Chapter 25

"Shall We Dance"

Illyria

The stars look just as lovely now matter what planet you're on, when you're with the one you care for. A gentle breeze flickered through Zatanna's hair as she gazed up into Clark's eyes. All the people surrounding them seemed to fall away and it was just the two of them in that moment. It had never felt so right with anyone else. It was a special moment between them. Zee wasn't so naïve that she believed this meant from here on out things would be 'happily ever after' for them. No, too soon day-to-day life would come rushing back in. She just wanted to linger in this moment for as long as possible.

Clark was equally in the moment. He'd assured the others that he had the situation under control and for them to continue with the dinner and dancing. They hesitantly followed his advice, but by that point he wasn't really paying attention. His focus was on the beautiful woman in his arms and the feel of her pressed against him. For once his amazing strength was a benefit with a woman. For once, Superman got the girl.

They began slow dancing, as the other guests finally realized the crisis was passed and joined them on the dance floor. Leisurely, Clark ushered them towards the balcony so they could be alone. It felt like months since they'd been alone and now that he had her in his arms, he wasn't planning on letting her go. He smiled, as she seemed to want this too, molding herself to his body. A light breeze wafted through the open doors as they slipped outside. Zee looked up into his eyes and he was captivated. It felt like the most natural thing in the world to lower his lips to hers. She was warm and responsive to his kiss, even deepening it.

The night sky was clear, the stars shining as they gently swayed to the music. Others were forgotten; this was their shared moment. Clark and Zatanna wanted to stay in it as long as possible. Both of them wanted to linger.

The Watchtower

Diana had just about enough of all this poor loser talk. At first it had annoyed her to no end. No one, even a Princess and Emissary of the Amazons, liked having a personal flaw pointed out to them. She already had her mind made up to speak with Kal as soon as he got back. He definitely had some explaining to do. That aw shucks, country boy, Princess and the Farmer stuff wasn't going to fly this time. He'd used that too many times in the past. Others were taken in by it, and Diana reluctantly admitted she had as well, but not any more.

That was the future; the present was another matter entirely. She had finally admitted to herself that it was probably true she didn't like to lose. She'd been trying so hard lately to prove everyone wrong it only made things worse. She would have to just accept that losing wasn't her strongest point. If that was the worst they could say about her, she probably could live with it. It didn't mean she liked it, but she could live with it.

Her mind then turned to Wildcat and Vigilante. The two men seemed to take special pleasure in taunting her with it, pissing her off and riling her up. Wildcat seemed to have a special knack for getting under her skin. They were basically using it to challenge and tease her. That just made it more annoying then before. For the last day she'd been trying to think of a way to get back at them. Sparring was out of the question, for no matter what she did it would be turned into her being a poor loser.

As an Amazon, Diana was raised to never back down from a challenge. If she was going to turn this back on Vigilante and Wildcat, she had to do it using her head not her considerable power. She wanted to show them there were consequences for teasing an Amazon warrior and she wanted it to be something close to home for both. It took several hours, but she finally thought she had it figured out. The two men liked to gamble.

They were always trying to get new members to play that mind numbing, indecipherable game Tonk. From her one experience with it, Diana suspected they made up the rules as they went on. Perhaps it was time someone taught them a lesson at a real game. With this in mind, Diana arrived at the Watchtower, waiting for her opportunity. She didn't have to wait long.

As she entered the cafeteria, she saw Vigilante and Wildcat sitting and talking. It was Vigilante that called out first.

"Hey, Princess, we're getting another game together," he drawled. "Care to see if Lady Luck smiles on you this time?"

"You wouldn't want to leave the impression after one game that you were a poor loser, would you, Diana," Wildcat added with a smile. Diana turned and looked at the two men. They'd just given her the opening she was hoping for. Slowly she made her way over to their table.

"What game are you playing,' she innocently asked.

"Well, Tonk, honey, same as always," Vigilante replied.

"Oh, well, then I guess no," she said. She gave them both her most innocent expression, which was to lay the bait. " I hate to admit it, but I don't understand that game at all. Maybe it's just too complicated for me. If you were playing something simpler, I might be interested."

She could see the smiles on both their faces grow at this.

