It was a pleasant Saturday morning in downtown DC.
Not only was Monica out of school for the weekend, but Carol has also returned to Earth after helping the Nova Corps repel an invasion by a short-lived alliance between the Kree Empire and the Dire Wraiths. To top off this collection of good news, it was also Maria's day off today. To celebrate this rare cosmic alignment of good fortune, the Ramvers family made it a tradition to celebrate such an occasion by going out to the IHOP near their neighborhood for breakfast.
This nice little tradition usually occurred at least once a month, but it was a cherished one for the entire family.
This outing, however, was a more special occasion as the family included one more merry participant to the festivities- Monica's new girlfriend, Zatanna.
At their table, isolated in a far corner for maximum privacy, the Ramvers family gathered around with their food in front of them. Carol had a plate of three strawberry pancakes along with another plate filled with scrambled eggs, hash browns, and bacon alongside a cup of hot joe. Maria was eating banana crepes with Nutella with a glass of orange juice on the side. Monica was eating a basket of chicken and waffles with a side of sunny-side up eggs, and her beloved Zatanna ordered a plate of wholegrain pancakes with a side of fruit.
This feast was a fun way to break the fast and it helps that they all enjoyed each other's company.
"Okay," Carol started, "I gotta ask. What's up with your hair? Your eyes too. Why are they purple?"
"Carol!", Maria scolded, "Don't be rude."
"What? It's an honest question," she said earning her a glare from her girlfriend. Carol looked down and played with her food with her fork as she muttered, "I wasn't judging, honey. Honest."
Zatanna, who was holding Monica's hand under the table, chuckled and said, "I'm actually glad you asked, Ms. Danvers. You see, it's all part of my image."
Monica rolled her eyes. "Here we go..."
Zatanna explained, "You see, when people go to a magic show, what is it do you think they want to see?"
"Rabbits out of a hat?", Carol said shrugging.
Zatanna shook her head. "No, they want to see... magic!", the young magician said as she clapped and parted her hands in a 'rainbow' motion, "More than that, they want to see a star with the mystique of Nyx and the grace of Athena! To be as intriguing as the midnight sky, but also be as powerful as dragon fire! And so, the visage of an average mortal would not suffice. Nay! What my audience needs, what they deserve is a Sentinel of Magic! A Princess of Prestidigitation! A Maiden of the Mystic Arts! And thus, the Great Zatanna was born! A Magi born of Violet Twilight. Thus, I dyed my hair with the most brilliant shade of mauve I could find to complete my glorious transformation."
"That and she looks good with purple hair," Monica stated more simply.
Zatanna flipped her hair confidently. "Well, obviously."
Carol smirked and whispered to Maria, "I like this one."
"She certainly finds her confidence easily," Maria whispered back as she nodded towards Carol, "Not unlike a certain someone we know."
"Yes... Fury does like feeling himself ever since he became the director of SHIELD," Carol hummed, "It's getting kinda annoying, if you ask me."
Maria rolled her eyes as she turned back to Zatanna. She asked, "So the hair dye and the contacts are all part of your act?"
"My eyes are naturally violet, actually."
"Oh really?", Maria hummed surprised.
"My father tells me that it's a small side-effect of my magical heritage. I come from a long line of accomplished sorcerers, you see."
Maria asked, "Is your father a stage magician like you?"
"He was. Once. He's now the owner of a TV network. 'ZTV'. It's not as glamorous but it pays better."
"That's a shame," Carol chimed in, "The magic business should've been easy money for your family. You know, because you guys know actual magic and stuff."
"Well, we had to tone down how much of our actual magic we do on stage. You see, my family signed a pact with the Sorcerer Supreme to never expose the magical community to the world in order to be independent from her sect of mages. They have a lot of bylaws, and they're kinda difficult to follow, but art tends to flourish under adversity so I don't mind."
"Interesting," Maria murmured before asking, "So how does a teenage stage magician end up with our talented but otherwise normal daughter?"
"Yeah, how did you guys meet?", Carol asked enthusiastically, "We've been dying to know. Did you cast a love spell on Monica?"
