Archive of Our Own ^beta

Her apartment feels empty.

Steve had only been in it a few minutes, but the absence of him is everywhere, like a painting removed from the wall leaving only the outline of what had been.

It’s worse at night. She aches to have him beside her, to lie in his arms, to feel him breathing, to hear his heartbeat, to wake up to his smile. The emptiness of her bed presses in on her in the dark, suffocating.

I revoke my wish.

She knows it had been the right choice, the only choice, but she still wakes with his name on her lips and an ache in her chest that won’t ease.

Tonight, she dreams of a place she's never seen before. She stands at the center of a large room. Under her feet, mosaic floors weave an intricate pattern. Above her rises a domed ceiling, painted to look like the night sky. Three of the walls are missing, replaced by marble columns looking out onto a lush green world. Behind her, the remaining wall is dominated by a huge painting. She draws closer and realizes it depicts a similar story to what her mother had told her as a child - the creation of man, their corruption by Ares, the destruction of the gods, the last fight of the Amazons before they retreated to their paradise island. 

“What do you think?”

The voice startles her and she turns to see a man standing behind her, dressed in Greek robes. He seems neither old nor young, his hair and beard curly and full despite the gray. His eyes are ancient, seeming to peer into her very being. 

“It’s beautiful,” she answers. “My mother used to tell me this story.”

“I find it works as an excellent reminder of the folly of the gods to think ourselves invincible.” He moves to stand beside her, frowning sadly at the image of Ares. “I did not realize how far he would go until it was too late.”

Diana takes a step back from him, frowning. “Who are you?”

“I have had many names, child. Do you truly not recognize me?”

She looks back at the painting, at the tall figure standing at the forefront of the gods, thunderbolt in his right hand. “You can’t be. They were all killed.”

“So we allowed the world to believe.”

“Why? I don’t understand.”

Zeus shakes his head. “Ares may not have destroyed us completely, but he came very close. We retreated as he did, to rest and recover what strength we could. By the time we were able to return, mankind had forgotten us and we allowed it to remain so.”

“But why not stop Ares yourself when he returned?”

“Because it was necessary for you to come into your power, child. You needed to be pushed out of your paradise, to see mankind in all their capacity for good and evil, to truly understand who you are." He sighs, seeming suddenly older. "Even at the height of my strength, I could not kill my own son. The world has no need for gods, Diana, but it does have need of you.” 

She shakes her head, blinking back tears, and a warm hand settles on her shoulder.

“I am sorry it came at such a great personal cost,” Zeus says gently. “You have sacrificed much, more than you should have had to. I know how hard it was to revoke your wish, to let him go a second time.”

“It was the hardest thing I have ever done.”

“And that is why I am giving him back to you.”

She stares at him, hope waring in her chest with fear, and Zeus smiles. “I am so proud of you, Diana, my daughter. Wake now and treasure him always.”

She opens her eyes to see dawn breaking. A dream. It had just been a dream. She sighs and slips out of bed. The soft noises of the city beginning to wake filter in as she makes a cup of tea in her kitchen, lit only by the soft light from the window.

The quiet is broken by a knock on her door and Diana frowns. The knock comes again. Tying her robe tighter, she goes to see who it is. She opens the door and freezes, staring into a pair of familiar eyes the color of Themyscira’s ocean. He’s dressed as she remembers him best, in the beige turtleneck sweater and long coat he wore that night in Veld when they danced together in the snow. 

Steve swallows nervously. "Hi," he says finally and her heart starts beating again. She maps his cheek with her hand, feeling the warmth of his skin. Her Steve. Not in a borrowed body this time, not wearing a stranger’s face, but her Steve. She kisses him through her tears and he wraps his arms tight around her in an unspoken promise to never let her go again.