Disclaimer: I don't own Justice League or associated content, just my OCs.

That said, sorry this took forever! I swear, even when I started working on this chapter progress was agonizingly slow.

Enjoy!

A Day at the Beach

17 Years Ago, Gotham City

Late one ordinary evening, in the ordinary kitchen of an ordinary apartment building, a seemingly ordinary man and woman were sitting opposite each other at her table. The woman was young, with dark hair, pale skin and dressed casually, whereas the man had long, flowing grey hair with a beard to match and wore a suit and tie. "I know this may not be quite as good as your usual fare, but I'm afraid this is the best I can do at the moment," the woman excused herself as she poured them both a cup of tea to go with the plate of biscuits sitting on the table.

"The quality of the food is of little concern to me," the man said dismissively. "What I do find concerning is why you would take the boy under your wing."

The woman turned her head to look at one of the bedroom doors, on the other side of which her young son lay sleeping, having just put him to bed herself. "My husband, may he rest in peace…" she began, turning her attention back to her guest. "… saw something in him, decided to bring him home, and we agreed to adopt him as our own."

"And why did you really take him in?" the man demanded.

"The boy does deserve a home and family. And also…" The woman trailed off, placing a hand on her belly.

"I see…" the man said, a frown adorning his face. Silence hung in the air for a moment, before he finally spoke up again. "You know who he is, and what he represents."

"I do."

"Then please explain why I should grant you your request."

"Because, if you would allow the others to train him, to teach him what they know, in doing so the boy will be grateful towards them, and the fire within will drive him to use his abilities to look after the little one… I know that he cares for the child even now. And with a little love and by endearing ourselves to him, that which you fear might not come to pass."

"Hmm…" The man was deep in thought, embroiled in weighing the merits of her arguments. "Very well, I will allow it."

"Thank you," the woman said, nodding gratefully. And with that, the man stood up and simply vanished.

Present

When the day that they'd decided on for their next date rolled around, Zatanna made her way to Hector's apartment with a bag slung over her shoulder. Arriving there, she knocked at the door and waited but a few seconds before it opened to the sight of her boyfriend who greeted her with a smile. "Hey Zee, come on in," he said, stepping aside to allow her entry.

"Hello to you too, big boy," she replied once he'd closed the door behind her, dropping her bag and pulling his head down for a scorching kiss.

"Well, well, looks like somebody's glad to see me," Hector said once they'd separated, a goofy grin on his face as his hands rested around her waist.

"From the way you responded, I'd say you were glad to see me too," she shot back with a grin of her own.

"Guilty as charged."

"Where's Cassandra anyway?"

"She's out with her friend Sally for the day. So, I packed a picnic basket just like you asked, but you still haven't told me where we're heading today."

"We're going to enjoy ourselves at the beach."

"You know, autumn never struck me as the best time to go to the beach."

"Mistress of Magic, remember?" Zatanna playfully reminded him, wiggling her fingers and producing a few sparks for emphasis. "We're going to sunny San Francisco. So, if you'll grab your swim suit and whatever else you might need, I'll just use my magic to take us there."

"Alright then, I'll just be a minute." Hector quickly grabbed his trunks and other things and put them in a bag.

"What happened to your arm?" Zatanna asked, having noticed the bandage wrapped around his left arm.

"This? I got into a spot of hot water recently and my arm got a little cooked as a result."

"Is that a roundabout way of saying you were cooking and spilled hot water over your arm?"

"Everyone makes mistakes once in a while, even seasoned chefs, pardon the pun."

"Do you want me to heal that for you? We'd probably have more fun if we didn't have to worry about you aggravating your burn."

"I don't know… Doesn't magic always have a price?" Hector asked with an expression that suggested he was being more playful than serious.

"Don't worry about that, I'm not Circe, I won't force you to sing in front of an audience. I was thinking more along the lines of you telling me about how you got some of those scars. I mean, I noticed quite a few of them when we were… you know."

"Well, how could I refuse such a generous offer?" He then began to slowly unravel the bandage from around his injured limb, showing her the discoloured skin underneath.

"Doesn't seem too serious," Zatanna remarked as she looked at the burn. "This should be a snap. Now hold still, please." Gently placing her hands on his arm, she chanted a short spell, at which his arm quickly regained its original colour.

"I'll say, magic certainly can be-"

The sound of someone knocking at the door interrupted whatever Hector had been about to say. The one responsible turned out to be Anna, dressed in tight blue jeans and a white shirt, looking spectacular despite her ordinary clothes. "Hello Hector, good to see you again," she greeted him with a bright smile, kissing him on each cheek. "And you must be his girlfriend, Zatanna."