"First of all, that is very unethical," Zatanna started indignantly, "I don't need magic to charm the girl of my dreams. As for your first question, we actually met during my first day in Romita-Stern."
Monica reached for her girlfriend's hand once again. "I remember that day well..."
One Month Ago
"So... you're a mermaid?", Monica asked Jackson from the back of their third period English class.
"Not... exactly," he spoke as he rubbed the back of his head with embarrassment clear in his face.
"You have gills and lived in a magical kingdom under the sea. I hate to tell you this, Jackson, but I'm pretty sure you're a mermaid."
Jackson sighed. "We prefer to be called Atlanteans, Monica, and technically I'm only half Atlantean."
Monica smiled and shook her head. "I can't believe that you're a frickin' fishman this entire time, and you didn't tell me about it!"
"I'm sorry for the deception. The terms of my living in the surface world depended on me keeping Atlantis' existence a secret. My people aren't exactly fond of surface dwellers, you see."
Monica put up her hands up. "Hey, I'm not blaming you. I get why you have to keep that a secret. It's safe with me. I promise."
"Thank you," Jackson said as he looked down and chuckled, "And it's not like I could keep that part of my life a secret from you any longer after that... incident from yesterday."
"Yeah, watching your childhood friend flashing his gills inside of a lobster tank isn't something one forgets," Monica said remembering an incident from yesterday involving a family dinner at a Red Lobster, "I still can't believe you would risk outing yourself as an Atlantean to steal a lobster."
"I wasn't just saving any lobster, Monica. I was saving John the Lobster! He is an inspiration to my people, and an artist without equal! I had to free him somehow."
"If you say so," Monica said as she slumped into her seat, "How can a lobster be an artist anyway?"
"He's a talented singer."
"It's a lobster. I don't think they have the parts needed for talking much less singing. At least, I hope they don't...", Monica said as she briefly considered how sentient the lobster she ate yesterday really was.
"John happens to be able to communicate through water. You'd understand if you're an Atlantean."
"Uh huh," Monica said doubtfully, "I'm still kinda mad for you roping me into that crazy game of lobster football to get your precious John out of the Red Lobster. We were lucky Fury was around to sweep all of that under the rug before it could get into our permanent records."
Jackson chuckled nervously. "Again, I'm sorry about that..."
"Well, you can make it up to me by telling me about Atlantis," Monica said as she looked intently at her friend, "I mean, it's a lost Greek civilization inhabited by mermaids and sentient lobsters apparently. You got to tell me all about it!"
"I'm sure I can share a few things with you during lunch," Jackson said shrugging, "Just as long as you keep it a secret."
"Cross my heart," Monica said enthusiastically as she traced an X into her chest.
The teacher then silenced his classroom as class began. He announced, "Class. Before we begin, I'd like to introduce you all to a new girl to our class. Zatanna Zatara."
Zatanna walked into class dressed in her school uniform. She bowed and said, "I prefer to be called, Zee, if you please."
"Very well," the teacher said before pointing at the desks, "We have no seating charts here, so sit wherever you like."
"Thank you," Zatanna said before wading through the desks of her peers.
"Zatanna? Is she serious?", she heard one kid whisper.
"Is she some kind of migrant or something? This school is letting anyone in these days!"
"I bet she changed her name to get attention."
"What's with her hair? What a freak!"
Despite hearing her classmates slander her behind her back, Zatanna nonetheless held her head high and marched her way to the back of the class. She sat next to a girl appeared to be the least judgmental person in the room.
As the teacher began class, Monica whispered to Zatanna, "You can call me Monica."
Zatanna smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
The entire class went along normally without either girl talking to each other.
"And that's how we met," Monica finished.
"Uh... Monica? Honey. What does Jackson's fishman origins have to do with you meeting Zatanna?", Carol asked.
Maria stared at Monica awkwardly as well her daughter blushed and replied, "Our first meeting wasn't anything special, actually. I just thought you wanted to hear something more interesting first."
