(Takes place after the JLU episode 'Hunter's Moon')
Vigilante was laying in the infirmary alone with his thoughts and he wasn't happy. Why couldn't the doctors just patch up his leg and let him go 'stead of making him stay overnight? He'd fought on it and run around on it just fine during the mission.
He sighed as he looked down at his heavily bandaged calf. OK, maybe not just fine and he knew he'd had to have help off the javelin. Not that he would complain about that. He smiled at the memory of Vixen's arm around him. Still, though, he didn't even have his guitar to distract him from wondering where Vixen and Shayera had walked off towards.
It would probably have surprised people to know that he'd noticed them walk past John. After all, he'd been on a gurney being taken off to the med area. Thing was he was a hunter, tracker. He noticed a lot about his environment all the time. Even if he didn't, well, he always knew when Vixen was in the area.
Her presence demanded his attention no matter how much he tried to hide it. He didn't want anyone to notice 'cause that would cause rumors. He didn't like people gossiping about her. He knew there had been a lot of talk about her ever since Shayera had returned to the team but he'd be damned if he was gonna do anything to add to it.
Now that he was thinking about Shayera, though, he had to admit he could understand what John saw in her. She was pretty, not as beautiful and graceful as Vixen, of course, but then, who was, in his opinion. Still, Shayera was definitely easy on the eyes. In addition, the winged woman was strong, a good fighter and self assured. She was too much like one of the boys for Vigilante's taste but she was a good woman. Shayera was going to make someone very lucky someday.
Part of him wished she'd make John lucky so Mari would be free to—He stopped that thought in its tracks. Much as he loved her and wanted her, Vigilante did not want to be anyone's consolation prize. No one deserved to be just a consolation prize to anyone no matter how wonderful that anyone was.
That belief was, of course, why he was still single. After becoming friends with Vixen and knowing she wasn't leaving John, Vigilante had dated around, looking for a connection. However, none of them could compete with what he felt for Vixen. As pretty and smart and fun as they were, any of them would have just been a consolation prize to him. He couldn't, in all fairness, do that to anyone. So, until he could get past Vixen, there was no use dating.
And speak of the pretty little devil herself.
The door opened revealing a smiling Vixen. Vigilante felt his own lips pulling up in a responding smile.
She prowled over to him, to graceful and exotic a woman to do something so mundane as walk, and perched next to him on the bed. "So, how's the leg, cowboy?"
"Docs say I'll be able to dance again soon."
Her dark eyes glinted mischievously, "So, they're not going to have to amputate?"
"Naw, darlin', just some very boring bed rest until they're shore I'm not gonna keel over 'nd die."
She flicked his ever present cowboy hat back a little farther on his head in an affectionate gesture that always sent a shiver down his spine. "Nuh-uh, no boredom for my favorite cowboy. Especially not right after he saves me from an unpleasant meeting with the ground."
Vigilante was pretty sure he was going to hear that phrase 'my favorite cowboy' in his dreams for a long long time to come. He couldn't resist answering, "So, what did you plan on doin'?" Ok, it was flirtatious. So sue him, he was a man not a robot.
She laughed and produced a deck of cards. "How about poker? I think seven car stud would be appropriate, don't you?"
Vigilante reached up and settled his cowboy hat in a more rakish angle. "Deal 'em out, darlin'. Though what stakes you puttin' up?"
She pulled over a table and dealt out the hands. "Oh, I don't know...You know, I haven't had a nice trip shopping, lately..."
He laughed. "Darlin', I don't think this poor country boy could afford that."
She shrugged. "Who said anything about paying? I need someone strong enough to carry everything."
"Ok, you wanna play for that if you win, then I'll have to think of somethin' equal...maybe a real breakfast complete with fresh, hot, made from scratch pancakes and real orange juice served to the poro invalid in his hospital bed."
Vixen's elegant eyebrow arched and her tone was incredulous but he could hear the underlying amusement. "You think I'm the kind of woman to be serving some lazy man his breakfast in bed?"
"Not usually," He glanced down at his cards. "But you might be if you didn' get some real good cards there."
Her laughter did more for his mood than any of the pain meds they'd given him.