"And you are…?" Zatanna asked, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious next to this seemingly perfect woman.

"Oh, how rude of me not to introduce myself. You can call me Anna, Anna Dite. I was Hector's teacher in the fine art of romance."

"Ah yes, he did mention you."

"He's told me about you too," Anna replied as she examined Zatanna from head to toe, an approving look on her face. "Hmm… Slender legs, perky rear, slim waist, firm breasts, pretty face and luscious hair… You are quite the looker, though that's no surprise, since Hector's always had good taste in women."

"Uhh…" Zatanna could only stand there with her mouth open, dumbfounded by Anna's straightforwardness. For his part, Hector, though with a blush creeping up on his face, calmly walked over to a drawer from which he grabbed the necklace he'd retrieved from Volcana.

"Thank you so much for getting this back for me," Anna said as Hector gave it to her. "Is there anything I can do for you in return?"

"Just try to patch things up with Diana, if you don't mind."

Anna sighed a little and put the necklace around her neck, letting the heart shaped ruby dangle over her ample bosom. "As you wish, I promise I'll do my best to make nice with her. In any case, I should get going now. After all, it simply wouldn't do to keep such a fine woman waiting because of me. Ta ta."

"So…" Hector spoke up once Anna was gone. "Shall we get going?"

Arriving in San Francisco via one of Zatanna's spells, the two young lovers made their way to the sandy shores where a number of people were already gathered, though not in such numbers as to be overcrowded. After a quick change of clothes, they laid out a blanket on the sand and were enjoying their picnic together, Hector in a pair of plain green shorts, and Zatanna in fiery colored two piece. "So… what was that with the necklace back at your apartment?" Zatanna inquired, biting into an egg salad sandwich.

"Oh that? Anna came to me a few days ago saying that Diana, one of my other teachers, had stolen her necklace after they'd gotten into an argument, she asked me to find it for her, and I did."

"… She really taught you romance, did she?"

"Yeah, she pretty well insisted, and I went along with it."

"So, umm… how did she go about teaching you something like this?"

"Zee… what do you really want to know?" Hector asked, having picked up on her awkwardness.

"Well, it's just… she's perfect, and I'm… me," Zatanna replied, hugging her knees to her chest and looking downward. "And compared to her…"

Seeing her insecure like this, Hector put a hand under her chin and gently tilted her head up to look at him. "Zee, I promise that you have nothing to worry about. Anna thinks of me as her little brother, and I only have eyes for one woman. And that woman is you."

Zatanna smiled gratefully at this, then leaned in to give him a soft, tender kiss. "Thank you."

"Anytime, Zee," he said, smiling back at her.

"Now, I believe you agreed to tell me about your scars," she reminded him, sounding more cheerful as she closed the distance between them, placing a hand on his back, where the scars he'd received during his first 'test' lay. "Are these from the wolf your friends' son mentioned before?"

"Yep, when I was ten," he confirmed. "Like I said, it was unpleasant, but I pulled out of it alright."

"What about this one?" Zatanna asked, lowering her hand to his ribs.

"That's a bit of a story. I lived in South Africa for a short while because of my mother's job, and one day a friend of mine decided to show me the village he grew up in. When we got there, we were invited to tag along with a hunting party, so we went with them and split into two groups. Halfway through, a man in the other group came running, shouting that they'd been attacked by a giant warthog. We all rushed to their help and found ourselves face to face with the biggest, and meanest pig I've ever seen in my life. Everyone ganged up on it and in the end I killed it with a spear through the eye, but not before it nicked me with one of its tusks." As he finished telling the story, Hector thought back to the aftermath of the fight, specifically Mars' message about not always expecting his enemy to come to him.

"That is quite a story," Zatanna agreed, then moved her hand to a scar running across his chest. "Did this one also involve a wild animal?"

"No, this was because of a mugger with a knife. That one…" he added as she touched the scar on his left shoulder. "… was an overzealous rival bowhunter who decided to shoot me instead of the deer we were both tracking."

Hector continued answering Zatanna's questions about how he'd gotten his scars, from simple accidents, to fights, training mishaps and encounters with mythological monsters, though he took care to omit and alter certain details regarding the latter in order to avoid disclosing secrets. "I guess it's a good thing you learned how to fight so well, considering how often you seem to have gotten in trouble," Zatanna commented. She then pushed back his short bangs, revealing a small scar just below his hairline. "How did this one happen?"

