Note: In authors' news, coauthor Lois has been recalled to work. The majority of her customers are NOT wearing masks. Dear readers, please, PLEASE wear masks and follow social distancing when in public. Coauthor Anissa is still on an alternating shift schedule, and is now facing the prospect of two weeks home alone for eight hours a day, instead of two weeks in the constant company of the person she loves most in all the world. You know how dogs with separation anxiety will howl and scratch up the doors? It's like that.
In fic news, we hope you enjoyed the fluff and warm fuzzy feels. Now it's time to buckle your seatbelts, friends, and keep your arms and legs inside the ride.
As they soared over Gotham, Jay couldn't help making comparisons. After the bright, cheery scenery of North Carolina, his city looked even more depressing than usual. Soot all over the place, snow churned to slush by traffic, people huddled around burn barrels for warmth in the poorest neighborhoods, it looked gray and cold and cheerless.
It was still home, and that still meant something to him.
They swung by his apartment to change clothes and get ready. Everyone was driving separately, and the Manor was already wired, so they were meeting in the reserved parking deck nearby. As she touched up her makeup, Kala began to nibble at her lip, looking worried.
She turned nervous energy into teasing, as usual. "How do you guys explain every big charity event being a masquerade ball? I know it's for plausible deniability and being able to skip out at a moment's notice, but what's the party line?"
"This is Gotham. People like wearing masks," Jay joked back, buttoning his shirt.
"You're saying all of Gotham is a twenty-four-seven showing of Eyes Wide Shut?" Kala asked, smirking.
"You gotta be a masochist to live in this town," Jay laughed. "I'm sure some folks think Bruce has a kink for it. Who cares? It's just the kind of fancy-dress drama that people like."
She rolled her eyes at that. At least this was more black tie masquerade, and less costume ball; they didn't have time for anything as dramatic as her Snow Queen costume. Before leaving the mountains, she'd already taken a quick flight to Venice for authentic masks. The one she chose was a colombina style, heavily embellished with gold curlicues. Beneath the eyes, the mask was white and painted with musical notes, appealing to her day job. Above that, it was half red and half black, a nod to who she and Jay really were: the Red Hood with his iconic helmet, and the Blur with her black uniform and domino.
Jay had consulted by phone – Venice in twenty minutes was no kind of speed for him – and as much as he'd wanted a red bauta mask, it was too much like his helmet. Just because Joker probably knew their identities was no reason to go giving any hints to John Q. Public. In the end he'd gone with a black eye mask, something as far from his domino as possible. Not as if many people had ever seen Red Hood without his helmet, anyway. Kala had teased him about being boring, though his mask did have some gold scrollwork on it to tie in with hers.
"Just so you know, I'm definitely not one-upping myself," Kala said, still looking uneasy.
"That's not the point. We're getting out of the house to bait a trap, and getting a free meal and some dancing in the bargain," Jay said, trying to figure out what was up with her.
She sighed. "I'm trying to have a little bit of fun with this, Jay. Not everyone hates social events. But I warn you, I'm going to look plain."
"Never happen," he said staunchly.
"Jay, I don't have any jewelry for this," she explained. "I've got nice earrings but not Wayne Gala nice. The Snow Queen outfit was put together and planned ahead of time, but I don't actually own a lot of expensive jewelry."
He looked at her thoughtfully. He didn't give a shit about having fancy cufflinks for himself, but if she cared about presentation, well, now it was his priority too. "Hell, we don't have time to go shopping. Wait – we know someone who's got more jewelry than anyone has a right to."
Kala cocked her head curiously as Jay picked up his phone and dialed. With her hearing, she'd get both sides of the conversation. Selina answered, and Kala grinned to recognize her voice. Jay said, "Okay, this is not full repayment for the almost-forty cats running around my place, but we need a favor. Kala didn't bring any jewelry fancy enough for tonight's event. Can you hook us up?"
"Put her on speaker," Selina said, and Jay did.
Putting down her eyeliner, Kala said, "Hi, Selina. Thanks for helping out."
Jay could hear the thief's smile in her answer. "No problem. What are you looking for? Gold, silver, or platinum? Diamond or gemstone?"
"I don't wear gold or diamonds," Kala replied. "Honestly, I trust your taste. My dress is burgundy, and I'm wearing a white, black, and red mask."
Selina chuckled. "Oh sweetheart, don't trust my taste. I can't resist bling. Hmm, you don't wear any diamonds, or just no diamonds as the central stone? Because I do have a set of emeralds in platinum that would look good with your eyes, but they're set off with diamonds."
"No major bling, I hear there's going to be at least one master thief at the party," Kala teased. "Emeralds sounds good. And thank you, Selina."
"You're welcome. Bruce wants everyone to meet up, so I'll bring the set. Necklace, earrings, and bracelet. Take care of them, I actually paid for these."
Kala gave a snort of laughter and signed off, shaking her head. Jay was about finished getting dressed, and she finished up her makeup with a lipstick as deep red as her mask. He smiled to see her looking excited again. This was much more her sort of deal than his, but he'd have fun watching her. "You're gonna knock 'em dead, K," he said playfully.
"And if you're lucky, Mr. Todd, I'll let you see what I'm wearing under this dress," Kala taunted. He caught her up and kissed her neck, letting her struggle away with a merry laugh. That'd be a fitting end to the night, Joker snoozing his way to Arkham while Jay peeled that dress of his girl.
They got it together long enough to head to the venue in the Charger, with uniforms stashed in the trunk. There was always that possibility that things wouldn't go as planned – and Joker wasn't the only psycho in Gotham. Kala hadn't worn dancing shoes tonight, going for the stability of boots. Jay certainly liked having her closer to his height.
Bruce and Selina were waiting for them in the parking deck. "The rest have already gone in," Bruce said reproachfully.
