Chapter Twenty

Somehow, Zatanna ended up leading Conner back to her dorm where he grabbed a big for her, and then they headed out. Conner seemed happy to have her as company, even if he wasn't all smiles and sunshine. How could she tell? He talked to her, listened to her explain holiday traditions in her house, and his eyes lit up when she started giggling at her own tales.

"Well anyway, regardless of what my uncles say, it was the best Halloween we're had in years," she gives him a grin, sitting down in the middle of the bus that would take them to Queens. The seats were relatively comfortable, and they had smartly chosen to board a few hours after the evening rush hour. This meant it was dark out, but the ride wasn't long and it wasn't like either of them minded having to walk close to each other on the sidewalk.

"You take holidays pretty seriously," Conner mused, seeming to think it over carefully.

"Oh, only Halloween. Because of my mom… Other than that, the majority of them are used as an excuse to get together and catch up with far away family." Conner nodded in understanding.

"Is your mom home?" He asked, curious, and immediately regretted it when she glanced away.

"My mom hasn't been home for a long time…" She said, trying for a smile, but the look make his heart lurch uncomfortably.

"I'm-" no, he couldn't apologize, not when he knew how it felt, not when he knew how meaningless the words were compared to the loss. "Uh… I get it, alright?" Oh god, now he sounded like an ass. "I mean- um- … I know how it feels… My mom died when I was three."

Zatanna's smile returned, still heartbreaking but a bit less sad, at least. He turned back to the bus window, taking an interest in the lights of the block they passed. Offices and shops gave way to houses and apartment buildings, signaling their arrival in Queens, a lovely neighborhood.

"Come on, my dad should be inside cooking already." She said, grabbing his arm and pulling him off the bus. Her happiness continued to beam as she led him down the road and toward her little, two story brick house. She told him about the backyard, where she used to play as a kid, and the sandbox in the corner she used to sit in.

But the lights weren't on when they neared, making Conner frown. Had Zatanna not been leading him forward, he would have advised against getting any closer. But she tugged him again, and he followed dutifully.

The front door creaked softly and Conner made sure to shut it firmly behind him as Zatanna quickly flipped light switches. It was a nice house with a modest kitchen and wooden floors that left him forward into a TV room, then to the left to the stairs in the dining room. It was a narrow house, but that was to expected when there was no space between the houses to the left and the right, not even enough room to walk. He smiled at the pictures strewn about on the bookcases and hanging off the walls, liking the tiny snippets of her life he saw.

He was drawn back to the kitchen by the sound of Zatanna going through the messages on the house's answering machine. Zatanna didn't look happy, and an older male voice soon shed some light on the situation. "-on me, but I wonder be home tonight; my flight was delayed by a storm. I should be home tomorrow afternoon." Conner didn't recognize a few foreign words that followed before the machine continued to the next message left.

Zatanna stopped it quickly, obviously upset. Conner stepped forward, putting two and two together. "Dad?" She nodded, and Conner sighed. He'd need to distract her somehow. "Well… I didn't come all this way for the food, you know. How about a movie?" He didn't wait an answer, nor did he see the strange spark in her eyes, and instead took her hand to lead her to the TV room, taking her bag with them.

Once they picked something out ―Get Smart because Wally had loaned it to her― they turned the lights off and sat down a comfortable distance from each other on the couch. Zatanna began to giggle shortly after the movie started, and Conner was grateful, slowly relaxing now that she wasn't upset anymore.

When she stood up to make popcorn, he called to her from the couch, hoping his voice would reach the kitchen. "Zee, put some extra butter on mine."

"Zee? Who are you, Wally?"

Conner rolled his eyes, "what other nickname can I use? Anna? Zat?"

"Zat sounds like bat."

"See?" He huffed at her giggling, but accepted the bowl of popcorn they would be sharing. She sat down beside him, closer than before.

"No one calls me Anna…"

He looked at her then, tearing his eyes away from the screen. He searched her face, then shrugged. "Anna it is then."

"Anna," he whispered, and she shivered in response.

I MEAN- WHAT.

Next Chapter: Next Week.