"Well, if you want to play, it doesn't have to be Tonk, Diana," Wildcat eagerly said. "What game would you like to play?"

"Well, I did see a game that looked interesting on television recently," she replied. "It was called Texas Hold'em. I believe it's some sort of poker. It seemed very straight forward and the rules were understood by everyone."

"You want to play poker, little lady," Vigilante said.

'Yes."

"I think we can arrange that, don't you," Wildcat replied, nudging Vigilante.

"Absolutely! Just name the place and time."

"How about after my shift is over tonight," Diana said. "We can all beam down to the Embassy and play there. How does that sound?"

"Sounds like a plan," Wildcat replied.

"Oh, would you mind if one of my sisters from back home plays," Diana asked. "She's just arrived out in the Man's World, so it might be fun for her to experience something from it."

"One of your sisters," Vigilante mused. "Fresh off the boat from back on your island? Hell, yeah, the more the merrier!"

"Good, I'm sure she will enjoy it. I guess I'll see you both in a few hours."

Diana flashed them a smile and started for the door.

"Oh, hey, Diana, just out of curiosity, what's your sister's name," Wildcat called out to her.

"Artemis," Diana replied.

The Palace

Wally's face was flushed and he was breathing hard, but there was a smile on his lips. He'd just matched his record, five times, and while nearly depleted, he felt much better than he had the last time. It was touch and go there for a while, but he'd made it through.

"That was wonderful, Wally, it keeps getting better and better," Sabine whispered.

"Well, Mr. West means to please," he confidently replied.

"Who's Mr. West,' she asked.

"Huh? Me! Wally West! West is my last name," he said to her.

"Okay,' she simply replied. She continued to slowly kiss her way along his chest. It suddenly occurred to Wally he had no idea was Sabine's last name was either. It seemed like something he should know about someone he was sleeping with.

"I was wondering, what's your last name, Sabine?"

"It would be difficult for you to pronounce, as it's in the native tongue of this world,' she replied. "Its closest translation is waterfall."

"Princess Sabine Waterfall? Seriously," Wally replied. "Let's hear what it sounds like in the native language.'

Sabine lifted her head and slowly pronounced it for him. To Wally's ears it sounded like a series of clicks and whistles, completely unintelligible.

"So Princess Sabine Waterfall it is."

Her hands had never stopped moving and Wally knew where this was heading. He'd been wrong about her thinking he was a machine; the truth was she was a machine. The woman just kept going and going. Sure he was better prepared this time, but he had his limits. He thought he should probably get to know her a little better. Not knowing her last name just reminded Wally that there was so much about this amazing young woman that he really didn't know. Besides, it might slow her down a little.

"Um, ah, so Sabine, I know you like this and poetry, what other interests do you have?"

"I like horseback riding, politics and many other things. My tutors made sure I had a well-rounded education,' she replied. "I especially like this."

"Yeah, I'm really getting that impression."

She followed this with a scorching kiss and slid on top of him.

"So do you want to ask me any questions," Wally said to her.

"Yes, I do." she smiled.

"Well, shoot.'

"Are you ready to do it again?"

Outside the Capital

The wagons rolled towards the Capital and were now in the suburbs. All the fairy tales characters were excited and nervous about being in the real world again. As they made their way down one of the wide avenues of the suburbs, there weren't that many people out and about. As they turned a corner, the lead wagon spotted a tavern with several people standing outside watching them. The ogre, Steve and the little pig, Snowball, were in the first wagon. When the people at the tavern saw them, they thought perhaps they'd had too much to drink.

"My God, is that a pig and an ogre," one man shouted.

"Hi, how you doing," Snowball replied.

"It talks! It's not magic, it's some sort of witchcraft." Another tavern patron shouted in horror.

"No, actually the witches are three wagons back," Steve the ogre informed them.

"By all that is holy, what are you," a woman screamed.

"Um, ah, we're-we're with the circus," Snowball tentatively replied.

"Oh, well that's completely different," the woman calmly said.

"Makes perfect sense," another patron added.

"Welcome to the Capital, when' s the first show?"

"What do you know, it worked," Snowball whispered to Steve. He then turned back to the crowd. "First show is tomorrow, folks! Amazing sights, galore!'