"Sorry I don't drive as fast as she flies," Jay replied with a shrug. They weren't late, just not as early as the others.
Selina, meanwhile strolled up to Kala and gave her a hug. "I love the dress."
"It's the one I told you and Donna about. Jay got it for my birthday," Kala said, preening a little under the compliment.
"Oh, nice. I do love a man who knows how to buy clothes," Selina purred, smiling.
Jay glanced at them, and did a double-take; somehow Kala was wearing a necklace and bracelet. "Holy shit, Selina. I never saw you touch her wrist!"
As Kala checked her wrist, and then her neck in comical surprise, Selina crossed her arms and pouted at him. "One, if you ever see me working, it's because I let you see it. Two, if you'd kept your mouth shut another five minutes, I could have the earrings in, too." She held out them to Kala, who took them with murmured gratitude and slipped them in.
Bruce just sighed. "Fan out and behave naturally. No sneaking out of the party this time, Jay. Babs is monitoring the security sensors and cameras. I've got communications running through my phone."
Jay fought down the urge to respond with a salute, or a snarky 'Aye aye, captain', and just nodded. "Got it."
Bruce eyed him warily, evidently having expected sarcasm, but eventually he just nodded. "Good. We'll go in first. I don't want it to seem as if we all arrived together."
"Go for it, we'll hang back," Jay said, and waved to them both. Selina tucked her hand in the crook of Bruce's arm, and they strolled toward the elevator.
Jay just sighed and looked at Kala. "We're the only rich family in town who doesn't use valet parking. Bruce spreads the rumor that a valet dented his Aston Martin years ago, so now he always parks his own."
"It suits," she said with a shrug, lightly touching the platinum emerald necklace at her throat. "C'mon, let's head in."
"We have to. If I keep looking at you in that dress, we'll never make it out of the parking deck," Jay teased, and was rewarded with her laughter again.
They walked slowly, going down the ramps instead of the elevator to give Bruce time to get ahead, and made their way inside. He guided her toward the dance floor, only for Dick to waylay them, grinning beneath a blue and gold mask. "Aww, you two match," he crooned.
"Shut up, Dick," Jay groused, but he was smiling. "The blue's nice. It reminds me of something, though."
"I look good in it," Dick said, preening. "Could be worse. Bruce and Selina both decided not to wear masks at all. To the Masquerade Ball."
"If she can't wear a cat mask, she won't wear anything," Jay groaned, realizing what had been missing from their ensembles.
"Yeah, she's having fun though. I just watched her put someone else's Rolex on Bruce's wrist. He made her put them back." Dick shook his head, and Kala smiled indulgently. Jay figured he'd have to warn her at some point; Selina was so very charming that everyone tended to forgive her foibles, even while she played at lifting valuables. It didn't mean she would refrain from stealing from them for real.
Meanwhile Jay looked critically at Dick. "So where's your plus-one? Even if Dinah decided not to go, I'm shocked you couldn't find someone in this town to be seen with you."
Dick grinned at him for that. "Actually, I was lucky enough to bring one of the loveliest ladies we know. Here she is right now." He stretched out a hand, beaming.
Dinah laughed as she took his hand; she'd worn black and gold tonight, with the same Venetian style mask. "We did arrange this in advance, you know. And since I couldn't pry my lady away from the computer, I might as well let myself be seen in public with a handsome younger man."
"Oh, like it's a hardship to be seen in public with you," Dick chuckled.
She gave him a fond smile in return. "There was a time I would've fought someone to go to a dance with you. Then I actually met you."
"To be fair, you met Babs first, and she's a hard act to follow," Dick pointed out, still smiling.
Dinah shrugged. "Very true. Besides, I'm lucky if I can get her to one of these things every other year. At least she gets to spend time with Roy and Lian while we're here."
Kala just folded her arms and smirked at them. "You two are ridiculous. At least you prove that Babs has great taste."
"This is why I love you," Dick told her, patting Kala's shoulder. It was honest … but there was a little spark in his eyes as she laughed and hugged him.
Jay directed a mock-glower at both of them. "Dude, you bring your ex's girlfriend as your date, and then flirt with your brother's girl. You have issues, Dickie-Bird."
"We all know that," Dick said, deadpan. "Also I've been flirting with Kala since before you ever met her."
"The lot of you have issues," Kala pointed out "All of you together could keep a psychiatrist busy for years. That said, there's no one else I'd rather go to a fancy-dress ball with."
"Good, because you fit right in, Kala, and what does that say about you?" Dinah teased.
"I'll never be bored?" Kala said with a laugh, elbowing Jay. She grinned up at him, and he smiled back.
As they settled in, Dinah showed Kala a photo on her phone of Roy and Lian, both in red and gold masks. "Even if they're not here tonight, they still got to dress up. Of course, you went and got the fancy masks. Where did you even find those?"
Kala smiled and told her, "Venice. Little shop right up from the Rialto Bridge."
"Of course," Dinah laughed. "Frequent flyer miles, huh?"
"You could call it that," Kala replied, sliding her arm around Jay's waist.
He draped his around her shoulder, and said, "Anyone seen a waiter? I came here to dance with a gorgeous woman and drink champagne someone else paid for. And since we're all complimenting each other's dates and outfits instead of dancing, I need some bubbly."
"You dance? I bet that's horrifying," Dick said, wrinkling his nose. He was obviously joking, he knew full well that ballroom dance was included in the Robin package.
"Just give me waltz time, Dickie-Bird, and I'll put you to shame," Jay laughed.
Kala elbowed him again, laughing. "Come on, you heathen. Let's find some champagne."
No one mentioned the real reason why they were all out here tonight. It seemed like even speaking Joker's name might cause him to appear.