"As great as is it is to learn that the lost city of Atlantis exists, I thought Jackson wanted you to keep that a secret?", Maria asked.
"I trust you two with his secret. After all, it's kinda what our family does when it comes to weird, awesome stuff."
Carol smiled. "Good point."
Maria then added, "Let's get back on track. How did you two get together?"
Monica answered, "Well... I think it began after lunch period on the same day we met. Jackson was telling Mabel and I stories about Atlantis when this girl decided to take a seat at our table. I was kinda mad at Zee, at first, for making Jackson have to stop. But she proved to be alright in the end."
"In other words, my natural charisma won the day!", Zatanna added.
Monica shook her head. "More like you were more tolerable to be around compared to the other rich kids at school. You were still kinda annoying in how arrogant you are. I was actually about to write you off as another spoiled brat if it wasn't for that night in your place."
Zatanna blushed and let out a laugh. "I remember it well. It was a special night for me too, my dear."
Carol and Maria looked at the young couple, who were now too flirtatious for their taste, with alarm.
Carol spoke, "Woah! Woah! What the heck?!"
"Monica?", Maria told her daughter, "Please tell me you didn't... well..."
Monica looked at her parents with confusion. "Didn't what?"
Zatanna was more quick to realize their mistake and hastily said, "No! No, we weren't doing any of that! We were just fighting a demon! We were doing nothing untoward. I promise!"
Carol and Maria relaxed.
"Oh... that's a relief," Carol sighed until catching what Zatanna had just said, "Wait, you two fought a demon?! Like an actual demon from Hell?!"
Maria spoke with more worry, "Baby, why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want you guys to worry," Monica said apologetically, "It's not like it's become a hobby. It actually started out as just me hanging out with my friends on a weekend night. Zee had just invited me, Mabel, and Jackson to her place, and..."
One Month Ago
"... I can't believe we're going to go up there!", Mabel said excitedly as she looked up at a high-rise skyscraper at the nice part of uptown DC. At the very top of the finely built building, there was a giant 'Z' adorned on it as it shined brightly in the night sky thanks to its neon lights. "I've only ever seen something like this on Xandarian lifestyle magazines!"
Monica looked up at the building with contempt. "I don't see what the big deal is. It's just a glorified apartment building with a goofy Z on top of it."
"I think it's unbecoming of you to insult our host's home," Jackson told her gently.
Mabel added, "Yeah, we we're lucky that Zee is giving our little clique the time of day by inviting us here for a sleepover."
"Forgive me if I skip the part where I kowtow to some rich girl and sing her praises," Monica remarked.
"Wait, is that a custom we have to do in this planet?", Mabel asked.
"No, Mabel. It's not," Jackson told her before turning back to Monica, "Aren't being too unfair to Zee? I mean, you barely talk to her yet you're acting like she's the worst person ever."
"I know her type, Jackson. Zee just wants cronies to hang on her every word, and she figured that pandering to us normal folk is the best way to get to that."
"Monica. I'm an Atlantean, and Mabel is a shapeshifting alien. We're not exactly the paragons of normalcy,"Jackson pointed out, "I'm not saying we should swear our lives to her or anything, but I think we should give her a chance. She seems like a nice enough girl."
"And she has been giving me some helpful hair tips, so she can't be all bad!", Mabel added.
Monica relented with a sigh. "Fine... but if she offers me a million bucks for me to shine her shoes for her, I'm outta there. Okay?"
The three friends then entered the building's lobby, where they were surrounded by pristine marble walls with gold yellow inlays, pearl colored floors so clean that it reflects better than a mirror, and nicely built furniture scattered across the lobby made with the finest wood and fabric. If the lobby can look like it came straight out of a royal palace, then the actual homes must be insane!
Mabel marveled at the sight, her eyes wandered as she saw blends of colors that she's never seen in person before. She almost got lost in the lobby as her feet began to wander aimlessly, but thankfully her friends were around to guide the starstruck Skrull into the nearest elevator (which was painted gold, naturally).