"Any camels," one man asked. "I'm never seen a camel. They seem strange and wondrous.'

"Sorry, no camels."

"Well, then it's not that amazing a circus, is it," the man snidely replied. "I mean sure, talking pigs, but no camels, please."

"Everybody's a critic," Snowball said to Steve.

Gotham

The Rothschild's Ball was a benefit for underprivileged children and most of Gotham's elite were there. As Bruce and Shayera walked in, they made quite the impression. Bruce Wayne was known for dating some of the most beautiful women in the world, but one with wings was a first. The hosts welcomed them, paying special attention to Shayera, as were many of the other guests.

She was starting to regret agreeing to come to this. She had never been comfortable in crowd, especially crowds staring at her. On the outside she was calm and smiled at everyone she was introduced to, but inside she wanted to run. The only person she really knew here was Bruce, while everyone else seemed to know each other well. She was the outsider here. It didn't help when two men wanting to talk business snagged Bruce as soon as they entered. She felt awkward standing there with people staring, but no one talking to her.

"You look like you could use a drink.'

Shayera turned to see Selina Kyle standing next to her.

"Yes, I can, how did you know?"

'I've been to these things before, I know the feeling," Selina replied. "Come on, let's hit the open bar."

They moved over to the bar and ordered two glasses of champagne. Shayera glanced over and saw that Bruce was watching them.

"It's probably killing him wondering what we're talking about," Selina offered.

"He doesn't seem to be the only one," Shayera replied, tilting her head towards the rest of the crowd.

"Well, you get a room full of rich, bored people together and anything new excites them," Selina said. "They're like kids at the zoo, they can't help but stare."

"You don't really have much of an opinion of these people, do you?"

"No, not really," Selina admitted. Her eyes strayed toward Bruce. "Some are better than others."

"So you and Bruce," Shayera asked. The whole dynamic between the two fascinated her. "He said you two had some history."

"Did he now," Selina replied with a smile.

"Yes."

"Old news, I wouldn't worry about if I was you," Selina said. "He must be interested in you if he brought you to this party."

"Well, it's not like that really," Shayera started to explain.

"Look, we don't know each other, but you seem nice enough, let me give you a little piece of advice concerning Bruce," Selina interrupted. "Be careful. I don't mean it to sound catty, pardon the pun, but be careful."

"Why?"

Shayera didn't get the pun, but was more interested in what the woman was trying to say to her.

"Bruce is an amazing man, smart, handsome and charming," Selina continued. "He'll fool you, if you let him. He'll let you think you can get close to him, but it's just an illusion. He'll pull away if you get too close."

"You sound like you're speaking from experience," Shayera said.

Selina smiled and then chuckled, her eyes were still on Bruce the whole time.

"There's a long list of women that know from experience about him. Speak of the devil, here comes the man in question now," Selina said. "It was nice meeting you, Shayera, just remember, and be careful. I'll talk to you later."

With that, Selina slipped away from the bar just as Bruce arrived. He ordered a glass of champagne.

"I apologize for leaving you alone like that," he said. "Sometimes business spills over to these events. I do appreciate you coming with me."

"It's alright," Shayera replied. "I'm just not comfortable with so many people starting at me."

"Well, you do look lovely, so take it as a compliment."

"Thank you, Bruce.

"You're welcome."

They were silent for a moment, sipping their champagne and checking out the crowd.

"So what did you and Selina have to talk about,' he ventured. "You seemed to be having an interesting discussion when I walked up?"

"We were," Shayera replied. She didn't offer anything more, knowing it was killing him not knowing. This night could turn out to be very interesting she thought.

The Palace

Wally slowly closed the door to Princess Sabine's room and groaned. As amazing as it was being with her, it was a relief to finally get away. His body was in agony. Some parts of the male anatomy aren't supposed to be used that frequently for such a sustained period of time. Any longer and pleasure would have turned into pain, the most excruciating kind. Even worse, he now realized that last time was too much. He'd been dangerously close to pulling the worst possible muscle for a guy. He couldn't even say it without wincing.

