Chapter 26

"Limits"

The Palace

Queen Flavia moved over to the side of the bed and looked down at the floor in concern.

"Wally? Are you okay?" She began. "I thought you were ready for the dismount. I don't think I've ever heard anyone scream quite like that.'

"Landed on the bracelet," he weakly responded.

"Would you like to take a break or are you ready to continue," she asked hopefully. Flavia looked over the side of the bed again as she could have sworn she heard the sound of weeping.

"Wally?"

The Javelin

What seemed like a simple idea in theory turned out to be much more complicated in practice. Clark's hand gently held Zatanna around the waist and she was very aware of the warmth of his fingertips spread across her stomach and belly button through her thin dress. This made her somewhat aroused and she inadvertently shifted back and forth on his lap.

Clark was trying to adjust the space boots for maximum density with one hand, while holding Zee with the other and trying not to let her slow grinding on his lap distract him. That wasn't working out so well.

"Are you almost finished,' she asked. "Can I help?"

"Ah, just a little longer. You could check the overall density with the hand monitor if you want,' he offered. Zee picked the monitor and ran a slow scan of the boots. As she did, she shifted further onto Clark's lap.

"Oh!" She gasped as she suddenly became very aware of just how excited Clark was. Blushing, she shifted away, moving to one side. Clark closed his eyes, willing himself not to groan as she did.

"Um, sorry," she managed to say.

"It's okay," he replied through clenched teeth. "Let's…..finish these boots."

"Gotcha."

"You certainly do."

"Pardon," she asked, not hearing what he said.

"Nothing, nothing, just talking to myself," Clark replied. "How's-How's the readings?"

"Everything looks okay," she said. Turning on his lap to look at him, she asked, "are you sure this will work?"

Clark brought his hand up to his mouth, pressing his knuckle against his lips as the sensations of her shifting around on his lap was almost too much for him.

"Let's hope so," he barely managed to get out. She was watching him the whole time and a smile spread across her lips.

"Something on your mind, Clark,' she teasingly said to him. He caught the tone in her voice and gave her a look. She just had to play a little with him. "So why do they call you the Man of Steel, anyway?"

He blushed and stammered for an answer, which only made her smile more.

Gotham

The party was in full swing and Bruce found himself dancing with Selina. She felt good in his arms, but as always, she was too close. Even dancing she crossed his boundaries and invaded his personal space. Her intoxicating scent filled his senses and the feel of her soft, muscular frame against him certainly gained his notice. There was a matter to discuss, though.

"What was that about warning Shayera about me,' he whispered. He heard her softly laugh at this. "What's so funny?"

"Always the detective, huh? Even on the date," she replied.

"Did you really say I was handsome and charming," Bruce playfully asked.

"I was misquoted," she fired back. It was his turn to chuckle.

"So why the warning?"

"Let it go, Bruce."

"You can't blame me for being curious."

"It's a party, Brue, not a hostage situation."

"I noticed you didn't answer the question,' he said.

"So now you're going to grill me, like you did her? Can I take the fifth?"

"Selina."

"Bruce, you're a smart guy, you figure it out."

Before he could pursue it further, the song ended and she slipped away from him. That was another irritating habit of hers. As he turned and headed back towards the bar, Bruce noticed Shayera seemed to be getting quite a bit of attention from the men at the party. She was currently surrounded by five of them.

Bruce was a little surprised that his first reaction was annoyance. She was his date after all and he wasn't sure he liked the idea of other men trying to cut in. As he got closer, he had to admit she did look stunning. Her fiery red hair tumbled down around her shoulders setting off her beautiful, yet surprisingly delicate features. He was so used to seeing her in her uniform that her in a dress took a little getting used to. He'd known she was in good shape, but the dress brought out much more of her feminine charms. She was truly a beautiful woman, he admitted to himself.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I," he said as he slipped into the crowd around her.

"Just getting to know your delightful friend, Bruce,' one of the men said.

"Date." Bruce corrected him with a smile, stepping closer to Shayera.

