undeserved_protector | Chance meetings? ( for thats

Chance meetings? ( for thats_neat)

Flying from place to place became the normal for her. The acquisition of artifacts and maintaining relations with other museums was just the two main points of her job. Well, the job that kept her in touch with the world around her and not secluded to the other persona. The real her that protected humanity and kept them safe. Not that she disliked this job or living as Diana Prince. In fact, she loved it as much as the Amazon from Themyscira because he gave her that name and started her life in this world.

But she didn't wish to think of him right in that moment. Not while she stood perusing the displays of weapons from Ancient Greece that Emily Attwater insisted that Diana fly over to see and give her expert opinion on. Not that Ms. Attwater seemed to be so keen to keep her appointment at this rate. Normally the bubbly blonde that wanted so desperately to 'one-up' Diana would be there immediately the moment she walked into the entrance of the Smithsonian. Today, she was asked to wait by the reception.

A task she chose to do with notebook in hand, notes being taken as she went through each. She had only been sketching and noting details in her book for about twenty minutes, but it still caused a frown to furrow her brow. Perhaps her fellow curator had something else in mind today?

Whatever it was, she at least found it easy to continue her cataloging and notations of the items around her. It felt a little like glimpsing home in so many ways. It was one of the few things that did give her that chance to pretend she was nearer to her mother and friends back on the island by doing this work. And well, it gave her time to drift off and write notes in other languages about the page. Sometimes quotes from great philosophers of the time period and sometimes notations on who might've been the metal worker that forged the weapon. Regardless of what she inked on the page, she really wouldn't have even noticed if Ms. Attwater entered the room at that moment or not she was so engrossed in her work.

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He might be relatively knew to the position, but Steve knew his supervisor well enough to realize that something unusual was going on between Ms. Attwater and her afternoon appointment. Whenever he asked if he should escort her in to begin the meeting, she put him off with some excuse. At first they seemed appropriate, tasks that needed to be wrapped up before Attwater saw the expert from the Louvre. Then as five minutes became ten and then twenty, the excuses became more inane.

It was highly unprofessional and rude, but every time he started to rise from his chair, she gave him another document to revise or requested that he find another artifact for the collection Ms. Prince was supposed to appraise. Finally tiring of his boss' power game, Steve slipped out of the office to fetch another sword, but instead went to the reception area.

He hadn't been told what the expert from Paris looked like, but he assumed that the lady who was studying the display so intently must be her. Smiling at her focus, he couldn't help but be pleased that she was so interested in their collection.
He hadn't found any of the rare artifacts that captivated her but they were part of the museum and a greater history that Steve knew needed to be shared with the world. "Excuse me. Are you Ms. Prince?"

Diana really hadn't thought much of this game. She tired of it, but rarely called the other woman on it. There was nothing that the American could have that could possibly make her 'jealous' as she fully expected was the cause of the long delay. As lovely as the artifacts were, she'd already found some discrepancies with the dating and time periods and truthfully, she had acquired some better in her own collections at the Louvre.

By the time someone entered her notice, she was knelt down beside a case trying to get a look at the metal work on the underside of a shield to get a definite idea of the smelt of the item. Jotting down a few more notes, her pencil went still on the page as the other finally spoke. That voice sounded so achingly familiar. Like a ghost of an echo from her past that she couldn't banish from her mind.

It took her a moment to even bring herself to lift her head and look at the bearer of that voice. And when dark eyes met blue... blue as the sea that surrounded Themyscira, her heart knotted up tight in her chest. Lips parted with a surprised inhale as she thoughtlessly stood quickly, her pencil and notebook tumbling gracelessly to the floor with a dull thud and echoing clatter. She even nearly lost her balance on the pin heel of her shoe only barely catching herself on the corner of the case.

Which, it was a miracle she didn't break it with her grip alone. It felt like a few seconds ticked by before the shock of the moment began to ebb just enough for her to finally breathe. And gods, her heart hurt within her chest as she wanted to reach out to him and see if he was really real. Or just do something. Pain filled her dark eyes and for a moment, a weak and terrible moment, she feared tears might fill her eyes.

But before she could dare breathe that name, she ducked down to try and collect her things flushing slightly. "Je suis désolée..." Normally the wrong use of a language wouldn't happen to her. She didn't forget herself. She didn't make such foolish fumbles. But then, she didn't usually run into men that looked and sounded like the only man she'd ever loved and watched die, either. "Ah, pardon... Yes, I am." Biting into her lower lip, she reached for her book trying not to look at him.