The three friends climbed up to the top floor to the penthouse suite as Zatanna had instructed them. After a few minutes of awkward waiting to the tune of an annoying elevator jingle, the three stepped out of the elevator to find themselves in the hall with a door and Zatanna's room number on it. They walked towards the door, and Jackson knocked on it.
Zatanna opened the door and greeted them with an eager smile. "Welcome to my humble abode everyone! I'm glad you could all make it!"
She then led the three inside to her cozy yet very trendy home.
"Humble isn't exactly the word I'd use to describe it," Monica said as she stared at the see-through door to the indoor pool under the dome that held the building's Z.
"I think it looks great!", Mabel said smiling, "It's even better than the suite my family owns back home!"
"Glad to see you like me for my money instead of my winning personality. I truly feel blessed," Zatanna said sarcastically.
Mabel, feeling self-conscious, lowered her head in shame as she whimpered, "I didn't mean to say it like that. I'm sorry..."
Zatanna noticed how her words hurt Mabel and felt a pang of guilt inside her. She sighed and held her new friend's shoulders to comfort her. "I was just teasing my dear. I know it's not all about the money," Zatanna then flashed her a sly grin, "Your hair looks great, by the way."
A smile crept back up on Mabel's face. "Thanks."
Monica looked on slightly surprised by Zatanna's genuine kindness towards Mabel. It was always something that her friend told her of Zee, but she hadn't paid that much thought until now.
Jackson spoke up. "So what are we going to do for this little get-together?"
Zatanna stepped away from Mabel and said, "Whatever you guys want. After all, you're the guests and I your humble host."
"So we can do anything we want?", Monica asked.
"Yup! With my father out on business, we're pretty much free to do anything. We can take a dip in the swimming pool, watch a movie in the mini-theater, or we could just enjoy a nice dinner and gossip about cute boys. Sounds fun, yeah?", Zatanna said cheerfully before her face was warped by a sudden aura of seriousness, "But whatever you do, do not mess with that vase," she said pointing to the lidded ceramic vase off to the side, which was put up on a pedestal, "I repeat, do not, under any circumstances, open that vase. Do not go near it. Don't even touch it. Just follow this one rule, and we should be good. Understand?"
The three nodded. Jackson said, "Understood."
"What's so special about that vase anyway?", Monica asked.
Zatanna smiled nervously. "Oh, that's just some... antique my father brought home after a... business trip to Rome. Father would really prefer if it was left untouched. I would get into a lot of trouble, you see."
"Does your father collect antiques often," Mabel asked.
"Only when a certain... item intrigues him. He usually keeps all of his antiques behind a vault, but we didn't have enough room for this one," Zatanna muttered before saying, "So what do you guys wanna do first?"
Jackson said, "A movie in the mini-threater sounds nice."
With a bright smile, Zatanna guided her new friends onward. "Excellent! You guys want some popcorn with that?"
"What's popcorn?", Mabel asked.
"It's... it's popcorn. How can you not know about popcorn?", Zatanna asked suspiciously.
Mabel muttered, "Well...",
As Mabel fumbled her way into a half-decent explanation to cover up her Skrull origins, Monica was deep in thought after Zatanna showed her that vase. Once she saw the vase, she couldn't keep it out of her mind. It was as if it was speaking to her or something...
Monica shoved those thoughts out of her mind once she entered Zatanna's mini-theater.
As she took a look at the theater's giant screen, Monica mumbled to herself, "How does that count as 'mini'?"
Monica and friends her friends spent the next hour and a half watching an arthouse movie called Dreams while munching on bags of popcorn and drinking soda cans. Zatanna and Monica enjoyed the unique Japanese-American anthology film, but its subtle cultural and artistic cues were lost on Jackson while Mabel was distracted by the crunchy goodness of popcorn.
The next two hours were more enjoyable for the entire group. Monica and Mabel got to admire and try out Zatanna's bedroom sized wardrobe, while Jackson engaged with an interesting conversation with his host's fish tank. Zatanna then treated her guests to a lavish meal courtesy of the building's room service, and they all (yes, all of them) were talking about the cutest boys in school as they dined on fancy delicacies. And all four teens had a fun time in the indoor pool, a unique luxury considering DC's fall weather.