"Oh, yes, of course, your date."

"Would you like to dance,' he said to her.

"Um, sure."

Bruce smoothly moved in front of the others and escorted Shayera to the dance floor. They moved towards the middle of the crowd, away from the men she'd been talking to.

"So what was that about,' Shayera asked.

"What was what about?"

"The whole date thing.'

"Well, you are my date for this," Bruce explained. "How would it look if I let someone hit on you?"

"So all part of your playboy cover, huh?"

"Sort of, didn't you want to dance with me,' he asked.

"I didn't say that," she replied. "I'm just trying to figure out where I stand."

"Is it that complicated?"

"A bit,' she admitted. "This is a side I've never seen of you. Fun, charming Bruce takes a little getting used to."

"Why did that sound like an insult?"

"It wasn't, it's just that usually the words fun and charming don't come to mind with you."

"Thanks," he sarcastically replied.

"Come on, you know it's true,' she insisted. "It's like Clark for example. When you think of him, you think Boy Scout or Diana, you think Princess. It's just who they are."

"So fun and charming aren't the first words that pop into your head when you think of me," Bruce asked.

"Not really."

"You're doing wonders for my ego."

"You asked," Shayera continued. "Maybe I'm wrong, maybe you're the life of the party when you're not around me. Maybe you keep it hidden and only show certain people. Perhaps that why Diana was interested in you there for awhile."

He could tell she was teasing, but still let her know by his expression he wasn't pleased. This only made her smile more.

"You know there's nothing going on between me and Diana."

"Yet."

"Not going to happen," he said with a shake of his head. "Everyone seems to overlook a basic fundamental issue."

"What, like you being closed off and unwilling to let anyone get close," she offered. He gave her the famous Batman stare, but she was enjoying herself too much. Shayera had to pull her lower lip between her teeth to stop from laughing.

"Cute, remind me to thank Selina for talking to you," Bruce replied.

"I'll have to thank her myself," Shayera said. "Just kidding, so what issue were you talking about?"

"The same issue Clark has with most women," Bruce stated.

"Somehow I don't think getting a date is Diana's problem,' she joked.

"Think about it, what's the big issue with Clark and an ordinary human female? I mean it's a pretty basic thing, that he has to worry about …"

"Having sex with her," Shayera ventured.

"I was going to say being intimate, but we'll forgo being delicate about it," he replied. "Yes, that would be the main problem Clark would have with any normal woman. Everyone seems to get that, yet Diana, who's in his league power wise, no one brings that up. I'm not even sure she's considered it. It wouldn't make a difference that she's a woman versus his being a man, the same problem would be there."

"So what, you were afraid she'd snap it off," Shayera teased.

"That's a little graphic," Bruce replied, wincing a bit at the imagery. "It doesn't even have to go that far, she could accidently break something in the heat of the moment."

"Diana's always been in control of her strength, Bruce, why would that be different," she asked.

"Shayera, I think we both know that control isn't really the top priority when you're doing that," he said.

"No, probably not," she admitted.

"I'd also point out there's no Kryptonian against her strength."

"So I guess its just Selina for you, huh," she joked.

"Are you enjoying yourself," he replied.

"Yes, it's not everyday I can make you uncomfortable," she said with a smile.

"I'm glad my discomfort amuses you."

"Oh, you're a big boy, Bruce, I think you can handle it," she teased.

"I'm starting to actually feel sorry for Wally now," Bruce muttered.

"Hey!"

Shayera pulled back from Bruce and gave him a glare. He gave her a smile in return.

"Two can play that game, remember?"

Themysciran Embassy

Diana was making sure everything was ready, as Artemis walked in. She was wearing her hunting knife and bow as if she were ready for battle. Diana shook her head at this.

"It's a card game, Artemis, not a gauntlet."

"I like to be prepared just in case."

"We're not going to fight them, just teach them a lesson," Diana said.

"It's a challenge isn't it," Artemis asked.

