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) 2007 by Djinn. This story is Rated R.

Trinity: Favorite Things

Part 2: And Whiskers on Kittens

The warm sun and gentle lapping of the surf nearly lulled Lois into a stupor as she sat on the sand with Diana and a few other Amazons and listened to them talk. She was supposed to be taking this in so she could write the article of all articles on Wonder Woman's home. But it was just so nice to not have to be "on guard" all the time, listening for Justin, anticipating what he needed.

She loved her son. Loved him more than she'd thought possible when she'd found out she was pregnant. But he exhausted her.

She looked over at Diana--even among all these amazingly fit women, she still managed to shine. "Who's the fairest of them all?" Lois muttered, and one of the Amazons turned to look at her.

"Just jetlag," she said, laughing it off with a sound that came out meaner than she intended.

Diana turned to her, her face unreadable, but Lois had the feeling she'd hurt her feelings, and she felt herself blushing.

That was why she hated Diana. She could give Lois that look and make her feel worse than the nuns at St. Agnes used to. Although thinking of Diana and nuns in the same breath was definitely sacrilegious. If people only knew what their pillar of womanhood had been up to... Lois could write that story. Of course she'd have to leave out her own not inconsiderable part.

Better to just keep quiet.

She glanced over at Almipone, a russet-haired beauty who'd been smiling at her since Lois walked up. Almipone's smile grew wider and her eyes seemed to bore into Lois's. Without having to look, Lois knew Diana was frowning.

She looked anyway.

As expected, Diana was frowning, but she didn't say anything other than, "I think that's enough for now. Lois is tired from the trip here." She sat as the others rose, didn't even get up when Lois did.

"Something wrong, Princess?"

"You seem...out of sorts."

"Nope. I'm fine." Lois had the irrational urge to kick sand at Diana. "You don't own me."

"Owning you would be counter to Amazon philosophy." Diana rose in one graceful motion. "Or weren't you listening when my sisters were so generously sharing?"

"I was."

Diana's look was nun worthy again.

"Okay, maybe there was some zoning out. But I'm not looking for sound bites here. I'm trying to suck in the atmosphere. So I have some context to form the article."

"Whatever." Diana strode away, sand fleeing from her feet as she marched.

"Whatever? You've been hanging around me too much." Lois hurried to catch up. "Look, I'm very grateful you brought me here."

"You asked me to bring you here."

"And I'm very grateful for that. But...you don't own me."

"Who said I did?" Diana turned to look at her. "Do you want to go back? Collect your husband--who is probably having very good sex with my lover--and your son and go home?"

Lois felt like Diana was clobbering her over the head with the realities of life. "No."

"Then at least try to act gracious. I'm going riding. You do whatever it is reporters do." Diana took off, the same way Clark did when he was frustrated: right into the sky where mere mortals couldn't follow.

Lois took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. It was what Bruce no doubt did when Diana drove him nuts. But did she drive him nuts? Or was it only Lois who felt this edgy attraction/repulsion around her?

Okay, right now, it was definitely more on the attraction side. But still edgy.

"I was surprised Diana brought you here." Another redhead, wilder looking this time. Artemis--Lois pulled the name out of her memory.

"I'm hard to say no to."

Artemis looked like she didn't get that. "You're married to that man Diana has feelings for."

"Well, I'm glad I'm aware of her feelings for him, or you'd have just given me the surprise of all time."

"If I understand the situation correctly, you had a child with Diana's lover."

Was Diana sending bulk emails out? Jesus. "Something like that."

"Hmmm." Artemis gestured toward a grassy meadow. "Come, walk with me."

"Okay." She moved carefully across the sand, a little afraid of this woman who had once taken Diana's place--although she'd never admit that to anyone.

"I, too, find Diana frustrating." Artemis had a mean little smile on her face.

"I never said I found her frustrating."

"You didn't have to. I recognize the look." Artemis sighed. "I've seen it in the mirror enough times."

"You...like her?"

"No. But that doesn't mean I don't want her."

"Oh. Ohhhh. So you do get it."

Artemis gave her a look that said it all.

"I wish I could shake this. She's been a pain in my ass for a very long time. And my husband is crazy about her. And that other guy, too. And..."

"And yet you still want her." Artemis pointed off to the other side of the field, where someone with jet black hair was riding a horse of the same hue. "She's...Diana."

Lois sat down on one of the logs lining the field. "Yes. Yes, she is, damn her."

Artemis handed her a water skin. "This will be a good game. I'll be on the opposing side. Cheer me on if you feel like it."

"She'll be very pissed with me if I do."

"Somehow, I don't think you'll care. In fact, you might like that." Artemis shot her a wry grin and then loped across the field to where the horses were being held.

Lois realized Diana was watching her, then she wheeled her horse and took off down the field, joining six other women on horseback. Artemis and her team took the opposing side.

The game was a lot like polo. If you played it with war horses and very bitchy women. Lois winced more than once and felt like calling foul, but no one on the field seemed surprised at the level of aggression.

Just to piss Diana off, she did cheer Artemis on when the two were racing for the ball on her side of the field.