…
Tim honestly hated these gatherings. It all seemed so pointless. Oh, he knew why they had charity balls and things like that. There was a certain purpose to it all. But his participation felt pointless. He was only here to be looked at, to be one of the Wayne boys. No one who spoke to him or danced with him or even gossiped behind his back knew anything about who he really was.
He kept his polite mask on, doing everything that was expected and nothing that wasn't, while wishing for something real to do. Something useful. Tinker with the programming on the Batmobile's self-driving function, or hunt down some of the shadier deals going on in the city. It was very interesting that Black Mask was still in prison, after all, he should've been able to make bail by now. The evidence against him was stacked very high this time, his trial loomed ever closer, and he might actually go down for this one.
Tim nodded and smiled at the young woman he'd just spoken to, and turned to see Dick looking worriedly at him. "You okay, little bro?" Dick asked, looping an arm around his shoulders and leading him away from the crowd.
"Sure, why wouldn't I be?" Tim asked, befuddled.
"Because you just agreed with the councilman's daughter that reality TV is a valid genre," Dick said, sounding very concern.
"It's valid under the definition of a genre," Tim replied, replaying the conversation he'd tuned out of. "I'm not saying it's art. It doesn't need validation, anyway, it exists only to sell ad space, and it does that very well. People always slow down to look at a car wreck. Same concept."
"Okay, that's my brother," Dick sighed in relief. "I thought we lost you for a minute."
Dick was the only one who liked these things. He was a social butterfly, and for him it was a nice change of pace, to not be constantly on guard for a few hours. Tim didn't begrudge him that. It didn't change his own opinion at all. "I'd rather be anywhere but here. You know that. Don't blame me for zoning out."
"Look, Tim, just think of it as a relaxing, drama-free evening. Even Jay's acting semi-normal," Dick pointed out.
"He has Kala here. The last time he saw Kala in a mask, they ended up glitter-bombing the garage," Tim pointed out dryly.
"Okay, true. But it's not without its charms. There are a lot of attractive women our age around, y'know." Dick waggled his brows teasingly.
Tim just rolled his eyes. "And I highly doubt any of them compares to Cassie's intellect or her courage. Thanks, but no thanks. Go play the field. Or plow it, whatever it is you do."
Dick wheezed laughter, slapping him on the back. "Holy crap, Tim, you only make like four jokes a year but dang when you do… I'm keeping that one. Wow."
"You're welcome," Tim replied with just the barest hint of a smile. With Dick, you just couldn't help it.
"You could've invited Cassie," Dick said, leaving the sentence dangling.
Tim was aware that Kala would've liked to see her, and he himself would've been a thousand times more comfortable with his girlfriend here. But no, it wasn't to be. "Family stuff. I can't blame her mom. Cassie's always running a million miles a minute. The week between Christmas and New Year's is just mother-daughter time." Honestly, he was relieved; he didn't like to bring Cassie in against something like Joker. The thought brought back too many reminders of Steph. Cassie was a lot harder to hurt, but she was more confident, too. And it was overconfidence that had been Steph's downfall.
Dick nodded, thinking he understood. A thoughtful expression furrowed his brow. "I never asked. Isn't it weird, you dating Cassie? I mean, Jason's your best friend, and he dated her first."
"It's only weird if you make it weird," Tim said firmly. "It'' possible. You and Jay finally got over this about Donna, after what seems like a lifetime to everyone else."
Dick looked hunted, as he always did when that got brought up. "Tim, Donna and I never dated."
"Sure, right. You're just best friends," Tim said, too flatly, looking out over the crowd instead of at Dick himself.
That clearly didn't sit well with his older brother, as he was pretty sure it wouldn't. "Look, if you don't know the difference between dating and friendship, I need to have a talk with Cassie," Dick said in bluff-threatening tones.
As always, Tim knew it was for what it was. "I'm well aware of the difference. You're the one with the problem, Mr. Serial Dater." He kept his tone light, not wanting to call Dick on the possessiveness between him and Donna. It didn't seem to be something either of them were really aware of, despite the way that, this Christmas trip and every Christmas trip, Dick always brightened with Donna's arrival and moped pitifully after she left.
Everyone assumed because Tim had never been girl-crazy and wasn't breathlessly interested in gossip, that he didn't understand relationships. On the contrary, he saw more than anyone else realized, and evaluated it with an unflinching eye.
Most people conducted their affairs sloppily. He and Cassie had a much more sensible arrangement. Anyone else they'd dated had nothing to do with their relationship now, and he didn't see why other people let it matter. So he and Jason Kent both appreciated extremely intelligent, brave, beautiful women such as Cassie. He liked Elise, too, and if they'd met each other when both were single, he might've asked her out. It just hadn't happened that way, and he could see why Jason was deeply in love with his wife without being weird about that. Why would he be weird about Jason and Cassie? They were better off as friends and they both knew that. Cassie and Tim worked out well as a couple.
He truly didn't understand why everyone else had to have so much angst and jealousy and denial and all the other weirdness in their relationships. It was all just messy, and Tim abhorred mess.
…
Jay danced with Kala, and it was different than the art gallery. Or the masquerade ball way back in September, for that matter. They'd danced in public before, but never in front of people they knew – not when those people knew it was them. He was aware of Dick's goofy smile every time he glanced their way.
Kala bopped his shoulder, that snarky little exasperated look on her face, and Jay realized he was frowning. "Stop it," she said warningly. "It's Dick, isn't it? So he ships it like FedEx. So what?"
"K, if he goes and draws hearts on my car windows in borrowed lipstick, I'm gonna kill him," Jay said, but he smiled. It really wasn't a problem.
"I will take care of Dick. Now stop. You're gonna give me a complex." Her tone was teasingly wheedling, but her hazel eyes were serious, looking up into his own. Well, not that far up, when she was in heels and she was pretty tall to start with. He still had a couple inches on her, anyway.
"Oh, God forbid you get another complex," Jay murmured. "Besides the bad-boy fetish you're working on."
