The Capital Café was nearly deserted, this early in the morning—a handful of regulars filling a quarter of the diner. The Café was a favorite haunt of the War Department staff, particularly General Blankenship's office after Steve and Wonder Woman had saved Hank and Maggie Miller's lives when a German spy had impersonated them both in order to infiltrate the Bureau of Printing and Engraving, which Hank managed.

"Good morning, Major Trevor," Maggie Miller said as she topped off a WAVE's cup of coffee. "You're in awfully early."

"Try out awfully late," Steve told her with a rueful smile. He hadn't gone back to his officer's quarters last night, his head too full to sleep. Instead, after dropping Diana off, he'd gone back to the office to try and get some work done instead. The problem was, he couldn't quite concentrate. Two days ago, if you'd asked him how he felt about his secretary, he would have sworn up and down she was just like a sister to him. This morning, he wasn't so sure that was true anymore. And when you threw Wonder Woman into the mix, well... It was a dilemma the likes of which he'd never seen. Who could sleep?

He took a seat at the counter two seats down from Maggie's husband, Hank, who was drinking coffee and smoking a cigarette as he read the morning paper. Maggie's brother, Danny Robbins, was working the counter, one pant-leg folded up and pinned. Danny had been in the army until he'd lost half his right leg on a beach in France almost year ago. In a city full of veterans, some even worse off than Danny, the sight of a guy in a brown, blue, or white uniform on crutches or in a wheel chair wasn't uncommon. But Danny had managed to hold onto his good humor through it all.

"What can I get you?" he asked, taking the pencil stub down from behind his ear and turning to a fresh page on his order pad.

"Just the special, Danny," Steve said as he folded his menu back up and tucked it between the bottles of ketchup and mustard. "Morning, Hank."

"Morning, Steve," Hank said with a smile as he stubbed out his cigarette, and folded his paper. "What's got you pulling an all-nighter, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Just a lot on my mind, this week," Steve admitted, and then leaned forward, dropping his voice so it wouldn't carry. "Say, Hank, how long have you and Maggie been married?"

"It'll be three years on our next anniversary," Hank said with a smile, his eyes straying to his pretty blonde wife as she bussed the booths in the rear of the diner. "Why?"

"How'd you know Maggie was, you know, the one? The one for you?"

Miller leaned back, crossing his arms, deep in thought. "I used to eat breakfast here every morning," he said after a moment, "and it wasn't just because of the coffee or the hash. One day, I woke up and realized that what I looked forward to every day was walking through that door and seeing Maggie's smile. I just couldn't imagine a day without that being the first thing I saw." He smiled self-consciously. "Corny, I know..."

"It's not corny at all," Steve assured him, deep in thought himself.

"Here you go, Major," Danny grinned as he set a plate of eggs and corned beef hash in front of him.

"Say, Danny, are you going to go to the ceremony this afternoon?"

"To see Wonder Woman? Don't I wish!" he grinned, and Steve remembered how Maggie had had Wonder Woman sign one of the café's menus for him, when he had still been overseas. If Wonder Woman hadn't caught the fake-Maggie out in a lie about whom the autograph had been for, who knew what might have happened? That same menu was framed on the wall now, for all the world to see, hanging in a place of honor on the wall next to photos of Roosevelt and Truman, and even a shot of General Blankenship sitting at the counter with a cup of coffee. "But enlisted joes like me don't get invited to the White House lawn, sir."

"Sure you do, when you've got a special security pass from Military Intelligence."

"Sir! That would be..." Danny was completely bowled over, his eyes wide, and then he grinned. "That would be just swell, Major!"

"Then I'll be seeing you there, soldier," Steve said as he lifted his mug of coffee in a toast.

"I wish you could join us, Diana," Etta said wistfully as Steve pulled on his overcoat and took his hat off the hat stand in the corner of his office.

"Me too, Etta," Diana said, and then gestured to the forest of boxes around her desk. "But I've got to get all the files sorted before they're transferred to the new building, and then I've got an appointment to give blood over at the Armed Services Hospital that just couldn't be rescheduled."

"Don't work too hard," Steve said with mock sternness, wagging a finger, and she grinned.

"Thank you so much for arranging for my family to be there. Dru hasn't talked about anything else all day."

"It was no trouble," Steve insisted, "I'll see you in the morning, Diana."