As he gingerly made his way down the hall, Wally was more than a little proud of himself. He'd certainly shown Sabine a good time. Always leave them wanting more, the old showman said. In her case that wasn't really that difficult, Wally thought. He'd had to use Zatanna as an excuse once again just to escape. Right now, Wally wanted only five things, sleep, ice, food, water and some sort of powder or lotion. What order they came in, it didn't matter. As he took another step and grimaced, ice moved to the front of the list.

He glanced down at his wrist and saw the bracelet Sabine had given him. He guessed it was her way of saying thank you. It felt a little weird getting a bracelet from a woman, but it was the thought that counted. She must really like me, Wally thought. That was both good and bad. Good, because he really liked her, but bad because the bracelet was hideous. First of all, Wally wasn't a bracelet guy and second it might be the ugliest thing he'd ever seen. It was probably expensive, he knew, but still it really wasn't him. The worst part was he knew it would hurt her feelings if he didn't wear it. It wasn't like he could cover it up, as it was big and bulky, with some weird designs on it. Purple, green and pink weren't exactly the best color combination in the world either.

It was odd that she didn't seem to be interested in anything about him, Wally mused. Sabine hadn't asked about his home or family, anything really. A slender hand reaching out and pulling Wally into another room suddenly cutting off this line of thinking. What the hell he thought as the door closed behind him. Standing with her back again it was Queen Flavia.

"Well, hello Wally,' she practically purred. "I've been waiting for a chance to see you alone."

"Oh God," Wally groaned. "He-He-Hey, Queen, fancy seeing you."

"It's Flavia, remember?"

"Right, right, Flavia, so what's up," he said. Boy that was a poor choice of words, Wally absently thought. He thought of running, putting on a quick burst of speed, but knew he was dangerously close to a rupture or groin pull. He grimaced at even the thought.

"Well, now that you're finished with the Princess, I thought you might be interested in a real woman.'

As she moved towards him, Wally scrambled to think of any excuse to get out of this. He was tired, sore and frankly depleted. The problem was his mind didn't seem to be functioning as she slipped off her robe and revealed her nude body. Wow, she must do Pilates or something, she's in great shape was the only thought that came to his mind.

"I think you'll find I'm much more skilled than the Princess, Wally," Flavia teased. She pushed him back so he fell on the wide bed. Wally looked up at her, knowing what was coming, but couldn't think of anything to stop it.

"Five times will only be the beginning Wally."

I'm going to die, Wally thought as she moved sensually over him.

Elsewhere in the Palace

The royal reception was still going on. Free food and drinks have a way of making a party last for a long time. The Queen of Fables was listening to the Baron try and tempt her with his plans. She might have use of him, but not in the way he was imagining.

"As you must have noticed, Tsaritsa, Illyria is a decadent, soft world. In the right hands it wouldn't take a huge army to take control of everything. With your magical abilities at my side it would happen even quicker," the Baron smoothly said.

"I don't know what powers you think I have, but I assure you I'm just an ordinary Magi like everyone else,' Tsaritsa replied. "But, just for the sake of argument, let's say I did, what do you propose, Baron?"

"An alliance. With your skills and my troops we could be the new rulers of this world. How does Queen sound to you, Tsaritsa," he asked.

"Familiar. Perhaps we should discuss this further when we're in a more private location," she suggested.

"I look forward to it."

The Baron bowed and kissed her hand before moving off. Tsaritsa watched him go.

"We will see if you really will look forward to it, Baron."

Gotham

Bruce and Shayera were on the dance floor surrounded by others. A small seven-piece band was playing.

"You're a very good dancer,' Bruce offered.

"Thank you, I don't get much chance anymore, but I like it,' she replied.

"You did a lot of dancing back on Thanagar?"

"Not this kind of dancing, no. How about you, Bruce? You seem very good at this," Shayera asked.

"Lessons," he replied. "Rich guy, remember?"

"Hard to forget when I look around us."

"So what were you and Selina talking about earlier?" He smoothly transitioned the topics. Shayera's smile grew at this.

"It's killing you not knowing, isn't it?"

"Is it a secret or something,' he countered.

"No, but why so interested? What's going on between you two,' Shayera asked.