As he expected, that made her grin. "Need I mention you and the epic romance you have going on with your Beamer?"
"It's not a Beamer, it's a BMW motorcycle," Jay replied quickly, and realized he'd been maneuvered.
"It's a Beamer," Kala retorted with a smirk, and he spun her, making her laugh. She felt like … the next best thing to heaven, in his arms, and he felt like he could do this all night. Even with Dick so deliriously happy about them being together, all dressed up and in matching masks.
"Whatever. If Dick smiles any harder people will think he's stoned," Jay muttered. "Tim just keeps glaring at us like he thinks we're gonna fuck on the dance floor."
Just for that, Kala caught him by the chin and laid on hell of a kiss on him, a hand slipping into his hair as she did. Damn, he couldn't get enough of her! Jay barely remembered to keep swaying to the beat, his hands drifting lower on her back. When she finally pulled back – and adjusted his hands – Kala had a mischievous smirk on her lips. "If they're gonna talk, we might as well give 'em something to talk about, hmm?"
Jay got his feet moving again, mostly so they didn't prove Tim right, and grinned right back. "Yeah, well, we have to scandalize Tim every once in a while. It's important for his social development. As for Bruce…" He trailed off, looking for Bruce, and wasn't surprised to find him and Selina dancing like they were in their own little world. Jay shook his head. "Bruce wouldn't notice if we did fuck on the dance floor. For a guy who can't commit to one woman, he's damn sure hung up on the one he's with."
Kala sighed. "I don't understand Uncle Bruce," she admitted softly. "Who wouldn't want to make an honest woman of Selina? I mean, God, she's delightful."
"Annnnd I'm never leaving you alone in a room with her again," Jay teased, making her roll her eyes at him. "Seriously, though, Selina doesn't want to be an honest woman. Look, if Bruce ever said 'marriage' to her, she'd puff up and run away like a cat who just heard 'bath time'."
The mental image won him a silvery laugh. "Jay! Oh my God, you're terrible."
"Not that terrible, since you're still hanging around me," Jay said lightly. And never mind any thoughts of commitment that had been stirred up by talking about Bruce and Selina. Jay wasn't afraid of commitment. He did take things seriously. He just didn't believe in talking about it, because saying it was inviting the universe to kick your teeth in.
"Yeah, well, I kinda like hanging around you. God only knows why," Kala murmured. The words were still light, but her eyes had gone soft and thoughtful.
"Must be 'cause I'm such a good dancer," Jay said, with a salacious wink to make sure she knew he didn't really mean dancing.
Kala shook her head indulgently. Jay's mind flashed back to the night they arrived at the cabin in North Carolina. Up in the mountains, far from the city lights, the woods around the place so damn quiet it would've been eerie, if not for Kala by his side. And the snow falling gently around them both. Not the bitter sleet mix of Gotham, the snow there fell like something out of a movie. Or a fairytale. And he'd been standing in the middle of it, with Kala's hand warm in his, snowflakes caught in her jet-black hair. That moment was engraved in his memory.
Jay knew fully damn well he couldn't live like that all the time. The worst crime in the neighborhood was, what, Bobby Ray getting drunk and stealing his neighbor's lawnmower? His talents would be wasted there. And he wasn't an outdoorsy kind of guy, anyway – the waterfall had been beautiful, but Jay wasn't as comfortable in the woods as Kala. He'd gone hiking for her.
But it was exactly what Kala had offered: one night in her world. And her world was the whole world. The bright city lights anywhere on the planet, and the quiet places in between. Kala had a kind of freedom very few people did. Even Bruce, with all his money and technology, took tedious hours to cross the globe. Kala could do it in minutes, if she pushed herself.
Hong Kong in two hours. North Carolina in fifteen minutes. With her, he could go anywhere and do anything. To Jay's surprise, he found himself content to be wherever she was. No place held as much of his interest as she did. Even the cabin – seriously, a log cabin in the backwoods of the Blue Ridge mountains, the very last place Jay ever thought to find himself – had been a good time, a relaxing night and day and morning. Because she'd been there.
And with all her power, with the ability to be anywhere she chose including occasionally the surface of the moon, Kala opted to come to Gotham. His town. This filthy, fucked-up city full of criminals and madmen, the kind of place that should've been anathema to a Super for the smog alone, and Kala came here every chance she got. It wasn't just a bad-boy fetish, no matter how much he teased her, and it wasn't just the sex.
Jay just felt right, at her side, and he figured she felt right at his side. Like a matched set of pistols, perfectly weighted and balanced to function together. Equally dangerous solo, but designed as a pair.
Oh, man, he'd better not think too hard along those lines, with her in that dress he'd bought her and a glass of champagne warming his belly. Kala just brought out all of his softer instincts, although what he was thinking at the moment wasn't soft at all. And the tuxedo pants weren't cut to hide his state of mind.
Kala looked up at him steadily, her hazel eyes so deep he could get lost in them. Strange to think she could look right into him, see past his skull with such lovely eyes, and Jay wondered if his brain might have all the things he dared not think too clearly about written on its surface for her to read.
She knew all the bad stuff, all the worst things that had ever happened to him, the worst he'd ever done. She knew every drop of blood caked into his hands. And she still looked at him so softly. Kala, who had turned down Empress of Earth and murdered possibly the most dangerous threat her father and the whole planet had ever faced. Jay knew all about her darkness, too, knew exactly where she'd been broken and healed a little crooked. And still, she could look at him like that. It was a kind of courage that almost shamed him. Kala still believed in things like happily ever after. She knew better than to say it to him, but he knew. He'd seen her eyes when she was stripped bare of everything but emotion, and he knew what she felt for him.