She waited until they'd gone, keeping her eye on at the round clock on the wall as she quickly tidied the file boxes and stacked them one on top of the other. Glancing out the window of Steve's office, she waited until Steve and Etta disappeared into the crowd of servicemen and women heading toward the Executive Mansion, before she snatched up her hat and purse.

Walking out of the gray marble building on D. Street which housed the Military Intelligence section of the War Department, Diana walked over to 17th street quickly, glancing at her wristwatch as ducked into the narrow alley between two large brick buildings, taking her glasses off to peer around and make absolutely certain the spot was deserted. When she was sure that no one was around to catch a glimpse, she removed her hat, raised her arms and began gracefully to spin. Her hair shook itself free from the pins that held it in place and fell in soft curls around her neck as the transformation began.

With a bright flash and a sound like distant thunder, Yeoman First Class Diana Prince disappeared and Wonder Woman stood in the alley, swathed in a red, white, and blue cape, a blue star-spangled skirt around her waist. Out of habit, she checked her for the magical girdle that allowed her to retain her speed, strength, and skills outside of Paradise Island, and the golden tiara that held her dark hair away from her forehead.

She stepped out from the alley, smiling as people on the street caught sight of her and waved. Wonder Woman sightings were a part of every-day Washington D.C. life, she mused as she crossed the street to approach the formal entrance of the new East Wing. A uniformed marine held the door for her and lead her inside to where the other fourteen medal recipients were waiting. She smiled, and shook each of their hands, and was surprised to see how young many of them were.

The last time she had been here, it had been for President Roosevelt's funeral only two weeks earlier. She saw many of the same faces today—President Truman, Mr. Trout the war correspondent, Mrs. Butter, the former First Lady's secretary, General Blankenship, as well as dozens of uniformed officers and civilians. But spirits were much higher today—and despite the rain of the night before, the sky was clear blue and the gardens were thronged with people. Squinting, Diana could just make out Steve, Etta, Maggie Robbins brother Danny, and her mother and sister sitting in the first row of chairs.

There was thunderous applause as the President stepped up to the Podium and she was lead to her seat. She arranged her cape around her shoulders, holding her head up high and smiling as photographers from the Washington Tribune-Herald and the Post snapped several pictures to run in the evening edition of the paper. As the applause died down and servicemen returned to their chairs, President Truman began to speak in a loud, clear voice into the microphone.

"The young woman we are decorating today has indeed performed above and beyond the call of duty, on so many occasions that, to innumerate them here, would keep us all here until Doomsday," the President began, and there was a ripple of laughter from the crowd. He took a small gold medal on a blue silk ribbon from a uniformed Marine, and held the medal high for all too see. "The medal she shall receive today has been specially made for her—as unique as she is—as the Congressional Medal of Honor that we will be awarding today to fourteen brave individuals is the highest military award for bravery that can be given to any individual serving in the United States of America. I'd rather have this Medal than be President," President Truman said with complete sincerity, "But to my knowledge, no branch of service currently has the honor of counting her among their ranks.

"Rather, she has fought tirelessly on behalf of all of us in the name of Freedom and Democracy without being formally pledged in the service of this country. She has chosen to put her life at risk time and time again, to protect the liberties and ideals of freedom when others would seek to destroy them. She has pledged countless hours to the war effort, raised thousands of dollars at bond rallies, and has been a friend to each and every American in the three years since she first miraculously appeared on our shores to battle the Axis forces.

"I think that it is particularly fitting that this special medal carries stamped on one side the face of the Goddess Minerva, the Roman Goddess of Strategy in Warfare. Certainly, there can be no more honor we can bestow on such a woman as Wonder Woman."

Diana grinned as she saw Steve leap to his feet, and a standing ovation begin as she stood for the President to pin the medal to the edge of her cape.

"Thank you, sir," she said as she shook his hand.

"Thank you, Wonder Woman," he said, and she took her seat so that the ceremony could continue.

As the President read a citation for each of the young officers and enlisted men, informing the crowd of the specific actions they were being decorated for, Diana found her eyes straying to the front row of the audience, her heart swelling with pride that her mother was there to share this day with her. She locked eyes with Steve at one point, who winked at her, and she could feel her smile growing as she glowed with pride.

Author's Note: Please, if there's anything that doesn't work for you, or is factually or grammatically incorrect, don't hesitate to tell me! Constructive criticism is the greatest gift you can give an author. I'm not a delicate flower who will curl up and die at the first sign of criticism. I want to make this story the very best I can, so please let me know what works for you, and more importantly, what doesn't.