Now, as Diana stood here at Steve's grave, she realized that maybe she had never ever truly let him go. How could she? Steve had been the only man to love her unconditionally. Steve had been the only man to love her anger. Steve had been the only man to love her conceit. Steve had been the only man to love her… even when she wasn't beautiful. He had been the only…

"You know, he wasn't the only man that will ever love you."

Diana's head snapped around at the sudden sound of Kal's voice. This time, she had been so lost in her own thoughts and memories that she hadn't heard or sensed him.

"What are you doing here, Kal?" Diana asked sternly.

"You shouldn't be here. It's not good for you," he said calmly, giving her nothing to fight.

"Oh really?" she snapped. "And I suppose you don't go to see Lois in Metropolis anymore, do you?" she asked sarcastically.

Kal answered her question calmly, as if he was ready for it. "I found the strength not to go there anymore… just today."

Now he had her attention. Diana turned around and looked up at Kal, her eyes questioning, pleading. "How?"

Kal's face drew into a slight smile, and Diana remembered his smile back at the fortress, all those years ago.

"Come with me, Diana," Kal entreated quietly as he extended his hand to her. "I'd like to show you something."

Trusting him implicitly, Diana took hold of Kal's hand. He gently pulled her into him, and once again she found herself swept off her feet. Kal had again scooped Diana up into his arms.

Oh, how she hated it when he did this to her. Oh, how she loved it when he did this to her!

"Close your eyes," he whispered against her ear.

Diana closed her eyes and felt them soaring through the skies a moment later. She was unable to tell how fast they were going because Kal could fly so effortlessly that his speed was hard to determine. She laid her head comfortably against his chest and waited.

After a few moments, she felt the temperature around them drop considerably. This only caused her to snuggle more closely against him and get even more comfortable. But then, the ride was suddenly over. Diana felt Kal lower her legs, and she started to look up.

"Don't open your eyes yet," he said quickly.

Diana nodded, and as she felt Kal release her legs, she also felt an odd floating sensation, unlike anything she'd felt before. She guessed that Kal must still be holding her, using his powers to keep her in the air. Then, she felt an immense warmth on her right side. It felt so soothing and relaxing that it began to bring a calmness to her soul.

However, her pulse suddenly shot up sky high, as she felt Kal's strong hands slip all the way around her waist to take hold around her abdomen and pull her back tight against him. He had never… ever… held her like this before, and she opened her eyes in surprise.

But the sight before her took her breath away completely.

"Great Hera!" she exclaimed in a breathless whisper. "It's so beautiful. How?"

Diana had opened her eyes to find herself watching the sunrise… from above the earth's atmosphere. As her mind tried desperately to figure out how this was possible, her eyes couldn't turn away from the enchanting sight before her.

"Do you see that sunrise, Diana?" Kal whispered softly in her ear.

Diana barely managed to nod her head.

"That's how beautiful you are to me. Always."

Tears welled in Diana's eyes. She was unable to stop them. How? How could this man know the exact words she needed to hear. She turned in his arms, placing her hands on his cheeks. "I… I don't understand, Kal. How is this possible?"

"You haven't noticed that we seem to be able to sense one another now? Or that we can almost read one another's minds?

"I had noticed something, but I hadn't been able to grasp it. I thought that I was the only one feeling it."

"Your powers have been growing slowly for the past nine months. J'onn said that he thinks certain previously dormant parts of your anatomy have been slowing awakening. We chose not to inform you from fear that the heightened awareness would cease the growth. He said that he believes it is some kind of final maturation."

Diana's heart began to sink again. "Old age, then?"

"Not like you're thinking," Kal said quickly. "J'onn thinks it is related to your lineage. It may be that… this is the time in which preparation has begun… for you to take your place among the gods that created you."

"Why did you choose to show me this now, Kal? Why…" Her eyes were filled with deeper questions.

Kal knew what she was truly asking, and he was slightly confused. "Don't you know, Diana? Haven't you always known? About us?"

Diana's eyes searched Kal's deeply. Yes. She did know. She realized that somewhere deep inside. Still, she wanted… needed… to hear him say the words.

"Kal… I…" she whispered.

Kal grinned slightly. "I'm not being presumptuous, here. I remember the first time that we met. I remember the sparkle that was in your eyes when you and I first stared at one another, and I imagine that I had a similar look in my own eyes. I knew then that if not for Steve Trevor, and his bringing you to the outside world, there would have been something between us. But, I could see that Steve had your heart and I stepped back, resigning myself to the role of your friend. Then, when I fell in love with Lois, I knew that I had to love her first."

"First?"

"On the day that you married Steve Trevor, didn't you know that one day he was going to grow old, while you remained young and vibrant? Didn't you know that one day he would be lying on his deathbed, while you were still in your prime?"

"Yes, I did," Diana said, lowering her eyes in sorrow. "The same as you knew of Lois?"