Jay hoped she knew the same about him, because he couldn't say it. Couldn't. It was the most dangerous way of tempting fate. His life didn't have a happily-ever-after ending; somewhere in the future was another headstone and a memorial, and hopefully this time he'd be able to spill some more of the bad guys' blood when he went down. Until then, Jay just did the best he could, and maybe if he didn't draw attention to the best thing that had happened to him, his incredibly shitty Todd luck wouldn't come down on her.
He leaned in, resting his forehead on hers, their noses almost touching. Jay's eyes were fixed on Kala, paying only the merest ghost of attention to their surroundings.
She knew, though. She could always tell when he was lost in his own mind. "Stop it," Kala murmured, reaching to trace gentle fingers over his brow and across his cheek.
"I'm good," he told her softly.
That prompted a whisper of a laugh from her. "Then why are you frowning again, Jay?"
Jay sighed, and closed the door on the contemplation of bad endings. He had plenty to focus on, right now, and it was a damn sight better than that. "Lived with Bruce too long. Brooding's contagious. I'm back on, now." And just making a joke like that was enough to let him smile again.
X-ray vision or not, those eyes of hers were damn pretty. They seemed to change color with the lighting and her mood, looking more green or more amber and never quite the same twice. The soft smile that curved her mouth then just added to the appeal. "Brooding with me here? Guess I was right that time I told you I was a lousy dream-catcher," Kala said in a quiet murmur only he could hear. For a moment, her gaze swept what she could see of his face in that knowing way, before she moved to rest her forehead against his again. "Sorry I'm not a better distraction tonight. Don't know why you keep me around. Any way I can get your mind off it, Robin?"
"Oh, plenty of ways," Jay murmured, spinning her again. "I suppose you're looking for ways that leave that dress on, though, right? At least for now. Later … later on, we'll see."
He enjoyed her tender looks, but the heated ones were even more welcome. And the way her eyes darkened at that suggestion made every bit of teasing from Dick or doubt from Tim worthwhile. "Let's work with ways that won't get us jailed for public indecency," Kala murmured, her hand on his shoulder slipping down to catch his bicep the way she sometimes did in bed.
Something about Kala was even more beautiful, even more attractive, tonight. Jay didn't question the irresistible pull he felt toward her. He always felt that magnetism, it was just particularly strong tonight. "Just keep dancing with me," he told her. "That's all I need, for now."
"Maybe I can do a little better than that." Kala smiled, and leaned up to kiss him again. The kind of kiss where time seemed to stop and his heart slowed and he sort of wished he could just live in a moment forever, because for once everything was going right. Jay let himself get lost in the kiss, the way he usually didn't when they had witnesses, sinking into the feel of her breath and the taste of her lips until his brain buzzed like he was drunk.
Jay had to break away first, needing air more than she did, and Kala's eyes had gone darkly lambent the way they only did when the two of them were alone. If there weren't a couple hundred witnesses around, he was sure she'd snatch him up and fly off to the apartment right now. The thought was enough to make him grin.
Something changed in her expression then, the way her expression and gaze suddenly went soft, something trapped there that was fraught and almost pleading. "Jay … Jay, I…"
He knew what was on her mind and in her heart and on the tip of her tongue. And he'd infected her with his fear; Kala could say those words readily – but not to him. Because she knew how he felt about saying things like that. And she had no clue, even now, that she'd already told him.
The thing was, he didn't need to hear them to know they were true. "I know, K," he told her, and kissed her before she could speak. "I know. Me too."
That admission – the closest he dared come to even thinking it – left her looking almost shattered in disbelief. Jay couldn't handle seeing that wide-eyed expression, the sudden wonder there; she deserved the words, and a whole lot more that he couldn't give her. But damn, she'd picked him anyway, and before he could start scourging himself, Kala slowly broke into the warmest smile he'd ever seen. With a soft laugh, she leaned back into him willingly, content in his arms.
Jay kissed her forehead, and swayed with her, his heart pounding double-time.
…
The only two people not masked in the entire room danced together, patiently but firmly ignoring anyone who tried to cut in. "This is nice," Selina murmured, smiling up at Bruce. It was, really – none of the sensors at the Manor had been tripped yet, so they could just enjoy the party for now.
He would've liked to maintain a stoic facade, but she more than anyone else in his life called up a smile from him. "It is," he told her. "You still have to put that necklace back."
Selina gave him a charming pout. "Aww, come on. Emeralds bring out my eyes and I lent Kala all of mine. Not to mention, she hasn't even noticed it's gone yet. That could be her fifth champagne talking, though."
"You've had three," Bruce pointed out.
"One more glass and I might take you home with me, handsome," Selina said, with a salacious waggle of her brows.
"Selina," Bruce scolded. She never could pass up an opportunity to flirt, even when she was already living with him at the moment.
And he could never resist her. Selina tipped her head back, laughing, and Bruce was peripherally aware of several men nearby darting envious looks at them. Beautiful, witty, charming, everything about Selina encouraged adoration.
She was fiercely independent, though, and had Bruce been the kind of man who felt threatened by others' interest in his date, he would've warned them that none of them could handle her. Hell, he couldn't really handle her. Selina let herself be handled only as much as she pleased, and no power on earth could compel her beyond that.
"Brucie, darling," she murmured, too sweetly, calling his attention back from that contemplation. "The neckline of this dress is much too low for you to be brooding. What's on your mind?"
She leaned in close, pressing her cheek to his just like one of her cats, and Bruce let his breath ghost across her hair. "Sparing a moment of pity for all the jealous men who wish they were dancing with you."
"Mm, if they only knew," she chuckled, and kissed his jaw.
Another moment, another turn of the dance, and Bruce let himself relax as much as he could. Public events always required a certain amount of monitoring, but there was plenty of backup available. And then Selina murmured, "You're not thinking deep thoughts about us cohabiting, are you? Because you know, as much as I love the silk sheets and the mansion on the hill and the good silver and the fine china and Alfred … it's not for me. I'm not staying, Bruce. As soon as Joker's locked up or put down, I'm in the wind."