The game was a draw, the players sweaty and laughing as they dismounted and clasped arms. They led their horses off, all except Diana, who let Artemis take her mount. She stood on the field, arms crossed over her chest, staring at Lois with a look that was sort of nunlike and sort of the antithesis of that.

"What?" Lois asked as Diana finally dropped the 'tude and walked over to her.

"You irritate me, Lois."

"Well, right back at you." Lois got up, backing away from the log, from Diana. "I want to go home."

Diana caught up with her in three steps. She pulled her close, the way Clark held her when he was about to take off. "Fine, we'll go home."

Diana smelled spicy. How could the woman smell good after exercise? It was so damned unfair to women who stank after working out. Diana's hair blew in the breeze, soft curly tendrils of it beating gently against Lois's cheek. She grabbed one of the strands, pulled Diana to her.

The kiss lasted a long time.

"Home, then?" Diana asked, but she was smiling.

"Oh, shut up." Lois pushed her down onto the grass and let herself do the things she wanted to do to this woman she sort of hated and also loved far too much. And Diana did things to her that left her panting.

The thundering of hooves brought Lois back to reality. She looked over at the field and saw a group of Amazons riding in formation. "Should we leave?"

Diana turned her head lazily, smiling as she pulled her cloak over both of them. "We'll be more conspicuous if we run away guiltily."

"Plus, this kind of thing probably happens all the time, right? Girl on girl action in the middle of the spectator section?"

Diana laughed. "Leave that out of the article, okay?"

Lois cuddled in against her, was surprised when Diana kissed her gently on the forehead, then on the eyes. "Diana, do you like me?"

"I don't know." A long sigh, and then Diana continued the gentle kisses to her cheek, her chin, her neck, then back to her lips.

"This is natural for you. Bruce and Clark aren't."

"That's true." Diana turned a little, snuggling into Lois, seemed to be breathing in her scent. "I'm sorry for everything."

"For the mess we've made?"

Diana nodded.

"We made it together. I didn't have to keep coming back." Lois pulled Diana closer. "I'm just sorry that it's so messy."

"But relationships are. Even for two. Add in a third and fourth..."

Lois laughed. "I think we could pack in a few more here. Have enough for a baseball team if we wanted."

"We don't want." Diana's voice was nun stern.

They lay quietly for a while, the sound of horses and women wafting over to them. Then the horsewomen rode off and Diana took her cloak back and got dressed, leaving Lois a little bereft.

"That was it?" Lois couldn't believe she'd just said that.

"That was what?" Diana looked confused. "I'm hungry. Aren't you hungry?" Then she smiled. "I'm not abandoning you."

"Oh. I knew that." Lois sat up and pulled on her shirt. "And like I care anyway."

Diana smacked her on the ass, chuckling at her look. "Oh, you cared. You very much cared. It was quite satisfying, in fact, how much you cared."

"This is me not caring." Lois pulled on the rest of her clothes and stalked off.

"Food is this way."

Executing a perfect about face, Lois stalked off in the other direction.

"I don't really mind if you walk ahead of me." Diana was definitely laughing at her.

Lois glanced back, saw that Diana was grinning and staring at her butt. "Perv."

Another laugh, softer this time, happier. God help them, but they lived for this snarky repartee. Lois held her hand out, and Diana hurried to catch up, taking her hand and squeezing lightly.

"So, do you ever go skinnydipping here?" Lois smiled at the thought of that warm, warm water and no clothes.

"Maybe." Diana was smiling in what had to be nostalgia.

"Just how many of these women have you been with?"

"That is none of your business." But there was something in Diana's expression that was off.

"What?"

"Not very many of them. I'm the princess for Hera's sake. It would cause bad feelings if I were too free with my affection."

Suddenly Lois got a picture of how lonely that might be, having to think that way, having to keep a distance. "I'm sorry."

Diana shrugged.

"You're isolated here."

"These are my sisters."

"But you're still isolated. That's why you like our little family. There are no boundaries."

Diana seemed to swallow hard. "When my mother was alive, it was easier. I didn't have to work so hard to be what they all need. I could just be me." She tried to let go of Lois's hand, but Lois held on.

"You can just be yourself with me. I won't tell."

Diana leaned in and kissed her. Then she shook her head. "You're too damned perceptive, Mrs. Kent."

"I told you not to call me that."

"And I listen to you so often."

Lois laughed, glad to be back on familiar--if bitchy--ground.

"This is the best beach." Diana nodded toward a secluded patch of sand. "If you want to come back later and...?"

"Maybe. If you play your cards right."

"Amazons do not play cards."

"Then whatever works, Princess. Go with me here."

Again the pleased smile. Shit, they needed a therapist to sort this relationship out. Lois imagined what Clark and Bruce were up to, smiled at the idea of the two of them taking Justin somewhere, how Alfred would play with her son--dote on him, probably.

Maybe they didn't need a shrink. They could just let this be whatever it wanted to be.

Whatever they needed it to be.

"I do want to," she whispered, knowing Diana would hear her. Then she took off running, toward the palace and food.

Diana didn't let her win.

She hadn't expected her to.

Continue to Part 3?