Jackson got to relax and swim the breadth of the pool as he lost himself inside his element, while Monica was teaching Mabel how to swim as the clueless Skrull girl floundered around the water. Zatanna wasn't interested in swimming and instead spent her time in a recliner sunbathing under a UV lamp.
Everything was alright... until Mabel almost drowned trying to swim into the deep end of the pool, because apparently Skrulls can't swim. Thankfully, Jackson was was there to fish Mabel out of the water and provide the CPR she needed to get the water out of her lungs.
After that little incident, it was decided that it was best to spend the rest of the night on dry land where it is safe.
The four are sitting around the living room couch after drying up and dressing back into their normal clothes.
Mabel spoke up. "Besides my near-death experience, I think this night went well."
"I agree," Jackson said.
Monica shrugged. "I guess it was fun starring in an episode of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous."
"I'm glad you all have been enjoying yourselves, but I feel that we can bump up this night from pretty good to spectacular with a magic show from yours truly!", Zatanna said as she got off the couch, "Free of charge, of course."
"Magic?", Mabel said before her face lit up with excitement, "I love magic!"
"Let's see what you got, Zee," Jackson added.
Monica scoffed. "Magic is fake."
Zatanna eyed Monica with a wry smile. "A doubter, I see? Well, I can fix that."
She then walked into her room. A few minutes later, Zatanna got out of her casual wear and dressed in her magician's garb made up of a black and white tuxedo top, a black top hat, a purple bowtie, a black skirt, black leggings, and a pair of heels. She had a wand in her hand and was giving it a stylish spin between her fingers.
She then used that wand to prop up her hat as she said, "Prepare to be astounded! The Great Zatanna is on the job!"
"Cute outfit," Monica commented, "But can you back up that boast?"
Zatanna chuckled. "I can do more than that, my dear. Since you are the only doubter in this room, you shall help me perform one of my awesome spells!"
"Whatever," Monica said as she got out of her seat.
With a confident smile still etched on her face, Zatanna said, "Are you prepared to witness the power of the Great Zatanna? Mistress of Magic and Herald of the Violet Twilight?"
"Let's just get this over with," Monica said dismissively.
"Then behold!", Zatanna shouted as she took out a deck of cards out of her skirt pocket and spread them out across her fingers, "Pick a card!"
Monica stood there silently for a moment and raised her eyebrow. "Are you serious?"
"Yes, I'm serious. Pick a card!"
Monica rolled her eyes and picked out a card at random. Zatanna asked, "Take a deep look at the card. Study it in perfect detail. Only return it to my mystical deck if you know for certain that the card is burned into your memories like the flames of a mighty phoenix!"
Jackson whispered to Mabel, "She's really getting into character."
"She totally reminds me of the Asgardian sorceress my family hired," Mabel replied quietly, "Zee's pretty like her too."
Monica placed her card, a queen of spades, back into the deck with a bored expression. Zatanna folded her deck back into itself before waving her finger at the top of it and saying, "By the power of the Violet Twilight, Ecalp siht drac no eht rae fo Acinom!"
Zatanna finished by tapping the top of her deck with her finger. After shuffling her cards, the young magician drew a card from her deck and presented it to Monica. "Is this your card?!"
"No," Monica said plainly as she looked at an ace of hearts.
Zatanna looked at the card in confusion before her face contorted to what could be described as comically intense despair. "How can this be?! Have my powers failed me?! All is lost!", Zatanna said as she clutched her head in shame. Despite this clearly being an act, Mabel actually looked sad for her new friend. Jackson patted her on the back for being such a sweetheart. However, Zatanna then eyed Monica and said, "But wait... what is that?"
Zatanna then reached over to Monica's ear and pulled out a card. The magician's face returned to its flamboyant exuberance as she said, "Is this your card?!"
Monica looked at the card Zatanna was holding and saw that it was the queen of spades card from earlier.
Mabel clapped happily and said, "Bravo!"
