A/N: Ok, so, this is Frustration. Why is it called that? Because as long as DC refuses to reignite the flame of Chalant, I will use this story to vent my frustrations about this in the form of drabbles and dramatic oneshots. If you ever have an idea that you just HAVE to tell me about, go ahead and put it in the reviews, because writer's block is a bitch, and it's always helpful when other people offer me a rope to get me out of a deep hole.

Enjoy!

Frustrations, Chapter 1: Wait... Before We Go Any Further...

FUCK, was the only thing running through her mind as he pounded into her…

Wait.

That came out wrong.

As he pounded his fist into her knee, which caused her to crumple to the ground barely rolling out-of-the-way of his attempted finishing strike, intended to, well, finish the job.

Here she was, getting her ass kicked, receiving blows that would bruise and ache and make her probably skip work tomorrow, and still, even after all this time, all she could think about was that when he was around.

Zatanna was just lucky that he didn't think about her like she did him.

Well, either that, or she was lucky that he had the self-discipline of the Dark Knight.

And deep down, she knew it was the latter.

But if she admitted that to herself, then she would pounce him.

Just like she did two weeks ago. And a month ago. And three months ago. And a year ago. And, and, and, and, AND.

These trysts were getting more and more frequent… if the trend continued, they were due tomorrow night.

As she swung her foot towards his face, she saw his eyes trace her legs with obvious hunger that maybe he thought she wouldn't see. Or maybe, just maybe, he hoped she would see it.

No. She had to stop.

Dick Grayson and Zatanna Zatara were just friends. Nothing more, nothing less.

Bullshit. Zatanna heard her dead best friend's haughty voice echo in her mind. Artemis had always said that Dick and Zatanna had fucked up when the broke it off. That they were stupid, and overprotective, and that they needed to get their heads out of their asses.

She just didn't say it quite so nicely.

God. Artemis.

Artemis was dead. And right. And DEAD.

Suddenly, she collapsed. The whites of Dick's domino mask widened in confusion and concern as she began to sob violently, her shoulders shaking with vigor. He knelt next to her, and as well as she knew him, and as well as he knew her, she knew that he knew what she was thinking about.

"Hey," he whispered. "Hey, it's going to be ok. We're all going to be ok. You're going to be ok. She-". He broke off midsentence, obviously having said something that he didn't want to.

But, in her, state of mind, she didn't notice.

Dick continued. "Zee," (her heart gave a guilty leap when he used his pet name for her),"I know that she was your best friend, and that this is just as hard on you as your father… But Artemis would rip your head off for doing this. For beating yourself up for it. For blaming yourself. For feeling guilty in any way, shape, or form."

And, for some reason, his words, "blaming yourself", they just set her off. What she said next wasn't something she believed. It had never even crossed her mind until that moment. But her shattered mind jumped to conclusions that she would never truly believe.

So, in less than a second, her head whipped up to his, and she started screaming. "YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT! This isn't my fault! I'm not the one who brought her out of retirement! I'm not the one who brought her up against Kaldur! I'm not the one who didn't stop that bastard from taking her life!"

As soon as the last word escaped her lips, before the sound had even faded away, her hands were at her mouth, and she was sobbing all over again.

"Oh, god, Dick… I'm… I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it. I don't know what just happened. I know that there was nothing you could have done."

Luckily for Nightwing, Zatanna happened to be looking at the ground as he winced in guilt.

And, as Zatanna mourned her murdered friend, something inside her snapped. Screw the danger. Screw the risks. She turned toward the black-and-blue-clad superhero beside and pressed her lips to his.

He responded for half a second, then broke off. "Zee… What are we doing?"

She cast her eyes to the floor again. "Artemis dying… it made me realize that I need to live. To be happy. To love. I'm tired of pretending that we don't want each other, Dick. Please…"

She again moved towards him and pressed her hands to his face, then practically attacked his mouth with her own. Their lips began the elegant dance that the two had perfected over years of practice, and Grayson's hand brushed her side…

And then he pushed her away again.

Zatanna looked at him, confused.

And then she noticed the tears in his eyes.

"Zatanna… You know how I feel about you. And… I agree. I'm tired of this. Of pretending. Of secrets. But… I can't let this be the reason we realize this. Please. Just trust me, and believe that when this ends… I promise we will try again. But I can't let Artemis be the reason we reunite."

Her confusion had only grown. "Dick, you know Artemis wanted this. You KNOW she did. And you know that she would not be angry with us for doing this. Why wait?"

Dick eyes filled with pain… and something else. Something akin to guilt. To regret.

"Zatanna… I need to tell you something."

A/N: Ok so basically? R&R!