And he had known that. He just hadn't been letting himself dwell on it, because having Selina there at breakfast every morning, having her curled up in his arms every night, was delightful. Bruce knew he could get very used to that.
She couldn't. It was nothing so trite as the fear of commitment everyone ascribed to him. Selina belonged to the night and the rooftops, and she cherished her freedom more than anything else. More than comfort, more than love, more than life, even. He could offer her the world on a silver platter, and she would only see a collar with a bell on it. Selina was not, and never could be, tame. Not and remain herself.
Strange how, of his two great loves, the one who'd been bred to rule and raised as an assassin was the only one fond of domesticity. But then, years ago Ra's al Ghul had warned him of trying to tame Talia – that like a hunting falcon, she might accept the jesses, and time on the glove might dull her talons, but she would never truly be happy with that future, either. Perhaps he was just doomed to love women whose very sense of self required them to stand apart from him, and the only difference was that one would willingly self-immolate if he allowed it, and the other refused.
The concept of his life, or just a relationship with him, as a funeral pyre also had a certain poetic gruesomeness to it.
Bruce wouldn't say any of that to Selina. She was anxious, living with him, precisely because she enjoyed it, too. Neither of them were willing to change who they were, not even for themselves, certainly not for love. The least he could do was not add any more pressure to Selina.
"I know," he murmured, and pulled her a little closer. "Just enjoying it while it lasts. And you are giving back that necklace."
Teasing her about her thefts was a safer topic, but he heard a rueful note in her chuckle. "Oh, if you insist," Selina replied, and then he felt more than saw her glance upward. "Look, they left the Christmas decorations up."
Bruce knew exactly what it would be, drawing back from her to glance at the ceiling. Of course. They had a history with certain decorations, which was enough to make him think fondly of a parasitic herb. That affection was in his voice as he murmured, "Well, it is the Mistletoe Masquerade."
"A wise man once told me mistletoe can be deadly, if you eat it," Selina told him, arching her brow.
"A wiser woman told me a kiss can be even deadlier, if you mean it," Bruce replied, and kissed her anyway.
…
Kala had gone to the ladies' room to gather her composure, after almost blurting her guts out to Jay. And he'd responded to it – though now she was wondering if he'd been agreeing with something else, if he'd misinterpreted the words she'd almost said. Part of her longed to just get it out there, to have the truth laid out raw and real between them. Most of her knew that Jay would go skittering off into the night if she tried that.
It would still feel good to just say it, for once. They'd danced around it so long. She shook her head, pushing the thoughts away as she re-entered the main room to look for Jay.
All of a sudden, the crowd moved differently, and she alerted to it. For some reason, she remembered one of the very early concert tours, when KLK had been just one of a long list of Goth bands playing. She'd been in the crowd when an amplifier blew up, and felt this same kind of sharp change. It made her think for a moment that she could understand flocks of birds or schools of fish, how they could all move together as if some kind of low-grade telepathy connected them.
The same thing was happening now, and Kala knew not to freeze in place. She moved with the crowd, a little slower than them, reaching out with super-senses to locate her team and the cause of this change in behavior.
Images of birds and fish came to mind again, because a space began to open up within the crowd, a space like the one surrounding a shark cruising through a school of tuna, or a hawk diving through a flock of starlings. Everyone was trying to avoid the dozen figures now fanning out through the crowd.
Men, armed with automatic rifles, and Kala's spine turned to ice as she saw that all of them wore clown masks.
All but one.
…
Dick enjoyed teasing Jay, and this was a perfect opportunity. The way he'd danced with Kala just begged for some brotherly ribbing; it looked so damn serious Dick was ready to name their kids. He didn't think Kala would object to naming a boy Richard, after all, since it was her stepfather's name too. The second she stepped away, Dick cruised in to give him grief, leaving Dinah to browse the hors d'ouvres. Except every remark about what a good dancer he was and how cute Jay and Kala looked together had only been met by a smug smile. Even now, Jay was sipping champagne and just grinning at Dick. "Didn't know you were this jealous," he finally said.
"Jealous?" Dick replied, eyebrows going up.
"Yeah. Look, Dick, it's not my fault you brought a totally platonic date. I can suffer through all the small talk and bullshit for two reasons: I get to dance with Kala in that dress, and I get to take her home after." He winked at that, looking absolutely devilish.
It startled a laugh from Dick, who clapped him on the shoulder. "At least there's no glitter this time."
They could've riffed on that for a while; Tim was still finding glitter in the garage. But the atmosphere of the room changed abruptly, and they both turned to see what was happening.
"Aw, fuck," Jay growled as the crowd began to scatter. "Really? I was having a good time, too…"
He trailed off as they both saw the men stalking in with weapons raised. Clown masks – it was Joker, they hadn't outguessed him after all. His goons were here, and a second later, Dick saw that distinctive green hair. Joker himself was here, too.
His hand was still on Jay's shoulder, and he felt the muscle turn to stone. It turned Dick's stomach to see Joker running loose among civilians; he couldn't imagine the amount of adrenaline that must've been coursing through Jay's veins. This was the outcome no one had wanted … but they'd planned for it anyway. Because that was who they were.
"We've got to get out of here," Dick murmured, taking Jay's arm. He was probably armed, with a knife or two if not a well-concealed gun, and it would be difficult to keep Jay from simply pouncing on his nemesis in plainclothes. He had to get him moving.
"Where's K?" Jay asked, scanning the crowd even as they both started backing toward the nearest exit.
Dick felt his heart clench, trying to spot her. People were beginning to panic, and in seconds the crowd could turn ugly. "No time, Jay, she knows the plan. She'll be heading for the parking deck."
"Jesus fuck in a house fire," Jay said despairingly, still scanning the crowd even as he and Dick backed toward the doors.
