Taken from Future and Past Clash 2: Invasion chapter 2: Sudden Arrivals.

Not At All

Nightwing stood in front of the hollo-gram of Wally. His best friend was gone for good. He heard someone walk over to him. Nightwing didn't look but whoever it was kissed his cheek.

"Hey Dick," said Zatanna.

Nightwing looked at the Magician. She blushed, put her hands on her ex-boyfriend's shoulders and walked in between him and the hollo-gram.

"Zatanna? What are you doing?" Nightwing asked.

"I still have feelings for you," she said, quickly.

She lent up and kissed him. Nightwing was shocked but wrapped his arms around her waist. Zatanna wrapped her arms around his neck. Their eyes slid shut. Nightwing pulled away.

"Zatanna... I feel the same way," he said "but..."

"No buts, Dickie-bird," she said and they kissed again.

"Do my eyes deceive me? Are Nightwing and Zatanna... back together?" said Tigress's very satisfied voice, her smirk dropped when she saw the Wally hollo-gram "Henry probably won't remember his father and Benjy will never know him,"

Wally and Artemis had rushed into marriage when they were 18 and Artemis got pregnant. Zatanna let go of Nightwing and hugged her best friend.

"They may not know today or tomorrow but one day they'll know they're father died saving the planet," said the Magician.

Tigress smiled at her best friend and walked off. Zatanna wrapped her arms back around Nightwing's neck and he wrapped his arms around her.

"You know I'm going on a leave-of-absence," Nightwing said.

"What are you going to do while you're away?" Zatanna asked.

Nightwing kissed her neck.

"I'm sure I'll think of something," he said into her neck.

Zatanna playfully slapped his arm.

"Naughty boy," she said, smiling.

"Zatanna... answer me this... why now?" said Nightwing "We broke-up 3 years ago, what made you realize now?"

"I don't know," said Zatanna "Realizing I still like you... it was like someone had told me, ages ago... that probably sounds crazy,"

Nightwing kissed her neck again.

"Not at all, Zee, not at all," he said into her neck.

...8 YEARS LATER...

Dick lay on his back, in bed, with his family. He had his arm around his wife, she held his other hand. Their daughter, Mary Sindella Grayson age 4, was curled up in between them with her back to her mother. Curled up between Mary and Dick was Dick and Zatanna's son, Giovanni John Grayson age 1, who slept soundly under the covers (you wouldn't even know he was there if you peaked inside the master bedroom). Zatanna sighed.

"Something wrong, Zee?" Dick asked, opening his eyes to look at the love of his life.

Zatanna slumped her head to look at Dick, her neon-blue eyes sparkling. They still seemed bright and filled with life despite having sleeping dust in them. She smiled, showing her pearly teeth that never seemed to have food stuck in them.

"Nothing, Dickie," she said "It's just... Right now. You, me, Mary and Giovanni. Everything is perfect. Truly and utterly perfect,"

Dick smiled at her.

"I agree. When the Flying Graysons died I thought I'd never have a family by blood again. But having Mary and Giovanni... being a father... it's amazing," he said, gently to his Mistress of Magic "But what's truly amazing is that the mother in this parenting dynamic is you, Zee. I have never before been so happy and at peace than I am right now,"

Zatanna's eyes sparkled, as did Dick's. Mary stirred and groaned. Zatanna let go of Dick's hand to gently stroke Mary's raven-black hair. The 4-year-old acrobat gasped as she slumped over so she was lying on her front and slumped her head to face Zatanna.

"Mary was definitely worth the 5 hours of agonizing labour I went through," said Zatanna, stroking her daughter's cheek with the back of her fingertips "Baby Gee was also definitely worth the pain,"

Dick looked sad.

10 years ago a man had failed his police psychological exam and was unable to become a cop (he was psychologically unstable). He was angry and became furious when a man who had been kidnapped and tortured at the age of 14 passed. As recompense, the psychopath murdered the man's family. The psychopath became known as Killer Cop (a terrible pun on Killer Crock). Killer Cop went up and down the country, killing the families of cops who had gone through things that would've made them crazy but they still passed the psychological exam. He made his way to New Gotham, heard about Dick Grayson who became a homicide detective even though he saw his own family's murders and tried to kill Zatanna and Mary. Mary got out of it with a broken arm (now all healed up) but Zatanna, while 9 months pregnant, was shot in the chest. In order to save her's and the baby's lives, Giovanni entered the world through C-section. Dick tracked down Killer Cop to an abandoned warehouse, Killer Cop (real name; Samual Louise) shot Dick's partner and Dick was forced to shoot Killer Cop in self-defense (Louise didn't make it).

Zatanna knew what her husband was thinking about, reached over (over Mary) and stroked Dick's cheek.

"He's gone, Richard," she said "He'll never hurt another family again,"

Dick took her hand and kissed it.

"I love you, Zatanna," he said "I love you more than life itself,"

"I love you too, Richard," she said, then she paused "Is it weird I saw this happening in a magically induced vision when I found out I was pregnant with Mary, 4 years ago?"

Dick put his hands on her shoulders, brought her closer so she was curved over their sleeping daughter, and kissed the top of Zatanna's head, spelling her strawberry and mango shampoo.

"Not at all, Zee," he said as she slid back down into her previous position "Not at all,"

I'm now going to hypnotize you...

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