"You know how I mentioned that I learned how to fight blind? Well, in order to train my other senses, Mars once made me wear a blindfold for a whole year, twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. On top of that, periodically I had to do an exercise where he'd give me a quarterstaff, then throw rocks at me and I had to deflect them. The scar's from one of the rocks I missed."

Zatanna merely blinked at this, a surprised look on her face. "… Wow. That… is intense. You're not making this up, are you?"

"Nope. Mars was a… hard teacher, but I can't deny that he was effective."

"Still, to willingly put yourself through that kind of training sounds like something Batman would do. You're sure you don't prowl the streets at night in tights and a cape beating up criminals?" Zatanna asked jokingly.

"I'd like to think that my social skills are better than a guy who dresses up like a bat and lives in the dark," Hector replied with a smirk, causing both of them to laugh a little at this, though he also had a brief flashback to one of his lessons with Marc about using humor as a means to deflect questions without actually lying.

"Well, enough of that," Zatanna declared, passing Hector a bottle of sunscreen and rolling onto her stomach, stretching her arms and legs out before settling into a seductive pose and giving him a smouldering look. "Would you be so kind as to put some lotion on me?" She asked in a not so innocent tone that set both their hearts racing.

"It would be my genuine pleasure."

"Just don't get to handsy, okay?"

"Ms. Zatara, I can assure you that I'll be nothing less than a gentleman… no matter what indecent thoughts may creep into my mind."

"And what indecent thoughts could you possibly have about me, M. Anderson?" Zatanna shot back, enjoying their little game of flirting. When Hector failed to answer, Zatanna propped herself up on her elbow and turned her head towards him, whereupon she saw him tap his sunglasses while looking up at the sky. "What's going on? Is something wrong?" she asked, confused.

"The Teen Titans are based out of San Francisco, are they not?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because I'm looking at a green seagull." Hector then began muttering to himself about the implications of Beast Boy's presence and the whereabout of the other Titans, all while combing through the beach going crowd with sharp eyes.

"Hey!" Zatanna spoke up, snapping her fingers and drawing his attention back to her. "If the Titans are here, it's probably just to enjoy the beach like everyone else, so just relax and forget about them."

"You're right," Hector admitted, taking off his sunglasses to reveal an abashed look on his face. "I'm sorry Zee, I just get a little paranoid sometimes. Probably a side effect of training with Mars. I promise not to let it get out of hand."

"I'll accept your apology if you get me an ice cream from that shack we passed by coming here. In the meantime…" Zatanna rolled over again, laying her head in her arms. "Your hot girlfriend is still waiting for you to put suntan lotion on her, so you'd best get started."

Hector smiled as he took the bottle and put a dollop of sunscreen in his hand. "As milady commands, so it shall be done."

Garfield Logan, aka: Beast Boy, was in fact flying high above the beach in the form of a seagull, though not because of any super-villain or other threat, but rather because Tim Drake and Cassandra Sandsmark were on a date and he'd decided to spy on them for fun. He saw the two young heroes waiting in line at a snack shack on the beach when a guy started hitting on Cassie. Despite her polite rejection the guy in question persisted, prompting Tim to step in, but even then he was too thick-headed/rude to get the message.

"Wow, this dude is such an idiot," Beast Boy thought to himself. "He'd better back off before Tim knocks him on his ass." Fortunately for the unnamed idiot, a tall muscular man interrupted by tapping him on the shoulder, at which he turned around and tilted his head back to look up at him, surprised by his size. "Damn, that's like some Batman sized dude, with muscles and scars to match," Beast Boy remarked as the man said a few words, causing 'stupid guy' to shrink under his gaze and walk away. Tim and Cassie appeared to thank him for this, though he waved his hand dismissively, as if it was nothing. Having decided at that point that he'd seen enough and was bored, Beast Boy turned around and flew away to Titans Tower, not knowing that if he'd stayed to watch a little longer, he might have noticed Hector going back to Zatanna and would have gotten some juicy gossip.

Having gone for a swim, Hector and Zatanna were now coming out of the water, the former looking particularly soaked and pulling bits of seaweed out of his hair. "I maintain that your reaction was uncalled for," Hector argued playfully.

"And I would remind you that you were the one who started it," Zatanna replied with a smirk.

"Come on, it was all in good fun."

"In that case, I was just retaliating… in good fun."