He hesitated, and Dick grabbed Jay's arm even more tightly. "We have to go, we can outflank them, but we have to go, Jay. She's faster than us, she's probably already at the cars. Let's go, now!"
Joker lunged toward the partygoers, and a rattle of frightened cries went up from them. They leapt back, ramming into each other. Jay started to come along, reluctantly.
"Where's the commissioner?" Joker asked in that horribly jovial voice. "How about the mayor, is she here? C'mon, people, work with me." Always stalking, every move predatory, and no one would've guessed that he'd been in a coma last month. It was downright uncanny. "How about this – anybody missing a wallet? Or a diamond ring? Maybe there's a sticky-fingered cat in the crowd. Here, kitty kitty kitty…"
One of his men made another lunge, a woman screamed, and Joker laughed. Dick felt Jay tense up, his jaw clenched and teeth grinding, but they were almost to the door. Almost out, and once they were in uniform they could do something about this.
Dick took a second to check on everyone else. Bruce and Selina were nearby, fading back toward the same door, and Dick saw her look up at Bruce and give a single quick shake of her head. Bravery and determination were all well and good, but Joker was calling her out by name, and Dick was glad to see her get out of it. Bruce covered Selina's exit. Better that she didn't get involved in this one.
Dinah was across the room, near some civilians, and she caught Dick's eye, giving him a nod. The group of people she was with included a frail older woman and a boy about Lian's age, both of whom needed help getting out. Dinah would make sure that happened, no matter what. Her civilian identity was long since revealed, even if the public seemed to have mostly forgotten it. Still, her priority was making sure the civvies were okay.
Tim was already at the door, slipping through. Dick figured the five of them would be enough. Joker and ten of his men versus four Bats and a Super, those were reasonable odds.
And then just as he and Jay ducked through the concealed door, Bruce closing it behind them, everything went to hell.
…
As soon as she saw Joker, Kala looked for the rest of the team. She caught a glimpse of the boys carefully moving to the exits, trying not to attract attention that would reveal their civilian identities. They didn't see her, but that was fine – they would expect her to meet them at the vehicles. It was going to be all right, they just needed a few minutes to change and come bursting back in. One of the possibilities they'd discussed was Joker trying to out them publicly; everyone seemed to think it was unlikely, but Joker was nothing if not chaotic. Maybe he would try to expose them.
They had to go, but it left everyone in the room undefended for precious minutes. Kala scanned the crowd, looking for Dinah, and found her at another door, escorting the most at-risk civilians out first. That put her in danger as well. Kala had worked with Dinah often enough to trust her to handle herself in any situation, but she was busy protecting other people and no one was watching her back. Kala's heart raced, not wanting to leave even for the seconds it would take to get to Jay's car and grab her uniform, not wanting to risk Joker getting the upper hand.
Dinah handed a nearly-catatonic little boy to someone heading out the door, and that settled Kala's resolve. She'd stay here, play civilian, and be backup for Dinah. The chairwoman of the JLA was out, if Joker recognized her, he'd go for her and put the people around her right in the crosshairs. Which meant Kala was the only wild card they had. As long as she didn't dive for her uniform, she could blend in with the civilians, a super-powered ace in the hole until the boys got back.
So she stayed, even when one of the thugs fired a burst of rounds into the ceiling and people screamed. She stayed, moving with the crowd, keeping pace with Joker and his men as they stalked through the throng. She stayed, and when two of Joker's men lunged into the frightened partygoers, Kala was a little slower than the panicked flight of the rest, stumbling over each other to get away.
She saw what Joker was about to do a second before he moved. He had to know the Bats were coming, he was looking for the commissioner or the mayor or Selina, so he didn't have a specific target. He just needed a hostage. And if he got his hands on one of these frightened people, it would make the entire situation a hundred times worse. The Bats would have to negotiate with a madman while he held a knife to some innocent's throat.
The Empress had been hovering at the back of her mind since Joker's first cackling laugh, and now she spoke, low and thoughtful, deadly in her intent. Better if he took a hostage he couldn't kill so easily.
The thought made Kala's heart stop, and then beat faster, drumming like thunder in her chest. Oh this was stupid, this was crazy, Jay was going to absolutely lose his fucking mind, but she had only seconds to decide and Joker was right there. Any second now he'd grab a hostage, she didn't have time to think it through other than not wanting to see someone get killed tonight.
Jay warned me what happens to pretty young things in this town, Kala thought, resolute, and she broke the pattern of crowd movement. Just a little, just enough. Time to prove him wrong. Joker lunged forward, three long steps, the crowd stampeding away, and Kala just … didn't run fast enough.
It wasn't a confrontation, nothing so obvious as that, but when that bone-white hand struck out, she was the one who didn't quite escape. The fish a little slower than the rest, the starling a little less steady, and Joker's hand closing on her wrist made her think of hawk's talons and shark's jaws. You're in it now, she told herself, and felt the coldness in the back of her mind try to take over. It would be so easy to end him, one quick flash of heat vision, one sharp blow to shatter his skull, or one swift grab and twist to dislocate his spine.
Kala stamped down on that, even as Joker yanked her away from the panicky rush of the rest. She couldn't afford to turn the Empress loose in front of this many witnesses, but as he spun her into the open space the fearful partygoers left around him and his men, Kala managed to twist the fingers of her free hand into the Bats' silent signal for 'I'm okay, go on'. Because if Jay saw this, if any of them saw this and she didn't signal, Jay would blow his cover and everyone else's to get to her.
"My, my, my, aren't you lovely," Joker crooned, his mad eyes fixed on hers. Behind the mask, Kala glared him down, holding on with every ounce of self-control she possessed. His grip on her wrist was certain, and he proved he knew his share of martial arts, applying pressure that forced her to take another step away from the safety of the crowd. If she planted her feet, he wouldn't be able to move her – but then he'd know he was dealing with a metahuman.