Monica still looked unimpressed and said, "So you pulled out that card from your sleeve while I wasn't looking. Big deal."
"I see our resident doubter still doubts even after this display of my magical power!"
"I mean, I can do that sleeve thing too," Monica said, "And is this overdramatic thing you're doing really necessary?"
Zatanna ignored her. "Therefore, I must cast an even grander spell!", she spread her deck across her fingers again, "Pick a card!"
"Again?", Monica said to which Zatanna replied with a determined stare. She sighed and reluctantly picked up a two of hearts card.
"Now put it back," Zatanna told Monica, who placed her card back on the deck. She then folded the deck back in and shuffled them. The young magician then held her deck in both her hands as she chanted, "By the power of my mighty top hat, ekam reh drac raeppasid!"
Zatanna then trew her cards into the air, scattering them all over the room and confusing everyone in the living room. While the cards are fluttering in air, Zatanna swiftly caught one of the cards and presented it confidently to Monica.
"Is this your card?"
Monica looked at the joker card and said, "No. Is this the part where you pretend to pull out a card from my shirt or something?"
"Oh, I think I hid your card better this time," Monica then waved her wand at her and said, "Ekam reh drac raeppa ni reh htuom!"
"Don't you mean, 'by the power of Grayskull' or some... kuh!", Monica started to say before coughing. She felt something suddenly clog her mouth as she instinctively spat out the foreign object out.
Zatanna caught the object, which was a folded up card. She unfolded the card triumphantly. "Is this your card?!"
Monica's eyes widened as she looked at the two of hearts astounded. "What the... how did you..."
Zatanna interrupted as she addressed the entire room. "But you see, that, my friends, is the power of my magic! The power of the Great Zatanna!"
Mabel and Jackson clapped at Zatanna, who took a bow like a proper and gracious magician. As Zatanna thanked her audience, Monica looked at her with a smile.
"Okay, you got me," Monica admitted, "How did you do it?"
Zatanna faced Monica and smiled back. "I'm sorry, but a good magician doesn't reveal all her secrets."
"Fair enough," Monica said before rubbing the back of her head awkwardly, "That trick of yours was very impressive, by the way."
"Naturally," Zatanna said with her usual arrogance before she gave her new friend a wink, "For future reference, if you want a private show, don't be afraid to ask. It was fun befuddling you with my tricks."
Monica blushed as Mabel raised her hand and said, "Do something with me next! Please!"
Zatanna bowed, "I am but a humble servant to my loyal audience."
Monica said, "You go do that. I'm going to the bathroom."
Monica walked away. As she did so, Zatanna discretely stared at her from the corner of her eye, smiling as she saw Monica entering the bathroom.
After doing her business with the toilet, Monica walked up to the sink and washed her hands. After wiping the soap out of her fingers, Monica splashed water into her face before shutting off the sink. She then rubbed her face intently before sighing. When she opened her eyes, she began staring at her reflection before looking down in shame.
"I really screwed up with Zee, huh?", Monica said to herself, "This nice girl was really patient with me, and I was mean to her the entire time and tossed her hospitality in the face. God, I'm such an idiot! I feel like such a jerk..."
Monica grabbed a nearby towel and dried her face. Once she was done, Monica returned the towel and looked back at the mirror. "I became one of those judgmental jerks at school just because Zee was rich. What was I thinking? Why didn't I give her the chance she deserved? How can she be so cool with me?"
Monica stared into her reflection for a few more seconds before shaking out of her funk. "I guess there's no use to moping around. Always forward, like Auntie Carol always says. I'm going to swallow my pride, and apologize to Zee. And then... we'll see."
With her priorities straight, Monica walked out of the bathroom with energy in her step. Once the living room was in sight, Monica could see Mabel sitting on the floor as she played with the bunny that the magician had just pulled out of her hat.
Zatanna noticed Monica approaching her and smiled. Monica smiled back as she suddenly found herself noticing something strange and wonderful about her. "Her eyes... they're so beautiful. Why haven't I noticed that until now?"
