that; they'd
never talked about it. "That's why
you won't talk about marriage, isn't it?"
She didn't answer, just
turned her head--probably so he couldn't see her tears.
"I'll love you forever,
Diana."
"You said the same thing
to Lois, Kal. Which one of those promises
will you remember when you and Superman are one person again?"
-----------------------
Kal flexed his fingers,
amazed at how even the most subtle motion felt different, felt bigger. He was super again. He was whole again.
He saw Diana watching him
from the other side of the room, then she turned away
slowly.
Walking over to her, he put
his hand on her shoulder. "I have
to go out for a while."
"To
Lois?"
"Yes."
"Just
for a while?"
"Yes." Turning, he walked away from her. But he heard a strangled sob, so low that he
would never have caught it when he was just Clark.
He walked back to her,
turning her so she was staring at him.
"I'm sorry, Diana. I have to
do this."
She nodded. "I have things to do in New York. Go do what you have to do." She sounded like she didn't think she'd ever
see him again.
He
teleported to the roof of his apartment building. Instead of
flying to the window, he took the stairs.
Walking, one foot in front of the other. The human way. Clark's way.
He knocked on the door,
resisting the urge to use his super-vision to see if Lois was there.
The peephole suddenly
darkened, then she opened the door slowly. "Superman?"
"It's me. It's Clark."
Joy suffused her face, and
she threw herself at him, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck. Her smile as she stared up at him was the one
that had always brought him to his knees.
He pulled her arms from around his neck, taking care not to hurt her. Then he stepped away. "I just wanted you to know I was back."
"But..."
"I told you, it's
me. It's Clark. The Clark you didn't want." He touched the "S" on his shirt. "This is just a costume, Lois. And the powers--they're just
enhancements. The real me is buried
deep. The real me is a small-town boy
from Kansas--or a Kryptonian. But not a superhero.
That's just what I do."
"No. That's who you are. The image, the icon. The symbol. You give people hope."
"Do I give you
hope?"
"Of
course."
He stared hard at her. "If I give you so much hope, then where
were you when I needed some?"
"I tried,
Clark." She held a hand out. "You were just so different without
Superman."
"Diana didn't think
so."
Her hand dropped. "She wanted you. She'd take anything." She seemed to realize how mean that sounded. "She knew you were mine. You'll always be mine." Moving toward him again, her smile had a hint
of desperation buried in the seduction.
"Come inside, Clark. Come home."
"I'll always love you,
Lois." He held up a hand. "But it's not going to happen. This isn't home anymore. I'm with Diana. She made me feel super when I was just
Clark. You...you never let me forget I
was lacking something special." He
turned to go.
"I could contest the
divorce."
"Don't," he said,
and he could hear something in his voice, something resolved, something from deep inside him, from just Clark.
He shot her
a look and saw her step back.
Apparently, just Clark was scary.
Turning, he walked back up to
the roof and stepped off the building, letting himself
fall the way that Diana had when she'd first taken him flying. Then he surged back up, flying over
Metropolis for a few minutes, relishing having this back, before turning to
head for New York.
She was on the roof when he
got to the Embassy, her arms wrapped around herself as if she couldn't get warm
in the sweltering summer heat. He didn't
land, just let loose a sharp whistle.
Her head shot up, then she launched herself into the air, joining him
quickly. He grabbed her hand and flew
with her back to the mountains they both loved.
They landed, and she was in
his arms, kissing him frantically.
"I thought..."
"You need to trust me,
Diana."
"I'll work on
that."
"See that you
do." He picked her up in his
arms. "I believe I need to return
this favor?" Then he carried her
off the trail, to a small swimming hole they'd found on their early trips to
the mountains. Grinning, he tossed her
in.
He dove in too, swimming out
to her. She dunked him as soon as he
came in range, and he pulled her to him, kissing her underwater. They both came up breathless.
"Ever made love in the
water?" He smiled. She and Clark had done it often.
"Yes. With you."
"With
me-Superman? Or with me-Clark?"
"It's the same thing. It's always been the same thing for me." She kissed him as she pulled off his
uniform--or tried to.
He laughed. "Do you want some pointers?"
"No," she said,
jerking up on the fabric.
"May I remind you,"
he said, his voice rising sharply, "that some parts still require a
certain amount of careful handling."
She stopped what she was
doing. "Fine. What's the secret?"
He showed her.
"Ingenious," she
said, dragging it the rest of the way off even as he removed her uniform.
Then they were together again. Bodies
joined, lips pressing against each other, just the way they'd done before.
Kal grinned. Aside from super-stamina and super-strength,
it wasn't all that different--it was still great.
"What?" she asked
as they dragged themselves out of the water and lay down on their sopping
uniforms.
"I love you." He nestled against her. "And I'm happy."
"Are you sure? You could have her back."
"Yes. I know."
He kissed her. "I find I'm
quite content with my current partner."
"You are, huh?"
He nodded.
She curled into him, her
hands running over his chest, the way he liked, glancing lightly down in the
way that usually made him shiver.
He couldn't feel it as well
now. "Do it harder."
She pressed down more, and he
felt the familiar shudder begin at the nape of his neck and travel to his spine. "Perfect."
"Once you're divorced,
if you ask me to marry you, I'll say yes."
"You will?"
She nodded and went back to
inducing shivers. "And for the
record, I'd have married
"I get that now." He kissed her, was about to pull her onto him,
when both of their JLA alerts rang with the general call to assemble for some
incoming danger.
They dressed quickly, and he
dried her hair for her with his super-breath.
It ended up tangled, and he realized there were a few leaf remnants in
it. He had a hard time keeping his hands
off her as they waited for the teleporter to take
them--she'd never looked sexier.
It looked like Bruce thought
so too. He couldn't take his eyes off
her. Kal kept close to her throughout
the briefing, and, without thinking, he put his hand on the small of her
back. She leaned back into his touch.
Bruce met his eyes, tipping
his head as if conceding a contest. Then
he smiled at him and mouthed, "Congratulations."
Kal mouthed back,
"Thanks."
Suddenly, Plastic Man
extended his neck over and over and over, until he was behind them and watching
Kal's hand on Diana's back. "What's
this?"
Diana smacked him the way she
always did, catching Kal's hand as he started to pull it away. "Get over it, Plastic Man." Her voice invited no debate.
"Damn it. Off the market before I even got my
shot. And can I point out he's a married
man?"
This time it was Bruce who
walloped him. "Shut
up, pea-brain." He pointed
to the screen where about twenty unknown entities were headed their way. "Big time trouble coming and I'm looking
forward to it. Didn't
like being split apart."
"Oh, it had its
advantages," Kal said, causing Diana to laugh. "But I'm glad to be back." He held out a hand to Bruce. "Glad to be back with the people who
mean the most to me."
Bruce took his hand, gave it
a firm squeeze. Then he looked over at
Diana. She laid her hand over their
joined ones and squeezed gently.
"My best friends,"
she said softly. Then she let go of them
and looked over at J'onn. "Are we ready?"
"Let's go kick some
alien butt," Wally said, doing a quick lap around the watchtower. They could hear him laughing the whole way
around.
Kal thought he might even
have heard a very un-Flash-like "wheeeeeeee!"
buried in the laugh. He looked over at
Diana, saw her grin too. Even Bruce
looked amused, although he was watching Plastic Man warily, as if waiting for
another chance to bop him.
Kal couldn't help it; he
laughed.
It was great to be home.
FIN