"Nothing," Bruce immediately replied. "It's just wise to know what a jewel thief is talking about in a room full of jewels."

"Jewel thief? Wait, Selina Kyle? She's Catwoman!" Shayera gasped. "I didn't put it together at all. How did I miss that one?"

"You might want to keep your voice down," Bruce suggested. "Shouting Catwoman in a room like this isn't always the best thing."

Shayera cringed as she glanced around to see if anyone had heard her.

"You don't think she's going to rob this party, do you?"

"No, Selina's reformed, somewhat, for now. So what were you two talking about?"

It suddenly occurred to Shayera that he'd dropped the information that Selina was Catwoman specifically so she would in turn tell him what they said. Very clever, Bruce, she thought, act as if you're sharing information to get information when you're really not.

"So we're sharing now,' she said to him.

"Of course, I told you who she was, didn't I?"

"Not good enough." Shayera shook her head. "I would have figured that out sooner or later. That's not even really information, it just appears to be information."

"Aren't you the detective all of a sudden," Bruce teased.

"I have my moments," Shayera replied. "Tell me something real about you two and I'll tell you what we talked about."

"Such as?"

"What's with you two, did you date or something?"

"Yes, now it's your turn."

"That's it? That's all you're giving me?"

"Yes. So what we're you two talking about? Fair's fair, I told you something now it's your turn. What was the conversation about?"

"You," Shayera replied. She could play this game too.

Over the Palace

As they danced, Clark had let them float up from the balcony. They were now several stories above the palace, just floating in each other's arms. The moon illuminated them in a faint, soft light. He could stay here like this forever, he thought. Zatanna was feeling the same way, but knew there were questions that had to be asked. She hated to break the moment, but practicality needed to be dealt with.

"Clark?'

"Hmm?

"What are we going to do,' she softly said.

"I was rather enjoying dancing with you, but if you are tired we can stop," he replied.

"No, I feel like I could stay like this forever," she said with a shake of her head. "It's just that I know this can't last forever. I'm going to keep floating away until I figure this out and you can't hold on to me all the time."

"Why not,' he asked her.

"What? Are you serious?"

"Look, I know it's not a long term solution, but do you have a better alternative?'

"So you're suggesting you just hold on to me until we find a cure? Really," Zee said, not quite believing this.

"It sounds weird, I know," Clark replied. "The way your floating seems to have kicked in to high gear, I think I'm probably the only one around that can keeping you from floating away. It's not a strain on me, I can easily do it, Zee."

'You're saying we stay in each other's arms like this until we find a cure? That could take a while, Clark.'

""I imagine the mages are working on it right now, but until they come up with something, yes, that's what I'm suggesting," Clark told her.

"So all the time?"

"Yes.'

"What are you going to do, sleep with me too," Zee asked.

"Well, if you're offering, sure," Clark teased. Zatanna blushed as she realized how it had sounded.

"I-I didn't, I mean, that wasn't what, you know, I didn't mean that!"

She slapped him as well, when she saw the big grin on his face.

"I know you didn't," Clark admitted. "Look, I don't need a lot of sleep, so it wouldn't be a strain on me. My cape's pretty indestructible so we can use that as a blanket for you, too,' he suggested. "If the thought of being that close to me bothers you that much, we can think of something else."

"It's not that, 'she quickly replied. It was actually far from that in her mind. She really liked the idea to be truthful. "It's just that I hate to sound practical, but there are times when I need to be alone, things you don't need or want to see."

"I think I know what you're suggesting and I agree," Clark replied. "We'll keep the mystery where that is concerned. I was going to suggest this earlier; there are space boats on the Javelin for walking outside the ship in deep space. They have magnetic treads on them that keep you secured to the ship in no gravity. I think we can probably modify them so you can stay connected to the floor of the Javelin or any surface."

'Why couldn't I just wear those all the time," she asked. She didn't really want to wear space boots all the time, but thought she should at least ask.

"You could, I suppose, but they aren't really meant for extended wear, but it's up to you."

Zee turned her options over in her head. One, she could wear some space boots all the time or two she could stay in Clark's arms all the time. Duh, she thought to herself, easy choice.

"Okay, let's keep dancing,' she whispered to him.