"Did you need to do it so enthusiastically?"

"I guess you just bring out that side of me."

"We seem to bring that out in each other."

"And so the vicious cycle continues," Zatanna said with a exaggerated dramatic expression. As the two of them sat down on their beach blanket, letting the sun dry them off, Hector's ears happened to pick up on a conversation between two guys in Chinese that drew his ire. It wasn't that they were talking about Zatanna, but rather the lewd comments, sexual innuendos and other such behaviour that raised the hair on the back of his neck.

In response, Hector wrapped an arm around Zatanna's waist and held her close, something the magician did not object to, then looked at the two guys in question. "That guy's looking at us kind of funny," one of them said to the other. "Do you think he can understand what we're saying?"

"That muscled jock? Pff… no way, man."

"Actually, 'that muscled jock' can understand you just fine," Hector spoke in Chinese, giving them a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "He would also recommend that you stop talking about his girlfriend like that." The two guys' eyes bugged out at this, and they quickly decided that it would be a good idea for them to leave.

"Dare I ask what that was all about?" Zatanna inquired.

"I'd rather not translate, but suffice to say they were talking about you in a way I didn't appreciate."

"Jealousy and paranoia… I'm learning more about you every day. Any other faults you'd like to confess?" She asked with a none too serious expression.

"Har, har. Of course I have faults like anyone else, I'm not perfect. After all… I'm only human."

While her brother was out with Zatanna, Cassandra was hanging out at Sally's place, currently playing Call of Duty with her friend and losing badly, if the blonde's frequent cheers of victory were any indication. "Girl, I am totally whupping your ass right now," Sally declared. "What's up with you? I know I tend to win more often at CoD, but it's usually more balanced than this."

"Sorry, I guess I'm just a little distracted."

"Something on your mind? Or is it someone?"

"It's… a little weird, but I've just been thinking about my brother's ex-girlfriend Sara. It was a long time ago, but I still remember that lullaby she'd sing to me. You know I actually ran into her sister a few weeks back?"

"Huh, that's a funny coincidence."

"Yeah… it is. Anyway, my brother's with Zatanna now, and from the looks of it things are going pretty good."

"Good enough to expect a niece or nephew in the near future?" Sally teased.

"Not that good," Cassandra replied with a laugh. "At least, I haven't walked in on them yet, so I can't tell for sure."

"Enough about your brother's love life for now, how about we play some Mario Kart instead?"

"Works for me." As her friend started up the game, the secret Hector had revealed to Cassandra the night before popped up in her mind again. 'I still can't get over it,' she thought to herself. 'Sara and Alice… aliens.'

Once they were finished at the beach, Hector and Zatanna had gone back to his apartment, where after putting away the leftovers and other supplies, Hector had proposed that they watch Dirty Dancing. So they'd made popcorn and cuddled up together on the couch as Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze danced together on the screen. "Well, I can safely say that this has been a very good day," Zatanna declared once the movie was done, snuggly leaning into her boyfriend.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, Zee," Hector replied with a genuine smile on his face. "I did too. It's also nice knowing that our friends and family are so accepting of each other."

"Yeah, that is nice," Zatanna agreed. "Although to be honest, I haven't told my friends in the League all about you, despite their best efforts. They still don't know that I'm seeing you specifically."

'As good a time as any,' Hector thought to himself. "That's… not entirely true."

"Huh?"

"The thing is, I actually ran into Hawkgirl just recently while she was in her civilian guise."

"Oookay. And how do you know it was her?"

"Do you remember a while back, Cassandra said she met my ex-girlfriend Sara's sister? Turns out she told her about my relationship with Sara, so when I met her myself, she essentially backed me into a corner until I admitted knowing the two of them are from Thanagar."

Zatanna blinked in surprise at this, remaining silent for a moment before she spoke up again. "I realize it seems strange that I'd doubt this, considering some of the things you've told me about yourself aren't exactly 'normal' per say, to say nothing of the people I associate with myself, but I have seen evidence of your abilities, so…"

"Besides asking Hawkgirl for confirmation, I can also show you proof right now." Hector then got up from the couch and grabbed a small photo album, flipping through the pages until he found the one he wanted and passed it to Zatanna. "I'm confident you'll see the resemblance." Taking it in her hands, she saw a photo of a teenaged version of Hector with his arm around a girl who looked much like a younger version of her friend Shayera, albeit without the wings, both of them smiling at the camera.