"I thought I explained this," Diana replied. "These two men like to think they are clever. They've been needling me about not being a gracious loser for some time now. They seem to gain some satisfaction at making me angry, so I want to turn the tables on them. I want to hit them where it will hurt. No, not down there, Artemis, their wallets. They consider themselves something of gamblers, I want to show them that we Amazons are up for any challenge."

"Princess," Artemis said, raising her hand. "You could have stopped at two men. I am more than eager to help you teach them a lesson."

"You've reviewed the rules of the game?"

"All of them," Artemis replied. "I memorized them just as you asked."

"Good, they should be here soon," Diana said with a smile. "This should be a very profitable night for us, sister."

The Capital

Sentries halted the lead wagon of the fairy tale characters wagon train. They looked at Snowball and Steve in wonder and confusion. There was a long animated debate about what to do with them. Scaramouche finally made his way up to the front of the wagon train.

"Is there a problem my good men?"

The two guards look at him, then the pig and ogre and then each other.

"What the hell is this,' one finally asked.

"A circus, or course," Scaramouche replied. "It's in celebration of the wedding. It's tradition."

"A wedding circus? I've never heard of such a thing,' the guard said.

"Well, you need to get out more, my friend," Scaramouch countered. "It just isn't a wedding without a circus."

"Do you even have a permit," the guard asked.

Scaramouche went through the motions of looking for his papers, before giving up.

"I seemed to have misplaced them."

"No permit, no circus," the guard firmly said.

"Would this do as a substitute," Scaramouche asked. With a flourish, he produced several gold coins. The guards' faces lit up at this.

"I believe something can be worked out, friend."

"Somehow I thought it could," Scaramouch replied.

"Amazing what you can buy with thirty pieces of silver," Snowball said with contempt.

"I'm pretty sure that was gold he gave them, Snowball," Steve replied.

"All that glitters isn't gold, my friend," Snowball countered.

"Maybe, but I'm really sure it was gold."

Snowball sighed and sat back.

"Just drive the wagon, Steve."

The Javelin

It had been a couple of hours now since Clark had begun holding onto Zatanna and they were getting much more comfortable with each other. It took awhile to figure out which positions were the best for both of them.

"So what would you like to do now," Clark asked.

"What did you have in mind, Clark," she teased.

"It's amazing, a guy holds a woman in his arms all day and her mind instantly starts getting smutty," he joked.

"It seemed like your mind was thinking the same thing earlier," she countered. "Don't even try and deny it, cause I felt it."

"That tends to happen when a beautiful woman in grinding on my lap,' Clark replied.

"I wasn't grinding, I was just trying to get comfortable," she said.

"Some guys pay a hundred bucks in a club for a girl to get that comfortable."

"And how would you know, Clark," she asked, a little surprised by his comment.

"Super hearing and vision, remember?"

"Uh-huh, it sounded like you had practical experience from here."

"Me? Na, I'm the Boy Scout, remember," Clark teased. "I would never, ever do something like that."

"We'll just have to see about that, won't we," she replied, shifting on his lap.

"I don't have a hundred dollars with me," he groaned. She smiled and leaned into him.

"It would cost a lot more than a hundred dollars Clark," she whispered.

The Palace

Wally was leaning again the wall gingerly pulling on his pants, while keeping a weary eye on Queen Flavia.

"Are you sure you have to go," she asked in disappointment. "We haven't even tried the Wheel Barrel or the Prison Guard yet."

A choked sob came from Wally's lips as he finally managed to get his pants on.

"Next time," he said, his voice barely above a whispered. "Don't-Don't want to try them all in one night."

"Oh, there's no worry of that, I know at least a fifty more,' she brightly replied.

"God, help me," Wally bemoaned. He inched his way along the wall towards the door, every movement sending new agony through his body. "I-I-I have to-to check in with-with-with the League. My job."

"So duty calls," she asked.

"Yes, that's it, duty."

"I understand, will I see you tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?"

Wally's mind was having trouble grasping the concept of tomorrow. It was focused on the immediate situation, getting out of the room alive and back to the Javelin. Images of his nice, soft bunk danced in his head.

