When Captain America steps into the BatCave without his Cowl Diana stops breathing, his face is so familiar but it takes her a very long moment to realize why.
This man isn't some person the American government stuck in the costume when Aliens attacked Ner York, no, this is the original, the one that took a plane down into the ocean just like her Steve took his into the stratosphere.
She stares, she knows she does but she can't help it.
For so long she has mourned her Love, has mourned the loss of life he gave her, that she brought into the world and let go, hoping he'd live and find some measure of happiness only to discover him dead in a remarkably similar way to his father.
She had thought of him everyday since she gave him to her nurse, before the Second World War she'd always imagined him full of laughter, holding hands with someone, happy and full of life.
After she had discovered his death she had mourned, tears falling freely in the privacy of her lonely home.
She had still hoped he'd loved before he died, wondered if he was leaving them behind like her Steve had left her.
'I can save today,' his father had told her, 'You can save the world.'
Diana wondered if perhaps Apollo had shown him the child she'd already carried then, wondered if he had know their child would save the world as well.
Some days she wondered if they'd been afraid to die, afraid of the inevitable end when they climbed into the plane, she wondered what they had thought of in those final moments before they thought of nothing.
The after party of their mission is lively, Tony Stark insisted they celebrate and for whatever reason Bruce agreed and the two were talking science with the other Bruce and Victor.
The other Avengers were scattered around, Ms. Romanov was speaking with Barry and Mr. Barton and Steve was smiling softly at his Love while he challenged Arthur to an arm wrestling contest.
Clark came to stand with her, eyes glancing at their Bruce as Tony spoke with wild gestures and excitement, making Bruce laugh.
"You shouldn't be jealous." Captain America said from behind them making them both startle.
They turned to him and Steve smiled and it made Diana think of the way his father had smiled at her when she'd been so new in his world.
"Sorry, thought you'd have heard me." Steve said, "Tony's engaged to his CEO, and she'd definitely kill him if he slept with Bruce Wayne..., again."
Clark blushed for a moment before the last word registered.
"Again?" He squeaked as he looked at the two men again, eyes focused on the arm Tony had thrown around Bruce's shoulders and the hand Bruce was using to steady the other man as he laughed accompanied by the softest smile that Diana had ever seen on Bruce's face, one that spoke of fondness and familiarity and trust.
"Although, I think Pepper said something about a freebie list, I think it's a list of people they can still sleep with without being yelled at for." Steve said , scrunching his face up like he was confused.
The glass in Clark's hand shattered as he frowned before making a decision and marched over to extract Bruce from Tony and carried him to one of the smaller, more private parts of the cave.
"Starting shit, Stevie?" Bucky asked as he walked over to them.
"It's only shit if it ends in a fight." Steve said instantly.
"Uh-huh, the night is young." Bucky said flatly.
Steve just grinned and tucked his nose into Bucky's hair behind his ear and whispered something that Diana chose not to hear.
"What did you say, Steve!?" Tony yelled at them as he recovered from where he'd been staring after Clark and Bruce.
"Pay up!" Clint shouted at him, "I told you Superman and Batman were a thing."
"They were not!"
Victor snickered as Barry flashed down the hall and back.
"Well, they are now." Barry informed them.
"That doesn't count!" Tony cried.
"Actually, Clint said they were a thing, not that they had a thing." Bruce Banner said as he cleaned his glasses.
"Eu tu, Bruce?" Tony asked with a hand over his heart.
Arthur laughed as Bruce sputtered and Diana couldn't help smiling softly at them.
"You work with children, right?" Steve asked as he looked at her.
"Yes, well, they're amusing at least." Diana couldn't stop herself from speaking.
"Yeah, wait until they start in with the old jokes." Steve grinned.
"It's not polite to tease a Lady about her age." Bucky said as he smiled at her.
"Quite right." A British voice said from behind them, "Would you care for tea?" The man asked as he looked at their still full glasses of whiskey.
"Sure, this is sort of lost on us since we can't get drunk but Wayne looked so pleased he had a vintage older than we are." Bucky said.
"Indeed." The man said and turned to leave.
"Thank you, Alfred." Diana said, getting a nod of acknowledgement before he was gone.
"You should join the party instead of hiding in the corner, Ms. Prince." Bucky suggested.
Diana was about to protest but soft music filled the air.
"Would you care for a dance, Diana?" Steve asked softly.
And for a moment his face belonged to another Steve, one lost and gone from her, one she had had much too little time with.
'I wish we had more time.' He'd said to her before he'd been gone, leaving only his own father's watch behind and a child he never knew existed.
"Of course." Diana whispered as she took his hand and let him lead her to the empty space in the cave.
"I should warn you, I'm not very good, Bucky usually leads." Steve told her with a sheepish smile.
Dian smiled, "I haven't danced too much anyway."
It was a dance with little movement, just like her first dance, held close and gentle, a moment of peace and joy after a battle.
Diana felt her eyes close of their own accord and for a moment she was transported back in time, for a moment she was back with her Steve, his arms around her as they swayed to the music, Charlie's voice raised in song.
Oh how she wished they had had the chance to meet Steve's son, to know that he wasn't truly gone, that some part of him had survived but she had never been able to bring herself to tell them.
Only Etta had known, but when Diana had returned from the doctor's without a child she had assumed the worst and Diana had heard her crying for the child she thought had died, Diana had never corrected her, what use was it when her child was so far away, with such a slim chance for a reunion.
Diana had thought it for the best but sometimes she dreamed of them helping her raise her tiny child.
The song ended and Diana forced herself to take a step back, trying to clear her head.
"Thank you, you're not such a bad dancer." Diana let a smile cross her lips, small and slightly pained though it was.
"Thank you." Steve said with a smile.
Diana looked at him and he was so much like his father, eyes bright as they went to Bucky as he offered a hand to the man.
The dance they fell into was a bit more lively than the one Steve had shared with her, more movement and she laughed as they fell into one another as Steve lost his footing.
Barry soon convinced Natasha to join him on the floor with Clint dragging Victor with him, Arthur tried to pull Bruce Banner into something that could only be called flailing only to shrug when the man shook his head.
Bruce and Clark finally returned from their talk and joined in, though Bruce quickly took over leading after Clark stepped on his feet twice.
Diana watched with a smile as her hands found Steve's watch, fingers tracing it's face.
She supposed it was time to pass it on, her Steve had gotten it from his father and so it was only right that it be given to his son.
It belonged to their son, not her.
Diana looked up from the watchface, eyes drawn to her son's laughter as Bucky dipped him and dragged him back up to press a kiss to his lips.
And she wondered if her son would understand why she let him go, wondered if he could forgive her for it.
She hoped he could but if not then it was enough to know he lived.
As long as he lived, she told herself like she had everyday since she watched Nurse Rogers leave with her little bundle of hope, as long as he laughed, as long as he loved and was loved, she reminded herself as she watched Steve twirl Bucky before he lifted him up around his waist and gave him another kiss, deeper than the rest.
As long as he was alive, nothing else mattered.
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A/n: don't ask.
Here you go, no big reveal yet but Diana knows who he is now so there is that.
And Tony managed to drag Bruce Banner into a dance.
As for the Freebie list Bruce Wayne isn't on it, they're just friends now and Steve knows that but he also wants to see people happy now that they can be so he maybe fibs a little so Clark will get jealous and make a move.
Side note Steve is on both Pepper and Tony's Freebie list as is Natasha, who sometimes takes them up on that, Steve would rather not but that's mostly because he loves Bucky too much to consider it. Superman is also on Tony's Freebie list because it's Tony.