Zatanna's beautiful eyes were then warped by horror as she called to Monica. "Look out!"
Zatanna's warning startled Monica more than anything. As a result, the wandering teen accidentally tapped the pedestrian holding the Zatanna's father's very valuable vase with her hip. As Monica recoiled from the sudden pain caused by this stumble, the vase impacted the floor, shattering it into a million pieces and spreading what looked to be ash all over the floor.
"Oops?", Monica said wincing before looking back at Zatanna, who stared on in utter shock. "Hey Zee... I'm sorr..."
"Monica get behind me," Zatanna interrupted.
Monica looked at her confused and said, "What?"
"Get behind me now!"
"What you talking abou... what the heck?!", Monica shouted as she saw the ash on the ground floating and glowing a fiery red. Scared, Monica ran to the couch.
The ashes quickly swirled around each other as if carried by a mystical wind. Eventually the ash burned a bright red as it reconstituted itself into the shape of a woman. She had skin as black as the ash it was made from with mystical lines of fire all over her body. Her form was malnourished and lanky as she was so skinny that her ribs showed through her skin along with having disproportionately long arms and feet. Completing this chilling look were two eyes glowing red like blood underneath a Spartan styled helmet with a pair of oversized ram horns on it.
With an eery smile, the woman laughed and shouted with a disturbingly distorted voice, "After twenty years of imprisonment, I am free! All shall bask in my dark majesty as I burn this world to cinders! All hail Lady Blaze! All hail me!"
The teens were all panicked at this malefic sight, but none more than Monica, Jackson, and Mabel.
"What is that thing?!"
"Why is it naked?!"
"I don't wanna be in this planet anymore!"
Zatanna held out her wand in panic. "We are so screwed! S'retniw psarg!"
She then fired a magical burst of cold energy in full view of her Muggle friends.
"We stopped the demon, of course," Zatanna said in a reassuring tone, "It was touch and go for a second, but everything turned out alright in the end."
Monica continued, "After that... experience, Zee had to tell me that she knows actual magic, and naturally me and the others kept her secret as we trusted her with ours. And then, we just kinda... bonded. I guess you can say that I gave into her charms, hehehe."
"And I was charmed by your bravery," Zatanna told her, "You did well against the demon. And it doesn't help that you're almost as attractive as I am."
Monica raised her brow playfully. "Almost?"
Zatanna laughed. "Okay, you're about as good looking as me, but I keep the title of 'most stylish' got it?"
Monica laughed back. "Okay princess."
Despite this sickeningly sweet moment between the two girls, Carol was preoccupied by one nagging thought. "So you just kept a vase holding a demon out in the open, where someone can trip over it? Why?! Why didn't you give that thing to SHIELD or at least hide it in that vault you mentioned?"
"I already told you. There was no room," Zatanna said as if it's the most obvious thing in the world, "And SHIELD doesn't know how to contain magical artificts."
"That vase held a demon that can shoot fire out of its hands, and the only thing keeping it from burning this city down is a fragile vase," Carol pointed out, "Backwater jails on Knowhere made out of tin foil and scrap metal are sturdier than that! And those hold petty thieves, not demonic hellspawns! I mean, seriously, what's so important inside that vault that's worse than that?"
"Let's see... there's a magical book that can rewrite reality at the writer's whim. A piece of the spear that pierced the side of Christ. The petrified remains of a former Lord of Hell imprisoned in a tank of holy water. The head of a zombified superhero from another dimension. An imp from the Fifth Dimension trapped inside a magic snowglobe..."
"Okay, I get it," Carol relented, "But perhaps your family can invest in an underground vault in the middle of a desert to hide these scary things. I'm not comfortable with all these world ending threats being locked away in some rich guy's penthouse smack dab in the middle of America's capital."
"I'll be sure he knows your opinion," Zatanna said nodding.
Maria looked at her daughter with concern. "Were any of you hurt?"
Monica shrugged. "Mabel fainted, but I carried her to the safety while Zee and Jackson fought that Blaze demon. Zee managed to send the demon to Hell so it's all good."