Tipping his head to once side, Steve watched Ms. Attwell's expert as she studied the shield in the lower case. He had the feeling that she would find one of the errors that he'd attempted to bring to his supervisor's attention that had been stubbornly ignored. Maybe if Ms. Prince brought it to the museum's attention they would make the changes that Steve had suggested.

Used to being surrounded by scholars who focused more on history than being polite, he waited for their guest to look up, surprised when his gaze met hers. She was stunning, making him think of the greatest of treasures he'd seen during his travels, but that wasn't what caused his breath to ache in his chest. He'd never seen so much sadness reflected in someone's eyes. For some reason, he wanted to brush it aside, find some way to make her smile.

He'd barely registered that wish before he realized he'd moved forward, reaching out to catch her as she stumbled. Slowly, he lowered his hand, realizing that his help would probably be unnecessary. Awkwardly sifting from one foot to the other, almost kneeling down to pick up her things when she reached for them herself.

As he waited for her to collect herself, Steve tried not to think of the strange way Ms. Prince watched him or the way her eyes seemed too bright when she looked at him. "Tout va bien." He waited a beat, realizing that her English was impeccable, he shifted to that language as well. "Forgive me for startling you. I wanted to apologize for Ms. Attwell's tardiness."

She slowly closed up the notebook, smoothing out the pages that had been bent in the fall before carefully leaning over to grab the pencil up as well. Diana carefully went through her emotions, pressing them down as she schooled her features and did her best to erase most of the open raw feelings that had been in her gaze just moments before.

It's not him. Don't think this is, him.

Taking a shaky breath, she started to put on the same politeness she'd always worn for her job until it suddenly occurred to her why Attwell had made her wait. It wasn't the display that she'd wanted to flaunt before her, but rather who. And something about that made her jaw clench and before she could stop herself, the fancy mechanical pencil encased in silver suddenly snapped in her hand.

Blinking out of her thoughts, she hurriedly pushed the remains of the pencil into her pocket and turned to face him once more. "It's fine, I am sure whatever is keeping her is important." Which in short, meant she knew it was absolutely nothing at all keeping the woman. Still, Diana smiled very faintly, a forced expression as she found herself not quite able to hold his gaze too well. Not right then. Not when all she could think about was a man over ninety years dead she'd give anything to see again... but not like this. Not when he barely knew her name or who she was.

But whether this was a trick of reincarnation or simply someone too near to his appearance, she couldn't treat him poorly. So she tried to distract herself instead by turning away from him to look once more at the items. "It gave me time to take notes and get acquainted with the collection. Sometimes the quiet allows them to speak for themselves."

As he watched Ms. Prince, Steve couldn't help feeling frustrated by his supervisor's antics. It was obvious that it had bothered their guest, and he had become caught in the middle of whatever game Attwater was playing. It was offensive and would hurt both of their reputations. They were supposed to be better than treating people like this because of some professional rivalry or whatever it had been that caused Attwater to act like a child instead of the scholar she claimed to be.

Unfortunately, the museum and Steve would look just as unprofessional as Attwater.

"It's not fine," he muttered under his breath, hoping that Ms. Prince would hear the comment that he couldn't express to his supervisor. If he hadn't been taught to be a gentleman and his position wasn't so tentative, he would have told Attwater exactly how improper her treatment of their guest had been. But he needed to stay at the Smithsonian, for a few months more at least, so that he could complete the research that had been driving him for years.

Noticing how Ms. Prince kept looking away, Steve felt another thread of hope slip away. From the way she had been studying the artifacts, he had thought that she might have been able to help him, or at least offer a few minutes of intelligent conversation that wouldn't be framed in the context of 'entertaining the newbie'. Maybe she would have even been interested in the discrepancies he'd found or his translations of the texts that Attwater had given him to work on as she tried to decide if his skills matched his references' claims.

And Emily Attwater had ruined all that with her silly, schoolgirl antics. Giving Ms. Prince a polite smile, he wondered if he could salvage part of their meeting so that she might at least consider discussing his research with him at some later date. "And sometimes they scream, demanding that we try to understand them." At least that was how he felt sometimes, especially when he looked at one particular artifact. "There's more to the collection, Ms. Prince. If you would like to take a look, I can direct you to the correct gallery." But Steve wouldn't accompany her unless she asked since he seemed to have earned her dislike along with his supervisor.