Too late, she remembered he'd carried kryptonite the last time she crossed his path. The Empress surged up, and only months of practice let Kala keep herself in check. If he didn't know, he wouldn't use it. She couldn't feel the radiation now, and she was too off-center to focus on using her x-ray vision to check for any lead containers on his person. Joker was already in her face, she'd already committed to this, and she had to see it through.
All that mattered was protecting the civilians. Keeping everyone else safe meant pretending to be the perfect hostage. Kala held that in the front of her mind, and it was a damn good thing she did, as Joker looked her up and down with avaricious eyes. "Love the mask," he told her. "Harlequin colors, how delightful. It's almost as if you knew I'd be here."
Her stomach dropped at that. Goddammit, you moron. She'd picked red and black for her uniform and Jay's helmet, never thinking that those were Harley's colors most of the time. At least she hadn't picked a diamond-patterned mask. Hell, she might not have needed to let herself get caught, once Joker saw her he would've zeroed in on her for that tiny hint of resemblance.
All Kala said out loud, though, was a low and angry retort of, "You might want to be careful. I heard the last time you crossed a harlequin, your ass landed in the hospital." Kala raised her chin, feeling like her mother's daughter, proud of how level her voice was, even as the crowd around them gasped in shock and dismay.
Joker backhanded her across the face, and she remembered at the last instant to turn with the blow, to pretend it hurt. Someone in the crowd yelled out angrily, and the goons fired a few rounds into the air to cow them. Just as quickly, Joker tugged her back to him, sharply enough that Kala had to put her free hand out to stop herself from crashing into him.
That left her in something close to waltz position, and her skin crawled as Joker put his other hand on her waist, smiling at her. She drew in an offended breath, and she got a nose full of him. Joker smelled like cordite and candied apples, the latter scent nauseating in this context. She would've expected anything else but that. His voice was a rolling croon, low and persuasive and charming, and that smile … Kala understood why Jay hated his smile. "Well then, I've always heard it's rude to bring up exes on a first date, but since you broached the topic – I am looking for a rebound." Joker stepped into her space, and she stepped back, fighting down the urge to simply rip him limb from limb right here.
That would go over well with the press, she reminded herself. Kala could live with losing her secret identity, but not with exposing her father and brother. Or with letting the public find out there was a Kryptonian in the world who could and would dismember a man in front of a crowd of witnesses. That would ruin all of them. "Good luck. Pretty sure I'm not your type. And rumor has it, she's left town," Kala hissed back, pretending to struggle against his grip.
Joker grinned wider at her pretend distress, and one of his men laughed. "Hey boss, think I saw that one dancin' with one of the Wayne boys. That high-profile enough?"
"Oh yeah, that's perfect," Joker chortled, and spun her. Kala's stomach dropped to realize the sonofabitch was waltzing with her. And now he knew she was connected to the Waynes.
Fuck. Now she really couldn't cut loose, because it wasn't just her own family on the line. Her fear rose, and the Empress leapt alongside it, eager for a fight. Kala throttled that back, but she hoped like hell the boys were hurrying. She didn't know how much of this she could take.
"Boys, you hold down the fort here," Joker said expansively. "I need a moment to talk to the lady alone." And then he was dancing her toward the room off to the side where the caterers had set up, Kala holding back both her gorge and the killing fire of her eyes.
…
Jay wasn't thinking about anything further than getting back in there and kicking Joker's ass. He stripped down to underwear and threw on his uniform in one hell of a hurry. As he jammed his helmet on, the first thing he heard was Dinah whispering urgently, "You need to hurry, I think K's about to kill him."
"Dammit, she promised she'd leave him to me," Jay growled, grabbing his guns. And then the sentence really hit him. "Wait, why the fuck is she still up there?" He felt like an idiot a second later. He had the keys, even if Kala had sped down ahead of them, she couldn't grab it without him. But she did havethe speed, she should've been the first one out, when he hadn't seen her as they left he'd assumed she was out ahead of him. All of a sudden he remembered something his own father had told him about the word 'assume', and his gut went cold.
To his intense surprise, Dinah whispered, "Shit," over the open comm line. She was normally much better about protocol than that. "Hood, you need to stand down from this one. Just … take it from me, we'll handle it without you."
"Fuck that, I'm on my way. What's K doing? What's that fucker doing that she's gonna kill him?" He ran for the edge of the building, too bad if Dick and Bruce and Tim didn't make it there in time, he wasn't waiting for them. They were parked elsewhere in the big garage beside the venue.
"K has the situation under control," Dinah said firmly. "J, listen, K has it under control. She set this in motion, she knows backup is coming, and she knows what she's doing."
"Canary, report," Bruce's voice came over the line, and Jay reached the low wall that enclosed this level of the parking deck.
A frustrated noise, and then, "Joker wanted a hostage. Kala made sure he took her instead of a civilian."
Jay had been about to jump and fire his grapnel; good thing he hadn't, because those words almost tumbled him to the ground, hitting like a super-strength fist to the gut. Joker had Kala. The nightmare roared back to life in his brain, Jay seeing Kala's lifeless eyes staring at him accusingly.
He should never have left without making sure of where she was. That was teamwork 101, and he'd screwed it up. It'd be better to risk sacrificing his identity to take out the Clown, than leaving Kala up there in civilian clothes, having to pretend to be a helpless victim. The best case scenario now was that she went full Empress and fried the fucker … right in front of hundreds of witnesses.
The worst was that Joker might be carrying kryptonite. He had been the last time Kala crossed paths with him. Jay's heart seized, and he stepped up to the parapet, firing his grapnel.
And in a night of terrors, somehow the most unnerving thing of all was hearing Babs spit out a bitterly emphatic, "Fuck," over the comm.