Zatanna patted her girlfriend in the shoulder. "Of course, we all would've died if it wasn't for Monica here."
She blushed and said, "I didn't do that much..."
"Nonsense!", Zatanna said before turning back to her girlfriend's parents, "You see, Blaze was a formidable foe! Despite our best efforts, her hellfire outclassed any magic Jackson and I could muster."
"Jackson knows magic?", Maria asked confused.
"He knows some water magic, but that's not the point! We couldn't beat Blaze through power alone, so the only option is to banish that demon to Hell itself! So, I charged a spell to open a portal to the Inferno, while Jackson was to hold her off. Only Blaze managed knock him out through brute force before my spell was complete! I was left vulnerable... at the mercy of a vile fire demon! Blaze would've incinerated me that day if it wasn't for Monica's brave charge!"
"Stop. You're exaggerating," Monica insisted.
"Despite her lack of powers, Monica swooped into the fray wielding the noblest of weapons- a tray of eggs!"
"Seriously?", Maria said still trying to process all this weirdness.
"It's not just any tray of eggs, though. They were eggs blessed by a one-eyed priest! Monica managed to get them out of my personal arsenal when she and Mabel were hiding out in my room."
"It was a what?", Monica said looking at Zatanna with a raised brow, "I thought that was a mini-fridge!"
"Anyway, Monica strode out of my room and charged at the beast like a hero of old! The eggs she threw that day managed to burn Blaze's skin like acid, giving me enough time to cast my spell and send the demon to the Inferno that spawned her! And so the day was saved. No one got seriously hurt, I used my magic to undo all the damage Blaze had done, and my father doesn't know about our little misadventure so I didn't get trouble. Everyone wins! Except for Blaze, but she's a demon so I don't care."
"Sounds like quite the adventure. Good job in saving the city," Carol said before turning to Monica, "I'm proud of you, Lieutenant Trouble."
"Thanks Mom, but I don't feel that special. I'm pretty sure I wet myself when Blaze started throwing fire at me..."
"Don't beat yourself up over it, sweetie," Carol said with an encouraging smile, "We all have our fair share of embarrassing moments, trust me."
Zatanna then moved her hand to hold Monica's once again. "And you did come back for me despite the fact that you didn't have powers. That's the bravest thing I've ever seen. You truly are exceptional, my dear."
"Thanks Zee," Monica said as she gazed lovingly into her girlfriend's eyes, "You were pretty amazing too. Not to mention beautiful..."
"I know," Zatanna said with a wink.
Maria shook her head and smiled. "You know, when I imagined the story about how my daughter found her first love, I expected a schoolyard crush and a date. Demons are about the last thing I would think about."
"Disappointed?", Carol teased.
"No, just weirded out. I guess weird is the new normal with us, huh?"
"Yup!", Carol, Zatanna, and Monica hummed simultaneously.
Maria laughed. "At least things will never get boring."
"I'll say," Carol said as she reached for her coffee, "Personally, I'm waiting for the day I get to fight a fire-breathing dragon, preferably after travelling back in time to fight alongside the knights of Camelot. That would be... egh."
Carol winced in disgust as she felt that her coffee had gone cold. Fortunately, their resident mage was willing to lend a hand.
"Allow me, Ms. Danvers. Taeh reh eeffoc!", Zatanna said as she waved her fingers. One second later, a thin layer of steam rose up from Carol's mug.
Carol smiled and looked at an equally amused Maria. "Can we adopt her?"
And... scene!
I hope you guys enjoyed the story and the pairing that I have cooked up. I admit, this story felt a little jumbled and a bit disjointed when I wrote it out. I cycled through a ton of alternate openings and story paragraphs as I sifted through many ideas. It was a pain for me to settle on a final version, but I think I did alright in the end. At the very least, I did my best for what I wanted out of the story.
No special notes for now. I hope you all liked the Monica x Zatanna pairing. I'll be writing more of them in this universe. If you have a ship name, please feel free to comment it.
That's about all for now. Thanks for the read. Have a nice day.