That caught her attention. The soft words under his breath that drew her eyes back to him. She made sure to be careful as she ran her gaze over his profile and over familiar features that made something coil up and flutter inside. She missed Steve. Missed him so much she could almost close her eyes and be back in that moment over ninety years ago for that one night she got to be with him.

But just as quickly as the memories took over, she carefully pushed them back down wanting to put them away and out of the way. Because she could tell her reaction to him bothered him. And she shouldn't be taking her emotions out on him. "Perhaps not, but don't worry so much." She gifted him with a soft true smile before reaching out to dare resting her hand on his shoulder.

Though, his description of the artifacts made her stop, her head cocking to the side in curiosity at that. "This must be quite a wonderful piece if it is crying out in such a way." Finally relaxing a little bit, she added softly. "Perhaps you could show me what is begging so loudly for your attention, Mr...?"

She angled her head waiting for a name as she swallowed back any reaction before slipping her arm gently through his even if he did not offer it. "Please lead on, I will follow." Where she was still angry at Attwater and still on edge about Steve's perfect copy being before her, she decided to look on the positive. Maybe this way, she could indulge in a moment of memories that threatened to fade about the edges.

Her reactions to him seemed weird. First she seemed angry then she smiled at him in a way that didn't quite match her cool, elegant persona, resting her hand on his shoulder as if she wanted to reassure him that her annoyance wasn't directed at him. Maybe she had realized that Ms. Attwater was the one playing games, not Steve. "I shouldn't worry about someone being treated unfairly?" It had been more than unfair, but the descriptions that came to mind wouldn't endear him to his supervisor if she ever found out. He was already taking a risk by mentioning that Ms. Attwater wasn't being professional to a colleague.

Someday he would publish the papers he was working on and earn the reputation he'd been wanting for years. Then Steve wouldn't have to worry about whether his supervisor was rude to guests.

"It's been demanding my attention for years," he answered, surprised that he told part of the truth so easily instead of deflecting the observation. Steve rarely told anyone about that particular piece, always telling others that his passion for antiquities came from some other, less interesting, artifact. "That particular piece is in a private collection, but someday its owner might allow you to see it." Steve should let her. He'd read enough about Ms. Prince to know that she was the leading expert on... more subjects than Steve could comprehend. But the piece was his and he wasn't sure if he was ready to let anyone else know about its existence.

"Taylor. Steve Taylor." For a moment, he was dazed by the change in demeanor, and by having her so close. She was magnetic, stunning, reminding him again of the statues that had awed him when he'd finally stood in front of the beauty that he'd only seen in photographs. Smiling at the old fashioned gesture that accompanied her request, he rested his hand on hers before beginning to lead her to the Greek gallery. "Are you only interested in the Greek exhibits or are there others you'd like to see?"

"I am quite used to it when I visit. I find that people behave strangely when they feel they are threatened even if there is no real threat." She pointed that out softy, a truth she'd learned slowly over time as she's met different people. Especially with his boss. Attwater always saw Diana as a threat. "I am thankful that you are concerned, but I promise you I can take care of myself."

Not that he sounded so much like he wanted to charge in and save her. Cute as that thought might be, this subtlety was more attractive and well, more like him.

"Perhaps you should listen to it then and pay it the attention it deserves. Are you having trouble with something in the identifying process?" Her eyes flicked from him back to watching their path ahead of them as she kept up that polite persona careful not to let herself get reeled in by things like his voice or eyes. Because the moment that happened, the polite warmth and soft smile would melt away in the pain in her chest.

A pain that intensified tenfold at the knowledge of his name. Dark eyes cut back to Steve, her heart tangling up in painful knots as she bit hard into her lower lip. And god, it only made the feeling of his hand on hers that much more moving and painful. "It's-- it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Taylor." As per manners though, she needed to answer, even if her voice seemed weakened as her accented tones wrapped around that far too similar name.

"I--" She paused a moment, trying to gather her thoughts before trying again. "I am an expert in many fields with a specialized interest in Greek artifacts. Though Roman artifacts draw me in as well. But most history I can understand well enough to look them over and understand."