"… I might ask Hawkgirl anyway, but you're right, I can definitely see the resemblance. That said, I can't help but wonder… your other ex, Alice…"

"Her last name was Anders. She was Kory's twin sister." Zatanna's eyes widened a little in surprise at the revelation, and when Hector showed a photo of the girl in question giving eight year old Cassandra a piggyback ride. "Judging by your reaction, I'm assuming you know-"

"Yeah, I know," she butt in. "Do Dick and Kory know that you know this?"

"When I met them I did let slip that I used to date Kory's sister, so I assume they at least suspect that I'm aware of Alice and Kory's origins."

"Well… I have to admit that this was all a little unexpected," Zatanna said. "By the way, I think it'd be a good idea to tell Dick and Kory. At least, the part that concerns Kory and her sister."

"I'm sure you can understand this isn't something I like to advertise. Do you trust them?"

"Yes."

"Okay then. I'll tell them at the earliest convenience."

"What about Cassandra?"

"She knows. If I was going to tell you, I had to tell her. Don't worry, I trust her to keep it secret."

"Good. I just have to ask, if you hadn't run into Hawkgirl, would you have told me all of this?"

"Not yet," Hector admitted. "Though I would have told you eventually. I just thought it'd be best you hear it from me first."

"Thank you for your honesty. I appreciate it. Tell me, do you still think about them?"

"I loved being with each of them, so I'd be lying if I said no. But… they are the past, and you are the present, and I care about you very, very much."

Zatanna couldn't help blushing a little as he gently placed a hand on her thigh. "Aww. Come ere, you sweet talker you," she said, before grabbing his shirt and kissing him.

On a Very Distant Planet

In one of the rougher parts of the city was a club that might well be like any on Earth, with music, drinks and people dancing and having a good time all around, with the notable exception that the people in question were aliens of different races, including Sahra Hol and Alisand'r, who were on a girls' night out. "Oh yeah, that hit the spot," the Thanagarian woman proclaimed as she finished chugging her drink, slamming the empty mug back down on the table.

"Compliments of M. Tall, Rich and Gullible," Alisand'r replied, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

"And to think, all it took was 30 seconds of flirting and then, boom, free drinks. We should do this more often… except, you know, responsibilities like work, *BURP*… among other things."

"Carpe Diem."

Sahra blinked a few times, apparently confused. "… What?"

"It's a quote from a movie Hector and I once watched, Dead Poet's Society. I believe it means 'Seize the moment'."

"Huh… Never saw that one. My favourite was Mulan, about a woman who dresses up like a man and joins the army to protect her elderly father from being conscripted, then ends up saving her country. I remember it was just the two of us watching that movie, huddled together on the sofa at night with a blanket around us and feeding each other popcorn. Looking back it seems a little silly and childish, but… it's a good memory."

"Quite a bit different from how the two of you began, yes?"

"You can say that again. At first I thought he was a rude, stubborn little-" Sahra said, adding a word in her native tongue that was clearly not flattering. "Although I can't deny he was a good fighter even then, gave as good as he got and left me with my share of bruises."

"… Do you ever imagine what it would be like if you'd stayed on Earth with him?"

"Yeah… I wish I hadn't been such a coward back then."

Alisand'r placed a comforting hand on her friend's arm at this. "No one can be brave all the time. X'hal knows I've had my moments too."

"Heh, what a pair we are, a girls' night out and yet we can't stop talking about guys. What say we drink to forgetting about our troubles and hit the dance floor? Maybe we'll get lucky and some idiot will start a fight, or at least give me an excuse to start one."

"I'll drink to that." Emptying out the last of their pitcher, they stood up to join the rest of the dancers, shortly after which a large man started hitting on them. "It seems your wish came true," Alisand'r observed when the man made the mistake of grabbing her friend's butt.

In response, the Thanagarian cracked her knuckles and said "You bet it did," whirling around to punch the offender in his face, knocking him back into a few other patrons. The club remained silent as everyone stood still, only for the crowd to erupt into a brawl a couple seconds later. The two women looked at each other, smiled, then dived right into the melee.

Again, I'm sorry for the looooong wait, hope you liked it, and of course, reviews are always welcome.

For future reference, I'm thinking of doing a part with the Suicide Squad at some point (not sure when), so I'm curious to know peoples' favourite version of of the Suicide Squad (Assault on Arkham, DC Rebirth, Hell to Raise, Justice League Unlimited, or even any other combination of characters, although Harley Quinn, Deadshot and Captain Boomerang seem to appear pretty often).