December 7th, 2012/ Gotham City Underground

Zatanna

Hearing a shrill scream, Zatanna spun. Harley's gun skidded across the floor, the red and black woman clutching at her hand. At that moment, Zatanna realized that she had most likely been Harley's target. Saying a quick spell to purify the air, she rushed Harley. Harley back flipped into one of the maintenance tunnels connecting to the cavern, leading Zatanna away from the others. Running to keep up, she barely managed to keep tailing Harley through the various twists and turns.

Turning a sharp right, she skidded to a stop before hitting a stone wall. Facing the dead end, she turned to find nothing but empty tunnel. A subtle beeping danced into her ears. Blood chilling, she slowly turned back to the gray wall. There, placed on the stone was a small bomb. Next to it was a smile painted in dripping red. The timer on the clock was steadily ticking. She wasn't Robin, she couldn't disarm a bomb.

Zatanna sprinted away back through the vacant tunnels. If she could contain the explosion, she could stop it from destroying the whole underground system. She furrowed her brow, biting her lip so hard it drew blood as she tried desperately to think of something. Finally, she raised her hands and blurted out a spell. A thick blue, clear barrier formed around the tunnel entrance that she had just exited. Hopefully, the magic would absorb the explosion and keep the tunnels from collapsing. Panting, she stopped to watch her work. That's when she noticed the person.

How could she have been so careless? Harley threw herself at the barrier, fists pounding against the magic wall. She had most likely been hiding in the shadows, waiting for Zatanna to explode. Her lips formed a perfect o, eyes wide behind the mask. Zatanna had never noticed how blue they were before. In her panic, her hat had fallen off, revealing fine, wispy blonde hair. Do something! Her inner voice screamed. But she was shell shocked, a million things playing out in front of her. She started the counter spell, only to mess up a word.

"esaeleR yelraH nniuQ morf-"

The sheer sound of the explosion ripped the words from her mouth. The world around her vibrating, shaking as the magic absorbed the full blast. At first it seemed Harley was unharmed, and then a few pieces of debris fell from the ceiling. Before she could do anything, one struck the blonde temple. Shell shocked, she looked at the crumpled form on the ground.

She's okay. She tried to reassure herself. It's probably just a concussion. The blood kept spreading. I'll remove the barrier and we can take her back to the Watchtower. Then the tunnel collapsed.

Zatanna didn't realize she was screaming until she hit the ground on her knees. Somewhere in the madness, she said a spell and the wall dissolved into the air. Robin was by her, arm around her shoulder as he stood her up.

"Are you okay? What hurts?"

She shook her head rapidly, trying to get words out. "I-I'm f-fine. I was on the safe side of the barrier." She erupted into sobs.

"What happened?"

Unable to speak, she pointed. She felt Robin tense as soon as he the black gloved hand that was peeking from the rubble. He instantly let go of her, rushing to begin to pull chunks of stone and concrete off of Harley.

"Zatanna, go back to the main cavern. Send Wally here."

She just nodded, turning to run back through the tunnels. Wally looked over as soon as she breathlessly arrived. "Robin needs you."

"What happened?" Wally blurred over, noticing her tears.

"There was a bomb and Harley Quinn..."

Wally sped off before she could get another word. Not that she would have been able to finish the sentence. Joker was tied in a corner, Kaldur standing by him. M'gann and Cassie were most likely taking care of the defeated villain's, and then there was... Artemis?

The blonde cautiously walked over. "Listen, you probably don't want to hear anything from me, but I know what it's like to make a mistake so big you don't know what to do."

"You didn't kill anyone."

As soon as she admitted it, it seemed so much realer. She had killed Harley Quinn. Her father was a slave to Doctor Fate and Harley Quinn dead because she had failed. Harley may have been a murderer, but it wasn't up to her to decide. She wasn't the one to play judge, jury and executioner. A real hero would have been able to save Harley and hand her to the police. Maybe she wasn't a real hero after all.

Artemis looked like she was going to say more, but Zatanna walked away. She kept against the wall, trying not to cry. Her father, Harley... their faces blended into one in the back of her mind. Now she understood why Batman was so dark, so removed. Everyone had to find a way to cope; she would find a way too.

Then Wally came back. The Joker chortled, but then coughed. In Wally's arms was Harley, limp and mask less. Behind them Robin trailed somberly, holding the black leather piece and the jester hat. Zatanna couldn't breathe, just stood there and watched in as Wally laid her down, beginning to cover her body with a sheet. It looked like Robin closed her eyes, but the spinning sensation she was feeling was making her begin to see black spots. She had wanted this life, fought for it. Now she had to deal with it.

A/N: Yes, it's super short. I just wasn't really pleased with it, but oh well. (: Another is on its way. Thank you for the favorites/follows, make sure to leave me a review! Speaking of reviews, thank you to all who reviewed. And to Wondergirl556. She's the best.

-Star