"Being used to something doesn't make it acceptable." He probably shouldn't be so annoyed by it. It sounded like Attwater's rivalry with Ms. Prince was long standing, even if it seemed unnecessary. They both had their specialties and there was no reason for his supervisor to be so petty when they each were respected in their fields. "Fear is the reason behind too many wrongs and the excuse for them." Glancing over at her, he smiled wryly. "I'm sure that you can but that doesn't mean I should ignore that she's being disrespectful to her guest and a guest of the museum."

There was too much of such behavior and worse in the world. If he could make a difference, even by simply apologizing for Ms. Attwater's childish actions, then he should.

"I do listen to it. I have for years, but I can't find the clue I need." For a moment, Steve debated how much to tell her. For some reason, he felt that he could trust her with this secret. She couldn't take the hilt from him. No one would believe he had such a relic. He was a mid-level assistant, struggling to gain the credentials that would get him access to the sites he needed to investigate. Ms. Prince had seen the greatest artifacts in the world. She might have some insight that would help him understand his obsession. "It's unique. I've never seen anything like it before. I've studied every text I can find, looked at thousands of photographs, but nothing matches. All attempts to date it have come back inconclusive."

Actually most of the labs said that the few shards he'd been willing to part with shouldn't exist.

Realizing that he was getting lost in his passion, he gave himself a mental shake and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry. I don't get to talk about it often. I can get caught up in it if I'm not careful."

His apology turned to concern as Ms. Prince stumbled through her attempt at introductions and her suggestion of what galleries to visit. "Are you all right? We can find somewhere to sit down if you'd prefer and visit the Greek exhibits later."

Edited 2017-06-10 04:41 (UTC)

"You are a good man." She said that simply with a nod. It seemed like something so Steve like to do just saying sorry for something like that. Like a small fine detail that would concern him had they actually gotten the time to live together for even one lifetime. And god, just thinking that hurt all the way to the center of her being. "Thank you for worrying about me, I do appreciate it."

Glancing at him, she took in his description of the item he was speaking of before angling her head a bit. "As it is my primary field of study, perhaps I could help you learn about it? I have yet to find one that I have not been able to identify with accuracy." She wasn't necessarily bragging. Just, offering to give him a hand while he was stumped. Especially since it seemed to mean so much to him. "Is it here in the museum?"

And if she could focus on something like that, maybe she could ignore the surge of pain that made her heart throb in her chest like it did right then after Steve went and said that. Steve. His name was also Steve. Diana didn't know or understand all the laws of reincarnation, but she was sure the nearness of his name was almost a cruel joke against her. "Please, feel free to talk about it or anything else all you like. I am a good listener."

She paused as he looked so concern for her and lightly squeezed his arm where she held his bicep. "I'll be alright." She weighed the ideas in her head of maybe giving him something, anything to help him understand what Diana was reacting to. "I am just-- you remind me of someone I knew. And I lost him in... a terrible way. Please forgive me for my behavior. It is no fault of your own." She looked to him with a sweet smile that really did reach her eyes this time. "You are truly a delight and your presence is desirable so please do not think otherwise."

"Not good, but trying to be." Which wasn't the smartest thing to say when he was trying to reassure her that not everyone at the museum would act like a child because of petty rivalries. "That's the best anyone can do." The words were accompanied by a smile at her thanks. "Then I'll continue to do so when my supervisor is being rude when she should appreciate that you agreed to view our collections."

For a moment, he struggled to decide how much to say. Steve had hoped she might be interested in helping him with his research, but he'd only let a select few individuals see the artifact that meant so much to him. Those rare cases had taken months, even years, to win his trust. He had the feeling he could trust her, but after being cautious, it wasn't easy to let another see something that he had hidden for so long. "There are pictures of the artifact and a few other things that were found with it," he began, still unsure of how much to reveal. She could demand that he return the sword and shards to... whichever country that she identified as its origin. "It's not at the museum but it's safe."

Laughing softly, he knew that one of them would be in trouble if he started rambling about the hilt or the other strange artifacts that he'd tracked down that he thought might be connected to the weapon. "You should be careful about making offers like that. I could talk for hours about my current research or the projects that I want to complete someday." Eventually, he'd be able to work on his theories. Steve just had to be patient and he'd be given the chance to prove himself.

But that was the future. He needed to focus on the present and the woman beside him that seemed so sad, hurting for some reason that he couldn't fathom. Steve began to protest that 'being alright' might mean that they should find somewhere out of the way for her to compose herself when Ms. Prince began to explain the reason for the strange looks she had been giving him. "I'm sorry that I unintentionally hurt you. There's nothing to forgive Your behavior is better than mine probably would be if our situation was reversed."