"Yes," Kal answered with sadness in his voice. "I knew. Didn't you know that after everyone else… our acquaintances… our co-workers… our friends… were dead and gone, you and I would still be here… together?"

"I knew it, Kal. I did. You always knew this would happen between us?"

Diana began to lean in closer toward his lips. Kal began to lean down toward hers.

"Yes… eventually. We… were always… just… a matter of… time."

Kal's and Diana's lips touched, oh so tenderly. The second kiss is more firm, more demanding. With the third kiss, Diana pushed Kal's lips open, sliding her tongue deep into his mouth and kissing him deeply. She wasn't accustomed to the floating weightlessness of space, and her intensity pushed him backward, sending the two of them gently spinning round and round in the beauty of space. Together, they floated closer and closer to the warmth of the sun.

After what seemed a short eternity, the two of them finally separated. Diana still held a look of slight uncertainty in her eyes. Kal drew her close.

"Diana, you're the only one I could ever share this with. You're the only one that can ever fly with me. You're the only one that I can lean on… be vulnerable with… take into battle… express all my love to. You're the only one I can truly be myself with in totality. Only you…"

Diana placed her hands on his cheeks, her fingers at the corners of his lips. "Kal, I… I wouldn't know where to begin… for us."

Kal looked thoughtful for a moment and then smiled. "I think I may have an idea."

A short time later, in the center of Metropolis, all of the eyes of the city began to look upward. There arose a great joyous stir among the people. Camera crews which had been covering the damage began to catch as many images of the sight flying through the air as they could capture. The footage was immediately broadcast around the world, extending the joy washing over the city to wash over the world. The sight in the skies above Metropolis brought something to the world which it hadn't experienced in the past three years… hope.

Superman and Wonder Woman flew through the air hand in hand.

Three hours later, Clark Kent was walking slowly through the halls of the Watchtower toward Diana's quarters. He was dressed in his best suit, which he hadn't worn in a very long time. He straightened his glasses and looked down at the one single rose in his hand. He had contemplated time and again whether it would have more meaning for her if he had the single flower or if he had gotten the customary dozen roses for her. He had decided on the single rose, but he was second guessing himself with every step.

He turned the final corner down the hallway on which her quarters were stationed, and found Bruce leaning calmly against the wall on his right side.

"You're not going to see her looking like that, are you?" Bruce asked sternly.

At his words, Clark became even more nervous. He looked down at his suit then back up at Bruce. "I guess I could use a little help."

Bruce immediately stepped forward and began to rearrange and straighten Clark's tie. "It's about time you started to take care of yourself again."

"What about you, old friend?" Clark asked with concern in his voice.

Bruce had been able to avoid infection by the virus. His daughter the Huntress had been metahuman and immune. However, his somewhat unrequited beloved heart Selina Kyle had died in the second year of the virus. Bruce had hidden his hurt from the world, but Clark had often seen it in his eyes.

"I'm surviving just fine," Bruce told him.

"It's time for us to stop surviving and start living again, Bruce," Clark said firmly.

"Maybe so," Bruce answered. "You're taking quite a step. The two of you will be a beacon for the rest of us. Now stop wasting time with me and get moving."

Bruce gave Clark a strong shove, and Clark stumbled forward, again straightening his glasses as he resumed his stride. A second later, a gust of wind blew past him, rumpling his hair and his clothes. He looked down to find a full bouquet of a dozen roses now resting in his hand. Oh well, the decision had been made for him.

"Thanks, Wally," Clark called over his shoulder.

"You're very welcome!" came the distant reply. He was already several halls away.

Clark walked the last few feet to Diana's door and took a deep breath. He looked back down the hallway for further support, but it was now empty. He turned back to the door in front of him and raised his hand to knock. Just then, the door opened.

The vision of loveliness before him in the doorway was breathtaking. The lovely Diana Prince was dressed in one of her sleek form fitting white Roman togas which covered her from one shoulder down to her shapely calves. The high heeled white pumps she was wore matched her toga perfectly, almost seeming to blend into each other. Her long dark hair was curled and fell loosely around her shoulders, framing her in a glow of feminine beauty.

Clark had to work to find his voice. "Ms. Prince, Madame Ambassador, I was wondering if you would consider going out with me this evening?"

"Are you asking me out on a date, Mr. Kent?" Diana asked with surprise in her voice.

"Well, um, yes, that's kind of what I had in mind," he said quietly. "I want to do this right."

Diana's lovely face beamed with a smile which touched her eyes, and it made Clark want to see that smile over and over again. "I would be delighted to go out with you," she answered him.

Then she reached forward and took the roses out of Clark's hands. Then she brought them up to her nose and smelled them. Then… she dropped them on the floor.

"However, right now… I have something else in mind," she said quietly and seductively.

Diana grabbed Clark's tie and pulled him inside, closing the door behind them…

The beginning…