"Why-Why don't we, um, ah, play it by ear,' he offered.

"You know Wally, among my people they say that it only gets more intense the longer you're with a Magi," she seductively whispered.

"I really did not need to hear that."

Gotham

The party was drawing to a close and the guests were leaving. Bruce and Shayera were heading towards the door, filing out with the rest. Both were a little surprised what a good time they had. Shayera had never imagined it would be so fun being with Bruce. He was just as Selina had said, handsome, charming and intelligent. For Bruce's part, he was seeing a new side of Shayera as well. He'd had this image of her in his head as the Thanagarian warrior. The invasion seemed to make her pull further into that persona, but tonight he saw a different side to her. It was the side only her close friends saw, the funny, playful side. He felt privileged that she had let him see it.

As they neared the door, they of course had to run into Selina and her date. Shayera waved. Oh, great, they like each other, Bruce lamented.

"So did you enjoy the party, Shayera," Selina asked.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I did."

"How about you, Bruce,' Selina asked with a smile.

"Parts of it, yes," he replied, giving her the same tone she'd given him.

"You know there's a big shindig this Saturday," Selina's date offered. "You two should come."

"Oh, no, two parties in a week. Bruce?" Selina said in mock shock. "That would almost be like having fun."

Bruce and Selina exchanged looks, but didn't say anything.

"Well, if you can't make it, Bruce, I hope you can, Shayera," Adam said. "I know several gentlemen that would be happy to see you there."

"Really," Shayera replied. She liked the idea of man fawning over her. "Maybe I just will, Adam, thanks."

Selina cocked an eyebrow at Bruce and could barely keep the smug smile off her face. It made him do something rash, which he usually didn't do.

"You know I think I will be free Saturday, Adam, so we will see you there,' he said. "Oh, are you going to be able to make it, Selina?"

"Wouldn't miss it now,' she replied.

The Javelin

Clark and Zatanna were having a late snack by candlelight. She was sitting on his lap, her one arm draped over his shoulder, while his arm was lazily around her waist. The sexual tension had been growing between them all day. Even just eating some fruit had taken on a sensual quality to it. Something had been on Zee's mind for the last hour and she had to know.

"So you said we'd be sleeping together, did you mean, you know,' she hesitantly asked.

"I'd be lying if I said it hadn't crossed my mind, Zee,' Clark began. "I guess I didn't want to feel like I was taking advantage of this situation."

"So no," she asked.

"We've got plenty of time, I'd like to figure out this spell first,' he said.

"That could take awhile."

"I'll try and be a gentleman until then."

"Right,' she replied. It wasn't quite what she was hoping for, but she did understand what he was trying to do. It probably was for the best, even if right now she wasn't thinking that way.

The door of the Javelin opening made them both turn. A rather haggard and spent Wally barely managed to make it inside. Clark stood up, holding Zatanna in his arms as he did. Wally looked at the two of them together.

"What's with you two," he started and then waved it off. "Forget that, I don't want to know. I just want to go to my room."

"Wally, are you all right,' Clark asked. Wally started to say something, then just shook his head and waved his hand uselessly in the air. Zee and Clark looked at each other in concern.

"Do you want some help?"

"I'd really rather not have anyone touch me right now,' Wally replied, gingerly moving towards his cabin.

"Oh, Wally, Princess Sabine called for you earlier. She said she hoped to see you bright and early tomorrow. There was something about poetry reading, but I didn't quite get it," Zee told him. Wally's hands went up to his face as he slumped against the wall. Clark carrying Zatanna over towards him.

"Wally?"

Wally managed to turn and look at them. He was exhausted.

"I don't like it here anymore,' he whispered. "I want to go home."

Zatanna and Clark both put an arm around him and helped him towards his cabin.

The Watchtower

Shayera was changing out of her dress and back into her uniform. She was smiling as she remembered what a wonderful time she had tonight. Just as she was finishing, a thought came into her mind. Do I have another date with Batman?