He would have said more but she smiled and for a few seconds he felt... something but he wasn't sure what. It was more than just the elation of having someone look at him that way even if he did have the feeling he'd do almost anything to have her smile like that again. "Thank you. You're - Is there a way I can say I feel the same way about talking with you without it sounding like I'm being completely inappropriate to someone I'm slightly in awe of?"

She actually did chuckle softly at his words as she smiled to herself. If was flattering really, but not in the typical way that people tried to flatter her. So she said nothing more of it and simply smiled to herself. Instead, she shifted her attention to his comments about the artifact and tipped her head curiously. "Then this piece is in a private collection of your own? It is no wonder you can't escape it's call."

Not that she thought anything of it. And she didn't necessarily want him to worry over that either. "I have a small private collection of my own passed down through my family that I will never part with." And a new sword as hers was lost in the torrent of battle against Hades. She missed that sword. A great deal at that. Even if it was not the powerful piece she thought it to be. Maybe it was more because it reminded her of her aunt and mother than anything else.

Shaking her head, she sent him a soft coy look. "You say that under the assumption that I might not wish just that. You have a pleasant tone and I can tell that you have a great deal of knowledge you wish to sort out. It would be no bother at all to hear you out. Sometimes working through things aloud helps a great deal."

Even if hearing him talk endlessly was more because she wanted to hear his voice. The voice of the man she missed with all her heart, but also of this man that seemed to love things she did. Things, she was sure her captain didn't truly know before. It was a nice change. A subtle enough shift that helped her get past the pain of remembering the past too harshly. "Do not apologize for something that is not your fault."

Though, she instantly ducked her head and laughed softly at his question, eyes lighting up as she couldn't help the mirth that flit over her face. Still, the faintest hint of red spilled over her cheeks as she pressed her lips together trying not to smile so brightly or so obviously with attraction toward him. "I think you just did, Mr. Taylor. Thank you. However I am not so sure what I did to put you in such awe."

For a moment, Steve almost felt guilty for having the remnants of the sword. It wasn't something he should own and he still wasn't certain how he managed to smuggle it back to the States but it was his now until someone forced him to give it up. He was protecting it and trying to understand its history so that he could share it with the world. It wasn't a selfish desire that made him so cautious of his find. "It's not much of a collection, but it is mine." Until someone told the authorities...

"Sometimes I think it drew me to it somehow," he admitted, hoping that the comment didn't make him sound crazy. "I wanted to study history before I found it but after that..." He probably did sound crazy. His friends had thought he was when they saw the piles of books and the meticulous notes. Someday he'd understand the broken weapon and hopefully it would quit calling out for him and he could let that particular quest go.

Half expecting Ms. Prince to revoke her offer of help, he stared at her dumbfounded for a moment at the thought of her still wanting to help him. She was famous, one of the leading experts in a half dozen fields, and she wanted to help him with the research that most people bolted away from the moment he started discussing his project. "Sometimes it does and sometimes people don't really want to to listen to you discuss metallurgy or carbon dating." Ms. Prince would probably find that interesting, but he doubted that she'd be as curious as Steve was over the discrepancies he'd found.

Would she really want to help? If she did, he might finally find the clues that he'd been searching for. He'd read enough about her work to know that she probably was the greatest expert in Greek history that he'd ever speak to.

Although he knew that she was right and it wasn't his fault that he reminded her of the person she'd known, Steve still felt slightly guilty for the reminder. He wasn't sure how he could have softened the blow even if he had known that he looked like someone from her past, but he would have tried to make this easier for her.

Noticing the blush, he tried, and failed, to speak. Usually he was not this inept. He had been around enough scholars that he'd respected deeply to know how to speak in front of them... and enough beautiful women to be able to sound civilized instead of acting like he'd never had someone like Ms. Prince. No, there was no one else like Ms. Prince. Maybe that was why he was making a fool out of himself. She was as rare as the shattered sword that he had protected for so long.

"You're welcome." Arching an eyebrow, he didn't realize that he'd covered her hand more securely with his. "I don't know what it was, Ms. Prince." Despite trying to keep the situation professional, a hint of teasing crept into his voice. "You've published dozens of articles, found priceless artifacts, and you're a head curator at the Louvre. Why would anyone be in awe of those accomplishments?"

Chance meetings? ( for thats_neat)

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