CHAPTER 6

".... of not breathing, Bruce…"

Bruce audibly scoffed behind me just enough for me to hear him. Without even looking at him, I knew what he was doing. He was pissed and he had every right to be. I was his friend, probably his only true friend since Alfred died and I left him out of the loop. A fact I wasn't proud of, but something I felt like I needed to do at the time.

Bruce would have tried to stop me, I know he would have. Though he portrayed himself as a hard ass, he was a loving soul underneath all the armor. He would have told me to put on my big boy pants and just leave Lois. He would have told me that my relationship with Lois was toxic. Something I've always known. We were toxic. I needed to feel normal and Lois gave me that at the cost of my soul.

At that point in my life ten years ago, the toxic mess that was me and Lois made me feel safe. But it was a lie, it was always a lie. No one cared about me being with Lois, but Lois. If I'd told Bruce what I was planning he would have told Diana. He would have used my weakness against me to make me stay. My double life would have been in jeopardy with Diana. I wouldn't have been able to escape from being myself, my true self with her. She made me want more, more than what humanity probably would have expected. A family… Children… God only knows what they would do if…. No leaving was the right thing to do. It was safer...

I sighed as I made up my mind that I was going to let Bruce have this round. He deserved that much.

"Not breathing," Bruce replied mockingly. "Give me a damn break…"

"I'm sorry Bruce…" I replied humbly.

I told myself to suck it up as I watched Bruce raise his eyebrow with amusement. I knew the fast I conceded that I fucked up the sooner I could turn my attention to Diana.

"I'm sorry?" Bruce gasped as he let out a laugh. "Kent, you up and leave for a decade. Did you expect that half-assed explanation was going to give you a pass?"

"Bruce…" J'onzz said over the com.

"No, J'onzz," Bruce hissed as he turned to Diana. "You don't get to cover for his ass, not this time."

I felt the rage as it spewed from his lips as he spoke.

"Kal…"

"Let me handle this, J'onzz," I replied to J'onzz over our mind-link. "I betrayed him and his trust, J'onzz."

"If you need me," J'onzz said as he reluctantly closed the comlink. "Bruce, you need to leave them too."

"The hell I will," Bruce spat back.

"Let it out Bruce," I said calmly. "Say what you've got to say…"

"Oh, I will you son of a bitch!" Bruce continued as he stood beside Diana.

"That's low Bruce," Diana replied without looking at Bruce. "Even for you…"

"No leaving without consulting his so-called besties was lower," Bruce replied.

"Maybe he had his reasons,"

She kept her eyes on me as she spoke. Her eyes searched my own for a reason for my actions.

"Lois told him to," Bruce spat back as he tossed up his hands into the air. "She has him by his fucking balls Diana. You and I both know it. He's probably here so she can get a damn story…"

Bruce pointed his fingers at me as he spoke.

"Bruce…" I interjected. "I know you're mad at me but I would never betray either of you like that…"

"Oh but you did," Bruce replied.

"Bruce don't," Diana said as she shook her head.

"You think you're in the clear because J'onzz let you back up here," Bruce continued as he placed himself in between Diana and myself. "Got tired of dealing with the real Lois, didn't you? Balls needed a break from her vice grip?"

I closed my eyes as I tried to gather myself. Though hard to hear, he was right. Diana's whole demeanor changed when Bruce brought up the idea of Lois looking for a story. It was as if the light left her face.

"Is that why you came back," Diana said coldly. "Because Lois needed another story?"

I moved slightly so that I could see Diana's face but Bruce continued to place himself between us. He was trying to shield her face from me.

"Diana," he said softly. "Don't go there, I was joking… She wouldn't try anything like that again."

I looked at the back of Bruce's head puzzled.

"Do what again?" I asked. "What did Lois do to you?"

Bruce's head snapped back at me. There was hate within his eyes.

"Just go back 'home' Kent," Bruce ordered. "You've had you 15 minutes of freedom, I'm sure Lois is waiting for your ass to come crawling back…."

"I'm not leaving, especially not now," I said firmly.

I whirled around Bruce and stood in front of Diana. I reached out and touched both her arms.

"What did Lois do to you, Diana?" I asked as her eyes looked up into my eyes.

"Tell him to ask Lois," Bruce added as he turned his attention back to Diana.

He reached out for her shoulder but she avoided his touch. She slid just out of his reach pulling me along with her. As she stared into my eyes, I loosened my grip on her arms as my hands slid off her arms.

"I don't need you to fight my battles for me, Bruce," she said as she looked over at Bruce.

"Well someone has to fight for your well-being," Bruce replied. "You're too kind to tell him off."

"I mean her no harm, Bruce," I replied. "You above all people should know that."

"Says the man who left her!" Bruce hissed. "You caused her the most harm possible…I had to pick up the pieces after you got your happy ending."

I tossed my hands up into the air in frustration.

"Some happy ending I got Bruce!" I growled. "I left the only woman I cared about because I was a fucking coward! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW BRUCE, I ADMITTED IT. I WAS A COWARD!"

A smug look came across Bruce's face as he leaned over towards Diana.

"Yup," Bruce said. "Want me to leave some kryptonite with you in case he acts a fool?"

"That won't be necessary," Diana replied with a nod.

Bruce looked over to me as he slid a black box back into his side pocket.

"... Don't fuck it up this time Kent," he said as he turned to leave. "You break her heart again and I'll kill you."

Bruce left us after he kissed Diana's cheek. I deliberately do so in front of me as one lost dig at my ego.

"Sorry about his outburst Superman," she said.

I was taken aback by the formalness of her tone. Her calling me Superman made me feel sick to my stomach. I was Kal-El to her. Out of all the league, she was the only one outside of J'onzz she was the only one who ever referred to me by my birth name.

"It's Kal, Diana," I blurted out. "It's always been Kal to you…"

Diana laughed.

"I'm not that woman anymore Superman," she replied.

I took a step towards her and reached out for her cheek. She grabbed my hand before I could touch her cheek.

"But she's still in there," I replied as I stared into her eyes. "I can see her in there."

"Why are you back?"

I sighed, "Because I missed you."

I shifted our hands until our hands were intertwined.

"Are you going to tell me what Lois did?" I asked.

She lowered her head.

"You truly don't know?" she asked.

I slipped my hand under her chin and brought her gaze back up to own.

"When I left the Planet I stopped reading it," I replied.

I left a lot of things when I decided to be with Lois. Both the league and the Planet were on the chopping block. Diana took a deep breath as I felt her hand trembling in mine.

"Diana…"

"She wrote about me…"

Diana paused. There was fear in her eyes.

"About us…."

"Why?"

"She blamed me for you leaving the league,"

I shook my head in disbelief.

"Come again,"

"She wrote an article saying that I wanted you," Diana took in a deep breath. "She called me a homewrecker and a whore. You left because of my advances..."

"Stop," I whispered as I pulled her into my arms.

I couldn't hear anymore. Lois played dirty, but this was just plain wrong. I placed a kiss on top of her head. Breathing in the sweet smell of her. Lilies...

"I'm sorry for not being there to protect you," I whispered into the top of her head.

"It takes a lot more than some words to break me," she replied with a half-smile.

"But my leaving did," I added.

There was a long silence between us.

"Why did you leave us…"

I placed one last kiss on top of her head.

"Because I was afraid of what they might do if I choose to be with you," I said as I held her in my arms. "Being away from you was supposed to take away the temptation of wanting you."

She took a deep breath.

"Did it?"

"No," I replied as I stepped away from her.

I leaned down and claimed her lips. My words weren't needed, action was. As our lips touched, air… finally. My first breath of fresh air in ten years.